Presidential Elections: The Insanity Of Electing Different Candidates Under The Same DEFECTIVE System

It's no secret that 2022 is just near. All the clamor for #LetLeniLead and #Daughterte are on. Well, above is a picture from Rappler in regards to Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (whose husband is a nephew of former Ombudsman, Conchita Carpio-Morales) and Vice President Leni Loud Gerona-Robredo. It's really upsetting now both DDS and Dilawan might think that a trolling campaign might expect a miracle that people will "vote wisely". However, such an idiocy is insanity at best. Wjen has the whole "vote wisely" movement even worked? I observed it too often that the movement was used over and over again from the time I was in elementary to the time I was in high school. Now, I finished college more  than 10 years ago (2007) and it's still the same movement OVER AND OVER AGAIN. But why no vote wisely? It's because the system in itself is stupid. No, systems aren't about people but the very rules that govern the people.

A review of past administrations will tell us why "vote wisely" isn't working at all. For one, presidential system are popularity-driven. Joseph Estrada won because of his status as a movie star. The late Noynoy Aquino won because of his deceased parents. The current president, Rodrigo R. Duterte, won also because of popularity. Leni Loud herself gained some spotlight because of the late Jesse M. Robredo. It's not just presidents but also lawmakers winning because of popularity. You have athletes and actors winning over economists, doctors, lawyers, and those who can do it. 

Meanwhile, one can envy the leadership qualities of Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Britain, Finland, etc. in contrast to our leaders. However, it's always a problem when Filipinos think, "The Top 20 countries last 2010-present have nothing to do with parliamentary - it's just the leaders!" Seriously? I must laugh and question both the DDS and the Dilawan. If Duterte is so good then why hasn't the country become top one in ASEAN? The same question must go for Noynoy who also created some economic improvements. The anti-reforms keep saying the parliamentary will never work because of the Marcos Years. However, Ninoy Aquino was quick to point out that the Marcos Years were a MOCK PARLIAMENT. Mock meat is plant-based meat and not made of animal flesh. 

Now, it's time to really look at the differences of the presidential system and the parliamentary system. A parliamentary system would have a defined role for both the government and the opposition. The prime minister determines the general direction of the government. The opposition leader questions the prime minister and holds the latter accountable. Each minister or appointee has a shadow minister or appointee. What's even bette ris the existence of the weekly question hour. It's stupid to think that the weekly question hour will work only if politicians have a sense of shame. Philippine politicians don't have a sense of shame because of a lack of transparency. It's really because the presidential system doesn't encourage it to start with.

The real problem is not the length of the Marcos Years but the QUALITY of the rule. Lee Hsien Loong has ruled Singapore for five consecutive terms. The late Lee Kuan Yew ruled Singapore for 31 years. Yet, Singapore remains to be a democratic country. The question is did Noynoy make the Philippines great in six years? Did Duterte make the Philippines great up to this point? True, there are some achievements between the two administrations. However, we can't deny that six years won't be enough to make a major change for either which administration. If Noynoy did so well then why deny him another term? This shows how term limits aren't the answer. It's all about limiting the powers of the head of government. Prime ministers are limited not by term limits but by a real working opposition, having a separate head of state (to represent the people), and the much higher chances of getting kicked out by a no confidence vote. A 20 year rule under the same person isn't necessarily bad IF that person is given a limited scope of powers. The two Lees have been given limited scope of powers which scrutinized their plans, put their government cabinets under frequent scrutiny, and greatly reduced the chances of abusing their powers.

Elections 2022? Please, I would rather suspend all elections to focus on charter change. Better yet, call it constitutional reform. Illegal? Did you know that the 1987 Constitution is actually NOT set in stone? In short, amending the constitution or even a massive overhaul is NOT illegal either. There's no need for a revolutionary government. However, the people's initiative must be to set it on constitutional reform first - elections later!