Prospero Nograles announced that a new reality show will be launched this time featuring the House of Representatives. The reality TV will be entitled “Bahay ni Noogie”, apparently a spoof of the popular reality TV show, “Pinoy Big Brother, where the participants do the bidding of the authoritarian character “Kuya” or big brother.

According to Nograles, the scheme was to remedy the problem of lack of quorum in the House of Representatives and at the same time encourage members to participate in its deliberations. According to Nograles, the new reality show will give a venue for congressmen who like to grandstand and at the same time exposed members who belonged to the so called “Committee on Silence.”

Nograles tried to deliver a coup de grace of sorts when he said that the reality TV’s ultimate goal is to promote transparency and accountability. While the Filipino people asked for transparency and accountability, Nograles’ notion of transparency and accountability is something that will not hurt his superior, GMA.

Yes, there are initiatives for transparency in the House of Representatives. However Nogie falls short of the real deal as he equates accountability with just simply letting people peep through the everyday goings of the plenary halls of Batasang Pambansa (others call it Bastusang Pambansa). Nogie should know that a 24/7 tv show will not bring the truth of the scandals that have hounded the administration like the Hello Garci scandal, the fertilizer scandal and the emotionally draining and morally shocking NBN ZTE bribery scandal.

So the next time, Nogie mentions the word “accountability” and “transparency”, he should make it sure that theres more to meaning to those words finding that

At the outset the intention appears to be laudable. But Nograles cannot underestimate the intelligence of the Filipinos. 2010 is just less than two years away and some individuals are already dreaming, even how far fetched, of becoming one of the next Senator of this wretched Republic.

At the time Nograles announced the reality TV show, he also announced the possible administration senatorial bets in 2010. Among the names floated are Reps. Ed Zialcita, Monico Puentevella, and Baham Mitra. These names lack name recall. The only way these people will get media exposure is either to make a product endorsement or when there is a Congressional inquiry. The former is a little bit costly and unethical, while the latter is blunted by the administration’s penchant for issuing circulars that effectively defeats the constitutional power of Congress to investigate matters of public concern.

“Bahay ni Nogie” is but an ingenious means for the less popular but ambitious Congressmen to get media exposure without the expense, in its literal and figurative sense, to the administration. Unlike the original “Bahay ni Kuya” where people are encourage being real, “Bahay ni Nogie” will predictably highlight the hypocrisy, and the ka plastikan of the majority of our Congressmen. Who among our honorable Congressmen will be honest enough to behave according to his true attitude in front of the cameras? No one will ever dare to show their true colors, lest it will hurt their electability to a higher position as voters will inevitably be turned off on any unpleasant behavior that these Congressmen will exhibit.

As for the viewing value, I don’t think the public deserve the torture, the pain and the bore of watching individuals who will play around the camera and whose paramount objective is no other than to fill their self serving motives.