Problems and solutions

With this administration’s intransigence in retaining the pork barrel, it looks like our country is in for a lot more of divisive and detrimental strife leading us to nowhere but back to square one in our fight against corruption. The dark outlook ahead should not however deter us from pursuing our objective to get rid of this dirty system now proven as the biggest source of graft, corruption and other wrongdoings in the government both in the past and especially now.

There are still some positive aspects in what is happening now that can spur us to continue with our struggle at instituting the longed for reforms promised by P-Noy in convincing us to elect him. At least now we know that P-Noy’s commitment in this regard is pure propaganda and a grand deception and that he is not about to give up his own pork despite knowing full well of the many evils and adverse effects it has on our country and our people especially the poor. So now we know that we cannot rely on him in reforming our government.

Indeed, never before have we realized more clearly and convincingly than at present that the main cause of the continuing poverty in our country where only the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer, is the kind of leaders we put in office. We have so far elected only leaders who are too proud to admit their mistakes as typified by P-Noy and his cohorts now in power who stubbornly insist on pursuing their questionable and apparently illegal acts like creating the DAP and using it for the same sinister motives as the PDAF. We now know that we are still ruled by politicians engaged in transactional politics than Statesmen engaged in transformational politics.

We are also aware now of our leaders who arrogantly refuse to acknowledge the truth that any government official, from the President down to the Barangay Captain, if given any discretion to use the peoples’ money, are bound to abuse it in order to promote their own selfish interests instead of the common good. And this is again exemplified by the use of the PDAF, DAP, the Malampaya fund, the social fund, the calamity funds, the intelligence funds and all sorts of other conceivable funds, as means of convincing (“bribing”) others to do their bidding or to perpetuate themselves or their party, in power. This is more commonly known as patronage politics that breeds political dynasties which in turn thrive on the ignorant mass of poor people who remain dependent on them.

We have likewise discovered now that we have this kind of leaders and this kind of politics mainly because of too much power concentrated on the presidency or the Executive Department of the government. P-Noy has shown us that with his use of the pork in its official or disguised form, he can hold sway over the Legislative Department and to some extent also the judiciary whose members he appoints. Moreover with his almost absolute control over the audit and the prosecution arm of the government and even on the Ombudsman, he can see to it that none of his allies or he himself are charged and prosecuted, and that only the opposition and the past administration are prosecuted and immediately incarcerated for non-bailable offenses.

Obviously, another reason for our present state of affairs coming out more clearly now, is the manner we choose our leaders and public officials. Aside from a subservient and highly politicized electoral commission now in place which has intentionally or unintentionally failed to ensure a free, orderly and honest election, it is now turning out that the automation of our election has not served its real purpose. Recently, P-Noy’s own aunt confirmed that the 2013 Senatorial election has been rigged with the use of the same PCOS machines used in the 2010 elections, to favor the administration candidates.

So, at least now, we already know the real problems in our country. And this is indeed something positive because only in knowing the problems can we adopt adequate and effective solutions.

Now we know that we should remain vigilant, as we continue with our mass actions until P-Noy and his party mates, or their successors in office finally take steps to scrap any form of pork barrel by ensuring that all government revenues are turned over to the treasury to be disbursed and spent only for such purposes, in such manner and at such places specified by the General Appropriations Act or Budget for any fiscal year. We should also remain vigilant in seeing to it that all officials involved in various pork scams recently exposed are duly prosecuted and punished according to law.

Then on a longer term, we can also take initial steps towards changing our charter particularly our form of government. Since we already know that the principle of separation of powers does not work especially between the Executive and Legislative departments where the president virtually holds sway over members of Congress, it is about time we consider shifting to the parliamentary system where the Executive and Legislative Departments are merged and where we only have a unicameral body headed by a Prime Minister. The advantages here are that there will only be one House of Congress with fewer legislators elected by region who will find no need for pork thus resulting in tremendous savings. Besides, the Prime Minister is removable anytime because of peoples’ loss of confidence.

Another constitutional reform covers electoral reforms for a more independent Comelec and the improvement of the quality of voters by granting the right of suffrage only to tax-paying citizens capable of voting wisely and not easily swayed by patronage politics.

These are indeed changes seemingly difficult to achieve. But if we keep our strong faith and sustain our surging hope we can attain them.

E-mail: [email protected]