Preventing a repeat of history

Now that Vice President Leni Robredo has formalized her presidential bid in the 2022 national elections, her camp and supporters can focus on what she can do differently from the incumbent president, aside obviously from being competent and presidential. And while it is necessary that she presents herself as the symbol of unity against the continuation of President Duterte’s reign of terror and the return of the Marcoses to the pinnacle of power, it is also crucial that she distinguishes herself from former president Noynoy Aquino. She could choose not to and still win the presidency, but she would only repeat the cycle and most likely be succeeded by another macho populist in 2028.

Mr. Duterte’s ascent to power can be attributed to the Aquino administration’s inability to carry out socioeconomic reforms that would have addressed the fundamental problems of the Filipino people. Mr. Duterte used that grave failure against Aquino to advance his campaign platform against illegal drugs and criminality, which stem from widespread poverty and grave economic disparity. This tack proved to be effective, as Mr. Duterte garnered 16.6 million votes and swept the polls in 2016.

But his reign has cost the nation dearly. So how can Robredo prevent history from repeating itself?

If she is elected, she must pursue a nationalist agenda that would put the interests of the people above the interests of big foreign and local businesses. This may not be aligned with the principles of the Liberal Party, but neoliberalism has been proven to be a failure in developing countries like the Philippines as it restricts domestic growth due to the import-dependent and export-oriented nature of our economy. May the rice tariffication law be a constant reminder of the severe effects of the government’s neoliberal policy on the livelihood of our farmers.

Forging an independent foreign policy, on the other hand, would take more than just good governance. If Robredo really intends to uphold our national sovereignty and right to self-determination, she needs to reject the notion that we cannot develop as a nation without being dependent on imperialist powers, be it the United States or China. As Claro M. Recto pointed out, “It is folly to expect any nation to ever sacrifice its welfare and security to pure idealism and sentimental attachments. As Filipinos, we must look out for ourselves, because no one else will. That is the essence of our independence.”

Moreover, she would not want to repeat the mistakes of the current administration and its predecessors by resorting to militarization in response to the armed struggle being waged by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army. As important as winning the presidential race is to have a concrete program tailored to resolve the country’s basic problems such as foreign dependency, land monopoly, and bureaucratic corruption. Only by addressing the root cause of the insurgency can there be just and lasting peace in the country.

Having said all that, is it worth the risk to take our chances with Robredo? Yes. Despite her limitations, she is the only real opposition candidate with the fighting chance to win against the late dictator’s son Bongbong Marcos or whoever will turn out to be the candidate of the Duterte administration for next year’s elections.

But isn’t she just another “dilawan” or traditional politician? The answer to that will depend on her ability to bring about the genuine change that the present and past administrations failed to do. For now, the best we can do is support her candidacy.

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Daniel Aloc studied political science at Adamson University and is a senior analyst at the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation.