I guess this is the last time I’m going to talk about this because I’m really nearing the brink of not caring anymore. Before that however, lemme link to nice blog-reads from three friends, having three different perspectives.
There’s obviously no wrong or right take on this anymore, all perspectives make perfect sense, and all are sensible people that’s why I’m sharing all three.
Thirds take– which I will add to in a bit, because he basically has the exact same sentiments I do as far as this issue is concerned. But the difference is he is still proud to be Pinoy! So at least I’m relieved to know that my attitude towards the matter isn’t because I’ve lost respect in our country.
Jeline’s take – With a nice little bit of first hand martial law wisdom from her parents
Quark’s take – which I have to say, after this post, is the perspective I’ll probably be consciously migrating to eventually.
While I believe that detaining/arresting protesters, and invoking that bullshit Proclamation 1017 is the stupidest thing a “leader in question” could possibly do, I also firmly believe the Media is in fact blowing everything out of proportion – wether it be intentional or not. Hence, they are already partly to blame for all of this.
The really funny thing is how people seem to be comparing this to the makings of Martial Law. Not that I’m discounting the fact that it is a possibility. But comparing it to the Marcos Era’s Martial Law? You gotta be kidding me! While arrests have been made, they weren’t done ala blitzkrieg in the middle of the night… and as far as I know there haven’t been any dead bodies yet. Ika nga ng parents ni Jeline: “Wala silang binatbat ke Makoy!” The fact that people are even contemplating this just shows how much the Media has been aggravating the issue.
Think about it, if you watch TV, you’d definitely feel the air of tension coming from the news: civilian arrests, coup attempts, military juntas, etc. But if you try to go out in your car, or motorcycle, or bike, or even try walking. I really don’t think that you’re going to experience anything different than any other day. The only difference you’d probably notice from your daily routine is that we’re at a so called “state of emergency” – that and there seem to be less cars on the road at certain times hehehe.
All those texts about bomb threats or coup attempts? Sure… why not. They are certainly possible, but I would take anyones dare to drive/walk/skip-rope/dance/flash/etc on any place they deem to be “dangerous” provided that the danger is connected to our current civil-political crisis and, of course, that I will not be breaking any laws (don’t want to be “detained” now would I?). I still won’t go places that have always been the MO for kidnappers though for obvious reasons hehehe.
As much as I think GMA’s current actions (arrests, Proclamation 1017, etc.) are really bad moves in terms of digging-your-own-hole-in-the-eyes-of-the-public for any leader, given how irresponsible the media is handling this 1 Unless of course their idea of responsible journalism/pursuit of truth, includes fueling mass hysteria for the sake of ratings, I couldn’t blame her. But again, that doesn’t mean she should’ve done it. As Chris rock said about OJ Simpson: “That doesn’t mean he should’ve killed her… but I understand.” Regardless, I still wouldn’t consider it tyranny just yet.
Here’s an analogy: You’re a parent, and your kids are rowdy, sure they have no malicious intent, sure they haven’t broken any of the furniture, but if simply telling them to stop… or if leaving them alone until they grow tired won’t stop them, what’s a parent to do before it’s too late?
If the leader of a country cannot exercise any form of “discipline” (regardless how the public eye sees it) then remind me why we have the concept of “authority” in the first place? Why not just let the mob rule di ba? It would make everything so much simpler. Tutal almost all sides have their respective agendas na rin to follow: GMA’s on survival mode, so obviously the only interest she has right now is to get through this without having to go to jail. The military I hear already have their own constitution in case they plan to take the government by force (I’d say that THAT is more scary than anything else, but I don’t want to be like the media and cause undue stress). Lastly, the oh so perfect protesters are whining that their president is not as perfect as they are (or as they’d like her to be).
To me any disciplinary action can be considered a form of “tyranny” by those who are experiencing the business end of that beating stick. I remember as a kid those times I really hated my mom for grounding/spanking/etc. me. I even recall wishing horrible things to her, things which were far worse than ousting some hobbit. My point is that during those wretched days, Mom was always the bad guy in my eyes – because I was just doing my thing… and she punished me for it! Never mind if it was for my own good, basta, siya mali dahil pinarusahan niya ako na hindi dapat.
