Elections: Accountability for the President

Ask yourself, how important is the May 2013 mid-term elections? Few people realize that one of the inherent defects of the 1987 Constitution is the single six-year term for the President, which clearly has no provisions for accountability for the Office of the President simply because the moment a President takes his oath of office, he is automatically a lame duck President.

This is what the framers of the Constitution, notably smart people like Fr. Joaquin Bernas and then Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. failed to foresee because they and the 47 other constitutionalists with them still had that “Martial Law” hangover when they hammered this Constitution. This is why we are having elections once every three years, which has resulted in the politicization of our nation when we should be de-politicizing our country.

Worse, these constitutionalists didn’t put the anti-dynasty provisions within the Constitution itself and gave this decision to Congress, which we all know is filled to the rafters with members of political dynasties. This is why 26 years after the EDSA Revolt… when the Filipino people overthrew one man rule, this nation today is ruled by political dynasties, which translates to the rule of political families in so many areas in this country.

So in effect we are using the 2013 mid-term elections as the people’s way of making the Aquino Presidency accountable for his three years in power and measuring his performance over his promises. Many of us were against the one, single term for the Office of the President. In fact, I still recall what my mentor, the late Manong Max Soliven, and I used to write about the President’s single term, “That 6-year term for the Office of the President is too long for a lousy one… and too short for a good President.”

So the next question is, are we happy with what has been going on in our country today? If you’re living in Mindanao, for sure you’re not happy with the 6- or 8-hour daily blackouts, or that the military cannot even ran after the New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists. Go and get your passport from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and you’ll end up cursing their stupid system, unlike when things were done pretty well in the past. Now if you bought a new car a few months ago, surely you’d be cursing the Land Transportation Office (LTO) because you still have no plate number.

Let me say it here that for Metro Cebu, we didn’t get any infrastructure development under the Aquino regime. So it is really a hard sell for Team PNoy in Cebu. Even Rep. Tomas Osmeña cannot explain why President Aquino scuttled his Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). This was one mass transit project that Cebuanos expected to have been approved under the Aquino Government. But it’s been put on hold without any explanations.

No doubt, Cebu’s infrastructure flourished under then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s government. Of course, the supporters of P-Noy today, people like Rep. Tomas Osmeña were able to build the South Road Properties (SRP) because my good friend and fellow mediaman, the late Cerge M. Remonde who was then Press Secretary under GMA helped then Mayor Osmeña get the money to fund the SRP from Malacañang.

Sad to say, the Aquino regime has nothing to show for Metro Cebu with regards infrastructure development. But suddenly, lo and behold, the major thoroughfares or national roads in Metro Cebu are getting a new asphalt make over. This has been going on at the two bridges spanning the Mactan Channel and even in Mango Avenue where the asphalt was still very good and had no potholes. DPWH just tore up the old asphalt and put in a new one, obviously to show us taxpayers where our money is being spent. How I wish they spent it in a road nearby which has a lot of potholes.

The best time Cebu’s road network was done beautifully was way back in 2006 when we hosted the 12th ASEAN Leaders Summit. These were great days when almost all the roads in Metro Cebu were given a new fresh coat of asphalt. Alas, all that is just a memory.

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Speaking of potholes, my son Capt. Jesus Valeriano just came back from Palawan as he has been helping a good friend, former Rep. Alvin Sandoval who is running for Congress in Palawan’s 1st District in his election campaign. He reported to me that many places in the first District like Cuyo, Coron or Busuanga have not even got its first taste of asphalt, hence they don’t even know what a pothole is. Most of the roads they went to on this campaign are suited only for off-road vehicles.

Palawan is one of the last frontiers and its people are hungry for development. As Alvin Sandoval told me, his priority is education for the people where his father was once a Congressman. Yes, Alvin Sandoval is one person that the people of the 1st District of Palawan ought to support because he is a man with a mission to transform Palawan into the modern world.

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