Martial law is about keeping the peace while they raid public coffers

Why is it that dictators and even those pseudo ones want nothing more than peace and order? Simple--they don't want anybody to howl while they quietly raid our treasury of gold bars and remittance dollars.

Martial law is not about preserving the state for some real threat. Threats are always imagined ones. When Marcos declared martial law in 1972, he portrayed the ragtag gang of Jose Maria Sison bigger and stronger than what it truly was back then. Reason? Marcos was a U.S. stooge and one of the United States' State Department allies during the Cold War. For his plan to work, Marcos had to appease his imperialist masters and calm the frayed nerves of the international community.

Martial law is not about the future--it is always about the present. Marcos never really cared if, by declaring martial law, he ran the economy aground. He never cared if the military caused untold suffering to the rural folks even in Ilocandia. Surely, he did not care if an entire generation lost their illustrious members and deprive the people of the intelligence of its sons and daughters. No. It was about consolidation of power, of the Marcos' family becoming the most powerful and the wealthiest family in all of Filipino-landia.

Imelda Marcos harbored ill-feelings for the Manila-based socialites who looked at her as a probinsyana (provincial). She was always jealous of their riches, of their mores, and of their education. When martial law was declared, Imelda immediately became the prime dona, the center of gravity and the host of lavish parties all funded by the people's hard-earned monies.

Ever wondered why Imelda had those 10,000 pairs of shoes, those expensive Rembrandts and Manansalas, those sparkling jewels, that big carbon rock and those authentic animal furs? She always told people that she had to dress up for foreigners not to look down upon Filipinos. Well, madame, foreigners would praise you to high heavens if they saw all Filipinos, well-dressed, well-mannered and well fed, which, unfortunately, even at the height of Marcos' glory during Martial law, did not happen.

Martial law is not about anti-criminality--it is always about the monopoly of crimes. Under a dictatorship, nothing happens without the knowledge and approval of the ruling Power. Wonder why addiction persisted and even grew to astronomical heights despite the military occupying nightclubs, bars and even homes? Don't tell me heinous crimes such as murders, rapes, kidnappings, bank robberies stopped for a long time while we were under martial law? The fact was---it even grew. How about smuggling? Pre-martial law days, it was the monopoly of a few Chinos. Enter martial law and another player entered into the picture---military men.

I remember one of my friends, the son of the head of the Binondo central bank sharing with me how their family grew in wealth during martial law. Because Marcos controlled even the flow of foreign currencies, particularly the dollar, businessmen had to rely on his father to supply them with much needed dollars from Hongkong. Biyaheras who were beautiful Chinoys recruited from Binondo frequented Hongkong with their luggages full of worthless pesos, exchanged in dollars somewhere at Hongkong central and then quietly brought to the Philippines for sale to exporters and importers.

Martial law is not about true peace--it is about complicit silence. Marcos wanted everybody to keep their silence while he, along with his family and their cronies, slit the throats of dissenters, open the bank accounts of their enemies, raid the private vaults of businessmen, and steal those gold bars from the Treasury with a note left saying " This is for safekeeping."

Martial law is not about truth--- it is about forced acceptance. Martial law changed our values. Before, Filipinos had "hiya", which is very difficult to transliterate in English. We, Filipinos, respect individual rights, to property, life and liberty. We sacrificed so much for our freedoms only to see it crumble under the crucible of tyranny.

These memories are forty five years old. However, some people, including our President is salivating for its return, not because he wants to curb drug addiction--he is wiser now and accepts the fact that he can't really solve an institutional problem by systematically killing everybody. Of course, Duterte realizes now that the ills of Filipino society cannot just be wished away by a magician's wand or a stroke of a pen. And surely, Duterte is wishing for his immortalization in our history books as the second man to plunge this country into darkness and chaos, which he is already doing, without even writing a Proclamation.

Duterte, despite his old age, wants more power. He enjoyed the sweet smell of power and he wants to sniff more. When he says that he does not want the presidency and anytime he's willing to back down and leave, don't believe a single word! Power is Duterte's nicotine. Look at how Duterte's face shine whenever he hears someone killed by cops or when he sees destruction, the likes he saw in Marawi. For 23 years, Duterte satisfied himself with killing small fries, and ordering the massacre of families and barangays. As President, Duterte realizes how powerful the position is. He always says he owns the military and the police. Duterte sometimes attack oligarchs because he loves reading how scared these oligarchs are in his favorite newspapers, even the Inquirer. He has billions of pesos at his disposal, cavalierly giving those to cops who kill even innocents just to be at par with others, enriched by Duterte's blood monies.

Duterte does not care if forty five years and billions spent for the de-militarization of the police organization. Duterte does not give a damn if innocents fall by the wayside, who are, for him, unfortunate casualties in an imagined war. Duterte loves wars. He finds satisfaction, like an LSD addict, whenever a bomb explodes in Marawi, whenever news about thousands of evacuees fill the headlines and whenever a police team barges in someone's home and mows everybody down including the owner's dog.

Duterte hates addicts. He wants to kill them. Yeah, right.

Ferdinand Marcos and Efren Penaflorida: Similarities and Contrasts as Heroes

Okey.

For some generals, Ferdinand Marcos Senior was a hero, worthy of that spot in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Marcos was a soldier. Marcos fought the Japanese. He was a former president, and he ruled this country for a very long time.

Meanwhile, CNN right now has just nominated Efren Penaflorida once more as one of the CNN heroes. Penaflorida was thrust into the global limelight when he pioneered the pushcart education concept. He goes out of his way to teach streetkids using just a pushcart complete with educational materials.

Marcos and Penaflorida---heroes?

Penaflorida made it his life's quest to reach as many young minds as possible and teach them. He thinks that by doing so, he is helping them escape the lethal fangs of poverty.

Marcos meanwhile, made it his life long dream to be accepted as one of this country's elites. He was intelligent---he topped the Philippine bar, he defended himself against murder charges heaped against him by his father's political enemies and he crafted laws that until now, are affecting the lives of each and every Filipino.

Marcos went out of his way and became a Governor, a Congressman, a Senate President and eventually a President. His life was extraordinary, something like how John F. Kennedy lived his---he partnered with a beauty queen, and got the adulation of the people.

Marcos made it his life long ambition to keep most Filipinos poor because doing so means he, as a politician was relevant---the more social ills, the more the people need politicians like him who animates their lives every single day, with dreams, with promises of salvation. And the poorer Filipinos become, the more foolish they are, and the more vulnerable and weak they think they are. Hungry Filipinos know no law, says Erap. Marcos says, the hungrier Filipinos are, the better for them to be governed.

