BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL MOVEMENT

Parang kaylan lang nag people power tayo. Malalim sa aking alaala yung nakahiga kami nga mga kasama ko sa kalye Mendiola at binabantayan ang Malakanyang; baka bumalik pa si Marcos at ang pamilya nya. Yun pala, kayraming mga bantay-salakay din na nagmula sa people power -- kumuha ng mga "souvenir items" na mga alahas ni Imelda at mga etsetera, male-maleta, balita ko. 

Hay naku. Kaydaming leksyon na matutunan tayo sa People Power na yan. 

Pero ang isang mahalaga na natutunan natin ay "timing." Napakaganda ng panahon para patalsikin ang diktadura noon. Sa totoo lang, nagsimula kaming mangalampag tungkol sa kapantayan bandang Disyembre ng 1982. At nang pinatay si Ninoy Aquino sa paliparan, noon Agosto 21, 1983, ay lalong sumiklab ang mga propaganda para maitaas talaga ang kahalagahan ng kababaihan. 

Tandang tanda ko pa, naglabas ako ng pulyetong ang pamagat ay "Feminista" noong libing ni Ninoy at sinabi ko run, ang paglutas ng problema ng bayan ay nasa Pilipinas, wala sa ibang bansa. Kailangang itaas natin ang karangalan ng kababaihan. 

Mula 1972 hanggang 1983 ay 11 taon. Pero ang pagmumulat na umaatikabo ay mula 1983 hanggang 1986, bale tatlong taon. Palagay ko, naging matagumpay tayo dahil sa nagagap natin ang mga pangyayari; may kontrol tayo sa kilusan para patalsikin si Marcos at ibalik ang demokrasya sa ating bayan. 

Siyempre, ang pagsusuri ng reconstruction period ay iba rin. Ang mahalaga ay naibalik ang mga kalayaang mamahayag, magsulat, magmartsa, magsalita sa radyo, mag FB sa ngayon at iba't ibang uri ng kalayaan. Kalayaang mamatay? Hoy, hindi yan kasali. 

Anyway, Folks, I am trying to compare our movement with that in the United States. The thievery of the presidential elections was conducted in November 8, 2016 at it is already five months; yet Congress is still in its investigative stage. "They talked to Russians; partied with Russians; secretly met with Russians; and telephoned Russians." Yet there was no connivance or conspiracy to destroy democratic processes?

Maybe the American way is different from ours. Our people are sensitive, highly sensitive which is why the military was able to capture the two Syrians who were in our midst, most likely plotting to threaten us or bomb us out of existence. 

The Americans depend too much on what is writtein in black and white; on what can be heard. But intuition, feeling our way through is our process. 

And another reason our restoration movement was successful was that everybody was involved, from the parents -- mothers, to the daughters, sisters, the women in the family anad the community -- up to the classes a and b. I remember having brought my daughter to Luneta when Cory was calling the people to boycott the companies identified with Marcos and his cronies, she tore up the flyers and through them in the air,  to see them fly as the people were shouting, "Ibagsak! Ibagsak!"That was why when I was going to Makati Ugarte Field to join the rallies there, I could smell perfume almost all around, with glittering jewels, fake or not fake. They must come in style, baby!

Whereas my group which went to EDSA, were urban poor women's groups, dark-skinned, yet laughing and smiling all the way, bringing with them bottles of water (not mineral yet) wrapped rice and fried fish just in case they needed to stay awhile and food would be very expensive to buy from the store around the area. 

Hence, one lesson we need to learn is that in a social movement, everyone, ALL, should be involved. 

Another lesson, No high falluting flyers please. Don't English me, I did not school. So Pilipino ang mga flyers. Even that Feminista which I published, was in Pilipino, and of two colors, red for banner and black ink for letters. 

Three, praying was part of our gatherings. Before the start of the rallies, usually there was a mass held, or a prayer led by a priest. 

Fourth, a movement is created in the streets and inside buildings. Inside the Congress, we saw how the Comelec employees walked out when the counting of votes was manipulated to favor Marcos. Outside, we received them. 

In the United States, the movement to produce credibility in the US presidential elections is now mainly concentrated in Congress. This I surmise because the papers cover mostly what is going on in the WH and Congress. What about the people? How do they accept the current situation?

The success of stopping the repeal of the Affordable Care Act is a triumph in the use of legislative processes. I just don't know how far that would go in righting a wrong when it comes to producing credibility of presidential elections. 

And so Folks, here we are trying to find out how to be successful in conducting mass movements amid threats of LINDOL. Right now, Batangas province has borne the brunt of 5.++ magnitude, what you could say is LINDOL BUNSO!

CHEERS!