Even in the provinces, the partylist way of electing representatives to the House has begun to be a butt of jokes. This came after the blurbs and radio commentators reported that sabungeros have registered as a political party. Now according to wags even those involved in “tong its” want their own party.
The partylist system is an innovation of the 1987 Constitution. While it may have been valid post EDSA 1, the system has been abused by the traditional parties and even by some groups with religious connections. The system is supposed to benefit marginalized sectors and that is the real problem. It guarantees permanent marginalization. The most clear example is the Philippine Left.
The Philippine Left never grew out of the partylist. With a secure but non-expanding constituency, it is guaranteed to get a seat or two in the House. However in such as system, there is very little chance that they expand their voting base. Also being a partylister, the Left cannot make the necessary compromises with the larger body politic. Compromises are needed to advance Leftist goals and this means going into coalitions with left of center mainstream parties or even with the right if need be.
The partylist way of getting the lefties into Congress also guarantees fossilizing their ideology. The usual lefty cliches are dished out everytime we have an election. No substance at all. They deserve Benigno the Sydneysider’s comment of Platform plez!
Thus the electorate at large views the Left as useless noisemakers.
The same too with the sabungeros. Where will the cockfighting platform and ideology bring the country?
The most media attractive partylister to date is Danton Remoto’s Ladlad. While denied COMELEC accreditation in the past (it said it didn’t have a national presence), it is now more politically sophisticated to go into the fray. Gays are found in all levels of society, the trades and professions. They contribute much to our society. However Danton is astute enough to recognize that it is OK for Ladlad to go partylist for now but that cannot be the state of affairs for the future. Ladlad will have to expand its constituency. Danton is considering a senate seat with the Liberals. Best of all he knows how to play the conservative streak in Pinoy society. While Pinoys may have no problems with openly gay people, they may have problems with gays exchanging vows with each other. So Danton says “Walang same sex marriage, Ayaw ni Jesus” A look at Ladlad’s platform is lefty but should be acceptable to many, children’s and women’s rights, education, peace, aside from LGBT rights.
Twenty three years after EDSA 1, our democracy has matured enough to do away with the partylist. The partylisters should go big time, form coalitions and do away with the ancien regime that controls society. This is a hard climb but is doable. It should consign to history the petrified ideologues that have doomed the Left and some in the Right to permanent marginalization.
The abolition of the partylist system I suggest should be one of the important amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
Popularity: 1% [?]
That’s the intention of the framers of the constitution, according to Monsod, they gave them 9 years or 3 elections? to strengthen and eventually compete with mainstream political parties…but look what happened, and where they are now?
Though in as much as they are more like political parties (in essence), they are still considered to be the sectoral/marginalized group, thus being granted this system of representation.
You might want to look into Jude Esguerra’s of th Institute for Popular Democracy argument on this issue. He shares the same end goal, to abolish, but gives acceptable reasons why.
If you ask my Elections prof, Dr. Edna Co, she wants to strengthen the partylist system, and for seats to filled up. And if possible, if we can increase the seats for partylist, she says.
I know her, we had the opportunity to listen to her lectures at UP-NCPAG during our congressional internship at the Congress sometime in 2006. If my memory serves me right, Ma’am Co does not also go with eliminating political dynasty in the government as long as it does not sacrifice the discharge of public mandate.
Rather than abolish the party list system, we should strenghten proportional representation. Winner take all at the district level only encourages cheating to get that 50 percent plus one vote.
Why not just strenghten proportional representation? Then you won’t need the party list system since everyone is represented.
blackshama,
Because of the leftist party list, we would then have to abolish the entire party list system?
We can suggest to abolish practically anything in realpolitik. Fact is, the House of Representatives itself has this abolitionist view – to cause the Senate to fold tent or close shop.
The coup plotters would also want democracy itself to be abolished.
Our democracy will always remain at its infancy – most anything retards its growth. This is something too hard to accept but that is the reality.
I would abolish the entire party list system not simply because of the left, but of the right and the center and whatever group wants a shot of the pork barrel.
I’d keep the Senate, but it certainly needs reform. I haven’t voted for a Senator since I realized they are a third wheel.
The lower house represents the people and is voted by district.
The President represents the nation as a whole and is voted nationally.
Who does the Senate represent? And why vote them nationally? The only reason we hear for their existance is to “give check to the lower house.” Why not make them represent something like the Provinces? This way, the constituency is limited, so election costs are limited.
The US invented the Senate for more reasons than to make faces at the House of Representatives. We should look into that.
Someone applied for partylist: “Samahan ng mga Sabungero”. Soon
there will be partylists for all hobbies, social agendas,
do gooders of everykind. Why not ” Samahang ng mga Tsimosos at
Tsismosas” ? Filipinos need to grow up, or remain politically
immature…
It essence the party list system is an affirmative action program for political engagement. Unfortunately like so many constitutional provisions the pertinent laws that should guide the intent of the constitution has been muddled.
But that is simply part of the process of growing up… I have been asking this question repeatedly. What is the role of government in light of the present evolutionary societal development of this country.
If no one could give a clue to an answer to my query how can you guys discuss governing or politics in this country. So far only a very very small minority of party list parties are on the right track. The rest or over 95% are nowhere? That would mean that over 95% are still clueless about politics in this country. Just look at the Senate….
I expect (hope I am wrong)that a lot of the few reformers who got themselves elected to office will get thrashed in this upcoming election. First in line will be Governor Panlilio in Pampanga.
