Press Release
January 17, 2006

*If they can vote for Sam, why not for the president?*

I dont think the people are ready to give up their right to directly elect the head of government. Its one right they arent prepared to delegate yet. To them, voting for the president is personal, not political. If the lowest elected official the barangay councilman is elected directly how can you expect the people to renounce their right to directly choose the highest official of the land? Technology has even made it possible for them to vote for their favorite Big Brother contestant. How can you tell the citizens of electronic republic that while they can vote for Uma or Sam, they cant however vote for head of the government? That the only Nene they can vote for is the one who wants to stay in Big Brothers house, but they cant vote for the wisest and greatest Nene from Mindanao, in the event that theres a clamor for him to be installed in that big house by the Pasig river?

If, for example, Eddie Gil finally finds his mountain of gold and he ends up richer than Bill Gates, he can buy himself a seat in the parliament and from there buy the whole parliament to make himself the countrys prime minister. Even the most abominable politician has the shot at being elected the leader of the land under a parliamentary setup, but something that is in the realm of the impossible under a system where people retain their right to directly elect their leader. What may be unpalatable to the public, the parliament may find to be outstanding. (30)

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