On The Preponderance of the Pinoy Elite

After discussing the tragedy of the Filipino middle class (see my earlier entry), allow me now to examine some of the reasons behind the preponderance of the Filipino elite class in electoral politics. I have always been fascinated on why and how the traditional elite have somehow managed to sustain their grip on political power despite the fact that many of them have already lost their preeminence in Philippine business. The world of business today is very much different from what it was 50 years ago; for example, most of the old elite (i.e. Sorianos, Elizaldes, Madrigals, Cojuangcos, etc.) have already been dislodged by the new (i.e. Gokongweis, Sys and Lucio Tan, etc.). Scanning the list of elected officials today, one finds the same family names occupying high government posts. One can therefore conclude that although they lack entrepreneurial flair, the elite more than makes up for this by displaying remarkable aptitude for politics.

I find the Filipino elite’s “staying power” in politics truly remarkable, especially in light of their “spotty” record in history. Because unlike the elite in other countries who truly contributed to making their countries great, the history of our local elite is marked by their collaboration, putting personal over public interest and failure to make our country great. The British aristocracy for example, has provided exceptional leadership that enabled their country to become one of the largest empires in history. Whether as outstanding ship captains during the Napoleonic Wars, able administrators of their colonies, or as gallant officers during the two World Wars, the sons and daughters of their elite proved they deserved their respected position in English society. Armed with little more than an Eton education, young members of the British aristocracy would go off to colonize distant lands and develop new markets for British products by befriending local elites (i.e Nicholas Loney).

In contrast, the Filipino elite as a class has no “generational achievement” to boast of and in fact, the history of the Pinoy elite is marked by their failure to lift our country to greatness. Of course, many of them fought and led our revolution against Spain and America but they were also, as a class, the first ones to pledge allegiance to our colonizers. During colonial times, most of them acted as the trusted administrators of our colonizers and helped in their subjugation of rebellious Filipinos. After the Philippine won her independence, the elite failed to develop our manufacturing industry and concentrated mostly in real estate development, rent-seeking and extractive industries which had turned the Philippines into the consumerist society it is today. In the field of public governance, they have (and continue to) mismanage our government such that the Philippines is now saddled with P4 trillion in foreign debt. Today, corruption and mediocre governance is the norm in government service.

Taken from this historical perspective, it is fascinating to see how ordinary Filipinos continue to be “mesmerized” by the elite and continue to elect them to public office. Given their “spotty” record in history, one would think that Filipinos would reject “old” families and clamor for “new blood” in politics. Many political pundits say that the preponderance of local elites is attributable to their monopoly of the “guns, goons and gold” (and in addition, “girls” meaning sexy showbiz dancers). But I somehow find it hard to believe that our people can be cowed / controlled by “guns, goons and gold” for so long, especially in this age of mass media, internet and universal education. There must be something more to it than just their ability to terrorize and buy votes.

It is said that political leaders embody the people’s aspirations and that people elect as their leader someone whom they think personifies their aspirations best. Be it good looks, intellect, success in business or profession, or talent, a leader possesses something which people want or aspires to. Of course, seeing the quality of our current crop of leaders leaves this theory in doubt. But the fact is, the masa aspires to become the elite. For example, the masa wants to wear what the rich wear (hence the popularity of fake LaCoste shirts), they want to go where the rich go (everyone wants to go to Boracay), they want all the things that the elite have (a big house, a nice car, an expensive education, etc.). And finding that they cannot achieve those aspirations here, the masa migrate abroad to earn dollars just to be able to imitate the lifestyles and mannerisms of the Filipino elite.

The Filipino’s adulation for all things elite, I think, has a profound effect on how we choose our leaders come election time. For starters, Ilonggo voters have a penchant for measuring a politician’s worth by how thick his wallet is and how “galante” he is to his constituents. Having a familiar, prominent-sounding last name also helps. Also, descendants of prominent politicians have a built-in advantage because of the "goodwill" their ancestors have built for them. Which is I guess par for the course: a good lawyer or doctor would be leaving behind a large number of satisfied customers whom his son or daughter can inherit later on. This, I think, is another plausible explanation for the preponderance of the Filipino elite in Philippine politics.

The Lebanese Are the Present-Day Jews

In an earlier blog entry, I wondered out loud how the Lebanese people, despite the fact that their country has never experienced peace for decades, are still relatively properous as to afford Filipina maids (some 30,000 of them according to Philippine news reports). Now I know the answer: most of the Lebanese are also "OFWs" themselves and their dollar remittances fuel the Lebanese economy. According to the Lebanese consul here in the Philippines, most of their citizens have already left Lebanon to escape the periodic strife. A full 14 million Lebanese are scattered all over the world and only 4 million remain in their country. In an ironic quirk of fate, the Lebanese people have become the present-day version of the "Wandering Jew" for they have their very own "diaspora" going on in Lebanon.

