The Philippine Online Chronicles

The cyberspace where Filipinos of every political stripe gather blazes with war. Loud explosions of anti-propaganda flak erupt everywhere. Twitters flying like star fighters engaged in dogfights.  They conduct sorties against enemy cruisers.  Bloggers, strong with the Force, attack with ferocity dropping ammunition on top of enemy cruisers.  Facebook pages are destroyers and frigates while group blogs act like battle cruiser analogues pounding opposing Star Destroyers with their ginormous turbo lasers.

It is a massive free-for-all.

This war being fought on Cyberspace may not be the defining theater of war that would carry a candidate to victory, but it is a battleground and it is fought with as much tenacity, with as much viciousness as it is polarizing.

Friend versus Friend

Friends against friends, and our beliefs are lines on the sand.

It is hard to see friends who espouse they are for a better tomorrow but either refrain from joining the fray or choose to be neutral, quiet observers unwilling to be part of the bigger battle. It is difficult to imagine friends claiming to be patriots and we each see the other as wrong for carrying the other camp’s banner.

Isn't this what democracy is all about?  That one would fight tooth and nail for what one believes is to be true?  The other side would ultimately do the same.  In the process, we build a nation. So it is with the great American experiment.  So it is with this Filipino experiment.

How difficult is it not to take things personally?

Salient Issues

Many would wish to debate and yet the realities of the campaign set in.  Debates won’t earn a candidate victory, but pressing flesh does.

Mindanao

In the face of all this, there is such great disappointment.  Many would wish to discuss issues, and yet when that moment came, there hardly was any discussion.  Even daily issues like Mindanao Power Crisis had little in the way of decent conversation.

One such decent conversation is this one. Nick Nichols wrote about David Tauli's presentation before a Rotary meeting about the Mindanao Power Crisis:

1. Is not due to El Niño
2. Is not a sinister plot to sabotage elections
3. Is not a ploy to increase power rates in Mindanao

Instead, Nichols narrated that Tauli said:

"…built a very convincing case that the crisis was caused by a series of actions and inactions on the part of Napocor - the most crucial of which (but not the only) were actions taken in the fourth quarter of 2009 to prevent the level of water in Lake Lanao from reaching it's normal end-of-year level - something they've never failed to substantively do - ever - even during prior El Niño years."

With power and energy, trust that politicians continue to answer in general terms. Mindanao and Power crisis is but a small albeit long line of laundry list that needs to get accomplished by the next administration.

But if not nuke, then what?

Ensuring Network Neutrality, guaranteeing Internet freedom and lowering the bar of access to information and technology are things that are important but do get set aside in the face of a grueling campaign season.

How could it not?

Campaigns need to focus on delivering a message that voters can get.  Clear, simple, easily remembered points that can help them decide.

Even as campaigns focus on their message, have you come to realize that the 21^st Century is filled with myriad challenges and the Philippines is most certainly ill equip to face them especially in the realm of technological innovation?

Philippines and Research and Development

All things being equal, do you think a country like the Philippines, given limited resources can compete, even giving its limited resources?

Take for example this success the CIA did at improving their technological capability. In 1999, a venture capital, Virginia-registered Corporation called In-Q-Tel came into existence. Bound by Charter agreements with the State of Virginia and the Central Intelligence Agency, this corporation while legally independent of the CIA invests in companies that the CIA could leverage for its spy work.[i]

In-Q-Tel is a non-profit venture capital firm that is given freedom to invest in high technology companies.  By doing so, In-Q-Tel engages with entrepreneurs, companies, researches and venture capitalists to deliver technologies for America’s clandestine services.  They focus on software, infrastructure and materials science.[ii]

In the first year of operation, In-Q-Tel was given a budget of US$28M.[iii]

A study was conducted to review In-Q-Tel’s operation and it found the following[iv]:

• The business model made sense;
• The (then) 2 year old program had impressive success;
• The process for implementing new technology into the CIA’s business process is a key challenge to In-Q-Tel’s success;
• Improved access of In-Q-Tel to key stakeholders and experts in CIA is essential;
• Shared performance measures (business metrics) needed to be created;
• The panel did not recommend expanding In-Q-Tel customer base beyond CIA.

