Mr. Ronald T.

Marfil

GMA on the National Stage

Dr. Edgardo Gonzaga

A political thinker once observed, that humans were caught in a world of change. People live in a world ruled by time, an incessant process, both for people and society. For him, people and society are kept in a perpetual movement, and can never stop changes in society and politics. There are some who do not stand and watch themselves the world change; they take part in it and is caught in the onrush of time. This is politics and it is with us, whether we like it or not. Politics is about what is, what is happening and what people do to for and with one another. Politics is like a drama played on the stage by political actors. How does our country look like? Every year the President of the Republic of the Philippine delivers a State of the Nation Address, purportedly aim to report the conditions facing the country. Depending on ones point of view or what one would like to believe or what he wants other should believe, the country is either on the road to progress or in deep-trouble. The nearest mark to what maybe real is best provided by facts or feelings taken directly from the warm bodies of a multitude of people who are concern of the state of the times and how to govern themselves accordingly. Let us start our survey with YOU (Young Officers Union), a group of officers who announced that it was breaking a 10-year old peace agreement to bring down the Arroyo regime. If we may recall, this was the group of young officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that nearly toppled the Aquino government in 1989. Their statement said; its members decided to scrap the peace accord. After much contemplation of the political, social, economic
LCCM Review Page 89

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

and national security situations that turned from bad to worst. Describing the situation further, no one can deny that since the 1986 Edsa revolution, our masses still huddled in their hovels, hungry and dispossessed, our bureaucracy is corrupt and inefficient. Moreover, there is system failure everywhere. There is no peace and order. Our military is demoralized, our judicial system does not work, the guilty go free; the innocent are framed; our strength is vitiated by corruption and ignorance in high places. When we protest the government respond with arrogance and brutality; our elections are farces, contests by force and money, the statement said. From the peoples organization/s, the intolerable economic crisis besetting the people has pushed the poor majority deeper into poverty. Prices of basic commodities went up and are expected to go even higher due to taxes. Instead of reducing peoples burden the Arroyo regime railroaded the expanded value-added tax (EVAT) to ensure payment of foreign debt and satisfy the international lending institutions, a clear indication of Arroyos puppetry to foreign interests. Despite the rise of prices, the Arroyo government refused to grant the workers demand for a P125 wage hike. The regional wage board approved only meager increases. Under Arroyo, foreign interests are always above peoples interests. The agricultural sector has been stunted by expanded trade liberalization, land-use policy is always in favor of the old landowners and land grabbling continue displacing thousand of farmers and farmer workers. Local businesses fold up in the face of fierce competition from giant companies, resulting to massive retrenchment of workers. Joblessness, inflation, poverty, indebtedness have become the order of the day and synonymous to this Arroyo government. These problems have worsened under her rule, they said.
LCCM Review Page 90

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

Summing up the voices of other groups and individuals, as well, it would appear that we are a nation in crisis. Prices of commodities and transport fare runs high on the shoulders of consumers, electricity and water rates have increase almost two-folds and yet to increase, wages are way below the standards to live decently, the plea for genuine agrarian reform continue to fall on deaf ears, people are in the state of Diaspora, thousands leave the country causing brain drain and majority of our people lack basic services like health, housing and education, public school classrooms are jam-packed with 100 students at a given time. Human right violation is rampant. There is systematic silencing of church workers, media people, lawyers and students. Amidst the wallowing misery and poverty of the people, public funds are being stolen wantonly through widespread graft and corruption. The problem of our Muslim brothers in Mindanao remains unresolved, widespread dislocation, and forced evacuation of people continues. From the
backdrop of the unfolding national drama, we can now put in context the Arroyo government.

