Most of us were surprised by the sudden turn of events last Thursday. Days after, I’m still trying to put things in proper perspective (years from now it will probably come up during my random musings, quite unsatisfied). People who think it’s over just because (most of) the rebels have been apprehended are dreaming. If Gloria is rejoicing, then she is a fool. Dinky Soliman, former DSWD secretary, was right when she said Trillanes didn’t fail, not entirely. “He accomplished something by again bringing home the point that people can get desperate, and that desperation has very dire consequences for the nation.”

Even if, heaven forbid, something happens to Trillanes, attempts to overthrow this government will not cease. You can kill a man but you can’t kill an idea. Pwede mo syang ikulong pero hindi mo pwedeng ikahon ang mga paniniwala nya. Today it’s Trillanes, tomorrow it’s someone else. As long as the root causes of Oakwood and Peninsula are not addressed, as long as grievances are not heard but met with teargas and water cannons, somebody will cry foul.

“When Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remains head of the Philippine government after May 2010, either as prime minister or as president courtesy of an amended Constitution, Filipinos will have every chance to look regretfully back at Nov. 29 2007. And wonder why, when they had a chance to change their stars, they thought it was the silliest thing to do.” - Conrado de Quiros

I sympathize with the rebel soldiers and civilians, but I did not go to the Peninsula. Why? Whatever they were trying to accomplish, they did not clearly articulate. It was a tragic error. I think more people would have come if they knew not only WHAT the rebels were trying to accomplish, but HOW they planned to accomplish this in detail. Cory Aquino was already popular, and had in fact won in the snap elections before the 1986 revolution. People had a clear alternative to Marcos - they voted for her. Such that when Ramos and Enrile called on the people to join them in EDSA, most were happy to comply. They knew what they were fighting for. Here’s where the saying “nothing unites like a common enemy” fails. Disgust for Gloria is not enough, though there may be plenty.

I don’t want to be an armchair critic. I had my share of water cannons, and I won’t mind going to the streets again, as long as I believed in the cause. Since the incident, I scoured the Internet to devour all the views I could digest, and weigh them against my own principles. I’ve also stumbled upon a few documents that may be of interest to you (they certainly are to me). Maybe after reading them, we can form our own solutions rather than wallow in depression for the sorry state of this country.

Blueprint for a Viable Philippines - In 2005, former UP President Francisco Nemenzo and other UP professors made a draft of how to resolve the problems that have forever plagued us, like foreign debt and corruption. It is a proposal with a general list of reforms. Nemenzo was part of the civilian contingent that went to the Peninsula Hotel.

Preventing Military Intervention - Senator Antonio Trillanes’ thesis on the nature and causes of the many coup attempts led by the military, and the reforms the government need to implement to avoid a recurrence. Obviously, he thought these reforms were never done.

Get Real Philippines - Taken off the website with the same name, this book studies why the Philippines is in a rut, and proposes solutions to change things with emphasis on the importance of our culture and values as a people.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 5:10 am and is filed under news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.