Let us never forget

What does Marcos really mean when he says that we should stop espousing what he calls the “politics of division”? Hopefully, he is not against the democratic political process that says that a democratic society is a marketplace of ideas and the people have the right to choose. Or does he?

Today, we hear of so many advocates that believe the Filipino people are not ready for freedom and democracy. There are those who believe that a so-called strong man is needed to “unify” this nation under one leader as a necessary step for progress. We have heard this siren song from another Marcos before he declared martial law in 1972 and then transformed the Philippines from the second richest nation in Asia to the proverbial “sick man” of Asia.

There are politicians who tell us that human rights are not rights but privileges that the government can simply take away when it is necessary for the “common good.” There is the argument that the judicial system in this country does not work and, therefore, due process should simply be scrapped. There are national politicians who are trying to convince us that the rule of law is simply a utopian idea that can be discarded at anytime. So instead of fixing the judicial, we should simply abolish the whole thing.

I ask those advocating this absurd proposal to tell me who then will be empowered to make the decision on the innocence or guilt of any individual. Are we going to entrust the entire judicial process to the conscience and decision of one man who will have the authority to order the killing of anyone he thinks is guilty and to set free anyone he thinks is innocent?

We are a nation of more than 100 million people – too many to be ruled by one person. This is not a city or a city state that can be run by a “hands on” manager. Power and authority will have to be delegated. Are we then going to entrust that delegation to the whims of one man instead of the checks and balances that democracy provides? Winston Churchill once said that democracy is not a perfect system but there is no better alternative.

We are also hearing this message that it is time to “move on.” Does this mean we should just forget the Marcos Martial Law years as if it never existed? We should never forget that when Corazon Aquino became president almost 30 years ago, she was confronted with what she called “…the dangerous combination of a severely distressed economy and a growing insurgency, threats which fed on each other and on the hopelessness and confusion which prevailed. “For two consecutive years, production had actually contracted by more than 11 percent. Per capita income had been set back by 10 years and new investments had dried up, interest payments on the external debt took almost half of export earnings.

The Mindanao War which Marcos had declared had cost the lives of more than 100,000 civilians and 10,000 soldiers. But after years of conflict, the war had not brought peace to Mindanao. Yet, today we hear again the same message that only war can bring peace to Mindanao.

It is not true that remembering and commemorating the restoration of democracy and the fall of the Marcos regime is an act of revenge. Like all nations, there are events in our history that serve to remind us of the heroism of our people. But it also reminds us that the price of forgetting is the possible return of tyranny and the loss of our freedoms that were gained at the sacrifice of so many lives.

So we remember the heroic death by firing squad of Jose Rizal and the Cry at Balintawak and the start of the Philippine Revolution. We commemorate the raising of the Philippine flag and the declaration of Independence in Kawit, Cavite. We remember Bataan and Corregidor and the Death March for the lives that were sacrificed.

We remember the assassination of Ninoy Aquino who came back home because the Filipino is worth dying for. We need to remember the four days at EDSA as the culmination of the People Power Revolution and how a nation showed the world that democracy could be regained from a brutal dictatorship through nonviolence as long as its people had faith.

This commemoration of 30 years is also a milestone because 30 years is usually marked as the dividing line between generations. It is time that those who participated in the struggle for the restoration of democracy begin to pass on the torch to the next generation. This is

a new battle for the hearts and soul of the next generation. There are very strong forces working to rewrite and revise history. These are the same forces asking us to “move on.” But remembering history should have a moral purpose.

Ninoy Aquino had prepared a speech which he intended to give on his return from the United States on Aug. 21, 1983. It remained an undelivered speech because he was assassinated upon his return. At the end of his speech he quoted the words of Archibald Macleish:

“How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by democratic faith when it is attacked by authoritarian dogma. Always and in the final act by determination and faith.”

This is the message we must pass on to the next generation.

Personal essay writing class

Your Personal Journey: A Rich Source of Stories on Feb. 28 (1:30-5:30 p.m.) at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street with Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, book author and freelance journalist. For registration and fee details, 0917-6240196/ writethingsph@gmail.com.

After the class, in commemoration of 30 years of the EDSA Revolution, there will be a book signing open to the public of The Aquino Legacy written by Neni Sta. Romana Cruz and myself.

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Email: elfrencruz@gmail.com