EVERYMAN / David Michael San Juan / Manila Standard Today / August 27, 2013
August 26th of the year 2013 was not an ordinary National Heroes' Day in the Philippines. Thousands of citizens voiced out their support and participated in the "MILLION PEOPLE MARCH TO LUNETA…" dubbed "PROTESTA ng BAYAN!!!" (People's Protest) by a Facebook page that purportedly sparked the good fire that engulfs the country now. The "massive pocket picnic" (as the Facebook page labels it) was primarily aimed at calling the government to "abolish pork barrel" and "demand transparency and accountability." The same page declared that no "group banners," "political colors, and "speeches" would be allowed in the gathering. Some self-styled organizers of the event claimed that is not about being leftist, rightist, or centrist, and angry anti-leftist posts in various news Web sites seem to suggest that the assembly would try its best to be apolitical (e.g. devoid of radical politics)— as if it were possible.
This explains why, initially, leftist activists were lukewarm to the idea of joining the assembly. Indeed, what's the point of protesting if there would be no banner and speeches to publicly explain what the people are protesting about? Nevertheless, the main leftist organizations under the umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and its allied partylist organizations under the Makabayang Koalisyon ng mga Mamamayan (MAKABAYAN) finally decided to mobilize their organized forces to join the Luneta assembly from their convergence point at Liwasang Bonifacio. BAYAN and its allies marched towards Malacañan Palace after the Luneta assembly to emphasize that the Executive branch must be held accountable, too, for every cent it spends. Meanwhile, even church-affiliated groups such as De La Salle Philippines, Catholic schools such as Ateneo de Davao and Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and broad-based coalitions supported by church people such as Pagbabago People's Movement for Change also supported the gathering and mobilized their respective communities.
As half of the anti-pork barrel campaign has been already won with the president's declaration that the pork barrel system has been abolished, this article will instead focus on the socio-economic reforms that the citizens need to champion if they really want genuine social transformation beyond the anti-corruption crusade. This is a manifesto against fellow taxpayers and citizens who stupidly reject the Left and its agenda without even bothering to take a look at what it has to offer.
To ensure that the gains of the anti-pork barrel movement will not be reversed, the people need to clamor for the passage of the Anti-Dynasty Bill. This legislative measure aims to democratize the country's political system by empowering non-traditional politicians and grassroots parties primarily through breaking up the elite clans' monopoly on elective posts. Unknown to many anti-Left loudmouths, the biggest leftist partylist in Congress, Bayan Muna, has been filing its own Anti-Dynasty Bill since 2001 when it first joined the party-list election (which it topped). Aside from resolving corruption and bringing back power to the people, massive unemployment and poverty need to be tackled. Since the leftists first participated in elections in 1935 through a coalition of the Republican Party, the Socialist Party and groups affiliated with the old Communist Party, that supported the presidential candidacy of Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, they have been campaigning for the country's socio-economic emancipation through political independence, nationalization of key industries, and land reform. Essentially, today's leftists laudably maintain the same agenda for Philippine progress.
Undeniably, the call for political independence remains relevant, as we are still led by Cold War-era militarists who think the best way to defend the Philippines from Chinese incursions is to invite more American soldiers to stay in semi-permanent bases around the country. The Philippines' almost-always negative balance of trade further confirms its over-reliance on foreigners which the leftists have been criticizing since time immemorial. Decades under corporate capitalism has failed the Philippines, as evident in the lack of ample job opportunities here proven by the ever-growing billions of dollars of OFW remittances. Neo-liberal globalization wiped out most of our fledgling industries due to the premature lifting of tariffs and lack of safety nets for local firms. Hence, nationalization of key industries, and the call for industrialization, both emphasized by the Philippine Left, are commonsensical. Land reform, another leftist cause – partly a legacy of the Katipunan's egalitarian anti-hacienda policy – is of course vital to supply the needs of local industries, and to generate enough employment in the still underdeveloped, and relatively poorer rural areas.
Anti-Left kibitzers in the Philippines, when cornered into agreeing that the Left's vision for the Philippines is indeed correct and must be tried, resort to asking the question "Where do we get funds for such reforms?" Fortunately, leftists and even some moderates have a ready answer: debt renegotiation, debt repudiation and repeal of automatic debt payment appropriation, use of SSS and GSIS funds, and higher tax rates for top corporations. Such progressive reforms will not only provide funds to finance Philippine industries, land reform, and agricultural modernization, but will also enable the government to generate enough funds for free education at all levels, universal health care, and subsidized housing. All of these are egalitarian reforms will certainly erase the wide gap between the richest and poorest families in the long run.
As a taxpayer who pays more than what corporations shell out (in terms of tax as a percent of income), I entreat my fellow taxpayers to open their minds and consider the merits of the Philippine Left's vision for a free and prosperous country for everyone, beyond a mere end of the pork barrel regime. Let a thousand flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend, for we are in a democratic country where leftists have the right to be heard and be listened at too, especially after more than a century of our country's decrepitude under non-leftist administrations.
(David Michael M. San Juan is an instructor at De La Salle University-Manila.)
This explains why, initially, leftist activists were lukewarm to the idea of joining the assembly. Indeed, what's the point of protesting if there would be no banner and speeches to publicly explain what the people are protesting about? Nevertheless, the main leftist organizations under the umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and its allied partylist organizations under the Makabayang Koalisyon ng mga Mamamayan (MAKABAYAN) finally decided to mobilize their organized forces to join the Luneta assembly from their convergence point at Liwasang Bonifacio. BAYAN and its allies marched towards Malacañan Palace after the Luneta assembly to emphasize that the Executive branch must be held accountable, too, for every cent it spends. Meanwhile, even church-affiliated groups such as De La Salle Philippines, Catholic schools such as Ateneo de Davao and Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and broad-based coalitions supported by church people such as Pagbabago People's Movement for Change also supported the gathering and mobilized their respective communities.
As half of the anti-pork barrel campaign has been already won with the president's declaration that the pork barrel system has been abolished, this article will instead focus on the socio-economic reforms that the citizens need to champion if they really want genuine social transformation beyond the anti-corruption crusade. This is a manifesto against fellow taxpayers and citizens who stupidly reject the Left and its agenda without even bothering to take a look at what it has to offer.
To ensure that the gains of the anti-pork barrel movement will not be reversed, the people need to clamor for the passage of the Anti-Dynasty Bill. This legislative measure aims to democratize the country's political system by empowering non-traditional politicians and grassroots parties primarily through breaking up the elite clans' monopoly on elective posts. Unknown to many anti-Left loudmouths, the biggest leftist partylist in Congress, Bayan Muna, has been filing its own Anti-Dynasty Bill since 2001 when it first joined the party-list election (which it topped). Aside from resolving corruption and bringing back power to the people, massive unemployment and poverty need to be tackled. Since the leftists first participated in elections in 1935 through a coalition of the Republican Party, the Socialist Party and groups affiliated with the old Communist Party, that supported the presidential candidacy of Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, they have been campaigning for the country's socio-economic emancipation through political independence, nationalization of key industries, and land reform. Essentially, today's leftists laudably maintain the same agenda for Philippine progress.
Undeniably, the call for political independence remains relevant, as we are still led by Cold War-era militarists who think the best way to defend the Philippines from Chinese incursions is to invite more American soldiers to stay in semi-permanent bases around the country. The Philippines' almost-always negative balance of trade further confirms its over-reliance on foreigners which the leftists have been criticizing since time immemorial. Decades under corporate capitalism has failed the Philippines, as evident in the lack of ample job opportunities here proven by the ever-growing billions of dollars of OFW remittances. Neo-liberal globalization wiped out most of our fledgling industries due to the premature lifting of tariffs and lack of safety nets for local firms. Hence, nationalization of key industries, and the call for industrialization, both emphasized by the Philippine Left, are commonsensical. Land reform, another leftist cause – partly a legacy of the Katipunan's egalitarian anti-hacienda policy – is of course vital to supply the needs of local industries, and to generate enough employment in the still underdeveloped, and relatively poorer rural areas.
Anti-Left kibitzers in the Philippines, when cornered into agreeing that the Left's vision for the Philippines is indeed correct and must be tried, resort to asking the question "Where do we get funds for such reforms?" Fortunately, leftists and even some moderates have a ready answer: debt renegotiation, debt repudiation and repeal of automatic debt payment appropriation, use of SSS and GSIS funds, and higher tax rates for top corporations. Such progressive reforms will not only provide funds to finance Philippine industries, land reform, and agricultural modernization, but will also enable the government to generate enough funds for free education at all levels, universal health care, and subsidized housing. All of these are egalitarian reforms will certainly erase the wide gap between the richest and poorest families in the long run.
As a taxpayer who pays more than what corporations shell out (in terms of tax as a percent of income), I entreat my fellow taxpayers to open their minds and consider the merits of the Philippine Left's vision for a free and prosperous country for everyone, beyond a mere end of the pork barrel regime. Let a thousand flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend, for we are in a democratic country where leftists have the right to be heard and be listened at too, especially after more than a century of our country's decrepitude under non-leftist administrations.
(David Michael M. San Juan is an instructor at De La Salle University-Manila.)
