tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11987503.post113913782038722329..comments2023-09-28T05:38:56.877-07:00Comments on THE FILIPINO MIND: CBCP and RevolutionBert M. Dronahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06864941770380173324noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11987503.post-1139629450949611762006-02-10T19:44:00.000-08:002006-02-10T19:44:00.000-08:00Hello Ramon, Thank you for your response and encou...Hello Ramon,<BR/> <BR/>Thank you for your response and encouraging remarks.<BR/> <BR/>Yes, free trade is disastrous for us, for weak and poor countries like ours can not compete. The strong will always destroy the weak. It's plain common sense. The disastrous results stare at us.<BR/><BR/>Our past and present leaderhips/technocrats have been taking us to what we may call "absolute free trade" (on our part); and away from the "mixed economy" --however inefficient but providing more jobs, less poverty-- that our country has been practicing; until the Marcos regime immersed itself into much foreign debt thus making itself (our government) amenable to the IMF/WB-imposed economic conditions/programs of economic liberalization which are always attached to the extended loans. <BR/> <BR/>Through the years, these programs have further morphed into the so-called WTO-agreements (more conditions of neoliberalism/globalization) the leadership signed on in 1995 (Ramos and Arroyo led), ergo the ever-worsening socioeconomic predicament for the majority. All these despite the fact that the rich nations (G7) do not themselves follow the WTO agreements because they still practice protectionism. The rich countries demand free trade from the poor countries such as ours, they set the WTO rules to which our mendicant leaderships have no balls to disagree and say no. <BR/> <BR/>I get the impression you have a somewhat different understanding about the developments in our political economy, the Marcos years, etc. <BR/> <BR/>Anyway, the current talks on the proposed Charter change, involving suggestions as to form of government, electoral reforms, etc. and much more serious --in my view--of the less discussed further selling out our national economy/sovereignty should be rejected. Regardless of the form of government, our political climate calls for a socially transformed leadership and citizenry who will be truly and actively committed to serve the common good. Lest I be repetitious, suffice for me to say that I have touched on these matters in my previous blogs (several others also did). <BR/> <BR/>As to how we can become or obtain the socially transformed people is the big question. Our present society with its institutions does not offer a milieu that encourages the formation and/or nurturing of individuals with a social conscience; even our churches and the clergy --our last hope-- have failed. It seems only a cultural revolution together with a bloody revolution (hopefully not a Polpot or French-type revolution) may be the only recourse, though having a revolution is no guarantee for the better, as it only offers an opportunity for radical and fundamental changes. The direction of such a revolution will be dependent on the degree of social awareness of a significant number of the populace or of the majority. <BR/> <BR/>In the end and for now, we just have to continue the discussion which hopefully will reach the majority, since without them learning and understanding "what is going on," it will be easily subject to manipulation by power-hungry natives and/or foreigners and no fundamental, long-term changes for the common good will occur; as has been happening then and now. <BR/> <BR/>Frankly, we may not expect or see such a change in the present generation. Let us remember that the pursuit of change does not happen in a vacuum. There are internal (native)and external (foreign) forces which actively work against it, against the masses getting to understand "what is going on." <BR/> <BR/>BertBert M. Dronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06864941770380173324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11987503.post-1139558129373576442006-02-09T23:55:00.000-08:002006-02-09T23:55:00.000-08:00Dear Bert:I am glad you correctly diagnosed the gr...Dear Bert:<BR/>I am glad you correctly diagnosed the grave mistakes of this People's Power government in instituting a program of free trade believing that it would be the answer to slow economic growth of our country.<BR/>Free trade started on the assumption of power of Pres. Aquino and was continued by every administration under the People's Power government. Prior to the assumption of this People's Power government, the policy of the government starting from Quezon down to Marcos was to encourage the growth of local industries through reasonable tariff protection.<BR/>The People's Power government has been trying to scare the people into believing that any alternative to their brand of democracy is reverting back to the Marcos dictatorship. That is why they are earnest is calling the regime they replaced as a dictatorship in contrast to their democracy.<BR/>The truth is that there was never really any People's Power revolt. The opposition during the time of Marcos wanted to be given the same powers to revolutionize the government just as Marcos enjoyed. In order to give in to the opposition's demand for a revolutionary government, Marcos abdicated his office to give the People's Power government a free hand in organizing a revolutionary government to assuage their resentment that they were not given a chance to remake society the way they think it should be made. <BR/>In place of martial law, the People's Power government instituted a policy of rigging the elections. That is why even though, in 1990, the Cory Administration registered a zero GNP growth rate, the administration was winning every election it installed its candidates. In fact, Cory succeeded in installing Fidel Ramos, her chosen successor, although he failed to get elected as the PDP-Laban's official standard bearer.