By Renato Reyes Jr. / President, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
VARIOUS GROUPS have expressed the view that both Marcos and Duterte have to be held accountable, that they should resign and be prosecuted for involvement in corruption – for the budget fiasco, alleged kickbacks, misuse of confidential and other government funds and for receiving campaign donations from contractors during the 2022 elections.
A transition council, that may have some semblance of constitutional succession minus the vice president, has been proposed as an interim mechanism before the holding of elections to choose a new leadership. Such a transition should be the product of the collective action of the sovereign Filipino people, of people power, to ensure that democratic sectors are represented and have a voice in the government. Those involved in the transition should be free of any involvement in the corruption mess we are seeing now.
The transition should focus on the prosecution of corrupt officials, recovery of ill-gotten wealth, immediate economic relief for the people, the banning of political dynasties and after a reasonable time, the holding of hybrid elections to ensure transparency in the vote count. It should not be a military junta or a mere replacement of one corrupt faction by another corrupt faction of the ruling elite.
The transition is not yet the culmination of the people’s struggle for genuine change, but it is a significant step forward in strengthening the power of the people versus the power of the ruling classes until such time that the whole rotten system can be changed.
During the time of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the idea of a transition council was first raised because then Vice President Noli de Castro was not an acceptable replacement. Arroyo however was not ousted because the critical mass needed to do so was not achieved and the United States and other reactionary factions ensured support for Arroyo even if she was extremely isolated and detested by the people. #