In all societies, a political class, a minority power wielder exists. This political class shares a common outlook and based on a political formula, the members of the class managed the affairs of the nation, controlled the positions of power and occupied the places of honor. This class is further divided into a governing elite, comprising of individuals who directly or indirectly play some considerable part in government and a non-governing elite, comprising the rest. So, the whole society has two strata: the lower stratum or the broad masses the non-elites and the higher stratum or the elites divided into: a governing elite and a nongoverning elite. The actors in Philippine politics could be identified using the above framework. The lower class comprises the
LCCM Review Page 91

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

vast poor majority of our people ruled by a minority held by a governing elite headed by GMA and her retinue of high government functionaries (cabinet members, judges, commissioners, generals, police chiefs, media boss to name a few). The political formula is: We have a democracy and the road to acquisition of power is through popular election. Those voted into positions gather the legitimate right to seat in office and to exercise powers for a fix term as mandated by a fundamental law (the constitution) that served as the covenant between the governing elite and the governed. As such, people are expected to obey the laws while government becomes their protector and repository of vision and hopes. Within the governing elite is another type: the opposition who shared lesser positions in government and their only reason as such is because the most sensitive and awesome powers are not in their hands. These actors come from the political parties vying all the time for opportunities to wrist power from the incumbent. In times of political spasms, all these actors will come into play, each one acting according to his definition of the phenomenal cause and respond intersubjectively to the challenges at hand. When a nation is under siege, either from external treats or internal discord, the usual puzzle that all political actors try to engage in is the question of Who Should Rule? The nature of this puzzle is answered by understanding the pillars of rulership. Ascendancy and duration of rule must rests on some stones to stand on. Politics means engaging in an endless effort to control the acts of others. What then are these instruments of control? First, Power is at very heart of politics, it means getting others to comply by creating the prospect of severe sanctions for non-compliance. Second, Influence is getting things done without the threat of sanctions, as well as without promise of personal rewards. Third, Authority is the
LCCM Review Page 92

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

right to exercise power after having been placed in a position according to regular, known and widely accepted procedures. Fourth, Legitimacy is the condition of being considered to be correctly placed in a particular role and to be carrying out the functions of that role correctly. Political legitimacy means also having widespread approval for the way one exercise political power, and Fifth, Linkage is the efficacy of connection between political unit with another. Presumably, GMA regimes enjoy all the available means of controls enumerated above. When the juetengpayola and the hello-garci taped conversation and volleys of serious allegations rocked the Arroyo government, the events in the past two weeks have undoubtedly shaken the foundation of the pillars GMAs rulership. The two heavily damaged pillars or power post of GMA were authority and legitimacy. When you continue to rule as President of the Republic under the yoke of the biggest electoral fraud ever unearthed in Philippine history and people perceives it as the worst betrayal of the publics trust, the capacity of the President to govern is greatly reduced to virtual standstill. Retired General Montano and General Lim revealed in a talk show hosted by Pia Hontiveros how the military was use by Arroyo in the last Presidential election. Only her remaining and newly onboard cabals will take her seriously (for obvious self-serving reasons) minus the rest of the nation. As the approval rating of the President continues to fall and the President is seen as failing to take adequate step to resolve an array of crises, GMA must be losing legitimacy and the means to shift the instruments of control to other hands will be explored. In such case, foreign investments, (the only way this government knows for the countrys economic deliverance) will not come.
LCCM Review Page 93

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

The same authority and legitimacy problems of Marcos in 1986 and Estrada in 2001 led to the collapsed of their respective regimes. The resignation of the Hyatt 10 from the cabinet further eroded GMAs political strength. Experience tells us that when authority and legitimacy falls apart, the other pillars follow crumbling that signals the collapse of rulership. The unabated assault on the peoples material life and dignity caused by the inability of the present social structure to push reforms, will ultimately led the people to realize the futility of entrusting to the governing elites his visions and hopes. What GMA lost in terms of authority and legitimacy is being compensated by the use of coercive means in its arsenal. In the face of mounting protests from all sides, the Arroyo regime has veered towards more repressive measures. Using their own political prisms, critics now are labeled as mob rule, destabilizers, communists and enemies of the state. Summary executions of leaders of progressive organizations and plain individuals have been killed at an alarming rate. Intimidation and harassment have been thrown against those who exposed the gloriagate and jueteng payola scandals; even the media is being gagged. Some witnesses are made to retract. Threats and actual use of force against GMAs critics continue blatantly like the violent dispersals of peaceful rallies and protest actions using no permit, no rally policy. Participant in demonstrations from the provinces are stop at checkpoints under the pretext that saboteurs might have infiltrated the ranks of demonstrators. GMA has equated herself with the state, she is now the state, if this goes on, we can expect more violent reaction from the embattled regime as she is pushed to the wall.
LCCM Review Page 94

