| Ang Kapatiran
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Feb. 11, 2009 For the Standard Today, February 12 issue I gladly yield this space today to my dear friend, Nandy Pacheco, indefatigable champion of good governance and founder of Gunless Society and the Ang Kapatiran party. Dear Tony, You wrote in your column titled Vultures 'R' Us that ". . .to be a viable party with universal appeal, Ang Kapatiran has to outgrow its narrow Roman Catholic orientation and re-engineer itself as a secular and nonsectarian party." We are very much aware of the points you have raised. I have good news for you. Because Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) is unique and different from the political parties that we have today, AKP finds universal acceptance from people - fed up with trapo politics - from people of good will, who thirst for justice, peace, and economic well-being, who are looking for change. Not just change for the sake of change, but real and authentic change for the better. Good people are attracted to Ang Kapatiran Party because it is the only political party that promotes a prophetic politics of personal and social transformation, a platform-based politics with clear and specific policy objectives - all aimed at enhancing the common good. (Please visit our website: angkapatiranparty.org). People from different faiths, including Muslims, have joined AKP. They have accepted AKP's foundational principles in the Catholic Social Teaching which advances such principles as the common good; right to life and dignity of the human person; call to family, community and participation; rights and responsibilities, option for the poor and the vulnerable; dignity of rights and workers' solidarity; care for God's creation; peace, active nonviolence and progressive disarmament. What makes AKP attractive is its focus on moral principles, not on political expediency; on the needs of the poor and vulnerable, not on those of the rich and the powerful; on the pursuit of the common good, not the demands of special interests; and on the culture of life and peace, not the culture of death and violence. In a representative democracy such as ours, the people have the right and duty to tell the candidates and the political parties to which they belong: 1) What kind of society do we want to become and how are we to achieve that society? and 2) How do we propose to pass from our present condition to the condition we desire to reach? For example, if the people want the objectives written on the AKP platform to become a reality, all they have to do is to ensure the election of a Kapatiran President, a Kapatiran Senate, a Kapatiran House of Representatives, and a Kapatiran local government. Thus we put life and meaning to the political maxim "government of the people, for the people, and by the people." Good people are attracted to Ang Kapatiran Party because it is the only political party that has a built-in education component that promotes the politics of virtue and of duty, the politics of transparency and public accountability, the politics of good citizenship and stewardship. As proof, Ang Kapatiran Party has come out with the "Passport to a New Philippines", a guide to political renewal and stability. Ang Kapatiran Party attracts people because of its God-centeredness. Faith and life cannot be separated from each other. How we live should reflect what we believe, and what we believe should guide us on how to live. As Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver said, "A public life that excludes God does not enrich the human spirit. It kills it." You expressed doubt whether Chief Justice Reynato Puno, a Methodist, will be comfortable with a party platform specifically based on the social teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Why don't you ask him? You also raised the question of viability. If AKP's viability is to be measured according to trapos' standard, then Ang Kapatiran Party is not viable. But the trapos' ways are not Ang Kapatiran's ways, the trapos' thoughts are not Ang Kapatiran's thoughts. Ang Kapatiran Party's approach to politics is holistic and integral, with new fervor, new methods and new expression. We will fight big money politics with public support. We have to maintain the honesty and integrity of our candidates. Ang Kapatiran Party believes in first things first. With the Passport to a New Philippines, we start with education followed by political action that starts from the barangay up to the council, municipal, provincial, regional levels and up to the national level. AKP promotes respect life attitude in society as a precondition for a consistent ethic of life. AKP is pro-life across the board. AKP's yardstick is faithfulness not success. Nandy Pacheco ****** AKP's Passport to a New Philippines is a 62-page document the size of, well, a passport, and it encapsulates the political ideals of Nandy Pacheco and Ang Kapatiran. Foremost among these ideals is the introduction of prophetic politics of personal and social transformation" that dovetails with the call Reform yourselves and believe in the Gospels." (Mark 1:15). But whose Gospels? Christianity is divided into an infinite variety of sects and denominations, who each profess their own, exclusivist interpretation