Chattanooga Cha-Cha

Is there anything crueler than the country’s most powerful intentionally deceiving its poor? They took a photo of a portion of the roof, part of a wall with a window and half a door, plants here and there, airbrushed the whole thing and then asked the people of the Philippines to sign on the dotted line. Who wouldn’t? Well, people who could see the full picture, or even just a little more of it, would probably hold the ink. What the entire canvas would have shown is a dilapidated, termite and vampire-infested home on a piece of property whose ownership is being contested in court. What was shown them was a snippet of possibility but hardly the reality. Is that fair? Of course not. But this government thinks nothing of using and abusing people who are so down and out and hungry for a better life that they will sign anything. And they have.

I’ve stopped watching interviews of the proponents of this "people’s initiative" because I can’t stand the smoke and mirrors – always a lot of words but not a drop of truth. To get a good sense of this initiative, we need to look at its authors. Will charter change keep them in government? Of course, and that is reason enough not to sign. Then we examine the process by which they got their signatures. Honest? Fair? Transparent? Of course not. Another reason to save ink.

I shuddered when GMA said the "success" of the signature campaign shows "the true power of the people." This gives us yet another glimpse of her idea of power. No wonder she says the train has left the station. She obviously knows a thing or two about railroading.

There is so much about Charter change we don’t know or understand. Such a major change demands much more than a quickie signature campaign. It would be interesting to know exactly what everyone thought they were putting their signature on. What’s ironic is the turnout was good because people want to feel they have a say in something that will alter their future for the better. They want their vote to count so much, yet the sanctity of that vote is the very thing that’s already been taken away. And now they have been conned into thinking their signature bought them the chance at a better life.

A new dress on an old body is just that. Changing your skin doesn’t rid your body of its illnesses. You have to work from the inside out. Unless the players are different – every one of them out of the picture – it will be the same old government hiding behind a new set of walls. No one can say Charter change is the only way to answer our problems when we know that the first step in addressing any problem is to see it for what it is.

I don’t see any of the Charter change proponents looking at themselves and realizing what they’ve become. I don’t see that they’ve acknowledged they’re even part of the problem. Do they see how they’ve contributed to the moral and economic death of this country? No. I don’t see anyone resigning to make way for true change, either. Instead, they’re manipulating us like crazy so they can stay exactly where they are. No, I don’t see the slightest transformation at all. You can’t change anything in government if you put the same old crooks and cronies right back into the shiny new pot: gleaming pot, same old stew from hell.

GMA says she will step down in 2010, no matter what. Uh-huh. She said the same thing about running again. Why should I believe a word she says when she cannot be leader enough to tell the truth? If she really believes the Filipino people elected her, it is her duty to serve them first by telling the truth about the Garci tapes and facing the consequences of her actions. It hasn’t happened and I don’t think it will. Instead, she is rushing madly on her little fantasy Cha-cha train that is fast becoming another historical nightmare, Pidal-style. I wouldn’t put my signature on anything that will keep her in office one minute longer.

We want clean elections. We want people with integrity in government. We want corruption in all institutions to end. We want all the trapos and cronies out. Permanently. We want clean air and water. We want healthy food and a good education for all. We want a solid roof over our heads. This is but a speck on a long list of real needs that we can understand and have been fighting to have for too long now. Are any of these being protected – guaranteed – by Charter change? No. Instead the discussions center on infuriating details that don’t mean a thing to the common man.

Real change begins inside. You can’t gold leaf a hovel and proclaim it a castle. The best thing GMA, de Venecia, Atienza, Puno and all the trapos can do for this country is retire, preferably on an island inhabited by real penguins. We need leaders who know that authentic power comes from integrity, truth, transparency and the strength of character to step aside when the shadows of their greed begin to mar the landscape. That is one real change worth putting your name on.

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Thanks for all your letters. I can be reached at magisip@yahoo.com. Sorry but I don’t open attachments. Don’t forget to log on to www.truthforce.info.