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Should there be another EDSA? (People power against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo)
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Yesterday's protests or prayer-rally as they call it (February 29, 2007-Friday) at the country's financial and business center, in Makati City, was the biggest and most potent so far after the National Broadband Network (NBN) - ZTE Deal anomaly broke out. Indeed, the boisterous calls nowadays for Truth and Justice by different sectors of the Philippine society is reminiscent of the angry shrills that was commonplace at the height of the 'Hello Garci' alleged electoral fraud scandal that almost toppled the Arroyo Administration. At the height of that scandal, it was almost near certain that President Arroyo would leave the Presidency of the Republic either through resignation or through a forced eviction by angry protesters with a probable military component. However, that super-charged clamor and indignation fizzled out in time as the President remained steadfast and tenacious amidst the great forces that were endangering her hold at Malacanang. She bounced back and emerged arguably stronger if we go by the adage of 'what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger'. She was able to weather the tumultuous tempest, as they say. Indeed, after 2005 and now we're into 2008, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through her political savvy and incontrovertible economic dexterity and lucky stars (2007 RP GPD at 7.3% - highest in 30 years, her whole term so far has had an uninterrupted growth trajectory, an unprecedented feat - the longest in Philippine history) remains to be the President of the Republic of the Philippines. In fact, discounting another people power with military support, which is unlikely, she is on her way to finishing her term when it expires in 2010.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that President Arroyo's presidency is under a constant mode of survival as if it is constantly under siege. We can argue however that all leadership positions always are uncertain and constantly under threat but the President's case is perhaps more amplified and runs more deeper and intense considering the Office that she is occupying and its repercussions and ramifications to the nation. At any rate, we hear talks of coup attempts of withdrawals of support, of allies jumping ship, and of course of the perennial scandals that rattle her Administration, each of which continuously weakening her political capital. In fact, if we go by the surveys since 2004, the President does not have the support of the people to back her won mandate to be the country's chief executive until 2010. Nonetheless, since we are a nation, a Republic, of laws and not of fickle sentiments, she remains to be President and she deserves to dispense with the duties of her Office, which she solemnly swore to in the service of the nation and of its people. You may not love her. You may not like her at all even. Nevertheless, she is the President and she is doing her job earnestly. She is working hard to uplift the nation, especially economically. She has in fact done a lot of good things. The development, to my mind, is visible. We just don't realize it but we are in fairly good times compared to previous administrations But those are almost always buried under the heap of distrust, unpopularity, and frustrations for what she could have done more which she did not or she was not able to do. We cannot blame many people for wanting oust her. There are legitimate issues hounding her Administration. Those issues needs to be addressed. If not, even if she finishes her term, her legacy will be heavily tainted by the anomalies and scandals that have rocked her Administration. History will judge.

Now with the issues of corruption again rattling the Arroyo Administration and multi-sectoral groups, with the perplexing union of the left and the right, of the motley group that again are calling for her resignation or forced eviction considering her unflagging fighter-stance to tough it out, President Arroyo is again in a dangerously beleaguered position. She may or may not be ousted. But general notion is, she will weather this storm yet again.

From my end, my standpoint is that the President should not resign. At least I have not yet been moved to change that position since the Hello Garci scandal of 2005. The current scandal are fueled by allegations, allegations which have been sensationalized so much by our media. These are allegations which have yet to be proven in court or be complemented by the imperative documentary and other supporting evidence. The fashionable clarion call nowadays is for the Truth to come out. It is undoubtedly a noble cause. Even a former president convicted of plunder and other corrupt personalities are welcome to search for such truth. Under this call for truth, people are again demanding the replacement of the incumbent president. Unless all allegations have been proven then I am not one with those who want a change of government. Doing so will again bring an unnecessary period of instability that will threaten our growth trajectory and derail the programs and projects toward national development initiated by this government. We will again shoot ourselves in our foot. We have had two people power revolutions, the latter one dubbed as EDSA II is considered more of as a power play, where have it brought us? We are still a nation divided. I am not in favor of yet another extra-constitutional means of effecting change in government. The alternative before 2010, which is only two years away, is to me unacceptable. When all is said and done, what matters is what was delivered. If what was delivered contributed to the development of this country then that deserves commendation and support. I believe that this President can deliver. She is a hard-worker. Her legacy will be to set the stage for a better trajectory for Philippine development, backed by economic resurgence, when she relinquishes her office in 2010.

