Filipinos: Designated Survivors

According to Ping Lacson, it was just a joke, and I accepted it as a joke with a sharp point. After all, the term “designated survivor” had a specific context and meaning after it became the title of a movie. But since a legally designated survivor was the one who said it, I felt the former senator was more right than wrong.

However, the assassination attempt on Donald Trump makes me think about designated survivors again.  Our world today is a most divided and contentious one with generous slices of violence. Assassinations have been happening regularly and the more prominent make global news. Naturally, after the assassinations, the designated survivors emerge.

To put the issue of a designated survivor in the context of politics in the Philippines, one must have to imagine the assassination of the President. But to be more faithful to the movie which popularized the term “designated survivor”, assassinations would not only include the President but those who are identified by law as the next in line. That puts the coming SONA at the top of mind of conspiracy theorists because those next in line to the presidency are expected to be there.

Except the Vice-President, of course, who made the joke that she appointed herself as designated survivor when she said that she will not attend the SONA. If it were not a joke, it would be sinister, almost a criminal threat.

But it is not my intention to talk about designated survivors who are mandated to be such by law, like vice-presidents when presidents are eliminated. Aside from it being a joke, even a bad one in the minds of many, it is a serious distraction to the fate and misery of many Filipinos who are looking for relief. I would rather start a private or public reflection about the way life had arranged for dire circumstances to see heroism from survivors of personal or collective tragedy.

And because a woman brought up the subject of designated survivor, I have brought back to active memory the many women in our history who were caught in dire, often violent, circumstances and saw their husbands and communities become victims of enemies with superior strength and resources. Let me cite a few.

Gabriela Silang. Teresa Magbanua. Melchora Aquino. Heneral Agueda Kahabangan. Trinidad Tecson. These names stand out. But the list is long and full of noble and brave women who went through sacrifice after sacrifice, not for their own glory or position, but for the collective good of women or the Filipino people.

Who can forget Corazon Aquino, the most famous contemporary hero of a designated survivor – from the humble housewife whose family had to suffer the imprisonment of her husband, then his assassination, to restorer of democracy and survivor of coup de états?

What about Pura Villanueva Kalaw who fought historical odds and succeeded in a man’s world, contributing substantially to making it possible for Filipino women to vote?  She survived prejudice and proved her worth over decades of achievements.

Do we remember Maria Orosa who was a celebrated war hero but survived? And then, created a revolution in Filipino cuisine with over 700 recipes?

In 2011, a COA auditor by the name of Heidi Mendoza found the courage to reveal the corruption in the military, and despite death threats, finished her testimony in Congressional hearings. Risking all, Heidi survived but the corruption ring was dismantled. She became the head of COA and moved on to become the Undersecretary General for the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight.

Of course, Maria Ressa comes to mind. After all, the kitchen sink was thrown at her, including the courts. She survived, won the Nobel Peace Award, and continues to be a voice for freedom of expression.

Leila de Lima is a survivor as well. Imprisoned on charges that all were dismissed after the Duterte administration, Leila is saying that those responsible for her unjust imprisonment must be made accountable. Let us wish her luck on her mission of justice.

Lately, I have been pleasantly surprised with former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno, terminated for her unsolicited advice about economic principles. Knowing the extreme probability that she would lose her job, she still made public her stand about a flawed presidential decision on controlling rice prices. She preferred to just be a regular professor of economics and lose a good-paying job as a high government official.

Professor Cielo has survived that first salvo against the power of higher authority. She has not stopped at her advocacy for transparency and accountability, albeit doing it mostly on social media and gatherings where she is the resource speaker. But she is also a member of the Open Government Partnership and will, in fact, be co-Chair with that international body at the end of the year.

The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative aimed at securing commitments from national and sub-national governments to promote open government, combat corruption, and improve governance. The OGP is managed by a steering committee that includes representatives from both government and civil society organizations. The Philippines is a founding member of the OGP.   

We, too, citizens of our republic, have been the designated survivors of all the ills and mistakes of our officials. When they leave office, we are left holding the bag of consequences. The examples of the brave and determined women above and many more I could not name must inspire us to not just survive, not just make the most of it, but to be responsible for bringing our nation and future to new heights. That means if corruption and poverty are the monsters we face, we must confront, battle, and defeat them.

We have survived the filth, the stupidity, the greed, the violence, of those who lead us and end up being wolves in sheep’s clothing. The people are always survivors of our nation, and we must honor the privilege of accepting that great responsibility. Not as victims, but as designated survivors with a mission.