Sigaw: Parliamentary system to erase bias for ‘rich and famous’ candidates

Shifting to a unicameral parliamentary system will level the political playing field that only "rich and famous" candidates now enjoy under the present government setup, the lawyer for a Charter change movement said yesterday.

"A parliamentary system effectively eliminates this bias because it abolishes direct national elections in favor of local elections for members of parliament," Dindo Donato, legal counsel for Sigaw ng Bayan, told the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo Hotel in Quezon City yesterday.

Donato pointed out that the present bicameral system only favors affluent candidates who can afford to spend billions of pesos to campaign.

"The same is true with movie, media and sports celebrities, who no longer need to campaign as they are already known to voters nationwide," Donato said.

Apart from this, Sigaw ng Bayan spokesman Raul Lambino said that switching to parliamentary system with a unicameral legislature will pave the way for the improved delivery of basic services, a significant decrease in bureaucratic red tape and greater accountability of public officials.

Speaking before the Rotary Club of Makati-Dasmariñas, Lambino said a parliamentary system would spell economic benefits for ordinary Filipinos in terms of scarce public funds saved through the swift passage of laws under a single-chamber legislature.

Lambino explained that under a bicameral system, laws have to undergo three "repetitive levels of scrutiny" — the Senate, House of Representatives and the bicameral conference committee.

But under a unicameral parliamentary government, legislative measures only go through a single chamber — the Parliament, where the Prime Minister, who implements these statutes, also sits as member.

"The hundreds of millions of pesos in financial resources saved by the government because of the shortened legislative process could then be channeled to build more rural infrastructure, more classrooms, potable water systems and irrigation and provide more affordable health care for impoverished families," said Lambino, who filed the petition for a people’s initiative mode of amending the 1987 Constitution with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), along with Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado on behalf of nine million signatories supporting the shift to parliamentary form.

According to Donato, under a parliamentary setup where "MPs," or members of parliament, are selected for every legislative district consisting of only 300,000 residents, the natural advantages enjoyed by "rich" and "famous" political bets are balanced out by the track records of public service rendered by other candidates, who may not be popular or affluent, but are nonetheless known to local voters.

Donato likewise pointed out that local elections for MPs may simultaneously serve as the indirect elections for prime minister with every member of parliament voted by the people in each of the country’s legislative district eligible to run as PM.

"There would be no undue curtailment of the right of suffrage because the voter is actually selecting his candidate for prime minister when he votes for the MP in his district," Donato said.

The move to amend the Constitution is now on the level of the House of Representatives, which is deliberating on a resolution to convene the Senate and the House into a constituent assembly to propose amendments to the Charter.

The people’s initiative petition was earlier rejected by the Comelec, prompting Sigaw ng Bayan to elevate their case to the Supreme Court.

Decentralized power

Lambino, meanwhile, said that a parliamentary setup would also ensure greater accountability in the government because the system of checks and balances would prove easier in pinpointing non-performing or corrupt officials, who can be removed through a mere "vote of no confidence" by parliament.

Under a parliamentary system, he said that political power is decentralized and "redistributed" to the regions, unlike the current setup where power is concentrated in Manila.

Decentralization under a parliamentary system would encourage more dialogues between political leaders and their constituencies, leading to stronger government-community partnerships, he said.

Lambino said the decentralized setup under a parliamentary government would also minimize red tape and improve the delivery of basic services to the people because citizens can now easily pinpoint which of their elected officials are not delivering on their promises.

Donato said shifting to parliamentary system will nurture a new breed of statesmen and will cure the "defects" of the bicameral presidential system.

He was echoing the statement of an Ateneo law professor, who earlier said that recent public opinion polls clearly shows that the people are backing constitutional reforms to dismantle the defected presidential system.

Lawyer Alberto Agra said people are now well informed on the ills brought about by the presidential system of government following the massive information campaign spearheaded by the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines and Sigaw ng Bayan on the people’s initiative. — With Perseus Echeminada