Discussion Forum with Former Ambassador Romero
February 8, 2007
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Former Philippine Ambassador Jose E. Romero, Jr. presenting his position paper entitled “What Constitutional Reform Should Address” at the Dr. Jovito Salonga Center for Law and Development.

       A former Philippine Ambassador challenged the local community to take an active part in changing the kind and style of governance in the country in a discussion forum last Thursday, February 8.

       Ambassador Jose E. Romero, Jr., former Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Italy and executive director of the Asian Center for the Study of Democracy, presented his position paper entitled “What Constitutional Reform Should Address” at the Dr. Jovito Salonga Center for Law and Development.

       “You should educate the voters and provide them with enlightened choices,” he urged the participating teachers, student leaders, non-government organization (NGO) representatives, and center volunteers, adding that the people need to take a stand in order to cope with the current political crisis.

       Romero, who is also the president of the Philippine Council for Foreign Relation, said that one of the problems in the Philippine system is the fact that political seats are being controlled by political dynasties, entertainment personalities, and even sports icons. He also noted the ill effects of turncoatism, or the tendency of most politicians to change political parties to advance their personal interests.

The discussion forum with Ambassador Romero was the first of a series of Thursday Forums sponsored by the Dr. Jovito Salonga Center for Law and Development, in cooperation with the SU Justice and Peace Center, academic institutions, and non-government organizations in the city.

       “Why do they get away with this? First, it’s so easy for the people to stay in their comfort zones. Second, there is a patron-client relationship; we are too dependent on favors. Sad to say, the government is becoming irrelevant to governance,” he lamented in a quote from the Weekly Sillimanian.

       To address these problems, Romero advocated for participative governance, and campaigned for a more devolution of powers wherein the national government shares administrative and economic powers with the local governments and the regional plans are consulted prior to the enactment of a national budget.

       Furthermore, he emphasized the need to develop a competitive party system and the importance of defining each party’s philosophical ideologies and political platforms.

       The discussion forum was the first of a series of Thursday Forums sponsored by the Dr. Jovito Salonga Center for Law and Development, in cooperation with the SU Justice and Peace Center, academic institutions, and non-government organizations in the city.

       Atty. Mikhail Lee L. Maxino, director of the Salonga Center, explained that the Thursday Forum is an avenue for the different sectors of the community to discuss and analyze different societal issues, to educate and inform the public about such, and to come up with possible solutions.

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