Why I Think Cha-Cha Will Succeed

I believe that Speaker Joe de Venecia’s efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution will eventually succeed for two reasons. One, the "sweeteners" being offered to politicians are too enticing even for the most rabid opposition leaders to resist. Consider the following "sweeteners" being dangled to them:

1. Automatic term extensions for all incumbent officials.
This means no elections in 2007. All elected officials get to
stay at their current posts in an interim manner until a new
Charter is enacted. This administration proposal is quite ironic
because it will benefit opposition leaders like Senator Franklin
Drilon and Congressman Rolex Suplico who are both on their last
terms and are finding that Iloilo is currently too crowded for
them.
2. No term limits. Under the new Constitution being
proposed, term limits will no longer be in force which would
allow politicians (at least theoretically) to occupy a public
office for life.
3. 5-year tenures for all elective posts. This proposal to
increase tenures for all posts from 3 years to 5 years is very
popular among politicians. Local officials often complain that 3
years is too short a time to implement programs. And elections
also are becoming too expensive that one needs a little more time
to "prepare" for it.

These three "sweeteners" have convinced majority of our congressmen, governors and mayors to support Charter Change irregardless of their party affiliations. On the other side are the few senators and some leftist party-list groups who are opposing efforts to tinker with our present Constitution simply because it seeks to abolish their institutional existence. Cha Cha therefore is merely a battle of conflicting self-interests. And in this type of battle, the one with the most number of supporters wins.

Secondly, majority of our people just do not care anymore. The middle-class would rather concentrate on their own businesses or jobs rather than join protest rallies against Cha Cha. The masa, as usual, have no opinion on the matter and are preoccupied with their day-to-day existence. Sure there are surveys and studies pointing out that the people do not want Charter Change but administration political operators are confident that they could influence public opinion towards supporting their goal. Sigaw ng Bayan hacks are even proclaiming that they have the requisite number of signatures already. Hell, they were able to pull off a GMA victory over the immensely popular FPJ. They will be able to pull this one off with their eyes closed.

The only reason Cha Cha is not progressing as it should is the mixed signals coming from Malacañang and the Supreme Court decision finding a People’s Initiative illegal because of the absence of an enabling law. GMA’s support for Cha Cha can be best described as "sala sa init, sala sa lamig." No one knows for sure what is going on in her mind and pundits are currently puzzled on why the "People’s Initiative" initiative is once again being revived. Administration legal scholars have also yet to provide a plausible strategy on how to get around the Supreme Court ruling. One solution is for Congress to enact the enabling law but this would take time. It may not also pass muster in the Senate.
But once those two obstacles are done away with, you can be sure that we will have a new Constitution by Christmas next year.

Why I Think GMA Will Not Be Ousted

I campaigned for Senator Raul Roco in the last 2004 elections. No, “campaign” may not be the appropriate word lest some of you might think I was just some avid political fan who distributed a few of his stickers and posters to relatives and friends. Far from that, I was Roco’s over-all political campaign coordinator for Western Visayas. I was the guy who planned his itinerary, formulated strategy and coordinated all provincial sorties with local supporters in Region 6. I knew the man intimately having worked for him for almost 7 years. He was my very first boss right after I graduated from Ateneo de Manila University and everything I know about politics I learned from him.

So you might be wondering why a die-hard Roco partisan like me would say that efforts to oust GMA will fail?

The last 2004 elections taught me one hard lesson about electoral politics in the Philippines: voters expect candidates to have the capacity to “protect” their votes and to even cheat a little. I remember that during the early part of our campaign when Roco was still ahead in the surveys, GMA political operators hit us with several negative issues. First, they fabricated a corruption case against Roco alleging that he spent DepEd money for his posters, hired helicopters to ferry him to his school visits, etc. It didn’t stick. Then they attacked his character, claiming that he was a wife-beater. People didn’t believe that either.

Out of all the things they hurled us, what really hurt our campaign the most was this propaganda: “Sayang lang ang boto niyo kay Roco dahil dadayain lang siya.” And they polished it with a question: “Gusto niyo ba manalo si FPJ?” Our campaign guys were hard-pressed to come up with an effective “campaign trail” answer to this. The strongest reply that we could muster was: “Sila na nga ang mandadaya, ipinagmamalaki pa nila” and we would go off to point out how rotten our electoral system has become that cheaters brag about it in public and even make political capital out of it. The public didn’t totally buy this “ipinagmamalaki pa” pitch and towards the latter part of the official campaign period, we knew we have lost the “tactical initiative.” Even before Roco announced to media that he was leaving for the U.S. to have his prostate cancer treated, we knew we already lost the presidency.

Roco lost because he was seen by the middle-class as too idealistic, a politician who would never agree to cheating just to defeat FPJ. Roco’s inability to “protect” his votes and unwillingness to “cheat” was seen as a weakness and did him in with the voters, not his prostrate cancer. And mind you, it is not as if our camp lacked people who were willing and capable of manipulating election results. It was Roco’s personal decision and strict insistence to run on a “Platform of Hope” that stopped us his operators from conducting “special operations” on election day.

