and promulgate this Constitution.

1
It is in the first letters of the Supreme law of the land that we are bound by the declaration
that there shall be no one more powerful reigning in this country other than the people, who are
sovereign. It is ultimately the will of the sovereign Filipino people from which the Supreme law
of the land originated. Thus, it is ultimately the will of the sovereign Filipino people from where
the worings of the government in a democratic country lie ours shall be based. The sovereign
Filipino people is the paramount consideration from where all laws legislated by the government
it puts in place shall be based. !ltimately, the end product of the legislation process should inure
to the benefit of the people, promoting nothing but the common good.
Since it is the will of the sovereign Filipino people that put the government of this country in
place, it shall be duty of this government to secure to the people the independence of a
democratic government, and as the last phrase of the preamble puts it, it should wor under a
regime of truth, "ustice, freedom, love, e#uality and peace. Those last words in the preamble are
very powerful and meaningful. For me, they seal the authority of the Constitution with solid and
concrete guiding principles that shall be the foundation of an unshaeable country.
In the $hilippines, all government authority emanates from the people and is e%ercised by
representatives chosen by the people.
&
This is in accordance with Sec. 1 of the 'eclaration of
$rinciples and State $olicies of the Constitution, which states that (The $hilippines is a
democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority
emanates from them.
)
*s such, it is only in eeping with the will of the sovereign Filipino
people that such government be put in place under the guiding principles of truth, "ustice,
freedom, love, e#uality and peace.
+ithout a government, there is no state to be called. It is an element of a state to have an
organi,ed government to which the great body of inhabitants render habitual obedience.
*ccording to -ernas, a government is (that institution or aggregate of institutions by which an
independent society maes and carries out those rules of action which are necessary to enable
men to live in a social state, or which are imposed upon the people forming that society by those
who possess the power or authority of prescribing them.
.
-ecause of the gleaming importance
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of the e%istence of a government for the continuance of a state, a democratic country lie ours
shall give primordial importance to ensuring that such a government is in place. In the
$hilippines, as in other democratic countries, an election is the process by which the people
chooses who shall be in government by means of voting. The right to vote is embodied in the
Constitution which provides that (Suffrage may be e%ercised by all citi,ens of the $hilippines
not otherwise dis#ualified by lawB2o literacy, property, or other substantive re#uirement shall
be imposed on the e%ercise of suffrage.
C
-ecause of the importance of an election and its end results, the people in this country have
given much attention to the whole season of election every time it arrives. It has always been a
hot and controversial issue on who is running for elections, who is liely to win, or what the
implications are for the candidacy of such person. This only goes to show how politically driven
the country is, but it is also a good sign that the people are concerned on the direction that the
country is going to. -ecause of the importance of an election in creating the government from
which this country depends for its organi,ation as a people, it is also important that the election
process be given as much thought as the selection of the people in government where we mae
use of an election for. It is only right to e%amine the election process in the country and how it
has been going or evolving up to this time. It is an indispensable fact that as times change, the
world also evolves. This evolution inevitably calls for the progression of technology. It pays to
thin that this country does not wish to get left behind among the nations in whatever aspect, but
for the purpose of this paper, I shall e%amine the election process in the $hilippines and mae
recommendations for what seems to be the best process that should be used in the election of the
people in its government.
/istory of 4lection $rocess
The $hilippines has been using the manual system of counting votes until there came a
time when the Commission of 4lections began its efforts at conforming to the moderni,ation of
technology by looing into the possibility of employing an automated system of counting
election votes. It was in 199& that the Commission on 4lections began its efforts at moderni,ing
the $hilippine election system with the soDcalled (1peration 51'4E >5oderni,ation and
4%cellence@. This was done immediately after the first Synchroni,ed 2ational and 0ocal
4lections. In the succeeding year, foreign consultants were commissioned to conduct research on
the move for moderni,ation of elections in the $hilippines. *lthough a !S company was selected
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