WHAT IS OUGHT TO BE and WHAT IS OUGHT NOT TO BE?

By: Danica Jhocel C. Manicad

Politics! Government! People! State! Nation!

Some people may not have a scrupulous understanding with regards to these things. Yet most of us have always been keen observers in terms of politics and government especially with the diverse scenarios of the Philippine regime up to this present time. Even if, one is in or out of this kind of humanity, being drawn in these issues and scenarios is out-of-hand. Definitely, for the past 3 years of my student life, I was completely clueless of what learning politics is all about, what are the things to be understood and to be grasped, and how does this circle of terms affects the people. Then and then, I came to realize that it’s a commensalism relationship- one benefited while the other is unaffected. Most of the time, the state can’t feel the good effect of politics. They can’t even feel the good result of electing such official in that position. On the contrary, most officials gain loads of benefits from their position.

Further, the political nature of the Philippines has always been dependent to those political parties. These parties have always been on the top. Having a multi-party system in the Philippines connotes the participation and existence of different bodies of people or group organized for the purpose of influencing the policies and conduct of government administration. These parties have their own stand on certain issues of the government. Such political parties are the Lakas, Nationalistas, and Liberals etc. They have their own diversity yet amidst this, they have the existence of uniformity as well.

Taking into example is the Lakas party as the ruling and current administration political party in the Philippines. The Lakas-CMD (Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats) which was formed by former President Fidel V. Ramos along side with former Cebu Governor Emilio Mario R. Osmeña. The said political party was formed out of two parties, the Partido Lakas ng Tao (People Power Party) and the National Union of Christian Democrats (NUCD). Later on, it was consolidated with United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (UMDP). And for a span time the party was merged to Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (KAMPI) which was the ruling party of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. With this, issues were brought up between the political party members. Such issues or internal conflicts are the resignation of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia as the President of Lakas-CMD and having rejected the proposition to be the Chairman-emeritus of the party by former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos because of the involvement of his son, Joey de Venecia III, in the NBN-ZTE deal scandal which was a direct accusation for the first family; the objection of former President Fidel V. Ramos and former House Speaker Jose de Venecia for the said merging of Lakas and KAMPI; and the resignation of former Presidential Candidate Atty. Gilbert “GIBO” Teodoro Jr. as the Lakas-KAMPI-CMD chairman.

The involvement of former House Speaker JDV’s son, Joey de Venecia III, led for the former to resign in his position as the president of the party and I think it is very much acceptable and notable because he has kept his principle. He knows how to weigh what is right from what is wrong. He has that intellectual mind to think and to decide for himself, his family and his political ideology. Leaving the administration party for his own sake.

And as what Speaker Nograles had said, “What is important is not what Lakas will decide. To me what is more important is what De Venecia will have to decide for himself. As much as possible, I do not want the party to decide for him but he should decide for himself what to do,” -Philippine Inquirer.

The matter of objection which was exercised by former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos and former House Speaker Jose de Venecia for the Lakas-KAMPI alliance has been the top issue because it paved way for the members to have such diversity though they are in one political party. The different aspects of ideas had come into view. Battle of wits and unlike opinions dominated the party.

Lastly, another resignation of presidency in Lakas-KAMPI-CMD by former Presidential bet Atty. Gilbert “GIBO” Teodoro Jr.

“Effective immediately, I am resigning as chairman of our party to focus all my efforts campaigning for the presidency of the country as the official candidate of Lakas-Kampi-CMD.” –GIBO; Phil. Inquirer

This matter paved way for the very concern of Atty. Teodoro for his own advocacy and concrete ideas and policies for the country. And having been decided and sacrificed his position the Lakas-KAMPI-CMD political party still he remained one of the members and proponent of the Lakas.

Moreover, these issues that had emerged from the party have its pros and cons: on the positive side, these scenarios proved how political parties affect the person, specifically the political advocates, allowing him to decide in his own with such ideologies and sharp decisions also for his own sake. However, these issues showed that even though you’re in same side or same color, still you’re of different opinions and mind set. Though you’re uniform in body, diversity in personalities and intellectual ability can still make a change.

“Men share power. Men differ about what is to be done. The differences matter. This necessitates that government decisions and actions result from a political process. In this process, one group committed to a course of action sometimes triumphs over other groups fighting for other alternatives. Equally often, however, different groups pulling in different directions produce a result, or a better resultant – a mixture of conflicting preferences and unequal power of various individuals – distinct from wha5t any person or group intended. In both cases, what moves the chess pieces is not simply the reasons that support the course of action, or the routines of organizations that enact an alternative, but the power and skill of proponents and the opponents of the action in question.”

– Graham Allison