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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Democratic Solutions By Antonio C. Abaya Written Feb. 08, 2005 For the Manila Standard February 10 issue When my wife and I were running the Erehwon chain of bookshops (1962-1988), one of our best customers was an unassuming colonel in the AFP named Jose Almonte who, from the piles of books he often bought from us, must have been the resident intellectual in Camp Aguinaldo, Malacanang or UP Diliman (where he was concurrently director of its Institute of Advanced Studies or something with an impressive-sounding name like that). When President Marcos declared martial law in September 1972, one of the first things I did was to telephone Col. Almonte and ask if there were plans to close down Erehwon and/or put us under arrest, since we were probably the only book chain in Metro Manila then that carried books and periodicals from the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, Cuba and North Korea. Col. (he was later promoted to brigadier general) Almonte assured us that Erewhon was not going to be closed down and we were not going to be arrested. He merely suggested that we remove from our shelves four or five titles that attacked the Marcos family or detailed how to stage a coup d�etat (including the Penguin edition of Edward Luttwak�s classic on how to do it, which obviously Gringo Honasan never got to read.) Months later, when an Air Force captain bought a copy of Quotations of Mao Tse-tung and specifically asked for a receipt (we always issued receipts, anyway), my wife thought, this is it, they�re really going to close down Erehwon. When I narrated this incident to Col. Almonte, he assured me that he was the one who had sent the captain to Erehwon to buy Mao, whose writings they were studying at the National Defense College, and he asked for a receipt because he wanted to be reimbursed for the purchase. Although he was always in civvies when he visited Erehwon, he was in full combat fatigues when my wife ran into him at the airport. He was on his way to Vietnam, to join the Philippine non-combat contingent there. �Nahuli mo ako,� he jokingly confessed. One may disagree with some of what Gen. Almonte did or said or wrote, but there is no doubt that the man has a first-rate mind and an uncommon eloquence that one would be hard put to find in any military organization anywhere in the world. This is by way of introducing the following excerpts from a speech, intriguingly titled �Can the Philippines deal with its problems democratically?� delivered by Gen. Almonte last Jan. 18 before members of the Foundation for Economic Freedom, an NGO organized by former President Fidel V. Ramos (and Gen. Almonte?) with a decidedly pro-free trade and pro-globalization agenda. My comments are in bold face and parentheses: I. AN ONSET OF CULTURAL PESSIMISM �Three and a half years into her rule, President Arroyo has yet to relieve Filipinos of their despair about our country�s prospects�So far, she has failed to deploy the moral power latent in the Presidency, which alone can elicit the civic commitment of citizens. �So far, she has been little more than the consummate politician � whose first obligation is to those who had paved her way to power. (Such as Angelo Reyes? ACA). Mrs. Arroyo has accumulated many political debts indeed. �Meanwhile, we Filipinos seem so overwhelmed by our political and economic crises that some among us no longer believe we can overcome. Particularly, our young people seem to feel this nation lacks the capacity and the will to win the future�..such that their overwhelming ambition seems to be only to migrate to some less benighted country while some of their elders, who really should know better, are beginning either to call for armed revolution, or to voice their longing for an �honest (?) dictatorship.� �Even the Philippine Church now describes Filipinos as a �wounded people.� �Indeed, I�m beginning to discern among us the beginnings of �cultural pessimism� � the moral exhaustion and hopelessness about the communal future that makes people indifferent to anything else but their own salvation�.. �What are Filipinos pessimistic about? �As you know better than I do, our economy is being (�has been� would be more accurate. ACA) left behind by its vigorous neighbors in the world�s fastest growing region. There apparently has been virtually no improvement (an average of about 3.1% GDP growth per annum, or only slightly faster than our population growth rate. ACA) in the living standards for the average Filipino since the 1970s! �And instead of goods, we are exporting work-people�.to become hewers of wood, and drawers of water (as well as dancing girls) for more fortunate peoples. �Certainly the fault lines in our electoral democracy are widening. *The Philippine State is too weak to defend people�s constitutional rights or to prevent their abuse. (The weakness is not institutional, but personal, e.g. the weakness of PGMA to prosecute wrongdoers among her political backers. ACA) *We cannot take for granted the supremacy of civilian authority over the military. *Even petty bureaucrats enjoy wide discretion, whether to award advantage or to inflict penalties. *Poverty levels remain high and a great gap in lifestyles makes �two nations� of our rich and (our) poor��� �Meanwhile, cultural pessimism will induce a tidal wave of migration among our best and brightest�..While those of us who stay home will more and more harbor an inward-looking kind of nationalism. We Filipinos will tend more and more to blame our frustrations on the intrigue of foreigners � and define our uniqueness in opposition to whoever becomes the dominant power.