ith national elections just a few months away, election fever is heating up in the Philippines. Two major parties are the Administration's Team Unity and the Estrada-backed Genuine Opposition have pulled away from the pack and both groups seem poised for the "slugfest" that is elections "Pinoy Style."

For the average "Pinoy on the street" however, elections are still somewhat of an afterthought. The daily struggle to put food on the table relegates campaigning politicians and their radio and TV ads to the background. And luckily, for Metro Manilans, there is now a law prohibiting the posting of election material except in specially designated areas. This has kept Manila from the blight of years past when campaign posters were plastered everywhere.

In our forum discussions however, election fever is in full swing. Overseas Filipinos seem to be placing greater importance on this election than their counterparts in the Philippines. A group of concerned PNL readers have even banded together to form FILGLOBAL and cobble together a slate of twelve chosen Senatorial bets--then disseminate the information via the web.

Can overseas Pinoys make a difference? With the increasing number of dual citizens eligible to vote, the political clout of overseas Filipinos is on the uptrend. And who knows, they may be the driving force that finally tips the balance in favor of qualified candidates getting elected into office, and not the entertainers and media personalities that voters in the Philippines seem to prefer.