Listen to “One Day More.”
Itaguyod ang Katotohanan.
It is time to be COUNTED!
Join us at the Friday Inter-Faith Prayer Rally
Ayala cor. Paseo de Roxas — 4:00 to 8:00 PM
Where former President Cory Aquino and Jun Lozada will join us as we make the call for Truth and Accountability.
Black and White Movement, together with Hyatt 10/La Salle 60, MBC, MAP, Manindigan,
and other professional and church groups will assemble at the
AIM (Paseo de Roxas) Parking lot at 3:00 PM.
Please join us.
Sa Totoo Tayo. Now Na!
Today there will be people from all walks of life and different generations and varying political and non-political persuasions, coming together to make a stand.
It’s unfortunate that the focus on Makati will obscure the efforts being made elsewhere in the country. Whether a rally in Cebu City, or elsewhere, the only divide I see is between urban and rural Filipinos: though the majority, for some time now, of Filipinos are urban dwellers. I strongly believe the sentiments among urban Filipinos are converging while rural opinion won’t be far behind.
Returning to today’s rally, the authorities are pulling out all the stops: PNP renews warning about communists, terrorists at rally. They’re spooked.Yesterday, something remarkable happened at PUP, see: PUP bomb threat fails to stop Lozada. And something else happened, see: Dirty Tricks in Uniffors.
But two bloggers say it best.
Market Manila declares he will be there:
Because we live in a democracy by choice. Because not speaking up when you know something is wrong makes you an accomplice to the wrong. Because I think everyone must be held accountable for their actions, particularly where their actions impact the welfare of millions. Because of the increasingly brazen disregard for the laws and even basic ethics that should apply to educated individuals. Because in many ways, I am embarrassed to be in the same gene pool as those who are perpetrating and then possibly getting away with such outrageous actions. Because of dozens of other reasons I will keep to myself as I know you get the point.
A reply he gives to a commenter is zeroes in on the issues even more:
mapster, I agree that we have to do everything we can everyday. I pay my taxes and a LOT of them. I have never ever slipped a policeman lunch money. I have voted with a conscience and watched at the polls. I have volunteered services for politicians or candidates which I thought rose above the rest, and I have never accepted any gifts, compensation or positions for the effort. So yes, I think we have to do our daily bit. But I also used to believe that we had a high corruption rate because we were poor… and that somehow the petty corruption of the streets and licenses, etc. were a function of poverty. But that is simply not true. The folks who are implicated in multi-billion scandals are well to do, and as someone above says, how much money do they need to live a decent and comfortable life? And the Hello garci scandal was offensive precisely because it suggests that the elections themselves are rigged, hence the votes of the people are ignored. At the very least, we have to indicate a great deal of displeasure and let everyone know they can’t get away with these kinds of behaviors.
As for being in the company of crooks and wannabees as some intimate above, I think in all democracies people from all walks of life will band together for similar causes, though they all may not look, sound, or be the same. While some of the folks who will be there at the rally this afternoon are opportunists and perhaps not folks I would normally look up to, many others could or should be every day folks who simply want to say, TAMA NA! And while I am not the biggest of Cory fans, I think she IS someone to look up to and her presence is only one of the minor reasons I would show up this afternoon.
I agree with other sentiments about changing the system et al. But I would agree more that we need to change the people on a massive scale with folks that really want to do the BEST for their country, a noble and difficult scenario, I concur.
As for others, you are definitely entitled to your opinion and free to choose what you will, can or want to do. With Marcos it took 20 years to reach the “boiling point.” In subsequent administrations the flare ups occurred with less time required. But at some point, when we all are personally so incensed or affected directly, you too will feel the need to do something.
If you re-read the post above, I would like to point out that I only said that I WOULD BE GOING. Not that I thought all of you should as well, that is obviously your choice.
Touched By An Angel says,
Though not a popular choice by our Catholic Bishops, I believe, GMA has to go. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has to go.
