P-Noy and a transformative Senate

The 2013 midterm elections was clearly a victory for the change and reform agenda of P-Noy. It was not only due to the overwhelming victory of his candidates, but also to the fact that even opposition candidates were cautious in stating that they support the President’s program of good governance, knowing that they cannot risk antagonizing the public.

I am hopeful that the nation’s political ruling class, often considered as one of the most selfish in  Asia, will become an ally in the President’s vision of institutionalizing the rule of law and good governance in our country.

There is a need, however, to understand  that we have two general classes of politicians in our country today. The first type views winning elections as the end goal of a politician. This is similar to the businessman who considers maximizing profits as the overriding objective of any business.

In both cases, politics and business, the maxim is that the end justifies the means. Therefore, resorting to corruption or intimidation to win elections or to maximize profits is considered as a necessary part of the “political game”. This type of politicians is what we often refer to as traditional politicians or trapos.

The most extreme example of this type of politician was Ferdinand Marcos who declared martial law, replaced democracy with a dictatorship and allowed widespread violation of human rights in his desire to perpetuate his political power. There are also those personalities who run for public office simply because they believe they can win like a Lapid and other celebrities.

However, the P-Noy phenomenon has brought a new game-changing character to our political process.  More and more politicians, even trapos, are becoming aware that good governance and Daang Matuwid can actually become winning formulas. Therefore, even most trapos will support these advocacies for as long as they believe the public will support P-Noy’s programs.

The President will, however, need to continually bring his message directly to the public in order  to influence  public opinion. This was the formula that convinced many senators to support the impeachment of Renato Corona. This is the strategy that resulted in the victories of P-Noy backed candidates in this election.

The second type of politicians is a small but growing number of reformist politicians who are true believers in the need for change in our society. To this type of politicians, winning elections is a means and not an end.

While I empathize with this class of politicians, their biggest liability is their seeming inability to win elections. The principal reason seems to be that they believe that their message of change and reform will be enough to win elections. They need to understand that if the people are not aware and do not trust the messenger, their message will not be heeded.

We have a highly personalized society which is not just a Filipino but an Asian trait. Contemporary political history shows that nations around us were able to achieve a political and economic breakthrough under the leadership of highly charismatic personalities like Mahathir of Malaysia, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and Park of South Korea, whose daughter is now president of the country.

Reform advocacy and charisma can be merged in a single personality. We had Corazon Aquino and Jesse Robredo. Now we have P-Noy who has a charismatic, transformative, quiet style of leadership.

The next question now is how long the senators will focus on their task of advancing national interest before they become obsessed with the 2016 elections. Remember that the 1987 Constitutional Commission reinstated the Senate with a margin of only one vote, 23 to 22. The belief was that the Senate would equalize and balance the gap between local and national interests. It is disheartening to observe that the majority of Senate bills are local bills and discussions are often focused on investigations.

I will reserve my judgment of this incoming Senate and hope for the best.  Hopefully, this new generation of senators will usher in a new, transformative Senate. For these new faces, let me offer some unsolicited advice.

I sense the sincerity in Grace Poe Llamanzares when she advocates free lunches for public school children. I am sure she understands that poverty is the immediate cause for the need for free school lunches. But, perhaps she should study the root causes of poverty in this country, and realize she can be an ideal advocate for causes that go beyond free school lunches.

Koko Pimentel will begin to serve his first full Senate term. I hope that as PDP- Laban president, he will remember the idealism and ideology of the party’s original founders, including Nene Pimentel. This was a political movement born in the midst of a dictatorial regime.  The intention was to transform Philippine society and not just win elections.

Although I have never met him, I hear good things about Sonny Angara and his promise to work harder in the Senate. I hope he measures his performance not by the number of bills or investigations, but by the quality of his legislation and its impact on the lives of future generations of Filipinos. Perhaps he should also listen to the counsel of his mother-in-law whose record of activism revealed her empathy with the masses.

Bam Aquino knows that expectations are very high because of the legacy of his family name. This is a legacy born out of the martyrdom of a national hero and the heroic struggle of Cory Aquino to restore and institutionalize democracy in this country. I know he will see this legacy, not as a burden, but as an inspiration..

Unlike social media, I expect Nancy Binay to perform well in the Senate. I am sure her father knows that her performance will have a seismic effect on the Binay political brand name. She will receive proper mentoring and I hope she will have a highly competent, technical staff and not the political hangers-on that tend to ingratiate themselves to her family.

Transformative leaders know that if they want to gain commitment from followers and achieve high standards of morality, they must themselves be models of principled behaviour. Leaders must also be clear about their guiding principles and their vision for the Philippines.

 Thursday, May 16 was the 40th day since the passing of Billy Esposo, my good friend and comrade in arms during the struggle for the restoration of Philippine democracy. I ask my readers to remember him and all his contributions in making the Philippines a better society.

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