EVERY election cycle without fail, Filipinos express their dismay over the mockery that the party-list system has become. If it was not tragic, the list of party-list contenders that come out of the woodwork every three years would be good for long bouts of laughter.

Ironically, what the political scammers that push for a shift to a parliamentary form of government for the country refuse to acknowledge is that the current party-list system farce would mirror our would-be parliamentary system if it came to fruition: every traditional politician with a strong local bailiwick would be incentivized to form their own parties and snag both district and proportional representation simultaneously.