I rise to speak about the 25th anniversary of the 1986 People Power and its impact on young people.

Madame Speaker, dear colleagues, mga kababayan.

EDSA or Highway 54 is a very important and famous road in the Philippines. It connects the north and south expressways. The three biggest shopping malls in the world are located here. The police and military headquarters are stationed here. Financial centers are established in Makati-EDSA and Ortigas-EDSA. But most importantly, it was the site of People Power in 1986.

This week marks the 25th anniversary of People Power. Madame Speaker, I was only a kindergarten student in 1986 but the impact of that event was felt and understood by my generation. We may be too young to remember the details of the Edsa Revolt but the stories of heroism, courage, and the militancy of the Filipinos in 1986 were taught to us by our parents and teachers. Before Egypt 2011, there was Philippines 1986. Before Tahrir Square, there was Edsa.

Before I proceed, let me use this opportunity to pay tribute to the millions of Filipinos who valiantly fought for democracy during the dark days of Martial Law. Their sacrifice and arduous struggle led to the restoration of many rights and democratic institutions after 1986.

Our generation grew up while the Philippines was undergoing a transition after 1986. The nation-building process proved to be a daunting task. We were told to contribute to social change by learning from the brave students and youth leaders who participated in Edsa 1986. In many ways, our actions in 2000-2001, which led to Edsa Dos, were our unique attempt to repeat the victorious revolt of the people in 1986. It was our response to the challenge posed by our elders and by the historical circumstances to display our sense of social responsibility.

Today our young people who were born after 1990 have little or almost no direct knowledge of the symbolic importance of 1986. Like us, they learned about Edsa in books but at least our formative years were shaped by the political events prior and after Edsa 1986. There is a need, therefore, Madame Speaker, to refresh our memory about Edsa 1986. It is our duty to share the stories of Edsa to the new generation.

So what does Edsa mean? What is its relevance to Philippine politics today? What should the young learn about Edsa?

I urge the youth, especially the Edsa Babies, to join the celebration by making a pledge to serve the people. This is the core lesson of People Power — a radical weapon of the oppressed against the oppressors. I hope the People Power veterans would always remember that subversive meaning of the Edsa Revolution; and I hope they would share that important legacy of Edsa to the young generation.

While it is commendable that Malacanang has taken the initiative to celebrate the anniversary of People Power, it should not prevent us from using the memory of this historic event to assert our just demands to Malacanang. In light of the various assaults to the people’s democratic rights – price hikes, dwindling budget to social services, dire poverty, and so on – the need to reactivate the hopeful legacy of People Power is now more pertinent than ever.

With all due respect to the President, he may be the son of President Cory who is an Edsa icon, but this doesn’t exempt him from being a target of People Power politics. We, definitely, have the legacy of People Power to use against President Noynoy’s anti-poor policies like fare hikes, dole-out programs, and the lack of substantial reforms in governance.

People Power versus LRT/MRT fare hikes. People Power versus the demolition of the San Roque community in North Triangle. People Power versus corruption in the bureaucracy.

The name Edsa enjoins us to not forget the past. Edsa is the acronym for the name Epifanio de los Santos, a historian and one of the chroniclers of the 1896 Philippine Revolution. Remembering Edsa as a protest landmark is easy since it only refers to the immediate past. The bigger task lies in using the memory of radical Edsa to challenge the oppressive present.

EDSA, the people’s highway, is quickly evolving into an anti-people thoroughfare. The state, afraid of the People Power past of EDSA, now prevents the people from walking, crossing, and marching on EDSA. The street which witnessed two fantastic uprisings in 1986 and 2001 is now a death zone for innocent jaywalkers (bawal tumawid, nakamamatay), and political protesters.

I am quite worried that the Malacanang-sanctioned list of activities to celebrate People Power strips the event of its rebellious potential. It is sad that the memory of People Power is being used to prettify the image of the President. The official People Power anniversary has been reduced into a partisan activity of the President’s party.

Edsa’s legacy is far too important for our nation to be reduced to mere pageantry. Its promise of emancipation is very important for the masses who genuinely yearn for substantial freedom, justice and peace. We should not allow the meaning of Edsa to be monopolized by politicians and bureaucrats in power.

