Why
did you decide to run for President in the 2010 elections?
I
decided to run for the President of the Philippines because it seems that we
are faced with the same empty kind of election with no real choice.
People in the past have been saying they are no longer satisfied; they are
sick and tired of choosing the lesser evil. That's not a real choice. I
basically wanted to offer myself in that context because I believe that what
I�m bringing represents what a majority of Filipinos feel about the country
and its future and that has to be articulated. People are sick and tired of a
government that is corrupt, wasteful and uncaring. They long for a government
that respects and draws out the best in Filipinos. I have the integrity,
competence and track record to create, together with others, a better
country. That�s the reason why I stepped forward to announce my intention to
run as President in the 2010 national elections.
You�re
not known on a national level. How do you expect to win?
I
have national, even global stature, in civil society and in the environmental
movement, sustainable agriculture, and in poverty reduction, micro finance
and in other areas, but I�m not known as a politically active candidate. The
mainstream media is only one way to get known nationally. In addition, we are
meeting national network leaders as well as moving at the grass roots level.
At the same time we are increasing our presence on the Internet. Once people
learn about my intentions, I think they are going to get excited about having
a real choice and this excitement will multiply. We already have a strong and
positive response to the candidacy. We can see this in the support of the
leadership of national associations and networks, who are giving us access to
millions of their members.
What
do you plan to do about peace and order?
Poverty
eradication and quality of life necessitate peace and order, law and justice,
opportunity and responsibility. The Christian-Muslim conflict in Mindanao,
for example, is driving to poverty majority of people in affected provinces.
To address peace and order, you have to address the existing long term
conflict not only between Christians and Muslims but also between the
communist rebellion and the state, as well as other kinds of conflict that
thrive in conditions of injustice, underdevelopment and lack of opportunity.
One
of my priority programs would be to address the roots of injustice in the
Christian-Muslim conflict in Mindanao. Through my prior work with the joint
GOP-United Nations Development Program in Mindanao, I learned that at base
the conflict between Christians and Muslims is not really a religious conflict.
Rather it is a conflict connected to justice and economic considerations,
ancestral domain and governance issues. The answer is not more troops. The
answer will be found through more dialog and through meaningful partnerships
and genuine development.
As
for the communist rebellion, its ideological foundations have been seriously
undermined by the philosophical and scientific developments of the 20th
century. However it continues to be a real force in the Philippines because
structural conditions, including massive poverty and injustice, breed support
for communism. If these are meaningfully addressed, then communism will
disappear. As long as poverty and injustice remain, people who are feeling
the brunt of this oppression will continue to fight through an armed
revolution. If you address, in an authentic way, the structural conditions
that created the emergence of communism, there can be real dialogue with the
communist movement in the Philippines towards peace.
Peace
and Order requires a strong partnership with and trust in the Military as a
professional organization. One of the key tasks will be to depoliticize the
military. The Arroyo government has co-opted a significant number of its generals
and some junior officers to undertake actions unbecoming of an officer. This
has led to widespread demoralization inside the military. Honest, clean and
efficient Governance in support of genuine development will restore a clear
sense of mission and purpose, integrity and fairness � core values that many
idealistic men and women in the military hold.
One
of the tasks in the first hundred days is to examine the cases of military
officers jailed by Arroyo and release those who are not guilty of the charges
pressed on them. And on the other hand, criminal charges will be filed
against those found guilty of involvement in extra-judicial killings. This
will be an important signal to the military that only the highest ideals will
remain as the motivating force for the military in the Philippines: honor,
service, protection of country, and defense of human rights.
Who will fund
your campaign?
Funding
will come from supporters�individuals throughout the country and around the
world who believe in our message of renewal. Part of the strategy of the
campaign is to awaken hope in people who�ve lost faith after all these years.
Hope generates excitement and excitement multiplies. The message is that this
country will be renewed when people begin to sense that they need to help out
in shaping the future of this country. We want to build this campaign up
organically with people who are waking up to the future higher possibilities
of this country. It's been done before�small amounts multiplied by the
hundreds of thousands. A million supporters contributing an average of P1000
each will mean P1 billion for the presidential campaign in 2010, a billion
pesos geared towards inaugurating a new politics, a new country.