� (Unlike the communists, who blame our failures on American imperialism, the conditionalities of the IMF and World Bank, and the greed of the oligarchs and bureaucrat-capitalists, I put the blame on poor leadership and wrong choices in economic strategies. See my article �Why Are We Poor?� Dec. 14, 2004.) �Renewed spells of strongman rule will always be a liability. But, in my view, the more immediate problem is �democratic exhaustion� (emphasis his) � the erosion of confidence in elected officials. II. OUR BASIC PROBLEM IS A FAILURE OF GOVERNMENT. (Emphasis his, and I agree entirely with the proposition.) Gen. Almonte then trots out the results of competitiveness surveys done by the Swiss International Institute of Management Development or IIMD: In 2004, the Philippines is ranked the second least competitive in Asia, better only than Indonesia. Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, even India, did better. This is the fifth straight year of decline for the Philippines: 35th in a field of 60 in 2000, 40th in 2002, 49th in 2003. The Philippines was ranked the worst of the 60 countries in terms of basic infrastructure, teacher-pupil-ratio, pollution control, and the ability to transport goods to market. It was rated 52nd in business legislation and institutional framework, and has dropped from 38th to 42nd in government efficiency. But the IIMD ranked us 1st � among the 60 countries � in the availability of skilled workers, 3rd in the availability of senior managers, 4th in people skilled in information and computer technology, 10th in accounting and financial skills, and 12th in qualified engineers. �Our competitive weaknesses lie in prevalence of tax evasion, our poor infrastructure, and the level of corruption in government. In corruption, the IIMD ranks us second from the bottom. �IN SHORT, THE IIMD REPORT CONFIRMS WHAT EVERY FILIPINO KNOWS FULL WELL. Our country�s strengths are PEOPLE STRENGTH. But our country�s weaknesses are government weaknesses. �Our work people, our senior managers, and our information-and-computer technology (people) are among the best in the world. The BLOCK to our global competitiveness is government. And it is government which must shape up if we Filipinos are to compete successfully in the world.� (So what is the solution? Because of space constraints, I must put Almonte�s solution in a second article, along with my comments on that solution. ACA.). ***** Reactions to [email protected] or fax 824-7642. Other articles in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Democratic Solutions� Tony - I used to hang out at Erehwon - that was 35 years ago!- I didnt know you were the Abaya that owned it. In fact, when I received my first salary - all I did was I used the proceeds to purchase specific books in your store in Makati. Now I have Amazon and B&N! In Padre Faura -who was the guy who opened the CIA-supported bookstore? Manuel Tiangha, [email protected] February 13, 2005 MY REPLY. Frankie Sionil Jose? wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for this � I am looking forward to your 2nd. article. Regards. Brian Harber, [email protected] February 13, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya : Gen. Almonte's speecn and your comments are encapsulated in this phrase at the end of Gen. Almonte's speech : "Our country�s strengths are PEOPLE STRENGTH. But our country�s weaknesses are government weaknesses." You know this, we know this - it seems everyone knows this except those whom we elect. As one of those the general has referred to as being afflicted with ".....discern among us the beginnings of �cultural pessimism� � the moral exhaustion and hopelessness about the communal future that makes people indifferent to anything else but their own salvation�.." I am certainly eager to read the sequel to your article in hopes of finding any tiny glimmer of light at the end of a tunnel which I perceive is an endless downward cycle for our country and our people - likewise hope that that tiny speck of light at the end of that tunnel is not an oncoming train. With cordial regards. Tony Elicano, [email protected] February 13, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww To be well run, the Philippines should be under dictatorship. Marilu Soriano, [email protected] February 13, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, We have embraced a government that is "for the people, of the people, and by the people." And although he might be capable of it, I do not think Gen. Almonte is going to plan for a government that is for the people, of the people, and by the Military, considering his training and background. That is why I forwarded his speech to this forum some weeks ago. And now you have written about it for discussion, perhaps. Like