I truly believe that The President and her people have engaged in so much lying that they can no longer recognize the truth even if it stared them in the face. (PDI) As to the next step to take, I will take one step, one day at a time. I do not have the answers yet but in time, I will discern it. Our Filipinos will discern it. I will be there at the The Interfaith rally…
Among young people, there will be those, like on a red day who will be there, as will Tristan’s Mental Assylum ristan’s Mental Assylum and Jamel Ignes who is attending a rally for the first time! (for the religious, see melo touch). Other young people share their views, and efforts at discernment: a slice of wine.. and a shot of cake.. points out the dividing line and respects those who have decided to speak up against the President. There are others who are still uncertain, yet watchful, like Prudence and Mandess, and such as student Timmyland or who remain ambivalent, who will not go but who will be keeping those gathered in their thoughts, see OFW jihAn.zillA. Sh, and Yeweifang’s blog .
Among more senior bloggers, Red’s Herring puts everything in perspective:
If the events that have led to People Power I (EDSA Revolution of 1986 or EDSA I) are any guide, revolutionary uprisings go through certain levels (of consciousness): First, the underlying belief by a sizeable segment of society that the rulers and certain institutional arrangements have lost legitimacy; second, certain intense participants or change agents have gotten around their sense of powerlessness and come to realize they have the power or capacity to effect the needed changes; third, the disaffected members of society have more or less formed a consensus as to the nature and or scope of the changes they desire to occur in lieu of the illegitimated rulers or arrangements, whether be it about a total systemic overhaul, a “regime change,” an extra-constitutional overthrowing of a corrupt or immoral government, etc.
My sense is that People Power III has already reached the first and second levels of consciousness described above. However, before the Great Beast “could take care of itself” today it has yet to hurdle the third level of consciousness.
For one, I have noted even the reformists in the military and the progressives in the civil society are still tentative about the scope and the nature of the changes to be sought (note should also be taken for instance that the mere suggestion during the Manila Peninsula “uprising” that a military junta was being contemplated has not sit well with potential supporters), while other veteran people power practitioners are apprehensive the next exercise “could again end up repeating a vicious cycle of simply ‘moving on’ in circle, and not leaping onward or to a higher ground” or a “new qualitative state.”…
…Now, the question once again: Why is People Power III taking its time?
My own take is: There is yet no general consensus among potential people power participants and activists, as has been in EDSA I or EDSA II, as to what change to aspire for and institute.
Arguably, proposals for reforms or transformations, at odds with each other for the most part, still abound. To cite a few: some who believe the two EDSAs were both a failure aim this time to act against a failed system and plan to overhaul it either according to some rigid ideologies or based merely on the “best practices” of ongoing successful experiments; other groups are just angry and frustrated because of “relative deprivation” (middle class weighed upon with a looming downgrade to the next class complain how come only their counterparts in other regions are having all the fun); still others are focused only on struggling for control of the state apparatuses and effecting “regime change” while keeping both the political and economic structure intact; and specifically, accused coup leader and now detained senator Sonny Trillanes is eager to transform the nation “without reinventing the wheel” or whereas Bishop Francisco Claver can only entertain the belief that “our problem comes down to this: how to correct the aberration that is the present administration without destroying the stabilizing structure that is our democratic system of government.”
…As a result, reactionary moves from old and once reliable alliances, the CBCP in particular, are silently taking place in the form of tokenism (a plea to President Arroyo to take lead in the fight against corruption) and diversion (a call for a new brand of People Power through “communal action”).
Mon Casiple on the part of the political pundits, observes,
The nature and circumstances of this political crisis is such that it can only have one resolution: the end of the Arroyo regime within the context of the existing electoral democracy. From there, it may result in the affirmation of this electoral democracy and thus the integrity of the 2010 elections. Or, more remote, it may lead to the ending of the electoral democracy itself. At any rate, these are the days of reckoning.
