By Joy Aceron

TODAY, I will attend a funeral of a youth leader who worked concretely for reforms in the 2004 elections by campaigning for a presidential candidate who he thought embodied the hope for a new Philippines. I saw Malvin Ordeniza (1980-2009) worked earnestly in the 2004 campaigns because he believed that without reforms in 2004, he and the rest of his fellow youth would be a lost generation. Five years ago, he saw for himself how a flawed system of elections that is personality- and patronage-based ruled by money and violence robbed him of his future. Five years after, the governance the resulted from that flawed elections took away his life when he was not given his needed medical attention because he did not have the money to pay for it.

Reforms in 2010 are not ideas that are up there. Change that needs to happen in 2010 is not an abstract concept. It’s real. It costs and will cost lives of people. We must make change happen in 2010 or the likes of Malvin who believed in change and worked hard for what he believed in will perish; and our country will not only lose another generation, it will lose hope.

The Citizen Reform Agenda 2010

In the Philippines, we probably have the broadest, most dynamic and innovative reform work in the world; yet it is also probably the most ineffective in bringing about structural change, particularly these recent years. It is unfair to say that the reform movements are at fault. They are doing all they could but the prevailing political order, the patronage-based politics, is just too deep-seated in society. To have a chance of making a dent, the reform movements need to be a formidable force and they can only do so if they recognize their common interest and common agenda; and work together to transform politics.

This is a formidable task and it requires a lot from us. The Citizen Reform Agenda 2010 is our humble contribution to this cause. There is no way that this space alone can transform the reform movements into a formidable force, but it is a key process in making that happen. The agent, the person, the one who will be the leader, is critical, especially for us Filipinos. But the reform agenda we want, the issues we find most critical, that’s the soul of our struggle. That’s what will endure. Hence, efforts like this must be undertaken, though it is hard and tedious.

This is a space and a process for bringing together the reform groups and linking their advocacies to a key political process, the elections in 2010. It also serves as a mechanism to fill up the gap of underperforming political parties that are supposed to be doing the interest-aggregation and agenda formulation. It also aims to promote issue-based and platform-oriented elections in 2010.

First, we had to look back to the past and know the previous reform agenda and issues. Second, we had series of consultations and consensus-building inviting the broadest possible representation of the reform movements in the Philippines. We had the process of review and finalization of key agenda and issues involving the participating citizen organizations. Finally, we presented the reform agenda and issues of the citizens to the public.

The next phase for CReforms 2010 is to engage the candidates and political parties; as well as the public. But to effectively do this, we must also engage a critical player that mediates the message and the messenger, the media. The ASoG has partnered with the biggest networks in the country to aid in the dissemination of the citizen reform agenda and issues and in promoting issue-based politics in 2010.

The CReforms 2010 was able to engage about a hundred citizen organizations. They are from different persuasions ideologically, politically and even meta-physically. They are working on different development themes of CReforms 2010. There were some of these groups who would never attend the same event, but they were able to get pass that. These are reform-oriented and progressive groups with different background and varying perspectives.

The outputs of this process are the key reform agenda and issues on Anti-Corruption, Political and Electoral Reform, Environment and Sustainable Development, Local Governance and Human Development (Education, Employment, Housing and Health).

These development areas do not at all encompass the entire development or reform areas; but we selected these for a simple and practical reason that the School and our key partners have solid work and expertise in these areas. Furthermore, other groups are very active consolidating the agenda on other areas like poverty reduction, economic development and peace.

These key reform agenda and issues identified during the consultation and consensus-building process are developed into Agenda Papers, which the participating groups and organizations would hopefully use in engaging the platform-development of candidates and political parties. Finally, a covenant for reforms entitled “We Will Make Change Happen in 2010” on an audio-visual presentation (available through YouTube) is prepared to be an instrument for CReforms 2010 to engage the candidates and political parties in the 2010 elections by soliciting their commitment to the covenant and response to the key agenda and issues in the CReforms 2010 Agenda Papers.