What if the only reason for all this hullaballoo was to just quiet down the scene as to not aggravate the issue? Are those picketing people prepared to make that distinction? Of course not! As far as they’re concerned, they’re just peacefully protesting so any form of suppression is automatically tyranny. Never mind if that “peaceful” protest is causing unreasonable unrest to the rest of the nation’s people.
You see, to me, it’s this simple:
If the opposition’s stand was really for the “common good” of the nation, I don’t think there would be a rift between the classes [on this issue] in the first place. I think they’d definitely get their “quota” of supporters easily (myself included), and GMA would’ve already been out of power about the same time the Garci case exploded.
Marcos was far more aggressive in the “fear” department, but that didn’t impede our resolve now did it? We were united because the “common good” was crystal clear then.
Now, the fact that it has taken this long, and the fact that people’s sentiments are still divided, just goes to show that at this point, not everyone thinks that a naive sense of justice is enough to represent the “common good.” So maybe, just maybe, the “common good” was already amiss in the first place.
You know what the “common good” for me is? A better economy – because that’s what can make quality education possible. The dream of educating the less fortunate so that they can in turn make informed decisions in choosing their leaders (and prevent issues like this from happening) – for that to be even remotely feasible, will obviously rely on the economic power of a nation. That or if these rich, influential rallyists who speak of this “common good” actually do something concrete to help the less fortunate, instead of complain.
So while I don’t really care for GMA if she stays in power or not, I hope people forgive me for not being supportive that she has to go because she cheated the elections. As much as I hate her for betraying the public trust, she still brought the economy up as she should. And after what she has accomplished, to me it’ll really to take more than a “she broke the law” to take me to the streets.
But for the record, at the rate things are going, I really think she should step down already. With the help of the Media, and her recent bonehead actions, she truly can be considered as ruling only by force at this point. Not that I have any problem with that 2 Singapore’s a dictatorship, and technically, by virtue of being a dictatorship, I’d say the Prime Minister “rules by force” by default, only difference is the people seem to agree with his ideas, so he doesn’t need to “force” anyone hehehe, but should the time come there is dissent in public opinion, he can simply put his foot down, and that will be that., but we are a democracy, the thought of a democratic leader who cannot gain the respect of her people is an oxymoron (oh and that could also be a pun if you wanted to hehehe). So GMA’s cling to power at this point, is makes no sense as far as leadership goes.
And so I end this post with Quarks last lines… which to me, perfectly sums up the point of futility (of course I’m sure he meant a different thing hehehe)
…We’re still digging the same holes for ourselves, and no matter how much we want to change we’re still putting the same people in power. Something horrible will happen, and when something else grabs our attention we totally turn our back on that.
And so tomorrow we’ll all head back to work and take our lunch break and maybe watch a movie. Imelda Marcos will enter a store and will be treated like royalty. Aquino and Estrada will side together for the issue of the moment. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will break another promise. Willy Revillame will come back after two weeks and sing the Wowowee song and everyone will clap their hands and sing along. How lucky we are that we so easily forget.
Notes
| ⇡1 | Unless of course their idea of responsible journalism/pursuit of truth, includes fueling mass hysteria for the sake of ratings |
|---|---|
| ⇡2 | Singapore’s a dictatorship, and technically, by virtue of being a dictatorship, I’d say the Prime Minister “rules by force” by default, only difference is the people seem to agree with his ideas, so he doesn’t need to “force” anyone hehehe, but should the time come there is dissent in public opinion, he can simply put his foot down, and that will be that. |
you know what even the economy is getting better, the problem is that ordinary juan de la cruz couldn’t feel it. It so easy for us probably to say certain things about life or whatsoever, kse, okay tayo in terms of career,family,financial, and a lot more. Sa akin okay lang din naman si GMA,kaya lang the fact nandaya ka, plus walang ka isang salita, i mean delicadeza,atenean, pa naman sya diba, i know school has nothing to do about it,pero given the fact hello ganda kaya ng educational background & everything about her,tapos all of a sudden sinayang lang nya,totoo lang wala sya konsensya. Syempre given the chance i dont like the late FPJ to be the president. pero sya, tlga nanalo last 2004,( pero i vote for the late rocco).Siguro mapalad tayo kase marami tayo options about life in terms of everything,compare to others,I respect your opinion , and I know that you’re the kind of person who hate to dwell to a certain issues/problem for so long, take a look at it that attitude I said about you,ganyan din ang ugali ng karamihan kaya nga siguro, ganito pa rin ang bayan natin. Applicable naman yun ganun ugali o pananaw sa ibang aspeto,pero sa usapin ngayon sa palagay ko at ng nakakarami,kailangan na ng lahat makialam kung hindi sa kangkungan tayo lahat pupulutin.yun lang take care !!!!
