Heave Ho!

Less than a year before the scheduled Presidential election, the entire country is in great need of Filipinos who are prepared to offer their lives for the implementation of peaceful revolutionary change. Above and beyond the legal requirements stipulated by our Constitution, these candidates must view public service as an absolute sacrifice within a set time frame. Public service must never become a source of livelihood. The acquisition of power and prestige must solely be used towards the promotion of the common good.

For peaceful revolutionary change to advance, four fundamental developments are required:

1. Enforce the anti-dynasty provision in the Constitution by calling for synchronized local and national elections in 2013 for ALL elective positions with each candidate limited to serving only for a single term, while disqualifying spouses, parents and children from succeeding any candidate.

2. Abolition of Pork Barrel. Legislators must focus on their principal role which is law-making. Salaries, emoluments and staff should be drastically reduced. Whatever money that is budgeted for roads and bridges (traditionally a fertile source of graft) must return to the control of the executive branch. Instead of investing inordinately in infrastructure, we must try to invest in human resources: double teacher’s salaries; which will not only attract the more qualified, it will also result in a more effective manner of pump priming the economy due to a wider, more equitable distribution of wealth.

3. Judiciary reform. These days, when even the integrity of the Court of Appeals is in great uncertainty, directly returning to the people the power to determine guilt via jury trials and Grand Jury inquests should be seriously considered. Once again, too many people in our country make a living from the prevailing judicial structure.

4. Agrarian reform. A clear example of how noble intentions may be subverted into creating an even greater disaster. In the 20 years of land reform, productivity has diminished and social inequality has only widened. The principal goal must be the maximization of productivity for the benefit of all and not just the wanton redistribution of land. Partnership over division.

We must finally liberate ourselves from the perspective that our leaders need to gain experience by gradually ascending through our completely corrupted political system that may be compared to a school that has consistently produced disastrous graduates. There are so many qualified Filipinos out there. We only need to get rid of our hopelessness and cynicism; check our petty selfish interests and egos at the door and agree upon non-negotiable core principles that will allow a critical mass of Filipinos to push, together, as one, peaceful revolutionary reform.