Some lessons for civil society

I don’t know what to make of civil society, that trendy buzz term supposedly imported from the Kennedy School of Government. From our recent experience, I suspect there is very little that is civil with this bunch. I know they have their hearts in the right place. But they project themselves as a pack of self righteous NGOs and do-gooders.

One thing is sure and that is simply, they are the other side of Erap’s gang of cronies. If only for that alone, I find myself on civil society’s side of the fence. But somehow, this civil society group if left alone, will plunge us into civil war as well. They are falling into the class war trap laid by Erap and his chums.

I can appreciate where this upper and middle class led civil society is coming from. But given the seriousness of the problems of this country today, we can’t afford the divisiveness that they sow. Now is, as Ms. GMA puts it, a time for healing. I might also add, a time for humility, magnanimity, charity and all of those things that would bind the political wounds that trouble our body politic so.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed that "hate ad" they unleashed on some of the discredited characters in the Erap gang seeking Senate seats. I thought that was fair comment. But maybe the approach is too American, too upper middle class, too confrontational for the typical Filipino taste. Haven’t they noticed that the ad agencies and the major advertisers do not use comparative and confrontational advertising in this country?

The typical Filipino always exhibits a reverse reaction to the approach chosen by civil society. It is a reaction that can only be described as pity for the underdog. And that’s why Erap is still so popular and why EDSA 3 happened. Filipinos, specially but not only the masa, feel sobra na ang pag-aapi.

I don’t share the feeling that Erap is aping api. Until he is tried and his illegally acquired wealth confiscated by the State, Erap will continue to cry all the way to the bank. But that is not mainstream thought, it seems. The thing to do now is treat Erap as history. Deadma, ika nga. Let the judicial process take care of itself. Stop making him look like a poor underdog, which he isn’t.

The results of last Monday’s election should have tons of lessons too for civil society. Lesson number one is, learn humility. Lesson number two is, politics is about addition. Lesson number three is democracy is all about political power being in the hands of the masa. Lesson number four is the problem of poverty is at the root of everything that’s wrong with our society today. Lesson number five is there are times when compromise is better than a black and white approach on how to do things.

It must have been a shock to civil society types to find even media savvy Metro Manila in Erap’s corner. That spells trouble, the type that bankers and investors can smell and definitely don’t like. We all have to work, against the odds if necessary, to make sure that the results of last Monday’s election will finally bring peace and cooperation, not protracted warfare among groups and classes.

If we cannot work together to heal the wounds and surmount the challenges of a tough economic environment, then we might as well give up on the country now. But this is too beautiful a country to give up. And it is the only one we’ve got and the only one we can call home. So, it makes sense to work with GMA now because we can’t afford to lose three more years before the next election.

Rigodon

It couldn’t be helped that Rene de Villa had to quit for health reasons. It is alright too that GMA has tapped Bert Romulo to take his place. But maybe, it makes sense to keep Mar Roxas in Trade and Industry as well as Lito Camacho in Energy and just pick a new person for Finance. This way, only the new person in Finance and Bert Romulo at Malacañang, who will be starting at square one, will have to learn the ropes. Lito will make good in finance but now two departments instead of one will have new bosses.

Mar and Lito have adjusted well to their current assignments. And while they are both very capable of handling Finance, why do it? Actually, the worse idea was moving Joey Lina to Trade and Industry. Joey is doing so well at Interior and Local Government and should be kept there. Trade and Industry will be something totally new to him. The time it will take to learn the ropes and gain the trust and confidence of his new constituency will be time better used by the administration for moving forward.

These are vital portfolios and we have no more time to lose on the learning curve. The news of the proposed rigodon is one more reason why business confidence suffered. The President should simplify her problem and think of just one vacancy, Finance, which will be filled without affecting the other departments.

Confidence

Speaking of confidence, it happened as I was saying it would. During the last stock market trading day before the election, the market was up and the volume was at levels not seen in many weeks. The market investors were anticipating a sweep of GMA’s candidates and they were positioning themselves.

But when GMA’s candidates were not doing as well as expected in initial returns, the market was back to its lukewarm state in the trading day after the polls. We are still a few more days before we know the final outcome but it is clear that business wants a stable government. And this desire is being measured by business based on the number of candidates in the People Power team who can be elected to the Senate.

The statement of Senate President Nene Pimentel that GMA will get bipartisan support in the new Congress should help. But what would really help boost business confidence to the level of attracting investors is for winners from the opposition to affirm their support of GMA’s development program. Maybe even Erap can come out with a very statesmanlike declaration that he is ready to support GMA in efforts to improve the lives of the poor.

I am dreaming, I guess but it seems we can only get our solace in dreams these days. Who knows, dreams can sometimes come true.

The price

Speaking of domestic peace, here is a somewhat sexist joke e-mailed by AG Salgado.

So God asked Adam, "What is wrong with you?"

Adam replied, "I am lonesome. I don’t have anyone to talk to."

God said that He was going to make Adam a companion and that it would be a woman. He said, "This person will gather food for you, cook for you, and when you discover clothing, she’ll wash it for you. She will always agree with every decision you make. She will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them. She will not nag you and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you’ve had a disagreement. She will never have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever you need it."

Adam asked God, "What will a woman like this cost?"

God replied, "An arm and a leg."

Then Adam asked, "What can I get for a rib?"

The rest of the story is history.

(Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected])