Good news and bad

The good news is that the Absentee Voting Bill has already been passed independently by the Senate and House of Representatives. The bad news is that there are two versions, and both have differences that are so vast it would require a colossal effort to reconcile them.

The good news is that a bicameral conference committee is already in place and that its members have promised to fuse the most outstanding provisions in the two versions before Congress adjourns on December 19. The bad news is that some committee members are boastful politicians who claim that their respective version is better, and whose political drive hinges on the motto: promises are made to be broken.

The good news is that the law intends to enfranchise more than 7 million overseas Filipinos by allowing them to vote for president, vice-president, senators and party-list representatives. The bad news is that the House version excludes immigrants and allows voting only for president and vice-president, thus practically reducing voter eligibility and turnout by more than half, and turning the overseas vote into an insignificant statistic.

The good news is that overseas Filipinos, who often have a broader view of the national situation, will be able to vote, whatever is the outcome of the final law. The bad news is that it is still uncertain if they will be able to exercise this right in 2004. There are also no provisions on their representation in Congress.

The good news is that overseas Filipino organizations worldwide have become more vigilant of their rights and have vowed to protect the sanctity of their ballots. The bad news is that, come crunch time, they will not be in the Philippines where dagdag/bawas and other hocus pocus are ingrained in Philippine politics.

The only good news left without any bad news is that overseas Filipinos are estimated to send an all-time high of 8 billion US dollars this year, effectively propping up the Philippine economy and boosting the country's balance of payments.

But come to think of it, despite all these, our politicians hardly give a hoot. In the history of bad news, this is the most tragic of all. *

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