Liberal Party's Latest Senatorial Bets Prove How Bad Systems Can Corrupt Promising Candidates

"Just change the people! Not the system!" says a senile old man. Some people are only in favor of making amendments such as saying that there's no need to change the system -- they just want to implement some minor rules like Noynoy Aquino's 29 business and economic reform laws. Some have gone to antagonize the planned charter change or constitutional reform that both Fidel V. Ramos (who could have become the Mahathir Mohammad of the Philippines) and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who both wanted to shift to a parliamentary-federal system. Sadly, Ramos was a victim of fear-mongering especially with his plan for constitutional reform.

The Liberal Party's current slate as some promising members who were unfortunately corrupted by a lousy system. Did you know Mar Roxas was once a promising member of the cabinet of both Gloria and Joseph Estrada? Roxas was even advocated for full free trade but ended up flip-flopping under the banner of the Liberal Party. Florin Hilbay was once a national inspiration as one of the best bar top notchers but he ends up making a fool out of himself these days. Bam Aquino was once a multi-awarded entrepreneur but his allegiance to the Liberal Party ended up killing his common sense. Hilario Davide Jr. was once heralded as a champion of fighting corruption but ended up becoming Hilarious Davide with his statement about foreign investors taking over the Philippines.

The Liberal Party also shows just how it actually values incompetence. How can the once competent people like Roxas, Bam and Hilbay end up becoming Marbobo, Bum and Hillbilly? It's because a good system produces better people and a stupid system makes smart people stupid. The Liberal Party has always been about pasikatan or popularity contests. People will say, "Of course it's majority or plurality wins." Unfortunately, that's the problem of the current system. Even illiterate or uneducated people get to vote all in the name of democracy -- never mind such voting could make democracy alive but not well. Other countries use the weighted voting system where the vote of an educated person matters more than the vote of an illiterate. Some even discourage uneducated people from ever becoming qualified to vote. Unfortunately, suffrage in the Philippines is available to all resident citizens and even low minded brains can vote unless they are no mentally incapacitated.

Now let's take a look at other people who are in the Opposition slot as of late. I can understand if some of the people here get slotted because well they're lawyers. But this is where I'm pretty much WTFed -- why in the world are they putting once more CELEBRITIES into the list such as Leah Navarro, Jim Paredes, Dingdong Dantes and Agot Isidro? One of the biggest problems of the presidential system is that popularity overrides credibility. I mean, why do you think the U.S. and the Philippines both had presidents who were once actors? It's the presidential system! What do Navarro, Paredes, Dantes and Isidro even know about politics and economics or how to improve the system? They would probably just sing and dance rather than do their job. Worse, you may see Bam, Hilbay and Roxas go along and throw away their potential all the more!

Would have the Philippines gone parliamentary with Ramos' push for Constitutional Reform -- then imagine how much could have been cleaned out. Just think maybe the late Miriam Defensor Santiago would have been Prime Minister. Joseph Estrada himself would have been voted out by a vote of no confidence would have he been prime minister instead of president. I think Bam, Hilbay and Roxas would have probably met their potential instead of decaying to where they are right now. In fact, I don't even think the Liberal Party would have sunk to where it is today if it wasn't for the current popularity-based system that runs the Philippines.