Penaflorida gave hope to those who think they don't have one. Marcos gave hope to those like him that they can be rich and even richer and more powerful than any Cojuangco, Tan, Sy, Ayala or Zobel by just pioneering a pushcart full of billions of pesos worth of gold bars straight to Swiss banks.

For Penaflorida, life's success is full of struggles and heartaches. For Marcos, it is as easy as declaring oneself Overlord, of a country full of people conditioned to fear authorities, and making laws that apportion the country into economic enclaves of his family, their close relatives and even their drivers and yayas.

Penaflorida taught kids of Cavite how it is to live an honest life---honest living means honest pay. For Marcos, he taught us how to regard those with guns as more superior than us, he taught us that everything he built came from his own pocket and he definitely taught us that stealing billions from our very own pockets, is okey for as long as it is done systematically, by law, and the amounts run to the billions. If you steal other people's monies, steal big.

Just think--two people who belong to two different generations, one pushing a cart filled with hope, the other pushing a cart full of gold bullions, bank certificates and shitload of pesos, while wielding a big baseball bat in one hand swatting people like flies, and backed by a throng of people wearing their Pradas, Gucci, Hermes and being shielded from the midday sun by people with umbrellas.

Heroes?

Bongbong Marcos to risk all?

Everyone agrees that Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr deserves a higher post. For one, he is intelligent. His heart seems to be at the right place, and Bongbong is someone who knows what he is doing and knows how to get what he wants.

Among those who aspire for the top post, Bongbong enjoys a distinct advantage--he is familiar with government and its processes. Bongbong carries with him a surname which is synonymous with greatness. The only real problem is the name also carries with it a stigma.

What stigma? A political stigma that is.

It is not the actions of his father during Martial law that made people hate or even loathe the Marcos political brand name, no. It was the excesses that even Bongbong took part of that most people remember. Most people do not blame Bongbong's father, Ferdinand senior for declaring Martial law. Most people accepted and even admitted that it was a necessary means towards a greater end--a more ordered society.

What turned the people's admiration into hatred was when Marcos and his family, and that included Bongbong were seen living the high life while the rest of the country was suffering the effects of a dire economic recession.

Many died during Martial law, but not a whimper was heard from the majority of the people because that was a silent acceptance of the declared system.

The people only resorted to violent acts when they saw how the Marcosses hobnobbed with royalty while most of the people suffered and reeled from poverty.

It was the people who gave Marcos the opportunity of leading this country towards an authentic revolution. Yet, Marcos decided to veer away from the very reason why he declared Martial law, and that was correct the monumental flaws of the system, and obliterate the greedy elites that hampered the progress of this country from third world to first world status during the sixties.

Marcos, back then, was a symbol of both resistance and renaissance. Resistance because he came from the professional classes and renaissance because the people think that he has the intellect and the might, the power to effect the change, the way every Filipino wanted it.

Yet, Marcos bungled that historic opportunity. Marcos was a symbol for change yet he himself became a target of resistance later in life because he conveniently forgot the very thing that endeared him with the masses in the first place--the masses saw in him, a champion, that was admired because of his wit, his principles and his sense of History.

Now, Bongbong thinks that it is his time to get hold of History and snatch it away from all the other pretenders for the throne. What Bongbong forgets and he must be made to remember it, is that he still represents a political legacy that is as spotty as it is loathsome.

He carries none of the promises that the masses saw in his father during his father's prime. Marcos senior symbolized a cause. Marcos junior does not. What cause does Bongbong represent? The "Tayo-Tayo" ideology espoused by his TV ADVERTISEMENT and which shows him doing a selfie with young people?

A classic empty promise of windmills? The shallow hope that a smile gives to its beneficiary?

Bongbong is risking all if he decides to really accept this illusion being peddled by many of him gunning for the vice presidency even though there is really no pillar by which his belief of a general sentiment about the Marcos regime stands from.

I think this is not the ripe time for Bongbong to jump into the fire. For one, Bongbong must prove to all and sundry that he runs for the right reasons and not because his mother expects him to or his financiers want him to get the highest post.

Had Ninoy lived, he would have allowed Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

I must admire President Aquino. Nagpakatotong tao siya when he publicly told the public that he felt he needed to exact revenge against those who conspired to kill his father. He believed then that the Marcoses were responsible.

He was, however, constrained by his friend, who told him that he, and his mother, had a loftier mission--to bring to justice the dictatorship. Aquino realized that there were many other people victimized by the system, and his role is to help them.

And help them he did.

Aquino even remembered how his father told him the very reason why he left Boston to go back to the Philippines despite threats to his life---Ninoy, his father, still believed that there is still goodness in the heart of former president Ferdinand Marcos, and that the president was just being given bad advices by those who surround him.

Ninoy got killed at the tarmac and all hell broke loose.

What is significant in what his father did was Ninoy showed Noynoy the power of forgiveness and of hope. Ninoy just taught Noynoy that people, even if others perceived them as bad to the bone, are inherently good. There is goodness in people. People act the way they do due to circumstances.

That is the power of Ninoy---he is now considered as a martryred hero of this land because he did what no other hero did---he showed people the true path towards political rectification. Instead of perpetuating injustice, Ninoy thought of instituting justice.

Now, when Ninoy was alive, he respected other people, especially his enemies. Noynoy Aquino must learn from his father.

There is still time for Noynoy Aquino to do what his father expected him to---forgive his enemies and erase every shred of enmity in his heart.

Noynoy Aquino could start by allowing the burial of a war hero at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. I sincerely believe that had Ninoy lived, he would have allowed his former friend and fraternity brother the right to be buried there.

2014--a political year for the Philippines

2014 is also a political year for the Philippines--that is, for those who aspire the top Executive post in 2016. This means that we will all see these political personalities becoming more active and more engaged next year than this year's.

Those who aspire the presidency, one expert advise---less exposure is better. The more people talk about you, the more they will remember your weaknesses and inefficiencies, the more chance of you losing the competition.

A confidential study shows that most Filipinos want just to work hard and see less politics in the papers. Those who work hard will reap the benefits. Those who just use media outlets to prop themselves up to stellar status stands to lose rather than gain in the political department.

In Philippine politics, it is not popularity than urges people to vote for you come election time. A decade ago, this is the case. This explains why Gloria Arroyo became Nora Aunor come election time.

There is a thirst for new and fresh faces in politics. There is a silent hatred for traditional politicos or people who are young yet exhibit or show signs of being a trapo. Think of the young Maceda.

Consumer issues will top the headlines next year. Those who will champion lower prices of goods, of power and other utilities will surely win the hearts of many.

Epalism is one thing that most people hate.

One bold prediction for 2016---a new face will emerge as President. This person will emerge like how Obama did when he ran the first time.

Cast out the frontliners right now for the presidency.

