Musings Just Before the Inauguration

With the inauguration of incoming President Benigno Aquino III less than two hours away, many are looking forward to the end of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who, surprisingly, appears to have managed a smooth transition of power, despite many of us believing that she was scheming to perpetuate herself in power. Perhaps she was able to see the writing on the wall, and realized that any attempt to prolong her stay in Malacanang would be met with stiff resistance. At any rate, her term, the second longest at nine years, is ending, and a new administration is coming into power.

From the promises he made during the election campaign, to the expectations of people, it appears that the Filipino people is expecting a lot from their new President. The question that has yet to be answered is whether President Aquino is up to the task or not. There are several things, though, that we can do, in order to help him, although we may not be willing to accept them.

We have to temper our expectations. Like it or not, a number of the problems besetting the country are probably not solvable within the six-year term given to an elected President. Corruption and poverty, in particular, require long-term solutions, and all that can be done is to set proper structures and foundations in order to lessen the effect of these two problems, and hope that the administration after Aquino is willing to continue them.

We have to carry the load. One thing to which we have become used is the dependence on our government officials to solve our problems. One of the reasons why a number of Filipinos remain poor is that we have become accustomed to our politicians doling out to people, instead of more permanent ways of helping them. At the same time, since people have become accustomed to such, some are not willing to find work and instead, simply wait for things to be done for them. Our own media has reinforced this with mendicant shows such as “Wowowee”. What is need is for us to realize the value of work, and for the Aquino administration to provide venues for work.

Another aspect of carrying the load is for us to realize that our duty as Filipinos doesn’t end with the elections. We have the duty of making sure our officials do not practice corruption in their offices. We have the duty of making sure our officials are aware of our problems and needs. We have the duty of making sure our officials are working hard at their jobs and not goofing around. We forget that the power of a democracy lies in the people, and not the officials. In the Aquino administration, let us remember, and actively exercise our rights as Filipinos.

We have to practice what we preach. A good number of us rail against the corruption that has spread though our society, and yet, when the going gets tough, we ourselves contribute to that corruption. When we get flagged for traffic violations, assuming the violation is valid, do we take the ticket and face the sanctions, or do we pay off the traffic enforcer, so that we can be on our way? It’s little things such as that which help make corruption so hard to root out.

While there is a lot of hope and expectations riding on President Aquino, we ourselves must look at what we are doing, and make sure that we are not contributing to the problems besetting the country. Instead, we have to be looking for ways to continue building the nation, to borrow a theme from the Ateneo’s 150^th anniversary. If we can do that, then we can look to a brighter future.

P.S. With this post, I finally reach the milestone of a thousand posts. While it would have been nice to reach it earlier, it’s still an achievement I’m proud of. Admittedly, not all of the posts are of good quality; a number of the earlier posts are simply fun things I came across the Web. As I progressed, however, my focus of topics became sharper, which is why Daily Musings is the way it is today.

One of the things I toyed with a few years back, and am considering once again, is a change of name. Looking back on the six years I’ve devoted to this blog, I can see only one month wherein the blog lived up to its name. I’m open to suggestions, so feel free to comment.

To my readers, thanks for following me on my writing journey. Here’s hoping that I continue to find the time to write, and post my thoughts on this blog. Carpe diem.

The Continuing Weak Philippine Party System

Manny Pacquiao, who won as Congressman of Sarangani, has been the penultimate political butterfly, having jumped two parties in the span of half a year. From being an Arroyo supporter, he joined the Nacionalista Party, bolstering the presidential bid of Senator Manny Villar. Now, having won in the May 2010 elections, he has shifted his loyalties to the Liberal Party of president-elect Noynoy Aquino since his own candidate Villar had lost. I'm sure that's a record of sorts; even political butterfly Senator Loren Legarda didn't move as quickly through political parties.

The main priority of Pacquiao appears to be money for his province-mates, but his rapid political flight is sure to raise a few eyebrows. Still, it shouldn't be too surprising, considering the state of the political party system in the Philippines.

