Constitutional oligarchy?

Last Friday the UK where I spent more than 20 years in exile held what was probably its closest election in decades. The pre-election surveys in the UK suggested that the Liberal Democrat Party had tied or overtaken the incumbent Labor Party into second place.

The end result was that the Liberal Democrats did much worse than expected and got 5% less than the incumbent (and by surveys and media accounts an unpopular) Labor Party.

The main lesson that I see in this process is that surveys are simply surveys. The problem as I see it is that the media in the Philippines gives undue weight to a survey — they are the news story — “candidate X is leading by 9%” — in the case of the UK elections, surveys are used to complement a story — e.g. candidate X said that taxes would have to go up, this move led to a drop in his popularity ratings by X%’.

Elections are an ideal opportunity to educate voters on issues and we have not done that. Our headlines teach that popularity is everything, not what the challenges facing us are and the choices we have to make to overcome them.

Whoever goes on to win the election tomorrow will most likely win less than 50% of the popular vote and will have to work hard to bring the country together. This should not be news to anyone, no President has won close to 50% of the popular vote under the 1987 Constitution. Those more concerned about policies and how to move the country forward will have to wonder which of the candidates has the strength of character and political skills to bring together a fractious society in the pursuit of the common goal of the country.

This is no easy task. The story of our oligarchs is well-known. They do not look beyond their narrow interests and do something for the common good. Too often the political class is successful in convincing people that a narrow interest is in fact in the best interest of the whole nation.

That is why I have been such a dogmatic advocate of changing the Constitution. The system is not working. The preamble to the Constitution says after all that the people are sovereign.

 More than anything I would like to see this become true. The problem for me is that we do not have this. Almost all of the candidates have complained in one way or another about the system — pork barrel politics, COMELEC is not doing its job, there are too many political dynasties, there will be cheating — all of these admit that it’s not working.

I will vote for the person that recognizes this problem and is able to solve it. We cannot have a dictatorship, politics is the art of the possible, the best candidate will be one who can bring people together.

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With all the focus on the presidential election, people forget that there are also congressional and local elections. One candidate for Congress who has my vote is former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. Although I am not a registered voter in Batangas, I am often there for weekend breaks and am happy if the district were to be represented by someone who has dedicated a lifetime of public service.

Those who watch him conduct his press conferences miss his calmness despite the fiercest controversies whirling around the Palace.

The book Virtues on Display tells the story of how he wins hearts and minds of even his enemies. He will need a lot of those virtues when he goes to Congress.

But not enough know that he was one of the heroes of the EDSA 1 People Power Revolution. He says the dangers he and his comrades, among them President Fidel V. Ramos faced in EDSA were worse than any that he had in Vietnam as a soldier.

From soldier to a public servant as representative of Batangas in Congress, he has a track record he can be proud of. His constituents are aware of this record and are expected to bring him back to a post he held for several terms. His projects are there for all to see - concrete roads. Kilometers of farm to market roads and bridges to connect barangays, waiting sheds, barangay halls, playgrounds, public toilets and mini-parks.

That’s the man the Batangas should vote as their representative in Congress.

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My party list vote goes to Ang Minero who advocates and vows that any mining project should be responsible. Mining does not have to be bad for the environment if we follow rules and regulations strictly. We are being overtaken by other countries with less wealth than we have because of prejudices that need to be clarified.

In a press conference in Cebu, Former Mines and Geosciences Bureau director Joel Muyco said that it is ironic for a country so rich in natural resources to be mired in poverty. He said only .01 percent of the country’s land area is being used for mining, and that Ang Minero aims to correct the spread by some media that mining is bad for the environment.

Ang Minero will also tackle the concerns of small-scale mining sectors, admitting that there is a lack of laws and provisions for small scale miners. About 70 percent of the mining companies are small-scale firms. “Kulang ang mga benefit na naibibigay sa mga minero.”

Ang Minero is a first-time partylist candidate for Congress representing around 150,000 members nationwide.

The group believes economic recovery for the country will be obtained through responsible mining.

“Minerals gained by mining companies are small compare to what the country can offer. “If we can get at least 10 percent, then it will generate a lot of jobs and lift the lives of the poor in many outlying areas.” Muyco added.

Those who want to help small miners as well as develop and create wealth for the country should do well to vote for Ang Minero number 90 for party list.