Binay is a goner. This early, he along with his son and daughters are showing signs of snobbery, and of royalty, things which Filipinos hate. As they say---hindi pa man presidente, arogante na. That Makati incident and the slowly deteriorating state of Makati City are just two things why people will not vote for him come election time.

Same goes with Mar. Politically, the big horse that is the Liberal, is slowly decreasing its galloping speed and may not have the power nor the wherewithal to finish the race by 2016.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is casting his lot as a vice presidential wannabe, yet, his big mouth will surely lead him to destruction, since he is promising many people many things but delivering nothing or less than expected.

People are talking about Grace Poe as a "dark horse" yet, her initial performance as a Senator is a disappointment. This will affect her chances by 2016. It does not mean that your number one placement at the senatorial race in 2010 assures you of a higher post come 2016.

Senator Chiz Escudero is making his moves, using his strong connections with Pnoy, to gain more political points. The problem is, his wrangling with Heart's parents. That scene will haunt him in 2016. Escudero was'nt able to fully erase this scene from the minds of people, especially parents who comprise the bulk of the electorate.

How about Miriam Santiago's antics before young and future voters? Her school tours have impacted greatly on the minds of the young voters. Is she a presidentiable? Not if rational minds unite against her. I don't want to see Manila burning like Rome, with Miriam singing and playing the violin.

Many are talking about Ping Lacson, and how he is able to capture the public's imagination once more. Some say, Lacson is the best bet of the Americans, and when the Americans speak, Filipinos follow. As construction czar, Lacson is in the best position to capture the presidency come 2016. Some rumor mongers say the Americans will pour billions to help him in his job.

Well, Lacson's fate is brighter than others but it does not assure him of the job come 2016. It cuts both ways. If Lacson is not able to do his job as what he promised, then he's a goner. He is actually politically weak. His success depends on one thing---money. This early, Ping does not want to sign anything close to financial papers. How then will he be able to accomplish anything without using public funds?

Lacson faces a dilemma--re-construction means using public funds. He loses if corruption eats just one of his projects. One example--a road project. The Visayas needs more roads. One project tainted with charges of corruption will taint Lacson.

How about Senator Bongbong Marcos then? He is being pump primed for the presidency, with his mother as his endorser.

Well, 2016 stands a good chance of becoming like the sixties when his father, the late president Ferdinand Marcos assumed power. The conditions of the sixties are slowly re-appearing with elite families dominating both political and economic spheres of life.

The Marcos trademark remains spotless if you ask older voters. Young voters do not know what happened during Marcos dictatorial years. Those in the middle age range knows, yet this segment is fragmented.

Marcos has a strong constituency. Marcos has a very strong grassroots based electoral machine that if activated, would possibly give him the presidency. The problem really of Bongbong is the elite families whose interests will be affected once he assumes the presidency. To win, he will have to either cause the deaths of these families or enter into a compromise with them.

His father did these two things---enter into a compromise with some families and left others to die a rather slow economic death. He did not chose one above the other. The thing is, these families have long memories.

(expect a second part of this analysis..)

CHIZ ESCUDERO AND THOSE WHO SIGNED THE CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT AS FOOLS

I ACCUSE CHIZ ESCUDERO OF BEING A LIAR AND AN IGNORAMUS PAR EXCELLENCE. 

(If one can lie to one's wife, he can very well lie before the People.)

DON'T TELL ME, MR. ESCUDERO, THAT YOU DID NOT READ THE ENTIRETY OF THE CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT OF 2012 AND DON'T LIE THAT YOU DON'T KNOW THESE INSERTIONS THAT YOU AND THE REST OF THE IGNORAMUSES THERE AT THE SENATE DID, WHEN YOU TACKLED THIS LAW DURING THE BICAM?

I ACCUSE SENATORS CHIZ ESCUDERO, TRILLANES (EXPECTED OF HIM SINCE UTAK BIYA AT PULBURA SIYA), ED ANGARA (WAS HE A FRIEND OF A DICTATOR ONCE), ENRILE (EXPECTED SINCE HE IMPLEMENTED MARTIAL LAW), ESTRADA (HINDI NAGBASA), LAPID (LALONG HINDI NAGBASA), VILLAR (KATAKA-TAKA, PERO SIGURO PIKON DAHIL NATALO SA ELEKSYON DAHIL PIKON), DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO (WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK?), MARCOS( EXPECTED), REVILLA JR. (AKALA SIGURO SA CYBERCRIME EH, PELIKULA) AND LEGARDA (PANO SA ONLINE NABUKO ANG MGA KABALASTUGAN NIYA NOONG BATA PA SIYA) OF VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION.

I ACCUSED CONGRESSMAN YAP (WEALTHY KASI KAYA AYAW MASABING PIKON AT WALANG YUTAK), ERIC SINGSON (NO COMMENT), HERRERA-DY (BOPAL KASI), TEODORO (SYEMPRE KAMAGANAK NI COJUANGCO), GMA (EXPECTED), DATO ARROYO (SUNUD-SUNURAN LANG SA NANAY NIYA), ANGARA ULI (EXPECTED SINCE GAYA-GAYA SIYA SA FATHER NINA), GOLEZ (HINDI BA ME KINAKASAMA SIYANG ASAWA NG IBA), LAZATIN (SYEMPRE GMA), RODRIGUEZ (R.) (SYEMPRE ERAP), RODRIGUEZ (M.), VELARDE (SYEMPRE WRONG INTERPRETATION OF GOD), TIENG (SYEMPRE AYAW IBUKO GINAGAWA NG AMA), ACOP (HENERAL KASI, KAYA MILITANT), DEL ROSARIO (A.A.), MACAPAGAL ARROYO (J.), CALIMBAS-VILLAROSA, CASTELO, MAGSAYSAY (E.), TINGA, GOLEZ (R.), QUIMBO, SARMIENTO (M.), SARMIENTO (C.), ABAYON, APACIBLE, TREÑAS, VIOLAGO, MANDANAS, ARENAS, SY-ALVARADO, ARAGO, CLIMACO, DEL MAR, VILLAFUERTE, CRUZ-GONZALES AND ROMUALDO, PER COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 1818 OF SUPPORTING A LAW WHICH THEY CLEARLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND NOR HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF UNDERSTANDING.

I ACCUSE THESE SENATORS AND CONGRESMEN OF BLATANTLY VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION AND IGNORANCE.

I ACCUSE THESE SENATORS OF COMMITTING A GRIEVOUS CRIME AGAINST THE FILIPINO PEOPLE, OF VIOLATING THEIR OATHS THAT THEY WILL FOREVER PRESERVE DEMOCRACY.

THESE "HONORABLES" DO NOT DESERVE THE PEOPLE'S TRUST AND CONFIDENCE. THESE PEOPLE DESERVE OUR DERISION.

That's the problem with these young people--when they already taste power, they think that they are like the icons of their fathers. They think that they are invincible and not susceptible to criticism.

When you're a public official, be ready to get criticized. You should always be aware and responsible of your actions. 

ARE THESE SENATORS AND LEGISLATORS READY TO FACE THE WRATH OF A FREEDOM-LOVING PEOPLE.

O PINOY NETIZENS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, RESIST!!!!

SMASH THIS CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT TO SMITHEREENS!

THESE NINCOOMPOOPS AT THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY DID...AND APPARENTLY, EVEN THIS STUPID AND IDIOTIC PRESIDENT DON'T KNOW WHAT HE SIGNED FOR. 

STUPID IDIOTS DO NOT DESERVE TO BE LEADERS OF THIS COUNTRY.

OUT WITH THIS IDIOTIC LAW AND OUT WITH STUPID, DUMB LEADERS!!!

TAKE PART IN A REVOLUTION!!! PINOY NETIZENS UNITE! YOU ONLY HAVE YOUR CHAINS TO CUT!!!!

Martial Law and the Need for an Authentic People's Revolution

It pains me to read blog entries and articles depicting the martial law era here in our country as something which many sees as "the ideal" governmental setup in our history. Many people believe that martial rule was "the ideal" because there was peace and order, and people obeyed the law. It is also "the ideal" because many iconic structures which are still regarded today as the country's monuments were made during this era. Likewise, people compare the "roads" of yesteryears and the big megastructures built during the Marcos era as incomparably superior than those made after Marcos.

Credit this, to the slow erosion of the people's trust in our institutions. Shortly after the fall of Marcos, all Filipinos thought that things will change for the better. Twenty years past, there is a general perception among Filipinos that things went from worse to worst. Fact is, the very ills that many people thought bedevilled Philippine society from the very beginning of this Republic's birth, began to take shape in another form, with the same lethal power.

Martial law was supposed to be the socio-political panacea against every single ill of our society. Many people still had this crazy idea that had Marcos stayed on course in his "Bagong Lipunan" theorem, it would have been better.

No.

Martial law was not a cure but a curse.  Bagong Lipunan was never a revolution, it was just a prop meant to lull a militant people into acquiesce. 

Instead of changing social structures and revolutionizing processes and functions, martial rule tried to preserve the best features of eroding institutions, enabling it to survive a possible revolutionary onslaught by the Filipino People. 

Marcos was right on when he signed Proclamation 1081 as the State's answer against the raging tide of Socialism. He was head of Asia's semi-capitalist state. His duty is to protect the way of life as he and his social class know it.

Marcos used martial law not to change Philippine society but to arrest its eventual decline. The decadence of that era rivalled that of Nero's Rome. Marcos used his iron hand not just to prevent the Revolutionaries of that era from ascending to power. 

And since there was no legitimate desire to change, only to legitimize his rule, Marcos strayed from the golden opportunity to direct the course of development by destroying the very institutions of decadence. Instead, Marcos tried to resuscitate those ailing and rotting levers of the superstructure, doing what his Capitalist masters wanted him to do. 

Marcos was neither a revolutionary nor a visionary. He was, plain and simply, a preserver of the old status quo. 

His very act, which he cloaked in propaganda terms as "Bagong Lipunan", was never revolutionary. It was purely reactionary. Bagong Lipunan was just a thesis meant to show that things were different, when in truth and in fact, the same society was actively promoted and supported by Marcos.

The greatest sin that Marcos did to the Filipino People was he gave them the impression that he was the Moses of his people, when, in truth and in fact, he became their Bane.

It is not only Marcos that erred in those times. 

I accuse those people who ascended into power after Marcos' ouster. They are worse than the Dictator because they pretended to be better than him when, in truth and in fact, they are nothing more than poor copycats.

These people perpetuated the system that the people condemned. They pretended to be promoters of democracy, when it was plutocracy that they truly pursued.

These people promoted a bourgeois capitalist system that further worsened both the economic and social spheres.

Instead of arresting the decline of Philippine society, things got worse because the root causes of our misery remain deeply imbedded within the very structure which we adopted from the West.

Now, more than ever, we need a change of the system. We need a surgical solution. We need a total overhaul of this system which oppresses the Filipino People.

The Filipino People is ripe for a revolution that will promote a totally different system, a system that equalizes opportunities, and gives every single individual his due. 

The Core of our Misery

Why was it that after Marcos, we were able to witness and experience two (2) Chief Executives who tried to do a Marcos? How was it that these two were able to turn a Constitutional Republican state into a veritable fiefdom? I thought that our Constitution had safeguards against dictatorial rule or at least protect us from any semblance of totalitarianism. How was it then that we continually produce lemons for presidents?


Is the answer generational, meaning, the generation that fought the Marcos regime, are themselves potential dictators disguised as human rights fighters? That these members of the counter-elite fought Marcos because of envy? That within the recesses of their souls, the reason for their struggle is not so much as to lift this country from the morass that Marcos did but for them to equal if not surpass the brazen-ness and bravado of Marcos?


Is the answer systemic, that the very democracy we so created is actually a tyranny disguised as a democracy?


Our body of law is supposed to protect and advance the welfare of the poor. But the nine year reign of the Arroyos just exposed the very nature of these laws as not so much to protect the poor, but were actually crafted to exploit the poor.


Much of the weaknesses of our institutions reflects the frailties of our legal and non-legal systems. These laws created or allowed monsters to thrive in our country and sets well-meaning people out of the power equation.


For example, you can be a president if you have at least 500 million pesos. A Jay Jaboneta for example can only probably get a Senatorial post but not a presidential one for it requires millions of pesos and millions of favors just to become one.


We can never have a president who will not be beholden to certain Big Business interests. And when that president's time is up, she then suffers what she or he did against the counter-elites. 


By the way, watch the State of the Nation by Jessica Soho over GMA TV. It is one helluva news and public affairs show.

Ferdinand Marcos deserves military honors

Senator Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos was so disappointed yesterday that he went out of the Senate plenary hall in a haste. He just learned that President Noynoy Aquino decided not to give military honors to his late father and namesake, the former strongman, Ferdie Marcos. Marcos still lies in a refrigerated crypt in Ilocos, waiting for that time when government finally decides to give him military honors and bury him in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.


The issue, according to Noynoy is simple: government cannot honor a man who orchestrated martial law and made millions or thousands suffer extreme human rights violations. For Vice President Jejomar Binay and those who want a closure of this issue, the issue is also very simple: Ferdinand was a former soldier, who got the highest military honors. For such an honor, Ferdie deserved to get the highest form of appreciation the military gives to its distinguished sons, and that is, military honors. Never mind if Ferdie's family bury him in Sarat; the most important thing is for him to get those 21-gun salutes.


