CBCP: What are political dynasties?

Is the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) biting more than they can chew? Aside from exhorting the people to volunteer for the coming elections in order to ensure clean and honest elections, the CBCP has declared that they would campaign against political dynasties. Hmmm. In a nation where politics has become a family business, where Article II, Sec. 26 of the 1987 Constitution guarantees equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibits political dynasties but doesn't define what a political dynasty is, perhaps the CBCP should first define what a political dynasty is before it goes into political battle.

What's happening in the Senate is the worst thing that can ever happen to this country where only a few family names control this once august body. But before we talk about the Senate, let's ask ourselves who in Cebu has a political dynasty. Let's not go far. I'm sure that the first one to come to mind is the Osmeña family. Right now, we only have Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña in a local government office, while his brother Sen. Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III is the only one in the Senate whose term is ending this year. So we ask: Are they a political dynasty as defined by the CBCP? Personally, I don't think so.

We know that Mayor Osmeña's cousin, former Sen. John "Sonny" Osmeña is on the road to vengeance seeking the Senate seat that he lost in 2004. But everyone knows that the feud between the two Osmeña cousins is what we call in Bisaya "duot pa sa bokog" (to the bone) where Tomas Osmeña would even campaign against his bitter cousin. So again we ask the CBCP, what is their definition of a dynasty?

I'm not saying that I'm against the CBCP plan to go against political dynasties. In fact I'm all for it. In fact, I suggest that the CBCP should go to the extent of openly condemning who are political dynasties in order to warn the people not to vote for them. However, after defining what a political dynasty is, the CBCP should also go further by issuing a warning to many priests or even bishops who are close to these political dynasties.

This is a reality today in this country, where longtime dynasties do get the blessings of their parish priests who more often than not, get a return of their blessings in kind. The politicos in power do a lot to contribute to the coffers of the parish in cash or in kind. It's going to be quite discomforting that while the CBCP issues this warning against political dynasties, their parish priest goes to the point of blessing these politicos.

As far as that Constitutional proviso guaranteeing equal access opportunities for public service, this too has to be clearly defined. Hence the question we ought to ask is, what does equal opportunity really mean? Only the very naïve doesn't know that others are more equal than most.

I just got a clipping of a New York Times article, which came out last Jan.27, 2007 written by David Brooks entitled "The American Way of Equality." David Brooks quoted the eminent American Sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset who died last New Year's Day. Lipset wrote the book "The First Nation Achievement and Equality" that came out in 1963.

Brooks wrote about Lipset, "he was aware of the structural and demo-graphic answers to questions like 'Why America never adopted a European-style Welfare State?' He believes that racially diverse nations tend to have lower levels of social support than homogenous ones. People don't feel bound together when they are divided along ethnic lines and are less likely to support programs. You can have diversity or a big welfare state. It's hard to have both."

On equality, David Brooks said, "When Americans use the word 'Equality' they really mean 'fair opportunity'. When Americans use the word 'Freedom' they really mean 'opportunity.'" What about Filipinos? What really is our official definition of equality or equal opportunity? Are some people more equal than others? This is what the CBCP should find out first so they can go against political dynasties that really ruin or hurt this country because these politicians have made politics their family business.

To be totally honest, I have been asked so many times by many people why I have never run for public office. My reply to them was, I have already served the Cebuanos in my own way, being a private sector representative in the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the past 20 years without any pay or remuneration or when I ran the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) also without pay, not even one peso a year. But running for public office is a different ballgame. I will never do so until and unless we become a Federal State; only then will I even think about running for public office. Meanwhile, the ball is in the CBCP court!