SASSY BELLADONNA

my crappy thinkpiece

okay from now on this blog will be on a weekly basis. damn i have so many things to do, i dunno which one i'll do first. and of course together with that, i cant update this regularly.

well its saturday. thank god i only have to read a few articles. so i have time to do other things. actually im a bit bed ridden, hehehe... my whole body is aching. yesterday was my first PE class, and we already did some stretchings, and because im not used to it, well now im in pain. oh well ill get used to it sooner or later, because we will be doin the routines regularly. but all in all, i love my modern jazz class!

i only have two classes yesterday. well my creative writing 10 prof didnt show up. hehehe. im so happy for he was not able to check our poems. he made us do like ten lines of metaphors about love. and i dont have the slightest idea of what ill write. i was also troubled for i wasnt able to read the assigned readings for that day the previous night so i have to go and photocopy those stuff again. good thing he didnt show up.

well why wasnt i able to read the assignes poems? its because of my first thinkpiece due yesterday. so i have to finish it thursday night. and again it took me decades to finish my whole article consisting of about 500-1000 words. actually, that was just the first of the seven thinkpieces we have to submit in social science 2. oh well its really nonsense, just a bunch of crap, just to be able to meet the deadline... okay here it is

PATRONAGE POLITICS

Ever since we started school, our teachers in History would often describe the family as the smallest unit in the society. Smallest yet said to be the most important. This is where a person’s individuality is developed. It is also one’s first teacher – guiding and teaching a person the different ways to play this cruel game called life.

We Filipinos value our family very much. We pay great respect to the elders. And because of giving so much importance to our ancestors, some of us still do continue their culture until now.

Article 216 of the Philippine Civil Code states that “The family is a basic social institution which public policy cherishes and protects.” In Article 219 the state cautions its officials to respect the family’s responsibility for social welfare: “Mutual aid, both moral and material, shall be rendered among members of the same family. Judicial and administrative officials shall foster this mutual assistance.”

Also, Article 2, Section 12 of the Philippine Constitution of 1986 makes the defense of the family a basic national principle: “The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution.

Indeed, our country itself has recognized the primacy of the family in our society.

According to the Filipino Politics: Development and Decay by David Wurfel, we Filipinos describe kinship bilaterally; that is tracing one’s ancestry both through his/her mother or father, thus widening our social networks. An example of this network of kin is the term “extended family.” Meaning, most of the family members from our grandparents, to our uncles and aunts, to our cousins and nieces and even distant relatives are living under the same roof. This case is very common in the provinces, among the poor and in those who protect their clans strongly. There are even barrios in the provinces wherein its inhabitants came from the same family.

This what we call “close family ties” is not only visible in our society but in our government as well. But in this case, it is known to be the padrino system or the patronage politics. This, for me, is one important social, political and economic issue.

The Philippines has a very long history of strong families who have maintained and even widened their assets through the years. They have established a pattern of bilateral kinship, bringing a merge of fused networks. We can say that these “elite families” have a very big relationship to the course of Philippine politics. In Philippine politics, a family name is a very valuable asset. Many of us believe that along with their riches, the elites bequeath their character and characteristics to their younger generations. Voters seem to feel that a candidate with a “good name” or one who belongs to a very wealthy and respected family is best suited for the position. Evident examples of this are the Osmeñas of Cebu, the Cojuangcos of Tarlac, the Singsons and Crisologos of Ilocos Sur and the Romualdezes of Leyte. And since then, these elite families have ever since been called political dynasties.

Now what exactly is the problem with patronage politics or should I say how this “padrino system” is a problem to our country? You may think that it is not really a problem, maybe because it has been there for decades. But looking deeper, you would see that yes it has a great significance to our country and with how we Filipinos vote.

You see with this “anarchy of families in our country” as described by Alfred W. McCoy, there are times wherein those in power appoint some of their relatives to be members of their administration. This can also be the result of the strong ideology of us Filipinos that kinsmen should help each other in election and even after that.

I am not saying that it is illegal or relatives of the first family let us say are not allowed to take positions in our government. My point is that sometimes these appointees lack what it takes to be the right person for the job. They are sometimes incapable of doing the job making our political state worse and eventually even affecting our economy. In what sense? Of course the lack of capabilities for the job strongly affects a person from having a successful work. Also, if these appointees will just use their positions to do illegal things, then it is not only them who are criticized by the public but also the government, leading to a bad condition of our economy.

Likewise with this padrino system, we Filipinos will be forever trapped in our stereotypical way of thinking that the new broods of these political dynasties are just like the former. Thus, not recognizing the fresh politicians more suitable for the job.

And this again will again cause various problems in our country. Everything in our country is connected to each other. Meaning, with one wrong decision, thousands of problems may occur.

Just like in this patronage politics, problems like poverty and corruption may arise simply because those elected are not sincere in doing their jobs.

What we Filipinos need is to free our minds from our conventional way of thinking about this patronage politics. I think it is about time that we put an end to these political dynasties who are not being of help to our country. Yes, we are deeply experiencing great political, social and economic problems right now. And I think we should give a fresh batch of leaders a chance.

quite long huh? oh well its all trash.

lucia
11:29 AM

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