The government we deserve

The conduct of our leaders and their public statements in the aftermath of the Recto/Reed Bank event/non-event are matters that should give us pause. Our Constitution’s preamble recites: “We, the sovereign Filipino people, … establish a government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations … conserve and develop our patrimony…”. So, now we reflect. Do we see this in what our government is doing?

The Legislature? Check. The verdict is unmistakable. Senator Lacson is heartbroken. Senator Binay bewails how our fishermen were abandoned, twice. Senator Gordon urges government not to build China’s defenses for them. Senator Villanueva pleads to not belittle what the fishermen went through. Senator Poe would take the issue to the international courts.

The Judiciary? Check. The silent institution at least has Senior Associate Justice Carpio demanding compensation, punishment for the perpetrators and calling for the defense of the West Philippine Sea. Former Chief Justice Sereno calls it “a betrayal of our nation to give moral and political preference to the pronouncements of a foreign government or its people over that of our kababayans.”

The AFP? Also check. The Western Command firmly believes that it was far from an accidental mishap. Our soldiers see the intentionality in the action of the weaponized Chinese vessel.

The Executive. We listen to Secretaries Piñol, Panelo, Cusi, Lorenzana and what we hear is spin. We reward samaritan Vietnam with thanks and a scolding – what business did you have being there!? The Vice Admiral of the Coast Guard service says it was a mistake for the fishermen to talk to the media. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised to read in the newspapers tomorrow that Captain Insigne and his men are the ones apologizing to the Chinese vessel for getting in their way.

No mas. We know that jurisprudence has embraced the theory that the Executive is the sole organ and principal architect of foreign policy. There is no textual basis, however, to limit this international relations power to the President. He/She may be the implementor of policy. But formulation of the same is shared with Congress. If the Executive has appropriated this authority unto itself, it is largely due to the passive surrender by the Legislative branch, through the years. 

The Senate should immediately convene its Committees on Foreign Relations and on Public Order to thread a cohesive narrative to both the story and our government’s response. Arrest any further descent into the macabre. The Executive has taken a time out. Now is the time for the Legislature to reassert its prerogatives and engage as an institution in the conduct of international relations.

Collateral damage. Its painful to see how the brave 22 have been manipulated, doubted, patronized and subordinated to an agenda. What a thing to do to men who had barely survived an act of aggression on the lonely seas; who were stretched to the limit of human capacity as they were left to the mercies of the elements; and who remained steadfast in truth not just for themselves but for the countrymen equally diminished by what they endured.

Even before this latest incident, polling by Pulse and SWS confirmed a high 80 percent of the people in disagreement with the policy of inaction in the face of the growing Chinese military presence. These numbers will not be improving in the wake of the Recto/Reed Bank event/non-event. Responses to single survey questions are sensitive to how the same are formulated and, arguably, of limited value. But that should just be asterisk to the fact.

These are our ideals and aspirations and government should embody them. And if the Executive won’t do it on this particular issue, the Legislature can at least articulate the sentiments as it is the branch that directly represents the people. 

The Executive may stick to its convictions. In the end, this may even prove to be the better course. But popular sentiment, whether concurring or dissenting, is best heard and aired. Let it not be said that the public pulse, at least seen through our Senators, was not considered in charting our course through this storm. 

In memoriam. Ramon “Eki” B. Cardenas of La Union, Ateneo and Cornell. Economist, Academician, Thespian, Philanthropist, Public Servant. Served the nation in the Office of the Executive Secretary, the Presidential Management Staff, the National Economic Development Authority, the Manila Economic Cooperation Office, and in many great capacities. I was blessed to work with this kind soul on the Universidad de Manila Board of Regents where his integrity, wisdom, temperance and decisiveness guided us in our efforts. He believed that stumbling blocks made the best stepping stones to success. Thank you Sec. Eki for your principled service. We appreciated the leadership playbook and the life lessons. 

“Now cracks a noble heart.Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

Eddie Garcia was so good at being bad that you forgot how good he really was. He used to be the character we loved to hate so that we came to hate how we couldn’t help but love him in the end. He transcended genres and generations, defied characterization and convention. He’d take over a role and make it his own or otherwise disappear into character until you could barely recognize he was there. No role was small enough and none too big. He was that once in a lifetime, one in a million man who was all that and more. The dedication to his craft, the authenticity of his work, his longevity in the industry, the work ethic he demonstrated and the respect he gave to fellow workers in every project – all contribute to his legend. Manóy could become anybody – be it front or back of camera. But no one will come close to becoming another Eddie Garcia.