Media Presstitution in the Philippines the Enablers of Political Dynasty

The non-debate on Political Dynasty Part 2 & 3, conclusion of part 1.

"In societies where Robbing Hoods are treated like a celebrity it is but natural to expect political parties to act like a Mafia syndicate." - Political Jaywalker

Now why do society view such perversion to be normal can be traced to what could have been a noble intention gone awry that started the very first day the dictator was chased out of Malacanang Palace. What is ironic is that shallowness seems to dictate the sentiment of the perennial complainers looking at the surface readily blames what they thought brought us to where we are. Can we blame them when the media can’t help themselves in presstituting their profession adding to the confusion and dumbing down of the people?

Let’s face it, when the dictators was deposed there are people who immediately went on mimicking the very people the EDSA “revolutionist” loathe and right away established their stranglehold in their own turf. One would think that replacing a 2 party political system with a multi-party political system would have leveled the political playing field, providing access equitably among the citizens especially with the inclusion of the party list and prohibition of political dynasty.

The constitutional provision on the prohibition of political dynasty requires the lawmakers to define political dynasty and to what degree of consanguinity and affinity is covered by legislating and passing an enabling law to that effect. No ifs no buts about it and it is as simple as it can get and yet some media practitioners in presstituting their profession would rather misinform and play dumb as if it was the most mysterious and complicated subject they have encountered all their life. Instead of informing the public on the failure of the lawmakers to pass an enabling law for the past 25 years they are acting as the enablers of the trapos in rationalizing the proliferation of political dynasty. In effect when the media goes on presstituting their profession they drug errr drag along the gullible public into enabling politicians to transform the multi-party political system into a family political dynasty system thus the absence of any sensible ideology or platform of governance.

In part 2 of the PTV4 political dynasty forum Enrile states it is difficult to understand and the framers of the constitution did not know what they want thus they left it to the lawmakers to define what they can’t comprehend, LOL. The difficulty is not how political dynasty is to be defined but the opposition coming from people with vested interest already raring to set up their own political dynasty in their respective turf on having the prohibition included in the constitution.

Dynasty he states originated with the monarchy but our dynasty is different because the people are the one's appointing them and not by a single person or the king. True dynasties are built thru the electoral system but under a system where whoever has the guns, goons, and gold in a personality and patronage based electoral contest determines who has the upper hand and the likely winner. If it was indeed the people or the boss as Pres. Noynoy Aquino says that determines the outcome of the electoral contest can someone please explain why the likes of parricidal maniac convict Ruben Ecleo, pedophile convict Romeo Jalosjos, and the mass murderer Ampatuan clan are unbeatable in the electoral process?

Funny how Enrile complains about the absence of a clear cut definition what constitute political dynasty and will support it if there is one. As if to up the ante even says he is willing to retire or resign if there is a law and even blames the framers of the constitution for leaving it to the lawmakers to define the law. Perhaps that’s a typical reaction from people who knew exactly what was needed but refuses to take action because the longer they violate the constitution the longer it becomes acceptable and give a false sense of hopelessness that it can never be done.

The state of our pathetic political system where political dynasty proliferates and getting stronger when it is prohibited by the constitution was best described even though as a joke by JC de los Reyes an Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) senatorial candidate:

“Political dynasty is government privatization at its best.”

While Lito Yap David also of AKP brought up the people’s initiative on their proposed bill defining political dynasty 6 months ago with the Comelec and wrote them recently has not been acted upon. He further states that our feudal system stunts our progress that serves as a breeding ground for political dynasty.

Former VP Teofisto Guingona warns that there is a potential for seventy (70) families to control the Philippines which is the very reason why the state guarantees equal access to public service. Of course any student of politics in the Philippines will tell you that members of the ruling elites of the political dynasty will not give it up without a fight.

Conrado de Quiroz will of course insist on his flawed logic that there is no need for a law ignoring the constitutional provision and assert further that culture tramps laws, LOL. He must have been referring to the trapos with Mafiosi culture that is so prevalent with the criminal minded and culpable violators of the constitution. Just because they are culpable violators of the constitution repeatedly for the past 25 years does not make it right or legal, calling a criminal by any other name is still a criminal, LOL.

Eden Co one of the panelists while acknowledging the fact that the prohibition of political dynasty was the result of the anti-oligarchy and dictatorship sentiments at that time. It was surprising for her though that the constitution is very “vocal” on political dynasty prohibition and other nations never banned them. She must have been hinting at the rights and freedom of citizens to run for public office while ignoring the very reason why political dynasty is prohibited, for the state to guarantee equal access to public service.

As if this forum was not boring enough part 3 truly dumb down anyone who watched it, LOL.

Bam Aquino the brilliant wannabe clone to the late Benigno Aquino laments the cost of getting elected and urge as if daring people to define political dynasty now. Either he lacks manurity errr maturity acting like a child, or blinded by his desire to be a senator that he becomes so ignorant not knowing that the people can’t define or pass the law. The only time the people can do this is through the people’s initiative route of getting 3% of the voter’s signature in a petition for a referendum with a proposed bill defining political dynasty.

Atty. Jennifer Atienza brought out the problem of no one really follows the campaign financing limit. There's a lot of confusion because it was not defined she further states. Hmmmmn, seems like there is a pattern here of violating whatever laws there is when it comes to laws that makes it difficult for political dynasties to get elected is it not?

Malaking kalapastangan sounds more forceful than the English word disrespect, and that is exactly how Lito Yap David described the aberration on political dynasty.

Conrado de Quiroz is so out of it even agreeing with Bam Aquino on the uneven political playing field by enacting laws making turncoats illegal. Duh, if lawmakers can't come up with a simple enabling law defining political dynasty for the past 25 years what makes him think it will be easy to enact his pet law? LOL

Edna Co states the obvious on the power of the media, by having more substance and direction. Well, this forum is a classic example of lacking in direction and purpose since they start with a wrong premise asking whether there is a need for a law when it was enshrined in the constitution.

Bam says he believes that the Filipino people are intelligent enough to choose the right candidates and that some candidates see their candidacy as an avocation. Really, why are you running if that is the case? One who sees it as an avocation will of course examine where he is at in that equation especially in the context of prohibited political dynasty.

If there is anything that was useful in this forum it is non-other than learning that AKP has started the people’s initiative through a signed petition to have a referendum on a proposed bill defining political dynasty. We can always use the election to mobilize and organize the people in gathering pledges to vote only candidates who will commit to passing enabling laws. While we know that the likely chance of success is nil it will be the start of consensus building in preparation for the signature gathering for a referendum on a people’s initiative for a referendum on the a proposed enabling law defining political dynasty. Now if only the medial will have some "direction," no actually we just need them to stop the presstitution and call it what it is instead of telling us that the prohibition of political dynasty is complicated when it was not.

Related article:

• The non-debate on Political Dynasty at PTV4 Part 1
• The Bobotanteng (Voting) Pinoy & the Unrealized Power of the Ballot
• Political Dynasty and the Pinoy Bobotante

 Subscribe in a reader

Click on the images to receive your free email updates  POGB will not sell, exchange, use or allow any 3rd party access to your email for
any other purposes without exception, email exclusively for article updates only. Follow PJ @ Facebook, NetworkedBlogs, &  Twitter

The non-debate on Political Dynasty at PTV4 Part 1

The question or the debate should not be about whether political dynasty is right or wrong, it should be what’s taking them all these years to define up to what degree of consanguinity and affinity is legal or outlawed?

Perhaps, one just get impatient when watching TV anchors talk about political dynasty on the idiot box giving one the strange feeling of getting transported to the land of the dumb. Now why will they start on a wrong premise if there is a need or not for a law on political dynasty? First of all it is not a question of whether a law is needed or not because political dynasty is prohibited that is clearly spelled out in the Philippine Constitution under Article II, Section 26 which states:

“The state shall guarantee equal access to public service and prohibit political dynasty as may be defined by law.”

In case they are not aware the constitution is where the fundamental political principles on which a state is governed, especially when considered as embodying the rights of the subjects of that state. So when the constitution says as may be defined by law and the lawmakers fail or rather openly violate and ignore for the past 25 years passing the enabling law they are in effect guilty of culpable violation of the constitution. Remember that guy with a coterie of gratis high priced lawyers who vehemently protects his right to privacy on his US Dollar bank account? Yeah, he was impeached and fired for culpable violation of the constitution and who are those who filed the complaint and tried former thief este chief justice Renato Corona? Oh yeah, the same people who for the past 25 years failed and openly are in culpable violation of the constitution repeatedly running for office as if politics is a family entrepreneurial business profit center.

Don’t get me wrong here, I believe impeaching and firing CJ Renato Corona for culpable violation of the constitution is not just the politically correct thing to do but even very morally right on all levels. The problem is all these so-called right political moves becomes a joke and loses its luster and credibility that only strengthen the highly partisan mindset of the people because we seem to enforce it selectively, particularly to the enemies of whoever at that time is in power.

So when Conrado de Quiroz insist that we don’t need a law against political dynasty, he is so wrong on that point. If the prohibition on political dynasty is written in the constitution it is not a matter of whether some individual or sectors want the law or not. It is the fundamental law of the land that we need to abide by and follow or we are in culpable violation of the constitution. If it is enshrined in the constitution, the longer they fail to pass an enabling law defining political dynasty the longer we exacerbate peace and order and people without discipline. The longer they fail to pass a law the more it gets more attractive for the criminal minded to run for public office not mindful of the fact, that it is definitely a cause for the lawmakers’ disqualification for their open defiance and culpable violation of the constitution.

Now what’s wrong with the other premise brought forth by Conrado De Quiroz that having a law against political dynasty is wrong since it infringes on the rights of a person who happens to have the same family name or was it their fault to be born into the political family dynasty? There is nothing wrong being born into a political dynasty since they are not given a choice at birth, that is a given. What is wrong is the concentration of economic and political power to a certain political clan growing into a political dynasty because our political system is based on personality and patronage. It is this concentration of power that the state is preventing thus the prohibition of political dynasty to guarantee equal access to public service to all on an equal footing. One has to remember that an individual’s rights and freedoms stops when it infringes on others and clearly without the prohibition political position becomes a monopoly that denies others equal access to be in public service.

Unfortunately they misread or fail to grasp or perhaps playing dumb on a very simple constitutional provision that is anchored on the state guaranteeing equal access to public service. The state cannot guarantee equal access unless we have a level political playing field and when the system allows political and economic power to concentrate in a single family in a locality it shuts the door of opportunity to others, Meaning other deserving genuine qualified leaders with integrity will not be able to compete in the electoral process where goons, guns, and gold determine the winners decisively. Political contest should be decided on which party and candidate offers the type of good governance based on sound and pragmatic political platforms that the voters believe will help them move towards a better tomorrow.

It is not a question of whether a political dynasty is good or bad but it is a question of following the constitution that political dynasty is prohibited; now how difficult was that to understand?

Do we really want change for the better or do we just want to whine and complain even though we know these politicians will not hear of it because they are just too dense. Look at this Bam Aquino who insists on having a definition now of what prostitute errr constitute a political dynasty, well hello anyone home? Bam Aquino is a bright intelligent man, a successful entrepreneur and yet plays dumb while trying to mimic his uncle all the way to his eyeglasses. There’s a rumor going around that Bam’s eyeglasses is just a spectacle with no grade, LOL but let’s give the impersonator wannabe the benefit of the doubt. Really Bam, define it now? You know it takes the lower and upper house of Lolong este congress to make that happen, but what is so obvious is you are turning to be a trapo even before you start your political career. Aquino’s co-panelist JC de los Reyes and Lito Yap David senatorial candidates of Ang Kapatiran Party was very clear on this in case he missed it I am repeating it again, in the absence of an enabling law it’s all about delicadeza.

