In review and in prospect
The discourse is increasingly polarised between supporters of President Bongbong Marcos and of the clan of former President Rodrigo Duterte with both sides digging themselves increasingly deeper into an unproductive trench warfare wherein each side shells and snipes at the other from a distance rather than engage in close-contact combat. The landscape is once again left wide-open for true and independent punditry. The key here is for these true and independent pundits to elevate themselves above the stalemated trench warfare being waged by the Dutertards and the Marcostards and way above the intellectually-bankrupt arguments of choice such as “Why should I listen to you, you’re a […]-tard?”
True pundits should focus less on polarising the debate and more on clarifying stuff — clarify the issues, clearly-define the problem, evaluate options, and recommend clear pathways. When there is an increase in focus on clarity, we can expect an increase in focus of inclusiveness in the discourse. At the moment, there is none of this sort that can be seen in the way the Marcostards and Dutertards conduct themselves. Indeed, the division they are causing is not just between the two camps but also within their respective camps.
Seeing all this, it is evident that Filipinos in general haven’t really yet become the independent-minded and skilled thinkers that are essential for a society to thrive in a full embrace of Western liberal democratic ideology. The lip service paid to “equality”, “people power”, and “rule of law” serve well as fodder for the cocktail and latte-sipping classes’ pretentious conversations in their quaint soirées but, unfortunately, these lofty concepts break down in the broader Philippine setting where beholdenness to personalities rather than ideas is more the rule.
To be free and responsible in the use of democratic “freedom” requires intelligence and foresight. The latter is important because the ability to think several steps ahead and visualise the different scenarios that could branch out over that horizon is key to making the right decisions. Also as important is framing the problem properly. Not surprising, therefore, is the reality that faces us; that the Philippines is basically a society that is the result of the wrong solutions being implemented on the back of ill-defined problems.
In such a society, one would be better off cautious about espousing too much “freedom” on the assumption that people to whom this will be afforded will apply enough personal accountability to wield it well. That’s the Philippines in a nutshell, basically. It is a society begging for a dictatorship but fatally-convinced it is entitled to enjoy liberal Western democracy. Note that this is a strong unifying premise that describes the current bipolar condition of the Philippine national “debate”. The challenge is to discover what lies between.
Last week's blog posts
Declining trust in Bongbong Marcos an outcome of a lack of applied leadership fundamentals
April 7, 2024 by Ramon Ortoll
"The administration now is more focused on ayuda (dole outs) galore. It appears that the priority is the political agenda of amending the Constitution and the elimination from presidential contention of Sara Duterte."
April 1, 2024 by Hector Gamboa
"So, is President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s approach going to lead us to a war we cannot win and where our mutual defense treaty partner, the United States will simply leave us out to twist in the wind? The Duterte sycophants seem to be going overtime in pushing for that narrative."
Boo for Pop Culture Racism but Hooray for Economic Bigotry!
March 31, 2024 by Hector Gamboa
"The reason why foreigners have so many restrictions in doing business in the Philippines is because foreigners are not deemed as equals among Filipinos in the Philippines. Under the law, preferential treatment is given to Filipinos..."