Let Us Purge the Politics of Corruption

This article was published in the April 8, 2007 Issue of the Bag-ong Lungsoranon*, page 5.

The Growing Lust for Power

Many candidates run for public office claiming they want to serve the people. But once elected they reveal the real motive for their candidacy. They do not really want to govern. They want to just rule. Powerplaying is the name of the game.

With political power comes the collateral benefits: Revenue Generation. The capability to fill vacant positions in the government with their own choice protegees. Strengthening their power bases and demolition of those of their political rivals. They can firm up their links with big business establishments so they can tap contributions to enrich their political coffers. As the term limits for their political tenure approaches they can contrive that a close blood kin will take their political seats thereby ensuring the longevity of their dynasties.

These are the unfortunate hallmarks of Philippine Public Governance today: The Politics of Corruption.

Tapping the Unused Clout of the Laity

While the clergy in the Church are doing their bit in christianizing the political culture in the country the majority of the laity in the Church are suffering from political apathy. Although they are up and about doing their daily chores yet they remain totally indifferent to what is happening to the political culture in the country. Perhaps they are unaware of the political reality that the authority of the government emanates from the people --- not from sitting politicians.

Wrong Grievance Mechanisms

Too often the citizenry express their discontent on governance inadequacy and failings by having the military stage “kudetas” or to resort to risky exercise of radical people power ala EDSA.

Accountability Parish Level Dialogues

People Power ala EDSA is too confrontational and too narrow in focus. What is needed is the exercise of a kind of people power that offers no opportunity for display of public agitation supported by acts of vandalism and violence and even bloodshed.

The missing link is the activation of the citizenry gathered in parish assemblies to serve as the venue for political candidates to undergo face-to-face scrutiny, answer the concerns of the parish community on issues which the parishioners of the parishes involved in accountability dialogues.

In such public forum the citizenry can ask the candidates to inform the parishioners of their qualifications and credentials for which they are running for. The parishioners can also request the candidates to present their platforms, plans and programs of governance as well as their discernment of priority concerns which the candidates hopes to focus on and to ask for the community’s support. Possibly one dialogue won’t suffice so a series of public parish pastoral accountability assemblies will have to be undertaken. Such interchange of ideas on pressing concerns on national and local issues should be the model for grassroots democracy in action. The desirability or unfitness of the candidates for the positions they are aiming for will be exposed. The parish accountability level dialogue serves as a screening filter for public officials.

Sacramentalize the Public Compact

Such parish pastoral accountability assemblies must always be preceded by a parish reflection the night before the dialogue and further preceded by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist of the Mass to instill a sacramental aura to the public event. This paves the way to the exercise of a Catholic Conscience by the candidates and the parishioners.

In effect a public commitment to political reforms will arise from such accountability dialogue in the character of a sacred compact between the candidates and the people to purge the politics of corruption in our governance system. This is a down-to-earth feeling of the people’s pulse. Even national politics can be influenced on the parish level. Let us drive the devil out of politics. Let the Cebuanos show the way to professionalized politics.

-LCM

*Bag-ong Lungsoranon is the Diocesan Publication of the Archdiocese of Cebu (Philippines).