From 1986 to 2019: What went right and wrong?

To be fair about ourselves, we did many things that were right, although, to be truthful too, we blundered a lot and committed many mistakes, as a nation and as a people. Whether we liked President Cory Aquino or not, I venture to say that we did it right when we ousted the dictator in 1986.

Ferdinand Marcos ruled the country from 1966 to 1986 and he was accused of plundering the whole nation with billions of lost wealth. We do not have evidence to prove all that in court, but the Ombudsman and the PCGG had won a number of cases here and abroad telling the true story about millions of dollars supposedly stolen and partly recovered. The Sandiganbayan is about to release some very important decisions. I won't comment on them being “sub judice”.

Perhaps, we did it right when we elected Fidel V Ramos as successor of Cory Aquino. FVR was definitely better than Imelda Marcos. But there were other choices like Ramon Mitra and his vice president Marcelo B Fernan. And who knows if Miriam Defensor Santiago could have been a better president.

Miriam died believing in her heart that she won the elections but that FVR cheated her in the counting, especially in Mindanao. But all are water under the bridge. When FVR left, one of our greatest mistakes we made was to elect Joseph Erap Estrada as president over Joe de Venecia. But the latter was also a trapo, and maybe he could have been worse than Estrada.

Perhaps, our greater mistake was to install GMA as president even while ERAP was still the president, alive and kicking. The Supreme Court had to declare the presidency of Estrada vacant on the principle of constructive resignation because GMA already took her oath before then Associate (later Chief) Justice Hilario G Davide Jr. in EDSA.

With all due respect to my idol, CJ Jun Davide, that was a mistake. But all is fair in love and politics. Erap was the one who appointed Davide Associate Justice. GMA appointed him Chief Justice. GMA's reelection was a mistake according to Susan Roces who later accused GMA of stealing the presidency, not once but twice allegedly. The worst mistake was to elect PNoy instead of Gibo Teodoro, his better and more competent cousin. PNoy was a lazy, inept and coward president.

PNoy was elected largely because of two strange reasons. First, he won because of the peoples' sympathy for him after the death of the much beloved and revered Cory. Second, because PNoy's strongest opponent was endorsed by GMA, who earned the hatred and the spite of many Filipino voters after her 10 years of mismanagement and due to her “Hello Garci” controversy, and many other supposed anomalies.

PNoy made too many mistakes due to his ineptitude, lack of foresight, lack of wisdom and his plain laziness. But he was largely honest, according to many. GMA was very competent, dynamic and courageous. But was she honest?

From 1986 to 2019, there were too many blunders that we committed as a nation and as a people. But Filipinos remain always in the world's list of the five happiest people on earth. Blundering but with an innate sense of joyfulness.  That is a feature in our culture that is quite intriguing. And that, I cannot really understand.