The action of the Supreme Court to grant the prayer for registration of several party list groups is laudable as it widens the possible representation of marginalized groups in the legislature. With the right representatives, their peculiar interests should be protected or promoted in the high corridors of power.
In theory, the law requiring party list representation is a blessing. In practice, however, that is just a dream, as our ability to corrupt any system that was initiated for our supposed benefit got expressed. So, as things turned out, so many traditional politicians (tradpols) distorted the party list system and made use of it to widen the powers of their family dynasties. A concrete example that should be immortalized in the history of this country was the victory of a presidential son who was voted to represent tricycle drivers. How could he have known about the real problems of tricycle drivers being exposed to the sun, pollution and traffic the whole day only to earn just enough for a kilo or two of rice and a few pieces of “tuyo” or “galunggong”?
Another was also a presidential son who was to represent the interest of security guards. Did he ever experience the woes of security guards who spend sleepless nights only to eke out a minimum wage that is far from adequate in supporting an average family?
Other tradpols who could not even win an election even in their neighborhood homeowners associations were able to get into Congress as party list representatives by hoodwinking under-represented or un-represented groups with the use of their money and influence to make them their nominees or leaders to be their congressional champions. An example is a group of fishermen whose members were paid by a moneyed personality to make him their fighter in the legislature. Such, however, never happened as when he was already sitting in Congress, he only represented his greed. Before anybody got any wiser he was already very rich as he prioritized being busy in partaking of pork barrels.
But then again, what are we to expect from a country full of jokers? We are such to the extent that we make a joke out of even the most serious of legislation to try to improve the lot of millions of family members of Juan De La Cruz. **