A Firm Foundation for Democracy : There’s Progress Amid the Philippine Turmoil, but America Must Help More

Those the world over who cherish freedom rejoiced several weeks ago at the survival of Philippine democracy in the face of an arrogant attempt by disaffected elements within the military to steal that prized possession from the Filipino people.

At the same time, this latest effort to overthrow the government of President Corazon Aquino, even though it ultimately failed, must trouble all those who gloried in the triumph of “people power” in the Philippines 1 1/2 years ago.

Had the attempted coup succeeded, it would have completely polarized the country, could well have led to a bloody civil war and clearly would have enhanced the prospects for a victory by the communist-dominated New People’s Army.

In the weeks since the coup attempt, much has been made of the alleged deficiencies of Aquino’s government. The military has criticized the president for not having an effective counterinsurgency strategy. The Roman Catholic Church has publicly chided the government for its failure to root out corruption. The business community has complained about the shortfall in foreign investment. “Cause-oriented” groups have charged that the government has not gone far enough in its program of agrarian reform. Landowners contend that the proposed land reform would be both unjust and counterproductive. Almost everyone deplores the government’s apparent inability to stem the rising trend of lawlessness and urban violence.

To a certain extent, these criticisms are the background music of democracy in a country that for almost two decades lived in the silent chamber of a dictatorship. Yet given the many difficult problems that Aquino inherited--including a $26-billion foreign debt, a population in which two-thirds lived in poverty, and a growing communist insurgency--it is important to recognize that not even the Messiah could have solved them all in 18 months.

Moreover, we must not allow the current turmoil in the Philippines to obscure the remarkable progress that has been made in the past year and a half. Under the leadership of President Aquino, a firm foundation for democracy has been laid.

A new constitution has been adopted. The most honest parliamentary elections in Philippine history have produced a new House of Representatives and Senate. And the establishment of an independent judiciary and a genuinely free press has completed the transformation of the Philippines from a one-man dictatorship into a vibrant democracy.

The re-establishment of democracy has been matched by a revival of the economy. In the last three years of the Marcos regime, the Philippines saw a 15% decline in per capita income. For the first half of this year, the economy achieved a 5 1/2% real growth. Moreover, the government has initiated a bold program of economic reform involving the dismantling of monopolies, the removal of protectionist barriers and the channeling of substantial governmental resources into the countryside. Finally, Aquino has committed her government to a comprehensive program of agrarian reform.

Not all Filipinos approve of these reforms. But military coups and armed rebellions have no place in a democracy. Rather than seeking to overturn the democratic system itself, those who are dissatisfied with the policies of the present government should work to change them through the peaceful democratic means that are now, for the first time in many years, available to them.

Make no mistake about it: the preservation of democracy is the single most important American interest in the Philippines. And while the survival of democracy will depend primarily on the Filipino people themselves, there are ways we can help to support the cause of pluralism in the Philippines.

We must continue to make it unambiguously clear to would-be conspirators that U.S. law requires an immediate termination of American aid if the democratically elected government of the Philippines is overthrown. We may not be able to prevent another coup attempt. But we can surely deprive potential plotters of any illusions about the consequences of a successful coup for U.S.-Philippine relations.

We should also put our money where our mouth is by quickly approving a new package of military and economic aid for the Philippines. Expanded military aid would enable the government to combat the insurgency more effectively while also giving the military a sense that the government is constructively responding to its institutional needs. A substantial increase in economic assistance would make it easier for the government to deal with the underlying problems of poverty and injustice that had led to the emergence of a communist insurrection.

It would be a tragedy if democracy failed in the Philippines. It would, however, be an inexcusable dereliction of our responsibilities if Philippine democracy failed because of our refusal to provide it sustenance in its hour of need.