Cayetano: Let's focus on fraud-free automated system

Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano said that what is far more important than forming or joining coalitions at this time is for the voters and candidates to be assured that the improved automated system will further deter any attempt by known political operators to tamper with the results.

He said he is closely monitoring preparations for the 2013 national elections particularly the extent of progress in the ensuring that automated elections will be safe from fraud.

"As long as we have an automated election that is fair and with no possible intervention by special operators, whatever coalition one belongs to wouldn't really matter," he said in response to questions about his preferred political coalition.

"So far, there have been no indications of this happening and it looks like everything is proceeding on time," he added.

The senator also pointed out that the nature of political campaign in the country has already drastically changed due to the advent of information technology and social media - a fact that prospective coalitions and candidates should seriously consider in their campaigns.

"With so many friends on Facebook, one can already campaign for himself. President Obama showed us the way in not only getting support but also in raising money through the internet. The political parties have to realize that the campaigns can no longer be run the way it used to be run in the 60s," he said.

The minority leader said social media has increased the capacity of politicians to reach out to their constituents and vice versa.

"Before, the only way you can participate is through your organized networks and representatives. But now with Twitter, Facebook, and the online versions of the major dailies, reaching out has been made so much easier," he said.

In this light, he called on the administration to be mindful of how quickly public opinion can change even as he expressed the thought that political leaders should not rush into forming coalitions this early.