How much do you know about the Constitution?

I was saddened by the fact that lots of Filipinos do not even know some of the fundamentals of the Constitution. I mean even those provisons which I think are essential in the life of an ordinary citizen of this country.

While I am having my lunch in a carinderia near our house I was attentive while listening to a college student while she explains to a woman which I think, is in her 40's, the quailifications of a president of the Philippines. Well, that I think was a very good point on her part because she tries to inform the woman of a basic knowledge that an ordinary citizen like her should possess espeially at her age right now.

She explained that a person, to be qualified as a presidential candidate should be atleast forty years old. On that part she is correct but not until when she added that an additional qualification is that, he who has the intention of running for presidency should have served atleast 10 years in the government.

I was on the verge of spewing the food in my mouth the moment that I heared that.The Constitution clearly provides in Section 2 Article 7 that "No person may be elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election,and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election."

Now the question is where did she get that idea? Did she even browse the constitution or such are hearsays coming from unreliable sources. I pity not only the student but also the woman she's talking to because she was a recipient of a false statement and was deprived of a verifiable truth.

But I don't wanna blame them. Such case is an evidence of a weak system of education in this country. If there's an institution responsible for informing its citizens about the basics of the government, that should be the Department of Education.

Come to think of it, that woman, at her age might have exercised her right of suffrage for several times. And that college student may participate in the election in the future. It was just so sad to realize that maybe the reason of bad governance here in our country is that people are just plain ignorant.