Do Not Go Gentle Into Performative Governance
Why the Philippines Needs Proof, Not Applause
By Karl Garcia
The Philippines is not a poor country. It is a tired one.
Tired of traffic that steals years from our lives.
Tired of institutions that promise reform and deliver excuses.
Tired of elections that feel consequential—and governance that does not.
And so, little by little, we have learned to go gentle—not into death, but into resignation.
That is the real danger.
Because resignation is the perfect partner of performative governance: a system where leaders speak loudly, act visibly, and are never required to prove that anything actually worked.
A Nation That Claps, Then Forgets
Every election season follows a familiar script. Candidates promise more jobs, safer streets, better transport, faster justice, honest government. The language is bold. The delivery theatrical. The crowd listens.
Then the election ends.
The applause fades.
And the promises dissolve into narrative.
The failure is not that leaders make promises. The failure is that no one is institutionally required to prove whether those promises were fulfilled—at what cost, over what time frame, and with what measurable results.
Philippine governance does not collapse primarily from corruption. It collapses from something quieter and more corrosive:
the absence of measurement.
Where proof is optional, theater thrives.
Resignation Is Not Filipino—but It Is Learned
Filipinos are not born passive. Our history is one of pakikipaglaban—not reckless rebellion, but principled refusal to accept injustice as normal.
Bayanihan was not smiling cooperation under exploitation. It was collective effort toward dignity.
People Power was not a festival. It was a decision to stop being afraid.
Yet today, civic courage is subtly discouraged. We are told to “be realistic,” to “understand the system,” to “wait our turn.” These are not wisdoms. They are instructions to stand down.
When citizens expect little, governments are free to deliver even less.
The Politics of Low Expectations
Our politics has mastered one survival trick: lowering expectations until failure looks like progress.
A train line breaks down—again—and we celebrate when it runs tomorrow.
Flooding worsens—and we praise relief instead of demanding prevention.
Corruption is exposed—and we applaud investigations that lead nowhere.
This is not governance.
This is managed decline.
Vision is not a slogan. It is the courage to measure performance, assign responsibility, and insist on consequences. Without measurement, patience becomes surrender.
Why Populist Theatrics Flourish
Populist governance depends on one condition: citizens cannot independently verify claims.
Where outcomes are not measured:
- anecdotes replace data
- visibility replaces effectiveness
- enforcement replaces prevention
- spending replaces impact
A road is inaugurated and assumed to be useful.
A crackdown is announced and assumed to be effective.
A budget is spent and assumed to be a success.
Evidence destroys this illusion. Measurement introduces comparison, attribution, and accountability—three things political theater cannot survive.
This is why the loudest governments are often the least auditable.
Governance Without Memory
The Philippines does not lack laws, plans, or institutions. It lacks feedback loops.
Laws are passed without post-enactment review.
Budgets are audited without outcome evaluation.
Development plans are written but never used as scorecards.
State of the Nation Addresses celebrate activity, not results.
Every administration is treated as a reset button. Projects are scrapped. Data buried. Lessons forgotten.
We remember personalities, not patterns.
We love stories more than systems.
A society that cannot remember cannot learn.
Why COA Is Necessary—but Not Enough
The Commission on Audit plays a vital role. It ensures money is spent according to law.
But COA does not answer the question citizens actually care about.
COA can tell us:
- whether funds were spent legally
- whether procedures were followed
COA cannot tell us:
- whether crime declined
- whether court delays shortened
- whether learning outcomes improved
- whether trust increased
COA audits compliance, not outcomes.
Expecting COA to measure performance allows the real accountability gap to persist.
Resilience Without Accountability Is a Trap
We are often praised for resilience. We should be cautious.
Resilience is admirable in disasters.
It is dangerous when it becomes a substitute for justice.
Bayanihan is not citizens endlessly adjusting to state failure. It is citizens demanding competence so collective effort can move forward—not just clean up afterward.
A nation that plans only in crisis is not resilient. It is negligent.
What Evidence-Based Governance Actually Looks Like
Modern governance does not treat activity as proof of success. It treats outcomes as unavoidable.
Serious institutions use:
- Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
- Balanced scorecards
- Strategy maps linking actions to outcomes
These are not academic theories. They are daily tools in systems that expect delivery.
Their absence in Philippine governance is not a technical limitation.
It is a political choice.
The Missing Institution: Proof
What the country needs is not another reform slogan, but a measurement system.
A National Promise Registry where:
- campaign promises are logged and time-bound
- agency targets are measurable and public
- progress is independently tracked
- failure requires explanation, not spin
This would turn promises from performance into commitment.
A promise that cannot be measured is a promise designed not to be kept.
Why the System Resists Measurement
Politicians prefer ambiguity—it protects them from failure.
Bureaucracies prefer compliance—it is safer than accountability.
Institutions survive by managing process, not proving impact.
Once outcomes are measured, someone must explain shortfalls. Someone must revise policy. Someone must admit error.
Populism avoids this by design. It replaces accountability with identity. Questioning results becomes “attacking the people.”
Forward Is Not a Mood. It Is a Discipline.
The Philippines only moves forward when it chooses forward—deliberately, pragmatically, without drama.
Not louder nationalism.
Not endless blame.
Not nostalgia.
Progress is boring. Technical. Administrative. And that is its strength.
You cannot barangay your way out of traffic collapse.
You cannot bayanihan your way into energy security.
You cannot pakikisama your way through climate adaptation.
Systems beat personalities. Always.
Final Call
Do not go gentle into civic sleep.
Do not confuse patience with wisdom.
Do not mistake resilience for consent.
This nation has carried houses on its shoulders before.
It can carry institutions, too—if it chooses to stand up again.
The Philippines does not need a miracle.
It needs proof.
And proof only moves one way:
Forward.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 