The pervasive corruption in all levels of Philippine society is just but a symptom of a bigger problem, an ecumenical religious group said.
The Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum (EBF), a group of Catholic and Protestant Bishops, priests and nuns, in a statement said the bigger problem in the country today is the lack of democracy in economy and politics.
And it is seen in how the country patterned its economic policies to suit the “demands of globalization, specifically of the world-dominating US economy”, they said.
“…what has been considered as economic growth did not actually translate to jobs and welfare for the people… [but] was characterized by a widening disparity between the glaringly few rich and the numberless poor – the rich became richer and the poor were buried further in debt and poverty,” they further said.
According to statistics the annual net worth of the top 20 richest Filipinos is equivalent to the combined annual net worth of the more than 52 million Filipinos.
The Church leaders said elections may be an expression of democracy, but not the choice of leaders voted into office.
“Our historical experience shows that however repeatedly we underwent elections, the basic situation of our people never changed because those elected to office carry their vested interests instead of their constituents,” they stated.
A typical example, according to them, is the 30-year old agrarian reform program that has seen many presidents into office but was never implemented as required by law.
This lack of democracy is also apparent in the situation of the indigenous peoples and Bangsamoro communities in Mindanao, whose call for self-determination remain unheeded.
Aggressors have taken over the ancestral lands of the tribal communities in pursuit of so-called ‘development projects’ leaving the indigenous people “to fight among themselves for what meager resources are left,” they said.
‘Militaristic approach’
The EBF also criticized the government’s militaristic approach in solving the insurgency problem, saying the launching of Oplan Bantay Laya during Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration led to thousands of extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances.
The Aquino government has announced on August 16 that it would continue to implement Oplan Bantay Laya as an internal security policy.
“Instead of addressing the root causes of these rebellions, gun powder is addressed with more fire,” the group said on Aquino’s decision.
Resume peace talks
They urged President Aquino to go back to the negotiation table with the NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) and resume the peace talks.
The government (under Arroyo) and the NDFP were already advancing into its second substantive agenda of the peace talks when it was stalled due to rampant extra judicial killings.
“We call [on] the GRP and the NDFP to go back to the negotiation table and resume long stalled peace talks immediately and discuss and agree on measures to address the root cause of the armed conflict,” the church leaders said.
They challenged both groups to “manifest that the peace process is on top of their priority; [ have] emissaries from the parties to talk even outside the formal conferences if negotiating panels are not yet ready; constitute immediately their negotiating panels and schedule as soon as possible the resumption of talks; adhere to previously signed agreements such as the Hague Declaration, JASIG, the CARHRIHL, etc; move forward to the discussion of the second substantive agenda which is the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER); and acknowledge that the people are essential stakeholders in the issue of peace.”
“Justice should always be at the heart of our efforts in achieving a sustainable peace – a peace which is not the silence of graves but a peace which is the rightful reign of democracy,” they further said.
No comments:
Post a Comment