Can DAP Pass The 4-Way Test?

Can DAP Pass The 4-Way Test?*

*Speech of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay for the Regular Meeting of Rotary Manila, Alphaland City Club, 7232 Ayala Avenue Extension, Makati, 10 June 2014, 12 nn.

A most pleasant lunch break my friends my fellow Rotarians.

This afternoon is a very relaxing occasion for me-thankful that I’m in the company of fellow Rotarians, most of whom I have known since I was mayor of this big little city we call Makati.

To paraphrase the author Paolo Coelho, sometimes the whole universe conspires to grant us small mercies. Though Rotary mercies are never minor, I must say thanks to the Rotary and my fellow Rotarians for this opportunity. 

But we all know, of course, there is no separate universe for the members of the Rotary. In fact, our Rotary Club exists in the middle of the all-too-real world and it does not prefer to be situated otherwise. Like all respectable and responsible citizens, and Filipinos, Rotary lives by interacting with the people and contributing to the whole. It derives its meaning from its close involvement with the world.

At the risk of giving you an anticlimactic dessert, I must say that we are lunching in the middle of bitter times.

You are aware of course of recent headlines grabbing our collective attention. Allow me to reiterate that I cannot and will not add more spark to the fire triggered by the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP.

Let me state as a lawyer that the question of accountabilities of government officials would have to be reckoned as part of the legal and logical consequences of this groundbreaking decision. As you all know, the Supreme Court has placed the onus of proving “good faith” on those who conceived and implemented the DAP. But where do we start? For me, a good starting point would be to make available to the public all the projects funded by DAP. This is after all, consistent with the tenets of full transparency that is the cornerstone of the Aquino administration. I do hope my colleagues will reconsider a reported decision to withhold the release of the so-called DAP list. Full disclosure, as I have said, is a good starting point. An independent audit of the DAP funds, as proposed by some sectors, would be another.

At this point, I can only ask for sobriety and an end to speculation. Again, speaking as a lawyer, the ponencia and the separate concurring opinions are rather clear, if not brutally frank, on the matter of accountability.

There is no room to speculate or look for hidden clues in the decision of the high court.

But what the DAP decision reminds us is that the journey towards a regime of transparency and full accountability is not an easy one.  These are lofty objectives, a response to the demand of our people for the transparency and accountability sorely lacking in the previous administration.

The Supreme Court, by ruling on the unconstitutionality of portions of the DAP, has, in effect, reminded us that we must and should pursue reforms in government while affirming and respecting the sanctity of our Constitution.

At the same time, I would call for continued vigilance on the Napoles case. It is essential that we see this cleansing of government to its just conclusion—public service without taint of self-interest, without a tinge of deception and political persecution.

Indeed, my friends and fellow Rotarians, it would have been less complicated if everyone involved in the plague of disgrace that has maimed our country could vet or had vetted their actions via the Four-Way Test.

On the other hand, since I presume that they are not Rotarians, I would just appeal to their being Filipino. For in the end, it is our native sense of right and wrong, of concern for our fellow—pakikipagkapwa; innate goodness—kagandahang-loob; and discipline—sipag at disiplina that will save us.

If you ask me, these age-old and revered values of the Filipino look so familiar because they are, after all, as universal as our Four-Way Test. We must go back to them and reassess ourselves, how we look at our sworn duties as public leaders, and government officials.

They are demanded not only of those in power. These values to live by are expected of every ordinary citizen. We live among fellow humans so we must care for them as we care for ourselves. That’s Pakikipagkapwa. We trust them because they are inherently good, and when we treat each other with trust we are compelled to be trustworthy. That’s kagandahang-loob. And we must persist against all odds, we must have the discipline, the strength of spirit, the tenacity of the working man, the inventor, and the champion to do good. That’s sipag at disiplina.

But for now, the need for a sense of national discipline consumes me most of all.  Corruption in government, a perceived breakdown in law and order, perceptions of a house in disarray, are issues I consider rooted in the lack, or total absence of a sense of discipline.

Culture of discipline is manifested by simple folks doing the simplest things-in the crossing of streets only on pedestrian lanes, in the pick up and drop of passengers in designated bus stops only.  In societies where such practices are common, discipline and excellence extends all the way to quality governance and leadership.  Where discipline is lacking in the simplest and most basic of practices, disregard for law and doing the right things become pervasive in the highest levels of government and private enterprise.  On the other hand, as we have so painfully experienced, discipline demanded from the top begets dictatorship and tyranny. 

And so therefore, the crusade for national discipline must necessarily begin with the ordinary citizen. Because a disciplined citizenry can demand a disciplined leadership.  This is the true essence of a democracy.

But as we decry the void in law and order, and the breakdown in discipline especially among our youth, we must always be ready to offer concrete solutions. As one organization, Rotary is capable of responding to this challenge and inspiring people to remain engaged in nation building.  I am counting on each and every Rotarian to rise to this ambitious challenge and lead the way. 

My friends, allow me to close by indulging in a bit of personal nostalgia.

I am tempted to reminisce about the worthy battles that we fought during the years of the Marcos dictatorship as members of the lawyers group, MABINI. We defended the student activists picked up in the night by military police. We lawyered for the political detainees at the various military detention camps. I was once a political detainee myself, and spent my fair share of incarceration as a result of my refusal to accept an offer of amnesty in exchange for pledging support for the dictatorship. It was a decision born out of conviction, understood and supported by my wife Ellen who was pregnant at that time with our eldest child, Nancy.

We joined the rallies after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, joined the multitudes in toppling the dictatorship in February 1986, and helped our beloved President Cory take our nation towards the uneasy steps of reclaiming democracy and freedom.

Today, we can only shake our heads in disbelief over the sentiment that life seemed to be a lot better during the years of the dictatorship.  It is a sentiment I will not accept. Yes there was peace and quiet, but it was, to paraphrase a famous expression, the peace and quiet of the graveyard. I will never trade one day of freedom for all the illusory trappings of tranquility obtained through force under the dictatorship.

Today we also hear much disdain if not contempt, for the collective wisdom of the Filipino people, with many boldly advocating wholesale disenfranchisement and reposing the right to vote only on the so-called educated classes. There is a word for such a system: it is called a dictatorship.

My friends, even during the most turbulent periods in our nation’s history after 1986, our people have shown that they possess the collective strength and wisdom to do what needed to be done. For this is what the 1986 EDSA revolution was all about, giving back to the people the power to chart their destinies. It proceeds from unfailing trust in the people, for that is the essence of democracy.

This is why I feel very optimistic that the movement for national discipline will take hold and prosper during our lifetime for history and experience have shown that when the times and the national tempers demand it, our people can move as one and achieve greatness. The Filipino people can do things that move history and shake the world. /MP