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Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Maxey: One reason why this country is the "basket case" of Asia
By Ram Maxey
Bar None
`If a television newsreader and a movie star can rate so high in the poll surveys that even veteran and high-profile political leaders are practically falling over each other in the rush to get them to boost their respective party slates, do you still wonder why this country is the basket case in Asia?'
DO YOU want to know what is wrong with this country? I'll tell you. The wrong voters elect the wrong candidates into office. By wrong voters I am referring to the unenlightened members of the electorate who go for the popularity instead of the capability of a candidate.
Despite problems with our national economy, massive graft and corruption in both high and the low places of government, the drug menace, the proliferation of criminal syndicates, the nearly four-decade old communist insurgency, the Moro separatist movement, the vast army of unemployed, 26.5 million Filipinos existing below the poverty line and an overdose of politicking, take a look at the latest Social Weather Station survey released last October 3.
Former television newsreader, now senator and presidential wannabe, Noli de Castro tops the survey for president (and vice-president, too). As a senator De Castro, like most of his colleagues, has been a failure. Yet, if the elections were to be held today he would emerge the winner according to the survey. What a catastrophe. Or shall we say deCASTROphe? Imagine this country being headed by a mere TV newsreader who doesn't even write the news (I wonder if he knows the four "Ws" and one "H" of newswriting: who-what-when-where-why-how that should start a news item).
De Castro got 28 percent in the survey, higher than two more legitimate aspirants to Malacaņang - former education secretary Raul Roco (20 percent) and President Gloria Arroyo (17 percent) even though these two are certified presidential timbers which De Castro isn't by any stretch of the imagination. And look who is in fourth place: cinema action star Fernando Poe Jr. with 14 percent. Sanamagan, as Max Soliven would say.
Can you imagine this benighted country being headed (God forbid) by a glorified newsreader or a movie star? It's a good thing that Senator Panfilo Lacson of Kuratong Baleleng infamy is in fifth place with only (10 percent) and mutineer Senator Gregorio Honasan sixth (6 percent). And horrors of horrors, Vice-President Teofisto Guingona Jr. could only salvage two (2) percent in the survey. Can you imagine this Noli-me-tangere guy being a better presidential timber than Tito Guingona? I don't get it.
In the Senate we have that square peg in a round hole and also former movie action star Sen. Ramon Revilla, one of the do-nothings in that much-maligned upper chamber of Congress. Another incompetent in the Senate is former television comedian be-mustached Senator Vic Sotto who worships the very ground that colleague Gringo Honasan trods on.
Philippine elections are popularity contests pure and simple. The average voter among the masa does not have the sophistication to vote "intelligently" based on the vital issues at stake in any election. For example, their understanding of the economy does not go beyond the corner sari-sari store and the price of galunggong in the public market.
They cannot grasp the deeper meaning of our country's relationship with the rest of the world because their knowledge of world geography is limited to countries where Filipinos go as overseas workers, like Amirika or Sawdi or Dyapan or Taywan or Hongkong. The trouble with voters like that is that there are so many of them their votes ultimately dictate how this country will be run. They vote for "popular" candidates instead of those whom this country deserves to have in public office.
If a television newsreader and a movie star can rate so high in the poll surveys that even veteran and high-profile political leaders are practically falling over each other in the rush to get them to boost their respective party slates, do you still wonder why this country is the basket case in Asia?
I ceased wondering a long time ago.
(October 7, 2003 issue)
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