ANGELES CITY—After advocating for a minimum educational requirement for politicians in order to eliminate incompetent and inept public officials, the Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) is now contemplating on pushing for a law that for the next 50 years only those qualified can be voted to public office.
The PGKM said a 50-year experimental period should be made into a law providing that only qualified candidates can be voted into public office in order to professionalize governance.
“Ibotu tala pamu detang meg–aral [Let us vote for those who finished their studies],” PGKM Chairman Ruperto Cruz said.
The law should also allow those who lack college education to finish their courses, Cruz added.
“Atin lang time mag–aral detang e meg–aral [Those who did not finish their studies should now have time to study],” he said.
“In the meantime, let’s weed out the corrupt public officials,” he added.
Cruz said this is a challenge to Congress to enact a law that would professionalize politicians and finally set the country’ course on the right path to good governance.
“Anya mesira ya ing Pilipinas [The Philippines was ruined] because of the kind of politicians that we have. They tailor-fit everything to their advantage because of their greed,” Cruz said.
Meanwhile, Cruz said the PGKM also supports the proposal of Sen. Miriam Santiago that only taxpayers should be allowed to vote.
“Why should Filipinos trust their future to persons who don’t even participate in nation-building [referring to non-taxpayers]? Santiago asked.
“How come corporations promote their employees based on the merit of their studies? Why not the government?” Cruz asked.
“We should level up now,” he added.
Earlier, Cruz said the PGKM is advocating a bill that will require politicians to hurdle a set of criteria or standards in order to be qualified for election into public office.
Cruz said incompetent public officials who know nothing about governance usually resort to corruption. He said unqualified public officials get themselves elected only to advance their selfish interests.
However, Cruz said even if the public official’s intention is noble, his lack of educational background and knowledge in governance will most likely also result in “a weak leadership that promotes poor economic policies resulting to unequal distribution of wealth and poor educational policies that contribute to the unemployment problem and promote social injustice.”
Cruz said public officials should not only be competent and knowledgeable in governance but should also be good managers. But if a public official lacks even the most basic educational qualification, then his constituents will surely suffer because of his ineptitude.
He said the electorate should be shielded from merely popular candidates. Blood relations or through consanguinity to an incumbent public official should not be the key to holding public office, he added.
Call to suspend Pacquiao backed
THE PGKM manwhile joined the call of former Sen. Rene Saguisag for the suspension of Nacionalista Party Rep. Manny Pacquiao of Sarangani from the House of Representatives up to the end of his term.
Earlier, Saguisag lambasted Pacquiao—a champion professional boxer and Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) playing coach—for treating Congress as a “hobby” and as the top absentee lawmaker.
Cruz also called for the suspension of Pacquiao from Congress, saying the work of a congressman is “a full-time job.”
Cruz said Pacquiao should know his limitations. “It is very clear that the PBA is just after his money and Pacquiao’s pockets are being picked literally by greedy corporations for their own selfish interests.”
Cruz said the PBA has violated its own rules in allowing Pacquiao as playing coach for Team KIA for pecuniary reasons. “Why should the PBA bend its rules for Pacquiao if it is not interested in getting his money?” Cruz asked.
Cruz also criticized the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for giving Pacquiao the honorary rank of
commodore.
A report said the PCG has conferred on Pacquiao the rank, that is equivalent to brigadier general in the Army or Air Force. It was supposedly a gift on his 36th birthday.
The report also said the Sarangani representative took the oath as a member of the PCG Auxiliary Unit on Wednesday last week.
Pacquiao currently holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve Force. The PCG is an attached agency to the Department of Transportation of Communications (DOTC).
Cruz said it is even doubtful if Pacquiao will allow the use of his helicopter and yacht to the DOTC in times of calamities. But in the event that he allows their use, they are not suitable for disaster search and rescue missions.
“I will not be surprised if religious groups would push for his ‘honorary canonization’ as a saint,” he quipped.
“However, in the event that he runs for president and wins, we will no longer be a banana republic but we will become a basura [garbage] republic,” Cruz said.
This is the reason the PGKM is calling for competence in governance, he added.