The True People Power

Had a chance to visit my friendster profile recently, and realized I have blog entries pala sa FS profile ko. Below is one of the Blogs I've migrated from Friendster Blog.

We have had EDSA I which toppled the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. We also had EDSA II which evicted the “accused plunderer” Joseph Estrada from office. Then there was what they call EDSA III aiming to remove the small lady in Malacanang but unfortunately didn’t succed (probably because there were no clear purpose). After all, what have we got? Did this parliament of the streets changed the lives of the Filipinos, and how did it made us politically mature?
Before the surfacing of “Hello Garci” scandal, I didn’t thought Philippine politics would be more exciting yet more degrading. When this scandal came out on media in 2005, political scenario in the country has been very annoying, left and right political bickerings between pro-administration camps and the opposition. From then on different protest rallies are staged asking for the resignation of President Macapagal-Arroyo. There were also coup attemps but non have succeded. Many issues also have became hot topics and some were the Impeachment and Charter Change.

Opposition parties have filed several impeachment complaints against the president in the hope of removing her from office, but Arroyo allies managed not to make it happen. With that, pro-admin lawmakers move their way to change the constitution and it went all the way into converting the Lower House into a constituent assembly, but same as impeachment it also din’t worked.Different investigations in aid of legislation as they say, have been done, sacrificing their main duty of law creation and passage.
Isn’t irritating to know that our lawmakers which we elected to create relevant laws to uplift our standard of living are very busy quarrelling to push their selfish motives and agendas. Yes we need critics and fiscalizers in the government so that we may protect it from abusive officials, but it shouldn’t be OA and exaggerated to the point that they’re forgetting their true duty and mandate, and that is to create and pass relevant laws. But who is to blame? We should realize that these people wont be there if not for our votes. So it is high time that we realize the importance of our votes. Yes we may have succeded in changing leadership by parliament of the streets twice, but its effects are short lived. Now is the time to use our true power, the parliament of pen, our VOTING POWER.

Now that election is forthcoming, let’s not waste this opportunity to correct our past mistakes. Voting the right people is the most powerful thing we can do to start the change. We should be very critical and keen in choosing the candidates who will be serving the government. We should vote for those people who have the passion to create significant laws that will truly uplift our lives and not just to criticize and investigate in “aid of legislation”. I recently watched a news item regarding the upcoming election, and I remember a certain religious leader turned politician calling for people to vote for candidates who will push the impeachment against the president, how disappointing. Instead of aiming to create relevant laws they’re longing to install lawmakers that will impeach the small lady in Malacanang, isn’t disgusting? Can we entrust our votes to people whose main purpose in getting to Senate or House of Representative is to impeach a president and not to make laws which is their sworn duty? I am not campaigning against the opposition nor am i campaigning for the candidates of the administration, but my point is, let’s be more descerning. Try to know the candicates well and study their credentials astutely, so that when the election day comes we will have the best candidates installed in our goverment. Candidates who will serve to their best and for the best of our people. Its not yet too late to start and change the course of our country, and no one can make it happen but YOU, I, we all Filipinos who still believe that someday Philippines will rise to its former glory.
Mabuhay ang Malaya at Mapanuring Pilipino….
God bless us all…

Do we really have 3 equal branches of government?

Associate Justice Renato Corona is now the new Supreme Court Chief Justice, this is the news that's been selling hotcake on our local media nowadays. A known ally and close contact of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, his appointment has been the current target of criticsms from different groups and people. From the point of Mrs. Arroyo's 90 day ban in appointments, to his just being so-close to the Lady President. This prompted me to think and analyze, does our government really has 3 co-equal independent branches?

Recalling from college in our political science subject it has been taught that our government is composed of 3 co-equal independent branches, the Executive, headed by the President, the Legislative headed by the Senate President and the House Speaker, and the judiciary headed by the Supreme Court Chief Justice. As to what is indicated in the constitution these 3 branches were to act separately and or independently with each other. They have their autonomy as to how to run their respective branches, or in other words each branches should have no influence with one another's own processes and decisions. The president cannot dictate the legislative what to do, as well as the judiciary and vice versa. Although it is common knowledge that the legislative serves in the pleasure and anointment of the executive, might as well it is true with the judiciary.

But to take a closer analysis, we can give benefit of the doubt to the legislative because their leaders (Senate President and House Speaker) are elected by their own members meaning all the senators and congressmen/women. But if we look at the judiciary, all the justices and the chief justice are appointed by the president, isn't logical to think that the judiciary is under the executive branch and not a separate co-equal branch. Could a separate entity have a leader appointed by the other branch and claim its independence? Maybe I am missing some points here, but on a plain view analysis, its hard to digest how can they be independent in all the decisions they make if you are appointed by the executive branch. To put this in a more simpler example, we have 3 neighboring houses, the 1st and 2nd house has its leaders appointed by members of its houses, but the 3rd one has a leader appointed on by the 1st house's leader, isn't not safe to say that the 3rd house is not independent  but rather is under the 1st house because the leader is delegated by the it?

I think this is the loophole of our government's setup, we can never have a full, honest and sincere independent judiciary for as long as its head and members are appointed by the executive branch. The president will always have the perceived influence on judiciary's actions because he/she is the one responsible for their positions. Its like a master/servant relationship, how can you not give favor to the one who have given you the power, or more likely an 'amo' - house manager relationship, how can you ignore your 'amo', who have given you the power to manage/lead his/her other houses. This is what our lawmakers should take look at and put into consideration. If it is framed in the constitution, might consider reviewing those provisions and start creating amendments that will put the judiciary's independence in a more reasonable and more logical look on a plain citizen's view.

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"A government of influence is a government of patronage"...