“The problem is us”

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People Power

So laments Teresita I. Barcelo, president of the Philippine Nurses Association in a report by The New York Times.

Filipinos, although not all including myself, regard the 1986 “revolution” as a golden moment in Philippine history, maybe the world. It was the first time a “dictator” was swept out of office in a peaceful, almost non-violent uprising. The dictator was President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Masses faced down tanks and won. Truth be told, Marcos also had someting to do with it, or to be exact, he did not do it. When adviced to order an attack Marcos sadly but firmly said no. He was not going to have blood in his hands. He elected to leave.

So the late Corazon Aquino was swept into power and democracy was restored, right? Not exactly.  The same established powers are still there, only the front men and faces were different. Yes, reforms were initiated but nothing was achieved.

“The legacy is the mess we are in,” said F. Sionil Jose, 84, the nation’s most prominent novelist, pointing to the continuing poverty, inequality and political disarray of a nation that failed to capitalize on its moment of possibility.

“We have a word for it — sayang — ‘what a waste,”’ he said.

source: New York Times

Filipinos has failed themselves. They remain subordinated to the powers that be. Democracy was supposed to give the power to the people but trapos (Traditional Politicians) still remain at the helm.

“We thought all we needed to do was remove the dictator and do nothing about it,” said Teresita I. Barcelo, president of the Philippine Nurses Association. “We thought the problem was just the dictator. I say the problem is us. We did not change.”

Sister Dory Reyes, 61, a former Roman Catholic nun and teacher in the farming town of Santa Maria, said: “The poverty is still there. The corruption is still there. Unemployment is still there. I don’t see improvement.”

The Philippines, with a population of 92 million, is one of the most vibrant nations in Asia, with a flamboyantly free press and a creative and assertive body of independent organizations and interest groups.

But it has not managed to tame its Communist and Muslim insurgencies or its restive military, which seems constantly to be plotting coups. Human rights abuses by the military have returned to the levels of the Marcos years.

source: New York Times

So, Corazon Aquino, the hope of the Philippines and Mother of Democracy. I was right afterall. When the supposed “People Power” revolution was going on and I was watching it on TV I thought to myself, “these people don’t know what they’re doing”. I knew then that permanent change will not happen unless and until the Filipino people changed for the better. Much like the ubiquitous carabao, a farm animal that’s gentle yet strong yet a slight tug would make the animal face another direction.

Corazon Aquino apologized to President Erap in which she said she was wrong and was sorry about it. What about the Filipino people. Wasn’t she sorry she was instrumental in a illegal coup d’etat of a constitutionally elected president?