Thought Catalog: On the WPS issue

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu wrote:

…the art of using troops is this: When ten to the enemy's one, surround him; When five times his strength, attack him; If double his strength, divide him…

A strategy imbued in the political system of Communist China is what we commonly call "divide and conquer." If it is not still clear to you, the Chinese government has employed numerous strategic and political maneuvers to divide our nation when it comes to the WPS issue. Sadly, with all the blame game and animosity among Filipinos, it appears that their strategy is winning. And if this continues, we will be left with nothing but a lost cause.

We should remind ourselves that the real enemy here is not Duterte or his minions nor is it Carpio or Del Rosario or Trillanes. The real enemy is the Chinese Government who is trying to exploit what is rightfully ours - of course, there are a lot of technicalities about our claim. However, it saddens me when a lot of Filipinos are finding and highlighting faults in our claim instead of finding better justification, instead of earning international support. This is unbecoming of a Filipino. If we truly love our country, we must at all cost protect its sovereign rights, protect its territorial claims including the EEZ.

The president's actions and words are truly sad. He, as the father of our nation, should not shut down even the smallest glimmer of hope that we have when it comes to these territorial claims. Our victory may be a piece of paper but surely it's better than nothing. Of course, other strategies may work but it's just so wrong that he gives vindication and affirmation to China's claim. If there is an amicable way to settle it, we should be the one giving China leeway and not the other way around. 

I hope that we Filipinos change the perspective that we must either be an anti or a pro nor should we be neutral. We need to be critical when it comes to bad policies and we must support the good ones. For this fight, I personally believe that raising the white flag is one of the bad moves this current admin has taken.

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The three wise monkeys

(A persuasive speech)

Good morning everyone!

The proverbial principle of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” is wonderfully expressed in the image of the three wise monkeys which is a very profound pictorial maxim. I’m here today to talk about it and how right now, most of us are becoming the irony of the three wise monkeys.

Mizaru – the monkey who covers his eyes and sees no evil.

Today, we are at a very crucial period in the history of our country. We are in an oblivion marred by the lack of peace, the lack of rule of law, and utter disrespect to our constitution. Yes, most of us have just turned blind against the injustices that pervade our society today.

To see no evil is good but to act blind and ignore what is happening in our country right now is an utter disregard for the moral and ethical standards that our nation was built upon. What is happening right now is unbecoming of a society. We are in a state of regress instead of progress.

But why are we acting blindly as if everything is okay? Why are we being quiet? Are we really being responsible citizens when we do not support dissent? When we ignore the obvious disregard for the rule of law? When we think that killing is a justified means of eliminating the menace of our society?

Most of us have become ironically like the wise monkey who sees no evil. We see no evil because we are acting blind. We have embraced the idea that these crooked ways are fine because they are what we need to instill order in our society.

Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince said that the end justifies the means. But is it really okay to stick with these unscrupulous methods in order to achieve a safer and sounder society? Is it fine that we are living a Machiavellian society?  

The answer is no! Let us stop this foolishness and act. We need to open our eyes and recognize that these things are wrong. Again, we need to act.

At this point, allow me to move on to the second monkey.

Kikazaru - The monkey who covers his ears and hears no evil.

Today, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you will turn out to be monkeys - monkeys who hear no evil. We have come to a point where most of us have become deaf of the truth. We are not just acting blind but we have also turned deaf about the reality - about the truth.

We are at a point that fake news is more appealing to most than the real news that is based on facts.  Let us not become the monkey who hears no evil. Let us be open to the truth even if it is something bad. Let us try to listen to the credible source of facts instead of basing our truth on posts on social media.

Let us not be afraid to hear something evil especially if it is the truth. For it is in knowing the real state of things that we are able to better our actions and do what is right.

The last monkey among the three wise monkeys is Iwazaru. The monkey who covers his mouth and speaks no evil.

Today, the moment you voice your opinion on something that is against the current administration or about a pressing issue, you are oftentimes placed in hot waters. People would label you as someone who is anti-government as if what you are saying is pure evil.

But remember that the most dangerous threat to a democracy, to the truth, is when dissent is being labeled as evil. When public opinion is propelled by propaganda, by strategies to sow confusion and disparity, a democracy is on the brink of extinction.

I tell you. Let us not stop speaking of the evil. Let us continue to be vigilant, to speak the truth regardless if it is bad. Let us remember that dissent is an essential ingredient in a democracy. When nobody questions a decision, when nobody is there to say that something is wrong, even the evilest lie can become the most pious truth of all.

Today, I ask all of you. Let us not become the three wise monkeys. Instead, let us be wiser than them. As the youth of today, we play a pivotal role in nation-building. We are more than capable to make a change. We need to stop these absurdities that we are seeing and hearing and we need to have a voice. Remember that even small ripples, when collectively acting, could become the wave that can topple even the strongest wall.

As an ending thought, I would like to leave you this. The worst enemy of the truth is when everyone embraces a lie and accepts it. I pray that there will be no more monkeys among us. No more wise monkeys. Instead, let us be wiser. It’s high time that we make loud of our voice and fight for the truth.

Thank you.

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5 sexy attributes the next President of the Philippines must possess

As much as I want to dodge writing anything about politics in this blog, I have written articles with political context on numerous times in the past. I am now more accepting of the fact that no matter how much we do not give a fudge about it, we will and we must take our part in the quest of ensuring the equitability of government in managing the country’s vast resources. We are after all the bosses. We have the prime duty of delegating the best of the best in overseeing the internal and external affairs of our nation.

A few more sleeps and we will be welcoming another significant event in the history of the Philippines. The 2016 presidential elections is one of the most colorful and defining moments in Philippine history. This is one of the elections in which we can pick from a variety of options, each one promising a better avenue for this country. Now the question lies as to who should be the next president? Can these pitched promises really become realities of the future? What lies ahead of this nation depends on our choice. This post will bring you my personal take on what we must seek for the next president. By the way, nothing is sexy about it, I just have to catch your attention for you to start reading the post. Sorry for that one bro! If that is what you are looking for, you can’t find it here. Hahaha!

1. The next president must be INCORRUPTIBLE.

Corruption is rampant in the Philippines. Whether you admit it or not, you are as well guilty of corruption. You steal from other people their time, money and the truth and that is corruption. You accept bribes during elections and that is corruption. You don’t follow the laws of this land and you dodge from the responsibilities of being a citizen; that is corruption. Corruption is everywhere and to say that one can completely eradicate it is a lie. You can’t because whether we admit it or not, oftentimes our greed supersedes our values.

To say that the next president must be incorruptible then is to talk of the impossible. Nevertheless, we must think and believe in the impossible for us to start moving. What the next president must bear is the ability to be a staunch critic of himself. He must not fear criticism and he must not be swayed easily by public opinion. He must be firm in his stand and must not just seek popularity but embrace the value of inclusive and collective growth. He needs not to please the media or the pope or whoever it is. He needs to think of the Philippines and the welfare of its 101 million citizens.

Our nation needs incorruptible leadership, a leadership that is defined by integrity and justice. The next president must not have fear of being judged and must be ruthless if needed just so that we can start moving and achieve the impossible. Leadership is not all about being good. Why do we have wars then if it’s just about diplomacy and all sorts of good shenanigans? For goodness to thrive, one must sometimes embrace the darker shades of life.

2. The next president must HATE POVERTY.

I always find it dangerous when a politician says phrases such as “Ako ay para sa mahihirap”, “Gusto ko ang mahihirap”, and “Gobiyerno na para sa mahihirap”. If you take a look at the logical aspects of these phrases, it somehow supports the notion that they are more accepting of poverty. Yes, poverty is a reality in this country. No one can strikeout that fact. But to say that you are there for the poor is not enough. The next president must offer a solution to the problem and not just embrace it as a mere fact.

In the Philippines, income inequality is very obvious. The limited few earn millions while millions earn not even enough for the basic necessities. The larger minority are being abused and ripped of the benefits they deserve. Our country for example is agricultural and we all know that everyone needs food, but you get to wonder why almost all farmer families thrive below the poverty line. The truth is that our government lacks the mechanism to mitigate this income inequality and solve the poverty incidence in this country. I do not want to speculate but I think one reason is that our politicians need the poor because they are easily lured by the bribes they provide. Our government loves the idea of a dole out system. This is just a big no-no. (A big shout out to 4Ps! ..i..)

3. The next president must be DECISIVE.

If there is one thing I like about one particular candidate is his use of the word decisive. Well, it’s the only thing I find good about him. (evil grin) Decisiveness is important in any leadership. Two particular facets of being decisive are outlined by the words quick and effective. A decisive leadership needs to act quickly on all issues. You can’t reason out that “I just know about this” without saying that “but I have done all exhaustive efforts to ensure that is it addressed promptly”. The next president must show actions. He must also expect criticisms regarding his actions because it is normal. How he takes these criticisms defines whether he is an effective leader or not.

Decisive leadership requires a leader who is fierce and is unafraid of being judged. You can’t take immediate actions without risking ties from some individuals. You can’t take immediate actions if you are afraid of repercussions. You can’t take immediate actions if you are more worried of their consequences rather than the current situation. But beyond being prompt is the second element of decisiveness which is being effective. Don’t say that you are decisive just because you are quick to act. Decisive leadership must be quick but more importantly it must be effective.

4. The next president must have an UNDYING LOVE for this nation.

Nationalism is such a profound word and under the Philippine context it traces its roots from the heroes who have built the democracy and independence in this land. I don’t want any Justin Bieber in the presidency. A president must not love himself but must love this nation; to make it more of a leftist slogan, “Nation above self.”  It is easy to say that “I love my nation”, but the sad truth is that most of us don’t know the exact meaning of this phrase. The next president must be in love with the Philippines.

We cannot afford a president who is more than willing to renounce his or her citizenship for the greener pasture. We cannot afford a president who is willing to sell us to other nations. We need a president who sees our country as his humble COC base. He builds it to become better. He strategically plans its formation and its growth and upgrades. He is willing to attack the bad elements to protect it and he does not allow people to loot its resources so he safeguards them 24/7.

5. The next president must have all of the things listed from 1 to 4 as a whole package.

For me, the Presidency in the Philippines is a challenge of lifting the minority. Solving poverty is the biggest task to whoever sits at the Malacañang Palace. Many have tried, but each one of them failed. I don’t buy statistics (with all due respect to those who find this as their craft). Reducing the poverty incident is not a number game. If the next president is really keen to solve this issue, he must act and these actions should trickle down to the lowest in the hierarchy of governance. The challenge is not just on the president but on the entire government system. If the current state of government is indeed the best and the most ideal for this country, then I guess it should have been able to solve the problems that have been plaguing this nation for so many years now. We just have to find the right steward to guide the herd.

We need a leader who can bring transformational change. Who do I think it is? I bet you know now my choice. I’ll leave it up to you to decide who is yours. In the end, let us all be active and proactive in doing our part in the journey of this nation towards progress.

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Curses of Yolanda: Politics, Good Governance and the Aquino Administration

Yolanda (Haiyan) gave the Philippine Government one of the biggest tests of its capability and its efficiency. By focusing on underlying issues that have caused delays in the rehabilitation efforts, a synthesized overview of how in a way the government is extending and prolonging the burden Yolanda has brought to the Philippines. This paper presents a pragmatic discussion on the different factors responsible for the underperformance of the Philippine Government in its post-Yolanda Rehabilitation Plan. An evaluation on how politics and good governance contributes to the inadequacy is provided by delving deeper into the underlying issues and factors influencing the current state of governance of the Aquino Administration.

Two years have passed since one of the strongest typhoons in the recorded history of the world, Yolanda, devastated the Philippines. Yolanda (Typhoon Haiyan) was like a nightmare that left a huge wound to the flawlessly advertised nation that is claimed to be progressive and efficiently managed. After two commemorating anniversaries, the curse of Yolanda is still haunting the Philippines. As if a testament of its magnanimity, the devastation it has brought to the country is still evident in the Visayas region where it claimed more than six thousand lives. This paper brings a pragmatic discussion on what went wrong after Yolanda and why we are still bounded to nowhere when it comes to the rehabilitation efforts. In particular, it anchors on how the issues of politics and good governance are causing the inefficiency and inadequacy of the Philippine Government in mitigating and perhaps eradicating the adversities brought by this wrath of nature two years ago.

