Excellent senatoriables who are out of the winning circle

Excellence does not always win in a voting populace that focuses on looks and personalities rather than credentials and competence. The greatest tragedy of the coming elections is that the really qualified candidates are most likely to lose. Elections are numbers games. Those who have the numbers will win over those who have the qualifications.

The truly competent senatoriables are going to lose because they are not as popular as their less-qualified opponents. There are many qualified bets for the Senate who are not going to make it because the less competent will ease them out of the magic circle. Florin Hilbay, a Bar topnotcher; Chel Diokno, not because he is the son of the late icon of law and human rights; Senator Jose W. Diokno, but not because he is a Law dean, an outstanding lawyer, a man of integrity and professionalism. Is he going to be beaten by jesters, jokers, and nincompoops? Even the incumbent Koko Pimentel who was number one in the Bar exams is most likely to be outvoted by Bong Revilla.

For instance, comparing Raffy Alunan, the excellent statesman with impeccable credentials, with such a character as Lito Lapid is, with due respect, like comparing a doctor of philosophy with a matinee idol in Bahay Ni Kuya. It is like comparing Serge Osmeña with Bong Revilla. Bong may be more handsome, he may be a fine action star. But the Senate is not for him. He should stay in the movies where he excels. Serge has been an excellent legislator. Consider, for instance, the outstanding qualifications of Neri Colmenares who should be in the Senate. But he will be beaten by Jinggoy Estrada. Need I tell you, who Jinggoy is? But I need to tell you that Colmenares is a very good lawyer who was jailed and tortured during martial law for defending the human rights of the poor in Negros.

I have a very good friend who is a brilliant lawyer, Atty. Allan Montano who is the president emeritus of the FFW or Federation of Free Workers, one of the biggest labor federations in the country. He speaks in Geneva before thousands of world delegates in the ILO or International Labor Organization and in many other regional and global labor organizations. But Allan may be beaten by such characters as Nancy Binay or Grace Poe. Nancy Binay does not know the intricacies of lawmaking because she is not a lawyer, she did not study Law and I do not know what course, if any, she took up in college. Unthinking voters would choose Nancy over Allan just because Nancy is the daughter of Jejomar Binay. My God, why don't we make the choice of senators just based on hereditary succession?

And who is Grace Poe to deserve a topnotch position in the Senate? What are her credentials and achievements? What has she done in the Senate? Just because she was adopted by Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces? Should Grace also beat my other friend, Law professor and incumbent president of FFW, Atty. Sonny Matula? Sonny is a very good lawyer, defender of the oppressed workers, advocate for social justice, defender of the workers' security of tenure and right to form unions. Sonny is a staunch fighter against contractualization and unfair labor practices. Why are the good guys losing out to the more popular incompetents?

I am sad that if Claro M. Recto were alive, he would most probably lose to Coco Martin. That Jose W. Diokno were to be born again, he would be beaten by Freddie Aguilar for the Senate, and that Lorenzo M. Tañada would lose to Lito Lapid. Those voters who always complain about bad government are the ones always electing jesters, jokers, “trying hard, second-rate copycats” to the Senate. Even Cherie Gil can beat Frank Drilon. I want to cry for our country and people.