‘Democrazy’

In a small makeshift home in a poverty-stricken neighborhood somewhere in Metro Manila, a five-year-old girl’s family is in mourning. Their beloved girl died of dengue a few days ago. They couldn’t afford to pay for medical treatment so they didn’t bring the girl to the hospital for confinement until it was too late.

The girl’s family is devastated. It could have been avoided, if only they could afford medical treatment. If only they had public health insurance like PhilHealth. If only their barangay clinic, where they first brought their daughter, had been more reliable and competent and advised them to rush to the emergency room. If only public hospitals were really free and affordable.

Just the other night, an incumbent city councilor, running for reelection, knocked on their door, offering to help. The local politician promised to pay for the funeral expenses. The girl will be buried in a public cemetery, some ten kilometers away from the family home.

The following night, another local official, running for reelection, also offered to help.

The family isn’t surprised. It’s election time after all. In fact, they’re used to it. Politicians – incumbents and challengers – visit them when the polls are near. That’s just how it is.

The little girl’s family will accept all the help they can get. They need the funds for sure. The husband earns below minimum wage. The wife is unemployed. They need to pay the funeral expenses and the jeepney they hired to take them to the cemetery.

Indeed, Filipino politicians are quick to help during election season, offering band-aid solutions and dole-outs. However, once elected, many of their constituents are again forgotten.

Between elections, many social services are neglected.

It’s the reason why barangay health centers are inadequate; public hospitals and public schools can barely meet minimum standards and local officials are difficult to approach for help.

A big part of the problem stems from a lack of accountability on the part of our local governments or the government in general.

There is almost no accountability or, at best, accountability is selective, driven largely by politics or vested interests.

War on drugs

Take Duterte’s war on drugs for instance. In the recent quad comm hearings, Rody Duterte had repeatedly said, he has killed criminals and has ordered his cops to do the same. Witnesses have also pointed to Rody as the mastermind of drug-related killings.

And yet, here is the former president and his drug war lieutenants walking around scot-free and still making a joke about our justice system and democracy as a whole.

He will likely attempt a political comeback and succeed.

By then, the search for truth and accountability will be forgotten and the masses will just vote for whoever is popular or has taken the time to visit their communities.

The rest of the time between elections, the masses are busy trying to survive, forgetting to check if the names they put on their ballots actually made a difference in their lives, other than providing one-time dole-outs.

The same is true nearly everywhere else.

In congressional districts, lawmakers are only mostly attentive to cries for help when elections are around the corner.

Our elections have become a popularity and money contest. It’s just like showbiz; no wonder washed-out celebrities try their luck in public office. It is all about who is popular and who can mount a campaign.

Economic justice and grassroots politics are overshadowed by traditional politicians and political dynasties that rule for generations upon generations.

What a sorry state we’re in.

This is the kind of democracy we have in our country. Almost everyone is free to run for public office, never mind if one is actually qualified or not.

Ours is Southeast Asia’s oldest democracy. The Philippines is also the first constitutional democracy in Asia.

But ours is also such a flawed democracy, which as defined by the think-tank Economist Intelligence Unit are countries “that have free and fair elections and where basic civil liberties are respected, although there are significant weaknesses in some aspects of democracy, including governance, political culture and participation.”

In the EIU’s 2023 Democracy Index – which measures the state of democracy across the world – the Philippines dropped to 53rd out of 167 countries and territories included in the annual index.

This is a decline from 54th in 2021, 55th in 2020 and 54th in 2019.

Our main problem, the EIU subtly pointed out, is the functioning of our government, as experienced by the little girl’s family. Because the state does not function as effectively as it’s supposed to or compared to other countries, citizens are left to fend for themselves unless it’s election season.

On the campaign trail, the masses will get bags of ayuda and some extra cash but as soon as their politicians get elected, they will go back to being on their own. The cycle repeats itself like a song on loop or a show on constant replay.

To borrow a line from the musical “Silver Lining Redux,” we’re really in a demo-crazy!

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.