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By PING BAUZON REPORTER
ARE good governance and ethical
leadership compatible? The knee-jerk reply is “Of course.”
For Kaya Natin, an emerging
political movement started at the Ateneo de Manila University’s
School of Government and promotes new non-trapo politics, the
question has to be asked.
“Effective leadership doesn’t
necessarily mean ethical leadership,” explains Harvey Keh, a
professor at the Ateneo School of Government. “Imagine a
government official donating books. Sure, he is effective but if he
is also getting a P10 kickback from each book he donates, then
that’s corruption.”
“In Kaya Natin, we are looking
for leaders who are both effective and ethical,” he continued.
“And that means good governance and ethical leadership.”
Launched on July 30, Kaya Natin
was first conceptualized in talks over coffee between Keh and Mayor
Jesse Robredo of Naga City.
They were encouraged by Ateneo
mentors, many of them involved in seminars on how to win elections
without cheating, who then facilitated a meeting between Keh,
Robredo and Governors Grace Padaca of Isabela and Ed Panlilio of
Pampanga.
Gov. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. of
Ifugao and Mayor Sonia Lorenzo of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, later
joined the group.
Kaya Natin is calling for change
in the way the nation votes for its leaders and change in the way
leaders govern. It promotes what seems to be a list of clichés:
transparency, social accountability, people empowerment and
electoral reforms.
It hopes to escape tired lines
and sustain pubic interest by putting up exemplars of the values and
principles it stands for. “Despite the fact that we have clear
principles and values like good governance, we bring you people who
have actually done it,” Keh points out.
“Ang Pilipino naghahanap talaga
ng mukha [Filipinos look for faces] . . . of people they can rally
to,” he says.
Which is why Kaya Natin chose
politicians known for their no-nonsense style of governance—and
for what they have achieved against all odds.
Robredo is a multi-awarded,
multi-term mayor who was honored with the 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award
for government service. Padaca, who received the same award this
year, bested a 40-year dynasty in her province of 1.5 million
people, She is now on her second term.
Panlilio, a Catholic priest, was
elected in May 2007 with a slim margin over entrenched rivals.
Baguilat was a journalist, political activist and environment
advocate before he was elected mayor, then governor. Lorenzo is
known for her unique way of providing social services in her small
town.
In recent weeks, the six have
been in the lecture circuit selling good governance and
accountability to the youth and the grassroots. They will continue
touring campuses and small-town meetings until next year to bring
home the message of Kaya Natin in Naga, Legaspi and Sorsogon now
until November; Isabela, Tuguegarao and Nueva Ecija in December; and
Iloilo and Western Visayas in January.
“Is good governance possible?
It’s been demonstrated by us that it can be done. Let’s see what
develops, maybe the movement will somewhat influence the 2010
polls,” Robredo said in a briefing he and Padaca gave at The
Manila Times.
“My victory is proof that it
can be done,” said Padaca, meaning one can get elected with the
minimum of expenses and without resorting to vote-buying and
violence.
Robredo cited the Pampanga model,
arguing that Panlilio won despite his lack of resources but because
the constituency believed it was possible. Panlilio is now facing a
recall movement from the forces he defeated in his province.
Kaya Natin’s first challenge is
to support Panlilio who is faced with having to win against the
petition for his removal from office. There are suspicions that the
forces against him are being supported by Malacañang.
Voting power
The movement pins much hope on
youth voting power during elections. “Young Filipinos should
realize that they have so much power, that they should register and
make their voice heard in 2010,” Keh reiterated, adding that by
2010, up to 60 percent of eligible voters will be from the youth
segment of the population.
“Let us not wait several months
before the elections if we want to encourage young people to vote
for the right candidates,” Padaca said. “We should not confuse
the youth with the older leaders responsible for what’s happening
in society, the disparity between the moral values taught in school
and the real world of corruption and so on.”
“We are also encouraging young
people to run for public office. We are always telling them that we
get what we deserve,” said Robredo who, in order to promote
transparency and accountability, posts every activity of his local
government in the official Naga website, especially an account of
every single centavo spent by the city government.
“There are many islands of good
governance in the Philippines, but they are just that, separate
islands,” he said. “We need an archipelago of good
governance.”
What makes Kaya Natin different
among other reform groups that have shot up like distant mushrooms
through the years is that it focuses primarily on getting a
proactive message across rather than simply railing against
government leaders and badly managed institutions.
“People are tired of destroying
institutions . . . tired of rallies . . . It is time to highlight
the best practices in good governance,” Keh said. 
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