Unfortunate happenings

The state of the nation remains the same even as we enter the third year of Duterte’s term as President. The various goals he announced to achieve within a period he himself fixed when he assumed office are still being pursued up to now, particularly the war on drugs, crime and corruption. Hence the “good news” that he would supposedly announce in his SONA last Monday was not really in his speech. Most people listening to his SONA thought that it is not much different from his previous SONA.

Actually however, there are also some noticeable differences in PRRD’s SONA last Monday. Most noticeable is of course the lack of expletives and curses. Apparently, PRRD did not stray away from his prepared speech this time unlike before when he would sometimes discard the written address and just talk and talk on any topic that comes to his mind. This latest improvement in his public speaking obviously show that he should indeed get somebody to direct him in the course of his speech like Director Joyce Bernal in the last SONA.

Of course, even as there are still unfulfilled promises, his recent SONA also mentioned new promises such as the non-extension of his term of office, the push for federalism as the new form of government, the continuation of the TRAIN, reduction of rice prices, prosecution of rice hoarders for economic sabotage, passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, protection of Philippine interest in West Philippine Sea and the opening of the third telco to all local and foreign groups.

The more exciting, sudden and seemingly unexpected happening in the last SONA is of course the “coup” in the Lower House against incumbent Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. People are not really expecting that Alvarez will be ousted as he seemed to be well entrenched and a long time ally as well as province-mate of PRRD. Up to now, the talks of the town are the reason/s for his ouster and who are the mastermind of such coup. Several speculations have cropped up that Duterte himself is behind Alvarez’s ouster, through her daughter Sara who is the Mayor of Davao City. Reliable sources reported that Sara called a meeting of members of House of Representatives the day before the SONA to plot said ouster. This on-going speculation appears to have acquired some semblance of truth as no one involved has denied it.

But Filipinos are more surprised and did not expect that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would be elected as the new Speaker of the House especially because she appeared to be already way past her prime and had just suffered life-threatening and serious health problems that required hospital confinement while undergoing trial for plunder and other crimes of graft and corruption. Insiders however believe that she really had some strong connections with PRRD and is indeed the handpicked successor of Alvarez. At any rate most people thought that given the choice between Alvarez and Macapagal-Arroyo as Speaker, the latter seems to be the “lesser evil” and thus more acceptable and tolerable.

This recent squabble in the Lower House once more shows us that something is very wrong with our politics and politicians. It indubitably confirms that ours is a politics of personalities and not of principles. More importantly, it proves that the multi-party system we now have under the present Constitution which is supposed to democratize political power, does not really serve its purpose. And this is precisely due to the fact that under the multi-party system, the political parties are not founded on specific and concrete principles and platforms that must be observed and followed by party members. Members join a political party not because of its programs of government and platforms that will serve the common good but because of the power and influence that said party has acquired. Thus after every election in this country, politicians jump fences and shift loyalties depending on which party is in power. This political phenomenon has even given rise to the use of the tagalog word “balimbing” to describe these politicians.

The classic illustration of the kind of politics now prevailing here is the unfolding events now happening in the Lower House. In the aftermath of the coup, members of the House of Representatives are at a loss on which party is now the minority and which party is the majority because of the numerous parties to which the members belong. The Lower House now even has members elected through the “party-list system” aside from the district representatives of each congressional district. Hence it is really quite difficult to determine the “majority” or the “minority” party now.

What is happening in the Lower House indeed stresses even more the need to change our Constitution especially because one of the major amendments being proposed by the Constitutional Committee (Con Com) is precisely the abolition of the multi-party system and the establishment of the two-party system. Pursuant to this amendment, there will only be two parties in our Congress consisting of the majority party and the minority party. People will choose and elect a candidate not because he or she is well liked and popular but because of the principles and platforms of the party to which he/she is affiliated.

So at this stage, let us set aside first all the fears and speculations we are now entertaining about the Cha-cha and study thoroughly the various proposals to find out whether they are indeed for the common good and for the best interest of our country and people.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected].