Thanks Chaff for the Insight (For comments and views, please e-mail: chaff_fromthegrain@yahoo.com.ph)
"You can't adopt politics as a profession and remain honest." - L. McHenry Howe, Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt adviser
If Philippine democracy survives this bizarre 2010 election for the next six years, there is a bunch of great kids who will mature and assume national leadership after 2016, and bring the country to a higher level of economic development and democracy.
In the meantime, this 2010 election is getting to be more confusing, anti-climactic, and a mockery of the electoral process. In the next 66 days, the nation is asea and effectively deprived of direction and leadership as political leaders prepare for their own elections and survival.
On the one hand, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would also rather stay out of Manila, and out of harm's way of contrived controversies while campaigning for a House seat in her native province of Pampanga.
On the other hand, whom have we got to lead us out of the wilderness from among the Presidentiables, except former defense secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro who is the more qualified from among them, but remains outside the winning circle that is being contested at present by Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino and Sen. Manny Villar?
From among the senatorial contenders, the next Congress will probably end up with the same bunch of "characters," entertainers, and "NPS" (non-performing senators) as in the last two Congresses.
The saving grace is the emergence of young leaders who have the qualifications and intellect to make a difference, such senatorial aspirants as, Gwendolyn Pimentel, Ruffy Biazon, Gilbert Remulla, Adel Tamano, Raul Lambino, Ramon Mitra, Apolinario "Jun" Lozada, Jr. of Negros, Silvestre "Bebot" Bello, Jose de Venecia, III, and Teofisto Guingona III, with the advance party, so to speak, of incumbents Sen. Chiz Escudero and Sen. Allan Cayetano, and value-added when Serge Osmeña, Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Frank Drilon, and Ralph Recto find their way back to the Senate.
On the other hand, what messes up the electoral process is the proliferation of party-list political groupings when logic and common sense dictate that the Philippines should retrace itself back towards the two-party system of yesteryears.
It now appears that born-again evangelists, socialites, farmers, religious leaders, frustrated professionals, civil society advocates, entertainers, environmentalists, and shopkeepers, who ordinarily cannot get themselves elected as representatives to Congress or barangay captains for reasons of lack of funding, or inexperience, or personality flaws, opt instead to take the short-cut by means of the party-list which tends to prostitute the electoral process. As Alexander Pope noted with the politics of 18th century England, "political party is the madness of many for the gain of a few."
When all is said and done, the party-list system is unnecessary, not cost effective, redundant, unrepresentative of the will of the voters, and as an unnecessary appendix of the 1987 Constitution.
Truth to tell, with election automation far from perfect, preparations for the voting being touch-and-go, teachers and watchers in a state of near total unpreparedness, this election will go through but its repercussions and fallout cannot be predicted. The party-list candidates tend to complicate
the process and the counting.
the process and the counting.
As noted, this is an expensive election in the midst of scarcity of funds; too many candidates of doubtful quality, and automation that is far from perfect and fraud-free.
Hence, we need to look beyond this immediate exercise to quantify the political and economic consequences that await the results of the election.
You be the judge.