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

In the complicated business of politics, players are concern with only one goal the capture of public-state power for their ends. Meanwhile, the non-governing elite which call themselves the united opposition (UNO) compose mainly of traditional politicians from political parties, some are seating in the legislative chambers are also divided and incapable of mounting a decisive blow to unseat the current occupant of Malacanang. It can only do some sniping shots at the Arroyo regime. Because of its weakness, it has aligned with the larger peoples movement out of necessity or expediency to shore up the limited options in their hands. The mind-boggling problem facing the traditional opposition is how to replace GMA by their own elks. Politics is a game of numbers, whoever can master larger but active support from the population has a bigger chance of landing in the seat of power. Impeachment is the main weapon the opposition is toying before the people to unseat the President. The opposition also mingles with the peoples movement to attract semblance of numbers. The peoples movement has been resurrected and gained the limelight of Philippine politics. Groups and organization are mushrooming in Metro Manila and the provinces. Hello Garci became the immediate cause for the remote cause of indignant protests. Hello Garci - - opens the floodgate for the people to raise the basic issues, the century-old captivity in poverty suffered by our people. Hello Garci - - - provided the opportunity to re-examining the obtaining social order and to re-focus the essence of governance. GMAs hello garci is Ninoys assassination during Marcos time and Chavits second envelop of Estradas time. Politics as human events, produces the best in man, we will see in the coming days new ways, fascinating methods, unorthodox communication lines, and untested social prescriptions thrown into the political fray.
LCCM Review Page 95

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

Conflicting at first, the hows, whys and wherefores of politics will reach a convergence point of resolute unity for change. The Arroyo regime will dig in as predicted by Reporma leader Renato De Villa, a former cabinet member of President Arroyo. It its effort to survive the endless political artillery fires, the Arroyo camp, headed by political advisor Claudio, chief propagandist Tiglao, spokesman Bunye, top hatchetman Defensor and the obscure exgeneral Reyes for sure has already laid down the master plan for Arroyos survival. We will not know whats exactly in the plan, but we can discern from their actions. The main line of Arroyos defense is deception, fullswing media blitz is now underway to counter-act peoples negative perception of the Arroyo government. Arroyo is pictured to be in full control of the situation (a favorite military phrase) and the economic woes are being addressed fast and for a little time, we will surmount these problems. Things will settle for the better. Bleak statistics are meet by counter statistics. Hakot crowd matches the critical crowd. A critic of the Arroyo regime (UNO) has been drawn already to a fight in the halls of Congress through impeachment. The Truth Commission will follow this. Whatever happens in those political arenas we dont know yet. But the last and final line of defense will be the military and the police. The military being the only institution with the legal cloth to bear arms will eventually be used to the fullest extent in protecting the Arroyo government. The Arroyo government is frantically seeking full support from the Americans to preserve her tattering position. Uncle Sam, with its track record of intervention in Philippine affairs, may chose to be the ultimate arbiter among the protagonist within the ruling elite. This might be the joker in the deck of life for the Arroyo government to survive. If this happen, the
LCCM Review Page 96

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

peoples movement will be relegated again to the backstage of this drama. What must people do? Aristotle said that the science of politics is the master science for the simple reason that until political problems problems of ruling are solved, no other individual or social problem can be safely undertaken. Politics is not separate from morality, because from the utilitarian ethics the successful conduct of politics economizes violence or pain in our lives. Social good can be produced by politics, it is a solution, the means by which all terrible thing like poverty, tyranny, despair, helplessness and other violence maybe avoided. In the midst of the political stalemate at hand, man is endowed with intelligence the ability to think intelligently and act resolutely. With GMA at the helm of a deceptive rule, the people have no other option but to rise up in protest and continue demanding for her resignation. Resignation is the most honorable option for her to end the agonizing pain in our lives. However, if she refuses to give up honorably, then the people will be forced to explore other alternative minus peaceful guarantees. In this regard the whole government captured through deceit by Arroyo must now be re-examined in the light of its form and essence. In our younger times, we were taught and made to believe that ours is a democratic country and the government is for the people. Under the present order people must learn to make a distinction between myths and realities. To be brief about, the present government of Arroyo having the public-state power at its disposal (embodied in its officials, the army, the police, the bureaucracy, the courts and congress) is certainly no neutral
LCCM Review Page 97