Key Reform Agenda and Issues

The agenda on anti-corruption calls for the promotion of a culture of transparency and openness in government by providing the public access to information and avenues to participate in governance. It also calls on the professionalization of the bureaucracy, the strengthening of the autonomy and accountability of local government units and the reforms in the justice system.

The agenda on political and electoral reform include the implementation of the constitutional provision banning political dynasties, the strengthening of the political party system and the reform of the Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) as vehicle for youth participation in democratic governance. It also includes the call to consider Constitutional reforms such as federalism to expand local initiatives, shift to a parliamentary system to broaden people’s participation in legislation and governance and limiting the role of COMELEC to election administration by defining a separate system to handle election protests.

Key reform agenda on local governance that would ensure substantive decentralization include four main points: (1) More devolution and autonomy from the national government through a policy review on the Local Government Code of 1991; (2) Installation of a more equitable system of local finance management that effectively equips local governments of resources for their service-delivery and administrative needs; (3) Substantive constitutional reform that explores federalism as a viable political framework in empowering local government units and decentralizing political power; and, (4) Strengthening transparency and accountability mechanisms for local government units that equal the power that is devolved to them.

The agenda on human development calls for a development of a strong domestic economy that respects labor rights; the installation of quality and accessible education; public access to healthcare services; and the improvement of housing program implementation with emphasis on the respect for human rights.

Lastly, the agenda on environment and sustainable development calls for the adoption of Philippine Agenda 21 as an alternative sustainable development framework; structural reforms on environmental laws and implementing government agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; a sustainable ecological management that will enable the restoration of forests and biodiversity; and the development of a comprehensive plan to address the impact of climate change.

We call on the public to engage the candidates on these issues and the others they find most critical. Let us “reclaim our future by making the 2010 elections center on issues and platforms, not personalities; on principles, not money politics; on reforms, not patronage.” Most importantly, let us all work for reforms in 2010 because it means saving lives and giving hope a chance once more.

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Joy Aceron is Instructor at the Political Science Department of the Ateneo de Manila University and concurrently the Associate Director of Center for Social Policy of the Ateneo School of Government heading Government Watch and Political Democracy and Reforms (PODER).

By Harvey S. Keh

The past three weeks we have all been witness to the rebirth of hope and change in our country brought about by the recent declaration of Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s that he will indeed continue the fight left behind by his parents and make a run for the Presidency this coming 2010 elections. The reaction of the Filipino people to Aquino’s candidacy has been nothing short of overwhelming as evidenced by the banner story of the Philippine Daily Inquirer today which states that according to an SWS Survey conducted in the vote-rich areas of Luzon, 50% of Filipinos would vote for Aquino while the former top-notcher Senator Manny Villar is a far distant second at only 14%. This momentum for unity, reform and change has also been fueled no doubt by the personal sacrifices made by Senator Mar Roxas, Governor Eddie Panlilio, Governor Grace Padaca and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. Roxas, Panlilio and Padaca all said that they will no longer pursue their bids for the highest position in the land while Pangilinan has clearly stated that he will also forego his bid for the Vice-Presidency to support an Aquino-Roxas ticket.

So what is next for these four selfless public servants?

As we all know, Aquino has categorically said that he wants Roxas to be his running mate in the 2010 elections which I think is a very good decision given the deep relationship and trust that these two gentlemen have for each other. Let us remember that the position of Vice-President is very important given that s/he will just be a heartbeat away from being our next President. Thus, it is imperative that Aquino choose someone whom he believes can become a good leader for our country. Roxas also comes from the vote-rich Western Visayas region which will definitely help Aquino who in turn comes as well from another vote-rich region, Central Luzon.

Panlilio is still deciding whether to continue to pursue politics or go back to the priesthood. His main focus right now is to ensure that the on-going recount filed against him by his opponents will not prosper thus, his group Kapampangan Kontra sa Recount together with Kaya Natin and Kilos Na are currently asking for support from friends and supporters towards raising funds to pay the revisors at COMELEC and continue to protect the integrity of the result of the last 2007 elections. If Panlilio decides to pursue politics, he has told us that he is eyeing a Senate run under the Aquino ticket or another run for Governor against current Vice-Governor Yeng Guiao and Senator Lito Lapid.

