Land Tenure Group
Re: Governance, Transparency, and Social Transformation

Though many allegations against the credibility of Vice President (VP) Binay exist, it is the duty of the learned individual to actively scrutinize the contents of his speech without the presence of preconceived notions and biases. In this section, we shall deconstruct VP Binay’s talk on Governance, Transparency, and Social Transformation using two lenses: a noncontextualized view devoid of any prejudgments, and a contextualized view that takes into account the present and circulating rumors about the VP’s credibility.

The Noncontextualized View
If one should isolate the talk of the vice president and take it for what it is, then without a doubt there will be gems worth noting and treasures worth keeping. Strictly speaking, the talk itself was very enlightening and definitive. The vice president went over the things that are needed for sound governance, and provided relevant examples (i.e. the city of Makati) to better illustrate the point. He also glossed over the problems and pitfalls of the current administration and provided recommendations on what the next administration (viz. a Binay Administration) should implement. The following are the points and details stressed during the forum.
First and foremost, VP Binay started by stressing the importance of good track records as necessary qualifications for good governance. It is through these credentials that confidence is built between the governor and his constituents. Among the many parallels done by the Vice President was the inclusion of transparency in office, which he described as a “worthy premium” in leadership positions. He went on to discuss examples of these principles in action using his experience when he was appointed mayor after the events of 1986 by the late President Aquino.
How the many sectors of Makati developed under his leadership was taken special note, especially in the areas of healthcare, poverty reduction, labor and employment, and education. He proceeded to present his leadership advocacies as something all leaders should imbibe; that is, the qualities of transparency and accountability.
What made VP Binay’s talk definitive was when he exposed the little confidence the citizens had for their government. It was a positive remark and a very powerful one at that. It explains why policy is very difficult to implement in the country and why there exists a pervasive disbelief (perhaps an even irrational one at that) in the ability of the government to get things done. There is little that can be done to a nation crowded with disbelief. And this is where VP Binay’s talk turns full circle.
For in the end, it is not just sufficient to report figures on what is; rather, what is more necessary lies on the normative side of things. And in this VP Binay stressed the need for confidence-building measures, but as to what can be done specifically was not mentioned. Perhaps even leaders of his stature find it hard to think of suitable measures to increase the citizen’s confidence to their governments.
In retrospect, the talk provides a good glimpse into the mind of the vice president. And although it would be better to end the exposition with just this section, the Vice President’s talk would only be a mere a caricature of reality if the other side of the coin was not exposed.

The Contextualized View
In his talk, Binay discussed the various accomplishments he earned while serving multiple terms as Mayor of Makati City: an improved business climate, aggressive infrastructure development, and even the actual provision of social services. Apparently, like any politician dreaming for top government positions, the presentation of such achievements desires attention and votes.
However, Binay’s accomplishments are simply responsibilities of government officials, more so those who hold positions of leadership from the barangay to the national level. When they won seats of power, they swore under oath to provide services and public goods necessary for the people’s welfare.
As Binay may be boasting such accomplishments to present himself as an outlier government official, it is now for us to discern why government officials who serve the people are now in short supply rather than the norm.
While Binay’s main point was to present his track record as Makati mayor, the audience, meanwhile, weighed but found wanting his five-year office as the country’s vice president. His self-assessments on the agencies he headed as part of Aquino’s cabinet, mostly housing programs, were only described as generally corruption-free. More so, his programs of action regarding major policy decisions such as agrarian reform, peace talks, etc. were not very specific.
Of course, Binay’s anti-Aquino policy statements were called for, as he strives to create his own identity at the presidential race.
As the cracks within the Aquino administration became more evident with Binay’s imminent resignation from the Cabinet and the Senate investigations that followed, the Vice President has distanced himself from the current administration.
This was something that is expected from him, as he paves way for his presidential run. With the massive public discontent against the Aquino administration, it was politically wise for Binay and Grace Poe to decline offers from the Liberal Party and run as their stalwarts.
The talk, and the forum that followed, gave an avenue for him to explain and present his type of governance, that was different from the current administrations, but only left the audience wanting and in between a major political strife regardless of the people’s welfare.

The Response Binay's visit to UPLB created mixed reactions on how people, especially non-UPs, see UPLB students. At one side, the forum created an impression that UPLB students are as expected: courageous and fearless for being able to stand up for what they believe is right. They don't let themselves be taken as fools and slaves of the black propaganda of politicians. They proved that they know their business and they won’t turn blind eyes to politicians’ wrongdoings.
On the otherhand though, there are those who see UPLB students as rebellious. This is true especially to those who were not part of the UP system. In fact, there were those who even claimed that it is regretful where their taxes go, referring to the partly subsidized tuition fee of the UP students. They saw standing up for Binay as disrespectful, claiming that it was wrong of the students to think of it in the first place. They referred to UPLB students as 'mga mayayabang' and think of themselves at the top, belittling people around them.
Whether this was a result of their biases against UP students as a whole or they really believe it was foul to question the obvious false claim of the politicians, is remained to be proven but it seems their idea of standing up for your country is ignoring the problems and pretending to like the politician and talk of their foulness behind their backs instead, which is a proof of cowardice.
Either way, with Binay's eventful visit to UPLB, it is obvious that he'd be thinking twice before stepping his foot here again. This may apply to other politicians as well who'd think that they'd be able to buy UPLB students’ worth with their sweet words and insincere promises.
The event also proved how UPLB students apply their critical thinking skills and social awareness.