10 WEDNESDAY I MAY 22, 2OI9
If there is "bad news," the "wbrst news" is the
CTALK
CITO BELTRAN
The next game of thrones
Lf o6t adult Filioinos misht
IVInot give muc!i importafice
to who becomes the Speaker
of the House of the 18th Con-
grese, but as the prophets go:
Beware the Chosen One. With
a6 manv aB five to 8ix Dotential
candidites, we might'think of
(ne tDEul(cfttluu aJ a \rcrrre ur __---
Num6ers, but it could be our very own "Game
of Thrones" with a very bad ending. The fight or
battle to become Speaker of the House ie gener-
ally centered on having the power to lay claim
or control over.powerful committees of Congress
and th€ funds or the allocation of funde toward
pro.iects in selected constituencies. Many of those
supporting ihe candidates simply want a shate of
the spoils with little thought of the con8equence
of their choice.
It's interesting to note that there are about five
congressmen being paraded as the future Speaker
and only one congresswoman, namely former
senator Loren Legarda. Legarda initially looks like
someone on the outside of a horse race but she is
probably the best bet if the members of Congress
would focus on fair and equitable distribution of
.committees and funds. Legarda is the new girl in
town or in the House of Representatives, but she is a
veteran senator who has seen it all and fully under-
stands the concept oI "consensus building," respect
and team play. While I don't know her intimately
in terms of politics, her being new in the House of
Representatives makes her the least "obligated" or
indebted to the power blocks of former congress-
rvoman Arroyo, former speaker Bebot Alvarez or
the likes. lt would be safe to assume that she owe
no one but as a veteran senator she knows almost
every major player in Congress along with reputa-
tion, both good or bad! That's "The Good News."
What is glaring in the race for Speakership is
the fact that at least lhree if not four of.the male
contenders are allies or students of Gloria Arroyo
when she was president or when she was speaker
of the House. It is as if there is an on-going effort
to stack the deck and increase the number of can-
didates so that no matter what, someone from the
CGMA camp will get the crown. Obviously the
outcome will be settledfuased on numbers so it will
be interesting who will be bedfellows and who will
be thek ultimate candidate and will it really mat-
ter since in the end, the CGMA camp wins. Thdt's
"The Bad News".
\ P\q.g * 1o tr
possibility that next "Speaker of the House" could
become the overlord who will. sway Congress to-.
wards the removal of ihe cuirent Vice President
Leni Robredoby "hook or bv orook" which will lead
to the eventual assumitioriof Bongbong Marcos to
the throne of the vice p'resident. Giv"en a iro-Duterte
Senate and the presence of Imee Marcos in the in-
coming group of senators, Bongbong Marcos will
now havp sufficient representation inboth houses of
Congres's if his cousiri Martin Romualdez bags the
position. While Martin Romualdez has historically
been a "charme/' and consensus builder amon!
allies, one cannot assumc the same if the possibil-
ity and political pressure rises to install Bongbong
Marcos as vice president. Such a situation will
surely divide Filipinos to a much greater extent
than we are now and the wrong moves will only
make things worse. This may not be in the radar or
plans of Martin Rom ualdez but it is something that
needs to be considered in terms of the immediate
future. For or against the idea, Martin will surely
pay the price of being a "Romualdez."
Now more than at any point in the history of the
House of Reprcsentatives, the newly elected members
of Congress need Lo decide wisely if they will vote
based on personal political interest or chdse a leader
that will strengthen their ranks and the institutiory
or someone that will split Congress and the nation
asunder.
While elected officials are still enjoying their victo-
ries, it would be wise fot all of them to spend a little
+imetldnking of the fate and consequence confronting
thousands of "co-terminus" emplovees whose iobs
officially ends in June, and hunireis of thousands
of their relatives and dependents who will equally
be disgruntJed. People o'nly talk about the poiiticJt
winners and losers after eachelections, but no one has
ever addressed how many thousands ofFilipinos end
up being jobless by ]und 20i9 simply beciuse their
bosses lostin the recent elections. Miriy ofthem don't
enioy tenure or have civil service eligibility, so it's a
caie-of out with the old and in with tle neiv.
Thrs practice of co-terminus employment is flot
good for politics, and definitely not gboil for civil ser-
vice or governance, nor is it good for local economies.
The bad part in all of it is that no one in Consress or
the Executive deDartment seems to have do"ne anv-
thing in terms of policy or law to professionalize tfie
staffing oflocal arid naiional officei involving elected
officials with three- to six-year term limits. Fiist of all,
no one seems to know if there is a snecific number or
limit to how manv emplovees an eiected officlal can
hire. Then therne is appirefitly no minimum qualifica-
tion or process ofhiring for "co-terminus" emplovees
except ihat they are loiyal supporters or relaiivds. A
local official can stuff projects with employecs not
in the interest of fast trickiirg projects bui to employ
potential voters!
It is high time that standards be set not only to
prequalify political employees but also to protect
those who are qualified and contribute to public ser-
vice and intereit. Whether it's ENDO in the private
sector or "co-terminus" in govemment, time to end
practices that are unfair and disruptive.