VP Sara’s rants and the need for political reform

I spent the better part of last week briefing the diplomatic and corporate communities on VP Sara’s tirades and what it could mean for our political future. Although I tried very hard to be matter-of-fact, beneath my stoic front, I was both embarrassed and demoralized. Embarrassed because the second highest official in the land displayed unbridled vulgarity, a lack of restraint and thug-like behavior. She displayed the worst of Filipino behavior for all the world to see.

I was demoralized because the specter of political instability looms over the country again and it is scaring away investors. It’s bad enough that the reforms to make the country a more attractive investment destination are not happening fast enough. VP Sara’s brat-line tantrum set us back even further. Now, hundreds of investment projects are put on hold.

So here we are, sabotaging our own progress again. We could have avoided this drama if only the VP properly liquidated the hundreds of millions of confidential funds issued to her office. But she is unable to. So she hides behind her people and goes on a rampage to reset the national conversation. It is an old tactic of diversion that no longer works. We see the situation for what it is. If the VP is unable liquidate to the satisfaction of COA, then she better reimburse the national treasury.

But our problems are deeper than malversation of funds. The Marcos-Duterte feud is a manifestation of a flawed political system – a system that perpetuates political dynasties, patronage politics, runaway corruption, political entitlement and low-quality leadership.

Our flawed political system is also the reason why our economy has lost much of its competitiveness and why severe income inequality persists.

The next generation of Filipinos will be relegated to the same curse of inefficient and corrupt governance for as long as our political systems remain the same and for so long as the same cast of dynasties are elected.

We need a change to break this vicious cycle. We need a new kind of leader – a transformative leader who is committed to drastic political and electoral reform. Who is this leader? I have no idea – no one has emerged yet. What I know for sure is that none of those who are in the position to become president in 2028 has even spoken of political reform. They are all members of dynasties who benefit from the defective system.

I can only wish that a transformative leader in the mold of Argentina’s Javier Milei, India’s Narendra Modi or El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele emerges. The country needs to be saved from the current crop of political leaders and the political system that keeps them in power.

The reforms needed

At the heart of our problems is the prevalence of political dynasties. Dynasties are a national cancer because they consolidate power in a pseudo-monarchial manner in their respective domains. Dynasties perpetuate populist policies, a culture of hand-outs and runaway corruption. They also crowd out good talent from being elected.

Poor governance is a typical symptom of political dynasties. This is because capabilities, values and work ethic rarely improve within powerful families enjoying comfort and positions of influence. New ideas are stifled due to inbreeding of management practices while bad habits are magnified. Exacerbating matters is that there is a lack of check and balance in dynasty-governed LGUs.

Article II, Sec. 26 of the 1987 Constitution was clear in its intention. It says, “The state shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” Congress has had the duty to enact an enabling anti-dynasty law since 1987 but failed to do so for self-serving reasons.

The public has waited 37 years for an enabling law. Legislators, past and present, have conspired to betray the Constitution for self-interest. So we need a leader who will enact the Anti-Dynasty Law.

Another national cancer is patronage politics. This “godfather” system grants access to funds and juicy committees to those who pledged allegiance to a political godfather. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in Congress. This is why political loyalties shift depending on who is president, speaker of the House and, to a lesser degree, the Senate president.

Patronage politics and the lure of pork barrel funds is the reason why laws, even if ill conceived, sail through the legislature. Recall how the 19th Congress voted to close ABS-CBN.

A number of laws must be enacted to address patronage politics. Among them are the Campaign Finance Act to limit campaign spending and foster transparency in the sources and uses of funds; Political Party Act to institutionalize political parties; the Proportional Representation Act to reduce representation of legislators with the same political interest;

Digital Transparency Act for transparency in government budgets, contracts and performance reports; strengthening judicial independence; strengthening of anti-corruption measures including non-bailable detention of public officials for mere show of cause.

The quality of governance depends on the quality of our leaders. Aspiring elected officials who are academically and experientially ill-equipped must be weeded out. In particular, those who leverage on popularity even if unqualified. This requires stiffer minimum educational requirements; more stringent professional and experiential qualifications and the need to pass assessment exams and ethics screening.

Other reforms for good governance include the centralization of powers to the MMDA (because the LGUs of Metro Manila are uncoordinated and development plans are a mess); the rationalization of LGU powers; the rationalization of the party-list system due to grave abuses, among others.

We are where we are today because of our flawed political system. It retards economic development, encourages corruption and perpetuates social inequality. It has to change if the country is to truly live up to its potentials.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan