Since the beginning of 2019, successive events have left indelible marks on Filipino society. Ripples of the 2016 national elections continued to emanate well into the past year. Controversies in politics continued to broil, intertwined with issues on human rights and press freedom. Alarms blared as well over the environment and public health as government and civic society sought to cope with outbreaks of diseases and calamities caused by climate change.
Despite the apprehension over the turn of the year, a few bright rays in the national arena offer an optimistic view for the coming decade.
Nation in turmoil
The midterm elections last May 2019 saw the victory of administration-backed candidates, sweeping away opposition contenders from legislative slates. Former police chief Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa, former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go, and former Ilocos Norte governor Imee Marcos—all newcomers to the Senate and candidates under Hugpong ng Pagbabago, the administration-backed coalition—were among those who took up new posts in the Senate. Actor Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and re-electionists Cynthia Villar and Grace Poe, meanwhile, returned for another term in office.
Only senators Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and the detained Leila de Lima remained in the shrinking vocal opposition. The overwhelming number of pro-administration candidates raised fears that the Legislative branch will shore up greater support for the Executive branch. Political analyst Antonio La Viña described this development as the “consolidation” of President Rodrigo Duterte’s dominance over politics.
However, the elections also turned the tables in the local political scene—political newcomer Vico Sotto and former Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno unseated established politicos Robert Eusebio of Pasig City and former President turned Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, respectively.
But old struggles remained—the Sandiganbayan dismissed a series of cases against the Marcos estate worth over P300 billion, despite the efforts of the Presidential Commission on Good Government to reclaim the ill-gotten wealth.
Elsewhere, the fate of the country’s sovereignty hung in the balance. The Philippines’ position in the West Philippine Sea remained tenuous, overshadowed by the Duterte administration’s continued overtures to China. The sinking of Filipino fishing boat Gem-Ver by a Chinese vessel near Recto Bank last July was dismissed by the President as a “maritime incident”.
Under fire
Last February 13, Rappler co-founder and CEO Maria Ressa was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation on cyberlibel charges. The arrest, conducted early in the evening, forced Ressa to spend a night in detention before she could post P100,000 in bail the next morning. “This is the weaponization of law,” described Ressa. Rappler, known for its extensive coverage of the administration’s Drug War and critical stance of its policies, had been repeatedly slammed by Duterte in the previous years. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo downplayed Ressa’s arrest, saying, “All are equal before the law. She wants to be treated differently.”
But Rappler was not alone in the nationwide clampdown. In December, Duterte renewed attacks against media giant ABS-CBN, saying that he will not allow the renewal of the network’s franchise, which is set to expire in March 2020. The President first threatened ABS-CBN in 2017, claiming biased reporting by the network.
In short supply
March saw the La Mesa Dam reach its lowest water level in 12 years as rainfall became scarce amid bouts of El Niño. Metro Manila’s water concessionaires, Manila Water and Maynilad, were forced to scale down the capital region’s water supply.
In the search for solutions to the water crisis, attention turned to the proposed dam along Rizal and Quezon Province. The P12.2-billion project is expected to resolve water shortages by providing 600 million liters of water to Metro Manila. The proposal, however, sparked controversy when it was revealed that the project would be financed by China and would displace indigenous communities.
The National Water Resources Board and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewage System (MWSS) noted that water interruptions could still carry until March 2020 as rainfall remained scarce.
But environmental challenges aside, the Ayala-led Manila Water and Pangilinan-led Maynilad now also have to contend with takeover threats from the government. The threats were posed after the two utility companies won a combined P10.8-billion arbitration award—compensation for company losses after MWSS’ refusal to allow water price hikes in recent years. The two companies soon abandoned the arbitration award. The concession agreements of the two companies, lasting 25 years each, are due to expire by 2022.
The war on drugs
As the Duterte administration’s Drug War continued to drag on, criticism of the policy followed along tirelessly. Soon after, a series of videos emerged in April alleging that Duterte’s associates were members of drug syndicates. The videos were released by a man under the pseudonym “Bikoy”, who eventually revealed himself as Peter Joemel Advincula. Although he initially claimed his allegations were true, Advincula suddenly made an about-face in May 23, saying that he was instead part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the Liberal Party. Advincula also tagged then Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV as a key plotter, accusations which Trillanes repeatedly denied.
In early October, allegations erupted that then police chief Oscar Albayalde sheltered “ninja cops”—policemen accused of recycling confiscated drugs. Albayalde soon resigned from his post on October 14 before a judgement could be delivered.
In an apparent turn of events, Vice President Leni Robredo was appointed in November by Duterte as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs. This did not last long. Duterte fired Robredo after 19 days.
Robredo remained defiant and promised to release her findings during her stint, though she has yet to provide updates after she said she would unveil them last December.
Public health
The year 2019 also presented significant obstacles in public health. Fallout from Dengvaxia, a dengue vaccine, controversy spilled over into the year as the country began experiencing a widespread outbreak of measles, a disease preventable through immunization, in February. Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III blamed the controversy for damaging public opinion on vaccination. Polio, thought to have been eradicated in the Philippines almost two decades ago, re-emerged in September after a string of cases were reported around the country.
Dr. Bien Nillos, a former Doctor to the Barrios, said in an interview with The LaSallian last March that vaccination remained a difficult challenge for public health practitioners. “There’s a very low understanding of the concept, and that influences their behavior so [there are] very low [vaccination rates], because immunization [has] to be voluntary,” he remarked.
Silver linings
But amid the turbulence of the year, strides were made to advance peace and civil rights in the country.
In January, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region was finally established following the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law after a plebiscite held in January and early February. The Bangsamoro Transition Authority was formed to govern the region until its own government officials can be elected in 2022. The measure gave renewed hope to Maguindanao, a region historically marred by electoral violence and separatist rebellions.
Justice was secured last December 19 when Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes handed a guilty verdict for Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr., Zaldy Ampatuan, and Anwar Ampatuan Sr. for the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre. More than 20 others were convicted for the gruesome incident, which claimed the lives of 58 people, including 32 journalists. Although 55 persons were acquitted, Congressman Toto Mangudadatu affirmed his commitment to seek greater justice. “Matagal pa ito,” Mangudadatu stated.
(There is a long way to go.)
Meanwhile, Republic Act No. 11313, better known as the “Safe Spaces Act”, was signed last April 17 after lengthy deliberation in the Senate. Authored by Hontiveros, the Act puts in place stiff penalties for different kinds of sexual harassment, ranging from a P1,000 fine and community service to a P100,000 fine and six months in prison.
Also championed by Hontiveros is the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Equality Bill. First filed in 2000 by the late Miriam Defensor Santiago and then Congresswoman Etta Rosales, the bill faced immense opposition from conservative and religious groups. Despite this, Hontiveros expressed faith that the bill will be passed in the 18th Congress, which will last until 2022.
Even as repercussions from 2019 already fill the new year, the few silver linings offer a glimpse of hope as the nation continues to be the playing field for coming changes in the sociopolitical landscape.
