Philippine People Power in Egypt: Marcos & Mubarak

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INQUIRER.net, Op-ed, Benjamin Pimentel, Posted: Jan 31, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. —With all the troubling events in the Philippines, from the corruption cases, to acts of terrorism, to frustrations with government, the upcoming 25th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA
[ referring to the major avenue where the Philippine People Power Revolution took place] revolt may be, for many Filipinos, an unexciting milestone.

But the world is reminding us right now why what happened that February, when Filipinos kicked out a dictator in dramatic fashion, was one heckuva freedom fiesta that is still worth celebrating.

As I write this, Egyptians are out in the streets defying yet another unpopular ruler. In Tunisia, ordinary people ousted a tyrant whose big-spending wife has been called the “Imelda Marcos of the Arab world.”

In Haiti, there’s news about Jean Claude Duvalier, the notorious Baby Doc, who was overthrown the same year Filipinos chased Marcos out of the country. (I guess we can call him “classmate ni/ of Makoy / Ferdinand Marcos.”)

Baby Doc recently dared to return to the Caribbean country only to be promptly arrested by authorities of a country he and his father abused for many years. (According to the New York Times, his surprising move appeared to be a legal ploy to trick Swiss authorities into believing that he was not subject to prosecution in his home country and therefore deserved to have his bank account unfrozen.)

And in the United States, a federal court has ordered payments to thousands of human rights victims of the Marcos regime, yet another grim reminder of the brutality Filipinos endured in the ousted strongman’s 21-year reign.

To be sure, among Filipinos, there are two competing views of EDSA.

On the one hand, there are those who see it as a proud moment when Filipinos stood as one to bring down a greedy dictator. On the other are those who dismiss it a spectacle that did not bring about meaningful social change, especially for poor Filipinos.

Certainly, many will point to the most disturbing sign that things have not really changed much: The Marcos forces are back.

Here’s the son of the late dictator, now Philippine senator, unrepentant about Marcos’s reign of brutality, who essentially claims that the despised despot’s rule was actually a pleasant, even magnificent, period in Philippine history.

It’s particularly annoying that the spirit of mass protest and collective action, of a nation rallying together to oust a bully has largely been overshadowed by what has been the most enduring image from EDSA.

No, it’s not the image of nuns praying the rosary while kneeling in front of armored personnel carriers. Nor of people linking arms, passing flowers and food to soldiers, urging them to join the rebellion and abandon the tyrant.

Not at all.

It’s shoes. Three thousand pairs of them, the ugly symbol of rapacity and extravagance in a despicable era.

What’s mind boggling is that, while Imelda is back in the limelight in Manila, throughout the world her name is still shorthand for greed.

A London Daily Telegraph story on Leila Trabelsi, Tunisia’s deposed First Lady, the now infamous Imelda of Arabia, said this of Southeast Asia’s dominatrix of delusional demagoguery:

“Imelda, ah, Imelda, the dictator’s wife’s dictator’s wife. … Was she repentant? Quite the contrary, boasting only recently that ‘when they opened Imelda’s cupboards, they did not find skeletons. They only found beautifully made shoes.’ Manila’s favorite foot fetishist is still going strong at 81.”

And Imelda has even penetrated American pop culture consciousness. Rapper Mary J. Blige’s fetish for shades earned her the moniker the “Imelda of sunglasses.”

All these would be pretty amusing, if not for the fact that Imelda also symbolizes a dark period in our history.

There are, I agree, still many dark spots in the archipelago, from corruption to violence to poverty and political abuse. So it’s not surprising that many Filipinos may simply shrug their shoulders as they reflect on the significance of EDSA. The generally uninspired presidency of the son of EDSA’s most celebrated icon, Corazon Aquino, hasn’t helped.

But I’d argue that yes, we must continue to remember, and celebrate.

For there was one victory Filipinos won during the EDSA revolt that has, more or less, endured. And the world—the Egyptians and the Tunisians in particular—is reminding us of this right now.

Yes, grave problems remain, and Philippine democracy, still dominated by a narrow-sighted, corrupt elite, is far from perfect. (There’s no such thing as a perfect democracy anyway.)

But 25 years ago, Filipinos debunked the notion that one man can have all the answers, and that because he claims to be all-knowing, he must therefore be given absolute power indefinitely.

And this also applies to groups of would-be all-knowing, all-powerful rulers, whether it’s those with messianic claims of being the party blessed with the correct ideology, or those who dream of a utopia under an all-powerful military junta.

A quarter of a century ago, we kicked out a bully and showed the world that bullies, even the most despotic, are not invincible. Sooner or later, they fall.

In Egypt and Tunisia, that lesson resonates today.