People who do not value their freedoms are doomed to lose them. Marcos too first tested the waters by suspending the writ of habeas corpus in 1971 in response to the bombing of Plaza Miranda. A year later, he declared martial law, which lasted for 14 years. The prospect of dictatorship continues to dangle on our heads. We do not remove it-or better still let a people’s wrath dangle on the head of a would-be dictator-we are going to get it.
“Never again!” was the cry that arose after February 1986, a cry that might have issued from the hollow mouths of the Holocaust victims themselves. Martial law was our own equivalent of the Holocaust, notwithstanding that it did not carry with it stark images of smoke coming out of the chimneys of buildings where men, women and children had been. We have our own horrifying images of mass graves and maimed bodies alongside the grinning faces of those partying in the presidential yacht. Indeed, we have our own stark images of non-images of the faces of the disappeared, the obdurate presence of the absent, the people their loved ones would never see again.
The cry “Never again!” was so resonant it spawned entire groups dedicated to a dictatorship-watch, making sure one would never rise again. “Never again!” was even a forum in the Internet, meant to be an early warning device alerting all and sundry about the signs of a brewing tyranny.
Well, 20 years later, dictatorship is back, resurrected on the very day dedicated to commemorating its death. Twenty years later, martial law is back, raised up on the very day dedicated to its being toppled down. Whatever happened to “never again”?
As it turns out, many of those who shouted that line ferociously are now serving tamely the one person who is resolved to recycle dictatorship “ever and ever again.” As it turns out, what they really meant when they said, “Never again!” was that never again would they be poor, never again would they be without power, never again would they suffer the discomforts of struggling against injustice and oppression.
History repeats itself, as they say, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. How very true, except that this one is a bitter farce, it only hurts when you laugh. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is truly a caricature of Ferdinand Marcos, but a most perverse one. At least Marcos won twice in presidential elections before he became a dictator and ruled the country with an iron fist. Arroyo has not won a single presidential election — she was shoved into power by the very thing she has now decreed illegal, which is People Power, for the heroic act of hiding under the bed, or Cory Aquino’s and Jaime Cardinal Sin’s skirts; and she merely stole the presidency from Fernando Poe Jr. — and she has the gall to plunge this country into the darkness of martial law?
What a pathetic people we are if we will just bow our heads and accept it. Or utter that monstrous phrase with abject weariness: “Let’s move on.”
Whatever has turned “Never again!” into “Ever and ever again”?
I can think of all sorts of sophisticated or convoluted explanations for it, but a friend of mine has hit the nail on the head with a simple one. “What the hell has happened to us?” — she expostulated to me the other day. “Have we become a people without balls?”
That is the most direct, forceful and complete explanation for why, 20 years after we liberated ourselves from a dictatorship, we have fallen back into its clutches. No, more than that, it’s the most scientific one. We’ve lost our balls. Or more accurately, we’ve allowed a small person (spiritual, not literal) who never won a presidential election to cut off our balls.
That is so in the sense of “balls” meaning pride and courage. We’ve lost our pride, and we’ve lost our courage.
The first has been unraveling over the last few years when we kept on beating our chests and ruing in doleful voices that beggars cannot be choosers, let’s just choose the lesser evil, the iniquity is done, let’s just move on. It’s that plunging into the lowest pit of mediocrity, that settling for crumbs out of self-inflicted sense of desperation, that willingness to tolerate abuse and wrongdoing that has undone us. Beggars cannot be choosers? Choosers cannot be beggars! It’s the mental prison of thinking you have no choice that makes you a beggar, not the other way around.
In any case, what idiocy should possess anyone to make him suppose Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the “lesser evil” to anything? Of course, that was how she advertised herself in the elections (the lesser evil to Fernando Poe Jr.) and that is how she advertises herself today (the lesser evil to any alternative). The lesser evil? Hell, a dog would be a lesser evil. At least a dog has virtues that commend it as man’s best friend. You keep thinking you have no choice but to pick the lesser evil — Raul Roco was hands-down a patent good in the last elections, even if his EQ was constantly at war with his IQ — and you’ll keep getting the greater hell. Look where we are now.
