Centrist Democracy Political Institute - Items filtered by date: May 2020
WHY shouldn’t they be apoplectic when the broadcast network, said to be the biggest in the country, has served since 1986 as their very reliable media outlet, broadcasting and posting verbatim in its website statements of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People’s Army (NPA) and its many legal fronts to reach even the boondocks?

With ABS-CBN Corp.’s closure, the republic — its executive and legislative branches, to be joined soon by the judicial branch, I would bet — will be hitting two birds with one stone.

First, it will disarm of its most potent weapon, the Lopez oligarch clan, which has been a kingmaker of presidents, incurred massive debts from government financial institutions, and influenced government policies and actions for their benefit throughout our nation’s modern history.

The end of ABS-CBN will thus strengthen our democracy and help develop our nation into a strong state, independent of oligarchs.

Second, it will confiscate from the communists who have vowed to topple our democracy, its most effective propaganda venue, whose radio stations can reach even the remotest corners of the nation.

It is not surprising that the CPP itself, its NPA armed wing and many of its overt and covert mass organizations have deliriously railed against ABS-CBN’s closure, campaigning feverishly that it be allowed to resume operations. A few examples:

– CPP statement, headline May 6 (the day after NTC orders it to shut down as its franchise expired May 4): “Condemn Duterte fascist regime for closure of ABS-CBN.”

– NPA, May 9 headline: “Dapat isatelebisyon ang rebolusyon, ibalik sa ere ang ABS-CBN!” First paragraph: “Lubos na nakikiisa ang Apolonio Mendoza Command-New People’s Army Quezon at buong rebolusyunaryong kilusan sa lalawigan sa laban ng ABS-CBN.”

– Kabataang Makabayan/National Democratic Front, May 9 headline: “Silencing the press is a recipe for dictatorial rule.” First paragraph: “The forced shutdown of ABS-CBN’s television broadcast services does not only undermine the rights of media practitioners and journalists in the country, but also puts the Filipino masses at an even more difficult position especially amid the ongoing pandemic.”

– Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions, May 10: “NTF-ELCAC*, parang asong ulol na pinakawalan ng rehimeng US-Duterte, desperadong tuluyang alisin sa ere ang ABS-CBN.”

– Ang Bayan (official newspaper of the CPP), May 7: “Marco Valbuena, chief information officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines, said that Duterte is behind the network’s closure. ‘Like a king, Duterte is using his tyrannical power to realize his whims. He wants all big businesses to bow down and pay homage to him,’ said Valbuena.”

The communist movement here would be the first ever in history and in the world to defend the closure of a capitalist corporation, to wit one owned by an oligarchy that originated from the most ruthless type of landlordism — sugar plantations — in the country.

The CPP’s delirious ranting against the network’s end reveals the utter bankruptcy and political opportunism of this organization that pretends to be revolutionary. Why would communists, whose main dogma is about class struggle against the ruling classes, support the worst of the capitalist elite: the oligarch?

There are two explanations why the ABS-CBN network has endeared itself to the communists. The first involves that phenomenon in media organizations by which its journalists tend to embrace the political views of its owners — or else they get themselves fired, or fail to go up the corporate ladder, sooner or later.

The Lopezes, together with the Aquino-Cojuangco clan, have viewed the CPP and its armed group, the NPA, before and during martial law as allies in their fight against the Marcos dictatorship. After martial law, the Lopezes have continued to view the communists still as crusaders for human rights and during Duterte administration, its allies against it. Its journalists have romanticized the NPA terrorists as self-sacrificing patriots.

A second explanation for the communists’ fury against ABS-CBN’s closure is that they have been able to utilize its TV and radio broadcasts, even its internet news site, News.abs-cbn.com, as their nationwide propaganda and communications venue. CPP statements on issues of the day and those of its spokesmen are reported verbatim.

I handled the communications organization of the Arroyo presidency in the early 2000s, at a time when she was wooing the Lopezes to be her allies. Military intelligence urged me to convince Arroyo to tell the Lopezes to rid its ranks of suspected CPP cadres and sympathizers at ABS-CBN. That was of course not done.

Military intelligence was especially worried over reports it was getting from its field offices that ABS-CBN “correspondents” in insurgency hotspots were either members of the CPP or sympathizers who often presented the rebels’ views more than that of the military. Worse, military intelligence claimed that ABS-CBN correspondents then wittingly or unwittingly revealed the Army’s plans and strengths to the NPA units in the area.

I wouldn’t know if that’s still the case. But I remembered that claim of the military when I found that one of the furious statements against ABS-CBN’s closure was issued by “the editorial staff of Ang Paghimakas” the official publication of the CPP organization in Negros island.

The NPA statement demanding that “the revolution must be televised” came from the “Apolonio Mendoza Command” based in Quezon province. Do those guys have ABS-CBN’s TVplus black boxes in their camps in the Sierra Madre mountains? Could that be the reason why ABS-CBN boldly sold those boxes even if it did not have authority to do so?

Why would such province-level CPP units be so angry at the closure of ABS-CBN if they weren’t very happy with the network’s coverage of the insurgency in their areas, or maybe even had them as its staff’s buddies?

“Isatelebsiyon ang rebolusyon!” the NPA statement demanded. That seemed funny to me at first, with images of Vice Ganda playing inane games with an NPA flashing in my mind.

But come to think of it, has ABS-CBN been televising the communist insurgency since 1986?

*NTF-Elcac stands for the inter-agency National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, which has been posting gains in its whole-of-country approach to wipe out the communists.
Published in News
Thursday, 28 May 2020 13:47

WANNA PLAY?

Editorial cartoon.
Published in News
DEMOCRACY, and the freedom that it brings to citizens, including the right to free speech and the press, is always better than repression and tyranny. But in order to enjoy the full benefits that democracy brings, the political system must be populated by a politically literate and responsible citizenry, mature political institutions and political leaders who know the limits of their powers.

Unfortunately, while the freedom that democracy brings and the rights that come with it have become the lynchpin of democratic discourse, not so the burdens that are associated with being responsible, rational and restrained. This can prove disastrous when political institutions are weak, political parties are malfunctioning or worse, non-existent, and political leaders are irresponsible and unrestrained. It is unfortunate that it appears that we are cursed to bear all of these as our burdens. And the tragic consequences of these become fully manifested when we face a crisis like the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

There is just too much political noise in the air. Science that is supposed to be the harbinger of facts and truth competes with demagoguery and partisanship. Scientific discourse is forced to bend to the wishes of partisan interests. We saw this in how technical terms such as mass testing, epidemiological waves and asymptomatic transmissions have become fertile venues for Google-induced pseudo-experts and social media bloggers to question real pedigreed experts.

But the greater tragedy is when science itself becomes politicized, with scientists now engaged in debates not because they have different interpretations of the data, but because they themselves pursue partisan or even selfish agenda. This is actually not new, since if one looks at its history, one will be confronted with a plethora of cases where the growth of science was fueled by personal rivalries and by politics between competing cliques in the scientific community.

It would be naïve to attribute the current noise created by competing claims about the Covid-19 pandemic made by so-called experts to mere epistemological and methodological differences. A good number of them are driven by individual quests for fame by riding on the crisis. Some are even driven by partisan biases, with President Rodrigo Duterte’s critics mobilizing their expertise to focus on diminishing the government’s policy pronouncements and actions, and Duterte supporters defending them.

One can always claim that political noise is healthy for democracy. But this becomes a curse when it distorts the discourse and prevents rational policy making. In a pandemic, the consequences are even terrifying since they involve life-threatening implications.
Vietnam is being touted as a success story in many policy issues, from its agricultural modernization program to its handling of the pandemic. We should not forget that this is mainly because Vietnam is a one-party state where political will can be mobilized to manage, even silence, political noise. Its rodent management program, for example, to manage the problem of rat infestation of its rice paddies, hinges on a top-down, mandatory synchronized planting and harvesting, where noncompliance is severely dealt with. This is in order to render the rodent infestation predictable and in tune with host-pest dynamics to make it easier for communities to manage the rats using community-based techniques and avoid the use of chemical rodenticides. In Vietnam, field rats are eaten as food and are best caught alive instead of poisoned.

