Sangil: Simply based on money

IN A nationwide election, the going rate in purchasing a vote ranges from P500 to P1,000. And in some cases, it will even go as high as P3,000. In the race for speakership, according to Davao del Norte Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez, the going rate is P500,000 up to P1 million per congressman. Wow! Now, come to think of it. Do you think the money used by these solons in the race for speakership will come from their pockets? Nah. Far from it. From the taxpayers money, of course. Mine-memorize pa ba yan?

"Primus inter pares." First among equal. Definitely, the speaker will have the biggest slice in the cake. The largesse at his discretion, including chairmanships in various House committees. He will be in line in the rule of succession as provided for by the Constitution. In this kind of system that prevailed in the last elections, buying voters to get elected, and buying fellow representatives to become speaker, is another indictment of a damaged society. People's contempt of their elected representatives is evident. We, the people in the sidelines, are helpless in this unbelievable behavior of supposedly "honorable gentlemen."

Let's look back in one juncture of our political history. When the regular Philippine government was restored in 1946 following the declaration on July 4th of the country's independence, elections were called in the following year. In the early '60s there were only 104 congressional districts, and over a period of time the number ballooned to more than 200, excluding the partylist members. And if I may add, members of Congress then were real congressmen. No "hao siao" congressmen. Most were brilliant, well-studied and eloquent speakers. And the speaker was elected by the majority party through a rigid selection. No bribery ever took place as it is today.

I always wanted to recall this period in my life. I was an ordinary promdi student in the early '60s in the University of Sto. Tomas, and most of the time running out of money even for jeepney fares. I loved going to the Manila Grand Opera house where after the movie, the theatrical shows featuring known singers of those years, complete with drama and dancing, gave me the thrill. Easily getting penniless, I will walk from my rented room in Zurbaran St. up to Philippine Congress, some 6 or 7 kilometers away, to watch congressmen in action.

Our representatives then were Emilio Cortez and Juanita Lumanlan Nepomuceno. They were in the company of Florencio Abad of Batanes, Manuel Cases of La Union, Floro Crisologo of Ilocos Sur, Leonardo Perez of Nueva Viscaya, Teodulo Natividad of Bulacan, Justo Albert of Manila, Justiniano Montano of Cavite, Felix Fuentebella of Camarines Sur, Manuel Soza of Cebu, Vincenso Sagun of Zamboanga Del Sur, Salih Ututalum of Sulu and many more class legislators.

They were Pampanga's pride. In the rolls of earlier congress, the congressmen sent in the lower house were no bench warmers. Some of the names will include Jose Fausto of Sta. Ana, Eligio Lagman of Guagua, Luis Taruc of San Luis, Amado Yuzon of Guagua and Diosdado Macapagal of Lubao. They brought honor to the province.

After the war, the governor of the province was Urbano Dizon. He was defeated in a three-cornered contest. His opponents were Jose B. Lingad and Emilio Cortez. Lingad unseated Dizon. And during those years, the congressman in the first district was Amado Yuzon, a poet laureate and an English professor at the Far Eastern University. In his stint in Congress, Yuzon delivered a privilege speech in Shakespearan style that awed fellow members and the people in the gallery. That's how good he was. And former Huk Supremo Luis Taruc represented the second district. Both were removed from Congress because of their strong stand against the Bell Trade Act, Parity Rights and Military Bases Agreement. But were able to retake their seats after sometime. (And that's another story to be told).

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