1787 US CONSTITUTION
No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been
nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of
that State for which he shall be chosen. [U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 3, clause 3].
http://archive.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/opinion/2013/01/22/emata-philippinesenate-264196
The Philippine Senate
I WAS laughing hard while reading the story of former senator Ernesto Maceda making comments about the present
Philippine Senate. He said of the 23 senators at present, only about six are working, debating, talking and everything
while the rest are just silent and doing nothing. He talked about the senators of yesterday who are really tough,
professionals and qualified like senators Tolentino, Osmea, Taada, Salonga, etc. He blamed the quality of the
senate to the advent of the celebrities and others.
I admire Maceda for his frank and honest observations, unmindful of the hatred and disgust of the present senators
specially those who lack the qualifications and know-how of the legislative works. The country really needs people
who can tell the truth and unafraid. And to think that Maceda used to be one of the senators of the yesteryears, we
are doubly convinced of his honest knowledge of the past. He knows so much of the caliber and capacity of the
senators during his time especially on the matter of educational qualifications.
Of course, we know very few people have the insight of the present senate as well as the qualifications of the
senators. Many taxpayers do not know so much about the matter. They came out victorious during elections; it means
they are the best.
Someone has to tell us the difference or the birds eye view of the senate and the quality of the senators.
What I really mean is that of all the elective positions in our government, congress and the senate should or must
have the best people to handle because it involves the laws of our country. We need the best and just.
I had an article before which suggested that the government should establish a standard qualifications for people who
run for the upper and lower house. At present, any man who walks in the streets can come forward and run for
congress. Some of these candidates do not have enough education thus putting people in the legislative bodies who
barely understand matters around them. This is terrible and really bad. The result is we produce laws that are halfbaked or unnecessary. We must give this branch of government qualified persons who can produce better laws.
Congress enacts laws of the land. We need in this area highly qualified people like lawyers or people who have
college degrees. With them we are assured to have good laws and other maters emanating from this source.
We need high quality legislations. We must elevate qualifications and standard of the congress.
Indeed, we used to have less educated congressmen and senators because agencies are open for anybody who can
win in the elections. While I agree with these qualifications, I cannot admire some of their drafted laws for lack of
sense.
I wish to reiterate my previous suggestions that a standard of qualifications should be established for the upper and
lower house so that during elections, we can produce real qualified people who will handle the drafting of our laws.
Another thing, from these bodies we can get people for the cabinet as well as for the position of the chief executive.
Let us make the legislative bodies the best place in the government where everyone is highly educated and qualified.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/05/01/manny_pacquiao_is_a_terrible_c
ongressman_good_thing_he_never_shows_up_for.html
Manny Pacquiao Is a
Terrible Congressman.
Good Thing He Never
Shows Up for Work.
By Joshua Keating
Last month on Deadspin, Diana Moskowitz argued against viewing Saturday nights super-fight between
Manny Pacquiao and unrepentant serial abuser of women Floyd Mayweather as a good-versus-evil
contest. Pacquiao is a Philippine congressman and, as Moskowitz noted, his political views on
contraception, gay rights, and other topics actually have the power to affect the laws of an entire country
and hurt people in ways that Mayweather hasnt. The good news is, Pacquiao doesnt appear all that
interested in exercising that influence.
JOSHUA KEATING
The reigning WBO welterweight championand part-time professionalmusician and basketball player
is currently serving his second term in the Philippine House of Representatives for the southern
province of Sarangani. His wife is also the regions vice governor. But according to the Philippine Daily
Inquirer newspaper, while hes the countrys richest and best-known politician, Pacquiao showed up for
work only four days last year, the worst attendance record in the House.
When asked by reporters about his record in February, Pacquiao pointed out that he was training for two
fights last year. I dont want to boast about what I have done in my district, but you can see my
accomplishments in my district. Its important that you help your constituents and not just sit in Congress,
he said. [In Congress] all you do is file bills, but the bills have no benefits to the people.
Its true that he and his wife have been generous in sharing their personal wealth with their home district,
but the comments suggest that perhaps legislative work isnt for him, and that he may not understand
exactly what it is. This attitude also reinforces the entrenched system of personal patronage that has
long plagued the countrys politics.
Pacquiaos truancy has prompted some of his political opponents to call for his resignation, but the
fact that his political career is more of a hobby than a job doesnt appear to bother the majority of people
in the Philippines, where hes a revered national hero and his fights are unofficial national holidays. And
given the Philippine legislatures reputation for corruption, the bar is set pretty low for elected officials.
So what are Pacquiaos actual politics like? As with many Philippine politicians, hes switched parties
several timesthe countrys parties often serve more as patronage networks for individual politicians
rather than ideological coalitions. Hes filed about a dozen bills, though none has ever passed through
committee. His most notable accomplishment as a legislator may have been a much-praised 2010
speech on human trafficking. But that same year, he was criticized for appearing unprepared and illinformed in a debate over a controversial reproductive health bill. The conservative Catholic-turnedevangelical Protestant opposed the bill on the grounds that it used government funds to make
contraception more widely available.