The second, which is that we’ve lost the fire in our bellies, is patent today. A phalanx of anti-riot cops attacks a crowd of marchers who are doing anything but rioting and the marchers run away. A checkpoint full of soldiers stops people from marching to Fort Bonifacio to come in aid of a “beleaguered” group of Marines, as Col. Ariel Querubin put it, and they agree to stand rooted to the spot. What has happened to this country’s capacity to raise a fist at tyranny? What has happened to this country’s capacity to defy dictatorship?
I joked before friends last Sunday that better the crowd at Ultra, at least they had the balls to rush forward. The crowds that gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Edsa People Power I and to defend a group of Marines at Bonifacio a couple of days later had the balls only to either run away or be rendered immobile. Maybe, I said, next time we hold a rally we should announce that prizes in the form of house and lot, tricycles and cash will be given to those who stand their ground. Looking back, I don’t know if that is a joke at all.
Forget about economic recovery. Let’s just recover our balls.
Hmmmm. while I certainly see your point, I’m not so sure if it’s really an issue of “balls.”
In my opinion, we haven’t changed as far as the “capacity to defy goes.” – sometimes to a fault. I really think it’s simply an issue of a difference in opinion with regards to “common good” at this point.
I don’t think for one minute that we wouldn’t be able to handle a “Marcos” if he were to show up today (or any time soon). If that happens, I have no doubt that we will all take to the streets once again. But that scenario, as I mentioned, is clearly a time when all opinions gravitate toward a common agreement of what’s best for the country and it’s people.
There’s also the nagging feeling that we simply do not deserve what we’re “fighting” for anymore. I’ve always believed that “freedom” always entailed responsibility. You earn it, you don’t simply fight for it and expect it to be given to you… even if it IS a right – you have to deserve it, and you should be able to HANDLE it.
Again the perfect analogy here is the life of a child. He has to reach a level of responsibility before they are allowed to drink, drive, (insert all parental issues here). And having said that, I honestly think… as far as the “freedom” department goes… I don’t think we deserve it. How our society plummeted in every possible way ever since the foreigners left our soil is proof of that. A country which claims it can be “independent” simply for the sake of calling itself free, to me is no better than a petulent child giving his/her parents an ultimatum to not treat them as such: they may all think they’re grown up, but who are they kidding? Of course this is already digressing to a different topic, but my problem with the “opposition” is that they constantly yammer about fighting for your rights without realizing the responisiblity it entails – they think it’s just a matter of taking action and ousting people here and there. How many times have we done just that, and we’re still NOWHERE!
And since the crux of every opposing person seems to be about “freedom” in black and white. I just want to ask them what their opinions are on countries like Singapore? A dictatorship rule naturally requires people to sacrifice certain “freedoms” for the greater good – does that mean Singaporeans have resorted to cowardice and idiocy that they don’t respect the concept of freedom? Or maybe the have a more compatible view of the concept applied to their situation.
So forgive me if the “Bonifacio” way of thinking doesn’t appeal to me. All it really proves is that we CAN fight… but to TRULY achieve what we’re fighting for? I’m not so certain anymore.
The reason I focus on economical growth isn’t because I think it’s the solution for everything. But since we’re in a chicken and egg situation, I see it as the only starting point possible.
The reality is that majority are uneducated. So we can kiss “electing good appropriate leaders” goodbye, and are therefore BOUND to experience the same cycle of corruption, et all.
Either the private sector start giving an obscene (and possibly unreasonable) amount of funding to education OR we fix our goddamn economy.
The saying “the little a single person does can go a long way” is kind of naive in this context.
Even If ALL the Tycoons get together and miraculously try such a behemoth initiative, I don’t think it would be enough. There are just TOO many uneducated poor people for any private undertaking to accomplish.
Education is key, but simply stating that is meaningless unless you know if you can afford to fund it. Now I don’t know if these rallyists have some secret plan of suddenly putting up some mega-school or initiative of education MOST of the populus once they’re done with their picketing to solve the issue of “freedom” once and for all (educated votes = somewhat decent leaders = a better chance of having less problems in society).
The reason I stay silent is because I know I don’t have a solution, if that private sector initiative is a fantasy, what makes me think that I, or any other group of individuals can afford to fund it right? So I support the second scenario of beefing up the economy. The reason I stay silent is because though I ceartainly see GMA’s flaws, I see how she was pulling the economy up. And if you do the math, a rise in the peso is certainly more concrete than the “concept” of believing in the people – who probably will not, and CANNOT solve the problem anyway.
So yes, I believe that merely rallying, while noble, will not solve anything. But fixing the economy could… once that’s done, then MAYBE we could start focusing on issues like these. I’m not saying that we should just let them be, but really, there are more pressing issues at this point we should be dealing with.
I think the point of democracy is not having a leader who is “capable”. The point of democracy is having a leader who is “CHOSEN by the people”. It is not about who is the best leader. It is about who is the people’s choice– who has the people’s mandate. To say that because the masses are uneducated and therefore we can kiss having appropriate leaders goodbye is saying that only the educated have the capacity to choose appropriate leaders. Thus, only those who are privileged enough to get an education should have the right choose. A country that is uneducated should be stripped of their right to choose their leader? It is slightly condescending, in my view. Democracy is about having a government that is CHOSEN by the people– a vote by an Ateneo graduate counts as much as the vote by an illiterate farmer. In a democracy, intellectual superiority (perceived or otherwise) doesn’t give one any more rights or privileges than others. If we wish to award such extra rights to the intellectual aristrocracy, we might as well start stamping swastikas on our foreheads and hail Hitler.
That said, I don’t see what’s not so black & white about trying to kick out the squatter in Malacanang. She was caught talking to an election official during the counting of the votes– an offense she herself admitted (but calls a “lapse in judgment”– hell, any criminal should now just go to court and say “i’m sorry, it was a lapse in judgment.”). if you’re caught cheating, you’re disqualified. simple as that.
What bothers me is the fact that we are now starting to accept a president who did not win the elections on the grounds that the economy is doing well (i can tell you that the peso-dollar rate is no indicator that the economy is doing well or that people’s lives are getting better, but that’s another story). So are we now willing to piss on the will of the people just because “woohoo, the dollar is now just 51-1”?
The bottomline is, she did not win and does not have the people’s mandate EVEN IF she were the most qualified person for the job. She STOLE the presidency. Whether or not she’s doing well with the economy is irrelevant. Heck, whether or not she’s being a good president is irrelevant. The presidency is NOT HERS to be good at in the first place.
To allow her to keep the presidency is as ridiculous as a court allwoing a car thief keep your car because the thief can drive the car better than you can.
“To say that because the masses are uneducated and therefore we can kiss having appropriate leaders goodbye is saying that only the educated have the capacity to choose appropriate leaders. Thus, only those who are privileged enough to get an education should have the right choose. A country that is uneducated should be stripped of their right to choose their leader? It is slightly condescending, in my view.”
Sorry to say, but this is exactly what I think at this point. I didn’t mean to be condescending, but sometimes you simply have to face the truth. I agree totally how GMA is illigitimate if you put it in that context, it truly is a tragedy. BUT if you ask me to judge her based on the “facts,” then you also have to be open to the simple fact that MOST people aren’t capable of electing a decent ruler in the first place. I’ve already said that I myself don’t like GMA, but simply ousting her and having another “election” isn’t convincing anymore because to me, we can’t rely on “the people” anymore.
But yes, the bane of this train of thought is that we’re a DEMOCRACY. I don’t need to point out my past posts to reiterate that I don’t think democracy fits this nation – at least as long as we haven’t solved the education aspect.
I’m sure there ARE exceptions (there always are), but can you really claim that in general, if we simply “trust” the people, that they will actually make an informed vote? That’s too idealistic a dream, and while you can certainly dream it, we all know it simply WILL NOT HAPPEN.
Plus the fact that we’ve been relying on the same old method of dealing with things ever since I could remember… its been so common to rally or to do a “people power,” that it already feels like a joke. And we don’t have to say where that led the country.
Besides, I think it’s an insult to the memory of the ONE TRUE People Power. So I’m really saddened that it has even come to this.
You say that peso/dollar doesn’t neccessarily reflect economic growth. Probably so, but it’s a start goddamnit! And it’s MORE than I can say for what happens after we follow the lead of these rallyists, because again, we’ve ALREADY been doing it for the longest time!