One of the problems in Philippine politics is the lack of a strong party system. With few exceptions, most parties are simply personality cults, with the members gravitating around those with either a lot of power, or a lot of money. Looking at the past presidential elections, from 1992 to the present, it's clear that personalities, not platform, has ruled whatever political party that has participated in the elections. Thanks to the multi-party system enshrined in our Constitution, anyone who has the wherewithal to form a political party can do so; think of the People's Reform Party, Aksyon Democratiko, Promdi, or the Partido ng Masang Pilipino, and the personalities just jump into one's mind.

Even the established parties are lacking in strong platforms. While the Liberal Party and the Nacionalista Party may evoke mental images of being more free-minded, and more protectionist, respectively, they are actually quite interchangeable, with party members switching sides just like Pacquiao, without regard for what the party may stand.

During elections, it is common for members of a losing presidential candidate to join the party of the winning candidate, since it is perceived that membership in the party is necessary to gain more benefits from the government. Such is the case now with the Liberal Party of president-elect Aquino; members from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Lakas-KAMPI-CMD are bolting willy-nilly to the Liberal Party. At the same time, the winning candidate's party takes in these political butterflies not because they have embraced the party's ideals, but since the winning candidate will need all the possible allies he can get. Thus, the system of weak parties is perpetuated.

There are a few parties which have solid political beliefs and platforms, such as the Ang Kapatiran Party and several party-list groups. However, these parties are mostly fringe participants in Philippine politics, and are unable to effect any real change in the system.

At this point, I'm not sure how this system can be fixed. It would have to take a leader with strong ideals to force his followers to accept or even embrace his ideals, and not just pay lip service. There should be a penalty system for politicians who bolt their parties for greener pastures.

Will this be possible under the Aquino administration? Well, one just has to look at Congressman Pacquiao, and make his or her own conclusions.

Quick Bites - Missed Opportunities

During my two week writing hiatus, a number of issues about which I probably would’ve liked to have written came and went. Any one of those could’ve been post #1000, but it’s no use crying over spilled milk. Still, I thought I’d give a run-through these issues and give some quick thoughts about them.

Noynoy’s dilemma with Binay

For a while, the question as to what Cabinet portfolio should be given to Vice-President-elect Jejomar Binay was in people’s minds. The problem was that Binay made his choice known, although he would later deny that he wanted the powerful and lucrative post of the Interior and Local Government. However, President-elect Benigno Aquino III wasn’t inclined to give that post to Binay; instead, a number of other posts were offered to Binay during his meeting with Aquino last week. Binay refused them all, and subsequently announced that he would not take any Cabinet position, citing the reason that he didn’t want to be a burden to Aquino, and that he wasn’t a member of the Liberal Party.

It seems to me that if Binay was truly willing to serve in any capacity, he should accept whatever role Aquino assigns to him. At the same time, I understand Aquino’s dilemma; Binay did defeat Aquino’s running mate, Senator Mar Roxas, and, well, Binay is perceived to be very ambitious, as a result. To give Binay too much power would give him a base on which to build for the 2016 presidential race. However, since Aquino hasn’t finalized his Cabinet yet, expect that this issue will still crop up.

Noynoy’s choices

Aside from his apparent appointment of Dinky Soliman as Secetary of the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD), which I view with a little suspicion, given Soliman’s membership in the “Hyatt 10”, President-elect Benigno Aquino III’s other early choices appear to be sound ones.

Appointing Commission on Human Rights (CHR) head Leila de Lima as Secretary of Justice should light a fire in the resolution of cases, given de Lima’s feistiness as CHR head. If she manages to do her job right, it will help us forget her predecessors, Raul Gonzalez, Merceditas Gutierrez and Alberto Agra, who have all contributed to the deterioration of the dispensation of justice in the country.

Br. Armin Luistro as Secretary of Education was met with positive feedback, although, personally, I don’t know him or his policies well enough to comment. Still, as a member of the religious, I’m hoping that he won’t be corrupt. He does have his work cut out for him, given the sorry state of Philippine education.

Bangit’s “bad precedent”

Former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Delfin Bangit showed his true colors when he noted in his farewell speech that his apparently forced early retirement would set a bad precedent. I echo others’ sentiments that it’s funny that Bangit should make such a statement, considering that his commander-in-chief President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been setting bad precedents where the military is concerned.

It wasn’t a bad precedent that Bangit was appointed chief of staff ahead of other more senior generals? It wasn’t a bad precedent that Bangit was appointed chief of staff due to his loyalty to Arroyo rather than his competence as a military man? It wasn’t a bad precedent that President Arroyo adopted a “revolving door” policy regarding the appointment of her chiefs of staff? As far as I’m concerned, Bangit’s farewell statement simply strengthens the justification for his removal.

I know that there are other issues that cropped up during my enforced break, but this post is starting to get longer than I expected. If I have time later in the day, I'll try to write about what else caught my attention during the last two weeks that I wasn't able to write about. On the selfish side, doing that will bring me one post closer to #1000.

First Post in Two Weeks - Arroyo's Strategies

Well, it’s been almost two weeks since my last post, and I’m still four posts away from #1000, although, with this one, it’ll be three posts. Work dropped on me like a ton of bricks, and I’ve been trying to establish a working routine that’s effective for me. However, it’s taken a bit of time to find that ‘rhythm’, hence the two week lull. Hopefully, with the long week over and the weekend beckoning, I can get back on pace with my writing. If not, well, c’est la vie. That’s life.

Less than a week remains before President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III assumes office, and it appears that, despite public statements calling for unity and support for the incoming administration, the outgoing President (and incoming Pampanga Representative) Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been busy making sure that Aquino will be too busy dealing with various issues for him to make good his promise to make Arroyo pay for the many misdeeds of her government.

Despite all of the rosy statistics and the supposed economic growth, President-elect Aquino will have to deal with a huge public deficit, and, to deal with it, he will be forced to rethink his statement about not introducing new taxes. If he doesn’t, the country will be deeper in the economic hole, a far cry from the economic successes President Arroyo has been trumpeting as one of her legacies.

The other issue facing President-elect Aquino is the numerous last-minute or ‘midnight’ appointments that Arroyo made just before the ban on appointments before the elections kicked in. Many of these, such as the appointment of Chief Justice Renato Corona will be next to impossible to overturn; it should be remembered that the Supreme Court, mainly composed of Arroyo appointees, voted to allow Arroyo to appoint the next Chief Justice after the retirement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

It’s interesting that one of the first cases that Chief Justice Corona has earmarked for deliberation is the labor issue surrounding Hacienda Luisita, of which President-elect Aquino is a partial owner. Considering the sensitivity of the case, all eyes are on Corona, on whether he will inhibit himself from the case, given that: one, Aquino has refused to accept Corona’s appointment, and has chosen Justice Conchita Carpio Morales to swear him in as President, and two, Corona’s handling of the case might be construed as biased given the flap regarding his appointment as Chief Justice. Whatever happens, people will be watching this case closely, as it will show whether the Supreme Court is truly independent of Arroyo’s influence or not.

With Arroyo still present in the House of Representatives, it remains to be seen what further mischief she can be capable of. President-elect Aquino will have to watch his step as he walks the halls of Malacanang.

Independence Day Musings

Today is June 12, 2010. Aside from it being my mentor Mr. Pagsanghan's birthday, it is also the 112^th year of Philippine independence. On this date, 112 years ago, President Emilio Aguinaldo hoisted the Philippine flag for the very first time in Kawit, Cavite, marking us as a free people. While conquerors have come and gone, Filipinos have maintained this love of country, and, have kept the fire burning bright.

