CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

Hours and precious hours of debate are spent in the media regarding the works of the ConComm (Consultative Commission on Charter Change) and Cha-cha (Charter Change). Lest you politicians forget, here is the basic sequence of problems:

• The general population is immature. They cannot decide for themselves during elections. The “leaders” come in. He/she distributes the money to the voters in exchange for their votes (some entrepreneurial voters sell their votes twice. Some entrepreneurial leaders deep most of the money to themselves and shortchange the voters).


• The leaders in turn allegedly get the big lump some from the candidates for executive office.


• The candidates for executive office has four sources of funds:


• 1) Personal funds, legal or illegal


• 2) A higher-level executive candidate who got the huge some of money from being an incumbent and therefore has amassed huge sums of money allegedly through graft and corruption (heaven knows these riches cannot be explained by the salary of the executives).


• 3) Allegedly, diverted funds from government agencies


• 4) Private sources who allegedly accept in return such favors as control of smuggling in major ports of entry resulting in massive loss of revenues.


• Money bribed to the voters and money lost from unrealized revenues (Customs and BIR) result in drained funds of the government treasury.


• The total amount of money minus the public service expenditures for 1 year leaves a net that barely covers the interest on foreign debt.


• There is no more money for social programs such as public welfare, charities, food programs, school programs, health programs, etc. Poverty level goes up to 50%. Seventy per cent (70%) of elementary school graduates are not ready for high school. One out of 6 people goes to bed hungry.
• The elected executives could care less because they paid for your votes anyway (plus they have to amass money for the next elections, so sorry na lang).


• Worse, obvious corrupt practices in the higher up encourages corruption in the lower downs (provincial, city/municipal, barangay) where you cannot get anything done without kicking back 35% on such things as government contracts.


• The kickback schemes discourage investment at all levels.


• Most people from developed countries find these practices abhorring and nauseating. So, entry of foreign investments, big and small, is heavily curtailed.


• More and more we rely on OFW remittances for the nation’s survival. (The people in government gloat on the amount of money the OFW’s are sending back to the Philippines. Warning: Reliance on people who had to go abroad to earn money because there is none available here is the #1 symptom of a sick society).

Now, how is amending the constitution going to change this cascade of events? If you, government people, think that you can fool the people, think again. We see how foolish you are!