The Philippine Left needs to get strategic
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
It strikes me that the Philippine Left, which embraces everything from the communist warmongering extremes to the moderate efforts of Senator Hontiveros, is a huge waste of energy. So many street protests, so little traction. So many outdated slogans tearing down, so few ideas building up. So fickle during elections, LP then Duterte then undecided on Robredo. Lost in the coconut woods.
I addressed this recently in a pair of tweets on X. The first:
- Things change, y’know? The US and Japan slaughtered each other in WWII, but mutual interests and respect bring them together today. I think it’s time for the Left to set Marx aside, and the PH-US War, and consider that they really could help Filipinos build a modern nation.
Then I thought about it and sent out the following missive:
- “Oh, yeah, smart guy how they gonna do that?” 1. Stop fighting AFP. 2. Oppose China’s intrusions. 3. Build a Labor Party that unifies and represents all PH employees. 4. Add dynamic new (young) faces to leadership. 5. Team with liberals to put a Leftish president in office.
A commenter said they hated the US because the US is the chief enemy of communism. I replied:
- Ah, yes, true . . .. Which suggests they don’t understand that democracy is for freedom and communism is for subjugation. And failed as an economic model.
By getting strategic, I mean the left should look at its various battles, and pick one that is huge in terms of opportunity. Rather than a scattergun approach that fights PNP and AFP, associates with NPA transgressions, and continues to hate on the US, the doing of which supports China, identify an area they can claim for the long term, and build a left-leaning empire.
To me, the area is obvious. The Philippines is among the worst 10 nations in the world in labor conditions. Employees are at the low end of the social power pyramid. Contract workers. Day workers. Skilled workers bumped for some entitle person’s nephew. Poorly paid high-skill workers across the nation. While BSP officials pull in millions.
The Left’s message and party ambitions should go well past union workers or disadvantaged farmers. It should encompass every Filipino who is not a manager. Every worker. Every employee.
It should set out to promote the idea that Filipinos are not just worth “jobs”, they are worth “careers”. And make that a central plank of the 2028 election, signed onto by the partner yellows and pinks.
Tremendous upside there. Tremendous voter base.
All it would take is one law to require career commitments from companies and organizations with more than 15 employees, and more strict job-conditions for smaller employers. Those ideas need to be worked out in more detail. But it is the concept that counts.
The Left can become prominent in the Philippines. To the benefit of millions.
____________________
Photo from PhilStar Global. “Labor Day protests peaceful, but…“, May 2, 2024. Photo by Ryan Baldemor.
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[…] Recognizing the Left is key to success in breaking the dynasties in 2028: THE PHILIPPINE LEFT NEEDS TO GET STRATEGIC […]
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Joe, you ended your blog article thus:
“The Left can become prominent in the Philippines. To the benefit of millions.”
One can infer you are on the Left.
What (to name only three) does the Left advocate or believe in as far as …
Who (among Philippine politicians or well-known leaders) do you think are on the Left?
The Philippine Left, as I stated in the article, ranges from the extreme to the moderate.
I am a moderate leftist with pro-business tendencies.
My own views on your questions are as follows:
1. A woman has the right to make medical decisions for herself
2. Democracy needs social services to care for children, the eldery, the poor, and the sick.
3. Communism is a failed social and economic model.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, Rep France Castro, Neil Colmenares, Teddy Casiño. I interact now and then with Teddy Casiño on X.
On the abortion issue, I think the dialogue (rancor) would benefit by two more clearly defined terms. What is a legitimate medical issue? What does “life” mean, in the pro-life argument.
If the child was created by the mother’s consent, and both mother and child are healthy. there is no medical issue and no cause for abortion. If the child were a product of rape or incest, or the mother were under-age or there were other out of the ordinary circumstances, then a state’s laws should account for that.
Is a mother’s life a part of the pro-life definition? If the mother dies because she cannot abort a miscarriage, is that pro-life? Or does making a woman who was raped give birth to a baby, driving her insane through the trauma of nine months of horror, mean “life”?
I have a hard time figuring out how it is that men can make these definitions. I’d recommend there be a women’s court that draws these tough lines.
I would further say that life is a gamble, a risk, a crapshoot, where decisions are made that turn out good, or bad. A place where wars slaughter millions and mosquitoes kill humans like big game hunting. A life is precious, but we throw so many away. Look at Philippine jails. We ought not wail and weep so hideously if a woman tries to correct an incident gone wrong.
philippines should decriminalize drunkenness that does not cause death or damage to properties, if it is only drunken disorderly behavior they should be sent home to sober up and not sent to crowded prison. or just punished them with community service like cleaning public parks and emptying rubbish bins. and made to sign undertaking that they will not be public nuisance again.