One can just imagine if we implement a similar policy in the Philippines. The outrage would be unimaginable. There would be mass protests by farmers, even as media and civil society will condemn such moves as a violation of farmers’ rights. The political noise will be severe.
Thus, it is easy to blame our democratic rituals, our relative freedom to criticize and voice our dissent, something that unregulated social media has openly nurtured and enabled, often enabling fakery and the propagation of lies and disinformation. It is easy to wish that government could gag not only its citizens but its scientists and experts to toe the official line to stop criticizing government policies and official statistics.

But that is not an easy, or even acceptable, solution.

What is required is a political leadership that is governed less by its desire to maintain authority that will be compromised if it tolerates dissent and more by a desire to truly serve the people. We can always point to China as the model of a draconian regime that silences dissent primarily to maintain the legitimacy of the Communist Party. It censored and punished medical scientists who were talking about the early onset of the pandemic not to serve the public, but party, interest. This cannot be said of Vietnam relative to rat infestation, when it dictated on farmers when to plant and harvest. In this case, what was being served was public interest to save farmers’ crops in the most organic and culturally acceptable manner.

One can also look at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand as an example. She came up with pretty strong and hard pronouncements to contain Covid-19, but these were not taken as dictatorial impositions. This is because Ardern was not seen as a petty tyrant threatening people’s rights, but as one who uses her legitimate authority to serve public interest. It helped her a lot that she was perceived as a fair leader, one who would even submit herself to her own rules, such as when she willingly left a crowded restaurant to comply with physical distancing rules.

This is something that we cannot confidently say about President Duterte. His recent actions cast doubt on his fidelity to the rule of law, that we can trust him to exercise his authority to truly serve public interest and not his, or that of his allies. After all, this is a man who, while proclaiming that the law is the law, also publicly condoned National Capital Region Police Office chief Debold Sinas who celebrated his birthday in violation of quarantine rules.
Published in News
Wednesday, 27 May 2020 09:53

THE NEW NORMAL

Editorial cartoon.
Published in News
Wednesday, 27 May 2020 08:47

Can the Deegong hack it?

Economic collapse and death of thousands

FIVE months into the pandemic and six to eight weeks of quarantine and lockdowns, several countries intent on mitigating the contagion and reopening their economies came out with varying strategies and results. Some opened their economies too early and were hit by a second wave, while others are now in the process of economic recovery, with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases and deaths reduced to acceptable minimums.

Vietnam and Taiwan could be examples of the latter. These countries correctly read the footprints of an epidemic from Wuhan and, anticipating a pandemic, their quick reaction, closing their borders, saved them countless lives. Their governments were prepared for the outbreak even before their first cases.

Testing-tracing-isolation-treatment

But their subsequent moves could be the gold standard for the mitigation and eradication of Covid-19. They ramped up their infrastructure for testing in real time, with results allowing them to identify the positives to effectively put in place contact tracing, applying the latest technology. This made it possible to identify the probables and start the isolation and treatment process, as well as the enrolment into their excellent healthcare systems.

These allowed them to open their economy in stages observing normal health protocols: wearing face masks in public, physical distancing, frequent washing of hands, etc. Taiwan for one has even started manufacturing and shipping personal protective equipment masks, gloves and health paraphernalia to other countries.

Vietnam

With a population of 96 million and a gross domestic product (GDP) of $261 billion, Vietnam’s profile is comparable to the Philippines, with the latter’s 108 million population and GDP of $383 billion. But its approach to mitigating the effects of the contagion sets it apart.

