2013 polls worse than 2010 - AES Watch
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has described the May 13, 2013 elections
“the best of the best,” but to poll watchdog Automated Election System
(AES) ...
Taiwan: PH Coast Guard had 'homicide intention'
Taiwan investigators on Saturday belied initial claims by the Philippine government that the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman in waters off Batanes last week was unintentional
...
Honasan beats Gordon for last Senate seat
Re-electionist Sen. Gregorio Honasan edged out former senator and tourism
secretary Richard Gordon for the 12th and last Senate slot as the
National Board of Canvassers ...
Party list count to resume Monday
The count for the party list race will definitely resume on Monday, and Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. estimates it would take 10 days or less to finish the task
...
New batch of OFWs from Jeddah arrives in PH
MANILA, Philippines – A new batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia arrived in the country Sunday morning. The 22
adults and 18 ...
1
POE, GRACE
2
LEGARDA, LOREN
3
ESCUDERO, CHIZ
4
CAYETANO, ALAN P.
5
BINAY, NANCY
6
ANGARA, EDGARDO
7 AQUINO, BAM
8 PIMENTEL, KOKO
9 TRILLANES, ANTONIO
10 VILLAR, CYNTHIA
11 EJERCITO, JV
12 HONASAN, GRINGO
ith midterm elections just
days away, it bears repeating that from our perspective, Philippine elected
officials leave so much to be desired.
And
one reason why we seem to have such a dearth of top-rate individuals is
because political dynasties are pervasive throughout the archipelago.
Political dynasties from a
Philippine context are in some ways akin to the fiefdoms that existed in
Europe during the middle ages. Like the peasants of a fief, today’s Filipino
residents of a particular province, municipality or barangay remain fiercely
loyal to their leader, electing and re-electing him and members of his
family into political office. In a shameless disregard for the spirit of the
1987 Constitution regarding term limits, mayors and governors have their
wives or children run in their stead after they have maxed-out their
three-term limit—keeping the post ‘in the family.’ They sit out a term while
the wife, son, or daughter serves as interim mayor or governor so they can
again run for another three consecutive terms. This practice is so pervasive
and widespread that it makes a mockery of the country’s Constitution and
further entrenches and perpetuates political dynasties throughout the
archipelago.
Look at the Philippines
today and you see the results of what happens to a country run by
‘second-stringers.’ The solutions they propose are mediocre; results they
attain are mediocre; and even the people themselves end up with lowered
expectations of what their elected officials can do for them.
Here is a crystal clear
example of how all this plays out in real life. Our current president,
Benigno Aquino III was elected into office in 2010. He won not because of
what he did in Congress or the Senate. He in fact, led quite an
undistinguished career all his life. Then his mother passed away August 2009
and that catapulted him to frontrunner status for the 2010 presidential
elections. Make no mistake, President Aquino is a good man and may even
become a great president. But the fact remains that he is untested, wet
behind-the-ears, a greenhorn. All that is acceptable if you’re only
dealing with other Filipino politicians, since they are all of similar
caliber. The problem arises when you have to deal with leaders from
other countries like say China. Unlike the Philippines, in China (and most
other well-run countries) aspiring leaders have to fight their way to the
top. Only those who have the drive, the ambition, the talent, and stamina
ever make it to the very top. It takes years to build a track-record of solid
achievements, while fending off equally strong and ambitious opponents
who have their eye on the same goal. By the time one becomes a country’s
head, that person is a battle-hardened gladiator who has vanquished every
other aspirant for the post.
Case in point: The standoff
in Panatag or Scarborough Shoal that occurred in mid-2012. Panatag shoal is
a triangular-shaped reef formation with an area of roughly 120 square
kilometers, just 124 nautical miles from the province of Zambales. The ships
in the area at the beginning of the standoff were the BRP Gregorio del Pilar
the county’s biggest and newest naval vessel and eight Chinese fishing
boats. Two Chinese Marine Surveillance ships were later sent by China to
block the del Pilar from getting at and arresting the Chinese fishermen who
were illegally poaching in the shoal.
