Better Philippines

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is (Not) My Friend

I’m beginning to wonder if Filipinos are really fed up with government graft and corruption. Recent developments in the local political scene are giving me the idea that some Filipinos don’t really care if our government continues to be run by grafters and corruptors.

Just consider the fact that the Nacionalista Party has offered ZTE deal witness Jun Lozada a slot in its senatorial line-up. Of all people, Lozada? The same Lozada who during the senate hearings on the controversial ZTE broadband deal admitted that he himself was involved in some anomalous transactions when he was the head of the Philippine Forest Corporation.The same Lozada who admitted that he can tolerate and accept certain levels of corruption. Yes, the same Lozada who coined the phrase “moderate your greed.”

As of this posting, Lozada is being held at the headquarters of the Manila Police District for a perjury charge filed against him by former Presidential Chief of Staff Mike Defensor. As can be expected, Lozada and many of his supporters are crying foul over his arrest. They are claiming this is the handiwork of the Arroyo administration. I couldn’t care less if that is the case or not. What I care about is the seemingly misplaced notion that Lozada is a symbol of hope.

There’s an old saying that goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” This is basically the doctrine at play here in this whole Lozada vs. Arroyo epic. I don’t know about you but the fact that it is makes me doubt if there is still hope for the Philippines.

I hope those who will read this post especially those who support Lozada will not take my words out of context. Like many other Filipinos today, I too would like to see an end to the current administration and, if possible, for justice to be served. But, to pin my hopes on someone who was also part of the anomalies that attended the ZTE broadband deal is something I just cannot do.

Glorifying Lozada as some sort of hero or symbol of hope just because he is a potential thorn in the administration’s side will not do this country any good.

I’m sure many of those who have chosen to support Lozada are doing so out of a sincere desire to see a better Philippines. However, I have serious doubts about the motives of those high up in their chain of command (assuming one does exist) and those political figures who stand to gain should this movement or whatever it is called succeed.

I’m just like everyone else who wants  a Philippines that is free from graft and corruption. I too have had it with public servants who think they are above the law. But, I just can’t accept the idea that I should be friends with the enemy of my enemy to achieve what I think is right. I just don’t see how supporting one dubious personality to get  rid of another would be a statement against the evils plaguing our government. I also do not see how such an approach would ensure that the ultimate goal of cleansing the government will be achieved.

Can we not do better than this?

Are we just against the sinner not the sin?

Champions Of The People, They’re Not

Speaker Prospero Nograles and several other honorable congressmen are  reportedly going to Las Vegas to see the Pacquiao-Hatton fight.

This is troubling news. Our lawmakers are planning to have the time of their lives in Las Vegas in this time of crisis. Very troubling indeed.

As public servants, these lawmakers should know better. This Las Vegas trip will only highlight their insensitivity and callousness.

But, here comes House majority floor leader Matias Defensor defending his colleagues. He says there’s nothing wrong with congressmen taking the trip as long as they use their own money. He adds that the congressmen will go there to boost Pacquiao’s morale.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that the claim that only private funds will be used doesn’t make this whole trip any more acceptable. If that were even true, then this is a case of ostentatious display of wealth. As public servants, these honorable men  should know better than to show off their wealth especially at this time.

These congressmen are clearly not champions of the people. Let’s all hope their constituents realize this and not vote for them again in the future.

Make The Government A Dangerous Place For Evil-Doers

Without an effective graft and corruption-proof system in place, the government will continue to be conducive to parasites and thieves. Moral transformation? Nothing more than a campaign slogan. Change from within? Sounds like an emo tune. Public vigilance? As if people would act collectively at the first sign of trouble. I think the only way to rid the government of graft and corruption is by making it an unappealing and even dangerous environment for grafters and corruptors.

First and foremost, if it were up to me, the principle of presumption of innocence would be thrown out the window insofar as dealing with mid to top level government officials is concerned. Why not? With great power comes great responsibility. Being a government official should be treated as an aggravating factor.

Okay, that may be extreme so I’ll just settle for the following:

A law that would have the spouse/partner and of age children of an official accused of graft and corruption treated as accomplices and charged similarly. This should make perfect sense after all it can be assumed that the gains of the official’s thievery also benefited those closest to him or her. (Don’t you just hate it when a corrupt official’s children get to study in the best schools abroad using stolen taxpayers’ money while many are forced to keep their children enrolled in crappy schools? And what about the spouse who gets to spend ill-gotten wealth on luxuries while the poor barely meet their daily needs despite their hard labor?) It’s quite impossible especially for the spouse not to know anything. So I say have them all face the consequence. Let’s see if any state worker or official would continue to dip their hands in the national coffers when the stakes are this high.

How about a law that would make nepotism and establishing political dynasties punishable by life imprisonment with no possibility of parole or clemency? I would prescribe death as punishment but that would be too easy a punishment for these opportunists. I say let them all rot in prison for the longest period of time possible.

Admittedly, these are all just raw and general ideas. I leave the responsibility of threshing out the details to our lawmakers. Then again, they may not have the balls to formulate measures that have real teeth to stop graft and corruption.

What do you think?

We Should Demand More From Our Candidates

We should all disabuse ourselves of the notion that the 2010 elections will usher in a new era of positive change because it probably won’t. Better for us to just view the upcoming elections for what it really is — a transition from one disappointment to another. Being realistic about it will spare us a great deal of pain and frustration later on.

I apologize for my rather bleak view of the situation but I don’t really see how a change of administration would prompt the evil-doers in government to suddenly abandon their nefarious ways. That may not even happen even if God were elected to the presidency.

So what should we do? Should we even bother to vote? Of course. As I said in an earlier post, election day is the one day we can truly say we have the power. Let’s not waste the opportunity to use that power.

On second thought, we actually have power during the whole campaign season. Just think about it. We can practically control our politicians during this period. We can make them sing. We can make them dance. We can basically make them act like fools if we wanted to.

But, why waste our power on such cheap entertainment when we can make them do something of more value to us as voters. We can make them think hard of why they are running for office. We can push them to work hard to convince us that they have what it takes to lead us into greatness. Let’s demand that they regale us with their ideas and specific plans for a better Philippines instead of distracting us with out-of-synch dances and out-of-tune song numbers. Let’s ask them the hard questions that require real answers and not just run-of-the-mill motherhood statements. I, for one, would ask what they plan to do to make healthcare more affordable, how they plan to do it, and for how long they plan to work on it before we see results.

Better yet let’s have the candidates participate in debates where the mudslingers are shunned and the really sensible ones are rewarded, perhaps, with a few minutes to showcase their long prepared song and dance numbers.

We can use our power to criticize, vilify and demolish each and every candidate that will come out with cheesy campaign ads. By doing this we are sending them the message that they won’t get our votes just because they look good on TV acting like heroes of the masses. We can also set aside our fascination with showbiz personalities for a moment and boycott all variety shows masquerading as campaign sorties.The goal is to force our candidates to treat the campaign and election period with more respect and to provide voters a clear idea of how they plan to serve and lead us.

There are so many things we can do. It would be a shame to let our power over them during the run-up to the elections go to waste.

Examining Motherhood Statements II

This is going to be very short.

Why do politicians run for public office?

It’s because they want to be of service to others.

They want to make a difference.

I would believe them. You would believe them. We would all believe them.  That is if we were all idiots.

So I ask again. Why do politicians run for public office?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Practical Suggestions To Realize A Better Philippines

I was surfing the net in search of other Filipino’s opinions on what needs to be done to realize a better Philippines and I stumbled upon a posting on Yahoo!Answers. It’s a reply from a certain Mel Cartera to a question posed by motivational speaker Francis Kong.

I hope Mr. Cartera and Mr. Kong won’t mind if I post their exchange here. Mr. Cartera’s reply was just too good I was compelled to re-post it here. Highlights are mine.

Question by Francis Kong:

What can we do to help make the Philippines a better place for ourselves and for our children?
It is not only the government’s job to improve the future for our children.
It is the responsibility of every Filipino to create a better Philippines for the coming generations. All of us must think about how we can contribute.

Answer by Mel C:

Wow, this is like a chicken-and-egg question. My suggested answer is: SHORT-CIRCUIT THE CHICKEN-AND-EGG SITUATION.

