GLOVED OR UNGLOVED

Governing as a president could be a very difficult task. Local leaders are more apt to be having a grand time. But wielding power over 7,100 islands could be a daunting task, what with so many officials clamoring to be in the limelight and coming up with suggestions, some of which could be pro-people and others anti-people in character.

So after 146 days in office, what have been some of the pro-people acts? Well, we were able to breeze through the Christmas season without any feelings of guilt that our gifts are not expensive enough to give to our relatives and friends. We are just too grateful also that there is greater sensitivity to public mood and responses than before. Our defense and police officers are particularly aware that should their acts become negative then they would receive grave penalties if not punishments. Then, also, the reproductive health is now being debated upon more comprehensively instead of being shot down from the beginning and letting only the voice of the Church prevail. Now, we know that giving birth is not enough. There are more considerations too important to consider like how to feed, shelter and educate that foetus once it comes out and grows to be a human being.

Now, the anti-people issues are coming up one by one. Let's skip the Justice system which is now going haywire, what with decisions being overturned to the advantage of the accused (the violators) instead of the victims. (See Hubert Webb, Sandiganbayan impeachment case and Truth Commission. What I would rather drive on here is the need for more heads-- not just one president and his secretaries calling the shots. I am for the creation of a Council of Elders who will counsel the president when making decisions. The Council could be an ad-hoc group which he would consult now and then before releasing major decisions that have to do with people's lives, now and in the future.

PNoy said that he would bring us through the "daang matuwid." I think this is the right path, the way with the elders who would give him their ideas about how his administration could be more people-sensitive, especially to rising prices of goods and services. The Council could provide guidance in terms of how a program could be developed, which ones are significant for quick implementation, and which ones need close supervision so that they would not be corrupted along the way.

This Council idea is not new, as in fact, the Igorot peoples in the Cordillera have their bodong system which allows leaders from different tribes to come together and make decisions that will bring about peace and respect among themselves, and to resolve inter-tribal conflicts. Respect for the elderly decisions is also ingrained in our culture, as our Filipino culture is replete of them, especially those pertaining to health. The Babaylan are elderly women and men consulted for their wisdom in terms of looking to the future, whether about harvest, ill health, or plain success of the community in overcoming problems. In Rizal's novels, we have read about Pilosopo Tasyo giving his views about the community relations.

It was only during the Spanish era that the value of the elders were downplayed or denigrated as the rulers focussed on the priests and government officials as final sources of "wise" rulings.

In the last presidential elections, one of the candidates was Brother Eddie Villanueva. I do think he should be one valuable ally in making this administration go the "matuwid na daan." He could provide passages in the Bible to make the officials sensitive enough to make all their decisions contain valuable spiritual learnings which could be handed down to the people as well as steps to God-like, and not authoritarian-behavior.

Finally, we must continue our sensitivity to all matters containing our life as a people and make it imperative to know the democratic steps to correcting ills in society. Some sectors think that marching through the streets is the easiest way to get attention and results. But I do think that doing this is like whipping up a storm to bring back People Power. I do think that this movement acquired a negative effect on our people, especially when Erap was deposed, and GMA was installed as president for 9 years without the benefit of legality given by the people.

Hence, as we trod that path to peace, equality and prosperity, let us make sure that our steps are geared towards strengthening democracy and now being lured into another authoritarian machination geared towards resurrection of the iron fist, gloved or ungloved.