And just for the record, I’m amused how we like to immediately like to equate everything to “a sky is falling” scenario. Just because we seem to “bend” democratic doctrines, that suddenly we think we’re going down the Marcos or Hitler era.
But as far as the whole “type of government” goes, I can’t really delve too much into that because that’s just like defending different religions. But let me say this.
The reason why OTHER, more “stringent” forms of government still exist, isn’t because the people are forced/oppressed into it, but sometimes it simply “FITS” the society. You have a 30s Germany compared to a current Singapore, or a past USSR to a current China. Just because it’s one form of government, it will depend on the type of people wether it’s good or bad.
Having said that, I will state once again, that democracy in our country, where the actual educated people are the MINORITY, and where the majority vote is actually given to people who don’t know any better (or can only recognize the smell of showbiz or money) isn’t quite my cup of tea.
If that’s the idea of democracy you wish to support, then good for you, and I will say that the people will definitely DESERVE the next idiot leader they put into power.
I on the other hand, would rather choose door number 2.
A government has a right to protect itself from a threat. But a government has no right to tyrannize the world to protect itself from that threat. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) is not doing the first, she is doing the second. Her response to an attempt to unseat her by force is to become a dictator.
Since she discovered a plot against her by a group of military mutineers, she has variously: proclaimed a state of emergency incorporating martial-law powers; arrested Randy David and 30 individuals for taking to the streets to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Edsa; practically took over the Tribune; arrested Crispin Beltran and nearly did so Satur Ocampo, and attempted to intimidate media. Calibrated? This is about as calibrated a response to the provocation as burning a house down to get rid of termites.
The strangest things have happened to this country but none stranger than that the very day dedicated to the fall of martial law should be dedicated to its resurrection 20 years later; the very day dedicated to reclaiming the freedoms guaranteed by democracy should be dedicated to losing it to a tyranny guaranteed by trapos and generals. It was a betrayal of Edsa. And breathtakingly so.
The only continuing threat to the Republic is not an ongoing mutiny, it is an ongoing rule shrouded in illegitimacy. I was listening to CNN last Friday and their correspondent was saying the widespread perception here was that GMA had rigged the elections with the help of a Comelec commissioner. The host asked if emergency rule was not going to deepen the perception she could rule only by force. The correspondent said yes, it would. I agree one thousand percent. It would, and it does. GMA has shown she can now rule only by force.
The only solution to rebellions and uprisings, real or imagined, is not for GMA to crush the freedoms of this country so that she may survive. The only solution to rebellions and uprisings, real or imagined, is for GMA to step down so that this country may breathe. Take it from Cory who defied her order for all rallies to cease on the day given to celebrating the reclamation of freedom and who asked her with customary politeness to make the ultimate sacrifice of resigning. Which sounded not unlike asking her husband to make the ultimate sacrifice of living within his means, but that is another story.
I myself have been asking for GMA to be ousted, and will continue to do so. But by constitutional means, not by unconstitutional ones: By People Power and not by a coup. If People Power is unconstitutional, then GMA has no right to exist, her right to govern would have been voided from the start. For even stranger than GMA restoring martial law on the day it was dismantled 20 years ago is GMA declaring illegal the very thing that brought her to power-against the one president in this country whose electoral mandate was ironclad. I remember again my arduously defending the legitimacy of Edsa II against my foreign journalist friends who thought it was a mere coup wrought by the elite against a populist leader. I continue to maintain it was genuine People Power for reasons I will not go into here. But if it was debatable then, it is not debatable now. An act of People Power against an arguably illegitimate president is unarguably legitimate.
Proclamation 1017-it is one of God’s mysterious ways that that should sound like Marcos’ Proclamation 1081 plunging the country into the darkness of martial law-is a martial law decree, not an emergency act. It posits among its “whereas-es” that media have been aiding an insidious conspiracy which has got to stop. The premise is wrong to begin with: it is not a conspiracy, it is an open and popular demand. Few people in this country bother to hide or disguise their disgust over the Arroyo administration and their fervent desire to see it go. Even the aborted coup-which the AFP chief of staff himself refuses to call so; he calls it a “threatened withdrawal of support”-was so openly advertised, with a view to convincing the higher-ups in the military chain of command to go along with it. Where in the world will you find a coup like that?