For Isabela Governor Grace Padaca, who, aside from being a co-founder of Kaya Natin, is also a stalwart of the Liberal Party (LP), she is currently being eyed by LP to be one of their Senatoriables together with former Senate President Franklin Drilon, Rep. Ruffy Biazon and former Rep. Neric Acosta. The dilemma that Padaca is currently faced with is that she can still run for one more term as Governor and the clamor for her to stay in the province continues to grow. In our last conversation, Padaca remains open to running for the Senate but said that she will continue to consult her supporters before she makes a final decision on her plans for 2010. Padaca together with former Senate President Jovito Salonga and Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo are all LP leaders who were awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service (acknowledged as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Asia).

For his part, Pangilinan is currently active in helping push the Presidential bid of Aquino. He together with Panlilio, Sonia Roco, Jim Paredes and Bam Aquino are the initial convenors of the movement, Pilipinas para kay Noynoy (PINOY) which brings together multi-sectoral reform organizations towards supporting the Presidential run of Aquino. Assuming that an Aquino-Roxas team-up will materialize, Pangilinan is also rumored to be a possible candidate for Mayor of Quezon City where he once served as a City Councilor.

Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com
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Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo School of Government.

By Harvey S. Keh

LAST week, we were all caught by surprise by the sudden announcement of Senator Mar Roxas that he was withdrawing from the 2010 Presidential Elections to give way to the candidacy of his party-mate and good friend, Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Senator Aquino is now being asked my many groups to take the cudgels for genuine change and reform that have been left behind by his parents, former Senator Ninoy Aquino and former President Cory Aquino. I greatly admire Senator Roxas for this act of true statesmanship and this also further bolstered my belief that there are still many good people in Philippine politics. Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, a fellow stalwart of the Liberal Party also announced that he is willing to forego his bid for the Vice-Presidency if and when Senator Aquino decides to choose Senator Roxas as his running mate. Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio and Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca followed Senator Roxas’ self-sacrifice by also announcing their withdrawal from the Presidential and Vice-Presidential race to also support the bid of Senator Aquino. Through these acts of sacrifice, I am very confident that it will only be a matter of time when all the reform groups will converge towards supporting Senator Aquino and a common slate that would represent the change that every Filipino has been longing for.

Yet, as I read a major newspaper (not the Philippine Daily Inquirer) last Sunday, I was disappointed by an article written by a regular columnist who said that it was good for Panlilio to back out from the race since he didn’t have the money to run a national campaign which he mentions as having at least 1 billion pesos. This kind of thinking is what has led the country to where it is now. Moral, upright and good leaders opt not to run during our elections because many people tell them that if you don’t have money you will not win. This is also the reason why more often then not Filipinos are left with no other choice but to always choose between the lesser evil since those who have the genuine desire to be of service do not anymore run for office since they do not have enough financial resources. Moreover, this kind of thinking has led to patronage politics and politics as a business wherein the politicians would “invest” millions or even billions to win an election then they would “reap” the fruits of their investments by siphoning off public funds that should be used to provide basic services to the Filipino people. Worse, they will also have no choice but to grant political favors to benefit the people who donated millions in their campaign. If we will all accept this columnist’s way of thinking then I will be the first one to tell all of you that Senator Noynoy Aquino will not win in the 2010 elections. His current net worth is less than 15 million pesos as compared to Senator Manny Villar’s billions of pesos.