of the Gospels, from the ultra-conservatives like the Evangelicals who do not believe in Evolution � according to them, the physical world as we know it from the Gospels is only 6,000 years old � to the free-wheeling Unitarians who draw their philosophical inspiration not only from the Christian Gospels, but also from the Holy Books of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. And what about those who do not accept the AKP's choice of Christian Gospels � the Buddhists, the Muslims, the Hindus, the agnostics, the atheists � are they therefore out of the loop and deemed unworthy to embrace the AKP's 'prophetic politics?' We all know that many of those who piously profess the majority Roman Catholic faith are also the most corrupt crooks and the most insatiable practitioners of irremediably materialistic lifestyles. On the other hand, there are any number of agnostics and atheists who live noble lives of humanistic moderation, without being attached to any organized religion. Since, prominent among all present political groupings, AKP emphasizes 'belief in the Gospels' as a necessary sine qua non for its 'prophetic politics,' how does it reconcile these disparate and dichotomous world views? To be relevant to the present socio-economic-political discourse, AKP also needs to state its position on the various issues of the day. Does it support or reject the use of artificial methods of birth control? Why or why not? Does it support or reject a shift to the parliamentary system and/or the federal form of government? Why or why not? How does it propose to solve the economic and financial meltdown that is ravaging the world, including the Philippines? How does it propose to reduce the incidence of graft and corruption in this country? What electoral reforms would it support (or reject) to make the electoral process honest and fair? What judicial reforms, to solve the problem of corrupt judges and justices? What economic reforms, in order to create more jobs. Etc. These mundane questions, ultimately, are more relevant to our continued existence as a nation than the matter of which Christian Gospels candidates should profess. AKP received Comelec accreditation as a political party in May 2004, a few days or weeks AFTER the presidential elections of that year. Previous to this, Nandy had flattered me by urging me to run for president in the 1998 and 2004 elections, which I declined for several reasons that I gave him..(One of which was: Naloloko ka ba?) In the 2007 senatorial elections, AKP fielded four candidates, the best performing of whom was the Fil-Am physician Martin Bautista, who managed to garner about 750,000 votes. (Bautista has since parted ways with AKP over the issue of birth control.) This was a moderately successful showing for a neophyte party with no money and little organization. But it pales in comparison to the 11 million votes won by Navy Lt (sg) Antonio Trillanes III, who campaigned from the brig or jail in the Marine barracks. This should tell us and the AKP that to make a bigger splash in the coming 2010 elections, it must field a candidate or candidates who manage to catch the popular imagination and fill a keenly felt vacuum in our political culture, no matter which Christian Gospel, if any, he or she professes The Passport to a New Philippines names the role models of the AKP:: St. Thomas More, the Catholic lawyer-archbishop who defied pressure from King Henry VIII on the matter of divorce and lost his head in the process, and Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay The Passport itemizes the party's founding principles, its declaration of a consistent ethic of life, its vision and mission, all of which center on a recurrent theme of Godliness, which may turn off those who want a more secular world view. In its section on the party's political and social platforms and good governance, the Passport gets down to the nitty gritty, championing specific advocacies such as abolishing the pork barrel, abolishing all forms of gambling, banning the death penalty and the use of torture, banning nepotism, even banning the tinting of car windows: One can disagree with some of the points raised in the Passport that can be criticized for being too "motherhood" or too unabashedly "religious" , or sometimes too minutely detailed (e..g. the strictures against the carrying of firearms, as can be expected from the founder of Gunless Society), But Nandy Pacheco and Ang Kapatiran are one or more steps ahead of the dozens of organizations � many among concerned, Filipinos abroad - that have sprouted like mushrooms in the run-up to the 2010 elections, and are often one-issue groupings with the fervor of snake-oil salesmen who have the one and only solution to this country's myriad problems. In the final analysis, it will be the credibility of their chosen candidates which will determine the success or failure of these parties or quasi-parties. For the present and the near-future, it will still be the singer, not the song, that will make the Big Difference. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in acabaya.blogspot.com. Tony on YouTube in www.tapatt.org. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. . OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Ang Kapatiran� �Insufficient Funds� �The Battle of Manila� �A Damaged Culture?� �GMA�s Moral Renewal:a Joke� �Building a Peace Library� re: Ang Kapatiran's yardstick is faithfulness not success. Nandy Pacheco I have been looking for the possible reasons/explanations as to why Ang Kapatiran Party�s candidates lost in 2007. Now, it is crystal clear. Without success as a yardstick, how reasonable can one expect for AKP to become a major player in the political arena??? That line says it all ... "kaya hindi ibinoto, kasi sa simula pa lang ay handa ng talo!" Pagdating sa eleksyon, ang mayorya ng Pinoy na botante ay llamadista hindi dejadista ... JMC Nepomuceno, (by email), Feb. 12, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The Other Alternative: A Revolutionary Transition Dear Mr. Abaya, I�d like to ask a few questions. Does our democratic subculture hold the capacity to lead us into a better life? Does it possess the imagination to lift us up from the muck of poverty? Does it still exert the moral purchase to refine us into self-respecting and respected people? We all know enough from the scandals and abuses of our leaders that our democratic subculture is not and has never been a political space where the ideals of democracy can be realized. Why is this so? The secret lies in what the American historian H.W. Brands chronicled in his book Bound to Empire (1992). He argued that American colonialism failed to foster a genuine democracy in the Philippines because that relationship was dictated by dependence with its bluffs and gruffs. Filipino leaders beholden to the colonial masters for monetary support panhandled the nooks and crannies of American institutions for nickels and dimes. Ours is a form of mendicancy which had produced an effect of what the American diplomat Francis Underhill (1977) calls �a neurotically, manipulative, and psychically crippling form of dependency.� Sadly, it is an interesting affair subliminally etched in my imagination as a child reciting to my father�s friends (for 10 cents) my poem about Rizal�s statue located in the town plaza: Ako si Rizal. I am Rizal. Tungtung sa bato, And upon this rock, ulanan, initan, rain or shine, taga-i ako singko. spare me a dime. The other secret lies much earlier on how the Spanish colonizers and clerics proselytized the native nobility into the principales of the pueblo. Cesar Majul�s essay on Principales, Ilustrados, Intellectuals and the Original Concept of a Filipino National Community (1997) and Benedict Anderson�s Cacique Democracy in the Philippines: Origins and Dreams (1988) discuss the evolution of the native nobility. The barangay datu was transformed to the cabeza de barangay who collectively formed the principalia class. Those who collaborated with the colonial masters turned into caciques who bossed their way over their own people. Interestingly, this lends clarity to me why I am addressed by almost everyone I meet in Negros, Davao, or Manila as �bossing� (despite my protestations that I am not a boss or someone else�s boss). Today, our mendicant and abusive caciques still plague us like parasites. Worse, they have come full-circle. Without the old bosses, they are now the new bosses. The occupants of Malaca�ang, the orchestrators of the Two Houses, the pawns from the military establishment, and the dynasts of the provinces by a deft balance of force and fraud are all now busy converting the national and local coffers into their slush funds. And mind you, you don�t have to be intelligent, morally upright, or qualified to join the exclusive club of cops and robbers. All you need is kith and kin, and perhaps, a little imagination. And you�re it! This, my fellow Filipinos is our so-called democracy! This, my fellow Filipinos is our republic---a tribal model of the seizure of power by families who enjoy suzerainty which they are at pains to proclaim as temporary. But here lies my hope---everything has an end; that their days are numbered; that they only survive for a certain length of time. Change is coming, my fellow Filipinos, as the Book of Ecclesiastes taught us: To everything there is a season� a time to build, a time to destroy. Efren Padilla, Ph.D., (by email), Hayward, CA, Feb. 12, 2009 Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning, California State University at East Bay wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: Your suggestion that ". . . to be a viable party with universal appeal, Ang Kapatiran has to outgrow its narrow Roman Catholic orientation and re-engineer itself as a secular and non-sectarian party," is quite sensible. Nandy Pacheco of Ang Kapatiran, however, brushes aside your suggestion, claiming that Ang Kapatiran already "finds universal acceptance from people." "Universal acceptance?" Mr. Pacheco obviously anchors his assertion on the fact that anywhere from 80% to 85% of the population of the Philippines are Catholics. It is reputed to be the only Catholic nation in Asia. If all those Catholics who are qualified to vote, vote the way Ang Kapatiran asks them to do, there is a chance that some of Ang Kapatiran's candidates will win over some of the "trapos." But I have very serious doubts if all those Catholics who are qualified to vote will actually vote for the candidates of Ang Kapatiran, even assuming that the Catholic Church will put its full weight behind those candidates. "Trapo" candidates can be assumed to be mostly of the Roman Catholic faith likewise. Consequently, it is just possible, nay probable, that the Catholic vote will be split. And more likely than not, "trapo" candidates will be better financed than those of the Ang Kapatiran. They likewise have the advantage of a national and local political organization that has already been tested. Under the circumstances, I am afraid that the Philippines will continue to be held in the vise-like grip of the "politico-economic" elite which has succeeded in perpetuating itself in power over the last sixty years or so. That is not to say that a sectarian party such as Ang Kapatiran should not enter the political fray. As Alexander Pope reminds us, "Hope springs eternal from the human breast." Mariano Patalinjug, (by email), Yonkers, NY, Feb. 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Iyan po ang problema. Maganda ang adhikain ng grupong Kapatiran. Mr. Pacheco is a good and honorable man, worthy of being a leader of people. I am inclined to join and support it, except for the fact na sinalihan na naman ng mga "gospel" matters.That excludes the likes of me and turns off many others. I am not too enamoured with movements with religious undertones because I have seen the worst of men ,especially in our village, attend church services regularly. So regrettably, I am out of that. Mr. Pacheco says Ang apatiran attracts many because of its God-centeredness. Sure, it will attract the usual churchgoing, thieving, vermins. and then back to square one. Just like after Edsa 1. The moment one particular religion gets prominence in a movement like that, nothing will happen. Sayang lang ang effort. Maybe Major Marcelino can stage a coup and kill all those bastards in Malacanang, the Senate, and congress, and put an end to this syndicate of thievery called "Philippine Government".Ii guess we will just have to wait for something like that to happen. Thanks. Epi Espaldon (by email), Ayala Alabang, Feb. 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Nandy Pacheco may point to many �good people� wholeheartedly embracing his Kapatiran group�s agenda, but it strikes me that they�re still mired in the religious claptrap that has kept the Philippines shackled to relying on the �Almighty� to save us from the poverty trap in which we�ve long been stuck. That miserable situation historically has resulted in administrations (from Marcos on to Aquino, Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo) resorting to exporting bodies (particularly female ones) to generate revenue for our economy. Sadly this has produced a mindset among too many young Filipinos (the result of sundered families unable to nurture their offspring) who consider it preferable to enslave oneself abroad than to do so at home. This desperation is what�s driven too many Filipinas to be held in virtual slavery around the globe, a situation that�s made us famous as the world�s servants, mail-order brides and prostitutes. Seen from that perspective, one can see why such demoralization exists in the Philippines. How many Filipinos, I wonder, accept what two British writers have written about convincingly --- that god is not great, and that god is a mythical being whom humans mindlessly cling to because they cannot shake off their hidebound irrational beliefs and see that human beings must utilize their minds (not their emotions) so as to have meaningful lives. The Filipino tendency to rely on the generic �Bathala� and the belief that constant prayer will solve our ills is so deeply ingrained, it has produced a paralysis of will that�s bred the vicious cycle of poverty, corruption and bad governance. [Recently a woman in the UK paid for a London bus to carry a large slogan proclaiming: �There may be no god, so enjoy your life!� to counter a message in other buses promoting Christianity � proving that Britons have an abundance of both brains and humor.] Proof of how destructive religious beliefs have been around the world abound in the nations engaged in tribal wars today and in the underdeveloped countries. Anyone traveling around Asia can see that former war-torn countries like South Korea and Vietnam are streets ahead of the Philippines. Their Buddhist, animist and other beliefs have not prevented them from rising economically. India, while steadfastly practicing democratic principles as it tackles massive poverty, has bred outstanding minds unshackled by the religious practices that tear tribes apart. And Indonesia, still beset with problems of poverty and communal discord, has gradually gone forward economically �- though they too, unfortunately, are now exporting their women to help prop up their economy (after seeing the Philippines� �success� in generating income from their exported women). Reports of Indonesian women being underpaid and maltreated here in Hong Kong echo what Filipinas have gone through since our domestics first arrived here and around Southeast Asia in late �70s. Inevitably migrant Filipinos abroad are drawn to the so-called religious groups that flourish among them, promising better times --- in the next life, or this one. It�s only natural that credulous individuals in alien places are