A strong anti-political dynasty movement is truly what we need especially for this coming 2013 election where we can organize and mobilize supporters to vote out political dynasty through a voters pledge to vote only candidates who will commit to pass enabling law defining political dynasty. We also have a choice to support Ang Kapatiran Party in their petition using RA 6735 with the Commission on Elections seeking the latter’s approval on the form of a Petition for the enactment of a national legislation, the Anti-Dynasty Act, through a people’s initiative. There is also the Supreme Court Petition led by former VP Teofisto Guingona to force congress to pass an enabling law and then we also have the tedious option of petitioning for their disqualification for culpable violation of the constitution or how about the other petition at  for the SC to define it themselves. So many choices out there but we can’t defeat political dynasty by sitting on our behind whining, we must act now or forever see the worsening state of politics getting owned by a few family for their piggy plunder bank……..........

Conclusion Part 2 & 3 Media Presstitution in the Philippines the Enablers of Political Dynasty

Related article:

• Media Presstitution in the Philippines the Enablers of Political Dynasty
• The Bobotanteng (Voting) Pinoy & the Unrealized Power of the Ballot
• Political Dynasty and the Pinoy Bobotante

 Subscribe in a reader

Click on the images to receive your free email updates  POGB will not sell, exchange, use or allow any 3rd party access to your email for
any other purposes without exception, email exclusively for article updates only. Follow PJ @ Facebook, NetworkedBlogs, &  Twitter

The Bobotanteng (Voting) Pinoy & the Unrealized Power of the Ballot

.... continued from Political Dynasty and the Pinoy Bobotante - Part 2 of 2

One cannot help but think that unless we lift up the people out of poverty there is really nothing we can do about our pathetic patronage and personality based electoral system and the thieving if not plundering political dynasty that goes with it as a bonus. That really makes sense but this is what one unnamed lawmaker says about the people wallowing in poverty:

"You have just one flash flood of money, you keep your people poor. It's like a time bomb and it's scary"

I believe this is where the good and the bad political dynasty get into the picture even if it is only digitally, LOL. I say to Alan Peter Cayetano and the rest who consider themselves honest, why not give up your day job as members of your respective political family dynasty and use your talents in creating jobs to address poverty? After all aside from political power that is concentrated in your family you also accumulated so much wealth that makes your family to be in a position to spur economic growth for the common good. Hey, I don’t think you can expect us to come up with the major capitalization when you people control 80% of the nation’s wealth? After all profitable business enterprise did not just become successful out of luck but it took skilled managerial skills and leadership for them to reach the top. So if members of political dynasty believe in themselves that they have what it takes to be a leader and honest enough perhaps they can even change the predatory mindset prevailing in the business sector in the Philippines.

Do we blame us the Bobotantes (voters) for the worsening state of politics or do we blame the political dynasty? How about blaming both or better yet how about we stop trying to point a blaming finger and instead start doing something to fix the problem? Surely lamenting and ranting fighting among each other on who can be angriest the most will not solve the problem. So is going in a different direction without learning how to coalesce makes the powers that be happy in seeing us self-destruct without them lifting a finger. Do we have what it takes to dismantle political dynasties that lorded over their area like a feudal turf with some that are murderous warlords like Ruben Ecleo surrounded by their private armies?

When the people deposed the conjugal dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos we failed to consider the risk of local warlords creeping in. In effect while we got rid of a dictator we unwittingly replaced it with local warlords and political clans just got bolder at building up their dynasties when we failed to hold them accountable and responsible for their continued disrespect and violation of the constitution. Instead of dealing with centralized plunder from the very top we have little Marcoses running like wild animals marking their territories for looting and plunder and as if that was not bad enough they became so agile at deflecting the issues and became very good at using the democratic space we earned to their advantage. While the ruling elites were so successful at protecting their so called basic rights such as the right to privacy of not allowing anyone, entity, or even police agency from accessing their dollar accounts, there are people whose rights are trampled with forced disappearance most of whom never to be found or if found are already lifeless.