The myth of the “Wandering Jew” has its origins in Christian folklore. According to legend, the “Wandering Jew” was a person who was cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming because he taunted Jesus on His way to the crucifixion. But others see the myth as a metaphorical personification of the Jewish diaspora. The Jewish diaspora or the dispersion of the Jews throughout the world began during the 8th century B.C. when the Assyrians conquered Israel and continued when the Romans sacked Jerusalem. The Jews lost their state, Judea, and they were sold to slavery throughout the Roman empire. They were only able to return to their homeland in the late 1940s after the British “sponsored” the creation of Israel out of Palestinian lands.

In a way, the Filipino is very much like the Lebanese: both peoples are leaving their ravaged homelands en masse for greener pastures abroad. The Lebanese have just been at it for much longer. With 14 million Lebanese living all around the world, it is no wonder that our current Ambassador to Lebanon, Al Francis Bichara, has Lebanese blood. Ambassador Bichara, incidentally, is the brother of celebrity dance instructor Maribeth Bichara. I also read long ago that popular movie actress Dawn Zulueta is of Lebanese extraction. I would like to think that there are plenty of Filipinos out there who are of Lebanese ancestry. My heart also goes out to Ambassador Bichara because aside from ensuring the safe passage of our Pinays in Lebanon, I'm sure he is also concerned about the plight of his former constituents in Albay who are presently threatened by the Mount Mayon eruption. Bichara, you see, is the former Governor of Albay.

People might also find interesting this theory about the real story behind the current Israel-Lebanon conflict which goes something like this: the hostilities was sparked not because Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. The war is really about land specifically, that strip of fertile land known as the Shebaa Farms. Shebaa Farms used to be part of Lebanese territory but is now Israeli-occupied territory. Understandably, the militant Hezbollah group wants the land back and is said to have been planning to invade the oasis. Of course, Mossad (the legendary Israeli secret service) got wind of their plan so, using the kidnapping incident as an excuse, launched a pre-emptive strike on the Hezbollah to prevent them from executing their plans.

Given their history of always adopting a "hardline" stance towards Arab "terrorists" (watch the movie "Munich"), it was easy for Israel to sell to Western media their spiel that their main reason for attacking Lebanon was because two of their soldiers were kidnapped. But insiders believe the Israeli military has been itching for a war and they were just looking for an excuse to start one. They have been monitoring the Hezbollah for years and they knew that if they do not destroy it now, the group might become too powerful to crush later on. I simply refuse to believe that Israel would risk the safety of countless of their citizens just for the sake of two soldiers. There are other far better ways of solving the problem, like a surgical commando-type rescue mission for example (which the Israelis are reknowned for by the way, watch "Raid on Entebbe"). I also suspect the real reason behind this war is because someone will be making a buck out of it.

Ilonggo Politicians Quarrel Over Tourism Pie

Last week, Ilonggos were treated to the spectacle of local politicians quarrelling over who gets a slice of the tourism pie in the region. Local media reported that Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas was royally pissed during last week's Regional Development Council (RDC) meeting when he found out that his city was inadvertently excluded from the region's over-all tourism masterplan under the newly-established Panay Development Authority. Directing his ire at RDC Chair and Antique Governor Sally Perez (who is incidentally also his relative by marriage), Treñas supposedly threw a tantrum during the meeting, shoving papers and refusing to be mollified despite verbal assurances to the contrary. Governor Perez attributed the omission of Iloilo City in the tourism masterplan to a typographical error and repeatedly assured Treñas that they will correct it accordingly.

Well, typographical error or not, it really seems glaring that Iloilo City, being the regional capital, would be excluded in the region's development plan. I would also be pissed if I was the mayor of Iloilo City. And if you are wondering why Mayor Treñas is making such a big fuss over this seemingly simple error, let me just say that this simple clerical error would cost Iloilo City billions in foregone infrastructure projects. As I have written in my previous blog entry, Ilonggo politicians are eagerly anticipating billions of pesos of tourism-related infra projects to come pouring in ever since the President announced in her SONA that she is earmarking Region 6 as the country's "Tourism Corridor." And many insiders see the new Panay Development Authority as the clearinghouse for most of the multi-billion peso infrastructure projects that will boost tourism in the area.

The Tragedy of the Pinoy Middle-Class

While most media outlets chose to highlight Pulse Asia's findings showing that 3 out of 10 Filipinos would choose to migrate abroad, I would like to discuss their other major finding showing that 82% of Filipinos acknowledge oligarchic hegemony in Philippine politics. In their latest July 2006 survey, Pulse Asia found that 41% of those surveyed say that the Philippines is controlled by a powerful few and ordinary citizens cannot do anything about this situation. They also found that "an equal number of people (41%) is unable to agree or disagree with this view and vacillates regarding the existence of oligarchic rule. Belief that a powerful few runs the country is strongest in Metro Manila (55%) and weakest in the Visayas (35%). Levels of public indecision, on the other hand, are generally constant across the country’s geographic areas and socioeconomic classes. The rest of the nation – a rather small proportion at 17% -- disagree that the country is controlled by a powerful few."