We definitely need better leaders to set examples, implement laws correctly and justly, set the right environment for the proper growth of the populace (economic, political, etc.) That’s the chicken.

Problem is, we also need an electorate that’s better educated and motivated to put the right leaders in place. That’s the egg.

Theoretically, without the right leadership, the environment will not be conducive to breeding healthy eggs. Corrupt leaders simply keep the environment contaminated by maintaining the masses’ dependency on them through bribes and the patronage system; by taking advantage of regionalistic preferences (i.e., he may be a devil but he’s OUR devil,,,and our devil will always take care of his own); through fear and intimidation, etc.

Because of this, the eggs, er, people, will always put into office the wrong kinds of leaders. And the right kinds of leaders will be disillusioned and opt out (e.g., the Monsods).

The process must be short-circuited by a force coming in from outside. This force would include business leaders, educators, and everyone else willing to contribute and actively participate in helping Philippine society.

The process of short-circuiting would involve (but would not be limited to) the following:

1) Subsidizing education for the children, to train, equip, and support capable teachers who would not only teach CORRECT skills (have you seen the essays and answers to simple questions submitted in many job interviews nowadays? these indicate how much our educational system has deteriorated, and has been simply a huge collective diploma mill for many years now), but also right and godly values.

2) Include ENTREPRENEURSHIP as a core subject in childrens’ and youth’s education. For so long, our educational system has trained children to aspire to be employees (a company prexy is still an employee). A successful entrepreneur who has right godly values will have more positive impact on society (not the least of which are providing income to more people, and imparting godly values to many through his or her godly example).

3) For the older people, setting up businesses and cooperatives in the provinces, and train the people in entrepreneurship. Hopefully, this would have two effects: (a) encourage the people to stay in the provinces and stop migration to the “dream” urban centers; and (b) teach them to fish, and not just feed them with fish for the day.

4) IMPORTANT: The training in entrepreneurship should not be just the old “Livelihood training programs” such as soap-making, candle-making, detergent manufacture, etc. These have been tried for years and found wanting, with very few exceptions. This is because the people who are trained in these livelihood skills all start producing soap, or processed meat, or candles, or whatever, all at the same time, and compete with each other and ultimately kill each other’s businesses quickly (while the NGO’s and mission organizations which conducted the livelihood programs feel self-satisfied with finishing their targeted programs for the year and send self-congratulatory reports to their foreign partners and supporters, complete with numbers and photos, to ask for money for more programs next year—while the people they have “trained”, and who have killed each other’s businesses, look for other “skills” and other NGO’s from whom they can borrow capital again, to try again and again…). The help should include the provision of solid and actual marketing contacts, establishment of cooperatives, etc. Through cooperative ventures, the people band together instead of killing each other (one possible setup would be for certain persons or families to take care of the soap supplies, another of the processed food supplies, another of the garments supplies, etc). Through marketing contacts (if possible, marketing CONTRACTS), the people are enabled to actually sell the products or services which they have been trained to provide. A big problem with current livelihood trainings is that the beneficiaries have no contacts, means, training, or skill to properly and profitably market their products and services, and they all compete and kill each other selling within the same community.

5) For big business to altruistically share in the improvement of the community by providing marketing outlets and sharing their marketing infrastructure with the small entrepreneurs; setting up scholarship foundations for competent children from poor families; subsidizing hospitals, health centers, and drugstores for the poor (usually, small entrepreneurs are stopped dead in their tracks by illness in the family); setting up housing programs in the provinces and opening marketing and production ventures or small branches of their firms near these settlements. These need not lead to losses for big business. It should be possible to figure out population sizes which could be resettled in given areas and where business branches could be set up profitably which would provide marketing outlets and business and employment opportunities for the resettled people.

These are only a few suggestions. We could come up with many more possible ways to short-circuit the chicken-and-egg process of corrupt politicians always being elected and supported by a beholden electorate. The point is to achieve two important goals:

1) instill correct, godly values in the youth who will be our future leaders and electorate, and

2) break the hold that politicians have through the patronage system, which is made possible by the dehumanizing poverty of many of our countrymen.

Such actions would also neutralize the growing hostility and resentment felt by the poor towards the rich, and lead to a more stable and manageable environment in which it would be easier for the two sides to communicate with each other and appreciate one another’s points of view.

Well, just a hurried and abbreviated answer to a very complicated question. I have barely scratched the surface and have many more ideas, but space and time are limited in a Yahoo! Answers context. We can talk further, if you want, through email or even personal conversation. I would certainly love to explore this question further, and join forces with others who want to do something solid and practical for our country.

Shalom!

Mel

http://360.yahoo.com/melcartera

Btw, this Yahoo!Answers posting was originally made two years ago. But, clearly, both the question and the answer remain relevant.

Examining Motherhood Statements

I’ve decided to start a series focusing on the many motherhood statements being churned out by politicians and even well-meaning citizens.

It is my hope that by doing this I would be able to help rid this world of senseless platitudes and faulty “feel good” statements. At the very least, I hope to be able to shed some light on these motherhood crap.

For starters let’s examine the idea that a better society can be realized if the citizenry wants it. Last time I checked, the Filipino people have been wanting a better Philippines since time immemorial. It’s 2009 already and still the country is nowhere near better.

Some would say “want” is the problem and that the people should “work” for change. Ok. While “working” for change is obviously better than merely “wanting” it, I am convinced this is also not enough. Again, last time I checked, the closest the Filipno people got to achieving anything significant by “working” for change was during the so called EDSA people power movements. Regime changes were achieved with two of the three EDSA movements. But what happened afterwards? Nothing.

Now, we could probably argue that the key word should not be “work” but “work constantly.” Yes that could be the best formula. Filipinos should work constantly for change. But, there’s still a problem here and it’s very basic. Who would want to work constantly for change? Any volunteers?

That’s the godawful truth. No one has the energy or resources to truly work constantly for change especially if that translates to keeping daily tabs on our government officials, ensuring that all citizens are living their lives in accordance with the laws of the land, etcetera etcetera etcetera. That’s just too much work to ask.

My contention is this: the citizenry can’t be expected to do all these watchmen sh_t. We’re too busy with running our own lives. I say the idea that real, lasting change is possible through citizen’s action is only partly true. Citizen’s action can only go so far. The best it can achieve is pave the way for some sort of dramatic transition between one set up to another. After that nothing more.

My other contention is this: real, lasting change in society is only possible if the people running the government will work consistently for it. I believe this is more realistic. Who holds real power? Please don’t tell me about power emanating from the people. That’s just another motherhood idea. Real power comes from above and I’m not talking about God. I’m talking about our elected and appointed leaders.

The power to initiate, implement and ensure change in our society rests more on our leaders.

Now going back to the idea of power emanating from the people. There is one and only one situation where this applies. Election day. We can help give our country a chance to become a better place on that one special day. Let’s vote wisely. Hopefully we’d elect someone who will truly give the country’s best interest priority over anything else. After that we can all go back to our own lives. Those who feel they have the energy to keep tabs on our newly elected officials can do so if they want to. Just don’t expect others to do the same.

(clearly this is an extemporaneous rant so pardon any writing errors)

P100M Reward For Hacking of Automation System

Here’s another case of government officials engaging in a funny exchange of soundbytes.

Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez has reportedly said the proposed P100 million reward for anyone who can successfully hack the poll automation system dishonors the whole project. He, however, clarified that the Comelec is open to having the system challenged by ethical (white hat) hackers.

Mr. Jimenez ought to know that the danger of having the system hacked is a possibility that could very well happen during the actual elections. He should also know that if and when that happens the distinction between white hat and black hat hacking will hardly matter. What then is the logic behind keeping the hacking of the system open only to white hat hackers?

Mr. Jimenez also reportedly said that offering such a reward would only turn the pursuit of exposing weaknesses in the system into a hacking competition driven by money. So what? Is Mr. Jimenez certain that such a scenario will not occur if there was no P100M reward? Last time I checked hackers would crack source code for fun or the challenge. This is funny stuff.

But what really made me laugh was his statement that the proposed reward dishonors the poll automation project. I can’t see how that is. What I can see clearly is how one incompetent agency can dishonor not only the project itself but the Filipino people’s decades-long fight for clean and honest elections.

I normally don’t use this kind of tone when I criticize but this whole issue over the P100 million reward is just so funny on so many levels. The biggest joke in all this is the fact that Mr. Jimenez even bothered to dignify Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s proposal with a response.

Pinoy Buzz has already criticized the honorable senator’s statement. He speculates that Mr. Cayetano probably issued the statement in an attempt to derail the automation project for the benefit of a duck. Pinoy Buzz could be right. I have a different take on the matter but my analysis of the senator’s motives is nowhere near the juiciness of Pinoy Buzz’s theory so I will beg your indulgence.

I think the good senator came out with that statement for the simple reason that he wants some attention. Just consider his proposed reward amount, P100,000,000. That’s too many zeros just for hacking in my opinion. It’s clearly a ridiculous amount, one that could lead anyone to suspect that Mr. Cayetano may not even be serious about his proposal. Sure, he may file a resolution to back it up but that won’t prove that he is serious at all. It would however prove how ridiculous he is. But, then again, the senator may actually believe that his proposal stands a chance of getting approved. We can never be sure considering how our lawmakers think and operate.

I can already see the headline “Lawmakers Approve P100M Reward For Hacking of Automation System.” Now that would be truly ridiculous.

There’s Something Wrong With The PNP

Some sectors are now accusing the Philippine National Police of harassment in connection with its handling of the investigation of the death of broadcaster Ted Failon’s wife. Even the Commission on Human Rights believes the PNP is getting back at Failon for the beating they got from his network, ABS-CBN, over the EDSA-NIA shootout. The PNP, of course, denies the charge.

The PNP is really in a bind here. If it goes ahead with rounding up suspects, which at this point in time may include Failon, it risks facing more accusations of vendetta. If it displays even the slightest hint of laxity it will invite speculations of special treatment towards the broadcaster, a close friend and protege of Vice President Noli de Castro.

I claim no knowledge of the PNP’s standard operating procedures. However, just basing my opinion on how its personnel acted when they tried to pick up Failon’s sister-in-law from the New Era General Hospital, I would say there is something very wrong with our police force. The manner by which those police officers conducted themselves at the hospital is very troubling to say the least.

Watch this video. You be the judge.

Ang Kapatiran Party: Engaging The What Before The Who

Here’s one group that I think deserves the support of each and every Filipino who wants to see real change. Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) is a Comelec recognized political party that aims to get the general public to participate more in the upcoming elections.

Before I talk about why I think AKP is worth supporting I want to thank Pinoy Buzz for bringing this group to my attention. In one of his posts yesterday, Pinoy Buzz noted that this group is offering a platform of specific plans, which their chosen candidates can incorporate in their own plans for the country. That was enough to get my attention because specific plans are exactly what I’ve been advocating for since I started this blog.

Following the links provided by Pinoy Buzz, I checked out what AKP is about. I must admit I liked what I saw. Unlike the other local movements that I’ve seen so far, AKP seems to be truly guided by some kind of ideology and not mere political interests. And, although its proposed platform is not exactly complete and specific enough on some points it is still a lot better than the usual crap dished out by traditional politicians.

But what really got me excited about AKP is its stand that candidates should not be burdened with financing their own campaigns. I suspect the group believes that this would help lessen the possibility of a winning candidate raiding government coffers to recoup his/her own campaign “investment” or repay his/her campaign financiers. As an alternative, AKP has established a fund, which, I think, it will use to support its chosen candidates. While I seriously doubt if this could guarantee less risk of post-election corruption by the winning candidate, I’m convinced AKP’s idea would be a good start.

As far as I know, AKP is not supporting one particular presidential candidate unlike other so-called movements. Based on what I’ve read so far in the group’s website, AKP is actually accepting nominations for possible candidates for the presidency. The way I see it AKP’s nomination process is open to all qualified individuals. I’m just not sure if AKP is open to accepting nominations for the more established and experienced politicians.

For now, AKP gets my support. I just hope I won’t be disappointed later on to find out that this is all just a sham. I seriously hope that won’t be the case.

If you want to know more about Ang Kapatiran Party and its mission visit their website and sign up as a member. Don’t forget to check out their platform and nomination criteria. Who knows you or someone you know may have what it takes to be an AKP candidate.