Yolanda which hit the Philippines on November 8, 2014, was classified as a Super Typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 195 miles per hour. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on its last published bulletin on Yolanda revealed that the typhoon has affected 16.1 million individuals in nine provinces of the Philippines, the typhoon has displaced 4.1 million people, claimed the lives of 6,300 individuals and left unknown the fate of 1,061 who were declared missing (1). Furthermore, NDRRMC (1) claims that the total worth of damages is 89.5 billion pesos with the social sector claiming 61% of the said amount.

It is unarguably correct to say that Yolanda was a devastating disaster for the Filipino people. More importantly, it did pose a great challenge to the Aquino administration on how efficient its mechanism is when faced with such a huge crisis. It also put NDRRMC and all related agencies to the test of how they can perform their mandate. While it is of no doubt that the government has done exhaustive effort for the relief operations, there are so many loopholes and shortcomings that have not been addressed even up to now. The government is not left alone in doing recovery works for the Yolanda victims, international organizations like the United Nations and many countries have extended a helping hand in mitigating the impacts of the typhoon. With so many resources, with enough funding approved and with the enormous amount of donations and pledges; local and foreign observers are left wondering why up to now the government is just halfway through as it claimed to be when it comes to the rehabilitation efforts.

Politics and Yolanda

Right after Yolanda took its wrath on the islands of Samar and Leyte, news about the toll of death has reached all corners of the world and perhaps including Malacañang. The storm left the city of Tacloban needing the most immediate help after storm surges, which the weather bureau PAGASA admittedly said the public was not properly informed and educated through its typhoon advisories, rendered the most of the city destroyed and left dead bodies decay among the rubbles and rubbish. International media which visited Tacloban noticed how few or limited help is coming to the City. The city mayor of Tacloban, Mr. Romualdez, claimed that he asked for more help from the DILG Secretary. Nonetheless, as if it was not a matter of immediate concern, Sec. Mar Roxas made him go through technicalities and legalities which could have been bypassed as a state of calamity was declared already throughout the country. On an uploaded video, the secretary is even allegedly heard saying “You are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino.” (2) True or not, it is evident that politics is a major concern here. Whether it was Mayor Romualdez’s camp who is playing politics with the release of the video or Sec. Roxas’ camp trying to involve politics in a very urgent and critical situation, the underlying notion is the same. Politics is one of the reasons why post Yolanda efforts are sluggish.

According to an article published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (3), Aquino got roughly 33% of the total votes in Tacloban and was bested by the former president Erap Estrada with 41% in the 2010 elections. On the other hand, Roxas who was a vice-presidential candidate got 25.86% far-flung from the 51% that Binay got. Could this be the reason why observers claim that the Aquino administration is not that fond of setting foot in Tacloban and perform an inspection on the current status of rehabilitation and as well as why they have overlooked the invitation to attend the anniversary of the tragedy? The same article hopes that politics is left out of the context when it comes to doing the rehabilitation. It even ended with a statement from Praveen Agrawal, Country Director in the Philippines of the World Food Programme, “When calamity hits, it does not look at political parties, religion, ethnicity,” he points out. “I would hope that a crisis like Yolanda should (have people) rise beyond that.” Moreover, in a paper by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), one of the reasons pointed out by the Yolanda victims as to why they have not accessed or received help from the government is their political affiliation (4). This proves that even at the Barangay level and with simple citizens involved, politicking is a major hurdle that is blocking the rehabilitation programs that are currently being implemented.

Politicking is indeed a major issue in the Philippines. The post-Yolanda relief efforts will never work out if public servants will continue such menace. As what the Congressional Research Service of the United States said in its paper “Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda): U.S. and International Response to Philippines” said, the recovery of the Philippines after Yolanda relies on whether how much  limitations will decentralized governance (including its underlying consequences) and corruption have on the stimulus efforts (5).

Good Governance

A few days after Yolanda did a rampage in the Philippines, the blame game among officials resonated to a tremendous media frenzy. Local Government Units blamed the National Government for its lack of support. On the other hand, the National Government points out that the bureaucratic laws of the land say that the LGU is given the greater burden on disaster management response. With the exchange of blames comes the sad reality of how good governance is rarely observed in the country. As how local executive lamented, “That’s the beauty of the kind of government we have. It’s a beautiful system, but people don’t know it.” (4)

Indeed people don’t know it. How can you expect them to know it if even the public servants they have entrusted their welfare to don’t really understand what their position requires them and to what extent their power can go (3)? Well, if one talks of this “beautiful system”, that person can actually say that a decentralized form of governance is good for an archipelagic country like the Philippines. The problem is that most local authorities don’t have the training and capacity needed to perform their duty. There is also the lack of studies on how local authorities can contribute to building durable solutions. As such, for a typhoon of superb magnitude as Yolanda the function of the LGU should be supplemented by the National Government.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), 51 percent of the programs under the Yolanda Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan has been completed or is currently being implemented (6). The figure alone is enough proof that the various agencies involved in the rehabilitation are underperforming. Yes, placing the blame on the magnanimity of Yolanda is valid one but it is never an excuse. If President Aquino wants to save the face of his administration on how ill-managed it did in performing the Yolanda recovery, he must be firm in his ideals of the “Tuwid na Daan”. Lest he must be reminded, his allegedly made infamous remark of “buhay pa naman kayo” (7) was a big blow to his claimed management and leadership skills which should include empathy. 

           

Conclusion

The Philippine government under the Aquino administration has done tremendously in terms of the post-Yolanda Rehabilitation Plan. There are laudable efforts but then there is a big gray area where the administration must show and apply political will and good governance in order to be effective. Two years have passed and the Philippines is still far beyond halfway in the efforts to fix what the storm has destroyed. So much is to be done. The Aquino administration did great on some aspects of handling the effects of the typhoon yet it was never enough. With the upcoming 2016 presidential elections, the challenge to the next president is clear. Erase the wounds and scars Yolanda has left in the Philippines and in the heart of the victims. Build permanent dwellings and distribute them as soon as possible. Victims have suffered much already. They have been waiting for too long and may the next president not fail them. Yes, Yolanda is a tremendous disaster that resonated to a very heavy burden that no one would wish to bear. Whether he admits it or not, President Aquino as the steward of his administration did not do enough. The next leader should become more proactive, practice political will and ensure good governance. After all, that’s what presidents of the Republic of the Philippines promised as they took an oath and bind themselves with the Constitution of the country.

References

1. National Disaster Rist Reduction and Management Council. Updates re the Effects of Typhoon "YOLANDA" (HAIYAN). NDRRMC. [Online] April 17, 2014. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/1329/Update_on_Effects_Typhoon_YOLANDA_(Haiyan)_17APR2014.pdf.

2. WATCH: Mar telling Tacloban mayor 'You are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino'. Philstar. [Online] The Philippine Star, December 10, 2013. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://www.philstar.com/news-videos/2013/12/10/1266468/watch-mar-telling-tacloban-mayor-you-are-romualdez-and-president.

3. Mangahas, Malou. Politics and disaster, a bad mix. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. [Online] January 14, 2015. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://pcij.org/stories/politics-disaster-a-bad-mix/.

4. Sherwood, Angela, et al. Resolving Post Disaster Displacement: Insight from the Philippines After Typhoon Haiyan. Geneva : International Organization for Migration, 2015.

5. Lum, Thomas and Margesson, Rhoda. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda): U.S. and International Response to Philippines Disaster. Washington D.C. : Congressional Research Service, 2014.

6. Schnabel, Chris. Super Typhoon Yolanda recovery halfway done – NEDA. Rappler. [Online] November 5, 2015. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/208-infrastructure/111835-super-typhoon-yolanda-rehabilitation-update-neda.

7. Cheng, Willard. PNoy didn't rebuff Tacloban businessman: Palace. ABS-CBN News. [Online] August 8, 2015. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/08/06/15/pnoy-didnt-rebuff-tacloban-businessman-palace.

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