The top political, economic and security experts from the government, private industry and the academe tackled the complex problems facing the country during the Pilipinas Conference organized by the think tank Stratbase ADR Institute in Makati.
In a statement, Stratbase ADRi president Dindo Manhit said the Philippine government was confronted by several conditions that were critical to political and economic development.
“Governments, as the pinnacle of power in society, do not operate in a social vacuum. As such, in order to operate and deliver services to the general population, a two-tiered participation is imperative”•for the people to engage in political and economic activities and for the people to guard their leaders,” Manhit said.
“In turn, the elected leaders should be held responsible and accountable for all actions. As rightful rulers, their leadership and actions should not presuppose a blanket authority that is accountable to nobody.”
Dean Ronald Mendoza of the Ateneo School of Government said the country’s economic institutions seemed to be improving, but its political institutions seemed to be lagging behind. As such, “politics could be our weakness moving forward.”
Franciso Magno, trustee and program convener for Governance of Stratbase ADR Institute, in his presentation, said “High levels of corruption are correlated with weak rule of law, lack of access to information, government control of social media and reduced citizen participation. In fact, what is at stake is the very essence of democracy.
“Filipinos want to vote their leaders but at the same time, they are quite ambivalent when it comes to support for checks and balances for having independence in different branches of government.”
Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms, said “The elections in 2019 have become important”•not only as a way to know his [Duterte’s] continued popularity but as a way to ensure his legislative agenda with federalism.
“The big question is what will happen if Duterte is not there. Duterte, at this time, has the capability and impact to maintain political stability which is the basic requirement for economic development.”