All
contributions will be on the basis of a social contract, the heart of which
is a platform that contains both the strategic vision and agenda that we will
pursue. We will accept contributions on this basis alone. All donations will
have no strings attached, no paybacks, no special political favors, no
corrupted utang na loob. What contributors will gain will be a clear
idea of what kind of policies and programs the new government will undertake
as well as the knowledge that they are helping renew a country. We will
demonstrate the kind of discipline, principles and integrity that
characterize the new governance, the new servant leadership that millions are
seeking.
What are your
views on politics?
Having
viewed politics from the outside, basically from my work in civil society
trying to change government policy, I�ve always viewed that societal power is
divided into three. There is the economic power that is in the hands of
business. There�s political power in the hands of government and there�s
cultural power in the hands of civil society. Of the three, cultural power is
the most powerful because in the end it�s what affects behavior.
Nevertheless
politics is important since it is the institution with the mandate to
facilitate processes in society to ensure justice and overall development of
the country. Unfortunately, that mandate has been abused and used, instead,
to exploit people. Therefore, citizens have to take back that mandate. We are
supposedly living in a democracy and democracy is the rule of citizens. We
have to take back the power we have given our political leaders and then
redesign the political system so that it is open to the influence not only of
people in government, but also those in civil society, and business. In this
way, we encourage an approach that involves and evolves society as a whole.
This is part of my platform of building far-sighted partnerships and also of
instituting moral and effective governance.
Political
reforms are essential, but political reforms alone will not create a new
Philippines. We also need cultural and economic reforms, taken together with
societal reforms. On top of this we also need to have individual reforms,
individual/spiritual reforms. And finally we must create a better ecological
context�a true caring for the sources of life and the integrity of God�s
creation, in order for our society to be sustainable. So you see, politics is
situated in the larger context of comprehensive and integral sustainable
development.
What
is your economic plan?
The
first order of the day is to move away from the destructive neo-liberal
economic dogma that permeates the heart of the economic thinking and programs
of past and present administrations. Neo-liberal capitalist ideology praises
greed, competition, and selfishness as the cornerstone of economic progress.
A long time ago, I warned against the excesses and dangers of this one-sided
economic approach. Now we are suffering from the worst economic crisis in
decades because we believed that an �invisible hand� would ensure that
individual selfish economic decisions would be harmonized to create a greater
good. Obviously this has not happened.
In
its place we will install a new economic approach that advances the six
pillars outlined in my platform. We will align and harness economic, trade,
taxation, fiscal, and development policies towards genuine integral
sustainable development that eradicates poverty and improves quality of life.
At
the local level, we will not rely on trickle-down theories to lift up the
marginalized. Instead we will actively work to create an economy of
solidarity and partnership that builds from the micro-finance revolution to
create a green micro-entrepreneurship revolution. For example, we can already
see partnerships between microfinance institutions, banks, local governments,
and civil society organizations including colleges, universities, and NGOs
that would harness and commercialize hundreds of mature technologies towards
creating a new economy for the poor.
Simultaneously,
we will encourage the movement of economic development from Metro Manila to
the countryside�to Luzon, Visayas AND Mindanao. In addition, we will
encourage an area-based approach that integrates economic activity with the
specific needs and possibilities of the local area.
Furthermore,
we will create strong, vibrant local economies through strategic
infrastructure programs, investment and other programs that leverage the
power and reach of the informal economy. Of special importance will be the
mainstreaming of sustainable agriculture as a source of permanent and
empowering livelihood for farmers.
In
this connection, we appreciate the massive sacrifice and contribution that
OFWs are making to our economy. However, we will broaden the foundations of
our economy and balance our over-reliance on OFW remittances to prop out our
economy. The individual, family, and social costs of the OFW-based economy
are too high and are unsustainable in the long-term. And most OFWs themselves
prefer to make their living in the Philippines once local jobs are available.
At
the national level, we will install policies that will strengthen the
dynamism of the new innovative local economies. We will advance coherence in
land-use and energy planning to secure, among others, the benefits of
renewable and indigenous energy sources. We will implement a tax policy that
is pro-poor and enhances collection efficiencies.