prey to such exploitation, particularly since we often seek our own kind when abroad. The sly businessmen (and a few women posing as seers and healers) behind these cults may claim they�re saving souls, but they�re certainly profiting from gullible bodies as well. Saddest of all is how the intrigues and rivalry endemic among too many of them inevitably surface among the different religious affiliations -� reflecting the political shenanigans that go on among our politicos in Manila. In one of his speeches, Barack Obama wisely mentioned not just the religious majority in his country, but the �non-believers� as well. As an intellectual and a humanist, like his great forebear Abraham Lincoln, he knows whereof he speaks. I wonder if you agree that the Kapatiran group�s Christian-based advocacy of their brotherhood as the answer to our woes will achieve success only if they harbor truly humanist, not merely religious, principles in their charter. Isabel Escoda, (by email), Hong Kong, Feb.13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww According to you, (according to the Comelec, not me. ACA), Trillanes garnered 11 million votes in the 2007 elections. I believe his phenomenal showing in the last election was largely due to UNO political machinery plus the personal and financial help from his party mates like Jamby Madrigal who publicly announced that she did help Trillanes win a seat in the senate. Of course, Trillanes could also thank GMA's dismal records for his winning the election over well-known political personalities like Ralph Recto, Mike Defensor et al in spite of their party's bottomless resources. Had Pacheco's Kapatiran candidates run under the united opposition banner, I'm pretty sure that they would have garnered, too, much much more votes than the 750K votes that they actually got as Kapatiran's. Baka nanalo pa sila. Pero huwag mo nang sabihin ito sa kanya, baka masabon pa ako. Pero ang tutuo: you have to be elected first before you could actually serve the people you loved; and, accordingly, satisfy your ambition to have your ideals put to work in the name of good governance and public performance. I honestly believe in the separation of the State and the Church. Separation not as rivals but out of respect for each other existence and purposes. Hence, it follows that religion should not interfere with politics in the running of the government to avoid conflict or entanglement in the performance of each. Of course, my hypothesis is based on a normal or ideal conditions wherein people lives without fear, discrimination and greed with freedom to choose his own belief and/or religion within the bound of morality and ethics. The Kapatiran political party will overcome its shortcomings; and, will eventually realize the dream of its founder. It may take time but it will with the prayers of all well-meaning supporters. Mabuhay ang Kapatiran party at ang Kaya Natin movement. Arcy F. Sibal, (by email), Sta. Maria, Bulacan, Feb. 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I very much want to see Ang Kapatiran succeed! However, it needs to eliminate any connotation that suggests it is an offspring of any religious, political, or similar affiliation. I have in the past participated in organizations with altruistic humanistic objectives that would benefit mankind. However, each had in one way or other announced their religious origin, which - although everyone was invited -stigmatized and had a deterring effect on those of other beliefs. I should mention one was Moslem and in Indonesia, the other Buddhist in Tibet. - both with global objectives intending to bring benefits to their respective countries and the world! R. Stager, (by email), Quezon City, Feb. 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww All about Kapatiran is correct. The tradpols and their followers will look at its winnability and from that point they can see Kapatiran as a losing proposition. But Kapatiran and what they represent is what we, our country, needs. Those who believe will have to work doubly hard. And even if the prospect of winning is slim the seed must be planted. Remember the "mustard see" in the Great Book ? Victor Manalac, (by email), Feb. 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, More than 90% of Filipinos consider themselves Christian, with Jesus Christ as the common denominator. Emphasizing on the common belief -- that there is God, there is Trinity, Jesus Christ is Son-God who came down to earth to die on the cross for the sins of mankind -- then the rest of the differences among believers can be subordinated to this belief, leading to the unification of all those who claim to be Christian. There is a good possibility, therefore, that a movement for change among Christians of all shades will snowball as the 2010 elections approach. Concerned Filipinos will come out in the open thirsting and fighting for change towards a decent society. Ang Kapatiran Party will be joined by many more groups. With prayers, that is my dream and prediction. Think about it. If all Christians would become true Christian and follow the Ten Commandments to the letter, all the problems of graft and corruption, stealing, lying, cheating, etc. would be gone. Let us have that movement, with tens of thousands of known and