Philippine Political Society

by Lester C. Yee (Ateneo de Manila)

This paper entitled “Philippine Political Society” was written for the course Ph102 (Philosophy of the Human Person 2) under Dr. Manuel B. Dy, Jr., under the topic of Social Philosophy. This paper was written as an application to the Philippine context of the lecture given by Fr. Pieere de Charantenay SJ entitled “A Search for Public Ethics” and of Paul Ricoeur’s view on politics and the state. This paper received an “A” mark. Read on.

Introduction: The Philippines as a Confused Modern Society

“There are three versions of the truth: Jun Lozada’s version, Malacañang’s version and the real truth.”

-Usec. Lorelei Fajardo, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson

“…Then there must be a dozen lies.”

-reply by a panelist to the first statement in Talkback with Tina Palma

Dr. Honey Carandang, noted psychologist, speaks about truth-telling as a way of healing the nation. She notes that the Filipino nation is traumatized and retraumatized because lying has become a way of living for many. Society has become an effective tool for misleading the truth.

Imagine how much time and funds would have been saved if Malacañang cancelled the deal the night Mrs. Arroyo found it to be flawed, or when Malacañang admitted its role in the botched deal. These funds (e.g. committee hearing electricity) could have been diverted to other more urgent needs and the time spent on the hearings could have been used to pass the Cheaper Medicines Bill. In effect, all this confusion brought about by the dozen lies of Malacañang (e.g. conflicting statements of Secs. Bunye, Mendoza, Ermita and GMA) has directly and indirectly affected most the poorest sectors of society.

Symptoms of the sickness of the Filipino nation brought about by the viral infection of lying include cynicism and indifference even among the youth, which usually is the hotbed of activism. Thus, the social cancer of lying needs to be healed to prevent the outbreak of confusion that only tends to hurt everyone.

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Mere Reflections of What’s Within

“For the confusions around are mere reflections of what’s within, what’s within me.”

-One More Gift, Catholic Worship Song

Since we are embodied spirits, all our actions occur in space-time and thus become public in a way. The confusion existing in a person’s value system is thus projected to the public sphere by means of decisions or choices. Fr. De Charentenay’s example is when corruption and refusal to pay taxes, private vices, are accepted as normal and standard operating procedure. In fact, the admission of Jun Lozada of 20% being the normal range of kickbacks that a moderately greedy Benjamin Abalos should accept is very disturbing. This shows how corruption is deeply ingrained in our system.

A political order for free people cannot be built on mental confusion, lies and corruption. As Fr. De Charentenay writes, “the first requirement in the construction of democracy is to call things by their name.” Moreover, this implies that the call for moral revolution must start within each and everyone. However, this goodness brought about by the individual moral revolution must transcend the private person. This is because individual values have a way of making one blind to issues of general interest. This moral revolution must enable the person to see farther, dream bigger not only for oneself but for everyone.

“…For to accept that the other remains wounded and losing his/her humanity is also to renounce one’s own humanity…”

-Fr. Pierre de Charentenay, S.J.

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People Power

“People power is much more than a political tool, it is an ideology… People power is the collective effort of individuals and communities to take control of their lives… now it is time to make people power work for the Filipino economically and morally, by using it to create a dynamic, progressive, caring and compassionate society, the kind our people, especially the youth, would be proud to be part of…”

-Corazon Cojuangco Aquino

“Yung mundo pinagdiriwang ang Edsa 1. Yung mundo pinayagan ang Edsa 2. Yung mundo hindi patatawaran ang Edsa 3.”

-Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Democracy, as Fr. De Charentenay writes, is the expression of general will of a people. It is the bringing to life of the Filipino dream for a better life (in all aspects). For the common Filipino, it is to have three meals a day, land to build a decent place to live in, adequate healthcare and other private needs. However, as a general expression, people power comes with the realization that a person needs to go beyond one’s private sphere, to leave one’s comfort zone, to join Filipino brothers and sisters to fight for a greater good from which the private benefits are expected to follow, that is to fight for good governance from which the welfare of the individual Filipino will hopefully follow. It is then the prioritization of the common good over the individual wants and desires that gives people power its distinct touch that can usher change. This is what happened in EDSA 1 (and to an extent EDSA 2), the expression of common disgust over the dictatorship (and corruption) and the courage to stand for the common good.

But this unity manifested especially by the First EDSA presupposes the clarification of all the confusion. This involves calling corruption evil and not personal initiative or standard operating procedure. Moreover, this involves a united front having both wisdom and the courage to openly and vocally dispel the lies spread by the Marcos government. However, these conditions are not totally present in today’s context. Large cracks are evident in the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines as different prelates with differing calls only serve to further confuse the Philippine Church. Different politicians looked upon as leaders and representatives of the Filipino populace voice their opinions not in the context of the common good but only in the context of their individual desires (e.g. staying in power, money from Malacañang, etc.).

Democracy needs an elite, a pool of competent and well trained people to manage the whole machinery of government, private sector and even the Church. These elite should be the models of behavior for all to follow.

