As the election draws near and campaign season begins next month, we are already seeing tarpaulins of candidates and advertisements flooding social media. It seems this is the time we are reminded that government officials exist.
For starters, we have hundreds of congressmen elected to create, amend, or conduct hearings in aid of legislation. Alongside them are 24 senators tasked with crafting laws for the entire nation. These laws, labeled Republic Acts (RAs), are assigned numbers for reference. To date, there are around 10,000 RAs, hundreds of executive orders and presidential decrees, and countless city and municipal ordinances.
Republic Acts are authored by congressmen and senators, decrees or executive orders by the president, and ordinances by local councils. Laws establish rules that govern relationships between citizens and the government, protect rights, ensure safety, and maintain order. Ideally, if fully implemented, laws should lead to peace and progress.
But let’s face reality: do we really need more laws? Does this justify having so many congressmen and party-list representatives? Some even propose electing senators by region, which could increase their number significantly. Yet would electing more officials solve our national debt or uplift the lives of ordinary Filipinos?
Consider this: during the 17th Congress under President Duterte, 379 bills were signed into law—120 national in scope and 259 local. In the 18th Congress, 311 bills were signed—119 national and 192 local. With 254 congressmen, 64 party-list representatives, and 24 senators in office during these periods, Congress passed an average of only 126 laws per year. If there are over 300 legislators combined, who among them truly contributed to these laws? On average, each legislator may have passed just one law in their term—yet many likely didn’t even co-author or sponsor a single bill.
When I worked for a multinational company in the past, employees were appraised annually based on performance. If we were to evaluate our congressmen, senators, mayors, governors, councilors, and other officials based on their contributions to governance, would they merit a raise—or even deserve to keep their jobs? Corporations treat employees as assets who must contribute to the company’s success. In contrast, some elected officials act as though they own this country while being paid with taxpayers’ money—and worse, funds borrowed to sustain our nation’s existence.
However, we cannot entirely blame them because we voters are complicit in this cycle. We continue to elect the same officials—or their relatives—as if they are our only hope. We perpetuate political dynasties by voting for candidates who are children or grandchildren of well-known political families, hoping they will be an improved version of their predecessors. The reality is that running for office requires enormous resources; most candidates spend far more than they will earn from salaries and allowances—all under the guise of public service.
Today, people are cautious about online scammers who might hack their accounts or steal their money. Yet many fail to recognize the bigger scam happening every election season: politicians promising change but delivering little once elected. As some commercials say: “Think before you click.” I say: “Think before you tick” the name of a candidate on your ballot this May 2025.
It’s time for every Juan to assess whether their elected officials deserve renewal or termination. Let us demand accountability from those who claim to serve us. And while it may seem idealistic, I still hope for a Don Quixote-like figure—someone willing to fight against all odds for a noble cause—to rise in our cities, provinces, or even across the nation. Someone who can lead us back to a time when governance was truly about serving the people and restoring this country’s glory days once again. ||
