WHAT WILL UNITE US

By Wilhelmina S. Orozco Improving the lives of the Filipino people involves two ways: work outside the system, work within the system. If we work outside the system, then that means, we join the New People's Army and all other rebel groups who are using military arms to achieve power. If we work within the system, two ways also are afforded us: one, we create an NGO and advance the interests of the marginalized sectors; or two, we run for election or get ourselves appointed in a powerful executive position. The big problem why we are not united is because there are groups that saddle the two methods -- they work within and outside the system. They don't tell off those who are outside the system, to "Wait lang muna. Let's try the democratic process, make it work, so there would be less bloody hellish results." But that is not the case. As early as 1979, I was told by an Indian who knows the history of Kerala, that communist state in India. He told me, the NPAs should set aside their arms, hide them and then work within the system. But given the martial law regime at the time, it seemed absurd to follow his suggestion. Marcos and his henchmen were cutting down his enemies secretly and overtly, although today, it is worse. During that time, I could go out and demonstrate, join and rally and then come home to sleep soundly. Now I don't anymore, as the intelligence groups in our subdivision had found out that I am vulnerable to noise. And so from morning till night, and even while I toss in my sleep, the motorcycle riding assets woulde be passing by noisily down our streets. So when Ninoy was gunned down, he who served as sacrificial lamb trying out the peaceful way to make Marcos step down, the democratic wheels were set free by Cory. She used rallies, flyers, demonstrations, and even boycotting of those products of companies known to be patronizing Marcos in making him realize that his time was up. The boycott occurred when Marcos used fraudulent means to win the Snap Presidential Elections in 1986. Anyway, Cory won the game and she was installed as president. But some people are good for transitions but not necessarily for restoration, or even rebrickbuilding of new nations. Cory to my mind was an icon of democracy but she was not cut out to deal with the wheeling and dealing machinery of a corrupt bureaucracy. Besides, some of her relatives were really hangers-on to her executive powers, twisting her arms even to keep her prying eyes away from their shenanigans. So, now we have not really tasted democracy to its fullest, meaning to say, the people, the majority, enjoying life prosperously. But one thing is nice -- we can say our piece, whether in print, radio, or a little on tv. Even our films now are undergoing a resurrection, through the independent movement, apart from the studio-type of film production. The question is: how do we unite the Filipino people again, after we all worked collectively to boot out a dictatorship. Let us do the same thing: rally under one issue: to insure that all the loose ends that would resurrect fake officials would be cut down and forever be interred to the sharks in the Pacific Ocean. Let us make Nature work for us -- as the eras that followed Cory's regime, especially since 2000 are not truly sincere in running the government for our people's sake. Secondly, we need to be pragmatic. Take cognizance of events that can nurture our desire to fruition. 2010 is it. It's election time, and so we have to insure that all those candidates associated with, affiliated with, or directly connected with all forms of corrupt regimes, shall forever be detached from the bureaucracy. Remove their dirty hands in the running of our government. I am sure, we have plenty of public administration professors who can help us. Lastly, let us pray for a lasting peaceful transition to a nurturing leadership.