For the President, he does not think that Ferdie deserves such an honor. He wants to deny Ferdie such an honor, a thing which, for the Marcoses, still divide this country. Ilocos governor Imee Marcos says Noynoy wasted the opportunity to unite the country, a feeling shared by her brother, Bongbong. 


What the President failed to appreciate is this---the Marcos family already agreed not to bury Ferdie in that hallowed lot in the Fort. They only want a recognition of Ferdie's highly distinguished sacrifice for the country in World War two. 


Let me write here that for me, Ferdie deserves such an honor. His feat when he was a USAFFE guerilla was recognized even by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. No one has the right to dispute such an historical fact. 


History is never kind to dictators yet Ferdie when he did that sacrifice, was years before he even became a Governor, or a Senator and eventually, President. When he was serving in the trenches, martial rule was never in his thoughts. He was thinking of sacrificing his life for the greater good, an honorable thing that merited him the highest medal of valor and bravery the armed forces gave to its illustrious sons. 


Whatever Noynoy or anybody in his Cabinet say on the contrary, the Aquino administration cannot erase history. Ferdinand Marcos was one of our most distinguished soldiers, a distinction that even Noynoy's predecessor, the late Benigno Aquino Sr, never enjoyed.


Remember that Noynoy's grandfather was even accused of collaborating with the Japanese. This is a historical fact. It was his dad, that great patriot Ninoy, who tried to erase that memory from the Filipino People with his own sacrifice. 


Now, Noynoy wanted nothing more than erase the very thing that made Marcos great, a thing which the late President can claim as his greatest contribution to the history and welfare of this nation.

September 21---an era that never left

Thirty nine years ago, former strongman Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation 1081 placing the entire Philippines under martial law. That proclamation plunged the country into one of its darkest moments, so dark, that even my parents say, the morning after that proclamation saw the moon partially covered the rising sun. The sun must have been ashamed of what Marcos did that she refused to shine in the Philippines.


Marcos ruled this country for eighteen long years. every single thing changed. new relationships based on some person's single obsession with power were established. Military men felt the power they never had, and civilians cowed in fear as bullets rule reason and one's name became more important than one's rights.


" I have availed this power for one single purpose---to save our Republic and to reform our society", says the Strongman a day after annihilating his enemies and placing the entire country under a state of suspended animation. The strongman unleashed his dogs of war against those who love democracy. While Manilenos suddenly kept their silence, shouts of repression and violence reverberated throughout most parts of the country.


That regime ended shamefully, with the strongman being carried onto a waiting airplane for Hawaii while the rest of the regime's henchmen hid in their bunkers and waited for the initial emotions to die down. A new administration was established. Yet, relationships and practices as old as Martial Law remained. 


Those who sacrificed their lives for democracy remained in the darkest cellars even of the new regime. Some were liberated while others without names remained incognito in some military camp or in Muntinlupa. Victims of the regime remained uncompensated for injuries they sustained for fighting the regime. Even the new administration ruled that those who fought a war against the Strongman would not be compensated for their bravery. 


Now, several names who figured prominently during Martial Law remain as powerful as before. Danding Cojuangco, despite charges filed against him, remains one of the richest and the most powerful men of the country. Roberto Ongpin, trade minister of the strongman, has broken his silence and is now trading once more with banks. Look at every single name in Congress and you'll find them either a stooge or a lapdog of the strongman. 


Yes, the son of the one of the martyrs of the anti-Martial law rules this country like someone holding a joy stick, yet, he remains cooperative with the people who made this country one of the sorriest states in Asia. 


The Filipino People remains in chains. Oil companies which never tried to overcharged the public in fear of Marcos, are now the new overlords. Businesses and businessmen are playing a dangerous game, trying to outplay their competitors by raising prices and never even changing or improving quality. And military and police men refused to believe that civilians rule over the military, as what the Constitution says they must do.


We are still in a state of bondage. Before, one family tried to establish a dynasty. Now, several families rule this country like overlords and big-time feudal lords, exploiting the poor and ingratiating themselves with the Strong. There is still an imbalance in the way things are and relationships remain as feudal and martial as before.


For us to break free from this debilitating condition, a new revolution must be actively pursued, a revolution that would truly liberate us from the shackles of poverty, of oppression and aggression. 


Without this revolution, the likes of the Arroyos will still emerge from a feudalist, neo-capitalist state, abusers will still make their way unto the system.


The destruction of the superstructure is needed and a new breed of Filipinos must emerge from the rut and be servants of the people; sacrifice their lives for the sake of change.


The remains of Martial law should be swept immediately by those who want true change. And it can only be done through active struggle. 

To Honor or not: Binay's Solomonic Answer

Former Mabini lawyer and now Vice President Jejomar Binay has a solution to the decades-old debate on what to do with former president Ferdinand Marcos' body. As you know, the former strongman's remains lie in state at the family mansion in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. A refrigerated crypt preserves the body of one of the country's most illustrious sons. His widow, former First Lady Imelda Marcos wants nothing more than satisfy her late husband's request--that is to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.


That's entirely not possible, says the Makati Business Club. The MBC urged Binay not to succumb to the request of the Marcos family for a decent burial for Macoy. They said that Marcos does not deserve such an honor because:

"...that is a serious historical revisionism at its worst." 

The MBC further said that:

“is a gross distortion of the late dictator's true legacy of autocracy, ruined democratic institutions, violent political repression, unprecedented wholesale corruption, shameless nepotism, crony capitalism, a crushing debt burden, and widespread social inequity and marginalization,” 

The group took note, in particular, the effect of the dictatorship on the business sector.

“We particularly remember the near bankruptcy of the government and the need for a moratorium on debt payments because of the burden of unpaid crony loans and the gross mismanagement of the economy in general. Our country struggled with the payments for those onerous loans long after Mr. Marcos had been deposed,” the group added.

Meaning---Marcos is not to be given an honorable burial because for twenty years, he was the one who only earned billions while the rest of us businessmen suffered. He was so selfish! He did'nt share the loot.


Anyway, Binay's Solomonic solution is simple: Ferdie to be given full military honors but not to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.


Such a trapo solution.


One question to Binay---are we honoring Ferdinand Marcos for his exemplary record as a World War II veteran-officer or we are honoring him for being one of our Presidents?


Why are we giving full military honors, for what?


Which of the great attributes of the strongman are we giving honor?


Are we honoring him as a war veteran or as a President?


If we say we are honoring Marcos as a war veteran, then, he must be buried alongside his compatriots at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. He deserves it.


If we say we are honoring Marcos as one of our presidents, then, we should also recognize him in totality. And in recognizing him in totality means accepting him as a great soldier and a war hero, for which, he still deserves a spot at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.


You can't say that you are honoring Marcos as a President and not discuss why you are honoring him in the first place?


Is it a right for a war hero to be buried there? Yes. Is it a right of a president to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani? Not necessarily. It is not a tradition for a Philippine president to be buried at the hallowed grounds of the Libingan.


This is the quandary. If you honor Marcos as a President, you honor him also as a war hero. These two attributes are clearly interlinked. You can't do the other without affecting the other.

Willie Revillame, Lim Seng, the 2 OFWs in China and Thoughts of a Poor Pinoy

Dear Kuya Alex,


It was about noon when I heard about the execution of the three Filipinos in China. I cried. And the entire world fell silent. 


I was walking then when I saw several people watching the tele. Their gaunt faces betray the hurt and the sadness of seeing their fellow Filipinos, victims of a brutal and brutish system, getting this punishment. Then, I remember Lim Seng, the Chinese drug lord, falling after one of the bullets fired from the volley of shots of a firing squad of Filipino soldiers hit him in the body.


That scene happened in the seventies, when China was still economically backward and the Philippines in turmoil over what future holds for 30 million or so Filipinos. The Philippines was under Martial rule. The first casualty was Lim Seng. His execution was swift and lethal. That execution was shown over live television. After he fell, the entire country fell silent. My mother and grandmother said that drug pushers and drug syndicates were so afraid, drugs literally went invisible shortly after that live execution. 


I am not entirely sure if the Chinese people militated and prayed before Lim Seng was executed. I really don't remember what transpired shortly after the Philippine authorities wrapped the body of the criminal. And I was'nt able to read any news article that even intimated if Chinese officials went to Marcos and pleaded Lim Seng's case, or that the criminal's body was even transported back to China.


It was a long time ago, when the Pasig river was still clean and you can still swim at Manila bay. It was the time when the peso was still respected and you can even use those centavos.


Forty years past, and we see China become the third biggest economy in the world, while we sank to 126th. Forty years, and the drug problem in the Philippines has reached alarming proportions, with more than 7 million drug addicts and the number of drug syndicates rose from just two in the seventies to about 40 in the 21st century. 


Forty years, and we see China as a global player, while our country remains the sick man of Asia. Corrupt officials have spawn everywhere and even built their own clubs. Lawlessness became a fixture in Philippine society, with criminals and syndicates doing their thing here, even considered this country not just as a convenient transshipment point, but also as a rest and recreation center. 


Forty long years, and China recovered from a brutal civil war, while, the Philippines further slid down the prosperity avenue, not knowing what direction to take, clueless about the future, even more fearful of what that future meant or hold.


Forty years and we see Filipinos, all ten million of us, leaving our homes, looking for a better place to live and breed, like rats out of their holes. While most of China's sons and daughters who abandoned their country while in turmoil, are now back, ready to live in a more prosperous nation. 


China takes care of a billion people, while, us, the Philippines only has our ninety million. But things are getting worse, and people are clueless as to what the future holds, given the sorry state of our economy. Prices have gone up, while salaries remain as they are. More and more of us are being victimized by men exploiters of other men's miseries. Filipinos are looking outwardly, far as possible from here, unmindful of the risks, just to survive. 


Forty years ago, it was the Chinese man who did that. Now, the Chinese man stays contented in his house somewhere out there, while the Filipino scampers almost in all directions, trying desperately to escape the brutal and brutish system that not just enslaves people but alienates them.


Today, the execution of three innocent Filipinos remind us of reality, of the sorry state of our affairs. Had our leaders did their jobs right and prioritized country over self, this diaspora would not have happened. People like Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Credo and Batain would have stayed and lived on as responsible parents to their kids. 


Kuya, if you hear me, listen closely.


I know that one of the little things that we're supposed to do is tell foreigners how lucky we are to live in a beautiful country such as the Philippines.


I know that it is the responsibility of ordinary Filipinos to tell these foreigners how fortunate we are that God placed us in this land, of many splendours and of amazing wonders.


But, I cannot bear and fool myself any longer.


Kuya, those Filipinos who were executed today and those who still languish in hundreds of jails not just in China but in other countries as well, most of them are just victims. 


Yes, Kuya, they are victims of cruel circumstances. They wanted to fight the inhumanity here, but were'nt able to. This brutal and brutish system is so strong that no man is capable enough of defeating this implosion. 


Kuya, how can I say that we are lucky, when we have government officials, even the Highest of those officials, who tell us to accept the verdict calmly because their innocence or guilt depended on the laws of other countries.


Kuya, there were pieces of evidence which proved their innocence, but the Courts of China closed their ears and eyes and handed down the verdict of death. 


How would I tell these foreigners that it is fortunate to live here, when prices of commodities have gone up, and standards of living here have become a hellish nightmare?


How will I tell my kids that their futures are secure here, when there are more than 35 million families unable to eat thrice a day and about 11 million fathers and mothers without jobs?


How will I be able to tell my kid to respect the laws of this country when these laws enable people to steal billions of pesos worth of our monies kept in Bangko Sentral vaults?


How will I tell my kid to respect the laws when the very people who are expected to implement them are the very ones who violate these laws with impunity?


How will I even share my pride as a Filipino when we allow foreign drug lords to escape jail time and those innocents kept in filthy barbaric prisons?


And how will I ever be so faithful with this government and pay my taxes when I see the roads they built, pot-marked by craters and the bridges they built fall by the weight of just 2o tons?


We, who were born poor and defenseless, we suffer the brutality of the system which our leaders asked us to respect.


We, who were born proletariats, we suffer the cruelty and the barbarity of a system partial to those who have and inhumane to those without.


We, who were born poor, can only cry as Willie Revillame ask us to make a fool out of ourselves in exchange for a few thousands of pesos.


We, who were born poor, have been asked by this government to persevere, be patient, and promised that prices of commodities would soon go South, while we slowly await our deaths.


We, who were born poor, can only grit our teeth and clench our fists, as capitalists and traders exploit our weaknesses and our native intelligence by raising the prices of goods while this government tells us to just grin and bear it.


And, we, who were born poor, are being accused of rebellion and of other crimes when we shout out our souls, our frustrations, our opposition against alienation.


The deaths of Ordinario, Credo and Batain have opened our minds to the truth--the reality that we are being exploited, the Truth that we are being made slaves and the Truth that we are being made zombies, programmed to believe the empty promises of change by someone who does not know even where to go while driving his Porsche.


We cling to the hopes that that day will come, when millions of us, would just rise up and demand that our voices be heard, that these promises be fulfilled and these publicly announced dreams be realized.


