Reason and Concern

Ronquillo C. Tolentino

Political Turncoatism

Three Congresses, if my memory serves me right, had considered bills against political turncoatism citing its detriment to Philippine democractic system and proposing to make its commission punishable with disqualifications to hold office, to boot.

I remember the early years of President Diosdado Macapagal’s term when political turncoatism was the political order of the day in the House of Representatives. Somewhere in l964, I got hold of Senator Jovito R. Salonga’s book of essay titled “ A Plea for Sobriety.” Salonga, then congressman for Rizal, recounted the sweeping political turn-coatism. In his book, he cited an anecdote of a congressman father and his son.

The son asked his father, in this wise: “Father, what do you call a congressman who leaves your party and goes to another party?” The father answered: “A traitor, my son.

A traitor!” The son thereafter asked:” And what do you call a man who leaves another political party and goes to your political party? “The congressman-father’s quick riposte: “A pariot , my son. A patriot!”

In the middle of the war between France and the Saxons, it is told that the former duke of Saxony had himself and his people uncomfortably situated directly in the middle of the war between France and the Saxons. He had quickly decided to make for himself a  reversible coat the side blue for the Saxons and the other side white for the French. And depending on who was occupying his land, he would wear the appropriate color of allegiance.

Almost a month back, national  broadsheets reported on  a bill introduced by Senator Francis Escudero which he titled as the Anti-Balimbing Bill docketed as Senate Bill No 3214. The word Balimbing became in vogue just immediately after the EDSA Power Revolt of l986.

Political turncoatism, to borrow the language of Carlos P. Romulo. is a practice that debilitates the two-party system as envisioned by the Constitution.

At this stage of our political life when we are just 10 months away from the May 2013 midterm elections, we witness and read the breaking up of political alliances. If I borrow the words of Karl Allan Barlaan in his article “Politics and Parties: More fun in the Philippines which appeared in the April 28, 2012 issue of the Manila Standard Today, he has this to say: “When political butterflies take their seasonal migration, it is not an anomaly. It is tradition.” Barlaan hastened to add:” A few bills against political turncoatism have since been filed in both Houses of Congress. That’s like asking the Council of Bishops to turn Protestant.”  /MP