The panel’s recommendations:

• The business model outweighs risk;
• CIA must continue to streamline and simplify its process of introducing new products into its overall IT architecture;
• Shared responsibility for solution transfer ot In-Q-Tel technology into CIA;
• Aggressive marketing of In-Q-Tel Capabilities within CIA;

The Philippines can do something similar with its limited resources. It must create, in cooperation with the private sector, a venture capital firm that is:

1. Agile;
2. Problem driven;
3. Solutions focused;
4. Team oriented;
5. Technology aware to identify, leverage and integrate existing products and solutions;
6. Must produce quantifiable results;
7. Innovative;
8. Self-sustaining overtime.

This Corporation must be legally independent of the Philippine government.  It must be bound by charter agreement with the Philippines to be in the business of accessing information technology expertise and technology wherever it exists and to bring that capability to bear on the information management challenges of the Philippines.  True entrepreneurs, investment bankers and venture capitalist must run this Corporation.

The government counter-part must be the National Computer Center from which the Corporation must interface with and this corporation must integrate its technologies with the Philippine government’s business processes.

Legality of In-Q-Tel

Because of the uniqueness of the relationship between the Central Intelligence Agency and In-Q-Tel, it adopted elements from a DARPA model based on “Other Transactions” authority granted to the US Department of Defense by the US Congress.[v] [vi] From this, a five-year charter agreement was made and which describes the relationship between CIA and In-Q-Tel, including policies, terms and conditions of future contracts.  Likewise, “a short term funding contract was also negotiated that included a description of work”[vii] These documents allow In-Q-Tel to negotiate agreements with partners, sans stringent US government requirements.[viii] For the Philippines to create a similar agency to In-Q-Tel to conduct its research and development and to invest in Information Technology it must first establish a similar law.

If such an organization existed for the Philippines to draw upon, would it be possible then to harness this 'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution?

It’s a trap!

This disturbs me. The Warrior Lawyer wrote:

“I end on a personal note. I have been surprised by the undercurrent of nastiness in the Noynoy campaign. The level of venom aimed at those who refuse to be drawn into the cult of Noynoy is disturbing. I have been patronized and sneered at for not expressing unbridled love for Noynoy, even by people who I thought to be my friends. Among those in the Noynoy camp, I have seen various cliques and factions openly express scorn for and actively undermine each other (for example between the “political operators” and those from civil society groups, each accusing the other of incompetence and hidden agendas). These are not the kind of people we want running the country.”

An important question to ask, in waging war, will the Yellows become what they hope to destroy? Is there much hubris to go around?

Yet, attacks against known Aquino supporters online has been vicious since the beginning of the campaign. Just peek at any Aquino-centric post and read their comment threads. There is hardly ever a decent discussion on the merits of that particular post.

On the ground

This is War.  And yet even as the battle lines are drawn, the standard of journalism is questioned.  Felicity on the ground, wrote in light of the New York Times’ piece on Hascenda Luisita, on “where GMA News went wrong,” from a journalistic standpoint and not as a member of Aquino’s campaign.

The Treats are Real

In spite of being led by an Economist, the government under Arroyo had imposed controls on power, oil, telecoms and pharmaceuticals. Peter Wallace wrote it best in Uncertain Times, "All the evidence says the people are worst off today."

Wallace wrote:

"The bottomline is you don't measure an economy by GDP, you measure it by the quality of life of the people.  All the evidence says the people are worse off today.  Where's the improvement?  What is it she's done?  I'm at a loss to find it, and no one in the Palace seems able to tell me, despite I've asked several times.  When oh, when does it sink in:  The Philippines is a failing economy under Arroyo.  That's not my assessment, that's factual data properly, fairly read."

How then, does one reconcile what is happening on the ground?

Nearly five months ago, wearing his signature orange for a shirt and plain jeans, Manny Villar sat down with Team Blog Watch.  It was a candid meeting.  It was so candid he professed his love for the arts and humanities.  It would be the first in a long line of conversations that blogwatch would eventually have with other Candidates that would lead to "Why Noynoy Aquino."

The conversation centered on “Manny Villar’s Platform,” yet the man doesn’t believe in a platform.  This in spite of his party having written one, he has continued to separate himself from it.

In that last paragraph of Manny Villar’s Platform, I wrote:

"I do not doubt that Manny Villar knows what he is talking about. I do not doubt that if I was a stockholder in his company that he has the best interest of the company and that we will advance our collective interest.