Perhaps we are not ready for the democratic space that we earned thus we still have people to this day missing the “good old days” of the dictatorship, talk about not getting enough masochist pleasure, LOL. Now I understand why man’s history is replete with cruelty like the one during Pol Pot’s genocidal rampage sending people to his reeducation camp. Don’t get me wrong, I abhor what pol Pot did but sometimes it makes me wonder had the Cory Aquino administration went on a reeducation program right after EDSA revolution, could we have a better appreciation of the democratic space and the leveling of the political playing field as intended and embodied in our constitution? 

History is written by the victors according to Winston Churchill; unfortunately no one seem to have taken the responsibility of writing the course of our history especially the part before EDSA and what precipitated it. Is it because those who are supposed to have done so are busy trying to build their own political dynasty or too busy savoring the moment while continuously dancing on the streets celebrating their victory? They did not even bother teach our children the misdeeds of the Marcoses and the evils of Martial Law that we now have people left and right sneaking in with their revisionist historical version of telling a story telling a lie. People especially the young ones and the Philippines being one in the region with a young population are now open season for the revisionist and the corrupt elites in molding a mindset that is so muddled. I am one who believes that man by nature is good. In the end what is just and fair will triumph but it will not happen until we the Bobotante take the lead and change the course of history by dismantling political dynasty. Make no mistake about it EDSA is an unfinished revolution and the so-called EDSA II is nothing but a scam wrought on the gullible people.

In 2002 we pay each congress representatives P65M in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) yearly or better known as Pork Barrel, P420K salary/year, P2.4M in published expense, P600K to P1.2M/year allowance plus Christmas gift of P100K to P150K from the Speaker of the House, occasional Christmas gift from Malacanang of P100K to P150K, and other perks such as emergency fund, attending sessions, voting for bills, and travel allowances. That is just a 10 year old figure involving one congressman/woman which may have gone higher so imagine how much the taxpayers has to shoulder to maintain 287 House Members?

The cost to maintain 24 senator is P19.854 + to 19.877 + BILLION per year and if you add the yearly expense to maintain the Lower House, it will be a staggering amount. The upkeep of legislators has risen 10% every year since 1994. In 1999 this leaped to as high as a 60 % increase in the house of congress and a whopping 72% for the senators compared to the previous years. Now think of how much government revenue was exhausted all these years that they failed to pass an enabling law that is required of them by the constitution. A total of 27 years of maintaining the legislative branch and they have nothing to show for it except seeing the worsening endemic corruption and growing strength of political dynasties so entrenched  in power while dividing the country into their own personal territory to loot and plunder.

If we hire a professional, it is because we rely on their professional skills and expertise thus in return for what we pay them we expect to get good service. After all they earn their keeps by providing us the best skilled professional service, so why do we keep on hiring legislators who fails time and again to level the political playing field and stop if not exert extra effort in curbing corruption? Did we hire them so they can rob us blind?

No one will help us but ourselves if we want to finish or bring the unfinished EDSA revolution to its final course, we just have to take the initiative and not rely on the trapos. Sadly, change will not come from political personalities who are themselves members of political dynasty. Election comes every three years and the only time where politicians need us more than we need them is when they need our votes. We can only realize the power of the ballot if we use it at this point by focusing on having an enabling law passed on the legal definition of political dynasty. We can never expect our politicians to be honest if we allow them to openly violate the constitution and until we force the issue and tell them we don’t approve of it we will never see any improvement.

How do we go about going against a very powerful formidable opponent?

