A godsend opportunity for real change

With different groups all het up with the latest boo-boo from President Aquino on the Mamapasano massacre of 44 of our best policemen it is important to pause and think carefully the best course of action.

There are groups who want him to resign which include some bishops. But there are others who prefer to wait until his term is over. If he resigns Vice-President Binay becomes president. This is unacceptable because he is from the old system riddled with graft and corruption. Friends ask, “the clamor for the President’s resignation may be deafening, but is it the best course of action? It may only make things worse.”

 It is only 16 months until the next presidential election so he should not be asked to resign. We may get something worse and only fall into chaos. Therefore we should not ask anybody to resign. Instead we should vote wisely in the next election. The loudest cry of this comes from businessmen who fear disruption will hurt business.

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On the other side are groups who want him to resign and they plan actions to force him out of Malacanang. These groups are the most vociferous and they have been armed with the weapon of widespread public  anger against President Aquino’s handling of the Mamasapano massacre. Even as I write this column there are several groups drawing plans for wide protest actions led by bishops, retired military men and civic groups.

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All the anger and disgust directed at the President and close confidantes, PNP Chief Gen. Alan Purisima and Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa are justified. More and more facts are coming out no matter how the Palace tries to hide the truth. But it may be good to be reminded that long before the Mamasapano massacre of 44 policemen there was a disenchantment of the Aquino government that had not been seen before against any government because of its sheer incompetence and disregard for the rule of law.

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But are these two positions the only courses of action available to the long-suffering Filipino public? I do not believe so.  Indeed, now is the time for tradition breaking actions that can be resorted to, some thinking outside the box that would protect the stability of the Filipino nation as it attempts for a more lasting solution that goes beyond the Mamasapano massacre.  For this we must bring in the majority for an all-inclusive society. In a distant future, it would not be unlikely that the massacre would be seen as a catalyst that brought long-term solutions that have been shelved and avoided for the sake of the privileged few who hold the levers of the status quo.

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I blame the lopsided structure of our society with many of its citizens excluded from decisions vital to nation building. The Smartmatic PCOS elections purportedly made to disable the only power left for the citizenry to stop the dominance of these few may be the proverbial last straw to break the camel’s back. Indeed, the election of a President totally incapable of leadership was made possible by these machines. Even as this column is being written Comelec is poised to use the same machines in the 2016 election. Those who think a false election is the correct response to the turmoil now enveloping our country are sadly mistaken. That will only aggravate the situation.

In the face of such attacks by the powerful and wealthy few, the many poor and dispossessed Filipinos are finally waking up. They know that our present system of politics and governance is a farce and designed against ever creating a decent and humane society. Thinking Filipinos, most of whom are middle class are threatened with extinction. They must be brought in to decision making in the administration of our country. The unitary presidential government causing so much harm has to be changed, propelled as it were by graft and corruption and the bad choice of leaders. We cannot elect good leaders under the present  presidential system.  The only way out is for a complete overhaul of the system.

It is against this background that the election of the most incompetent President we have took place. Do we blame the person that has been put up by such a system or do we change the system that has made possible a government run by such a person? That is the question that can be lost in the anger and emotion that came with the Mamasapano massacre of 44 of some of our best policemen.

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In this cacophony of emotions, Bayanko, the crowdsourcing movement has put up a statement that should help us wade through the morass and confusion. God, indeed, works in ways unfathomable to man. The 44 policemen so helplessly thrown to their deaths by a heartless commander-in-chief may be the final straw. President Aquino was reportedly not a few miles away in Zamboanga at the US Drone Command base to monitor the operation and would inevitably have known what was happening to his men But he vetoed sending reinforcements to men less he violate the peace agreement with the MILF.

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So what are we to do in the face of all this? This column reprints Bayanko’s statement that is presently being viralled in social media.

“We deplore the incompetency of President Aquino and his government. We deplore his insensitivity when he failed to receive the caskets of the 44 dead SAF policemen at Villamor. By not appearing, he added insult to injury since he was responsible for sending them on their ill-fated mission and failing to rescue them.

We honor these brave policemen, we salute them. Let us never forget the treachery of their commander-in-chief.

By his act, President Aquino does not deserve to be president. Many have called for his resignation but he refuses to step down. Others fear his resignation will only benefit the vice-president who himself has been accused publicly of corruption.

Bayanko believes there is another way to achieve the goal of ridding the country of incompetence and corruption. Its plan will be submitted to the ExCom made up of the heads of the federations and groups that have partnered with us. In the meantime we ask you all to be patient.”