January 04, 2004

The Philippine STAR, Opinion Page

The Reality of an FPJ,

a Noli de Castro & a Loren Legarda   

By Babe Romualdez

To a minority, it's a nightmare.  To the majority, especially to the poor, it's a dream come true.  Celebrities are finally overtaking the political leadership and there's no stopping it now.  Apparently, there are many who are gearing up for an FPJ presidency.  This is the reality we all face today.  This country has finally reached its crossroads.

This is a crucial stage, a turning point, if you will, where there is no turning back.  About 40 percent of the population is now living below the poverty line, and with a continuing 2.3 percent population growth rate, and an average 1.7 million added to the population each year (most of it going to the poor), we're sure to hit the 100 million mark no later than 2010.  Even today we could already feel the weight of the population at 84 million.  The poor are getting poorer and jobs are becoming more scarce.  With the economy growing at less than four-percent, it can never catch up with population growth.  The cost of living cannot even support a simple family of four with food, education, adequate shelter, and other basic necessities.

The more government ignores the problem, the harder it gets for them to solve it.  We don't even need to browse through statistics to get a view of the socio-economic landscape.  Go outside of your houses and cruise along Roxas Boulevard, or any inner street of Parañaque, Pasay, Makati, Manila and Quezon City, and you will see what this is all about.  There are at least a hundred thousand street children roaming around Metro Manila according to world statistics, but to many, they feel there are more.  With the limited resources at the disposal of ABS-CBN's Bantay Bata and other NGO's, they can only reach and support a handful.  Mayors Sonny Belmonte and Lito Atienza have tried everything to address poverty in their areas, but squatter communities just keep on spreading like the plague--thanks to Joey Lina and his squatter law.   

In this set-up, education--private and even public--has become more of a luxury than a necessity.  As I have also said in the past, politicking adds to the growing uncertainty, making it more difficult for government to connect to the people.  This is our present reality and the snowball effect of population and poverty has literally turned into an avalanche.

This is the reason the masses are looking to FPJ for answers.  Kapit patalim, as our forefathers used to say.  For the poor, they would rather place their hopes on someone they could see, even if it's just in the reel.  This is the kind of power the celebrities have.  He hasn't even started campaigning yet, but everywhere Ronnie goes, throngs of people flock to him just to get a glimpse of their so-called "savior."  The mass of people who flocked to the Comelec when Ronnie Poe and Loren Legarda submitted their certificates of candidacy is just a prelude of what is to come.

The poor are counting on Ronnie to solve their problems, much in the same way as he does in his movies.  During the US Embassy Garden Party in Baguio last week, I spoke to some businessmen and they seemed resigned to an FPJ presidency.  Many of us can't even convince our drivers to vote otherwise.  Perhaps, no one can blame the poor for thinking this way.  To them, it is clear that traditional politicians cannot and will not help them.  Time and again, the poor feel they have given their trust to politicos and all they got each time were unfulfilled promises.  

As far as changes in their lives are concerned, what was already bad only got worse.  Since they are not seeing any positive changes, now they seem to want someone whom they could "see" doing something for them, even if it's just in the movies.  The problem is, seemingly, their sense of hopelessness has prevented them from distinguishing between what is real and what is not.  For the poor, it seems, it is better to play "make believe," or worse, go in denial and bury their heads in the sand.  This is probably why movie and television personalities have a bigger edge.  

Ronnie attended our People Asia magazine Christmas party (he was our December cover and it was sold out) where I had a chance to talk to him lengthily about his plans.  He told me his main theme is to be the conduit between the poor and the rich.  He also told me he has already met with some businessmen to get a feel of the country's problems and how he could relate it to the poor.  He struck me as one who is sincere and serious about being the unity candidate.  But for all intents and purposes, FPJ belongs to the upper crust of society.  His paycheck in show business is one of the highest in the industry, that's why he is considered a multimillionaire.  For a few seconds in a TV ad, he gets paid a little less than a hundred million pesos.  Just maybe, he may be able to pull this country together.  We can only hope and pray. 

By getting Noli de Castro who is a celebrity as his running mate, GMA has herself admitted that the elections this May would be a battle between celebrities.  As incumbent president, she has probably offered and given more tangible assistance to the poor than most celebrity candidates, but even she knows her track record as president would not be enough to get the poor man's vote.  She's been in office for only two and a half years, and she could only do so much.  That's why she did everything to connect to the poor.  Whether she made that connection with the poor or not, of course, is another story.  We will know the answer this May.

As for Loren Legarda, her track record will definitely speak for itself.  She's a young, aggressive and feisty lady who knows what she wants and how to get it.  She's hardworking and very smart.  Yes, she's ambitious, and that is not bad because she gets things done.  Loren, no doubt, was productive as a senator, having authored several laws on protecting the environment, child workers' rights, agricultural productivity, and of course, women's rights.  Be that as it may, her celebrity status and connection with the poor and the Filipino youth are her biggest assets.  Candidates could have a difficult time derailing the FPJ-Loren tandem, save perhaps GMA-Noli who have the "equity of the incumbent" and political machinery on their side. The battle between the two celebrity tag teams is on.

Population and poverty have finally reached the boiling point.  This election is probably the only way to diffuse this stirring volcano.  the financial gap between the rich and the poor is obviously getting wider, and wider still is the communication gap.  That is why the candidates who can effectively communicate to the poor their programs have the edge.  This is the reality of an FPJ, a Noli de Castro and a Loren Legarda today.

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