Change does not occur in your living room
with popcorn
and a united vision of dialectic
dishonesty from t a l k i
  n
  g h e a d s.

Change does not occur on your privatized
lawns of No Trespassing! signs
or the concrete barricades
on your city streets.

Change does not occur behind
the barbwire fence of your
nine-to-five.

Change is not a word
but an interest.

- That bird Outside of the Window, “Generations of Fear“

I find myself needing to reply to commentary regarding “Because We Can“.

1) Nick wrote April 19th, 2008 12:37 am : yes, it is exactly what has kept Gloria and her ilk in power: our inability to choose a path and stay true to it.

SOMEONE must decide on a course of action, with finality or else there is NO future to speak of. Our Laws were broken. We can not rebuild them by breaking away from the Constitution, by going the road of People Power. Our people will not go that road. Short of perhaps, an act of genocide by Gloria and her ilk, our People will not rise against her in People Power.

Mrs. Arroyo will not resign. That option is.. at best blind optimism. Put yourself in her shoes. I am certain, if I was, I too will use every means at my disposal to keep my grip on power. It is I think, the most natural, most human thing.

2) The Jester-In-Exile wrote on April 19th, 2008 2:54 am :

yet, despite being viewed as a fundamental difference in thinking, both the resistance that mlq3 spoke of and cocoy’s advocacy of a war of hearts and minds are not incompatible.
or at least i believe so.

Yes, you are absolutely correct. MLQ3’s and others’ suggestion of protest is only the first step. But what peeves me the most is that They stop at that. You only do that. When obviously, there can be more. So much more. So much so that we can actually DO something about the things we talk about, we blog about.

Believe me when I tell you, ordinary people are tired of the same old thing. I share their anger. I share their disappointment. We don’t need to be told to be angry. They already are. What’s missing is the next step. What’s missing is to do something. THEY are waiting for SOMEONE to DO something.

3) Rom wrote: “Must we?”

I’m all for the fact that Filipinos everywhere should be doing their work. They should be working raising kids, expanding their horizons, starting new businesses. And it’s great that a lot of Filipinos are taking hold of their destiny.

I am SO deeply tired of hearing the same old complaints and the same old strategies that I know don’t work. I know people share the same sentiment. It seems to me that another Theater in the War is the Theater of pwning our government.

In your post I wanted to focus on this:

“On the one hand, Cocoy says stop wasting time with protests and such. Just prepare for the elections. But isn’t that where all this hatred really started to boil over? Remember the 2004 elections? Despite Solita Monsod giving the 2007 elections a ‘7-out-of-10,’ I don’t really see that it was much of an improvement. I mean sure, we gave the likes of Chiz and Peter a free ride to the Senate, and they haven’t bombed as totally as Joker has, but have they really turned out to be everything we had hoped? So, despite Jester’s many sensible suggestions, I don’t see the 2010 elections as being particularly significant in terms of bringing about a change in the way our government is run.”

This is exactly why I thought of the pressing need for a New Political Party. Cliche as it may sound, “One that is of the people, for the people and by the People”.

How can any new idea spring to life? How can new ways step forward when the same old crowd wins the day? They have no inspired idea. It doesn’t interest them. 

I can tell you why they’ve as you put it “bombed out”.

The 2007 elections proved to be the same old boys club getting elected. Their campaign was filled with song and dance. Mention to me one candidate who would talk about what is to be done with our Power Crisis? About Water? About food security? What about education and what it means for the future? Then mention to me if they’ve taken those steps? And if they have, why can’t their agenda be pushed forward?

And you know what? These are the same conditions, in every election. That and buying of votes. That and election related violence.

But who are exactly running for public office? How do our current Political Parties address who gets to run? How do they get funding?

In the last election, we’ve heard time and time again that those running for the Senate seat can not even TRUST their fellow coalition mates. That speaks volumes to me! That tells us that it is a game where everyman is for himself. How does that reflect on the state of morality in this country? In fact, I’d even go further to say that WE HAVE NO Political Parties in the real sense to speak of.

Our existing Political Parties are made up of the same old stock, the same old group of men. How many are they in every party? I have no idea. I’m guessing the Rotary Club of the Philippines might even have more members than a single political party.

Are you a member of any political party? I am not.

I’ve never even seen any Political Party looking for new members when I was in University. There were booths from Green Peace and other organizations, if I remember correctly back in the day. No one from Lakas. No one from the Liberal Party. No one from the Nationalistas. And I attended school at a certain Green and White bannered university along Taft. Even in High School in Greenhills, no one came recruiting. Is it the same across the big universities?

Our Political Parties have no convention to speak of. Everything is decided amongst themselves.
The only time— the only time our people ever gets close to sounding our choice is on election day itself. Is there any doubt that we have SO many candidates running for the highest office in the land? How can we weed them out? How can we determine, months before an election, we are getting the best from our ranks to go run for public office. 

How are we to effect any change? How do we change the dynamics of the situation?

How can we improve the quality of our leaders, when there are no choices?

How is Arroyo able to stay in power? Simply because her fingers are wrapped around the neck of every Congressmen who need money to win their next election.

Rom, you said it yourself, “I don’t see the 2010 elections as being particularly significant in terms of bringing about a change in the way our government is run”. How can it be any different when the same old thing is going to put their name on the ballot. The same old crop, the same old people.

BUT WE CAN change that dynamic. There is a small window of opportunity to do so.

Filipinos like Manolo Quezon, like Jester, like the Catholic Church, like Lozada, like the Black and White have all been yammering about “CHANGE and TRUTH!” I get we need change. You get we need change. The man on the street who has had a grade 4 education gets we NEED change. I don’t think any man, woman or child in this country need to be told that anymore.

They do need to be told how are we going to change it all.

In the words of our friend Jester, who wrote it perfectly:

“…focuses on the the fight of the people to wrest back the sovereignty we have granted to our elected officials as being on the grassroots, with Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio as his example. On this, I am in agreement.”

This is the only way to make the coming election, significant, Rom.

We need to give Good People the opportunity and the means to run for public office.

We need Good People to take our Congress. How much work have they done? We need a sensible person at the Presidential Palace. We need good, sensible people, actually doing the work whose only accountability is for better future.

I whole heartedly agree with Jester’s first two proposals in his post “Because We Must“. While I’m hesitant to focus on all the wrong doings in government, I recognize that our people must remember and see the flaws of our society. I prefer the news to be about How we are changing the game. What Measures, and how to accomplish them should be the news.

The Message must be Positive and upbeat as oppose to negativity.

I propose this: that people of like minds, who believe in the same things, people reading Filipino Voices, people like YOU, get the people from Black and White, get the people from One Voice and all those civil society leaders to consider becoming a true Political Party. Bring Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio and his team in the fold. His team is perhaps THE Best example of how to build a grassroots movement. We need a subchapter in every town, in every city, in every province, in every district.

The goal?

1. Replace every Congressman on Arroyo’s side with one of our own. In every district, in every town, in every city, in every province, in every Region.
2. Win a majority in the Senate
3. Take the Palace.

Civil Society is filled with smart and wise people. Networking is their speciality. Jester was right in that we need the diaspora to fund this enterprise and in Civil Society, I’m sure we have financial wizards who can figure out how to do that. And people who are experts in raising money for a worthy cause. I’m sure the Lawyers reading this can figure out the details with regard to structure and stuff like that.

The economists need to figure out how to set the ship of state right, no nonsense and very blunt strategy to accelerate our economic development. What sacrifices must business make? What sacrifices must labor, must farmers make? We need to talk about food. What technology must we use to attain that goal? And even before the elections are over— these people must all agree on an economic agenda. That a compromise must be struck now.

The educators in the building need to come up with a sure fire way to start taking their heads out of textbooks and get out kids to start thinking and start discerning. This is an Age of Information but what good is all the Google and Yahoo and Mahalo of our age, if our children can not ask the right question? What good is technology if not one of our children can discern and analyze from that mountain of available information? 

