Multi-Party System

Following the EDSA Revolution of 1986, one of the innovations the writers of the 1987 Constitution introduced was the "free and open party system" or multi-party system. Simply put, this is a multiple choice selection for voters based on allowing as many political parties people would want to organize. And to date we can somehow see some stability in the host of political parties now preparing to compete in next year's national and local elections. Of crucial note here is the presidential race where the question of standard bearer is literally the ultimate issue.

Shaping up for now are the administration's bet Gibo Teodoro and partner-to-be, Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas, Manny Villar and partner-to-be, and of late, Erap Estrada and Jejomar Binay. Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero have both been playing coy about their ambitions. It seems though that they are just testing the waters, so to speak, especially with their recent TV ads coming out.

Ideally, a multi-party election gives the people a wider field for selection. Indeed, that is more democratic than being left with two choices only as pre-Martial Law elections gave the voters then.

A closer look at our system shows that while on paper we have a multi-party system, what we really have are parties still dominated by personalities and the moneyed people.

To date, unlike in other countries, we do not have the needed public financial support for political parties. Political parties are left to fend for themselves, and they end up being dependent on patrons. Hence, our colonially-rooted patronage system of politics and governance has persisted to this day, which is also the reason for endemic corruption, incompetence, and other gross failures of our government.

Indeed, one matter we can challenge our presidentiables is the question of campaign finance, a system where political parties and candidates would earn a certain percentage of public funding that is proportionate to the votes received during an election. Also, there should be a cap on campaign contributions by individuals to ensure widespread support for a candidate and avoid dependence on the moneyed people or big business as well as the sitting administration.

Better yet, the present Congress can readily pass legislation on this matter in time for the 2010 elections. After all, the 1987 Constitution has already provided that "(a) free and open party system shall be allowed to evolve according to the free choice of the people, subject to the provisions of this Article. (Art. IX, sec. 6) And it has been over 20 years since then.