MISSING
LINK
By
Wilhelmina S. Orozco
The
message of PNoy to the people is exemplary in terms of mentioning the gains of
his administration during the past two years that he has been in office
grounded on facts. It should be the model for all speeches of his cabinet
members so that they would not be sugarcoating their accomplishments only to be
able to stay in power.
But he
missed out on two very important things: the energy sector; and two culture.
Why are these highly important? I shall focus on the first in this article and
do the 2nd another time. Energy is the basic component of progress.
Without energy, we would remain in the dark ages. It is the energy resources
that propelled the industrial revolution in Europe.
It is energy which spurs people to invent, to create and to think of ways to
earn from their work, from what they invent. It is energy that lightens up the
burden of work.
Today, the
topmost electric energy distributor is the number one top corporation in the Philippines. It
has earned so much that it is now even asking for more profits for itself. But
as it moves in this manner, we should start asking the question: is this what
an energy company should be?
An energy
company should help the people work well, earn well, and make a profit for a
better life with rest and recreation at the most. But right now, we are working
our butt off, so to speak, in order to give huge profits to the company.
In our
house peopled by low-budget renters, we are spending 50% of what they give to
the water and electric utility companies. We cannot raise the rentals because
the people are small-earners and one even lost her capital and profit for the night
selling food to working people at a garments factory, to a robbery-holdupper.
Still one, who had already gone from our premises, lost his bike right inside
our house one night after a drinking binge.
In Idaho, USA,
energy consumption may be huge because of the industries there, but then the
energy company even exempts certain sectors of society from paying taxes on
their electric bills, like the education and health sectors. And non-profit
organizations likewise are exempted.
Unfortuantely,
here in our country, the prices of electric consumption just keeps going higher
and higher. This despite the fact that we have the Malampaya Natural Gas
Resource.
I still remember
way back in the 60’s when my parents used to light up our house even up to the
porch in order to drive away potential night burglars. Sometimes even my
sisters and brothers would stay up late weekly just chatting and carousing with
their friends, and leave the lights on without minding if the electric bills would rise because of
those. Then my younger brother Antonio, would always have his rock band group
hold rehearsal sessions at home, using electricity for their electric guitars.
Now all of
these are just a dream and past. We can no longer recover those good old days
when to have well-lighted homes were the normal course of the night.
Today,
even our streets do not have all the lamps shining brightly. In fact, somebody
had thought of using those yellow lights which make it difficult walking under
them at night, and most of all, impossible to see the faces or even the
movements of other people in the streets should there be any one thinking of
any untoward incident.
The habit
of caring for electric consumption, of keeping it low has become the norm,
rather than the habit of lighting up to make it easy for our eyes not to blur
too easily as we age.
What kinds
of charges does the electric company make, thus catapulting itself to the
topmost of one thousand corporations? Plenty, and dubious charges. Our media
people are speaking through hoarse voices already about how our people are
being cheated of their hard-earned money by the company; yet, the department of
energy has not even lifted a finger to stop this legalized hold-up through
extra charges, which by all accounts should be under the company’s burden in
its operations.
No, PNoy
cannot remain deaf to the clamor of the people for lower electric charges. He
must respond to this problem because he is profiting from the people’s belief
in him as a leader. He must learn to cut off ties – ties of utang na loob to a family that has more than profited from its
relationship with his own since 1986.
People power gains
Didn’t I
help this electric company gain back its ownership way back in 1986 at the
height of the snap elections?
I was with
a small group of freedom-loving people then who were fed up with the Marcos
dictatorship. I had just been relieved of my duties with CBS News, covering the
elections for its radio section where I was told to listen to news all the time
with earphones and then jot down the details and submit them to my editor at
that time. One time, I raised my my fingers in Laban sign with my
forefingers up and my thumbs extended when Marcos’ helicopters would fly past
the hotel. My editor would tell me, “Don’t do that. You are supposed to be
objective,” and I answered him, “I am a Filipino first, and a media person,
second.” He would smile sheepishly at my reply because he knew that there was
no such thing as objectivity under a dictatorship.
For ten
days I worked with CBS, and was so dedicated that I even went to the extent of
sleeping in a small corner of the Manila Hotel penthouse late in the night just
to listen and transcribe what was being said aurally through the earphones. One
technical guy, probably pitying me, said “Aren’t you going berserk from doing
that?” probably thinking that I didn’t even have time to go out and spend a
break with them. But my mind was focused on dismantling the dictatorship and if
I could earn while watching the political events pass by, use the money for
more propaganda to dislodge it from power, then, I would skip all personal
desires for ease just to achieve that. However, on hindsight, I wish I had
chatted with them and made friends with them for all time.
Oh, by the
way, I spent the dollars I earned printing Feminista,
a tabloid of 1,000 copies after Cory had won. Unfortunately, the printer,
maka-Marcos, cut the paper in such a way as to have no room for one-inch but
rather about 3 cm margins only. I could not complain anymore because the
following day, there would be a rally and I intended to sell the paper there.
After
February 7, the day of the elections, the CBS bosses had thought that after
voting, the “normal” course would follow because Marcos had won. They were to
be proven unable to read the people’s minds all the way by history though.
The people
power rallies snowballed into a bigger movement with Cory leading them at
Luneta and at Ugarte field. I joined this small group of rallyists in front of
Channel 4 right after my stint with CBS and asked the organizers if I could
speak. Then I said, “this Channel 4 is actually owned by this family and that
it was just expropriated by Marcos in order to have a medium for propaganda. It
should be returned to their rightful owners.” The people listening to me were
amazed because my speech was not the usual propaganda of anti-dictatorship
using abstract “Ibagsak” but one that was based on history.
My own
former teacher in one school was even the consultant there, helping dish out
the propaganda materials of the Marcos administration under the guise of being
philosophically-based on “publicist powers of the State.”
When Cory
was installed as President, the first thing she did was to give back the TV and
radio stations to its original owners. This station has earned zo much that it can
even sell its programs internationally thus earning dollars in return. I=
After
working under Channel 4, the government station, producing Halina Kabaro which
won the Best Women’s Program and which the bosses of that station had axed to
give way to another similar program hosted by a more politically-influential
female politician, who rode on the women’s movement, I tried working with
Channel 2 very briefly, doing a segment on the Family Code for Cheche Lim’s
public affairs program then.
When she
left the station, I had tried staying on but could not fit in into their scheme
of things. I was too independent and critical of goings-on. Who would like to
earn a program just because the general manager had caressed your hand as you
were proposing the women’s program you used to host in another channel to him? (Back
to print media I did after that adventurous test of the broadcast waters.)
Coup d’tat
By the
way, in 1989, during the coup d’etat against Cory by Honasan and company, I was
there inside the station, when everyone had gone, thinking it highly important
to finish my script for the segment and possibly stop the rebelling soldiers
coming in and help protect the equipment, whatever manner I could. A manager
looked at me with wonder why I was still there. But I was apprehensive then
that the camera equipment which were so light to carry, would be easily brought
out. Eventually, I had to leave, one of the last, climbing up the fence to go
out of the yard. Now did I search for any reward or award for that bravery? No.
and Recognition was nada, nada, nada. Ha
ha ha. Donya Quixote looking for reward? Impossible.
Feminist women and men
So many
women in media are profiting from the new feminist movement that we started in
the 80’s in response to the dictatorship. They are well-entrenched and know the
ropes in order to stay on top. That is very good, but they should also think of
lifting up other women to also express their talents and practice their skills.
Sisterhood, after gaining equality, should be practiced, not beating others,
including other women, for pomp and glory of sitting on top.
One thing
we emphasized then, was that the word ‘feminist” is not only used to describe women
but also men. Men should also believe in equality and thus they earn the title
of being “feminist men.”
This is
why I supported PNoy during his elections because he exemplified the character
of a leader who does not look down upon women but even treats them as his
equal. He has brought women into his cabinet, like Lilia de Lima of the justice
department, Kim Henares of the internal revenue bureau, Tati Licuanan of the
Commission for Higher Education, Rosalinda Baldoz for the department of labour,
Dinky Soliman for social welfare and development, and Ging Quintos for the
peace commission, among others. Of course, he has to continue what his mother
had started, supported by his sisters who are of strong character to be leaders
in their own right, “behind” him.
Being a Leader
Hence, the
least that PNoy could do is cut off ties to those to whom he thinks he owes his
having been elected. He should be a leader for the people, and not feel
beholdened to anyone anymore. Contributions to this election should be
contributions for the people of the Philippines, not for him to owe the
donors anything at all after he had won.
This is also
what those donors should always think. There is no room for “utang na loob,” to anyone who wishes a
regime-change. We need to profit from that by doing the best of ourselves to
follow the democratic path and honor and respect the rights of everyone to
exist on earth following the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Philippine
Constitution (except for that section on the “unborn” of course).
Maybe this
is what we, and the Comelec, should emphasize
in the coming 2013 political exercise again. Participating in the
elections as candidate or donors should bring in with it ethical, not
profit-making considerations. All candidates should also not feel indebted at
all to those who help them win.
As a
procedure to insure this, the Comelec should be informed before giving the
financial contributions how much a candidate shall receive, who is the donor,
and when the transaction is to be made. A listing of the facts of the donation
should be made prior to and not after the elections. As a third party to the transaction, the
Comelec is making it known that political donations are made for the right
individuals, parties, to be victorious at the polls for the PEOPLE’S SAKE. In
other words, donating is a public not a private act. Political donations are
like taxes that one gives to the government for good governance.
The law to
make some parties eligible for government support during the elections is also
one way of stopping the tendency for candidates to seek help from suspicious
sources just to be able to win the post.
Thus, to
my mind, PNoy should start scouring the political landscape and see who has ,
and have been profiting from that People Power Movement without conscience. Ethical
profiting is this possible? Of course it is once we put our mind into it.
Let us
allow and support him in his “matuwid na daan” which should include targeting
those private companies and individuals whose businesses have been so lucrative
to the detriment of the people’s quest for a prosperous life.
