ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina—I’m sorry to say this especially since I’m born a Filipino but even after two Edsa Revolutions—admittedly the last bore a former woman president who became the second longest ‘serving’ leader after the late president Ferdinand Marcos but whose credibility remain tainted thanks to ‘Hello Garci.’
Now thanks to countless surveys conducted by independent and interest groups it seems as if the Filipinos have not only gone back to square one in terms of political maturity and insight but have mostly agreed among themselves to sell their right to votes in one of two ways: first, to the highest bidder and second, to who’s trending right now in social media.
Thus while we have former senators like Bam Aquino and Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan going the campaign rounds and making themselves visible in social media, it would likely take a miracle of sorts for them to be reelected to office. It’s also much harder for other senatorial aspirants especially from the far left to crack the top 12 (?) in this year’s elections.
Which is why even with their indifference and sheer fatigue from election politics, American voters can always make their decisions heard loud and clear through the ballot as evidenced by the election victory of US President Donald Trump despite his legal troubles and the entire former Democrat administration machinery against him. And not even legacy media which is biased for Dems can sway the American voting public.
In the Philippines, especially among the poorest of the poor, it’s about who gets to grease their hands with thick wads of cash that would surely get elected. That and to who is trending or popular at the moment. Frankly I’m both amused and sad that an Erwin Tulfo and a former police chief known for his fanatical loyalty to the former president get to lead in surveys compared to those with solid legislative track records i.e. Bam Aquino,Kiko Pangilinan and Teddy Casino.
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Was there any dialogue or public consultation done on the national government’s plans to set up a naval base somewhere in the 3,000 hectare Phividec Industrial Authority site in Tagoloan town, Misamis Oriental province? Even if there is the anticipated opposition from the local populace who remain mostly unempowered and thus have no say on what happens in their own backyard?
Apparently nada as gleaned from the responses of Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Yevgeny ‘Bambi’ Emano and his sister, Tagoloan Mayor Nadya Emano. Even if it does involve land that is technically under the national government/gpvernment owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), Tagoloan residents have about as much right to know how the naval base’s presence will impact their lives in the long term.
Bambi voiced his concern and even emphasized in his interview over Bombo Radyo that he is against the project if it threatens the safety of his kababayan in Tagoloan. Mayor Nadya was unaware about this development and thus was unable to comment on the issue which Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro mentioned in his conversations with reporters in Cagayan de Oro City.
Teodoro said ‘matagan na ito na plano (it’s been planned a long time ago)’ in reference to the planned naval base of the Philippine Naval Operations in Mindanao that will be home to the Philippines Air Force’s 15th Strike Wing. But then again, local officials were not told about this, nor was there any intention to do so even if legally, the local governments have nearly zero output on the issue.
Never mind the secrecy because the creation of Phividec itself was an unilateral act by the late president Ferdinand Marcos who issued a presidential decree for this purpose that was crafted by now retired Juan Ponce Enrile, his former defense secretary. I wonder personally whether the Phividec did manage to benefit the beneficiaries it was intended for, namely the World War II veterans who have mostly perhaps died even long before.
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But even with the late Tagoloan mayor and eventual Misamis Oriental governor Vicente ‘Dongkoy’ Emano—Bambi and Nadya’s father—leading the protests against Phividec, there was no denying the national government from having their way and even with the absence of a dialogue, chances are likely the base will be created at the Phividec site.
In his gubernatorial run back in 2022, former Misamis Oriental governor and Cagayan de Oro City mayor Oscar Moreno noted in an admittedly long winded public discussion on how it would be a challenge for the next leadership in the Provincial Capitol to deal with the existence of Phividec. Specifically, how Phividec could be handled in such a way as to perhaps benefit not only the incorporators and national government but also the residents of Tagoloan and nearby Villanueva town.
Alas Moreno lost his gubernatorial bid and the eventual winner, Misamis Oriental Gov. Peter Unabia, is more interested in developing the Provincial Capitol’s grounds with a private developer than be bothered with something outside of his own concerns as a naval base in the Phividec area of Tagoloan town. Not that Unabia’s plan is wrong, but we question whether he cares about the two towns that are leading engines of growth in Misamis Oriental province.
At any rate, much as I know that it’s more a facade or even a ‘moro-moro’, public dialogues and consultations should be the norm rather than the exception to good governance practices in the Philippines. Granted that it can be long and tedious and there are interest groups and lobbyists out to influence public opinion, but if there is any commitment to govern with the public’s unqualified support, building a consensus through consultation is a standard that should be upheld for the public good.
