Change the form of government

The happenings in Congress now particularly in the House of Representatives and the kind of legislators we have at present especially our Congressmen, are enough reasons to overhaul and change the structure of the legislative department under our Constitution.

Aside from engaging in too much politics, our political leaders in both Houses, more so in the Lower House, are showing us that public service is not a public trust; that it is more of a trust bestowed by one who has vast powers in our present system of government particularly the President who has the power of appointment over a vast number of national and local positions in the government, the power of control and supervision of the departments, bureaus and offices, the military power as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, foreign relations power to negotiate treaties and international agreements or to deport aliens, and the power of executive clemency or to grant pardon, parole and amnesty, among others.

Very alarming and quite disgusting in this connection are the actuations of the current Speaker and some members of the House of Representatives belonging to the “super majority”. They are using their positions to promote their personal interests or to engage in personal feuds as typified by the on-going quarrel between Speaker Alvarez and Congressman Floirendo allegedly due to the verbal spat between their girlfriends. True or not, said allegation has some credibility because there appears to be no other reason for their personal feud after being best friends for so many years and despite being both close to PRRD. In fact Floirendo is said to be the biggest funder of the Duterte campaign in the last election.

More disgusting here is the leech-like manner of clinging to power and holding on to the Speakership displayed by Alvarez. On the slightest hint and suspicion that his close friend, Congressman Floirendo, is plotting to replace him as speaker, Alvarez dug up a long existing agreement entered into by Tagum Agricultural Development Company Inc. (Tadeco), owned by the Floirendo family and the Bureau of Corrections and suddenly found “irregularities” therein in order to file a graft case against Floirendo at the Office of the Ombudsman. Then he is also pushing for a Congressional probe on Floirendo’s banana venture.

But the most revolting on the current happenings in the Lower House is the stubborn insistence of Alvarez to hear the impeachment complaints filed therein. While he seems to be so determined in ramming through the complaint filed against Vice President Leni Robredo, he likewise changed his stance with respect to the impeachment complaint filed against PRRD and said that the Lower House will likewise hear said complaint. Apparently he is just trying to show that he is fair in treating both the complaints against Duterte, a long time political ally and benefactor, and against Robredo who belongs to the opposition. But if we recall his initial reaction calling the impeachment complaint filed against Duterte as plain “stupidity” and describing the complainants as “stupid”, the inevitable ending of this political zarzuela is the outright junking of the complaint against Duterte and the immediate endorsement of the complaint against Robredo for trial in the Senate. With such a “super majority” in the House of Representatives in favor of Duterte, this outcome can be easily and surely be seen.

These impeachments filed in the Lower House once more prove that such method of removing some officials in the government is purely a political exercise. They are decided not on the merits of the grounds of impeachment but on which political party has control of Congress. Comparing the two complaints here, it is quite obvious that the several grounds for impeaching Duterte are more meritorious and reasonable than the sole ground for impeaching Robredo. Several political and legal experts have already said so. But because of politics, only Robredo’s complaint may eventually reach the Senate for trial.

Even if there seems to be a bright light in the horizon looming over this dark political foreboding due to Duterte’s recent call to also stop the Robredo impeachment, the stark reality still facing us is on the dark side. This is because of Alvarez adamant stand to proceed with Robredo’s impeachment and Duterte’s seemingly contradictory statement that he will respect the independence of the lawmakers in Congress on the Robredo case. So it seems that the bid to impeach Robredo will proceed.

At this time therefore, a lot of people are fervently but silently wishing that Congress will still eventually decide to stop this political exercise of impeachment that has occupied most of their time and has brought so much division among our people. Obviously, it has only disrupted their main function to legislate and enact laws for the common good. The public pulse in this regard is to junk both impeachment complaints so that Congress can concentrate on the achieving the other commitments made by this administration in the last election particularly in the form of government we now have.

And as the recent happenings in the Lower House have shown, it is really about time that we introduce basic changes in our 30 year Constitution. Foremost among this change is the abolition of the House of Representatives which has apparently wasted a lot of time and the taxpayers’ money. Our Legislative Department should just consist of a unicameral body with a smaller membership. Such change is more in consonance with Duterte’e plan to change the present Unitary System to a Federal system of government.

Under the present system, the entire country itself is the democratic and republican State with most of the powers concentrated in the President. If we adopt the Federal system of government, the country will be divided into Federal States” with specific territorial boundaries and a more responsive, accountable and autonomous government having powers authority, responsibilities and resources of their own. The Federal States to be established in the whole Philippine territory consisting of several existing provinces will in effect be considered a separate and independent “State” or country united with the other adjoining Federal States. And this union will be under a preeminent Federal Government with its own Federal Departments particularly the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary. Under this set up, a Unicameral, instead of a Bicameral Congress, will be more suitable. So Congress should now concentrate on the Revision of our Charter, so as to adopt Federalization of our country as promised by Duterte.

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