EDSA and the Libyan Experience

Former president Fidel V Ramos explains that EDSA is our people's legacy to the world. Look at Libya, he says, they are now fighting among themselves, and for what? EDSA was a bloodless revolt. 


Ramos is right. EDSA did paved the way for a peaceful transition of power---from a one-man dictatorship to a dictatorship of the elite. 


However, we can only say that EDSA was a true legacy as a new model of change if it, indeed, led to substantial changes shortly after.


Yes, we prevented a bloodbath among soldiers and civilians during the transition but, in truth, peace was never regained after EDSA. Fact is, violence within our society continues and it remains a fixture in our lives. 


We see violence in the continued oppressive relations between workers and capitalists. The post-EDSA landscape shows a country again ruled by petty warlords. The traditional elites who destroyed the moral fibre of this country prior to Martial rule, were back, with a vengeance. Farmers are still enslaved by their landlords in the provinces. 


EDSA did not really solve even the most fundamental problems of this country. Fact is, EDSA only allowed the dictatorship to assume a form enjoyed by traditional elite families prior to the declaration of a strong-man rule. 


If, during Martial law, we answer to just one man, post-EDSA, we answer to hundreds now who think highly of themselves as Marcos mini-mes. If there was one strong man during those dark ages, we face a thousand now. If there was just one family of thieves before, we face a mafia of thieves now, all wearing the same starched barong.


Worse, violence has now seeped within the very basic unit of our society---the family. Because of the unresolved violence stemming from the unsolved economic crisis, our families are now being threatened by violence never before seen in our history. More than 27 million Filipino families now face the twin evils of poverty and inhumanity. 


We are hungrier and more desperate now than before. Worse, we are now facing an apocalypse because we don't have as many resources now as before. Most of the assets of government have been sold or transformed into private enclaves by the elite. The treasury remains dry. 


And why do we say this? This is the simple truth. What was the only thing EDSA gave us? EDSA gave us back our right to criticize government. In exchange for this, those who succeeded Marcos continued the plunder in a different, more "conotic", "Civilized" and "cacique" way---using the law to steal monies from the People.

The smell of People Power

Like what this space wrote a few entries ago, the next president will either win in a very clean elections with a big margin OR assume power thru People Power. The SWS in their latest survey points to the possibility of at least 49% of Filipinos going to the streets against widespread fraud and violence in this year's polls. That is a magic number for those who want to re-create EDSA.

And all indications point to a worsening peace and order situation related to the upcoming polls.

Based on Comelec estimates, there are now 50.6 million registered voters. If we are to account past history of actual voting, there will be about 40.2 million who will go to the polls and vote for their candidates.

Assuming that all 82,000 optical readers arrive before February and functions well, it will still take more than 10 hours for every precinct to accommodate 40.2 million voters. And this will definitely create anxiety and disorder.

Expect thousands, even millions of voters, disfranchised since it will take 8 minutes or more for every voter to complete the long ballot containing 300 partylist names, 10 presidentiables, a host of governors and congressmen, mayors, councilors and of course senators. This will create frustrations.

Of course, hotspots will provide traditional pockets of violence and distresses. I don't trust Gloria Arroyo when she promised to dismantle these private armies. It is simply too risky for the State to lose these armed groups which they use in fighting off insurgents in the provinces. All the more, CVOs are part of the State's anti-insurgency plan and it would simply be too complicated for the military to lose those stooges.

A failure of elections in these hotspots will surely impact on the results of national elective posts, particularly those of the president and senators. What Randy David said was that the possibility of a non-proclamation scenarion is very high since automation would not accommodate nor read the enormous volume of data that would be fed into it.