Don't Blink: How To Win An Election You Lost and Get Away With It

 

In the 2007 mid-term elections in the Philippines, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Juan Miguel “Migs” Zubiri were closely vying for the last slot for the 12 winners for the Senatorial race. Zubiri, administration congressman and author of the Biofuels Act, was declared the winner. 

Pimentel, opposition lawyer and bar topnotcher, filed an electoral protest, citing tampered ballots, serious discrepancies between votes and voters and other poll anomalies. Obviously, these guys have class so they’re not your average run-of-the-mill petulant brats.

Pimentel has presented a compelling case but his protest is still ongoing. It’s been over two years, enough time for a young man to reach maturity, establish a career, get married and have babies, not necessarily all and not necessarily in that order.

Everybody loves a winner and everybody’s a winner during elections – a candidate either won or was cheated. That’s supposed to be a joke but it’s not funny, not even amusing. It’s a sad decades-old commentary on Philippine politics and culture. We Filipinos, by implication, are:

• Bad losers; or
• Cheaters; or
• Both

It could be worse. When you file a poll suit, you have to pay everything – all expenses for the opening and re-counting all the millions of ballots in those rusted-metal boxes, not to mention legal fees amounting to millions. Meaning:

• You should win; or
• You should be rich; or
• Both

It’s time-consuming too. In all probably, actually it’s guaranteed, the case will not be resolved until after the term of the 12^th Senator ends in 2010. If Pimentel runs in the 2010 elections, his case will be dismissed.

Legal Argument

That’s how bad it is. See, it happened in 1992. Miriam Defensor Santiago ran for President; a firebrand, real popular among students. Fidel V. Ramos was declared President. (He was a good executive and administrator, in fairness.) Santiago filed a case, but it was dismissed when she ran for Senator in 1995.

She won, but even if she didn’t, the legal argument says that her act of declaring her candidacy for Senator is tantamount to withdrawing her quest for the Presidency. That doesn’t seem fair, but it’s logical, sort of. It doesn’t make much sense, kinda like stopping to look for your lost dog because you bought a cat.

Shamed This Nation

It happened again. Happens all that time, as a matter of fact, onli in da Pilipins. In the 2004 elections, Senator Loren Legarda ran for Vice President, the running mate of the late Fernando Poe Jr. (See also “The League of Extraordinary Filipinos”) That was when the “Hello Garci!” scandal tarnished the legitimacy of the present dispensation and shamed this nation in the eyes of the world.

Gloria Arroyo, who became President in 2001 (See also “The Return of Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada – A Legal Precedent or A Constitutional Crisis?”) ran for re-election after breaking her public vow not to, and she was declared the winner.

“Noted” was one of the buzzwords of 2004, and we should note that the Chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) during that time was Benjamin Abalos, who would later be one of the accused masterminds of the NBN-ZTE bribery scandal along with Arroyo’s husband Mike (See also “Lozada Arrest Triggers Mass Condemnation”) but that’s another story.

Arroyo was wiretapped talking to Virgilio Garcillano, a Comelec commissioner. An incumbent President running for re-election calls a high-ranking election official during the canvassing of the elections returns from the polling precints. In this world of unreasonable circumstances and justified suspicions, few things can be more unethical than that.

Just like the Reader’s Digest section – no, not “Laughter Is The Best Medicine” – “That’s Outrageous!” Have we come to this?

We all heard how Garci assured her that her votes will outnumber that of FPJ by at least a million. Borrowing the words of the great hero Benigno Aquino Jr. (See also “Imaginary Interview with Ninoy Aquino”) as he fired a point-by-point rebuttal of dictatorship and martial law – “I can’t imagine the gall of these people!”

Arroyo later issued a public apology. She said she has done nothing illegal or improper. She did not take advantage of her opponents and abused her powers. Therefore, she has nothing to apologize about. She also clarified that it was her voice on the recording but she was not the one talking.

?

(See also “Why I Don’t Trust President Gloria Arroyo” and “Erap Grieves For ‘Hello Garci!’ Whistleblower Samuel Ong”)

Deserves The Trust

Legarda’s presentation of evidence was organized, consistent, specific, credible and convincing. But her protest was declared null when she ran for Senator in 2007 – the first candidate to win the No. 1 spot in the Senatorial race; the first was in 1998.

Legarda is clearly of Presidential caliber. She recently declared her candidacy for Vice President for the 2010 elections but she seems to be running single, at least for now. I’d definitely vote for her. Depend on it.

Scalding To Death

The political reality today in the Philippines in the context of the electorate can be symbolized by the proverbial and apparently scientifically-proven frog in hot water. When you drop a – euw! – frog in a pot of boiling water, he will instinctively jump out, kokak-ing curses on you. But if you place him in a pot of lukewarm water and boil it, he will even enjoy the increasing heat not realizing he is scalding to death.

Then he dies. 

Cartoon courtesy of Magpie123. Your comments are welcome and will be answered. You can link your blog with EasyHyperLinks

The Return of Joseph "Erap" Estrada -- A Legal Precedent or A Constitutional Crisis?

History is repeating itself but it doesn’t look that way. The formal announcement of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s second campaign for the presidency is actually a field day for legal eagles and law students.

The Philippine Constitution says the President will serve a single 6-year term with no re-election. Estrada was elected in 1998, so his term ended in 2004, right? But in 2001 came the Edsa 2 Revolution, and he ceased to be President.

(This was when then Vice President Gloria Arroyo got the top post and since then has been refusing to let go but that’ another story.)

Depending in where you stand politically, Estrada:

• Resigned
• Took a leave of absence
• Was deposed

There’s no point in asking, “Can Erap run again?” because he already is. The question should be, “Is Erap’s campaign illegal?”

Duh! Hello! says Romy Macalintal, Arroyo’s lawyer. Of course he will say that. Curiously though, he won’t file a motion.

Nonsense! says Makati Mayor Jojo Binay, Erap’s running mate. Of course he’ll say that. The thing is, he’s a lawyer too.

It’s like 1976 again. Ninoy Aquino was running for the Senate but was under-aged, at 34 (he should be 35) during the campaign – but he’ll be 35 on proclamation day. The Marcos administration’s tactic was to let Ninoy run and freeze him later with a Supreme Court judgment. But Ninoy’s chief legal counsel, Jovito Salonga, sealed his victory and set a landmark precedent – brilliantly – and changed the course of the country’s history.

Erap has enough excess political baggage to sink another SuperFerry, and it seems the Arroyo administration is giving him, metaphorically, enough rope to hang himself. What will happen to Erap’s comeback? Nobody knows at this point, but it gets more complicated if you ask lawyers.

At any rate, we should not that Erap was the first incumbent President to face impeachment proceedings, but he also got the biggest electoral vote in the history of Philippine politics.

Photo courtesy of Migs

9 Life Lessons from Ninoy Aquino's Spectacular Senate Victory

The major-impact triumph of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. in the 1967 elections catapulted him into the greatest adventure of his life, and taught us what it takes to be a real hero – and a true legend.

1) Get a sense of history. Ninoy was supremely tuned to the nuances of the zeitgeist. He can feel the current of destiny tugging at him. Ninoy had correctly foreseen the inevitability of countryside industrialization and the rise of the communist menace.

He also realized that his beloved Tarlac would suffer under the present administration if he continues to be governor. So he sold his Concepcion farm to his loyal farm boys: “Another five hectares I owned, I had already subdivided among the tenants. So, I had no more land. I was really landless.”

2) Defend human rights. Ninoy’s epic battle against Marcos was ignited by the Culatingan Massacre of 1966. A group of PC hitmen posing as Huk bandits sought shelter from some Concepcion farmers – and they killed them. They told Marcos that the farmers were Huk-coddlers, and the President gave them spot promotions – but Ninoy exposed the fraud and lambasted him mercilessly.

3) Defend your honor. Ninoy was being attacked relentlessly. “Boy, this regime is bad; if I run for governor it can crush me but if I run all over the country maybe I could damn it.” He told his fellow LP member Senator Villareal: “I have to be on the Senate ticket. After all, I don’t think we can make more than 3 or 4 of us win. Let me be one of those who’ll lose. I just want the chance to hit back. I’ve been hit so often.”

4) Build a good reputation. Ninoy’s track record speaks for itself. His campaign battlecry was YEH – from the Beatles’ 1967 monster hit “She Loves You Yeh-Yeh-Yeh!”

