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
March 9th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Dear friends,
It’s easy to get carried away with the opinions of highly-opinionated bloggers and commenters. Often, we can’t help but share our reactions and comments as well. Sometimes we even use rude words when expressing ourselves.
Personally, I enjoy reading others’ opinions and comments because of the facts and/or insights I gain from them. But before I submit my comments, I TRY to read it about three times and then I ask myself, “Is this something I can be proud of when I read it ten years from now?”
Remember, the blogs and comments that we post are “digital footprints” that will be in the Internet forever. So let’s tread carefully.
Cheers,
Lester
http://www.lestercavestany.com
March 9th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
ALLAN, you’re welcome. See, I told you you’re a retard. I was beginning to wonder if you could have a LUCID INTERVAL (that’a a momentary sanity in between fits of insanity, you moron) Believing is the first step in your road to recovery. Don’t go into role playing anymore. You’re not a doctor. By the way, there is no missing ling, the only thing missing is your brain. Accept that!
ALVIN, yap it’s confirmed that you and ALLAN belong together. A bunch of morons should stick together!
Now, for the real issue:
Ang pandaraya ay isang bagay na hindi dapat pahintulutan. Kapag ito ay ginawa ng harap-harapan ng mga taong syang dapat na magsilbing huwaran, ang bayan ay siguradong walang patutunguhan. Kapatid din nito ang pagkagahaman, pagnanakaw, pagpatay at pagsupil sa katotohanan.
Walang maaasahan sa isang taong “MORALLY BANKRUPT”. Kagaya ni GMA, sila yung mga taong gagawin lang kung ano ang mabuti para sa sarili nila. Tumatawag sila kay GARCI at hindi sa diyos. Sumusumpa sila na animo’y buwitre na kakain sa atin sa sandaling pagkalingat.
Kung mahuli mo ang iyong anak na nandaya sa exam, nangupit sa pitaka mo at harapang nagsinungaling sayo, me magagawa ka ba kung ang sagot nya ay ganito: E bakit si GMA nagagawa nya lahat ito. Idol ko si GMA!!!
San ka pupulutin kaibigan?
March 7th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Pogito, now it is confirmed. Allan is right.
No doubt you need help.
tsk..tsk…
Allan, we entrust him to your good hands. Although he looks helpless but who knows… miracle happens.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Thanks for the correction Pogito, I always believe your a smart monkey, otherwise I would have given up on you. But still, Im the one who discovered the “missing link”, stay that way at least until the test is over. Pogito , I dont need a brain larger than an almond to understand a brainless monkey like you…,Dont forget your medication, control your temper, we dont want to loose you, and dont look at the mirror we dont want you to go into another depression. Dont miss your session on Monday.
March 6th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
PEOPLE, LET’s GET THE FAKE PRESIDENT OUT OF MALACANANG!
To Alvin, kulang-kulang ka pala!
To Allan, a novel is a prose story of book length. You don’t win a novel, you write one. It’s a NOBEL PRIZE, you moron!
And you call yourself a doctor, pathetic!
It’s dementia eating through whatever is left of your almond-size brain.
Your stupidity shows at every turn. You are incoherent and could barely keep up. Thinking for you must have really hurt.
Allan, read a dictionary. It would help augment your english deficiency. But never have high hopes, a retard could only take as much.