Fake crusader

By Artchil B. Fernandez

 

“Ganun nila nilaro ang bayan ko. Kaya ako mamatay, mahulog ang eroplano, I am happy.  Alam mo bakit, without declaring martial law I dismantled the oligarchy that controlled the economy and the Filipino people,” Du30 boasted in Jolo last week.

With a triumphalist tone he told his audience, “I destroyed the people controlling the economy and the people, and who don’t pay, they take advantage of their political power.”

In a single stroke, Du30 torpedoed the ferocious effort of his underlings denying he had a hand in the killing of the franchise of ABS-CBN. Until Du30 opened his foul mouth last week, his defenders told the unbelieving public that the president had nothing to do with the death of ABS-CBN’s franchise and it was Congress alone that made the decision. Du30’s gloating over the closure of ABS-CBN only confirms what the Filipino people had known all the time – it was pure vendetta.

To sugarcoat his vindictiveness, Du30 is telling those who care to listen to his narrative that shutting down ABS-CBN is part of his crusade against oligarchy. He is making it appear fighting the oligarchy is a major thrust of his administration. This is a patent lie.

When Du30 launched his presidency, he anchored his candidacy on two major issues:  rooting out the drug problem and federalism. Nowhere in his campaign speeches did he rail against the oligarchs. He never vowed to dismantle oligarchy in the country and anti-oligarchy was not among his political battle-cries as a candidate. It was only when his administration started its vicious and dirty campaign to close ABS-CBN that Du30 began to mention the oligarchs. The anti-oligarch stance of Du30 is just a smokescreen to conceal his personal revenge scheme to shut down ABS-CBN.

Going beyond the ABS-CBN closure, what is oligarchy and who are the oligarchs whom Du30 accused of destroying the nation? Is Du30 really anti-oligarch as he now claims? Is his move against ABS-CBN a manifestation of Du30’s deep-seated hatred of oligarchy or it is part of a more sinister design?

Oligarchy is the rule of the few. In Philippine context, these few refer to a handful of families who control the major industries and big businesses in the country. There are 40 richest families in the country who share 76 percent of the national wealth. The vast wealth of the nation is concentrated in the hands of these families.

In politics, political dynasties now dominating the political landscape and monopolize political power are the face of oligarchy. There are 178 political dynasties in the country today and they control 73 of the 81 provinces. At least 70 percent of legislative positions are also in the hands of political dynasties.

Du30’s declaration of victory over oligarchy should be evaluated against the backdrop of the domination of oligarchs in the economic and political life of the nation. Are the 40 richest families in the Philippines who get 76 percent of national wealth now gone? Did Du30 strip them of their wealth? Have political dynasties been destroyed and no longer part of political life? Did Du30 de-fang and castrate political dynasties?

Looking at the economic and political landscape of the country at present reveals Du30’s claim that he destroyed oligarchy without declaring martial law is hollow brag. The 40 richest families are very much around and Du30 did not touch their wealth. Moving against one among the 40 is not anti-oligarchy but settling of a personal score.

On the contrary, Du30 is very much comfortable with oligarchs and is surrounded by oligarchs who are destroying the country. His strongest backers are the top oligarchs and political dynasties in the country – Villars, Uys, Angs, Cayetanos, Marcoses, Razons, Arroyos to name a few. Du30 would not have been president if these oligarchs did not bankroll and support his presidential run.

Taking a leaf from the playbook of his idol, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos who also used the anti-oligarch alibi among his excuses to declare martial law, Du30 is also promoting and advancing the interest of his own oligarchs like what Marcos did to his cronies. The case of Dennis Uy, Du30’s favorite oligarch is the clearest example of his pro-oligarch stance.

Since Du30 became president this obscure businessman from Davao City is on a buying spree, acquiring companies left and right – convenience stores, a digital start-up, a bakery chain, a Ferrari dealership, water utilities and a casino franchise. Before 2016, Uy was on the directorate of only three companies but in a span of over three years, he now sits on the board of 27 companies. Last year, Uy for the first time joined the Forbes’ list of richest Filipinos at number 22. His capital is saliva and US$2 billion in debt.

Du30 is also using his position to promote his own political dynasty. All his three children from his first wife hold the top three posts in Davao City. He also cultivates and uses these political dynasties. Without the backing of political dynasties, Du30 would not have been able to push his agenda like closing down ABS-CBN in Congress.

Truth is Du30 is not anti-oligarchy. He is not only an enabler of oligarchy, in fact, he is very much a part of the oligarchy. Du30 is a fake crusader and his closure of ABS-CBN is not an expression of anti-oligarchy but petty reprisal against the network.

The Du30 administration is an administration of fakes and his being a fake crusader against oligarchy is among these bogus attributes. If oligarchy is the scourge of the nation as Du30 declares, he is part of the plague of oligarchy that is destroying it.

As long as oligarchy rules the Philippines, the country will remain poor and underdeveloped. To put an end to the curse oligarchy, Filipinos must junk the instrumentalities of the oligarchy and that includes Du30’s authoritarian rule.