Towards a Transformative National Agenda

Here's an excerpt from the "Philippine Situationer: 2001-2010". Get your free copy at http://www.newphilrevolution.com.

Professor Paul Bancroft of the University of Wisconsin has a very insightful summary of the kind of governance and political turmoil the Philippines is facing now. Writing in the Journal of Democracy, Bancroft described the present state of Philippine democracy as a failure of the political leadership to provide direction out of the political turmoil:

In her seven years as Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has found political legitimacy elusive. She has survived numerous travails by very effectively wielding the substantial powers of her office, but exhibits no qualms about further undermining the country's already weak political institutions. Post-Marcos Philippine democracy can boast many strengths, including a vibrant civil society, but it has been battered in recent years by a major electoral scandal, extrajudicial killings, attacks on the press, a recurrence of military adventurism, and on-going patterns of corruption and violence. The Arroyo imbroglio strains the country's longstanding but patronage-infested democratic structures, thus highlighting the necessity of well-considered political reform. A central goal should be the fostering of stronger and more programmatic political parties.

Indeed, Philippine governmental institutions continues to weaken due to the weight brought by cronyism, graft and corrupt practices and an absence of political parties that act as balancers or fiscalizers in the state. This lead to what some political observers call a stagnation of democracy.

To restore these institutions to order, we propose the following steps towards National Transformation.

1. Strict and no-nonsense implementation and respect of the Philippines’ regime of laws.
 The legal or juridical system is not defective. It is in the administration of justice that causes the problem.
 The unequal application of laws hinders the workings of democracy and greatly impacts on the perception of the Philippines as a partially free or non-functioning democracy.
 In all aspects of public life, government should ensure that all members of the polity respect and honor the laws passed by Congress.


2. Eliminate cronyism and decrease executive influence over major government institutions, affiliates and agencies
 The devolution of executive powers should be undertaken. Executive power is so strong that it plays a major role in all spheres of public life. Due to a lack of a major political force in Philippine society, the Executive has taken over the vacuum, leading to a dis-equilibrium in the exercise of State power.
 Political subdivision should be undertaken with
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3. Promote a regime of fair play in all spheres of private and public life. Professionalize the bureaucracy and implement a meritocratic regime.
 There is a current perception among investors that doing business in the Philippines requires authorization from those in power. To eliminate this, government should cut red tape further by streamlining the bureaucracy and promote further computerization of the system.
 The Codes of Ethics should be strictly implemented and violators put to justice.
 Promotions in the government service should be based on performance and integrity in service.

4. Promote a two-party system, with the minority party exercising effective fiscalizing duties within the boundaries of parliamentary ethics.
 A two-party systems works well in a small democracy such as the Philippines.
 To do this, government must encourage small parties and people’s organizations to merge or align with bigger political parties.
 Political parties should promote philosophical or ideological platforms that conform with the general world-view of their constituencies.

5. Increase stakeholder participation from civil society, the academe and people’s organizations in national policy-making.
 NGO participation plays a pivotal role in nation-building. The inputs made by members of the academe in further improving the dispensation of basic services should always be part of the process of governmental policy-making.
 People’s participation in policy-making should not be limited to public consultations. Instead, members of stakeholder groups should be appointed as “consultancy” bodies in all branches of government to enhance democratic participation.

6. Pursue peace with revolutionary and insurgent groups while implementing an all-out war against terrorist organisations.
 Government should pursue peace efforts with revolutionary and insurgent groups through continuous talks.
 Military action, however, should be intensified against known terrorist organizations in the country.
 Members of the AFP and the PNP accused of political crimes should be immediately pardoned and released.
 People’s participation in peace efforts should be prioritized.
 Third party mediators are encouraged particularly in the area of developmental assistance.

7. Insulate the national economy against the damaging effects of globalization by protecting national industries while liberalising non-critical sectors of the Philippine economy.
 Government should limit the entry of foreign companies particularly in ownership and access to critical sectors of the economy.
 Foreign participation should be limited in enhancing the IT outsourcing sector and SME.
 Foreigners should not be allowed to own land. Land resource should be strictly relegated to the enjoyment of the Filipino people.

8. Exploitation of the natural resources of the Philippines shall be limited to Filipinos. Joint venture agreements with foreign firms should strictly be under the BOT Law.
 The law on Joint Venture agreements should be revised to lower the entry rate of foreign firms in resource exploitation and use.
 Genuine Agrarian reform shall be strictly enforced.
 The 60-40 parity law should be amended. Instead, 70% local ownership and 30% for foreign companies.

9. Launch a Nationalist moral recovery program centered on emphasizing and stressing the need for every Filipino to go back to the traditional moral systems.
 Government shall spearhead a moral recovery program centered on changing the cultural mindset of every Filipino.
 Promote a unitary philosophical worldview with greater emphasis on increasing the morale of the Filipino as a race and nation.
 Enhance the educational system and transform it as a lead agency in promoting patriotism in all spheres of public life.
 Moral recovery must start from the top down. Government should utilise the educational system to spread patriotic values not just in the young but likewise in all sectors of the populace.



10. Enhance financial support mechanisms for small and medium-sized enterprises and promote entrepreneurship.
 Small and medium-sized enterprises are the prime motors of Philippine economic growth and development. Support structures are already in place. However, government should increase credit and loan facilities and encourage banks and financial institutions to assist in widening the number of SMEs in the country.
 Entrepreneurship training seminars should be further increased and widened in scope to allow other services and products.

11. Increase food security in the Philippines through strengthening the production capability of the agricultural and agri-business sectors.
 Food security should be one of the top priorities of the government. With a growing population, it is most critical that the internal production capabilities of these sectors be enhanced.
 Dependence on imported goods should further be delimited.
 Farm-to-market roads should further be increased in number to assist in the smooth delivery of agricultural products straight to the consumer market.

12. Modernize the armed forces and transform it into a 21st century fighting machine.
 Threats against the Philippine state are increasing. In the 21st world, every state is vulnerable not only coming from terrorism but also possible aggressive actions against neighbouring states.
 The Philippine defence doctrine should be changed, from a purely insurgency-oriented one to increasing state and border security.
 Naval defence capability should be strengthened and enhanced with the acquisition of modern sea vessels capable of defending a large part of the territorial waters of the Philippines.
 Air defence capability should likewise be enhanced as an important component in AFP modernization.
 Intelligence capabilities should be enhanced with state-of-the art technology.