The whole justice system needs a reboot. So many lives wasted by inane rules. It’s tragic. So many lawyers. Such a shambles of a system.
Guidelines are supposed to guide. But if you build a maze before setting up guidelines you will end up saying, you chose to enter then find your way out.
Ha! Lots of mazes it seems to me.
Lots of them. Ps almost all legislation need implementing rules and guidelines from the line agencies, why make a law if there are chances that it can not be implemented
ahem, just do it! to the winner the spoils. if this is treason, then make the most of it, it had been said. lack of implementing bs, should not stop anyone from trying. the courts of law maybe able to explain nuances but if no one is complaining, then that’s the way to go. sometimes, all we need is someone with balls to take the 1st step and lead the way, and others will follow. foolhardily sometimes, but it’s a start. be a pioneer, have a heart, take courage and seize the day. if you are wrong, fine. smile and apologize and be gracious, it’s a learning curve.
so many people are afraid to make a mistake and be ridiculed. or lose credibility. damn sure, it’s humiliating to lose face but they’ll get over it. vanity is good but only up to a point.
no implementing rules, fine! make your own. let your conscience by your guide.
and if all else failed, then blame the devil, he made you do it! and shout all a drink.
I like your answer. Thanks
This aligns with what you said. Which was my intent in my thinking out loud.
https://www.philstar.com/pilipino-star-ngayon/bansa/2023/12/22/2320647/irr-sa-panukalang-batas-pampagulo
Unfortunately that brand is broken in the Philippines. I remember vividly how a Taiwanese owned farm was razed by the NPA in the province because it refused to pay revolutionary taxes. When I was a kid burning buses was a common occurrence. I would opine that it allowed the bigger companies to push out smaller competitors because of the big burden of Revolutionary taxes. Personal events like that means we need time to forget before rehabilitation occurs.
I was thinking this morning that, rather than criticizing the Left, it would be better to see the opportunity than could come from inviting them into the liberal umbrella. Or bending the liberal umbrella to be more active supporting leftist causes other than rebellion and US bashing. The political initiative for 2028 should include Risa Hontiveros, for sure, and extend a little further leftish, in concert with Colmenares.
They should study how the Marcoses rebranded.
Bagong Lipunan to Bagong Pilipinas.
keeping the old constituency while paving a way for the younger generation to support while somewhat glossing over the problems of the dictatorship.
The experiences of VP Leni’s 2022 campaign, rebranding to Pink, show how hard that is.
Her Angat Buhay in the middle, with classic liberals including groups that would be Christian Democrats over here in Germany (traditional stances on family matters especially, even as here they won’t touch the sensible compromises made on abortion and divorce, balancing freedom with responsibility which is the major concern of conservatives) up to the woke crowd which is a minority in the Philippines even as it probably is quite influential in BGC and QC – that all made for a muddled branding neither here nor there. In retrospect, that is probably why she had so little votes (inspite of her campaign having been musically magnificent, no denying that) while Risa Hontiveros made it into the Senate with a clear Social Democratic profile.
In a nation’s politics, there is always what is called “dialectics,” meaning some things change, then there is a backlash as many feel disrupted by those changes, but even then it rarely goes totally back to the old ways, some changes are kept, some are discarded some adjusted. Marcos Jr. has de facto accepted the order built in Cory Aquino’s time and isn’t going back to his father’s order (as of now) but elements of the New Society are in his branding. If VP Leni had her rockers etc he has rappers like most notably Skusta Clee on board.
in retrospect, why she (leni?) had so little votes . . . despite her campaign so musically magnificent – may well be bec two powerful dynasties na sobrang ubod ng pera at very influential got together and ganged up on her!
in visayas, leni could barely launch her campaign, halls and venues were closed on her face, and were suddenly booked out even though she booked them beforehand and paid deposit. same in mindanaw and same in ilocos. the venues she did manage to secure, she got slotted the twilight hours when people were already at home asleep. if not on holidays when people are away on vacation.
worse to come was when her house to house campaigners were allegedly set upon, abused and spat at, water maliciously poured on them from 2nd floor of houses, then paid thugs chased them out of vicinities amidst the threat of barking dogs!
lgus receptive to leni were not that many, though people from all walks of life attended when they could and often in their multitudes. god bless them!
I know about some harassment of house to house campaigners, but not as bad as you are saying. I never heard about blocked venues even though I was an admin of one of the unofficial pro-Leni Facebook pages in Europe. Many perspectives, no clear big picture for me yet.