<BR/>No President in our country has ever won any reelection except Marcos and Quezon. GMA did not win the elections although she had 4 other strong rivals slugging the elections against her. In spite of the cheating, GMA won only a slim margin against FPJ. The public outcry against GMA's rigging the election shows that the people are tired of the People's Power dictatorship. Many businessmen were forced to close shop because the People's Power government insisted on free trade as the main economic strategy of upliftment our economy. The only way in which people who are dissatisfied with the performance of the government may express their grievances is through the elections, but since this People's Power dictatorship has denied them clean elections, they have been relegated to animals caught in a cage. They cannot do anything to express their dissatisfaction on the performance of the People's Power government.<BR/>Now that GMA has promised a new constitution, we certainly hope that this new constitution will replaced finally the policy of rigging the elections that the People's Power government has instituted in place of martial law.<BR/>The 1971 Constitutional Convention created a parliamentary system of government for our country. The failure of the parliamentary system of government in our country instituted by the 1971 Constitutional Convention was because the 1971 Constitution opted for a majority-type of elections. Usually, a parliamentary system of government is accompanied by a proportional type of elections and this is the practice of most modern parliamentary governments.<BR/>A majority type of elections favors the status qou because politicians have to get the sympathy of the masses to get elected into office. In a proportion type of elections, politicians have a free hand to get the views of the intellectuals. The American government is organized under the majority type of elections. That is why, American politicians, like Filipino politicians, are not very ideologically inclined. Almost every thing that is said of Philippine politics is also true with American politics. The candidates are more influential than the political party. For a candidate to win, he has got to have the sympathy of the masses. In a proportional system of election, the political party has only to have a sizeable sympathy of the people, not necessarily the majority. It a political party could only obtain 15 % of the votes, it is entitled to 15 % representation. In a majority type of elections, you cannot win on 15 % of the votes.<BR/>Right now, Congress has taken on itself to write the Constitution without relying on an incompetent Constitutional Convention to draft the Constitution. The House of Representatives favors the unicameral system of representation while the Senate favors the retention of the Senate.<BR/>The compromise here is to adopt a bicameral Congress. The House of Representatives will be elected through a proportional system of voting while the Senate will be elected through a majority type of election. The resentment of the House of Representatives against Senators is that there are 10 members in the House against 1 Senator. In many bicameral system of representation, there are only 2 House members against 1 Senator. We could have 100 Senators and 200 Representatives in the House.<BR/>The mixture of a majority type of elections in the Senate with a proportional type of elections in the House insures that the government will tilt to conservatism. The Senator who are elected through a majority type of elections will have to be very sensitive to the concerns of the masses while the House Representatives will be sensitive to the concern of the intellectuals.<BR/>I hope that Congress would institute a bicameral parliamentary system with a mixed majority type and proportional type of elections to do away with the policy of election rigging that has been instituted by the People's Power government in place of martial law. People who are dissatisfied with the performance of the government can now express their dissatisfaction by casting their ballots in the election. <BR/>One of the major reasons for the continued unpopularity of this People's Power government is because since they are no longer accountable to the people during the elections, they have ignored the people's sensibilities in making of the laws and policies of the government. Cory Aquino had no concern whether brownouts during her administration was causing immense suffering on our people since she could just rig the elections as she pleased. Congress has also passed this anti-smoking ban throughout the whole Philippines. Prior to the People's Power government, no administration would pass such laws knowing that it meant sure defeat in the elections.<BR/>By the way, Bert, I am seriously proposing that you gather all your articles and publish it in a book. The Filipino people needs your expertise in political matters so I hope you won't disappoint them.<BR/>Very truly yours,<BR/> <BR/>RAMON A. DEL GALLEGOAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11987503.post-1139452730248343972006-02-08T18:38:00.000-08:002006-02-08T18:38:00.000-08:00Rizalist,Please provide active support to PREDA FO...Rizalist,<BR/><BR/>Please provide active support to PREDA FOUNDATION, INC.(http://preda.org/)- Nobel Peace prize Nominee for 2001 & 2003, an Olongapo City-based NGO established in 1974 and dedicated to defending children's and women's human rights. <BR/><BR/>BertBert M. Dronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06864941770380173324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11987503.post-1139314702765489242006-02-07T04:18:00.000-08:002006-02-07T04:18:00.000-08:00Thanks for caring so much about the Philippines. I...Thanks for caring so much about the Philippines. I hope you will also sign this Petition to save the children in Philippine Prisons as exposed on CNN's World Report just this week. Mabuhay!Deany Bocobohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01443168826029321831noreply@blogger.com