Nations gone Awry: Some Thoughts

Andrew Felix Arsenio Antonio De Castro (30) is a young Filipino who desires change. Change that he feels the current political dispensation in his country is incapable of delivering. Yet, he is part of the State. As he likes to describes himself, he 'locks up the corrupt public officials.' Andrew works as an Assistant Special Prosecutor II of the Office of the Ombudsman in the Phillippines. He shared some of his thoughts here while being in Hawai'i as a Fellow of the East West Centre on the Asia Pacific Leadership Programme. Excerpts:

Pinaki: How long will it take for the Filipinos to emerge out of the colonised mindset in dealing with the USA, the former colonialists?

Andrew: The Philippines is in denial that it still possesses a colonial mentality. While what you read in the news are noisy activists protesting against US policies, in the end, the government policies, culture and the basic way of life are still very colonial. In terms of identity however, I believe we have distanced ourselves from being America's little brown brother as it seemed in the 60s. We now have our own identity, which paradoxically, is a non-identity. Europe and Asia however are increasing trade with the Philippines, so in term of influence, I see the US having less influence within the next 10 years.

Pinaki: You belong to the generation which is the future of the Philippines. What is your explicit take on the path the country should take in the next 20 years? But before that would you please explain that point about a confused identity?

Andrew: It should be a very radical path. Presently, our system of governance is programmed in a way that any minor anomaly in the system (aka someone who is actually honest and well meaning) will be pounced upon even before he gets to do anything significantly good. I have seen good men in government being taken out of office due to some reforms they have initiated which would have decreased the prospects of corruption.

The Philippines, from being number 2 in Asia (next only to Japan) in the 1960's is now among the least performing in Asia. Even war-torn Vietnam is over-taking us and will completely do so in less than two years. The Phillippines must think out of the box in terms of catching up with its neighbors. The government is obsessed with numbers, economic data, and all traditional indicators of economic growth. I don't think that is where the solution is. I believe we should start from the beginning. We, as a nation have no identity. We have no significant culture. We have no pride. We call ourselves Filipinos but we do not identify with each other. Before all this economic gobbledygook, the next 10 years should be spent searching for our identity, what makes us Filipino, what will unite us as a people. Without this, any economic solution will be half-baked, and not sustainable.

From this, the next ten years can be spent on continued bureaucratic reform (which can also begin during the first 10 years). It takes patience, but doing it this way is a service to future generations.

Pinaki: I shall not be asking you for a panacea. But can you point out one element that could become an unifying and integrating feature for the Filipino society besides the common goal of attaining economic prosperity?

Andrew: The Filipinos are separated in terms of dialect, religion and geographic locations. Generally though, we are significantly homogenous. What keeps us from being united is an unspoken class system. The middle class versus the poor. The rich are too distanced to have any friction with the other two classes but between the middle class and the poor is a struggle for space in the middle classes. This prevents us from having a unified front. The people are too busy trying to be middle class or trying to hold on to their middle class status. Whats wrong with it is that they do so at the expense of others. What happens is, instead of seing it as "Us Against Them" meaning the Filipinos versus other nations, its simply, and literally, us against them (neighbours, etc.)

If we can remove this divide, then we can have a healthy working class that can run the nation.

Pinaki: Why is economic and social mobility such a problem?

Andrew: Well, the Philippines does not have a monopoly on economic problems. However, unlike other problematic nations, it has vast natural resources. If you visit the Philippines, all you see in the countryside are rice fields, acres and acres of rice fields. Yet, we still import our rice from Thailand. Not to mention that the International Rice Research Institute is found in the Philippines. What is a better example of poor economic planning than that? There was a move in the late 1990's to convert the Philippines into an industrialised economy. It had partial success but once again, if you do not fix your old problems, you can only expect them to pop up once in many whiles. Now we have a suffering agriculture economy and a lacklustre industrial economy.

This leads to social mobility problems. The poor economy has made the people less "generous", meaning that if they can earn more pesos off you, then better. This goes back to what I have said earlier. When one person is suffering economic hardships, he sees it in isolation, so he tries to take advantage of others for his own benefit. An example would be lower wages for his employees, or poor quality of products etc. He does not see the bigger picture that in the end he is sabotaging the economy, and thus making it worse for his children.

Social mobility is also hampered by the struggle between classes that i have mentioned. The rich get richer at the expense of the middle class and poor, same with the middle class. If they make money off the poor, then the poor has less opportunity to join them in their ranks.

Pinaki: You referred to the working class that could run the nation? But why would the elite - military and civilian - allow them to have power?

Andrew: Yes, but by "run" I do not mean to run the government. I just meant that the middle class are the proverbial wheel that moves the nation. By running, I don't mean the managers of the factory, but those who operate the machinery to make it work.

The elite precisely would not want them to have power. That is the problem. The middle class, if united can make a difference, but as I have said, they are too busy fighting each other to unite. Interestingly, it seems that when the Spanish left, it was the elite who took over as "colonizers" who divided and conquered.

Pinaki: Are you talking about the ones who are the real source of power? Why would the existing elite allow the working class to have that?

Andrew: They will not. That is why I believe in radical change. From Marcos to the EDSA Revolution and to the recent overthrow of Estrada, it was all a changing of power between the elite. There was no true revolution. It was simply a flirting affair between the military and the elite, especially the most recent revolution. The sad part is, the middle class and the poor were used as pawns to gain legitimacy for their "revolution".

Pinaki: Considering that the apron strings of the Filipino power-elite is tied to the American imperial desires, how would you expect the situation to change?

Andrew: I would not say that it is tied to American Imperial desires. I think that American interests in the country only lie in direct interests such as international policies, those affecting American nationals directly etc. The power-elite have done their homework and have been sustainable enough to stand on their own. In fact, I think they are strong enough to withstand even American interests.

Pinaki: So who would you say amongst the current political formations in your country come closest to reflecting your desires?

Andrew: No one reflects the change I want to see. There is a senator by the name of Francis Escudero who has promise. He is young, intelligent and very clear with his thoughts. However, he carries too much political baggage. He was the spokesman for the current opposition party, which includes among its ranks people who I am not too happy with. On his own, he can be a refreshing sight amidst the gloomy political landscape. As to his plans for the nation, I do not know. I just know that we share the same views on the current administration.

Pinaki: I was not talking about an isolated individual actually. In fact, you have yourself pointed out the contradiction of the situation by pointing his limitations in terms of his party organisation. I assume your desire for systemic change is not born out of your comparative youth, but is rooted in your fervent wish as a responsible and conscious citizen of your country. Would you say that large number Filipinos share your sentiments?

Andrew: If you are asking about socio-political movements that are leaning towards my desire, there are none. Philippine politics is unfortunately individualistic. Political Parties exist only during campaigns.

I would not say a large number of Filipinos share my sentiments. I am very idealistic, perhaps to a fault. The general impression I get, even from the youth is that the Philippines is a sinking boat, might as well get as much as you can from it then try to save yourself. Its more like, what can we do to save ourselves. Only us. No nation to speak of.

Pinaki: That sounds rather gloomy...

Andrew: It is. I do not know if that is unique of the Philippines as I have little experience of other places.