What new dawn?
What new dawn?
Updated 03:41am (Mla time) Jan 19, 2005
By Conrado de Quiros
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the January 19, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
HE'S lost his pounds, he's lost his waddle, he's lost his listlessness. And he may also have lost his mind.
Joseph Estrada flew home last weekend the picture of feistiness and defiance and said he would lead this country to a new dawn. He was "more determined than ever to restore the hope that has been lost, to fight for a better future, uphold the Constitution and restore the rule of law." He slammed "the unrestrained corruption in all branches and levels of government [which has produced] an administration largely without public support, discredited and distrusted not only by our people and our neighbors but also by the rest of the international community."
"I have returned to do what the Constitution tasked me to do in June 1998," he said.
Well, as I suggested the last time Erap spoke about the "rule of law," which was at FPJ's wake, when he (wrongly) compared his fate to that of his fallen buddy, he embodies the rule of law only as much as Mike Arroyo embodies the
sway of honesty. In fact, the only thing Erap embodies is the rule of lotto, or more accurately jueteng, which was the thing that felled him in the first place.
What he says about the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration is true. But he has only himself to blame for it. Every word he uses to indict the incumbent government comes back to him with equal force. The reason we got saddled with Arroyo was that we (Arroyo wasn't part of the struggle, she was just its beneficiary) were determined to restore the hope that had been lost to us, to fight for a better future, to uphold the Constitution and restore the rule of law. The unrestrained corruption in all branches and levels of the Erap administration (not least the Department of Education, where various illiterates were involved in textbook scams) produced an administration that lost public support and was discredited and distrusted not only by Filipinos but by the rest of the world.
What the Constitution tasked him to do in 1998 was to rule well. Or at least to the best of his abilities, limited as they were. Certainly it tasked him not to turn Malacañang into a beerhouse populated by thugs who met in the witching hours, guzzling Blue Label and partaking of the pleasures offered by Atong Ang, a veritable coven not unlike the den of the kontrabidas in suits in his old Ilang-Ilang movies. Previous presidents had stolen before him, but they had stolen only money. He stole the hope of this country. Never mind giving us back our hope. Just give us back your loot.
Contrary to what Erap thinks, he is not Arroyo's nemesis, he is her ally. Frankly, I cannot imagine Arroyo quaking in her boots from Erap's pronouncements, I can only imagine her applauding gratefully. The situation is not unlike Cory's occupation of Malacañang and the threats to her posed by the Marcos loyalists. Erap is a continuing reminder that the future of this country is not to be found in the opposition. There is no one in the opposition that has the power or credibility to rally the people against the administration. I do not like this administration, I do think Arroyo can, and should be, impeached--for more reasons than we impeached Erap. But I will not join any initiative led by Erap or Ping Lacson or Edgar Angara to "unite this country." They will not bring a new dawn, they will bring a swift sunset. The way out for this country is not to step back into the past, it is to plunge boldly into the future.
I repose my faith in two things here. The first is that I cannot believe that this country of 70 million souls is so bereft of honest and talented men and women, notwithstanding that 20 percent of the population wants to leave it, that it cannot produce alternatives to Erap and Arroyo. I do hope in particular civil society, which was pivotal in ousting Erap but which has been stricken blind under Arroyo, will pick up the pieces and rediscover its mission. Which is not to be a lackey (Malacañang is already full of them) but to be a genuine force for change. And of course there's the youth. Forget Kiko Pangilinan, youth was perfectly wasted on him even when he was young. But surely idealism hasn't been lost on the students and young professionals?
The second is that well beyond personalities, there is vision. This country has never had trouble uniting when the compelling need for it arises. The two Edsas, which were the two times we became one in heroic struggle, were not led by charismatic figures, they were led by a burning desire to end tyranny and reclaim the hope that had been stolen from us. The second Edsa, in particular, which had no one leader, even if the usual suspects, or Edsa I personalities, later tried to appropriate it. Ideas can be very powerful, even in a culture that values interpersonal relationships. Certainly, ideas can unite--and have united--Filipinos toward lofty goals.
No, this country has had no trouble uniting when the compelling need for it arises. And nothing can be more compelling than ending a reign of corruption and tyranny and reclaiming a lost future. What this country has always had trouble with is sustaining the initiative. We heave a sigh of relief at the end of a sudden burst of heroism and go back to where we were, leaving the field to carpet-bagging successors.
But whatever the case, I don't see how this country can keep together for very long. Government isn't just exploding, it's imploding from its own weight and turning into a black hole. We're being left behind by all our neighbors. If the tsunami that hit them showed anything, it is only that they had so much to lose. We don't. Disasters visit us with precious little to destroy.
The alternative to an atrocious present is not a discredited past. It is a decent future, or a crack at having one.
Updated 03:41am (Mla time) Jan 19, 2005
By Conrado de Quiros
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the January 19, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
HE'S lost his pounds, he's lost his waddle, he's lost his listlessness. And he may also have lost his mind.
Joseph Estrada flew home last weekend the picture of feistiness and defiance and said he would lead this country to a new dawn. He was "more determined than ever to restore the hope that has been lost, to fight for a better future, uphold the Constitution and restore the rule of law." He slammed "the unrestrained corruption in all branches and levels of government [which has produced] an administration largely without public support, discredited and distrusted not only by our people and our neighbors but also by the rest of the international community."
"I have returned to do what the Constitution tasked me to do in June 1998," he said.
Well, as I suggested the last time Erap spoke about the "rule of law," which was at FPJ's wake, when he (wrongly) compared his fate to that of his fallen buddy, he embodies the rule of law only as much as Mike Arroyo embodies the
sway of honesty. In fact, the only thing Erap embodies is the rule of lotto, or more accurately jueteng, which was the thing that felled him in the first place.
What he says about the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration is true. But he has only himself to blame for it. Every word he uses to indict the incumbent government comes back to him with equal force. The reason we got saddled with Arroyo was that we (Arroyo wasn't part of the struggle, she was just its beneficiary) were determined to restore the hope that had been lost to us, to fight for a better future, to uphold the Constitution and restore the rule of law. The unrestrained corruption in all branches and levels of the Erap administration (not least the Department of Education, where various illiterates were involved in textbook scams) produced an administration that lost public support and was discredited and distrusted not only by Filipinos but by the rest of the world.
What the Constitution tasked him to do in 1998 was to rule well. Or at least to the best of his abilities, limited as they were. Certainly it tasked him not to turn Malacañang into a beerhouse populated by thugs who met in the witching hours, guzzling Blue Label and partaking of the pleasures offered by Atong Ang, a veritable coven not unlike the den of the kontrabidas in suits in his old Ilang-Ilang movies. Previous presidents had stolen before him, but they had stolen only money. He stole the hope of this country. Never mind giving us back our hope. Just give us back your loot.
Contrary to what Erap thinks, he is not Arroyo's nemesis, he is her ally. Frankly, I cannot imagine Arroyo quaking in her boots from Erap's pronouncements, I can only imagine her applauding gratefully. The situation is not unlike Cory's occupation of Malacañang and the threats to her posed by the Marcos loyalists. Erap is a continuing reminder that the future of this country is not to be found in the opposition. There is no one in the opposition that has the power or credibility to rally the people against the administration. I do not like this administration, I do think Arroyo can, and should be, impeached--for more reasons than we impeached Erap. But I will not join any initiative led by Erap or Ping Lacson or Edgar Angara to "unite this country." They will not bring a new dawn, they will bring a swift sunset. The way out for this country is not to step back into the past, it is to plunge boldly into the future.
I repose my faith in two things here. The first is that I cannot believe that this country of 70 million souls is so bereft of honest and talented men and women, notwithstanding that 20 percent of the population wants to leave it, that it cannot produce alternatives to Erap and Arroyo. I do hope in particular civil society, which was pivotal in ousting Erap but which has been stricken blind under Arroyo, will pick up the pieces and rediscover its mission. Which is not to be a lackey (Malacañang is already full of them) but to be a genuine force for change. And of course there's the youth. Forget Kiko Pangilinan, youth was perfectly wasted on him even when he was young. But surely idealism hasn't been lost on the students and young professionals?
The second is that well beyond personalities, there is vision. This country has never had trouble uniting when the compelling need for it arises. The two Edsas, which were the two times we became one in heroic struggle, were not led by charismatic figures, they were led by a burning desire to end tyranny and reclaim the hope that had been stolen from us. The second Edsa, in particular, which had no one leader, even if the usual suspects, or Edsa I personalities, later tried to appropriate it. Ideas can be very powerful, even in a culture that values interpersonal relationships. Certainly, ideas can unite--and have united--Filipinos toward lofty goals.
No, this country has had no trouble uniting when the compelling need for it arises. And nothing can be more compelling than ending a reign of corruption and tyranny and reclaiming a lost future. What this country has always had trouble with is sustaining the initiative. We heave a sigh of relief at the end of a sudden burst of heroism and go back to where we were, leaving the field to carpet-bagging successors.
But whatever the case, I don't see how this country can keep together for very long. Government isn't just exploding, it's imploding from its own weight and turning into a black hole. We're being left behind by all our neighbors. If the tsunami that hit them showed anything, it is only that they had so much to lose. We don't. Disasters visit us with precious little to destroy.
The alternative to an atrocious present is not a discredited past. It is a decent future, or a crack at having one.
posted by Dante at 3:41 AM
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