“Y” is for Youth: Ninoy was the youngest candidate at 34 – also the youngest war correspondent at 18; the youngest mayor at 21, the youngest vice-governor at 25; and the youngest governor at 27 – in Philippine history.

“E” is for Experience: Ninoy was twice awarded the Legion of Honor; the technical assistant to both President Ramon Magsaysay and President Carlos P. Garcia – and the government emissary who brought down Huk founder Luis Taruc from the mountains.

5) Be a visionary. Ninoy was one of the handful of public speakers in world history with the gift of holding an audience spellbound for hours.

“H” is for Hope: Ninoy galvanized millions with his comprehensive platform of governance which emphasizes government accountability and public access to education with his Student Loan Fund, Super Education System – and his flagship Study Now Pay Later projects.

6) Don’t take anything for granted. Ninoy knew he had to be a national figure and a household name to win. His campaign strategy had three phases. Phase 1 was “Who is Aquino?”

His mother Doña Aurora wrote to all her fellow members of the Catholic Women’s League and the Cursillo for Women; “My Deart Sister, I just want to inform you that Ninoy Aquino is my son. He is running for the Senate. Your sister, Aurora.”

His wife Cory went to wet markets and “practically all the factories in the Manila area” everyday from 8 to 4 – “On the quiet. No fanfare. But that thing sewed up the metropolitan vote for me.”

Ninoy switched his already formidable networking skills into high gear: “Everywhere I went, the first thing I did was get to the students. They were my main force, my main support. They made the noise and delivered the votes. I also harnessed my schoolmates, the San Beda and the U.P. alumni. Then I had my coordinator, the Jaycees. I was an Outstanding Jaycees in 1960 and had always attended conferences. When I hit a town I looked for the Jaycees and the provincial correspondents: they kept me informed. So there my troops: students, Jaycees and newsmen.”

7) Reach out to people. Ninoy knew he must get his message across clearly and directly to the people. Phase 2 was “Why vote for Aquino?”

Ninoy was one of the first candidates to see the potential of helicopters. “Arrive from 2000 feet up and people will gather from all over to watch you come down. Right there you have an audience.”

He and Gaudencio Antonino of the administration NP turned these aerial novelties into campaign charms: “Antonino and I exposed ourselves to more people, shook hands with more people. While the average candidate covered only from 200 to 250 towns, Antonino and I reached from 600 to 700 towns.”

Ninoy even won in Marcos’ bailiwick “because so many people there actually saw and heard me; if there had only been free elections I might have been third or fourth in Northern Luzon.”

8) Don’t get intimidated by the opponent. Ninoy was running for the Senate because he knew he was worthy of the office – and he had the guts and the brains to be a very effective legislator and fiscalizer. Phase 3 was “Vote for Aquino!”

Ninoy found himself almost alone in a Leyte plaza because of an LP slip and the impending typhoon Welming. “There I was in Tacloban, holding the fort, in my red jacket with the skulls-and-bones in it, and a Comelec case hanging around my neck, speaking to a crowd of 5 that became 15, then 200, then 300 people.” Ninoy “spoke for an hour and right after my speech the rain came. Jiminy crickets!”

The ’67 race quickly became an electrifying Ninoy vs. Marcos slugfest. Political analysts twit that “Ninoy was baiting Mr. Marcos all the way and the President, alas, kept biting,” wrote Nick Joaquin in The Aquinos of Tarlac -- and “Ninoy became legitimate news in all the media.”

E-Day was November 14. The night before, Ninoy was already in Plaza Miranda. “At two o’clock in the morning I was still hurling bombas, the final bombas of the campaign.”

9) Uphold the rule of law. The legal age in running for senator is 35 but Ninoy would still be 34 if he wins but he’ll be 35 by the time he’s proclaimed. What to do? It was a first in local jurisprudence but Ninoy had a secret weapon: the beautiful mind of Senator Jovito Salonga.

JV Cruz was making okray on national TV: “Well, Ninoy, will you abide by the decision of the Supreme Court, whatever it may be?” Ninoy said: “Gladly, JV. We should never undermine the highest tribunal of the land. I want, if given the chance, to restore the faith of the people in the judiciary.” JV said: “Oh, you mean to say that you don’t have faith in it now?” Just then, a note was passed to Ninoy.

Ninoy read it. He looked at JV and said: “I would like to inform you that I just won the case.”

