The Cebu Declaration

On October 1, 2014, Cardinal Ricardo Vidal led the signing of the Cebu Declaration. With him are the other pillars of the Roman Catholic Church including Archbishop Emeritus Fernado Capalla of Davao, Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa, Archbishop Romulo dela Cruz of Zamboanga and Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos of Butuan, as well the leaders of other religious faith. The gathering was inspired by the Lipa Declaration which was launched in Lipa City on August 27, 2014.

The Cebu Assembly proclaimed its support for the Lipa Declaration and proposed concrete and immediate steps to translate the desired objective of national transformation into a viable program of action.

The  Cebu Declaration noted with great pain that while the moral and spiritual crisis and its political and economic effects continued to deepen, the national political leadership consistently failed to show the will or the capacity to respond to these ills in any appreciable measure. Consistent with the Lipa Declaration and in the light of new issues which have since emerged—to which the incumbent administration has failed to adequately respond—the members of the Assembly called upon National Transformation Council to:

1)            Pursue all necessary and available lawful means to compel President Aquino to step down at the soonest possible time;

2)            Immediately organize the equivalent of a government in waiting, consisting of men and women of integrity and proven worth, in order to assure the nation and the international community that President Aquino’s removal and the prosecution and imprisonment of every culpable member of the government for corruption will not create a political vacuum;

3)            Initiate extensive consultation with the Islamic community in Southern Philippines to arrive at an authentic consensus on how to solve the long-festering multicultural problem in the area, free from any possible intervention by any foreign interest party, beginning with the countries in Southeast Asia, and including the new extremist entity called “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” by those who control it;

4)            Cause the immediate filing of criminal cases against all the Senators and Congressmen, Members of the Cabinet, the Commission on Audit and the various government agencies involved in the misuse of the PDAF and the DAP from 2010 to date, and to sue whatever public pressure is necessary to make all those involved in these cases to immediately vacate their respective positions;

5)            Organize a panel of experts who will undertake a comprehensive study of the country’s energy problem and propose solutions that will be free of any political bias for or against any particular energy source, and take into primary consideration the interests of the general public and the consumers rather than the various actors in the generation, transmission and distribution chain;

6)            Organize public support for the PNP rank-and-file in their call for a th0rough cleanup of the PNP and an immediate change in its top leadership;

7)            Institutionalize a public forum, where aggrieved individual citizens could air their just grievances and mobilize public support for such grievances without being subjected to the arbitrary censorship imposed by government and the conscript press; and

8)             Actively support the call and effort of the concerned citizens of the country to establish a people’s Truth Commission to discover and reveal the accountability and any consequent liability of the administration of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III arising from its massive misuse of the public funds through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) that has been ruled unconstitutional by unanimous vote of the Supreme Court.

These steps must be undertaken immediately to stop the continuing decline of the present moral and political order. The intractability of the problems confronting the Philippines demands long term radical reforms which the National Transformation Council cannot undertake on its own. As it engages in the historic project of transforming the present dispensation into a modern, prosperous and equitable future for all Filipinos, it will need the continuing support of the citizenry. This is the defining call for every patriotic Filipino.

The Lipa Declaration

On August 27, 2014, people of different social and economic backgrounds and political persuasions and religious beliefs gathered in Lipa City to launch the National Transformation Council and sign the Lipa Declaration. Led by the pillars of the different faith communities in the country, the National Transformation Council and the delegates signed the Lipa Declaration.

The Lipa Declaration calls for genuine national transformation and the establishment of a transitional government that will spearhead the necessary fundamental changes in the existing political, economic and cultural systems in the Philippines.

It notes that a crisis of unprecedented proportions has befallen our nation as the life of the nation is in grave peril from the very political forces that are primarily ordained to protect, promote and advance its well-being, but which are aggressively undermining its moral, religious, social, cultural, constitutional and legal foundations. It decries the unbridled and unpunished corruption and widespread misuse of political and economic power in all layers of society which not only destroyed our common conception of right and wrong, good and bad, just and unjust, legal and illegal, but also put our people, especially the poor, at the mercy of those who have the power to dictate the course and conduct of our development for their own selfish ends.

The Lipa Declaration calls for the resignation of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III who, far from preserving and defending the Constitution, as he swore to do when he assumed office, has subverted and violated it by corrupting the Congress, intimidating the Judiciary, taking over the treasury, manipulating the automated voting system, and perverting the constitutional impeachment process. It declares that he has lost the moral right to lead the nation, and has become a danger to the Philippine democratic and republican state and to the peace, freedom, security and moral and spiritual well-being of the Filipino people.

