There is once again much fanfare about the commemoraiton of the 1986 EDSA revolt which catapulted Cory Aquino into power and sending the nation into another dark chapter of history known as the First Aquino Regime.
Many stories and articles have been written about how the EDSA revolt heralded the dawning of freedom and democracy after 20 years of darkness under the Marcos dictatorship. Much of what have been written were written by authors wearing yellow-tinted glasses. After all, hisotry is written by the victors, and boy, were they victorious! (I say "they" because "we", the people, never really won anything substantial in EDSA 1). Many will argue that we won back our freedom. Wake up. We did not win our freedom back simply because we never lost our freedom. Freedom is in each and every one of us, regardless of whether the current leadership is a tyrant or a dictator. It cannot be taken away by anyone by force. However, it takes real courage to exercise that freedom in times of tyranny and oppression. What we won back in 1986 was not our freedom but the COURAGE to exercise that freedom.
What many fail to realize is that when we ousted the Marcos dictatorship, a new form of dictatorship immediately took over. After Marcos left, the power-hungry backers of Cory Aquino quickly went into overdirve. What could have been a true era for the Philippine became nothing more than a sham which continues to fool the people of the Philippines to this day.
For the record, Cory never should have opted for sequestration. Sequestration has the effect of permanently removing from the debtor any liability to pay any of the debts accumulated up to the date of sequestration. Once discharged from bankruptcy (usually after 3 years) they can benefit from a fresh start entirely free of debt (source: http://www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk) . That is the reason why so many of the cronies of Marcos continue to enjoy the good life. As for the few good businesses left by Marcos, these were taken over by the Aquino government, whichr eulsted in mismanagement. The other assets of the Marcoses recovered abroad were sold cheaply instead of being utilized by the government. Those that were not sold were left to rot, so to speak.
After the so-called revolution, those who supported Cory and her presidency were rewarded with juicy posts (much like the present Aquino Regime). Meralco was given back to the Lopezes without much opposition, plus other assets and businesses of the Lopezes and other oligarchs who went into exile after martial law was declared. As a result, the so-called free media, led by ABS-CBN, is beholden to the Aquinos, paving the way for Kris, who has no talent in acting
whatsoever, to become one of the network's "top stars". Even Cory's own son Noynoy was allegedly involved in in juicy contracts for the placement of security guards in various government establishments under his BSA Security & Investigation Agency.
So what really was the difference between the Marcos Regime and the first Aquino Regime? Nothing. Sure, the old posts now have new faces, but they still function the same. Those close to the President enjoy the benefits that come with it. In fact, the Cory appointees and OICs
continue to enjoy power and privilege up to this day.
What happened in 1986 was not a revolution but a changing of the guards, so to speak. Nothing really changed. The term crony was removed, but those close to the Aquinos still enjoy the privileges of being a crony, minus the title, of course.
EDSA 1 was an exercise in futility. It was an event, to be sure, much like the much talked about love-a-palooza every Valentines Day, nothing more. EDSA 1 was a bogus revolution, and we were duped into believing that we were ousting a dictator, when in fact we were just replacing the old crooks with new ones. Out with the old, in with the new, ika nga.
Fast forward to yesterday: The second Aquino regime ordered all government offices to display EDSA 1-themed decors to "commemorate" the 1986 event. What the Palace fails to realize is that you don't need decorations to remind people of the importance of the event. When people no longer remember EDSA 1, it is because no one believes in its significance anymore.
