by – Glen Palaca Hubahib, Esq.
The decadence of the Philippines:
As a nation we have not gotten over the hump. We tried, re-tried, and failed. Not for lack of effort but we do not have the skill, the right people and fortitude to act. In sum, we do not have the right values that go with our identity. Hence, the uncontrolled corruption in government.
Thomas Couture, Romans during the Decadence (1847)
Montesquieu (Spirit of the Laws, Book 8) posits that: “The principle of democracy is corrupted not only when the spirit of equality is extinct, but likewise fall into a spirit of extreme equality . . . Then the people, incapable of bearing the very power they have delegated, want to manage everything themselves, to debate for the senate, to execute for the magistrate, and to decide for the judges.
We must not be surprised to see their suffrages given for money. It is impossible to make great largesse’s to the people without great extortion: and to compass this, the state must be subverted.”
His observation on corruption reflects the sad affairs of the Filipinos. We have extreme inequality. The old aristocracy still controls the economic lever of society. Executive and legislative officials act like magistrates.
Furthermore, we have cabinet officials that are not confirm by the commission on appointments making decisions that affect the national security and billion-peso budgets of their departments. This has been the subject of Senator Marcoleta’s privilege speech that the appointments affect the integrity of the Philippines’ institution. Their loyalty to the nation and skills not vetted, hence, they are risk and vulnerability of the nation.
Among them are – ES Raph Recto, DPWH Sec. Vinze Dizon, DoF Sec. Frederick Go, DoJ Sec. Fredderick Vida, DBM Sec Rolando Toledo, DoT Sec. Giovanni Lopez, DENR Sec. Raphael Lotilla, and PCO Sec. Dave Gomez. For the remaining two years of BBM’s presidency everything is temporary. Hence, as correctly observed by Randy David’s column:
“We are familiar with the idea of a caretaker government – an interim leadership that exists mainly to keep things in place, maintain stability, and avoid risks that might unsettle the prevailing order…
This is where we find ourselves today. The executive branch has shown little capacity to demand full accountability from political allies implicated in the flood control corruption scandal, or to carry out meaningful reforms in the national budget and procurement system. Congress, for its part, remains deeply enmeshed in patronage politics and pork barrel allocations—hardly in a position to expose abuses that sustain its own power.” (Caretaker politics. Public Lives, Philippine Daily Inquirer 1.25.26)
Immigration news:
ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota shot and killed Renee Nicole Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 204. Because of these twin fatalities, the US is teetering again on another government shutdown. Meaning funding for government operation is not approved by congress. Democrats are pushing for changes in ICE enforcement which includes no mask for ICE and federal agents and drawdown of forces.To recall, ICE and federal agents were conducting immigration enforcement against federal nutrition and pandemic aid programs, many of which have involved defendants with roots in Somalia. (From the wires of CNN, Washington Post and pbs.org)
Image from pbs.org. ICE enforcement
[Note: Glen Palaca Hubahib is admitted to practice law in California and the Philippines. He also holds an Electrical Engineering and MBA degrees. He is a regular resource person of the top rated “Open Forum” program of Ardy Araneta-Batoy & Gloria Leodivica Araneta at station DYTR. The article is for information only and is not legal advice. Send your comments to the author at hubahibg@gmail.com.]