Group formed to encourage nation-building

03/15/2009

With just a year prior to the election of the next President, there are still a lot of problems that are still plaguing the country. It becomes a challenge therefore for the next chief executive to have a clear vision, roadmap or strategy to renew the country while eradicating poverty, corruption, environmental degradation, in-justice, armed conflict and other ills of society – especially amid the global economic crisis.

“The formulation of a Philippine roadmap to progress, or a vision for the nation, is what our country needs,” said Philip Camara, co-convenor of the Federalist Forum of the Philippines (FFP), and co-organizer of the Subsidiarity Movement International (SMI) – a movement organized by concerned citizens to promote a nation “energized by vibrant and dignified people empowered and actively engaged in local nation building.” The other convenors are Sixto Roxas, Marietta Goco, Amina Rasul Bernardo, Manuel Faelnar, Pete Arce and Charlie Serapio, who represent organizations and networks that they lead.

“Without national vision, we will continue to experience moral decay, corruption, lawlessness and poverty. No matter who the President is, without a clear (20/20) vision, we will not improve as a nation,” he added.

The country is currently lacking a clear “organizing principle” for national life such that major areas are simply left to the “free market.” The vast majority is left with nothing but choices such as waiting for some development initiated by an outsider to occur, to go abroad, or other options.

“For this, the movement, in support of Church’s Social Doctrine and proven superior management systems, is referring to the need for ‘subsidiarity’ to harness people’s energy for the common good,” Goco said. “The principle of subsidiarity simply states that whatever action can be accomplished by individuals or subordinate bodies should be left to them and not subsumed by higher organizations.”

Advocates of subsi-diarity maintain that the most appropriate level for any given decision is the most local-possible one, provided that making the decision at this level does not negatively impact the greater common good.

The move for subsidiarity can further be explained by the group’s concept of “Pinatubo” or “community empowered national growth”, versus the present practice of “Pinatulo” or “trickled down development approach”, which generates mendicancy and dependency.

“We are working before the national elections next year to gather members who are committed to a vision and roadmap by the year 2020,” revealed Camara. “Good governance, zero corruption and the rule of law are hard to reach if our leaders don’t have a clear vision, solid values and a road map for our country.”

The FFP and SMI are currently advocating “Philippines Vision 20/20”, a clarity of vision, which seeks to build a constituency of 30,000 registered voters per congressional district.

This translates to roughly seven million voters. With this, a conference on renewing, restructuring and reinventing the Philippines from the ground up is being organized on April 24 among NGO/PO sectors at the Imperial Suites Hotel in Quezon City.

For more information, visit http://subsidiaritymovement.net or e-mail: info@bayannatin.net.

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