It would always be the same crooks, the same money interests who would take fullest advantage of democracy or any kind of government in the Philippines, while the poor and the brave would always lose out. The batters change in the game of Philippine politics, but the baseball team remains the same and the game remains fixed.
- Ninoy Aquino[1]
As we celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, it would be good to look back on the wisdom of the man who inspired us to unite as a people and to defend our country against a corrupt government. We are more aware of Ninoy’s oft-quoted, “The Filipino is worth dying for,” but I chose the one above because it is more suitable to our present times.
To Fight Again Another Day
After two weeks of excitement about Jun Lozada’s testimony, the opposition has yet to come up with more witnesses and more evidence that will prove the corruption in the Arroyo administration. Even after the show of support that the public has done to encourage more people to come out and testify, no new witness nor evidence has appeared.
To be honest, I am a bit confused as to how other leaders can continue to demand for Pres Arroyo’s resignation when we haven’t even proven anything yet. We are being led to believe that having another People Power Revolution (EDSA III) will solve the problems and issues that our country is facing today. But if we listen to what our great hero Ninoy Aquino said, I hope you will also realize that many of the problems we face today are systemic ones and they can’t be changed by having another EDSA.[2]
Systemic problems need systemic changes
To give an example of a systemic problem, let’s look at (the lack of) rural development in the Philippines which is a major cause of our national poverty.[3] Nothing much has changed since 1781 when Gov. Jose de Basco y Vargas introduced commercial farming in the Philippines[4]. Moreover, no authentic land reform has been implemented in our country since the fuedal Spanish times. The Americans tried in 1903 when Gov Gen Howard Taft bought the friar lands in the Philippines from Pope Leo XIII with the intention of reselling it to Filipino peasant-tenants. The good intention never materialized of course, as wealthy Filipino businessmen and politicians (whose descendants still have clout in Philippine society today) stepped in and bought the land and converted them into their private haciendas.[5] And as they say, the rest is history.*
In a country where 70% of the population live in rural areas and where 2/3 of the people get their livelihood from agriculture, we must make sure that we have programs that promote genuine rural development. This is just one example, but it is a major one. Other systemic problems include public education, economic development, good governance, population control, environmental sustainability, peace and order, and many others. Other bloggers have also written their issues in Janette Toral’s Important Issues on Philippines 2010.
Of course somewhere in my wish list for political reform, you will also find fighting graft and corruption. But I hope we can all see that it is a small piece of the puzzle. In my personal opinion, we cannot call for Pres Arroyo’s resignation unless we have court-admissible evidence against her. Just because some opposition leaders are trying to convince us that Pres Arroyo is corrupt doesn’t mean we all have to believe it. The opposition leaders bear the burden of evidence. I say to them, Show us proof! Stop using us as your pawns! Stop using the court of public opinion to gain the upper hand. Take your accusations to the court of law and let your evidence, if you have any, speak for itself. And speaking of evidence, what proof or track records have you got to show the public that if you replace the present administration, you will do a far better job than Pres Arroyo’s government in addressing our systemic problems.[6]
Happy 22nd People Power Anniversary!
In light of the lack of evidence plus the personal and social troubles that this J-Lo fiasco has caused, I believe that it might be best to set aside our calls for a change in the government and perhaps we should concentrate more on asking for changes in the government and in our country. Unless we are presented with new witnesses or new evidence in the ongoing political raucity, we, the Filipino people, should join the rallies and demonstrations with more focus on the the public outcry for truth and social reforms. I, for one, would love to join in!
And so from my writer’s desk here in Hanoi, I would like say ”Happy 22nd People Power Anniversary!” to all my kababayans in the Philippines and around the world.
Mabuhay po tayong lahat! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
=== Notes:[1] The Martyrdom of Ninoy Aquino Revisited, Joker P Arroyo
[2] Systemic problems have been with us even before the presidency of Pres Arroyo; even before 1565 when Spaniards who left from Mexico led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in Cebu; and even before 1521 when Magellan claimed our archipelagic country for Spain and called it Las Islas de San Lazaro. [3] Poverty reduction: What we know and don’t know,
[4] In Search of Southeast Asia: A Modern History. David P. Chandler, William R. Roff, John R. W. Smail, David Joel Steinberg Robert H. Taylor, Alexander Woodside, David K. Wyatt, David Joel Steinberg. Allen & Unwin. Sydney, N.S.W. 1971 [5] The US Congress passed the Cooper, or Organic, Act of 1902, which authorized the American commission to sell Philippine government bonds to finance the purchase of the friar lands in the Philippines from the Vatican — Bound to Empire: The United States and the Philippines. H. W. Brands. Oxford University Press, New York. 1992. * Atty. Ma. Gracia Rinoza Plazo has recently started an online forum to discuss agrarian reform issues. Please join the discussion and share your inputs. [6] Mom knows best! My Mama wrote a comment in my post, Sundin ang Utos ni Supremo. Image credit: Pinoyhood
18 Responses to “Paalala ng Pasimuno ng People Power”
I’m not really sure what exactly Ninoy had in mind behind his thoughts but right it is.
