Charter amendments
ONE political philosophy pivotal in the stability of state craft is the adherence to the belief that “Institutions follow history, and not history following institutions.” Nations are similar in that both are hand-in-hand in endowments of unique language, culture, traditions, and most specifically history. The repository of what must be part of all conscious values, principles, tutored in the evolution of its political and constitutional awakenings.
The problem arises when this basic formulary is tinkered with by dictators and leaders who intellectualize the issue for purposes of ambition and absolute power. The people and the government begin to lose its footing, unhinged by novel thinking, or policy formations in the guise of reform. There is no reforming history. Only strategies and systems in establishing institutions. When, such phenomenon takes precedent over our seminal past, then we are in dangerous territory. Good intention and experimentation are flirtation into the unknown. What we have gained from the wisdom of old and national consensus based on actual experience can never be trumped by theoretical constructs from other countries with their own history and government. Our sojourn into federalism is mental exercise meant for school debates. Period. We lost the way after the 1973 and 1987 Constitutions.
If we are serious about recovering our political ideals under the 1935 Charter, four amendments require moral/political will to be effected: 1) Restoring the 4-year term of all local officials; 2) Restoring the 4-year term of congressmen, limited to 12 years similar their Senate counterpart; 3) Restoring the 4-year term with one re-election for presidents, hence recovering the Quezonian discernment of such term as bearable for a bad president, and too short for a good one. 4) Restoring eight Senate candidates every election period. Prudence dictates an Upper House in continuing quorum to proceed with legislative business despite their colleagues in the Lower House in recess for elections.
I am sure, those proposals are easily understandable and will garner much approval from all concerned, including our people.
Merry X’mas!