EDSA is not the panacea of all national problems'

At this stage in our history as a nation and as a people, we should have already matured enough to realize that we cannot go to EDSA every time we have a problem, like the pork barrel fiasco. The bloodless revolution of 1986 was a landmark victory of our people, in our national struggle, in defense of our human rights and democratic tenets and for the restoration of our democratic institutions. It was called for then, given the circumstances of those times. There was a need to dismantle an authoritarian regime, lorded over by a dictatorship that governed the nation with reckless irresponsibility and total lack of accountability. But EDSA was one of a kind, a ''sui generis''. It was not meant to solve all our ills.

We cannot go to the streets and stage a demonstration or rally every time we seek redress for our grievances. There are existing courts and police authorities, and other judicial, quasi-judicial and administrative agencies of government that can address these problems. We have a representative democracy, not a direct democracy. We have the freedom of expression without prior restraint. We can post anything in the Facebook, tweet any time, or post any photo via Instagram. We have all the social media, whereby we can reach millions of people, here and abroad. We need not cause traffic problems nor disturb the working days and hours in the labor front. There are many ways to make ourselves be heard.

During the height of activism, I was a student leader and I figured in many rallies and demonstration. I was wounded and scarred in many concerted activities. I was arrested many times for defying the police and the military. When Martial Law was proclaimed, I was put inside the stockade and was released only when the Governor Eddiegul issued a certification, that I was not a communist, but only a concerned and conscientious young student leader and President of the Supreme Student Council in UV. In EDSA, I was also there, with my fellow young lawyers, even when at that time I was already a personnel manager of the State-owned PNOC and Petron/Petrophil. I thought that all that I did were apropos at those times.

From the late sixties and early seventies, I rallied for many issues, like the unrestrained increases in tuition fees, the many hikes in the prices of oil, and I helped in the advocacy for the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18. I rallied in support of the repeal of the Anti-Subversion Law, to support the dismantling of the US bases and I demonstrated to protest against the illegal ratification of the 1973 Constitution. I participated in the petition for the release of Ninoy Aquino and I protested against the suspension of the writ of ''habeas corpus''. And I remained a conscientious objector to Martial Rule. I am a perennial non-conformist and not even family, relatives, and friends could prevent me from speaking out what I believe.

But today, these ways of protesting and expressing our opposition are no longer the right way to express ourselves.We have to focus on our work, raise our productivity as a nation, and leave the politics to the appropriate organs of government. The difference between us and the Japanese, and between us and the Malaysians is that we are too political as a people while they are very economic. They focus on pushing the economic development of the country, while we waste a lot of time bickering, hitting each other and leave economic development to the taipans. We love to rally and turn our rallies into picnics and family outing. And we leave a lot of garbage in our rally sites.

Of course, there is nothing that can prevent us from exercising our right to peaceably assemble for redress of our legitimate grievances. But we should not overdo it. After all has been said and done, we should all buckle down to work. Our voices have already been heard loudly and clearly enough. It is time to go back to work and allow the institutions and the systems to do what is right and what is just.