The Plague

Politics continues to dominate the Philippines, and there lies the problem

Even for an election year, 2004 was a particularly bitter political year for the Philippines. From the outset, it was an election which pitted candidates with strong core constituencies but not enough broad support to ensure a clear majority: an incumbent President who had entered office following People Power II, a movie star and reluctant candidate, two former Senators, and a new politician disguised as an evangelist. The result was a two-person race between President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and challenger Fernando Poe, Jr., with the other three trailing way behind. The final outcome: a minority win by Arroyo in the tightest race since Fidel Ramos edged Miriam Defensor Santiago in 1992.

May 2004 Elections outcome -- a minority win by Arroyo in the tightest race since Fidel Ramos edged Miriam Defensor Santiago in 1992

Unlike the 1998 election, 2004 was all about geography rather than purely about socioeconomic differences. In 1998, Joseph Estrada was carried to victory largely on the votes of those from lower socioeconomic status – the so-called C and D votes. In 2004, Arroyo and Poe were locked in a turf war among regions. Poe took most of Luzon while Arroyo took most of the Visayas. They split Mindanao.

Although the race was tight – President Arroyo winning by just over 3% – Congressional and local races left little doubt that the President indeed controlled a majority. She had majority control of the House and Senate as well as most of the Governors and Mayors across the nation. And for the first time since 1986, the Vice President also came from the same party as the President. Thus, the stage was set for the country to buckle down to work.

Or so we thought. But just when we hoped that all the politicking would die down, it all came back like a recurring bad dream. The President continued in campaign mode, making Cabinet appointments to reward regions which brought her to victory while trying to appease critics with concessions. In such moves as granting medical leaves abroad for former President Estrada to the extension of housing loans for Bro. Mike Velarde’s “low-cost” housing program, it appeared – rightly or wrongly – that the President was shoring up her support base. In the end, she pleased hardly anyone, least of all her enemies even as she lost a few of her supporters.

The Opposition wasn’t any better. Refusing to accept defeat, some filed electoral protests – evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. And when tragedy struck and their standard-bearer, the reluctant candidate Fernando Poe, Jr. suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, few could resist the temptation to make a political statement when they paid tribute to their hero.

But if there was a lesson to learn from all of this, it was that the public had grown tired of the plague of politics. Juan de la Cruz simply wanted to make a living. And so, even as the economic figures showed growth, the public opinion surveys indicated more disappointment and frustration – and hunger for both food and governance.

There was a disconnection between the macroeconomic figures and the microeconomic realities of personal lives. The surveys showed that while there was collective growth for all, there was also a widening gap between the comfortable and the poverty-stricken. Bridging that gap will require unity and focus, two qualities we have lacked in our divisive, overly-politicized culture. It’s time to set that aside and focus our energies somewhere else. The elections have long been over. Let’s focus first on economic development and put politics on the back-burner until 2007.