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

force, therefore, in form and in essence; the Arroyo government is no longer for the people. The instrumentalities and apparatuses of government will be used against the people when the anti-climax situation comes. At present, the people face two choices: the constitutional and extra-constitutional options of change. The specific option according to the constitutionalists is through impeachment. This will take much time, meanwhile the pain in our lives gets painful as this would led to prolonged stalemate. The House of Representatives will undoubtedly move snail-pace to abort impeachment. This is the chosen battlefield of GMA. Napoleon Bonaparte, an acknowledged military genius said never fight in your enemys chosen battleground ironically he lost at Waterloo because he violated his own teaching. The Filipino should be cautious enough falling into this trap. Outcomes from this exercise will only ensure that public-state power will remain in the hands of political elites; it will only be a tossed-up between the governing elite or the non-governing elite. Arroyo has the number in Congress, by the way, if miracle happen, she maybe impeached, then by constitutional succession, De Castro becomes President. So, we are back to square one because De Castro have also legitimacy problem of his own. The cyclical process will lead us to nowhere, by that time; there will be local election fever. The Truth Commission announced by Malacaang is another problematic option because of its relevancy. How will they arrive at their truth? Who will sponsor them? What binding effect will it have to the essence of governance? Lets not waste our time in this forum that will only deflect our attention from the basic issues confronting our nation. FVR enters the stage with his CHA-CHA, another option for change in form, but with the same brand of
LCCM Review Page 98

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

congressmen and senators converting itself into a constituent assembly, what else can we expect from them? GMA supported this call in her SONA. However, just this morning, a big number of senators has spoken to reject it ab-initio. Parliamentary form of government works well only when certain nurturing political conditions are obtaining, such as well defined political party delineations, which is not present in us yet. While constitutional change is a good distant option, let us resolve first the question or rulership now. Least the CHA-CHA will only served as smoke screen for GMA to get off the hook. It would be a pleasure to remind our people that our history is replete with experiences similar to those offered above. We have had several constitutional amendments during Martial Law, the Agrava Commission on Ninoys assassination and the impeachment of Erap. What significant reforms did benefit the people out of those political circuses? It is said that to remain in power, the ruler must entertain his subjects. When Rome was at the height of its decay, the incompetent Caesars promoted the greatest show of all time the gladiators combat to death including helpless Christians pitted against beasts at the magnificent Roman Coliseum. If the constitutional options were meant only to be a political exercise in futility, will the extra-constitutional option be more plausible? The answer is YES. It will be the peoples movement who will register the deciding blow to topple the Arroyo regime. The peoples struggle will not just end up changing the leadership, but along the true essence of governance a government working for the people, not a government for elites. This government will be interim with fix target date to complete the basic task of restoring genuine sovereignty. The representatives that will constitute the new government, a collegial body (call it transition council, democratic coalition government or peoples council
LCCM Review Page 99

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

or caretaker government) shall be compose about of nine (9) or eleven (11) members representing various sectors/organization/movements who worked hard to bring back public-state power to the people. This collegial body will define the process of removing Arroyo from power and served immediately as transition government to pave the way to normalcy. Specification of such a process maybe left to the best judgment of this body. Transition governments are not new to us; try to remember in our history the Dictatorial government of Aguinaldo in 1898, the 10-year transition government of the commonwealth period (1935 1946) under President Quezon and Vice President Osmena and the Cory Aquino revolutionary government of 1986? The following urgent concerns should be in the action agenda of the new government: bureaucratic reforms, education, reorientation and reorganization of the military and police, social justice, peace and order, social services, the debt problem and economic/financial restructuring to develop local market. To protect the gains of reforms emplaced by the transition government, selected officials of the previous regimes including some members of congress and the supreme court shall be barred to hold public office for a period of ten years effective immediately. A government, given the opportunity to serve the people and not beholden to private interests or foreign power can do a lot of things in a matter of days for it is not constraint to act freely. The taking of public-state power through extra-constitutional means is not unconstitutional as what others may claim. Two Edsas prove this point, all acts of the people in the exercise of their sovereign will are deemed lawful. The state is only the creation of the people, it follows that the people can change the form and essence of his state at will. Our problem today is that many people are still confuse to act resolutely to liberate themselves from the
LCCM Review Page 100