As far as we the BOBOtante (voters) are concerned it is up to us to prove them otherwise and pledge to support and vote only candidates in congress and senate willing and able to commit to pass enabling law defining political dynasty. We either remain BOBOtante or empowered electorates that can launch a massive campaign. How to go about it without funding is a challenge but it can be done with the power of networking. If we start with ourselves signing a pledge to commit to vote only candidates to congress and senate who will themselves pledge to commit to pass an enabling law defining political dynasty regardless of whether they belong to any political party or not is the first step. Next step is to persuade just three fellow registered voter to sign and commit to the same pledge we signed, and for the three to do the same each of them persuading just three registered voters and their recruits to do the same routine and so on, in due time we might reach most if not all of the registered voters before they cast their ballots in the 2013 election. Our success will depend on how many will follow through and not break the cycle. How can they break the cycle if they want an end to political dynasty and the possibility of leaders emerging having the same integrity and having political skills like Jesse Robredo? There is definitely power in numbers and voting as one only those willing and able candidates who will commit to pass an enabling law is just the start. What say you people, are we the BOBOtante type or the empowered botante who will change the course of history for the better?


Related article:

• The non-debate on Political Dynasty at PTV4 Part 1
• Media Presstitution in the Philippines the Enablers of Political Dynasty
• Political Dynasty and the Pinoy Bobotante

 Subscribe in a reader

Click on the images to receive your free email updates  POGB will not sell, exchange, use or allow any 3rd party access to your email for
any other purposes without exception, email exclusively for article updates only. Follow PJ @ Facebook, NetworkedBlogs, &  Twitter

Political Dynasty and the Pinoy Bobotante

Part 1 of 2 

Filipino politicians are notorious for creating and changing their own rules from time to time or even interpreting established laws according to how it benefits them depending on whoever is in power. One thing where they meet in a bi-partisan (as if there are really political parties separated by principle and ideology, hehehe) manner is their failure to pass enabling law defining political dynasty that does not even take an Einstein to figure out.

It is not like Article II, Section 26 of the constitution is so difficult to understand when it was written in plain simple language, to quote:

“The state shall guarantee equal access to public service and prohibit political dynasty as may be defined by law.”

So what is there in the 19 word sentence that is so difficult to comprehend that for the past 26 years since it was written in the Philippine constitution no one seems able to figure out up to now? Some people think it defies definition, really? I don’t know how it can defy definition when everyone knows what a dynasty is, but just to show that it is really not undefinable here is how Webster defines political dynasty: 

1 : a succession of rulers of the same line of descent 

2 :a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time

The constitution is very clear on why it is prohibiting political dynasty, it is to guarantee equal access to public service to the citizens as in prohibiting and not just preventing the concentration of power in the hands of the few ruling families. It is the same reason why the party list was introduced in the constitution, to give the underrepresented marginalized representation and access to the legislative branch of government. The point is to level the political playing field where qualified leaders of integrity a citizen of the republic is given equal access to governance, and not limited to the few families who control the nation’s wealth and political power which is what a robust democracy is all about.

When a new voter vote for Pedro Tarpulano or a Juan Tanga they don’t expect to vote for his wife, mistresses, sons, daughters or even his bastard children courtesy of their labandera (laundrywoman) all the way down to his grandkids which is just ridiculous but it is happening now because of the personality and patronage based electoral system. Voters deserve better than contend with the same family for the next 50 years or his/her lifetime.

Just because it has not been defined it does not mean that members of the political clan that sees politics as an entrepreneurial family business profit center is not aware or have no clue what is a political dynasty. As if that is not bad enough some sectors tries to deflect the issue towards what they believes is the real pressing one that they puts to task anti-political dynasty advocates for quoting the characterization of pornography by Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart “I know it when I see it” adage. Perhaps that is what the petitioners wrote in their arguments, but the only thing that I see comparable between political dynasty and pornography is they are both obscene, Other than that there is really no comparison. While I agree that RH Bill, Freedom of Information Act, and the Sin Tax are urgent issues, political dynasty is not an absurd and distracting issue that some people wanted us to believe. It is the issue now because the 2013 election is just around the corner and this is the only time we can force the issue and the time when politicians need us more than we need them.

Now, how exactly is political dynasty so undefinable as if it is such a mysterious term or contentious when it really is all about greedy politicians so drunk with power unwilling to let go? Their refusal to define political dynasty is seen as their propensity to violate the constitution or any law that stands in the way of their stranglehold on political power. All the bills introduced defining political dynasty seems to come up with the same basic definition below:
 

Political Dynasty is to be defined as the concentration, consolidation or perpetuation of public office and political power by persons related to one another.