Vietnam’s healthcare system, hammered under decades of socialism, is much superior, having internalized the health mantra of “testing-tracing-
isolation/treatment” (TTT). Vietnam likewise did not have the wherewithal for a mass TTT, but went for a “selective but proactive prevention,” targeting clusters of outbreaks. More importantly, its leadership “…has not hesitated to restrict movements where needed, balancing overt caution with precision.” (The Diplomat, April 18, 2020). Checkpoints were put up to minimize inter-community virus transmission and medical facilities for testing and treatment were set up in tandem. But my take on Vietnam was its leadership’s appeal to the nationalist spirit of its people, inspiring in them the same patriotism that propelled the people to fight and defeat a great enemy — America — during the Vietnam war. Surely, the same resolve surfaced against this pandemic.

Vietnam is now far ahead in reopening its economy. The Asian Development Bank has forecast Vietnam’s economy to bounce back to 6.8 percent in 2021 — one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economies. As of this writing, Vietnam has less than 350 Covid-19 cases with no deaths. An impressive achievement.

The Philippines

If the reckless euphoria of the first days of the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao were portents of things to come, I am certain that in restarting our economy, from 1,000 to 50,000 to 100,000 Filipinos will die. But I also accept the imperatives of Philippine economic recovery, though we may not be able to resume the old rhythms of Filipino life. Economic resurgence and Covid mitigation are both central to the well-being, if not the survival, of the Filipinos. “Saving lives or saving the economy” is a false choice. This conundrum cannot be reduced to a “zero sum game.” Both need to be saved or both are lost.

My column last week was a cursory study of the type of leadership demanded in these critical times, comparing the United States and the Philippines. President Rodrigo “Deegong” Duterte is comparatively superior, given that US President Donald Trump is utterly dismal. But the Deegong’s actuations of late leave much to be desired. Police chief Debold Sinas of the National Capital Region Police Office became a cause célèbre when he flaunted his disdain for quarantine rules he himself was mandated to enforce. By itself, it seems peculiarly insignificant. But social media has a way of blowing things out in the open, turning the sordid affair viral, no doubt fueled by people’s pent-up anger over a long lockdown. And this buffoon of a general provides the sparkplug by displaying contempt for the rule of law.

Worse, the President was nonchalant about the whole affair at a critical juncture, when on that day 10,463 Covid-19 cases yielded 696 deaths. Such cavalier behavior erodes the trust of people in a leadership — centered on the Deegong himself. And people’s trust is the one ingredient Duterte can ill afford to lose. And he could be losing this fast.

Duterte, no doubt, is the most powerful president the Philippines has ever produced, with the exception of Ferdinand Marcos. With a compliant House of Representatives headed by a marionette of a speaker, a cowed Senate with a pipsqueak of a minority and a judiciary stuffed with his appointees, the classic concept of co-equal branches has been shredded. Duterte has virtually assumed the mantle of a benevolent dictator upon the people’s sufferance and the acquiescence of Congress and the men in black robes. At this time of the pandemic, where desperate people’s lives and Philippine society itself are in great mortal danger, perhaps a dictatorship is inevitable.

Where are we today

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies has declared that economic losses will hover between P276.3 billion at best and P2.482 trillion at worst. And we are on track to a jobless rate of 40 percent and beyond, not even counting the “informal sector” — cigarette vendors, street goods hawkers, etc. Such statistics no longer mean anything. Duterte has already declared we are running on fumes. No more money. The original P270-billion-plus outlay for subsidies is kaput. What comes next is hunger and deprivation. Our health system sucks, courtesy of our politicians over the decades and will be overburdened. This social volcano is now simmering. It could erupt resulting in chaos. And God help even us in the gated communities. (“Alternative aftermaths” The Manila Times, April 22, 2020); (“Economic recovery and the second wave,” TMT, April 29,2020).

