Achieving Happiness

The know-it-all columnists and so-called broadcast journalists — oh, yeah, and Sen. Joker Arroyo (what a disappointment) who are pro-GMA keep saying that the Filipino people are already suffering from People Power fatigue so they don’t join the protests.

What really gets my goat is this: in most cases the smarty-pants who say this are people who don’t really know what it’s like to join political rallies; they don’t know what really goes on during protests, and so they don’t really know what these expressions of protest and dissent mean for every Filipino who joins rallies; and what these collective actions imply for the evolution and growth of the public, national consciousness.

To be honest, it IS physically exhausting to attend rallies. Especially for someone who is as out of shape as I am. The heat is also often unebarable, and as I burn easily, am  often as brown as a well-toasted peanut with it’s skin still on.

But is this what constitutes "People Power fatigue?!"

How can one ever get tired of fighting for what’s right?

How does one forego the chance to be part of something bigger than ones’ self and to contribute to the effort to overhaul such a decayed and immoral system of government?

Do they have alternatives? If they do, I would like to hear them. They’d better  not say The Rule of Law because I’m sure as hell it doesn’t work when it’s being called upon to serve the interest of truth and justice. Look at what happened, what they did to the impeachment complaint. Listen to the drivel of the likes of Representatives Villafuerte, Pichay, Antonino and that clown masquerading as a lawmaker Waykurat Zamora (he thinks his antics of cleaning the session hall or making jokes of the serious plea for votes of conscience made by Rep. Edmundo Reyes are amusing. They’re not. They’re brainless and idiotic.) 

So much for the so-called Rule of Law.

Rallies are the collective expression of individual but united stand on political and economic issues. A strong show of force and power of people who have a message to the government and to the rest of society.

These days, I am more than ever determined to assert my political right to express my disgust against this corrupt and illegitimate government. I am sick, sick, sick of the oil price hikes, the high electricity rates, the massive unemployment, the high prices of basic goods. I an outraged by the total lack of respect for human and civil rights by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (PNP). I am disgusted by the lies of this adminsistration that things are looking for the country.

A friend of mine once told me that whenever I felt angry over the state of things in the Philippines, I should think about what’s going on in India or Iraq.

"Oh, yeah?," I retorted. "Do you think it comforts me to know that the situation in India or Iraq is worse? That there are also Indians dying like poisoned vermin in the gutters of Calcutta? That over 200 Iraqi children die daily because of malnutrition, the contaminated water, the lack of adequate healthcare — all a result of the US government’s series of military attacks and trade and service embargo?"

Pag dumadalo ako ng rally, naiisip ko, kontribusyon ko na ito sa pagbabago; sa laban hindi lang ng sambayanan kundi ng sandaigdigan laban sa pagsasamantala at pagpaslang ng mga malalaki at makapangyarihan. Pagnapagwagian na ang pakikibaka ng mamamayang Pilipino, mas mapalalakas ang internasyunal na paglaban para sa tunay na pagkakaisa, hustisya at pagkakapantay-pantay.

These are very concrete concepts to me — peace, democracy, justice. They’re not vague words implying unreachable ideals. I know what kind of country I want to live in, I know what kind of life I want for myself and for all Filipinos. Free healthcare, free education, adequate housing for everyone, fully-subsidized agriculture, industries run for the benefit of serving society and the welfare of the majority and not to serve the demon gods of greed and profit. These are dreams we are giving life to, dreams shared by millions.

(Let’s not mention Cuba, yet! I love Cuba. Do you know the Cuban government has a doctor for every 10 neighborhood blocks? Free heart surgeries! Dito, ultimo syringe may bayad sa PGH. P0.25 health subsidy for every Filipino.)

Ang pana-panahong pagtakas mula sa riyalidad ng lipunang ginagalawan ko ay madaling gawin. Magbasa ng nakaka-aliw na libro, manood ng sine, makinig sa isang bagong pop-song. Pero pagkatapos ipinid ang libro, pagtapos na ang palabas, pag napawi na ang huling nota ng kanta…

Pag di ka mulat sa pulitika at di ka organisadong aktibista, may excuse ka pa na wag makisangkot. Pero kung namulat ka na, mas wala kang dahilan para kumilos at gumampan. Personal na kahinaan na lang yun,e.You’d better have a good excuse to not get involved like, say, you need to earn money for your family. Pero kung tinatamad ka lang, ummm…

I have another friend, a lawyer, who, in his exhaustion one night texted me: "I wish there were three of me, and I would make all of me work for the Movement. One would do the writing and research , the other attend the meetings and court hearings; and the other join the rallies. The remaining me? He would sit under a tree and think up more things the other three can do for the Movement."

A worthy sentiment.

Madami pang rally. Madami pang protesta. Walang kapaguran sa paghahanap ng katarungan, sa paggigiit ng karapatan. #

This entry was posted on Monday, September 12th, 2005 at 3:56 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.