At the annual conference of the American Studies Association of the Philippines last Saturday, I started off with a borrowed idea (from Henry Jenkins of the Center for Future Civic Media, whom I read about through Ethan Zuckerman’s indispensable blog). I started with a question: What does democracy look like? And then offered the following photograph, by the celebrated Romy Gacad of AFP, as an answer.
I explained why, in the following terms:
“This Agence France Presse photograph was taken on August 12, 2006, when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo paid a quick visit to Legazpi City to survey preparations at a danger zone under the shadow of a restless Mayon. The next day, I wrote in my Newsstand blog:
This photo, taken yesterday by the peerless Romy Gacad of AFP in the vicinity of Mayon volcano, spoke to me on so many levels I knew I just had to use it … The composition is so exact it seems almost posed, until you consider the subjects involved: President Arroyo, of course, under the umbrella, facing (or receiving tribute from) Albay Gov. Gonzalez, Reps. Salceda and Lagman, and volcanology institute chief Solidum. (Note the triangle that the officials form.) Other photos, taken by Gacad and by other photographers too, remind us that this particular tableau was very much a product of the moment; in fact, most of the pictures taken at this volcano-gazing event yesterday show either the President by herself or in a huddle with officials. But the veteran lensman saw something different, perhaps a shift in movement, perhaps a blurring and then a coming-into-focus of color. Was it perhaps the presidential umbrella that drew his attention?
“In the 15 months since I wrote that, I have become more and more convinced that this candid portrait of the hierarchy of political power, caught on the wing, tells us something true about democracy, Philippine-style.
“But if this is democracy, where are the demos? Three possibilities. The people are implied; the leaders from the executive and the legislative branches are discussing their fate. The people have been warned off; note the sign that can be glimpsed in the space between the President and her umbrella-toting guard. If we fill in the blanks, we can read: Warning Don’t Go Beyond The Line. Not least, the people (and the press) are outside the frame, watching the scene.
“You may have other images in mind that illustrate democracy, Philippine-style. Any of the iconic photographs from the four heady days of Edsa Uno, for instance, would be similarly evocative. Familiar images of Philippine elections—yellow ballot box, blue-stained index fingers, seminarians in white—remain resonant. A photograph taken by Inquirer photographer Rem Zamora during special elections last May casts the eternal triangle of ballot box, armed guard, and election volunteer in a new light, literally through a different grid.
“But back to Bicol. I hope you will agree with me when I say that the Gacad photo does two things wonderfully well: It captures the elite nature of our representative democracy today, and at the very same time it recalls the datu-and-tribute origins of our history.”
The rest of my remarks can be found here, in Newsstand. But I would be interested to find out: For you, what does democracy look like? If you can’t post a photo, maybe you can post a link!
December 18th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Salina,
Panis pa la ang utak mo eh, anong walang democracy? e di mo pala alam ang sinasabi mo, ang ibig mong sabihin eh, signs ng slavery ang paghawak ng payong sa isang amo. Wang bu ka rin no! eh sweldohan po yung babae, ginagawa lang nya yung trabaho nya..masyadong marami kasi tayong iniisip na masama sa kapwa natin kaya kung ano-anung imagination ang lumalabas..kahit di alam ang totoong sitwasyon.. mga paranoid na ba, lahat ng galaw ng isang kilalang tao laging may ibig sabihin para sa mga miron..
Kung meron mang ibang interpretasyon e, opinyon lang naman yun, pero kung masama ang intensyon, maaring maiba nga ang pananaw mo.
Di ba demokrasya itong ginagawa natin..
maaring di perfect but there no such thing (perfect democracy). Kung perfect democracy ang hanap mo dun sa langit siguro meron..well sana sabihin mo kay lord na kunin ka na para me-experience mo agad.
December 4th, 2007 at 9:37 am
To be more accurate, our government is largely an Oligarchic Syndicracy. Oligarchy meaning the rulership by the rich and Syndicracy meaning rulership by criminal syndicates. So in effect, at least for the most part, Philippine governance is an Oligarchic Syndicracy, rulership by the rich and criminal syndicates in power.
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:35 am
Rebellion?
Suppose Group X is a small number of military officers and enlisted personnel whose cases in a civilian court have to be heard by the cognizant regional trial court on a scheduled day. In the middle of the hearing, the respondents, walk out of the court room and proceeded to a nearby hotel. Before such walk out, the third-party who took custody of them did not shoot at the judge, the fiscal or any enforcement authority there present much less issued what may constitute as grave threats. In other words, the court has not done any action whatsoever that could have reasonably pre-empted their act that made it easy for them to proceed from the court to a nearby Makati hotel. Let us grant that this was exactly what happened at Manila Peninsula Hotel when news broke that there was a lightning ‘coup d etat’.
Soon after the incident, Malacanang sent troops in V-150s, armored personnel carriers (APCs), and more special forces than necessary from the AFP and PNP to conduct assault operations if after the deadline set by government, the personages who holed themselves up will not voluntarily surrender to the authorities. As it did in fact happened, the government troops cordoned the whole hotel complex and the V-150 has to break in the hotel’s lobby and troops have to give a volley of fire to clear the lobby area. Then, troops have to lob a lot of ‘tear gas explosions’ to compel the suspected group to come out. To cut a long story short, those holed up in the hotel offered no resistance and were forced to surrender themselves to the apprehending police or military. Thus, they were taken out, handcuffed, or tied and ferried to a bus for tactical interrogation at Camp Crame, whatever. As this is happening, PGMA has to appear on nationwide TV threatening to punish them to the fullest extent of the law.
