JUST ONE question after reading your column: So what lies head of us? Is the end of the world our only salvation? Well, I am not too depressed because I have chosen to live here in Negros. You know, the distance helps in not being too affected by the seeming helplessness and hopelessness. If I were only young and single again, I can lead here a hedonistic life you will envy��� Rick Ramos. Bacolod City. [email protected] January 02, 2003 �������������������������������� I READ your interesting article about the future of the Philippines, the flaws of its political system and culture,and the many others societal problems adversely affecting the sustainable development of the country, and how diffcult it is to come out of this predicament for new presidents even with the best of intentions. You are 99 % right. I see with regret that not much has changed since my days in Manila "et plus on recommence plus c'est la m�me chose"! Let's hope the remaining 1% will give this time the Philippines a chance to get out of this mess with the help of those who are really caring about the future of this great country and the well-being of its people at large, and reposition the Philippines in the region where it belongs and where it was once. Decisive and lasting action is needed to launch a new era of prosperity. I wish well to the new President and all those willing to support him for the good of the country, even if harsh decisions and drastic reforms are needed. Decisive action is called for including a vision for the future, good governance, transparency, true dialogue between government and the society, accountability, but also firmness against all destructive forces which are paralysing the positive and constructive forces of changes and progress most of all within the political system for the common good (not for self-enrichment; "on vient, on se sert et puis on laisse la place � d'autres! Cette mentalit� doit changer! On doit r�apprendre le vrai sens du service public, redonner leur fiert� et un sens civique aux Philippins , construire patiemment une grande nation asiatique! Les ressources intellectuelles, humaines, naturelles, le capital, le march� sont l�"). I hope your messages will be heard and listened to, and will contribute to make the decisive changes the Phillipines need urgently for a better future! Cordialement. Paul Obrist. Paris, France. [email protected]. January 03, 2003 ����������������������������� AS I HAVE always maintained, the character of the Filipino is the culprit. Unless the Filipino changes in character, the Philippines is a hopeless case. You're right, get a Lee Kuan Yew to lead the Filipinos, and he will soon be so pissed off that he will leak on you. A leader can only be as good as the followers. A leader is not manna from heaven. A leader comes from the society. A rotten society can only produce rotten leaders. He who would effect meaningful changes should be only in, not of, the society. But he must be prepared to be crucified. And then when he is crucified, the people will disown him. . . if they will have failed to learn the lesson and thus remain as they were in the beginning. A new system of government to make it less susceptible to the rottenness that we see can only be planned and implemented by leaders and followers of a character different from that of the Filipino. Gras Reyes. [email protected]. January 03, 2003 ������������������������� >As incumbent president, GMA has formidable government resources at her >command, especially radio and television assets, that could be used to the >max by a clever and imaginative strategist (certainly not Dante Ang or >Linggoy Alcuaz). But, for the purposes of this article, let us assume that >Raul Roco wins in May 2004 and becomes the next president. Then what? All the problems you enumerate are pre-existing and would confront any leader, not only Roco. (Which is exactly what I wrote. ACA.) >After the honeymoon, a stormy marriage usually follows, and then a parting >of the ways. All in three years or less. And then, it s downhill all the >way. It is almost predictable, like a Greek tragedy. As it was with Cory >and Ramos and Erap and GMA, so will it be with Roco. Philippine political >culture and the Philippine political system make it so. Our presidents are >programmed for failure. The constitution specifically prohibits re-election of presidents, presumably to avoid politicking by an incumbent. With GMA that rule didn't apply, and we ended up precisely with a politicking president, from day one. Bad for the country and bad for GMA. Luckily she was smart enough to finally see it, but two years were wasted. How many decisions/appointments would have been different if she had operated under the no-run policy from the start? Would/could we be much better off today? We will only find out from now on whether she has the stuff to be a good president. GMA's case is extraordinary, as she just happened to slip through the otherwise firm no re-election rule. But calling all presidents programmed for failure is definitely premature and smacks of grasping for arguments in support of the parliamentary system. (Having tried the presidential system since 1935 and having not much to show for