A few weeks ago I received an email entitled “Open Letter to Our Leaders“, which discusses about a middle-class worker’s reasons for not joining the anti-GMA brouhaha. The letter, traced by Sassy Lawyer to this blog entry, drew both praise and criticism; praise from those who feel exactly the same way regarding what is happening, and criticism from those who think that doing nothing and keeping silent is the worst way of responding to the current political crisis. Indeed, in many ways I feel the same way as Bong Austero (the letter’s author) does but unlike him, I do not actively choose to be silent.
I believe that GMA has cheated; I know that Proclamation 1017 violates human rights. But unfortunately, I don’t know what to do and say.
Howcome?
Because in the same manner that the letter’s author thinks that the opposition is only undermining this country’s progress, I can’t find anyone, both in the administration and in the opposition, that I can truly and genuinely trust.
I do not trust Cory Aquino anymore. The issues surrounding Hacienda Luisita consistently shows her unwillingness to commit sacrifices for genuine land reform.
I do not trust Fidel Ramos anymore. The influence that he wields and his underhanded, sinister moves reeks of traditional politics which might propel him to power, and I won’t forget that he and Ferdinand Marcos are cousins despite his actions at EDSA.
I do not trust the Leftist groups and its leaders, especially since the day Teddy Casiño embraced Imee Marcos as though selling his soul to the daughter of The Devil.
I do not trust the Catholic Church anymore. They’ve campaigned again and again against jueteng but continue to receive donations from gambling lords, and continue to exert undue influence to the government regarding various policies.
If these are the people whom we trust to lead us towards a better Philippines, then I would start thinking that that better Phililppines is a farce. Similar to the lines of Conrado De Quiros in his column, I don’t believe that we should settle for any form of lesser evil from whichever current political group.
I don’t want to lose faith . I know that somehow, in one way or another, we could do something about truly reforming our predominantly feudal society.
If only I could find someone I could trust.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Sassy // Mar 13, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Trust yourself. And no one else.
2 bugsybee // Mar 15, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Hi Jon - We’re in the same boat. All this brouhaha has left me confused and distrustful.
3 don // Mar 20, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Don’t you just wish that you’d live to see the day that our country is led by righteous Filipino leaders who would live beyond reproach, abide by the law, and put the Filipino above all else? I do.
You are right when you say that we should not lose faith and that we can do something about truly reforming our society. Now is not the time we should give up because this is the time that our country truly needs us. Getting involved — either by taking it into street protests, or staying informed, or expressing our thoughts through writing, music, and the arts… ang pakikialam — that’s going to make alot of difference for the Philippines.
4 Jon Limjap // Mar 21, 2006 at 4:37 pm
don,
Well, I sincerely hope my blogging does help.
5 pinoy // Mar 23, 2006 at 10:26 am
can you trust me? or is it, can I trust you?
i have an idea on how we can work things out. how we can have a voice. how not marching in the streets is not necessarily apathy, indifference or complacency. i want to share my idea with you. i cannot share it here in public. we simply have to trust each other.
6 Jon Limjap // Mar 24, 2006 at 1:50 pm
pinoy,
If you’d like to share your ideas in private, feel free to email me at jonlimjap (at) gmail (dot) com. If you tell me what you think, I’ll tell you what I think.
7 Jon Limjap // Mar 26, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Someone posted a comment here, but it was clearly a statement against Mr. Bong Austero. I hope that commenter does not take offense with me not publishing his comment. I however think that the proper thing to do in that case are:
a) Provide a link to a blog entry stating your lengthy response to Bong Austero
b) Provide a summary instead
c) Provide a link to the post in Bong Austero’s blog where you answered his letter. Consequently that link is already provided in my post above.
Otherwise, if you keep posting your response to Bong Austero’s letter in every blog entry you see talking about it, that would be tantamount to spam.
Hope you understand.
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