My life seems dry at this twilight moment of my MA programme here in KL. I am feeling some form of alienation which I, unfortunately, don't have the courage to write here. Nevertheless, I would have wanted to write a thoughtful piece on the current political crisis in the Philippines but my programme is nearing its end, and hence, there are so much academic requirements to deal with.
I owe a lot of friends responses from the e-mails they have sent me and the comments they have posted here in this blog. These days they have been urging and asking me to write about the ongoing political crisis in the Philippines. Of late, one of my ka-blogistas, Ang Kape Ni LaTtEX, mentioned me in his recent post entitled ‘The Definition of Elite Rule’ referring to my 12 July 2005 post here expressing my solidarity to the Laban ng Masa outcry to put an end to elite rule through a transitional revolutionary government. (Please also see a recent comment by an anonymous ka-blogista on a previous post here on 2 February 2005 entitled ‘Another Philippine Society is Possible’.) Thank you for all your notes. I'll find time to write here soon a discourse on elitism that is so well-entrenched and pervasive in the Philippine society in political, cultural, and economic terms. In particular, I hope to address this problematique: why, despite its internal crises and contradictions, elitism thrives and survives in our society?
In the meantime, I am pasting below an excerpt of my last week's (10 July) Yahoo! Messenger conversation with Ryan, who is a fellow EDSA II activist and who is currently a bar reviewee, in which we had a brief chat on the current Philippine political crisis. Ryan was the Chair of the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) Student Council during EDSA II in 2001. I was then Representative of the Department of Political Science to the Student Council. I hope that my ka-blogistas could somehow follow the discussion below, bearing in mind of the informality of an on-line chat. Too, I hope Ryan does not mind posting this unedited conversation....
I owe a lot of friends responses from the e-mails they have sent me and the comments they have posted here in this blog. These days they have been urging and asking me to write about the ongoing political crisis in the Philippines. Of late, one of my ka-blogistas, Ang Kape Ni LaTtEX, mentioned me in his recent post entitled ‘The Definition of Elite Rule’ referring to my 12 July 2005 post here expressing my solidarity to the Laban ng Masa outcry to put an end to elite rule through a transitional revolutionary government. (Please also see a recent comment by an anonymous ka-blogista on a previous post here on 2 February 2005 entitled ‘Another Philippine Society is Possible’.) Thank you for all your notes. I'll find time to write here soon a discourse on elitism that is so well-entrenched and pervasive in the Philippine society in political, cultural, and economic terms. In particular, I hope to address this problematique: why, despite its internal crises and contradictions, elitism thrives and survives in our society?
In the meantime, I am pasting below an excerpt of my last week's (10 July) Yahoo! Messenger conversation with Ryan, who is a fellow EDSA II activist and who is currently a bar reviewee, in which we had a brief chat on the current Philippine political crisis. Ryan was the Chair of the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) Student Council during EDSA II in 2001. I was then Representative of the Department of Political Science to the Student Council. I hope that my ka-blogistas could somehow follow the discussion below, bearing in mind of the informality of an on-line chat. Too, I hope Ryan does not mind posting this unedited conversation....
(Chat between Bonn Juego and Ryan Tan [aka 'bradpwitt'], 10 July 2005, around 3pm)
bonnjuego: pare!I thank Ryan for a conversation like this which I truly miss. I miss the Philippines amid its contradictions, and I am looking forward to be back home soon. But I miss my friends even more. As the description of this blog - quoted from Will Durant - goes, ‘Friends are helpful not only because they will listen to us, but because they will laugh at us; Through them we learn a little objectivity, a little modesty, a little courtesy; We learn the rules of life and become better players of the game’.
bonnjuego: kumusta na?
bonnjuego: ayos lang ba sa review?
bonnjuego: all the best to you atty!
bradpwitt: very distracted by the state of affairs of the country. I am sure you miss being here hehe... di ba dapat nasa tabi ka ni ka dodong?
bonnjuego: well, sinabi mo pa!
bonnjuego: hehehe
bonnjuego: am bored here!
bonnjuego: am in the wrong country at the moment!
bradpwitt: hehe... ewan. bakit kasi ngayon lang ako nagbar hehe...
bonnjuego: ka randy david wrote to me when i was in europe... he said everything is collapsing in our country
bonnjuego: but this should not despair me... i should enjoy my stay in europe hehehhe
bonnjuego: true.. too bad... still the perpetuation of elite rule as i see it...
bonnjuego: gma has to go soon but elite compromise has already been made... this is my fear..
bradpwitt: i am not in total agreement with Randy David. But I see that he is very disappointed to point of giving up
bonnjuego: randy is not giving up... as for him, cynicism would be the worst state of mind for a nation....
bonnjuego: suwerte pa ni gma.. umuulan hehehe
bradpwitt: hehe... are the civil society groups united? parang hindi eh
bonnjuego: i'm just waiting for the momentum.. i believe in the power of numbers.... sana mabuo ni bro. eddie iyong million niya uli... pero.. nakatatakot gagamitin lang as canon fodders ang masa ng mga eliltista
bonnjuego: as always, civ soc is not united..
bonnjuego: this will be a politics of compromise and negotiations na naman among various actors.....
bradpwitt: i am threatened by the instability... FVR is putting his mark really good.
bonnjuego: .but i do hope.. jp captures this moment... and that he must use kule as an instrument for social change......
bonnjuego: as always si FVR...
bradpwitt: ive been telling him that. he has a mind of his own. Yeah, its his time to shine...
bonnjuego: come to think of it... these elites would rely on the instability and even violence that must be created by the masses and civ soc in the streets... without this violence the incumbent will be very complacent
bonnjuego: i'm in touch with JP lately... he wrote to me when i was in denmark last month... binabanatan pa rin pala siya nitong mga RA
bradpwitt: kaya naman nya yan. Tell me what bonn... Do you agree with ka-dodong's position?
bonnjuego: yeah.....
bonnjuego: this is the most daring call you could have at the moment
bonnjuego: when you ask people... kung ano problema ng bansa.. laging sagot ng halos lahat na sensible na tao... sistema...
bonnjuego: ngayon.. ito na... kung kailan systemic change ang tawag ayaw ng tao...
bonnjuego: practically pare.... mahirap talaga... building institutions has never been easy... but it must start somewhere....
bonnjuego: na-overshadow nga ng grupo ni ka dodong ang mga CPP-NPA... medyo na-insecure sila... as ever, daring si dodong eh.. unlike them, tinatago pa nila sa 'national democracy' ang hangarin nilang komunistang lipunan!
bradpwitt: I have only one critique though... Kelangan nyang magcompromise with FVR group... That is also systemic change, in a way. We have to ground it in strict legal terms to facilitate the changes we want... Compromise... that is the only way I see how we will get ka dodong's plan into action...
bonnjuego: yeah... ka dodong knows it.... whether we like it or not the elite is so well-entrenched in the society... this is now a matter of political will, a question of political skill... i hope the masses won't lose their ground....
bonnjuego: fr. bernas' discussion of constitutional and extra-constitutional discourse is interesting
bonnjuego: i hope u buy fr. bernas' idea
bradpwitt: I hope the demons... the dark force of the elites won't sway the masses. Mabuti na lang fragmented ang Estrada group.
bonnjuego: btw, had the chance to be taught by bernas?
bonnjuego: problema rin tol.. ang media.. elitist pa rin ang framework...
bonnjuego: incumbent vs opposition pa rin ang tingin ... pati alternatives - boil down pa rin noli, susan, etc...
bradpwitt: Yup. He's my guru. I know where he's coming from. It is not really totally different from Dodong and FVR proposal. Playing safe lang
bradpwitt: elite will always be elites bonn
bradpwitt: you know that..
bradpwitt: but i know u havent forgotten that elitism has several categories
bradpwitt: where are the intellectual elites?
bradpwitt: the moral elites?
bradpwitt: it seems they are not in agreement still...
bonnjuego: i know .. still ... basic for us politics students.. iron law of oligarchy........
bradpwitt: but that is the political terrain. this is the political space we operate on... i see only one soution... take the common denominator...
bonnjuego: i fear that this will once again be a circulation of elites..... the now counter-elites will soon be elites, and vice versa
bradpwitt: that is the political terrain. this is the political space we operate on... in fact that is the operational definition of "elite" di ba, hehe... i see only one solution... take the common denominator...
bonnjuego: sometimes i feel bad on what we did for edsa 2... wen we were so passionate to oust erap... but we have replaced him with a cheater and a lame duck leader for a hopeful nation
bradpwitt: common denominator is constitutional change. every sector in society should come into terms as to how we shall draft the fundamental law...
bradpwitt: don't despair... time has come to realize that systemic change must be done... asap
bonnjuego: maganda sinulat ni randy ngayon:
bonnjuego: 'It is one of the supreme ironies of our time that it may sometimes be necessary to step out of the Constitution's iron grip in order to preserve its spirit.'
bonnjuego: but as always, i do hope that when we struggle we should not only struggle politically, but economic-wise as well....
bonnjuego: it is this tremendous material inequality that perpetuates elite rule and grinding poverty
bradpwitt: good luck na rin sa atin pare hehe...
bonnjuego: galingan mo atty!
bonnjuego: maghihintay ako sa top 10 ha!
bradpwitt: sana nga makaconcentrate... i suddenly realized that politics is still closer to heart hehehe
4 comments:
Hey,
First, thanks for dropping by my blog, and for your words of encouragement. I hope you're doing well yourself in spite of your sense of alienation, and homesickness. You know nakakatawa, people in the Phil. are wanting to leave the country due to utter frustration, tayo naman we want to be there. You have a valid excuse. Ako, nothing- just sheer cowardice, and ambivalence to give up bourgeois life in the U.S.
But anyways, how I wish the news would cover the specifics of Ka Dodong's proposal for a transitional revolutionary government. You're right, whether it's intentional or not media has not raised the level of analysis and coverage beyond the traditional.
Take care-- Loli
Hi Loli!
Thanks for your note. I hope this news report would somehow give you an idea of the proposed 'transitional revolutionary government'.
Ingat din,
Bonn
---------------------------
Link - http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2005/
07/18/news/.we.need.working.class.leaders.
in.politics..html
Monday, July 18, 2005
‘We need working-class leaders in politics’
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
EVEN after 40 years of activism, there is still no stopping educator and women’s health rights advocate Ana Maria “Princess” Nemenzo from going around the country, this time to promote the transitional revolutionary government.
This will serve as the country’s caretaker if and when President Arroyo heeds calls for her to resign, or so the proposal goes.
Ana Maria, her husband former University of the Philippines president Francisco Nemenzo, and prominent personalities such as Prof. Randy David, activist priest Robert Reyes, Dr. Joel Rocamora and over 50 sectoral, political and non-government groups are establishing “Laban ng Masa” in different parts of the country.
The group advocates the creation of a transitional revolutionary council that will institute reforms in the government before another leader takes over as president.
Laban ng Masa was organized on June 29, after organizers realized there was a need for basic sectors to be represented in government but not by traditional political parties.
But Ana Maria admits the fight for reforms started long before that. No one listened. Here, she answers some questions about the organization they are creating and its role in the current political situation.
What is a transitional revolutionary government?
It’s a government where the interests of the marginalized sectors in society are represented.
They’re already tired... they have been electing people hoping that the problems of the country will be solved, that they would be able to live a dignified life.
This time, they don’t want to elect just anybody but probably somebody from among their ranks, their own representative. It’s time that leaders coming from the working class were recognized and allowed to play a major political role.
What does Laban ng Masa believe in?
It’s time that we really institute changes in the way we elect our political leaders and our government officials.
It seems that power is distributed only among government officials and they represent a very small circle. The real interests of people are not represented there. So, when we say revolutionary government, we also mean a council or a government that will bring about certain reforms to democratize the processes of electing our officials.
We consider ourselves as working for social change and social transformation. We’ve been working for this all along. We don’t gain anything materially for what we do. We’ve seen a lot of people serving their selfish interests once they are put in power.
Are you not worried that the term “revolutionary” will discourage people from supporting it?
Natakot ba tayo kay (former Philippine president) Cory (Aquino) nung panahon niya? This time, this is a crisis situation, an extraordinary situation that calls for extraordinary solutions as well.
It cannot be just business as usual. We cannot just oust President Arroyo and Vice President Noli (de Castro) and replace them with the same type of politicos.
It’s revolutionary in the sense that we cannot adhere to the same old laws. The laws must be changed. The basic sectors should be represented in whatever government decision. The basic sectors, such as women, peasants, farmers, workers, this time, want to see to it that their interests are represented in whatever government will take over.
We will negotiate that decision with all the major players in the political field. We cannot impose ourselves on everybody. We will just negotiate even with the political opposition and with all the forces that are working for some change.
How soon should the council be set up?
We still have to oust Arroyo and Noli. The longer they stay, the more serious the crisis will become. Even Cory has said to Arroyo, “For the sake of the country, please, if you’re really interested in the future of this country, alis na.” We think Noli is as tainted as Gloria. He cannot really be the one to head a transitional government.
What about the calls for changes in the Constitution?
Former president Fidel Ramos is only backing Gloria because he has a scheme. Gloria will be there only up to next year. They’re talking about calling for a Charter change (Cha-cha) and changing to a parliamentary system of government and Gloria will facilitate the calling of the Cha-cha.
These are the selfish interests of the group Ramos is supporting. Arroyo may agree with Ramos’ plan because right now, resigning means losing face. But as far as the people are concerned, she has lost face. The negative ratings are already more than 50 percent.
What do you want the people to realize during these times?
These traditional politicians will just metamorphose and change party lines when the situation calls for it. Hindi na pwede yan, unless may laban ang masa.
The traditional politicians will always monopolize our political life. Walang kalaban-laban ang masa. All Laban ng Masa is trying to do is get the people organized. Democratize the system.
We’re not imposing ourselves on anyone. We’re not here to completely rule and take their place. We just want to equalize, democratize the political playing field so that may laban ang mamamayan.
What can I do nakapost na hehe... This is akin to a violation of RA 4200 otherwise known as Anti- Wiretapping Law hehe... "without the consent of the other party..."
Seriously I don't mind. If I were not reviewing for the bar, I would have helped educate our people about the so-called political reforms...
Thanks din...
Good Graces!
Ryan
hi bonn,
thanks for that post on princess' article. I met her one time sa isang MDG advocacy meeting. And she's as vigilant as always, filling in what's missing in all these social change endeavors.
anyway, nakakalungkot nga nung height ng mga calls for GMA resign tapos na-interview si Dodong sa ANC, di pa nya napaliwanag yung call for extra-constitutional means, cut na agad yung usapan. Hay naku, totoo yung comment mo about the media..kasi staus quo din sila eh.
Nabasa ko rin yung article ni bernas..interesting insights. Tingin ko bukas yung space for the 'transitional revolutionary govt' kasi maraming frustrated at pagod na , di lang malinaw pa kung ano ang klase ng engagement na dapat gawin ng mga tao. Akala nila parati pag revolutionary, protracted. Marami pang perception ang dapat malinawan. Pero naninwala ako pwedeng mabago yun, kahit nasaan pa at ano ang present state of mind ng isang tao.
Sa kaibigan mo, kay bradpwitt, kahit nasa review pa siya, sa diskusyon sa pagitan ng mga kaibigan, sa eskwelahan, sa opisina, mahalagang maging malumanay at malinaw ang pag-iisip na kilalanin ang totoong kalagayan nating mga ordinaryong tao, kung ano tayo sa lipunan. Iniisip kasi ng karaniwang pinoy, hindi sila kasali sa laban. Maraming pwedeng magawa sa maraming level. I believe, raising one's consciousness about one's real condition doesn't happen that easy. But perhaps, getting into the hang of it, supporting all means that leads to it is very much possible, one at a time.
o sya, gudlak dyan sa MA mo at kitakits tayo dito sa pinas soon.
MMM
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