I suspect that in the Philippines, most people aren’t telling the entire truth. True, we all kinda tell things and see things in a way favorable to us, but somehow, there are levels of delulu over there. Dutertistas are like Quiboloy’s cult, crazy. Marcosians are like the remaining Aldub fans who believe Alden and Yaya Dub secretly got married. Pinks are relatively harmless in their delusions by comparison, but maybe not realistic enough to learn the lessons to be learned.
To win even a flower pot (German figure of speech) in 2025, reality checks might be needed.
BTW I heard from people with alleged inside tracks to Leni’s campaign HQ that it was chaos. Many groups trying to jockey for influence is normal, but they have to be channeled correctly.
Hoping those who want to win in 2025 and 2028 are honest with themselves at least..
That’s really a good point. The Left is old geezers leading youthful rabblerousers. There is friction here and there. It’s like they bounce from incident to rally without a direction or organizational framework. Which is what my article says I guess.
Yesterday , Netanyahu was in Congress and anti-Israel crowd went nuts, no more campus protest cuz its summer sessions but they’re still showing up in mass. with them are antifa/anarchists, which is weird cuz with them Antifa/anarchists are LGBTQplus folks as well as BLM types (but i didn’t see as much of ’em yesterday in the DC coverage thats probably related to VP Harriss). I do hope VP Harris tells Netanyahu to fuck off though. this is your war, you shift your troops to the Wbank , so fuck you, oct 7 was all your fault. back to Leftists in Philippines, i think they just need an enemy to coalesce towards.
I’m coming to the conclusion that most protesters are extremists not interested in solving problems, they just want to shove their extreme views down people’s throats using arguments that don’t pass the test of logic. I believe you are correct that the Left needs enemies. There are a lot to choose from in the Philippines. Labor practices. Jail practices. Corrupt practices. The US is a lousy enemy for them to choose. Because they aren’t one, today. And it erodes the Left’s credibility.
it’s quite scary, the filipino league of students. they have branches in most colleges and universities. young ‘uns sprouting marxist ideas so active and quite disruptive, so vocal in their numbers, so demanding in their quest of social justice.
Sigh. The futility of destruction as policy. They want to move the river rather than channel it. Lotsa luck with that.
The quest for Social Justice is good but the methods to one’s madness are the disruptors.
sometimes, I wonder who is funding their activities when they are supposed to be struggling and starving students. seen their gadgets lately? they are better than mine.
“The ongoing rebellion being waged by the CPP-NPA-NDF dates back to the early presidency of the late Marcos, Sr., the current president’s father, when Sison reestablished the CPP under a Maoist line on 26 December 1968. The establishment of its armed wing, the NPA, followed on 29 March 1969. Sison’s CPP, which broke away from the older Moscow-aligned Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) established in 1930, would quickly eclipse PKP in significance and provide a formidable challenge to the Marcos military establishment, growing the NPA to a peak of around 26,000 fighters in the 1980s.
The CPP’s basic analysis of Philippine society, largely based on Sison’s writings – an application of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to the Philippine context – has remained largely unchanged since the rebellion started in the late 1960s. The CPP believes the Philippines is a semi-feudal, semi-colonial country, meaning one where formerly feudal structures have been transformed to serve neo-colonial monopoly capitalism. The CPP holds that there are three basic problems in Philippine society: imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism – to which the answer is a national democratic revolution with a socialist perspective. Their revolution is to be waged in the Maoist vein of a “protracted people’s war,” which involves the gradual encirclement of cities from the countryside, carried out primarily by workers as its leading class and peasants as its main force.
The basic goals and the fundamental strategy of the protracted people’s war pursued by the CPP-NPA-NDF have remained the same since the insurgency’s inception, and they continue to characterize the movement today.”
https://acleddata.com/2023/07/13/the-communist-insurgency-in-the-philippines-a-protracted-peoples-war-continues/
This paper about the communist insurgency in PH during the Du30’s and earlier part of Marcos Jr’s administration validates the general observation that the insurgents/far-left in PH still cling to outdated ideologies.
Seems so to me. And rather than teach that it isn’t 1901 anymore, Left leaders defend that motive as a basis to stomp about on Roxas as if that will build a great nation. Man, BUILD something!
sometimes, I find it hard to understand why university teachers kept on accepting joma’s mantra referenced to and written by students, when they could easily say that references not classic and older than 5yrs are no longer current and less relevant to today’s issue. and students blindly following and referencing joma in their essays are to be ducked points.
joma died in 2022, he and his writings ought to have been laid to rest the way we bury vampires and the undead! with a stake to their hearts, their coffins never to see the light of day. they have already done harm and served their purpose and must not be repurposed. and for universities to stop paying dues to joma’s estate for use of his writings housed in their libraries.