Today, however, the Philippine national situation remains precarious. Majority of Filipinos continue to wallow in poverty and hunger. The national economy is kept afloat thanks in part to many Filipinos who have left the country to work abroad, and send their earnings home to their families, who are probably torn between the need for money and the need to have their families intact.

In the international setting, we have fallen behind our Southeast Asian neighbors in economic growth, and remain beggars while our neighbors have become wealthy enough to become donors, according to today’s editorial in the Philippine Star. Despite this, the outgoing administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo continues to regale us with glowing numbers of our supposed economic growth; however, the reality is more stark and bleak than any set of numbers the Arroyo administration cares to foist on us.

Corruption remains a big part of our political landscape. What makes it worse is that we seem to have become so jaded or cynical about it that when news of a scandal breaks out, we simply shrug our shoulders and think, “Well, what else is new?” Thanks to this way of thinking, some of our officials take it as a license to commit even more corrupt acts.

Still, there is reason to continue hoping that things will get better. Congress has proclaimed Senator Benigno Aquino III as our next President, and, being the son of the late Ninoy and Cory Aquino, a lot of expectations are riding on the younger Aquino, who enters office with perhaps the largest mandate of an elected President. It would be too much to hope, though, that president-elect Aquino will solve all of our problems in a flash. The reality is that we ourselves will have to work with the incoming administration, and work hard, either by contributing to its progress, or playing the watchdog by exposing its mistakes or missteps. For myself, I will be happy if president-elect Aquino will be able to set the foundations that will set us on the path to maturity as a nation.

As I have said before, many of us have forgotten that, in a democracy, it is the people’s voice that should reign supreme, and that our leaders are actually our servants. However, many of us are content to elect the leaders and then expect those leaders to do everything for us, which is why some of our leaders become too full of arrogance and self-importance. Democracy doesn’t work that way. If we want our country to prosper, then we have to get behind the elected leaders and work with him all the way. Only then can we truly call ourselves a democracy.

Challenges of President-elect Aquino

With the final Certificates of Canvass being tallied at the Batasang Pambansa, it will only take a formality of a proclamation to install Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as the next President of the Republic of the Philippines. With the proclamation, President-elect Aquino will formally begin the arduous task of making the tough decisions that will affect our nation. As it is, the list of problems that beset our country is daunting to the faint of heart; it is hoped that President-elect Aquino will be able to present concrete solutions to these problems.

Rampant Poverty

Thanks to the inability of our government leaders to empower the poor, the majority of our countrymen have come to expect dole-outs and quick fixes, neither of which have helped in raising them from poverty. Add to the fact that a good number of our leaders would rather enrich themselves than genuinely benefit their constituents, and it’s not a surprise that poverty has remained a constant obstacle in our country’s development.

The lack of quality education is another reason why majority of Filipinos are unable to find good jobs with which to sustain or improve their lives. Year in and year out, at the start of each school year, we are bombarded with news stories of the appalling lack of school supplies and classrooms, and of government officials seemingly helpless to deal with the lack in resources. As a result of this, a good number of students tend to drop out of school and are thus unable, for the most part, to get good jobs, thus adding to the poverty of the country.

Rampant Corruption

This was the battle cry of the Liberal Party’s tandem of Aquino and Senator Mar Roxas, that if there was no corruption, there wouldn’t be any poverty. While simplistic, it was a successful pitch, at least for Aquino. It is true, however, that rampant corruption has been responsible for billions of pesos in wastage and government losses, as corrupt officials have permeated every branch of government. Identifying and removing these officials will not be an easy task.

One reason why government corruption has been left unchecked is that the current President has made sure to weaken the institutions that are tasked to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials. The Ombudsman is a close ally of the Arroyos, and has insulated the President and her husband from criminal charges. The Supreme Court is completely composed of Arroyo appointees, and its impartiality in judging the President should the President be charged, is suspect. The House of Representatives is a subservient lapdog of the President; its murder of the freedom of information (FOI) bill is just a continuing reminder of the President’s influence.

