Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla criticized term limits under the 1987 Constitution, saying they weaken governance and prevent the development of lawmakers.

Speaking during a radio program on Saturday, Remulla said term limits have led to a loss of institutional knowledge in government.

“When there were no term limits, we were able to develop experts because of their institutional memory. Now, with the three-term limit under the 1987 Constitution, it only increases fools,” Remulla said.

He also pointed to political substitutions within families as a consequence of term limits.

“When a term expires, they are replaced by a spouse, child, or sibling. In the end, it is wasted,” he said. “The first thing they look for is, ‘Where is the money?’”

He emphasized the importance of attending committee hearings to better understand national issues.

Attend, learn

“We are there every day. I really attend committee hearings. I study the problems of the Philippines in those hearings. That is where you get to talk to everyone,” Remulla said.

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, who was also present during the program, echoed the importance of committee work.

“You really learn in committee hearings,” Ejercito said. “You learn more if you are diligent in attending committees. If you are present, you gain a lot of knowledge,” he added.

Ejercito said committee hearings also allow lawmakers to hear directly from stakeholders. “That is where you hear from stakeholders,” Ejercito said.

Remulla maintained that term limits, rather than political dynasties, are the bigger issue.

“That term limit is the real problem. For me, political dynasty is not the issue — term limits are,” he said.

Contrary position

But University of Santo Tomas political science department head Dennis Coronacion disagreed, saying expertise is not determined by length of service but by professional background.

“Expertise is defined by one’s profession and not by the length of service in Congress. Some lawmakers were already professionals in their respective fields before they even began their political careers,” Coronacion said.

He added that Congress already recognizes such expertise by assigning lawmakers to committees aligned with their skills.

Coronacion also rejected the argument that long tenure is necessary to develop legislative competence.

“This, for me, is not expertise. This is simply mastering the job of a legislator. With the aid of competent legislative staff and some advice from senior lawmakers, this can be learned and developed by a new legislator in a short period of time,” he said.

“As for the advantage of institutional memory, this is what the congressional records are for,” Coronacion said.

Complementary measures

He added that political substitution within families is not caused by term limits but by the failure to pass an anti-dynasty law.

“The political substitution within families is not the consequence of term limits. It is the consequence of Congress’ 39-year failure to fulfill the constitutional mandate of prohibiting political dynasties,” he said.

Coronacion said term limits and the ban on political dynasties are meant to work together to strengthen democracy.

“The constitutional provisions on term limits and prohibition of political dynasties are complementary measures,” he said.