True. In modern societies, governments are not changed by popular uprisings but by manner of representative election. It is an indication of a weak government when it is easily thrown out by the mob. But the situation in EDSA 1 left the people with no choice but to go to the streets.
The difference between the Edsa 1 and Edsa 2 is clear. In Edsa 1, the dictatorial regime of Marcus can only be displaced through revolution since the system of election was flawed. Please remember the snap elections a year before the Edsa. The people did not have a choice. It was also likely to be a military uprising backed by the military. Marcus was in great danger when his favorite pets, Ramos and Enrile withdrew their support for him. The civilian uprising came after calls of revolution from radio veritas, pronounced by Cardinal Sin.
It was not Cory's fight. If it was, then she should have stayed longer in office but she did not. She ended her term like any other elected president. She was even confronted with 9 coup attempts but she withstood the challenge. The RAM was envious to Cory since they thought they were responsible for the EDSA revolution, and now, a housewife took their dreams away. Gregorio Honasans plan was simple, that was to establish a military junta. Thank God, it did not prospered.
EDSA 2 was primarily a civilian uprising backed by the military. The popular revolution was ignited because of the non-opening of the second envelope of evidence against Pres. Estrada. This was of course clearly a rule of the mob. There could still be other legal remedies which could be used by the prosecution, but they did not observed the rule of law. They did not allow the impeachment proceedings to finish before taking any action. This was an indication that we do not have trust in our legal systems and that is a shame. Popular revolution should only be done as a last resort.
We wanted to evade fire, but we were thrown to the burning furnace. Now, a devil enjoys the fruit of EDSA 2.
Our fault...
ayessa, right.
in my view, however, it's preposterous to look at the 2 EDSAs as the "change" themselves. no, they were not, and would never be. the revolutions were far from the truth of the change we're hoping to happen.
the two momentous uprisings have been nonetheless conduits of redemptive value of the filipinos. that we're capable to change. yes, we can. and it happened. twice.
those chances unfortunately slipped away into the quagmire of the inevitable: politicking of EDSA. everyone wanted to grab a share of the limelight and opportunity only to be found recycling again an old mantra of deception, greed and hunger for power. EDSA lost all its pinions to smoothly spin around the transfer of governance from the dictator and the actor.
how could it happen? i have no explanation except that filipinos never fully learn how to make use of its resources, power and giftedness. we never take pride of our history like EDSA. we seldom use the energy of our heroes. we dwell and waste so much of our time to lick the wounds and never bother to find the cure.
i know our nation's problem has no one-shot remedy, let alone an overnight therapy. to start from ourselves seems to be the best call. only, when it is coupled with a renewed system--from ground up. otherwise, we'll continue sitting here and watch the clouds of the unknown covering our dreams until the time a real EDSA will wake us up and forget no more.
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