The people’s consciousness and readiness to action are developing by leaps and bounds. The usual tactics by the GMA administration are not working anymore and proved to be ironically pushing faster the momentum for change. From the JDV triumphal ouster to its present travails, the Arroyo administration has rapidly traversed a half-circle towards a downward spiral.
What’s Casiple referring to? I can only guess, but think of this. Did you notice the article, 52 governors troop to Palace to show support for Arroyo ? A friend encountered one of these governors on a plane bound for Manila, and the governor prattled on about how he was going to Manila on business -only for my friend to see the governor on TV lurking near the edge of the gathered governors. Said my friend: you see, they’ve begun to get embarrassed over their support for the President (the governor knew my friend’s an oppositionist; but a mere month ago, the governor would needle my friend and crow about the President every chance he got). And the news leaves an even bigger question hanging: what of the other 29 governors?
Recall that one of the officials proclaimed a convenor of the Loyalist rally in Manila on Feb. 25 pointedly told the media, “oh, I’m in Manila doing shopping.”
While Amando Doronila notices that:
Speaking to a joint meeting of the Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines and PinoyME Foundation last Feb. 26, Aquino did not make a pitch for another People Power uprising, to the disappointment of many people. She merely called on President Arroyo to step down, saying it was the least disruptive way out of the “severe moral crisis” facing the country. She said, “She must give way to a credible government that could lead by example. Given our concern to protect the moral pillars of democracy, the extra-constitutional removal of the President is not an ideal we would want to aspire for.”
Aquino’s call for restraint was echoed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, which in a pastoral statement on Feb. 26, called on the President to allow her officials to tell the truth about the slew of allegations of corruption related to several government transactions, but fell short of demanding her resignation. Instead, the bishops urged the President to be “part of the effort” to seek the truth.
The coyness of Aquino and the disappointing position of the bishops restraining people power highlighted the departure from the dynamics of 1986, when Aquino rode the crest of a forceful people power movement driven by the activist archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin, and the mass civilian participation in street protests in support of the military mutiny led by Marcos’ Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Constabulary chief, Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos.
Today’s configuration has lost the fervor for mass action of 1986. It tells us that today’s movement is not based on mass action to bring pressure on the key support institutions of government to defect, such as the military and the bureaucracy. Today’s movement has changed emphasis. It has shifted its cutting edge from confrontation in the streets to bringing moral pressure on government. The shift is not exerting a powerful pressure on government officials to step down. It emboldens them to stonewall.
Though as the Inquirer editorial today points out,
We realize that, in itself, the language of the recommendation (“Urge the President and all the branches of government to take the lead in combating corruption wherever it is found”) seems to be neutral. But in the present context, it actually disregards a fundamental reality. In the scandal over the National Broadband Network, the President and her men have been less than forthright in telling the truth. That, in fact, is one of the reasons we have a crisis in the first place.
Apropos of the bishops, read An Open Letter to the CBCP at Brown SEO.
(courtesy of pedestrianobserver)
geo,
As I said, put your money where your mouth is, lets put this to a vote! Are you willing to bet 200KPhp that Gloria will lose? I’m even willing to bet higher than that. You as well as other leisure time commentators apparently are out of touch. Really?
If we look at photographs of the rally yesterday, the crowd was easily around 100 meters deep on both sides of Ayala Ave., and likewise along Paseo de Roxas.
That’s 300 meters. Multiply that by the width of the roads, which is 35 meters, and you get 10,500 square meters of people.
Normal density of crowds in similar situations is 3 persons per square meter. That means 32,000 people were in the rally yesterday.
Add a generous factor of 25% for kibitzers, uzis, the “curious”, etc, and you get around 40,000 people.
More than 40,000 is dumb.