you, I accept that "OUR BASIC PROBLEM IS A FAILURE OF GOVERNMENT." However, I cannot quite comprehend his conclusion that "Our country's strengths are PEOPLE STRENGTH. But our country's weaknesses are government weaknesses." If government is run by Filipinos who belong to the people, how can they not posses the strengths of the rest of the people? Is there something that happens to people who find themselves suddenly as part of those that govern? Is there such a transformation in people after they take their oaths of office? Or is it perhaps similar to a common observation that we've had that the average Filipino behaves differently under certain conditions. For example, the Manila-conditioned driver, becomes a model driver as soon as he enters the Clark or Subic areas. Someone here mentioned about the different behaviour of Filipinas at the Japanese airport as contrasted to their behaviour when they disembark at our NAIA. Or about the excellent performance of our home-grown managers when they are hired to do their thing in other countries. By and large, I think we know the principles of governance. However, when we apply it to ourselves, we seem to freeze on our tracks and do something else. I do not have an explanation for what is called the "crab mentality" of Filipinos. But, a long time ago, I read an article about our "damaged culture", which might be of help in explaining the psychological or even cultural pinnings of our governance problem. At the moment, I can only refer to the Jaycee Creed which as a young man, I used to recite every time we started our weekly meetings, which goes this way: "That faith in God gives meaning and purpose to human life; That the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereignty of nations; That economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise; That government should be of laws rather than of men; That earth's great treasure lies in human personality; And that service to humanity is the best work of life." Our laws have become practically ineffective because we have not relied on them to create an ordered society. Each time we find ourselves in situations where a law or rules have been violated, we fall back on personal relationships, especially of the extended family type to gain some exemptions or even lighter penalties. Probably this explains why I am trying to bring Talsik closer to the Office of the Ombudsman, in order for our members to influence the officials there to do the jobs that they have been assigned to do. What has happened is that only those trying to ease their penalties or have their cases dismissed have been approaching the Ombudsman. They that use company or personal vehicles to ferry the Ombudsman to exotic places for a round of golf are monopolizing his attention. Talsik members have the potential to improve on the "by the people" portion of our Republican government. I will have to explain this in my next posting. Have a nice day! Tet Gambito, [email protected] February 14, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww In a society where approximately 80% of the population live below the poverty line, being rich in the Philippines is like an Armani-fitted voyeur watching poverty making love with corruption, tax evasion and other crimes. Outside that room, an army of scalawags and misfits in government enthusiastically sell tickets to unassuming Filipinos for the last full show of the "Political and Socio-economic Orgy". If one were to have a mission of changing the debauched theatrics, the radical way would be to burn the building just as Sodom and Gomorrah was struck with fire. I can not approve of that. However, I do believe in creative destruction - out with the old, in with the new! Philippines needs an intelligent leadership with a unified vision to reinvent the country for national renewal and global competitiveness. To achieve such grand vision, the following may have to be relentlessly carried out: Professionalization of Government. Gubernatorial, congressional, senatorial, executive, and cabinet positions should be filled based on merit and qualifications. In the private sector, a lowly clerk is a college graduate and no one within an organization is indispensable. In government agencies, a clerk is a civil-service eligible by virtue of his passing the civil-service examination. Ironically, a high-school drop-out Presidentiable, from a professional parameter, is definitely unpresidentiable. He probably would not even qualify for a clerical position. Likewise, military should be diversified by also hiring professional managers instead of just traditionally hiring from the Philippine Military Academy. Infusion of new blood brings about a different kind of culture. The bottom line is we need efficient, well-functioning institutions that set the framework or the enabling environment for the private sector to prosper. They say, "If pro is the opposite of con, does that mean that congress is the opposite of progress?" Progress indeed, seems to be the antonym of Philippine Congress. Through a college activity a couple of years ago, I was extremely disappointed to see non-listening and worst, sleeping, sleepy, or absent congressmen and congresswomen while congress was in session. I