President-elect Aquino will have to dig deep to uproot corruption; here’s hoping that he finds the political will to make charges stick.

Ability to Exercise Political Will

One of the constant brickbats that have been thrown at President-elect Aquino is the fact that, during his legislative career, he was unable to craft any bill that was signed into law. Now, however, as President, it is hoped that he will be able to use the powers of his office to get things done.

In particular, I am hoping that he will be able to convince Congress to fast-track the passage of the FOI bill, which was unceremoniously killed by the current Congress. If he can manage that feat, it should silence the naysayers.

Another challenge President-elect Aquino will have to face is the influence of those around him. Already, unsavory rumors are circulating around the so-called “Hyatt 10” and the “Kamag-anak, Inc.”, two blocs which backed Aquino in the May 2010. Apparently, these blocs have been jockeying for choice positions in the Aquino government. President-elect Aquino will have to work hard to avoid his late mother’s mistakes, and make sure that he doesn’t wind up becoming a puppet of those around him.

Political Polarization

President-elect Aquino will be inheriting a Philippines that has been wracked by polarized sides. Much like the U.S. political arena, where Democrats and Republicans cannot seem to agree on anything, the Philippine political arena has been characterized by polarization, wherein the government and the opposition often failed to agree on common grounds. Even during the elections, campaigning was characterized by opposing sides; of course, Aquino’s Liberal Party set the theme by labeling its campaign as “good versus evil”. As a result, campaigning for the 2010 elections was one of the dirtiest ever, where candidates often maligned each other.

President-elect Aquino will be hard-pressed to bring all sides to the table, although his impressive electoral result will give him some political capital to work with. However, he will still have to navigate a virtual minefield as he strives to get everyone to work for the good of the country.

One important factor for Aquino here will be the support of the people; that’s us, by the way. In order for our country to rise up from the depths, we will have to give President-elect Aquino our support, and, as a democracy, let him know what it is we want for our country. Hopefully, he listens and uses whatever wisdom he has at hand to lead us to a better Philippines.

Post-Mortem on Freedom of Information

In the end, a lack of quorum stymied those who were pushing for more transparency in government.

In a fitting end to a House of Representatives committed to protecting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from investigation and possible indictment, the Freedom of Information Act was consigned to the dustbins of Congress, keeping intact the opaqueness that has characterized the Arroyo administration. With the 14^th Congress adjourned, unless President Arroyo calls for a special session to pass the bill, the passing of the bill will be left to the 15^th Congress; however, the bill will have to undergo the arduous process of the legislative mill, without any assurance of making as far as it had in the 14^th Congress.

For those who are unaware of what freedom of information is, the Inquirer gives the short version: “The bill requires all government officials to make public all state records and their own statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, especially when the public interest demands it.

It is intended to promote transparency and good governance and to help the public make informed choices."

In other words, the bill is supposed to make government more transparent, making it easier for the populace to properly exercise its democratic rights. The killing of the bill maintains the status quo, wherein it is difficult to obtain information about how the government operates.

If we are to assign blame, there’s a lot to go around, starting with outgoing Speaker Prospero Nograles, who was wishy-washy at best about passing the bill. If he was at all serious about the bill’s passage, he could’ve flexed some political muscle and forced the absentee representatives to attend the session. Instead, he hemmed and hawed and played Pontius Pilate, feigning powerlessness to influence his colleagues. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised at this. If Nograles couldn’t even muster enough votes to get himself elected as Davao City mayor, what more an effort to muster enough warm bodies in order to form a quorum? If what transpired was Nograles’ best, as he claimed in a text message to reporters, then we are best rid of his presence in Philippine politics for the next three years.

At the same time, the authors of the bill, Quezon Representative Lorenzo Tanada III and Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante, are also to blame. If, as they claimed, there were 180 sponsors of the bill, shouldn’t Tanada and Abante have moved heaven and earth to ensure that those 180 sponsors were there? At least 135 representatives are needed to form a quorum; if the sponsors were present, they would’ve been more than enough to pass the bill.

