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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Todas Ka, Pilipinas! By Antonio C. Abaya December 03, 2003 The political season leading to the May 2004 elections may be said to have officially started last Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28 and 29 when four presidential contenders were invited to present their programs of government before business people gathered together as the Philippine Business Conference. As incumbent, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had the privilege of being the solitary speaker in the Friday session, during which she spelled out what her government was going to do about the worsening kidnapping situation. Her main antidotes: putting up random check points and roadblocks in the metro area, and rushing through Congress a national ID card system. It does not take much brains to conclude that the spike in kidnapping is politically motivated: that it is meant to embarrass the incumbent government and make it appear helpless in the face of crime, and at the same time scare away the Filipino-Chinese community, who generate much of the productive activities in this economy, both legal and illegal. Road blocks and check points are not likely to deter kidnappers from striking again and again, since they can always look for other routes to go about their business. The national ID would be helpful, but only in the long term. The best antidote, in both short and long terms, is human intelligence on the ground, including the offer of substantial reward money, larger than the shares they will likely get, to foot soldiers who rat on their bosses. And a simultaneous re-imposition of the death penalty for kidnapping-for-ransom, which, however, GMA is not prepared to do because she is deathly afraid of antagonizing the wishy-washy Catholic bishops, who are against capital punishment under any circumstance.***.(In answer to a public clamor for the re-imposition of the death penalty, GMA has agreed, on Dec. 5, to lift the moratorium starting January 2004, but only on those convicted of kidnapping-for-ransom.) In the Saturday session, the business groups invited three declared presidential contenders to present their programs of government. Panfilo Lacson and Raul Roco obliged. Fernando Poe Jr. begged off at the last hour, and sent his number one pimp instead, Tito Sotto. Was it really flu, or was it stage fright? asked the Inquirer headline. More like a case of massive inferiority complex to me. In the morning commentary program of Claire de la Fuente over Radio Station DWIZ, I was asked, among other things, what should be the top priority of any new government in 2004: accelerating economic growth or fighting crime? I answered that economic growth should be the top priority since economic progress can stunt the growth of crime gangs; on the other hand, the fight against crime would be futile without economic growth since poverty is the main recruiter for criminal gangs. It is in this light that I react to the stated programs of government of Lacson and Roco. From the excerpts reprinted in media, Lacson has, surprisingly, more concrete proposals than Roco in his program of government. Lacson wants a lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty, especially for drug trafficking and kidnapping-for-ransom. This is sure to upset the Catholic bishops. But Lacson apparently does not care. Several months ago, he strongly batted for a population program, including the use of artificial methods of birth control, and he did not care if the Catholic bishops ganged up on him. As expected, Lacson gave priority to the restoration of law and order, for a ?conducive business climate that will attract the much-needed foreign investments.? This is all very well, but unless and until he himself is cleared of the many charges and accusations against him ?for multiple murders, torture, kidnapping, drug-trafficking, money laundering, wire-tapping and perjury ? and cleared soon, all pious pronouncements about restoring law and order would be meaningless. Roco?s program of government is circumscribed by the self-imposed limit to fit all his initiatives within the acronym HOPE, which is as clich�d as any political slogan can possibly get. HOPE stands for Honest Government; Opportunity for All, special privileges for none; Peace, Productivity and Prosperity; and Education and Environment for sustainable development. Anyone who is against any of the above is probably from another planet and is barred from voting in May 2004. According to the newspaper Today, Roco?s program ?gives priority to social development ? nurturing people as the country?s most important wealth, with women and children having first access to resources?..continues the social justice theme?by ensuring that economic reforms provide equal opportunity for all?.and by managing globalization in a way that mitigates its worst impact on already-marginalized groups?etc? But neither Lacson nor Roco specifies any particular economic initiatives they will take when they become president, in order to rescue millions of impoverished Filipinos from poverty. The Inquirer was substantially correct in its banner headline of that day (Nov. 30): ECONOMY TAKES BACKSEAT. The economy is not even in the trunk, for chrissakes. It is more in the hubcaps that fell off somewhere along the bumpy way and which nobody noticed or missed. If neither Lacson nor Roco - one basically educated, the other overly so - bothered to spell out their magic formulae for economic growth - before a gathering of businessmen, no less - why should the high school drop-out FPJ be expected to spell out his? In his gut-feel, FPJ knows that programs of government and economic formulae do not really win elections in this country. Only popularity does. So he reckoned he could afford to snub those arrogant businessmen. The upper and middle classes may laugh at his incoherent English, his petrifying stage fright, his massive inferiority complex. But he may yet have the last laugh?. on his way to Malacanang. ***** My friend Fil says that what we have aborning is a blockbuster to end all blockbusters: starring the two-fisted FPJ; co-starring either a coy and reluctant NOLI DE CASTRO or a pushy and opportunistic LOREN LEGARDA; directed by DANDING COJUANGCO; co-produced by DANDING and ERAP; script by TITO SOTTO; voice of MIRIAM SANTIAGO (dubbed in for the sometimes functionally mute FPJ); title song sung by KRIS AQUINO; original soundtrack music by the BRAT PACK led by WIMPY; costumes designed by MIKE VELARDE; dance numbers by TESSIE ORETA POKPOK; special political effects by EDONG ANGARA; heavenly blessings by the IGLESIA NI KRISTO. Shot entirely on the mammoth 7,100-island movie set of LVM (Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao) Pictures, with a cast of squealing millions. No animals were harmed during the filming of this epic, only the future of 82 million human beings. The title of this blockbuster extravaganza, soon to appear in a precinct near you: TODAS KA, PILIPINAS! ***** The bulk of this article appears in the December 13, 2003 issue of the Philippines Free Press magazine. |
| OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to "Todas Ka, Pilipinas!" Dear Mr. Tony, I enjoyed very much reading your "TODAS KA PILIPINAS" column. What a very appropriate title for a blockbuster! And those notorious people behind him...whewww, it scares me to death. I've been telling my friends here that how can I respect Pres. FPJ (if ever) if my household help has a higher educational attainment than him. My maid had graduated from high school for crying out loud!!! I thought we are through with those blubbering idiots of an actor. Napoleon P. Serrano, [email protected] Saudi Arabia December 08, 2003 .................................................................. Dear Mr. Abaya: I enjoyed reading the articles you've sent me the past weeks. I got three articles and I must say they were all insightful. I know that these are advance copies of your column in Philippine Press which comes out weekly. I am wondering however why you stopped sending me copies. Anyway, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts. Best regards, ANGEL ALEGRE, [email protected] December 09, 2003 MY REPLY: It is possible one of the emails to you bounced back, so your email address was crossed out from our list. It has now been restored. Thank you. .................................................. See I've always been telling you it was better when we were a U.S. colony. Ross Tipon, [email protected] December 09, 2003 MY REPLY. And as I have been telling you, it is futile wishing that we were again a US colony, as you fervently desire. No imperial power, including the Americans, would be so stupid as to want to assume the burden of feeding, educating and governing 82 million dark-skinned, quarrelsome Filipinos. Just because one Little Brown Brother would like it to happen does not mean it is going to happen. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |