Gran'ma of all Personality Cults

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW
Linggoy Alcuaz
7/11-17/2011



In six weeks, OpinYon celebrates its first birthday as a hard-hitting weekly opinion paper. We will not pre-empt our Publisher Ray Junia and Editor Luchie Aclan Arguelles by leaking our plans for the future. All we can say for now, is that, relatively, just as our first year was better than P-Noy’s, our future is much brighter than his.
The past 10 days since the Aquino Administration’s first birthday on June 30 have not been good for Administration, Opposition, or the Philippines as a whole.

Slight Postponement
P-Noy signed the ARMM Election Postponement Bill into Law on June 30.

Immediately, the Opposition, the PDP-Laban and other concerned parties filed their oppositions before the Supreme Court.

However, the unconfirmed COMELEC Chairman pre-empted the questioned law by stopping the preparations for the August 8 ARMM elections more than a month ago. Even if the Supreme Court strikes down the postponement, there is no more material time to conduct the elections on the original date. There will have to be a slight postponement.

Meanwhile, after a long wait and much urong-sulong, Mar Roxas took the helm of the DOTC. His first instruction from above was to look into the Ro-Ro Project, which is being suspected of being loaded with “tong-pats”.

Meanwhile, the Quiambao side of Stradcom won a round in the Supreme Court.

However, not much has been heard from Secretary Roxas about the LTO, Stradcom and  Virginia Torres.

Politicalization of Corruption
The worst booboo of the week was the politicalization of the anti graft and corruption agenda.

Suddenly, the witch hunt was focused on several Roman Catholic Bishops and Priests who had solicited and received transport vehicles from the PCSO (None of which was a Pajero. One was a Mitsubishi Montero, roughly half the price of Pajero).

Last Wednesday and Thursday, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee conducted hearings on various anomalies and issues at the PCSO.

The next hearing will be this Wednesday, July  13.

Meanwhile, the old PCSO Board, spoken for by former PCSO Chairman Manoling Morato, has accused the Guingona chaired committee of bias and the new PCSO Board of doctoring documents including the COA report.

He also claimed that only Administration Senators attended the hearing (That reminds me of the October 2001 Angara committee investigation of the PCSO. That was probably the Committee on Government Corporations.The then Senate majority and GMA Administration Senators boycotted the one and only hearing. I wonder if a Committee Report was ever made. About nine Opposition Senators attended the hearing and still whitewashed the investigation.).

How do we get out of this?
And so we are stuck in our time warp of Administration and Opposition. Charge and countercharge. Angels and Devils. Black and White.

And the question is, “How do we get out of this?” At the moment we are stuck inan endless vicious cycle.

A point in time comes when the Administration becomes so demonized that the Opposition becomes the sweetest smelling Angel.

That is what happened two years ago. We are now on the eve of the second anniversary of Cory’s death on Saturday, August 1, 2009.

When Cory died, lied in state and was buried, Ninoy’s assassination, martyrdom, wake, and record breaking burial was recalled.

Pedestal for Noynoy
Cory and Ninoy became the pedestals for Noynoy’s candidacy for President.

I may now “raise my own bangko”.

From August 8 to September 9, 2009, I believed in, lobbied for and did my best to popularize the point of view that Noynoy should run for a higher national position than Senator but was not yet capable and prepared for the Presidency.

So see, I can now say I told you so!

And so, what is to be done?

Well, the problem in Philippine society and politics is that, a priori, we look at all political parties, politicians and therefore all politics as bad, ergo. Trapos.

We, therefore, fall into the trap of idolizing individuals, converting them into messiahs and saviors and therefore becoming blind to all their faults.

Textbook Answers
Let us go to the textbook answer.

When you have people, you have a society. When you have a society of humans on a piece of territory, you need a government.

When the people, territory and government are a distinct nation or country, you need a national government with its respective local governments.

When you have a government, you need government officials and employees.

When you want a democratic government, you need elections and elective officials.

When you have elections and elective officials, you need political parties.

Now, we have to make a choice or choices.

Do you want a Parliamentary or Presidential form of Government? That will determine whether you will have or should have a Multiparty or Two Party System.

Our problem is that we have a Multiparty System in a Presidential Government.

Reformist Elite
The roots of this problem are in the critique by Christian Democrat/Socialist  Leader and Philippine Pioneer Raul S. Manglapus, of the pre Martial Law 1935 Constitution Presidential Two Party System of Government.

Manglapus was a 1950’s Catholic (They were reactionaries to the PKP/HMB Rebellion of the late 40’s and early 50’s.) and Jesuit-educated (They were inspired and assisted by the Jesuits to organize Reformist Social and Political Movements. Thus, Jeremias Montemayor organized the FFF. Johnny Tan organized the FFW. Raul Manglapus belatedly, in 1967, organized the CSM).

They belonged to the pre-martial law reformist elite.

They looked at the UP and the Public School Educational System as incapable of preserving its graduates and products going into government service from falling into temptation.

They said that the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Partywere the same dog with a different collar.

They did not have real and distinct Programs of Government. Their Party Platforms were mere formalities necessary for COMELEC registration.

Grand Alliance
The Manglapus School of Reformist Politicians had entered Government Service with Nacionalista Party import from the Liberal Party, Ramon Magsaysay, in 1953.

When he died in March 1957, the Reformists were orphaned.

With Uncle Sam’s encouragement, they put up a third political force. They ran in the 1957, 1959 and 1965 Elections.

In the 1957 and 1965 Presidential Elections, their party had the initials PPP, standing for either the Progressive Party of the Philippines or Party for Philippine Progress.

In the Senatorial and Local Elections of 1959, the name used was the Grand Alliance.

In 1961, they coalesced with the Liberal Party as the United Opposition. Their former PPP or Grand Alliance Senatorial Candidate Emmanuel Pelaez ran as Diosdado Macapagal’s Vice President.

They could only win when coalesced with one of the mainstream party.

The most important reason was that the Two Party System was maintained by the system of party inspectors in the election precinct board of canvassers or inspectors.

These Boards were composed of a Chairman who was a teacher and a Representative each from the Majority and Minority Parties.

Their allowances or per diems were paid by the Government through the COMELEC.

Martial Law Years
Then came Martial Law.

In spite of being the Leader of the NP, and the NP being the Majority Party in both Houses of Congress, Marcos put up the KBL.

On the other hand the LP boycotted the 1978, 1980 and 1981 elections.

New National and Regional Opposition Parties had been organized.

When EDSA I restored Democracy and installed the Cory Revolutionary Government, Cory appointed a Constitutional Commission to draft a new constitution.

Enough non-politicians and reformists were appointed as to favour a Multiparty System. However, a slight majority decided at the last moment in favour of a Presidential System and a Multicameral Congress.

More Political Parties
This is the worst case scenario for the growth and development of political parties.

Thus, the two big dogs of the pre martial law 1935 Constitution have turned into many dogs of various sizes but still with the same collar.

The Balimbing Disease has become stronger and more pervasive. In the old system, it took several years for the Balimbing Disease or Political Turncoatism to cause the Majority in either House of Congress to change hands.

Nowadays, it happens even before all the Presidential votes have been counted.

Thus, since the 1987 synchronised elections, we have had a series of national personalities wagging political parties as though they were mere tails.

During Cory’s time, she might not have wanted to wag tails. However, her brother, Peping, could wag the LDP. Ramos had Joe de V. to wag the Lakas.

In 1998 parties (PMP, LDP, LP, PDP and the NPC) wagged themselves in order to hang on to Erap’s coat tails. In 2004, there was even an ASO (Angara, Sotto and Oreta) Collegial Campaign Manager to wag tails for FPJ.

Although, GMA’s ascent to the Presidency was the fruit of a conspiracy, she became the instrument of the conspirators because she had nurtured her political career on the personality and showbiz cult.

But the Grandmother of all Personality Cults was the Combined Ghosts of Ninoy and Cory serving as the foot pedestals of Noynoy.