When the Garci tapes came out, I knew right there and then that it was not enough to topple GMA. Hell, the middle-class (tacitly) wanted her to cheat, spend government resources and do just about everything to prevent another moviestar from “ruining” this country. I know that deep in their heart of hearts, the middle-class "approved" of her actions during the elections and are willing to "forgive" her lapses in judgement. They chose GMA as the lesser evil over Roco who was more qualified and principled mainly because she was willing to do everything to stop FPJ from occupying the Palace.

So to those who are wondering why the middle-class, the traditional “enablers” of People Power, have not come out in droves to oust GMA I have this bit of news for you: the middle-class will not oust her because they have a sense of “authorship” or “collective ownership” of GMA.

I don’t feel any empathy for Dinky Soliman when she spent a night in a police precinct because she, together with Secretaries Emy Boncodin, Pat Sto. Tomas and Vicky Garchitorena, promised to join Roco’s camp but were prevailed upon by Malacañang not to do so. I am gleeful that Satur Ocampo and his ilk are now facing charges for rebellion because they too preferred to support Gloria in 2004. Buti nga sa inyo! Neither am I sympathetic to Senator Franklin Drilon who was supposed to be Roco’s Vice Presidential running-mate but backed out at the last moment when he saw Noli de Castro file his certificate of candidacy nor to Butch Abad and the rest of his so-called “progressive” Liberal Party bloc. I saw his book which was co-authored by Congressman Neric Acosta on sale at National Bookstore about “reforming electoral politics in the Philippines” and I laughed. They knew Roco was the most qualified candidate (they themselves said it) but didn’t have the guts to stand by their convictions. (In fact, their book is what triggered this rant.)

So to those who are now still actively advocating GMA’s ouster, I have only this thing to say to all of you: YOU SHOULD HAVE SUPPORTED RAUL ROCO BACK IN 2004. Your efforts will not succeed because the middle-class and the masa are tired of your political games. I know that most of you thought that Roco was “un-controllable” and too independent-minded that’s why you shifted your allegiance to some other “influentiable” candidate. Look where it has led you – a possible jail sentence.

For my part, I have pledged not to join another EDSA uprising if it will be led by the same old faces. The only way I would probably consider joining another EDSA is if all those so-called “leaders” involved in it will sign a manifesto to leave government service should the revolt succeed. This is my challenge to all those politicians advocating change.

Papa Isio: “The Lion of Kanlaon”

Papa Isio was the leader of a religious-military sect who waged one of the longest rebellions against our foreign colonizers in Negros. Papa Isio was so popular with the peasantry that it took authorities 8 years to put down his uprising. From 1896 up to 1907, Papa Isio inspired so much fear among hacienderos that the American-led Commonwealth government had to deploy one infantry regiment in Negros island to go after his group.

Legend has it that Papa Isio, whose real name was Dionisio Sigobela, was an ordinary plantation worker who murdered his cruel Spanish haciendero in southern Negros. Fearing prosecution, he fled the hacienda and hid at Mount Kanlaon where he founded his own religion and eventually proclaimed himself “pope.” His brand of religion combined Christian themes with ancient Filipino religious practices (animism). He also espoused a fervent type of nationalism (he wanted to drive away all foreigners from the island) and a radical approach to land reform (he wanted to redistribute land to landless peasants). His political and religious ideologies became very popular among the masses and in no time, Papa Isio (or "Pope" Isio) had attracted a huge army of religious fanatics (the babaylanes) from among the disaffected hacienda workers in the island. It may have also helped that he distributed anting-antings (amulets) to his followers to protect them from bullets.

From his mountain stronghold in Mt. Kanlaon, Papa Isio and his band of babaylanes waged a "scorched earth" guerilla campaign in Negros, burning Spanish-owned sugarcane fields and raiding town centers. In what is now known as the Babaylanes Insurrection of Negros, Papa Isio’s uprising did much to weaken Spanish control of Negros and complemented the various Katipunan-led insurrections in Luzon at that time. By 1898, it became clear that the Spaniards cannot effectively govern their colony anymore.

In late October of 1898, Papa Isio forged an alliance with wealthy Filipino hacienderos to drive out the Spaniards from Negros. He gathered all his followers at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon and proceeded towards the provincial capital of Bacolod City. There they linked up with Filipino troops commanded by Aniceto Lacson and General Juan Araneta to lay siege to the Spanish troops in the city. On November 6, 1898, the Spanish provincial government formally surrendered and thereafter, on November 27, 1898, Filipino revolutionary leaders declared independence and formed the "Federal Republic of Negros." Aniceto Lacson was elected its first President and Papa Isio was bestowed the honorary title “Military Chief of La Castellana.”

But three months after declaring independence, the elite-dominated Federal Republic of Negros pledged their allegiance to America thus becoming the first province of the Philippines to do so. Upon learning this, Papa lsio withdrew his allegiance from the “Negros Republic” and resumed his guerilla warfare against a new and more powerful enemy; the American military forces. In the course of several months, the babaylanes again razed several haciendas and instigated peasant uprisings in several towns in Southern Negros . To protect their businesses, hacienderos decided to pool their resources to form an armed militia (or private army) and requested that a regiment of American infantry be dispatched to the island to catch the “bandits.”

