Non Partisan Creative Politics

When the election campaign period starts come February 2010 ( national campaign) and March 2010 ( local campaign), our non partisan politics now will ripen into non partisan political campaign lest we be accused of premature campaigning now. Non partisan politics is, of course, a reaction to traditional partisan politics. The connotation of traditional politics is that these are all about patronage politics, political dynasties and powerful political parties serving the interests of big business who are funding their campaign. Patronage politics are all about the disbursement of largesse in exchange for political favors like votes or the behest of political support to promote the hegemony of those in position of power and authority. This is very unfortunate actually because, ideally, big business and those in power and authority should be serving the interests of all and promoting development for all citizens. But, realpolitik is what it is. Non partisan people’s campaign is campaign by basic sectors and ordinary citizens. It is a citizen campaign for changes towards good governance and social development. Examples of non partisan creative politics include those by the Change Politics Movement, NoyNoy Aquino People Power Movement ( NAPM: and yes, that should be the meaning of the P for now), and the new People’s Politics of presidential aspirant Chiz Escudero as he describes it after bolting out of the Nationalists’ People Coalition (NPC) political party.

My sense, though, is that a non partisan campaign, as a stand alone campaign strategy, is not yet enough to win a national candidate. A coordinated national and local machinery and organization are crucial ingredients. Thus, a national political party is needed to win a president. Which is why, only parties with a national constituency can be registered in the Comelec as a national party. Perhaps, there is wisdom in the proposed bill that political parties should have state funding so that those without access to large funding can join a national or local election political campaign. But, then again, party list groups have registered an objection to this kind of state support to mainstream political parties which have already access to funding from many powerful sectors. Still, genuine political parties with clear political vision and platforms still need to be improved in our country.

As part of our advocacy, I am sharing here an abstract of a Development and Reform Agenda which was drafted under the auspices of our national network, the Caucus of Development NGO Networks ( CODE NGO), after a nation wide consultation among members of the Change Politics Movement and other civil society groups. We are using this reform and development agenda in our voters’ education program and we will use this for later, too, as basis to monitor compliance by elected candidates. The main points of this reform agenda are about transparency and good governance, empowerment of basic sectors, reformed system of civil service bureaucracy, constitutional reform through elected constitutional convention delegates, federalism, asset reform, social safety nets for the poor, health, population policy, education, building peace by pursuing and sustaining the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front (CPP/NPA/NDF), and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa-Mindanao (RPMM), promoting sustainable economic development through reforms in the management of our natural resources and agricultural sector, strengthening the local economy by supporting micro, small, and medium ]enterprises (MSMEs), promoting fiscal and tax reforms by directing the lump sum allocations and “discretionary funds,” i.e. Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF, President's Social Fund, etc. ( pork barrel) to local governments, supporting measures that propose the inclusion of magnitude and incidence of poverty in the determination of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), increasing government revenues and conducting a debt audit by forming a Congressional Debt Audit Commission that will scrutinize all public debt and contingent liabilities, among others.