FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

WHEN THE FILIPINO MASSES REVOLT


In a any given political situation, when the masses revolt against the ruling class, they had to resort to violence. That was the reason for Jose Rizal, the Philippine's national hero and martyr, not to support the KATIPUNAN, a Filipino secret society supported by the masses, during the Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines, to rebel against the abuses of the Spaniards. He advocated change through peaceful reforms to be led by the intellectuals instead of the workers. In his revolutionary novel, El Filibusterismo, he frustrated the plan of the character of Simoun, the revolutionary, to start a violent uprising against the Spanish rulers.
So let me show you the possible scenarios if and when the current Arroyo administration decided to once again rig the May 14th elections in order to stay in power in full defiance of the will of the masses:

The defeated candidates would once again file electoral protests before government agencies that had been instructed to fail them. So life would go on as usual for the cheaters.

The media would launch a campaign to force the Arroyo leadership to resign. The ruling administration would retaliate and enforce the Anti-Terrorism Law by ordering the arrests of the anti-administration journalists and closing down their newspapers on a false charge that they are supporters of the New Peoples Army(NPA). So life would go on as usual for the cheaters.

Various groups such as religious leaders, labor leaders, peasant and student groups, and other militant political leaders would take to the streets with thousands of their followers demanding the ouster of the current Arroyo administration. Then, they would march to Malacanang Palace to demonstrate in front of the gates. The ruling administration would order the police and the military to break up the street demonstrations, arrest the leaders, and stop the mammoth crowd from proceeding to Mendiola Bridge onto Malacanang. So life would go on as usual with the cheaters.

Another similar street demonstrations would be launched by the same groups this time with the help of disgruntled police and military elements and other para-military groups. The same order would be given by the ruling administration to arrest the demonstrators. But the unlawful order would not be carried out by the police and the military. The masses would march to Malacanang Palace and take over the presidential seat of power. Also this time the United States government would not be able to rescue the First Family and their cronies. So life for the cheaters would go for the worst turn and the reign of terror would begin a la French Revolution.

Who needs this kind of another violent chapter in Philippine history? It may happen if the Arroyo administration would be too blind not the see the “handwriting on the wall.”

End
junpolicarpio@yahoo.com
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