ith almost four years remaining on her term, it seems President Arroyo is determined to move the country to a unicameral, parliamentary form of government. And with the resources of the Office of the President at her disposal, the odds are she might just get her way before stepping down in 2010. Philippine Senators, who are currently clamoring for Malacanang to release their Pork-Barrel Funds--in time for the Holidays--must realize that their days may be numbered. The Philippine Senate after all has, since its ill-conceived inception 70-years ago, been a political basket case; a ticking time-bomb waiting to wreak havoc on Philippine politics.

In fact, the 1935 Constitution that ushered in the Philippine Commonwealth called specifically for a uni-cameral National Assembly. It was only in 1940 that it was changed by a constitutional amendment to a bi-cameral congress with a Senate and a House of Representatives. Pinoys at that time wanted to be just like their great white American colonizers. So if the US had two Houses of Congress, the PI (as it was then called) also had to have two Houses. Why settle for just one! That would be unfair!

So a convoluted process of electing Philippine Senators was cobbled together. And now 70-years hence, we have Senators and Congressmen, just like the Americans do. But that's where the similarities end, American Senators are very different from Philippine Senators! American Senators have a specific constituency. They are elected by residents of the State they represent and they are directly answerable to that electorate. Philippine Senators on the other hand are elected "at large" by the entire nation--from Apari to Jolo. After all the votes are counted, the top 12 senatorial candidates who garnered the most number of votes are declared winners. While one can rightly say that since Philippine Senators are elected "at large" they are answerable to each and every Filipino. The actual effect, however, is they become answerable to no one!

In the US, only the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates are voted "at large." But even then, those candidates go through numerous State Primaries that act as a filtering mechanism, so that only the best and most qualified eventually make it to their party's national convention. There is no such filtering mechanism in Philippine Senatorial politics. According to Raul Lambino of Sigaw ng Bayan, for Philippine Senators, the only qualification is "winability." As long as someone is popular enough to make it into the "magic 12" they can always find backers and financiers for their senatorial campaign. This is the reason why in recent years, entertainers, comedians and pop stars have found their way into the country's senatorial chambers, irrespective of whether they were qualified or had the wherewithal to handle the challenges of their elected office.    

For example, under the leadership of Franklin Drilon, the Philippine Senate rose to a level of ineptness unparalleled in Philippine political history, passing a grand total of four bills for an entire session. Once the leader in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is now the laggard. If the country is ever to surge ahead--or even just keep pace with its neighbors--it needs to operate like a finely tuned engine, firing on all cylinders. With a Senate like we have today, it will never happen. The sooner we are rid of it, the sooner we can start moving forward.

Final Poll Results on the Philippine Senate: