National issues

The current headline stories are focused on the debates on the death penalty; the arrest of Leila de Lima; and, the continuing war on drugs and its effects on human rights. These are vital issues and deserve national attention. However, there are other national issues that will have critical impact on the Philippines and the lives of its people.

These issues that will affect national security, the economy and the way we will be governed in the future. There should also be national attention focused on these other issues.

South China Sea

Chinese policies and actions in the South China Sea will continue to be a major national security concern. The Trump Administration does not seem to have a clear strategy in this region. The new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has publicly stated: “We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first the island building stops and second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.”

The American government has clearly stated that it is prepared to take drastic action if China makes any move to take over the Senkaku Islands, the center of a territorial dispute between Japan and China. However, the United States has not announced a really clear statement about Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, especially in the Panatag (Scarborough) shoals which is only a few miles away from Luzon.

The American Ambassador to the Philippines was a guest speaker during a recent general meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines. During the open forum, I asked him what action was the United States prepared to take in the event that China  builds  a base in the Panatag shoals. Then I followed up by asking if the US was going to take any action beyond simply issuing a press release condemning the action.

The Ambassador’s replay was that he could not answer a hypothetical question. He was polite enough to publicly state  that he was sorry that his answer obviously was a disappointment to me. Perhaps, I should have asked him what is the “clear signal” that Secretary Tillerson was talking about.

I believe that further actions by China in the South China Sea will be dedicated by future relationships between China and the United States. The US has just sent an aircraft carrier across disputed territories in the South China Sea. If the US build up of military and naval forces in Asia continues and if Japan finally begins to build a strong military force, it is possible that China will build more bases, including one in the Panatag Shoals, in spite of the Philippines’ pivot to China. The Philippine reaction to this possibility will raise national security and constitutional concerns that require public debates.

Federalism

In the interest of full disclosure, I must state that I am in favor of federalism. However, there seems to be public misunderstanding that the debate on federalism is simply  saying “yes” or “no.”

For those in favor of the concept of federalism, the most obvious structure is to transform the regions into federal states. The bigger debate will be  the decisions as to what powers the regional or state governments will have and which powers will be retained by the national or central government.

There are clearly some powers that should be retained by the national government. Some examples include foreign affairs, fiscal and monetary policies, national defense, intra-regional infrastructure, intra-regional transportation and communications, education curriculum and standards, and terrorism.

There are powers which should be shared by the national government with the regional government. One example is the issue of the environment. The environmental issues in Metro Manila are very different from those in Eastern Visayas or the Cordillera. Criminal justice can be shared with the regions assuming authority over minor crimes and the national government exercising powers over major crimes and organized crime. Another area of possible shared power is disaster relief and rehabilitation.

There are powers that should be devolved to the regional or state governments. Some examples are traffic management, inter-regional infrastructure (including classrooms), inter regional transportation, supervision of local governments and police agencies.

Even in a federal form of government, it is essential that a national judicial system, independent of the national and regional governments, will continue to exist. Its main goal is to ensure the protection of the Constitution, the bill of rights and human rights.

Foreign equity restrictions

The lifting of foreign  equity restrictions is again another area where the answer is not just “yes” or “ no.” There are economic sectors where I see clear advantages for the lifting of equity restrictions. However, there are other sectors where I believe there should be more debates.

Personally, I think that lifting of foreign ownership restrictions, in certain sectors, will be beneficial to the economy and to the Filipino people. These are areas where we clearly need  more foreign investments and break the current monopolistic structure of certain industries. In this list, I would include financial services, infrastructure, telecommunications, professional services, construction, and hotels.

However, there are other areas that deserve more debates. One clear example is real estate. While there seems to be economic arguments favoring the lifting of foreign equity restrictions on real estate for manufacturing and commercial use, I am not sure that I would favor lifting foreign ownership restrictions on real estate for residential purposes. The prospect of real estate being driven up by foreign buying may be exciting for developers and brokers. However, the prospect of Filipinos unable to afford home ownership, in their own country, does not seem like a fair and patriotic scenario.

There are other issues that should be the topic for more national debates. It is the duty of  Filipino organizations and schools to encourage more participation in these subjects before any decision is made.

We should always remember that, aside from the day to day struggle of living, we need to make decision that will benefit also the future generations that will inherit our country.

Creative nonfiction writing class for adults with Marites D. Vitug on March 11, at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street. For registration and fee details text 0917-6240196 or email [email protected].

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