The Philippine Online Chronicles

Unfortunately for today’s youth, especially the first-time voters, they have no other experience of governance to speak of other than the almost decade-long rule of an administration mired with illegitimacy, corruption, poor governance, human rights violations and other tragedies.

Since 2010 is an election year, it is only fitting that the Filipino youth sets its new year’s resolutions for the government based on 1) how it expects candidates to address national issues and concerns and 2) what kind of changes it is more than willing to actively work for.

The youth proposes some new year’s resolutions for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in case she has none:

1. Resolve to step down when her term ends.

2. Resolve not to declare martial law anywhere in the Philippines.

3. Resolve to hold clean, transparent elections.

With those out of the way and having enumerated my wishful (thinking) New Year’s resolutions for the president, for that much coveted change in the government, may the youth resolve to:

5. Uphold human rights

Perhaps the most gruesome culmination of 2009 indicating the state of decline of the country’s political situation is the infamous Ampatuan massacre. The massacre of at least 60 persons, including journalists, lawyers and innocent civilians, committed with impunity is the most brutal reminder of the culture of political violence, warlordism, corruption and Philippine politics at its worst in recent years.

The Maguindanao situation took an even more dangerous curve when Mrs. Arroyo declared martial law in the province as per Proclamation 1959 – with its motives misleading and suspect, and its implications hovering over the nation, especially the 2010 polls, like a dark, menacing cloud. Fears are widespread that, in the grand scheme of things, Arroyo intends to declare martial law nationwide or in some key regions under the pretext of a failure of elections, and in so doing, succeed in perpetuating herself in power.

But even before the declaration of martial law in Maguindanao, critics and human rights advocates nationwide and abroad have long pointed out the existence of a de facto martial law under Arroyo’s regime due to rampant extra-judicial killings, political persecution and harassment of known opposition leaders and forces, the enactment of decrees and policies such as the Calibrated Preemptive Response, PP 1017, among others.

4. Be vigilant against corruption

The youth deserves a government that has moral ascendancy to govern and that is not mired with a long list of scandals, electoral fraud and corruption issues. The present administration has caused the widespread disillusionment among young people and has been a disappointment to the youth's desire to instill reforms in government.

Among the most high-profile of controversial deals and overpriced projects involving the government were the NBN-ZTE Broadband deal, the Joc-Joc Bolante fertilizer scam, the overpriced Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, the CyberEd project, PAGCOR cash cow, Jancom Environment Contract overpricing, the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Agricultural Fund and Philhealth cards allegedly used for Arroyo’s election campaign.

The First Family, especially First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, has also figured in numerous questionable and immoral businesses. There are also cases of bribery involving Arroyo in efforts to whitewash investigations and inquiries to quell public dissent.

Lately, Arroyo has once again figured in the hot seat for her lavish dinners abroad. Before that, she was questioned for her numerous foreign trips which are reported to have exceeded P3 billion in costs. Despite these, however, statistics show that foreign direct investments are on a huge decline, from 79.2 percent in the last quarter of 2008 to 85 percent during the first quarter of 2009. Investments in the first quarter of 2009 amounted only to P2.1 billion, still P90 million short of the total amount spent on Arroyo’s lavish junkets.

Indeed, the present administration is paying a high price for survival but at the expense of people’s taxes and in the process has earned the public’s ire.

3. Fight for education, employment and basic services

Under the Arroyo administration, the crisis in education has reached its worst state characterized by severe shortage of teachers, classrooms, chairs and other basic school facilities.

Arroyo has allotted only an average of 15 percent of the national budget to education, much lower than Estrada’s 18 percent and Ramos’ 17 percent. The number of out-of-school children and youth increased by 2.5 million and dropout rate has increased unprecedentedly.

The Arroyo administration also has the most disappointing record of unemployment. Unemployment rate has peaked to 11 percent, the highest in the country’s history, while underemployment increased from 1.9 million to 6.6 million during Arroyo’s term. The latest Labor Force survey released by the National Statistics Office in October 2009 show that more than half of the total unemployed Filipinos are aged 15 to 24.

Every year, new graduates add up to the total number of unemployed in the country. In fact, 80 percent of our unemployed come from the youth sector aged 18 to 35. This data does not include students who stopped schooling because of the high cost of education and are forced to work at an early age. For every 100 high school graduates, 67 are not able to enter college, 20 percent drop out, while 42 percent opt to work instead.

Meanwhile, the Philippines' public health system remain on the deathbed.

2. Get smart about climate change and the environment

If typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng have taught us anything, it is that the worst calamities are man-made and that climate change is not just a disaster waiting to happen.

“Man-made” not in the sense of how the government, quite shamelessly, readily laid the blame on illegal settlers and residents for the disastrous flooding, or the proverbial and overly-simplistic “we-are-responsible-for-our-neglect-of-the-environment-and-now-Mother Nature-is-striking-back.” To a certain extent, it is correct to claim public responsibility and if it results in a more environment-friendly citizenry then all the better. But for the government to dismissively conclude that these are the main culprits that contribute to climate change and calamities such as Ondoy and Pepeng is downright unacceptable.

First of all is the issue of preparedness and disaster management. The Philippines is not unaccustomed to typhoons given its geographical location. The government’s responses, or lack thereof, to the onslaught of Ondoy and Pepeng attest to its poor disaster management capabilities and unorganized faculties.

It is the government who should hold prime responsibility for preparedness and quick response, and efforts of private sectors and entities should ideally only be supplementary. Disaster preparedness entails the ensuring of functional sewerage systems, flood control programs, dams and the like. It must also guarantee quick response, rescue networks, evacuation sites and relief providers.

And then the “real issue” behind climate change – that it is linked with the upholding of national patrimony and assurance of economic safeguards in the use of the country’s natural resources.

Existing government policies allow for the wanton exploitation of our country’s resources in favor of foreign corporate interests, particularly in the mining, logging, real estate development and agribusiness industries, to cite a few. This has contributed a great deal to the deterioration of the environment and natural resources and has made our people, especially our poorest, most vulnerable to the effects of calamities. A study by the Center for Environmental Concerns-Philippines show that industrialized countries are responsible for 80 percent of greenhouse gas emission with the United States mainly accountable for 30 percent of global carbon emissions, while “poor countries like the Philippines suffer most from the ill effects of global warming.”

Unfortunately, the recently concluded United Nations climate change conference and the Copenhagen Accord, to which the Philippine government is a signatory, failed to address this injustice.

1. Vote and guard the polls

In every election, various political candidates and parties of all shades never fail to court the so-called “youth vote.”  They, however, merely regard the youth as viable and effectively vocal proponents of their respective campaign machineries, but sadly fail to address issues and concerns that really matter to the youth.

The coming elections may just beg to differ.

"Photo by gmaresign from Flickr.com. Some rights reserved."