As regards the various crimes alleged against her, once she is no longer President she will have no more immunity from lawsuits. Then those people who are genuinely against her because of the allegations of corruption and human rights violations against her can run after her. While she is President, she deserves support for her programs so that she can leave behind of legacy that befits a 'good' president which she wanted to be. History will be the great judge of her achievements, of her failures, of her contributions to this motherland, the Philippines.

February 29, 2008 | 9:51 PM Comments  0 comments

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Independence Day (A Reflection)
Related to country: Philippines


Today, June 12, 2007 marks the 109th celebration of the independence of the Republic of the Philippines when in the same month and day in 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo declared the country's emancipation from the clutches of Spanish colonial rule. Of course, the Americans thereafter came in and practically filled in the shoe of the Spaniards--they became the new colonizers of the Philippine Archipelago for almost half a century. However, World War II broke out just in time when the Philippines was undergoing a provisional autonomy under the Commonwealth government of the late President Manuel L. Quezon. During this time, the Japanese outmaneuvered and kept at bay American military might and eventually placed Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia under its Imperial control. This lasted for about three years in the case of the Philippines. The downfall of Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Europe became a portent for the reversal of fortunes in favor of the Americans in the Asian region. Not too long after, in 1945, the Americans routed the Japanese Empire by dropping two atomic bombs devastating the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leaving it and its inhabitants in debris. This insurmountable debacle promoted the Japanese empire to surrender to the Americans and cede control over the dominions they acquired during the course of their 3-year undertaking to establish a Greater-East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere under Japanese suzerainty. With the Japanese effectively clobbered, and the Americans back in the Philippines, independence was granted consistent with the provision laid out in the 10-year effectivity of the Commonwealth which started in 1935. Nevertheless, American actual tutelage remained immediately thereafter receding only in degree as the years and decades went by. Until now, the Philippine state is still heavily reliant on foreign aid and assistance from the international community, of which the Americans is ahead of the pack. Truly American influence and power is very much felt in the status quo. This is not entirely bad as this can be a testament to the solid relationship the the US and RP has had for decades, which remains stronger and deeper as governments come and go. Nonetheless, there are sectors in the society that denounce this so-called neo-imperialism by the US. In my mind however likely this may be, the multi-polar global setting with other emergent countries checking US preponderance, such as the EU and the very vibrant economy of Asia led by China and India, and also the resurgent Russian Federation, renders this US neo-imperialistic appreciation of our current world setting and on the Philippines, specifically, continues to decline in actuality.

Going back, the point of reflection for this country does not actually lie in whether political independence has been achieved or not. The central concern now is the issue of poverty and wide gap between the haves and the have-nots, inequality and widespread penury. In a country where economic activity has been quite dynamic for several years and which has great resources in its natural endowments as well as in its great people, the Filipinos are yet to enjoy the proverbial greener pastures that is the promise of a market-economy and of democracy, of which the Republic of the Philippines is the first to have in Asia. Sadly, despite economic growth the gargantuan maladies that matter to the common people are yet to be resolved. There also is injustice and violence as well as the perennial problem with law and order and accusations of human-rights violations by certain sectors. There is also the terrible problem about the declining quality of education in the public school system. All of these issues needs to be resolved adequately. However, neither can we fully blame our government nor can we fully depend upon them to solve all our woes. It would be more woeful should we not do our share in uplifting and helping ourselves emancipate in this web of daunting challenges and difficulties. It is up to all of us, being citizens of this great nation of remarkable resilience. Governments do not determine our destiny as a nation. They merely guide us and reflect our will, as determined by our electoral choices. Indeed, we always deserve the government we get at the end of the day. It is up to us, the people to work hand in hand in making our independence from our social maladies and woeful malaise as a people uninspired come true. Divisiveness only hinders our progress and ultimately our prosperity and happiness as a nation. If we do not work together and continue stabbing one another then we don't deserve to be a nation. A nation should stand together in freedom and in the duty to serve the common good of the individuals who comprise it. Our citizenship calls upon us contribute our share toward our progress and development as a people. Nations are determined by its people. We only have ourselves to blame if we continue to consign ourselves to the rot and decadence that we have been somehow, alas, accustomed to. Our freedom enables us to carve our future. Only in unity do we attain our noble goals as a people. Only in enmity and discord do we fail. Indeed, this day of independence serves as a clarion call for us to contemplate on our choices: Do we go about our usual business of pulling ourselves down or do we rise above our vested selfish interests and our egoisms and stand tall being united? I say we stand united or again, conventionally, fall divided and wretched, blaming each other to the hilt for our failings and misery.

June 12, 2007 | 10:13 AM Comments  0 comments

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