Sorry Ramrod, Geo…the above (at 1:15pm) was for my tokayo.
mindanaoan,
How would like it to be done? Like the Americans with Abraham Lincoln? or something close to home? Our capability of ousting even the highest position in the land without bloodshed is something to be celebrated not condemned. I wasn’t there too, but lets allow things to go their natural course and observe history in the making. Pastilan, naa pa mang ko’y igsoon diha nagpuyo karon sa Pagadian, tawgan na lang nako ug kumustahon.
cvj,
No harm done. I thought elitists are equated to bisayas nowadays. 🙂
Hi Manolo, I have a comment earlier about “Antisocial Personality Disorder†– modern term for Sociopath but its awaiting moderation. Ist interesting as it refers to “absence of conscience.”
fuck you coldking. you rub me the wrong way even though you’re anti-gma.
i’ve never given much thought abt regional differences. i can get along with anyone. but seriously, wtf can we be proud of as luzonians? or even as you say, “metro manilans?”
this stupid business of segregating pinoys based on regional descent is counter-productive. there is only one delineating mark for me, and that is the whole archipelago. so whether they be bisaya, kapampangan, bikolano, moros, mindanaons, tsinoys – i treat them all the same: as filipinos!
neil, deduct the island in the middle of ayala. and paseo towards makati av is narrower than towards greenbelt. but if it’s 100 m deep on all directions, i’d say between 26,000 (your 3 per sq.m) and 35,000 (4). so 32,000 is it, ok? more than twice the police estimate, and less than half of binay’s
ramrod,
I don’t actually know what you are talking about — betting money on GMA??? What, in a hypothetical new election or something? What does that have to do with reality?
Reality is that the rallies are not resonating with the general public. Again. And again. Even though the public is not pro-GMA.
How do you explain that? What does that tell you?
Abolishing EO 464 won’t abolish executive privilege. She doesn’t need EO464 anymore. She has Senate v. Ermita!
neil and mindanaoan,
Why you guys are fixating yourselves to the person per square footage is so funny to me as it looks like penis envy. 20,000 ; 40,000 ; who cares? can you organize something like this? can you even gather 10 people to go with you on a cause you believe in? I doubt it really. by the sounds of it, you guys are so busy with yourselves you don’t have time to think of others. Really.
“Reality is that the rallies are not resonating with the general public. Again. And again. Even though the public is not pro-GMA.” – geo
How do you propose to find out? Specifically, MEasurably, Attainably, Relevantly and Time bound? Lets stop this speculating and approach it empirically!
neil and minda,
Why you guys are fixating yourselves to the person per square footage is so funny to me as it looks like penis envy. 20,000 ; 40,000 ; who cares? can you organize something like this? can you even gather 10 people to go with you on a cause you believe in? I doubt it really. by the sounds of it, you guys are so busy with yourselves you don’t have time to think of others. Really.
mlq3 – the context of my inquiry: if VP Noli declares that he will only lead until 2010, I believe the prospects of amending the Constitution will be better (no agenda of perpetuation), division of spoils could be moderated (to borrow the term from Neri), etc. My question again: how do we hold him to do it if the present rule book only says “Section 8. In case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of the President, the Vice-President shall become the President to serve the unexpired term.”
yeah let us all wait for 2010…fastforward…gma dictatorial president de facto…RP under martial law…
conrado de quiros- ” i told you so!”( in camp crame)…those who were against rallies to oust gma- “we should have gone to rallies then”(sic)…
gma and her minions- “hohohoho” all the way to the bank for more!….body count- “0”, they all disappeared and never to be found again! no bodies to count…media/press-“censored”! rule of law and constitution- toilet paper!
…visayas and mindanao- under imperial manila still!
Carlos
Isn’t it a bit disingenuous of you to come across as a sort of a neutral party in all this? You have consistently supported the administration and dissed the anti-GMA side on your blog (often to good effect).
And as for an echo chamber, that’s a bit rich considering the approving mob that hangs around Walk this Way complaining about how protests disrupt the traffic and their trips to restaurants.
istambay,
Let them explain to the parents of Jonas Burgos and the reat of the “disappeared.”