When that day comes, those who oppress us, those who mock us, like Willie Revillame, those who make fun of our miseries just to sell their products, they will get the brunt of our anger. Our anger will rise unto the heavens, and God, in His bountil mercies, will send His angels to avenge us. God, we always believe, is a God of Justice. This inhumane system will be crushed. This system which bred corrupt men will be stumped to the ground. This system, which many have exploited and fed with lies, and with bovine wealth, will be split in the middle. True change will come, I believe it will, tomorrow.

EDSA 1: A shift from Dictatorship to a dictatorship of the Elite, masked as Liberal Demcracy

In his speech before students at the Rizal High school yesterday, President Benigno Aquino III said that EDSA uno allowed a shift from dictatorship to democracy. He said that EDSA 1 was different because unlike those bloody revolts over in the Middle East, God was standing by when Filipinos trooped to the streets and demanded change. The president said it was a miracle.


It was no miracle, though that the Marcoses found themselves in Hawaii, than in Paoay though. As revealed by former Justice secretary Raul Gonzales, the US disagreed with the request of the Marcoses to be flown to Paoay as exiles. Among the elites at that time, there was a request for Macoy to just live quietly in exile in his hometown, which, according to Gonzales, was turned down by the United States. 


It was also no miracle that yes, we found ourselves living in a liberal democracy than in a dictatorship. Noynoy said that it was not true that the Philippines could have turned into a "Singapore", referring to that small island state off the Pacific which turned from poor to the region's most prosperous, had Macoy continued his despotic rule. Aquino said the country was mired under billions of pesos worth of debt when Macoy left. The country, says Aquino, continues to pay off those fantabulous debts.


I don't know about this, but it seems that twenty five years hence, and we have more than US$ 7 trillion in debt, one hundred times over the billions during the Marcos regime.


Everyone know that Macoy was just a living corpse at that time, and it was just a matter of a couple of years more, and the dictator would have died silently in his sleep. Macoy was afflicted with lupus, a debilitating disease, and even without an EDSA revolt, the transition from a dictatorship to a democracy would have happened naturally.


Fact is, Macoy lifted Martial law four years prior to EDSA uno. When EDSA broke out, there was limited democratic space already. The age-ing regime allowed people to express themselves, albeit, in a limited manner. If democracy was not there, how come that Ninoy was able to return home?


Frankly, EDSA uno actually led to a transition---from a one-man rule to the dictatorship of the traditional elites, those elites whom Macoy tried to destroy in 1972. 


And frankly, these so-called "EDSA heroes" were active promoters of the New Society espoused by Marcos. The reason why they defected was simply to wrest power from Marcos, plain and simple. 


Admit it--former Marcos' defense secretary Juan Ponce-Enrile wanted nothing more than be declared Chief Executive. Enrile, together with other Marcos cronies, Eduardo Danding Cojuangco in particular, wanted nothing more than be declared Macoy's successor, which, during those times, was impossible since Macoy intended his wife, Meldy and his cousin, Ver, to rule the country after his death. 


Yes, the elections precipitated the revolt, but, like what former President Ramos said yesterday, the people's resentment has been festering since 1971, the year when students staged the First Quarter Storm. The gains of that historic event bore fruit only after two decades. 


1986 was just the right time for regime change, simply because Marcos was on the throes of death at that time. Had it been that Marcos was as strong as he was back then, the outcome would have been different.


The US saw this happening as early as 1983, when crowds began to swell during Ninoy's burial and the political opposition, composed of Marcos' enemies among the country's traditional elites, started flexing its muscles. The problem of succession began to be discussed silently among the elites, and this was never solved because the "strongman" was still very much recognized by the US as its puppet in the East. The US just realized the futility of still allowing the continued rule of Marcos simply because there was no clear succession policy and the one who Marcos intended to give his power to was a discredited political figure. 


Let us admit it--EDSA is like what Egypt underwent these past few days--from the dictatorship of Mubarak to a dictatorship of a few. We are being allowed to live in a neo-liberal environment to hide the fact that political power has just shifted---from the hands of Macoy and some of his cronies, to a dictatorship of the elite. 


We continually live in an elite-led democracy. We are allowed to exercise our rights provided that we allow the local caciques and their foreign backers, the right to rule us and gain tremendous profits from us. 


Truly, EDSA was never, really a revolution because a true one sees the former dispensation thrown away and replaced by a new set of pro-people adherents. EDSA was a peaceful transtion--from one-man rule to a rule of many. That explains why, before Marcos ended his career, several mediators were sent to Malacang purportedly to strike a deal with the discredited regime. 

Is Marcos deserving of a place in Libingan ng mga Bayani?

Libingan ng mga Bayani, a place of serenity where our beloved Sons and daughters of the Motherland rest their tired souls. These souls sacrificed their entire lives for the sake of the Motherland. They were soldiers of the Filipino People. Giving them a parcel of land as their burial place is but a small gesture from an appreciating people.


Ferdinand Marcos was a hero, for all intents and purposes, because he once fought against the foreign invaders during his youth. Marcos was part of the guerillas who, for more than four years, resisted Japanese rule. Never mind if there were doubts as to the authenticity of those medals he earned as a soldier-guerilla. The fact is clear--Marcos did serve the country and for that alone, deserves a parcel of land in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. 


After his years as a soldier, Marcos served the country in various capacities--as Congressman, Senator and President. He authored several laws that benefitted most Filipinos. He served honestly as a Senator, and brought honor to the country with his wit, charisma and nationalism. His desire to improve the lot of the ordinary man catapulted him to the highest post of the land.


Yes, Marcos plunged this country into chaos and darkness during his rule as the country's first dictator in 1972. For twenty years, Marcos ruled this country with an iron fist. He defended its borders from threats coming from insurgents. He ordered the killing of many, the diminution of the powers of the traditional elite families and the destruction of freedom. Civil rights were kept, yet, political rights limited. 


There are contrasting views as to the twenty year rule of Marcos. Many believe it was a period of general stability, where people can go out of their houses without minding their security, and where people enjoy the benefits of those infrastructures built by the regime.


Behind these scenes of general stability hide thousands of cases of brutality, of inhumanity and of violations of basic human rights. For some, these scenes show the true nature of the regime---a dictatorship of the malevolent kind. For those hit by Marcos' policies, those were dark eras. For the many who felt safe during that era, it was so memorable due to the stark contrast of today. 


What really happened was Marcos exhibited the true character of a Machiavelli--he demolished his enemies by destroying the powers of the traditional elites who were enslaving most of the Filipinos with their inhumane rule. From a country ruled by so many pseudo-dictators and petty feudal warlords, Marcos demolished the destructive social structure and replaced it with his own. Marcos created a new set of elites which were not beholden to the traditional ones. 