This fact that the Philippines is being ruled by the "well-born" is already old news to most Filipinos, although most may not have a concrete idea why this is so. So allow me, as someone who experienced up close the inner workings and internal dynamics in our political parties, amplify on this "oligarchy rule" phenomenon.

Under the current Philippine political set-up, a person with no "political pedigree" and resources (like me for example) has no chance of getting elected in Congress. Just to run for Congress, one needs to personally raise at least P15 million for his "warchest." And P15 million is just the bare minimum. It still would not ensure a congressional aspirant a convincing electoral victory. Running for public office therefore, remains a rich man's world. It always has been and it looks like it will always be that way.

Descendants of prominent politicians have a built-in advantage because of the "goodwill" their ancestors have built for them and in terms of name-recall. Which is I guess par for the course: a good lawyer or doctor would be leaving a large number of satisfied "customers" whom a son or daughter who decide to take up law or medicine can inherit later on. But Filipinos are different because they are easily awed by a familiar political name. People nowadays do not really examine a politician's credentials or listen to their platforms and policy advocacies. Speeches are dismissed as empty rhetoric and candidates can make a better crowd impression by dancing or singing on stage (Pinoys, being a musical people, put a high premium on a good singing voice). Nor are people impressed by academic credentials and sophistry anymore. Nowadays, in order to generate "goodwill" and make people take you seriously, one has to spend money on projects (medical missions, goodies and dole outs) and/or PR.

So what can a politically ambitious young man without a "political family name," financial resources and network do to become a congressman? The easiest route, if one has the looks, talent and brains, is to become a celebrity: a movie star or a newscaster. One can also join Akbayan or Bayan Muna or any of the party list groups. But not everyone is blessed with good looks, a deep TV/radio voice or a nice singing voice. Also, joining the Akbayan or Bayan Muna is problematic because they pretty much have an established seniority list and besides, one would have at least been jailed by Marcos to become a senior party member.

The usual route taken by persons harboring political ambitions is to join the "mainstream" political parties like LAKAS, NPC, LDP or the Liberal Party and become an active and loyal party member. By campaigning and making oneself "available" during elections, a person can earn "pogi" points with party elders. If the party candidate wins, one can get appointed to a government post that one can use as a "platform" for his own media projection and "fund-raising" activities. Of course, since government positions are limited, not all campaign workers can be granted a post. And it should be pointed out that government appointments are not just handed out to anybody like candy: one has to do something "extraordinary" to get noticed by a politician enough to merit a lucrative government posting. Most of the time, party operatives are largely left to themselves after elections, to be "reactivated" one year before elections. In the interim, party members find work elsewhere as private sector employees, small-time businessmen, or worse as influence-peddlers.

In other countries, a loyal party man can rise through the ranks and eventually get nominated to a party seat in Congress if he plays his cards right. In our country, one has to get elected congressman FIRST before he can become a high-ranking party official and not the other way around. Under the current Philippine party set-up, the chances of someone without pedigree and money getting nominated to Congress is practically nil. I have yet to hear of a loyal, long-serving party man or a simple political officer who was funded and supported by a party to Congress. The only political operatives I know who have managed to get themselves elected were the children of politicians themselves and their election is more because of their family’s resources than their party’s backing.

Of course, many poor but talented individuals get elected as councilors and even as provincial board members. Some exceptionally talented ones even get elected as mayors and governors. But by far, becoming a mayor or governor is very difficult for Filipinos with no money and pedigree and those who do succeed are more the exception than the rule.

Some Charter Change advocates have used this as an argument in changing our form of government from presidential to parliamentary. They argue that under the parliamentary system, ordinary citizens will have a greater chance of rising in the system. Political parties will also have a bigger chance of becoming “professionalized.” Under this system, talented party members who have no political pedigree or financial resources would supposedly have a better chance of landing a government post because it is the party who will choose and shoulder their campaign expenses.

The current political system in the Philippines is not only oligarchic but has also become incestuous, what with the well-born marrying into each other (read the book "The Ties That Bind"). The Filipino middle-class, whom people look up to to provide reform-oriented leadership and "new blood," has become silent and inward-looking. Many choose not to become directly involved in politics, choosing to fund a scholarship foundation here, a feeding program there, and so on. Of course, there are many gifted and qualified middle-class professionals out there who would love to become Congressmen. But the problem is that they neither have the money (or if they do, they would rather spend their hard-earned money on themselves) nor the inclination for the rough-and-tumble of politics. In fact, just the thought of singing and dancing for complete strangers puts them off. The irony of it all is that the political elite never seems to have qualms about "humiliating" themselves in front of the public. As my friend who is a mayor once said, "it is easy for these sosyal, civil-society types to bitch about what is wrong in our country but they themselves do not have the guts to put their names on a ballot."

The sad thing about the Filipino middle-class is that they know very well what is wrong and what should be done to correct the ills of our country but they choose to withdraw in their enclaves or migrate to Sydney, New Jersey or Toronto. This, to me, is the tragedy of the Pinoy middle class (to borrow a line from the movie "Havana").