The 12th Seat Apathy

Ran across Ricky Carandang's "The Choker" last night in scanning feeds. I've been following this post-election related thing with near zero-interest. Between Zubiri and Pimentel, I voted for both, with no particular interest in who gets in or out but something struck me with what he wrote:

Had Pimentel allowed his lawyers Lila de Lima and Sixto Brillantes to argue the case it may have turned out different. His lawyers know election law like the back of their hand. It is their expertise. For them it would have been open and shut. But against all advice, with little actual experience in election law, he chose to argue the case himself. And when crunch time came, he choked.

I don't want a Senator of this Republic to Choke at crunch time. So it does beg the question, setting aside any "irregularities" as Mr. Carandang pointed out there were of which, Pimentel could he argued, could have raised, by choking, is Pimentel really deserving of that 12th seat?

This whole Maguindanao debacle... doesn't it irk you? Philippine Commentary described this Maguindano thing off handedly as "severe irregularities" while he talked about Trillanes on Day One.

We should really do something about electoral reform.

What?

Honestly? Wiser and smarter minds would have to come up with that because I do not know.

On one hand, asking politicians to fix a troubled electoral system is like asking a doctor to do surgery on himself or asking a lawyer to argue against himself in front of the supreme court. Ludicrous! Who in their right mind would eat the hand that feeds them?

This inquiring mind still wants to know: what are we going to do about it?