Political System

Professor David and Mr. de Quiros basically say that it is not only the political system that's faulty; there is also a problem within the people who vote for the country's government officials. We may not admit it but we are elitists. We usually prefer candidates whose names are already known usually in showbiz or in politics. The rationale behind is maybe because these personalities have reputation. Being popular means taking care of your name and not messing with things only to destroy it. People probably think that an icon with established name wouldn't do unpleasant things in politics in case they get elected since doing so would cause their reputations to get stained.

The difference on the opinions is that Randy David acknowledged the negativities of both sides (our government/system and the citizens) while Conrado de Quiros emphasized on the mistake of voters. De Quiros said that the masses allow for bad governance to happen. Their votes serve as a key to candidates for power. There comes Randy David's statement; those who have power usually get swallowed in by the system. There are officials who have their personal agenda and their purpose is not to serve others but serve themselves. There are those which enter the political arena for a goal of changing traditional politics who either get influenced by the dirty business or bring about change. There were few like Ed Panlilio who resisted the dirty political business. Then there's the question of which is faulty, the system or the people in it?

Contrasting Mr. de Quiros's and Prof. David's ideas as I've understood it, that of the latter is more holistic while the other seems to commit hasty generalization. David said that Filipinos are already being more aware of reality and they are changing poor governance by electing deserving people. Mr. Conrado de Quiros, on the other hand, seem to induce that all Filipinos have the same mentality; that is, thinking that the old system cannot be replaced and it will always persist.

I have thought of a quote lifted from our Social Sciences 100 reading: "[T]he state is a dominant centralized political instrumental force of the ruling class in the creation of mass consent" (Ty, 1997). I smiled upon reading the selection -- a sign that I am in harmony with the idea presented. It is true that we, Filipino citizens, have the power to bring about change in the poor governance of officials in our