A tale of two movements

CIVIL-society organizations come in all shapes and sizes, but perhaps the most important attribute to distinguish them from each other is partisanship. While it is a given that these organizations are politically active, they could choose to be partisan or non-partisan.

The Movement for Good Governance (MGG) is a non-partisan organization that aims to provide a point of convergence for the diverse reform efforts across the country. Dr. Milwida Guevara, a leader of the movement who spoke at a roundtable discussion organized by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility last January 15, describes the group as a move to bring together the “little pockets of hope” across the country.

In the past, the organization had advocated for the Open Election System and participated in citizen information campaigns (coming up with the character “Juana Change”). Today the group is working on developing a scorecard system, a criteria that voters could use to choose candidates in the upcoming elections. It is also involved in efforts to ensure that the automated election system that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) hopes to implement for the upcoming polls works correctly.

The Change Politics Movement, meanwhile, is an actively partisan organization. Former social welfare secretary Dinky Soliman, one of the leaders of the group, explains that while non-partisan political engagement from the periphery is important, it is not sufficient to produce the necessary reforms.

The organization advocates “active citizenship in the political arena” for its members and plans to be part of the non-traditional campaign of its endorsees, even as it seeks to influence the behavior and agenda of the political campaigns.

Change Politics members went through deliberations and a primary process to come up with the group’s endorsements of Noynoy Aquino for president, Mar Roxas for vice-president, and Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Franklin Drilon, and Grace Padaca for senators. Padaca, the governor of Isabela province, has since announced that she is no longer considering a Senate run.

Both MGG and Change Politics acknowledge the importance of having active participation of partisan and non-partisan organizations in the process. Guevara and fellow MGG member Ernesto Ordonez even admit that some MGG members have since joined partisan groups to campaign for certain candidates. These members, though, have had to leave the MGG so that it could preserve its status as a non-partisan group.