The race for control Jose Ma. Montelibano Philippine Daily Inquirer
June 26, 2009
REALITY in the Philippines is so dark that writing about the good news, which I have tried to do with greater resolve in the last few years, can be daunting. It is less the content of good news that is challenging, it is more writing them and blocking the incessant temptation to focus on the more sensational bad news. When one really wants to see the good in the other, the good in society, there are more than enough people and developments that truly lift the spirit. The discipline required, though, is to resist being devoured by the ugliness of politics, corruption and poverty.
There are many individuals and groups who carry an advocacy of good works. Philippine society is alive with organizations and associations who do almost nothing but help their fellow man. Yet, in the context of the Philippines, they will all be inevitably drawn to the vortex of evil which has seized control of the lives of so many Filipinos. Some will be sucked into the cesspool, unable to resist either the lure of money and power, or its pressure. Many will simply give up, too helpless against the dominance of the ills they tried to overcome. Others few will persist, get killed or burned out along the way. And a few may become heroes, pins of light that give hope to a darkened world.
It amazes me no end why individuals who may be admired by their respective constituencies can be so despised by a national population when they sit together as Congress. It seems like an extended paradox when citizens look down on Congress, and members thereof, yet keep re-electing the same representatives in their district. Lately, I have come to the conclusion that the scorn arises from unrequited expectations for what is honorable and noble at the same time that the dispensation of material goodies assures Robin Hoods will win over crusaders in a localized contest.
Reform advocates often miss the grim reality of poverty, how a scarcity environment makes mice of men, or criminals. Over and over again, I have heard reformists exhort the poor not to sell their votes but do nothing in between elections to lift them beyond their poverty. The poor do not care much about who sits, but who sits and gives them what they need. Everybody promises but only Robin Hoods deliver before they actually occupy positions of power. No one knows better than the poor about broken promises. Indeed, there is change in the air. Its momentum is almost unstoppable at this point and it should dramatically impact Philippine society in no time at all. Both the administration and the opposition should not misread the dynamics that will surely bring and change and disruption. While the political situation appears to trigger the change dynamics, it is much more than that. It is a divine plan and the evolution towards its inevitable manifestation. It will use the young and the awesome technology that will keep dismantling mindsets of an age that is fading as quickly as a new one emerges.
I cannot emphasize enough the fact that when dominant power reaches the level of arrogance, it signals its own forthcoming demise. Opposition forces cannot defeat a superior force in a head-on confrontation. The superior force must lose its definite advantage first, just as Goliath allowed a stone from David's slingshot to kill him by arrogantly removing his helmet while mocking David. The superior force must make a serious mistake from its arrogance, or must be prodded by circumstance (or by its enemies) to make those mistakes.
The 2010 elections pit an unpopular administration against an array of political rivals. It is funny, though, how some arrogance seems to be coming from the weaker side. By a lack of resolve to find solidarity among themselves, the opposition, whether traditional or alternative, will facilitate another term for Gloria via her anointed. True, Gloria is terribly unpopular but she is quick to see possibilities and massively fund them. It is not wise to underestimate what she can do when she wants to do it.
Take the initiative for a Constituent Assembly by Congress. Many take it as an act of arrogance, and it is. But it can be a simple probe to draw out what kind of opposition such an initiative can generate, and a second or third plan is already in place. It is too much to expect that Gloria, if she is as desperate to hold on to control as speculated by her enemies, will put all her eggs in one basket called the Constituent Assembly.
I say that dramatic change is inevitable in the near future not because of the political opposition against Gloria. Politicians are not the most determined people for the kind of change that our society needs. Politicians want a change of leadership, from Gloria to them, but that is nowhere near enough for the change that Filipinos need and silently pray for. Neither is it enough for the younger generations.
There are recent developments which augur well for change and should send shivers down the spine of the Arroyo camp. I point to the phenomenon of the Obama election and the ongoing turmoil in Iran which threatens another people power revolt for the world to learn from. These two events are symbolic of what is building up strength in the subliminal, of evolution beginning to rear its powerful head. I do not know what will trigger our disruption in the Philippines, but I know it will be triggered.
There are too many change ingredients in place. The unpopularity of Gloria despite efforts and accomplishments in select areas of economic life is indicative that it is not only her image of being greedy and corrupt but also a wave of change that is threatening to be tidal. What has kept her in place is the fact that the opposition do not look that much different with charges and counter charges of corruption between them.
Also, the youth have yet to find their champion. There is discontent in their hearts but they seek change with a bright answer and not just change for the sake of change. Jose Rizal, or Andres Bonifacio, must present himself in a technological world that is ready to march the streets as well. Iran just had a martyr, Neda, that is becoming a symbol of courage and nobility unto death. When our youth find their Neda, change will happen in an instant - bloody or not.
