2014: Year of RP political chaos
(Herman Tiu Laurel / DieHard III / The Daily Tribune / 12-15-2014 MON)
Turmoil everywhere in 2014, from East Ukraine, the Middle East, all the way to Asia, has kept this column focused on global events. Little understood by many Filipinos, though, the impact of such events in relation to the Philippines has been immense, like this deeply palpable effect on oil prices that many should thank countries fighting US hegemonism for. Oil export-dependent Russia, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela are the real targets of this latest US-Saudi financial siege that aims to buckle these countries’ economic knees. Filipinos are just short-term accidental winners in this phase of geopolitical struggles.
Moreover, this column has missed commenting on the Philippine scene for weeks on end because the domestic political situation at this stage is a confused mess. The political waters have been terribly muddled by a year of confused, contradictory, and illusory anti-corruption campaigns by BS Aquino that smacked of selective, partisan justice and injustice, as well as prosecution and persecution. Still, high public expectations are raised for more corruption revelations against all (including administration) politicians, with the political storms somehow leveling the playing field for a much needed diversity of presidential aspirants--or so we think.
I am in a special quandary over the splintering of the anti-Gloria Arroyo coalition that helped define the past decade. That decade of struggle molded much of my political ideology today: Edsa Tres and the struggle of the masses against the manipulation, exploitation, and oppression of the oligarchy and its US partner; the unmasking of the Yellows’ hypocrisy and corruption; the restoration of the central role of the State in promoting the general welfare against the power of the privileged few; and the preservation of the nation’s interest against the onslaught of predatory free-trade and globalization programs.
While issues and policy questions matter most, and personalities rank a very far second (if at all), personalities still embody issues and policies, which sometimes political personalities do not completely appreciate themselves. Thus, when VP Jejomar Binay was under siege, I thought it mattered immensely that he translate the imbroglio into policy debate, which was why I wrote, “Polarize: Binay’s only way.” But that didn’t happen and Binay even visited Aquino. The debate with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV could have also been an opportunity, but this, too, has not come about. At one point business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan was even broached as a potential VP to Binay; that certainly swamped the Edsa Tres ideal.
I also note President-Mayor Joseph Estrada’s inclusion in the last “presidentiables” survey, which placed him fourth, despite his non-interest. Erap still embodies many of the ideals that led voters to give him the 1998 presidency, which also led to his unconstitutional 2001 ouster. The ideals: fierce nationalism (prompting US plots against him); moral honesty (earning the ire of religious hypocrites); a deep sense of fairness that opposed “sovereign guarantees” to Big Business (alienating foreign and local oligarchs); and political-military decisiveness that vanquished the Moro Islamic Liberation Front at Abubakar (but irking the group’s US backers).
A key ally of Edsa Tres was the Bagong Katipunero (BK), now known as Magdalo, and its leader Sen. Trillanes, who spent over seven years in detention in opposing the unconstitutional Arroyo presidency. The BK or Magdalo was a movement of no less than 300 young officers; and many are still in the service. Certainly, the Magdalo has risen to prominence (having two party-list representatives) with the impetus from fighting alongside Estrada; but for which they have also sacrificed and worked very hard (building a card carrying membership of over 300,000 to date).
Internal struggles in the anti-Arroyo movement surfaced during the Manila Peninsula incident. Several major opposition factions saw divergent final strategies to wrest power after the 2007 elections trounced Arroyo’s legitimacy. Realignments ensued in the 2010 elections that saw Erap coming from behind, almost winning. The oligarchs, true to form, favored BS Aquino; hence, the untouchability of their growing mono/oligopolies (particularly in power) today. But one can argue that Smartmatic-PCOS (and US-controlled Dominion Voting Systems) actually “won” the elections. There began the 60-30-10 manipulation in 2013 to put one senatorial puppet on top and primed for 2016.
It’s a wonder why candidates are jockeying for the presidency when the Smartmatic-PCOS problem has not been resolved at all. Is it sane and logical to take the Commission on Elections and its so-called preparations seriously while this problem festers?
The Philippines should go back to manual voting and then electronic transmission of precinct counts. A host of countries, notably Germany, have either gone back to manual voting and counting, or, like Australia, have stuck to the manual system. Hopefully, 2015 will be a year of domestic political crystallization--starting with a return to manual voting and a convergence of revolutionary ideals.
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