Leni seeks ban on political turncoatism

Vice President Leni Robredo has pushed for a ban on political turncoatism so that politicians will give importance to party ideals rather than political survival.

Robredo made the statement in an interview with ABS-CBN’s “The Bottomline” aired Saturday night when asked about her take on the recent squabble in the leadership in the House of Representatives.

“It is a reflection of everything that is wrong in our political system,” the Vice President said.

She cited the case of the Liberal Party, which she chairs, as an example of political turncoatism.

“Our party is just small. When PNoy (former president Benigno Aquino III) became president politicians rushed to LP and we became bigger, but when PNoy stepped down our numbers dwindled again,” she said.

“You join a political party because you share the same views, it should not be personality-oriented,” Robredo stressed.

The Vice President also proposed the provision of financial assistance from the government to political parties to avoid turncoatism.

She said political butterflies should be also prohibited from running in the next elections.

The consultative commission, which drafted a new constitution, has included a provision banning political turncoatism.

Political parties that accept political butterflies may face the cancellation of their party registration with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the proposed provision stated.

In 2006, the late Senate president Edgardo Angara pushed for the establishment of a Political Party Development Fund.

He said political party system in the country is basically confined to personalities rather than issues and political platform.

Former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was installed as speaker of the House, replacing Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, hours before President Duterte delivered his third State of the Nation Address last July 23.

After the leadership row, the squabble shifted to the minority leader position, with three factions claiming to be the minority bloc.

On Thursday, Robredo said the group led by her partymate, Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo should be recognized as the minority bloc.

According to Quimbo, LP is the true minority because its members are the fiscalizers and opposition unlike the other groups claiming the title.