Norberto Gonzales And The Revolutionary Change
Written By Bernel Carredo
For most people in our country, when the word “revolutionary” is mentioned, the first thing that comes into mind is something that concerns an armed guerrilla uprising. Growing up in a family that associates the word “revolutionary” with rebellion (after years of watching television news), I have to admit that I followed the nation’s conventional view of the word. That perspective changed when I got to talk with former Secretary of National Defense and 2022 presidential candidate Norberto Gonzales.
Former Secretary Gonzales previously wrote about a “shift” to a “revolutionary mode of government” in the Philippines. He wrote about the mood of the government and its people to attain a revolutionary shift in government, saying that it would be for the benefit of the people and state alike. When asked what this “revolutionary government” is, he makes a clarification.
“No, I am not advocating for a revolutionary government,” Gonzales says. “‘Revolutionary’ means to change, not tied by traditions. Precisely, for example, when we say a revolutionary shift in [the] economy, it means the economy would be in the hands of many and not of few. Let me rephrase: a revolutionary form of governance, rather.”
Norberto Gonzales is a direct man who's calling for revolutionary reform. It’s not that it has to do with violence, as he said that he is strongly against it in any way during our interview. Rather, he is advocating for comprehensive changes that he thinks the nation needs for progress into the new era, such as a change in agrarian reform, the taxation policy, as well as a new look into diplomacy with Beijing.
On Food Sustainability
According to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, more than 1,700 metric tons of food are wasted every day, which contributes to the nearly 1 billion tons we waste globally every year. This food could have gone to families who are suffering from hunger; based on the results of a survey conducted last year, 4.8 million Filipino families said they experienced hunger due to the lack of food.
Regarding questions of food sustainability and waste, Gonzales believes that the first step into a sustainable nation is through the modernization and reform of the agricultural sector. “One of the key figures I’m thinking of when it comes to agriculture,” he says, “is modernizing it. And when [we] mean by modernizing, we mean managing [and] deliveries. These things [are things] that we should be very particular about.”
Furthermore, he believes that the reason why food is being wasted is that our standards of agricultural marketing are low and flawed. In response to this issue, he seeks to enlist experts once those reforms will be in place if he is elected president. “We are not only wasting food; we are also lowering the prices of the agricultural commodities because of wrong packaging and wrong transportation practices. I would let my experts look into this, and not just any experts. I want our agriculture to be marketed as first-class.
“We would look into the experience of the last two years. Yung pandemic, ang nangyare ay puro deliveries [During the pandemic, what happened was that there were many deliveries]. I have seen more efficient delivery systems, kaya pag-aralan natin yun [so we’re going to research that]. We’ll have meetings with the private sector about this,” he explained, seeking to test and enact changes into the agricultural outlook of the country in order for it to become “first-class.”
On Taxes And Agrarian Reform
“Let’s go major,” Gonzales says. Dalawang [two] forms of taxation: one, is on the use of land, two is on big businesses.”
Before outlining his idea for tax reform, he responds to the proposal of a “wealth tax,” a tax that imposes a 1% tax on entities whose taxable assets exceed P1 billion, 2% tax on assets exceeding P2 billion, and 3% tax on assets over P3 billion. It is a direct tax that aims to take more out from the rich and redistribute it towards the poor, which the Ka Leody de Guzman-Walden Bello tandem is proposing:
“I will not tax the rich the way some people are promoting it,” Gonzales said.
However, despite that statement, he points out that the rich need to be taxed one way or another. He plans to ask them to use their earnings to expand their business rather than towards the shareholders.
Norberto, as the leader of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP), joins in the 2002 Socialist International Asia-Pacific Committee Meeting alongside then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“This is what we will do: during this recovery period, we will ask the [rich businesses],” he suggests. “Kasi kung titingnan mo [Because if you look at the situation] during these pandemic days, the very rich actually earned a lot of money. About thirty percent more. So they were not affected at all by the pandemic. The smaller businesses suffered. We will ask the big businesses [that] instead of distributing their earnings to their shareholders, they can use it for expansion. If they use it for expansion, they will even have incentives. But if they decide to give their earnings to their shareholders, we will tax them.”
In the second form of taxation that he wants to amend, he first voices his thoughts on the current administration’s land reform program:
“I’m thinking, in the matter of agriculture, land use is very important. So, I would be questioning the [current] agrarian reform program […] the [current] agrarian reform [program] has destroyed [much] of our agricultural land, productive land.”
The agrarian reform of the current administration has focused on the reestablishment of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), which was first established in 1988. While the program had successfully distributed 516,00 hectares of land to around 405,000 farmers, it has been riddled with anti-peasant and pro-landlord provisions such as the “killer amendment,” which allowed landowners to arbitrarily decide who would be beneficiaries of the program.
He plans to give a concrete format for the reform, as he feels that the current program has caused more damage than monetary gain, not to mention the land-grabbing by the rich business when it comes to agriculture.
“What we will do is this: we will say that there is no limit to land area when it comes to agriculture. But if you get so much land and you don’t really develop it for agriculture, you will be taxed heavily.”
On Administrative Policy
While Gonzales does not favour a Philippine federal system of government, he supports a federal region composed of the Malay peoples, to be attained once our country develops from its current state.
“While I am not advocating for federalism for the country, I advocate federalism for the nation. Federalism is about countries getting together formally, like the United States of America … I thought, in the future, when we have matured politically, we can aspire to [pursue] what our hero Jose Rizal and other Malayan heroes [had thought of]. They were actually planning the unification of the Malay race.”
Furthermore, he would like to voice out the idea of every region of our country as an autonomous entity, following the example of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as a template for such a plan. BARMM was formed in the aftermath of the Moro conflict, concluding with the ratification of the Bangasamoro Organic Law in 2018. The BARMM has its own designated legislature, judiciary, and executive body while being integral parts of the state.
“In the country, I would like to declare all regions as autonomous. We are giving our Muslim brothers [the] privilege of autonomy. The problems that [plague] the Muslim communities are also found in different regions of the country. So why [is] regional autonomy only for the Muslims? Why not give it to all regions?”
Once in office, Gonzales aims to change the entirety of the Philippine political system. This change is manifested in the proper handling of our political processes, questioning why people change when they enter the current political system that we have.
“My experience in government, about a decade of service to the government, I have seen that what stops the nation from moving forward is actually our politicians. The way we conduct our politics. Why do young people, those who have passion for our country, change when they become politicians? We cannot have a political system that stops idealism. We cannot have a political system that stops nationalism. What we want is a political system that encourages, even strengthens these very important [values like] rationalism, patriotism, love of [country], all disappears when [we] enter a political system.”
“Corruption can be stopped by looking in our system,” Gonzales explains. “If we change the philosophy [of] governing public service, from mistrust to trust, it is one big step in eliminating corruption within the system,” he added.
On The Communist Insurgency
@NBGonzalesph (Twitter; November 4, 2021):
“…Peace negotiations in the ’80s; L-R: Nur Misuari (MNLF Chair), Butch Aquino (Brother of Ninoy Aquino), Jamalul Kiram (Sultan of Sulu), Me, and Mon Pedrosa (Peace Advocate)”
The communist insurgency in the Philippines sparks a question of internal security within the region. While the rebellion started in 1969, it is still ongoing and the concept of peace talks is not far from the table. However, peace-talks have been going on and off in the current administration, producing no significant breakthrough in the past years.
Gonzales, a former Secretary of National Defense under the Gloria Arroyo administration, believes that talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines are still essential in getting them to cease their uprisings in the country. He believes that everyone has a right to their own ideologies — even the communists, who are being viewed as terrorists in the country.
“You see, for example, may issue pa tayo ng red-tagging, diba? [We still have an issue with red-tagging, right?] Why are we red-tagging?
“You see, communism is not illegal in the Philippines; in fact, communists are protected. Every Filipino has the constitutional right to advocate their own ideologies and political beliefs.”
He then denounces the concept of an armed struggle, or in Maoist terms, a “People’s War,” which has been adhered to and conducted by the communist cadres of the New People’s Army since its open insurgency in 1969.
“What we are against is the uptake of armed struggle or armed violence,” Gonzales remarks.
“What we’re telling the communists today [is] that you don’t need the New People’s Army if you want to advocate communism … you can put up a political party or an association saying you’re a communist, nobody will arrest you; it’s not illegal, it’s even a constitutional guarantee.”
While Gonzales believes that the communists are protected by the state, he wonders why they should continue an armed struggle if they have nothing to fear in the first place.
“That’s why I’m sometimes wondering: what are the communists hiding? Why are they trying to keep secret [the fact that] they’re communist when they can be openly so? And they don’t need guns to assert their ideology on us. That is wrong. What is against the law is the use of violence in pursuing [constitutional and] societal change.
“So, for me, I will open the talks all the time, but I will be insisting on no more violence. There has to be a clear position on violence. No more. It’s not necessary for our country today to talk [about] violence for societal change.”e
When asked about the priority of the talks, Gonzales is adamant that this issue is as important as the administrative reforms. “The question is [...] whether they will lay arms or not. Whether they will demobilize or not. Those are, to me, the first issues to be tackled,” he explains, aiming to reason with them and if possible, to convince their military wings to disarm before embarking [on] cooperation with them about government policy.
On Beijing And Washington
Ever since the Duterte administration began, Manila has increased ties with Beijing, going as far as to encourage the Belt and Road Initiative, which is a global infrastructure investment strategy for 70 countries, and even to minimize the importance of the 2016 Hague arbitration ruling on the disputed territories.
Gonzales talks with Manila Bulletin during an episode of the newspaper’s “MB Hot Seat” interview series.
However, due to an incident that involves two Philippine boats being sprayed upon by Chinese vessels, relations have slowly cooled off, and Manila once again aligns itself with the United States.
“Whether we like it or not, no matter what we do, China will always be our neighbour. That’s an assumption,” Gonzales remarks when asked about his stances with the People’s Republic of China, which has assumed de facto control over the disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea.
He believes that the Chinese fundamentally do not want war unless it's about territory. He referenced the controversial One-Child Policy law that was enforced in China from 1980 until 2015. The One-Child Policy law restricted couples to only one child, arguing that it would be a precedent for a Chinese economic boom. Violators of the law would face harsh punishments and even forced abortions.
“I know that China does not want to go to war, especially these days when — I don’t know if it’s a mistake but [they had] their ‘One-Child Policy’ in the past. [It made] Chinese families only have one child. They do not want to lose their children. Why would they [want] to lose their children? They will be very careful when it comes to war. But when it comes to territory, I think China will go to war. That is what history tells us.”
For Gonzales, what is important in dealing with the issue is to show the Chinese that Filipinos are willing to defend their own lands, trying to earn the respect of their adversaries.
“But to me, what is fundamental is for us to be able to show to China first, that if they love their country, we also love our country. If they’re willing to go to war for their territory, we are also prepared to defend our territory.”
He strongly believes that the Chinese treat the Philippines as inferior because of the country’s current diplomatic stances, citing the long-time issue of Sabah with Malaysia.
“For example ... One of [Malaysia’s] leaders — the prime minister, has declared that they no longer support our claim to Sabah … I think we are losing the respect of other nations because of our stances and positions. We cannot say that just because China is big and powerful, we are already afraid to defend our territory.”
Furthermore, he implies that our stances are more defeatist rather than patriotic, calling for a patriotic show of force.
“And then what do we do? [When] we’re scared of China, we show it. [When] asked about how [we will] defend it [the West Philippine Sea], we run behind the Americans. The first thing we have to show is what we can do as a nation ... Americans are our friends, but even friends would like to see the [bravery] of their friends.”
On the other note, Manila’s ties with Washington soured early on in the Duterte administration. Citing hypocrisy, Manila aims to further ties with the Chinese and slowly cut off the Americans, going as far as to threaten to terminate the military-based Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which is crucial to Philippine-US relations.
However, due to the recent tension towards China involving the territorial dispute, the administration has circled back and rescinded the harshness towards the US, once again aligning Manila towards Washington.
When asked about his stances toward the Americans, Gonzales intends to further strengthen the bonds between Manila and Washington.
“Well, we would like to pursue close ties with all countries with the same political inclination, and the US is one of them. We have become close to the Americans already. Why change something that is already close? We are going to improve relations whose political orientations are similar to us.”
A Revolutionary Bid
Gonzales arrives at the University of Santo for CNN Philippines’ Presidential Debate.
Gonzales’ revolutionary ideas stem from different issues aside from those that were mentioned earlier, like his comment on the prospect of rehabilitation as a substitute for punishment in the penal system:
“Very important is the philosophy that governs crime is to show that crime is wrong. We go to extremes when it comes to punishment, focusing more on showing the crimes. The punishment should not be given focus because the goal is to go back to normal life.”
However, the biggest part where we can brand the label of “revolutionary” is his views on running in the 2022 elections. To start, he speaks out as to who his major opponents are in the campaigning race:
“Sometimes, when I’m asked who my major [political] opponent is, I say that I am actually opposing the political practice in the Philippines. That means [the] majority of politicians are my opponents.”
Furthermore, he gave strong response as to his chances of winning in the upcoming election despite his lack of experience in electoral politics:
“You see, as you have seen in our politics today, winning an election does not guarantee that you’ll do well in office. To me, the [most] important thing is being able to show that you can perform well in office. Elections, to be good at it, I would be cheating, lying, saying all kinds of stupid things, dancing, singing, all of those. The major issue [as to] why am I running is to precisely remove all of this nonsense.”
His direct answer as to why we should change the state of our electoral system is no different:
“What our electorate must look into is whether this particular person is capable of running [the] government well. The elections in other countries are nothing … It’s just [shading] a circle, putting a check. That’s all you do in that election. To us, we focus too much on the electoral process, which in our country today, is so shameful. I am very proud to tell you [that] I have not gone through those.”
Interestingly, he also admitted that he was felt a certain way by the final question, which was about if his bid for the highest position in the country was too far-fetched considering his lack of experience in electoral politics. When asked about running for the position despite the setback, he said this:
“You had me triggered because of your last question. I’m running because I believe [in] my ten-year experience in government. I have seen that our politics is ruining our good prospects [for] the future.”
Recommended Song: Revolutionary Road (End Title) - Thomas Newman
Images from:
Angie De Silva/PCIJ (Banner Photo)
Philippines Democratic Socialist Party (Socialist International Meeting)
Manny Llanes/Manila Bulletin (MH Hot Seat)
Marvin John F. Uy/The Varsitarian (CNN Philippines Debate)
Norberto Gonzales’ Twitter Page