Yes, agree.
To me the problem with far left schools of thought, which emerged from Western political thought during the excesses of the French Revolution, is the fact that the intellectual movement usually is comprised of privileged individuals. These individuals have the luxury of sitting around pontificating such as Joma Sison in the Philippine context. Therein the danger their radical fantasies can give birth to those societal miscreants who either are not smart enough to read the works of those far left intellectuals, or purposefully twisted the words. In any case the result is the same, with the followers often resulting to banditry, which sums up the NPA membership.
Then there are the followers of the watered down version, perhaps youths trying to create a contrarian niche for themselves, who form the “legal army” of protestors. Without a vague enemy these groups will always wither away. Instead those youths should redirect their energy towards continually fighting for attainable goals, even if the gains are piecemeal.
so true, once young ‘uns find jobs, fall in love, marry, have kids, and have mortgages to pay their past may well be truly behind them. until their own kids start the cycle and be the problem their parents once were.
it’s part of kids developmental cycle to find themselves and to push borders. see where they fit. those that failed to find themselves, may end up bitter and unfulfilled. forever going on tangents. unhappy.
I think these young, idealistic rabble-rousers are themselves a product of a secured life, which gives them the space to think about such things.
A high school classmate of mine who was my rival in athletic and scholarly affairs is from a rich family, his father being a corporate lawyer/investor. I didn’t take his babbling about communism that seriously back in those days, but at our 15th high school reunion I was quite surprised to find out he is currently one of the “thought leaders” of the American far-left movement, who now has his own followers. Certainly there are some who are able to keep up with delusions well into their older age, and Sison was one of them.
It is always nice if every sector provides their productive share in nation building.
Though change like any development is through nature and nurture.
Focusing must not mean sweeping everything else under the rug, multi task of you must but always have a goal.
I love the goals enumerated and guidance how to hit the goal.
Yes, how to build, how to build. The toughest challenge. The Left seems angry a lot and I don’t think that helps much. Yet I do understand their frustration when government agencies seem rigid and ruthless. AFP on the ATL. DOTr not understanding that jeepney drivers can’t reach their financial hurdles. But the US as an imperialist as China’s ships maraud in Philippine waters? C’mon!
I understand your frustrations.
An alliance of the center-left and regular left (liberals) could be quite strong, if such an alliance can sell its message successfully. That is, if the more left elements can learn that it’s better to have half a loaf of bread today and fight for the rest tomorrow, rather than demand the whole piece and have nothing at all.
I even go as far as eject the far-leftists and NPA types once and for all. In an earlier generation, these people were an actual danger in the form of political and criminal violence, although I’d argue that the older generation of the left’s armed wing were just sociopathic misfits, just like the so-called Islamists in the Marawi area. Today’s Filipino far-left are the entitled youth of the middle and upper economic class who have such a trouble-free life that they have developed a need to become contrarians by reading the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist drivel of writers such as Sison. They’re not a violent threat, however I also don’t think they are frequent voters therefore their contrarianism only acts to suppress persuadable voters.
A big problem that I’ve observed in Filipino politics is that some politicians tend to make fantastical promises just to win votes, then do nothing once in power. Other politicians may genuinely want change, but fail to recognize they need to create a political movement that captures the Congress as well in order to write the laws they want. Due to this ineffectiveness in the system, it’s no wonder people would gravitate towards a strongman type hoping to simply cutting through the Gordian knot. To have effectiveness, a part/coalition needs to share goals that can be attained, explain to the voter exactly how they will attain the goals, and when in power show the voters that the goals are being worked towards.
Labor and dignity of one’s work is a great starting goal. Raising sweldo grants families a better life, more disposable income to be spent thus creating more customers for Filipino businesses. People don’t forget when they’re helped. As Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign stated: “Change vs more of the same,” “It’s the economy, stupid,” “Don’t forget health care.” Winning issues every single time, because it directly positively affects every single citizen.
Goals are important, and can be effective as you illustrate, by capturing the voters emotions. Their engagement. President Aquino said explicitly that they made an error by talking concepts. Citizens didn’t want that. So goals that are not relatable to the strapped Filipino mean little. Elaborate platforms mean little. That’s why political parties sometimes don’t even bother with them. Duterte was a master of the promise and getting to emotions.
In my view Duterte garnered support from the disaffected poor and the emerging middle class’ fear of protecting their new economic gains. A politics of resentment/retribution. The alleged PRC and Russian help on the social media front certainly helped him too with regards of going from a little known backwater minor dynastic scion to the national stage. It was interesting watching most of the business interests for once being in opposition at first.