Whatever the estimates, it was clear that this rally was much bigger than the previous one. And it is equally clear that the admin is using more and more dirty tricks – stopping provincial contingents from reaching Manila to join the rally, barring media helicopters from taking aerial footage of the rally, etc. – to prevent this movement from reaching critical mass, clearly showing that it’s worried. The direction of the momentum is clear. All that’s needed is for it to be sustained.
So – when’s the next one? 😀
I promise to join the next one, starbucks is on me. 🙂
neil and minda,
Why you guys are fixating yourselves to the person per square footage is so funny to me. 20,000 ; 40,000 ; who cares? can you organize something like this? can you even gather 10 people to go with you on a cause you believe in? I doubt it really. by the sounds of it, you guys are so busy with yourselves you don’t have time to think of others. Really.
mike,
Sama tayo next time, I’ll bring the coffee you bring the HAMBORJER ha?
Congratulations to the rally organizers!!! Thank God, it was peaceful and so organize that nobody was there an hour after the rally. It certainly represented the whole spectrum of Philippine society with politicians, the religious, cause oriented groups, business and the youths attending.
I was kind of surprised however by the turnout considering the mainstream media was suggesting it to be the mother of all demonstrations against our president. Let us be very generous on the numbers….say a 100,000. If somebody is looking forward to pressure GMA to resign in a show of hands, they definitely got extremely dissapointed with the attendance. There is a disconnect between the perceived outrage and the protest action.
i wonder if there is now disagreement among the disparate opposition on how to achieve the goal of ousting president GMA. Are the civil society groups selling out to the traditional politicians? I think this is counterproductive as a big segment of the population specially the middle class will be alienated and are wary of this group.
ramrod, we already have enough democratic space given our cultural traditions. revolutions are for despotic regimes. if we abuse this concept of people power, we
run the risk of having revolutions every year, and for every flimsy reason lunatics with imagination can concoct. and it’s not as if we dont have venues to redress our grievances. wait till 2010 then hale gma into the court of your choice. cases drag on for years, two years is not that long.
and what do we get if we oust gma? satisfied egos of rallyists, and? there’ll be peace and quiet? no more corruption?
jakcast, i can only think of two ways.
1. commit to providing a reform constituency that will support him and serve as a buffer on other pressure groups, provided he commits to a reform agenda. these have been percolating since 2005 and have pretty much been firmed up on broad points across various groups, anyway.
2. outside of that, committing to guarding the process every step of the way and raising hell if he starts engaging in monkey business.
— mlq3
Commit manolo? You sound like you are in a position to dictate terms should de Castro assume the Presidency?
I feel uneasy over the sound of this and the fact that politicians such as Lacson, Estrada and even the presence of Cory (for though she would not personally extract her pound of flesh, her coterie of businessmen, Catholic bishops and “liberals” would, should there be a power vacuum in case GMA voluntarily resigns; it’s only the nature of power that dictates this scenario) were given prominence in the rally Friday.
It is only proper that a Vice President is always ready to occupy the Presidency just in case the President resigns or becomes incapacitated. That’s why we elect one. But using Noli De Castro as one tactical move against the President is totally wrong because it is clearly moving over the extra-constitutional line.
I am personally against the word “ouster”. I support rallies as a way to send message that the President must resign, VOLUNTARILY. People Power III if it is to happen must never repeat the mistakes of Edsa Dos where GMA ended up being beholden to the groups that were behind her (it is clear that what the upper class-led civil society and the middle class and the military did in in 2001 was a coup to oust a duly constituted Estrada government).
“There is a disconnect between the perceived outrage and the protest action.” – magdiwang
Not really, its human nature that there will be someone to speak for a group. Not all people speak out but nevertheless its going there.
Let everyone who’s anyone attend, this is not a test who is more zealous than who – lets all unite to solve the ills of the country one by one…
Why do we have to be generous with the numbers? “Kung tinambang at kulang” Kulang! Kulang ang atensyon ng mamamayan. Iyan ang demokrasya. Huwag niyong ipilit kung ayaw!
“The Ca t :
I saw the aerial view of the mass rally.
