Leadership quality, not gov’t form

Recently 12 Senators led by Senate President Manny Villar and Congressmen led by Speaker Prospero Nograles filed resolutions to amend the Constitution for a parliamentary federal form of government through the Constituent Assembly.

We are for the change of our form of government that will suit our needs. I have no objection. But I just want to voice out, what we need, instead, is the quality of leadership more than the form of government.

Any form of government is best if it has good people to administer it.

As early as the 17th century a British poet Alexander Pope already wrote about it in his book “An Essay on Man.” Wrote Pope, “For forms of government, let fools contest. Whatever is best administered is best.”

On religion, he said the same thing, “For modes of faith, let graceless zealots fight,/ He can’t be wrong whose life is on the right;/ In faith and hope the world will disagree,/ But all mankind’s concern is charity.”

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On forms of government? All is best depending on the people running it. Our main concern must be the quality of leadership. We will have a federal parliamentary form… but if we have the same corrupt leaders that we have today, it will just bury the country deeper.

I am not against federalism. I am just pointing out the pitfalls.

If we have a federal government with the right to impose and collect taxes and more autonomous in running it, you can just imagine the money to be stolen. And the national government will find it difficult to touch them.

And how can you drive them out after they have amassed money and practically bought every one?

We will be, in effect, putting up an enclave of powerful local leaders becoming later a warlord. Local political bossism!

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There are many more. But I just want to focus on the possibility of the country breaking up, I want to point out the experience of both Japan and Indonesia, archipelago like us, composed of islands.

When Japan and Indonesia wrote their respective Constitutions, the proponents also thought of making it parliamentary. But it was pointed out a federal government is not fit for an archipelagic country. The reason is it will be hard to quell rebellion or secessionist movements.

In Japan, they were afraid of the growing power of the local war lords.

With the secessionist movements in Mindanao, by the Muslims and the Christians also, will they not entertain the ideas?

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True, many parliamentary forms of government are progressive. But, progress is not because of their form of government but because of the quality of their leaders.

In his book, “The Asian Drama” Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal called the Philippines a soft state. A soft state is one where laws are not enforced to the letter. That is why we have very many corrupt people. They know they cannot be imprisoned anyway.

We have the most number of laws but we don’t enforce them all. So, with the federal government, corruption can be worse.

True, a federal form will also give a federal state the chance to improve and progress without the fetters from the national government. The best run local federal state can use all its natural resources for its development. And this is good for Negros which was a federal government when it drove the Spaniards out. It was called “Cantonal”.

But what happens to poor provinces? That depends on the quality of their leaders. In the U.S. desert areas, like Las Vegas, were developed for tourism and gambling.

Negros Oriental has tapped tourism. Aklan, too. Antique will be able to find how it can take care of its own economy.

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My point is let us open these matters to discussion. Will parliamentary federalism be good for us? What are its pitfalls?

Let us not forget in the face of a global competition, we need a strong but honest national leadership. Corruption has always been our biggest problem.

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Due to some requests, we want to replay tonight at 7 at Channel 14 our interview with our friend Toti Ramos, regarding the new Revenue Regulation (PR) that BIR had issued on taxes imposed on refined sugar.

Monday last week, BIR held a hearing in Manila regarding the new revenue regulation. Listen to Toti tonight discuss this new RR.

This is important which our planters just seem to ignore. But a tax on our refined sugar can mean a big loss on the earnings of sugarcane producers.

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We condole with the bereaved family of the late labor leader Bernardo Remo who was buried yesterday. We extend our condolence to his widow, Barangay 29 Captain Neneng Remo and family.*

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