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BY AYIN DREAM D. APLASCA
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January 23, 2018
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LAST week, I received again an invitation to be one of the judges in a debate competition. It was organized by the Borres Youth Leadership Institute, Inc. (BYLI) in partnership with 3S Society of West Visayas State University (WVSU).
The debate was between the University of San Agustin High School (USA-HS) and University of the Philippines High School in Iloilo (UPHSI); the latter won the competition.
The proposition was “Resolved, that senators be elected by region.”
As a judge, I always avoid reading research materials prior to the debate proper for the purpose of being enlightened during the competition.
Because the debate has already ended, I’ll give my two cents worth of arguments, more particularly on the main issue of representation.
As the records show, the Philippine Senate is the only one in the world with members elected at large. Thus, it is very expensive to run for the Senate. The long-drawn-out proclamation of winners can also be taxing.
Now, is there really a question of representation?
Under Article VI, Section 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the Senate is composed of 24 senators elected at-large with the country as one district under plurality-at-large voting. This means an elected senator has a national constituency. He or she has a broader outlook of the concerns and problems of the country. This makes the Senate cautious and less spontaneous.
The Philippine Senate is a national body that needs to represent the full range and multiplicity of society. Senators elected at large are considered local politicians even if they represent the national level. Unvaryingly, they are continuously linked to their province or city or region.
The argument that provinces or cities or regions are not represented well is untenable. Why? The status quo says so. The Philippine Congress is a national legislature of our country. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate and the House of the Representatives (HOR). Section 5, Article VI of the Constitution states that the HOR “shall be composed of not more than 250 members, unless otherwise fixed by law.”
There are two types of congressmen: the district and the sectoral representatives. The former represent a particular geographical district of the country. All provinces in the country are composed at least one congressional district. Cities also have their own congressional districts which may be composed of two or more representatives. The latter represents the minority sectors of the population.
Lastly, it’s kind of a balance between the two Houses of Congress. There is steadiness between the democratic majority and the rights of the minority. There is no overlapping of powers and responsibilities because originally the idea was that the Senate represents the state government and the HOR represents the people.
As what one writer said, the “Philippine Senate is explicitly a national body and therefore needs to be able to represent the full diversity of Philippine society.”
We don’t need more or less numbers of members in the upper house. At the end of the day, what matters is that the Senate should be forward-looking and achievement-oriented for a better Philippines.
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(Atty. Ayin Dream D. Aplasca practices her profession in Iloilo City. She may be reached thru ayindream.aplasca@gmail.com/PN)
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