It is the same evils hopping on from one administration to the next, making things bitter for Juan Dela Cruz, that Filipinos are confronting. Its not simply the Presidency.
Taking away or replacing Marcos, Erap and now GMA is not all to make things right. There’s more to that.
[Reply to this comment]
[…] Ang totong People Power sa aking pananaw ay ang sama-samang gumawa ng naayon sa saligang-batas sa pagbabago ng ating bansa patungo sa mas matatag, maunlad at makatarungang bansa na maganda ang maidudulot sa hinaharap […]
[Reply to this comment]
PGMA is WEAK. The question is: Who is Good, who is Better, who is Strong?
[Reply to this comment]
The Filipino people are good that’s why we want truth, justice and accountability.
The Filipino people are better that’s why we deserve a better government.
The Filipino people are strong that’s why we have toppled abusive and corrupt regimes in the past.
Power to the Filipino people!
There was one time I was in this roadside with people shopping for Christmas lantern. “This one, Ma’am, is very beautifulâ€, a guy was telling what appeared to me, by her uniform, a public school teacher. The woman ignored the guy and went to the next kiosk with him trailing behind. “There, Ma’am is very beautiful!†said the guy drawing the attention of the woman to a third kiosk. Then the woman appeared to be annoyed by what looked like a barker, and noticing that the guy had sore eyes, said “Sa mga mata mo na may sore eyes!†(To your sore eyes!)
Everyone makes subjectivist error once in while, but in the case of the barker I think it is intentional, self interest, motivated.
Maybe politician should pay more attention to what the general citizenry think than be too engrossed to or among themselves. It is always the whole that matters and not that, that one fancies.
[Reply to this comment]
Hi Lester. Young as you are, you are showing enough good sense and concern for neighbors & country. It’s the involved youth like you whom Rizal, Ninoy, Evelio Javier, and other heroes counted on, to continue with their idealism and high hopes for our nation. We too are counting on the enlightened and passionate youth for reform in our society and government.
You’re right on target as you focus on the urgent need for the alleviation of poverty in the rural areas. Even the urban poor are comprised mostly of people from the countryside who are driven to migrate to the urban areas for lack of livelihood in their barrios. Besides, many have also become squatters even in their villages because of the conversion of agricultural lands into tourist-oriented projects which can hire only a small percentage of the displaced farmers and members of their families. Fisherfolks are also complaining that the seas have been depleted of aquatic resources due to envoronmental degradation and encroachment of foreign fishing vessels into our waters.
Systemic change requires strengthening of the foundation of society–the smallest political unit such as family, neighborhood, barangay.
Their weakness and powerlesness is due mainly to poverty. Their poverty deprives them of opportunities for education resulting to their ignorance and rendering them easy prey to scheming politicians and bogus leaders.
An authentic land reform can address that problem. This has to be coupled with strong organization for entrepreneurship and cooperativism. Microfinancing is another tool for strengthening of the masses.
There are many tools for empowerment available. but the country needs well-meaning leaders, effective implementors and efficent managers.
Perhaps… you can come home and be one among them?
[Reply to this comment]
Hi folks
Land reform in the Philippines is Politically motivated. It’s not about practicality and viability. A 200 hectare property divided to 200 beneficiaries is economically unsound. It is politics. Leftist asked for it and State, now Traders oriented, had compromised the Landlords. landlords do not usually easily concede so there is good political business in there.
Problem there, the “pro Masa” movements after all that kind of politics cannot even get a seat in local government much more in Congress where laws are made.
I would love to come back home and help the Philippines become a first-world country. In my mind and in my heart, I am already there.
I always pray that the Good Lord may lead me back home. I find comfort in the praise song, “God will make a way.”
Do you believe that she’s not guilty of corruption?
[Reply to this comment]
Hi mbw,
Personally, I feel that I am not yet in a position to answer your question. I find it hard to pass judgement on anyone before the evidence is presented. If you ask me if she’s guilty of election fraud, I would say I think she is, because of the Hello Garci tapes. She was careful not to admit it though when she made her public apology.
Since you asked me for my personal opinion on whether or not Pres Arroyo is guilty of corruption, here it is: I would have to say that there’s a lot of talk about her involvement in corrupt deals. It is estimated that she has already taken $165 million from the government’s coffers. But nothing has been proven. I know some people are already convinced of her guilt and believe me, I was more than ready to join them when J-Lo first appeared in the Senate to give his testimony. But somehow I feel that the opposition doesn’t have a solid case - not yet.
I know it’s very tempting to join the blogswarm for Pres Arroyo’s resignation. Believe me, I would love to join in for the sake of camaraderie and unity among bloggers. But for the sake of truth, we can only hope that more witnesses or more evidence will come out so that we can really decide for ourselves if she is guilty or not.
If the President is not involved in the corruption in the government, then she needs to do more to show the Filipino people that she doesn’t condone it nor does she tolerate it. Our country needs a strong leader who will not allow corruption in any and all levels of the government.
Thanks,
Lester
Guilty or not guilty of corruption? Particular to the ZTE-NBN matter, my view here is WHAT REALLY are GMA’s position or roles in there? I am one of those who would be happy to know the TRUTH. Demand for her resignation at THIS POINT is BASELESS. It would be based on BELIEFS and allegations that might be true and might not be true.
People are jumpy. Why?
[Reply to this comment]
The biggest problem with “People Power” is it is a ’system’ that is easily maneuvered and infiltrated by crooks. Well, in fact I think our whole ‘democratic’ system is too flawed. Those who can run for office are usually the ones who have bucks because candidates have to use their PERSONAL money for campaign.
Back to PP. I think the two EDSAs are a failure. It’s not surprising since let’s look at the anti-government leaders
Ninoy Aquino: Back in the Marcos years, the dictators was capturing lands of people to redistribute it to his kailians are cronies. Who is the wife of Ninoy. Cory. To what clan did Cory belong to? Conjuanco. We know that the Cojuancos own large haciendas in Tarlac. My feeling is that The Aquinos went against Marcos not for the good of the people but to save their assets! Diba nagkaroon ng Mediola Massacre nung panahon ni Cory and in 2004, Hacienda Luisita Massacre.
Chavit Singson: The ERAP whistle blower. He’s like the older version of Lozada. Instik, calbo, parehas na kurakot, parehas na ‘promdi’. He himself admited that he benefited from Jueteng
Jun Lozada: admitted his shortcoming, ‘lapse of judgement’ and admitted that HE HAS PLANS ON RUNNING FOR A POSITION IN BICOL.
I say that let Gloria finish her term. At least in 2010, PEOPLE will choose for their new leader. If she be removed now, it won’t be the people but those few equally greedy and equally corrupt folk, not the people.
[Reply to this comment]
People power as they happened in Edsa 1 and 2 were collective expressions of people of the times. Nobody can tell people who should be there or who should not be there, so we had people of diverse (political, personal) interest out there in the streets.
At least it has to be at the state that side issues and biases no longer matter for that great power to appear. We don’t have that at this moment.
collective expressions or manipulation of the people?
People power per se is not flawed, but our system of people power is.
In Tagalog, the perfect term for it is GAMITAN. People can express their sentiments pro or against the government in a way that they CAN avoid political manipulation.
What happened after Marocs was booted out? power crisis, zero agrarian reform, massacre of farmers at Mendiola
What happened after Erap was ousted? We got a worse one whom we gave the power to manipulate votes.
Maybe we just get the government we deserve, no?
Hi Jopay, I’d like to think that we deserve a better government. Our people deserve good governance. especially since whenever we have elections many Filipinos are more than happy to go to the polls and hope that their chosen candidate will help bring a brighter future. What’s sad is that sometimes there are those who are in desperate need of money and they give in to vote-buying and “paid-rallying.”
If things goes its course, maybe Mr. Noel Lozada can run for senator or congressman in 2010 after his provincial speaking tours, which I think is the most that they will gain.
Un-able to deliver what people want - Truth and Justice- I don’t think they’ll gain respect of people in the end. Grand standers.
[Reply to this comment]
Grandstanding. Seek attention or admiration: to show off in order to impress people, especially spectators/
Microsoft Encarta dictionary
What constitute political grandstanding? Exercises that created a lot of noise that achieved nothing in the end are perceived by the public as political grandstanding. They are becoming regarded boring show-offs like ‘atras ang nakaupo, abante ako’. Even exercises however well intended by the leaders, but improperly placed could qualify as grandstanding.
For example, when it comes to emancipation of the broad masses of the Filipino people the fight should be in congress (and regional wage boards) and not in the streets. It is interesting to note that in advanced countries where States are more liberal to freedom of expression, fewer people go out in the streets. Lobbying with lawmakers is more effective and brought achievements, respect. If it is not about delivering gains then what is it?
When it comes to Truth and Justice the venue would be any appropriate entity of the law. Ok, so it is not about that. It’s about ousting the President. But then again politics has got its own complications and so we have a divided people at this moment.
[Reply to this comment]
Well said, RLTJ. Grandstanding is really the right term. Magaling talaga ang mga politico natin sa ganyan. Evidently, many of them are gearing up for 2010.
Feel free to express your self