I surveyed the classroom and there were many vacant seats. I hope this slowly developing COVID-19 resurgence has nothing to do with it. One of the first announcements of the new president was the impending full return to “face-to-face” classes by end of November. It would be a shame to backpedal on such a happy announcement. It would mark the first policy retreat of the newly-inaugurated Marcos administration, if that ever happened. It would raise many questions again about his fitness to lead the nation.
Anyway, I thought that would be a good springboard for discussion on the executive branch. Of the three branches of government—Executive, Legislative and Judiciary—the executive branch is arguably the most powerful. If nothing else, it is the one that can act swiftest. The legislative mill is slow to turn, and the wheels of justice turn even SLOWER.
“What defines the presidency and how do we gauge the performance of any president at any given time, class?”
It took quite a bit of time for my junior law class to sink their teeth into this question that I surprised them with last night. Finally, one of the girls from the back row sheepishly raised her hand.
“Miss Carla Mayat-madi!” I happily acknowledged the Tabuk girl gifted with a uniquely self-contradicting surname.
“Addaawan, sir!”
“Right, Miss Addaawan,” I stood corrected, “you never fail to bring a smile to my lips with your Korean-style name, Miss Carla.”
“Korean, sir? I’m from Tabuk City—”
“I know, Miss Yes-no. I meant your name is the quintessential example of the ‘yin-yang’ psyche—but anyway, back to the question. How do we know if a president is a good or a bad one?”
“That’s kind of subjective, isn’t it, sir? What’s good for me could be bad for another,” Miss Carla replied.
“Of course. Evaluation is always subjective, and so is appreciation. Definitely what 31 million voters think would be a good president is different from what 14 million others think. You haven’t answered the question,” I said.
“Sir, I think effectiveness should be the most ideal criterion. An effective president is a good president, and vice versa,” she said.
“You see, that’s the problem with circular reasoning,” I said, “it’s like saying to be beautiful you must not be ugly, but the only way not to be ugly is to be beautiful. So how to do become either?” I followed up.
After staring at the ceiling for a bit, Miss Addaawan finally conceded, “Can I pass, sir?”
“That’s okay,” I said, “it was really somewhat a rhetorical question. But don’t forget that this subject is constitutional law. There’s your clue. A constitution is like an ‘owner’s manual’—”
“Oh, yes! Sir, may I try again?”
“Go ahead, Miss Left-right, redeem yourself,” I gave the girl a second chance.
“Sir, a good president would be one who upholds the constitution and follows its blueprint for governance. A bad president would be someone who goes against the spirit and the letter of the constitution.”
“Can you think of some decisions that a typical president would have to make in discharging the day-to-day functions of his office, Miss Up-down?” I began to steer the student in the right direction.
“Sir, decisions having to do with improving the economy, uplifting the living conditions, reducing poverty, improving peace and order—” I decided to cut in.
“You mean decisions like increasing the budget for food production?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Maybe imposing new taxes to raise money for poverty-alleviation programs like ayudas, etc.?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Or what about raising the daily minimum wage for workers?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, see here class. All of these things would certainly make somebody a good president. But the thing is, you won’t find any of these things stated in the constitution. You can read the entire constitution from cover to cover and you will find that it doesn’t really teach a president what to do. Therefore, our earlier theory that a good president is someone who ‘upholds the constitution’ may sound nice—but that is really hardly the consideration, is it?”
Silence.
“Yes, Miss Joana Pis-o,” I recognized the girl from Barlig, Mountain Province.
“Sir, a good president is somebody who can oversee the operations of government, so that it can deliver to the people all the basic services, while creating an environment that would enable the people to enjoy the fruits of democracy with peace, justice, freedom, et cetera et cetera…!”
“Et cetera et cetera??” I growled with widened eyes, “Ang tipid mo naman, hija. No wonder, Miss PIS-O, it now takes 56 of you to equal one DOLL-AR!” I joked, sending the class into guffaws.
“But I tell you what, Miss Pis-o, why don’t you just recite the whole PREAMBLE?”
“Yes, sir… ‘We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.’”
“There you go, class, now you understand why we say that although the Preamble is just a prayer—it’s not really an enumeration of constitutional rights—it’s probably the MOST IMPORTANT part of the whole Constitution. It is the lens through which you look at all the other parts.”
“So a good president if someone who can recite the Preamble, sir?” Cabo Buhan, my pre-Med student wondered aloud.
“More than that, Cabo,” I said, surprising the class that I didn’t shoot it down as a sarcastic remark, “a mediocre president is someone who has MEMORIZED the Preamble, but--” I said, suddenly turning back to Miss Carla to pick it up.
“…a GOOD president, sir, is someone who can turn that prayer into an ANSWERED prayer.”
“Correct,” I acknowledged. “You see class, low price of commodities, cheap gasoline, modern transportation, excellent health coverage, soaring incomes, low crime rate, good housing—these are all things a President should NOT be promising to the people. These are things he is contractually-bound to deliver to the people, whether he promised them or not. What are these again, Miss Laarnee Iwasan?”
“The government’s MINISTRANT FUNCTIONS, sir.” Laarnee said.
“Right. And a President cannot boast that he is transparent, consultative, not corrupt, or that he will pursue an inclusive program of empowering all sectors. Must there be any other way to serve the people?” I gestured back at Miss Laarnee.
“No, sir Those are the CONSTITUENT FUNCTIONS of the Government, sir.”
“I’m glad you’re getting the hang of this, class. You see, we can spend everyday going through a checklist of government projects—traffic management, anti-drug war, etc. etc. But you know class, these are NOT the things that inspire a people. A good life, even a booming economy, is no indication that you are living in a successful country.”
I see a lot of eyebrows upraised.
“Look at it, class. Having the highest standard of living and the most abiding political culture did not stop an assassin from killing Shinzo Abe—” and the whole class went “Ooooohhhh….!”
“If you ask me, I can live even in an impoverished society so long as it is one where journalists are not persecuted, where rich spoiled brats don’t get a slap on the wrist for ‘hit-and-run,’ where true patriots are not red-tagged, where a principled senator is not jailed, where government regulators do not act as asset acquisition spotters for moneyed oligarchs, or parents are not forced to keep their children an EXTRA TWO YEARS in school—” my students were nodding at every point I make.
“I see where Jose Rizal is coming from with his patriotic altruism. Why, if you just give me FREEDOM, DIGNITY and genuine HOPE for the future, I don’t care if I eat camote or banana dipped in soy or sugar ALL YEAR long.”
Silence.
“So next time, demand that your President deliver THOSE priceless things,” I said softly. You don't need him to obtain the rest."
“Class dismissed.”*
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