Sen. Cynthia Villar (File photo by CATHY MIRANDA / INQUIRER.net)
VICTORIAS CITY, Negros Occidental — Since political dynasties are here to stay, voters should at least make sure they choose good candidates even if they belong to the same family.
Sen. Cynthia Villar made that comment on Sunday during the Kadalag-an Festival here in Victorias on Sunday.
She was replying to reporter’s question on whether an anti-dynasty measure was necessary in the proposed new constitution.
“It is here to stay. What is important is that it is a good dynasty,” replied Villar, whose son, Mark, is secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways and husband, Manny, was a senator who ran for president but lost.
“It’s something that is natural,” Villar said. “What is important is that people learn to elect good public officials, whether they belong to one family or not.”
She pointed out that political dynasties exist even in developed countries like the United States.
She cited former US President George Bush whose son, George W. Bush later became president and former US President Bill Clinton, whose wife, Hillary would became senator and the secretary of state before running for president. She lost to President Donald Trump.
Even if the Constitutional Committee led by former chief justice Renato Puno would recommend the abolition of political dynasties and turncoatism when amending the Constitution, the senator said Congress would still decide whether to adopt the recommendation or not.
“Even if they make suggestions, if it is not passed, nothing will happen,” she said.
Villar stressed that it was easy to say turncoatism and political dynasties should be abolished, but “if a law is not passed by Congress then nothing will happen.”
“Those are the ideal situations that people will stay in one party no matter what, and a position in government is not inherited by a family member but in reality sometimes ideals are difficult to implement,” she added.
Instead, Villar suggested on teaching the poor how to make more money so they would be economically independent which later make them politically independent.
“If people vote well, they will vote for the good ones,” she said. “I think it’s not the dynasty, it’s the kind of people you elect for public office.”
In the meantime, Villar said she believes shifting to federal form of government through Charter Change would not take place in 2019.
“This year, we will have the barangay elections in May and the filing of certificates of candidacies for the midterm elections in October. Members of Congress will be in campaign mode so it think they will do it after 2019,” she said.
If a shift to federalism would not take place through constitutional amendment, Villar said change can still be made by amending the Local Government Code to give local governments more power.
The Constitution can be amended to cover only economic provisions. That would be less controversial than changing the whole Constittion, she said. /atm