Indignation against political plunderers!

The proposed Million Man march on Aug. 26 at the Rizal Park and at the Fuente Osmeña in Cebu City, and I also learned that there will also be similar protests in Baguio City, Davao City and even in Los Angeles and New York City has somehow exploded into the nation’s consciousness and developed a mind of its own…that even the ordinary man on the street already knows about the proposed massive rally this coming Monday.

I’ve been going around shopping malls and I’m quite surprised that the friends I bumped into would tell me that they are going to the rally without even my asking them. How did they all know that they must show their indignation against the pork barrel? I have no doubt that the Filipino people have finally awakened from 27 years of slumber. They felt robbed by the Senate and Congress in the P10-billion pork scam and there’s a group that strongly believed that the 2010 and 2013 elections were digitally manipulated into an electronic dagdag bawas that the Comelec is now trying to undo this problem by its continued printing of the ballots even after the elections.

It is only now that they have come to realize that their so-called “EDSA People Power Revolution” was literally hijacked by the political elite and that for 27 years after the removal of the unlamented conjugal Marcos dictatorship, we are still wallowing in poverty despite our much ballyhooed economic gains and injustice still prevails 30 years after the assassination of Sen. Ninoy Aquino Jr. because there has been no judicial reforms.

As my late mentor Sir Max Soliven used to quip (a few years before his death) when corruption remained unchecked despite the EDSA Revolt, “Our problem is, we removed Ali Baba, but the 40 thieves have remained in power.” Of course, Sir Max meant that we removed Ali Baba represented by Marcos (and later Pres. Erap) while the 40 thieves represent the members of the political elite that ended up as Senators or Congressmen today.

Call this a prophetic statement by Sir Max… but he was right, the people that ousted the Marcos dictatorship were the very same people who lost their political power and clout during the martial law years and after the EDSA Revolt was over and they were returned to power and they satisfied their greed with monies from their pork barrel, which is the money of the Filipino people. So, whatever you may call the coming massive protest march, a good slogan would be… “It is time to get rid of the 40 thieves!”

At this point, no one is really sure where this up and coming march would be headed… it all depends upon the level of anger of the Filipino people. Some say that it will simply fizzle out, which I’m sure the folks up the Pasig River are hoping and praying (that’s if they still pray at all) would happen. Already a faithful reader of mine, Bobby Todesillas, suggested that those who cannot go to Rizal Park could join in with a noise barrage, and I fully agree that they should do this to show their indignation.

I also got suggestions from text messages and from friends that they would be burning yellow ribbons… which we already know isn’t a legal symbol of the Philippine government and not even the official symbol of the Liberal Party (LP) but a symbol of the Aquino family. In fact someone already suggested that those vehicles of pro-P-Noy supporters with yellow ribbon stickers on their windshields better remove them just in case.

If at all, let us hope and pray that there would be no violence this coming Monday. This indignation rally is to inform our intransigent President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III who tells us in his speeches that “We are his boss” that we are displeased by his unwavering stand to keep the pork barrel. While he may have suspended the release of the pork barrel, what we want to hear is its total and unequivocal abolition of this major source of corruption perpetrated by the 40 thieves and cohorts of Ali Baba.

If you want to know why is this happening now to the Aquino Presidency? One of our fellow Philippine STAR columnists (I’m not sure if it was Jarius Bondoc) wrote last October that in today’s kind of politics, where there is no more line between the ruling LP and the opposition when Senatorial bets were taken in as guest candidates of the so-called “Opposition Party,” the Filipino people have turned themselves into the real opposition against the ruling political elite as the opposition no longer exists.

P-Noy has gotten all the three supposedly independent and co-equal branches of the government — the Executive, Legislative and the Judiciary into his pockets, so we no longer have a real working democracy where issues can be debated. Worse of all, the Legislative Branch refused to investigate the P10-billion pork scam. But because of the planned Million Man march… they have suddenly changed their minds. But it’s too late in the hour because this indignation march against those political plunderers will push through. !

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