In My Own Words - Ron Centeno

Kung bakit paurong ang pamumuhay ni Juan dela Cruz, ito’y dapat nating usisahin.

Kaya ko nasabing paurong, dahil bago pa man sumalakay ang mga Hapon noong pangalawang pandaigdigang digmaan, ay sadya namang namamayagpag ang ating bayan. Kaliwa’t kanan ang natatanggap nating papuri mula sa ating mga karatig na bansa. Demokratiko daw tayo ‘di tulad nila. Sa katunayan, lamang lang ng konti ang mga “Sakang” noon sa atin. Sa ibang salita, pangalawa tayo sa Asia na kung saan ang mga Japon ang number one.

Ang halaga ng peso noong araw laban sa dolyar ay dalawa laban sa isa. Ngayon, 47 laban sa isa. Kung baga sa basketbol, tambak tayo.

Walang binatbat ang South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, at Vietnam sa atin noong mga panahon na yon. Lalong walang-wala ang Singapore at Taiwan dahil di pa sila nalilikha bilang mga bansa. Kung baga, sila’y mga palaisdaan pa lamang. 1965 naitatag ang Singapore; 1949 naman ang Taiwan nang patalsikin ni Mao si Chiang. Sobra kasing “corrupt” ‘tong si Chiang dala ng kanyang pagka-kapit sa Imperyalistang Kano. Yon, nasipa siya tuloy mula China papuntang ewan, I mean, Taiwan.

Ang dalawang panig ng Korea naman mula 1950 – 1953 ay walang puknat sa kanilang away militarismo. “Unification’ ang nais ng bawat panig. Nais ng mga taga South sila ang mamuno. Ganon din ang nais ng mga taga North. Dahil parehong ayaw pumayag, nauwi tuloy sa digmaan. Natapos ang giyera ng dalawa ngunit tabla ang kinalabasan nito. “Armistice” daw sabi ng United Nation. Kaya hanggang ngayon, ang “South” at “North” nagiisnaban pa rin sa isat-isa.

Mula ng maging Kumunista ang Norteng Korea, dalawa pa lang ang naging lider nito. Ang mag-amang Kim. Una si Kim Il-sung at ang kasalukuyang anak nitong tila may tama sa pag-iisip na si Kim Jong-Il. Alam niyo bang takot sumakay ng eroplano tong is Kim Jong-Il. Kaya nong pumunta ng Russia, train ang sinakyan niya.

Wagi si McArthur at nailigtas ang mga Koreanong dikit sa mga Kano laban sa mga Koreanong dikit sa Russo. Siyanga pala, para sa inyong kaalaman, si Ninoy na asawa ni Cory, na tatay ni Kris Aquino, at si Ninoy pa rin na pinaslang ng alam niyo na kung sino, ay nakilala bilang “correspondent” noong pumutok ang Korean War sa edad labingwalo. Kayo, nasan kayo sa murang edad na dice ocho? Ako sa may kanto, pabanjing-banjing lang.

Of course, ‘di na natin kailangang talakayin kung anong nangyari sa Vietnam dahil alam na alam niyo na ang buong detalye ng mga pangyayari. Sa dami ba naman ng pelikulang may temang Vietnam War, marahil memoryado niyo na ang kasaysayan nito. Anyway, sampung taon silang nagpatayan doon mula 1965 – 1975.

Huwag kayong magtaka kong bakit tiklop ang mga G. I. Joes sa Vietnam. ‘Di umubra ang bangis ni Rambo taliwas sa mga eksenang napanood niyo sa mga pelikula nito.
Teka, ano na ang nangyari sa ating bidang si Juan dela Cruz? Sori! Naparami ang kuwento.

Tumbukin na natin kung bakit ‘tong si Juan sikmura’y walang laman. Kung inabot niyo si Marcos, (ako bata pa ako non, hehehe…) marahil isipin niyong isa siya sa pangunahing dahilan kung bakit naghihingalo si Juan. Idagdag mo pa si Erap na sa loob lamang ng 30 buwan na panunungkulan, bulsa niya’y nagkalaman. Isama no rin si Gloria na di na rin mabilang ang nakamkam na pera sa kaban ng ating naghihingalong bayan.

Pagusapan natin ng konti si Marcos. Sa mga nakasubaybay ng kanyang mapangahas na regimen, nanggagalaiti nating balikan ang kanyang panunungkulan.