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

fangs of injustice, poverty and deceit. This is so because the forces of conservatism are always at play dissuading people to act, muddling the issues, appealing for sobriety and neutrality, preaching peace and harmony without justice, covering up malfeasance in government, disinformation, and over indulgence to the rule of law and academic discourse. But, for all we know, these are just ploys intended to distract, delay and dilute peoples passion and energy to act in behalf of what they feel is good for them. The people therefore should be vigilant enough to guard its ranks from these pseudo-peacemakers whose real purpose is to delimit and distract the frameworks of peoples action all of which were only meant to protect and maintain elites rule. To fine tune the minds of our people and to combat the forces of stagnation, the words of Thomas Paine could enlighten us; Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself in all cases as the ages and generation which preceded it. The vanity and presumption of governing beyond the graveyard is the most ridiculous and insolent form of all tyrannies. The natural rights of Man are the foundations of all his civil rights. Our people therefore should act as he pleases in the service of the common good. We cannot afford to live by the past, we should chart our own future as a nation. And now, where do we find the role of LCCM teachers in this drama? I recall what the Dean of St Paul cathedral said in the 17th century, No man is an island, entire of himself. Every man has had many hands, many pens and many minds that illuminate his thoughts and actions. He is always part of the continent; part of maine We in the academe are the hands; the pens and minds that will help our people understand his present predicament. So let us join hands with the people, unite for the people and think for
LCCM Review Page 101

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

the people. St. Augustine reminds us that Man acts; God guides in the march of human history; he challenges us to make a choice between the earthly city --- symbolized by the political greed of the Arroyo regime characterized by the love of self unto the contempt of God --- and the heavenly city --symbolized by the noble aspirations of our people characterized by the love of God unto the contempt of self; these are the two loves, he saw as the contending forces in our society today. Surely, La Consolacion College Manila guided by the words of its father will not miss the historic march of our people. In the 104 years of its existence, La Consolacion College Manila, will always be in the whirpool of Philippine history as it is, as it was, --- always part of the continent; a part of the maine. The sooner we resolve this crisis, the more we can hope for the better. But when our leaders sees otherwise, forgets to appreciate reality, engage in popularity and public relations gimmickry, twist the facts, relied heavily on the coercive apparatuses of the state, downplays legitimate demands of the people, re-channels the burning issues to something else hoping that people will just forget or dealing only with the peripheral rather than the fundamental -- these, we can only predict the eruption of a social volcano. To avert a national hemorrhage and paralysis, the Filipino people must gather now his innate and collaborative will in the face of these challenges. Arnold Toynbee, an eminent British historian lectured his students that the level of civilization people attained depends on how they responded to the challenges of their time. So, I say now the Filipino people, heir of their forefathers, desiring to fulfill their rightful place in human history, capable of building a nation of their own free from external control, a people uncowed by the incongruous tyranny of his time - - are all
LCCM Review Page 102

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

that matters to be able to enjoy the promise of righteous life God has beseech for them.

References: Michael Curtis. ed. Great Political Theories Avon Library Book: NY, 1965 Chirkin, V. et al. Theory of the State and Law Progress Publisher: Moscow, 1979. Combs, James E. Primer of Politics McMillan Publishing Co.: NY, 1984. Lawson, Kay. The Human Polity Houghton Mifflin Co.: S.F., 1989. Sodaro, Michael J. Comparative Politics McGraw Hill: Boston, 2001. Paine, Thomas. The Rights of Man Liberator: NY, 1938. Lasswell, H.D. and A. Kaplan. Power and Society New Haven: 1950. Pareto, Vilfredo. The Mind and Society. 1916 Roskin, Michael G. Countries and Concepts Prentice Hall Inc.: London, 1989. St. Augustine: Father of the Church. Scandinavia Publishing House: Copenhagen, Denmark. 1997. Maguigad, R. and Estrelita Muhi. Brief History of the Filipino People.
LCCM Review Page 103

Mr. Ronald T. Marfil

Optimum Books: Manila, 2001

LCCM Review

Page 104