Not only the Binays

YEAH, YOU are against Vice President Jejomar Binay running for president, mainly based on testimonies at the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearings on his alleged corruption cases. And yes, you are disgruntled with his son, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, for the supposedly overpriced construction projects and alleged irregularities in the bidding process.

Yes, the pieces of evidence seem to be strong and the Binays have chosen not to answer these allegations. Yes, many of us are mad, but unfortunately, just at the Binays.

But the cases involving the Binays are not isolated cases of corruption. In fact, it is an open secret that many of our politicians have used their positions, not to bring wealth to the people in their jurisdiction, but to bring wealth to their bank accounts. They will do everything to keep these corrupt practices from being discovered, and to keep their post, they will pass it on to a family member, as if we were under a monarchy.

This shouldn’t be a surprise in this country where almost 90 percent of its wealth is in the hands of only a few families—the top 1 percent of the population. Indeed, it isn’t a surprise that these few families dominate a political system where practically everyone votes but only a few have the means to run a costly political campaign.

We call this a democracy—the voice of the many. I call it maneuvers of the few political families.

Intellectuals would debate about political dynasties and their impact on democracy. But the Binays are not the only political dynasty in this country. We have the Enriles and the Marcoses in the north, the Angaras in Aurora, the Arroyos in Central Luzon, the Romualdezes in the Visayas, and before and despite the Maguindanao massacre, the Ampatuans in Mindanao.

There are a number of political families and clans in the country occupying important positions in the executive and legislative branches of government. It’s not only the Binays—we know that.

We are scandalized by the alleged corruption cases lodged against the Binays. In fact, these were the cases that the Senate investigated the most in the past Congress. This investigation could have been a good move by our senators, if only the other cases of corruption and malversation of public funds were looked into with the same degree of interest.

The Supreme Court has declared the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) and DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) unconstitutional, and yet we have not seen other high government officials being investigated in connection with these two budgeting mechanisms. These were taken advantage of by corrupt officials to enrich themselves, and concocted by the P-Noy administration to bribe officials to support its political ambitions. These were the means by which some politicians robbed the nation’s cash register.

We should be scandalized by corruption, but some of us, admit it or not, are scandalized only by the Binays.

I am more scandalized by this group of protesters who, armed with tarpaulins, called for the stop of Vice President Binay’s run for president. Watching them marching with “Stop Binay” tarpaulins was comical, to say the least. Were they protesting against those who will vote for or who believe in VP Binay? Or were they asking VP Binay not to run for higher office? Either way, it was funny how they made use of their freedom to assemble and how they called for a stop to VP Binay’s right to run for a government office and the people’s freedom to vote for whoever they deem right for the position. Obviously, their act did not make us better than the Binays.

What should be protested against is the political and economic system of this country that allows the dominance of the few. For this shouldn’t be called a democracy if the people lack participation in governance and their voice is dependent on only a few options.

What we should call for is, not a stop to VP Binay’s candidacy, but a stop to this system that prevents people from liberating themselves from poverty, a stop to the lack of knowledge, and a stop to the culture of hopelessness. In order to stop corrupt officials, we need to provide an educational system that opens the people’s eyes to the realities of this society, and an economic order that provides enough opportunities to uplift the standards of living of our countrymen.

This isn’t a simple case of corruption or a political family accused of corrupt practices. This is the ugly system of politics in the country—a political system which is said to hear the voice of the many but actually maintains an economic order that benefits only a few.

In fact, some of those exposing the corruption of the Binays are not the poor or the common people, but their fellow rich politicians who would want to grab the opportunity to snag the presidency. This isn’t a battle between good and bad, but a battle among the “bads.”

So next time you protest against the Binays, I hope you are disgruntled not only with the family but also with the political system that they carry along with their name.

It isn’t only the Binays; it can be any other family. Let’s just collectively call them the politicians.

Norman N. Tubera, 27, is a business administration graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He works as a marketing manager in an educational system.