But instead of calling for a new election for the replacement of President Aquino after he stepped down prior to 2016, the Declaration calls for the restoration of our damaged political institutions to their original status and form before we begin to consider electing a new government under normal political conditions. It welcomes the National Transformation Council’s proposal to open broad public consultation on the need to modify and strengthen the presidential system or to shift from the unitary/presidential system to a federal/parliamentary form, endowing such structure with:

1)      A totally independent judicial department, free from any kind of intimidation or bullying by either the Executive or the Legislative Department, and with the sufficient wherewithal to clear the backlog of the courts and fast-track of all cases;

2)      A merit-driven, professional civil and military service;

3)      A totally transparent government budgeting, procurement, disbursement, accounting and auditing systems and procedures; and

4)      An irreproachably independent and completely dependable electoral system, free from the virus that has corrupted the automated voting system since 2010.

The Declaration strongly assails our failed electoral system and supports the Council’s position that until our electoral system is fraud-free, we should refrain from holding any farcical election. Insofar as the economy is concerned, the Declaration supports the proposal that with political reform, there must go hand and hand comprehensive economic reform consistent with the suggestion of Pope Francis that an economics of exclusion and inequality, coming from a misguided vision of the human being and of society harmfully acted upon through myopic laws, policies and programs should be rooted out.

The Lipa Declaration is a call for social and political revolution. And as the National Transformation Council prepares to embark upon the necessary reforms, the people supporting the Declaration call upon the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as the constitutional “protector of the people and the state,” to extend its protective shield to the Council, and not allow itself to be used in any manner to undermine the Council’s purely transitional and non-partisan role nor to allow any armed group to sow violence, disorder or discord into its peaceful ranks.

The Lipa Declaration is a revolutionary call whose time has come. VIVA LA REVOLUCION!

To the Graduates of 2014

Dear Graduates

Years ago,   you have embarked in a journey with great hope and enthusiasm. You believed that there is nothing that you could not conquer. With the energy and idealism flowing in your veins, you surmised that the world was too small to spread your wings over.

However, the passage of time has withered your hope and enthusiasm. The weight of responsibilities which were imposed upon your shoulders dried up the energy and idealism in your veins. This is to be expected since you have chosen a field of endeavour which demands more than what an ordinary human being could give—an adventure where the lukewarm and timid would not last half of the journey. But despite of this, you persevered until the race is finished.

You are here today ready to take up the rewards of your patience and perseverance. More than anything else, this day marks the rebirth of a new you. You are not the same person as before—you are now an offspring of your sacrifices and triumphs. You are the news of the day. To you belong the sunshine and the stars.

The past is expected to come back somehow. However, the past is not about your family, teachers, friends or enemies. The past is not about broken dreams and shattered spirit. It is not about the confusion and worries of the yesteryears. It is not about your parents, siblings or relatives—no matter how you love or avoid them. It is not about your teachers—no matter how amiable or awesome or wretched or wicked they are. It is not about your friends—no matter how faithful or consoling or conceited or treacherous they are, or no matter how they turned-out to be your best enemies.

The past is about you. It has always been about you. It is about how you deal with your family, teachers, friends or enemies. Your memories of people depend on how you see and receive them in your life. They exist for themselves; you—your existence does not depend on theirs.

The days following your graduation will still be euphoric. You will continue to walk in “cloud nine” for a few more days. Don’t hurry up. Reflect for a while. Your new world will start to dawn upon you when you tread on the new path that you have chosen after leaving the one that you have travelled with your teachers.

Of course, there are certain lessons that you must always remember. After all, there are memories which could not be considered as prison. There are memories which bring you smiles and laughters. There are memories which make you feel proud and triumphant.

Sail on. Keep moving. Find new adventures. Make your life meaningful. Take risk.

Cry, if you must, but tell the world that you will never quit. Never quit—life is about advancing and challenging and conquering. Life is about not quitting!

Do not forget your roots. Always touch the ground no matter how high you soar. Do not forget the reason why you are here today. Be true to your words—make them your bond. Do not break the trust and confidence of your most loyal friends and love ones. Be true to yourself and you will always see the truth in others.