President Aquino in a misguided show or chivalry ordered the larger and more
powerful del Pilar out of the area and replaced it with two smaller, less
threatening Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries ships to face down the
Chinese intruders. Then on June 16 Aquino ordered the remaining ships out as
well because an incoming typhoon locally code-named “Butchoy” was forecasted
to hit the area. the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
supposedly received assurances from minor Chinese officials that they
were prepared to leave as well. But while our ships scampered off to safety from the
typhoon, the Chinese vessels rode out the storm remaining in Panatag Shoal.
It is evident that under direct instructions from its inexperienced
president, the Philippines gave up its upper hand, first by disengaging its
newest and most powerful frigate from the standoff, and then shortly
thereafter by ordering the remaining Philippine ships
to high-tail it out of the area using the looming typhoon as its excuse for leaving.
The Chinese never left
Panatag Shoal. In fact Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying has told Philippine
Foreign Affairs officials that they have no plans of ever leaving. The area
is now swarming with Chinese vessels. They have it cordoned off to prevent
Filipinos from entering a shoal that lies well within Philippine territorial
waters per the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—a
convention that both countries are signatories to. In the stare-down our
novice president quickly blinked.
If
the Philippines eventually loses Panatag Shoal, studies indicate that it
could also say goodbye to 38% of its territorial waters in the increasingly
strategic West Philippine Sea. It would also lose all mineral rights to the
seabed surrounding the shoal. Even more disturbing is the fact that China
would in effect become the country’s next door neighbor. Chinese naval
vessels would be anchored less than 350 kilometers from Manila, the seat of
power. The country would be at the mercy of the Chinese Navy which could
pounce on the capital at a moment’s notice—a truly dire scenario for the
Philippines.
The point we are making is
this: If the Philippines had a seasoned president with years of experience
under his belt, who like other world leaders had battled and triumphed over
adversity many times before becoming president, he most certainly would
never allowed himself to be bamboozled the way our current president was.
When you’re a seasoned leader, not only do you surround yourself with
top-caliber advisers, you’re not likely to be as naïve or as trusting as a
neophyte would be.
Bad decisions like the one
described above happen all the time all over the Philippines because those
in positions of power were elected not because of their knowledge,
experience or expertise; they were elected simply because they belonged to a
powerful family. These dynastic families know they can easily get their kin
voted into office regardless of whether they are qualified or not for the
job. In this
year’s senatorial election alone you have an Aquino, an Enrile, a Binay, a
Poe, an Ejercito, to name just a few, who are likely to get elected
to the Senate just because they have the right last name. And their victory will likely
push the country even further behind the rest of Southeast Asia. Think about
it. Those of us who know better must to put an end to political dynasties
before it is too late. Published
5/12/2013
Philippine NewsLink reserves the right to select and edit comments for publication.
Comments from
Our Readers
Name: HMS City/State/Country: new York, ny IP Address: 108.183.75.178
Comments
Where else can you find this dysfunction. Estrada was thrown out of power then charged and convicted of Plunder. Instead of jail a more corrupt President, Gloria Arroyo exercised her prerogative, ignored justice and pardoned Estrada. Now Estrada is back on top as Mayor of manila. And possibly President in 2016. Nakaka-iyak. I sure hope that Gloria Arroyo suffers for the rest of her days. Thinking back how can a Kanto-boy type movie actor be this politically powerful in a country where the inhabitants are supposed to be literate? What kind of a nightmare is this?
Name: Billy City/State/Country: Lorenzo Village IP
Address: 14.201.66.31
Comments
What I don't like with our President is that he seems to "panic" with regards to diplomatic situations such as the China tourist bus situation, Sabah and now Taiwan. He always has a delayed
reaction. The shooting of the fisherman from Taiwan occurred last Thursday and
he only apologized 2 days ago. Of course, it doesn't seem sincere and now the Philippines are begging to stop sanctions. This could have been avoided. Also our coast guard are "trigger happy". They should be made
aware of the consequences.