This op-ed was originally published as " EDSA in Egypt, Marcos-style bullies under fire"

Comments

Anonymous

Posted Jan 31 2011

The last prophet, Muhammad (PBUH), and the final revelation, Koran, for the guidance of mankind have already come. After Muhammad, whoever may claim to be a messenger or prophet of God, is an apostate, a lair and an opportunist crook. However, according to the Hadith (saying of Muhammad (PBUH)) some sings of the future events will be shown to some pious Abds’ of Allah through dreams. By Allah, I have seen many of global occurrences that we have witnessed, such as the Iran/Iraq war, the fall of Sadam, and revolution in Egypt in my dreams and by Allah, many of them have come exactly the way I have seen them. According to one of my dreams, the ruling of America around the world is numbered. America will be pushed back to her own continental border. The Zalim Zionist will cause a mass murdering and try to put the blame on another country. By the will of Allah, their conspiracy will float to the surface and America will abandon Israel. Iran will be granted victory by Allah’s will and will defeat America.
Despite of so much injustice and murdering that Pharaoh was commiting against the believers of his era, namely the children of Israel, Allah (Azza-wa-jall) did not punish him and his followers by a natural disasters such as tsunami or earthquake. Rather, he appointed Moses (PBUH) as a messenger to deliver his message of guidance. We all know about the total destruction of Pharaoh as the consequence of his arrogances and his denial.
Once more, the last prophet and the last revelation have already come. I am not claiming to be a messenger of Allah. I am just sharing my dreams with America and the rest of the world. The message is clear crystal. It is Allah (Azza-wa-jall) who is in charge of the affairs of the universe and not America. It is Allah (Azza-wa-jall) who determines the destiny of a nation and not America. It is Allah (Azza-wa-jall) who gives territory and land to a nation and not America. Israel must go back to her border before 1948. The children of Israel are prohibited by Allah to have a country of their own. This is due to their heinous sins that they had committed in the past. Mocking, ridiculing and killing prophets of Allah.
The message is clear crystal. Stop aggression against Islam and Muslims. Stop weatherboarding, torturing and murdering Muslims. Stop killing and murdering innocent children, women and elderly Muslims throughout the world. Allah is “Gafoorol Rahim, Shadidul Aghab,” very Merciful and very sever in his punishment.
Allah (Azza-wa-jall) has prohibited his heaven to all none believers in Islam. However, the non Muslims, in general, and the Jews, in particular, can enjoy prosperity and comfortable life on Earth provided they do not interfere with Islam and the worshipers of Allah. The Israel / Palestine conflict is not only the problem in the Middle East. It is the global problem. Its fire will reach and burn the entire earth. Those that created Israel and those that support this oppressing nation will burn to death first and then forever. Americans, in general, are well educated and kind people. Let them enjoy prosperity and comfort of life. Do not let them to be the loser of both worlds. This is the message.
The worst enemies of the Jews are the Jews.
Ali K

Anonymous

Posted Feb 1 2011

marcos destroyed the philippine society,politically,socially and economically,period.elections are held every 4 years with the likes of tanada,almendras,aquino,manglapus,ople,etc.people who are really bright.now what?a popularity contests.military tasted power during the regime,now coup d etat every now and then.what a mess!

Anonymous

Posted Feb 1 2011

Anonymous

Posted Feb 1 2011

25 years after, WHERE ARE WE? Oh, no, let not the SELF-RIGHTEOUS keep repeating the same litany of "imelda this and Imelda that", preferring to use that as "whipping boy" to explain the sad condition of this country! (Through perpetual repetition of this litany, you even sound as if you're just envious !)
Why not look at the overall situation? Are the so-called "clean" ad "innocent" really doing their job of cleaning up? or are they just learning the ropes from those whom they call "unclean" -- to the disadvantage of the poor Majority who keep on hoping that a "savior" will come and miraculously transform the country? (Sigh!)
No matter how we hero-worship some past figures in the Philippine scene, let's be realistic about current leaders who are turning out to be "Non-Performing Assets" (or "Liabilities" even!
HOW LONG WILL WE LAST?

Anonymous

Posted Feb 12 2011

Marcos was the best president the philippines ever had.
Who is your bet?
Cory? Ramos? Erap? Arroyo? Noynoy?

Analyze to which presidency did the Philippines made it on TOP?
Which presidency did the literacy rate in the Philippines went highest?
Which presidency made the most infrasctructure projects?
Which presidency made the most number of houses for the poor?
Which presidency has the least number of corrupt officials?
Which presidency has the lowest Dollar-Peso rate?
Which presidency has the Philippines mostly honored?

---Let the history judge the presidency.

If the Philippines could overtake or equal it's best performance during Marcos era, then there is a BIG reason to celebrate EDSA.

just a thought.

Anonymous

Posted Feb 12 2011

Marcos was the best president the philippines ever had.
Who is your bet?
Cory? Ramos? Erap? Arroyo? Noynoy?

---Let the history judge the presidency.

If the Philippines could overtake or equal it's best performance during Marcos era, then there is a BIG reason to celebrate EDSA.

just a thought.

Anonymous

Posted Feb 12 2011

Marcos was the best president the philippines ever had.
Who is your bet?
Cory? Ramos? Erap? Arroyo? Noynoy?

---Let the history judge the presidency.

If the Philippines could overtake or equal it's best performance during Marcos era, then there is a BIG reason to celebrate EDSA.

just a thought.

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