Share this
Twitter
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Yahoo
Googlize this
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mailAfter organizing campaigns for the environment, activist-environmentalist Nicanor “Nick” Perlasnow seeks to clean the dirty political arena of the Philippines through his presidential bid. Heeding the call of “Mother Philippines” for help, he steps into the big ballgame of traditional politicians – even without spending a single cent on political advertisements.
Perlas, who describes himself as a non-traditional candidate on his official website, said in a Blogwatch interview that “money and machinery do not automatically translate into votes.” He said the people should do away with traditional notions of winnability.
In an Inquirer.net article on him, Perlas, he declared that he does not believe in infomercials, for it “violates the spirit of the law.”
Even during the start of the campaign period last Feb. 9, the former agriculturist chose to take a low profile, unlike his rivals in the presidential race who embarked on grand opening campaigns. He began his campaign quietly at 11:30 a.m. at the Ateneo de Manila University, his alma mater, along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, GMANews.tv reported.
Disqualified, then back again
His lack of resources and machinery, however, was cited by Commission on Elections (Comelec) on December 15 as basis for disqualification. He was branded as a nuisance candidate for his inability to launch a nationwide campaign.
Perlas, who belongs to the unregistered Pangmasa Political Party, scored the Comelec’s ruling, saying it is a blow to democracy and to those longing for alternative politics. In a separate article, he said he cannot be tagged a nuisance candidate because it was Comelec which invited him to a leadership forum.
Last Jan. 14, the Comelec reversed its decision and accepted Perlas’s certificate of candidacy, citing his “distinguished track record in public service” and his wide reach in the Internet through his numerous websites, Manila Bulletin reported.
Nick’s new politics
“The light of the new Philippines is upon us. We only need to awaken to see the
brilliance of its promise. But we need to act together,” Perlas said in his campaign message posted on his website.
The 60-year-old green advocate, who grew up in Quezon City, uses green as campaign color and “Perlas Tayong Lahat (We are all pearls)” as campaign slogan. He explained in an Inquirer.net article that a “perlas” or pearl is formed when a shell gets irritated – thus his slogan represents the millions of Filipinos getting irritated by current problems.
At the core of his campaign is the call for “New Politics,” which he said is based on having “a vision for the country and the track record to actually realize the vision.” He explained that contrary to old politics, which places winnability as primary consideration, new politics starts with a qualified and proven leadership, then national exposure and media attention will naturally follow.
“Winnability is something you create and not something you earn or inherit. One needs the vision and track record to realize the vision,” Perlas said in an interview.
His platform has six pillars:
- Eradicate Poverty and Enhance Quality of Life;
- Advance Moral and Effective Governance;
- Uphold the Integrity of Creation;
- Build Partnerships for Social Justice;
- Promote Creative Education and Inner Change and;
- Mainstream Visionary Initiatives
In September last year, Perlas challenged Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to resign from the Liberal Party and run as independent candidate. The call was meant to encourage Aquino to join the independent movements for New Politics and to guard against the “winnability virus,” Filipinovoices.com said.
”The Liberal Party, as a whole, is a traditional political party. Even if there are non-traditional politicians within it, they does not represent the interest of millions longing for new politics. A Noynoy candidacy within the Liberal Party will suppress the massive longing for a new politics,” Perlas explained in a blog article.
During the Inquirer presidential debate, Perlas promised to create a department of civil society under his presidency. “For me this is important because we are going to introduce a new concept of governance that goes beyond just government,” he said in an article.
His firm hold on new politics has earned him a steady following in the online world. “I am not voting for Nicanor Perlas in the upcoming presidential elections. What I am voting for, however, are the ideas and aspirations and processes he embodies,” wrote a state university professor.
A blogger, meanwhile, explained why he is campaigning for Perlas to be next President by listing 20 reasons. “He is honest, and has zero tolerance for corruption. He has been fighting corruption from the time of Marcos to Cory to Erap and to Gloria,” the blogger said in the list.
From the outskirts of power
Perlas has been active as an activist and civil society member for 40 years. After the First Quarter Storm broke out in 1970, he joined what he claims was the first student activist rally in Mindanao which shut down Xavier University for three weeks. He also confessed in an interview with Probe Profiles that he almost joined the New People’s Army since he sympathized with the plight of the poor.
In the same interview, Perlas said that he was exiled to the United States for 10 years by the Marcos dictatorship because of his strong opposition to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant project. He claimed that his efforts later helped mothball the nuclear project.
In 2001, he was active in KOMPIL II, a broad civil society group which campaigned for the ouster of former president and now his political rival Joseph Estrada.
Internationally, Perlas is renowned for his advocacy for new politics and the environment. He has written over 300 articles and monographs including an international best-selling book, Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power, and Threefolding.
He was co-founder and spokesperson of Pagasa 1.0, which he claims staged the longest running daily protest against the corruption of the Arroyo administration.
At the height of protests against Arroyo’s Proclamation No. 1017 or the state of national emergency, Perlas wrote “GMA Downfall on the Horizon,” in which he said “GMA is basically a pariah in the eyes of social movements, the young, media, the church, academe and other sectors of civil society.”
During a leader’s forum last October, Perlas, along with four other presidential candidates, vowed to prosecute Arroyo for graft if there is proof. “I’m on record as saying that if ...there’s a prima facie evidence, I would prosecute and try to put Arroyo in jail,” he said in a GMANews.tv article.
To Malacanang and beyond?
The absence of “conscience” within the Arroyo administration forced him to take a bold trip to the Palace, Perlas said in an interview with veteran journalist Cheche Lazaro. “If the system of government remains like this, the country’s civil society will be weakened gradually,” he said in Filipino.
Asked by Inquirer.net why he is gunning for the highest post rather than run for senator or other positions, Perlas said that “the disease of our system is in the presidential level. The executive branch is the source of all our problems.”
Despite having a noble motive for running for president, Perlas has consistently gained poor survey ratings. Last month’s Pulse Asia survey showed that Perlas is on the lowest rung with 0.05 percent, way behind Aquino with 37 percent and Sen. Manny Villar with 35 percent.
He however gained the support of handful of alternative icons, including revered Filipino music artists Joey Ayala and Cynthia Alexander, an article reported.
A number of critics has expressed doubts on Perlas’s electoral victory; some have even called him crazy. But Perlas has constantly expressed confidence that he will win. He believes in the potency and reach of the Internet in influencing votes. In an interview, Perlas said that his Internet presence is estimated at anywhere from 24 million to 30 million among Filipinos today.
The question, however, remains: Will his visibility online be enough to override the traditional name recall spurred by all other media platforms and by the ubiquity of campaign materials of his rivals?
For other relevant information about Nick Perlas, visit the following sites:
Official Website – Nick Perlas
Photos from Nick Perlas' official website, Facebook Fan page
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
