EDITORIAL - Time to scrap the partylist system

When will the government finally act to scrap the partylist system, which has become the single biggest electoral farce in the history of the Philippines? The longer government refuses to act decisively on the matter, the more skewed our politics will be because of it.

Partylist systems in other countries work because of two things — their partylist organizations represent legitimate marginalized sectors, and poll regulators do not dispense with accreditations as if accreditations were going out of style.

The reverse is true in the Philippines. In the Philippines any Tom, Dick and Harry can band together, conjure up any advocacy and package it as a marginalized cause, and then have it registered and accredited with relative ease. Incredible? Go count them.

This ease with which accreditation is given has allowed open backdoor access to Congress to people who otherwise would have a hard time getting elected barangay councilman. It is a system that pays no mind to legitimacy of causes, for as long as they are known by acronyms.

That is why groups claiming to represent the preposterous such as, of all people, drug addicts, have come out of the woodwork seeking accreditation. Had the partylist system not been a farce, such groups would not have dared emerge from the shadows.

A system, after all, is only as good as the sum of its parts. Allow every wacko and bimbo access to the system and the system, if infirm to begin with, will eventually burn itself out. Hopefully it will not raze the whole house down with all of us in it.

And now here comes yet another rap against the system — partylist accreditations are allegedly for sale. The accusation is being aired by leftist organizations, who must be starting to feel too hemmed in and resentful in having to share the pie with so many others.

We never had any need for partylist groups in the first place because members of Congress already represent everyone, mainstream or marginalized. But having opened the door, everybody now wants to get in. We cannot afford legislative anarchy. It is time to get our sanity back.