The Spirit Of EDSA

Today's celebration of EDSA 1 at the EDSA Shrine was a veritable loyalty check for the AFP. Noticeably, the crowd was not there, as if EDSA was hijacked by the usual opportunists. Those who were on the other side of the fence so to speak, those who fence-sit and those who even mocked EDSA were there on stage. The legitimate owners of EDSA, the people, civil society and people's organizations were left out.

Joey Concepcion spoke and said that EDSA right now has been transformed into an economic one, that we should put a stop at EDSA and instead concentrate on empowering our people through economic initiatives. Good. But not good enough. Yes, we had achieved economic growth but the gains of the economy has not trickled down to the masses.

Fidel V. Ramos, one of the original architects of EDSA one, said it very accurately: The Spirit of EDSA is still there in the hearts and minds of all of us. He says that EDSA One came about in three stages:

(1) Conscientization
(2) Individual actions
(3) Communal actions

His speech was laced with symbolisms and hidden messages. He says that conscientization has started. We are now witnessing individual actions. Very soon, we will then see a convergence of individual actions into one big communal action.

Truly, the Spirit of EDSA is still there. The values of EDSA one continues burning in the hearts of everyone. What we must do is for everybody to continue doing these individual actions so that it would ripen into People's Revolutionary Action for DemocracY (PRAY).

Why Gloria was not there

Gloria was not an active participant of the first EDSA. No. She was just a fence-sitter. Same as her husband, Mike Arroyo. She does not believe in EDSA. And it is but fitting for her not to be there.

I think the real reason why Gloria was not there is simple---she wants to avoid another confrontation with FVR. She experienced this at the Libingan ng mga Bayani where the former president lambasted her.

VP with FVR

While Verano was singing the usual EDSA songs, FVR was seen talking with the VP. What was the discussion, it will be just speculation on our part. Where's the loyalty of the vice president?

Analysts see no coup

Criselda Yabes wrote that the possibility of a coup is remote. I believe her. I also think that a coup is not the penultimate result of all of these actions being undertaken by the people. This is not within the framework of a new brand of EDSA.

I believe the next big thing would solely be a pure EDSA---the kind that will once revel the world of its Godly majesty and pomp. The people will act to depose Gloria without the help of the AFP-PNP. If the defense of Gloria crumbles, then the people will be able to launch a scathing revolt against her.

The crumbling of the Bastille is imminent if, and only if, the defenders of Gloria STAND DOWN. And I think they will. They will eventually stand down without announcing a withdrawal of support.

This new brand of EDSA that we will see in the next few days will be totally different. It will be the purest expression of the People's Will. It will be the end of the revolution that Bonifacio and the Katipuneros started in 1898, which continued against foreign oppression in 1946 and culminated in 1986.

The next big thing will happen in 2008.