Spark of hope

The overall conduct and the results of the last Barangay elections do not really indicate any significant change in our kind of politics and political landscape. Despite the usual Comelec assessment of a “successful” election, we still have patronage and money politics as well as political dynasties in our midst. As in the past elections, they are the determining factors in winning the elections although since 2010, the automated election has also produced fake victors because of the open violation of the automated election law and the standards of security and transparency it has set up.

Of course there are also some “fresh and promising faces” practicing principled politics who managed to win under our kind of politics and electoral process. But it is still a long way before they can create a big dent to the existing and well entrenched rotten political culture which is undoubtedly one of the root causes of the many problems facing our country now.

And one of these problems is undoubtedly the problem of poverty that has remained unchanged since 2006. In fact, based on the latest survey, 52 million Filipinos are still poor while 18 million are hungry poor with 11 million jobless and 10 million working abroad — the unsung and often neglected overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who keep our economy afloat with their billions of dollar remittances. We may have an economic growth rate of 6.8% but it does not reach the poor and is enjoyed only by the 40 richest families here.

Our poverty problem has remained unchanged obviously because of the bad and corrupt political leadership we continue to have that breed too much graft and corruption and waste of public funds starting from the barangay up to the national government.  In fact, Transparency International has branded our country as the most corrupt in Asia while the World Bank ranked our country as the 8th most corrupt in the world.

Right now therefore, even under P-Noy who repeatedly claims that he is not a magnanakaw, we still cannot expect to achieve the needed solutions to our country’s poverty mainly because he stubbornly refuses to give up the pork barrel which is the biggest source of corruption. Political reforms and good governance thus still appear to be an impossible dream.

The good news however is that some of our countrymen are still trying to provide solutions because they believe that if they will remain as fence sitters and do nothing, the present evil hounding us will continue to prevail. They are the Catholic laity and clergy who believe that they must be “involved in the area of politics when moral and Gospel values are at stake” (1162, Catechism for Filipino Catholics).

So in response to the January 2013 CBCP Pastoral letter commending and supporting “lay initiatives to form circles of discernment to choose worthy candidates and even run as candidates in order to bring values of God’s kingdom in public discourse,” they formed a “national network of God-loving and patriotic Filipinos for grassroots good governance and transformation.”.

The movement was launched last March 14, 2012 and originally named N2G3 (National Network for Grassroots Good Governance). Later on the name was changed to “Solidarity Movement of the Philippines” (SMP) as the founders decided to widen its vision and mission by including basic formation on good parenting, good neighborhood, good citizenship, servant leadership, and stewardship among others. In short, SMP is actively engaged not only in promoting good governance at the lowest level of the government, the Barangays, but also in promoting the common good, the social teachings of the Church, the sanctity of life and the family.

SMP was conceived way back in September 2010 when two priests and a layman met over coffee to share their experiences in the 2010 elections. One of the priests, Fr. Antonio Labiao is the founder of Ugnayan ng Barangay at Simbahan (UBAS), while the other Fr. Carmelo Diola, is the founder of Dilaab Foundation and the layman is Atty. Alex Lacson, the founder of KaBayanihan Foundation. Later they were joined by Vic Padilla, former national Chairman of the Couples for Christ (CFC)-Global, Mario Nery the former President of the Christian Family Movement (CFM), and the political affairs adviser of the El Shaddai founder.

The movement looks promising indeed because it started small like the Biblical mustard seed, and down at the most basic unit of society the family and the barangays where it could really be more effective. In fact its first mission is to bring down the advocacy of good governance at the barangay level where it is training and forming at least 200 Barangay Good Governance Advocates (BGGAs) per barangay who will work in partnership with the good governance advocacy group of the parish in the area.

The BGGAs will ensure the implementation of the “5 Minimums of Good Governance at the Barangay Level” identified by the Late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo himself, particularly the following:

a) Full disclosure of the barangay’s budget and resources for the year, its projects and programs, and the cost for each one;

b) Setting up of a Public Information Desk Officer to provide information about the barangay to any resident;

c) Setting up of a Citizen’s Rights Charter containing a list of all the services offered by the barangay along with the fees payable, the time required to finish the services and the official in charge;

d) Holding of a Barangay Assembly at least twice a year to be attended by residents upon proper notice; and

e) Drawing up of a Barangay Development Plan with the participation of all the residents who may want to give their ideas and not only by a few barangay officials.

Of course the solutions envisioned by SMP are not immediately attainable. They are long term solutions. But at least it provides us with a spark of hope so necessary during these dark hours in our country’s history.

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