Leader America / Con-con will be used to derail Charter change

There is no doubt in my mind that America as the world’s only superpower can be and ought to be the leader. The problem is: what kind of leader? That is not easy to answer since the world order in which it thrives, whether we agree with it or not, was shaped by imperialist tradition and practices. But times have changed. It is America which has to prove that it can be a leader worthy of modern challenges. This is especially true of Philippine-American relations which needs to cope with historical memories.

It is not possible to forget that Americans had snatched the freedom that Filipinos gained from Spain after a relentless war in which so many Filipinos died. This invites ironic comparison between US in Iraq now and US in the Philippines then. The irony is not lost to many minds. The challenge for both countries is to be able to strike a balance between their own values and interests. That is easier said than done. On the part of the US, it would require a great deal of humility which is not encouraged by being the world’s only superpower. But a way has to be found. That is probably the best way to celebrate Filipino-American Friendship Day.

If America is challenged by contemporary pressures, so also is the Philippines. It will be unproductive if we’re to reject or suspect anything that is American. There is much to gain from cooperation with the US in its war against terrorism but like its other partners this must be conducted in the spirit of moral consensus.

This is not to say that Americans did not contribute positively to Philippine development then and now but we must be alert to nuances of what is good for the Philippines first, than what is good for the US. This perspective is not helped by strident protests from the Left which takes its cue from its allies around the world. In this respect, it is right to differ with Americans when they say that it is in Iraq for the same reasons that they came to the Philippines – to bring democracy. The nuance here is that such claims are contrary to fact. Filipinos fought for their freedom from Spain and fought again against the US.

Filipinos are also to blame for the failure of the world at large to appreciate the fact. So little has been done by successive governments to highlight the singular achievement of the Philippines as the first republic in Asia. The US might have helped oust Spain in 1898 but it did not create Philippine ‘democracy’ in the aftermath. Let us not forget what really happened: Americans annexed the country, installed a colonial governor general and fought a brutal war for 14 years to repress Filipinos. More than 120,000 U.S. troops were deployed in that war. It is said that the Filipino war of independence against the US was an early genocide in modern times. More than 200,000 Filipino civilians and soldiers were killed. Filipinos and Americans will do well to remember that war. It was a watershed with the US becoming an imperial power that it had once denounced.

The dilemma for Americans remains the same: How to create a democratic world without imposing their values on other peoples’. It cannot ignore the fundamental truth that democracy can only take root if countries develop it at their own time and pace. It can take decades, even centuries. America plays a perilous game if it insists to do this by force. It can only appear to the world as imperialist. Rather than enhance its world leadership, the US will be isolated if it insists on taking up the cudgels for a new world order on its own. That is why for whatever its weaknesses, the United Nations as the vehicle for world peace and politics, should be seriously cultivated

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Still recovering from my disappointment that President GMA did not say a word on constitutional reform in her inaugural speech, I was pleasantly surprised when her spokesman Ignacio Bunye declared in a statement that "the shift to a parliamentary federal form of government is a platform and legacy commitment of the President and it will be done". Still its fulfillment remains to be seen. Already, some of her allies are setting a scenario on how to frustrate any such reform, chief among them, Sen. Frank Drilon who wants to stay Senate President. I was close enough to the scene of constitutional reform to say that Drilon and Co. which include outgoing Sen. Juan Flavier were adamantly against any debate or discussion of the matter. They forget that constitutional reform by constituent assembly is a mandate, not a whim that they can accept or reject or take their own sweet time about, especially if members of the House have already voted overwhelingly for it.

The Drilon-led Senate was too busy with its investigations it was hard to tell whether it was a legislative body or the National Bureau of Investigation. Curiously, some Senate investigation reports did not even reach the public. Neither did it do its job of debating and passing some very important economic bills passed by the House. How can he now say that our priority should be economic concerns as the worsening budget deficit. This is a bit much. I will agree with him that we are in economic crisis and the sooner we get the economic bills passed, the better. That is why we need to restructure our political system. It will speed up things if we were to have just one legislative chamber.

We will pass bills faster and save enormous resources. If Drilon is truly concerned about reducing the budget deficit, he should welcome constitutional change. The sheer hypocrisy is unbelievable. But I would not be too worried about Sen. Drilon’s statements which are easy to refute. More worrying is the subtle form of putting down constitutional reform by suggesting that it be done by constitutional convention. There will be many who will be fooled by the siren song that a convention is more democratic. Senator Flavier belongs to the same group of senators who time and again were against constitutional reform. This is the same Sen. Juan Flavier of the Drilon group who has now filed the Constitutional Convention Act. That means it will never be done or at least delay reforms urgently needed to push the country forward. It also takes for granted that we can afford still another election after all we went through in May. Please do not tell me that more learned and more patriotic Filipinos will be elected as constitutional delegates. As one veteran of constitutional conventions told me, it will just add another layer of officials who will be either those who lost the elections in their districts or family members of those who had won. Let us see how President Arroyo will stand up to that.

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