OPINION: It’s the rulers; not the system
THE PEN SPEAKS
Danny O. Sagun
PANGASINAN hosted two big events last week, an indication that this big and populous province is a factor to reckon with in the shaping of the country’s future. The first event on Tuesday was the tax roadshow on the expanded value added tax (EVAT) at the Leisure Coast Resort in Bonuan Binloc, and the second event, the Charter change consultations on Friday at the Regency Hotel in Calasiao.
The EVAT roadshow drew quite a big crowd forcing many participants to stay outside the main venue. We could have hoped for a bigger space, say, the People’s Astrodome, which could have accommodated up to 4,000 people.
The Cha-cha consultation did not have that big crowd as the participants were screened and selected by NEDA to represent the cross-section of society. The live coverage of Super Radyo Dagupan of the press conference before the consultation proper however brought the discussions right to the people’s homes and there they can decide for themselves if this is the time to tinker with the 1987 Constitution or maintain the status quo.
Collated reports show that the public, through the series of consultations held nationwide, favor the shift of government from the present presidential-unitary to parliamentary-federal. Unitary means powers are central to Imperial Manila. Federal means power is shared by the provincial/state governments. We have a powerful president under the present system, but the president under the parliamentary system is a mere symbolic head of state with very limited powers. The head of government is the prime minister.
Our own position on the issue? We do not really concern ourselves as to the type of government or structure we will have, whether parliamentary or presidential. It is unfair to throw the blame on the presidential system for the woes and turmoil this country has seen for years. It is also wishful thinking that this country gets out of the mess if we shift to the parliamentary system. Pros have taken this type of reasoning to convince others. They have cited progressive countries with parliamentary systems as their proof – Britain, Australia, and our neighbors Thailand and Malaysia, which reportedly overtook us in the last two decades or so.
But they seem to overlook the fact that the most powerful country in the world, the USA, has a president as its head of state and government. Ditto with Russia, South Korea, Taiwan and even France, with a powerful president under a modified parliamentary system.
This country was the envy of its neighbors some years after the War. Its rulers, all presidents, would have made this nation great. The greed for power of just one man, the dictator, halted that momentum though. And it was very hard for the country to make a turnaround. Cory did try but her efforts were not enough.
Then came the Pangasinan pride, Fidel Valdez Ramos. We never thought he would make things happen for the better being a former military man. But it was during his time that the country began to move from its lethargic state and could have fared much better if not for the 1997 Asian crisis. As they say malas talaga. Still, FVR and his economic team managed to fight off the crisis.
Erap won the presidency by a big margin over his closest opponent, our own JDV in the 1998 elections. That was a big mistake of Filipino electorate who opted for a showbiz, popular person over a man who could have pursued FVR’s programs and made this small country turn into an economic tiger, borrowing the term of speaker JDV. (FVR himself was linked to alleged irregularities and this corner does not condone such.)
Our point? The system of government is not the main problem here. It is the person governing. If we put the likes of Marcos or Erap in the presidency, then woe for us. But if we install men the caliber of Quezon, Magsaysay, and FVR (minus alleged anomalies, if you please), then this country will become great again.
Notwithstanding, proceed with the Cha-cha consultations and feel the pulse of the people. Anyway, it is they who will have the final say when the matter is tossed to them for final action and approval/disapproval.
December 19th, 2005 at 1:58 pm
Sir,
Our country needs a strong system, wheter a federal system or a socialist one. As you know, the Philippines has an endless supply of strong people, capable of leading a nation. A strong leader alone can’t move the country forward to catch our neighbors in terms of modernization, economics, academics, etc.
The present system in the Philippines DOES NOT represent the vast majority of the people. Senators are elected based on the national popular vote, much like the president or vice president. And may I ask who those senators are representing once they are elected? Thank you sir, because the senator that you or I voted for doesn’t represent our points of view. He or she is more concerned with the next election rather than representing a constituent, which he or she doesn’t have to begin with. With the FEDERAL system, two senators from each province represent each province’s concers in the Senate. Each province, however small, has an equal say.
In a federal system, each provicnce do not necessarily depnend on the central government in Manila for survival. Each province is semi-autonomous and the people of each province has a bigger say on how their provincial government runs. At present, the provincial folks don’t have a say whatsoever on what is going on in Manila. The provinces, depending on the political party of the governor, are often neglected in between elections. Brother, the present government is taxing the local people without equal representation. Let the provinces decide their econimic destiny. At present, the Moros, the Igorots, the Aetas are not equally represented. Yet, they are being taxed.
We often say ‘matitigas ng ulo ng mga pinoy’, but the only matitigas are the politicians in Manila who think they know everything. Granted that Manila is the seat of the government. However, not all senators should come from Mamila. They may trace their roots from the provinces but I must tell you from experience that they know nothing when it comes to the provincial issues.
You cited different countries like Korea. Korea, as a nation, is a proud nation- proud as a people and their traditions. No matter what kind of government you put in South Korea, as an example, the country will still thrive. Can you say the same thing for the Philippines? Shocks No! People put their quarrels ahead of the national economic advancement because they are ashamed of what the senators and politicians in Manila are doing to give our beloved nation a bad name. Singapore is the same thing. The people are far more concerned with the economic state of their country than they do with the politics of the nation. Filipinos, on the other hand, are far more concerned with the politics as oppose to the economic impact of their actions. Not too many people in their right minds would invest in a country with a very uncertain political state. And that’s exactly what our policitians portray.
Filipinos of varrried ethnic backgrounds are generally patriotic. They are, for the most part, more loyal to their ancestry than the central government in Manila. Thelocal folks are more inclined to support their local provincial government than they do with the central one. Therefore, I am all for a FEDERAL SYSTEM.