unknown leaders all over the country. It is time we got our act together for the sake of the future generation and for our country. Our eventual candidate for the President of the Republic of the Philippines would just surface much later in time for the national elections, someone truly anointed by our Lord God. Possible? It is, if we take the first step towards becoming a righteous nation. Now is the time to junk the politicians who are salivating for power, the resources of our country, and the perks that go with them. We now need self-sacrifice, selflessness, and true love for our God, country, and people. As a people, we need a change from within, in our hearts and in our minds. And following Jesus Christ is the way to have that change. More power to you, Tony. Col. (Ret.) Hector Tarzan Tarrazona, (by email), Feb. 14, 2009 Original member of the 11-man Ad Hoc Steering Committee of the Reform the AFP Movement (RAM), 1985-1986 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Ang Kapatiran Party ought to take a lesson from Barack Obama: Raise millions and millions of campaign funds for you to win and not just come up with platitudes. Obama outspent all candidates in the entire history of the U.S. He too came out with the grandest visions for his country. Good intentions aren't enough. But it's nice to have them. Indeed, all who seek public office have wonderful intentions. Many are really no different from the devil who quotes the Scripture. Even if AKP were made up of certified saints and angels, it can't win without the wherewithal. This may sound cynical, but it�s the rotten truth of political reality here or anywhere on this planet. Vicente C. de Jesus, (by email), Feb. 14, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished to Tapatt) Grace - you hit it smack on the head! "While AngKap, first and foremost upholds our Christian faith in our politics, it should also be ready to work out a universal, well-rounded and specific platforms addressing our present and pressing concerns; and designed to achieve the fullness of life here on earth as it prepares the Filipinos to our glorious destiny beyond. As such, it will certainly please both God and man." Perhaps in the open-minded thinking like yours there is still hope that the blessings and challenges allowed AngKap to rise to be a true political party alternative can still come to pass sooner than later. Consistently, indulge kindly another recommendation - a Mirror Cabinet (MC) in AngKap. Precisely to "... work out a universal, well-rounded and specific platforms addressing our present and pressing concerns; and designed to achieve the fullness of life here on earth as it prepares the Filipinos to our glorious destiny beyond..." It would be a body especially picked by the true leaders of AngKap largely "to function" like the presidential cabinet. It would thus be composed of the most brilliant minds and astute strategic thinkers yet Divinely driven in its ranks. Thus being in, of and for God it would also be driven by Patriotism, Integrity (Honesty) and Excellence (Competence). This MC too would be subdivided into major areas of concerns - each likewise presided by a Chair to lead that unit in its tasking. Accordingly each Chair sits concurrently in the AngKap MC and is free/mandated to staff "his/her department" with a contributing/supporting staff. To (initially at least): a. Monitor, scan, study, evaluate, develop, recommend and communicate AngKap's official positions on national and international issues, events and matters pro-actively. b. Develop (in the process of the above) "by-the-issues" and "evidenced-based" strategic thinking and planning mechanisms, staffs, systems and discipline in AngKap. Particularly among its top leadership and candidates and by trickle down effect to its general membership. Thus it too is preparation to actively support AngKap candidates who may eventually successfully win electoral positions or accept appointive office. c. Training ground for the above, as a think tank, and many others, especially in defining and subsequently making real the distinctive promises of AngKap - as a real political party alternative, albeit God-centered. And, Dear Eric... sincere as your heart and faithful as your spirit are take pause please as President of AngKap to likewise reflect on the enlightened humbling of Matthew 25:14-28. Thinking through our appointed tasks as His servants, while still in this realm. In that, it is NOT about "pleasing all" sir... it is about rising to the TOTAL task charged, as the servants in the Parable were. Godspeed to us all. Philip Tangco, (by email), Feb. 15, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Martin, not Manny Dear Mr. Abaya, I am grateful to you for allowing Nandy Pacheco to describe what is arguably the only true existing political party in the Philippines today. Just a minor correction, my first name is Martin ("In the 2007 senatorial elections, AKP fielded four candidates, the best performing of whom was the Fil-Am physician Manny Bautista, who managed to garner about 750,000 votes"). On my blog, I made the following proposal: If you don�t think that the Philippines is in a terrible situation and matters will only become worse if we don�t do anything different then you don�t have to