With no clear front runner among four candidates for
Philippine president in the coming election based on surveys, it follows the
electorate remains ambivalent about issues. A great number of concerns hog the
attention of the electorate, each as loud as the next, like having autism that
causes focus deficit. Three of the four candidates, running neck to neck in the
race emphasize the poverty situation with only one calling for the imperative
of security & stability. All the candidates are burdened with heavy personal
baggage on the road to the palace. High scale plunder, vigilantism, rawness and
indecisiveness comprise some of the adverse traits being thrown at the
candidates.
In my advanced years, I would like to witness some
improvement from the debacle of the current administration, for me certainly
been a big letdown after unanimous support from the electorate. The best to my
mind was the administration of FVR with his social reform program that made a clear
mark. It was downhill all the way after FVR with the succeeding two presidents
incarcerated for corruption.
So it’s back to the drawing board.
I understand, the incoming president may not be a miracle
worker (but who is say) to resolve the multi-faceted problems Philippine
society faces within six years. However, I am hoping seeds of good governance
would be sown and nourished in propagating the utopian vision.
Past the campaign speeches and political promises,
exactly what are we looking for in our search for the next Philippine president?
Integrity would have to be the foremost
characteristic that the incoming leader should possess, denoting courage; synonymous
with justice and accountability. We need people and institution to consistently
apply integrity for democracy and freedom to thrive.
I wonder why nobody is campaigning for good
governance. ‘Daang matuwid’? Not the same boss.
Is it because politics invariably include horse
trading? Sometimes, hard bargains result in bending rules. Some think being
elected is a license to bend rules. Bend the rules too far, consequently rules
break. When rules break, hell breaks loose and before anyone realizes what
happened, enormous amounts have been carted away as in the fertilizer and the
P10B pork barrel fund scam; next, we find the bureaucracy sanctioning extra
judicial killing and desaparecidos in the name of
stability. The public is shocked but eventually, the shock wears off.
40 odd years after the declaration of martial law
covering a period of brutality, revisionists now claim it was the golden years.
Rumors circulated of the link between the
Disbursement Acceleration Program and the impeachment of the Supreme Court
justice. This alleged horse trade would have reduced a democratic exercise to a
mere financial treat. Come to think of it, it was simple vote buying if it were
true, which is common place but just the same, a tragedy of universal
proportion.
How about the integrity of freedom? Some claim full
exercise of freedom in our society. I disagree entirely as justice with its
slow grind contradicts the notion. As the saying goes:” Justice delayed is
justice denied” How then can we claim freedom without justice?
I read somewhere that of 11,000 cases submitted in
the court of appeals for decision in 2001, only around 2,000 cases were
resolved as of 2007. Six years, by my count is a lifetime for those crying for
justice. The Maguindanao massacre has been in the courts for six years. In the
national capital judicial region, cases pending in the lower courts by the end
2012 was counted to be 167,000. However,
the most high profile, slow moving, and time bending case of all time must be
the coco-levy scam which is in its 40th year.
So many crimes are committed because the
probability of apprehension is low. The Panay news posted in the net an item
that revealed 33,000 high profile crimes remaining unresolved as of July
2015. How can one feel free if perpetrators
of crimes go untouched? A citizen can easily be victimized with the culprit
either getting off scot free or arrested but able to prolong the proceeding of
the case.
What can you say about law makers who are law
breakers when they escape prosecution? That worsens the crime factor and yet
these politicians win in elections. So the electorate has only itself to blame.
Crisis management takes second seat in the
governance table. Crisis means the rapid deterioration of an unfolding
situation. The nation has seen some pretty good examples of unpredictable
situations quickly turning into a bloodbath, figuratively and literally, a few
examples include the Luneta Massacre and Mamasapano.
Some blame bureaucracy for the slow response but
bureaucracy only works in normal situations. Crisis needs another organization
of people that would correctly respond to situations.
Two years after Yolanda, majority of those
dislocated have not been properly rehabilitated. Sickness, hunger and spread of
vices along with crime indicate crisis of immense proportion.
The Supreme Court is in crisis being the subject of
severe criticism. If the citizenry cannot respect the last bastion of justice
where can it put its trust?
But the biggest crisis still ongoing is social
reform.
We have been bombarded with the upgrade of the
country credit rating due to the improvement in Gross Domestic Product. But how
does that relate to 25% of the population under the poverty line and those in
the fringes? Despite the Pantawid
Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Rappler Philippines reported in July 2015 that
the International Food Policy Research institute indexed country hunger at some
6 points above the conditions experienced in east and Southeast Asia.
Senator Poe, if I have this right, caught the
public’s imagination when she reported 12M families suffering from continuing
extreme hunger.
In a related matter, the Philippines (GDP U$ 742B)
is ranked 150th of 191 countries in terms of health expenditures with a mere
4.6% of GDP. In more graphic terms, it translates to 22 deaths/1000 live births
ranked 80th and 114 maternal deaths/1000 live births ranked 74th
according to the CIA fact book. Crudely that means 100 children and 600 mothers
dying daily. These may owe to yet another fact that the Philippines have just 1
hospital bed/1000 population.
Health problems are compounded when disaster
strikes. We have seen the response in our disaster management and risk
reduction. What do you think?
For education, the Philippines spend less than 3%
of GDP. The United Nations recommends 6%. The Philippine statistics Office
released a report in 2015 that indicated 4M are out of school youth in 2013.
20% are out of school due to insufficient income. I do not know how the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
which claims 4m enrollees relates to the report.
Corruption is yet another continuing crisis,
existing at all corners of the government bureaucracy. The high profile cases
may have budged the anti-corruption campaign a length but it does need more
effort. We can only thank the ombudsman in her determined pursuit of her role.
Taxes that fed large scale scams most notably the
alleged P10B Janet Napoles, come largely from the middle class who are taxed
over 40% only to endure the MRT along with the whole wretched public transport
system among other failures
This brings to the fore imagination but hopefully
not too far left. There had been accomplishments with new ideas in our society
among them:
·
The community mortgage program (CMP), a 30 year
experience that offers a novel approach for land tenancy unlocked
non-performing assets for the homeless especially in urban areas.
·
Before China became belligerent in its pursuit
of the Spratleys, there was relative calm in the relations between China, the
Philippines and Vietnam with the joint marine
seismic undertaking. It was a fresh approach in dealing with the disputed
territories although a number of legal experts say it was illegal.
·
Undeniably, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program achieved success with its
expansion of enrollees and programs.
Lastly, communication is a required skill to inform
and negotiate.
In a period of 75 years since becoming a nation, our
country remained feudalistic with more misses than hits in our national program
stunting our growth. Our efforts and institution have been given low ranking in
the international community. Imagine Vietnam.
If we mirror the future with our current situation,
we can only hope our children survive the onslaught of change. So much has
happened and we are lagging so much behind that we are lent entirely
vulnerable.
I am hoping the successful candidate for president
can usher a new era for the country.
It is time for new politics.