Preserving the right path

In my first column last year — Jan. 2, 2014 — I started by quoting Pope Francis, who had just released his 288-paragraph Apostolic Exhortation, on the “idolatry of money.” The Pope talked about the reasons why countries fail to realize the potential of their own economies. He highlighted two major causes: “To all this we can add widespread corruption and self serving tax evasion which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The thirst for power and possessions knows no limits.”

Then I quoted P-Noy, in his 2013 December speech, when he said “Filipinos know more than any other nation just how corruption can damage a society. Not only does it deprive people of the resources that are justly theirs, it saps public morale, it loosens the ties that bind institutions and the people together, and it breeds inequality.”

During the past four and a half years of his presidency, the Philippines has been transformed from the “sick man of Asia” into one of the world’s fastest growing economies. But it is the fight against corruption at the highest levels that has captured the attention of even international observers.

A former President of the Republic of the Philippines is in custody. A Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been impeached. Three sitting Senators considered as political powers – Enrile, Estrada, Revilla – are now in custody for plunder. Three other sitting Senators — Honasan, Marcos, Sotto – are still being investigated.

These six Senators – Honasan, Enrile, Revilla, Marcos, Estrada, Sotto – have earned the label of HERMES, one of the ancient Greek gods.

In 2014, I finally saw some steps being taken to introduce reform in the judiciary. During the DAP controversy, it seemed to many that the nation was headed towards a constitutional crisis. But I wrote several columns predicting that there would be a reasonable meeting of the minds on the DAP issue. I said that there would be no constitutional crisis, although there were blatant attempts by an alliance of political oppositionists, leftists and acerbic media personalities who were desperately trying to instigate political instability.

I was sure that there were reasonable men and women on both sides of the issue that would find ways to preserve our constitutional democracy. Also the nation was more focused on an improving economy and a presidency that “walked the talk” when it came to fighting corruption and focusing on real issues on improving people’s lives.

The Supreme Court has begun to show that there is a sincere desire on the part of most (not all) of the Supreme Court Justices to institutionalize judicial reforms. Justice Brion has suggested some radical measures that are certainly worth implementing. The dismissal of a Sandiganbayan Justice and the results of the “Arlene “investigations are, hopefully, just the beginning of a judicial reform agenda. Unfortunately, there are still remnants of the old order, like Court Administrator Midas Marquez, who seem to have entrenched themselves in their sinecures.

Last November 2013, the Philippines became an international media front because of the massive destruction caused by Typhoon Yolanda. There were political fallouts from this crisis as the Romualdez- Marcos political family in Tacloban refused to cooperate with the government agencies.

But the recent Typhoon Ruby shows that we have a government that is quick to learn lessons from past experiences, and a leadership willing to accept responsibility. UNDP Chief Helen Clark commended the Philippine government for its precautionary measures to prepare for another super typhoon. She cited the evacuation of close to one million people which saved many lives.

Ms. Clark said, in her letter, that “this extraordinary achievement is a clear reflection of the careful planning and strengthened institutional capacity of the relevant authorities. The Philippine Government’s approach to preparing and responding to this disaster presents an important model of building resilience for many other countries which are exposed to similar natural disasters and calamities.”

The Philippines was now a role for other countries in the realm of disaster preparedness. Our own weather bureau — PAGASA — also proved that their weather prediction was more accurate than the ones of Japan and the United States.

This coming year — 2015 — will be the last full year of P-Noy’s presidential term. Already there is much more public attention to the coming 2016 presidential elections. Aside from these distractions, PNoy will have to contend with a more resurgent political opposition especially those who have lost their power and money-making ventures during his presidency.

There will much more serious attempts to derail the desire to transform Filipino society and to go back to the old ways of influence peddling and crony capitalism. These detractors will try ridicule and point to every little mistake as an excuse to condemn the whole effort at institutionalizing the rule of law. Media will be used and, unfortunately, many sectors of media will allow themselves to be corrupted and exploited.

This is the challenge for P-Noy and those who have supported his crusade. As I look towards the challenges of this coming year, I recall what I wrote in my very first column in this newspaper.

When P-Noy banned the use of wang-wang on all streets, his message was that no one would be above the law. When he said that the Filipino people would be his “boss,” he was fighting for a society where the government would treat everyone — the powerful and the powerless, the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate — equally in terms of government programs and social justice.

When PNoy ran for president in 2010, the people asked him to begin the change and the people will follow. There are those who are still cynics and consider PNoy as just a temporary reformist in a corrupt society.

There are those who believe that PNoy’s greatest legacy would be jailing political lords or building infrastructures or economic growth. From the start of his term, PNoy envisioned a society where the Rule of Law is institutionalized. This remains his biggest challenge and his greatest legacy.

May God grant the Filipino a Happy New Year and a life of human dignity for everyone.

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