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The Late Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino Should've Remained a National Symbol of Unity Even After EDSA 1986


Well, it's time for another today in history entry, right? I was trying to set up a WordPress site (which might be experimental at best, for now), and it's in. WordPress is hard to use for someone like me. Back on topic, I was tagged to a post on the ABS-CBN News Facebook page. It's no surprise that I read people's comments can be very stupid. Some keep talking like, "The 1987 Constitution is the best in the world," or "Change the people. Not the constitution." Please, if that were true why was it that the defective 1973 pseudo-parliamentary government of the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. (and I wrote a rebuttal why it isn't) had to be replaced with another constitution? Sadly, the 1987 Constitution was written in such a hurry that it created many mistakes. 

The events of EDSA reveal this detail about the late Maria Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino. It was that Mrs. Aquino was hiding in a convent in Cebu at that time. In short, Mrs. Aquino herself wasn't the one who led the EDSA revolution. Instead, she was the national symbol of unity at that time. She became the national symbol of unity to unite the nation against the dictatorship of Marcos Sr. However, when she sat down, she practically had no idea how to run a nation. Unlike Atty. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo aka Leni, Mrs. Aquino had no experience with political office whatsoever. Mrs. Aquino herself should've stayed as what she was even during the revolution--a national symbol of unity.

Yes, Mrs. Aquino was fit to be a president, but only as a Head of State with a completely different Head of Government. I looked at the Singapore Legal Advice for advice on what role she should've had on March 25, 1986: 

What are the role and powers of the Singapore President?

As stated on the Istana’s official website, the President plays 3 crucial roles:

Ceremonial role: As the Head of State, the President officiates at state events, and represents Singapore on the global stage in cultivating and enhancing relationships with other countries. 
Community role: The President may lend weight to and promote social and charitable causes, as well as attend community events. 
Constitutional role: The President has powers provided for under the Constitution which he or she may exercise. These powers can be classified into 3 categories, namely, financial powers, powers concerning the appointment of key office holders, and miscellaneous powers.
Liputan6.com

Mrs. Aquino could've accommodated the role as a ceremonial Head of State like Halimah Yacob is to Lee Hsien Loong today. It's because, she, like the late Elizabeth II, was fitter to be the people's representative. She was fondly called "Tita Cory". Instead, letting her make executive decisions only created more problems after the 20-year rule of Marcos Sr. It would've been better if she was relegated to both a ceremonial role and a community role. All that could be done while forming the Philippine Parliament. Yes, that's why I even wrote why EDSA 1986 should've been a parliamentary system.

This would mean people will have Mrs. Aquino to look up to while the Philippine Parliament is being formed. That would also mean that by February 2, 1987, she would need to fulfill this role similar to that as stated by the Prime Minister Office of Singapore:

The Judiciary's function is to independently administer justice. The Judiciary is safeguarded by the Constitution.

The Prime Minister of Singapore is appointed by the President of Singapore under Article 25 of the Constitution. The President, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, also appoints other Ministers from among the Members of Parliament.

The Prime Minister is the effective head of the executive branch of government. The Prime Minister chairs the Cabinet, which is constituted under Article 24 of the Constitution. The Cabinet is the central decision-making body of the executive government. It is an organ of state and central to Singapore's system of government. In practice, all significant decisions or actions taken by the Executive are first discussed and collectively agreed by Cabinet.

Mrs. Aquino would now pick the prime minister. True, Marcos Sr. picked up Cesar Virata as his prime minister. However, as the late Benigno Simeon A. Aquino Jr. aka Ninoy pointed out, the kind of parliamentary set up by Marcos Sr. was no real parliament. Virata was described by the late Lee Kuan Yew to be a non-starter and no political leader. Virata was nothing more than an over-glorified state assistant and a puppet. In this case, Mrs. Aquino under a parliamentary constitution, would be required to pick up the prime minister from the winning party who she believes can uphold the confidence of the Philippine Parliament. Maybe, it would be the late Fidel V. Ramos, if ever it was his party that won. Maybe, she could've appointed the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago as prime minister if her party won.

Along the way, the new constitution should evolve from its first implementation. It would be necessary to set up rules on who is qualified to be a prime minister. In the article "How to Become Singapore's Prime Minister, Explained in 7 Steps", we can find these rules that will make it harder for people to simply step in because of family relations or popularity. Again, political dynasties aren't bad only if family members get into power through meritocracy.

  1. Study and specialize
  2. Wait for the call
  3. Tea sessions and panels
  4. Take a test
  5. Perform well as an MP
  6. Win the trust of your peers
  7. Prepare for office
Making it harder to become a prime minister will promote better leaders. Can you imagine if Philippine legislators had to do all the requirements given? You can imagine that they have to study, wait for a call, have interviews, take a test, perform well as a legislator, win the trust of peers, and prepare for office? That's really not so much in the Philippine constitution. Instead, we ended up having actors and athletes getting voted because it's legal. What's the use of criticizing Senator Robin Padilla of his ex-convict and celebrity status if the constitution keeps allowing know-nothing celebrities to win because they were, well, celebrities? 

Under a parliament, Mrs. Aquino could've continued serving the role of uniting and representing the Filipino people. She could've been sent to other countries to represent the Philippines in daily affairs. She would be in that ceremonial role, opening the door, receiving credentials, representing the Philippines, and maintaining the role as a national symbol of unity. Instead, she was given a role as an executive, something that wasn't meant for anybody without political experience. 

That's why I'm pretty much in for a shift to the parliamentary system. A parliamentary system would be made it sure with a balance of powers. A head of state and a head of government. Presidentalism only ended up complicating things with band-aid solutions instead of looking at the root cause of why there are more incompetent people getting into power than competent ones. 
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