9/11/2015

Carefully scrutinize the candidates


PNoy warns against electing next president who seeks term extension
By Louis Bacani (philstar.com)
Updated September 11, 2015 - 11:02am

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday warned against electing a next president who wishes to prolong his stay in power.

During the Liberal Party's "gathering of friends" in Davao City, Aquino maintained that he is not in favor of extending the president's term, saying this could lead to another dictatorship.

"Sa palagay ko parang mali  ata 'yan. Iaasa natin sa isang tao," Aquino said in his speech.

"Tapos bibigyan pa natin ng tulay o pagkakataon 'yung iba na tulad na noong 1972, di ba? Natapos na ‘yung dalawang terminong puwede niyang takbuhan, nagkaroon ng Martial Law," he added.

Aquino was referring to the late President Ferdinand Marcos who ruled for 20 years.

He said a president should perform his best in just one term and let his successor continue or complete the work.

"Parang may tatakbo diyan, naghahanda na ng hahalinhin sa kanya. Maganda na yata one term," Aquino said.

"Gawin mo 'yung dapat mong magawa at 'yung kaya mong magawa, tapos ipasa mo 'yung renda para mapakita naman na kaya ng sambayanang Pilipinong magpatuloy sa tamang direksiyon," he added.

Aquino made the remarks as he rallied support for the administration's presidential candidate, Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

Roxas will be facing his old rival, Vice President Jejomar Binay, in the 2016 race.

Binay had said that he would seek an unlimited term if he will get elected as president next year.

However, his camp later clarified that what Binay wanted was a return to a four-year presidential term with reelection.

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Yes, people should not vote for a presidential candidate who seeks term extension. And people should neither vote for a presidential candidate who is a make-believe advocate and who after all is not really pushing for the passage of a real FOI (Freedom Of Information) law.

People should not also vote for candidates aspiring for whatever position in public office who prefer or are part of a political dynasty. Public service is not a family business and never should be a political clan monopoly, kaya dapat isang politiko lang ang manunungkolan sa gobyerno sa bawat angkan. Dynastycism is a fertile breeding ground of corruption -- collaborating for corruption is much more quick and easier and widespread among politicians in government who are part of a political dynasty. So if we really hate corruption, then let us start cleaning our political system by really doing away with political dynasties.

And also, the spirit operating in political dynastycism is not far from the spirit
(and almost the same spirit) that operates in the "Palakasan Systems" such as the "Padrino", "Bata-bata", "Mista", "Ninong-Ninang-Inaanak", "Fraternity-Sorority", "KKK (Kaibigan, Kapartido, Ka-whatever [you name it])", etc. All these systems when practiced and tolerated in public service are fertile breeding grounds of various forms of anomalies and corrruptions.


Few years ago, I was amazed to discover this mushroom growing on the cushion material of a wrecked chair in our junk pile.

If in government institutions where political dynasties are left to flourish unchecked and tolerated by the constituents, it would just be a matter of time before the virus of ["innocent"] corruption begins to grow like mushroom, and no ["good"] dynastic reputation can ever be fully effective to immunize itself against the disease.