Considering the difficulties many poor Filipinos faced obtaining safe birth controlbefore the bill was
passed, Pacquiao should probably continue to take off as many days as he needs.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/339055/santiago-wants-college-degree-enshrined-inconstitution-for-elected-officials
Laws that are difficult to pass such as the Political Dynasty Law and the Freedom Of
Information Law can become realities with the proper use of initiative and
referendum, she said.
The Anti-Political Dynasty Bill aims to limit related politicians being elected into
government and is still pending in Congress while a freedom of information bill in the
Senate known as Peoples Ownership of Government Information (Pogi) Bill has
already been passed by the Upper House.
These twin mechanisms also allow the citizens to directly participate in legislation,
which is good because it makes our democracy more participatory, Santiago added.
She also said she wanted to remove the power of the president to appoint members of
the judiciary in the Constitution so as to ensure the independence of judges.
Santiago further told the students that we should limit the corrupting power of pork
barrel in the Constitution.
In my view, the pork barrel system has had the effect of inflating the cost of public
office, distracting legislators from their real work, and unduly empowering the
executive department, to the detriment of the public and the principle of separation of
powers, she said.
We should place mechanisms in the Constitution to ensure pork barrel (1) does not
line the pockets of politicians, and (2) does not become a discretionary fund that can
be dangled by the President to promote transactional politics, she added.
https://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2012/112
2_santiago1.asp
resided in the Philippines for at least one year. But I believe emphatically that the criteria of age and
residence are no longer enough in the 21st century.
Our Constitution provides for a system for free public education up to high school level. Thus, at the
outset there is no reason why the criteria for suffrage should not include at least a high school
education. If a person is a borderline moron, why should his vote equal the vote of a college graduate?
The Constitution further provides for a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies
and other incentives. If this is the case, then a truly intelligent and hardworking person will be able to
find a way to finish college. But again, as I noted earlier, the Constitution does not require candidates
for public office to possess any educational attainment. If a policeman needs to have a college degree,
why shouldn't we impose the same requirement on senators and congressmen?
The Liberal Democratic Theory of Representation
The essential principles of a liberal democratic theory of representation which the Philippines claims to
observe, are the following:
First Principle: The importance of the individual's rights, specially his property, and the necessity of
limiting the powers of government to protect those rights.
Second Principle: The principle of rationalism, under which it is argued that humans are creatures of
reason. It is argued that humans are able to identify their own interests and their own opinions, and
are aware of the wider claims of the community. Therefore, according to this argument, the individual
will use his vote in an intelligent fashion, and is consequently entitled to share in the selection of
representatives.
Really? This argument would be correct, if the voter and the voted are educated. But in our country,
the masses tend to vote for the people whom they most often see either in movies or on TV. They
apply only a visual test to candidates. If the candidate often plays the role of champion of the poor,
then the uneducated poor will vote him to office for this reason only. Thus, they are voting for actors.
Accordingly, when some of these TV and film personalities win in the elections, they continue their
acting in the legislature.
Some of them are acting as senators or congressmen, merely relying on their legislative staff to feed
them with the proper things to say during the sessions of Congress. In effect therefore, they are little
better than talking dummies. And in addition, I worry that they might be more susceptible to the
pressures exerted by lobby groups and other interest groups funded by the rich.
I agree with Thomas Jefferson that there should be a clear emphasis on the importance of an educated
majority, as a prerequisite for Philippine representative government.
Third Principle: Sovereignty of the people, which is expressed through universal suffrage. The implicit
goal of our electoral system is: "One person, one vote, one value." Again, I emphasize that this
principle is observed in an educated society. But if, as in the case of our country, the majority of the
voters are not educated, then there is no reason why one vote should be equal to another vote. Not all
votes are equal.
As a politician for the past 15 years, I have grown increasingly anxious about what I perceive to be
mob democracy. I support the suggestion of the great writer John Stuart Mill that we should limit the
vote to the literate; and that we should increase the vote of the people with certain superior qualities. I
am very anxious about the uneducated majority in the Philippines.
http://thestandard.com.ph/opinion/columns/to-the-point-by-emil-jurado/189476/able-to-read-and-write-.html
The entry of Senator Miriam Santiago into the presidential fray no doubt makes the 2016 presidential
race more exciting. The problem, however, is her health. Miriam claims she is already well and has
beaten cancer. But has she, really?
Doctors specializing in cancer say that one who has been diagnosed with cancer does not really
completely get rid of it.
In the case of Miriam, how can she undertake a nationwide presidential campaign in her condition?
Thats the reason why she has been absent from the Senate for sometime now. She also has
chronic fatigue syndrome which could be the side effect of cancer.
