Business as usual

If there is one thing that Filipinos can be counted on, it is predictability. As much as we have taken leaps forward in the past decade or so, there are also things that we do that are as predictable as night following day. Sometimes when it comes to good things – like being hospitable or being hard working – that predictability is a good thing. In fact, there are many wonderful traits we are known for that are predictable, solid, and good. However, with the good always comes the bad and there are things Filipinos do over and over that aren’t so good too.

In this case I am talking about the predictability of Pinoys to rush to impeachment when things aren’t going their way or when times are getting hard. It’s become the go-to political move and it’s almost laughable how quickly we get there and how often that word is slung around. I think at this point if a president or high-ranking government official doesn’t face pending impeachment at least once, it would be a miracle.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the power to impeachment a government official – like a president – is an important part of our democracy and guaranteed for in our constitution and in and of itself I don’t think there is anything wrong with it per se. However, I do see a problem when Filipinos abuse the concept of impeachment and sling it around as carelessly and recklessly as they would a harsh insult or a quick threat. Impeaching an official should be a grave and serious concern and one that should be given much thought.

In our country it seems to be the immediate solution instead of the last, as it should be. After all, it has happened so many times before. As a country that has impeached a president, a chief justice, and an ombudsman we are no strangers to how impeachment works. I just can’t help but feel that Filipinos take it for granted and rush to the act so quickly that they have lost sight of what it truly means.

The political winds shift so quickly in the Philippines and the concept of loyalty quickly gets lost when self-preservation and survival instinct comes into play. We’ve seen it before with the wildly popular former President Estrada. Heck, we can even say we’ve seen it before with the Marcos family and their flip flopping popularity. Only in the Philippines can we have a revolution to oust a dictator and then somehow not only welcome them back to the country but put them back in power too. The same can be said for former President Estrada, who won by an overwhelming landslide and then was impeached and then ousted from office only to be welcomed back into the government with open arms.

It’s easy to see why our political leanings might appear like a joke to other countries. I have to scratch my head in wonder sometimes as well, but we all know that elections and impeachments are a numbers game and in the Philippines  and one where the masses are the tools with which to attain public office. It’s also quite easy to sway their opinion once times get hard and it’s just as easily possible to turn them against the leader they themselves elected.

However, having said all that, I don’t think the current impeachment attempt against President Duterte will come to fruition at this point. Again, it is all about the numbers and right now he has them. With 267 member of the House on his side it seems impossible for any legal impeachment proceedings to prosper. The President doesn’t have to worry as he still has the overwhelming support of the larger portion of the government. He isn’t going anywhere.

And again, despite unrest over EJK, President D30 still has the people’s support too. If we look back, his promise to kill drug offenders and drug dealers were a major part of the campaign platform for which he was elected. He didn’t attempt to hide how he was going to achieve his goal of wiping out crime, in fact he declared it openly and willing. So when it comes to what’s happening right now I don’t think any of us can truly say we are surprised. Scared, disappointed, and even worried yes – but not surprised.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the president has actually only been in office for roughly nine months. It’s still a long way to go for the next five years. At this point, I have to hope that all the good programs he aspired to implement and all the good promises he made to the people will be as fantastically fulfilled as his promises of killing those who did drugs. If he can deliver on the good as well as he has delivered on his drug war then at least some good will happen too.

In either case, the impeachment case filed by Party-list representative Gary Alejano, Senator Trillanes brethren in Magdalo, won’t amount to the paper it was printed on. Other than not having the numbers support in the House, he is going up against a president who still has the overwhelming support of the masses as well. It is still too early for regime change in the Philippines and if he truly wanted his move to carry weight he should have plotted out the timing far more carefully and waited for more unrest.

However, despite the fact that I find the concept of impeachment tiresome in the country (can’t we just think harder before we vote and save ourselves the trouble?), I am also grateful that grievances against President Duterte are done in the legal manner instead of another coup or revolution – which again wouldn’t succeed right now. It is pointless to resort to that when it will amount to nothing – at least for now.

I don’t doubt that political winds can change in the blink of an eye and I can’t say that the president won’t face more serious impeachment concerns in the future, but for right now, he shouldn’t even be bothered, much less call it a plot to destabilize the government. Instead he should focus on the making good on his promises to the people, weeding out corruption in the government, doing the best he can in his capacity, and not sweating the small stuff.