believe, Congress can actually make a huge difference if lawmakers themselves are capable. If government offices are full of inept celebrities and corrupt politicians, progress would remain in the realms of wishful thinking. Transformational Leadership. Changing the depraved spectacle requires a skilled "director" who can redo the work � the Jack Welch type of leader! Philippines needs a decisive leader of utmost integrity, a change agent who is imbued with a strong political will and the vision of a truly "Reinvented Philippines". Unfortunately, nothing significant has been done to transform the system of governance in this country. Managing an organization alone is a very complex and daunting task. Leading a country teeming with all kinds of problems not to mention a population of 80M people is definitely a gargantuan responsibility. We definitely need a leader bigger than the responsibility itself. Focus on and further development of country�s competencies. More deregulation, privatization, and liberalization should be carried out and be managed accordingly. Tourism and service industries should further be developed in view of its strong potential in the global market. As global companies abroad are pressured to improve their bottom lines, business process outsourcing and shared services become the new direction for most of these world-class companies. Philippines is very well equipped to be the strategic hub for backroom operations of those global companies from various industries. Devolution of national powers to government units. Devolution of powers to local government units should be done with a great deal of integrity to the system matched with capability building. This would necessitate active participation of non-government organizations (NGOs) and people�s organizations (POs) to establish the important checks and balances. Performance Management System. Government agencies and officials should be subjected to annual constituent polls and quarterly performance appraisal respectively. Just because officials are elected does not mean they can not be fired. If this can not be done by law, then the constitution should be amended. Proactive and world-class education. Curricula from elementary to university should reflect the new vision for the country. Knowledge and skills relevant in the age of globalization should be given more emphasis. Education is vital in evolving a culture of genuine patriotism on one hand, and competitiveness on the other. Revenue Collection. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) are allegedly two (2) of the most corrupt government agencies. I thought that privatizing BIR and breaking it to many parts would significantly increase revenue collection. On the other hand, Auditors of top 1000 corporations should likewise be subjected to periodic process reviews. Communications and Transparency Programs. Reinventing the Philippine society requires changing the culture of governance altogether. Likewise, culture of corruption is too prevalent that a communication plan has to be in place in order for everyone to be vigilant on one hand and own the vision of new and reinvented Philippines on the other. We should even implement "Operation Scorpion" just like in South Africa (anti-corruption squad with huge powers). Constituent satisfaction surveys and performance results of the executive branch, senate, congress, different government agencies and local government units have to be disclosed to the people. International Policy. Lastly, Philippines has to adopt an international policy that would align it more to Asia than anywhere else in the world. With the increasing importance of China and India in the global business landscape, I believe there are tremendous opportunities for Philippines to forge mutually beneficial relationships with its neighbors from socio-economic, political, and security standpoints more than anywhere else in the world. The next time around, I visualize the infamous national theater transformed to a reality show entitled, "Catch Me if You Can" � the amazing race between poverty and the rich man. Leonardo DeCaprio will hesitate to join because no acting is required. Comments I wrote in the Orkut Community just before the elections: It is regretful to see this country, with so much individual potential is overcome by collective defeat. I think that one fundamental ingredient is missing among Filipinos . . . it is a common sense of purpose and direction. Why do you think parochial-minded corrupt politicians prevail and perpetuate a system that breeds incompetence and massive graft in government service? Why do you think someone as uninitiated as a high-school drop out with no more than an acting nomination in his resume� can be a major contender for the presidency? This is all because as a people we lack a collective sense of purpose. We go in all sorts of direction and hide under the veil of democratic freedom! Are we really exercising democratic freedom? It seems that democratic freedom has long been buried in this country and has resurrected in the adulterated �pro-poor� or �maka-masa� view. It is the false allegiance to the poor that has derailed national development. Politicians, in a desperate effort to win