I was forcibly asked to deliver my thoughts on this issue, and for the next three hours, I would be sharing with you insights on Voters Education, Transformative Response and Societal Challenge. This is such a boring issue for people your age, when I was your age, I’d rather talk about girls and the one hundred and one ways to court them, make them fall and leave them stranded. I paid little attention to transformative response and societal challenges back then, so it’s my fear that you feel the same and ignore what I’m saying.
I would like to begin with a true story. Five (5) year ago today, the greatest Philippine President we could ever have died of prostate cancer. His name is Raul S. Roco. He aspired to be our President twice back in 1998 and 2004 Presidential Elections. Prior to these dates, Sen. Raul S. Roco has been consistently topping surveys and was poised to be the next President primarily due to his unblemished track record in public service, landmark legislations and unconventional advocacies. But as what is now written in the history books, he lost on both occasions where he could have won had we, the voters, took full notice of three important aspect of the electoral process. Those are Voters Education, Transformative Response and Societal Challenges.
Most if not all of you might not have enough knowledge on the life and works of the Great Bicolano, Raul S. Roco, but your older folks would agree with me when I say that he indeed could have the greatest Bicolano President we could ever have but will never be. In a season where winning is largely dictated by political machinery and widespread vote-buying, the youth then have watched in silence and regretted as the eventual winners, Erap and GMA, squandered millions of pesos in midnight deals, brought down the standards of our political system and damaged the perception of neighboring countries of our once proud race. In a season where we could have avoided it all by electing a genuine leader in Raul S. Roco, we chose to be fooled by the organized political system whose main intention is to keep themselves and their party in authority for the longest period of time.
Now a new era has dawn before us. We have been witnesses to the evolution of our electoral process as it embraced technology and brought us the first ever automated election in the country. And this month, a new breed of public servants are about to get their first taste of politics at their tender age. This coming Barangay and SK Election offer both HOPE and CAUTION to all candidates and electorates as one. Hope that a new breed of leaders would eventually come alive having enough courage to question the system and caution that these new leaders will eventually succumbed to the corrupt majority taking full control of the legislative and executive process.
Let me formally begin my talk with Voters Education. Voters’ education is absolute, non-negotiable, and essential to the elimination of “trapo” politics. “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Knowing that different issues resonate with different people, efforts should be made – preferably by nonpartisan groups – to present “the big picture” to as many voters as possible. We need a place that provides that information without the candidates’ spin. Something like this forum. With the advent of the Internet, it becomes increasingly obvious that an impartial website that provides information about candidates’ stands and track records will be crucial to the credible election of a credible Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan Leaders.
Voters education is always essential and doing so in this modern age should never be difficult than doing the teaching 10 years ago. Today, with the advent of new technologies easily accessible to both young and old, the playing field to define the authentic change flat forms from those traditional once have been fairly flattened. Mediums such as the internet and social networking sites have become powerful tools to advance once agenda. Now, more than ever, education and learning entered into a new dimension, all of us, candidates and the electorates must take full use of these to ensure that the next three (3) years of Barangay Leadership falls into the right hands, persons with wisdom, integrity and accountability.
Integrity in government begins with personal integrity. Values begin at home, and if we continue to remain apathetic to our country’s situation, as far as I’m concerned, that speaks volumes about where we are headed as a nation. If we watch out only for ourselves, we can expect the same kind of fragmented disillusionment to remain in our mindsets for generations to come. For the Philippines to move forward, the Philippine political system must adopt, as US President Barack Obama puts it, a “politics of common sense, of common purpose, of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.” A public servant whose heart is in the right place will not tolerate corruption; a private citizen cannot afford to turn the other cheek when something wrong is being committed right before his or her eyes. S/He will not bribe his way to convenience; s/he values her/his name so much that s/he will not allow corruption or tolerance to take place. No to moderated greed and tolerated corruption!
Just what are the challenges facing our country today that needs to be properly addressed in Voters Education? Is Voters Education enough to spark transformation in society face with various challenges? How ready are we as a society to embark on a change that can ultimately dictate the shift of power from the elite to the common “tao” which President Aquino calls his “Boss”.
Below are few Societal Challenges that can spur Societal Transformation but only if substantial amount of political will is exercised not just by our leaders but by the people they (leaders) are accountable for:
1. Middling of the Church in affairs of the state
The impending passage of the RH Bill is an example of this affair. While it is true that poverty is not caused by over population alone but more so by corruption, the church must have misread the bible when it says “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it.” According to a Senate Report published July of 2009, it stated that In the Philippines, maternal mortality rate (MMR) remains high at 162 per 100,000 live births while infant mortality rate (IMR) and under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) are 24 and 32 per 1,000 live births, respectively(FPS 2006).
Around the world, 1,500 women die every day from complications of pregnancy or childbirth, while 10,000 babies die daily within the first month of life. Most of these deaths occur in developing countries and most are avoidable. The RH bill is more than just managing population, it offers a solution to all families properly be accountable for the welfare of their children. Besides, the Bishops and the Priests are in no possession to give us lectures on family, family planning and sexuality for they themselves haven’t raised a single family and by prohibition, have never engaged in any sexuality. Unless they admit they are, then we could probably re-align our outlook in favor of our church leaders.
2. Tolerated Corruption
Vote buying is the primary manifestation of tolerated corruption. If we allow our votes to be bought then we open the doors for our leaders to be corrupt. A corruption not only emanates from us ordinary citizens, the church from where we belong has some cleaning to do to be able to curve the corrupt ways of our leaders. The church being the primal beneficiary of large political dole outs have exposed our leaders to avenues where they can venture into extraordinary deals just to please the few and powerful religious leaders.
In early 2000, the World Bank estimated that corruption was costing the Philippines government $47M a year - or a massive $48 B over the 20-year period to 1997. Corruption, said the hard-hitting World Bank report, undermines development, hurts the poor, diminishes the quality of public services and raises the price of goods and services. The report said private industry shared a responsibility for this state of affairs by its attempts to bribe politicians.
To this day, the battle to end corruption is still tops the governments priority programs. The only way for us to win this battle is for everyone to STOP begging for unnecessary help from politicians and START asking whatever happened to our taxes to make them feel accountable for every centavo spent. After all, it’s not their money, it’s our money.
3. Moderated Greed
At the height of the ZTE Scandal, Bicolano whistleblower Jun Lozada admitted to have received an instruction from the infamous NEDA Director Romulo Neri to moderate the greed of Mike Arroyo and Benjamin Abalos. Today, as we begin the journey of these young leaders set test the political waters of their Barangays, we dare them to say NO to greed. While still young and beaming with bright ideas, let us not allow this new generation of leaders to be exposed to occasions where there is call to be greedy. Let us all be vigilant for them and our society. Greed is the highest form desire. When there is greed there is always corruption and where there is corruption there are always people below the line who are essentially short-changed either of service or product. There is no way people can moderate their greed, as human nature dictates one to have the most.
Greed and Corruption are two deadly combinations for they breed poverty. One way to eliminate the latter is to put an end to these two menacing cultures. Greed and corruption looked at human suffering and oppressions with a blind eye. What’s even worst it the fact that these two knows no master, the next victim could be you, me or the person seating next to you. We won’t know until it has stricken us and we can’t tell if it is striking us already. Only time will tell, but if we act now, then we can still save our future.
4. Political dynasty
One of the most ambitious policies of the present Constitution is expressed in its Art. II, Sec. 26, which says, “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” It is also the most ignored by Congress for obvious reasons. Across the country, the same political clans are winning. Reports and allegations of fraud and violence, often meant to prevent people from voting and to disrupt the counting of votes, also show that their methods of holding on to power remained the same.
5. Passivity of the voting populace
The real challenge for the candidates and the voting populace begins not in the Election Day, in fact it is after the winners have been declared. How can we do our part to ensure that the country is kept in the right tract? How little or how much do we react to the misgivings of the winning candidates? How do we involve ourselves in the transformation process. We should dare to ask and ask to dare our leaders.
Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people. This being said, there is a call for everyone inside this room to exercise the true meaning of democracy starting today until the rest of our lives. Let us now allow another Raul S. Roco to slip by without having the chance to stir the country into greater heights when we could have done so. Democracy is knowing what is best for our people without the threat of coercion, oppression or power of money. Democracy resides in us, democracy is us. What we intend to do with ourselves and our future today will reflect the kind of democracy will be enjoy or despise tomorrow.
Created for Glen de Mateo in exchange of a kinalas bowl and lunch.
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