Name: deo City/State/Country: flour-flower city IP
Address: 74.65.4.116
Comments
Family dynasties in the political life of the Philippines has nothing to do with the failing of the government in all its functions. The bottom line of this PNL's editorial, particularly the Panatag shoal issue, is the government, then and present doesn't have courageous and knowledgeable enough international experts to tackle this problem
head on. And the same is true in other fields. The people (staff) surrounding these member of family political dynasties are incompetent. These family members are only as good as their advisers.
Philippine NewsLink reserves the right to select and edit
comments for publication.
With elections a little over a week away, Filipinos need to take a long and hard look at who they are choosing to lead them for the next three to six years—for the Philippines is a country sorely lacking in leadership. For decades we have been electing celebrities, entertainers, and relatives of past and present politicians who are totally unfit for public service. They have neither the training, the experience, nor the intellect needed to properly do the job voters elected them to do.
Published 05/03/2013
You have to give it to American law enforcement; they really seem to have their act together. When the horrific explosions occurred during the Boston Marathon it appeared almost impossible that whoever did it would be apprehended. But just a few days after that bombing incident, authorities seem to have cracked the case. One suspect is dead and another is now apprehended. Large swaths of the greater Boston area were on lockdown and door-to-door searches were conducted in the suburb of Watertown.
Published 04/20/2013
Will the PCGG go after Imee Marcos’s Offshore Trust Account?
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), cooperating with Washington DC-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) recently published a two-part report that revealed that Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos Manotoc, eldest daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos is the beneficiary of a secret trust account held in the British Virgin Islands.
Published 03/25/2013
Crucifixions, They’re More Fun in the Philippines
During this Holy Week like others in the past, for as long as this author can remember, a small minority of Filipinos have been whipping themselves raw or nailing themselves to crosses in a supposed show of atonement and piety. This odd spectacle now draws worldwide interest with curious tourists flying in from all over to witness firsthand flagellants who whip themselves to down to raw flesh or penitents who are nailed to wooden crosses on Good Friday.
Published 3/30/2013
With a Simple and Humble New Pope, What Should Happen to the Philippine Catholic Hierarchy?
Celebrating his first mass as Pontiff a day after being elected, 76-year-old Pope Francis told the assembled cardinals to guard against “the worldliness of the Devil.” Here was a man who made it an annual practice to celebrate Holy Thursday by washing the feet of the poor, and the downtrodden of his native Argentina. Here too was a man who took the bus to and from his work despite having chauffeured vehicles available to him. He preferred living in a modest apartment, cooking his own meals despite access to the well staffed bishop’s mansion in the ritzy the suburb of Olivos where no less than the Argentine president has his summer residence.
Published 03/25/2013
Will We Ever See a Filipino Pope? Not with the Way the Philippine Catholic Church is Run Today
Reeling from the resounding victory of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, the Philippine Catholic Church has decidedly jumped in the electoral fray (despite the constitutional separation of church and state) to influence the outcome of the country's 2013 elections. The church recently launched a “Team Buhay/Team Patay” (Team Life/Team Death) campaign that identifies legislators running for re-election who voted against or for the RH Bill. Those who voted against the bill are part of Team Life, while those who voted for the bill are part of Team Death—at least as far as the Church is concerned.
Published 03/13/2013
Does the Philippines Really Have a Legitimate Claim to Parts of Sabah?
We Filipinos have again learned the hard way that we can’t put things off indefinitely because at some point those things will come back around and bite us. Such is the Sabah issue. For decades we were told that a portion of what was then called North Borneo belongs to the Sultanate of Sulu. The land in question it appears was awarded by the Sultan of Brunei to the Sultan of Sulu for the latter’s help during the Brunei Civil War (1660 to 1673). That would clearly indicate that the Sulu Sultanate is the rightful owner of vast tracts of land in the northeastern part of what we now call Sabah.
Published 03/05/2013