Perverted

WHY are our elections so maddening, expensive, frustrating, so weird and wild? The answer lies in how we have allowed our leaders (and subsequently their followers, none other than ourselves) to pervert the law, specifically election laws.

Take the law on campaign spending, which allows noncandidates to start their noncampaign even before the noncampaign period. The most obvious, obnoxious, as well as the best, most deserving candidates are allowed to display their posters and billboards well ahead of the campaign period because the days and months before that period are not counted as part of the campaign period, therefore the candidates are not candidates. Ever heard of anything more hilarious? They’re not candidates in spite of their COCs, tarps and “trapo” announcing their intentions!

One other law is yet to be born. In spite of the loudest clamor and deepest desire of citizens, political scientists and analysts to abolish the stranglehold of political dynasties on elections, and in spite of such a sentiment expressed in the Constitution, legislation has been wanting. After all, who write the laws but legislators? With more than half of incumbent lawmakers belonging to family trees with branches and twigs bearing the same names and bloodlines, who’s going to uproot the system? Have you ever heard of trees committing suicide?

Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon can object until she turns blue in the face, but who’s going to change the party-list system? True, it was – was! – a device with the noble aim of “leveling the playing field” to give “marginalized sectors” “adequate representation” as if labor, the peasantry, women and youth were not already in the DNA of “mainstream” congresspersons. Somehow, someone chose not to write those quoted words into the law – perverts! – and that’s how the Supreme Court had no recourse but to rule that millionaires, heirs and heiresses, husbands and wives, “and so many people carrying the same family name” are free to represent anyone they choose, or no one. As Ms. Guanzon asked, “Who’s the poor one among them? Show me!”

And isn’t it a perversion to suggest that “mainstream” Representatives of the People do not work for laborers, peasants, women, and the youth? Who’re they working for, then?