You and I both agree that PNoy was probably the greatest modern Filipino President, if not the greatest in history. His only failure was to be such an efficient, hardworking President that he was perceived to be an aloof, uncaring technocrat. And to add to what you shared of what PNoy said, if I recall (paraphrasing) he also said a future liberal administration should take care to connect better with the people, explaining what work was done on their behalf and how it made their lives better.
In an age of social media, it’s quite possible for a candidate and party to take the message directly to the people, bypassing the media gatekeeping done by business concerns. Since I’m here in the US at the moment, I’m truly amazed at how the Biden, now Harris campaign has pivoted and shot a bolt of lightning through America with their new media and fundraising strategy. I joined a few of the zoom calls centered around various groups such as Black women, White women, Black men, LGBTQ and was just in shock with the huge numbers of both attendees and grassroots donations raised. Yet to come there are more fundraising calls for various groups scheduled. In a matter of a week, it seems the American left/center left have been able to energize their base with clear goal messaging and counter big money interests on the other side. The Filipino left/center left hopefully is paying attention and will adopt this strategy after it has been modified to fit the Philippines political system.
comelec, committee on election, is proposing to ban use of social media days prior to our election. reportedly, the use of AI, deep fakes and deceit misinformation undermine the credibility of public officials, candidates and election management authorities. as well candidates’ social media spending will be capped. though that probly wont stop their network of backers from spending big on candidates behalf. some backers are based overseas and not subject to our laws but their platforms are accessible by filipino voters via the internet.
It may be difficult for Comelec to accomplish a socmed ban. If they go as far as to temporarily ban certain socmed networks, there would be backlash. After all, the Philippines held quite a high global ranking in mobile phone and socmed usage.
Perhaps the better way to fight against disinformation and fake news is by blanketing media and socmed with indisputable truth. But in a system that rewards emotional thinking, that would also require an inspirational candidate and forward-thinking platform of possibilities.
Misinformation before the ban would have already done damage. Maybe it is like the liquor ban, which is for preventing election violence and for one to vote wisely, with a clear head, with the aim for last minute undecided voters to change their mind then let us see if this is not a useless exercise, no harm in trying.
Humans have a strange tendency to want to oppose what is forbidden. Just like the Prohibition period in the US where illegal speakeasies and crime involving alcohol-running thrived, or the more recent pornography bans in certain US states where those who in public supported the ban turned to VPNs to consume the now forbidden content.
For fighting misinformation there is no panacea more powerful than the truth. The more people who learn the truth and repeat it, the more effective it becomes. The issue is misinformation often plays to human biases, so a Filipino movement for truth needs to both keep pushing the message of truth and also show the benefits. That will be the hardest task of all to accomplish because it will take time. The Philippines won’t be transformed overnight.
Factchecking efforts of Rappler, Vera Files are a big help , the usual clap back there is “who fact checks the fact checkers?”
True no change happens overnight except the number of days after yesterday.
apparently, rappler’s fact checkers have probity.
founder maria ressa a nobel laureate have allegedly been tru hell and highwater saving the truth vs ex pres duterte et al who so wanted to highjack the truth and detour it. maria ressa had been arrested, jailed, convicted, with more threats of jail times. all the while rappler was threatened with closure and to cease and desist (?spelling) from operating. maria ressa fought hard and long and was close to being impoverished, her court expenses stratospheric. well meaning filipino and international community rallied and come to her aid, and maria ressa was bailed time and again.
and rappler though much bruised and maligned by the powers that be, continued to exist copious battle scars included, and provided much needed unadulterated info to all.
incidentally, patricia evangelista, an investigative reporter from rappler published a book “some people need killing” about ejks in our country. the book could not be published before, being controversial, and was only published when there was regime change.
One chapter of Pat Evangelista’s excellent international beststeller is about the incident I wrote about here, shocked by a gruesome video just after Christmas. https://joeam.com/2020/12/27/four-fatal-shots-a-sunday-homily/
For her, who had investigated many a killing, it was her first time to see one. What Cpl. Nuezca did in Paniqui, Tarlac even inspired Ben and Ben to write the song “Kapangyarihan” to protest abuse of power.
Rappler and VeraFiles deserve a lot of credit here. Theirs is truly thankless work.
