| No More EDSAs?
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Feb. 23, 2009 For the Standard Today, February 24 issue President Arroyo was emphatic. Said she on Feb. 22, on the 23rd anniversary of the start of the Edsa People Power �revolution�: �The world embraced Edsa I in 1986. The world tolerated Edsa II in 2001. The world will not forgive an Edsa III, but it will instead condemn the Philippines as a country whose political system is hopelessly unstable��� Speaking at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig, President Arroyo asked the Filipinos �not to relive the four days in 1986, but instead �to learn from it and refresh our spirit against the new challenges of today.� She noted that the financial crisis had driven two thirds of the world into recession while the Philippines remained relatively unscathed. �Our political stability today is one the reasons why we have escaped thus far the worst effects of the global recession. �It is boldness that we must exercise to prevent the world crisis from becoming a Philippine crisis and to protect those among our people from hurt from the global downturn.� (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Feb. 23, 2009) It is obvious that the reason why President Arroyo does not want an Edsa III to happen in 2009 is because she would be the object of its anger, she would be the target of its militancy, and her premature fall from power � like Ferdinand Marcos� in 1986 and Joseph Estrada�s in 2001 - would be the measure of its success. Would the world �condemn the Philippines as a country whose political system is hopelessly unstable�? Highly unlikely. The world is so caught up in the struggle to survive the raging global recession that it would hardly skip a beat if Malacanang Palace and the Batasang Pambansa were both invaded by aliens from outer space and all their occupants abducted and beamed off to Andromeda, their brains to be examined by alien scientists to better understand the Chemistry and Psychology of Greed of Filipino earthlings.. Such a bizarre incident would earn sound bytes in CNN and the BBC as a monumental diversion from current mundane concerns, as a lively sequel to the Roswell Incident, not as a commentary on the instability of political systems. There will always be time-space for Edsas, not just in the Philippines but also in other cultures and climes, as long as people feel aggrieved because their leaders have betrayed and are betraying them, and all other avenues of legitimate protest and dissent are being closed and denied to them. There will always be time-space for Edsas as long as the electoral process is co-opted by Big Money from vested interests who buy the results through massive PR and advertising campaigns in favor of candidates who will protect their interests, through systematic manipulation of the process, through commercial trafficking in votes (especially in Muslim Mindanao) as has happened recently, especially in 1992, 1995, 2004 and 2007. There will always be time-space for Edsas as long as the judicial processes are corrupted by the very same manipulative malevolent geniuses who have also corrupted the electoral and the political processes, in their megalomania to preserve themselves in power indefinitely. Will the world accept or condemn another Edsa? The world couldn�t care less as it has more pressing concerns to attend to. The more relevant question should be: Will the Filipinos � especially the crucial middle-class - accept or condemn another Edsa? My sense is that the Filipino middle-class will accept or condemn another Edsa depending on who will be the major players in it. In 1986, the unseen but very palpable major player in what became Edsa 1 was the memory of the beloved Ninoy Aquino. His widow, Cory Aquino, became the rallying focus of the incipient uprising. It was the sense of outrage over Ninoy�s assassination that impelled the middle-class to come out in their tens of thousands to attend the weekly street demos in Metro Manila. But the tipping point came when the military � led by Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, Constabulary Chief Gen. Fidel Ramos and Army Col. Gregorio Honasan and the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) � staged a mutiny on Feb. 22, 1986 against President Marcos. The vastly outnumbered mutineers could have been crushed by the Marcos loyalist military if it had acted fast enough. The mutiny was saved by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of middle-class Filipinos, who, rallied by Jaime Cardinal Sin on Radio Veritas, embraced the mutineers� camps with their presence and thus prevented the Marcos loyalists from crushing the mutiny. Could a similar scenario repeat itself in 2009 or 2010? Most certainly, Yes. It is true that most middle-class Filipinos have pointedly stayed away from the many street demos and aborted military mutinies from 2005 to the present. But the anger and disgust over the Arroyo government in 2009 is as real and combustible as that against the Marcos government in 1983-86. What is missing in 2005-2009 has been a prominent civilian figure around whom the middle-class could rally. The middle-class have largely stayed away from the many street demos and aborted mutinies in this period largely because a) these protest actions were seen as attempts to restore to power the convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada; and b) the presence of red flags at these demos indicated the active presence of Communists, out to manipulate popular discontent to promote their Maoist revolution. In the coming denouement between now and whenever, a prominent civilian figure must stand out as a rallying figure for the middle-class. There must also be no room for the trapos and political dynasts who want to restore to power the convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada, or for the Communists who want to install an archaic Maoist dictatorship of the proletariat with monopoly of power for Joma Sison�s CPP. If such a political environment can come about, then a military mutiny can and will prosper, with the active participation of the middle-class, and it will be Edsa all over again. And there should be no fears about world public opinion condemning another Edsa. What world public opinion are we concerned about anyway? The Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risks Consultancy Ltd has ranked Gloria�s Philippines as the most corrupt country in East and Southeast Asia for the past two years.. The Berlin-based Transparency International has continuously downgraded Gloria�s Philippines as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The Washington DC-based World Bank and the Manila-based Asian Development Bank, both prominent multinational agencies, have in recent weeks lamented the level of corruption in the Philippine government of President Arroyo. Last year, the government of Sweden suddenly and without explanation closed its embassy in Manila. Since Sweden is one of the richest countries in the world, as well as one of the least corrupt, one can only conclude that the Swedes were not trying to save money, but were expressing in a diplomatic way their disgust at the corruption in this country under this government. Philippine and world public opinion would in fact welcome another Edsa if the right elements are present and the wrong elements are absent. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in acabaya.blogspot.com. Tony on YouTube in www.tapatt.org. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. . OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �No More Edsas?� �Stop sneering at us!� PGMA and her power-mad and money-crazed dynasty are giving a bad name even to HELL, that FIRE may consume the dirty crowd in another EDSA. There may not be any alternative as the legislative, judicial and the executive branches, plus military, are all puppets and trapos. Have mercy on Filipinas. Ben Oteyza, (by email), Feb. 28, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww In the first place - who is she to tell us that we should worry about what other countries would say if Filipinos want to end this corrupt government? I am very proud to have been a part of EDSA 1 and no one, not even her - can tell me the world will not forgive an EDSA 3. The "world" does not bear the brunt of all the corruption of this administration - the Filipinos do. And to put the opinion of the global community ahead of the opinion of her fellow Filipinos is telling of how all she said in her speech was window-dressing and icing on a vinegar cake. If this corruption continues - the world will not forgive Filipinos for losing sight of EDSA 1. What we need is a catalyst. Someone to put a spark on growing embers of anger against the corruption and idiotic systems in government that are anti-Filipino and not "user-friendly" to anyone except themselves. But I do not see the CBCP nor anyone in government worthy of such accolades nor would they call for absolute change because absolute change will make them all extinct. Everyone wants change but no one wants to make the first move in public for fear of political suicide or for fear of being salvaged - which ever comes first. A taxi driver I met this week said - it was better with the Marcos era. Things were not as bad nor as flagrantly corrupt as it is today. He said he is a simple man who wants a simple life but even his benefits with the SSS and insurances are most likely to be used for 2010 because he doesn't believe "she" will not run again. According to him, she has lied once too many times for her to be even remotely credible to say she isn't running in 2010. And those in politics who cried out against her before they were elected senators and congressmen are all disappointing because now - they've also sold their soul to the palace. Seven out of 10 Filipinos want her out. Had we been in Japan - the person in question would have resigned because of honor and integrity and a sense of shame - which unfortunately NO ONE in this government has. They even have the nerve to say that only one person can take them out of their position - and that person needs to be taken out of her position as well. So who's going to take both inept and useless officials out of such a vital institutions? Where has this country's sense of outrage gone to? We have been reduced to focusing on our day to day agendas that we've lost sight of what we already lost on long term basis. We do what's urgent but we forget what's important. And there's no such thing as a win-win solution anymore. Its "I win" solution and the rest can go to hell. Why? Because those elected into offices do the same thing. It�s leadership by example. They can get away with corruption - the rest will follow. So as a country - the people should deal with the roots of corruption and they can't say its poverty - the corrupt are not even poor to begin with!!!! They drive around in convoys and go abroad spending P123 Million of Filipino taxpayer's money chasing Obama. Sad.... sad..... sad.... Any volunteers to become the catalyst? Regards, Jenifer C. Aquino-Xavier, (by email), Feb. 28, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Tony, Yes, you are right. There would be a someone as a rallying point to have an Edsa and I do not think the Filipinos have one at the present time. And I do not think either if we could produce one from those Filipinos who were born after or even during the Macapagal (the father) and Marcos era. The mutiny of the group of Enrile is an offshoot of the corruption of the Marcos dictatorship. Enrile and company had no more share of the loot as far as the defense department is concerned, as it was already all in the hands of Gen. Fabian Ver. The group of Enrile actually has no intention of re-acquiring, so to speak, the lost freedom of the Filipinos. Had they succeeded it by themselves without the group of Cardinal Sin and Cory, the Philippines would still be on the same dog with different collar. This was the reason of a dozen coups during the administration of Cory Aquino, because they had to have their agenda actually fulfilled. Thanks and more power. Bert Celera, (by email), Feb. 28, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I suggest you read Pugad Baboy, Feb. 28, Philippine Daily Inquirer. It�s so funny and yet it speaks of the political truth of GMA. Mike Delgado, (by email), Feb. 28, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir, I'm looking at two phenomena. The first is that the political institution of the Philippines in increasingly becoming irrelevant to the lived experience of Filipinos. Businessmen discount the political effect of graft and corruption in their business analysis or otherwise avoid "doing business" with them. They hire go betweens to increase distance yet secure their favor. For ordinary Filipinos, they are voting with their feet. For the criminal mind, they are engaging in their nefarious livelihoods. The poor are getting desperate as they are increasing. Something has to give. This is how I define the irrelevance of politicians. The second phenomena is that people, groups, social movements are trying to improve the socio-economic situation by transformational activities. GK, Fr. Ed, reformist clergy, environmentalists, artists, youth, including crusading journalists like you are all engaged in moral regeneration, popular education, community building, molding of the public discourse, and poverty-alleviation cum capacity-building programs. Both phenomena, I think, make it possible for a truly charismatic, transformational, energetic, credible leader of the Obama type to emerge. The first because politicians are being sidelined. The second because there is transformation. Will it be Fr. Ed? Will it be someone similar to Tony Meloto of GK (he has disavowed politics)? This is the optimistic, long term view. Just as long as good men and women continue to do good, then I think there is a case for optimism past a very corrupt administration... Hecky Villanueva, (by email), Tucson, Arizona, Feb. 28,.2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, A Filipino friend of mine, residing in the United States for some time, decided to visit the Philippines last year. As he reunited with old acquaintances he asked the question, �How is the country holding up with the recent global economic crisis?� The typical response, �What crisis are you talking about? The country has been in a crisis situation even before the economic crisis you speak of went global.� President Arroyo�s take on the financial crisis affecting two-thirds of the world save for the Philippines due to political stability is likened to an ostrich burying its head in the ground. Major Tom, who happens to have the bigger picture in his sights, ought to communicate to Ground Control that nothing is as she claims. Either that or the leadership, and sadly its citizens, in that corner of the world, have learned to live in a state of want and denial for way too long that their expectations for authentic change is a mere ningas kugon. No country is an island that it can stand-alone or easily escape this global downturn unscathed. Its voracious Pac-Man appetite threatens to swallow and consume whole government economic systems the world over. How ironic for President Arroyo to bring EDSA to the fore in a wreath-laying ceremonial speech, asking Filipinos �not to relive the four days in 1986, but instead �to learn from it��� Her advice to the nation begs the rhetorical question, �Did the President learn the painful lessons taught to any tyrant during those four fateful days? Over the years, EDSA has become a national or rather global entity. Who can forget the EDSA revolution? It exists or is perceived by many as a single separate event equipped with a character and essence of its own. EDSA has become a monumental landmark, offering our country�s future leaders a slice of humble tinapay. All tyrants will eventually topple if they fail to enroll in EDSA 101. The will of the people will prevail as in the case of the would-be President-for-life Ferdinand Marcos who turned a deaf ear to their protest and met an untimely and sobering end to his rule. Joseph Estrada was hard of hearing the cry of the people, the need of the nation. His leadership collapsed under the looming and unyielding shadow of EDSA in 2001. Like Marcos, he was deposed from office on charges of graft and corruption. Upon the ouster of her predecessor, the former Vice President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was installed as President amidst the international rumors of political conspiracy�an action they deemed wholly unconstitutional. Be that as it may, there is a saying that goes, �Do not slay the tyrant lest you become the tyrant.� After seven years in office, a nationwide survey on Corruption-Related issues was undertaken. In spite of garnering a presidential approval rating of +24, the study proved that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose satisfaction score took a nose-dive plummeting to �28, was perceived by Filipinos as the �Most Corrupt President in Philippine History.� President Arroyo received a rating worse than Ferdinand Marcos and her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, whom she helped depose on charges of corruption as well. She succeeded in slaying the tyrant, but sadly, became the tyrant�a worst tyrant! The lessons of EDSA would have served President Arroyo well had she paid heed to its cryptic yet prophetic message. I agree with your statement, �there will always be time-space for EDSAs.� It�s an entity that will define and destroy any incumbent president that chooses to continue through the wide gate and easy road that leads to corruption. Granted, Marcos and Estrada are a tough act to follow, Arroyo came dressed for the occasion sporting sheep�s clothing. And these seemingly innocent threads succeeded in hiding her ravenous hunger. In time her disguise unraveled, unwittingly exposing her naked aggression to enrich and entrench herself in wealth and power�she was �dressed to kill.� And the country�s economic life suffered under her insatiable appetite, with it the hopes and aspirations of every Filipino sacrificed upon her Altar of Greed. Just think about it for a moment. If every Filipino would simply turn off their television sets and radios, set aside their cell phones, Play Stations, and iPods, fold away their newspapers and magazines, it would enable them to be still and listen to the echoes of EDSA. There was a God-ordained voice that was crying out in the political turmoil: �The Filipino is worth dying for.� This voice prepared the stage as it awakened the country from its compliant slumber. Although the sitting tyrant sought to silence the voice through a crushing head wound, the life-giving words had narrowly escaped finding refuge in the hearts and minds of every Filipino. As time would have it, the tyrant�s ways were eventually questioned as his rule was challenged. His high and mighty administration was weighed and found wanting. His outspoken critics may have been hastily silenced, but a stir of disappointment and disillusionment rose up quietly from among the ranks. This threatened to undermine his strong hand. Cracks in long time alliances and loyalties, both in the political and military arena, suddenly surfaced as a major power struggle ensued. Holed up in a poorly fortified and helpless army camp with a death sentence towering over their heads, a grossly outnumbered group of rebels had their backs against the wall. They stayed the course until their lost cause would soon find its swift end. The tide turned in their favor when reinforcements came from an unforeseen and unexpected quarter�walls of people lined a major road artery providing a human shield against the Powers That Be. As People Power took to the streets, the rebels took refuge behind their peaceful protest, and the tyrant finally took flight. The EDSA revolution seized the day and the rest is world history. Sometimes, and not always, does a generation get to witness the sovereign hand of God meet out evil and serve justice in a most unlikely place, in a most miraculous manner. The ghosts of EDSA continue to haunt President Arroyo as it broods over her administration. As you reminded us in your article No More EDSAs?, as long as the country�s electoral process is fraudulent, the justice process manipulated, and the people�s interest betrayed, more EDSAs are in the making. Will the world accept or condemn another EDSA? I believe that the overriding concern that the people of this world possess is the desire for change�change in whatever size, shape or form, so long as it enables humankind the freedom to move toward a better quality of life and future. On the 20th of January 2009 we all woke up to an Obama morning. It behooves President Arroyo to hear another voice crying out in the Washington wilderness: �To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist�.� The line of history has been drawn and change is in the air. Should President Arroyo persist in drawing outside the line, she will have to answer for her actions not only to her people, but also before a waiting world. Today, even Washington stands in judgment over the anomalies of her corrupt administration and yet remains gracious to extend a hand. As I write, that window remains opens. President Arroyo would have to unclench her fist thereby letting go of what she has illegally seized. The offer demands an unconditional open and accountable hand with all her fingers in plain view. That�s what it will take to receive the right hand of friendship from the newly elected leader of the free world. Perhaps President Arroyo may finally come to her senses realizing that she should be a selfless servant of the people and not a self-serving tyrant. Emulating her predecessors will only be detrimental to the state of the nation. Although it was too late for the likes of Marcos and Estrada to exonerate their names in the annals of history, there�s still time for President Arroyo to muster enough courage to change her course, and clear the Macapagal name of all wrongdoing. After all, the Good Book tells us, �A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches� (Proverbs 22:1). Gloria, is it really worth all that fleeting wealth and glory? I pray that this woman wakes up, slays the tyrant from within, and puts the needs of her country first rather than her own ambitious selfish wants. Wishful thinking? Possibly, but it�s worth the stretch. If President Arroyo chooses to remain aloof with a nagging suspicion that she can skirt her deplorable deeds unscathed, she will certainly maintain her place on the wrong side of history as the �Most Corrupt President in Philippine History.� Meanwhile, the Filipino middle-class, with the right voice, along with the watching world-at-large would gladly welcome and even embrace another EDSA. Sincerely, G. Ricardo Soriano, (by email), Feb. 28, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww There is a saying in German which says, "Alle gute Dinge sind drei." Roughly translated it meant "all good things happen three times." We say this in connection with Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's claim that "That world will not forgive an EDSA 3 but will condemn the Philippines as a country whose political system is hopelessly unstable." Arroyo conveniently skipped that EDSA 1 celebration and went instead to a job fair nearby definitely because she is scared of a similar people power (EDSA 2) that put her into office.Her assumption of that office was legal considering that she was legally elected as vice president, and therefore the legal successor of her predecessor, former President Joseph Estrada who was ousted by the latter peaceful revolt. She tried to downplay the importance of the two peaceful uprisings because of her rabid fear that these might happen in her questionable tenure which has been kept alive by the sword. She dreads the Biblical warning that "All they that take the sword shall perish by the sword." Ramon Mayuga, (by email), Essen, Germany, Feb. 28, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: My sense is that for the foreseeable future, as long as the Philippines is held in the vise-like grip of the "politico-economic-clerico" elite--whose fixation is to perpetuate itself in power--there will always be more EDSAs. That is, as long as the President (or the Prime Minister in case the country makes the transition from the present presidential to the parliamentary form) does not impose Martial Law. The reason is that I see no real prospect of the ruling classes in reality looking after the national interest. Their primordial concern is to perpetuate themselves in power, by means fair or foul, and thus continue to exploit the whole nation. Consequently, there will always be certain sectors of the population which will feel disgruntled, disaffected and angered by the actions of the ruling classes. It will be these sectors which will feel the need to mount more EDSAs in the forlorn hope that one fine day, out of the blue, a Messiah will finally emerge. This Messiah is that "prominent figure" you pointed out in your column, who "must stand out as a rallying figure for the middle class." Even assuming, arguendo, that such a Messiah will emerge from any one of such future EDSAs, I have very serious doubts whether he or she will be able to escape being "captured" by the "trapos" and "political dynasts." The Filipino people cannot and should not underestimate the capacity of the trapos and political dynasts to do precisely this; they have the talent, the cunning, the resources and the determination to capture that Messiah and make him or her do their bidding. In the event, the Filipino people can expect more of those EDSAs, probably indefinitely. Mariano Patalinjug, (by email), Yonkers, NY, March 01, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Tony Abaya, When I was working in the Philippines I was priviledged to be connected to industry that cater service and to serve. from the time of MARCOS REGIME up to GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO as vice president. I have witnessed and seen the 1989 coup'd etat which almost toppled down Cory Aquino's government. Who was the recepient suposed to be is Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile. The reason that he turned against Marcos was he will have no chance to fulfill his ambition to become president. The rest is history because there was the more stronger force in the military than Enrile and Honasan combined. But how true is the story, about the famous CREEK? We can verify the creek if the CREEK is possible exit and entrance to that house in Dasmarinas Village. Lets start only from Urdaneta Village it passed under EDSA to the back of Shell Gas station at the corner of EDSA and Mckinley Road and passed under Mckinley bridge entering the part of Dasmarinas Village adjacent to the open space of Sanctuario de San Antonio two blocks away by EDSA side, continuing to Dasmarinas Village. Along the creek are back of the houses that lined by the creek. These houses are mostly occupied by foriegn countries representatives, officials or international companies. From the back of the house along the creek of course the comotion during the time at the creek lot of these foriegn representative were observants and curious. The happening was only known through information and intillegence gathering. So, if Sen Enrile lamented about EDSA 1986 he should stop whining. EDSA 1986 is the Peoples Power, 1989 his personal power that went Ppffttt. Where now is the perpetrators in the Senate, Sen. G Honasan and Sen. JP Enrile. Is Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile still has his ambition? I know your answer and my answer is YES! Pres. Cory Aquino's CLOUT in the international arena even after the Coup'D Etat was very high. Wherever she went all the President or Prime Minesters gave her accolade that never was accorded to any other president until now. Pre. F. Ramos was accorded with cordial encounter but never anaccolade. The intillegence gathering of the foriegn countries did their homework very well. (Is there a story behind the travels I believe you knew all along) Thank You, Tony Villan, (by email), Milan, Italy, March 01, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, If memory serves, the Embassy of Denmark also closed down in 2002. They re-opened a few years ago with a consul whom I met at the Insular Life theater in Alabang just before a performance. The Ambassador of Denmark already talked to me in January 2002 about helping them when they assume the presidency of the European Union (EU) on the second half of 2002. I was doing consulting work for the Embassy of Spain that time and Spain just assumed the EU presidency. In the case of Sweden, they opened their consular office in Makati last year. A friend is the honorary consul of Sweden. So Manila is still down-graded. Sad! Best regards. Rick B. Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa, Laguna, March 01, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, The country is mired in many cross-cutting cultures: culture of corruption, culture of impunity, culture of apathy and culture of negligence. Like a dirty cesspool, government and society need a thorough cleansing from top to bottom. That's what EDSA was supposed to accomplish - reform the national character - but we missed the point not once but twice. The third one will likely not be a picnic, but once we're purified, there will be no more "EDSAs" for a very long while. Between now and then will be a continuing journey through hell. Breaking out is the only way to go and, as you pointed out, the middle class will have to provide the leader with a little help from its friends. Best regards, Raffy Alunan, (by email), March 02, 2009. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Let us not kid ourselves. EDSA is a state of mind. As long as there are Filipinos who love their country, there is EDSA. Let the giant sleep. When it awakens, those fat cats will be sorry. Absolutely sorry! There are millions of us expatriates living in other countries. We care about the Philippines. We can be mobilized to act and participate to free the Philippines when the zero hour comes. The middle class in the Philippines ought to remember they are part of the peoples' cause. To alienate and act complacent to the cause for change would not be in their best interest. If you know what I mean. Their money and power won't protect them when the going gets rough. You are absolutely right, a hero needs to step up the plate and galvanize the masses. It is as important as timing in starting a revolution. As long as there is Jose Rizal there will be EDSA. Perhaps not now. The atmosphere and the timing have to be right. Keep up the good work. God bless. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Rocklin, CA, March 02, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww If indeed our country is now top-billed as the most corrupt place in the world, maybe we should try to look inward: what makes the Filipinos accept and bask in such corruption. Are our top leaders to blame for being such grand corruptors or we are so enured to this blatant practice because of our own family practices? Are we guilty of perpetrating the habit of corrupting our children from the very beginning, by giving them little bribes because of our own sin of commission and omission as parents? If we want them to behave, go to sleep, keep quiet or stay put, get good grades, or at least pass the grade with an ignominious 75 or C, we conveniently bribe them with all sorts of financial, material and other concessions. The middle class, if there is any left in the Philippines, I would assume is the most guilty of this practice. Life is so hard in our country, we have to work, not just with one but probably two or more jobs to stay in that kind of middling class. And what happens to quality time for children, when parents cannot cope with such family demands because of work or long absence due to distance because of work, the most convenient way is to bribe the kids? As they grow older, probably, they have assumed that this is the normal practice, whether in the family, at the school, in the church, at work and in government. It's not corruption but already a way of life? So what can we expect from the middle class? Sad that it seems there is nobody worthy to become the next leader of the Philippines. we are in what is called the boiled frog syndrome. Think out of the box? Pity, we might get out of it, but we might just end up hopefully in a bigger box. Is there a light at the end of this Philippine tunnel? Maybe we have to be careful, that light is an approaching Bicol Express? EDSA III anyone? Why not put an EDSA on every street in the Philippines? Felix, Zamar, (by email), March 02, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Let�s go!!! Rue Ramas, (by email), Gen. Santos City, March 02, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, You are right, nobody else than the incumbent pro-Arroyo people would condemn another EDSA. The world anyway would just say "it�s an internal RP matter" and the government is permanently telling the world not to meddle in Philippine. matters. Sure, there should be somebody who can bring the masses up to Manila and Malacanang, it�s just who will it be? Reynato Puno is now featured but no matter how able and honest he may be, he is not known and prominent enough to the masses esp. in the far provinces. About Estrada, whatever one could say about him, he was merely convicted on charges that have been "witnessed" by people like Singson who first had to admit that the money given to Estrada was stolen by him. And then, it was proven that this was not even possible in the way Singson claimed it. So, if Estrada can bring the needed masses, even he himself would be a reasonable candidate. As a heavily blamed man, he would probably be the most sensitive man for to show he is not that one he has been blamed for. Where you will find someone who is able, honest and still innocent but could rise the needed number of followers? Being known and prominent enough usually means belonging to the class of guilty, not the innocent. I am sure GMA knows that very well and will survive any other EDSA as long as church and military stay aside or even pro Arroyo. ChaCha is now just short of 17 signatures to push through without the Senate. What you think how many millions it will need to get that 17 signatures? Regards and write more [email protected], Germany, March 02, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww If greed gets tempered and if corruption ceases, then there will be no Edsa - because there will be no issue to favor one Victor Ma�alac, (by email), March 02, 2009 . wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I happened to read your article on "another Edsa" and the presidentiables, would you consider this PPS a possible way of cleansing the present political exercise (in futility) of our country. It came from a former City Mayoralty candidate who ran against the very strong and very effective chief executive of Quezon City in the 2007 local election. I voted Mayor SB because of the big transformation of Quezon City, from a knee deep loans to becoming the richest city, and I would still do, if He is not barred by law to run again, but this system (PPS) would really give a chance for none moneyed but deserving candidates, who may not be financially capable to launch a campaign, but possesses the qualifications and qualities of a good leader. Hope you�ll give it a chance and be considered for a worthy try and discussion. Zen Balance, CPA, [email protected] , March 02, 2009 (Readers who want to know more about the People�s Primaries Systems may get in touch with Zen Balance directly. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww SIR I READ SOMEWHERE (IN YOUR COLUMN?) THAT PGMA SPENT P123-M ON AN 8-DAY TRIP ABROAD. AND HERE I AM TRYING TO FINISH MY HOUSE OF P1.3-M SO I CAN LIVE IN IT AND NOT PAY RENT!! Pablo Calicanto, (by email), Santa Rosa, Laguna, March 05, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Ton. thanks for your great articles. Let me share with you a poem I find relevant for these trying moments in our country's history. We need people to participate activeley & forcefully in governance just like what you have been doing as a writer. More power !!! Willie Buyson Villarama, (by email), March 02, 2009 THE SIN OF OMISSION Margaret E. Sangster It isn't the thing you do dear, It's the thing you leave undone That gives you a bit of a heartache At setting of the sun. The tender word forgotten, The letter you did not write, The flowers you did not send, dear, Are your haunting ghosts at night. The stone you might have lifted Out of a brother's way; The bit of heartsome counsel You were hurried too much to say; The loving touch of the hand, dear, The gentle, winning tone Which you had no time nor thought for With troubles of your own. Those little acts of kindness So easily out of mind, Those chances to be angels Which we poor mortals find- They come in night and silence, Each sad, reproachful wraith, When hope is faint and flagging, And a chill has fallen on faith. For life is all to short, dear, And sorrow is all too great, To suffer our slow compassion That tarries until too late; And it isn't the thing you do, dear, It�s the thing you leave undone Which gives you heartache At the setting of the sun. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww So true, Tony. She can talk all she wants and nobody listens anyways. She might just wake up one day and find out that she's not in power anymore. She really is under-estimating the Filipinos patriotic blood.....Like the Filipino saying goes:: "GISINGIN MO NA ANG LASING, WAG LANG ANG "BAGONG GISING"! Jose Genato, (by email), March 10, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww some people did tell marcos to get the hell out of malacanang but it was not the crowds at camps crame and aguinaldo, although we would like to believe so: "REAGAN AND THE PHILIPPINES: Setting Marcos Adrift By STANLEY KARNOW; STANLEY KARNOW'S MOST RECENT BOOK IS ''IN OUR IMAGE: AMERICA'S EMPIRE IN THE PHILIPPINES,'' TO BE PUBLISHED NEXT MONTH BY RANDOM HOUSE, FROM WHICH THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED. The New York Times March 19, 1989 [......] At 3 o'clock, the group gathered in the White House Situation Room. Vice President Bush and Treasury Secretary James A. Baker 3d were there along with Casey. Reagan listened quietly as Don Regan hotly debated Habib. Regan, one participant recalled, ''didn't understand or care to understand'' the issue, but ''thought he was conveying Reagan's thoughts.'' Evoking Iran, he vehemently opposed dropping Marcos, called Aquino an unknown quantity and warned against ''opening the door to Communism.'' Habib repeated his case: ''The Marcos era has ended.'' Shultz concurred: ''Nobody believes that Marcos can remain in power. He's had it.'' Finally, Reagan seemed to be resigned to dropping Marcos, though he insisted the Philippine leader must be ''approached carefully'' and ''asked rather than told'' to depart. He declined to telephone him personally or send him a private message. But as the session closed, Reagan had acquiesced to deposing his ''old friend.'' Still, he and his staff were haunted by the prospect that Marcos might attack the rebels and slaughter civilians - on world television. Reagan approved an Administration statement warning Marcos that he ''would cause untold damage to the relationship between our two governments'' if he used force. But he kept secret his decision to tell Marcos to leave in the hope that he might go voluntarily and so be spared the embarrassment of being removed under American pressure. Nancy, constantly on the telephone with Imelda, invited her and Ferdinand to America. Meanwhile, Shultz ordered Bosworth to tell Marcos that his ''time was up,'' and that ''we will make the transition as peaceful as possible.'' Marcos, refusing, intoned on television: ''I will fight to the last breath even though my family cowers in terror in the palace.'' But his troops were defecting in droves to the dissidents. On Monday afternoon, Reagan finally issued a public plea to Marcos to quit: ''Attempts to prolong the life of the present regime by violence are futile. A solution to this crisis can only be achieved through a peaceful transition to a new government.'' Marcos read the message at 3 A.M. Tuesday, Manila time, and immediately called Laxalt. Laxalt was in the Capitol, at a secret briefing by Shultz, Habib and Armacost. Summoned to the telephone, Laxalt heard Marcos's voice, cracked by fatigue. Marcos wanted the word straight from Reagan: Was the statement about a ''transition'' real or another State Department plot? With Shultz hovering over him, Laxalt confirmed it. Marcos, rambling, proposed alternatives -''sharing power'' with Aquino or serving as her ''senior adviser.'' Laxalt promised to consult Reagan. [......] Laxalt telephoned Marcos - who at 5 A.M. in Manila awaited the call. With Shultz guiding him, Laxalt said that Reagan offered him an American refuge. Marcos, still angling for the Olympian word, asked if Reagan wanted him out. Laxalt ducked the question. ''Senator,'' Marcos pressed, ''what do you think? Should I step down?'' Laxalt replied: ''I think you should cut and cut cleanly. I think the time has come.'' The silence left Laxalt wondering if they had been disconnected. ''Mr. President, are you there?'' he asked. ''Yes,'' said Marcos tinnily. ''I am so very, very disappointed.'' " Excerpt from: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFDD1739F93AA25750C0A96F948260& sec=&spon=&pagewanted=4 "The Philippines: Anatomy of a Revolution By WILLIAM E. SMITH TIME Monday, Mar. 10, 1986 In the period following the Aquino assassination, American policymakers had become increasingly concerned about the Philippines' rapid political and economic decline. One particular concern was the future status of the two large U.S. military installations in the Philippines, Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base. The leases on those facilities will run out in 1991, but the U.S. hopes that they can be renegotiated. Following a 1984 policy review by the National Security Council, which concluded that Marcos would "try to remain in power indefinitely," the Administration began to work for economic, political and military reform in the Philippines. Shultz laid down the overriding principle: the U.S. must be loyal to the institutions of democracy, not to Marcos. In October, Reagan sent Senator Laxalt to Manila to tell Marcos that changes had to be made. Said Laxalt last week: "He was getting messages through State, but he just wasn't believing them." Laxalt told him that the Philippine army had to spend more time dealing with the Communist insurgents. Pressure on Marcos was also building in the U.S. Congress. Senator Richard Lugar, Indiana Republican and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, who headed an official American team of poll watchers that observed the elections, concluded that there had been many instances of fraud, vote tampering, violence and intimidation by Marcos partisans. In a telephone conversation with Marcos just after the voting, Laxalt observed that certain aspects of the elections had been "rather strange," such as reports that Marcos had carried one province by a vote of 13,000 to 0. That was not a province, it was a precinct, said Marcos, and "it was family." When Laxalt answered, "I doubt very much if I ran in my home district I would get all the votes of my family," Marcos, who knew that the Senator's parents were French Basque immigrants, replied, "Well, Filipinos are more clannish than you independent Basques." [......] An hour after the ceremony, Marcos telephoned Enrile and demanded that he "stop firing at the palace." Enrile said he had no troops there. Marcos asked him to call Ambassador Bosworth to find out if the U.S. could provide the Marcoses with security in flying out of the palace. Enrile promised to do so. Marcos had previously raised the possibility of retiring to Ilocos Norte, his home province in the northern Philippines, but had been discouraged from doing so by his family and by the new government. At 9:05 p.m., four American helicopters picked up the President, Imelda and a contingent of relatives and aides, including General Ver, and flew them to the U.S. air base. As the week ended, Reagan Administration policymakers breathed a great sigh of relief that their plans and strategies, so painstakingly worked out over the past two years, had gone so well. Both Republicans and Democrats praised the handling of the Philippine crisis. Officials counted themselves incredibly lucky. Noting that events had passed without appreciable bloodshed, a senior U.S. official in Washington ruefully remarked that the Lord surely looks after "fools, children, the Philippines and the U.S.A." [......] Solarz said that while he thought it was appropriate for Reagan to offer Marcos sanctuary, the President had certainly not offered Marcos "immunity against civil proceedings brought by the government of the Philippines to recover a fortune stolen from the Philippines." But for the moment the Administration was relieved to have passed the center of the storm. Even as he praised Marcos for his "difficult and courageous decision" to step down, Reagan congratulated Aquino on the "democratic outcome" of the elections and promised to work closely with her government in rebuilding the Philippine economy and armed forces." Excerpt from: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,960859-5,00.html the catholic church once believed that the sun revolved around the earth. filipinos still believe that they deposed marcos through EDSA I, without the force and intimidation applied by official washington. Bobby Manasan, (by email), Burke, Virginia, Feb 27, 2009 (For some reason, you have a sneering attitude towards Filipinos and do not give us any credit for anything, even though, from your last name, your father at least was partly Filipino. You used to repeat your favorite mantra, that the problems of Filipinos stem from the culture of the indigenous Malays, i.e. the alipin-maharlika social relationships of the pre-Hispanic Malays, and are therefore insoluble. (And yet when I asked you why the Indonesians and the Malaysians, whose ancestors shared the same pre-European culture as our ancestors, have been notably more successful than us in modernizing their societies, you replied that you do not know. (Well, there may be other things that you don�t know. Where were you � and Stanley Karnow and William E. Smith � from February 21 to 25 1986? (On February 21, one day before the military mutiny, I was having dinner with a senior political officer of the US Embassy. At that late date, the US government was still supporting Ferdinand Marcos as their preferred Filipino stooge. (On February 22, the evening that Juan Ponce Enrile was announcing his withdrawal of support from Marcos, my son and I were cruising around Camp Aguinaldo expecting a confrontation between the rebels and the Marcos loyalists. But there was no confrontation, and there was not a single usisero or curiosity-seeker around the camp. At this stage, the US still supported Marcos. (Crowds started to gather around Camps Aguinaldo and Crame morning of February 23. My three children and I were there everyday as the crowds grew bigger and bigger in response to the call of Cardinal Sin to the middle class to support the military mutiny. My wife was stranded in San Francisco as all flights to Manila had been cancelled. (As the excerpts that you have quoted from Karnow and Smith indicate, the US government of Ronald Reagan continued to support Marcos until the evening of February 24, or morning of February 25 in Manila. By this time, the crowd in EDSA had swollen to perhaps a million, a critical mass that spelled the end of the Marcos regime. (The US did not cause the downfall of Marcos, the million civilians on EDSA did. The US merely acquiesced � belatedly - to his removal because the US wanted to be with the winning side, the million civilians, in order to protect their interests, their military bases in Clark and Subic. After the Americans �lost� China in 1949 and Vietnam in 1972, they wanted to �win� in the Philippines in 1986, for a change. (Perhaps you should stop sneering at us. ACA) OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected]. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |
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