(Source: “The Aquinos of Tarlac” by Nick Joaquin)

Visit IAmNinoy and tribute site Ninoy Aquino

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14 Leadership Lessons From The Late Great President Manuel L. Quezon

President Manuel L. Quezon is one of the most significant and fascinating world leaders in the 20th century. The lessons from his brilliant life are both timely and timeless.

1) Love your country. On the way home after lobbying for the Tydings-McDuffie Law in the U.S., Quezon taught the Ile de France ship orchestra how to play the Philippine national anthem – by tapping the piano with one finger while legendary pianist Jan Paderewski watched in amazement.

Manuel L. Quezon is a patriot of the first order: “Rightly conceived, felt and practiced, nationalism is a tremendous force for good. It strengthens and solidifies a nation. Community interest is made active. It preserves the best traditions of the past and adds zest to the ambition of enlarging the inheritance of the people.”

But there is no such thing as unconditional love of country: “Let us look at ourselves stripped of the veil and trappings with which in our vanity we cover ourselves.”

2) Lead by example. Although his health was rapidly deteriorating just when the Japanese invasion was at its fiercest, Quezon relentlessly cheered his soldiers on and boosted their morale.

“He risked his own life while on a motor visit of the coast artillery batteries of Corregidor during which he met with the boys,” witnessed his biographer Sol H. Gwekoh. “The trip proved so much for his health that he was given a dose of morphine the next day the relive him of severe coughing, an attack of asthma and a high fever.”

3) Promote health. Quezon built dozens of hospitals, puericulture centers, public dispensaries and free clinics throughout the country. He focused government resources in the battle against TB, leprosy and malaria.

He mandated industrial hygiene with the aim of “correcting unsanitary environment and sanitary deficiencies in commercial, industrial and agricultural establishments.”

4) Promote education. Quezon established free primary schools, collegiate normal schools, and agricultural- and trade schools throughout the country. He created the Office of Adult Education “for the elimination of illiteracy and for the instruction in the fundamentals of citizenship.”

He envisioned the University of the Philippines as the most modern and best-equipped institute of higher learning in the Orient – and released Php 17,500,000 for its new 600-hectare campus in Diliman.

5) Promote self-reliance. Quezon introduced the cooperative systems to farmer-tenants and spearheaded the annual Made-in-the-Philippines Week of the Bureau of Commerce to “meet the immediate necessity of producing in our country all the articles of food and clothing that our people may need.”

He created nine new cities: Cavite, Tagaytay, San Pablo, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Dansalan and Davao.

6) Promote growth and progress. Quezon created the National Economic Council to coordinate the “proper relationship between economic activities and national needs, correlate productive energy with labor, capital and credit facilities, and direct the wise utilization of our national resources.”

Producers dealt directly with buyers through the National Produce Exchange. Fish-pond owners got loans and contracts with canneries from the National Food Products Corporation.

7) Promote the rule of law. Quezon expanded the judiciary. The Supreme Court had 7 justices; the Court of Appeals had 15; the courts of first instance had 62 judges; the court of Industrial Relations had 3 judges; and 747 justices-of-the-peace were deployed in the towns.

Government lawyers were assigned in the provinces and were “empowered to prosecute monetary claims for indigent persons, protect their rights against unscrupulous employers, and defend them in court in criminal cases.”

8) Protect worker’s rights. Quezon created the Court of Industrial Relations to “fix minimum wages for laborers and maximum rentals to be paid by tenants and to enforce compulsory arbitration between employers and employees.”

He signed into law the Workmen’s Compensation Act, the Eight-Hour Labor Law and the Woman and Child Labor Law. He also broadened the functions of the Department of Labor to include the continuous employment of job-seekers.

9) Protect human dignity. Quezon issued Commonwealth Act No. 2 to acquire landed estates and grant them to tenant-farmers. He also created the National Land Settlement Administration to appropriate public lands for new homesteads.

10) Be clear. After his election, he gathered his campaign supporters for a thanksgiving dinner: “Gentlemen, let there be no misunderstanding between us. Of course I know, now that I am in office, that you do not anticipate any political favors. You have contributed to my campaign, but surely you do not expect to derive profit from having done so. If you have such an assumption, you would be dishonoring yourselves, by suggesting that you had attempted to bribe the President.”

11) Be decisive. When the war broke out, Quezon said to Gen. Douglas McArthur: “I want your answer to just one question: Are the islands defensible?”

McArthur said “Yes” – and Quezon appointed him as his military adviser on the spot.

12) Be consistent. Time and again Quezon would reiterate his unchanging vision for the country: “This is a government of right. I am ready to fight the world for the right of workers and be on their side when they are right, but I would not stand by them when they are wrong.”

13) Be committed to an ideal. After taking his oath before Chief Justice Ramon Avanceña on Nov. 15, 1935 in Manila, Quezon delivered his first Inaugural: “We shall build a government that will be just, honest efficient and strong, so that the foundations of the coming Republic may be firm and enduring.”

14) Appeal to man’s higher nature. After taking his oath before Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos on Dec. 30 1941 in Corregidor, Quezon delivered his second Inaugural: “We are fighting for human liberty and justice, for those principles of individual freedom which we all cherish and without which, life would not be worth living. Indeed, we are fighting for our independence.”

(See videos “In Memory Of Our Beloved Philippine President” and “Manuel Luis Quezon.” Photo of Quezon’s Inaugural courtesy of Answers.com. This story originally appeared in Philippine Panorama. Your comments are welcome and will be answered. You can link your blog with EasyHyperLinks -- just delete "target" before posting)

Why The World Needs People Power

Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin both warned that when people choose personal convenience above civil liberties, they are doomed to lose both. Those who equate People Power with “mob rule” don’t see it for what it really is: a vibrant manifestation of the citizens’ inalienable rights to free speech and assembly.

If Richard Nixon didn’t resign when the Watergate scandal broke out then he faced impeachment by bribing Congress, the people would have taken to the streets. Americans don’t understand our political situation because they never came to that point, and this is true as with the Japanese and South Koreans.

This is because public officials in nations with a tradition of honor step down on their own initiative when they have broken the law, abused their powers, tainted their office and lost their mandate.

There is nothing Unconstitutional about People Power. It’s just that we Filipinos are like stubborn mules: we need a solid whack in the head. It’s amusing since we don’t have mules in the Philippines, but it’s not a joke to realize that we are one of those countries without a tradition of honor, and that’s why the world needs People Power – to remind us that true democracy is, and always will be, the freedom of the people to uphold the rule of law.

This freedom should be defended, in the immortal words of Archibald McLeish, “by truth when it is attacked by lies; by democratic faith when it is attacked by authoritarian dogma. Always, and in the final act, by determination and faith.”

Image courtesy of DocMuzic. This story originally appeared in the Op-Ed section of BusinessMirror. It also appeared in AllVoices -- with videos

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A Prayer for Cory Aquino

Manila – As the nation prays for the recovery of former President Aquino, a series of healing masses across the country united a chronically-fragmented society.

“A Prayer for Tita Cory” was written by Margarita Juico, Mrs. Aquino’s appointments secretary and editor of Cory Aquino: An Intimate Portrait.

The final version came from Makati Rep. Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin Jr., Cory’s presidential speechwriter, and one of the best wordsmiths of his generation.

2Rivers joins the nation in praying for Cory’s recovery by reprinting that prayer in full, courtesy of Inquirer.net.