it, it is not premature to say that it has been a failure. ACA) You admire leaders who brought countries like Malaysia, Singapore, etc. out of the doldrums. This country also needs a tough SOB, but one who has the common good at his heart, if he exists. The way of discipline is the ONLY hope. (I agree that Discipline is the only hope. But if you have a discipline-minded president for six years only, who must then give way to a permissive one, and so on ad infinitum, you are always back to square one without getting anywhere. ACA.) Rule by committee and compromise, which the parliamentary system inevitably will be, is programmed to be a colossal failure, because it assures that we never even CAN come close to discipline, which is the only avenue to success. It will be another disaster and waste of how many years? Mahathir, LKY, etc. could never have done it if they had only been part of a committee. (Lee Kwan Yew and Mahathir operated under parliamentary systems, with its committees and compromises, yet they were able to enforce discipline because they convinced their people that national survival required it. And they lived blameless lives and led by example. Marcos also talked about discipline, and for two or three years, the Filipinos believed in him. But then he and his wife and his relatives and cronies became greedy and lost their credibility. And don�t forget the role of the communists in demonizing him. Parliamentary committees and compromises are not a drawback. Greed is. ACA.) It's not very smart to jump into the fire just because you are in the frying pan. (As Frederick the Great said, L�audace! Toujours, l�audace!. You prefer not to do anything and not change anything. Do not complain if you get nothing but More of the Same. ACA.) Peter Ritter. [email protected]. January 03, 2003 ����������������������������� HEY TONY, ok ito. But just the same, better to laugh than to cry. Happy New Year pa rin! Mahar Mangahas. [email protected]. January 04, 2003 ���������������������������� (Through [email protected]). OF ALL the names mentioned as possible successors to GMA, Senator Lacson is the most likely to follow in the footsteps of Lee Kwan Yew. Lacson has openly admired Lee. I remember reading a news item about his statement several months ago wherein Ping hinted that if he becomes president, he would transform the Philippines into a Singapore: a disciplined and prosperous nation that's rid of the Communists and other subversives that have dragged this country down to the dumps. Wouldn't that be nice if he'd really do that? Among the "presidentiables", only Lacson has the temperament and the necessary ruthlessness to achieve this feat. He will not hesitate to clamp down on "freedom of the press" which - I agree - has been used by the communists and their allies to foment civil discontent. He will not balk at banning these labor unions, student organizations, and other communist front organizations which have contributed nothing but chaos and political instability, scaring away foreign investors. Lacson will not think twice about amending the constitution to extend his term from 6 years to however long it will take for him to turn this country around. Sen. Lacson even has the guts to confront the mighty Roman Catholic Church on the issue of birth control. Roco, by comparison, is too much of a civil libertarian to be able to make these hard decisions without getting paralyzed. As Mr. Abaya astutely pointed out in his column, Roco will be quickly turned into mince meat by the media, civil society, traditional politicians, the Church, the Communists, the Muslim secessionists, and the other forces in Philippine society that routinely gang up on the president to ensure his eventual failure. Panfilo Lacson - by virtue of his military training and experience - will not be as weak-kneed as Roco in dealing with these threats. So, why not Lacson for president? He is certainly smarter and better educated than Erap, his former boss. The naysayers will point to Ping's "alleged" involvement in the illegal drug trade as a major issue against him. Well, the last time I checked, Lacson has not been convicted of any of the charges hurled against him. These are merely allegations that have yet to be proved in a court of law. Lacson remains a Filipino citizen in good standing, a senator of the Republic no less. Besides, all the other "presidentiables" have issues dangling over their heads as well. Raul Roco himself has been implicated in shenanigans while he was a Cabinet officer overseeing the Dept of Education. Like Lacson, these accusations against Roco have never been proved to be true, but that's just the point. All Filipino politicians - without exception - are routinely smeared by their opponents, made to look like Satan Incarnate. I say we take another good look at Senator Lacson, the Filipino Lee Kwan Yew. Janet Issa. [email protected] January 03, 2003 MY REPLY. I will �take another good look at Senator Lacson, the Filipino Lee Kwan Yew� AFTER he is cleared by courts of law of the charges of perjury, wire-tapping, money laundering, drug trafficking and murder. Lee Kwan Yew was never accused of any of these crimes. ���������������������������� (Through [email protected]) in a sense i believe tony abaya is right, andra. if its a one-term presidency, then it should at least be for 8 or 10 years. we could also get to save on the emotional strains of politiking and election expenses this way =) . and that's not even bringing the nat-dem folks into the picture yet! = Eben Ramos. Cebu City. [email protected]. January 03, 2003 �������������������������� I REALLY COULD not understand why GMA has to resign in order to govern well. I find no connection between resigning and governing well. The reasons being peddled are lame. One reason is that she is resigning to put an end to political skirmishing. (Who said GMA resigned? She merely announced that she was not running for a second term in 2004. That�s not the same as resigning or quitting. ACA.) Our country is a democracy. Political skirmishing is always going to be with us. We have had more vicious political skirmishing in the past. It is part and parcel of the democratic process. As we can see for ourselves, political skirmishing has not ceased with GMA's announcement not to run in 2004. (Political skirmishing is part of the democratic process, I agree. But the organized and methodical demolition carried out by communist fronts against the president, whoever he or she may be, is not �political skirmishing� but classic Leninist agitprop calculated to make people lose confidence in the president and the government, to drive away domestic and foreign investors, to magnify conflicts where they exist and create them where they don�t, to bring about insurrectionary conditions to pave the way for their socialist revolution and the allegedly inevitable triumph of Communism. ACA.) I think GMA's quitting has something to do more with the intensifying accusations of graft and corruption against the people around her including her husband. I have seen for myself how graft and corruption occur in the highest levels of government. I find some of the accusations, the denials and the body language of those involved to be pointing to some truth. I am convinced that a thorough investigation would yield something. GMA's quitting would spare her people from further investigations. Raul Roco or anyone else with similar qualifications can succeed as president. Cory Aquino has failed because despite her sincerity, honesty and dedication she simply has had no adequate preparation for the position. Fidel Ramos has been succeeding during the first three years of his term until the ill-advised cha-cha has forced everything to a halt. Fidel Ramos can still be credited with removing some of the more enduring shackles of our economy. Erap, the criminally inclined ignoramus you say, has had no chance right from the start. I completely agree with you that he should have been prevented from running at all. GMA could have succeeded with her all the goodwill behind. Her mistake is adopting trapoism as her main strategy for 2004. Instead of attacking head on with serious strategies and programs the problems of poverty, graft and corruption and criminality, she has preoccupied herself with generating inconsequential pogi points, sidestepping vested interests and courting major powerbrokers. This has made her unpopular, with nothing to show to the people at the end of the day. I have been telling her people this but they are simply convinced that trapoism is the way to go. It is late in the day but I hope they know better now. We should not be distracted by trivial issues and the noise they generate from mass media. They do not serve as an indicator of whether a president is doing well or not. We should look more at what the president is actually doing. GMA blames bad press for her troubles, but she has not been performing well either. Her good deeds would have spoken more eloquently. (It is easy to say that �we should not be distracted�.by the noises they generate from mass media.� But if the bad-news media concentrates on the bad news on a daily and nightly basis, even Jesus Christ would be crucified all over again if he were president of this country. ACA.) This is the case during the first three years of Fidel Ramos. Criticisms would simply bounced off him because of his solid accomplishments. His initial success could have emboldened him to attempt a second term. Cha-cha has ruined everything for him until now. He is not trusted and revered as a past president. The prescriptions to our problems are with us. A qualified President like Fidel Ramos, GMA or Raul Roco can do it in six years. As we have seen with Ramos and GMA, the only impediment to their success has been themselves and not any external reason. Roco, if he avoids Ramos' and GMA's self-inflicted failures, can certainly do it and all in six years or less. The key it seems is simply selfless servitude and doing justice to the public trust. (Name me one country in this part of the world and in our era � or even in other regions and other eras � which was able to metamorphose from a Third World country into an economic tiger, in only six years. ACA) Gico Dayanghirang. Davao City. [email protected]. January 04, 2003 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |
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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Even Roco Would Fail By Antonio C. Abaya December 15, 2002 Eighteen months before the scheduled presidential elections of 2004, a funeral dirge is being sounded for the GMA government, perhaps prematurely, and media is all agog over who the most likely successor will be to President Gloria Arroyo. Public opinion surveys, so far, indicate that the strongest candidates are Raul Roco and Fernando Poe Jr., followed by Noli de Castro and Panfilo Lacson, with GMA trailing the bunch as Beedlebum. I have written in this space earlier that Roco is the most attractive alternative to GMA, but I also believe that it is too early to write off President Arroyo. (This article was written and submitted for publication 15 days before GMA announced on December 30 that she was not running for re-election in 2004.) As incumbent president, GMA has formidable government resources at her command, especially radio and television assets, that could be used to the max by a clever and imaginative strategist (certainly not Dante Ang or Linggoy Alcuaz). But, for the purposes of this article, let us assume that Raul Roco wins in May 2004 and becomes the next president. Then what? ***** Like all newly elected presidents, President Roco would be given a 100-day honeymoon by the wise men and women of Philippine media. (Erap was given less, but then criminally inclined ignoramuses should not have been allowed to run for the office, in the first place.) After the honeymoon, a stormy marriage usually follows, and then a parting of the ways. All in three years or less. And then, it�s downhill all the way. It is almost predictable, like a Greek tragedy. As it was with Cory and Ramos and Erap and GMA, so will it be with Roco. Philippine political culture and the Philippine political system make it so. Our presidents are programmed for failure. In the first place, the six-year presidential term mandated by our Constitution is too short for anyone to make meaningful changes in our politics, our economy and our culture. Not even Lee Kwan Yew or Dr. Mahathir Mohamad could have worked miracles in Singapore or Malaysia, respectively, if they had been limited to only six years in power. Even if Raul Roco were to favor a shift to the parliamentary system of government, he as putative president elected in 2004 would not be allowed, by his rivals for 2010, to take part in the 2010 parliamentary elections as he will be seen to enjoy an unfair advantage over them. We have seen this defensive posture by the outs in earlier moves to restore a second presidential term or to shift to a parliament, and there is no reason to believe it will not be raised again in the future. So, unless we move to a parliamentary system before the 2004 elections (very unlikely) or the 2004 elections are postponed to give way to charter change (also very unlikely), Roco will be another lackluster president, the latest in our line of lackluster presidents, a prisoner of the six-year presidential term, programmed for failure by the political system and the prevailing political culture. ***** That may sound too harsh and pessimistic, but consider the constants of our political culture: after the honeymoon period is over, fault-finding and daily criticism of growing intensity from our bad-news media that find no good in anyone or anything connected with the government. And the loudest and most strident attacks always come from the communist movement which will never be content unless and until a communist president or prime minister sits in Malacanang, even if it means installing the last communist government on God�s earth.. How would President Roco, for example, respond to a demand for a hefty increase in the minimum wage as the economy careens out of control as a result of, say, another war in the Persian Gulf? If he gives in to the demands of the communist KMU, many factories and offices would be forced to close shop; if he refuses, he would be savaged with strikes and welgas ng bayan. If he tries to straddle a middle ground, he would still be denounced by communist militants as an oppressor of the poor, tuta of the IMF, etc. And all the bad-mouthing will be gleefully played up by the bad-news media The same reactions would hound him if he were to face, as he inevitably will, demands to roll back the prices of gasoline, power and/or water or to deny any increases thereof. The same lose/lose choices would face him and his government as communist militants, who have never managed even a sari-sari store in their lives, suddenly become instant experts on the financial complexities of a petrochemical complex, an electric power plant or a metropolitan water distribution network, and are given wide publicity by the bad-news media, either out of residual or full-blown sympathy for the communist movement, or because they delight in skewering a beleaguered government as that would mean more newspapers sold and more listeners and viewers enticed to their radio and TV outlets. And suppose the Jamaah Islamiyah proceed with their plan to annex the southern parts of the Philippines for their pan-Islamic state, how would President Roco respond to the challenge? If he accepts American help for