However, like many of you, I refuse to buy this columnist’s argument of having billions of pesos in order to win in the 2010 Presidential elections, Gov. Eddie “Among Ed” Panlilio won in Pampanga against his well-funded and politically-entrenched opponents despite only having an initial fund of P 1,000. Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca also won not only once but twice despite her opponents spending millions of pesos against her. Mayor Sonia Lorenzo of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija won despite not having any posters or tarpaulins during her campaign. If we want to elect a reform President like Senator Noynoy Aquino that will not be beholden to the self-interests of the ruling oligarchs, business groups and traditional politicians, this President must be elected through the support of ordinary Filipinos like you and me. Like the Aquino family who has given already so much of themselves for our nation, every Filipino will also need to make our own small sacrifices such as chipping in our own small share of funds to help in his campaign, volunteering our time and talents and going out of our way to convince our friends to support Senator Aquino. This is our chance to prove once again to the whole world that the Philippines can lead the way in showing that the power of a true democracy lies in the hands of the people and not in the hands of a few.

Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com
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Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government.

By Harvey S. Keh

With less than 10 months before the 2010 National Elections, it seems that any hope of uniting the reform constituency in our country is becoming slimmer as the days go by. Many of us all believe that without a united reform constituency backing a common Presidential candidate and a common reform slate then we might as well accept that we will have another traditional politician backed by oligarchic interests leading our country from 2010 onwards. Right now, we have overseas Filipinos and local government officials led by Ifugao Gov. Teddy Baguilat, Jr. and Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya Mayor Florante Gerdan who are pushing for the candidacy of Pampanga Gov. Eddie “Among Ed” Panlilio. Just recently, we saw a group of youth leaders from all over the country together with peasant organizations and business leaders calling out to Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca to heed the call to lead our country out of our current state of rampant poverty. It’s a good thing that both Panlilio and Padaca, who along with Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo are co-founders of Kaya Natin, agreed not to run against each other and that only one of them will eventually run for President. Ang Kapatiran also announced that they will field their own candidate in the person of the youthful Olongapo City Councilor JC Delos Reyes while some environmental groups have declared their support for Nicky Perlas. Evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva, who lost badly in the last 2004 polls is also contemplating to make another run backed by his rejuvenated and reloaded Bangon Pilipinas Party. Add to this growing number is the fact that although some groups do not consider him a reform candidate, the Liberal Party’s Senator Mar Roxas is currently backed by highly-reputable civil society leaders such as former Department of Education Secretary Butch Abad, former Peace Process Adviser Ging Deles, former Department of Agrarian Reform Undersecretary Gerry Bulatao and AKBAYAN’s Joel Rocamora.

Imagine if all of these groups can come together, set aside their personal differences, work towards a common vision for a better Philippines and eventually field a common slate for the 2010 elections then I would think we can have a strong fighting chance of finally electing effective, ethical and empowering government leaders for our country. Similar to the situation that we found ourselves in 1986, we find that many of our democratic institutions even the recent giving of the National Artist Awards have been bastardized by this administration. Similar to 1986, the 2010 elections will be a battle between those who believe in restoring our democratic processes and those who want to continue to usurp it for their own personal gain. Similar to 1986, we are also faced with the challenge to unite all of these well-meaning groups in order for us to come up with a formidable force that will give this current administration a run for its money in 2010. Similar to 1986, all of these reform groups have to eventually find it in themselves to be humble enough to sacrifice their own beliefs in order for us to unite for a cause that is bigger than all of us. Let us remember that in 1986, the strongest opposition party was Doy Laurel’s UNIDO but eventually for the sake of unity, Laurel agreed to run as Cory Aquino’s running mate. This ultimate sacrifice and act of humility that many have seem to have forgotten led to the bloodless People Power Revolution and the restoration of democracy in our country.

Now as we again draw near the 2010 polls, I hope that the legacy and spirit of President Cory Aquino will again move all these reform groups towards a unified People Power reform ticket in 2010. Two weeks ago, the whole country mourned the loss of Tita Cory, a woman who gave everything until the last moments of her life for the sake of the Filipino people. I hope that we can all find inspiration in the humility and generosity of spirit that she showed when she was still with us. Let her legacy as a true icon of democracy continue to become our rallying point towards the unity that all of us seek.