May description sa tagalog na hindi mahulugan ng karayom pag maraming tao. Iyon, kahit kalabaw ang ihuhulog mo, sasayaw pa ang kalabaw malaki pa ang espasyo. Ilang libo din kaya yong mga vendors. Isama ang 5,000 policemen, siguro nga may 10,000. peroang alam, ilang daan lang ang kasama ni erap tsuwariwap.
Yong green tshirt ng mga kampon na binay at para makita kaagad sa roll-call. hehehe”
Eh kahit pa isang milyon yan sasabihin mo pa ring sampu. Eh kung padamihan lang naman ang pinag uusapan natin, eh kumusta naman yung rally para sa “evil b***c woman sa rotunda?
Madonna,
Re “ouster” lets use a simpler term, Gloria, YOU’RE FIRED!
From a neutral point of view, the crowd yesterday was somewhat disturbing to the administration, but a little disappointing to the rally organizers.
Forty thousand is substantial, but is a dud compared to the expectations of the anti-Arroyo groups.
When is next time, a week from now? Can we expect 20,000 there? Then after that, 10,000? Then after…
ramrod, it’s just a way of making sure we’re not suckered. we want the truth, dont we?
One word to describe the 29 Feb rally:
Supot.
What’s the bukang bibig given this pathetic turnout? Nothing more than “When’s the ‘next’ one?” 😀
The more appropriate question is this:
Where are the RESULTS?
– 😀
carlos, what pissed me off was that:
1. you simply won’t see the new faces who were there. the students from so many schools.
2. you *are* pro gloria.
3. how much has the country lost and is continuing to lose from the president’s doings?
4. and really, if you keep demanding acknowledgment of your views and respect for it then respect those who engaged themselves in appealing to the president to respond, somehow, to legitimate concerns and i’m not even referring to those, like me, who want her to go, now na. there were many others who simply want her to start moving in the direction of opening up reforms and not blocking them. your biggest complaint is you weren’t able to go to a dinner.
what’s her response?
http://businessmirror.com.ph/0229&012008/opinion01.html
i’ve done my best to stand by what i believe in but to engage others a productive dialogue. you know that. but don;t expect me to stand idly by as you snipe then have you grouse when i call you on your crap.
mindanaoan,
Put it this way, you have this maid, you don’t like her, she lies, steals, etc. but she has a contract that says you have to wait six months. You don’t wait, you just fire her right off, bakit ka pa magtitiis?
Gloria is a public servant right? Fire her right away! Don’t fall for the trap that without Gloria the country will go to the dogs – we are capable of managing the country inspite of her and better without her.
jakcast, the only way anyone’s ever figured out: to recognize all political leaders need to be kept on their toes not just during election time, but in between.
benigno,
For you “who cares?” You don’t even have a voice in the Philippines, do you vote? Do you send Usd? Not really. So quiet ka na lang and watch…you are of no consequence! 🙂
ramrod, you can simply reset a pc; pull the plug off a mainframe and see what you get. a household is not a country.
Ramrod, yes Starbucks will be appreciated, pero pwede naman tayong mamigay nang tubig ah. Volunteer ako.
benigno,
At least offer a prayer man lang. Kahit anong contribution will be appreciated. Oh, your comments are your contributions for a better Philippines? Those are not worth anything to the people in Payatas…
mindanaoan,
Is not the President a public servant?
“Put it this way, you have this maid, you don’t like her, she lies, steals, etc. but she has a contract that says you have to wait six months. You don’t wait, you just fire her right off, bakit ka pa magtitiis?” – Ramrod
Ramrod,
Remember that you are not the head of the household, so you cannot fire the maid right away. You have to air your gripes to the HOH, so he can hear your side.
But the HOH has to hear what the other members of the household have to say about the maid.
Surprise! The others find the maid efficient and good in her job, even if she sometimes take a bite off your favorite cake.
NEWSFLASH!