But more than that, that “whereas” is vicious, aimed not at stopping uprisings but dissent, not at stopping power-grabs but protest, not at stopping coups but criticism. Henceforth, all dissent, protest and criticism against GMA become an aid to a conspiracy. That is the justification for the crackdown that has already begun. The takeover of the Tribune is a brazen trampling of press freedom. That and the arrest of Beltran and the manhunt for Ocampo show the tactics of the nascent dictatorship, which is to begin with the “fringe” groups first and go for the mainstream. Tribune is associated with Erap, and Beltran and Ocampo have been painted red. First, the weak links, then the strong ones. They get away with this, they will go for the rest of media.
This is no time to be cowed, this is a time to fight back. As Bertolt Brecht said, you do not protest when the Nazis come to take your neighbors because they are Jews and communists, they will come to take you one day. I recall as well while writing “Dead Aim,” a book on how Marcos declared martial law, something Blas Ople told me in an interview. Marcos, he said, never really thought of martial law as lasting as long as it did and becoming as vicious as it did. He declared it to buy time to explore various options. But he was surprised when it met with no resistance. So “tinuloy-tuloy na,” he went at it full blast.
You do not stop dictatorship now, it will go full blast. They’ve pretty much stolen everything, must they steal your freedom too?
As usual, chicken and egg issue. And you don’t need to post CDQ’s blog entries/articles verbatim. This is the second time you’ve done it. If ever you do, please make sure you at least have the decency to properly give due attribution (unless of course you are CDQ himself, in which case I apologize). I already read that (and his other posts) from the time it was posted. Unless you say that CDQ hasn’t represented your side accurately, I’m assuming that this is the basic gist of it. If so, I’ve been posting my thoughts knowing FULL WELL the other side’s point.
I really admire Mr. de Quiros’ values/principles, and the way he could articulate his arguments. But again, AT THIS POINT. To me, idealism/nationalism is the last thing on earth that I want to apply to our country.
As a Filipino, born and raised in a primarily Catholic country, having been educated with the Philosophies that can be considered deeply rooted in “faith/religion,” I can say that my lack of “faith/hope” in the nation certainly is a letdown. But for some reason, I just want to stop kidding myself with delusions and just call things as they are. But I still have hope, enough hope to look past a person’s fault and hope they can still live up to the “potential” we see in them (which is why we stay silent)
I’m not saying the opposing party is wrong, I’m not saying that I DISAGREE with them in terms of principle. As a matter of fact, in another time, on another culture, I would probably wholeheartedly support such principles. And believe me, I had hoped to God that they were applicable to our current situation. But sadly, I don’t think they are.
A simple analogy is a black and white truth “thou shalt not kill” – I agree killing is wrong. But I will be the first to admit that under CERTAIN (extreme) circumstances, I will probably not be able to stand by that principle should the right (or wrong) stimulus was applied. What if love was at stake? What if my parents were killed? Stuff like that. All of which, are shallow issues compared to something as serious as discussing the FATE OF THE NATION, but the point still stands that PRINCIPLES alone CAN be challenged depending on the situation (or at least that’s what I believe). The only question left to ask is if a person would rather stick by them or not. And both answers have their own set of positive and negative implications.
Ultimately we’re all working with speculations. We speculate GMA has potential despite the issue. The opposition speculates that allowing her to rule will lead to dictatorship or whatver. We speculate that if we once again do a People Power, aside from replacing a leader, nothing will change (or the only change will be for the worse) The opposition speculates that replacing her will retain the countries dignity and will be for the better of the nation. So WHICH speculation is correct? Who knows.
But that post you quoted mentioned dictatorship going full blast. I don’t recall GMA ever backing down with her decisions. Which is why everyone was afraid (with good reasons) of martial law, dictatorship.
Having said that, are we now in a dictatorship? No. Nothing really changed as far as the “events-that-MAY-lead-to-dictatorship” is concerned. But are we in a dictatorship now? Is 1017 still in effect? Is the nation still at a state of emergency? NO. No matter how much sense CDQ’s argument made, or how articulate he expressed it – he simply missed the mark did he not? IT DID NOT LEAD TO A FULL BLAST DICTATORSHIP. PERIOD. END OF STORY.