Delivery
of services and clean and honest governance will necessitate a counterpart
from the private sector and citizens in terms of tax compliance. But we will
ensure businesses and citizens that, as we raise the efficiency of the
revenue-generating agencies of government, we will stop the leakage of tax
money thru corruption.
We
want to emphasize the connection between moral and effective governance and
economic progress. When we ALL get rid of corruption, both domestic and
foreign investors will pour their money into our economy because they will no
longer have to pay the 30-40% commission fees to �facilitate� their
transactions with government agenies. These investments, especially when they
are geared towards integral sustainable development, will accelerate the
equitable and sound development of our economy and our society.
To
measure our progress, we will move beyond GNP/GDP as the compass that guides
our decision-making. We will use a basket of indicators that also measure
quality of life, the vitality of our life support systems and the
effectiveness of our governance process. Of special importance will be measurements
of the true costs of economic projects�costs to society, costs to the very
sources of life that we rely on, thereby stopping the distortion of the
market prices.
We
will mobilize the entrepreneurial spirit of Filipinos to create new
industries based on the real economy and the creation of new wealth. We will
attract new investment finance that seeks returns based on social
responsibility and green criteria. It will be an economy that will be
dynamic, socially just, inclusive and definitely sustainable.
What
role will the Arts and Culture play in a Perlas administration?
There's
a saying: "The heart of the revolution is a revolution of the
heart." We need to change hearts and minds. Culture has the power to
transform. Many of the problems in the country are basically problems of
mindsets rooted in the past, rooted in habits, rooted in drives. It's useless
to change leaders without changing the system. And we cannot change the
system if we do not change hearts and minds. This is the reason why a lot of
Filipinos are saying; it�s useless to change one leader to another if you
have the same rotten system and the same rotten morality. Nothing new will
emerge.
Thus,
we need a cultural revolution, a peaceful cultural revolution that will
become the basis of a new economy and new politics. Culture and arts,
especially arts which trigger creativity, are going to become essential in
the renewal of Philippine society. This is an exciting dimension of
Philippine excellence that has yet to be fully mobilized for national
development.
What
is your plan for OFWs? [Overseas Filipino Workers]
The
OFW phenomenon has both positive and negative aspects. OFWs obviously play an
important role in Philippine economy. OFW remittances are propping up the
economy. Houses are being built and families supported financially. Workers
are gaining skills and experience. But this is a mixed blessing because
there�s a massive social impact caused by the breakdown of families and the
social order: the increasing incidence of drug abuse and violence among
adolescents, of pregnancy among teenagers. There�s also the exploitation of
workers desperate for employment and the loss of skilled workers in many
occupations. A comprehensive policy framework for OFWs needs to address this
multidimensional issue.
First
and foremost is protecting the welfare of OFWs. They need efficient
government services that facilitate both exit and entry; that offer
counselling and pre-departure orientations; that ensure protection against
illegal and unscrupulous recruitment. We need to fully operationalize a
system that protects and ensures their rights while overseas. We also need to
help OFWs channel their remittances into investments, savings,
entrepreneurship and assets rather than wasteful consumption. Finally, we
need to provide counseling and other forms of assistance to help OFW families
cope with the challenges that separation brings.
But
the long-term solution to this challenge is to create a vibrant economy and
an inspiring culture that creates opportunities and real choices here in the
country. Many are leaving because they are sick and tired of the way
politicians are ruining this country. This is what we are going to change so
people will regain their hope and their enthusiasm and their drive to rebuild
the country for their children's sake.
How
different are you from the other presidential candidates?
Implicit
in my coming forward is that I don�t see, among the existing slate of
presidentiables, any candidate that will genuinely change this country.
What will make my candidacy different is a number of factors. I come from
outside the system, therefore I don�t owe anybody anything and that�s
important because there�s a whole ecosystem of relationships and payoffs and utang
na loob http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utang_na_loob and all those kinds of
tradeoffs. If I win it�s because I have a mandate from people who want
to change politics. I have no vested interest in politics because that�s not
where I came from. Now, it doesn�t mean I have no experience in political
dynamics. For the last 40 years, I have worked to alter official
government policies from the outside and through being a consultant to many
government agencies. I know how it is to work in the corridors of
power. It is this kind of combination of somebody from the outside who is not
going to be a victim of the reciprocal relationships that already exist in
the political system, with a fresh view, who has a track record to change the
whole system and structure and, on top of that, has an understanding of the
individual dynamics of hope and change that will be needed to change the
system.
