Today (February 25, 2001), I sadly chanced upon an internet page which contains a sentiment that states that our country might have been better off with an extension of the Marcos rule, something which is very Bongbong and Imelda. And so I replied:
Mark, the former president was already very sick at the time that EDSA 1986 occurred. Remember that he actually died a mere three years after he left Malacanang. It was in 1989 and by then he was in the US, where, arguably, he could have been given the best possible medical care and when, presumably, he was not doing as much as when he was president.
What else could he have done for the country? I believe nothing more than to step down. This is something which he should have done in 1973. But he tried to hold on to power for so long. He tried to do it twice, but succeeded only once. His mandate and, therefore, the only time that fate and our people should have given him was a maximum of 8 years. He, however, extended it through martial law first, and the snap elections, second. But even during the time of military rule, he could have done a lot of good for the country because of the huge amount of power he had. On the surface, he did. But, by the first years of the 1980s, the Philippines had deteriorated so badly that we, as a nation were like a headless chicken going nowhere but towards our own destruction. More of President Ferdinand E. Marcos beyond 1986 was not what needed. How do I know? I was a young boy at that time, observing and forming my own person and thoughts.
I was originally impressed with the progress that the Marcos presidency brought. In fact, I happily sang "Bagong Lipunan" and "Pilipinas Kong Mahal", delightedly watched "Kulit Bulilit" and willingly participated in the "Green Revolution". I became awestruck with the superhighways and buildings and actually dreamt of riding the "Lovebus" in the metropolis. But during what later turned out to be his last years, I became fearful of our situation.
I began to be apprehensive in the presence of the military and the constabulary. So many summary killings were happening near our own village that it became known as a "dumping ground". The prices of gasoline eventually skyrocketed and the term "panic-buying" became a byword. The insurgencies in Mindanao and that of the CPP became stronger and manifested in the so-called, if I remember the term right, "Swallow Squad." Once again, waves upon waves of Filipinos began to leave their families for abroad not to become immigrants but "DH" and construction workers. Except for the Batasang Pambansa, no elections occurred for so long and, soon, Ninoy Aquino was brazenly murdered on broad daylight. The state control of a silent press tightened even further.
It seemed on the surface that everything was peaceful but, beneath the facade, you can tell that tension is brewing like something was about to rupture. The corruption had become so ingrained in the system and structure of society that only a revolution could have changed it. It could have been a bloody revolution, one that purges into cleanliness and gives everyone, who survives, a chance to start anew. It could have been the only choice. Instead, for good or for ill, we had EDSA.
Please, do not regret that 1986 happened. Instead, be proud of it, for we who saw it occur experienced pride in being Filipinos for once again, as a nation, at that time, we could hold our heads up high. Embrace what it means and let it influence your daily life. Dedicate all your efforts and dreams to living its spirit out wherever you are. In your dealings, for example, with others, particularly the offices of the government, do not compromise the Spirit of EDSA. Let us both not anymore be silent, but otherwise active, collaborators to the many faces of defects in our society.
Never ever wish that it should have always been former President Marcos and no other. That is an insult to many of those who suffered under the weight of his rule. We lost not a few of a new generation of leaders because of it.
However, let us be one in regretting the mistakes we, as a people, made and the opportunities we, as a nation, squandered after the revolution so that we may learn from them and be a warning to other countries attempting something similar to our own People Power (Tunisia, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries easily come to mind). But regret should not have the last word. Let us not wallow in it and merely be sentimental about a glorious past. In its place, let us instead move on wiser now to the reality that history gives us only one lifetime to make this country a little bit more habitable for ourselves and for others, and our people a little bit more hopeful about themselves and the future.
Long live EDSA 1986! Continue loving your country and your people.
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