Babe's Eye View article

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." A classic line from George Santayana that is proving to be true with the political stalemate happening today. Twenty two years after EDSA I, we continue to turn to the "parliament of the streets," venting our anger and frustration, repeating the same mistakes and learning the wrong lessons from history.

The negative lesson from the impeachment of Erap Estrada is that the current administration is now prepared to stay in power by keeping Congressmen under its thumb, knowing the consequences of an aborted impeachment. Knowing the support of the military and the police to be critical, the president has taken every step to ensure the loyalty of the troops. But the worst part of this "historical lesson" was articulated by the unsolicited advice of Juan Ponce Enrile to GMA: "Step down, and you're dead." Enrile certainly knows whereof he speaks, having seen the consequences of the ouster of Marcos and Estrada.

On the other hand, those who refuse to see the negative aftermath of the unconstitutional removal of a popularly elected president are taking to the streets again, believing it is the only way to remove a sitting president. They are going through the same route, even turning to the United States to influence the Palace occupants and convince them it is time to "cut clean."

We see the same players trying an old trick whose novelty has worn off. Because of our past, the delineation between the Church and the State continues to be unclear. Yet opposing sides depend on the Church to swing the balance in their favor. Naturally, anti-GMA groups are disappointed and angry at the CBCP for refusing to dive into the political maelstrom and give in to demands for swift retribution. Ironically, some people call on the Church to intervene when it is convenient for them, but blast it when it doesn't pander to their demands.

Anger and frustration continue to haunt us, but this time at least, one good thing coming out of this political turmoil is the emergence of people with substance who think beyond the political hysteria, believing that changing the system is the way out of this never-ending saga of upheavals. They have learned the right lessons, seeing the wisdom of adopting a system that would allow leadership change through a process prescribed by a Constitution and accepted by the majority.

When there is so much poverty in a country, chances are, the rate of corruption could be higher. The real problem in our country today is that when we repeat the same mistakes in history, we don't remain stagnant but in reality are worse off, with more poor people added to the population, estimated to reach 100 million by 2016. The social volcano clock continues to tick—and time is running out.

Except for the United States, the presidential system we have had for 60 years has obviously not worked. In contrast, other countries with a parliamentary form of government are more politically stable and economically progressive like Malaysia and Singapore.

Since most Filipinos are unfamiliar with the parliamentary system, there are suggestions to create a "Filipino model" combining existing types to create one appropriate to our culture and experiences. The "French hybrid," also called a semi-presidential system, has a popularly elected president who nominates a Prime Minister and selects his own Cabinet. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet run the affairs of government, while the president takes care of foreign affairs but has the power to remove the Prime Minister.

With the way we want to change leaders quickly, a parliamentary system seems to be the only acceptable way since we can change a leader or a Prime Minister every other day through a "no confidence" vote and it would still be within the bounds of the Constitution.

These are just a few suggestions that have come about. With Joe de Venecia no longer leading Charter Change initiatives, people can drop suspicions that one person will be the beneficiary of a change in the system. A drastic shift in our form of government could give us the fresh start we obviously need today. The groups present in the "parliament of the streets" last Friday can be constitutionally represented under a new system of government.

Mar Roxas, Loren Legarda, Ping Lacson and other presidential wannabes may resist the idea, but we are hoping that with what's going on today, the light of statesmanship will illuminate them, making them see things differently for the future of our country. We can start with an election of delegates to a Constitutional Convention in 2010, then segue into the creation of a parliamentary form of government, followed by general elections in 2016.

Even if it takes that long, at least there is hope, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's time to change the current system which continues to divide friends and family. After all, the streets are not exactly the most ideal place for a parliamentary government. It should be done in a cool place to cool the heads of people even as they argue the "affairs" of government.

The need for change is urgent, and the sooner we look beyond the turmoil, the better for all of us and our children. We cannot keep repeating the same mistakes, and learning the wrong lessons from history. Until we come to terms with the fact that we cannot keep changing leaders by taking to the streets, we will forever be digging ourselves deeper and deeper into a hole with very little chance of getting out.