There
is another difference between me and other presidential candidates. I will
challenge the system to its very core. No existing politician can do
that because I have not seen that kind of systemic understanding of the
challenges facing the country. My experience as a scientist and farmer
taught me a valuable lesson: everything is interconnected. Working with my
hands, I learned to see these connections. From the sources of life: water,
air, and soil to plant health, pest management and farm finance, to
nutrition, infrastructure, community development and trade. I apply this
lesson to all fields of development. As far as I can tell, no other candidate
has this systemic perspective that is so essential in creating a better
country.
Another
difference is that other candidates lack an appreciation of culture.
For me, culture is going to be an important factor in the new
governance. We will create that new culture on the basis of partnerships
� participatory governance. I wrote a book called �Shaping Globalization :
Civil Society, Cultural Power and Threefolding�. In the book, I detail
an approach to governance that has found resonance all over the world,
including at the United Nations that has adapted a similar approach in
implementing its Millennium Development Goals. It is an approach that engages
people in the process of change and transformation of the country through
which the government will really become transparent and accountable.
This is another unique contribution. So there are many factors that
distinguish me from traditional politicians.
What
are your views about God, about religion?
I
consider myself a deeply spiritual person. I grew up a Christian, though not
a traditional one. I am a Christian in the sense that I believe in the cosmic
nature of Christ as Logos, the reason and being of world existence. I work at
applying my spirituality in practical life�in living out the teachings of
Christ day-to-day. My view of God may be nontraditional but it allows me to
seriously dialogue with Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists because
there is a common sense of the sacred to draw upon.
But
I was also trained as a scientist and I think like a scientist. What is
exciting in our time is that modern science has reached a point of
discovering the awesome power of a divine intelligence that is found
throughout nature and all over the cosmos. The new science of Astrophysics,
for example, shows very clearly that there are too many improbable and
impossible aspects of the universe for the universe to have taken place by
chance. Therefore, it is clear to me that only a divine intelligence had the
power to create the intricate structure of the universe and the whole
evolutionary process that we find ourselves in today. It is not an accident
that we are here on planet Earth. We are the product of 13.8 billion
years of a conscious directed evolution, one that ensured the emergence of a
self-aware intelligent form of life we call humans.
I
am at home scientifically and spiritually in a belief in and knowledge that
this is the work of God. It is also clear to me that through our thinking,
especially our intuition, we have access to this divine intelligence. This is
the basis of our creativity and our innovation. The great inventor Thomas
Edison called this his �link to the infinite intelligence�. And this infinite
intelligence-- what I would call God-- is the foundation of human existence.
You
know, it's interesting-- I found out recently when I read the political
/social writings of Rizal, that he placed a lot of attention on reason.
Rizal�s saw �reason� as the manifestation of the divine, of the spirit in
human history. So it is through our creative reason that we enter into
the intelligence that created the world, and this intelligence manifests
itself in history through human deeds. So this Logos, this reason, is
what I see as the spirit that is active in human affairs. And it can
actually today be discerned scientifically.
So
when I speak to Muslims, Christians and other religions, I would say the
universe created one human species�in the end we are one humanity. We
were not created separate as Muslims or Christians; we have a deeper basis of
unity based on our humanness. This is not abstract. Muslim leaders in
Mindanao understand this. And so do Christians. So there is a deep foundation
for living together peacefully because we are all products of a divine
intelligence who created us as one. Despite our differences, if we
really want to, we can find a common level to converse and to create a mutual
peace that is satisfactory to the different religions.
What will you
do if there will be no 2010 Elections?
Filipinos
will demand an election in 2010. There is a collective sense of waiting for
this administration�for traditional politics at the expense of country�to
end. My own personal response to a no-election scenario is that I will make
sure that any dictatorial government would not be able to govern. So we
will galvanize public opinion both here and abroad. We will organize massive
economic boycotts and we will also organize national and global protests so
that an illegitimate group will not be able to pretend that they are running
a democracy when they have actually installed a dictatorship.
Why should we
vote for you?
