Ating Pinas
(Our Philippines) is a weekly series about anything and everything
Filipino. Featuring uplifting articles
that inspire national pride as well as sombering essays to spur participation
towards positive change.
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By Neal H.
Cruz
Philippine
Daily Inquirer
“The State
shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit
political dynasties as may be defined by law.”—1986 Constitution
The
Constitution is very clear. Only a little common sense is needed to understand
it. The State shall prohibit political dynasties to allow others (those who do
not belong to political dynasties) to become public servants. The trouble is
the framers added the phrase “as may be defined by law.”
The
constitutional provision needs an implementing law. The other trouble is, laws
are written and passed by members of Congress many of whom are themselves
members of political dynasties. Decades after the passage of the Constitution,
we still have no defining law banning political dynasties.
The Senate
committee on electoral reforms, chaired by Sen. Koko Pimentel, a member of the
Pimentel political clan of Mindanao, is pussyfooting around the definition of
“political dynasty” even if the ordinary Filipino already knows what it is. We
have many, too many, political dynasties around us at present. And like a
locust plague, they are multiplying rapidly. In almost all provinces, cities
and municipalities, as well as in the national arena, political dynasties are
fielding family members as candidates in next year’s elections. It is as if the
political families are in a hurry to put relatives in political positions
before a law is passed banning them.
Even boxer
and neophyte congressman Manny Pacquiao is already starting his own political
dynasty. He is fielding his wife, Jinkee, as candidate for vice governor of his
adopted province of Sarangani. Very soon, we may have Mommy D as nominee of a
party-list group of senior citizens or of ballroom dancers.
People
thought that Pacquiao, not being a traditional politician, would bring reforms
to the House of Representatives, or at least be different from most of the
congressmen(women) there who think only of themselves. Alas, they were
mistaken.
Pacquiao
learned very quickly all the bad habits of his peers. He is absent from
Congress for long periods most of the time while training for his upcoming
boxing bouts from which he earns millions of US dollars. Yet he continues to
collect his salaries and allowances, including his pork barrel, although he is
not working for them. Lowly government employees, who live a hand-to-mouth
existence, are subjected to the “no work, no pay” policy, but highly paid
members of Congress like Pacquiao, although multimillionaires (but who pay very
little income taxes unlike Pacquiao), collect their salaries and allowances
although they are absent.
Pacquiao has
not passed a single legislation; neither has he participated in congressional
debates, but he already is building his own political dynasty. Manny (rhymes
with “money”) probably thinks that, by virtue of being a multi-millionaire, he
has the right to start his own political dynasty although he has not yet proven
that he bears the seeds of good public servants.
With many
members of Congress—both senators and congressmen(women)—belonging to political
dynasties, it is not likely that Congress will pass an enabling law to the
constitutional provision. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago—happily one of the
few who don’t belong to political dynasties—has filed an anti-dynasty bill in
the Senate but, as stated earlier, the committee on electoral reforms is
nitpicking on it. And even if such a bill manages to squeak through, most
likely it would be watered down by amendments and become toothless and
worthless.
Read complete article here.
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