Is that so fool este full of complexities? I don’t think so but the reason being is they really want political power concentrated within the family. The reason they refuse to even consider passing what they could muster as the most watered down version is that no matter who introduced and what law is passed their spouses and children are the first on the chopping block.

What really comes as very amusing is how Senator Alan Cayetano the husband of Lani Cayetano the Facebook tyrant who happens to be the mayor of Taguig desperately tries to rationalize and desperately differentiates their dynasty from the rest, LOL. Perhaps Alan Cayetano was telling the truth that they are not corrupt and I clap my hands in glee but that is not the point of contention here. Never mind that his wife Lani fired the nurses for posting a complaint in their Facebook account and her co-employees for liking it. Never mind that it was enough to give them a hard time by not issuing them a work certificate, and she is supposed to be a woman of the dynasty with integrity?

As an anti-political dynasty advocate I appreciate the advice given by Alan Peter Cayetano although unsolicited is really missing the point by a thousand miles, LOL. This is not about identifying which ones are good or bad political dynasty, the issue is about passing an enabling law defining political dynasty. 26 years is long enough, we need to exert all our effort towards paving a level political playing field which is what a tuwad este tuwid na daan (straight path) needs in order for us to leave a lasting legacy to our children and their children. Who knows we might even attract leaders of the likes of Jesse Robredo who might just get encouraged to participate in the electoral process?

Glad to know that Alan Peter Cayetano believes they are honest, unfortunately not honest enough to admit that they are violating the constitution and just exploiting the absence of an enabling law as a sorry excuse to perpetuate their family in power.  I say give it up and let us have an enabling law and they should be honest enough even without it people of integrity knows exactly what the constitution requires everyone to do. The very problem we face is the hypocrisy wherein we can easily identify and see what’s wrong with others not realizing we are not really any different and with the feeling of entitlement we just go around in circles.

The problem with political power that is concentrated in the hands of the few families is that greed takes over and corruption goes haywire. The problem with this arrangement is that it corrupts not just people’s mindset but job opportunities become rare because the moneyed class invest their accumulated capital in enterprises that does not generates job opportunities when they invest in politics. Under the scenario of patronage politics people make a living as a sycophant or spin doctors muddling the problem beyond recognition deflecting the issues all over except of course in their benefactors direction. No wonder this spin doctor errr I meant opinion writer blames the bobotante (voters) who says that there are no political dynasty without the voters who keeps on voting them in. I say that was an astute observation, right on and at the same time wrong, hehehe. Well, for one it is not like majority of the citizen are independent and whose life and fate does not depend on the whims and caprice of the people in the government. That opinionated errrr opinion writer seems to forget that people are in a semi-feudal existence and as such they rely on patronage. The ugly truth or reality is that hungry people worries more about where to get the money for the next meal for his family than take the time to learn about candidates with integrity offering a viable platform of governance if one even exist. Desperation and desolation makes some people forget what is prim and proper or simply what is logical or even legal and illegal when offered money in exchange for their vote.

The problem can really get complicated if we make it to be so complicated, but if we stop from over thinking the problem and just confront the problem, we can all find out that it is just a hurdle that we can surpass if together we put our mind to it.

To be continued on Part 2 of 2……………… The Bobotanteng (Voting) Pinoy & the Unrealized Power of the Ballot

Related Article:

• Media Presstitution in the Philippines the Enablers of Political Dynasty
•  The non-debate on Political Dynasty at PTV4 Part 1
• The Bobotanteng (Voting) Pinoy & the Unrealized Power of the Ballot

 

 Subscribe in a reader

Click on the images to receive your free email updates  POGB will not sell, exchange, use or allow any 3rd party access to your email for
any other purposes without exception, email exclusively for article updates only. Follow PJ @ Facebook, NetworkedBlogs, &  Twitter