votes of the masses have "patronized" the poor so much that they have created an election economy. It is only during elections that you see the po or regain their pride as a voter . . . or shall we say �value� as a voter! They pin their hopes on a candidate who allegedly �feels their pain� and gives them empty promises. But then again, the poor are probably better at finance than any of us. They have zero investment (not to mention zero tax contributions) yet, they benefit most during elections from free food to allowances and not to mention the price tag on their votes . . . Compare this with salaried professionals whose taxes oil this economy. Before we even set eyes on our payslips, our hard-earned incomes have been taxed already. When will Filipinos realize that a self-prophesized pro-poor politician is no different from a leech, which assiduously clings on to his prey, and waits for the slow killing process. In fact, some politicians and government employees are more like vultures that keep watch over their prey and use their predatory instincts indiscriminately. Through all these, it is Juan dela Cruz who suffers and continues to be the �Sick Man of Asia�. If only we as a people will stand to do what it takes to move this country forward and re-gain our long-lost national esteem . . . if only politicians will stop thinking of how to enrich themselves and their cronies at the expense of taxpayers . . . if only the masses will realize that they have long been victims of this never-ending manipulation and oppression by politicians . . . then perhaps we will give justice to Ninoy�s famous line ; �Filipinos are worth dying for�. Norman Tilos, [email protected] February 14, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, GMA is the weakest link. No matter how strong is her cabinet team, it is still bound to fail, but not if situation is vice versa, which doesn't happen to a strong leader. However, before she will be 'voted out' (this or next year) as in 'SCQ' or 'star struck', someone viable and strong has to stand out from the present crop. Without disrespect to women, we really need a HE to lead and govern this nation. Two women leaders are more than enough sufferings for the Filipino people. As I have stated in the past, that person, we still don't know, but we can only speculate through the process of elimination. If we follow via the constitutional and legal process (e.g. impeachment, death or incapacitated), next in line is Kabayan (duh). Next is Drilon, so-so. Joe de V, sinusuka. Davide, reluctant but highly acceptable. Present 'dark horses': FVR, Roco, Villar, Lacson, in this particular order. How? The only feasible and acceptable method would be through a snap election (don't know how will it arrive at this situation). From the ranks of the opposition, I see no potential threat from the likes of FPJ or Erap, except for Susan Roces, who can be their rallying point and last hope to snatch the rein of government. However, as I've mentioned earlier, Cory and GMA proved to be both ineffective (as both allies and enemies run circles around them either wittingly or cluelessly). More so, with Susan at the helm. If we go by extra-constitutional method (e.g. 'kudeta'), God forbid, this becomes a free-for-all scenario on the road to perdition which every right-minded Filipino like you and me would vehemently detest. Let's see how JoeAl lays down his plan. One thing I'm sure he will FULLY agree with me is on the # 1 name on my list of 'dark horses'. Thanks. Rgds, Jerome Escobnedo, [email protected] February 16, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This is my reaction to your Manila Standard articles on Democratic Solutions. Please give me your address so I can send you my proposed solution for authoritive governance. On Democratic Solutions The secret of good governance is the enforcement and observance of the law strictly, consistently and equitably for all the governing and the governed. But this never happened in a copied representative political system under which we were being governed for almost 60 years. The system was so abused and mutilated that with our tolerance, our representative leaders perpetuated it to insure the perpetuation of their personal and political interests. In real good governance, the buck is said to stop at the table of the first of all representatives, the President. But in the more than half a century of governance, has any President caused the strict, consistent, equitable observance of the law by all the governing and the governed? Has the President exerted real substantial effort to stem the tide of graft and corruption despite the creation of presidential offices of whatever name to war against this national malady? For so long, we were confronted with security concerns, such as the insurgencies, arising from the endemic influence of corruption, injustice, injudicious enforcement of the law. These are manifestations of a loose system of representative governance calling for no other solution than the institution of authoritative governance through a revolutionary transition toward a disciplined national life. MGen. (Ret.) Fortunato Abat, [email protected] February 17, 2005 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |