Manny Villar's Platform: A No-nonsense Social Pact

Satur Ocampo, former Nationalist Democratic Front (NDF) head and Lisa Masa, the recognized women’s rights activist, are running under the Nacionalista Party as guest senatorial candidates. In an interview, Satur said that the reason why they aligned themselves with the Nacionalista, a traditional political party headed by no less than billionaire Manny Villar were for two reasons: first, other parties are not interested in adopting the Makabayan platform of government and only Villar says the party is ready to accept these points as part of the Nacionalista platform.


I secured for myself, a copy of the Nacionalista Party platform and read it. I also have a copy of the platform of the Liberal Party, the main political rival of the Nacionalista in the forthcoming elections. Armed with these two documents, I am trying to put them into a matrix, comparing their points and seeing if these are responsive to the current social needs.


Based on data culled from the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB), the Bangko Sentral’s Consumer Confidence Index and the current AC Nielsen reports, Filipinos’ top five (5) concerns are:


1. Stability of the local economy
2. Job security
3. Increases in bills (electricity, power, water)
4. Increases in gasoline prices
5. Good governance issues (re: graft and corruption)


The Nacionalista Party platform focuses on two main points: the issue of poverty and social injustice. Reading the document, the platform provides concrete solutions to the issue of poverty—develop the rural sector and enhance or strengthen local industries. Their anti-poverty program is the most concrete and the most responsive since it addresses the root causes, and presents not just cosmetic solutions.


For one, the Nacionalista Party wants to create a self-reliant and independent local economy. In order to do just that, the Nacionalista Party intends to improve the conditions in the countrysides by implementing agrarian reform, increase rural productivity and develop and strengthen local industries.


The Nacionalista Party believes in the concept of land-to-the tiller, the main essence of true agrarian reform. The Party also seeks to provide CARP beneficiaries of funds support thru rural finance and also provide technical supports. It seeks to compensate small and medium-sized land owners who were previously not given any by the government.


For the Nacionalista party, development of both the rural and the urban sectors of the economy should go hand-in-hand and results to job generation. While developing the economy, the Nacionalista Party hopes to involve the stakeholders in preserving the national patrimony, by introducing the National Land Use policy and infusing ecologically-sound practices on farm production. Fisherfolks will be involved in conserving marine resources.


Micro-financing, strengthening rural finance infrastructures, safety nets against the onerous effects of trade liberalization, promotion of subsidies and SMEs loans are just some of the support mechanisms propounded by the Nacionalista party. This shows a very close involvement of government in supporting both the rural and urban economies. However, it is curious to know though how the Nacionalista Party would address the budget deficit problem that may arise in the implementation of these programs.


In addressing social injustice, the Nacionalista Party encourages the involvement of all sectors. The platform recognizes the strengthening of human rights, promote involvement of stakeholders in preserving people’s and individual rights and likewise highlight the role of the Youth, women and labor sectors. Social injustice is viewed on two levels: domestic and foreign. In the domestic front, the Nacionalista wants to review onerous contracts entered into by government, prosecute officials who committed graft and corruption, liberalize the social sphere by respect of human rights and shield the people from grave injustices. Transparency in government transactions and the promotion of integrity are some of the solutions being offered by the party.

In the foreign affairs sphere, a review of the Visiting Forces Agreement and some trade pacts entered by the previous dispensation is offered. The Nacionalista Party says that these onerous trade agreements and foreign cooperative ventures should be scrutinized and reviewed.


For me, the Nacionalista Party platform is responsive. It gives no motherhood statements, no broad strokes solutions and no bull-shit phrases and promises. It is not a slogan merely to satiate the reformist tastes nor a program which offers the same old and tired strands of pseudo-nationalist propaganda. It is well-thought out and direct to the point.