EDITORIAL - Still partly free

The land of people power is still considered “partly free” in terms of political and civil liberties. This is according to Washington-based Freedom House, which classified the Philippines as one of 59 “partly free” countries in its Freedom in the World 2014 report. The study covered 195 countries, with 88 deemed “free” and 48 “not free.”

The study bases rankings on seven topical subcategories: the electoral process, political participation and pluralism, functioning of government including transparency and level of corruption, freedom of expression and belief, associational and organizational rights, rule of law, and personal autonomy and individual rights including women’s and family rights.

Although grouped together with its “partly free” neighbors Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, the Philippines got the best score among all the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Several Asian countries, however, prefer to see freedom in a different light, with their leaders saying liberation from want comes ahead of individual liberties. Singapore has notably given priority to strengthening the rule of law, making its electoral process efficient and credible, and generally delivering good government.

The Philippines has also been pulled down in recent studies on freedom by the failure to promote women’s right to reproductive health. Now that the RH law has finally been enacted, it is stuck in limbo in the Supreme Court – the last refuge of those who have run out of arguments against women’s rights.

For a land that paints itself as a bastion of freedom in Asia, being classified as “partly free” is an affirmation of the many weaknesses in its democratic system. Those weaknesses lead to growth that is not inclusive, in prosperity that has failed to generate enough decent jobs, in an economy where monopolies and oligopolies thrive and fair competition is stifled.

Those weaknesses have allowed corruption to become deeply rooted, choking almost every aspect of life, and have bred impunity in murdering activists and journalists. The country’s score in the freedom survey has remained unchanged in the past four years. People can only hope another two and a half years will make a difference.