[OPINION] Position Over Integrity
by Louiela Mataac
The concept of greed and power is like the first time you tasted your favorite food. Right from the very first taste, you knew you would crave for more; not wanting to give it away for fear of losing the meal forever. This is the debacle between Cayetano and Velasco wherein the declaration of the former House speaker Alan Peter Cayetano resulted in an unforeseen debacle between the two contenders. Although this is unlikely to ever happen again, there is a question that remains: How can a quarrel over self-serving ambitions be the focus of government officials in the middle of the world’s emergency? iIs the meal too tasteful for the two politicians that they’d engage in a tasteless verbal brawl just to satiate their hunger for power?
WATCH: “Cayetano Out, Velasco In” courtesy of The Inquirer
The former house speaker Alan Peter Cayetano offered a resignation on the 20th of September 2020. However, a total of 184 lawmakers rejected his offer to resign. Cayetano also mentioned in his speech of his resignation that the former representative of Marinduque, Lord Allan Velasco, was ready to accept to be the new House Speaker in the House of Representatives. Although, he also appended that the house speaker should only be elected if one attains the majority of votes from the House members of the Congress as cited under the constitution. This is a power struggle that has become a standard in the Philippine House of the Representatives. In addition to what he affirmed, it is said that Velasco will not win the position because he hasn’t the votes to be elected as the Speaker of the House. Thereupon, this actively illustrates that Cayetano is emphasizing Velasco’s competency to be in authority. If politicians are all about the desire for the position and greed for power, then Filipinos will never have competent and responsible leaders.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As we Filipinos witness this scenario, we open our eyes into the reality of how the government is leading our country in the midst of a pandemic. The fight between the two politicians has caught the attention of many government powers instead of prioritizing the health and safety of the Filipinos and finding a good solution in order to end this pandemic. The desire for this position in the Lower House of Congress between Cayetano and Velasco is what led them to this debacle for the house speakership.
Petty political issues should not be as emphasized and highlighted when the health and security of the Filipinos are at stake. This debacle between Cayetano and Velasco is mainly a pointless argument for the desire for power. Perhaps they value position over integrity, politics over governance, and serving politicians rather than their country and the citizens that live in it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am Ma. Louiela Angela A. Mataac, a type of writer who is meticulous and disciplined. Thus, I like putting my thoughts, experiences, and opinions into what I write. I am also keen in making my writing something other people can connect or relate to. That is why I see myself as a passionate writer.
Writing caught my attention when I was in grade 9. I started joining competitions which included writing and speeches, which was when I realized I was having fun doing this. But at the same time, I still wanted to improve myself in certain ways.
Being part of a journalism club where I can freely express my opinion about a certain issue in our society is a really great opportunity for me to be a part of. I enjoy the process of writing and just being lost in my own world of thoughts until I reach my last sentence. Writing is not the only thing I do, though. I have some interests too that keep me entertained and make me balance fun in my life. That includes my love for watching Korean dramas and movies and studying hangul or the Korean writing system, which became my hobby too. Although I am not good at it yet, I believe I will be better at writing it soon!