Edsa’s promises of change remain unfulfilled. Twenty-five years after Edsa, we continue to seek for more democratic reforms, human rights protection, economic progress, and political empowerment.

Thus I make this appeal to my fellow youth: Let a hundred unofficial People Power activities bloom. Let a thousand People Power debates contend. Bombard Edsa with our demands for genuine change, freedom, and pro-people governance.

Related posts:

1. Natrapik sa EDSA 2
2. Araw ng mga Puso sa Lansangan ng EDSA
3. People Power Still True, Still Tangible

May the great unity and determination of the Egyptian people inspire others worldwide in their fight against tyranny.

We hope for the best for the people of Egypt as they enter a new chapter in their history. We hope they will remain vigilant in their fight for genuine freedom and democracy. At the moment, Mubarak ceded power to the Supreme Military Council. This is the new situation confronting the people of Egypt. Many challenges await them, including the just demand for a new constitution and for free elections so that they may choose their leaders, following the ouster of Mubarak. The people of Egypt also desire freedom from foreign dictates and intervention.

What comes AFTER people power is indeed another difficult challenge, as we Filipinos well know.

Related posts:

1. People Power Still True, Still Tangible
2. In the Face of Worsening Crisis, People Power Is a Necessity
3. The Broad United Front of Patriotic Forces is Determined to Mobilize the People Nationwide Against Arroyo Regime

Kulay pula na naman ang buong paligid sa pagsapit ng araw na ito. Sa katunayan, ginagamit pa ng komersyalismo ang okasyong ito lalung-lalo na ng mga hotel, restoran, konsyerto, at iba pa. Tatangkilikin nga naman ito ng mga tao sa araw na iyon dahil marami ang mga magkasintahan at mag-asawang tiyak na makikipag-date.
Subalit hindi ba’t kaysarap tingnan ng ating mundo kung sa araw-araw ay tila ipinagdiriwang natin ang araw ng pag-ibig?

Ang tunay na Araw ng mga Puso ay maaari nating ipagdiwang sa ating buhay sa araw-araw at anumang oras kung ating nanaisin. Ang araw na ito ay hindi lamang para sa mga may boyfriend o girlfriend o kaya naman sa mga may nililigawan pa lamang. Ito ay para sa lahat sapagkat lahat tayo ay tunay na mayroong minamahal. Nariyan ang ating mga magulang na walang pinipiling panahon upang tayo ay kanilang mahalin. Bakit hindi natin sila bigyan ng bulaklak at sabihan ng isang matamis na “I Love You.” Naghihintay rin ng ating masarap na tsokolate ang ating mga kapatid at mga kaibigan na handang dumamay sa iyo sa lahat ng oras. At bakit natin kalilimutang bigyan ng masarap na halik ng pagmamahal ang ating mga lolo’t lola? Kung hindi rin dahil sa kanila ay wala tayo sa mundong ito?

Hay kay sarap ngang umibig pero hindi ba’t mas masarap umibig sa mga taong alam mong higit na nangangailangan nito? Tumingin lamang tayo sa ating paligid. Makikita natin ang mga kaawa-awang mga kababayan natin na halos wala nang makain dahil sa labis na kahirapan na kanilang nararanasan? Hindi ba’t higit nilang kailangan ang mga pusong makauunawa, makatutulong, at makapagpapasaya sa kanila? May kakayahan ba ang ating mga puso upang sila ay mahalin o tulad rin tayo ng iba na walang pakialam sa ating kapwa?

Hindi pa man ako lumalabas mula sa sinapupunan ng aking ina, wari’y naririnig ko na ang malakas na tinig ng bayan na umaalingawngaw sa bawat sulok ng lansangan ng EDSA upang ipahayag ang kanilang mga saloobin bilang mga alipin ng makasariling pamahalaan at ipaglaban ang kalayaan mula sa kamay ng diktador sa pamamagitan ng mapayapang People Power.

