BECAUSE of automation, certificates of candidacy for elective positions will most likely be filed in October next year.
That marks the time when the current President will be portrayed as a lame-duck, with allies and opponents alike by then taking stock of the vaunted strength of his political endorsement and machinery.
The President had much success in last year’s senatorial elections. His endorsement had catapulted Lawrence Go, Ronald Dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino to the august halls of the Senate. One might say the trio would not have made it to the Upper House without the loud and earnest support of a widely popular President.
But candidates allied with government always enjoy the upper hand in mid-term elections. On the other hand, Philippine experience has been that the incumbent’s preference hardly matters in transition elections such as the one coming in May 2022.
Will there be a changing of the guards in 2022, and will this mean a reboot of institutions that exact accountability?
This is a point of interest that can help explain the ABS-CBN debacle. Congress can now award to someone else the radio frequencies that have been made available after it denied ABS-CBN’s franchise application.
In fact, this Congress has shut the door to ABS-CBN by inveigling the giant media network into a slew of further investigations by its other committees, e.g., alleged tax avoidance verging on tax evasion, ownership issues over its real properties, etc.
It matters not that the frequency remains unused and emits dead air, or that a new media outfit will broadcast cartoons and religious programs 24/7 until the next elections. What matters is that a media giant that has the most extensive reach is silenced in the meantime that the present powers are gearing for a re-validation of their mandate in 2022. The ABS-CBN shutdown might be a game-changer, but it reeks of malice aforethought.
The slip was shown when in an interview with a radio anchor, Rep. Mike Defensor agreed that since a radio frequency is owned and managed by the State, a media company so privileged has no business attacking or criticizing the very government that gave it its lifeline.
This mindset among our politicians runs against the grain of our democratic and republican ideals. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them, so says the Constitution. Such sovereignty is felt more meaningfully when people assert their right of suffrage aware of the qualifications and weaknesses of their choices.
The people are entitled to be informed of criticism against government officials who have sworn to serve them. Public servants are properly the subject of scrutiny by the communities that they serve.
The landmark decision on criticism of official conduct is US vs. Bustos, where Justice George Malcolm laid down the mantra for freedom of expression. The interest of society and the maintenance of good government demand a full discussion of public affairs.
Complete liberty to comment on the conduct of public men is a scalpel in the case of free speech. The sharp incision of its probe relieves the abscesses of officialdom.
Thus, according to Justice Malcolm, while men in public life may suffer under a hostile and an unjust accusation, the wound can be assuaged with the balm of a clear conscience. A public officer must not be too thin-skinned with reference to comment upon his official acts.
The shutdown of a major media network is favorable to the incumbent and a barrier to the entry of fresh talent.
Officials given to incompetence and corruption scorn the invasive lens of the media, their skin thickened by layers of pelf and power but hyper-sensitive to public scrutiny and calls for accountability.
How else to operate in the dark than to disable a phalanx of reporters and cameramen? It matters not that people will lose access to information and entertainment. Our congressmen have anchored their faith on political survival, and rights are getting tendered at the altar of political positioning./PN