And thus, the inquest proceedings have all been built under the trumped-up charges of rebellion and inciting to rebellion against those who are alleged to have participated even merely present in the premises when the event occurred. Ironically, not few media people were arrested likewise. The reason officially given is that of intelligence reports saying that the Magdalo soldiers pass themselves off as media people so as to elude arrest. Thus, the AFP and PNP have to arrest everybody to even get at that person or persons who may have no participation, in any way, to what they conveniently automatically label as a coup d etat, or in this case, rebellion. Thus, a bishop, a political scientist in the person of Dr. Francisco Nemenzo, other civil-rights lawyers were not spared the whip. It should be the first time for Dean Nemenzo to get himself arrested although whenever a coup is hoisted, he is always at the scene of the crime, matter-of-factly.
The State Prosecutor from the Department of Justice presided over the inquest proceedings. The lawyers of the accused, some of them lawyers themselves, and their collaborating counsels who made their appearances as respondents were called one by one. A lot of things can be said of how the proceedings came about. It was baroque, grotesque, bizarre, absurd – even a total shame – on the part of that DOJ panel headed by Atty. Velasco who does not seem to know where his left hand is from his right. In fact, had every word, voice or sound in the entire proceedings been captured in the later transcript or journal, it should make for an interesting reading. I would have wanted to have a copy of the minutes of the proceedings or a copy of its VCD. Certainly, every student of law knows that the inquest or mock trial has miserably failed to show any sign of proof of probable cause largely because the charge cited in the complaint is totally bereft of any degree of truth in it or so because the private counsels of the respondents were the top-caliber lawyers that they are who would know everything about law. And sadly, Atty. Velasco pales in comparison. The result was clear – it weakened the government position against those they arrested and charged for such offense.
Since the whole inquest proceedings have everything complete – the accused and their accusers – and considering further the fact that it is televised nationwide, it simply behooves upon the DOJ Panel to have successfully brought the matter to a close except that it failed. Thus, the last thing a viewing universe understands is that – it was suspended at about past midnight and that their (DOJ) resolution will be forthcoming – “as soon as possible” – and not even before seven (7) a.m. the day after, which runs counter to Atty. Velasco’s earlier pronouncement. I have great reservations on the manner the whole affair has been conducted. Here we find a State Prosecutor unable to communicate in the official language which in this case, is the English language. Here we find a State Prosecutor, caught with his pants down, on what should have been basic and elementary knowledge of law but he was clearly ignorant about. This was on the matter of having to detain the persons accused beyond the 36-hour reglamentary period. Here we find a State Prosecutor who keeps on uttering the phrase – “thank you very much, panero” – countless times in the process and who always begs for the understanding of the defense counsels of the accused, individually and collectively. In short, in a scale of 1 to 10, the government and taxpayers paid for the services of a State Prosecutor who may be better off shooting mock-up targets in a shooting range. He probably best qualifies as a range officer in a shooting range. All told, it was a faux pas, a comedy of errors.
PRIMER C. PAGUNURAN
UP Diliman, Quezon City Email: nielsky_2003@yahoo.com Telephone: 6610539
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:45 am
realitylapse,
Hindi na ako naniniwala sa “trickle down effect”. Ilang taon nang sinasabi yan eh ang nangyari, yung “trickle down” walang “effect”. Sa aking pagaaral dati, walang epekto ang krisis sa pulitika sa ating ekonomiya; ngayon binabago ko ang aking tayo dito, sa pagtaas ng stockmarket nung nagkaroon ng Batasan bombing blast at nung kalagitnaan ng pangyayari sa Manila Peninsula lumalabas na ngayon ay ayaw na ng ating mangangalakal o businessmen ang tiwaling gubyeronong ito. Ang napakasakim na kurapson ng kasulukuyang administrayson ang nakakapigil di lamang ng patas na pagtaas ng ekonomiya (i.e. dapat nakikinabang lahat, mayaman, middle class at mahirap) kundi nakakasira rin sa mapayapang pag-unlad ng bansa.
Tingnan mo, kung tatapusin ang kakurakutan, pagtatakip ng mga kasalanan, at simulan ang pagtatanggal ng tiwali sa ehekutibo, kongreso, pulis at hukbong sandatahan ng Pilipinas; uunlad ang bawat mamamayan at aangat ang isang ekonomiya na di lamang sa para sa iilan; at bukod dito ay tatahimik na rin ang karamihan ng kaguluhan sa ating bayan.
Dahil ang kasalukuyang administrasyon ay sangkot mismo sa mga katiwaliang at kurapsyon, makikita mo na di matitigil ang kaguluhan sa bansa. Itigil ang kurapsyon at katiwalian, iyan ang susi sa katahimikan ng bansa at patas na pag-unlad ng bawat Pilipino. Kung ayaw nilang itigil ito, maige na sila ay bumaba ora mismo sa kani-kanilang mga pwesto at MAG-RESIGN!
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:57 am
Real democracy is about upholding the people’s will in an honest election untainted by “dagdag-bawas” and a “Hello Garci.” Democracy means justice for people who are victims of extrajudicial killings and the prosecution and subsequent jailing of the perpetrators. Democracy means accountability in government and the prosecution of not only common criminals but corrupt persons from the President’s Husband down to the barangay kagawad. Real democracy means that the people’s taxes are seen being used to benefit them through flood control programs, good roads, adequate classrooms in schools and well supplied hospitals. Democracy means that if you steal from the people you will go to jail.