To Tita Cory, I hope and pray that you will be able to read this one last and final request that we have, please move our hearts so we can set aside our own personal ambitions for the sake of what is good and just for every Filipino. We hope that you will not allow us to put to waste all the sacrifices that you and Ninoy have so gallantly given for each one of us. Rest assured that like you, we will all continue to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith.

Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com
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Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo School of Government.

By Harvey S. Keh

Aside from the Presidential derby that seems to be in full swing already, many local politicians in Quezon City and Nueva Ecija have also started preparing for their own bids for local government positions in their respective areas.

When one passes by Quezon City, it would be next to impossible for a person not to notice the many tarpaulin banners put up by those who are planning to run in the 2010 elections. Quezon City’s progressive Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. will be finishing his last term and has already endorsed his current Vice-Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista as his heir apparent. Bistek’s runningmate will be Belmonte’s only daughter, Joy Belmonte-Alimurung, who is known for her advocacies in education, youth and culture. Not many people know that upon graduating from college at the Ateneo de Manila University, Joy chose to be part of the Jesuit Volunteer Philippines’ program and spent one year teaching children in rural communities in Bukidnon. Aside from these, she is also the current President of the Quezon City Ladies Foundation that has delivered several anti-poverty programs in the poorest areas in Quezon City. Incumbent 4th District Congresswoman Nanette Daza seems to also be eyeing the mayoral post while current councilors, Janet Malaya, Bernadette Herrera, Aiko Melendez and Dante de Guzman are considering to challenge Joy for the Vice-Mayoral post. Whoever will turn up the winner in Quezon City, let us hope that they will continue or even improve on what Mayor Belmonte has done in terms of making the city one of the most business-friendly cities in the country today.

Aside from the race for mayor and vice-mayor, another local fight in Quezon City worth following is the battle for the 3rd Congressional District which is known to be the bailiwick of the Defensors, who are one of the staunchest supporters of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. For the upcoming elections, incumbent Congressman Matias Defensor (father of former Sec. Mike Defensor) will be up against current Councilor Bolet Banal, who garnered the most number of votes among the councilors of the 3rd District during the last elections. Councilor Banal has delivered good programs in uplifting the standard of public education in his district and is one of the young turks of the Liberal Party, whose leaders are identified with the opposition. For him to stand a chance of winning against the massive political machinery of the Defensors, he should be able to make sure that people in his area know that their current Congressman was the one who always shot down the impeachment of President Arroyo and more recently, supported the recent passing of the Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) resolution.

In Nueva Ecija where a spate of political killings have always marked the coming of the elections, people might be left with no other choice than to choose between an Umali-Umali or a Joson-Joson team-up for the Gubernatorial and Vice-Gubernatorial race. It seems that these two political families are intent on making the provincial capitol their own family business and aim to perpetuate further their respective political dynasties. This is the reason why civil society groups together with some Church organizations in the province are now seriously thinking of creating a third force similar to what happened in Pampanga where despite not having enough resources, priest turned Governor Eddie Panlilio ran and won against then incumbent Gov. Mark Lapid and then incumbent Board Member Lilia Pineda. Both Pineda and Lapid are also very close allies of President Arroyo. One name that has always come up in these conversations of fielding an alternative candidate for Governor is current San Isidro, Nueva Ecija Mayor Sonia Lorenzo, who is also one of the founding members of the good governance movement, Kaya Natin. Mayor Lorenzo is known have transformed San Isidro from a sleepy 4th class municipality to a thriving 2nd class municipality in less than 5 years! She is also known to have very strong bridging leadership skills as evidenced by her ability to bring in different prestigious private organizations such as Gawad Kalinga, the Ateneo Center for Educational Development and the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to help in delivering programs in her municipality. Just last month, Mayor Lorenzo was given the unique honor of delivering a lecture on effective governance practices at the prestigious Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. It remains to be seen though whether Mayor Lorenzo will actually consider to run for higher office and whether these groups will still have enough time to organize and put up a strong challenge against these two political giants in Nueva Ecija.

Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com

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Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo School of Government.