Ayon sa saligang batas ng 1935, dalawang beses lang ang termino ng pangulo. Dahil dito, nais sanang palitan ni Marcos ang konstitusiyon, Charter Change, ‘ika nga, upang magpatuloy siya sa puwesto. From presidential to parliamentary daw. Sa ganon puwede siyang tumakbo sa Ilocos at gawing Prime Minister. “Sound familiar”? Dahil ‘di pumayag ang mga mambabatas sa kagustuhan ni Marcos at dahil tuta siya ng mga Kano, mapangahas niyang diniklara ang batas militar noong Setyembre 21, 1972, under proclamation number 1081.

Katuwiran pa ni Marcos ay sa dahilang laganap kuno ang panggugulo ng mga maka-kaliwa o CPP-NPA. Terrorista raw ang mga ito at nagkalat ang mga dinamita na sumasabog sa mga establisamento sa Metro Manila. Totoong maraming pinapapasabog na dinamita. Ang hindi maintindihan ng mga iba ay kung bakit madaling araw sila sumasabog at wala man lang naiulat na namamatay maliban sa Plaza Miranda, kung saan walo sa mga kanditatong Senador na laban sa kanya ay malubhang nasugatan. Meron ding mga namatay na supporters nila. Dahil late si Ninoy na dumating, hindi siya natamaan. Mabilis namang ginawang dahilan ng kampo ni Marcos na si Ninoy ang pasimuno ng pagpapasabog sa Plaza Miranda.

Ngunit ang maliwanag na dahilan ay ang ‘orchestrated’ na plano ni Marcos, Fabian Ver, at ang dating Secretary of Defense at kasalukuyang Pangulo ng Senado ngayon na si Juan Ponce Enrile. Yes, si Enrile ang “architect” ng Martial Law nong panahon ni Marcos.

Of course, ang Martial Law ay di pangkaraniwang batas. Maliwanag kay Marcos yan. Kaya, kinakailangan ang masusing suporta ng militar para labanan ang marahas na reaksiyon ng mamayan. Kinailangan din ni Marcos ang pagsangayon ng pamahalaang Washington. Mapangahas na “OO” ang sagot ni Nixon at Kissinger sa hiling ni Marcos na pumayag ang mga ito kung sakaling ipairal niya ang batas militar. Hindi siya nagpatumpik-tumpik at sa mga sumunod na taon, ang Pilipinas ay nakabalot sa mabagsik na kamay ng diktadorang Marcos.

Una sa listahan ni Marcos ay ang pangalang Ninoy Aquino. Kumunista raw ito at kailangang dakipin. Sa kasawiang palad, mahaba ang listahan niya, kaya marami ang nadakip, nakulong, at napaslang. Ang masama ay ang walang katotohanan na ang mga ito ay maka-kaliwa at lalong hindi sila terrorista.

Dahil lahat ng kontra kay Marcos ay pawang patay na o ‘di man nakakulong na, walang pakundangan niya at mga galamay niya na gahasahin ang kaban ng bayan.
Mahigit dalawampung-taon ang lumipas mula nang maluklok si Marcos sa kapangyarihan nang sabay-sabay na magalit ang mga katulad ni Juan dela Cruz na lugmok sa kahirapan. “Tama na, sobra na”, ang nagkaisang sigaw nila. Sa EDSA, kung saan sila nagipon-ipon, walang takot na hinarang ang sibat. Nanaig ang galit ng mga Filipino at sa wakas, bumagsak ang mapang-aping rehimen ni Marcos.

Ilang taon mula nang mapatalsik si Marcos, ilang mga pangulo at politico na rin ang naupo, at heto na naman tayo. Ika nga ni Garry Valenciano, “Di na natuto.” Para silang recycle na tabo, pabalik-balik lang.

Hindi ko na kailangang isalaysay sa inyo ang mga masasamang pangyayari sa liderato ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Alam ko namang kabisado niyo na rin ang kalakalan ng kanyang pamumuno.

Mula sa isyung “Hello Garci”, “Fertilizer Scam”, “ZTE Scam” at ang kasalukuyang “Illegal Bidding Scam”, at kung ano-ano pang scam, alam kong sariwa pa lahat ang mga yan sa inyong mga isipan.

Ang mahalaga, naitawid ko sa inyo ang maiksing kuwento ng rehimeng Marcos. Kaya ko nasabing mahalaga, dahil sa mga nakikita kong galaw ni Gloria, para siyang reincarnation ng Marcos era. Remember, “History repeats itself”.

SANA MALI AKO…

If I had to view the many faces of graft and corruption, I should not look farther. In all my adulthood, I have come in close contact with people whose daily subsistence is earned through illegal means - from police officers to district attorneys, from clergymen to school principals, from municipal clerks to lawmakers. I am referring, of course, to those public officials or otherwise who thrive in the Philippines.

