The Get Real Philippines Blog Network is famous for a number of things and one of them is Platform Plez.
Platform Plez was an online movement launched just before the 2010 elections as a way of challenging Presidential candidates to prove that they are worthy of the position they were aspiring for.
Platform Plez is a simple, easy to fill up matrix with columns in which Presidential candidates can indicate what they will do in the areas of Economy, Culture, Human Capital Development, Foreign Affairs, Infrastructure, National Security, and Governance.
Seeing that 2013 will be basically a year where the highest official that will be elected into office will be senators, I would characterize it as an election year where we will be basically voting mainly for policy directions.
This time around, rather than put in the names of candidates, it would be better if the 2013 version of Platform Plez puts in the names of Political Parties.
Why? It's simply because passing any piece of legislation (policy) will require the cooperation of a party's members in the House of Representatives and Senate.
There are still a few things I haven't figured out though and that mainly has to do with the fact that we won't be voting for parties but for individuals. But still, perhaps the names of the parties laid down in the rows can be drilled down to the composition of the senatorial slate and the party's congressional candidate per district.
Anyway, what matters, really, is whether political parties can come up with a believable and executable platform that responds to the people's needs. The dominant needs expressed, at least in one survey conducted last year, is the need to end spiraling price increases and the lack of decent jobs. Both of which are basically economic issues.
One question, perhaps, that parties can address immediately is what set of policies will they put forward to address these needs?
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