SENATOR Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla supports abolishing the party list system if the time comes to amend the Charter’s political provisions through a constitutional convention.
Padilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, also batted to strengthen the party system to end the cycle of people voting for candidates on the basis of popularity and wealth.
“Kung mapupunta tayo sa Concon, yan dapat una nating gibain. Dahil ang party list system ay, my goodness gracious, di ko na makita, mula magdesisyon ang ating Korte Suprema na payagan na pati mga mayayaman, nawala na po ng anghang at sustansya. E dapat po yan e mga sektor na di naririnig. E ngayon ewan ko, sa totoo lang po (If we reach a constitutional convention, the party list system should be the first to go. My goodness gracious, it has lost its relevance as wealthy people are allowed to become party list representatives),” he said in an interview on DZBB radio.
“Ang kinatawan (sa sistemang ito), naging katawa-tawa (It has become funny that we have wealthy people voted as party list representatives to represent the marginalized),” he added.
Padilla likewise batted for the strengthening of the party system so people would vote for candidates based on their party advocacy, instead of on the basis of popularity or wealth.
“Sa totoo lang, kung gusto natin mabago talaga ang pulitika sa Pilipinas, palakasin natin ang party system. Tigilan na po natin ang kaboboto dahil sikat at dahil ito may pera. Alam nyo kung nabago natin ang Constitution at mapalakas natin ang partido ang iboboto nyo na po ang adhikain ng partido, di na yung sikat (To be honest, if we want to reform politics in the Philippines, we should strengthen our party system. We should end the cycle of voting for candidates on the basis of popularity or wealth. Instead, we can vote on the basis of advocacies and positions),” he said.
Padilla said he is not opposed to amending the Charter’s political provisions through a constitutional convention, though he maintains amending the economic provisions of the Constitution through a constituent assembly should take priority.
