When Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim walked out of the court house, some people expected that their action would spark another "people power" revolution. But as the event unfolded, it turned out to be just another display of bravura.
For six hours Trillanes, Lim and about 30 rebel soldiers held the government forces at bay in the middle of a slashing storm. A former Vice-President, a Catholic bishop and a priest, a former U.P. president, several prominent citizens, and political activists joined them. They were hoping that this time around their movement would reach a critical mass that would explode into a popular uprising. Instead, it imploded like a dud. I wonder how it would have turned out had it happened on a clear and sunny day? Military strategists have always taken the weather into consideration when planning an attack.
Had Trillanes and Lim succeeded in evicting Arroyo from Malacanang, they would have been the new heroes. Yes, Filipinos love winners but disdain losers. The military top brass would have abandoned Arroyo at the blink of an eye and rallied behind them; after all, they were all comrades-in-arms. And the politicians -- the administration lap dogs as well as the opposition wanna-be's -- would have turned their political coats in a heartbeat.
Trillanes and Lim knew the dire consequences should they fail and possibly face death at the hands of Arroyo's forces. But when Arroyo's forces started the assault, they did not put up a fight. Instead they opted for the easy and convenient way out -- surrender. What a shame. A Roman centurion or a Japanese samurai would never have done that. They would rather have fallen to the sword. Such is the way of a true warrior.
After they surrendered, Trillanes said, "You have been witnesses to the kind of ruthlessness this administration has been giving to the people." "We're going out," he said, "for the sake of the safety of everybody, for your sake because we cannot live with our conscience if some of you get hurt or get killed in the crossfire."
There is truth to what Trillanes said about the "ruthlessness" of the administration or, to be more precise, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Her use of naked power to suppress dissent has been her trademark ever since she grabbed the presidency from Joseph Estrada in 2001. She would not hesitate to use emergency powers just like what she did in 2005. She imposed a curfew for no valid reason after Trillanes and Lim surrendered. The arrest and handcuffing of an 81-year old Catholic bishop and several journalists who covered the Trillanes-Lim mutiny only reinforced the perception that she would do whatever it takes to suppress dissent and rein in freedom of the press.
But the most damning manifestation of her ruthlessness was in her formal statement after the failed mutiny. She said: "The isolated wrongful acts of a few speak neither of the people's sentiments nor those in the uniformed services. They shall be dealt with firmly and uncompromisingly as in the past." There was no magnanimity nor a conciliatory tone in her six-paragraph statement. But what is dumbfounding was her statement: "Time and again, we have shown the world that stability of our democratic institutions and the strength of this government. Our strong republic is underlaine (sic) by a strong economy that has the full support of the Filipino people." Whoa! She calls several coup attempts, repeated calls for her resignation, widespread extrajudicial and political killings, and three impeachment resolutions "stability"?
In a recent survey by Pulse Asia, it was revealed that Arroyo's disapproval performance rating was 39% compared to an approval rating of 30%. And her "distrust" rating has gone up to 46% with only 23% trusting her. Clearly, she doesn't have the "full support of the Filipino people." In another survey by Social Weather Station, 30% of those polled said they were "better off before" while only 13% said they were "better off now." And among families with at least one member working overseas, 45% said that the strengthening of the peso did not make any difference while 37% said they were "better off before" and only 18% said they were "better off now."
Based on these surveys, the Filipino people are sending a strong and clear message that the country is not as stable as Arroyo thinks so. Behind the Filipinos' smiling face and "happy" demeanor is a restrained restlessness that has been smoldering for years. Balibakayans have been saying that the gap that divides the rich and the poor has been widening.
But violence is no longer a viable method to put to an end the morally corrupt Arroyo presidency. Many have tried but failed. Simply put, the government has superior military and police forces that would thwart any attempt to overthrow it. What the country needs is a non-violent revolution in the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela. These great men proved that "civil disobedience" is much more potent than violent means in achieving change and progress. And we have in our midst today two great men -- Fr. Ed Panlilio and Tony Meloto -- who have already started the motion of changing our country.
In the few months since his election as governor of Pampanga, Fr. Panlilio demonstrated that corruption can be dealt with effectively. He set a new moral standard for leadership. And Meloto -- who has never been in politics before -- has done a great deal of work for the poor people through his leadership and advocacy of Gawad Kalinga. He proved that the Filipino people are capable of uniting and working together in the true spirit of "bayanihan."
Ultimately, a "moral revolution" would exorcise the evil that has possessed our country for so long. Fr. Panlilio and Meloto have what it takes to accomplish that. In my opinion, they are the only two leaders today that have the moral ascendancy to lead a crusade against corruption and poverty. The question is: are they willing to lead the people? I fervently hope so.
(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)