Hi Benigno, of course no. Real change can only come when the people regains their trust in government and strive to work collectively with the leaders of this nation. As it stands, no elections or any reformist activity can change the present situation. It could only be through a New and Genuine revolution will our situation improve

Patricio,

Absolutely. Our duty as citizens of a democracy is primarily to represent ourselves through the democratic processes available to us. Beyond that we our personally responsible for our own individual success (or failure).

Our duty is to choose the best leaders and hold ourselves accountable for our choice.

Yeah. You’re correct. Writing about Gloria seems to be a preoccupation, especially demonizing her. However, what we write are just clear observations. As political animals, we hate to say it, but we need to tell the public what’s behind every move of Gloria for an informed take on things.

Probably, some of us write as if there’s no hope. There is, I think. And we are pioneering it through Filipinovoices.com. Change starts with enlightenment. And we are, in our small little way, starting the fire while Benigno is stroking it, hehehe! Kidding aside, we are the new class of revolutionaries, we are the new intellectual entrepreneurs who will someday chart the destiny of this country through our enlightened pen.

On elections, I still don’t believe that change would happen there. We’ve been in so many election cycles and the same old trapo faces with their same old ideas still come up on the election tallies. We need a surgical strike at the heart of the superstructure. We need a new revolution. I know most of us are afraid of it, but let’s try it again and this time, do the post-revolutionary phase right. Maybe, it would make a decisive and substantive difference. Tea, anyone?

In this respect, you and i had similar positions then. The difference is that with Hello Garci and everything that came after that, i don’t think we can afford to take a live and let live approach anymore.

Given that she has already betrayed my trust (and the ideals of EDSA Dos), and given that, as you acknowledge, there is the very real possibility that she would want to stay in power, then convincing myself that she would not do so would be a foolish act of denial on my part.

I’m not worried about the picture in my head because, despite everything, it is one of hope. If i thought it was hopeless then i would have turned apathetic. I am also looking forward to getting to that something beyond that you mention, but i believe that resistance is part of that process because the act of standing up for what is right helps define who we are.

BTW, from what i remember, Gloria did try to proclaim Martial Law but DND Secretary Cruz (and the United States) objected.

I posed that question because this post in general and the ensuing discussion seems to do nothing but paint a hackneyed bleak, dark picture of the country with its enterprises and its government, and I fear that if this picture is all that occupies our heads it would impede us from being able to imagine the picture that we do want to achieve for our country.

That is, while I do recognize that Gloria must be made accountable for all her perceived sins, real or perceived, I question whether it is productive for us to be writing in-depth demonizations for every move that her administration makes, as opposed to focusing on relevant issues (re: Meralco’s unjust billing practices).

Furthermore, while I do recognize that there is a very real possibility of Gloria holding on to power beyond 2010 (Gloria 2020 in Patricio’s words), I’m not sure it would be healthy to convince ourselves that it will happen.

I mean, hell, everybody’s been saying that GMA will declare martial law since 2005. It’s been three years and… nothing.

It disturbs me that this is all our supposed “revolutionaries” talk about, and the streets, once more, is their only real course of action.

There must be something beyond all of this.

“Is a thoroughly clean, fair and honest government an absolute prerequisite to progress, innovation and advancement of society, or can such advancement be attained despite the existence of the earlier, albeit with duly acknowledge impediment?”

No, because if that were the case, then there wouldn’t be any progressive, advanced and innovative societies.

However, the ‘cleanest, fairness and honesty’ of government comes in degrees. If we are not to arrive at a total breakdown of government,and the society that depends upon it, its citizens must demand a ‘clean, fair and honest government’ if only to control the deterioration or as the phrase goes, ‘moderate the greed’. Once the citizenry stops demanding this things, then the deterioration accelerates and the result (as we are seeing) is immoderate greed. It’s a tug of war.

I think that’s the message conveyed by the quotation of Hunter S. Thompson in the Uniffor’s (Manuel Buencamino et. al) blog.

“Is it possible that first world governments are (God forbid!) likewise corrupt?”

Corruption comes in degrees, and i don’t believe it has been completely eliminated even in the first world countries. IMHO, the degree matters though.

>”Is it possible that a nation that possesses a government that is throughly clean, fair, and honest doesn’t attain any economic benefit other than a thoroughly clean, fair, and honest government?”

It’s theoretically possible but since there is no government in the world that is ‘thoroughly clean, fair, and honest’, then the answer is we don’t know.

Normally, the examples of relatively clean, fair and honest governments that i see are also the ones that are progressive. There is however a discussion (over at Dani Rodrik) on the distinction between ‘governance as a means to economic development’ and ‘governance as an end in itself’.

Is ‘Good Governance’ an End or a Means?

a.) Is a thoroughly clean, fair and honest government an absolute prerequisite to progress, innovation and advancement of society, or can such advancement be attained despite the existence of the earlier, albeit with duly acknowledge impediment?

b.) Is it possible that first world governments are (God forbid!) likewise corrupt?

c.) Is it possible that a nation that possesses a government that is throughly clean, fair, and honest doesn’t attain any economic benefit other than a thoroughly clean, fair, and honest government?