Asia Times: Scandals, internal fighting mark Estrada's first year



	July 01, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Scandals, internal fighting mark Estrada's first year
By Ivan Gan

MANILA - Taking over the reins of power at the height of the Asian financial crisis last year, President Joseph Estrada takes credit for the Philippines' modest economic growth as he marks his first year in office this week. The government boasts about bringing down inflation and interest rates while raising foreign exchange reserves to an all-time high and posting a 1.2 percent growth in gross domestic product in the first quarter of the year.

But despite revelling in these economic gains, chalking up foreign policy successes and improving peace and order, the achievements of the Estrada administration have been marred by internal cabinet fighting, allegations of corruption and scandals involving close friends andrelatives during his first year in office.

The Estrada government has likewise failed to make much headway in its quest for social justice in fulfillment of his promise to uplift the poor, political analysts say. ''I don't see a distinct pro-poor policy . . . .'' said Joel Rocamora, executive director of the Institute for Popular Democracy. The National Anti-Poverty Commission, he said, is still in the process of developing a coherent anti-poverty program.

According to a study by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank, the Philippines has managed to restore its economic health but has not been able to counter the negative social effects of the Asian financial crisis. The study revealed that the families who considered themselves poor grew from 40 percent in 1997 to 43 percent in 1998. ''On the fiscal side, it is unfortunate that the provision of basic social services is curtailed when it is most needed,'' the report added, drawing attention to higher dropout rates in public secondary schools and a decrease in the availability of medicine.

Estrada, in his weekly radio program, described the inadequacy of funds to execute his pro-poor projects as ''the most frustrating and most painful part'' of his first year in office. He said he has to ''look for money and save first'' before his campaign to improve the living standards of the masses can yield substantial results. He told only part of the story, though, for his frustration was in large part engendered by the power tussle among key officials in his cabinet and allegations of graft and corruption against several government departments.

The government's agricultural policy, which serves as the lynchpin for poverty alleviation, is being hampered by a bitter rivalry between newly-appointed Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara and the former secretary whom Estrada has designated as presidential adviser on food security. This threatens to derail the progress of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act, which aims to empower farmers and fishermen with the funds, the equipment and the technical expertise for efficient production.

Estrada's pro-poor platform was dealt another blow when public elementary and high schools opened last June 7 to face shortages of almost 30,000 teachers and 22,000 classrooms. At the same time a scandal involving the over-pricing of educational materials rocked the education ministry. To make matters worse, it was revealed that Estrada's second cousin, Cecilia Ejercito de Castro, had peddled her influence to secure textbook contracts from the department.

Critics say that the shroud of duplicity engulfing the Estrada administration has severely undermined its credibility, raising doubts about the president's professed bid to ensure transparency and a level playing field. Some have even compared it to the rampant corruption and cronyism that existed under the regime of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose family and ''cronies'' have made a comeback in the corridors of power, courtesy of Estrada.

A former actor who remains popular among the masses, Estrada denies allegations he is giving preferential treatment to his friends and relatives and vows to rid his government of corruption. His supporters hope the ongoing investigation of government agencies' procurement systems and the crackdown on senior officials by the Office of the Ombudsman will lend impetus to the anti-corruption drive.

This month, the Ombudsman charged Philippine National Police Director General Roberto Lastimoso with allegedly coddling drug traffickers and suspended Cebu City Mayor Alvin Garcia for six months on graft charges. But much work still remains to be done to counter the scourge of corruption. ''There is a need to muster the political will against corruption . . . I don't see that present in Estrada,'' Rocamora said, adding that ''Estrada's personalistic style creates fertile ground for corruption."

Political commentator Armando Doronila said Estrada has failed to provide political leadership, and that his personalized style of rule and decision-making ''nurtures cronyism.'' In an article in the Philippines Daily Inquirer, he wrote, ''The hallmark of the Estrada-style of governance is discord.'' Doronila further added, ''Mr. Estrada's failure to establish a coherent authority over the Cabinet and set a national agenda for resumed growth, let alone his ad hoc response to public issues, has raised in the business and thinking community the disturbing question of whether the president is capable of providing a stable and visionary leadership."

''Favoritism, cronyism, crime, corruption, more poverty, defective policy-making skills and a dysfunctional bureauracy made the first year of the Estrada administration a wild ride,'' was how Manila Times columnist Frankie Llaguno described Estrada's initial year. ''Taxpayers, looking to the presidency as an inspirational journey, will have to fasten their seat belts instead for five more roller coaster years of the Estrada administration,'' he wrote.

(Inter Press Service)

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