Dedicating our public lives to redeeming human dignity
Published Jan 23, 2019 12:47 am
GOVERNANCE MATTERS
By FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JEJOMAR C. BINAY
At the height of the rice crisis, I passed by a public market where I noticed a long line of people, mostly senior citizens and housewives with little children. Each of them were carrying plastic bags. The line must have stretched for about 50 meters.
They were lining up for cheap NFA rice, and one could almost feel the impatience in their eyes as the line moved all too slowly. Then came a sudden downpour. While the rest of the crowd scuttled for shelter from the rains, not a single person in the line budged from their spot. They were all soaked to the bones. The mothers had worried looks on their faces as the children began crying. Yet they did not leave their spot, all for fear of losing the chance to buy cheap rice.
Tell me, if you were the poor person lining up for cheap rice, wouldn’t you feel the indignity?
The tableau reminded me of a line from the book of historian Francis Fukuyama: “To be poor is to be invisible to your fellow human beings, and the indignity of invisibility is often worse than the lack of resources.”
It is precisely this indignity that fuels resentment, and such resentment is enlisted in the political schemes of demagogues who see in the poor’s yearning for dignity their ticket to capturing power.
And once these demagogues are swept into power democratically, a new set of mandarins and oligarchs take over and it’s business as usual. People’s money goes to waste, pockets are lined, favors dispensed, political enemies are demonized and persecuted. And the poor continue to suffer indignity.
For many, being poor in a country blessed with resources is to feel cursed. Indeed, such is a common mindset among the poor that I have talked to: “Malas lang talaga sa buhay.”
How do we then institute a governance that will redeem the people’s dignity? We need to start with the basic: treat the people, especially the poor, with respect.
We need less bureaucracy and more creative thinking in government, with the aim of easing the burdens imposed on citizens. Even in the performance of their civic duty, which is to pay taxes, citizens are saddled by cumbersome rules. A visit to a public hospital, with very few exceptions, is an ordeal for the poor. The poor in health receives poor service. Citizens, whether rich or poor, deserve to be treated the same.
In the same manner, citizens must be equal before the law. The so-called war on drugs has thus far failed to bring to justice the big-time drug dealers. What we see are suspected drug peddlers rounded up or killed in police operations conducted in slums and poor communities. The war on drugs has been described by observers, with sound basis, as a war against the poor.
Then there is the issue of economic justice, or the lack of it.
Back in 2009, when I was leader of the opposition, I was asked for my comment on government’s claim that the economy was improving based on the figures released by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). I said that if every time the numbers on NEDA’s charts grow but the amount of food on our table shrinks, the economy is not working at all. It means the economy is being kept afloat by the suffering of our people.
A government that is dedicated to redeeming the people’s dignity will work to ensure that all citizens receive their rightful share of a progressive economy.
A government that despises its people neglects their health and education. Such a government makes them fall in line, under the blistering sun or pouring rain, for cheap rice.
A government whose core value is dignity ensures that every child grows up with good education so they will become productive and even prosperous members of society.
Every citizen is given access to affordable and decent health care. And they do not want for food. This was how we shared prosperity in Makati. In so doing, we redeemed the people’s dignity.
I was named acting mayor of Makati in 1986. After 33 years, more students are staying school, fewer residents worry about getting sick, and an increasing number are now finding it easier to finds jobs. Our social programs have made an impact on the lives and the dignity of our citizens.
As a Catholic and a public servant, I am encouraged by the words of Pope Francis, spoken in December last year, extolling the value of politics as a tool for defending and upholding the dignity of every person.
Indeed, a public life dedicated to upholding, promoting and protecting human dignity is a true expression of our faith.
[email protected]
At the height of the rice crisis, I passed by a public market where I noticed a long line of people, mostly senior citizens and housewives with little children. Each of them were carrying plastic bags. The line must have stretched for about 50 meters.
They were lining up for cheap NFA rice, and one could almost feel the impatience in their eyes as the line moved all too slowly. Then came a sudden downpour. While the rest of the crowd scuttled for shelter from the rains, not a single person in the line budged from their spot. They were all soaked to the bones. The mothers had worried looks on their faces as the children began crying. Yet they did not leave their spot, all for fear of losing the chance to buy cheap rice.
Tell me, if you were the poor person lining up for cheap rice, wouldn’t you feel the indignity?
The tableau reminded me of a line from the book of historian Francis Fukuyama: “To be poor is to be invisible to your fellow human beings, and the indignity of invisibility is often worse than the lack of resources.”
It is precisely this indignity that fuels resentment, and such resentment is enlisted in the political schemes of demagogues who see in the poor’s yearning for dignity their ticket to capturing power.
And once these demagogues are swept into power democratically, a new set of mandarins and oligarchs take over and it’s business as usual. People’s money goes to waste, pockets are lined, favors dispensed, political enemies are demonized and persecuted. And the poor continue to suffer indignity.
For many, being poor in a country blessed with resources is to feel cursed. Indeed, such is a common mindset among the poor that I have talked to: “Malas lang talaga sa buhay.”
How do we then institute a governance that will redeem the people’s dignity? We need to start with the basic: treat the people, especially the poor, with respect.
We need less bureaucracy and more creative thinking in government, with the aim of easing the burdens imposed on citizens. Even in the performance of their civic duty, which is to pay taxes, citizens are saddled by cumbersome rules. A visit to a public hospital, with very few exceptions, is an ordeal for the poor. The poor in health receives poor service. Citizens, whether rich or poor, deserve to be treated the same.
In the same manner, citizens must be equal before the law. The so-called war on drugs has thus far failed to bring to justice the big-time drug dealers. What we see are suspected drug peddlers rounded up or killed in police operations conducted in slums and poor communities. The war on drugs has been described by observers, with sound basis, as a war against the poor.
Then there is the issue of economic justice, or the lack of it.
Back in 2009, when I was leader of the opposition, I was asked for my comment on government’s claim that the economy was improving based on the figures released by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). I said that if every time the numbers on NEDA’s charts grow but the amount of food on our table shrinks, the economy is not working at all. It means the economy is being kept afloat by the suffering of our people.
A government that is dedicated to redeeming the people’s dignity will work to ensure that all citizens receive their rightful share of a progressive economy.
A government that despises its people neglects their health and education. Such a government makes them fall in line, under the blistering sun or pouring rain, for cheap rice.
A government whose core value is dignity ensures that every child grows up with good education so they will become productive and even prosperous members of society.
Every citizen is given access to affordable and decent health care. And they do not want for food. This was how we shared prosperity in Makati. In so doing, we redeemed the people’s dignity.
I was named acting mayor of Makati in 1986. After 33 years, more students are staying school, fewer residents worry about getting sick, and an increasing number are now finding it easier to finds jobs. Our social programs have made an impact on the lives and the dignity of our citizens.
As a Catholic and a public servant, I am encouraged by the words of Pope Francis, spoken in December last year, extolling the value of politics as a tool for defending and upholding the dignity of every person.
Indeed, a public life dedicated to upholding, promoting and protecting human dignity is a true expression of our faith.
[email protected]