Over
the past decade, the Philippines has undergone a transformation. A nation that
was once a joke has become a very serious economic player. The sheer dynamism
and energy of Metro Manila, with its burgeoning design, software and lifestyle
hubs, suggests what we may be looking forward to in Jakarta in the years ahead
if Indonesia were to follow the same trajectory.
The man at the center of all this success is a
soft-spoken and bookish political dynast, Benigno Aquino III (called “NoyNoy”).
His father was the martyred Benigno Aquino Jr. while his mother Corazon was
President from 1986 to 1992. Contrary to all expectations, NoyNoy has
shepherded the republic to the top of the ASEAN gross domestic product (GDP)
growth tables. According to the World Bank, from 2011 to 2014 (the first four
full years of NoyNoy’s six-year term as President), the Philippines’ economy
grew by an average of 5.95 percent, surpassing Malaysia’s 5.38 percent, Vietnam
and Indonesia’s 5.7 percent, as well as Singapore’s 4.2 percent.
Elsewhere, the Philippines is also playing a fierce
game of catch-up. From 2010 to 2014, the Philippines soared from 134th to 85th
place in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (an increase
of 49 places), compared to Indonesia’s 110th to 107th (just three) and
Vietnam’s three-spot decline from 116th to 119th. Its iconic IT-Business
Process Outsourcing (or BPO) sector in 2014 brought in US$18 billion in
revenues — providing some 1.3 million Filipinos with middle-class jobs and,
importantly, salaries and stemming the inevitability of having to leave the
country to find work.
However, when NoyNoy first stood as a presidential
candidate back in 2010, most commentators were scathing in their assessment.
They saw him as little more than a shallow, inexperienced political princeling.
Well, the critics were clearly wrong. I recently had the honor of interviewing
the president in the historic, Narra wood-paneled and jewel-like Malacanang
Palace, a marked contrast from the cacophony outside on the streets of Manila.
Just over two weeks before this month’s APEC Summit in the Philippine capital
and six months before Filipinos go to the polls to elect his successor, the
president was upbeat, especially when asked about the economic turnaround:
“Give the Filipino the right environment and he or she will shine,” he said,
adding, “[Our success stems] from the fundamental belief that the greatest
resource of this country is our people.”
Much like his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, he
has focused on health and education, working hard to coordinate education and
training with industry requirements. His government has also increased
healthcare spending by well over 300 percent, targeting the poor in
particular.NoyNoy has been resolute in the face of corruption and abuse of
power — allowing prosecutors to move against both his predecessor Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, a number of senior senators as well as countenancing the
impeachment of the controversial Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Renato
Corona. As he said: “Now the highest positions are also being made to account
for their actions.”He adds: “We started out with the phrase, ‘If you eliminate
corruption you can eliminate poverty.’ We will not tolerate the situation where
cronies become monopolies [...] because it just keeps us where we are. We don’t
grow. We actually stagnate.”
What inspired him to embrace the Daang Matuwid (or the
Straight Path)? I found his answer, when I asked how he remained consistent in
office, quite telling: “I think I benefited from being the son of my parents
[…] My father […] had this idea that he would not have enough time to do
everything that he wanted to do […] he tended to be a consensus builder but it
was clear that he was the leader […] In my mother’s case, she would tend to be
more focused on the consensus-building aspect. It might take a lot more time,
but then you get a more solid foundation with the decisions you have to make.”
To the president, “Daang Matuwid” is an integral part
of governance and leadership. Moreover he sees the anti-corruption commitment
as a critical step in improving national confidence. “[In the past] small
leakages were tolerated. Then the small leakages became more and more until
eventually […] the leakages became 100 percent [...] public funds are supposed
to be for the public good. When they are deprived of that which is due them,
then you say ‘[…] persevere a little more, things will get better’ But when you
say persevere a little more for the longest time, up to what point will they
[still] say ‘Ok, we’ll wait a little longer’?”Indeed, he sees changing the
self-image of the Filipinos as his signature accomplishment: “I think the
rekindling of the pride of Filipino [is my greatest accomplishment]…their
attitude, their perceptions of the present and future impacts on where we will
be.”
Of course, problems remain. Infrastructure spending is
lackluster at only 4 percent of GDP. Manila’s electricity rates are amongst the
priciest in the Asia-Pacific. Traffic is still awful and the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport remains far from ideal. Manufacturing is anemic when
compared to what the Vietnamese have achieved.Also, NoyNoy’s cherished goal of
reducing the number of “Balikbayan” (overseas Filipino workers) appears to have
stalled, although the overall number has dipped to 9.1 million from 10 million
previously.
There is also the nagging question of whether “Daang
Matuwid” can continue after NoyNoy leaves office. As he explained: “I would say
my nightmare would be everything that has been achieved will get unraveled in
the next six years.”On the South China Sea, he noted that the ongoing dispute
with China had not hurt bilateral trade and tourism ties with the region’s
giant. Despite The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration recently ruling that
it could hear the Philippine’s request for adjudication against China on the
issue, NoyNoy stressed: “Our actions are not meant to exacerbate tensions. We
do not envision ourselves as having offensive capability against anybody.”
NoyNoy welcomed the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC):
“I’m a firm believer that you cannot have a sheltered economy and expect it to
grow. We cannot have those inefficiencies and expect to be able to compete on a
worldwide basis. We see ourselves as having a bigger voice on the world stage
because of our presence in ASEAN, especially since we have one of the biggest
populations proportional to the rest.”The last line stuck with me after I left
him. While it remains far from certain whether “Daang Matuwid” will continue,
NoyNoy and the Philippines are essentially putting ASEAN — including Indonesia
— on notice.
NoyNoy is a dynast who has more than matched the
achievements of his parents. Moreover, he recognizes that economic growth rates
alone are not enough to turn around the republic. He understands the importance
of moral leadership (and of exercising it in the teeth of elite opposition) as
well as holding out a vision that his people can share.Not as flashy as some
leaders, he is nevertheless one of the most consequential Southeast Asian
leaders of our time.
The writer Karim Raslan, is a Southeast Asian
commentator
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