Why insult a revered past president?

Yesterday, our nation laid to rest former President Corazon C. Aquino. Our profound national grief could only be consoled by the many eloquent tributes that reverberated from across the land. There was an incredible surge of poems written, songs composed and eulogies delivered immortalizing the heroism of the late lady president. Some power wielders from the distant corners of the world were even more generous in their words of condolence.

Among the praises Pres. Aquino earned from the millions of her adoring followers and believers, the title “Icon of Democracy” was, to me, the most appropriate. I do not know who wrote those words but they should remain forever etched in the pages of history for future generations to realize her great contribution in restoring democracy to our land. For indeed, armed only with sheer nobility of thought and purity of intentions, Pres. Cory, snatched our democratic ideals from being desecrated by an administration that was tainted with dictatorial tendencies.

True to the motherly characteristic of our former president, she allowed us time to prepare ourselves to come to terms with what was certain. Her remaining days in the hospital, carefully chronicled, for the nation’s interest, by an ever vigilant horde of loyal friends and admirers, made us realize that her greatness notwithstanding, her time was almost up. The weak among us had to find strength in the thought that she had already done what was there to accomplish. And those who felt strong in our midst knew that her courage and faith were without equal.

Even then, when the inevitable was announced, we were still a shocked nation. The days of emotional and spiritual preparation might have somehow helped. But, just the same, the pall of gloom even if it slowly descended upon our land, consumed all freedom loving Filipinos.

In the days that followed her death, I thought that every Filipino so felt the grief that no one would do anything to ruffle our bereavement. However, while we mourned our loss of a most respected leader, we learned of an insult that was heaped upon her by the present administration of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. 

Kris Aquino, perhaps because she felt the insult more than anyone else, revealed that the security blanket of her mother, past Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino, was recalled. Her face contorted by hurt, Kris told our people that the men assigned by the Philippine government to protect Pres. Aquino, were summoned, for reason unknown to her, to their mother unit. I thought that by some legal tradition, all past presidents are given the best security service available! How else could our nation ever show gratitude to a past chief executive of our country? 

After the revelation of Kris impacted harshly upon our grieving nation, Malacañang tried to do a Pontius Pilate. Resorting to a plethora of weird claims, it ended up confirming the authorship of the grave national insult. The press secretary, our very own province mate, attempted to wiggle out of the situation. But in saying that the recall of Pres. Aquino’s security detail “was not intentional’, he only managed to admit that it was, in fact, the handiwork of the palace. 

Of course, Pres. Arroyo, knew the real score. After all, she is the president. But, when asked for a comment during a break of her foreign sojourn, she refused to say anything. Not only that. It appeared to me that she shoved away the media personality who dared to ask. In the end, the president’s body language revealed it all.

Why am I of the belief that in the days to come, the military and police hierarchy will issue a statement admitting the crime? I imagine that in different carefully prepared media releases, they will say that the sitting president did not know that this government heaped an insult upon the most respected citizen of this country, let alone among the past presidents. In that event, I can only replay in my memory the image of Pres. Arroyo, saying “I am sorry” when she admitted that she had a “lapse of judgment” in relation to the “Hello Garci” tapes. Well what else can we expect?

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