By Lester Cavestany, Contributor
INQUIRER.net
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 22nd8th 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 or evidence has appeared.
To be honest, I am a bit confused as to how other leaders can continue to demand for President 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
Last week’s Inquirer Opinion-Talk of the Town article, “Poverty reduction: What we know and don’t know,” gives us a concrete example of a systemic problem: the lack of rural development in the Philippines.[3] Nothing much has changed since 1781 when Gov. José de Basco y Vargas introduced commercial farming in the Philippines[4]. Moreover, no authentic land reform has been implemented in our country since the feudal 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 percent 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 the 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 President Arroyo’s resignation unless we have court-admissible evidence against her. Just because some opposition leaders are trying to convince us that President 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 President Arroyo’s government in addressing our systemic problems.[6]
Happy 22nd8th 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 here in Hanoi, I would like say “Happy 22nd8th 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,” By Arsenio M. Balisacan
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 16 Feb 2008
[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 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. Also posted in www.lestercavestany.com
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
walang mali na idea pero may mali sa pagtama sa mali na ating nakikita at nararanasan…
Pogito you are the winner…!
alvin, bka kasali k naman sa mga Anak Bayad na kunwari nagra-rally pero pag Bayad na stop rally na… kasama mo ba si Allan?
June 27th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
HM, King Anthony Santiago Martin has handled so much money to recover our country from poverty.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:23 am
EDSA I and II must be stopped to celebrate because of horrors did to the Filipino People when they both overthrown leaders who have a capacity to rescue Filipino People into more worst trouble and here it happened. Corazon Cojuangco Aquino must be paid for her connivance for her husband’s mysterious assassination whereas in the documents held by HM, King Anthony Santiago Martin. And HM, King also held several documents that confirming former Pres. Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo did cheating and killed Pres. FPJ in St. Lukes Hospital, I would like to emphasize you guys, that GMA was a lady demon, witchcraft and whore, you cannot change her images and her sex videos of so many gentlemen including some head of states in the world. GMA is a worst ever known lady robber and fraud makers of all Philippine treasury bills that never admitted offshore.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
To Lester: We have to get carried away!And so, to all the highly opinionated people who ever cares to write; to all the people who wanted the truth and would not compromise; to anyone with pride remaining in themselves whose heads are bloody but unbowed; RIDE THE WINGS OF CHANGE. BE THE CATALYST TO RID US OF THE EVIL THAT IS GMA!!! At the rate the truth and all who stands to say and hear it are being crushed, there is no such thing as “TEN YEARS FROM NOW!”
Now is the time to act.
Now a warning: Let me reiterate for everyone who cares to know, ALLAN is a RETARD who fancies himself a doctor. It is not known whether a second lobotomy would work for him. Pardon him for the lapses, thinking for him really hurts. With an almond-size brain that barely works, don’t expext him to say anything coherent. Brain dead people are simply that - “kulang - kulang”.
March 10th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Pogito magdasal ka ng maayos , aminin ang pagkakamali at magkakaroon ng katahimikan ang iyong kunsensya. Magbasa ka ng bibliya para malaman mo ang mali sa tama at para matuto ka rin kung paano ang tamang pagdarasal. Wag mong ipilit sa ibang tao ang pag sasaayos ng mga kamaliang nagawa mo, problema mo yan , kaya harapin mo. Kung hindi sa katangahan ng mga katulad mo wala sanang Gloria ngayon. Wag mong sisihin ang isang katulad ni Gloria sa pagsisinungaling at pandaraya ng mga anak mo, dahil ikaw din a ng may gawa nyan. Sa buong buhay mo ba hindi ka nandaya at nagsinungaling? Dahil ang mga bata ang unang ini-idolo nyan ay ang kanyang mga magulang, wala sigurong makitang maganda sa ugali mo kaya pinagtyagaan nalang idolohin si Gloria. Kung gusto mong mawala ang mga tulad ni Gloria unahin mo yang anak mo. Kaya mobang itapon sa pusalian yang sinungaling mong anak? Ang talagang problema ng lipunan ay makikita mo sa tuwing haharap ka sa salamin, kaya yun ang umpisahan mong baguhin. Wag kang magtago sa kakatawang pangalan dahil wala namang naniniwalang pogi ka. Ok, dont forget your medication, and the breathing exercise we taught you.