Teddy Baguilat’s Worthwhile Fight
Written By Kheena Thrisia Ligas
When we started off our Zoom interview (on November 26th), former congressman Teddy Baguilat greeted me with a smile and apologized for being late for the interview. (He had a prior engagement before ours.)
He then asked for the topics that we would be discussing during the hour-long interview.
As I finished reciting the long list of issues affecting this country and ended my sentence with “only,” he gasped along with his secretary, Ms. Cel, who was also in the Zoom meeting.
“...Only?” he jokingly quipped.
Teddy Baguilat is a man of public service, serving as a Councilor (1992-1995) and Mayor (1995-2000) for Kiangan, then as the Governor of Ifugao (2001-2004, 2007-2010). He also spent nine years in the House of Representatives representing Ifugao’s lone district (2010-2019), passing bills such as The Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, The Sagip Saka Act, and R.A. 10878 (a law that gives Direct Credit Support to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries, Small Farmers, and Fisherfolks).
This year, he is vying for a seat in the Philippine Senate under the slate of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan, advocating for the rights of oppressed peoples — especially the indigenous groups of the Philippines. During my conversation with the former congressman, we discussed the current election campaign (and the controversies surrounding the slate he hails from), the state of Philippine democracy, and the issues facing the oppressed people he’s been fighting for throughout his years of service.
A Worthwhile Fight
To put it mildly, Baguilat's bid for the Senate is a longshot. In a tight race where only 12 out of 63 other candidates will get elected, it’s a challenge to win or to wage a national campaign, especially when you don’t have the fame or the money like other politicians and public figures.
But when asked why he still took the risk, he mentioned, “The Senate is supposed to be the representation of the national electorate.”
He also reiterated that even if ‘electorate representation’ is the purpose of the Senate, the current representation within the body only consists of the political and economic elites who cater mostly to their non-government friends in high places. He added that due to these current political limitations, it’s very hard to push progressive legislation; thus, he wants someone new to push for these laws through the lens of an indigenous person.
The hope that Teddy Baguilat has for the elections is clear, but the chances of winning his race may be bleary. As an archipelagic country whose local public officials mostly ally with the current Duterte administration, it adds more challenges to the campaign. Also, tactical alliances between the local and national politicians are very important because of the exchange of electoral resources and assistance, leading to a consolidated scheme of support from the national to local monopolies, and vice-versa. Hence, we see a large number of well-known politicians supporting the current administration to gain votes for themselves.
However, the opposition carries on through a crucial source of hope: the volunteers.
Baguilat at a campaign rally alongside Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Kiko Pangilinan, and fellow senatorial candidates.
What made the preparations more bearable and worthwhile, for me, is the shift of the political landscape to more volunteer-led or community-driven campaigns. In the current situation where Baguilat does not have a strong political machine or a multi-million pesos war chest that’s comparable to his fellow candidates, he leans on the passion and perseverance of his energetic grassroots supporters to keep his bid alive and well.
He told me about his time in Cavite with Robredo, Pangilinan, and other members of the Robredo-Pangilinan slate. He said he saw a sea of people wearing pink and expressed that the political atmosphere has drastically changed between 2016 and 2019.
“The big difference is that a lot are more engaged now. A lot of people were wearing pink with different designs.” He also talked about his experience interacting with the Leni-Kiko volunteers in the province; they shared their experiences of waking up early in the morning and preparing for the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem and slate’s arrival.
He also shared his experience in Cebu, where he said volunteers worked until the wee hours of the night just to set up the tarpaulins to welcome them. The volunteers even prepared two headquarters for Robredo, both of which are free of charge for her team to utilize.
Baguilat added that in a usual political setup, candidates are usually the ones who spend their own budget for preparations and campaigns. That setup doesn’t seem to fit the Robredo campaign.
“Right now, our electoral campaign relies on non-politicians, various sectors, rich and poor [...] So there are lawyers, accountants, engineers, lawyers, [the] urban poor. We’re even working on establishing [a] group of indigenous people,” Baguilat said.
“What we always feel is that they want to take a risk for the future of their children, for the future of their country, and they see these in the candidates that they support.”
Democracy (Don’t Let It Die in Darkness)
Baguilat at a proclamation rally in Sta. Maria, Laguna.
