
Originally Posted by
Bears Grill
Personally, I find the hero status rather overrated in the Philippines. Ninoy was a figurehead for a revolution that seemed to promise true democracy, human rights, and freedom. Unfortunately, the Aquino legacy has been a disappointment. Hence the growing clamor...a yearning for the Marcos years. I understand that. But I'd like to temper the glorification in the other direction, which I think is made up of propaganda, hyperbole and myths.
People who are old enough will tell you, as they reminisce life under Marcos, that those were really good years. And I will agree as far as preference goes. I like the fact that population was a lot smaller, life much simpler, and people meet face to face to develop relationships, platonic or otherwise. I like the fact biking on the roads was a less dangerous activity and the air was cleaner...although Cebu suffered long (like 6-10 hours) and frequent brownouts (like almost everyday) in the 70s (I can attest to that, having still remembered VECO's old 5-digit telephone number because I kept missing episodes of Voltes V cartoons due to frequent brownouts). I like the music of the 60s and 70s and the early 80s. I like the games we played then. The fanatic passion over Crispa-Toyota rivalry is unmatched to this day. Going to the movies was a big thing. Are these the result of Marcos policies or are these the result of non-government-related factors (i.e. smaller population, simpler technologies)?
As for Sabah (currently a populated state), if you asked the people there: Would they choose to be part of the Philippines or Malaysia? Is it a settled issue? IF Sabah is really ours and the people there are begging to be part of the Philippines AND Ninoy indeed sold out on Sabah, then YES Ninoy would be a traitor. As you can see, the statement is a loaded one from which a series of questions needs to be unpacked and answered carefully.
Every single one of the candidates will tout their "ACHIEVEMENTS". It depends on how many of their claims actually relate to people personally as far as tangible impact on their lives is concerned.
Will BBM make our lives better? The million dollar question follows: HOW? Before any candidate gets my vote, they have to specifically spell out what they plan to do with taxes, education, bureaucracy, transparency/corruption, creating job opportunities, the rebellion/terrorism problem in Mindanao, etc.
As far as I'm concerened, every one of the candidates will come into their respective posts as neophytes. We have to learn not to put the cart before the horse and not glorify any one of them, but instead demand their platforms and agendas and how they will approach various issues...before we exchange that for our votes.
My concern (or fear) is that BBM will be a divisive figure, simply because of what he will inevitably do for his family's sake: i.e. Libingan ng mga Bayani, re-writing history, taking out EDSA from our list of holidays...and perhaps get the entire country to acknowledge that EDSA was a mistake. I can understand that. All I'm saying is that those things will not be accomplished without, to put it mildly, stiff opposition.
If BBM makes the ultimate sacrifice and say he will not pursue all those things, he gets my VOTE. At that point, I mean that act alone would speak volume about his grasp of national priorities and interests.