Peaceful transfer of power: Democracy’s defining element

ENDEAVOR

On June 30, 1992, the traditional ceremony of political succession will unfold at the Luneta. The last time it was done that way was in 1965. I shall be there with you to proudly witness the event. This is the glory of democracy, that its most solemn moment should be the peaceful transfer of power.

Thus ended the last State of the Nation Address delivered by President Corazon C. Aquino at the Batasang Pambansa on July 22, 1991.

On June 30, 1992, she passed on the reins of power to her duly elected successor, Fidel V. Ramos. On June 30, 1998, Fidel V. Ramos witnessed the inauguration of his successor Joseph Ejercito Estrada at the Barasoain church in Malolos.

Estrada was unceremoniously replaced as President by his then Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after the Armed Forces of the Philippines declared the withdrawal of their support from him as their Commander-in-Chief at a mass gathering at the EDSA shrine.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo accompanied her successor Benigno S. Aquino III to the Luneta grandstand for the latter’s presidential inauguration on June 30, 2010. Aquino III went to Malacañang Palace on June 30, 2016 to witness the inauguration of his successor Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Who will succeed Rodrigo Roa Duterte as the seventh President in the fifth Republic of the Philippines?

The answer is not as important as the manner in which the successor will be elected and installed. Peaceful transition of power is the key defining element of a vibrant democracy.

The ratification of the 1987 Constitution, prepared by members of the constitutional commission appointed by President Aquino, marked the start of the Fifth Republic of the Philippines. The Fourth Republic was from June 30, 1981 to Feb. 25, 1986. Recall that Ferdinand Marcos was elected President in elections held after the “paper lifting” of martial law earlier that year in time for the visit of Pope John Paul II. He defeated former defense secretary Alejo Santos.

The Third Republic lasted from July 4, 1946 – when the United States gave up its sovereignty over the Philippines – until Sept. 21, 1972, the official date of the declaration of martial law by Marcos. The Second Republic was from Oct. 14, 1943 to Aug. 17, 1945 during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. It ended after the surrender of Japan to the United States.

The First Republic – also known as the Malolos Republic – existed from Jan. 23, 1899 to March 23, 1901 marking the presidency of Emilio Aguinaldo. It derived its legitimacy from the enactment of its constitution in Malolos during the Philippine-American War.

Thus far, the Fifth Republic has equaled the record of the Third Republic in terms of the most number of elected presidents at six: Presidents Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos. The President who will be elected on May 9, 2022 will be the seventh in the Fifth Republic.

Presidents Roxas and Magsaysay died in office. Their vice presidents Quirino and Garcia, respectively, succeeded them and were subsequently elected to the presidency Hence, there were three in-person transitions from an outgoing elected president to the next in the Third Republic: from Quirino to Magsaysay (who served as his defense secretary); from Garcia to Macapagal; and from Macapagal to Marcos.

Thus far, under the Fifth Republic, there have already been four peaceful transitions: from Aquino to Ramos, from Ramos to Estrada, from Arroyo to Aquino III, and from Aquino III to Duterte.

Signficantly, the country has witnessed the most number of peaceful transitions during the Fifth Republic that came into being on account of the restoration of democracy after 14 years of martial law and dictatorship.
After the declaration of martial law, both houses of Congress were shut down. Then President Ferdinand Marcos, whose term of office under the 1935 constitution, was to have ended on Dec. 30, 1973, continued to serve, exercising both executive and legislative powers until he was removed from office on Feb. 25, 1986 following the EDSA People Power uprising. Recall that the tumult at EDSA was sparked by unrest about alleged massive cheating and terrorism in the snap elections.

Strengthening democracy remains an all-important imperative. While it has not yet been raised as an issue in the current election season, it could be taken for granted only at the nation’s peril.

Only last year, the US Capitol was stormed by an angry mob that hurt and killed people in an attempt to disrupt the certification – by a joint session of Congress – of the Electoral College victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the new president and vice president.

The Commission on Elections must ensure that the national and local elections are held in an honest, orderly and peaceful manner that would bring about a peaceful transition of power.

This is particularly challenging on account of the coronavirus pandemic that continually poses high risks in large portions of the country. While there is still time, the Comelec must step up preparations for the execution of contingency measures that will enable the citizenry to exercise their sovereign right to vote in a peaceful and orderly manner.