Isang buwan ang nakalipas nang taong ding iyon ay tuluyang isinilang ang isa sa mga bagong sanggol. Isang sanggol na sadyang iniluwal sa daigdig na ito pagkatapos ng matinding pagsubok na hinarap ng aking mga magulang at nakatatandang mga kababayan sa panahon ng pambansang rebolusyon. Isinilang ang isang sanggol na katulad ko sa panahong mapayapa na ang kalooban ng bawat isa at ang bayan ay nagsisimulang bumangon upang patuloy na makipaglaban sa bawat hamon ng bukas.

Dalawampu’t limang taon na ang nakalilipas nang unang marinig ang iyak ng sanggol na iyon, isang malakas na iyak na tanda ng panibagong buhay sa bagong panahon.

Dalawampu’t limang taong hinubog ang isang kabataang katulad ko sa panahong lubos na pinapahalagahan ang tunay na diwa ng demokrasya. At sa bawat taong dumaragdag sa aking buhay ay katumbas ng mga tanong na bumabagabag sa aking puso’t isipan.

Ano nga bang pagbabago ang naganap sa kalagayan ng ating bayan sa nakalipas na dalawampu’t limang taon pagkatapos makipagsapalaran sa makasaysayang lansangan ng EDSA ang ating mga kababayan? Naisabuhay na ba ng mga Pilipino ang kalayaang binawi nila nang minsang ito’y ipinagkait sa kanila ng kapwa Pilipino? Nakamit nga ba ng bayan ang kaunlarang pangkabuhayan at pangpulitika?

Hindi ko nasaksihan ang kaapihang naranasan ng aking mga kababayan sa kamay ng isang diktador noong panahong iyon ngunit batid ko ang bahaging ito ng ating kasaysayan sa pamamagitan ng masusing pag-aaral nito at pakikinig mula sa makatotohanang kuwento ng mga matatandang nakiisa sa unang People Power. Hindi ito nakita ng aking mga mata ngunit nadama ko ang kakaibang ligaya dulot ng tagumpay na bunga ng mapayapang pakikibaka.

Bilang isang kabataan, lubos kong hinahangaan ang makasaysayang yugtong ito ng ating buhay. Ipinakita ng mga Pilipino sa buong mundo ang kanilang pagmamahal sa demokrasya na kahit ang sariling buhay ay kayang ibigay maipagtanggol lamang ito. Pinatunayan ng mga Pilipino na malakas, matibay, at natatangi pa rin ang kapangyarihan ng taumbayan.

Katulad ng maraming mga kabataan, ako ang bunga ng isang makabuluhang kahapon. Ako ang saksi sa nakalipas na dalawampu’t limang taon pagkatapos ng unang rebolusyon sa EDSA. Mabilis na umikot ang panahon ngunit sa pagkakataong ito ay malayang nabubuhay ang bawat isa para sa kapakanan ng sariling kaunlaran at pag-ibig sa kinabukasan at kalayaan ng bayan.

Oo, kasing edad ko ang People Power I.

Related posts:

1. Celebrating EDSA
2. Edsa Babies Unite!

Maganda ang gising ko noong umaga pagkatapos ng eleksyon. Kaisa ako ng isang buong bayang wari’y sabay-sabay na naglabas ng isang mapagpalayang buntung-hininga matapos ang di-inaasahang kinalabasan ng halalan.

Sa kabila ng napakaraming mga pangambang dulot ng kawalang-tiwala sa mga nakaupong aliw na aliw sa kapangyarihan, nairaos din ang halalan. Pagsapit ng gabi, nasaksihan ko sa telebisyon ang mabilis na pagdating ng mga resulta ng botohan. Tuwang-tuwa ako na kahit sa bilangan ng boto man lang, wari’y ang pagiging first world ay ating natikman.

Siyempre, hindi naman ako nag-iilusyong perpekto na ang lahat at nakarating na tayo sa minimithing Enchanted Kingdom sa larangan ng pulitika at pamamahala. Hindi naman tuluyang binura ng election automation ang karamihan sa mga lumang problema gaya ng katrapohan, bilihan ng boto, at karahasan.

Pero ayon sa pulisya, nabawasan ang mga karahasang kaugnay ng halalan. Gawa marahil ng mabilisang pagpapadala ng mga bilang ng boto sa Comelec, wala nang panahon ang maiitim ang budhi para gumawa ng kabuktutan at ma-Hello Garci ang resulta ng halalan. Kahit paano, magandang simula ito.

Sa umagang iyon pagkatapos ng eleksyon, namalas ko ang maaliwalas ang paligid na pinaliguan ng dilaw na sikat ng araw. May hatid na pag-asa ang noo’y napipinto pa lamang na tagumpay ni Noynoy Aquino, ang tagapagmana ng mga pangunahing bayani ng demokrasya sa ating bansa. Hindi inilaglag ng bayan ang taong kanilang tinawag upang pamunuan ang pagbabalik ng tiwala sa pamahalaan. Nagtagumpay ang kampanyang sinimulan at dinala ng taumbayan, at nailuklok ang bagong People Power president.

Hindi man masasabing si Noynoy ay ganap na walang bahid, naniniwala naman akong walang duda ang mga tao sa kanyang katapatan at kababaang-loob. Malaki ang pag-asang sa kanyang pamumuno, magsisilbi siyang magandang halimbawa para sa mabuting pamamahala at malinis na pamahalaan.

Sa pagkakapanalo ni Noynoy, tumibay ang katiyakan ng pagtatapos ng siyam na taong rehimen ng karahasan at kasinungalingan. Nabigyan din tayo ng isa pang pagkakataong maisakatuparan ang mga napakong pangako ng pangulong pinaupo ng ikalawang People Power revolt. Sa tulong ng mga mamamayang naghalal sa kanya, maisakatuparan nawa ito ng pangulong iniluklok ng People Power sa loob ng eleksyon.

Related posts:

1. Eleksyon 2010: Bagong Pag-Asa… Bagong Sakit
2. Halalan at Pagbabago
3. Talumpati ni Sen. Noynoy Aquino sa Miting de Avance ng Partido Liberal

Gusto ko ng isa pang totoong People Power president.

Maluluklok siya hindi dahil sa pag-iimbot sa kapangyarihan at panlilinlang sa masang tumatayo para sa katotohanan at katarungan. Uupo siya nang walang mga kakuntsabang nangungumisyon at tutulong na makalamang siya ng mahigit isang milyon.

Iluluklok siya ng lakas ng bayan sa pamamagitan ng bayanihan. Kusang-loob siyang susuportahan ng mga mamamayan di dahil sa makukuhang pansariling pakinabang, kundi dahil sa paniniwala sa kanyang kabutihang loob at katapatan. Iboboto siya dahil naghahatid siya ng pag-asang muling sisikat ang araw, ang bansa’y babangon, at ang bagong Pilipinas ay ating masisilayan. Magiging inspirasyon siyang magbabalik ng tiwala nating mga Pilipino sa ating sarili.

Mabuti sana kung siya’y maka-Diyos, makabayan, makatao, at makakalikasan. Perpekto rin kung siya’y maalam sa kasaysayan at magsusulong ng katarungan.

Ngunit dahil tayo’y nasa di-perpektong mundo, pasado na sa akin kahit may konting bahid, kahit may konting duda, basta kapani-paniwala ang katapatan. Ang susunod na anim na taon ay panahon ng muling pagbubuo, kaya’t napakahalagang may tiwala tayo sa susunod na pangulo. Paano makakasulong kung ang pinuno’y may karanasan, pero laging ang bayan ay nanganganib na isahan?

Hindi ako maghahangad ng pangulong ang ipinagmamalaki ay talino at galing kung sa kampong tiwali siya nanggaling.

Ayoko rin ng pangulong pera ang pinaiikot, kumukupkop sa mga kaanak ng kurakot, at sa pananagutan ay tila natatakot.

Di lang sa nagkukunwaring mahirap ako umiilag. Iwas-pusoy rin ako sa mga nagkukunwaring para sa mahirap, pero sa totoo’y nagdadala naman ng sobrang pahirap.

Ang tipo kong pangulo ay iyong tinawag ng bayan at kung mananatiling tapat ay di nito iiwan.

Dapat siyang magpunyaging maisakatuparan ang mga pangako ng People Power: kalayaan, kapayapaan, tunay na demokrasya, tunay na reporma sa lupa, paglaban sa kahirapan, mabuting pamamahala, bagong pulitika, at lideratong magiging mabuting halimbawa.

Kung dahil sa malinis na gobyerno ay kokonti ang corrupt, mababawasan din ang mahihirap. Kung iwawaksi ng bagong pangulo ang mga trapo at itatakwil ang mga oportunista’t balimbing, mangingibabaw ang bagong pulitika. Kung siya’y magsisilbing magandang halimbawa at inspirasyon ng pagiging mabuting Pilipino at pinuno, baka sakaling unahin ng mga tao ang kapwa, makilala ang disiplina, at muling sumilang ang pagmamahal sa bayan.

Related posts:

1. Huwag Muling Payagang Umiral ang Dilim
2. Bagong Umaga

Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
BAYAN Secretary General

As the nation commemorates the 22nd anniversary of the Edsa 1 uprising that toppled the Marcos dictatorship, we join all freedom loving Filipinos in affirming the need for continued collective action in the grand tradition of “people power”. No longer can we allow the perpetuation of a morally bankrupt, moribund and fascist Arroyo regime.

Mrs. Arroyo says that the world will not forgive the Philippines if another “people power” takes place. How ironic indeed that the main beneficiary of “people power” is the first one to condemn it now. The president should worry less about what other countries may think and worry more about what her countrymen demand.

Mechanisms for accountability have been corrupted or destroyed by the regime. Government tells us to go to the courts instead of the streets only because it knows that the wheels of justice are slow in this country.

The necessity of people power stems from the reality that the current government will cling to power at all costs. The present regime has totally avoided any accountability over issues of corruption, human rights abuses and gross puppetry to foreign interests. Simply put, this regime will not fold on its own. It has to feel the collective wrath of the people first.

People Power assures us that the people have a say in what will happen to the Arroyo regime. Without “people power”, the crisis would merely be resolved by representatives of the powers that be, sans the voice of the people. Our best hope that reforms will be advanced and a better alternative put in place, is if the people can muster the strength to advance their interests.

Right now, the momentum for people power is on the side of the anti-Arroyo forces. The widespread mass actions of recent weeks have shown that there is no such thing as “people power fatigue”. The youth, religious, professionals, workers and farmers are all at the forefront of the rising tide of protest against the Arroyo regime.

Arroyo’s admission that she knew of the anomalies in the ZTE-NBN deal even before its signing must not turn out to be another “I am sorry” speech from the president. Instead, it should be the basis of the people in seeking accountability from and the resignation of the president.

Related posts:

1. People Power Still True, Still Tangible
2. The Broad United Front of Patriotic Forces is Determined to Mobilize the People Nationwide Against Arroyo Regime
3. Bayan Congratulates People of Egypt for Ousting Mubarak

I am happy to observe that the broad united front of patriotic forces is determined to arouse and mobilize the broad masses of the people in the national capital region as well as on a nationwide scale, including provincial centers and localities, in order to further isolate the Arroyo regime and cause the resignation, impeachment or ouster of the fake president, Gloria M. Arroyo.

The people are deeply outraged by the Arroyo regime’s servility to foreign interests, its corruption and plundering mania and its wanton violations of human rights. The task of the broad united front is to bring to the surface and to the streets the people’s outrage and thus overcome the regime’s campaign of mass deception and intimidation.

It is possible to remove the Arroyo ruling clique from power mainly through the people’s exercise of their democratic right to speak and assemble, as in 1986 and 2001. The issuance of statements, indoor meetings and localized rallies against the regime can generate the gigantic mass actions. The peaceful uprising of the people in great numbers can encourage the bureaucracy and military to withdraw support and can thus cause the Arroyo regime to implode.

According to reliable information, the patriotic military and police officers and the overwhelming majority of enlisted personnel will manifest their withdrawal of support from the regime as soon as 100,000 people converge in any of the protest rallies either in Manila or Edsa in the coming days, weeks and months. Such level of mass participation is expected to ignite the peaceful uprising of the people in their millions nationwide.

The patriotic military and police officers uphold the principle of civilian supremacy and are not interested in taking power for any military clique. They want a triumvirate of officials of the Supreme Court, Senate and the executive to be the caretaker leadership for running the government until a new president is elected in a snap election within four months from the removal of Arroyo from power.

