Corruption in the government has exacerbated the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Filipinos should use the next elections to assert their rights to the kind of leaders they truly want and need, transparency and governance champions said during the last session of Pilipinas Conference 2021, titled Recovering Philippine Democracy Beyond 2022.
“It’s not just Stratbase that said this. Filipinos want their leaders to have concern for the poor, to be honest and trustworthy, and to not be corrupt. We commissioned surveys to show the preference of people across various locations and demographic groups,” said Prof. Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADRi that organized the conference.
Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, who is also a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court said in her opening remarks that the essential elements of a democracy according to a United Nations resolution are separation and balance of power, independence of the judiciary, pluralistic system of political parties and organization, respect for the rule of law, transparency and accountability, free and independent media, and respect for political and human rights.
“We have to be clear that democracy cannot co-exist with dictatorship or any tendencies thereof,” she said.
“But it appears we have entered a new era of convenience democracy, using it only to justify our rights to about everything, but dismissing its very essence in our ways and conduct. Democracy is not an anything-goes form of government. It is not tolerant of abuses in the guise of a right,” she added.
Carpio-Morales said that based on these elements, or their absence, “our democracy is sick, and it cannot stand another blow from a hand that has no regard for it.”
“Accountability is not limited to being able to determine who is at fault, but extends to the government’s capacity to be answerable to the people and to provide solutions and to redeem itself after failure,” she said.
She also spoke about a modern beast—the rampant reversal of history and the rosy representation of a strongman type of rule well-aided by social media platforms.
She said the 2022 elections would therefore be pivotal on so many points.
“The result would be a possible return to a regime with autocracy tendencies, could be a reinstallation to power those who by history have already bastardized the democracy and guilty covers of the country, or it could also be a restoration of good governance and democracy.”
“We should know better,” she said,
Commission on Audit Chairman Michael Aguinaldo said citizens have a decisive role to play in the running of government.
“The key to recovering democracy beyond 2022 is to provide ways by which the people can feel they are a part of government apart from merely voting for representatives,” he said.
“There are various avenues where citizens can be made to feel that they are a part of government,” he said, citing the COA’s Citizen Participatory Audit established almost a decade ago, where ordinary citizens and non-governmental organizations work side by side with auditors assisting them in the conduct of performance audits of government project.
“Ordinary folk and NGOs have seen first-hand specific government projects and programs, learned about the challenges and difficulties in implementation, and help to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and at times the economy of these particular projects,” Aguinaldo said.