Beginning from the Marcos administration (1965 – 1987) to today’s sitting president, graft and corruption is perpetrated on a daily basis. Found in the book, International Business, Hill, (2007), “The government of the late Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines was famous for demanding bribes from foreign businesses wishing to set up operations in that country”. Part of the former dictator’s unscrupulous entourage was his equally infamous wife, Imelda. Known as the Philippine Iron Butterfly, Imelda had to salivate with her 3,000 pairs of shoes while 70% of the country’s population had to worry about what they would put on their table. The loot that the Marcoses had taken from the treasury’s coffer is figured on a grand scale.

Moreover, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the current president, had to call an election official during the counting of the ballots to ensure her lead in the last presidential election in 2004. Arroyo was then running for re-election.

Further, prior to Arroyo’s catapult to power in 2000, a duly elected president named Joseph Estrada, was thrown out from office for corruption. Estrada was accused of pocketing four billion pesos or roughly equivalent to $500 million in just over three years of office!

I am not here, however, to dwell with all of that. What I want to talk about are the kinds of graft and corruption and bribery that the many Filipinos and I have come face to face on a regular basis, either on the streets or government offices.

When I walk-in to apply for a driver’s license, I should not worry whether I know how to drive or not. For as long as I know someone from the “inside” or have the grease money for a bribe, I should get my license without undergoing a test drive.

The same is true when I apply for a building permit if I were a contractor. Government offices are notorious in delaying tactics. But there is always a way to expedite the processing of the application. One has to know someone in that office or has some money to bankroll the processing.

If I needed a school diploma from a reputable school, I don’t have to burn my eyebrows to earn a high score, I can perhaps slip some money under my professor’s table and my report card would look good at the end of the semester. In fact, in the last Nursing Licensure Examination, the examinees were asked to take the test again when a reported “leak” was found, resulting in a dismissal of a government examiner who provided advanced questions to a review school.

When I drive and incur a traffic infraction, I should not worry about the penalty. I can always negotiate with the traffic enforcer. If I had to serve a time in jail and I were a public official, it is possible that I could live in comfort through my power and connections.

All these are but a few of the many instances of bribe and corruption that have formed part of Philippine culture.

History would tell us that the Philippines was under the administration of the United States from 1898 to 1946, (1946 - Philippine independence from the United States). Back then, the country was an economic powerhouse in the Southeast Asian region. Apparently, the Western ethics was well in place. In the hindsight, I would like to believe that when the power was transferred from Washington to Manila, the Filipinos were not ready to run their own affairs.

Indeed, in less than a couple of decades, a dictatorial regime had interrupted the constitutional process that was handed and left to us by the Americans. In the next 21 years, the country had never experienced a decent national election. Part of those years, the country was under military rule or martial law. When Marcos finally deposed in 1987, graft and corruption has rooted into practice. And like any virus that would not go away, this social plague would surely linger for such a long time.

By and large, the Philippines is replete with pestering corruptions. This is not new, I must admit. I deem, however, important to provide concrete validation to prove the worthiness of such claim. In 2008, according to the Berlin-based organization Transparency International, the Philippines ranked 141st - sharing the gross distinction with Cameron, Iran, and Yemen. At the bottom is Somalia, number 180. In Southeast Asia, we are slightly better than Myanmar (178) and Laos (151).

Indeed, corruption is not new in the Philippines. From the previous administrations of Quirino, Marcos, Estrada, and to the country’s current administration (Arroyo’s), corruption has been recycled in many ways, only with different personalities.

Let us look at the current breed of our country’s menacing malpractice. As of late, and as usual, Jose Miguel ‘Mike’ Arroyo’s foremost name is twice mentioned in the World Bank report on the blacklisting of E. C. de Luna Construction, Cavite Ideal Construction and the CM Pancho Construction, three Filipino construction firms which participated in the failed bidding for NRIMP-1. (Let’s set aside ZTE and Fertilizer scams for now). On that report, an informant provided disclosures to World Bank investigators the details of purported corrupt practices involving multi-million peso public works projects.

Specifically, found on Page 68 of the WB report showed Mike Arroyo to be “behind” three persons actively involved in “arranging collusive bid schemes on behalf of the contractors and politicians.” (Collusion is a secret understanding between two or more persons to gain something illegally, to defraud another of his or her rights, or to appear as adversaries through an agreement).

Moreover, on Page 124, the text read, “August 9, jerrypunch e-mailed again” and noted that “the corruption involvement in this bidding is extensively from FG (e.i., the First Gentleman), congressmen to DPWH office and contractors; and no one has the ability to stop it.”

Let’s dip further into what the informant would have to divulge on how the trick works in this supposed World Bank report.
“Traditionally, contractors in the Philippine construction projects would obtain the ABC (domestically financed projects) for package by bribing individuals within the agency. The bidders would then coordinate which contractor could win the bid”, the informant said.

“But this system has changed and in many instances now, politicians organize the bidding contractors to engage in a sort of auction, where the contractor willing to pay the largest bribe can win the politicians’ support. The politicians then work to ensure that the ‘winning contractor’ wins the contract”, he said.

The informant further revealed that in large government contracts, the process was completely fixed. So that prices and winners and losers are determined before the bidding even takes place. To ensure the system works, “everyone cooperates with the collusive scheme, because they are scared. They know they have to cooperate. The bidders who do not cooperate are subject to elimination from bidding in the future contracts”, he said.

The informant continued, “in order to prequalify to bid on contracts, the company has to be cleared with certain government officials or politicians. If the company did not cooperate with officials, they would ‘kick you out’.“

Finally, he said, “the prequalification of contractors was based on who one knew, and not on experience.”

At the Senate, the pageantry to probe Mike Arroyo’s involvement in these rigged contracts is heightened anew. Recall the previous Senate comedy productions top billed by Jun Lozada and Joc joc Bolante. This current hullabaloo is aptly a sequel, to say the least.

The opposition Senators wanted their grip on Mike’s throat. I would do the same, if I were one of them. Juan Ponce Enrile, however, is not one of them. The longtime-Marcos-crony-turned-EDSA-revolt leader is now a Senate President who thought that the First Gentleman cannot be forced by the Senate chamber’s inquiry into the alleged rigging of bids for World Bank funded projects.

Enrile cited Mike’s health condition – which, for some reason, tends to worsen each time he’s summoned to appear before the Senate or the Court. “It won’t be good to compel him if it will endanger his life”, the Senate chief said. He, however, called on the First Gentleman to break his silence, saying “there were many ways to rebut allegations that one of the three blacklisted Filipino contractors handed over bribe money to (Mike Arroyo) in 2003.” I wonder what the Senate President was referring to about the “many ways” on how FG would disprove the accusations against him. Are there any venues to hold the investigation? Kangaroo court, perhaps?

Other than Mr. Arroyo, summoned to the February 12 Senate hearing are former representatives Prospero Pichay and Jacinto Paras, former Public Works Secretary Florante Soriquez and Lope Adriano, Tito Miranda and Boy Belleza, project director, assistant director and alleged broker, respectively.

Until then, let us pause for a moment as we await the most entertaining show on Philippine soil that is brought to us by the men and women of the Philippine Senate.

Calling Lito Lapid, Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada.

When I was a kid, I marveled at how Superman, Spiderman, Batman, as well as Wonder Woman in their fantastic battle against the evils in their territorial empire. In my sleep, I would dream running along Bugs Bunny or singing with Tweety. As soon as I woke up in the morning, I would run to my toy soldiers, aim my water cannon and celebrate my victory at their expense. At the end of the day, when I had to retire to bed, I would grab my wooden sword and pretend I was He Man. In those times, like any other unsuspecting kids, I would wish my superheroes to make a spectacular entry into the windows of my bedroom.

Fastforward, none of them, of course, appeared. When I look back, I thought it was silly to be a kid until I found myself behind the walls of Perlas ng Silangan, in Queens, New York. No, my superheroes were not rocking and rolling in that bar-restaurant. But it was there where I found my true-to-life Superwoman.

She's my Ces, a registered nurse by profession. She is, however, more to it than having to run around the hospital floor. Her being a computer savvy prompted those who know her and dubbed her as ‘tech support’. Inside the four walls of her cozy apartment that she painstakingly painted, carried seven-foot decorative plants and rearranged those pieces of furniture all by herself, she is no different from your sought-after interior decorator. Yes, she does interior designing, both for fun and bucks, on the side. Further, when her artistic mood sits in, she would bring herself and take photos of the lighthouses of Orient, New York, the skyscrapers of Manhattan, the casinos in Las Vegas, and the rail tracks of the South Bay Area in San Francisco, California. Photography is her passion and the proof of her works is found in her website where you can order them through on line. Back in the days, she was a class declaimer, a music teacher and a glee club member who travelled to Taiwan and San Francisco to perform. Her cherubic voice is a cross between Barbra Streisand and Nora Jones.

But what makes Ces a truly superwoman is her endearing personality. A beauty and brain rolled into one, she could easily capture any man’s attention, to my disapproval, of course. When she walks the aisle of most Filipino restaurants, her vertical measure stands out. Her good looks is nothing but mesmerizing. And when you begin talking to her, you are rest assured of an attentive audience and a well-informed speaker. Further, she is a loyal friend to those who value friendship and a worst enemy to those who disregard it.

Finally, she is a woman of incredible passion – literally and figuratively. And when all the lights are out, her stamina extends farther than I could possibly cope up with - if you know what I mean. When that happens, I wish I were a kid again wishing to be the ‘Man of Steel’.

GMA’s (Philippine President, Gloria macapagal Arroyo) term expires on June 30, 2010. Correspondingly, the charter bars GMA from seeking reelection so that any attempt by her allies in Congress to extend Arroyo’s term is a clear disregard of our country’s fundamental law. That said, however, knowing Arroyo’s and her allies’ intransigent itch for power, all vicious means to further their reign shall be enervated with irrational impunity through thick and thin - thus the issue on charter change.

Opined by A. V. Panganiban in his weekly opinion, With Due Respect, the simplest way to extend Arroyo’s term is to move the expiry date forward. That date is meant to be June 30, 2011, instead of June 30, 2010, as provided for by House Resolution 550. The beneficiaries of this resolution include the president, vice president, senators, representatives and other elected officials.

The other way to extend GMA’s term is to allow her to run again. This, however, is unappealing for the administration given Arroyo’s dismal ratings based on opinion polls. Undeterred, her allies are not without stockpile of political subterfuge by leading a way to a shift from presidential to parliamentary form of government. An attempt was made more than a year earlier. Under such system, GMA would have predictably won a parliamentary seat and eventually led to becoming a prime minister. And so it seemed.

In Lambino vs. Comelec, (October 25, 2006), the Supreme Court ruled against the proposed system saying it’s a “gigantic fraud.” It ruled that “a shift to parliamentary system could not be scripted via people’s initiative.” GMA’s allies, however, remain unperturbed and forge ahead with the other recourse of changing the charter. This time, the term is called the constituent assembly (Con-ass).

Under this method, any revision done with the constitution “may be proposed by the Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members.” Such provision, however, raises two political questions. First, should the two houses of Congress convene separately or should they convene together as one body? Second, should they vote separately, or together?

The crucial answers to these questions rest in the hands of the Supreme Court. If the Court held that the Senate and the House of Representatives should convene and vote separately, then the proposed change will get axed as the Senate indisputably disinclined to abolish itself and install a parliamentary system.

That said, Arroyo’s allies in Congress would hope that the Court favors a joint vote – meaning that the three-fourths majority in both houses be computed (238 incumbent representatives and 23 incumbent senators or a total of 261 “members of Congress”). Three-fourths of 261 is 196. Such a total is not difficult to gather, of course, given Arroyo’s son, Rep. Mikey in the helm of soliciting the nod of his fellow members to whatever means possible.

In the meantime, while the maneuvering and bickering in Congress on charter change have now gained momentum, the ‘parliament of the street’ is likewise replete with bellowing anti-protesters who are quick to denounce Arroyo’s allies to extend her term. The anti-protesters contend that the country has rather more compelling problems that require immediate attention in Congress than the ill-timed charter change - including health, education, and continued increase in the prices of various commodities. Further, the continuing global economic decline in which the Philippines is far from being immune has seen a number of OFW’s lost their jobs abroad and are now backed in the country together with millions of Filipinos who are equally out of job.

What is more perplexing is the thought that for us Filipinos, the emphasis between politics and economics reveals the former to be our more consuming passion. This led to the fact that financial crisis seems so remote that oftentimes the subject of debate either in Congress or the Streets is focused toward charter change than the World Bank reports.

In recent days, a World Bank senior economist for the Philippines predicted that the country’s growth this year is 4.2 per cent, remarkably lower than the 7.2 per cent recorded in 2007. The WB official added that “the Philippines will likely see more unemployment next year and money remittances from overseas will come under pressure.” The slowdown in economic growth means a regress in poverty alleviation. Notwithstanding, our preoccupation as a people, be it a politician, a religious leader, a civil society activist, or a plain kibitzer is to tackle a political issue with gusto than the more impacting economic crisis that affect our daily lives.

Who cares about Juan dela Cruz? The hell with him!

(Photos c/o voanews.com & gmaresign's on flickr)