By: Philip Jr Lustre COMMENTARY. I wrote the following commentary for a foreign publication nearly three months ago. In the light of the July 28 State-of-the-Nation (SONA) of the President, I am sharing the commentary to allow netizens to discern what to expect from him. After four years, what? ANTICORRUPTION DRIVE KEY PART OF PNOY SUCCESS By Philip M. Lustre Jr. Nearly two thirds into its six-year tenure, the Aquino presidency has posted unparalleled accomplishments in its anticorruption agenda, the cornerstone of its mandate. It has also resuscitated the national economy, opposed China’s hegemony in West Philippine Sea, presided over the enactment of the Reproductive Health Law, and pursued political settlement with Muslim separatists to claim initial successes. But its continued inability to develop sound disaster management strategies and hasten the rehabilitation of calamity-ravaged communities could affect its place in history. Likewise, the Aquino presidency has to work for the enactment of the remaining building blocks of its anticorruption agenda. Without the proposed Freedom of Information Act of 2014 and the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act of 2014, the anticorruption agenda could suffer setbacks, especially when a corruption-friendly administration takes over in 2016. The first four years saw President Benigno Aquino III scoring heavily in its campaign against corruption. Taking the bull by its horn, Mr. Aquino initiated the arrest and detention of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and former Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos on charges of corruption and election fraud. He also led in the impeachment, and resignation or removal of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona and Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez from their offices and their replacement by persons of unquestioned integrity and competence. The President has been instituting reforms in governance to prevent the repetition of massive corruption like the controversial P10-billion pork barrel scam. Key obstacles Perceiving Mrs. Arroyo, Mr. Abalos, Mr. Corona, and Mrs. Gutierrez as key obstacles in his anticorruption agenda, Mr. Aquino did not waver in his drive to get rid of these people. Mrs. Arroyo was about to leave the country for purported medical treatment abroad, when state authorities stopped her at the airport and arrested her. In a fitting demonstration of his uncompromising stand on corruption, Mr. Aquino ignored a Supreme Court decision that allowed her to leave. On economic issues, Mr. Aquino has been presiding over the continued economic recovery, as the local economy posted growth rates that hovered between five to seven percent over the past four years. On foreign policy issues, Mr. Aquino did what his predecessor never bothered to do, which was to bring China’s reported incursions into the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines for arbitration by the United Nations body on maritime issues. This was a move widely praised by other countries, including the United States. Conservative faction Mr. Aquino did not mind the enmity of the conservative faction of the Catholic Church, as he opposed their dogmatic view on reproductive health issues and led in the enactment of the controversial law. Although the Reproductive Health law has been emasculated by a subsequent Supreme Court decision, the President, nevertheless, showed the political will to push for the enactment of the controversial law despite stiff opposition from the Church and its conservative flock. These are is not all. He also concluded a peace pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), paving the way for the constitutional processes that could lead to the congressional approval of the comprehensive agreement on Bangsamoro nation and its ratification. Its projected completion by 2016 could put an end to the peace issues in Mindanao, leading to development there. But the Aquino presidency has indicated certain weaknesses, which require keen attention and focus. Foolproof system Disaster management is wanting and problematic. It has yet to develop a foolproof system of disaster response, mitigation, management, and rehabilitation. It has to focus until the 2016 end of his term on the complete rehabilitation of typhoon ravaged communities in the provinces of Leyte and Eastern Samar, the conflict ridden barangays in Zamboanga City, and the sinkhole-filled island province of earthquake-shaken Bohol. The inability of the Aquino administration to respond adequately on the first 48 hours of every disaster of huge magnitude should be addressed immediately to prevent the repetition of the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda, where hundreds of thousands of disaster victims hardly saw any government presence. Moreover, the rehabilitation programs have to be implemented with urgency too. Anticorruption mandate Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, son of democracy icons Benigno Aquino Jr. and Corazon Aquino, won over his rivals in 2010 with the anticorruption agenda as the main piece of his program of government. For him, the “walang mahirap kung walang kurap” is not a mere empty slogan; it embodies an agenda to rid the country of corruption. The mandate for his anticorruption campaign is indeed overwhelming; the President has no choice but to cleanse the government of corruption and fire the scoundrels without letup. The hospital arrest of Mrs. Arroyo and the removal of Mr. Corona and Mrs. Gutierrez, whom the President regarded as key cogs of the intricate web for corruption and the assumption into office of their replacements – retired Supreme Court associate justice Conchita Carpio-Morales as the new Ombudsman and Associate Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno as the new Supreme Court Chief Justice – has calming effects for many sectors, including the international business community. Although the anticorruption efforts were largely diffused and uncoordinated in the past, some coordination has become perceptible and a matter of course. The Department of Justice, largely through its investigative and prosecutorial offices, has been coordinating with the Commission on Audit and Office of the Ombudsman. For the first time, these institutions have been on the same page in the pursuit of the anticorruption agenda. Hence, Transparency International’s latest survey of perceived corruption reported that China tied with Greece for 80th (with first being the least corrupt). India tied with the Philippines and Colombia for 94th. Indonesia tied with Egypt for 114th. During Mrs. Arroyo’s incumbency, the Philippines was perceived as more corrupt than Indonesia, as it languished in the cellar. Right path If the success of the Aquino administration were to be defined by its anticorruption agenda, Mr. Aquino seem to tread on the right path. Opinion polls also indicate the widespread approval by the respondents in its anticorruption agenda. The President has remained fairly popular too as shown by his higher approval ratings. Nonetheless, the Filipino people would ask for a continuity of the anticorruption agenda, which appears to be working at the moment. The 2016 presidential elections appear to be a perfect occasion to measure this sentiment, as pro-administration candidates are expected to present a program to eradicate finally the country of corruption and jail its perpetrators. The President would have to assure the nation that the guilty parties in the pork barrel scam would go to jail and complete their jail sentence and institutionalize reforms to prevent its repetition after he bows out of office in 2016. Anything less of the expected rightful conclusion appears unacceptable for the Filipino people. Like·Comment·Share Edong Pangarap and 26 others like this. Lee Soriano Philip, I find it interesting that all the turbulence started after the last SONA when talks started about upping the ante against corruption in government. Prior to that, everything seemed to be going smoothly albeit some bumps in the road. Like · 4 hours ago Philip Jr Lustre As I said, Lee, in the thread of another post, the anticorruption agenda is not a smooth sailing process. It has its highs and lows, or its false starts, deadends, and missteps. It is essentially a roller coaster drive. This is why we continue to debate on many issues pertaining to the anticorruption drive... But I see a lot of positive things... They big fishes are now in jail and facing plunder charges. This is something unthinkable three or four years ago... And more grafters are entering into that chamber of darkness... this is an agenda that should be pursued to its rightful conclusion... it requires political will... never mind the noises... they are just noises after all... they are incapable of striking back. they have been defanged and rendered inutile... what they could do is to create noises and nothing else... Edited · Like · 3 · 3 hours ago Lee Soriano What I see at this point and it will likely continue until the end of this administration will be acts of desperation. Like · 4 hours ago Philip Jr Lustre correct, especially from those people who are facing plunder charges... they would not want to stay there for long. right now, they are having withdrawal syndromes as shown by their anxiety, panic attacks, hypertension, and nervousness... all the president has to do is to stick to his guns... he doesnt have deviate from his anticorruption agenda, which is the mandate he has received the people. if he deviates, then he is the one who will have problems... so long as he sticks to that anticorruption agenda, the people in jail or facing imprisonment are the ones who will have problems. jinggoy and company could only engage in some highend media offensives using their loot... but thats all...
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 12:56:14 +0000
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