I’m sure there are Political Strategists out there who can iron out the details and forming a cohesive plan and get everybody on board. Because just as important is a Movement, the Political Will and the consensus to execute it must be in place long before even the first ballot is cast. 

That’s what’s going to get people to notice. That’s what’s different. We don’t just protest, we have a plan in place to make things better. We need to convince people this more than just crying wolf. This is more than yammering about hope, about truth, about vengeance. This is about direction. About focus beyond simple rhetoric. 

What’s it going to take?

This new political party must have rules. But I tell you this, for this to work It MUST first be a party of inclusion. That means, janitors can join. Truck Drivers. We should get them to join. Every cab driver in the city, we’ve got to have them. Every Teacher in every classroom. Every Farmer. Every Catholic. Every Muslim.

Every member of faith. Every Celebrity. Every professional. Everyone who is outspoken, and the more outspoken, the more honest, more passionate the better.

Everyone.

These are the people have been estranged by the kind of politics Arroyo and her ilk practices, they’re excluded in this decision and are used as Pawns. It must have processes for determining WHO should carry the Flag. It must be decided in a convention. Everybody running on this show must be onboard with the plan that as soon as the elections are over— we must hit the ball running that means a blitz during the hundred days into office.

Is it idealistic? Do I have my head in the clouds? Of course it is.

Too crazy to work? Don’t I know it. But you know what? It might be crazy enough to work.

Easier said than done? You bet.

There was talk of Ghandi and King.

King believed in Civil Rights. Ghandi believed in non-violent confrontation.

This is non-violent confrontation. We’re not holding up any hotel. We’re not doing economic damage. We’re not wasting our efforts clamoring in the streets, like a bunch of beggars waiting for god or Arroyo to grant us a boon. We’re taking back what’s rightfully in people’s hands. We need to grab hold of this country’s destiny.

This is fighting for Civil Rights. What is more fundamental than the Right of Every Man to decide his own future? We must give that choice to our people. Come election day in 2010, there MUST be a choice. Because otherwise, as Rom put it, 2010 will not be significant. Nothing will change and we should welcome another six years of the same old CRAP.

My idea may or may not gain traction. For every person saying it is too idealistic, too crazy: I’m sick and tired of the crap coming out of our media networks. I’m tried of all the mediocrity coming out of our politicians and day in, day out idiotic things our government says and does. Too good to be true?

We haven’t even tried.

Maybe a little idealism is what we need and lots and lots of Good People like You who believe that they have the power to change things.

Try and fail, waste of opportunity it maybe against a system that will not change. But if we keep believing that? If we just stand and do nothing. If we just keep on yammering at the top of our voice at Ayala how our leaders mess this country up day in and day out, the fault is not theirs but in Good People who refuse to think of anything different to change the dynamic of the game, who refuse to do anything.

A window of opportunity is closing on this whole Election business. 2010 is not far off. Building a New Party as a grassroots movement needs to gain traction in the next few months— six at the most to even be viable. It needs to be credible. It doesn’t need people who are just about morality and holier than thou attitude— but does need to include people from all walks of life.

The Filipino’s Party needs great minds, and wise men and women. It needs Filipinos with big hearts and sharp vision. It needs serious people who want to do serious things for our people. It needs for us to remember Civic Duty and Sacrifice. A movement such as this, needs people crazy enough to believe that just maybe, for once we can have a government we need and not a government we deserve for our idleness and our pettiness.

For too long we have yammered and yammered about the need for Change and the need for Truth. This is the transformation the Church is seeking and that our People yearn. We so desperately need to shatter our old paradigm and rewrite the playbook in this country. Changing the Dynamic of the Game— in my humble point of view IS the only thing that will shake the foundations of our Politics and our Society, bind our nation’s wounds and take a step forward and experience a new tomorrow.

Hat tip to Mamutong for “Generations of Fear”

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