What is their platform?

By Antonio M. Reyes

We just completed a survey of local candidates to find out what their platforms were and were surprised by the lengthy answers we received. What was clear from their response was that most did not know what it meant.

A platform of governance is not a summary of the various interests of a candidate, nor a mere listing of the specific areas he would like to address. It is the philosophy that would dictate the policies and programs of the political aspirant. In legal terms; it would be the equivalent of our Constitution’s Preamble.

A good example is the original Nationalist Party’s platform of governance, which was: Filipino First Through Self Reliance.

This simply means that if one is a member of the Puersa Nang Masa Party his platform must be pro-poor and so should his policies and programs.

The survey showed how naive many of our candidates were about the political party they were representing. And I believe this is why politicians have no qualms about changing party affiliation.

A candidate’s platform, or lack of one, is an accurate gauge of the candidate’s qualifications.

We should think about this when we vote this coming May.

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Comelect List of Local Candidates for the May 10, 2010 National Elections