February 01, 2004

The Philippine STAR, Opinion Page

Everyone Wants A Quick Fix

By Babe Romualdez

Survey says: Fernando Poe, Jr. is leading the pack with 36 percent.  GMA is second with 27 percent while Raul Roco is third with 19 percent.  ABS-CBN news personality Noli de Castro is heading the vice presidential survey with 52 percent and Loren Legarda with 37 percent.  Six percent are still undecided.  on the whole, celebrities are leading the pack.

It is clear from the survey that the CDE classes are looking at the celebrities to give them the solutions to their problems.  Obviously, they are getting more and more impatient.  There are about 25 million people living below the poverty line waiting for a dramatic change in their lives, and they want it now.  Contrary to what many believe that they don't know any better, their decision is clear:  They want someone they can identify with, in their view, one who understands their condition and will do something about it.  The poor are looking for a "Messiah," their quick fix solution to their seemingly hopeless situation.

Therein lies our problem.  It's bad enough that this political exercise is tainted with a lot of mudslinging and dirty-tricks-type of politics.  Poverty is raging like forest fire and population growth is just as rampant.  An oil price increase is expected to take effect soon.  This will again kick up the cost of basic commodities, food, public transport fare, etc.  Our food supply is ravaged by bird flu, red tide, and mad cow.  

A large part of the poor, even the middle class, are still unemployed.  Those who are lucky enough to get employed are slowly migrating out of the country, trying their luck elsewhere.  Not to mention the budget deficit, the national debt (which has reached US$60 billion), the low investor and consumer confidence, lack of foreign direct investments, critical banking situation, lack in educational facilities, bad fiscal spending, pollution, peso depreciation, and--in the end--a lot of politicking.

The basic daily wage cannot catch up with the ever rising cost of living.  This gives the poor the impression that the government has done nothing about their situation.  The more these prices go up, the more the marginalized sector gets pushed down, pushed to desperation and to a blind corner.  To them, the quick fix solution is FPJ.  But it is clear as day that a quick fix solution is not the answer.  

Our country's problems run deep, and it needs long-term solutions.  That is why candidates should communicate their programs clearly to the public and zero in on the CDE bracket.  GMA, with resources at her disposal, should be able to send her message across, with running mate Noli de Castro, can easily connect with the marginalized sector.  Raul Roco and Ping Lacson would have to work double time to dramatically catch up.  FPJ, as of today, has not revealed his platform of government, but people are already following him in droves.  The one who convinces the CDE classes is clearly the candidate who will win.

On the other hand, because they fear an FPJ presidency, there are people who are trying to pull-off a quick fix solution by disqualifying him.  Just recently, another disqualification petition was filed at the Supreme Court.  Unless they're certain that they can convince the poor that FPJ is not Filipino, the petition will only weigh us down even more.  Worse, this could be the catalyst that would provoke the poor sector of society to take matters into their own hands.

The Left are supporting FPJ because they feel this is their chance, especially if he gets disqualified, to incite an armed struggle.  This will surely compound the problem even more.  I was talking to a well-known lawyer the other night, and he said no country can declare someone a citizen of another country.  This is clearly the international law.  If the Supreme Court declares FPJ to be an American citizen, and the US denies it, then what will he be?  A man without a country?  

The worse quick fix solution yet are the people who are pushing for a no-elections scenario.  Business leader Ronnie Concepcion called on FVR to stop his boys, especially Retired General Fortunato Abat to stop the "no-elections" ads in the newspapers.  This No-El talk pushed the peso close to P57 to the US dollar this week.

We haven't seen any platform from the FPJ camp, but his popularity defies any explanation.  His followers are simply die-hard fanatics.  Some foreign journalists, whom I talked to, have started following FPJ.  They are amazed at the number of people who swarm around him like ants wherever he goes.  And he doesn't even have to talk much.  All he has to say is "Mahal ko kayong lahat" or "Ako'y handang tumulong sa inyo."  Thousands of the mass would scream in adulation.  This is a scary situation.  What is worse, the more his detractors push him down, the more his followers rally behind him.

At the end of the day, the long term problems of this country remain to be poverty and population.  We must face these problems head-on if we want to move forward.  If no dramatic change occurs, in less than 10 years, 70 million Filipinos will live below the poverty line.  When that happens, no candidate, whether qualified, celebrity or otherwise, will be able to find the answer.  Then maybe, at that time, we will need s Bro. Eddie to intercede for us because perhaps only Divine Intervention will save us.

The Philippines missed the chance of having a leader in Salvador "Doy" Laurel.  I was with him on many occasions, especially from 1988 to 1992 when our firm arranged for many of his meetings with US officials in Washington, DC.  It was during that time when he shared with me many of his hopes and dreams for the country.  It is sad he never saw those dreams fulfilled.  Now, he's gone forever.  Doy Laurel was a good and decent man.

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