Of course, the absentee representatives are to blame for dereliction of duty. Their job is to be present at the sessions in order to ensure a smooth passage of laws. Their absence makes it impossible to get any legislative work done. What’s worse is that our taxes go to paying the salaries and pork barrels of these do-nothings. If People Power should be mobilized, it should be against these wastrels.

While I was initially angered by his actions, I’m not sure if Camiguin Representative Pedro Romualdo should be blamed for questioning the quorum. While it is true that a law can be passed even if there is no quorum (as long as the quorum is not questioned), it is equally true that such a law can be struck down because of that technicality. It’s very possible, especially in the Philippine setting, for the law to be challenged; with a Supreme Court suspected of being sympathetic to President Arroyo, the probability of the law being struck down is probably very high.

I doubt, however, that principle was what Rep. Romualdo had in mind when he questioned the quorum. It is very likely that his action was calculated to kill the bill. His comments on there having been no debate about the bill are also very suspicious. As Rep. Abante pointed out, the bill wouldn’t have been up for ratification if it hadn’t gone through exhaustive debate.

Finally, despite the denials of her mouthpieces, Arroyo’s hand is very much in the midst of this issue. The House is composed mainly of representatives loyal to the President. If, as Press Undersecretary Rogelio Peyuan claims, the President was truly for the bill, how difficult would it be for her to convince her party-mates in Lakas-Kampi-CMD to attend the session, and form the necessary quorum?

The truth of the matter is that Arroyo and her allies don’t want Freedom of Information, as it will mean that all of their dirt will finally be exposed for the public to see.

Perhaps, with the apparent election of Senator Noynoy Aquino as the next President, it will be possible for the president-apparent to show what he’s made of, and push the 15^th Congress to fast-track the Freedom of Information Act. If he can accomplish this, he will have given the Filipino people greater access to the workings of government, which would be a great legacy.

As for the current Congress, with their inaction on their final day, the representatives of the 14^th Congress have shown that they are not interested in transparency in government, and that they do not deserve their constituents' votes. Here's hoping that the next set of representatives will be more open-minded.

Daily Musings is 6!

Six years ago today at 3:47 p.m., Daily Musings started with a generic post about what I'd been doing that day, as well as a random thought about the state of our country. While the original idea was for me to post something everyday, life in general got in the way, and over the year, I've been lucky to post at least 10 posts in a month. Still, it's something I've been able to maintain, and six years is nothing to sneeze at.

It's difficult to imagine where I would be without my blog at this point. Over the six years I've been writing, the blog has been a chronicle for all the issues I've encountered, from the political arena, where a good amount of my attention has been, to the socio-cultural, where I try to weigh in on stuff I come across. In a way, Daily Musings has been a clearinghouse for my thoughts, a way for me to state what I thought at a particular point in time.

One of the challenges that I face in blogging is the emergence of social networks, especially Facebook. While it would be easier to post what I write directly in a Facebook note, or even give a shorthand note in my status update, I guess I've gotten so attached to this site that I've persisted in posting here. That's probably not going to change in the near future; I'm basically a creature of routine, and having been set here for six years, it's difficult to think of moving.

With this post, I am seven posts away from my 1000th post, a venerable milestone in my blogging. Of course, if I had stuck to my original daily schedule, I would probably have hit my 1000th sometime in 2007. While I would've liked for my 1000th post and my blog's 6th birthday to coincide, c'est la vie. I'm not one to post for the sake of posting, so I'll move at my own pace, and probably hit the milestone around a week from now.

To those who've been following my writing journey, thanks for joining me along the way. I hope to continue sharing my thoughts with you readers for many more years to come.

Side note: I need advice. Given the fact that my blog's title is rather contradictory, should I change it to something that better reflects the blog's content? And, if I do, what should the new title be?