Please visit “Ben’s Diner” in Wack2, 50% disccount on reputed magic hamborger! 🙂
ramrod, analogies can only work to a point. in any case, she is a servant to 85 million filipinos. if you have 40 million who want her out, you still need the approval of the other 45 million.
madonna, my approach to politics is its about constituencies. they manifest themselves at election time and also in between. i do think that the question is if the president goes, noli, who has no party, who has popularity but no people situated in the corridors of power, will be pondering who can move forward his agenda, whatever that may be.
lakas is positioning itself, via fvr, to be the arbiter in a transition, to cushion the president’s fall and take the credit for boosting noli to the succession. that is why fvr alternates between bitchslapping the president then soothing her: never quite leaving the administration but shaking it up to keep kampi on its toes.
other groups against the president are confronted by the dilemma facing everyone else: with all the glaring acts of institution-breaking the president has done, is the answer to shake the government to its foundations? but then you risk permanently weakening those foundations.
the simplest solution and the constitutional one, is to recognize the president lacks two things noli has: popular support and an unquestionable mandate. armed with those two things, he represents perhaps the least painful restoration of the proper balance among our institutions -in government and the public as it relates to those in authority.
that being the case, if the vice-president steps up to the plate, everyone can offer their support. there is nothing wrong with asking him to commit to a reform agenda. whether such an agenda will harm or help him is his call; whether the groups who would support him in pursuit of that agenda will help or harm him is also his call. if he doesn’t, then the fight is not necessarily against him, but those who have set themselves against that agenda, and the battleground will be not just the elections in 2010 (i think the reform groups won’t really coalesce and matter, politically, until 2016) but elections thereafter. all within the established constitutional parameters unless a consensus emerges for a new constitution, which could be in place either in 2010 or soon after.
the question of what makes for a voluntary resignation is an interesting one. when nixon resigned, how voluntary was it? he knew he would be impeached and convicted. the role of public pressure via protests, what is it, in terms of institutions? when people rallied, marched, got gassed and set upon by dogs, were shot at, how voluntary, then, was the u.s. congress’ passing laws eliminating segregation?
every variation of people power -a strike, a rally, a march, a prayer gathering, various forms of civil disobedience- carries with it an implicit threat, except the ultimate threat of force of arms. this is because if you go down the road of using violence, it validates the ultimate response of governments, which is force. but when violence is renounced by the citizenry it deprives the authorities of everything but the most naked use of coercion, and coercion may triumph in the short term but always loses out in the long run.
neil,
Walanghiya ka, I had to ask people here what HOH means Head of Household from the Pinoy Big Brother series. The HOH in this case are the people collectively, where sovereignty resides right?
mindanaoan,
Not all the population will participate in electoral activities, only a certain percentage. Some people don’t participate, or probably most – and then complain that life is this and that, mahal ang bigas, ulam, babae este.
mindanaoan,
Its only a CRITICAL FEW that actually constitute shakers and movers, or those that actually make things happen probably 20% of the population, the rest – they just follow the flow wherever it goes. If you are to make something happen – focus on that critical 20%…
THOSE WHO SAY THAT THIS WILL LEAD TO REVOLUTIONS EVERY YEAR ARE EITHER REALLY STUPID OR LYING, IT TOOK THE PEOPLE THIS LONG TO REACH SUCH A CRITICAL MASS, DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS THAT EASY TO UNITE FILIPINOS, OF ALL PEOPLE, IN THE FIRST PLACE?
“neil,
Walanghiya ka, I had to ask people here what HOH means Head of Household from the Pinoy Big Brother series. The HOH in this case are the people collectively, where sovereignty resides right?†– Ramrod
Ramrod,
You should know that the people are not the HOH, but the household itself.
The HOH is the voice of reason and the implementer of law and order in the house. And his voice is the supreme authority in the house, not those of the spoiled brats.
Manolo,
As for me, I was starting to feel I wanted to go while I was in the office, but when I heard about people cheering for Erap, my enthusiasm went pffft, and I just told myself: nevermind.
I still don’t think having her go now would benefit us that much.