THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNANCE

By LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES

In the Christian world, Black Saturday provides the transition from death at Calvary to the dawn of resurrection. Is it the same for governance?

March 22, 2008

Today is the third day of what Christian Filipinos know as "The Holy Week." For worldly Filipinos, it is the time to go off on holidays to the home provinces or to resorts. For those who take their Christianity seriously, the Lenten season is not yet over; Saturday is not yet time to celebrate. Easter Sunday is yet to come.

Today is called many names all over the world. It is called Holy Saturday, Great Saturday, Black Saturday and White Saturday. In the Philippines, Christians who believe that the physical body of Jesus Christ is still "resting" in the Garden of Gethsemane call today Black Saturday. Those who believe that the resurrection of Christ is not long in coming call it Sabado de Gloria. I suspect that at this time of great challenges many would prefer to call today Black Saturday.

Lenten practices have changed over the centuries. During my childhood, the Holy Week was a time for reflection and prayer. Our parents and our grandparents specially forbade us from engaging in loud and boisterous conversation. We were not allowed to use sharp objects like knives and bolos. Others were even forbidden from taking baths!

In many protestant churches, Saturday is spent in choir practice and in special preparations for the Sunday Sunrise Service. Saturday evening is usually spent in vigils, in anticipation of the most important of all Christian holidays, Easter Sunday or The Day of Resurrection.

Nowadays, the impression is that the Holy Week ends with Good Friday. With a collective sigh of relief people go back to their usual practices by Saturday. Television stations air their usual fare and movie houses, restaurants, shopping malls open again. Truly, the sacred and the profane merge on Black Saturday.

How about governance in the Philippines? Is today Black Saturday or Bleak Saturday? Most of our leading government officials are still out of town or out of the country. Politicians with an eye to 2010 are busy where the crowds are most numerous: the churches. They put on their most pious looks as they solemnly shake hands and wave at crowds. Some of them may have been lucky enough to wrangle invitations from churches to interpret the seven last words of Christ!.

In the Christian world, Black Saturday provides the transition from death at Calvary to the dawn of resurrection. Is it the same for governance? Can we look forward to a resurrection of good governance after the tumultuous months of searching for the truth? Can we look forward to repentance and renewal, and even hope for resignation from the highest posts in the country?

For governance, today will be Bleak Saturday. It will not bring the joy of reform and change on Sunday. It will be business as usual. Governance by denial, by lying and continued cheating.

Too many challenges to good governance are appearing on the horizon. While the United States government has not officially admitted it, the dangers of recession in the world’s largest economy are becoming real. The "r" word is never mentioned but it is described and reported by analysts. For decades, the United States and other rich countries have provided a safety valve for the growing numbers of unemployed in the Philippines. One immediate impact of a U.S. recession is on employment for Filipinos.

It is estimated that anywhere from 600,000-700,000 graduates join the long queues of job seekers every year. Those who look forward to working in the United States might be frustrated.

Another consequence is on trade since the United States is a major trading partner. If trade with the United States weakens local employment will likewise be affected. Still another consequence is the impact on overseas Filipinos who are working in the United States and their dependent families here in the Philippines.

Only last week, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap called major food producers to a meeting. He asked for their cooperation in stemming possible food shortages. He has launched a campaign for people to eat less rice. Obviously, he is not aware that an increasing number of Filipinos have totally stopped eating rice long ago. They are subsisting on boiled green bananas, camote and other root crops. Official statistics confirm rising levels of hunger and malnutrition.

In the meantime, the Philippines has the unenviable record of being the most corrupt government in Asia. Demands for the truth continue to be ignored, even as more scandals are unearthed by the day.

No, Bleak Saturday will no usher in good governance by Sunday, or even Monday. It is not yet time to celebrate the glories of resurrection from the death of good governance. Lenten is not yet over.