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Philippines
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Saving our people from economic and moral bankruptcy

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"Is there nobody else?"

 

The presidential elections in May 2022 will be a crucial event in Philippine history. At stake at the coming polls are the democratic institutions and the very survival of the country.

It will be the most challenging time for whoever gets elected to the presidency.

The next president will be taking over a country in ruins, an empty treasury, and a nation in a state of moral decay.

The pandemic devastated most of the vital arteries of the national economy. It will take years before business enterprises can recoup their staggering losses. Many had to close down.

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Millions have lost their jobs. Six out of ten families are now often missing their regular meals and are already experiencing hunger. Graft and corruption have become even more pervasive and widespread. It had, in fact, become an accepted norm in public service. Transactions with government agencies now require supporting pesos, not documents.

Public service is no longer a public trust but an instrument for private gain. Running for public office used to be a call for self -sacrifice. It has since become a tool to acquire wealth, power and fame. Corrupt public officials even have the temerity to prefix the word “honorable” to their names.

But there is also so much larceny, robbery and abuse going on in the private sector. Overpricing and selling goods of inferior quality as well as mislabelling products are among condemnable practices resorted to by many business enterprises to rake in enormous profits. These are called “piracies in the marketplace.” Most of the biggest business conglomerates deliberately do not pay their correct tax obligations, some none at all. Most of the richest businessmen bribe high government officials to secure lucrative contracts, tax privileges, and immunity from government sanctions for their illegal practices. Some taipans readily contribute campaign funds to opposing presidential, congressional, and local candidates to gain favors, influence and immunity from harassment.

The government, the entire bureaucracy, and society today are shot through with moral decadence.

The Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army are fanning the embers of discontent, to create chaos and anarchy.

Joma Sison is hoping that Xi Jinping will make him an alternative to President Duterte.

The law enforcement agencies and the military establishment have lost much of our people’s respect, trust and cooperation.

Navigating the political landscape will be one of the most challenging concerns of the next head of state. The future of our country hinges on the stormy relationship between China and the USA . Our country’s growth and development revolve around our dealings with the Chinese government.

But the most demanding and urgent problem the incoming chief of state will face is the urgent need to amend the constitution or system of government. He must have the political will to discard the presidential form of government which has been the bane of our country’s political instability and underdevelopment. With hardly any exception, all the past administrations have miserably failed to achieve a glimmer of success in realizing our people’s aspirations and dreams. Most of our former presidents did not really care, much less endeavor to liberate our people from economic and political enslavement.

The Philippines will remain a backward country for as long as it is under the presidential system.

Who among the known aspirants are capable of embracing the overwhelming challenges confronting the country?

There is hardly anyone among them who stands taller than the rest in terms of political and moral ascendancy. None has excellent credentials to deserve the people’s high regard and his opponents’ envy. The performance record of some of the aspirants in their respective professions or callings are notable and excellent but not much needed in running the country’s biggest corporation, the government. The experiences of the aspirants are limited in nature and application to the broad arena of public service.

On a scale of 1 to 10, using the preceding yardsticks as measurements, not one of the known aspirants will pass the grade. Each one may get a high mark in some requirements but dismally low grades in the others.

Whoever will be endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte to succeed him will enjoy a slight advantage. Even if he remains popular, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte or Senator Bong Go will have to generate support on their own. Popularity is not transferable.

Former Senator Bongbong Marcos and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno are among those who are seen as strong aspirants for the presidency.

Vice President Leni Robredo is the most likely candidate of the Liberal Party and could be the lady to beat if she can unite the opposition parties and critics of the incumbent leadership.

Panfilo or Ping Lacson has been creating waves and has managed to remain in the public eye through media hype.

Senator Manny Pacquiao has already built an indelible legacy in his profession as a boxer. He could be knocked out in the political ring by the heavier opponents.

Senators Richard Gordon, Grace Poe, Sonny Angara, Lisa Hontiveros, and former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano are also being eyed as possible candidates. Some will bide their time and prefer to remain where they are or in other prestigious assignments. Former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has excellent credentials and a high reputation as a legal luminary but he would need the support of other opposition groups to be a viable bet for the highest office.

But are there no other prominent personalities who could be the best our country could have as president during these critical years of our Republic?

There are and they have already established outstanding legacies even before they became highly successful and rich.

Three are visible in the national scene; Ramon S. Ang, top honcho of San Miguel Conglomerate, Enrique Razon, the second richest man in the country and head of the International Container Terminal Services and former Senate President Manny Villar, the Tondo boy who burned the bridges from poverty to enormous wealth and today’s wealthiest citizen.

Each one of them can afford to take a leave from their business enterprises, serve the country for six years without salary, demonstrate strong political will to bring in truly needed reforms and the experience to manage the biggest corporation in the country, the Republic of the Philippines.

Ramon Ang or RSA says he is not interested in running for president. But keen students of politics and government believe that he could be a very good president. The big infrastructure projects he has initiated such as the skyways and a modern airport terminal and his environmental reclamation projects have brought him to national prominence.

Enrique Razon is a purpose-driven, self-possessed and courageous businessman who has made himself an institution in the container terminal service.

He inherited and took over the family’s business as a young man in the early 70s, exceeding the expectations of the business community and his contemporaries. Today, he owns other business interests such as Solaire. Like Ang, Razon could afford to join public service as a privilege and a noble challenge and make our country a respected nation in the global community.

Divine Providence prevented Manny Villar from becoming president in 2010. The death of former president Cory Aquino generated a groundswell of public sympathy, bordering on reverence, for her and her husband Ninoy, which propelled her son Noynoy to unprecedented national prominence and a smooth run to the presidential seat.

Former Senate President Manny Villar would still be a formidable candidate for president if he decides to throw his hat again into the ring. Providential circumstances prevented him from becoming president in the 2010 presidential race. If President Duterte fields Villar as his candidate, he will have the distinction of being the richest citizen who was elected president.

What we need is a president who can save our people from economic and moral bankruptcy.

 

Mr. Ernesto Banawis is a student of politics and history. His email address is egbanawis@gmail.com.

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