Prayer for Tita Cory "Father in heaven, Source of goodness and strength, Author of life and love and liberty, we come to You to pray for our sister Tita Cory, the mother of our freedom, source of our strength in its constant defense. We come to You with heavy hearts at the thought of all the suffering she has endured because we will not let her go. "You took the hand of our Tita Cory through every trial she has undergone, every challenge she confronted, and every cross she took on herself – from the imprisonment, exile and assassination of her beloved Ninoy, to the liberation of our country, and the unflagging defense of freedom. Take her hand again and ease her pain; give her, in what life You will still give her, a measure of the Infinite Joy that surely awaits those who suffer with you. "Lord Jesus, You took on our human nature to free us from the dominion of evil. Look with loving kindness and care upon our Tita Cory who, in humble imitation of You, freed us from the domination of evil in our political life. Not once, not twice but again and again, with every threat of its return. "Divine Healer, Source of wisdom and light, stay with Tita Cory the way she has always stood by Your teachings in the face of every temptation offered by power and position. To You alone she has always turned because she loves you with the expectation of no other reward but to love You even more. "Blessed Mother, bless and protect the family of Tita Cory, her children and her grandchildren. Let them feel, in this trying time, the grace of which Dear Mother you abound. Allay their fears and anxieties, with the promise of your constant presence and protection. Soften the pain at the sight of their mother’s suffering. Let them find peace in your grace, Dear Mother of God, comfort in your love, solace and strength in your Blessed Mother’s example at the passion and death of your Son. "In the name of God, Almighty Father Who gave us Tita Cory; in the name of His Son Jesus Christ Who suffered and died for our sins; in the name of the Holy Spirit -- let us pray that she whose every heartbeat is an act of love for God, whose breath is a prayer and every exhalation a divine praise; let us pray that from this moment her pain will cease and she will know the perfect peace, the unceasing grace, the indescribable joy of the union she has always sought to keep with God. "Dear Lord, give us the strength to bear whatever may come with the courage, fortitude, and grace that our beloved Tita Cory has shown at every crisis of her life in our nation’s cause -- so that our conduct shall honor her example and show us worthy of her devotion to God, to country, to Holy Mother Church, and to us. When the final hour comes to us as well, remind us, Dear God, of her example. All these we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen."

Photo of Cory courtesy of Wawam. This story originally appeared in AllVoices – including Cheche Lazaro’s complete 4-part “Probe” special feature; and the complete video of Cory 's historic speech at the United States Congress.

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Abu Sayyaf Amnesty -- NO! NO! NO!

Manila – First, I want to state for the record that I deeply admire and respect Senator Richard Gordon, concurrent national chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross – I even want him to become President – and his starring role in my story “The League of Extraordinary Filipinos” should speak for itself.

But I disagree with him about granting amnesty to the criminal syndicate Abu Sayyaf – a bunch of traitorous and greedy kidnappers, nothing more and nothing less.

Our world is full of evil, but still, if you look closely, you will find the good side of a bad guy, even a kleptomaniac Manila police or an extortionistic MMDA traffic enforcer.

But the Abu Sayyaf has absolutely no redeeming value whatsoever.

Am I being judgmental? You mean you are not? They can judge me – and I’d still say that the Abu Sayyaf are scum of the earth.

The July 16, 2009 editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer captured the sentiments of 2Rivers. Here are some of the salient passages, courtesy of Inquirer.net.

“The idea is assuredly well-intentioned, but it is based on a fundamental error and must be rejected.”

“The amnesty proposal is based on the misconception that the Abu Sayyaf Group – shifting and expanding and shrinking and shifting again over at least the last decade and a half – is an ideological organization with political aims. But no, it most emphatically isn’t. It is a criminal enterprise, whose fortunes ebb and flow according to the failure or success of its kidnapping operations.”

“We ask: To solve the dangerous crime of armed robbery, should we declare an amnesty for all bank robbers?”

“The Abu Sayyaf is a bandit group; it is a loose network of criminal gangs that grows whenever there is a successful kidnapping.”

“For criminals like these, amnesty will not work. It will simply embolden them to continue doing what they are doing.”

Richard Gordon photo courtesy of WorldNews. This story originally appeared in AllVoices

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Why Gloria Arroyo's Cha-Cha Could Be The Worst Thing To Happen To Our Country