read on. If you share my assessment however, that our country is in very bad shape, then bear with me and think about the solution I propose. I won�t bother enumerating our major problems because I don�t want to engender even more despair. Insurmountability has a dangerous consequence of hopeless paralysis, the exact opposite of what I intend to accomplish. We need nothing less than a revolution. The political operating system that governs our country is irredeemably corrupted. Historically, mass purges have been the only effective way of achieving national catharsis. And there is a way for this process to occur without violence. In 1986, we had a unique opportunity to break free from our national fears and insecurities when the entire government was essentially replaced, from the President down to the Mayor and Barangay Captain. Officers in Charge (OIC) were appointed and were given a chance to prove themselves before a general election was held a year later. The opportunity was unique not because of the new cast of political characters but because it was a chance for all of us to look at public service in a vastly different perspective. Public service is a sacrifice committed by fellow citizens who prepare for the responsibility by becoming financially independent and thoroughly informed about the serious issues of the time. Public service is not a path to making a livelihood. Public service, being a sacrifice should be borne by as many citizens as possible as no group of family members are naturally invested with an extraordinary aptitude for public administration. The opportunity was lost because we failed to learn the lessons. We need to elect a President in 2010 who will implement peaceful revolution. In 2013, this President will call for synchronized local and national elections with all elective positions open (from the 24 Senators to the Kagawads). Each candidate will pledge to serve only one term and spouses, parents and children will be prohibited from succeeding any candidate. Since many dynasties exist primarily to protect tightly vested family interests, there will be a one-time general amnesty for all administrative cases filed from the 2013 elections until the commencement of the campaign period in 2016. This President must have an unblemished record of integrity and honesty. This President needs to be completely nontraditional, not beholden to any special interests, successful in a previous occupation. This President should embody the national ideals of a true servant-leader who will not hesitate to sacrifice for the common good. Will this revolution solve all our problems? Certainly not, but it will be a decisive step towards the redemption of the boundless promise of our nation Thank you very much. Martin D Bautista, MD, (by email), Feb. 25, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Insufficient Funds Dear Sirs, In view of what seems to be happening internationally with banks at the moment, I was wondering if you could advise me. If one of my checks is returned marked "insufficient funds," how do I know whether that refers to me or to you? Josephine Hilado Guevara, (by email), Feb. 19, 2009 PS. Smile, Tony! - Jo (Ha ha ha ha, touch�, Jo. Tony) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded to Tapatt by Fil Juntereal) Battle of Manila By James Litton PLEASE CLICK: http://battlingbastardsbataan.com/james.htm wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww A Damaged Culture? I just finished rereading James Fallows' essay in the new Atlantic, written 22 years ago and this paragraph jumped out of the page: "Most of the things that now seem wrong with the economy--grotesque extremes of wealth and poverty, land-ownership disputes, monopolistic industries in cozy, corrupt cahoots with the government--have been wrong for decades. When reading Philippine novels or history books, I would come across a passage that resembled what I'd seen in the Manila slums or on a farm. Then I would read on and discover that the description was by an American soldier in the 1890s, or a Filipino nationalist in the 1930s, or a foreign economist in the 1950s, or a young politician like Ferdinand Marcos or Benigno Aquino in the 1960s. "Here is a land in which a few are spectacularly rich while the masses remain abjectly poor. . . . Here is a land consecrated to democracy but run by an entrenched plutocracy. Here, too, are a people whose ambitions run high, but whose fulfillment is low and mainly restricted to the self-perpetuating elite." The precise phrasing belongs to Benigno Aquino, in his early days in politics, but the thought has been expressed by hundreds of others." - James Fallows (1987) http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/1987/11/a_damaged_culture_a_new_philip.php What makes Filipinos think that their socio-eco-political situation will change by the 22nd or the 32nd century? The names and faces in the entrenched plutocracy may keep on changing but the system of governance will never change. A bloody revolution may get rid of old names and faces but the new names and faces will govern the country exactly the same as the old entrenched plutocracy. Who will enact and enforce just laws if the lawmakers are the lawbreakers themselves? Ancient customs and habits never die. Bobby Manasan, (by email), Burke, Virginia, Feb. 