May election can be reform springboard - GOTCHA by Jarius Bondoc

Joseph Estrada’s trapo parties are in tatters. Ed Angara’s Laban has lost its majority to the ruling coalition. To complete a 13-man Senate ticket, it must merge with Partido ng Masang Pilipino, which has no chapters, only Ronnie Puno as operator. Danding Cojuangco’s Nationalist People’s Coalition has opted for collaboration with the administration.

Erap’s usual Binondo financiers are gone, too. Either they’ve fled RP or switched over to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. State lawyers have frozen 10 of 15 known Erap bank accounts. Private prosecutors are sniffing out 18 more in nine banks, depriving Erap of withdrawal slip on which to sign Jose Velarde or Jose Marcelo.

Three of seven Comelec commissioner seats are vacant. In the short list of business and NGO recommendees are persons known for integrity and courage, and retired politicians who know how colleagues play the dirty game. Namfrel, religious groups and civil society are preparing to serve as election watchdogs and voter educators.

What a grand opportunity for GMA to use presidential clout to alter the political landscape. What a rare chance for her to slip young idealists into Congress and local posts. From there, GMA can proceed to reform the economy, legislate better governance, restore social morality. Why, she can even amend the Constitution.

Too bad, though, GMA is uninclined to do it. The post of presidential adviser on political affairs remains unfilled. Around her are well-meaning administrators, generals, street activists, but she has no strategist to help her peer through the political periscope and draw up an election plan. She has left the planning solely to old pols of her People Power Coalition.

These pols in turn are fighting over Senate slots: six for Lakas; one each for Kampi, Reporma, Promdi, Aksiyon Demokratriko, PDP, LP, and a Laban defector. For local berths, they’re using their traditional definition of "winnability" to promote their choices: celebrity or a political dynasty for name-recall, money to buy votes, Comelec contacts to alter bad results. The party will do the rest.

Once their candidates win, it’ll be patronage politics all over again. Senators and congressmen will insert pork and perks into the budget, then demand releases before passing GMA’s urgent bills, if any. Governors and mayors too will busy themselves with jueteng and other rackets.

It looks like the youth won’t get the reforms they dreamed of at EDSA and elsewhere during People Power-II. Nine out of ten who had marched against Erap were in the teens or twenties. Sixty-five percent of Filipinos are below 35 years old. They packed the rallies, spread the quick-changing plans through text-messaging, kept the mood peaceful yet vibrant. Raised in the age of Internet and break-speed RAMs, information-at-a-snap and instant gratification, they organized People Power in an instant. Erap fled in four days. Now they deserve swift, deep-rooting, widespread reforms to help them conquer the world or at least keep apace with globalization.

But old pols aren’t about to hand them more youth representation in government. In the world’s only superpower, George W. Bush searched far and wide for men and women below 45 to sit in his Cabinet. America’s seven fastest-growing states are run by governors who’ve just turned 50. Not here, kiddo.

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INTERACTION. Paul Dalde, Texas: I’m disappointed with business as usual in government (Gotcha, 7 Feb. 2001). The order of the day is for politicians who can reform, not trapos who retain patronage politics. If GMA doesn’t change this, she might not be able to finish Erap’s term.

Jojo Almin, Kawasaki, Japan: Justice delayed is justice Philippine-style. Replace the Ombudsman if he isn’t up to the job of helping rebuild our nation.

Vi Massart, Paris: With the mad-cow scare in Europe, sale of red meat here was down 35 percent these last six months. Though avid beafeaters, the French now go for healthier fish-and-vegetable diets (Her Body, 7 Feb. 2001)

Ched Arzadon, Dagupan Jailing Erap is a proper closure of EDSA-II. It would also discourage crooks from seeking public office. (Gotcha, 5 Feb. 2001).

Benjamin Samonte, aol.com: From 34 years in military duty, I learned that our people remain poor because of bad government service delivery. Efforts to improve focus only on national agencies. Perhaps we need mini-People Power at provincial, city and municipal levels.

Cris O. Ibarra, edsamail: Erap’s party is crumbling, yet his spokesmen-sons sound confident of putting candidates into Congress (Gotcha, 3 Feb. 2001) Why? The administration party seems to have missed that Erap still controls the Comelec through local election officers. Expect dagdag-bawas in May.

Teresita L. Ubiadas, edsamail: I saw it on TV news: "Richard Gomez to run for Congress." I caution voters, especially the youth, against getting hooked (again) to the glitter and glamour of showbiz personalities.

Ron Bruer, New York City: A reader wrote that government garbage men take bribes to collect trash (Interaction, 3 Feb. 2001). For the record, NYC’s few sanitation men handle only, but not all, residential areas. Most commercial pickups are handled by the "boys" from the Mob.

Thank you, too, Sally Ballera, Jojo Taduran, R. Gonzales, Charlie Jacob, V. Cruz, J. Miguel, Rorie Fajardo, Oscar Landicho, Tessy Reyes, Juan Miguel, Edwin Laranang, George Pilapil, Chito dela Paz, Warlito Villasencio, Louie Tordillo, Johnny K. Sy, Angel Balauitan, R.T. Madela, Rene Bernardo, Ilving T. Zamora, Patrick Michael Balo, Helen Lumayag, Augusto Cezar Sarmiento, Manuel Espaldon, Tet Gambito, Judy Chia, Jet Nera, Juris Soliman, R. Anonuevo.

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YOUR COMPUTER. Reader R. Oriel raises virus alerts against "LoveLetter" and "Valentine’s Day." The first is a variant of last year’s deadly worm, this time spreading on e-mail as LoveLetter.CD or Cartolina.vbs. The other comes as Valentine 2332.exe, Trash the message and attachment on sight.

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