What Trump wants, he does not get; what PRRD wants, he gets
Ifelt a sense of glee when I read that President Trump did not get what he wanted from the US Congress. The New York Times described the US$1.3 trillion approved budget as a rebuke of his programs which effectively barred him from accomplishing his goals. I was like a child who stuck out her tongue and said, "Beh, buti nga!" (Good for you.) Even if the Republicans controlled the majority in Congress, President Trump could not get away with everything he wanted.
The US Congress increased the budget for programs that President Trump wanted to eliminate: the after school programs for disadvantaged kids and the assistance for low-income college students. President Trump did not get funding for a border wall which he was so obsessed with. The US Congress placed a cap of 65 on the number of immigration border officers he wanted to hire. Instead, Congress appropriated funds for sensors and surveillance technology. Congress said no to the drastic cut that Mr. Trump wanted for the Environmental Agency and the Education department. The US Congress flexed its muscles to show who really controls the purse. The legislators showed that they are accountable to the people who got them elected rather than to the most powerful man in the United States. How reassuring that the US Congress can put a halt to programs that only a man and his supporters believe in. It gives citizens a sense of security that abuses will be stopped and democracy can triumph.
In stark contrast is the Philippine Congress which gives the President almost everything that he wants. The 2018 budget increased the President's discretionary fund from R2.5 billion in 2016 to R13.0 billion. The Intelligence Fund of the Office of the President was given a hefty amount equal to R1.2 billion, an amount which is even bigger than the intelligence fund of the PNP. The total budget for drug operations of R4.4 billion almost doubled compared to what was originally proposed. The results of these programs are quite contentious with the significant slide in the standing of the Philippines with respect to the rule of law and the absence of violence. The Philippines dropped to rank 88th out of 118 countries in terms of order and security and promotion of human rights (World Justice Rule of Law Index, 2018).
This illustrates how our weak institutions behave. Our Congress is beholden to leaders and personalities rather than to the public who got them elected. Decisions are made based on what the President wants and not on what is right. The capture of institutions that are intended to be independent to ensure that there is check and balance is frightening. It can lead to a one man rule where our fate is decided by only one person. Kowtowing to all his wishes is a death toll for democracy.
But hope is not lost. My young friend Darwin tells me that there is a statesman in every Senator, and hopefully, in every justice of the Supreme Court. We need to help them find their moral compass so that they would measure themselves against what is good for the country instead of what is good for their future. But we ordinary mortals must do our share. We cannot afford to remain indifferent. We must never tire of studying the issues, expressing our views, and participating in pushback initiatives of morally repugnant initiatives.
This country is ours and not just theirs. We must do our best to claim it.
mguevara@synergeia.org.ph