you say you want a revolution...
so it appears some people are really conspiring to hold another revolution in the philippines. it doesn't seem nearly as likely as it perhaps did 20 years ago, but the irony is rather eyecatching nonetheless.
for those you don't know much about it, almonst exactly 20 years ago, hundreds of thousands of filipinos took to the streets to oust then dictator ferdinand marcos (and his infamously shoe-loving wife, imelda) from power. they were, oddly enough, successful. unfortunately, history has more or less repeated itself like Law & Order on TNT; before the credits role on one leader's corruption, the handouts, nepotism, and bribes begin for the next. (Dum Dum)
now, i'm not that current on filipino politics either. i've just been reading some history books and hanging around here for a little while. it seems, however, that the general popular opinion is decidedly against ms. arroyo (the current president). she was allegedly involved in an election-rigging scandel, and as has become de rigueur for the politically powerful, charges of corruption. perhaps disillusioned by their failure to impeach her, people are looking for another way to get rid of her: enter coups and popular revolt.
what's really ironic about this little revolt, and particularly parallel to the marcoses, is that ms. arroyo today declared a state of emergency in the philippines. this means that they can arrest and hold people without warrants or charges. so, the next step would be martial law. marcos, in 1972, declared martial law in order to quell guerilla forces that were trying to overthrow the government. at first, both the filipino people and the american government supported this decision in an effort to maintain law and order (ha! unintended pun). when it became clear that marcos was using it to stay in power, rewrite the constitution, and buy his wife shoes, people got a little angry. it didn't help when his main political opponent was assassinated in 1983, either.
in any case, in 1986, they got rid of him and ushered in the next in a long series of new personalities with the same old vices. part of the problem seems to be that people tolerate a lot before they finally start revolting. case in point, imelda marcos, formerly banished to hawaii, has returned to the philippines. not only was she acquitted of embezzling some 12-13 billion, but she has become an icon such that you can read about her on the pages of certain trendy fashion magazines. frankly, it amazes me that a country with this many problems is as stable as it is. there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor, as in the states, but the poor are far, far poorer here. the people wondering what imelda marcos wore to the dior event last thursday are in a different world from those selling cigarettes (by the cigarette) on the side of the road.
well, i've droned on long enough. for those interested, however, the bbc has a good In Pictures spread about poverty in the philippines:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/programmes_an_economy_in_crisis/html/1.stm
as for me, tomorrow or sunday this foreignor is taking a bus back to manila. on monday i'll be flying to puerto princessa in palawan to explore some more cool stuff. there's a penal colony there, and a crocodile farm, and the world's longest underground river, and some more good beaches. part of me wants to stay in manila to see whatever political upheaval happens, but then the other part things it better to just observe from the provinces. that's what the vast majority of filipinos do anyway, right?
for those you don't know much about it, almonst exactly 20 years ago, hundreds of thousands of filipinos took to the streets to oust then dictator ferdinand marcos (and his infamously shoe-loving wife, imelda) from power. they were, oddly enough, successful. unfortunately, history has more or less repeated itself like Law & Order on TNT; before the credits role on one leader's corruption, the handouts, nepotism, and bribes begin for the next. (Dum Dum)
now, i'm not that current on filipino politics either. i've just been reading some history books and hanging around here for a little while. it seems, however, that the general popular opinion is decidedly against ms. arroyo (the current president). she was allegedly involved in an election-rigging scandel, and as has become de rigueur for the politically powerful, charges of corruption. perhaps disillusioned by their failure to impeach her, people are looking for another way to get rid of her: enter coups and popular revolt.
what's really ironic about this little revolt, and particularly parallel to the marcoses, is that ms. arroyo today declared a state of emergency in the philippines. this means that they can arrest and hold people without warrants or charges. so, the next step would be martial law. marcos, in 1972, declared martial law in order to quell guerilla forces that were trying to overthrow the government. at first, both the filipino people and the american government supported this decision in an effort to maintain law and order (ha! unintended pun). when it became clear that marcos was using it to stay in power, rewrite the constitution, and buy his wife shoes, people got a little angry. it didn't help when his main political opponent was assassinated in 1983, either.
in any case, in 1986, they got rid of him and ushered in the next in a long series of new personalities with the same old vices. part of the problem seems to be that people tolerate a lot before they finally start revolting. case in point, imelda marcos, formerly banished to hawaii, has returned to the philippines. not only was she acquitted of embezzling some 12-13 billion, but she has become an icon such that you can read about her on the pages of certain trendy fashion magazines. frankly, it amazes me that a country with this many problems is as stable as it is. there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor, as in the states, but the poor are far, far poorer here. the people wondering what imelda marcos wore to the dior event last thursday are in a different world from those selling cigarettes (by the cigarette) on the side of the road.
well, i've droned on long enough. for those interested, however, the bbc has a good In Pictures spread about poverty in the philippines:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/programmes_an_economy_in_crisis/html/1.stm
as for me, tomorrow or sunday this foreignor is taking a bus back to manila. on monday i'll be flying to puerto princessa in palawan to explore some more cool stuff. there's a penal colony there, and a crocodile farm, and the world's longest underground river, and some more good beaches. part of me wants to stay in manila to see whatever political upheaval happens, but then the other part things it better to just observe from the provinces. that's what the vast majority of filipinos do anyway, right?
posted by bethany at 05:37
<< Home