Despite all these plus the P2,000 price on his head (which was quite a sum in those days), authorities could not capture the elusive peasant leader. It was only on August 6, 1907 when Papa Isio, now a sickly old man, surrendered to an American military officer. After a quick trial, he was given the death sentence which was later commuted to life imprisonment. Dionisio Sigobela, the "Lion of Kanlaon," died in New Bilibid Prison, Manila in 1911.

Today, you can find no monument anywhere in Negros honoring Papa Isio. The Bago City government recently created the Babaylan Festival which is held annually on February 19 but it is not about honoring Papa Isio. Present-day Negrenses cannot seem to decide whether he was a hero or a heel. Some people see him as a dangerous (or loony) cult leader who engaged in banditry and idolatry while others view him as a genuine patriot whose political beliefs were too advanced for his time. Historians also tend to belittle his contributions towards our nationhood. But whatever historians think of him, it is quite clear that Papa Isio’s radical ideas on religion and agrarian reform enjoyed immense popularity among the masses. On my part, I believe that Papa Isio should be given the honor that he deserves for espousing an alternative, more “nationalistic” vision of Negrense society. If his revolution had succeeded, he would have created a more egalitarian society in Negros wherein the chasm between rich and poor would not be too wide.

(Mt. Kanlaon is again active and spewing smoke according to news reports. Two other Philippine volcanoes are currently rumbling, Mt. Mayon in Albay and Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon. Alert levels have been raised in these provinces.... read story.. )

Urbanidad - A Mark of Good Breeding

Back when I was little, I remember dreading visiting the house of a grand-aunt who was a strict disciplinarian. My grand-aunt, Rosario Mendoza Valdes, was chief of the Philippine National Red Cross in Bacolod City at that time and since she had no children and grandchildren of her own, she treated us as her own apos. My earliest childhood memories were of visits to her sprawling old house near Lacson Street in Bacolod City for Sunday lunches. Weekend lunches with her were splendid, leisurely affairs complete with fine chinaware, linen, silverware and muchachas shooing pesky flies with a kind of paypay (a stick with shredded newspapers on one end).

Despite all that, I loathed going to her house because she was very strict about table manners. I also hated it when she would come to stay at our house for a couple of days. Lunch with her was like eating at the Philippine Military Academy: do not put your feet up your chair, do not put your elbows on the table, do not slouch, chew your food slowly, etc. I still remember how angry she looked when I appeared at the table without a shirt on. One time, I accidentally banged the door making a loud noise while entering her room. She punished me by making me go in and out of the door repeatedly until I learned to shut the door quietly. She loved to correct everything; from my posture, manner of speaking to my style of dressing. She also caused a lot of consternation to my other relatives because she loved to correct and “meddle” in how they ran their households. Looking back, it is only now that I understand what my departed grand-aunt was trying to do, which was to teach her apo and relatives “urbanidad.”

Urbanidad is basically an unwritten code for proper decorum, sort of like a “good manners and right conduct for city-dwellers." For example, if you hang your laundry (panties and all) in your front lawn, that’s “walang urbanidad” because you cause an eyesore in your community. If you turn on your stereo full-blast at 11:00 pm waking up all your neighbors, that’s “walang urbanidad.” If you don’t take care of your personal hygiene and have body odor causing discomfort to anyone near you, that’s “walang urbanidad.”

Standards of urbanidad change thru the years. For example, wearing a ‘spaghetti’ dress during mass is now acceptable while a century ago it would cause a girl to be excommunicated by the Church. And as the “Filipino eating habit” controversy in Canada has shown, standards vary depending on the country and the culture. Eating with a spoon and fork is considered normal practice here but apparently not in Canada. But regardless of time and place, one rule is constant: urbanidad demands that you respect yourself (i.e. the way you carry and take care of yourself) and respect others (i.e. being considerate of other people's feelings and sensibilities). It means being sophisticated in your outlook and tolerant of people who look different than you.

Our Ilonggo forefathers practiced urbanidad to lessen the aggravation and misunderstandings that tend to happen when so many people live in one small area, like in a city. Try to examine all the petty neighborhood spats in your locality and you will discover that it is most likely due to the lack of urbanidad by one or both quarreling parties. If only everyone practice urbanidad, then our city would be a pleasant place to live in.

Ilonggos in the past consciously observed urbanidad. Urbanidad was viewed then not as snobbery but a sign of good breeding and it was practiced by rich and poor alike. In those days, Negros hacienderos would send their children to Iloilo City not only to obtain an education but also to acquire urbanidad. According to my lola, you can tell just by looking at a person if he has urbanidad by the way he dressed, carried himself and dealt with others. It used to be that one of the greatest insults you can hurl someone is by telling him “wala ka urbanidad.” Today, it is seldom you hear people use the phrase. The term commonly used nowadays is, “daw taga-uma ka.”