Why we should have a unicameral parliament
If we are really serious in amending, revising, or altogether changing our fundamental law, then we should totally overhaul the structure of the Philippine government. And to overhaul it should include changing from the current unitary form, where the national government is too centralized and imperialistic, to a federal and decentralized form, where powers are truly devolved to the grassroots. A government that is accessible, inclusive, and genuinely participatory. And from a bicameral legislature, which is too inefficient, with two chambers bickering about powers and funding, and too expensive, we need to shift into a legislative body that is unicameral.
Between the House, which is a workhorse, and the Senate which is a platform for filibustering and obstructionism, I figure it should be the Senate that should go.
Today, we are spending billions for each senator who spends more time looking good on TV and posturing as a presidentiable. They hire too many consultants and travel a lot even to see boxing bouts or go on junkets. They focus more on investigations in aid of their presidential ambitions or other aspirations, and do too little legislation. They love to harass executive officials and other bureaucrats whom they insult over national television. They brandish their threats to give P1,000 budget to agencies who do not dance to the cadence of their own political tunes. They make appointees subservient, otherwise they will not be confirmed by the Commission on "Disappointments." They love to hold agencies hostage by threats to cut their budgets. It is time that we should do away with the Senate.
Instead of having two houses of Congress which compels the creation of an ad hoc third house, which is the Bicam whose task is to reconcile the recurrent conflicts between the Senate and the House versions, we should do away with such an institutionalized monstrosity. Let us have only one parliament with only one representative for every 500,000 citizens. Based on current population of 105 million, we may have only 210 members of parliament. Let us abolish this silly party list which is being abused by trapos and dynasties. Let us have a smaller Federal government with bigger and more vibrant local government units. Let us bring the powers and the resources down to the people.
The parliament shall only focus on foreign affairs, national defense and security, justice, and the central banking system. All the rest should be localized, like education, health, social welfare, labor and employment, public works, agriculture, trade, local economy, transportation, communication, environment and science and technology. We do not need a Senate that behaves with arrogance and a sense of superiority, a Senate that weakens the executive and delays decision-making and execution of plans. All the few agenda can be done by the unicameral parliament, whose members are accountable only to the people.
The Senate has no specific constituency. It is a glorified icon of government inefficiency and social irrelevance. With due respect, it is the worst and most expensive impertinence funded by the hard-earned taxes of the poor. Let us use the Con Con to obliterate such a monstrosity.
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