His mandate

In reopening the economy, the Deegong needs to understand the emerging trade-offs. Many of the “pasaway” (stubborn) from the slums will contract Covid-19, inducing the coming wave, and die. In essence, they are the targets of the “Balik Probinsya” program, their elimination an intended consequence — easing the burden and stress for the middle class and the elite. But such is the sordid calculus of survival. The natural process of the Malthusian Catastrophe combined with Darwin’s concept of natural selection are inescapable.

These are the moral choices DU30 cannot bluster his way out of, unlike his histrionics, cursing God and the pope and disparaging women. This moral dilemma Duterte must confront will define with finality his presidency and his legacy. His 80-percent public approval rating will not amount to a “warm jug of spit.” This is no longer a matter of political will. As the economy plunges deeper into recession, he will have to choose. Is he prepared to sacrifice 100,000 souls for the good of the 105 million?

If he succeeds, the Filipino may forgive him all his transgressions. He could even be a great president, serendipitously!
Published in LML Polettiques
Wednesday, 20 May 2020 07:34

COVID-19

Editorial cartoon.
Published in News
Let me continue my observations on the ABS-CBN issue that provoked a passionate response. But first, this personal background. I am very grateful to the Lord for letting me live this long – I am 95 – without the ailments that cripple the mind. This isolation enforced by the pandemic gave me time to think more deeply and read and review some of what I had written. I conceptualized and wrote my Rosales saga novels, “Tree” and “The Pretenders” when I was in my late teens and early twenties. Re-reading them now, I realize how mature they are. It was the war that matured us early. It was also during this period, I think, that my socio-political education really began. In late 1942, I was a peon in a surveying company in Floridablanca, Pampanga, mapping out the expansion of the airfield there. I saw those Japanese fighter planes and twin engine bombers take off and land. I marveled how a tiny Asian country produced them and challenged a big power like the United States. In my novel, “The Pretenders,” the industrialist, Manuel Villa, builds a steel mill. I realized that early that steel is the foundation of industry and modernization. I joined the old Manila Times in 1949 and started knowing our country better. I travelled all over Asia, too, and elsewhere, furthering my knowledge of agrarian problems and observing culture change. Coming from a farming village, my interest in peasant movements broadened, and I witnessed our peasantry brutalized, particularly by the sugar barons. That knowledge led to my understanding of the need for social change, for revolution even – a belief I hold on tenaciously to this very day.

World War II wrought profound changes in our society creating a new ruling class. Though the war battered us, in the Fifties and Sixties, we were the richest country in Southeast Asia, next only to Japan. Korea, Taiwan, and even Japan were very poor. So were all the ASEAN nations. We had the best schools and hospitals. Now, look at us, and our Asian neighbors who left us behind? Why, we are very poor? Our leaders, the writers of my generation know the answer. Development starts with capital, whether it is in government or in private hands. It is with this capital that we start industries, development. We had that capital but it was sent abroad, much of it, or spent in non-productive enterprises. Basically the holders of this vast capital – the oligarchy had no sense of responsibility, no love for this country which they had exploited. The Lopezes are a major part of it; the tip of the iceberg, so huge but unseen, like the iceberg that sank the Titanic.

Change
The modernization of Korea, etc. was not brought about by proletarian revolutionaries but by middle class professionals, soldiers, and enlightened businessmen backed by strong governments.

Some claim that this present generation of oligarchs had changed; I had shared the same hope, but a close look at the new oligarchs reveal that nothing has changed – the perspective, the form of investments, fancy condominiums, shopping malls, the casinos. Poverty has not been erased – all the social surveys show it. Hunger still prevails. The revolution I’ve dreamed of is yet to come. Peacefully I hope.

In a broader, deeper context, all over the world are giant corporations and billionaires. In the capitalist system, their goal is profit, their techniques are almost always exploitative. But some businesses (and billionaires), however, are not always motivated by profit. They are nation builders, humanitarians, who use their fortunes to build more humane societies. But I do not see this in the three generations of the Filipino oligarchs who have exploited this country and our people.

Marx was right; as we can see today, capitalism, motivated by unrestrained greed is far deadlier than this Coronavirus which, science hopefully can control or eradicate. But greed is an integral part of the human person. It can be tamed with the creation of new human institutions that will assure mankind an existence endowed with justice – if we have the will to do it.

