Politician’s scorecard

All roads lead to May 2025 when the electorate could finally exact revenge through a more enlightened exercise of their right to suffrage. There’s a year left, long enough for the voting populace to reflect on the country’s future given all the wickedness in governance and the all-consuming government failure to implement what ought to be done or undone.

Let’s embrace the view that Filipinos deserve better than the “business as usual” that rears its ugly head every post-election cycle after they elected into office comedians, boxers, action stars, broadcasters, traditional politicians, even rebels from both left and right of the government continuum. How should the people choose their leaders?

Twelve senatorial seats will be deemed vacant, up for grabs. Of these, seven will be vied for by reelectionists, their years as politicians up their sleeves, to wit: Dela Rosa (6), Revilla (12), Imee Marcos (26), Go (6), Lapid (18), Tolentino (16) and Pia Cayetano (21). They were all part of the recent Senate coup.

Then we have five “graduating” from their two-term limit, their years in elective office indicated, viz., Poe (12), Cynthia Villar (21), Binay (12), Angara, now education secretary (21), and Pimentel (14).

If the electorate would opt to replace all exiting 12 senators with entirely new political actors, it could readily become a catalyst for fixing the long-drawn-out defects of our political system and of the political leaders themselves — that was “co-opted” by an entirely corrupt and wicked political culture that is typically found in the DNA of a third world country.

Studies have shown that the poorer a country, the more corrupt its leaders. This is why the more affluent societies and economies have long overcome corruption in high places and across their bureaucracies.

Thus, a 12-on-12 mix of entirely new political players blending with the old ones for the 24-senator make-up would not be a bad idea. So, who do people want to mix in with the incumbent 12, viz., Escudero, Padilla, Tulfo, Legarda, Gatchalian, Mark Villar, Allan Cayetano, Zubiri, Villanueva, Ejercito, Hontiveros and Estrada?

Interestingly, only two of the incumbents have had no prior congressional or elective executive experience, namely, Robin and Raffy. Perhaps their demeanor of being a bit naïve, mavericks, even machismo are enabling tools to advance their convictions and beliefs as they perform their bounden duty any unorthodox way, even as street-level bureaucrats.

If we care to do the math, we find that Legarda has already given 21 years as a politician cum legislator; Hontiveros, 18; Zubiri also 18; Allan Cayetano, 22; Escudero, 21; Estrada, 18; and Gatchalian, 12. Add to that Escudero’s three years as governor; Gatchalian’s nine years as mayor; and Estrada’s 13 years as mayor — making their total time logged in elective office “obscenely” unprecedented. What else would we think if the trustees of massive public funds are the same old names on the government payroll?

In effect, the exploited electorate has strangely given a heavy political push to the ruling elites who waltz “in and out” of the Senate, Congress and LGUs as if they inherited the political superstructure as a matter of birth right. This reduces government to a big employment hub, nay “one-stop-shop,” for high-paying jobs and heavy subsidies that do not work for the public good or for a larger beneficiary base.

Worse, social weather stations pose as effective allies to trim people’s choices down to the same old names on the popularity chart, thus leaving no room for new political actors to rise. Polling circuits operating like vending machines, wittingly or unwittingly, preserve the status quo and constantly promote the wicked notion of political dynasty to the highest level possible.

The rational way of choosing the next breed of leaders is to close the door to those who have already reached and breached the 12-year threshold. Let’s welcome fresh blood for a genuine public service delivery, thereby sweeping the bourgeoisie into the dustbin of history.

Let new political players shine!