The Epitome and Aftermath of 2013 Senatorial Election

I have often asked my self: Is there anything new for this up-coming 2013 elections? Would this lead to change? These questions I hope would be in the mind of every Filipino who are registered voters and are ready to vote for 2013 senatorial elections.  Let's stick to the questions: Is there anything new?  Would this lead to change?  As I have studied Political Science at University of Mindanao I have learned how to scrutinize the system, analyzing and suggested a series of proposals for changing the system, and knowing itself got me to different levels of analysis.

To begin with, I would start pointing out what are the qualifications of the Senators,so let's take a look in our 1987 Philippine Constitution.  The Qualifications for Senator are found under Section 3, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, to wit:

“No person shall be a Senator unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines and, on the day of the election, is at least thirty-five years of age, able to read and write, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election.”

Let' me get straight.  I think the two most important qualifications there are a person running for senator is least natural-born citizen and able to read and write.  But in essence the most important qualification that needs to be scrutinize here is the phrase that able to read and write.  As it is written, the framers of the constitution intended to create a smooth flow or equal, non-biased and indiscriminate qualifications for a public office.  In effect, everybody can run for office whether you are educated or not, poor or rich, except if disqualified by the Commission on Elections.  Honestly, as a Political Science student and a member of civic and academic and highly respected organization (La Liga Politica, a political science organization at UM) I don't approve of that able to read and write qualification, representation of senators and the structure of the senate.  Here are my reasons:

First, that qualification maintains the exploitative political system, and since we're having a government system that is a unitary and presidential, meaning, our senators or whoever senators who wish to run for office need to have the support of the vast majority of the registered Filipino voters, they aren't elected  directly in their respective districts or regions.  The practice of this is shown in today's candidates and campaign schemes.  Look at how they guise as public servants, trying to political persuade people from their propaganda and platform. Isn't the duty of every public official to serve the public; and to devote his work duly on the service of the people? Why they are so pushy and assertive about what they intend to be their platform? I understand that one candidate must present, show and explain their platform in the public but not in the sense that they did so in a manner of being exploiters of the system.

Second, that it breeds political exploitation of the system, ever since of the history of Philippine Politics, few were able to express their intellectual ability to govern this country, and all of them suffered under the same system, and as part of the Philippine politics, it is not new.  While this country maintains its apathy, crook political system and the apolitical behavior or attitude of the people towards politics, majority of the senatorial candidates today is exploiting the system itself for their own advantage, of course, not to mention Grace Poe and Bam Aquino, who come from a popular family and thus using it as their propaganda. Badly, the grandmother of Bam Aquino was the late President Corazon Aquino who was the widow of the late Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, and after the husband was assassinated in Tarmac now known as NAIA, Cory Aquino then exploited and took advantage to run for presidency because she knew that she would win the election, unfortunately, she lost, but when the People Power Revolution is coming, again, she exploits it and join the PPR, after toppling the Marcos Administration, as expected, Cory Aquino became the President by chance.  That's how the candidate is exploiting the system, go with the flow.

Third, it leads to malpractice, unintelligent and poor governance because it only allows those who are able to read and write to run for office, and the COMELCT only scrutinize them in so far as their moral character is concerned - and nothing more.  Nothing in the constitution or in COMELECT procedures that require a candidate to pass through a series of training, deeper scrutiny, profiling of their achievements and experiences that are written regarding officialdom.  But some might argue that some of our officials especially presidents were from a prestigious colleges and universities. But why is it that the Philippines is poor in terms of governance and economic planing? Well, they had a problem regarding grasping the true condition of the society and acting accordingly, and perhaps, I suspect, they lack to grasp the most important theories behind political governance and economics. And yes it's true that our previous officials and presidents were educated and graduated from prestigious universities but this country remains poor.  Have you ever wondered about it, my friend?

Fourth, aside from that qualification, one thing I will point here is that our present political system maintains unequal representation particularly in the senate. Imagine that only few candidates are representing Mindanao and the worst is that their hearts and minds are not close to Mindanao.  Because one thing for sure regarding this is that the senatorial structure is not fixed; that senate representation suppose to be equal to the candidates apportioned among regions. But this has not met.   While we do have 17 regions, imagine my friends, out of 17 regions Philippine senate has only 25 members and most of them are not coming from Mindanao, and mostly candidates quarreled during election campaign.   What injustice is this!

In line with this, the 2013 senatorial election can do nothing with change, because of the system that operates it.  Still unequal representation is prevalent, apathy of the politicians, and the most apolitical behavior of the Filipinos.

I suggest, that we will have a revision of our constitution and political system.  I highly endorse that we should have a Federal form of Government; change the qualification able to read and write into must have a bachelor's degree and should have passed through an federal electoral academe.  In that case, regions will turn into a local state or State having constitution, congress, supreme court of their own - shall  only elect senators to represent them in the national congress, and thus the unequal representation would be overcome and change, also the apathy and less-visioned attitude of the people  will change.  System change, people change!