P Noy Presidency: A Few Weeks After

It feels like déjà vu, much like 1986 again with so much democratic space and goodwill to work for changes in our country. In Mindanao, the task at hand is to complete the reconstitution of the government (GRP) peace panel towards the finalization of the long overdue peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). We were consulted on prospective candidates for members of the government peace panel. We said why not get someone from academe again? The prospective person must be able to articulate the issues in the negotiating table, and as well represent and update the national administration. Because the peace panel negotiator is representing the government, it would be ideal that the person is still open to all possible futures. The person must be open to not only the possibility of a future similar to the one outlined in the recent failed Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain ( MOA-AD) but also other futures. Dean Marvic Leonen, as the newly appointed chief government negotiator is all of these and much more. He is a founding member of our Alternative Law Group (ALG) Network and, thus, deeply immersed and involved in Mindanao issues.

According to P.Noy himself, one of the first steps towards the peace negotiation with the MILF is for this administration to craft a policy framework. Perhaps, all the centuries old issues cannot be crafted in a single frame all at once but a policy framework can be the basis of the talking points.

To increase the income of the farmer in the countryside, three heads of big bureaucracies or departments ( Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform and of the Environment & Natural Resources) have constituted themselves into a convergent body for a more coordinated collaboration.

The issues of farmer’s entitlements to land as well as the promotion of farmer’s productivity for food security need to be revisited. Current funded programs for farmers need to be evaluated and audited amidst issues of “leakage” and alleged fertilizer scams.

Cabinet members are attending a media seminar by batch. Persons who have been appointed to the communications department are media persons who are very skilled and good in what we call “messaging.” They are my favorites: Manolo Quezon a pedigreed journalist who writes editorials for a major daily and is a prominent blogger and Ricky Carandang, a savvy television journalist. The two have to blend into an institution with old hands.

Some government departments are now headed by former undersecretaries and so these career officials will retire as cabinet secretaries. Some of them have agreed to be “seat warmers” as some of these cabinet posts are reserved for very qualified and fit candidates who cannot take over some these posts now due to the one year ban on candidates to assume government posts after being defeated in the last elections.

P.Noy succeeded a very controversial leadership mired with issues of legitimacy, a country whose economy is in crisis, a country whose social institutions are weak, and a citizenry with low national morale. So, the new P.Noy administration is a breath of fresh air. Today is P. Noy's first State of the Nation Address (SONA). The SONA is the government’s articulation of its major policies and programs for the year and it is addressed to the lawmakers during today's opening of regular session of Congress. Of course, the SONA is also addressed to the entire nation. P.Noy needs the support of not only both houses of Congress in the gigantic tasks at hand but also of the entire citizenry. More on the SONA next time around.