I
hope people will look at the message, at the platform and at the real choice
that I am bringing. It is not so much about myself. I believe there are many
creative Filipinos of integrity who have leadership skills and vision and who
could do a better job of guiding this country compared with the endless
stream of traditional politicians who lust for power. I am merely
articulating what millions of Filipinos are feeling: the sense of utter
hopelessness, the utter uselessness of having an election where you don�t
have a real choice, and the utter despair at the thought that if traditional
politicians control 2010, then this country will go down the drain.
This
message together with my platform is striking a cord both nationally and
globally. Since I announced my intention, what I�ve been thinking, what I�ve
been feeling, is now coming back to me in even more articulate forms from
thousands around the world. We�re striking a cord.
This
is not about my election. 2010 is your election. When together, we all wake
up to our true future, no political force of guns, goons or gold will stop
the Philippines from becoming what it can truly be. Finally: a nation
dignified, a nation of achievement, a nation of creative people, a nation
that is loving and compassionate, and a nation that will contribute
positively to world civilization. Dahil natuto na tayo!
What
is your view on winning the elections?
One
of the interesting questions that always keeps coming back is the question of
winnability. You know it�s interesting, thousands of people are
visiting the website. So far I�ve only received three negative comments. It�s
interesting for me that they did not question my competence, my
qualifications. What they questioned is whether I was daydreaming, whether I
could win the elections because others have billions of pesos and I have
none. Because others have machinery and I have none. Because others have
national stature and I have none. I actually wrote two articles on
winnability because in the end, winnability is not something you are born
with. It�s not something given to you. It is something that you develop and
you earn. And you can only develop and earn that if you really give
hope to people so that they can act from their highest aspirations and
intentions.
So,
for example, why should we believe those who say �we can never elect somebody
who is really qualified�. Are we subservient to that idea that qualified
people can never win in politics? Who makes that happen? In the
end, we will all make it happen. So if enough of you believe�and by the
way, according to surveys there�s about 70% of you who believe in something
different---if we believe in something different and vote according to our
conscience and our highest aspirations then a new candidate�I-- can win. Then
we can create a new Philippines together. In the end, we all win.
There
were already symptoms of this kind of thinking in the 2007 elections. We have
the very prominent case of a military person who was in jail, who had no
money, who could not campaign personally. He won and he became a senator.
Antonio Trillanes III is now a Philippine senator basically campaigning from
behind bars. It�s possible for somebody with no money and no reputation
(of the same level as politicians) to actually win elections. Because people
will�you�will make it happen. You will make it winnable. All of the
millions who want something different will make it winnable.
The
2007 elections also showed that the biggest spenders lost. Prospero
Pichay lost in spite of spending hundreds of millions. Chavit Singson
also lost�big spenders. Entertainment stars lost because they had no
track record or qualifications. One of the most prominent victims,
Cesar Montano�who unfortunately ran under the senatorial slate of the Arroyo
government�lost. So there is a sign that people are waking up and
they�re saying, "natuto na tayo." 2010 is going to be a
watershed and there is a real possibility that people who are really qualified,
people who love this country, people who are dedicated can become the new
political leaders of the Philippine future.
What
is your view on the automation of the 2010 elections?
Whether
the elections are automated, semi-automated or hand-counted, the
possibilities of cheating are still there. It is interesting that
recently in the Federal Republic of Germany, their Supreme Court struck down
automation as unconstitutional because there was no paper trail.
The
best combination is really automation with a paper trail because the quick
count of automation can reduce the cheating and the paper trail serves as a
backup verification. On the other hand, it has been demonstrated that
relatively low level computer programmers�even high school students�can hack
into an automated system and actually cheat. It is much easier to cheat
in an automated system. Now whether automation or manual counting will
prevail in the 2010 elections, the key there will be the political
organization at the grassroots level. We are prepared for that
eventuality.
That�s
why we are organizing a minimum of one million volunteers for the
campaign. Three out of four of those volunteers will be in the 250,000 precincts
around the country to watch the votes and to do quick counts and I think if
media, both local and international, are also involved in that process, we
will also lessen the possibility of cheating. At least the loopholes are all
known and many groups are addressing these loopholes. I think it is still
possible with determination to have honest elections in 2010.
www.nicanor-perlas.com
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