Remembering two incidents in RP history

Councilman Joel Garganera’s suit against the Towing Services conducted by the City of Cebu was very well timed for his political comeback. Prosecutors and judges know too well that motorists have a privilege to drive in our streets; it is not a right. I’m confident that this case will be thrown out. Towing is a tool of traffic management to ease the chaos in our streets, not to oppress the motorists. The problem is, our motorists do not know our traffic laws, but, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one!”

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Today is the 26th anniversary of the assassination of the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. who was the epitome of a true Filipino martyr who fought the hated conjugal Marcos Dictatorship. Despite the dire warnings, he came home through the front door (not the back door like what most Marcos cronies did when they returned to this country in shame) only to face a bullet that was waiting for him at the tarmac of the now Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

There is no question that elements within the Marcos Dictatorship wanted Ninoy dead as his popularity was growing and the chance of the Philippines returning to full democracy under his leadership was just a matter of time. They mistakenly thought that killing Ninoy would allow the Marcos Dictatorship to last a thousand years.

In the end, they did not realize that the forces of darkness no longer had any power in this country as the forces of the light represented by the Yellow banners of the Cory camp was suddenly thrust into the political limelight. EDSA was born, which sent the Marcos Dictatorship fleeing to Hawaii . They were running for their lives! Unfortunately 26 years later, the forces of darkness have once more overshadowed this land.

Corruption which once was the exclusive domain of the Marcoses and their cronies has now become widespread like cancer spreading to all the branches of Government: Executive under the Office of the President, which has been saddled by scams and scandals; Legislative, where Senators blatantly use their power and influence to move infrastructure to favor their private businesses; and the Judiciary, where final judgments are often sold to the highest bidder! Once again, the people are losing hope because we elected rotten politicians to rule over us!

With the 2010 Presidential elections in the offing and with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) finally getting its act together in bringing automated counting machines to ensure that our elections would be free and honest, I’m sure that those crooked politicians must be finding ways to thwart this automated polls. As Comelec spokesman James Jimenez told us a week ago, “Poll automation will ensure that there will no longer be cheating in the counting… but we still have the problems of vote-buying, intimidation, coercion and what have you!” Indeed, as the old saying goes, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

Those who were born when Ninoy was assassinated would now be 26 years old. While they remember Aug. 21 as Ninoy’s martyrdom, our generation will never forget another fateful day, also on August 21, 1971 when the Liberal Party (LP) Miting de Avance was thrown into chaos as two grenades were thrown into a crowd in Plaza Miranda. Yes sir, it is also the 38th anniversary of the Plaza Miranda Bombing when the entire LP Senatorial slate was almost wiped out!

We will never forget how Sen. Sergio “Serging” Osmeña Jr., Sen. Jovito Salonga, Sen. Gerry Roxas were all badly wounded, while nine people in front of the stage were killed! Yes, only Ninoy Aquino was not yet on stage as he was to be the last speaker to deliver a big “Bomba” or expose’ as it was called in the old days. He was still at the Jai-Alai attending a “Despidedida de soltera” for Ms. Susie Laurel, daughter of Sen. Doy Laurel. Now whether the main target was Ninoy has always been the subject of speculation.

With this dual anniversaries that led people to die, the whole nation already knows who killed Ninoy, but they were never brought to Justice. As for the Plaza Miranda Bombing, Lt. Victor Corpus of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who defected to the New People’s Army (NPA) and was eventually caught wrote that he was present when the leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP) led by Jose Maria “Joma” Sison plotted the bombing of Plaza Miranda. Joma’s idea was to kill the LP leadership and pin the blame on Marcos, so that would lead to more repression and eventually the Filipino people would side with the Communists. In a way, this happened, but unfortunately, the Communists were not seen in EDSA, a grievous tactical error! Worse, Tita Cory released Joma from prison!

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