A referendum on democracy

ON DISTANT SHORE
By Val G. Abelgas

Just like all mid-term elections, the coming May elections should be treated as a referendum on whether the people approve of the performance and policies of the present administration and whether they want the same policies to continue in the next three years.

With the death of the two-party system and the emergence of patronage-based political coalitions since the supposed re-birth of democracy in the country in 1986, the once-every-three-years elections have become a political circus rather than a political exercise. Unlike when the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party fought hard to gain control of Malacanang or Congress, elections are now being contested by fleeting coalitions, ones that are based more on patronage and personality, rather than on platforms.

So don’t expect a full slate of the dominant parties, such as LP, NP or PDP-Laban. Instead, you’ll see coalitions, whose names sound more like showbiz slogans rather than political parties. For example, there is the Otso Deretso, whose Senate line-up includes four LP members and four other oppositionists; the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, a coalition led by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte which is endorsing 13 senatorial candidates (one more than the 12 slots being contested) mostly pro-Duterte and pro-Arroyo politicians; Tapang at Malasakit Alliance, also composed mostly of pro-Duterte politicians from the PDP-Laban and Nacionalista Party; Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, composed of unknown politicians supporting Duterte, Arroyo and and their proposal to shift to a federal system; and Cojuangco-led Nationalist People’s Coalition, also composed of pro-Duterte politicians.

Based on the composition of the above coalitions, there are eight opposition senatorial candidates and the rest of the 76 official candidates are mostly supporters of President Duterte, potentially ensuring that Congress will continue to be controlled by Duterte and his new partner, former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Thus, unless the Filipino voters fully support the eight Otso Deretso candidates and four of the more independent bets, we can almost be certain that the balance of power will be heavily tilted in favor of the Executive Branch, which will the have full control of the Senate, the House of Representatives and consequently, the Supreme Court.

The coming May political exercise, just like all mid-term elections, should thus be treated by Filipinos as a referendum both on Duterte and democracy. Should we let President Duterte continue to with his affront on human rights and the rule of law, and lead with iron fists, unchecked by both Congress and the Judiciary? Should we vote for senatorial and congressional candidates who turn a blind eye on Duterte’s strongman tactics? Or should we vote to start realigning our ship back to the democratic path?
The just concluded mid-term elections in the United States have proven that democracy is well and alive in the country. With the Democrats having wrested control of the House of Representatives with plenty of room to spare, the tantrums of President Donald Trump have been put under check as in the case of the battle over the border wall, in which the Donald would have built that stupid wall if not checked by the Speaker Nancy Pelosi-led and Democrat-controlled House.

The American people, through the ballots, made it known that they’ve had enough of Trump’s capricious and whimsical leadership. Thus, the constitutionally mandated check and balance among the three branches of government – the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary – remains in force.

For three years since the former Davao mayor was elected president in 2016, with an overwhelming lead over LP bet Manuel Roxas, but a minority president nevertheless, having won only 39 percent of the total number of votes, Duterte has had absolute control over the House of Representatives.

The usual political butterflies quickly joined forces with the winning presidential candidate even before they could all be sworn in as congressmen, ensuring Duterte complete control of the House of Representatives. For three years, they have toed the line, either afraid of suffering the same fate as opposition Sen. Leila de Lima, losing out in the distribution of the spoils, or losing crucial Malacanang support in these coming elections, or all of the above.

But the Senate, which is the upper and far more superior chamber, has remained somehow independent and has been doing its best to keep Duterte under check. Senators like Ping Lacson, Antonio Trillanes, Franklin Drilon, Grace Poe, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino and even PDP-Laban’s Koko Pimentel, independent Francis Escudero and NP’s Francis Eescudero, have stood many times to criticize Duterte’s policies and reckless remarks, and to keep Duterte’s dictatorial tendencies in check.

Political pundits have given up on the House of Representatives, especially now that it’s led by Arroyo. But hopes remain high for the Senate. And it is the race for the 12 senators – half of the Senate composition – that will be the most crucial if democracy were to remain alive and well in the country that once boasted as the only democracy in Asia.

A Duterte-controlled Senate could mean the entire Congress would just be a rubber stamp of a Chief Executive that once threatened to declare a revolutionary government and who has shown little respect for the rule of law or for democracy. He could ram down unreasonable legislations like lowering the age of criminal liability to nine years as he had originally proposed; force the shift to federal system through a constituent assembly; and force other unpopular or unreasonable measures without the necessary debates.

He can do as he pleases without fear of congressional oversight or impeachment. He can name anybody to the Supreme Court who is willing to do his bidding and clamp down on dissent with even more force.

Should we vote to keep Duterte on check or should we just let democracy die an ignoble death? You decide.

(valabelgas@aol.com)