We are the people. We are the government; because we elect people to serve us; to formulate our laws; and to serve our
interests. We can make a joke out of ourselves. Or, have to take ourselves seriously. Face our realities. Solve our problems. Guard our interests. And, kick out those who we think do not protect our interests.
Hope this answers your question…
“Ayaw ni Jesus”? Danton, you are a disappointment!
Sayang, I’m a guitarist and planning pa naman to run under the Guitarist Partylist Club. busiiiit! hehehe.
how about partylist for wankers(jakoleros/fingeristas) and showgirls in camfrog? they are also within the ambit of margibalized sector.
This abolitionist attitude of party list is a little bit reductionist and therefore misplaced since the existing law and constitution has in fact opened the door wide open for maximum participation in our state of affairs.
Democracy is never a perfect order, has it been elsewhere in the world anyway, blackshama?
Bummer,
I thought the party list was invitees to the next NY bash.
Filipino politics is soooo confusing sometimes.
Joe
I agree with removing the party list sytem. All it does is encourage factionalism or serves as an extra paycheck for special interests.
250 Representatives can not faithfully represent 90M Filipinos. My reform on this line would be to remove the upper limit in the House of Representatives and simply let every 30 thousand people send one of their own to the lower house.
This would increase the number of Represenatives to about 3000. More sharks in the tank? :) Not necessarily.
And who pays for this increase? The constituents. They determine how each Representative gets paid and vetos their expenses. Cost is divided among voters so you pay something like P5-P10 a month. No more pork barrel or “budget” or standardized salaries or junkets at the nation’s expense. If the expenses are vetoed, the Congreeman has to pay for it from his own estate, meaning people will sit and watch him sell his car and house if he decides to play “lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”
With a constituency limited to 30K, election costs won’t cost millions and we have a chance of ordinary people achieving public office. If you just photocopy your election materials at 50 centavos a page and determine to give it to all 30 K, that’s P15.000,00 spent total. No incentive to ‘make back’ your election costs by robbing the national treasury.
I would regard daily direct financial control over our public officials to more important people’s power than voting itself.
References:
The Case for Bigger Government: Lew Rockwell interviews Dr. Mark Thornton [internet podcast]. The Lew Rockwell Show. 16 November 2008. Episode 69. http://www.lewrockwell.com/podcast/?p=episode&name=2008-11-16_069_the_case_for_bigger_government.mp3
Thornton, Mark. Thirty-thousand.org website. http://www.thirty-thousand.org/
There is no legal ground to scrape the party list from the political landscape – just nothing.
Live with it – live with them, some might play role as the necessary antidote of so much excesses in governance.
The leftist party list group, unfortunately, are a no match to the higher intelligence of the ruling bloc – in law, in discourse, and in persuasive power.
We could hardly count on a Satur, a Liza, a Colmenares, a Bello, a Golez as being able to tilt the balance of power to our collective benefit.
A higher proportion of decent congressmen & congresswomen come from the Party List. Why not give these kind of people a chance to increase their numbers?
I just don’t like the exclusivity idea of “special rights” where you only have these rights if you are part of a group.
Women, homosexuals, students, elderly, veterans, stamp collectors, people with blue shoes, etc.
Either we have equal rights before the law or we have institutionalized injustice where you are prejudged by association.
Marginalization is a social reality that laws by themselves cannot fix. More so if the marginalized have no representation.
Yeah, but if you follow the 30K rule, you’d get full representation plus direct personal oversight.
No more marginalization and definitely no more reason to keep the party list.
As it is now, certain groups now have an extra vote (district rep + party list rep) over the rest of us (district rep only).
Funny. In order to remove marginalization, you wind up marginalizing other people.
Francis,
It seems to me that in the Philippines there are: (1) self-declared “authorities” — government officials, bankers, doctors, old people – and (2) those who are expected, by society’s norms, to subjugate themselves to these mini-royalties.
One of the lessons I hope to impart to my young Filipino son is that he stands equal to all, and above or below none. My Filipina wife – a subject of various authorities all of her life — is starting to catch on, and at least mutters about the ridiculous waits in government lines or at the bank and doctor. She has yet to snarl back at these pretentious souls, but I figure it won’t be long . . .
Joe
That makes for an interesting point as to the question of who are the marginalized groups.
Marginalization is therefore a form of compartmentalization. In the end, the marginalized have their own respective departments.
Under the 30k rule, one tribe would still rule over a larger political territory.
In the end, too many political subdivisions would still be under the control of a single larger family – a political clan, call it that.
So francis, there is no need to transport an idea from American that has not even been applied in the US anyway.
It stays there – realm of political theories. Just that.
Hello, Danton Remoto here. Thanks for your comments. Let me just clarify that Ang Ladlad’s stand against same-sex partnerships is not mine, but a consensus of the group.
Also, when I said “ayaw ni Jesus,” did you see my smirk and note the sarcasm in my voice?
I am running as Senator, probably with LP, and we are fielding new, young people for Ang Ladlad.
It is time we have a dash of pepper and color in these bland elections.
Mabuhay ka! (, baka mapagkamalan na naman akong lefty nyan ha)
;-)
Hey Danton! nice of you to stop by. I’ve been following your political career since 2007, and I believe fervently that you have much still to accomplish.. perhaps, it will be in the Senate. Mabuhay ka…
Thank you, Nick. Sana nga more young, and I hope idealistic, people will run in the 2010 elections. My only unsolicited advice to them is to avoid the super-dirty-mega-money that even now, so early in the game, is being offered to the candidates. Sigh.