Before getting into the topic of this post, let me make a few points clearly, so that it is easily understood. I am not a citizen of the Philippines, and as such, I do not participate in politics here. The content of this post is not meant to promote any political views of mine, it is only to try to explain the process of things that appear to be happening in the political system here.
One thing that is always being discussed here is Impeachment. It seems like somebody is always advocating the Impeachment of the President of the Philippines. No matter who the President is, somebody wants him/her Impeached. There is a catch, though. Under the Philippine Constitution, a case of Impeachment may only be filed against the President once per year. In other words, if an Impeachment case was filed on August 15, 2005, no additional Impeachment cases may be filed until August 16, 2006. No matter what the President does, no case can be filed during that year.
What happens a lot, based on the news reports that I hear and see on TV is that somebody who is Pro-Administration will file an Impeachment case in the House of Representatives of the Philippines on the first day that such a case may be filed. Sounds strange? I mean, a supporter of the President files an Impeachment case against her! And, it is done just as soon as possible, after the proceeding Impeachment case has passed the 1 year mark. Why? Well, it is actually obvious, if you think about it. The Impeachment case that is filed by an ally of the President usually has very little merit. The chances that the case could prosper are virtually zero. But, after that case has been filed, no other such cases can be filed for another year! In other words, according to opposition leaders, the Administration is avoiding a tough Impeachment case by getting a weak case in first, thus blocking the stronger case from being filed!
If this is truly the way things are happening, and from appearances it would seem so, this points out a flaw in the Philippine Constitution, doesn’t it? In many ways, I can understand why endless Impeachment cases should be blocked. I mean, how could a President get anything done if he/she was defending case after case of Impeachment. Yet, under the current system, the method that is apparently being used now blocks the intent of the law, don’t you think?
What do you think about the system as it is now?
Hi Paul – those have been my observations too. The fact that the US impeachment took place. I don’t really know about the Iran situation, though.
I guess this is what happens when you try to impose Western democracy on cultures that are (a) not suited to it or (b) not prepared for it.
Even Benigno Aquino Jr was once quoted as saying that the Philippines would be better off being ruled by a benign dictator.
The prevailing system of government in the Philippines has more in common with Sicily than with Washington.
The philippine people expect this type of behavior in the political arena. Generations of corruption and graft is ingrained in thier culture at this point. Gloria erased with her pen what took years of legal proceedings to arrive at. Imagine the amount of money the government wasted in Erap's prosecution only to have her smite it in the end. As much as I like the PI they are unfortunatly the laughing stock of the asian community when it comes to government. Sadly they have a huge resorce of untapped educated people but corporations are hard to find to invest in thier country due to the corruption. Hence they have a tremendous amount of brain drain..i.e anyone educated tends to get out.
As one of McArthors Generals noted in WWII about the philippine people: " Adopting a blend of Spanish and american mentality they aquired the two worst traits of each…lazyness from the spanish and materialism of the west of which of coarse does not mix well.
now my release: The above political commentary is bi-partisan and does not reflect the true concensus of the contributor with the exception of tuesdays between 5:10 pm and 5:12pm if the day falls on an odd day of the month. Abritary to the true consensus of facts may vary with each reciprical verabage of the appendix luminated on the solar array.
This offer null and void in the avent of alien landing.
Bob,
From all I read, there is a lot of corruption in the government there, and lots of sceaming. Also during elections, opposing parties will try to kill their opposition.
I think there are a lot of laws that protect the guilty and also leaves loopholes to do what they want, damn the laws. Since the presidents and her congress write the laws, they will set it up to suit their needs, as in many countries governments.
From what I have read recently, my understanding is as follows:
When Cory Aquino took over from Marcos. She started a new temporary constitution with just 2 branches of Govt, the Executive and the Judicial branch. It was not until the constitution was rewritten and approved that a legislative branch was created. So the President wrote the laws too.
Brian – Honestly, with my disclaimer at the top of the post, I was not trying to be silly. As a foreigner living here there is no free speech for us. If I wrote such a piece and said that I think that politician x or congressman y should be impeached I could be deported or even jailed or killed for saying that. Living abroad in a foreign country is not the same as living in a place where you have a Bill of Rights protecting your freedoms.
