Senate should not self-destruct

It is sad for people who are fighting to retain our bicameral Congress to witness the Senate in self-destruct mode these past weeks. All things considered, the Senate is necessary if only because most of its members have a better ability to think in less parochial terms. Senators, by the nature of how they are elected, have the duty to think in terms of nation, rather than region or province. Big issues that affect all of us have a better chance of being appreciated in the Senate.

Members of the Senate are also less prone to be terrorized or bought into submission by Malacañang, but admittedly not that much. Still, they are less inclined than your typical congressman to rubber stamp everything the Palace demands. As an institution, the Senate is better able to perform the check and balance function the framers of our constitution had in mind for the legislative branch.

Events over the past year have shown just how much we need an independent minded legislature. That multi-billion dollar rip-off of a deal we now know as the ZTE NBN scandal couldn’t have been stopped if we had a unicameral legislature composed of the largely administration lapdogs in the House. Don’t expect the House to have the patience to study the nitty gritties of international treaties like the free trade agreement with Japan.

But then again, there are also admittedly enough members of the Senate who can be used as Exhibit A to support the argument that a unicameral legislature will save time and money. Sen. Poor Little Disinherited Rich Kid, for example. Since the politicians who are elected tend to be largely the types you wouldn’t invite to a polite gathering of decent people anyway, why make things difficult by insisting in a bicameral legislature?

The internal strife in the Senate that has wasted time and newsprint these past weeks has simply got to stop if for no other reason that the public does not care anymore. Given the difficulty of our times, the ordinary Pinoy has become more pragmatic about politicians. We no longer expect them to be decent and honorable. We just hope that they are able to provide enough service to justify the whole lot of money we spend for their upkeep.

Okay… we get the point. There was this insertion in the budget that could possibly be a double appropriation for a road project in Metro Manila. The act of insertion is despicable but we also know they do it all the time. It should be enough that the suspected culprit has been made to account for this sin in public. But let us move on.

Moving on is the thing to do because it isn’t as if this was a really horrible thing that is in the league of the ZTE NBN deal. The additional P200 million was not disbursed. And even if it was, it would have gone to the fairly major road project that couldn’t have been done with just P200 million. The new road would have been welcomed by harassed residents in the South of Metro Manila who suffer horrible traffic conditions everyday. It is not true that the project is a “road to nowhere”. It is obviously useful.

Okay… the private subdivision business of Senate President Manny Villar may benefit with this road project. But over and above Villar, so would a sizable number of taxpayers who live in the area benefit from the C5 extension. If Villar’s companies were overpaid by government for the right of way, that would be criminal. But we are told Villar’s companies refused to accept the payment and we can assume, never will. The price appreciation of the lots they are selling traceable to the road project should be sufficient compensation.

In fact, if real estate company owners have any sense of patriotism, they will just donate right of way for land used in major road projects and not expect a bloated assessment to justify outrageous disbursements from the public coffers. As in the case of Villar, price appreciation of their remaining real estate property should be compensation enough.

In this sense, it is the realty company of the religious kingmaker Mike Velarde that should be investigated. Mr. Velarde was apparently given the red carpet treatment by this and past administrations on right of way payments. In fact, Mr. Velarde wants to be paid more, and has gone to court to get it. By exempting Velarde from any proposed inquiry, Sen. Lacson is obviously playing politics first and public service, incidentally… if ever. No politician, Ping Lacson included, wants to get on the wrong side of Mr. Velarde.

Enough already! If there is any investigation that should be done, it should be to ask the DPWH what is taking them so long to finish that road project. They should be given a short deadline to open that road to the public, before Christmas if at all possible.

The COA should also be asked if the quality and cost of the project are within acceptable parameters. Citizens and taxpayers have discounted some amount of corruption in DPWH projects but would also want to be reassured that we do not have another Diosdado Macapagal Avenue kind of highway robbery in the final cost of the project.

The brouhaha is obviously meant to torpedo Villar’s presidential ambitions. That may or may not be a good thing. I have not made up my mind on Villar. His rags-to-riches story is inspiring. But he does seem to have too much excess baggage in terms of business interests that conflict or will potentially conflict with his obligations as a future Chief Executive of the country.

You would think that the local business community would be all out for one of their own. But there is a lot of hesitation on Manny Villar from local businessmen. The way he restructured his business after it suffered financial problems is often talked about as as high handed in local business circles, specially by those who felt they got a raw deal.

There are fears that Villar is the type who will use, as he probably has done, the powers of his office to further his business interests. This is a fear the Lacson “expose” reinforces. On the other hand, it could be this ability of Villar to get things done one way or another that the country needs in a President. If he can deliver long awaited results in the areas of infrastructure, education, poverty reduction and population management, who cares if he cuts corners now and then. We have an administration now that cuts corners all the time but deliver little to the people by way of palpable results.

But all those are things we have to consider at the proper time. This Lacson “expose” may have given us a preview of things we ought to think about Villar as a future president but let us not waste a minute more of the limited time the Senate has to do its work now. We got the message, okay?

And yes… that boycott of Senate sessions by the so-called opposition senators was pretty childish. It made me visualize the Senate as some kind of kindergarten sandbox with a bunch of spoiled brats who all want to have their way. Next time some senators want to protest, they can all do the country a favor and threaten not to breathe unless they get their way. If they keep their word and in fact hold their breath, they will at least finally do something worthwhile: the taxpayers will have one or more senators less to provide budgets for.

If the Senate self destructs and finds itself abolished in a cha cha, its present members only have themselves to blame. 

Short list

I heard from the grapevine that Malacañang is finalizing a short list of candidates to fill up Supreme Court vacancies as they happen when Justices retire between now and the end of Ate Glue’s term. Among the more prominent names in the list include: Speaker Prospero Nograles, Rep. Teddyboy Locsin, Sol Gen Agnes Devanadera, Ombudsman Mercedita Gutierrez and Atty. Fely Arroyo (wife of Sen. Joker).

Justice Rene Corona is expected to jump over more senior Justices to become Chief Justice, just weeks before Ate Glue bows out of office.

Interesting!

Econ 2010 definitions

One of our prominent economists texted me this one.

Econ slowdown – your neighbor loses his job.

Recession – you lose your job.

Depression – economists lose their jobs.

Economic recovery – if the economist-in-chief retires from her job.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]