Analytical minds know it, the less analytical feel it, the poor suffer the fact of life that nothing happens in this country without the top dog approving it. Nobody gets elected or appointed to key positions in government or in government corporations without the President’s okay or of whoever pulls the strings from behind the throne. What our President wants he gets and nothing goes down without his explicit approval.
The ouster of Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri from the Senate’s presidency is the latest example of that exercise of unquestioned power. The quickness with which it happened and the smugness of incoming Senate President Francis Escudero’s boast about how easy it was to oust Zubiri tell us that somebody very powerful either initiated or approved it for reasons we can only speculate on.
I have my suspicions on what the reason could be. But from where I am, this would be speculative, nothing I would put my money on. Anyway, all I want is to bring to people’s attention the fact that we are in reality a dictatorship disguised as a democracy. At all levels of government, what the President, what the governor, what the mayor, what the barangay captain wants goes. They have the power and they exercise it to the best of their advantage on a people the majority of which are voiceless and powerless for being at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid.
That would not be so bad if what those in power want is the general welfare of the people. The trouble is, what they want, what they use their power for, usually serves only their interests, chief of which is to get reelected and keep the family dynasty in power for generations to come.
That this country has no serious anti-poverty program is traceable to the prevailing imbalance of power and the use of power to promote the interests of the already rich and powerful. From all levels of government, the response to people’s cries for help is ayuda or cash aid. This alleviates a temporary need but in the long run promotes dependency. It is our political leaders go-to program as it literally is a form of vote buying. Like why are seniors required to have voted a certain number of times before qualifying to receive ayuda?
Ayuda plays into the Filipino’s sense of utang na loob that gets her/him to vote for the giver of the cash aid. The incidence of poverty in the country will remain high unless a programmatic approach to the eradication of poverty gets on track. This must necessarily include a radical reform of the electoral system. Unless money is factored out of our elections, power will continue to concentrate on those who can afford the heavy spending needed to win a lucrative government position.
The ouster of a Senate president holds no promise of a balance of power and a better life for Filipinos. Sen. Francis Escudero’s top priority will definitely be to promote not the people’s but the interests of the power that made him Senate President.