Be the best! The best is always the most upright and socially-committed to serve others—and if you are not the most upright and socially-committed to serve others, then you will not be the best. Do not forget the weak, the poor and the oppressed. Do everything to strengthen them, to improve their lot, to vindicate their rights.

Do not fear to hold power or to be entrusted with it—in your hands are the greatest potentials for good and as such, the greatest responsibility for humankind.

Remember this. Always bear this in your mind—the future is yours and every good thing that your heart desires if you remain true, good and beautiful no matter what. So keep calm and be true, good and beautiful always.

Godspeed!

Advance, don’t quit!

Sail on, companeros y   companeras!

   

Crowdsourcing a Constitution: Claiming Back the State for the People!

Citizen participation in Constitution drafting is no longer a cumbersome process today. Social networking engines provided public discourse the needed reboot to encourage wider people’s participation. Distance and time are barriers no more. Interfacing via social network sites are the new medium of forming opinions and persuading people to agree.

Crowdsourcing is a method where ordinary citizens are given a chance to discuss and propose the provisions that they like to put in a constitution or statute. Iceland has engaged in this dynamic process in 2009-2011 as part of its phenomenal Kitchenware Revolution. Grassroots and e-discussions on the drafting of a new constitution filled both public and private spheres until a proposal to convene a Constitutional Assembly of 25 people to work on the actual drafting of the new Constitution was actually passed by the Parliament. 

Crowdsourcing concept is premised on citizen participation and social mobilization. Apathy and indifference are anathema to it. It involves mobilization of creative human talents and material resources. It is possible only with consistent and patient guidance of facilitators whose job is to encourage discussion of public issues and concerns. Dangers of manufacturing consent of course are always there. And hence, the tendency to castrate self-expression by these facilitators should be checked and avoided.

What would crowdsourcing mean to the present Philippine society?

It signifies the right of the people to claim back the State from the hands of oligarchic political interests. It is synonymous with open discussion of issues confronting the people and their government which can lead to full scrutiny of our political life. With the massive movement of people, in and out of the social networking sites, the ability of government propaganda machines to manufacture consent is lessen until eventually, they could no longer abuse and misuse the opinions of the people. Crowdsourcing will empower the people to claim back political power which has been taken hostage by dynastico-personalist politicians through bribery, coercion, deceit and high tech machinations.

What does crowdsourcing demand from the people?

It demands openness and sensitivity as it requires the genuine participation of the widest possible number of people. It obliges us to have highly inquisitive spirit as we attempt to bare all to see what went wrong in our government and society so that we can rebuild them with truth and sincerity. It directs us to be conscious and resolute as we restructure the Philippine society and root out the pretentious and mediocre corrupt dynastico-personalist regime. It requires us to be one with the masses as no real change is possible without a social revolution emanating from those who are still excluded from the physical and virtual world.

Crowdsourcing the Constitution should be a call for social and political revolution. Anything less will fall prey to the regime that lives on corruption, mediocrity and shameful display of arrogance. Superficial reforms can no longer root out what have become systemic and deep-seated defects in the Philippine society. People should change themselves and the structures which their ineptness and indifference had helped to create. As such, they should be invited to dream again and live on the idea that unless they take back the power from dynastico-personalist politicians and the oligarchy their lives can never change.

Crowdsourcing a constitution is an idea whose time has come!

   

National Shame

Third Week, August

The Cardinal of Manila shed tears. He cried over the plight of the homeless in his archdiocese and the misuse of billions of pesos by members of the Congress intended for local development programs. The problems of the poor seem legions while the greed of those who plunder the public funds is indescribable.

The indignation over the senseless waste and misuse of public funds is starting to catch fire. Calls for the abolition of the pork barrel funds are snowballing. Civil society groups and the faith communities have made a stand against the continuation of the practice and appealed to the members of the Congress to be sensitive to the demand for accountability.

Congress continues to ignore the issues against the pork barrel funds. It refuses to investigate its own members for the anomaly. It claims that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) can do the job better. It insinuates that it option not to conduct any investigation is dictated by delicadeza since its members might be involved in the mess. However, the Congress misses the point.  If it had investigated other issues and scandals in the name of inquiry in aid of legislation before, why could it not conduct an inquiry involving the misuse of public funds?