Santa Banana, perhaps, Miriam should reconsider her aspiration, for her own good and the
countrys. We cannot afford to have an ailing president, with so many challenges confronting the
country.
Thats granting Miriam would even make it, which I doubt. She has no political party. She does not
have funding and grassroots political machinery.
Frankly, I believe that Miriam lost her chance at the presidency when President Fidel Ramos beat
her in 1992.
***
In yesterdays column, I said that the senatorial race is tight for newcomers considering the fact that
there are reelectionists and former senators aspiring for a comeback. I said that only about three, at
most five, slots remain for newbies.
Among the newcomers who have a chance of winning are boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, Leyte Rep.
Martin Romualdez, Tesda head Joel Villanueva, Bayan Party-List Rep. Neri Colmenares,and of
course former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
Name recall is very important in this race.
***
There is a clear attempt on the part of the Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, who has become
an attack dog of Malacaang, some members of the Liberal Party coalition and among the Aquino
administration officials to demolish the chances of Vice President Jojo Binay to be president in 2016.
In fact, they are after all Binays.
The continuing demolition job by the Senate Yellow Ribbon sub-committee is just one aspect of it.
The joke is now on the Office of the Ombudsman, which has charged the vice president and Makati
Mayor Junjun Binay with plunder and graft and corruption. Perfect timing as they file their certificates
of candidacy.
The vice president can only say hes hurt and everything is politically motivated. No doubt, the
Binays are hurting. The vice presidents poll survey ratings have declined.
Can the vice president ever recover from all the attacks on him and his family?
To my mind, yes. Theres still eight months to go before the elections.
All the things that have been said of the Binays can only make Jojo work harder.
***
Read this and weep for your country:
In a recent study by the International Chamber of Commerce, the Philippines ranked low in
international trade openness because of its protectionist policies regime, falling below the average
foreign direct investments; and infrastructure for trade. The country placed 60th with a score of 2.9
out of six.
To make matters worse, even Vietnam, which used to be a laggard in foreign direct investments, is
beating us with more than $9 billion. Thailand has $13 billion, Malaysia $12 billion and Indonesia
with its $10 billion.
We seem to be content with $6.2 billion getting only the crumbs while our neighbors are already
booming.
In tourism, we had a comparatively low influx at 4.8 million in 2014 compared to Malaysia with 27.4
million; Singapore at 11.8 million; Indonesia at 9.4 million and even Vietnam at 7.9 million.
Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez claims that the country can reach over five million this year and
perhaps close to 10 million in 2016. He must be dreaming, of course. Not with the kind of
infrastructure we have.
Our protectionist policies and lack of infrastructure have always been the biggest complaints of
investors. Even worse than corruption.
Is President Aquino listening? I dont think so.
https://fernandezjrp.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/4-incumbent-filipino-senators-without-collegedegree/
Now, who are the four without college degrees (or whose degree is in question)?
Wearing the special toga during the Corona trial
Lito Lapid He is very vocal about it. Although, he makes up through long
political experience in Pampanga. We all know that.
answer Winnie Monsods question about the Wharton Master degree. According
to his resume posted in the Philippine Senate website, he finished his Bachelor of
Arts degree in Oxford and his Masters Degree at Wharton School at University of
Pennsylvania. However, in an investigative report by Rappler, it shows otherwise.
In a reply statement, Bongbong said he earned his diploma from Oxford in 1978
but a diploma is not necessarily a college degree.
Nagtuturo ka pala
Serge Osmea (Oh, yes, he is still a senator. And, yes, he has no college
degree.) In a presscon, Miriam Santiago said Di nga iyan (Osmea) nakatapos
ng college, eh, when asked to react on Osmeas comment that Santiagos
presence is a circus. True enough, the grandson of the sole Cebuano Philippine
president has not earned a college degree amid attending several big league
universities here and abroad- and we have him as a senator for more than a
decade now. Can you even remember voting for him? Aside from being in EDSA1
(who isnt?), what is it that he actually did, actually? He doesnt lie about it.
Personal Postscript:
{This is not necessarily my way of celebrating EDSA Day. But this could serve as a reminder of our
status as a country reborn. Oh, Yellow. And speaking of yellow, I remember one of my professors
saying that there should be more politicians from our school University of Santo Tomas. Bring
back the likes of Rizal, Mabini, Osmea senior, Quezon, Recto, Laurel, Mapa, Diokno, Macapagal,
and so many other Filipino revolutionaries and historical figures. Although these icons are not perfect
and have gotten their own setbacks, at least we know that they are capable of academically fighting
for what they stand for. Thomasians, sort of, built this republic (Oh, yes, we did. [and that would be in
a different blog]).}
Disfranchisement
The removal of the rights and privileges inherent in an association with a group; the taking away of the rights of a free citizen
, especially theright to vote. Sometimes called disenfranchisement
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Political+disenfranchisement