Of course, pushers of misinformation will always spout their nonsense regardless, and many people will even eagerly consume that trash, but the only way to slowly fight back against fake news is by constantly pushing the message of truth.
misinformation has always been around, many politicians claiming post doctoral studies they dont really have and padding up their resumes big time. there is not that big secret really, people talk and secrets become the biggest whisper shared by all. there is nothing filipinos love more than shared secrets. and with us living so close together, sometimes worst than packed sardines, our country densely populated, sharing secrets is pasttime.
truth vs misinformation, both clamoring for air time. it maybe confusing but. deep in ourselves we know what is nonsense and what is not. we know what to accept and what to disregard. intelligentsia may think they have monopoly of the truth, but we know differently. viva la difference!
many voters already know who to vote long before official campaign starts, but it’s nice to see candidates working their butts off, huffing and puffing and burning off kilojoules, pushed out of their comfort zones and into the grandest melee just to secure votes.
voters are rarely passive during election time, with us hot blooded filipinos being vocal and emotive over things that may seemed mundane at first like boycotting restos where politico epals used to eat! throwing stones at smiling posters of politicos who are suddenly approachable when they are very much like hermits you have to book an appointment to see them.
“… indisputable truth …
… inspirational leader …”
Joey,
An inspirational leader motivated by indisputable truth can give rise to a sea change that can make “a better Philippines” second to none.
True? Albeit, simplistic?
The Philippines can aim for a new beginning … or continue where America (that has, arguably , been the most blessed thus far) left off.
That is encouraging to hear.
I got invited as an editor by Joe back on 2015, butI I deleted my old email address a few years later. So my editor privileges went kaput without being tested. My being editor was only reinstated when Gian invited me this year using my new email address.
I noticed that your gravatar changed, that is why I asked?
Ps my gravatar above in one comment looks different from the green one because I mistyped my email address.
Tomorrow, Sunday at 7PM is the zoom call for everybody: men, women, LGBTQ+ of the black, white, brown and rainbow race. There were 8 zoom calls going simultaneously that I know of on Thursday, all of them discussing what at stake on Nov 5 and fundraising for Kamala and Dems down ballot. It was so exhilarating. It reminds me of the campaign for Obama’s first term. Hopeful and motivated grassroots coalescing for the greater good.
PH can do it. ExVP Leni and her NGO just issued a call for action to help those ravaged by the storm and many Filipinos answered the call.
I agree that center-left Liberal party could collaborate with the moderate-left and the progressive left to prepare for the coming election.
The list below is of PH Leftist groups (Magdalo is missing from the list; PKP-1930 is defunct) and the only far-left /militant one I know of is the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDF). Please correct me if I’m wrong.
****List is from Wikipedia
JP, I daresay that this US election year is even more energized for Democrats than 2008. I think Biden would’ve won, but that’s no longer an option. Many people don’t realize that it takes an organized political party to win. Obama sadly destroyed the Democratic National Convention and state organizations by diverting resources to his own operation. In 2012 he was at real risk of losing before party elders jumped in to help out. I consider part of the reason why Hillary Clinton lost is that when she came in on the 2016 ticket, she realized that there was no state or national organization, and the party coffers were broke. It’s HRC’s efforts to rebuild the party organization that enabled Biden to build out party offices even in deep red states and maintain a strong ground game. HRC and Biden often don’t get the due credit they deserve for their tireless work.
Now for the Philippines, I think Leni has a good idea going with converting her campaign into an NGO after her loss. Leni’s organization might be the first in Filipino history where there is an organized movement despite being outside of an election year. This is crucial in my opinion to create the needed networks and local offices needed to share what the achievable goals are. Filipino politics from the past until now seems to just be about ignoring the people until the campaign year, where subsequently many promises are made to gain the vote. No wonder Filipinos feel upset when the promises are not kept.
As I see it now, in the US the center-left, liberals, unaffiliated progressives are allying together behind Kamala Harris. As usual the far-left, which through the Democratic Socialists of America have been screaming for attention, but many in the new alliance are ignoring the far-left. There are memories of what the far-left did in 2016, withholding their support and depressing others’ votes when they couldn’t hijack the party for Bernie Sanders.
Speaking of far-left, I think it’s better to just ignore all the far-left groups, from the communist extreme to the democratic socialists and greens. Furthermore, there needs to be vigilance in watching if those groups are trying to be Trojan horse the alliance via entryism. Entryism is an old tactic of the far-left originating back to the French Revolution where radicals who hold minimal power try to gain entry into a mainstream party to take over from within, which is exactly what happed to the Democratic Socialists of America when communist sympathizers took over the DSA, causing even the co-founders to rebuke and leave the DSA.
Far-left groups need to be put back where they belong, in the dust bin of history. While they seem large due to having loud voices, their support base is quite low, especially in the Philippines which has a history of anti-communist sentiment. And as for the Greens, history has shown that the international green movement was co-opted early on in the Cold War by Soviet Union agitprop. The American Green party’s leader has even been photographed next to Putin. It would just be toxic to include them in a new center-liberal-progressive alliance.
