TWO PARTY SYSTEM MUST BE RESTORED

By Bayawanon

There's only one way to prevent political turncoatism in the Philippines and that would be to return back to a two-party system. How could a politician be a turncoat if there are only two political parties in the country? The reason why there is no political turncoatism in America is this, there are only two political parties there. If you are a Republican and you don't like to be one anymore then you have to change your party, that's not political turncoatism, that's a change of party purely and simply, but if we are living in a multi-party system country just like ours, any politician may change his party even three times a year and that would tantamount to simple political maneuvering for purposes of political convenience. This political practice must be stopped to foster LOYALTY to every politician or every would-be politician, for how can he be loyal to his country when he is not even loyal to his party?

Before the 1973 Constitution came into being by virtue of Marcos' iron hand there were only two political parties in the Philippines ... the Liberal and Nacionalista parties, but after the ill-fated 1973 Constitution was born, Parliamentary System of governance also existed in the Philippines from 1973 until 1986, and one of the bad features of a Parliamentary System of government is this, many political parties would sprout and many political butterflies (politicians) would also fly/transfer from one party to another for purposes of political convenience.

When Marcos was ousted from power by virtue of a popular PEOPLE POWER REVOLT, a Revolutionary Government under Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino's leadership was born, one year after then, the 1987 Philippine Constitution came into being and the Presidential Form (just like the 1935 Constitution kind of government) of governance was restored, however, the multi-party system of the Marcos era was retained, thereby creating a hybrid type of governance which is PRESIDENTIAL FORM of governance which has also the feature of a PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM for it also foments multi-party system.

This political development is really the problem for it encouraged the politicians to change parties when they feel like they have to change political parties for purposes of political convenience and security, an example of this was when General Fidel Valdez Ramos lost to Speaker Ramon Villarosa Mitra as the standard-bearer of Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino for president of the 1992 elections, Ramos eventually created his own political party christened as LAKAS TAO (Lakas-NUCD) and went on to win the presidency. This kind of political trending is already prevalent nowadays and this has to be stifled for it forms part already of our bad political tradition. I hope that this problem is addressed properly to avert the cases of political turncoatism for it is a Philippine political sickness that must be treated for the sake of our county's and posterity's future. Amen.