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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Boycott!
By Antonio C. Abaya Written May 08, 2007 For the Standard Today, May 10, 2007 In my article GAGO versus TUTA (April 29), I had written that �I will vote only for those senatorial candidates who will take strong and unequivocal positions in favor of birth control (including but not limited to artificial methods, I hasten to add) and against political dynasties. Everything else is fluff.� In the ten days since, it has become clear to me that both the candidates and Philippine media that lean on them to reveal their stands on the issues of the day are concerned only with fluff. Both the candidates and Philippine media are not interested in the core issues that determine the future of this country Instead, both the candidates and Philippine media gorge themselves on legal and constitutional fluff on the suspension of a corrupt opposition Metro Manila mayor who cannot account for Pl.l billion in municipal funds, on the qualifications or lack thereof of dozens of party-list groups that have proliferated like the proverbial mushrooms, on so far unsubstantiated allegations that the machinery for cheating (by the administration) is in place, on the ultimate fate of several obviously nuisance candidates. But neither the candidates nor Philippine media are concerned that, based on the current growth rate of 1.95% per annum, our population of 88 million will double to about 176 million by the year 2037, and to about 352 million by the year 2067. I suppose these projections are too far into the future for myopic candidates and equally short-sighted media persons. But unless new social policies are set in place SOON, the Philippines that our children and grandchildren will inherit and grow up in will be more unmanageable and chaotic than the Philippines we are bequeathing to them now. As far as I know, no senatorial candidate has seen fit to declare his or her position on population control, either out of fear of the alleged power of the Roman Catholic bishops, or out of a personal conviction that it is a non-issue. And media has indulged this moral cowardice and this blind ignorance by not pressing for unequivocal positions from those who have the gall to present themselves as prospective law-makers of the republic. The picture is slightly clearer on the matter of political dynasties. At least the Philippine Daily Inquirer tabled a summary of the candidates� positions on political dynasties in its Talk of the Town section of May 6. But one has to ask, how many readers will take the trouble of reading the necessarily fine print which the format requires to fit all the 29 senatorial candidates� position in half a broadsheet page. For those who care, let me group the senatorial candidates into Wishy-Washy, Non-Committal or Unequivocal.. The following gave wishy-washy or downright rejectionist answers on whether to pass an anti-dynasty law: Edgardo Angara (TU), Joker Arroyo (TU), Alan Peter Cayetano (GO), Michael Defensor (TU), Vicente Magsaysay (TU), Tessie Aquino-Oreta (TU), John Henry Osmena (GO), Koko Pimentel (GO), Ralph Recto (TU), Luis Chavit Singson (GO), Vic Sotto (GO), Antonio Trillanes (Ind), Manuel Villar (GO), and Miguel Zubiri (TU). Some gave the example of the Kennedy and Bush families in the US to justify political dynasties here, oblivious to the fact that feudalism is not a socio-political problem in the US , but is a major problem here. Others justified their position on the basis of �Let the people decide.� But why can�t the presumptive representatives of the people decide? Probably because ten of the 14 individuals above are already members of political dynasties, and one (Pimentel) is on the verge of establishing one. By my yardstick, they are out of my sample ballot. The following senatorial candidates gave non-committal answers: Nikki Coseteng (GO), Francis Chiz Escudero (GO), and Francisco Kiko Pangilinan (LP). The following were unequivocally supportive of an anti-dynasty law: Benigno Noynoy Aquino (GO), Martin Bautista (KP), Richard Gomez (Ind), Gregorio Honasan (Ind), Jamalul Kiram (TU), Panfilo Ping Lacson (GO), Loren Legarda (GO), Cesar Montano (TU), Zosimo Jess Paredes (KP), Prospero Pichay (TU), Sonia Roco (GO), Adrian Sison (KP). By coincidence, these individuals are exactly 12, the number of Senate seats being contested. Not by coincidence, they � with the exception of Noynoy Aquino � are not members of any existing political dynasty.. Are they then the candidates whom I will vote for on May 14? Not necessarily. The other half of my yardstick was /is: they must espouse a strong position in favor of population control, including but not limited to the use of artificial methods of birth control. In the absence of any media coverage of their positions on this important issue, I do not know where they stand. Hopefully, the Philippine Daily Inquirer will do a similar summary on May 12 or 13. But this early, it can be safely assumed that Noynoy Aquino will not take such a position, because he is a �good Catholic,� totally under the influence of his mother, Tita Cory, the walking saint of Philippine politics.. Neither will Jamalul Kiram, because he is a �good Muslim.� And neither will Martin Bautista, Zosimo Paredes and Adrian Sison, Their Ang Kapatiran Party prides itself that it is the only party with a platform, and its platform is explicitly based �on the social teachings of the Church,� including a �Pro-Life� orientation that rejects any and all forms of artificial methods of birth control. If I have assumed incorrectly, I apologize. I do not mind being proven wrong. So are Richard Gomez, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Cesar Montano, Prospero Pichay and Sonia Roco in my pared down list of candidates for the Senate? Not necessarily. At this point, the imponderables and the intangibles intrude into one�s judgment. I do not think Richard Gomez and Cesar Montano are qualified for the position they are seeking They should best run for mayor or congressman first and show what they can do at that level, before running for a higher position. Lastly, I am enormously scandalized that, according to the watchdog Pera�t Politika, ten days before Election Day, Prospero Pichay has already spent P159 million on television ads alone, the highest for any senatorial candidate, to try and win an office that pays only P35,000 a month. It�s not only TV ads. He apparently has a well oiled and well funded PR machine that makes the rounds of the newspaper offices every day with their praise releases. Every day, without fail, it is Pichay this and Pichay that in the newspapers. Something is truly rotten in the state of Philippine politics, and it is spelled B-I-G M-O-N-E-Y. It is overkill, Pichay, and, as far as I am concerned, it is killing you, politically. So will it be Gregorio Honasan ( Ind ), Panfilo Lacson (GO), Loren Legarda (GO) and Sonia Roco (GO) in my ballot? Not necessarily. I have yet to read what their positions are on population and birth control, hopefully over the weekend, if Philippine media can gather enough common sense to press the candidates on this important issue If not, well then, I will exercise my final option, BOYCOTT!. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org or acabaya.blogspot.com.. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |