IT is no exaggeration to say that Senator Lito Lapid is a slow study.
After 12 years in the Senate, Lapid had a eureka moment last week, admitting that didn’t fit the role of a senator because he lacked a college education.
In a rare interview, Lapid said he was happy that the Filipino people elected him as senator, but admitted he was always nervous in the Senate.
“Of course you know I [did not complete] formal education. I can’t answer some questions [during sessions and committee hearings], right?” Lapid told reporters.
But the senator, who seldom attends plenary sessions and committee hearings, insisted that he always tried to do his job as senator and that may be the reason he was re-elected.
Despite admitting that he stayed 12 years in a job for which he was unqualified, the senator endorsed his son Mark to replace him in the Senate in 2016.
“At least he’s qualified. He studied for the position,” Lapid said, referring to his son who served as governor of Pampanga from 2004 to 2007, and is now chief operating officer of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.
Lapid himself will run for mayor of Angeles City in Pampanga, presumably because his lack of education will not be an issue there.
The senator also vowed to support Senator Grace Poe, whatever her political plans are for 2016, because he was heavily indebted to her father, the late movie star-turned-failed presidential candidate, Fernando Poe Jr.
Despite the senator’s admitted lack of education, his remarks last week proved educational indeed, highlighting as it did so many of the things that are wrong with Philippine politics.
The most obvious problem is that voters continue to elect into office candidates who are clearly unqualified for the job. Popularity and name recognition always trump educational qualifications, relevant work experience and competence.
In the name of “inclusiveness,” we set no minimum educational requirements for the men and women we elect into high office, even though we require those from applicants for the most menial jobs.
Senator Lapid is not only a prime example of this, but also a cautionary tale of what happens when we have leaders who are unqualified.
In his case, we have a person who didn’t even warm his seat in the Senate, contributing little to the crafting of laws while drawing an undeserved salary that we, the taxpayers, shoulder. On top of this, he had the temerity to say that he has always tried to do his job.
Someone should explain to Senator Lapid that trying to do a job and actually doing it well are two different things.
Lapid’s endorsement of his son is another illustration of what ails our politics. This notion that politics is a family business must stop. Our Constitution demands it, yet the same lawmakers with the same family names continue to defy the constitutional stricture against political dynasties—and we let them.
Finally, Lapid’s blind endorsement of Poe is perfectly illustrative of the primacy of political patronage over public service. Lapid does not say he will support Poe because he believes she is a good leader and will serve the country well. Instead, he cites his debt of honor to her father.
The mention of Lapid is almost always accompanied by a snort or a snicker—an ironic acknowledgement of his utter lack of qualifications and his dismal record in the Senate. It is natural to laugh at our own mistakes, but it is painful to realize that we have not learned from them. And, as Senator Lapid so unwittingly showed us last week, the joke’s on us.