Delicadeza has nothing to do with callousness and insensitivity. On the contrary, delicadeza would prompt the Congress to ask its members to go on leave while the matter is still being investigated. Delicadeza would appeal to the sensibilities of the Congress in asking for public apology for the scandal that the issue has been making. Delicadeza demands more than a general denial from members of the Congress suspected of partaking in the mess. Delicadeza calls for serious investigation and truth-telling so that all issues pertaining to the pork barrel mess could be uncovered and shown for public scrutiny. This is what delicadeza demands of the Congress. This is the call of the time. 

The tears of the Cardinal are understandable. The pork barrel scam shows the wanton disregard of public decency and morality. It embodies both personal and structural sins. It weighs on the moral fabric of the society and destroys the integrity of public service. It symbolizes the gravest abuse of power and the destruction of the future. It is greed. It is evil.

            

                The pork barrel scam is a national shame. The issue should occupy the center of public attention. Public discussions should be encouraged to inspire awareness and correction. Officials must heed the call for accountability and responsibility before the issue fuels unrest and violence. They cannot continue to ignore the issue without compounding the shame and stigma that it brings to public service.

    

            It is high time to abolish the cause of our national shame. Abolish the pork barrel funds. Abolish the scheme that gives rise to corruption. Give local government units direct access to development funds without the intervention of lawmakers and other national officials. Redeem our dignity. Do away with the pork now!

Accountability and Apology

Second Week, August

The Republic of China (Taiwan) had announced the lifting of the sanctions that it has imposed against the Philippines for the death of its fisherman in the hands of members of the Philippine Coast Guard. The trade related sanctions were lifted on account of the written apology which the government’s representative handed to the widow of the deceased and the filing of criminal charges against the erring officials.

What does the Philippine government achieved by such gesture? It achieved something political significant for the two governments. The gesture repairs the damage which the incident had caused to the relationship between the Philippines and Taiwan. Of course, the outcome of the cases filed against those responsible for the incident will impact on the restoration of the diplomatic relations between them.

Asking apology for a wrong done is not part of the Philippine criminal justice system. Even in instances where a convicted felon has applied for probation, asking apology for the crimes committed is never a part of the assertions that constitute the application. Nor is the probationer obliged to show remorse for the crime that he had committed before the application could be granted. The conditions of probation also do not include any obligation ask apology from the victims or even to show remorse for the crime done.   

In 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd asked apology to all aborigines of Australian for the suffering and loss that they continue to suffer from forcible evictions and discriminatory laws and policies that the parliament has adopted. His speech before the Parliament was greeted by a standing ovation of the members of the parliament.

Dig the base of the iceberg

First Week, August

“Everybody is searching for a hero,” so the lyrics of a popular song goes. Well, not everybody is searching for a hero now. In fact, nobody needs a hero right now. Nor do we need to search for one. What we need today is truth and whether we seek or stumble upon it would not matter. We need it even if we do not want it.

The P10 billion pork barrel scam is only one of the many anomalies committed in the name of local development. Others remain plain rumors unto this day—they gave rise to no headline or investigation. Billions of money had been lost yet nobody seems alarmed. Our attitudes to such waste, if not plain robbery, is a business as usual type. The phenomenon seems common place and as such, we have become immune to it.

If there is anything worth investigating in the Philippines, it is this. Public moneys have been squandered in billions since the first Edsa Revolt in 1986. No President had able to put a stop into it. Every past President seems complicit in this waste of public money, one way or the other. And thus, everyone seems unworthy of calling for a truth commission that will unearth all evidence of misuse of public funds.

            How much people’s money got wasted by sheer mismanagement of national and local officials? How much people’s money was plundered by elective and appointive officials? These questions seek answer and the answer that they are demanding should take into consideration all past and present government administration.

Fact is that public funds are wasted. Whether such waste happened by corruption or simple mismanagement is inconsequential. We need to know how much got lost and who are responsible for them. Once we now the truth— its complete version of course—we should then resolve to exact accountability and responsibility from those who stole or mismanage them.

Investigate the loss of public funds from 1986 to the present and render full accounting to the Filipino people. This should be the first order of the day to institute administrative and financial reforms in the government. Unless we do this, all our efforts would mean nothing; they would just be like scratching the tip of the iceberg. We need to dig deep towards the base of the iceberg. This sounds revolutionary but the situation demands it. Only a revolutionary action can meet the enormous task needed to change the grave economic, political and social ills afflicting our country. Any initiative short of such drastic action will only be futile for our problems require more than the institution of superficial reforms.