From a constitutional organisation to a personal army, the military became Marcos' ally in building a "New Philippines". The idea was an excellent one, but Marcos forgot one simple political fact---how to restrain the military and keep it aligned with the civilian powers. The military slowly realised its true powers and it showed when it allowed the rise of a militant group within its establishment. Had the military remained professional, it could have been a totally different fate for Marcos.


It was, however, Marcos who actually created the power that would someday bring his ultimate downfall. 


Okey--so, what's the verdict? 


For me, Marcos deserves to be laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani for three reasons: first, he was a soldier of the Republic. That alone deserves him a space among our country's heroes. Second, Marcos did something good during his regime---he demolished and limited the powers of the traditional elites. That brought stability to the country. And third, Marcos sacrificed his personal ambitions to build a "New Philippines". He realised that the fragmentation of the social elite structure was hampering growth. When Marcos centralized all power and placed it to the Executive, Marcos actually created a revolution from within. He just failed to realize that the task of nation building is not solitary. Had Marcos created a council of elders and lead it, it could have been a different path altogether. Those who opposed him from the elite groups only wanted to share some power, not to snatch it altogether from him. His mistrust with the elites did him in. 

Bongbong Marcos--a sure winner for the Senate

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos also filed her bid yesterday for the Congressional district post which her son, Bongbong Marcos occupies. As you know, Bongbong is running for a Senate post. By filing her CoC, the Marcoses just wanted to maintain their influence over the entire North.

The Marcoses are still a force to reckon with in the North. Their influence spans provinces. Ilocanos respect Ferdie, the former strongman and that respect transcends political boundaries.

And surely, the Marcoses are still respected by thousands, even millions of our fellow Filipinos throughout the entire country.

Demonizing Bongbong would not affect his chances, not a bit for the Senate. Bongbong, I believe, has a very strong chance, not just because he enjoys a familiar political brandname for a surname but because for the past few years he has proven his worth as a legislator.

Admit it--many of our fellow Filipinos still admire the Marcoses. Despite their excesses when they were in power, the Marcoses are perceived to be least corrupt than the Arroyos. People hate Arroyo's guts because Arroyo, they believe, rank far inferior in terms of intellect and service to the people than the late strongman, yet show a more unquenchable thirst for power.

And why, despite the bad publicity heaped upon the Marcoses by those who fought them, does the North and the entire Nation still feel that everyone owe them a lot of favor?

Simple---during Marcos' time, people felt safer than living in a pseudo-democratic society such as this one being run by Arroyo.

Now, those who say that Bongbong deserves to be at the Senate because he espouse nationalist causes during his stint as a legislator also has a point. Bongbong, if you will, is an improved Ferdie. I would not be surprised though if, by 2016, we elect him as president. Bongbong has the same charisma as his father and boasts of the same wit and eloquence that marks a Marcos.

And as they say, the sins of the father should not be a burden of the son.

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.

Cory Magic: Nation-building after burial

Malacanang says sorry to Aquino family for the reported "military bureaucratic lapse" re: withdrawal of Cory's military escorts while she was still confined at the Makati Medical Center. Cerge Remonde, the main tuta of Gloria, sheepishly expressed the palace apology yesterday. And yet, many people doubt Gloria's sincerity.

Gloria has been lying since Day One, that's why people don't believe her anymore. She lied when she announced her candidacy for the presidency at ginamit pa si Rizal. Gloria lied when she apologized for the Hello Garci scandal. Gloria even lied when she presented a rosy picture of the Philippines during her SONA.

Cesar Buenaventura, former Aquino economic adviser, remarked that he was overtaken by emotions when he saw how big the crowds were yesterday. Almost a million people lined up yesterday, from Greenhills to Intramuros just to express their support for Tita Cory. And millions more witnessed the funeral cortege in the comforts of their homes and viewed it online.

"Cory magic is back," headlines the Inquirer. Many people, this writer included, felt the power of Cory's presence at La Salle and even at the entire stretch of Ayala and Roxas Boulevard.

It was like 1983, all over again. I don't agree.

It took us three more years before we were able to oust Marcos from power. I think that after Wednesday, we will see a `quickening' that will lead to the eventual demise of this regime. People are angry. Many people are thinking that, after Cory's burial, they will then attend the work of nation-building.

Philippine Breaking News: Villar-Arroyo meeting in Spain

Senator Manny Villar (who just topped the SWS presidential survey with Kabayan Noli de Castro) left for Spain on the eve of a senate ethics probe. Wagging tongues say a big-time businessman, a common friend of Villar and Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, arranged a meeting for both leaders. What's the subject of the meeting, he did'nt say. Villar left despite assurances from Senate president Juan Ponce-Enrile that the august body will be fair in handling the probe.

This is quite disturbing---hearing Villar meeting Mrs. Arroyo. What will they be discussing, since Villar is not the senate president anymore? Will Arroyo be convincing Villar to put his vote on charter change or will it be about fielding a common administration slate come 2010? Or, will Arroyo be getting assurances from Villar on her post-2010 fate?

Whatever it is, one thing is for sure---Villar is just being consistent. Remember that despite public showing of Villar and Erap together, Villar's camp remained "loyal" to Mrs. Arroyo. Among the presidentiables, Villar is the only one not criticizing Mrs. Arroyo and her demon cabinet. Maybe Mrs. Arroyo wants Villar to go with her anointed, Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro and form a formidable team come 2010? A Villar-Teodoro teamup is not far-fetched considering that Villar is still seeking for someone to go with him in campaigns.

Is Villar the one minority senator Aquilino Pimentel referred to as "pseudo" oppositionist?

By the way, the Central Police District (CPD) just cleared ABS-CBN news anchor Ted Failon from parricide charges. They have'nt released the report yet, but initial information shows that the CPD has not enough physical evidence to buttress that parricide charge.

And for those who call Palawan their home, a big-time billionaire logger by the name of Don Jose "Pepito" Alvarez is thinking of dipping his fingers in Palawan politics. He wants to replace incumbent Palawan governor Joel Reyes.

During Marcos time, Alvarez was among the strongman Marcos business associates. He grew his wealth during the dictatorship and it was under the time of Ramos and Estrada that Alvarez recovered his wealth. He came back into the limelight through his disastrous pastime, big-time logging operations. He's being credited of shaving all those mountains of precious trees.

What would happen to Palawan should Alvarez become successful in his bid for governor? Alvarez, some say, is thinking of the billions of dollars worth of petrol dollars lying dormant in that province and those billions more from commercial tourism. For those who love Palawan, go there now. Take tons of pictures. Take some wildlife if you can, and even trees and wild scrubs. Because when Don Alvarez becomes successful and take over Palawan politics, you may not see one single living wildlife there.