This piece was originally written as a Letter to the Editor that appeared in the Manila Times [December 2006] and BusinessMirror [January 2007]. Unfortunately, it is still relevant. Some Filipino politicians are magicians. They use hocus-pocus on their elections and abracadabra on their term limits. Their oath to protect the Constitution is an illusion. The proponents of parliamentarism use misdirection, sleights-of-hand and nebulous chants like “Gridlock.” But there are also 6 concrete reasons why they should stop their tricks. 1. The problem is the people and not the system. Character has nothing to do with the form of government: a good citizen will assume responsibility for his actions whether he’s under a President, Prime Minister or Chancellor; a greedy politician will steal whether they call him Congressman, Assemblyman or MP. The best deterrent against abuse is responsible oversight with punitive sanctions .Another crucial factor is our cultural habit of contaminating on-paper feasibility with graft and influence peddling (i.e., checkpoints, military pensions, the electricity stock market, PCGG, MMDA). Equity of the incumbent does not mean “What are we in power for?” There is absolutely no reason to become parliament unless he Philippines is joining the European Union. 2. The proponents of unicameral parliamentarism are engaging in doublespeak. It is duplicity to cite successful parliaments without saying that they are all bicameral (i.e., Britain’s House of Lords and House of Commons; Japan’s House of Representatives and House of Councilors; Germany’s Bundestag and Reichstag). The fact that parliamentarism leads to partisan backstabbing and political blackmail (i.e., the Tories expelled Churchill for criticizing Chamberlain’s policies against free trade in 1904; Syria’s Assad forced the Lebanese parliament to extend the puppet Lahoud’s term in 2004) is not mentioned at all. 3. It is proven that a solid check-and-balance mechanism is vital because it’s part of our Filipino culture to abuse power. In 1972, Martial Law was declared with the ultimate aim of one-party unicameral parliament without term limits – and the Senate, media, political opposition, freedom of assembly, the Constitution and the Supreme Court were abolished. The President used anarchy as an excuse for emergency powers to cancel the 1973 presidential elections. In 2006, Martial Law was about to be declared with the ultimate aim of a one-party unicameral parliament without term limits – but the U.S. Government intervened. Instead, there was E.O. 464 (against the Senate); Proclamation 1017 (against media and political opposition); the Calibrated Pre-emptive response (against freedom of assembly) and the People’s Initiative signature drive (against the Constitution) – but the Supreme Court declared them unconstitutional. An attempt to place an administration ally as the next Chief Justice backfired. An attempt to postpone the 2007 elections also failed. An attempt to convene a Constituent Assembly without the Senate nor even 2/3 of the House ended disastrously. The gameplan now is a Constitutional Convention with last-term administration congressmen and their allies as delegates. A clear and present danger is a plebiscite fraud given the Comelec’s track record. Time will reveal if the President will use anarchy as an excuse for emergency powers to cancel the 2010 presidential elections – or even the 2007 midterm. 4. It is proven that one-party unicameral parliaments always result in corrupt dictatorships – and always end in violent revolutions. This was the fate of Sukarno of Indonesia; U Nu of Burma; Mirza of Pakistan; Peron of Argentina; Batista of Cuba; Selassie of Ethiopia; Somoza of Nicaragua; Duvalier of Haiti; Bao Dai and Ngo Din Diem of Vietnam; and Saddam of Iraq, to name a few. If Marcos was toppled peacefully, it is because Cory Aquino was the clear winner in the snap polls; the coup leaders were trapped in Camp Crame ; and Cardinal Sin was still alive. It should be noted the “The World’s Biggest Thief” in the Guinness Records is the head of a one-party unicameral parliament without term limits. On the other hand, multi-party bicameral parliaments are historical evolutions of monarchies (i.e., France , Italy , Spain , Thailand ). Subsequently, their former colonies adapted that form (i.e., Britain ’s India , Singapore , Malaysia and Australia ). It is self-evident that their success lies in their people and not their system. 5. It is proven that presidential-bicameral is the most effective political structure in history. The U.S. Founding Fathers framed their Constitution using Montesquieu’s ideas of a two-house Legislative branch and an untouchable Judiciary in 1787. Since then, the United States has progressed to be the richest and most powerful nation in the world. With the same Constitution for over two centuries, none of their 43 Presidents ever tried to perpetuate himself in power. If we hear about their mistakes, like the Abu Ghraib and FEMA fiascoes, it is because they regard freedom of the press and the right to demand accountability as sacred trusts. This is why Americans are proud to be Americans. 6. It is proven that the presidential-bicameral form is perfect for the Philippines . With a directly elected president and an independent two-house Congress, our country has achieved unprecedented economic prosperity and political stability under Presidents Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, and the early years of Marcos. The downward spiral began during Marcos’ legally doubtful second term: ambition blinded him – and he summoned the nightmares of Absolute Power that still haunt us even after more than three decades. But in a larger sense, the most compelling argument against parliamentarism is the Arroyo administration itself. A public office is not a blank cheque, but the Cha-cha Express is like Mussolini’s Fascist train: it runs over people just to arrive on time. President Gloria Arroyo has already backtracked, but she should also realize that word of honor is non-negotiable. A President “has one profound duty to the nation: to exert moral leadership,” to quote the great U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower. A President “should stand, visible and uncompromising, for what is right and decent -- in government, in the business community, in the private lives of the citizens. For decency is one of the main pillars of a sound civilization. An immoral nation invites its own ruin.” Photo of Batasang Pambansa courtesy of VistaPilipinas.com

Abraham Lincoln and The Art of Statesmanship

General Ulysses S. Grant was given hero’s welcome as he arrived in Washington on March 1864 to assume command of all the Union armies – but the President didn’t hijack his moment of glory because he believed that the “the path to ambition” was wide enough for both of them “to walk it abreast.” The legend of Abraham Lincoln shall not perish from the earth. In her latest bestselling masterpiece A Team Of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (Simon & Schuster; 944 pages), Pulitzer Prizewinning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin opens a treasure trove of insightful and illuminating inside stories on America’s 16th President, and reveals a no-holds-barred examination of his failings – and his strengths. “The decision to appoint his political enemies to his Cabinet was perhaps the most obvious example of his emotional strength,” says Goodwin. But happily for us, “there were many others, all of which highlighted a different aspect of it.” Empathy. Lincoln had the gift of intuitively understanding the feelings, motives and desires of others. Although he was an anti-slavery advocate, he never demonized the slave-owners. “If slavery did not now exist amongst them,” he said, “they would not introduce it.” “In the largest sense,” says Goodwin, “Lincoln’s empathy allowed him to absorb the sorrows and hopes of his countrymen, to sense their shifting moods so he could shape and mould their opinions with the right words and the right deeds at the right time.” Humor. Lincoln was more than meets the eye. He may have been crying on the inside, but he was laughing – and spreading good cheer – on the outside. “Though a stain of melancholy was part of his nature, Lincoln possessed a remarkable sense of humor and a gift for story-telling,” says Goodwin. Even more amazing, “his seemingly limitless stock were directly applicable to a point being argued. Many were self-deprecatory, all were hilarious.” Lincoln was a master of making okray. One of his pet anecdotes is when Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen went and Britain and saw a picture of George Washington in an outhouse – and he said it was appropriate because “there is nothing that will make an Englishman s__ so quick as the sight of Genl Washington.” Magnanimity. Lincoln’s chief rivals for the Republican nomination – William Henry Seward, Salmon P. Chase and Edward Bates – all have humiliated and insulted him. They were speechless when he was chosen to be the standard-bearer; they were stunned when he won the Presidency – and they were shocked when he appointed them all to crucial posts. “We needed the strongest men of the party to the Cabinet,” the President told reporters. “I had no right to deprive the country of their service.” Generosity of spirit. The administration was scandalized when Congress exposed how middle-men had scammed the government by delivering useless army supplies – and the President publicly took the blame and declared that he himself and his entire Cabinet “were at least equally responsible.” On war tactics, Lincoln thought Grant “should go down the river” but Grant went another way – and achieved the spectacular victory in Vicksburg. The President told him later, “I now wish to make the personal acknowledgement that you were right and I was wrong.” Perspective. Lincoln had the “ability to yield lesser concerns for more important ones,” says Goodwin. The President was facing pressure because of rumors of Grant’s drinking. After investigating it himself, he said that what was more important is that “Grant’s drinking did not affect his unmatched ability to plan, execute and win battles.” Self-control. When Robert E. Lee escaped from Gen. George Meade, the President was “dejected and discouraged,” and he wrote a scathing letter to Meade: “He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely” – but he never sent it. “When angry at someone, Lincoln would occasionally write a hot letter,” according to Goodwin, “but then would invariably put it aside until he had cooled down, at which point he no longer needed to send it.” A sense of balance. Lincoln’s “ability to think creatively and retain an even keel was rooted in the constructive ways he would dispel worry and anxiety,” says Goodwin. The President’s refuge was watching stage-plays. Lincoln was watching Henry IV while an assistant was watching him and observed: “He has forgotten the war. He has forgotten Congress. He is out of politics. He is living in Prince Hal’s time.” A social conscience. Lincoln’s life was an emotional roller-coaster but he had a beautiful soul. “Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition,” he said in a speech when he was 23. “I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem.” Abraham Lincoln now belongs to the ages. “Nearly two centuries after his birth,” says Goodwin, “we can say with certainty that the ambition that powered Lincoln from his earliest days – the desire to establish an admirable reputation on earth so that his story could be told after he died – has been realized far beyond his fondest hopes.”