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Between Mad
Dogs and Termites
| Ligalig |
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| Garry
Rectin Lazaro |
THERE'S A mad
dog on a rampage ready to rip our national sovereignty and integrity
fought for through centuries of struggle against foreign domination.
The mad dog gravely compromised our civil and political liberties
to unconditionally support the unilateral campaign against terrorism
under the auspice of the United States of America. Even our own
national interest has been defined based on its subservience to
the American interest.
As if not contented
with past unfair military treaties such as those on General Relations
and the US Military Bases Agreement, Military Assistance Agreement,
and the existing Mutual Defense Treaty, Visiting Forces Agreement
and the expanded Balikatan Training, the mad dog is befriending
Dubya to guarantee the strategic presence of American troops through
the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) in exchange for bony
economic and pseudo-social gains and "peace and order".
In an effort
to howl a strong republic while wagging its tail to Uncle Sam, the
government extended a cordial atmosphere to the recent visit of
US Secretary of State Collin L. Powell, far better than the standard
courtesy given to other foreign delegations visiting the country.
Beyond courtesy
calls and tuna talks, Powell's visit signals an aggressive negotiation
to put in place the strategic geo-political agenda of America in
such remarkable pace-which makes it obvious that they pre-determined
it to be put in place with little congressional resistance and much
clouded argumentation.
Such acceptance
of America's agenda must be stopped as this will further jeopardize
our own internal security issues and expose us to international
war freaks and troublemakers that might cause the destabilization
of our own national security.
The continuous
adherence of our government to US politico-military policy will
dangerously hold us hostage and render us susceptible to exit wounds
especially in the midst of the Preemptive Strike Policy being imposed
by the Dubyan government.
Instead of becoming
an asset to our own stability, the presence of American troops becomes
more of a liability since what can be expected in the future range
from realignment of billions of peso away from social services,
displeasure from our other allies to hostilities from those who
are thinking that our country is a threat to their own security
for being a potential launching pad for the Preemptive Strike Policy.
Seemingly acquiring
the Marcosian style of governance, the mad dog is on full swing
to demean the constitutional rights of its citizens and on the rebound
to suspend democracy and repress the same dissenting voices that
put her in the collars of power.
Significantly,
the mad dog terrorizes lawful advocacy through the suspension of
maximum tolerance policy and implementation of a "no permit,
no rally" policy that in the end will create a fertile ground
for human rights violations.
Seemingly determined
to show themselves to the world as her puppies unleashed, some members
of the House of Representatives are bound to push into the final
reading the Anti-Terrorism Bill, which proves to be a draconian
measure that is dangerously ambiguous and anti-democratic in nature
and in intent.
The Anti-Terrorism
Bill filed by both Reps. Imee Marcos and Joseph Escudero attempts
to increase repression and jeopardize the right of the innocent
people to express their grievances against the government and the
political-social order.
As if going
on along the tides of the catch phrase "global war against
terrorism", the legitimate clamor of political-ideological
groups rooted on social order might be interpreted as terrorist
in nature under the bill. Likewise, the narrow and simplistic red
baiting of the government to the entire left-leaning groups, including
those not necessarily adhering to communistic ideal, proves to be
a potent preparation for slamming legitimate organizations specially
at the wake of the mad dog's declaration of an all-out war against
"terrorists" with political convictions.
Much worse,
standing for self-determination, freedom, and democratic rights
might be a ground to be branded as Muslim separatists in the midst
of our support to the on-going talks for a genuinely autonomous
Muslim Mindanao. Lastly, the bill allows the interception of private
communications, which might lead to massive spying with an end view
of harassing political rivals, enemies, and targets.
Shedding its
true colors and its strong will to muster enough influence to ensure
obedience to the new Dubyan doctrine, the mad dog is slowly but
surely going wild in the use of her paws and police force to gnash
her teeth at and subject the "termite"-infested civil
society to a harsh and barbaric intolerance epitomized by truncheons
and shields.
Thus, what we
have right now is a choice between a mad dog gloating over the figment
of her imagination—a strong republic—or "termites"
willing to gnaw the fabric of power to guarantee social justice,
national sovereignty and interest, and the general welfare of the
Filipino people.
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Si Gari, 22,
ay national secretary general ng Student Council Alliance of the
Philippines , youth coordinator ng Akbayan, at international officer
ng BISIG Youth.
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