People Power for long term change

The public outrage over the reported abuse of pork barrel allocations recalls other passages in recent Philippine history when abuse of power in government provoked the people’s seething anger. Tempered by insight and understanding, this shared fury gave rise to concerted action, and in time, a movement, as citizens from all walks of life, coming from different backgrounds and political persuasions joined together for common cause.

Those who marched after the assassination of Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr. in August 1983 felt their initial shock give life to a determination to challenge a long standing dictatorship. Enough! Tama na! Sobra na! marches and rallies brought out into the open the long standing grievances against one man rule, building up to a stand-off on EDSA against Marcos’ army in 1986. Sixteen years later, Joseph Estrada, the third president after EDSA, was revealed to have received his share of gains from illegal gambling. Public indignation pressed for his impeachment, the political manipulation of which drove angry crowds to mass once again on EDSA, calling him to step down and resign.

In both cases, government actions exceeded the limit of people’s tolerance. In both cases, the object was to bring down an incumbent power. In both cases, people power triumphed.

Indeed, there was the palpable sense of déjà vu among those who had lived through the two historic events. The recollection could have been depressing. “Why are we out on the streets again?” Instead, the crowds exuded cheerful exhilaration, realizing with some relief that Filipinos still have it. If needed, people power is still very much alive.

The mass action last Monday succeeded with only minimal planning communicated mostly online and word of mouth. There were no visible leaders to tell people what to do. A few sent messages to say, just be there. That is enough. There was no fixed program to follow for the day. And yet people seemed coordinated, observing the themes for the day, many wearing white, the chosen color of the event. The public festival let people do their thing. Different groups met in appointed places around the city, holding up their different slogans in banners and posters. Partisan and ideological organizations kept to the sidelines. Cyclists moved easily through crowds, as did mechanical gliders. Others wore costumes and T-shirts featuring the greedy beast sold briskly. Individuals and families with children in tow came in thousands. It was no longer important that they did not make up one million. The numbers were impressive enough. The obvious capacity of so many to come together and coordinate their separate actions can only mean that this was only the beginning of something even bigger.

The collective message was unequivocal. People are ready to act. Government should beware and make sure that they are listening well.

So while it recalled some elements of the past, this was also very different. The object was not to throw out a leader. There were obvious efforts to spin the event as an anti-PNoy (Benigno S. Aquino III) demonstration, along with some palace officials questioning the motives and the point of the one-million march.

While many may have been disappointed by the PNoy’s lack of resolution to abolish the “pork” in the budget, the gathering at the Luneta on August 26 was not against President Aquino. They were there precisely to pressure him to act as their leader, to exercise power on their behalf.

EDSA I relied on snail mail, Xerox, and the alternative press. EDSA II was aided by cellphone texting. The amazing speed of the new media has empowered all kinds of campaigns. It has clearly played a crucial role in the success of this latest exercise of people power.

From July 12 when the Philippine Daily Inquirer first broke the story of Janet Lim-Napoles’ 10-billion pork barrel scam, the online community kept the issue alive with creative expressions of anger, disgust, and condemnation of Napoles and her partners in Congress. The buzz on the social media seemed endless. Building up on the published reports on print media, online news also expanded the inquiry resulting in even more findings.

By the first week of August, organizations and individuals began issuing formal calls for specific actions. Individuals, established civil society groups as well as those lesser known posted their statements. Netizens began signing on to express their support.

The August 26 event is the culmination of this initial stage.

Many hope that the Monday at the Park is only the beginning. It can lead to many actions more focused on the objective to weed out corruption from the government system, starting with pork barrel abuse.

This goal could enliven a long-term movement – which may be what is required for the anti-corruption efforts of PNoy to gain some permanent success. People are coming to this with eyes wide open. Few feel that we can rid ourselves of the plague of corruption entirely; and as with most socio-political ills, there is no single solution and no magic bullet to do the job. But on the issue of pork barrel, there is a common stand. It must end.

So what would appease the outrage?

People want a full and open accounting of the course of this current investigation. They want government to find Janet Lim-Napoles. How could NBI not have had her under surveillance? They want the DOJ (Department of Justice) and the PNP (Philippine National Police) to give them information about those in government who may have alerted her to the arrest order and assisted her flight or disappearance. They want the cases to be filed pronto not just against Janet Napoles but more important, against the politicians involved in the scam. They want to see the DOJ and the Ombudsman in action. That’s for starters.

The next level of demands has to do with the pork barrel system itself. For one, the COA (Commission on Audit) needs to speed up their procedures and provide audit results more quickly of all government financial systems. The delay of three to five years just won’t do.

The call for its total abolition reflects the utter loss of the credibility of Congress as an institution. People think that there will always be those who will work any system for their gain. Elected as lawmakers, they will have to agree to forego the inappropriate role they have claimed to determine who will implement development projects.

PNoy also needs to tell people how he will use the remaining amounts left for pork barrel in the current budget, give an accounting of a share of PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) earnings which is turned over to him to use for social development.

The long-kept secret is out. And what a empowering revelation it is. Change is possible.

The government has money. We are not a poor country. We should have enough money to build much needed roads in the countryside, for enough schools in remote areas so children do not have to walk for hours to get to the nearest one, for adequate and efficient mass transportation, for the proper relocation of urban poor, for indigenous peoples to access public health services and other basic services, for the most remote areas to be connected through communication with the rest of the country and the world.

Those calling for this drastic action should be aware how deeply the system of patronage is embedded in our culture and our political systems. It will have to develop an entirely new culture of politics which will have nothing other than the people’s welfare at its core and center.

PNoy may still be the right person to bring us to this turning point.