Is Mar turning into Ate Glue?

Horrors… but it seems that Mar Roxas, not yet even a presidential candidate, is fast turning into a populist politician along the lines of Ate Glue. His press release over the weekend entitled “People’s plight higher than concerns of Moody’s, et al” all but confirmed Mar’s transformation into an ordinary Pinoy politician who would do anything to win an election.

Well… isn’t that what politics is all about? If Mar can’t win the 2010 election, what use is his supposed expertise and dedication to the nation? What I find disappointing is that at this very early stage, Mar appears ready to indulge in intellectual dishonesty which we didn’t see in Ate Glue until after she had taken her oath after EDSA 2.

Come on, Mar! The investment banker Mar knows that first of all, the EVAT exemption of oil products he is seeking isn’t about to help the poor. It will just allow his rich uncles and aunties in Forbes Park to fuel their SUVs, Benzes and Jaguars with gasoline subsidized by the people. The richest one percent of families spends six times as much on diesel and gasoline than the poorest 10 percent of families as share of their total spending.

If Mar really wants to help the poor, he should instead call for setting aside EVAT on oil products to increase subsidy for ordinary rice and noodles, expand DA’s Bagsakan centers to more depressed areas and to fund more school feeding programs and other such direct aid to the poor that can be easily verified. Or maybe, support Joey Salceda’s call for a middle class income tax break. Or even better, additional direct subsidy for electricity consumers of less than 200 kwh a month, also as suggested by Joey.

The investment banker Mar also knows how important the credit rating agencies are to our economy. Their opinion of our credit standing has a direct impact on the cost of funds the private sector needs to expand operations and create employment. The cost of servicing government debts, and thus, money left available for social services is also affected by the ratings of Moody’s et al. Even the stock market, that barometer of economic health, is affected by their ratings. Potential foreign investors look at the opinions of these rating agencies when they are making decisions to risk capital in our country. Inevitably, the plight of our masses is heavily impacted by Moody’s and company.

Then again, it isn’t as if Moody’s, et al are saying things that are diametrically opposed to our country’s good governance. On the contrary, we need them to keep our government in the straight and narrow. If even politicians you know should know better like Mar Roxas are unable to resist the temptation to be disastrously populist, we definitely need an external watchdog to mark the lines that shouldn’t be crossed for our own good.

Keeping ourselves in the straight and narrow is specially important in today’s turbulent economic times. Even emerging economies are starting to feel the onslaught of the financial crisis sweeping the developed world. Initial thoughts that emerging markets are safely decoupled from the West appear to be too optimistic and unrealistic. If our fiscal position is less than ideal, one can imagine how we would be avoided like the plague by anyone with capital to risk, even by our own home grown capitalists.

There is one other reason why we shouldn’t artificially keep oil product prices low through some form of direct tax subsidy… it removes a sense of crisis. People continue to use oil wastefully as if it is inexhaustible and have an inalienable right to it. Look at all those half empty buses on EDSA… if diesel prices were higher those buses will not be clogging the main artery and cause thousands of other motorists to waste fuel too. Of course, government should move faster in putting subsidized mass transit systems in place. Mar should be talking of a viable long term response to the oil crisis because this stop-gap measure he is proposing just won’t do.

If Mar is turning out to be a reincarnation of Ate Glue and Manny Villar is too much of a politician with vested interests and Noli de Castro isn’t savvy enough to be president, who can we turn to?

I think we need a Pinoy version of Barack Obama.

I didn’t initially think much of Sen. Obama. I thought that perhaps America needs someone more experienced. But the campaign for the party nomination through the primaries seems to indicate that Obama has struck an important chord in the hearts of Americans. That makes him an ideal leader because an ideal leader is one who can inspire his people to greatness. Notice how the young and the independents have been inspired enough by Sen. Obama to participate in the electoral process like never before.

What touched me was the New York Times op/ed piece written by Caroline Kennedy, the late President Kennedy’s daughter on why she is supporting Sen. Obama. Ms. Kennedy said she wants “a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.”

Ms. Kennedy continues: “Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things.” For a while there, I thought Mar would be someone like Sen. Obama — a president who understands his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself and those around him, to the highest ethical standards…” All these are everything Ate Glue isn’t and seems unable to become.

More than anything, the president we need to elect in 2010 is one who can inspire us, specially our young people. He must build a movement that will change the face of politics in this country or what’s the use? If Mar is turning into an Ate Glue because he is told that’s the only way to win an election in this country, why do we need him? Let’s just amend the constitution and have Ate Glue for life. That would save us money and aggravation in an electoral process that will merely distract us from the things we ought to be seriously working on.

Off the top of my head, the only person with Obama-like qualities I can think of is not even a politician. I am thinking of Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga. But he has to be convinced, in the same way that the people of Pampanga convinced Fr. Ed Panlilio to enter politics for the greater good.

Mr. Meloto is not a fiery orator and even has the tendency to blend into the background. But he may just be the one, if only because through his works, he has inspired people that good things can happen if we work together for it. Gawad Kalinga is by no means perfect but it is a good start… a strong proof of what could be done if we set our minds on it. I can think of no other politician who has done that and can do that now.

But all is not lost for Mar. Maybe he has too many dyed-in-the-wool politicians advising him now. If Mar just retreats for a while and decides to be true to himself, he could be that inspiring leader I have always thought he could be. But enough of those stupid daily press releases on just about any issue! That’s not the way to inspire people… it is just a cheap way to get column inches, if at all.

If that press release came from someone like Sen. Lito Lapid, I wouldn’t even fault him for it. But Sen. Mar Roxas knows better. Those leftist firebrands Mar was shown cavorting with wouldn’t even vote for him. Come on, Mar… you know better.

Safe sex

What’s Bill Clinton’s idea of safe sex?

When Hillary is out of town.

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