Not trying to be mean, but your comment #2 seems to say that my disclaimer was sort of a joke, and honestly, it's can mean living or dying.
Hi Bruce – As far as I know, the Congress writes the laws in every country (those who have a congress), and the President approves them or not. So, the lawmaking process is roughly the same in almost every country.
Is it just my poor powers of observation, or did presidential impeachments come fully into vogue in the Philippines following the Clinton ordeals? Prior to that, could the "People Power" method of changing governments have been influenced by the overthrow of the Shah of Iran? 😐
I'm sure my observational powers are extremely weak. It just seems like some things happening in all walks of Philippine life mimic some well publicized world events, but with a Pinoy twist. 🙄
Sorry Bob…I fully realize the implications and was not making fun of you but rather the PI. Beleive me I know the fine line you were threading.
I don't take myself to serious so I certianly don't expect any1 else to either.
Hi Laurence – As far as I know, nobody forced or imposed democracy on the Philippines. It is what they chose!
Thanks for that, Brian.
That in a nutshell, is why so many Filipinos of all income brackets want to leave the country.
Just recently, I chatted with a friend who is very apolitical so i usually dont talk politics with him, just mundane stuff like sports. I was surprised to hear this friend of of 18 years talk about his frustration of the system and his intent to move his family to canada. This guy who loves to golf, dive and easy life was willing leave all that behind. This was doubly surprising because I thought this guy would never dream of living outside davao.
I know so many who have left, plan to or dream to leave the country. These people are educated and range from young to old, rich and poor. Some are well-situated with beautiful homes and others are just starting out willing to leave their young kids to work abroad. To some, the reasons have now gone beyond financial stability and just pure frustration.
Maybe this is why I enjoy reading about expats' thoughts on why they love living in the Philippines. It is refreshing since all I hear are frustrations from fellow Filipinos.
It really won't take much to stem the brain drain. The citizens are not even asking for a Singapore. When the Ramos gov't offered a semblance of stability, there was an influx of returning Filipinos.
That said, I take pride in the fact that the country is a democracy with a constitution that protects the right to free speech. I wouldn't want that to change at all. It's not the system, but the mindset that needs to be changed.
Our current constitution was ratified just recently in 1987. It is flawed and needs some changes. But it was done so that the country could move on and start afresh. It is still strongly based on the US Constitution, which I am a fan of.
One of the reasons why the old 2 term, 4 year rule (like the US) was replaced by a 1 term, 6 year rule was to avoid another Marcos. No one could have guessed that it would have spawned an Estrada (or a GMA). But there are many young bright, highly skilled Filipinos in the country, I only hope that they get the chance to right this ship instead of being forced to leave it. And yes, this trend of impeachment is recent and could have been inspired by Clinton case.
I'm an optimist, so I do think things will get better.
Oh and we did CHOOSE the Democratic system. the 1898 Aguinaldo Republic was based on a Democracy. Post-Spanish and pre-US rule. Brilliant Filipino minds put that government and constitution together. There shouldn't be a reason why democracy is only exclusive in only certain parts of the world.
Bob
An interesting post here and although i have heard the clamour for impeachment, i didn't realise the political trick card of a soft impeachment could be played to hold the critics away for a year, good trick that one, although it must contribute to what i see in the Phils of a very cynical view of polotics and especially poloticians from the general population.
A benign dictator has been very hard to find down through world history and so i guess an imperfect democracy is the next best option
I liked brians disclaimer, i thought it was funny, but i am a brit and my guess is that so is brian, similar sense of humour, which sometimes doesn't translate to all nationalities, even amongst english speaking nations, seems as if Brian and bob, managed to find common ground
Whereas its important as a foreigner to keep out of detailed polotics, i do appreciate topics like this which talk about the process, rather than specifics
Hi Macky – Yes, I often tell Feyma that I feel that if the Philippines had another Ramos things would improve. Ramos had things turned in the right direction. You mentioned that during Ramos' time a lot of Filipinos started returning to the country. Actually, it was during Ramos' term that Feyma and I decided that we would move here. Estrada was already in by the time that we made it, though. I have been kind of depressed myself lately, because I see a lot of things turning for the worse (or continuing to head in that direction), and I also see the US really headed for the worse. The US Economy is in the pits, lots of people I know are losing their jobs. Things just seem to be a train wreck waiting to happen! There are some positive signs in the Philippines, and if they could just put politics aside and turn things around while the rest of the world is in a downturn, it could really set up the country to be more of a powerhouse in years ahead.
Hi Bob — I too feel the downturn in both countries (US & RP). It took me months to find a buyer for my house and my wife endured a roller coaster ride just trying to find a suitable job.
The US economy always goes in peaks & valleys but I doubt that things will pick up in a tightly contested election year in 2008. The RP economy on paper seems to be growing and I sure hope there is a trickle down effect or else there will still be 7 of 10 Filipinos frustrated with the system. This is a critical moment for the RP and I hope they take advantage of the growth.
I am always tempted to consider living an easier life by moving back to the Philippines and I am sure I am just one of many who feel this way. But the RP government has this innate skill of giving us reasons not to go back. That is one talent I give them credit for and they sure are consistent.
By the way, I'm not sure if you wrote this because of the Phil Inquirer editorial. If not, then what timing! The editorial is about the presidential impeachment and a comparison of how the first RP president to face this (Pres Quirino) handled himself admiringly and how the current situation is the complete opposite.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/edito…
Hi Macky – What a coincidence, I didn't even see that editorial. Actually, I tend to write all my articles on Sundays, then set them to post each day of the week, so I wrote this 4 days ago.
Hi Bob and to all of you. Bob, you are absolutely right regarding Ramos. And, what a coincident: Also we decided to move here for good during that time. We met Ramos personally in Berlin two months before we left Germany. He even offered his help, if we would need him for "living in the Philippines". We never asked him to help us. We met Ramos again May 2005 during a round table discussion here in Davao City. Many people asked him about a new possible presidency. His comment was: "Also Tarzan was getting older…!"
Hi Klaus – I will say another thing about Ramos too… he is not being utilized by the current administration. Ramos should be sort of an "elder statesman" who is sent around the world to promote the Philippines. He is respected, especially around Asia, and he should be put to use to assist the country! Why has he been put out to pasture? It makes no sense to me. 😥
Hi Bob, correct. Same to me…
Working in the television industry and marketing, I can pass along that the U.S. economy is facing some significant challenges right now and those challenges will likely continue through the 2008 election year. Housing prices on both coasts are facing 5% to 10% declines in valuation and hundreds of thousands of Americans are losing their homes. Gasoline prices are on the rise again and that is rippling through the economy, increasing particularly the cost of food items and transportation expenses. In the past few months, milk has gone up 41%, eggs 39%, and the average commute in your car is now up 39% as well. The continuing issues of border security with Mexico are allowing a large influx of undocumented workers to the country (estimated to be near 5 million in the past 6 years), which puts a hugh financial strain on local and state governments bordering Mexico to care for this huge new population and drives average wages lower. The impact is a lower standard of living for many in the middle class, who see politicians pandering to their concerns with little evidence of help to improve their economic futures. Many Americans are either frustrated and angry, or simply detached emotionally moving on with their lives. We'll see what the 2008 elections hold, but I expect little will be done until those elections are held. Congress and the President are setting new records in the polls for all time lows in confidence.
I would like to point out that there are going to be gigantic needs in the states for trained medical staff as the baby boomers age, with predicitons this week that the country will be one million nurses short of demand by 2020. Local colleges and universities are gearing up to meet the need, but they will be well short of supplying that staff, despite mandatory doubling of nursing courses over the next 3 years. Filipinos can expect to find jobs in this area for years to come.
Done with my ramblings here for now, except to mention the biggest economic indicator that spells serious trouble according to the nightly news, Starbucks Latte sales are off 2 months in a row.
Joe
Hi Joe – There are certainly lots of problems in the US economy, thank you for reminding us of those! I was watching NBC news last night and saw the figures on the Starbucks Lattes. I do believe things are going to get much worse before they get better.