All too often, we are lulled into acquiescence, if not apathy, by the seductive allure of slogans of universal abstractions like freedom and the gloss and glitter of instruments like ABS-CBN. Yes, ABS-CBN indeed has its uses. But reduced to its very core, it is pure entertainment. History is full of similar even analogous examples. When the ancient Romans were restive, the Caesars gave them parades and circuses. As for freedom, it is the camouflage of the true nature of ABS-CBN just like the sea that hides the iceberg. Freedom is also the sugar coating that attracts the libertarians, the sincere believers in human rights, who have no time to look deeper, beyond the glossy surface. Listen – the real issue with ABS-CBN and its owners is not press freedom. It is MONEY, POLITICS and POWER – how power is acquired, how it is abused and maintained, and most of all, how it obstructs this country’s economic and democratic development. If allowed to continue, will it now return the billions it owes the government?

The Lopezes are not alone; they are however the most visible tip of the iceberg. But if the Lopez empire can be toppled. Then, it should not be difficult to do the same with the others. The revolution, then, shall have begun.

Conclusion: ABS-CBN is not crucial to this nation’s survival nor does its closure mark the end of press freedom. Hundreds of TV and radio stations and broadsheets will continue to purvey news and views. And there is the omnipresent social media wide open to both idiot and intellectual. In fact, the removal of this media giant will contribute to the levelling of the playing field and the strengthening of democracy.

For so many of us who cannot think of the future and whose minds are focused only as far as the next election, remember this: Marcos, Duterte – they are minor incidents in our history, but the oligarchic families will be with us much longer and will most likely be replaced by heirs who will continue to exploit our country and our people. The struggle to create a just and sovereign nation transcends these politicians and their oligarch allies. The Filipino oligarchy is our entrenched enemy – not I or those like me who see and know the truth. I’ve tried to be honest with myself. I know I am expendable, but not as much as the peasant who produces our food. I have to distance myself from self-righteousness knowing I can be wrong. I do not profit from telling the truth. I am reviled instead. Listen – all of you who resent me and wish me ill – I have nothing precious, no fiefdom to lose – only this life and the little of it that’s left. I’ll use it writing.
Published in News
Wednesday, 20 May 2020 07:10

ABS-CBN KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR

Editorial cartoon.
Published in News
Let me continue my observations on the ABS-CBN issue that provoked a passionate response. But first, this personal background. I am very grateful to the Lord for letting me live this long – I am 95 – without the ailments that cripple the mind. This isolation enforced by the pandemic gave me time to think more deeply and read and review some of what I had written. I conceptualized and wrote my Rosales saga novels, “Tree” and “The Pretenders” when I was in my late teens and early twenties. Re-reading them now, I realize how mature they are. It was the war that matured us early. It was also during this period, I think, that my socio-political education really began. In late 1942, I was a peon in a surveying company in Floridablanca, Pampanga, mapping out the expansion of the airfield there. I saw those Japanese fighter planes and twin engine bombers take off and land. I marveled how a tiny Asian country produced them and challenged a big power like the United States. In my novel, “The Pretenders,” the industrialist, Manuel Villa, builds a steel mill. I realized that early that steel is the foundation of industry and modernization. I joined the old Manila Times in 1949 and started knowing our country better. I travelled all over Asia, too, and elsewhere, furthering my knowledge of agrarian problems and observing culture change. Coming from a farming village, my interest in peasant movements broadened, and I witnessed our peasantry brutalized, particularly by the sugar barons. That knowledge led to my understanding of the need for social change, for revolution even – a belief I hold on tenaciously to this very day.

World War II wrought profound changes in our society creating a new ruling class. Though the war battered us, in the Fifties and Sixties, we were the richest country in Southeast Asia, next only to Japan. Korea, Taiwan, and even Japan were very poor. So were all the ASEAN nations. We had the best schools and hospitals. Now, look at us, and our Asian neighbors who left us behind? Why, we are very poor? Our leaders, the writers of my generation know the answer. Development starts with capital, whether it is in government or in private hands. It is with this capital that we start industries, development. We had that capital but it was sent abroad, much of it, or spent in non-productive enterprises. Basically the holders of this vast capital – the oligarchy had no sense of responsibility, no love for this country which they had exploited. The Lopezes are a major part of it; the tip of the iceberg, so huge but unseen, like the iceberg that sank the Titanic.

Change
The modernization of Korea, etc. was not brought about by proletarian revolutionaries but by middle class professionals, soldiers, and enlightened businessmen backed by strong governments.

Some claim that this present generation of oligarchs had changed; I had shared the same hope, but a close look at the new oligarchs reveal that nothing has changed – the perspective, the form of investments, fancy condominiums, shopping malls, the casinos. Poverty has not been erased – all the social surveys show it. Hunger still prevails. The revolution I’ve dreamed of is yet to come. Peacefully I hope.

In a broader, deeper context, all over the world are giant corporations and billionaires. In the capitalist system, their goal is profit, their techniques are almost always exploitative. But some businesses (and billionaires), however, are not always motivated by profit. They are nation builders, humanitarians, who use their fortunes to build more humane societies. But I do not see this in the three generations of the Filipino oligarchs who have exploited this country and our people.

Marx was right; as we can see today, capitalism, motivated by unrestrained greed is far deadlier than this Coronavirus which, science hopefully can control or eradicate. But greed is an integral part of the human person. It can be tamed with the creation of new human institutions that will assure mankind an existence endowed with justice – if we have the will to do it.

All too often, we are lulled into acquiescence, if not apathy, by the seductive allure of slogans of universal abstractions like freedom and the gloss and glitter of instruments like ABS-CBN. Yes, ABS-CBN indeed has its uses. But reduced to its very core, it is pure entertainment. History is full of similar even analogous examples. When the ancient Romans were restive, the Caesars gave them parades and circuses. As for freedom, it is the camouflage of the true nature of ABS-CBN just like the sea that hides the iceberg. Freedom is also the sugar coating that attracts the libertarians, the sincere believers in human rights, who have no time to look deeper, beyond the glossy surface. Listen – the real issue with ABS-CBN and its owners is not press freedom. It is MONEY, POLITICS and POWER – how power is acquired, how it is abused and maintained, and most of all, how it obstructs this country’s economic and democratic development. If allowed to continue, will it now return the billions it owes the government?

The Lopezes are not alone; they are however the most visible tip of the iceberg. But if the Lopez empire can be toppled. Then, it should not be difficult to do the same with the others. The revolution, then, shall have begun.

Conclusion: ABS-CBN is not crucial to this nation’s survival nor does its closure mark the end of press freedom. Hundreds of TV and radio stations and broadsheets will continue to purvey news and views. And there is the omnipresent social media wide open to both idiot and intellectual. In fact, the removal of this media giant will contribute to the levelling of the playing field and the strengthening of democracy.

For so many of us who cannot think of the future and whose minds are focused only as far as the next election, remember this: Marcos, Duterte – they are minor incidents in our history, but the oligarchic families will be with us much longer and will most likely be replaced by heirs who will continue to exploit our country and our people. The struggle to create a just and sovereign nation transcends these politicians and their oligarch allies. The Filipino oligarchy is our entrenched enemy – not I or those like me who see and know the truth. I’ve tried to be honest with myself. I know I am expendable, but not as much as the peasant who produces our food. I have to distance myself from self-righteousness knowing I can be wrong. I do not profit from telling the truth. I am reviled instead. Listen – all of you who resent me and wish me ill – I have nothing precious, no fiefdom to lose – only this life and the little of it that’s left. I’ll use it writing.
Published in News
Wednesday, 20 May 2020 06:47

SEE YOU AT THE MALL, GUYS

Editorial cartoon.
Published in News
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