The doubt in my mind starts off like this: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also knows what’s wrong with the Philippines and knows how to fix it, just as Villar does and who is just as capable as he is. The doubt in my mind is this: what makes Manny Villar different from Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?"

The Doubt

That has always been the question isn’t it?  What makes Manny Villar different from Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?

Manny Villar doesn't believe in written platforms.

Manny Villar has been spending his own money.

Manny Villar's billions is also being question, did he perjure himself or is he doing money laundering?

Both Arroyo and Villar share popularist tendencies, in spite of knowing better like price ceilings, which to be blunt has not helpd.

Both have party mates who share their beliefs.  Just ask Gilber Remulla, who time and again rises to Villar's defence.

In the grand scale of things, in spite of knowing better, Manny Villar and Gloria Arroyo are both religious conservatives.  Their policies, as spoken or written about them, point to the deep religious conservatism that Villar and Arroyo demonstrated.

Both have and are still creating a world where Wowowee needs to exist.

Both Villar and Arroyo talk a good game, but in spite of knowing what to do to fix things, they wont.

What's clear though, in spite of all the Nacionalista Party can say, a Villar Presidency is more in favor of Arroyo.  Villar's way of doing things is to "negotiate partnerships."  Just look at what he's done with Satur Ocampo and the left. Just look at what he's done for Bongbong Marcos.

It isn't beyond the realm of possibility that in the event of a Villar Presidency, and Arroyo's stint in Congress that the two can cozy up. That the two can come into an understanding.  Arroyo could dangle her power--- it doesn't take a speakership to be in power in Congress.  All it takes if for Arroyo to have the requisite impeachement votes.  Quite obviously the more power she holds, the more dangerous she becomes.

Gordon will do the same as Villar, should he win.

And what would Erap do?  If president again, would he go to war, to payback Arroyo or would he hold back, aware of Arroyo's numbers?

A Gibo Presidency will of course be the most ideal.

Let us not forget too that Charter Change is on the auction block. While it isn't important to accomplish the necessary changes, under a Villar, Gibo, or Gordon presidency with Arroyo flying co-pilot, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that Charter Change will be dangled as a negotiating piece.

In the end, the assessment that this is about Gloria Arroyo holds true.  Aquino is the only true opposition, especially post election day.  Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will make it hard on an Aquino presidency.

Yes, there is a war brewing and the lines have been drawn. Friends are pitted against friends. To be embroiled in the fray is something else entirely.

What the Philippines needs, first is to fix its broken down institutions, which means it must first solve the question of corruption.  Villar will not do that.

Set aside, for the sake of argument all the "conspiracy theories";  Villar's modus operandi and Arroyo's are similar.  Their actions and policies are alike too.  They build coalitions very easily, and are not afraid to reward supporters.  Ergo, if Villar wins, it will be another six years of the same tired, and tested ways that has led the Philippines into a baren land.  It is the same cynical politics that Filipinos have been subjected to.

That is why it is Villarroyo who is the Phantom Menace and must be stopped.

In the end, the Yellows must come together, in the words of Abraham Lincoln:

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

With reverence, with gratitude, without fear, and without anger that must be how we go forth to war.

[i] O’Hara, Terence. “In-Q-Tel, CIA’s Venture Arm, Invests in Secrets” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/14/AR2005081401108.html. August 15, 2005

[ii] in-q-tel http://www.iqt.org/about-iqt/history.html

[iii] In-Q-Tel – Central Intelligence Agency https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/additional-publications/in-q-tel/index.html#imperatives

[iv] Business Executives for National Security. “Accelerating the Acquisition and Implementation of New Technologies for Intelligence: The Report of the Independent Panel on the Central Intelligence Agency In-Q-Tel Venture”. http://www.iqt.org/about-iqt/attachments/BENS%20Report.pdf

[v] Title 10 U.S.C. 2371. Research projects: transactions other than contracts and grants. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscode10/usc_sec_10_00002371----000-.html

[vi] Jasper, Beej “Other Transactions Are FAR Out!” http://web.mit.edu/osp/www/Other_Transactions_A253B74_by_Beej_Jasper.pdf

[vii] In-Q-Tel – Central Intelligence Agency https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/additional-publications/in-q-tel/index.html#notes

[viii] Ibid.

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