eleven - The Longer View: Conclusions

Summary

As the Philippines negotiates the threshold of the twenty-first century, it struggles to join the ranks of late industrializing economies in the region while strengthening the foundations of a stable democratic political order. The terms of this transition, however, remain difficult.

In the aftermath of the plunder of the nation's resources under Marcos and the lost opportunities for decisive reforms under the Aquino administration, the political leadership under Ramos has become acutely aware of the need to make up for lost time and catch up with the rest of East and Southeast Asia. This compelling realization comes at a time when the mainstream global strategy for economic growth revolves around liberalization, privatization and deregulation of markets to aggressively find one's niches in the highly competitive world market. Having committed itself to these preferred strategies of development, the Ramos administration must address the daunting task of providing the appropriate political and economic terms for successfully negotiating this transition.

First, the administration needs to build and consolidate the political consensus for a project that is seen to be socially destabilizing by many institutions and organized sectors of civil society. For instance, many groups of organized labour and agricultural workers continue to oppose the administration's vision and programme of NIC-hood, as articulated in “Philippines 2000”. Secondly, this cultivation of political support for the economic agenda of growth and development needs to be fleshed out in a democratic process where consultation, negotiations, and coalition-building are the order of the day. Thirdly, in negotiating this transition, the need for a state leadership that can provide strategic planning and direction becomes increasingly urgent. By necessity, this effective political leadership must actively intervene in initiating reforms that will activate and harness the enthusiasm and energies of the actors that count in civil society.

The social and institutional infirmities of the people as they are called upon to respond to this grand project cannot be glossed over.