Stomach-turning

The guru of upright public service left a lasting legacy about whom to trust among those who enter government service.

The late eminent Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago had made passionate appeals when she was in the Senate for her peers to take a long, hard look at their endorsement contracts.

To Santiago, the issue involved the trust and credibility that voters had bestowed on elected officials, a trust she believed was abused by politicians who used their public standing to endorse products.

Her point: “It was time to stop making politics a circus.”

She said the abuse worsened near the election period when politicians who had built a presence through endorsements had an unfair advantage in terms of recall.

In her style of brutal humor, she described some of her colleagues as “ugly” and undeserving to be in advertisements, yet they were all over the media.

Her appeal was for the public not to vote for the senators who appeared in advertisements.

To show her determination to stop the Senate trend of making high-profile endorsements, Santiago filed a petition with the Commission on Elections to stop senators from appearing in ads, which constituted premature campaigning.

The practice has again become prevalent among current and former senators. Senator Raffy Tulfo endorses 1UP products as a “brand ambassador.” The company was issued a cease-and-desist order by the Securities and Exchange Commission for soliciting investments without a license.

Senator Francis Escudero and former Senator Panfilo Lacson have endorsed certain services and products. Both maintained they did not violate any law.

Lacson even launched a memorable rebuttal to Santiago: “I hope and pray that some crazy companies will risk losing some money on certain products and get her as an endorser so she would stop sour graping about our ads. Any lawyer worth his salt will tell you there’s nothing illegal about those endorsements.”

Senators appear to be evading a discussion on the topic. Many did not return calls from DAILY TRIBUNE when informed about the interview topic.

Former Senate President Franklin Drilon said: “Regrets. I am not familiar with this issue. Totally uninformed of what it is all about. Thank you.”

On record, only the feisty Santiago came out in the open to challenge the endorsement epidemic among elected officials.

Those who were tagged raised the argument that their acts were legal and portions of the fees were contributed to charity.

Legal experts, however, quote the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees that prohibits elective and appointive officials “from having financial and material interest in any transaction requiring the approval of their office or engaging in outside employment and other related activities.”

The law adds: “They cannot practice their profession unless authorized by the Constitution or law. They cannot own, control, manage or accept employment as an officer, employee, consultant, counsel, broker, agent, trustee or nominee in any private enterprise regulated, supervised or licensed by their office unless expressly allowed by law.”

Justice Undersecretary Geronimo Sy has said: “Even if the politician accepts no compensation for his effort or appearance or waives it in favor of a charity, there is no doubt that he benefits from the free, public, and constant exposure.”

While public officials can get around the law, Santiago said it was “stomach-turning” to see lawmakers becoming lawbreakers, justifying their acts through technicalities. It is a revolting phenomenon.

She specifically said that an endorser of health products should have first asked doctors if the use of such drugs would be good for a person in the long term.

The guru of upright public service left a lasting legacy about whom to trust among those who enter government service.

Her legacy of public service must haunt those who exploit their popularity for personal gain.

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