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww GMA�s Moral Renewal: a Joke Putting plaster on a malignant melanoma is how religious leader and evangelist Bro. Eddie C. Villanueva sees the new presidential order that directs all agencies to implement moral renewal program, even as he dares President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to practice what she preaches. "It's obviously another presidential joke that is not funny," states Villanueva, who heads the Bangon Pilipinas Movement. "If she is really serious about eradicating massive corruption in government that has landed us the worst spot in Asia, she should begin with her husband." In a statement, Villanueva said he was dismayed that the President has made this move after eight years in power, when this could have been conceived and done in 2001, the year she took the rein of power from ousted President Joseph Estrada. "At best, it could be described as hypocritical. It is not a skin-deep initiative meant to eradicate corruption in the country. It is a token gesture meant to assuage the ruffled feelings of the public, which wants a more realistic and sustainable program against corruption," Villanueva said. �At worst, it is an example of black comedy, where the very leader and initiator of corruption is the one addressing the issue of widespread corruption. It only goes to show how the nation's entire value system has become so perverted," Villanueva said. Villanueva said Mrs. Arroyo would do the nation a big favor, if she would let the First Gentleman be gentleman enough to face up to the allegations of corruption that are coined to his name. While the intention to instill a "zero tolerance for corruption" may be good, Villanueva expressed fears that the president does not have the credibility to back her up unless she backs her words with actions. "Moral integrity that stems from genuine fear of God and love of country and countrymen is innate, if not needing a worthy example to follow; it simply cannot be administratively ordered," he explained. "If her cabinet members and government agencies heads will see her no-nonsense and impartial implementation of the law against erring and corrupt officials and private citizens who reportedly take advantage of their connections in government, just administration of the law will suffice," he said, adding that it would also restore the people's lost confidence in government. Villanueva said: "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." As a parting shot, Villanueva described the President as a "modern-day Pharisee," who talks and pontificates on corruption, as if she is untainted and beyond reproach, when the observable fact is that she and her husband have been involved in almost every conceivable government project and transaction that involves billions of pesos. "We should not accept the President as the destiny of our nation. We have to manifest our total discomfort and rejection of her corrupt ways," Villanueva said. ***** wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Building a Peace Library Dear Mr. Abaya, Our kids are lucky. They only worry about grades, tutorials and where to go for gimmicks. The growth of a pimple is magnified to the level of cancer. However, strife-torn kids in Zamboanga City, Basilan and Sulu worry and pray that they at least get one meal a day; and that the kidnapping and military operations will stop so their schools will open. Christian children worry about being kidnapped on the way to school. Their Muslim classmates, who are suspected to be children of the Abu Sayyaf, pray that they not be abducted by Christians to force their fathers into releasing their victims. This situation will worsen as extreme poverty drives more people into criminality. Kidnapping there is so common that ransom money is down to P9,000. Seeing our mixed Christian - Muslim community turn into an Abu Sayyaf lair, we've decided to help stop Abu Sayyaf kids from taking after their fathers' criminal activities. For seven years now, we have been bringing books and holding medical missions in Barangay Manicahan, Zamboanga City. Manicahan is about a mile away from Sacol Island, where three teachers were kidnapped recently. The only effective way to stop war and kidnapping is to provide poor Mindanao kids with good education so they will grow up to become productive citizens. Thus, I enjoin you to help us build the first Kristiyano-Islam (KrIs) Peace Library to give poor students a place to discover that there is a better way of making a living other than criminality and terrorism. This summer, we will be holding tutorials, computer training and livelihood seminars at the KrIs Library. Please donate school materials, toys and books which we'll use to entice students into going to the KrIs Library. Help us transform lives this summer by also disseminating our message through your newspapers, blogs and E-Groups. For inquiries, our contact numbers are 09195897879/ 09178127932/ 3393732/ 7992745. Do check out our book-donation program at www.sattisfaction.blogspot.com. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected]. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |
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