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Leadership

“Leadership is about giving our all, selflessly that others may live.”

-Corazon Cojuangco Aquino

“Servant-leadership is at its heart caring enough for one other person of for a group of persons deeply enough that you help them become who they are, stand on their own and be capable of taking hold of their own future and destiny.”

-Simon Mossessgeld, Congress Director, Ayala Young Leaders Congress

The elite that our democracy currently needs are those leaders caring enough for the Filipino people that they devote their entire lives to help the Filipino people become who they are, the Filipino nation to stand on its own, and be capable of taking hold of its own future. Two people power movements have occurred to express public outrage but here we are again, facing an even worse problem, the lack of the orientation to serve while enjoying the power leadership brings.

Jesuit historian Jose Arcilla notes that the local culture of leadership hindered the development of the native clergy. In the tribal society, the datu assumes the role of leader so as to have workers till his lands, men to pay him tributes and tribesmen to fight his wars. People in turn serve the datu because they do not want to be enslaved by the rival tribes or to have their entire properties plundered by other men. Thus, both sides have selfish motivations in leading and in serving, which stunted the development of the local clergy as the type of leadership assumed by the priest is that of servant-leadership.

The development of the nation is also stunted because of this lack of servant-leadership in the hearts of most of our leaders. The leaders of this government use their leadership powers to enrich themselves and their families, and to tighten their grip on power. This may be attributed to the lack of public ethics. The strength of (Philippine) democracy then can be put into question as only the values of self and convenience are shared by the leaders. The religion of mediation and true Christianity have been banished and all those who advocate for its return have been silenced with the gun or with donations from Malacañang. The only courage this regime still has is immoral courage, that is, the strength of character to stay in power.

Thus, the nation calls for servant-leaders who are aware of the realities and conditions of the community where they live, who have a vision to where the community should go to and how it would get there, who serve as stewards of the communities entrusted to them, holding those communities in trust and care for the citizens and who build a political society.

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The Double Political Duty of the Filipino

“We Filipinos are a variegated people. We live in seven thousand islands. We profess no less than five religions. We pray in no fewer than seven native tongues. But all of us – Muslim or Christian, Tagalog or Visayan or Ilocano or Kapampangan, all of us are Filipinos not only because we are brothers in blood – many of us are not, but because we are all brothers in tears; not because we all share the same land – many of us are landless, but because we share the same dream. Whether we like it or not we are one nation with one future, a future that will be as bright or as dark as we remain united or divided.”

-Jose W. Diokno

The Philippines suffers from a multiplicity of groups, which have yet to be merged firmly into a nation. Thus, constitutional reforms are needed to enable the Filipinos to move from these fragmented and often clashing groups to a united nation, before we can move on together with the world towards a universal state. As the Philippines embraces globalization and the new world economy, many industries are dying as the local markets compete with each other in terms of getting a share of investments and selling their products. In turn these competing local markets are wiped out upon the entry of cheaper products from united countries. The absence of a strong national policy towards economic development for everyone facilitates this massacre of local industries and slaughter of the nation’s poor which become jobless as a result. And, yes, the macroeconomy booms with all the investments. The cheaper products, in turn, benefit only those who still have money to purchase.

Moreover, a political education among voters is needed to allow us to make wise choices in upcoming elections. However, this role of political education is left neglected by the political parties which are more personality-based than platform-based. Thus, the Filipinos are left with choices between Coke, Pepsi and RC Cola during elections because of this lack of platforms. Most political parties, instead of holding genuine “miting de avances” only hold concerts and sing alongs to entertain the voters and to get their votes. Political parties, in fact, come and go with the rise and fall of their leaders. There is no responsible institution left to mentor a new generation of politicians who are thrown into the arena of the state, unprepared for battle against the beasts that feed their inner monsters of greed. Thus, they become more absorbed into the system they may have wanted to change initially. The cycle goes on again, leaving the Filipinos at the mercy of the state and its politicians.

Given this situation, the common Filipino needs more avenues for him/her to participate in power or to influence the state. A response to this was the Party list Act of 1998 allowing marginalized groups to be represented in Congress upon garnering 2% or more of the total votes cast. . This law has been manipulated by the government many times but it still allows for certain groups to have their voices heard in Congress (e.g. fielding fake party lists to increase the number of voters and prevent real party list groups from being elected). But this law is not enough. Suggestions have been raised by Felix Muga, Ph.D. to have the party list law amended so as to more effectively hear the voice of the people cast in the ballot.

Another avenue of participation of the common Filipino is EDSA or Mendiola but the real work of restoring after the evil has gone remains slightly started. When the fever of EDSA dies down and the people resume their normal lives, the time for action springs up, that is, to become heroes in our everyday lives, possessing the moral courage to stand by our convictions, to be vigilant against the state and to be involved in voicing out any wrongdoing, to be response-able citizens of this nation.

With this, the tyranny of the Filipino state will be weathered away to become the soil where the seeds of the future Filipino political society starts to grow.