Too many solons!.pdf

Media

Part of Panorama

extracted text: ■ The quality, not the number, of members in the Congress of the Philippines is what is desired. TOO MANY SOLONS! Only 10 per cent of our congressmen do their work. Thus, Judge Jesus P. Morfe of the Manila Court of First Instance bitingly criti cized the congressional pro posal to increase the number of congressmen from 120 to 180. Morfe, who has served in the bench for the last 13 years, said the proposal was not needed, and would sad dle the government with multi-milion peso additional expenses, and enable the con gressmen to perpetuate them selves in power through ger rymandering. "Only a little more or ?f not less than 10 per cent of our congressmen perform constructive legislative work,” the judge said in an inter view. The rest of the solons, he said, "merely vote after horse trading for approval of their pet bills — franchise for an electric plant, or changing a municipality’s name.” The 180-congressman pro posal is one of two questions being submittted to the elec torate for approval in a ple biscite on Nov. 14, coincid ing with the general elec tions. Morfe also assailed the other proposed constitutional amendment which would al low members of Congress to be elected to the 1971 consti tutional convention without forfeiting their congressional seats. The judge said the propo sal was discriminatory, and would enable members of Congress to completely domi nate the constitutional con vention, and again result in unnecessary expenses of pub lic funds. On the proposal for more congressmen, Judge Morfe said that if the amendment is ratified by the people, the 10 Panorama congressional budget will carry an additional outlay for the salaries and allow ances of the new solons, and for the salaries, furniture, office equipment, and sup plies of the requisite person nel of the congressmen. "What assurance do the people have that more con gressmen will mean more quality in our legislation?" asked the judge. Morfe said: "If many of our congress men find their legislative district too big for them to serve efficiently, it is be cause they find it all impor tant for their reelection that they devote most of their time to non-legislative work, such as intervening in secur ing 1 reparations, allocations, intervening in such purely executive functions as the ap pointment or promotion of personnel in our civil service, putting ’ pressure on execu tives of private enterprises or industrialists towards the em ployment by them of con gressmen’s constituents, going to the extent of emasculating the rule of law by exerting pressure on internal revenue, customs, and law enforce ment officials to favor their constituents.” The second proposed amendment, the outspoken judge said, is clearly discri minatory since, justices and judges and executive officials are prohibited from becom ing convention delegates un less they forfeit their present positions. It is not true as claimed in some quarters, Morfe said, that the proposal would only extend to members of Con gress the same privilege given to other government officials to run for delegates of the constitutional c o n v e ntion without losing their present posts. He cited Section 2, Article II of the Constitution which provides that members of the judiciary and officials of the executive department cannot take part in any election ex cept to vote. This constitutional provi sion prevails over a congres sional resolution making the position of convention dele gate compatible with any other government post, Mor fe said. Since the present members of Congress have their own political machinery in September 1967 11 the provinces, the judge said the likelihood is that they would all be elected to the convention, should the pro posed amendment be ap proved. Thus, he said, the calling of such constitutional con vention would be a "pure waste of multi-million pesos of public funds.” Congress might as well approve the necessary constitutional amendments by resolution of both houses, thereby obviat ing the necessity of a con vention for the same pur pose, the judge pointed out. — Vic Foz in Manila Times, Sept. 27, 1967. WHAT MAKES A CITY Population, industry, commerce, and agriculture must reach a high stage of development and pro duction at and around a community to make it a city. The modern city is a complicated affair. At times it is “a large body of people living in a re latively small area.” A comprehensive definition of the modern city must indicate that it is a social, political, legal and economic unit all rolled into one. It is a concentrated body of population possessing some significant social characteristics, chartered as a municipal corporation, having its own system of local government carrying on multifarious economic enter prises and pursuing an elaborate program of social adjustment and amelioration. — By Prof. William B. Munro, article on City, 3 Encyclopedia of Social Sciences (Macmillan, N.Y.) 12 Panorama
Rights