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.