Zoom call for today moved to Monday, 7PM because the registered participants exceeded the max capacity for it and others were clamoring to be included. I have not checked X today so I don’t know if they firmed up yet. Some of the organizers are talking about using another app to accommodate larger number of attendees.
I remember the Bernie fiasco. I don’t think they will try to sabotage the Dem candidate this time. Besides, Bernie is a year older than Biden. The ageism permeating from the MSM alone will destroy any such move.
exVP Leni is suppose to run for Mayor in Naga. The Mayors in PH seem to fare better than Governors when it comes to being noticed on the national scene. A lot of them went on to be Executive branch honchos (her late husband, Binay, Du30…). She may not run for national office again but her presidential candidacy and her campaign will always be remembered in a positive light.
so long as she does not make enemies and openly butt heads with powerful political dynasties, leni is okay. and she may get to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. many of us are nervous and pray for her safety.
I’ve also noticed an increasing number of American military veterans, a cohort who leans conservative, come out in support for Kamala Harris. Quite a few apparently are former Republicans before this election cycle. Perhaps the continual denigration of military service by Trump coupled with his followers’ cult-like veneration of man over Constitution finally was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The American far-left were together with the MSM that pushed Biden out. I still believe Biden would’ve won with a healthy margin as the disparate liberal/left coalition usually comes home as the election gets closer, but it’s clear now he made a calculated move to ensure a win by someone who will carry on his legacy. The far-left and MSM also had different goals. The far-left always make a lot of loud noises that depresses the vote on the margins, while refusing to vote because their ideology is one of purist maximalism. The MSM in recent years have been taken over by center-right owners or boards of directors, who place a business interest first.
The ageism was never the real issue, it was just an excuse, since the far-left is still pushing for Bernie Sanders who is older than Biden, and the big donor supported Democratic elites want to install a business-friendly moderate like Joe Manchin. The shameful party backstabbers who cowardly whispered behind closed doors are mostly beholden to big donor money rather than the grassroots like Biden and Harris, having become addicted to the big donor money that opened up after Citizens United. I always say that the grassroots if properly activated can out raise big donors, which is what we’re seeing now. The party elite and MSM seem to be shocked into submission by Biden’s strategic moves, while the Republicans are now the ones in disarray.
It’s exciting to see record breaking enthusiasm. Us Americans really have Black American women to thank for this, as they have been the core organizers that have provided the example and impetus for other groups to organize themselves into a coalition.
Bringing it back to the Philippines, I just realized in the recent week of events that the main issue for Filipino center-left and liberals is that there isn’t a dedicated base. Here in the States, Black Americans provide the core of the Democratic party, while White Americans without a college degree provide the base for the Republican party. A strong base provides a minimal level of support that can be built on top of. Every single Filipino election it seems to me that both the right and left, but especially the left, always start all over again from nothing. In the absence of a strong national organization it seems natural for Filipinos to follow what their local electeds direct.
A strong base needs strong locales and in some places it might be dangerous to actually organize from the grassroots. Besides, we have talked about the difficulties Filipinos have with self-organized cooperation. In Germany, political party locales and local councils often discuss matters similar to what homeowner associations might discuss in the Philippines – very mundane day to day stuff. Knowing how Filipino overseas organizations seldom manage to stick together long and usually descend into being small cliques, I wonder how homeowner’s associations or grassroots groups work over there.
VP Leni’s Angat Bayanihan works well for specific tasks but during the campaign people already jockeyed for influence and elbowed each other out, I was told by unreliable sources. Much like Aguinaldo’s Republic maybe, oblivious to the outside challenge, and thereby losing.
The fundamental problem I’ve seen in Filipino politics is many just want things to be done their way, without considering that it’s better to compromise to secure part of what they want, and fight the next day for the rest. A lolo I met once shared this anecdote to me in Bisaya: “Ang tanan gusto nga mahimong hari.” Everyone wants to be king.
Yes, in the provinces politics can often be dangerous in itself, with the local political dynasty willing to resort to threats or even violence to force the residents to vote their way. But perhaps such a new organization can first organize in the bigger cities? After all, a vote is a vote, and the metro areas contain more votes than the bukid areas. There’s also the effect of workers migrating from the provinces to the cities, then going back home occasionally, who are able to spread the message if they can be convinced.
It seems like almost everybody in PH vote but most claim that they are not interested in politics. How do you get Filipinos to participate in good governance? How to tell them that politics affects them everyday? I remember PNoy telling Filipinos he is at their service, that they are his boss but they just ridicule him for it.
Everyone votes in their own perceived interest, one way or another.
