‘And as generations pass away, so do the emotions that made the late 80s and early 90s years of promise and hope fade away as well. What are left are broken promises and a sense of hopelessness.’
AS we mark the start of a New Year, Filipinos will have to face the prospect that there are more than just death and taxes that are inevitable in life.
In the Philippines, at least. Maybe I should revise that.
As we mark the start of a New Year, about half of the Philippine population is raring to welcome the prospect that there is a third inevitable other than just death and taxes in life in these islands. On the other hand, about one fourth is struggling to accept this, while the rest still have to make up their minds.
Beyond death and taxes, it seems that another reality in life in the Philippines is Marcos.
Yup, Marcos. A name that, some 40 years ago, was destined for “the dustbin of history” except of course in the Ilocos Region, parts of Leyte and among those who are ever hopeful that they will get a share of the Marcos gold. But now, as we prepare to mark (celebrate may be an inappropriate word) the 50th year of the declaration of martial law, it seems an almost foregone conclusion that September 21 will once again be declared a national holiday by the Philippine president who will be the son and namesake of the man who announced on that day in 1972 that he had signed Presidential Decree 1081, effectively putting democracy in the Philippines in limbo.
But, yes, we still do need to wait for the fat lady to sing. How did we get to this point in our democracy’s progression?
First, when we who were gathered at EDSA in late February 1986 did what we could try to pressure Marcos to leave or be ousted, we actually created a precedent that has haunted us ever since. We were there because we believed in our hearts that our candidate was robbed of victory. And we were joined by members of the Armed Forces – some of whom recognized as their “spiritual leader” the defense minister who actually wanted Marcos out so he could take over.
In the meantime a vast majority of the population – maybe 95% – were in their homes monitoring the developments as they were being broadcast by Catholic radio and ABS-CBN, both of which supported our side. Only when Ronald Reagan acted did the story on the streets of Manila come to an end, of sorts.
But there never truly was any closure. And that’s the second problem.
There was never any real closure to the Marcos issue. Case after case against him and his family – except I think for two – were either dismissed, or were lost. The most celebrated defeat happened in New York, where the Marcos widow was found not guilty by a US court, one that no Filipino can accuse of having been bribed to decide one way or the other.
Meantime, in the Philippines, cases have dragged on because the “system” allows it to happen. Where there have been decisions, the decisions have yet to become final and executory, again because the “system” is set up this way.
But why hasn’t the system changed? Because many a post-Marcos politician would want to benefit from the same system should he or she by some quirk of fate be where the Marcoses were 40 years ago. Who is the politician who would want to poison the well from where they all draw?
It also didn’t help that in the 40 years after the first Ferdinand Marcos, the lives of ordinary Filipinos haven’t changed much. The poor remain poor, the influential find ways to amass more wealth, and the politicians get richer even more. And as generations pass away, so do the emotions that made the late 80s and early 90s years of promise and hope fade away as well. What are left are broken promises and a sense of hopelessness. A sense of betrayal even – a betrayal by political leaders who used “People Power” to replace people in power, and nothing more.
After Ferdinand the First, did corruption end, or did it just get worse? Did dynasties end – or did they just multiply? Did the system change so that the people truly become empowered – or has it kept the majority as they have been for decades and decades – mere pawns in the never-ending power game?
This is why life in the Philippines is what it is. And this is why Filipinos now seem destined to face an inevitability trilogy of death, taxes and Marcos.