In its website and through its official spokesman Ka Roger, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has repeatedly declared that it is encouraging the people to exercise their democratic right to speak and assemble and that the armed units of the New People’s Army are keeping out of the protest mass actions in the urban areas in consonance with the legal and defensive character of these actions.

According to the CPP, the NPA is intensifying armed tactical offensives in the countryside in order to seize more arms and strengthen itself for ultimately overthrowing the entire ruling system. In that connection, it is targeting Arroyo loyalists among the reactionary military and police, the most notorious violators of human rights and the plunderers of the natural wealth of the Philippines.

Generals Esperon and Yano are merely exposing their state of panic when they keep on barking that the NPA will join the protest mass actions and that the military and police of the reactionary state will always follow the pro-Arroyo chain of command. The real big problem of these running dogs of the Arroyo regime is the simultaneous growth of the protest mass actions of the people in the cities, the tendency of the regime to implode and the intensified tactical offensives of the people’s army in the countryside.

Related posts:

1. In the Face of Worsening Crisis, People Power Is a Necessity
2. People Power Still True, Still Tangible
3. Bayan Congratulates People of Egypt for Ousting Mubarak

We maintain that Edsa Dos remains a benchmark in our nation’s history in attesting to the powers of a broad mass movement that marched as one to achieve a particular heroic goal.

Indeed, our constituents may now be called the ‘veterans of Edsa Dos’. We were those who valiantly marched from our universities to the Edsa Shrine. We were those who decisively marched on to culminate Edsa Dos at the bridge of Malacanang.

Still, we have constituents now who have been too young to participate in the Edsa Dos Uprising. What, then, would the spirit and legacy of Edsa Dos be for them?

Then, as it is now, Edsa Dos was about the removal of a tyrant and corrupt leader who has caused injustice, plunder and massive discontent among the youth and the people. Then, as it is now, Edsa Dos was not about ousting one president in favor of a successor. Then, as it is now, Edsa Dos was all about the people’s demands for truth, accountability and justice.

Despite assertions of some sectors of society, today’s generation does not subscribe to so-called ‘people power fatigue’. This concept is nothing but a ploy of the present administration and its apologists to cover up its very palpable dread of a burgeoning mass movement. The Arroyo administration is very conscious and frightened to this day of the development of a broad mass movement that may well succeed in ousting it from power.

The Arroyo administration has reason to feel insecure about its tenure. It should consider itself very unfortunate to have to face two generations of youth dissenters -– the ‘veterans’ of Edsa Dos and today’s youth who have witnessed and endured ‘Hello Garci’ to the countless unresolved cases of bribery, corruption, human rights violations and economic plunder.

Unlike other sectors of society, we refuse to accept that the coming 2010 presidential election is the only means left to change the nation’s leadership. 2010 is still a long way to go and yet the tactics of Charter Change and other such desperate ploys of the Arroyo administration to cling to power refuse to die down.

Seven years of Arroyo is enough. A people power is still true and tangible. A people power is brewing in our midst as we speak.

Eleanor de Guzman
Chairperson, Anakbayan

January 18, 2008

Related posts:

1. In the Face of Worsening Crisis, People Power Is a Necessity
2. The Broad United Front of Patriotic Forces is Determined to Mobilize the People Nationwide Against Arroyo Regime
3. Bayan Congratulates People of Egypt for Ousting Mubarak

Sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaisa’t panalangin, napalayas ng mga mamamayan si Ferdinand Marcos, isang diktador na umagaw sa ating kalayaan at nagpasasa sa pera ng mga mamamayan.

Nang kanyang ibaba ang Batas Militar o Martial Law sa pamamagitan ng Proclamation 1081 noong Setyembre 1972, ipinasara ni Marcos ang mga diyaryo at mga himpilan ng radyo’t telebisyon. Ang media na sunud-sunuran lamang sa kanya ang nanatili. Ipinadakip din ni Marcos ang mga tumutuligsa sa kanya.

Dalawang taon bago ang pagdedeklara niya ng Batas Militar, sumiklab ang First Quarter Storm o sunud-sunod na malalaki at mararahas na protestang tumuligsa sa pandaraya ni Marcos sa eleksyon.

