Below are excerpts from an “email interview” I had today with Prof. Belinda Aquino, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and author of the book, “The Politics of Plunder: The Philippines Under Marcos.” The subject was Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, who was proclaimed today as the 15th president of the Philippines. Prof. Aquino responded to my questions “with the caveat that these are probably not the best answers especially given that this presidency has not even started officially.”

 

You wrote in a recent op-ed piece that Noynoy Aquino should start showing how serious he is on reform by addressing first the problem in Hacienda Luisita (a sugar plantation owned by Aquino’s family where farmers, several of whom were killed and injured in the 2004 massacre, are still demanding that the land be distributed to them). Is this a realistic expectation?

I think so, but first of all, I didn’t mean to imply that he can do it alone  or overnight.  But the issue is not new and by now, Aquino must know just about all  its dimensions  and what appropriate steps to take.  He doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel, as the expression goes.  It  is not unrealistic  to expect him to reflect further on the problem, craft a mission statement,  put together a coherent team of advisers who will not end up fighting each other,  develop allies in Congress, the bureaucracy, the private sector,  the media, and most of all, the people themselves through the various civil society groups that represent their interests.  After all, with his big victory  margin,  he has a convincing  and fresh  mandate from the people.  He has to realize that he has the ability, if not the power,  to do something now as president, and he must not be timid to exercise  this mandate  for responsible, humanitarian and reasonable causes.   This will take time and he will step on a lot of big toes, but he can start the process now  by formulating a concept, selling the idea, work for the repeal of CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program) that provides for escape clauses for haciendas and big landholdings to be exempt from land reform  if they convert to industrial uses, and so on.  This will be a test of his social and human skills and imagination, which he can sharpen along the way,  given that he does not  have that much experience and political savvy  yet.

What is not realistic is for him not to show leadership and expect the courts and other entities  or processes to  take care of the problem.  That would be a defeatist attitude.   It  doesn’t hurt for him to take bold and courageous moves on the issue this early and I  believe he will have the strong  support of the people.

It must be recalled that his mother, president Cory Aquino, was reluctant to wield power, or at least was perceived to be an indecisive president. But contrary to this popular belief, she manifested certain strengths and skills  when necessary,  was able to fend off in her own way the various destabilization efforts against her government, and hold the country together for her entire term. Given that she was “just a mere housewife” and that she was politically inexperienced,  she  did extremely well on various fronts.  She exceeded most expectations about her ability as a president.

Noynoy at least  has some legislative, as well as business, experience and skills, and he can launch an auspicious beginning by setting an example close to home: Luisita.  The symbolism of it will be great and will resonate positively in the entire nation. Besides, he has the momentum and he has to maintain it before people get disillusioned as usual. He has to show that his coming is a breath of fresh air — difficult to do because of people’s increasing alienation to government, but he should try.

 

What do you think are the priorities that Noynoy should focus early on?

How to make a breakthrough in the country’s most persistent structural problems of poverty, social injustice, political instability, economic inequality, population issues and corruption. Every president comes with glowing pronouncements on ending corruption, poverty, and so on, but all these promises wither on the vine over time. The people are tired of the same old rationalizations and excuses. What else is new!

Try to increase or improve benefits and assistance to low income families particularly in the area of health, and if possible come up with a national health insurance policy to assist the poor with their hospitalization or medication expenses. The main complaint of people is how expensive medicines are – far beyond their means – and how hospitalization is even more prohibitive. You just die if you don’t have money.  He should focus on this area first because only a healthy population can be active and productive.

Another immediate problem is to revive population-related initiatives. This area was making great inroads during the administration of President Fidel Ramos. Engage civil society groups like NGOs to help in this endeavor.  Public health services should also be augmented. The rural and municipal health units are so understaffed and have no facilities like ambulances and assistance for elderly and disabled sectors of the population. In short, people-related initiatives should be given priority.

 

Do you think his reform agenda, mainly against corruption, is realistic and has he shown signs of pursuing it?

This is a sore point in every administration: fighting corruption is always an uphill battle because perpetrators, especially the big-time ones, can get away with murder, literally and otherwise. They have the power, the means and other resources they can easily muster. And the state has a weak and basically corrupt system of justice.

The new president should not just concentrate on the Arroyo-related corrupt activities, but revisit the hundreds of cases way back against the Marcos cronies and estate, which have been dragging for well over a quarter of a century. He should find a way to compensate the human rights victims of the Marcos regime because they won, after all, the cases they filed against the regime and estate in U.S. district courts, such as the one in Hawaii when the  torture victims were awarded about $1.2 billion for damages.  Because of legal and international hassles, they haven’t collected a single cent from the estate. And the Marcoses are back in power and still fighting to retain the “hidden wealth.”

Initiatives like this will signal that the new administration wants to operate under the rule of law and social justice. No one has been prosecuted, let alone convicted, of the Marcos regime crimes except for underlings like those charged with the Aquino assassination.

It is about time a president address the issue of corruption more aggressively by going beyond the investigation and litigation phases, which always end up favoring the corrupt and letting them get off scot-free.

 

What do you see are the biggest problems that Noynoy faces?

His biggest problems include the continuing insurgency, terrorist activities in Mindanao, notably those perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf and other disaffected minorities, the Communist insurgency in Luzon especially; the  political opposition he will encounter in governing, such as the Marcoses, Arroyos, Villars, Erap and other detractors. They are much more experienced than he is and they will put the pressure on him to protect their interests and they are perfectly capable of mounting various offensives.