the stumblebum AFP, the communists and their allies in media and the clergy would pillory him for compromising the sovereignty of the republic. If he rejects American help, the Christian majority in Mindanao would likely threaten to secede from the republic. Another lose/lose choice in Roco�s future. And it is not just the communist movement.. Many non-communist malcontents have learned precious lessons from the communists on how to unnerve a president, and President Roco will be no exception. Let Roco install a reformer head of a corrupt agency or department, and the corrupt bureaucrats will rally the rank-and-file employees, many of whom are members of the communist front COURAGE, to go on strike against the reformer. It has happened several times under GMA; it will happen again under Roco. Soon the Armed Forces chief-of-staff may become a revolving-door position lasting no more than four weeks for each general as President Roco tries to accommodate every senior general or face the whispered threat of a coup d�etat, played up by the bad-news media, from those who would be left out of the charade. In the meantime, kidnap-for-ransom gangs, Muslim secessionists, communist rebels, smugglers and drug traffickers would have a field day rocking the boat as the military and police get more embroiled in the question of who will be AFP-COS the next month than in maintaining public order. And don�t forget the Catholic bishops on the matter of artificial methods of birth control, the radical environmentalists on clean air and garbage, the Erap and Marcos loyalists, the unelectable political meddlers like Montayre and Saycon, the RAM and the YOU and the Guardians, the unrepentant failed coup plotters, the displaced sidewalk vendors, the colorum bus operators, the squatters under demolition, the Pepsi 349 claimants, etc all of whom have strong, non-negotiable positions which they will acrimoniously promote through demos, street action, walk-outs, strikes, street theatre, TROs, fighting manifestoes, �prayer vigils,� screaming newspaper adverts, etc. all of which are given wide publicity by the bad-news media and contribute to an impression of constant chaos and endless conflicts. And on top of all this, the bad-news media with guns-for-hire columnists, editors and headline writers who think nothing of dropping innuendoes, disinformation, half-truths, outright lies, deliberate exaggerations, malicious rumors, unfounded allegations, unproven and unproveable accusations, none of which result in the arrest, trial or conviction of anyone, only in the public�s loss of confidence in the president and the government (which is the real goal), and all done in the name of absolute freedom of the press. In such a cannibalistic environment, even Superman Lee Kwan Yew would be eaten alive and fail. What more a brilliant but not extraordinary politician like Raul Roco? ***** The bulk of this article appears in the January 6, 2003 issue of the Philippine Weekly Graphic magazine. |
| (Through CebuPolitics egroup) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eben Ramos" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 12:22 AM Subject: [CebuPolitics] Re: Even Roco Would Fail janet issa writes: > > Eben, > > The title of this thread is "Even Roco Would Fail", based on Antonio > Abaya's very insightful column. His whole point - which I agree with - is > that Even a leader like Raul Roco Would Fail because he is trapped inside > this cannibalistic system of ours known as liberal democracy which ensures > that the President, whoever he/she might be, will become inutile in the > face of relentless attacks from the formidable enemies of state such as > the Communists, Muslim terrorists, trapos, media, etc etc. This is what > Abaya wrote: > > "After the honeymoon, a stormy marriage usually follows, and then a > parting of the ways. All in three years or less. And then, it's downhill > all the way. It is almost predictable, like a Greek tragedy. As it was > with Cory and Ramos and Erap and GMA, so will it be with Roco. Philippine > political culture and the Philippine political system make it so. Our > presidents are programmed for failure." > > Programmed for failure they sure are! One of the problems Abaya identified > is that the 6 year presidential term which the Constitution prescribes is > indeed too short for any president to work miracles. He cited the cases of > Mahathir of Malaysia and Lee of Singapore as examples of how a prolonged - > even indefinite - term of office did wonders for their respective > countries. > > Another problem with our liberal political system is that the president is > prevented from pursuing the enemies of state because they will always hide > behind the rubric of "civil rights", freedom of speech, freedom of > assembly, etc which enable them to carry out their destabilizing actions. > Malaysia and Singapore avoided this problem by utilizing the draconian > Internal Security Act - inherited from the British colonial government - > to quell dissent. This type of Act we lack in the Philippines. This is why > Senator Lacson's persona is so attractive. His entire military career has > been spent on battling our enemies such that he understands