The Consultative Committee, appointed by President Rody Duterte, and headed by former chief justice Reynato Puno, submitted a draft of the amended Constitution to Malacañan, and it includes a ban against political dynasties. Such an ambitious attempt, to the mind of this writer, will most probably be consigned again (for the nth time) to the peripheries of history. We are a nation governed by only few families like the Marcoses in the north and the Ampatuans in the south. Members of Congress will never create a ban against themselves. That would be totally contrary to human nature, and would contradict all the patterns of Philippine history. It is an empty wishful thinking. To be blunt, it is a big joke.
We, Cebuanos, were not born yesterday. We may be silly at times, sending some incompetents to Congress who do not know the meaning of ‘’divide the house’’ or cannot distinguish between privileged motion and point of order. But those were aberrations of circumstances. We are well-versed on the fundamentals principles and nuances of governance, we have working knowledge of basic parliamentary procedures, and are even articulate on today’s issues. Such being the case, most of Cebuanos would just sheepishly grin at this latest proposal to ban political dynasties.
This proposal will most probably be laughed at by most of our politicians. Frankly, let us ask ourselves: will the Garcias of Dumanjug and Barili support it? I don’t think so. Last local elections how many Garcias ran? Winston was running for governor, Gwen for the third district, Pablo John for the seventh, (his father, Noy Pabling used to be congressman representing the second), another brother was running for Dumanjug mayor, and still another was running in Barili, prompting some pundits to ask: To how many districts do the Garcias belong ba? Do you think these people would support a ban against themselves? No way. Do you think the Osmeñas, Duranos, Radazas, Corteses, del Mars, Cuencos, and Salimbanguns will support a ban? No way. The only Cebu official that I know who will support that ban is Governor Junjun Davide. No one else.
The Marcoses and the Singsons of Ilocos will reject it, the Abads of Batanes, the Dys of Isabela, the Cojuangcos and the Aquinos of Tarlac, the Pinedas and Nepomucenos of Pampanga, the Ortegas of La Union, the Umalis and Josons of Nueva Ecija, even the husband-wife team of Ralph and Vilma of Batangas will reject it, the Binays of Makati will fight it. The Estradas and Ejercitos of San Juan, the Villars of Las Piñas, the Olivareses of Parañaque will oppose it. Even President Duterte cannot ban Inday Sara. This ban was started under the Cory Aquino-sponsored 1987 Constitution. And yet, after the ban, Butch Aquino and Tessie Aquino-Oreta, both siblings of Ninoy, became senators. Now Bam Aquino and so many Cojuangcos from all over Tarlac, Pangasinan, and Negros Occidental. The Garins and the Defensors of Iloilo, the Romuadezes and the Tetillas of Leyte, the Espinas of Biliran. These and some others have ruled our country since time immemorial. Don’t tell me they are just going to give power up and hand this over on a silver platter.
Only a totally naive Don Quixote de la Mancha, a congenital simpleton, or an incurable romantic law sophomore would take this ban seriously. It is the greatest joke ever concocted by the Cory Constitution, now hoped to be revived by the Concom under former chief justice Puno. Let us just grin and have a good laugh about it.