EDITORIAL – New lawmakers

Less than a year to the next elections, the Supreme Court has allowed seven more groups to be represented in Congress. Voting 12-1 with one abstention, the high tribunal rules that the Buhay Hayaang Yumabong, Anak-Mindanao, Alyansang Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka, Manggagawang Magbubukid at Mangingisda, Philippine Coconut Producers Federation Inc., Partido ng Manggagawa, Sanlakas and Abanse! Pinay were entitled to a congressional representative.

Naturally, the groups and their supporters welcomed the SC ruling. Electoral mandates must be respected. And the law creating the party-list system, no matter how flawed the system has turned out to be, must be followed.

But there must be a quicker way of resolving electoral contests. Those seven new party-list representatives will be taking their seats as the election season is heating up. This early politicians are already positioning themselves for their election bids in 2004. By February next year campaigns are expected to be in full swing.

How much work can those new congressmen accomplish? Are they entitled to back pay? That will be a hefty sum, considering that they are taking their seats midway into a three-year term. Congress will resume session late next month and will go into recess for Christmas. That leaves only a little over four months for lawmakers to work before they are fully distracted by their political plans for 2004.

It is not the first time that rulings on electoral contests have been handed down too late. Mayors and congressmen have been unseated just months before the end of their three-year term. The adverse consequences have been seen several times in recent years, and it’s time to change the system. Lawmakers must work with members of the judiciary and the Commission on Elections to discuss how to speed up the settlement of poll protests. Public service must not suffer because of belated political changes, and voters must not be cheated of their true choices.