I asked Baguilat about the state of Philippine democracy, especially about our country’s elections and their legitimacy. Considering the current deficits our democracy suffers from, elections may only be a device to cloak the Philippines as a democratic country.
“Definitely, I think, Kheena, there is a need to change the culture of politics in the Philippines and it starts now, in this campaign.”
In terms of the electoral process, Baguilat believes that there are changes to be made. He mentioned substitution being used for political tactics even if the campaign period has not formally started, which makes the electoral process look and play like a circus.
“Actually, the only intent of the provision of Omnibus Election Code is substitution in case the candidate dies or if he/she is incapacitated and cannot campaign because of disability,” he added. The Omnibus Election Code was approved on December 3, 1985, and it governs the elections or the electoral process. It enumerates and explains the rules that should be followed during campaigns or elections.
Moreover, he added that the qualifications of nuisance candidates should be further studied and should not be based on someone’s capacity to wage a national campaign. Instead, he believes it should be based on one’s motive to run.
He mentioned candidates who initially ran for the presidential race but backed out, like Senator Bato dela Rosa and Senator Bong Go. Last year, Duterte ally dela Rosa filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) to run for vice president, but suddenly withdrew it. He said that he filed it because his party wanted to do so; it’s not a personal decision. Bong Go, also one of the senators close to the current president of the Philippines, also withdrew his candidacy for the presidency, stating that he only felt the “need” to follow the order of PDP-Laban too.
“For instance, Bato dela Rosa who withdrew his candidacy, never really intended to run. Also, Bong Go [withdrew his COC] and he did not really know what to do…”
What Baguilat also wishes to be changed is the current policy of incumbent senators who are not considered resigned from their position despite filing for the presidency or vice presidency even if they are not up for reelection yet. This is because this is a safe play to stay in power.
“I am also not in favour of the policy that lets incumbent senators who are not still up for reelection file for a national candidacy, because they are not automatically considered as resigned. If they run for the presidency or vice presidency and they lose, they will still be seated as senators. We have to change that policy. If you run for a higher position, you should not be able to go back to your previous position if you lose.”
While Baguilat still stands for the true representation of people in the Senate, he also pushes for the idea of “nuisance political parties” that are used as an electoral vehicle. Parties, as Baguilat said, should represent a certain set of core values or ideologies. However, Baguilat also said that there are already a lot of political parties that just suddenly emerge out of nowhere. He emphasized, “In most ‘advanced’ democracies, especially for parliamentary forms of government, they vote for this candidate because he/she is part of a political party that they believe in.”
“If you are not able to at least have at least 5% of your candidates win the elections, then you are a nuisance political party,” Baguilat suggested as a way to strengthen the political party system. For him, through delisting parties, regulation is made where these political parties regularly participate and have a firm identity. Moreover, he believes that if a party-list loses twice in the elections and gets delisted, political parties should face the same consequence too.
Moreover, when discussing political party identity, he added that these parties should uphold a particular ideology or set of core values such as a conservative party, a liberal party, a social democrat party, or even the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), explaining that the recurring themes of factionalism (“political parties within a political party”) or turncoatism (a politician’s act of party affiliation) in the country are not providing electorate choices based on ideas and platforms.
Addressing The “Dilawan” Label
While Baguilat’s push for legitimate representative democracy is going to take tremendous effort, supporting and being part of his political party, the Liberal Party, is also a political challenge. Most notably is the “Dilawan” label placed on the Liberals, which is an insult initiated and perpetuated by President Rodrigo Duterte to win the 2016 elections.
For context, “Dilawan” means a person who comes or supports the Liberal Party or any of its candidates. According to Professor Patricio Abinales from the University of Hawaii, Duterte used the term as leverage to persuade the masses emphasizing that “Dilawans” are the elites and the oligarchs who failed to sympathize with the masses.
This label is used as an insult as it highlights the discontentment of Filipinos with post-EDSA governance, from the outrage that erupted in response to the Mendiola Massacre during Corazon Aquino’s administration to the criticism of the lack of government assistance to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban during Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III’s presidency. Yellow, the colour which “Dilawan” was derived from, was the colour of the Liberal Party, the political party which PNoy Aquino was the standard-bearer.
When asked how Baguilat responds to this ‘insult’, he responded with, “Woah, that’s a long story.”
He then mentioned that “the genesis of Dilawan is the time of Ninoy. Ninoy and Cory’s colour [was] yellow. In fact, to be technical about it, Cory wasn’t [part of the] Liberal Party, but she was supported by Liberal Party.”
Although the Aquino family are significant figures in the Liberal Party, the party itself is also composed of prominent individuals and groups like current Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Florencio "Butch" Abad, and the Roxas family.
“Of course, as politicians, we’re not necessarily yellow when it comes to our political colour, but the colour did stick because of Ninoy, Cory and PNoy.
“So that insult was what they used [to hurt] Mar Roxas (the Liberals’ presidential candidate in 2016); that all the problems of Filipinos are somehow connected to the Liberals or the Aquinos; and therefore, they are ‘Dilaw.’”
However, Baguilat mentioned how the Duterte administration’s penchant to link the Aquinos to inefficiency or the country's oligarchs has affected the Liberal Party. Baguilat added, “Everything that’s bad, as far as the Duterte administration is concerned, was connected to the Dilaw, to the Aquino Legacy, to the Liberal Party.”
He explains that as someone who organizes political chapters for the Liberal Party, it was very challenging for him because they usually encounter the “Dilawan” insult; some people would say “Ah, you’re from Dilaw. You guys are the reason why our country is suffering.”
Nonetheless, Baguilat said that he embraces the colour dilaw. “For me, I embrace the colour dilaw. Dilaw or liberalism stands for freedom, tolerance, preferential attention to the poor.”
Baguilat with Senator Risa Hontiveros, Chel Diokno, Sonny Matuila, Regine Velasquez, Alex Lacson, and Ogie Alcasid at the Pasay City rally.
However, in the current political arena, Robredo’s slate already embraces the colour pink, thus their supporters being called “Kakampinks”, as it is Robredo’s current political colour.
While they embrace the change in branding, Baguilat said, “We should not forget the legacy of those who really stood against this administration during the dark years. There were ‘Dilawans’ who stood like Senator Leila De Lima; like us in House of Representatives, members of [the] Magnificent Seven, who fought for our freedom, against [the] Terror Act, against extrajudicial killings.”
The United (Yet Divided) State of The Robredo Slate
At A Campaign Commercial Shoot
(From Left To Right: Alex Lacson, Teddy Baguilat,
When Robredo announced the initial eleven individuals who got included in her senatorial slate, many questioned its cohesiveness. It seems to be rather strange to expect, for instance, former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes and former vice president Jejomar “Jojo” Binay” to work together considering their checkered relationship, to say the least. Also, critics wonder about the extent of working with other politicians who have a history of red-tagging like Senator Trillanes, or politicians who actively supports the son of the dictator for Presidency, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for the sake of “unity” like Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri.
This led me to ask what his “non-negotiable” principles or agreements are regarding their slate.
Baguilat had a hard time answering the question as he paused for a couple of seconds.
After the silence in the Zoom call, he exuded a burst of laughter, paused, and said, “Actually, I also have questions…But okay, at the end of the day, you have to win, but not without compromising too much of our principles…”
“We also resolved our personal questions and problems,” Baguilat claimed, citing political prisoner and senator Leila de Lima as an example, who forgave fellow Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon, a senator who took part in her persecution.
De Lima was prosecuted for allegedly being linked to illegal drugs and being in an accused relationship with her own married driver. She confirmed that she had a romantic relationship with her ex-driver.
Gordon replaced De Lima for the position of the chair of the Justice and Human Rights Committee in the Senate.
Gordon also accused de Lima of hiding crucial information regarding the ex-hitman Edgar Matobato, a former member of the Davao Death Squad (DDS) who confessed to witnessing President Duterte kill eight times. Though, in Matobato's confession, he did not mention de Lima concealing this so-called information. De Lima is still not convicted but is still currently detained. She was acquitted of one out of three drug cases on February 17, 2021.
He also mentioned that there is also a lingering uncertainty about the guest candidates in their slate, but reiterated that what is important is that these candidates support Robredo and Pangilinan’s presidency and vice presidency and their platforms despite the differences in their opinions.
“Right now, my non-negotiables are: ‘If you campaign for Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan, hopefully, you also campaign for the platforms that we bring.’”
An Eco-Friendly Economy
Most people think that when you defend ancestral lands, you are blocking economic growth. Baguilat said that there should be a sustainable and environment-friendly Economic Recovery Plan. He supports unemployment insurance and the promotion of green jobs: “We need a recovery plan that’s greener, more environment-friendly, and more inclusive not just for the people now but also for the future generations.”
Baguilat mentioned several platforms and ideas for the economy that citizens do not usually hear from political elites, which include reforestation programs managed by local communities or IPs, green technologies and businesses, and cleaner and safer types of energy.
He mentioned that the country is very much dependent on coal, which is an idea corroborated by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. According to the Institute, as of 2021, coal contributes to 57% of the country’s power.
Baguilat said that the shift to wind, solar, and micro-hydro renewable systems should be gradual since once it is immediately implemented, brownouts would occur since the Philippines is mostly reliant on coal for energy.
“You can’t have a vibrant economy if you don't have a healthy environment,” he declared.
Improving Mental Health Programs
I asked further about the Mental Health Act that passed in 2018. Despite its passage, Filipinos, particularly the youth, are struggling to cope with their struggles. Students experience various struggles in the online setup, but they cannot seek therapy due to its expensive cost and mental health stigma. According to the Department of Health in 2018, after the Mental Health Act was passed, “only 5% of the healthcare expenditure is directed toward mental health. Also, there are only 7.76 hospital beds and 0.41 psychiatrists per 100,000 people.”
Baguilat said that the public and private health sectors should work in promoting the idea that health is not only physical but also mental. “There are those who work in the bureaucracy that have mental health problems. Does that mean they are crazy? No. It means they are depressed or stressed out.”
Unlike the current administration that sees the drug problem as a mere drug problem, Baguilat acknowledges that this addiction is a mental health problem. “Addiction is classified as mental health. Whether it's cocaine, shabu, or alcoholism — that’s a mental health problem.”
He also said that the Philippines lacks resources and mental health practitioners. “In one briefing, I think there are only about 400 clinical psychologists or psychiatrists addressing the mental health needs of 110 Filipinos.”
He thinks that mental health hotlines should have more resources to give mental health counselling and that the Department of Education should have the capacity to give mental health support to the children and the educators because they are also stressed out or they might be grieving a death of a loved one.
The Loyal Opposition
Baguilat at a mural signing with the Siniloan Youth for Leni-Kiko.
All of Baguilat’s platforms are progressive. However, as he mentioned, the government is filled with political and economic elites who may not care for platforms like his, only catering to their own selfish needs. This led me to my last question: How will you navigate and stand firm with your principles considering these challenges?
“I've been doing it for the past 30 years. I tried being part of the administration and being part of the opposition. It’s really a matter of what you stand for,” he answered.
Baguilat was part of the Liberal Party when Benigno Aquino was the president. Although one can assume that Baguilat was sympathetic and supportive of the Aquino administration, that didn’t mean he was always in lockstep with his party’s leader.
Baguilat mentioned that there were some issues that he disagreed with the administration and he spoke his mind about it.
“The role of the legislator is to provide check[s] and balance[s] to the executive. It is very important to have an independent mind,” he said.
He added further that even if he is part of Robredo’s slate, he will still speak up if he sees something wrong in the government.
“If Robredo wins and we see something wrong in the administration, it is also our duty as legislators to say if there is a problem.”
Baguilat also described the challenges the Liberals now face as part of the opposition. “It’s very hard. They bash and troll us; they removed us from the committees in Congress; they removed our funds. However, you are in public office not just to help your constituents but also to fight for the truth.” As a graduate of journalism, he emphasized that the search for the truth is important as a journalist.
He ended the interview and stood firm with his values. “It's your duty to be able to express criticism against the government that allows corruption to continue, that disregards the rule of law and due process not only in drug-related cases. It is important to be consistent in your belief, [because] as a liberal, freedom and democratic values are very important.”
Recommended Song: Fearless (Tayor’s Version) - Taylor Swift
Images from Teddy Baguilat’s Facebook Page
