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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Magdalo and Marianito By Antonio C. Abaya Written Jan. 29, 2006 For the Standard Today, January 31 issue My article �Magdalo: Mission Improbable?,� (Jan. 24) drew some reactions which I would like to quote from and/or react to myself. Juan Deiparine wrote from Toril, Davao City: �Those so-called Magdalo soldiers make me weep. If these are the �cream of the crop� of officers in the Philippine military, we have really deteriorated far down the abyss. �These people simply mouth clich�s and motherhood statements. Nothing new or insightful in what they have to say. They sound like schoolchildren who have memorized a declamation piece by rote. Their spiel may have its dramatic and stirring moments, but it is so obviously programmed and rehearsed. And oh so boring! What they say doesn't come from the heart, and it shows. �Their Kuya Gringo, who has recently ventured out of his bonsai garden, has come out spouting his sophomoric philosophies on TV. He must have buried himself in some library these past few months and recently discovered Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche. He speaks of national salvation with the messianic zeal of one who recently discovered religion. Von Clausewitz has now been replaced by Engels. To paraphrase Holden Caulfield: What a phony! Junior Kilat makes more sense than this guy. At least Junior Kilat is being himself��.� My reply. On the other hand, I must reiterate my belief that, individually, most of the Magdalo and other discontented military officers are fired by a genuine sense of patriotism and a desire to do something for their country. It is their misfortune (and ours) that Philippine society, in its present state of aimlessness, can offer them only someone like Kuya to believe in, who rented out their idealism to Erap in 2003, as he rented out the idealism of the RAM in 1987 to Enrile, and in 1989 to Danding. Ageing mercenaries never die, they just keep on looking for other paymasters. Kuya himself is undoubtedly imbued with patriotism, though in his case it seems to be mixed with a heavy dose of Napoleonic ambition and messianic megalomania. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. But in order for him to achieve his immediate goal, i.e. the seizure of state power, he needs the money of wealthy politicians, whose own personal goals will naturally have to override his own, at least temporarily, until he feels strong enough to betray them to pursue his real personal agenda. His current dalliance with the communists, through Boy Morales� junta or transition council, is driven by the same need to have allies in his drive to seize state power. But sleeping with the communists is even worse than sleeping with the trapos. It is the surest way to alienate the middle class, the business and professional communities, and the foreign and domestic investors, without whose political support and financial investments no post-coup government and economy can survive for long. It would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. During the commercial break last Wednesday in Dong Puno�s TV program on ANC, we were talking about a coup scenario. Someone interjected that the Magdalo officers daw will not align themselves with Erap and the communists but are looking daw for other civilian groups to whom they will hand over power if and when their coup succeeds. If true, this is an even worse scenario. We are asked to believe that the Magdalos will seize power without knowing to whom they will hand over that power. Imagine the chaos, the confusion, the uncertainty, the inevitable pushing and shoving for favored positions, the horse-trading and the outright bribery for a slot in the junta, that will mark the moment after victory. From the frying pan into the fire into the garbage can. It is more logical to assume that Kuya and the Magdalos have already decided which civilian group will make up the post-coup �transition council,� and, from where I sit, that can only be Boy Morales� junta, with the benign weakling Renato de Villa up front, but effectively controlled by Kuya and the communists. ***** Carl Cid M. C. Inting wrote in from Cebu City: Events in the Middle East and South Asia this year will affect us much more than we think. The Iranian defiance on the nuclear plant and Israel's typically paranoid reaction should unfold into more than just mere brinkmanship. Then, there is Hamas wresting control of the Palestinian homeland. Oil prices should be even more volatile this year, putting our economy right back into the front burner. By that, I mean that our economy should be getting FVR's famed "bibingka" treatment. Not a pleasant prospect to look forward to��. In the end, the economy makes or breaks us. For all of Ninoy Aquino's fabled martyrdom, it could not have resulted in EDSA were it not for the 1983 IMF default and the resulting economic firestorm that ensued. With the peso at 1/3 of it's former value (from about P7/$1 to more than P20/$1) and interest rates at over 50%, the middle and upper classes were economically singed. Fixed income and wage earners immediately lost 2/3 of their purchasing power. Businesses could not make ends meet with the sky-high interest rates and tight monetary policies. The situation was unbearable. No wonder Makati became ground zero for the protest movement and was soon filled with the yellow confetti that rained from the high-rise offices�� So, Gringo Honasan and his pedantic band of dwarves can spew all the pretentious rhetoric that they want. They are of no consequence in the current hierarchy of contingent events. Like most of us, Gringo and company will just be bystanders, certainly in no position to take the mantle of leadership in these perilous times. In the end, what happens in the Middle East will have more bearing on our future than this band of self-styled saviors. So why bother with them? My reply. I agree that Hamas and Iran threaten the stability of the Middle East and the global economy and, by extension, our own economy, because of our dependence on Middle East oil. But I would put that threat in the medium term (six to 24 months). The possibility of a military revolt or mutiny, by the Magdalo or some other group, is more immediate (one to six months). To ignore it would be foolish. ***** In my article on the Magdalo, I had made a side comment as follows: ��.But the coded message never arrived. Instead, I received daily prayers from one Marianito Hernandez, who despite seven requests from me to turn off the spiritual spigot, persisted in his daily efforts to sanctify me. I finally found a way to shut him up. Every time he sent me a prayer, I sent him the most vivid pornography in living color. He finally got the message that his focused (on me) display of piety was not welcome�..� The sanctimonious Marianito finally responded, with, what else, another prayer, this time in verse, which ended with a malediction as follows:: Cursed is a man who trust in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD. God's love endures forever, His mercy is from ages to ages. To which I immediately replied: �So why don't you stop sending me your unwelcome and unsolicited prayers? The gentlemen's rules of the Internet, now backed by US federal law, say you may send whatever you want to send only to those who agree, implicitly or explicitly, to receive them. When a recipient explicitly asks you - as I have, seven times already - to stop or unsubscribe, YOU MUST STOP OR UNSUBSCRIBE. Don't you understand English? Don't you know how to follow rules?� For good measure, I added my first attempt at verse since college days: Cursed is the twerp who thinks he is Santa's little helper.... who annoys his neighbors with his pathetic bleating whose ears are to their entreaties numb. Like an obnoxious jeepney driver who blares his stereo loudest, forcing all to hear his unwelcome singing. May Vulcan's lightning strike him dumb! We must respect each other�s religious beliefs and not arrogantly presume that other people want or need our unsolicited help in living out their spiritual lives. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |
| Reactions to �Magdalo and Marianito� Tony, Re: Your internet encounters with Marianito I agree with you entirely that people should behave according to good, socially acceptable norms even when they communicate via the internet. But why do we have to continually rely on US laws to insist that people do the right thing as in when you said "now backed by US federal law ". Aren't our laws good enough? Besides, granting that US federal law backs so and so, what does that prove and what does that make of our own laws? Does that imply that our laws in our own homeland become subservient to the might and power of US laws when it comes to the crunch? Am a bit perplexed - we like to call ourselves an "independent" nation with its very own "rule of law" yet between themselves, most Filipinos (this does not only refer to you) of a certain educational level still refer to US laws and not to Philippine laws to make a simple statement. Just want you to know that I liked your poetic retort. Have sent a copy to my 15-yr old daughter who is a 'budding' poet and who like you, gets back at people by writing and speaking to them in verse: Cursed is the twerp who thinks he is Santa's little helper.... who annoys his neighbors with his pathetic bleating whose ears are to their entreaties numb. Like an obnoxious jeepney driver who blares his stereo loudest, forcing all to hear his unwelcome singing. May Vulcan's lightning strike him dumb! Anna de Brux, [email protected] Belgium, Jan. 27, 2006 Thanks for pointing this out, Ana. As long as Filipinos do not give themselves credit and not ccntinue to act like the slaves that they must still think of themselves even after more than half a century of the Philippines becoming a republic, they deserve what they get---a mediocre and a cheat for a president! When Japan admitted defeat and surrendered in 1945, and the Allied Forces occupied it with MacArthur as the Supreme Commander, the Americans made sure that Japan would have laws based on US laws with a US-tailored Constitution that made japan dependent on US defense for its protection against Russia, China and even Korea, but in time, the Japanese have learned to adjust to the armament-less Constitution and to make US-tailored Japanese laws fit for the Japanese mind by incorporating a lot of Japan's unwritten when they revised them on the pretext of rewording the laws to make them easier to understand, and prevent more complicated interpretation of the laws, something like a Japanese car with US copied technology but miniaturized to fit Japanese garages and parking lots ala-Bonzai! It's different from how Filipinos would try to pretend they are are big as the Americans so that whatever the Americans have, they want to have even when a refrigerator cannot fit a barong-barong! Everything American is copied, even forms like birth certificates in the Philippines are copied from those in the US. In fact, people here ask why there is that column in the birth certificates of Filipinos indicating race when they all belong to the same race, and why not just say, Filipino race instead of saying "Brown"which sounds/looks ridiculous when translated into Japanese. In Japan, you're either a Japanese or a foreigner, and you get separate registrations. Talk of a sense of pride of their race getting heywired! Yuko Takei, [email protected] Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 31, 2006 MY REPLY. No need to raise nationalist hackles, ladies. The only reason I included that phrase about US federal law on the use and abuse of the Internet is the fact that Marianito operates from the US and is therefore subject to US laws. There is no comparable law in the Philippines wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, You are correct in pointing out that the peril to our economy resulting from high energy prices due to the unstable Middle East situation is a medium-term threat, not a short-term one. However, the threat of terrorism resulting from that instability remains a day-to-day concern. George Bush and his neocons are losing the war for the hearts and minds of most of the world, while Al Quaeda still continues to taunt the world powers. Reports also indicate that Jemaah Islamiyah has mutated, with another terrorist group called "Tandzim Qoedatul Jihad" coming forward to be recognized. On the other hand, I am not so sure if Gringo Honasan and his boy scouts have the capability of overthrowing the government in the short term. Of course, the Commuinists are now piggy-backing on the latest Magdalo temper tantrum, boasting of a possible marriage of convenience between the AFP, which is the guardian of the nation, and the Communist movement, which is the scourge of both the nation and the AFP. And to fan the flames of intrigue, Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casi�o gleefuly proclaims how disgruntled members of the police and the military are reaching out to "people's organizations" (meaning the Communists) to get support for their grievances. Not to be outdone, the loony Rex Robles adds fuel to the fire by naively suggesting that the military and the Communists share a common agenda, which is "the search for a good life" (Robles' own words). Not that Robles is entirely wrong. The systemic corruption in the AFP is proof that soldiers are searching for a good life - even if they have to steal for it. And the Communist movement has not been spared from its own contradictions, either. While the Communist leaders live the good life in exile, cadres risk life and limb to carry out the insurgency. No wonder that the Communist movement also has its share of corruption and is involved in criminal activities like extortion, banditry, illegal logging and smuggling. These cadres also want to live the good life, as Joma and Co. do in Utrecht. But it is more than a stretch to say that the Communist movement is in search for a good life for all Filipinos. Actions belie words and glib sloganeering. The Communist movement's actions, ever since its inception, have been aimed at setting back all progress and development in this country. The Communists want the masses to sink further into destitution and hopelessness because this promotes their sinister aim of establishing a proletarian dictatorship. They want to fan the flames of envy and discontent in order to spur class warfare. And history has shown that, far from promoting the good life, Communism has only hindered progress and democratized poverty. Russia, China and the Central and Eastern European countries are proof of that. That is why they all have now embraced capitalism. Rex Robles must have been gazing at his navel far too long and, in the process, a few screws in his head have come loose. But, in the final analysis, you are correct, Mr. Abaya. The Filipino people will never buy a Communist takeover. Filipinos are only too aware that Communism is a discredited ideology and that Communism goes against long-cherished Filipino values that place self and family above the state. But that does not preclude a situation of civil strife and anarchy. EDSA III was a very minor preview of what can happen when the embers are fanned and order breaks down. It happened recently in France and it happened a few years ago in Indonesia, just before and after Suharto's downfall. True, the conditions may not be exactly the same. But substitute class for religion, and you may still have the same combustible elements in the mixture. If you throw in the volatile elements of terrorism and economic hardship, we have a potentially explosive situation, indeed. In the meantime, China has had almost 10% growth in 2005 and India is fast gaining momentum. They are presently the talk of the financial fora and the darlings of the economic world. While that may be good news for the economy at large, that will only mean greater energy and food consumption from these two giants. Since we are self-sufficient in neither capacity, this will only mean greater inflation for us and more hardship for the man in the streets. Although this also opens up windows of opportunity, are we in a position to take advantage of these opportunities? If we wanted to "search for the good life" for all our countrymen, these are the things we should be doing, instead of wasting time and saliva on motherhood statements and empty rhetoric. Carl Cid S.M. Inting , [email protected] Cebu City. Jan. 31, 2006 P.S. On the subject of showy religiosity, I totally agree with you. It is a big turn-off. Religion, like sex, is best enjoyed in privacy. Unless one were an exhibitionist. Or a hypocrite trying to show off. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Thank you for making my day... or should I say making my night. Here are my reactions: 1. Re: the Magdalos I totally agree with you when you say that these not so young men are driven by a strong sense of patriotism. Patriotism is a word that no longer exists in the minds or hearts of many Filipinos, specially the young generation. I hope I am mistaken but this perception is based on my interactions with my college students for the past ten years. If the Magdalos can be misled as they are being misled now, can you imagine what our supposed 'future leaders' will be like? God bless our country. Pupulutin na lang tayo sa impyerno! 2. Re: Marianito I am saddened by his misdirected zeal. Persons like him are precisely the reason why a lot of people, again mostly the young, get turned off from God and prayers. Most of our young people have no appreciation for the spiritual (not religious) dimensions of life. Congratulations for giving it to him. But as you yourself asked...does he understand English? Or should your question have been 'Do you have the capacity to understand?' Millet Castro, [email protected] Faculty, Assumption College, Jan. 31, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww For me, these people are merely ambitious, not patriotic. They love the Philippines because it is their homeland. As I notice, Filipinos love the Philippines, but they don�t love the Filipinos. It seems we always envy each other. Anong sakit ba meron tayo, sir? Alexander Carranceja, [email protected] Kuwait, Jan. 31, 2006 MY REPLY. Siguro, yung sakit ng pagka-ulila. Since the death of Magsaysay, Filipinos have not had a leader whom all, rich and poor alike, could genuinely believe in and love. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tocayo...you ARE the best talaga. Will Gemma tape the interview with you? Or perhaps I can ask one to record the interview for me. Keep up the good work for the country...and the only thing I think needed is a set of blueprints to implement the ideas you have put forth. This can be done by an action group who believe in you - preferably composed of youth. Tony Joaquin, [email protected] Daly City, California, Feb. 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear sir, There is no doubt that the predators populating the Philippine political landscape have turned the country into a very primitive wilderness where each preys on one another for territorial dominance. The dog-eat-dog rule has outweighed civilized behavior as the quest for money and power becomes the sole objective of most of those involved. It has therefore become difficult for the people to thresh out grain from chaff as many in the opposition are driven by their own personal agenda. Those with questionable motives find it opportune to join (and therefore pollute) those with legitimate objectives as they rise up against their common enemy, (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her ilk). The same is true with the military and the police forces. But a "marriage of convenience," among some in the opposition, a few in the military, and the communist elements, once they got to power would only bear "children" of doom that would bring the nation from the frying pan to the fire to the ash heap of history.. Legitimate gripes in the armed services have been brewing due to the rampant corruption and favoritism in the higher echelons. There may be idealistic and patriotic ones among the junior officers but we are naturally wary because of the uncertainty of finding which ones to trust the fate of this nation. The two People Power revolutions could not have succeeded without the participation of the military and the police. So, let us give some elements the benefit of the doubt. Ramon Mayuga, [email protected] Essen, Germany, Feb. 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Ask somebody to make a Filipino version of the movie The Gang that Could not Shoot Straight, that is the Magdalo. Ross Tipon, [email protected] Baguio City, Feb. 02, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reaction to �The Sicilians of Asia� (Aug. 07, 2005) Dear Sir: As an incentive to read the novel THE LEOPARD, it may be of interest to know that the NEW YORK TIMES Reading Group has selected it to be discussed in February: (After clicking on link below, scroll down the page a bit) http://www.nytimes.com/ref/readersopinions/reading-group-picks.html N. Abu, February 02, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reaction to �Magdalo: Mission Improbable� (Jan. 24, 2006) Revolution? Ever since we always have a revolution against the Spaniards and Americans. Against Marcos, against Joseph, even against Aquino. But still what happened to our country? What we need is not to change the leaders, we need all Filipinos to change. Siguro nasa ugat na natin ang pagiging corrupt. Lahat na may hangaring maganda when still don�t have the power. Pero pag hawak parang sakit sa dadaoo sa katawan nila. Pinalayas natin ang Americano pero lahat na pilipino gusto sa America even the descendants of those fight who nagainst American and Japanese. Now let all think about it, sir. Kayo ba Sir, if you become a leader can you guarranty you will be an honest leader.? Ayaw natin ng cha cha, ano ba talaga ang dapat. Subok na natin lahat, ano pa ang hindi natin nasusubukan. Alexander Carranceja, [email protected] Kuwait, Jan. 31, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww At 06:01 PM 1/26/2006, you wrote: So, what is the solution, David? Tony Tony- I wish I knew, or even had a clue. Indeed, at least part of the reason that I have several times started writing my research on Estancia, Iloilo, as my window on the Philippines - and then ground to a halt because the story was so depressing. It�s a country with many many wonderful people - and there are many I regard as good and close friends. There are also (if I may) scattered "points of light." But the overall system and the political dynamics lead me to despair. Your exchanges with Marianito Hernandez makes what I am about to ask seem all the more improbable. But is there any chance at all that some new forms of social and moral (and political) leadership could come from some new collaboration among the country's churches?? Most Filipinos are in one way or another deeply religious. And large numbers of Protestant and Catholic leaders, priests, ministers, nuns, and lay people, working together, played a major role in bringing down Marcos. Is there any chance at all they could be mobilized to collaborate once again on reconstructing and re-directing the country?? I know it�s a long-shot, but I don't know where else to look. David Szanton, szanton@berkeley. Edu Durban, South Africa, Feb. 01, 2006 MY REPLY. Any makeover has to come from the middle class, and it has to be secular in orientation. And we have to deviate, even temporarily, from American-style liberalism. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reaction to �FVR Blinked� (Jan. 17, 2006) Tony, In a previous article, you wrote that one of the things to be done is to get rid of the political dynasty families. HOW DO YOU PROPOSE TO DO THIS ... besides exterminating them completely? Roger Olivares, [email protected] Jan. 31, 2006 MY REPLY. There is at least one bill gathering dust in Congress that calls for the dismantling of political dynasties, as mandated in the 1987 Constitution. But it has been shelved because the political dynasts in power do not want their power diminished or eliminated. That is why it is useless trying to amend the Constitution with the political dynasts in place. They will always do everything to protect and preserve their fiefdoms. Only a revolutionary government can remove them from power. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reaction to �Leftist and Communist� (Oct. 18, 2005) I found your article "Leftist and Communists" disgusting to the core especially upon knowing thay you have been a member of kabataang makabayan. Yeah, I agree with one of the reactors that your stints during those days were just for kicks as you failed to really understand the essence of commumism. I asked my father once why does communist insurgency still persist in this country despite the fact that its leaders like joma and jalandoni are no longer in the country. My father's answer was simple yet profound, " the 'cause' has been planted in the hearts of the masses; a cause which they continually nurture when they realized that this 'cause' is actually their own, communism does not depend on its leaders, it depends on the people. Leaders will come and leaders will go and until it becomes a reality, the vision for a classless society will continue". I am not a communist but I hope someday I too, would be able to unconditionally embrace and selflessly give myself for the cause of the people like they do. Real communists have my utmost respect. Fetia Villaruel, [email protected] Banate, Iloilo, Jan. 31, 2006 MY REPLY. And I find your naivete not only disgusting but also pathetic. You and your comrades are infatuated with a Theoretical Ideal that does not exist, and has never existed, in reality. Of the 29 countries (including the 15 republics of the Soviet Union) that had the misfortune, since 1917, of falling under communist rule, 24 have of their volition abandoned it; two (China and Vietnam) have of their volition re-embraced capitalism, only two (North Korea and Cuba) remain steadfastly communist but suffer endemic food and fuel shortages and will likely fall into chaos when their current leaders die. Only Laos remains in splendid isolation, largely because it is an inconsequential country. You are willing to kill and be killed for this Ideal? You are not only na�ve, you are also hopelessly ignorant. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |