"It is difficult to change the nature of Philippine elections. Here’s why."
The formation of 1Sambayan, a coalition calling for a united opposition aimed at defeating whoever President Duterte would want to succeed him has a noble purpose. But, Santa Banana, will it succeed?
The coalition chaired by former Senior Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio with convenors former Associate Supreme Court Justice and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, former De La Salle president and Education Secretary Armin Luistro, former Commision on Audit Commissioner Heidi Mendoza and activist Albert Alejo, a Catholic priest, obviously do not only want to unite the opposition for 2022. They also want to change the character of Philippine elections to put up what lead convenor Carpio described as a “single, united democratic slate” in 2022 elections. They want to rally Filipinos to block the continuation of a dictatorial and authoritarian administration.
“It is good governance that will lift the Filipino people from poverty. It is good governance that will bring economic development to the country and prosperity to the Filipino people,” Carpio said.
I must congratulate Carpio, Morales, and Del Rosario for going beyond merely criticizing the President. But I would like to ask them this question: Will they succeed in uniting the opposition? My gulay, considering the realities of Philippine elections, will they succeed in their ultimate plan?
The coalition aims to unite both the far left and the far right into a single force to achieve their ends in overcoming whatever President Duterte will form to become President, Vice President, and the 12-member senatorial slate that Duterte will form for the 2022 polls.
I must commend the optimism of this group to overcome the Duterte juggernaut in 2022, coming up with the names of Vice President Leni Robredo, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, Isko Moreno Domagoso, and former Duterte critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV as possible candidates for president and vice president.
When I read about their choices, I wanted to laugh, but I did not because this was serious business.
Let’s look at their plan to unite the opposition. Can the far right consisting of the Magdalo and members of religious movements, like the El Shaddai and the Jesus Is Lord party-list, unite with the communist fronts?
I am sorry to say that the call of Carpio and other convenors like Brother Armin Luistro and Father Albert Alejo to ever cooperate with the far left members of the opposition may not fly.
There were similar cases in the past when some sectors with good intentions tried to change the character of Philippine elections. They all failed.
I have been a journalist for over 70 years now, having covered presidents, and I must say that Philippine elections have not changed a bit. In our kind of elections, all it takes to win is “gold and guns,” or simply put money and use of means to prevent people from winning.
I can only recall the time when former Foreign Affairs Secretary Raul Manglapus and former Senator Manuel Manahan ran for President and Vice President respectively against then-President Carlos P. Garcia in 1959. They called themselves “The Grand Alliance.”
Consider the fact that Manglapus was an orator. Wherever he campaigned, he was a hit. I can only recall at that time at Plaza Miranda when the Manglapus-Manahan tandem appeared. I never saw a more enthusiastic crowd after Manglapus spoke. He was mobbed. I said to myself, with a crowd like this, how can Garcia win?
When the votes were counted, Garcia won overwhelmingly.
The reasons for this are very clear, and they have not changed. More than 50 percent of voters come from the Lower C, D, and E category of voters, or the “masa,” they are called. And so long as the problem of the Philippines, the “masa” dominate the elections, in other words, it will be all about money. To win as president and vice president, one must have at least P5 billion. My gulay, where do you think that kind of money comes from if not from the usual election donors – the taipans, who in their own also have means to find out who will probably win. In fact, the usual election contributors give money to all of the candidates but reserve the biggest amount to the probable winner.
If Carpio and the other convenors of 1Sambayan think that Philippine elections have changed, they are mistaken. That is the reason why after elections, there are only those who won and those who say they were cheated. This is the reality of Philippine elections.
Santa Banana, why do you think political dynasties thrive in this country? The reason for this is the people go to them for assistance when they are in need. The best example of this phenomenon is the fact that after elections, people fall in line from morning to night before a politician’s house to seek assistance for whatever reason. A politician friend once told me that the needs of the poor never end. This is why “pork barrels” are needed, and why politicians enter into shady deals. To stay in power, they must make money by any means.
I am not belittling the efforts of Carpio et al. in trying to change the character of our elections. But, my gulay, the reality is there, and so long as the main problem of the Philippines is poverty, any attempt to have the kind of government we need and we want will always depend on what the poor need most – money.
The only thing I can think of that can change the character of our elections is a change of the structure of our government from the presidential form to a parliamentary system where there is no President and Vice President. The real ruler would be the Prime Minister elected by representatives of the people. That’s the only way to stop the election of a Vice President, like the one we now have, who does nothing but take potshots at the President—and we still have to pay her P3.5 billion during her term of office. That to me, is the biggest anomaly of all, my gulay!
I’ll discuss in my Friday column the nitty-gritty of Philippine elections.