Ang napatalsik na diktador na ito’y nagkaroon ng record sa Guinness Book of World Records bilang isa sa mga pinakamatitinding kawatan sa kasaysayan. Sa pagtataya ni dating chairman ng Philippine Commission on Good Government na si Jovito Salonga, aabot sa lima hanggang 10 bilyong dolyar ang nakulimbat ni Marcos.

Kaya naman nang magtagumpay ang People Power, nagdiwang tayo at pinalakpakan ng buong mundo. Sabi nga sa isang awitin ng EDSA, “naging langit itong bahagi ng mundo”.

Dahil dito, hindi ba’t dapat ay inaalala natin sa mga araw na ito ang EDSA People Power? Ngunit kahapon, sa halip na masayang pagdiriwang ay iba ang naganap.

Ibinaba ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang Proclamation 1017 na nagdeklara ng State of Emergency sa buong bansa matapos na mapigilan ang isa raw tangkang kudeta. Ipinagbawal lahat ng mga rally at kinansela lahat ng mga gawain kaugnay ng pagdiriwang ng EDSA People Power.

Si Arroyo ay naluklok sa kapangyarihan dahil sa People Power 2 noong Enero 2001. Bilang pangalawang pangulo, pumalit siya matapos mapatalsik ang tiwalang rehimen ni dating Pangulong Joseph Estrada. Nananatili siya sa Malacañang matapos manalo sa bilangan ng halalang 2004. Hanggang ngayon, di pa rin niya tuwirang nasasagot ang mga bintang ng pandaraya matapos siyang mai-record na naghe-”Hello Garci” sa isang election commissioner habang binibilang pa ang mga boto. Inaakusahan din siya ng paggamit sa kampanya ng perang dapat ay para sa kapakanan ng mga magsasaka. Kahit wala na ang base militar ng United States, napabalik niya sa bansa sa mga tropang Amerikano. (Ang ilan ay nakapanggahasa pa nga ng isang Pilipina noong Nobyembre.) Dahil dito at sa iba pang usapin, madalas ang mga rally laban kay Arroyo.

Isang araw matapos ibaba ang Proclamation 1081, ni-raid ng pulisya ang opisina ng diyaryong Daily Tribune na madalas bumatikos sa administrasyon; dinakip ang aktibistang mambabatas na si Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran sa bisa ng warrant of arrest na inilabas noon pang 1985; inaresto ang mga dating opisyal ng pulisya na sina Ramon Montaño at Rex Piad; at tinangkang arestuhin din si Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo na isa sa mga lider ng People Power 2, pati ang iba pang mga taga-oposisyon.

Tulad ni Marcos, ginamit ni Arroyo ang umano’y sabwatan ng mga rebeldeng komunista at mga rebeldeng sundalo bilang dahilan ng pagbababa ng Proclamation 1081. Ginawa raw niya ito upang protektahan ang Estado at ang mga mamamayan.

Laganap ang opinyong ito ni Arroyo upang supilin ang lalong lumalawak na paglaban sa kanyang pamamahala, at upang manatili sa kanyang puwesto. Di nga ba’t nanatiling pangulo si Marcos sa loob ng mahabang panahon nang dahil sa Martial Law? At may bonus pa ang diktador: nakakupit pa nang malakihan sa kaban ng yaman!

Nais naming maniwala sa dahilan ni Pangulong Arroyo. Alam din naming isa siyang masigasig at wais na pinuno. Ngunit ang kanyang paliwanag ay nilulunod ng aming pagkagiliw sa titik at himig ng “Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo,” isang awiting una nating narinig noong ang Pilipino’y kinaiinggitan ng daigdig, at ang karamihan sa ating heneresyon ay mga wala pang muwang:

‘Di na ‘ko papayag mawala ka muli.
‘Di na ‘ko papayag na muli mabawi,
Ating kalayaan kay tagal natin mithi.
‘Di na papayagang mabawi muli.

Related posts:

1. People Power Still True, Still Tangible
2. Ang Tipo Kong Pangulo
3. In the Face of Worsening Crisis, People Power Is a Necessity