Is PNoy's term extension call legitimate?

By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr.

Contributor

The political climate in the Philippines has turned 360 degrees around last week when President [Benigno Simeon C.] Aquino [III] entertained the idea previously echoed out by Sec. Mar Roxas and the Liberal Party that the Constitution be amended to allow him to run for a second term. Their argument was couched on the notion that given the economic advancements now taking place in the country, there is a great need for Aquino to stay in his office further to firm up the transformation process he has begun for the nation. 

Indications on initial survey reflected a slight advantage of those favoring his term extension, but a spot survey conducted by ABS-CBN on live broadcast last Monday, August 18, 2014, dramatically increased the favoring side at a 63-37 ratio. Clearly, this ratio indicated that a great majority of the Filipinos still agree that Mr. Aquino's mode of transforming the nation is on the right track and that they'd rather leave this transformation process in his hands than taking a chance on somebody else's. 

The term extension issue is the hottest potato now dominating the political rhetoric virtually pushing Napoles and the President's DAP issue to the backseat. Yet, jolted by this new development, Aquino's enemies are now invoking his parents' legacy of fighting a dictatorial regime as a counter argument to the merits of this fresh move. 

The pros and cons are sporting meritorious reasons of their own however. The bottom line though is whether the call to term extension is legitimate. Some call it a bluff, to reinvigorate the President's waning popularity on account of the DAP controversy; or to retest the people's faith in his governance as a barometer of the strength of his endorsement on the candidate he covets to replace him should this take place. Some call it legitimate, however, given the consistency of his purported candidate's poor showing in the surveys. If this latter belief be the truth, it clearly defines the kind of trust President Aquino has on his mother's erstwhile avid supporter and their family friend, Vice President Jejomar Binay, who leads the surveys on the forthcoming presidential race. 

It would be unwise to assume that Aquino's distrust on the Vice President is on the basis of governance competence—for Binay is a bright and politically experienced man. It has to be on the basis of the issue of corruption: Perhaps, the President believes that political dynasty, as what Binay is practicing now—his son and his daughter are the mayor and congressman of Makati City, their socio-political domain, and another daughter is as a member of the Philippine Senate—is anathema to his war against corruption. And corruption is what he is earnestly trying to eliminate as a prelude to change, isn't it? 

For all practical purposes, the Binays own Makati, the richest city in this country; but the son, who succeeded the father before the latter became the Vice President is now in hot water—along with his dad, unfortunately—at the Office of the Ombudsman on corruption charges stemming from an alleged P2 billion overpricing on the construction cost of Makati's public parking building.  If there be truth to their accuser's allegation that the building in question has cost more than a posh condominium building in Makati, the Vice President will be in trouble. Scenarios like this are just the agonizing debris of the main anathema to change, which is political dynasty.

Perhaps, the President too is dreadful of what Binay may do on his allies that Aquino put to trial for plunder and corruption charges. Perhaps, the President also fears that with Binay at the helm of government, the dreadful tentacles of political dynasty will grow even more. For how could one indeed rebuff the glory and privilege of having a son as mayor of the richest city in the country and two daughters as congresswoman and senator?

Political dynasty, frankly speaking, epitomizes greed, and greed is what breeds corruption; and as what Mr. Aquino has said, and echoed out by presidential wannabe Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano in his pre-campaign propaganda sorties, "kung walang kurap ay walang mahirap." Ironically, Cayetano is a political dynasty practitioner himself as his wife and brother are the mayor and congressman of Taguig City respectively, and his sister, Pia Cayetano, is a member like him of the Philippine Senate. He is one of the Binays’ staunchest critics, but mind you, these guys are in the same boat: The good senator and his wife are facing corruption charges too—before the Office of the Ombudsman.  

Mar Roxas, the President's candidate to replace him, is a well-bred, decent man coming from a family of decent politicians and business people. His name has never been involved in any scandal of any kind. He is bright, diligent and known to be incorruptible, therefore, it is only right for the President to covet him as his successor. But his survey numbers are not moving in the presidential race. He lacks the charisma of a Grace Poe, or verbosity of a Chiz Escudero, but from an angle of competence and trust, he's got to be the man. And this had to be the frustrating compulsion that pushed Mr. Aquino to declare his openness to the revision of the Constitution for purposes of enabling him to run for a second term, however contradictory it might be to what his parents had stood for in their times. 

But the political realities then are no longer what they are now. Time is the enemy against our race to change. The reform fundamentals that Mr. Aquino has put in place must be nursed gingerly to maturity, until it can stand the test of economic and political greed. For progress in our country, it can be strongly argued, will remain a dream until corruption will breathe its last breath on the Philippine earth. At this moment, Mr. Aquino is the man. He is the man to steer our independence from the bondage of wrong politics.

And yet, the righteous minds that crafted the six-year term for the Philippine president, in preemption of future dictatorial inclinations, have misread the future: that a well meant politician would one day emerge from nowhere to institute the rightful reforms for the Filipinos. The chance to sustain our momentum for change will soon become an era gone by if we choose to be passive on the raging debate of whether or not President Aquino must stay further in office.