Raising civic conscousness and growing political maturity

Manny Valdehuesa .

THE federalism advocates should have started with the people, not with their unilateral advocacy that it is the system the country needs.

But it seems they just wanted to cash in on it, which is why the real people, the ones who constitute the dynamo of government, were not even consulted.

Now they even field an unlikely “expert” like Mocha Uson to sell federalism to the people. The least they could have done was to enlist credible personalities or academics, taxpayers and not freeloaders, to do the selling.

At least such citizens are committed to freedom, equality of opportunity and democracy. They know more or less how to govern and how to participate in the governing process. It is they who sincerely want good governance. It is they who make it possible to have a free, democratic, and progressive society.

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Unless federalism is anchored upon such type of people, its success will be impaired by apathy and downright ignorance at the foundational level of our Republic.

The spirit and processes of autonomy must dwell and be dynamic in the barangay community, which is the home of sovereign people—the true foundation of our nation. It would make of every barangay a bulwark of democracy and people power.

Thus, any move towards establishing the federal system should have been preceded by a consciousnessaising campaign in the 42,000+ barangays.

Such awareness, reinforced by affirmative acts of citizen sovereignty and authority would have done so much more to promote the idea. Convening their barangay assembly to deliberate on their community’s agenda without dictation from the DILG, for instance would be an empowering act. It would hone their ability to make communitarian decisions.

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Another affirmative act of citizen sovereignty is the exercise of the Power of Initiative to enhance local governance, or the Power of Recall to discipline erring or undesirable officials. It is in wielding their sovereign power that citizens learn how to govern themselves and thus exemplify local autonomy, which is the indispensable requirement for a federal system.

Such experience in self-government would also demonstrate, concretely, how participation in the political system empowers a citizen. Their involvement is the best guarantee that the programs of government will benefit everyone in the community and not just a few.

The centrality of the barangay’s role is an important consideration in a federal setup. It is, after all, the historic foundation of our society and the basic political unit of our democracy.

Direct, actual experience in the governing tasks of the community builds up a citizen’s confidence and makes him politically mature.

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A citizen’s confidence flows from knowing he possesses sovereign power. It is confidence that imbues him with a sense of responsibility for his government, making him less likely to be fooled or manipulated by demagogues.

Experience in the task of governing, making government responsive to the people’s will, also boosts a citizen’s confidence—a feeling of satisfaction in being useful and an asset to the community.

This confidence and satisfaction ultimately results in the citizen’s realization that a) it is he who in fact establishes government, and b) it is who decides (through his vote) who shall govern at every level of the Republic—from barangay to national.

In turn, this realization leads to awareness or consciousness in a citizen that it is he or she that determines the legitimacy and conduct of government.

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Realizing one’s essential contribution to the political process brings home the message that a) a citizen who casts an illegitimate vote in effect elects illegitimate officials, b) illegitimate officials establish illegitimate governments, and c) every level of the bureaucracy is thereby touched by corruption.

Understanding this cause-and-effect phenomenon that a vote creates produces a sense of satisfaction that a citizen derives from being a responsible citizen. It makes a citizen realize how a person’s vote determines the result of elections and the consequent impact that has on the community.

This understanding, experience, or insight causes a citizen to be more circumspect and discriminating in his choice of candidates. And it is this point on the scale of civic consciousness that ushers in the dawn of political maturity.

When that point is reached, it may become desirable to entertain system-change—or even a shift to the federal form of government. But not before then.

(Manny Valdehuesa Jr. is a former Unesco regional director for Asia-Pacific; secretary-general, Southeast Asia Publishers Association; director, development academy of Philippines; member, Philippine Mission to the UN;  vice chair, Local Government Academy; member, government peace panel during the administration of Corazon Aquino; awardee, PPI-Unicef outstanding columnist. An author of books on governance, he is chairman/convenor of Gising Barangay Movement Inc.. E-mail: valdehuesa@gmail.com)