In terms of Democracy, I admit that my argument is inherently wrong, and not even valid. The simple fact that I agree that GMA is an illigitimate president but choose to forgive her (I still don’t like her, but I CAN forgive her and expect her to do a good job should all of this die down). But in terms of REAL LIFE, I’m still unconvinced by the “opposition.” Fighting for ideals is only worth my time if the “people” I fight for DESERVE what it is we’re fighting for. And if the culture of such a nation is COMPATIBLE with the principles they are pushing for.
The Aborted Walk in the Park
We thought it was going to be a walk in the park. Some of us were even planning to watch V for Vendetta after the walk. But it was not to be.
As soon as we stepped out of Aristocrat restaurant, a group of about 50 policemen blocked us demanding that we present a rally permit before they allow us to cross Roxas Blvd. towards Baywalk.
We argued that we were not holding a rally, we had no intentions to hold a program or deliver speeches, we had no placards or streamers, and we had no bullhorns or any sound system to call attention to ourselves. We simply wanted to walk at Baywalk, just as ordinary citizens are allowed to do. We did not need a permit for that. Besides, there were only about 22 of us plus a 3-year old child. How difficult would it be for them to stop us if they thought we were making trouble at the Baywalk?
They argued that they received intelligence report about our planned action for that day. (I wanted to say it didnt take much intelligence to figure it out; its all published at our blog site http://www.blackfridayprotest.blogspot.com). They insisted that the presence of media people was proof of the planned action. And that the T-shirts some of us were wearing which emblazoned the slogan: Patalsikin na. Now na! showed we were planning for more than just a walk.
Even assuming they had intelligence report of a huge rally-like gathering, the reality on the ground should have alerted the police commanding officer that this was not the rally they were anticipating. 22 people and a child can hardly be called a rally that could disrupt normal activities at the park. But the commanding officer stuck to his script yes, it was almost like he was reciting his lines in rote, unmindful of whatever arguments we would present.
What about the presence of media? When GMA decided to take a Sunday stroll at Baywalk with her daughter and grandchild to project an image of stability, there was media too. And there were about 25 of them as well, if you count all of their security people. Did they get a permit for that walk? Are they now so paranoid that they fear 22 people and a child strolling along Baywalk and being covered by media would project instability? We have no control over what media decides to cover.
What about the printed slogan in our T-shirts? What about it? Is it now illegal to wear T-shirts proclaiming your convictions, even if its a political one? Do they find the slogan Patalsikin na. Now na! seditious? If they do, I suggest they ban Nike too. Their slogan, Just do it! when directed to the disaffected within the military is more seditious.
We decided to exercise our rights we will cross Roxas Blvd, even if it meant doing so, one or two at a time.
And then it happened. While Dinky and I were waiting for the light to turn green at the pedestrian crossing, they arrested us. The charge: illegal assembly.
They brought us to the Manila Police headquarters along UN Avenue. It took more than 3 hours for them to prepare their affidavit of arrest. Either they were waiting for instructions from higher authority on how to handle the situation, or they were maliciously delaying the process so that the office of the inquest fiscal would be closed by the time the affidavit was ready. This would give them reason to detain us over the weekend.
By 11 pm, we were transported to the fiscals office at City Hall for inquest. I could sense that the fiscal found no basis for the charges. But she did not want to embarrass the arresting officers, and did not want to risk being reprimanded for a possible politically incorrect decision so she decided to play it safe recommended for further investigation. Meanwhile, SOP dictates we remain in the custody of the police. Our lawyers argued. After consultation with her chief fiscal, she finally decided to release us, pending filing of formal charges.
I am convinced that, aside from the capable skills of our lawyers, what kept us from spending time in jail over the weekend were the presence of friends who staked out at the Police headquarters and at the City Hall and, of course, the presence of President Cory Aquino. She was with us the whole time. She did not need to call anyone or to say anything. Her mere presence exerted moral suasion on people to do what is right, or at least, to desist from doing wrong.
The intentions are clear intimidate people from participating in even the most benign form of protest. Absolutely no activity critical of GMA will be allowed.
The methods are becoming increasingly more brazen, bereft of any attempt to cloak their actions with civility and some semblance of upholding the law. Its almost as if the police have been given a blanket license to violate the basic rights of citizens. Its de facto martial rule promulgated with such arrogance that they feel they dont even have to declare it.
And for as long as people who are convinced GMA should go, remain uninvolved, the abuse of our civil liberties will continue to escalate. It is our silence that emboldens them to raise the bar of oppression a notch higher.
enteng