Some Jesuits Blames Filipinos Endorse Robredo and Pangilinan: An Analysis

On February 25, 2022, 115 Jesuits had a full-page advertisement from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The advertisement (full text below) was titled, “Statement of individual Jesuits in support of Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan.” The first lines read,

“What is at stake: Our collective soul as a people–The basic values we aspire for have been threatened these past years. We grew accustomed to incompetence and impunity. We cheered vulgarity and indecency among our leaders. We tolerated widespread corruption and violence, especially in relation to extrajudicial killings. All these compromised our values, beliefs, and actions, and this compromise resulted in real and tragic consequences on the ground, especially in the loss of our collective soul, and we seek conversion.”

The above text had a tricky use of the pronoun ‘we’–this triggers the question, who exactly are ‘we’? This short essay wishes to untangle this use of ‘we’–it postulates that the Jesuits’ opening use of ‘we’ refers to the Filipino people. The succeeding use refers to themselves. There is no explanation for this scheme; this essay dares an interpretation.

The campaign chatter created by this coming election is deafening. There is a heightened antagonism between the supporters of the survey front runner son of the ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., Ferdinand Jr, and vice-president Leni Robredo in a far second. Unlike others, the Jesuits posited an insight that arrests the ongoing melee.

Obviously, as a campaign scheme, various groups endorse a candidate. But, how influential are these groups for voters to follow them? The standard endorsement comes in this form: candidate X is with character Y let us vote for candidate X. The Jesuits are different; the Filipinos caused their own trouble A, candidate X has the character to solve A, let us vote for X.

In concrete terms, the Jesuits appropriated the cause of the disturbing political condition to the Filipino people. They implied apathy and disregard for the wrongdoing of the Duterte administration and the uncritical acceptance of false claims and historical revisionism on the nature of the Marcos dictatorship. Call this a practical embrace of evil by the Filipinos. The Jesuits’ use of ‘we’ was to soften this point. They also humbly share in the blame. Unlike other statements of similar nature, the Jesuits distinctly blamed the Filipinos for their plight. This way, the solution is directed to the exact cause of the problem–the Filipinos.

The Jesuits are familiar with upheaval. Upon the prodding of European monarchs, they were suppressed in 1773 by Pope Clement IV. The cause of the suppression was the envy of their possession and influence. The suppression lasted for 41 years until Pius VII lifted it. Thus, this shows their predisposition to collide with rulers. To blame themselves for the plight of the Filipinos is incongruent to this predisposition.

In 1974 the military raided the Jesuit novitiate hunting for communist leader Jose Ma. Sison. Instead, they arrested Fr. Jose Blanco and several students attending a seminar; this could have started the rift between the Catholic Church and the Marcos dictatorship. Several Jesuit personalities were involved in the anti-Marcos dictatorship until the EDSA revolt in 1986. These Jesuits are Benigno Mayo, Romeo Intengan (both former provincial superiors), Blanco, known for his work with the poor and non-violence advocacy, and Guido Arguelles also worked with the poor and was with Radio Veritas. All four Jesuits have passed away. It would be safe to assume that younger Jesuits have stepped in to replace them in their advocacies.

Among the many who added to the political chatter, this Jesuit statement pointed to the fault of the Filipinos. It calls for conversion, a necessary condition to arrest the ongoing melee.

Leni Robredo Inclined to Lose the Presidential Race 2022

If you are a Leni lover or supporter, it is time to panic.

The likelihood that Leni Robredo will lose the election is slowly establishing. Listen to the interview of Christian Esguerra of Serg Osmeña on ANC After the Fact show (Feb. 21, 2020). Osmeña pointed to a strategic weakness. Watch the replay on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVGkb3bQ2zQ. The statement starts from 54.39 minutes. Here is the transcription:

Esguerra: OK but in this case, what do you see in the Leni Robredo campaign which you think is not exactly working and perhaps needs tweaking?
Osmeña: Because they are not hitting Bongbong, I mean they are not hitting the father. They should hit the father not Bongbong…

Osmeña pointed at the strategic mistake in Leni’s messaging. Call it a classic barking at the wrong tree scenario. It is the failure to counteract the complex messaging employed by the Bongbong Marcos camp. The complexity goes as (1) painting the false narrative of the country’s grandeur during Marcos’s dictatorship. (2) Bongbong used this false claim to entice the gullible masses of a revival. (3) Anticipating a retort, the communication scheme allows Bongbong to assert his non-involvement. A very clever scheme that is laborious to debug. The implication is Leni’s organization is not capable.

Now, is there a way out of this condition for Leni? Yes, often seen in sports are come from behind wins–a seemingly overwhelming lead ends in a loss by the final whistle. However, the necessary condition is for the campaign organization to shape up.

Campaigning for Leni: A Discernment

Leni is losing. The reason asserted here is that the Leni campaign is wanting. Among other reasons, it still has the Otso Diretso syndrome. It is as though they have not learned from that humiliating setback. What is the remedy? Her supporter should step up!

Supporters refer to volunteers working independently of the campaign organization. Their sole task is to solicit votes for Leni.

Here is the modus operandi. Leni supporters should shift to a street-to-street, house-to-house, man-to-man, face-to-face campaign to eliminate intermediaries—social media and its accompanying brouhaha. It is knocking on each door and convincing the household to vote for Leni. Social media campaigning works only for those with an efficient Internet connection. However, two years of DEPED online learning experience says that low-income families have no Internet access. So the man-to-man method is the best to reach this population segment. However, do not limit your activity to this segment alone.

Name recall is not an issue for Leni. It is getting people to vote for her that matters. Traditional campaigning is ineffective in today’s condition–political rallies, motorcades, mobile barkers are hysterical and, public endorsements are flimsy. A face-to-face plea to vote for Leni is the strongest. Endorsing prominent personalities, e.g., economists and religious, should walk the streets and knock on doors to solicit votes. The supporter must be ready to use charm and wits to convince voters. To establish goodwill, organize soup kitchens and food pantries. Give away campaign tokens, e.g., items for the house. There are many other ways, so use your imagination. Be astute not to attract trouble, i.e., be accused of vote-buying or breaking COVID 19 safety protocol.

This approach leverages on ‘kapwa tao at pakikisama.’ The supporter amidst this trait asks for the vote. A negative response demands an innovative repeat visit. The key to executing this campaign is for supporters to organize and act as an efficient unit. Supporters must be ready to sweat, bleed, and spend. Be open to ferry voters to and from the polling center. Expect to work until the counting of the last vote.

Penultimately, note that this method transfers the ownership of the campaign from the candidate to the people. Given her character, Leni is likely not to object. However, our dime-a-dozen politicians will find this inimical to their interests and cronies because the people will expect corruption-free governance in exchange. Finally, for Leni to win, her supporters in stepping in should take this as their solemn task for the nation. The intensity of this posture is contagious that no technology can imitate.