more than > anyone else the threats facing our country today. None of the other > presidentiables possess the breadth of experience that Lacson has under > his belt. > === elr: isn't it then that it is this draconian law that we need, and not necessarily just one person forcing his rule upon an unwilling nation? === > My attraction for Lacson is not based on the fact that he is ruthless for > ruthlessness sake. It is based on the fact that he has demonstrated > himself to be a good and capable leader, dutifully serving the country > over the past 30 years, regardless of who the president might have been. > In fact, most of his medals were obtained when he was the Metrodiscom > Chief under Cory Aquino. He was named one of the 10 Outstanding Policemen > of the Year in 1988. This was during Cory's time, Eben, not Erap's. > === elr: i'm not stopping you from liking lacson, janet. i was just telling you why i have my suspicions on the guy. === > > It is unfortunate that you have to insinuate that Lacson had anything to > do with Dacer's murder. Let's wait for the investigation to unravel before > we jump to conclusions here. I remember distinctly that when Manila was > bombed in December 2000, Lacson was immediately blamed by the bad news > media as having been the mastermind. Now we know better. Those bombings > were actually carried out by agents of the Islamic terrorist group Jemaah > Islamiyah. The Indonesian Fathur has already confessed to it. Let me quote > Mr. Abaya again on this point: > === elr: the reports i got from our vessel guards were not inventions, janet, and if lacson did not know about this linkages with the kuratong baleleng, then his leadership becomes questionable. so far michael ray aquino seems to be the fall guy as far as how high this thing goes up the ladder to the man himself, and the guy is in hiding. why? === > "And on top of all this, the bad-news media with guns-for-hire columnists, > editors and headline writers who think nothing of dropping innuendoes, > disinformation, half-truths, outright lies, deliberate exaggerations, > malicious rumors, unfounded allegations, unproven and unproveable > accusations, none of which result in the arrest, trial or conviction of > anyone, only in the public's loss of confidence in the president and the > government (which is the real goal), and all done in the name of absolute > freedom of the press." > > I hope we all avoid becoming part of the bad news media ourselves. > > Jan > > === elr: maybe we could just ask mr. abaya himself if he thinks lacson is the solution to our country's woes? =) === MY REPLY: Lacson is accused of/charged with very serious crimes such as murder, money laundering, drug trafficking and kidnapping, aside from the relatively minor offenses of perjury and wire-tapping (both of which seem to be open-and-shut cases). Almost certainly, the perjury and wire-tapping cases will be resolved in 2003 if GMA is sincere about making major changes in our society. Lacson may be in jail by May 2004 for those two offenses, which will make the other, more serious charges less risky to pursue. Certainly, I do not consider Lacson the Lee Kwan Yew of the Philippines. Lee would probably be insulted by the comparison. Tony Abaya ������������������������������ |
| OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to "Even Raul Roco Would Fail" HI TONY, Your piece on the above subject matter is informative. But the way I look at it, you're focusing on the glass half empty, instead of the glass half full. When I was in Saudi, (I worked as an OFW for more than 20 years, not of my own volition, but victim of economic circumstances, wrought by the Marcos dictatorship), I was a asked by a Saudi who happens to be an owner of hospital/clinic, the qualities of a president that the Philippines should have for us to recover and be progressive. I said, that we need a strong president, as strong as Marcos with the sincerety of Cory Aquino. And he asked me if we can fine one. And of course no. But we could find closer to it. The qualities of a good leader or a President for that matter are: Orientation, Focus and Courage. For the benefits of your reader, I will give an analysis and comparison between only Lacosn and Roco on those qualities: Lacson - on orientation: he has the orientation of a Marcos, with a less focus and good courage. What do you think would happen to the Philippines? It would be worst than Marcos. Even now, he has millions of dollars here in States. Do I have to say more? Roco - his orientation is without question, more focused and also has the courage, although he is "Honorary Woman" as you have stated, based on his previous accomplishments. Lest I be misunderstood, I am not for both.. Bert Celera. [email protected] 124 Storms Avenue, Apt# 4J Jersey City, NJ 07306 February 16, 2003 MY REPLY. My point was that no matter who gets elected in 2004, he will fail because of the very nature of our political system and our cannibalistic political culture. Unless he takes immediate and concrete steps to change that system and that culture. Do you know of any Filipino politician who is visionary and courageous enough to take those steps? I don�t. ������������������������������� |