Bakit natin ibabalik ang dati na nating inayawan?

Many of those who supported presidentiable Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ), the lone and legitimate opposition force against Mrs. Arroyo in 2004, are not joining Erap Estrada's campaign. I have a very personal admission---I supported FPJ in 2004 because my friend, Amina Rasul happens to run under his party. By supporting FPJ, police bugged my house, hit me with dirty water during the tumultuous post-election Welcome Rotunda rally and even hit me with a truncheon. I told myself, ang tanda ko na, ngayon pa ulit ako na water cannon. The last time that I was hit with a truncheon, thrown smoke bombs at and nearly got caught was in 1990, with Miro Quimbo and Mike Defensor. Eventually, in a rally infront of the Vietnamese embassy, a few meters away from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in Vito Cruz, I got caught along with 12 others. Humimas kami ng malamig na rehas na bakal. Eventually, all charges were cleared thanks to David Celdran and Angelo Jimenez.

Fourteen years past, and in that very confusing time in 2004, I was again, beaten up for telling the world about what a sham that election was. FPJ clearly won, and I still hold that belief because I was part of the team who got all those election documents (at the risk of personal safety) which showed FPJ won fair and square. Later events vindicated us. Hello Garci nearly brought this government to its knees.

When "Principal" (FPJ) died, everyone just packed his bags and we all went separate ways. The revolutionary momentum got lost somewhere, somehow, when FPJ died.  I resumed my marketing stint and went abroad. I became successful there in Singapore and even decided maybe I'm meant to live here instead of there in the Philippines. But, love, indeed, overwhelms the soul and before I know it, I came back home and now, trying to raise a family.

Now, will I support Erap's comeback bid? I am still thinking. Pero, if Erap still maintains as friends those same faces, obviously, I will not support him. I will not even convince my friends to support him. Why?

Yun bang 2 years in Erap in power, golden era ba yun? Panay nga ang gulo nuon. Isipin mo, gangster nga ang tingin ng mga tao nuong panahon ni Erap eh. Maganda sana kung ideological gangsterism yun, pero, hindi, purong gangsta government ang kay Erap. Hayday ng mga jueteng lords yun, pati ng mga nagtutupada. Tapos, ang lakas pa ng loob ni Erap na sabihing i-legalize ang mali? Erap, ang mali, ang kasalanan, ay kasalanan.

Sino-sino ba ang mga nasasa likod ni Erap ngayon? Si Boy M (Boy Morales) na dating komunista pero kapitalista na ngayon. Sina Ben Diokno na kanyang Budget secretary. Si Ernie Maceda na sinabihan dati ni Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson na "so young yet so corrupt." Yung mga datihan nang Marcos cronies na na-transform into Erap cronies. Of course, me mga bago, na karamihan, mga Filipino-Chinese.

Kung ibabalik man natin si Erap, parang ibabalik natin ang Marcos regime sans martial law. Para tayong bumalik sa panahon ng mga 1960's.

Hindi naman dapat yun. Bumenta na yung political line ni Erap. Nakita na natin kung anong mangyayari kung si Erap ang pangulo. Yan ang hirap sa atin, urong sulong, sulong urong tayo.

Kumbaga, kay Gloria galit na galit tayo dahil parang mafia kung umasta sila. Tapos, iboboto natin ulit si Erap, eh di bumalik din ulit tayo sa institutional gangsterism? Hay naku.