In time, the lesson sinks in. The political elite will not relinquish the power or allow meaningful participation of ordinary citizens in governance. They would prevent the emergence of leaders from below or coopted them into the traditional political system. The electoral contest in many places reduces to one between a "greater or lesser evil."
The dearth of viable candidates is directly related to the extremely weak political party system. The latter cannot function independently of their elite leadership and serves only to maintain the facade of democratic choice, mobilizer of warm bodies, and otherwise serve to support the pre-determined candidacies of dynastic figures.
Frs. Panlilio and Casas represent the alternative road to anti-dynastic politics. Once again, church people are rising to the call of political reforms in the country, just as they did before during the Marcos dictatorship. They blaze the trail in this endeavour, making the point that ordinary citizens and their leaders can participate meaningfully in democratic elections.
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