In the Philippines, this often manifests as the vote going to who the person “feels” is helping them more. 4-5 kilos bag of rice (barely 10% of a sack!), some canned relief goods, 500 pesos envelope per head here 1k pesos per head there, a politician that plays to someone’s sense of moral superiority so that the person can’t see they are being hoodwinked, projects that makes someone feel like someone is “doing something.”
PNoy was a great leader. One of his biggest regrets which he conveyed after Duterte started dismantling PNoy’s work was that PNoy’s administration focused too much on making life better for Filipinos, and didn’t showcase their accomplishments more. The result was that too many Filipinos didn’t appreciate the good works done by PNoy that brought investment, modernization, and global respect for the Philippines. Too often, those who are shamelessly hambogero succeed in tricking others around them, while the efforts of silent and serious people are ignored.
A people divided is a nation conquered.
Generations of Filipinos are beaten down by the immediate higher “class,” while those on the very top too often trample on everyone else. The scramble for resources, controlled by only a few whether that is a rajah, datu, President, or mayor re-enforces a crab mentality. Former US President Lyndon Baines Johnson once quipped: “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” The oligarchs, political dynasties, special interests maintain their control through such methods because they know if they can give privileges and red meat to one group, it serves to divide the whole of the body politic whose citizenry share much more in common than they might think. Sadly, this way of thinking has existed for hundreds of years.
A re-framing of the Filipino’s possibilities is needed.
The Filipino people needs to educated on the fact that they themselves are in control of their own destiny, no matter what their leaders and churches claim otherwise. People do not respond well to those who would be Ilustrados. After all, the average Filipino is barely surviving, thinking only about how to obtain the next day’s meal for their family. They have no luxury to think in charts and explanations.
A message of not how someone can help them, but how their vote can place leaders into power who will start reforming government, the justice system, improving the economy, building a credible defense, restoring national pride. Most Filipinos seem cynical in exactly how much can change, so they would rather take the scraps scattered on the ground underneath the table rather than gamble and end up with nothing. A person feels pride when he/she feels they have contributed to something. It’s something they can rightly feel good and boast to their own children. No one wants to become a beggar.
The best way to convert people is by showing them that the promises were kept. Attracting new investment into the Philippines to build factories to make “Made in the Philippines” products for export while providing jobs with a good salary that can make the Filipino family’s life better. Effective land reform once and for all, where all private land is taxed unless the land is used for a productive purpose such as agriculture or industry, in which case the landowner would receive a tax credit while the national supply of foodstuffs and products are increased. Getting rid of the archaic protectionist system that is useless unless the tariffs are used to give time to develop native industry otherwise the tariffs only serve to increase prices. Showing the Filipino that their taxes are well-spent, with well-made new roads and infrastructure, proper funding of public schools, public benefits programs for those who need it. Maybe then the Filipino would feel that their taxes are worth paying and less will resist paying tax. While we’re implementing this, the VAT is a regressive tax that unduly burdens those more poor while the rich can easily escape paying it.
Good leaders fix problems promptly within reason. The results of their actions that can be seen is in itself proof of good governance and cannot be denied by naysayers. For example, in my city if I phone in a complaint about a pothole in the road, within days it is fixed. Last year, we had a major bagyo hit California which caused major flooding and damage of infrastructure, but within a day of the safety all-clear, crews started working repairing roads, downed lines and electric poles, fixing communications. Weeks later, it was as if nothing had happened. While in the Philippines, I remember passing by the same pothole in Cavite for years which got bigger and bigger every time I visited the Philippines. Hagabat rain that would be considered laughably light in California causes massive flooding as we are now seeing with the aftermath of the trailing arm of Bagyong Carina.
I was thinking just today about how former US President FDR lifted the US out of the Great Depression. FDR created the modern US federal agencies, and embarked on a major public works program to build infrastructure across America that still benefits the US to this day. Those public works programs provided a much needed salary for millions of jobless Americans. This foundation was what allowed the US to become the industrial giant that was called the “Arsenal of Democracy” in WWII. It’s no wonder that the US Democratic Party held power for a generation back in those days, being able to shape the governments and expanding rights through the laws and courts. The Philippines of today has a large working age population that is either idle or underemployed that could be put to work finally building the infrastructure and industry that connects and unites the nation.
People can believe what they hear, whether it is true or not. But not many people aside from the delusional can deny the improvements they see with their own eyes and the better salary they can touch with their own hands.
A bit OT, this what Angat Bayanihan, Atty Leni Robredo’s organization, is up to:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/jBK4E5h9eRrV9dSh/
wonderful! leni is so helpful, so giving, so selfless, the one that got away.