IN RANDOM VIEWS of a city-bred and a promdi.

Marso 1, 2006

6pm

      Marami sa mga blockmates ko ang nagplaplano ngayon
magprotesta sa kalsada. Marami-rami rin sa kanila ang planong magpunta
ng UP Quezon Hall at sumama sa mga grupong nais magsagawa ng panibagong
EDSA, ang susunod marahil sa EDSA DOS. Sumama ako sa aking mga kaklase
sa isang tanghalian at nais kong malaman ang mga ideya nila at
saloobin, sapagkat marahil mayroon akong hindi nalalaman, marahil may
mga kailangan akong marinig para magising at umalab ang aking damdamin
– at sinabi ng aking kaklase, “I mean no offense, but if you want to join us, you better make up your mind now… hindi pwede ang papetiks-petiks dito”
– after she had said that, I walked out.
Aaminin ko, hindi ako kasama sa mga manorya. Sa mga taong katulad naming na kinaiinisan ng iba dahil ang tingin nila ay apathetic
o “walang-paki” at napagbibintangan pang gusto lang bumalik sa libro para mag-aral kaya ayaw makipag-rally, at nasabihan pang we are not being real because we are just afraid of the real risk of going out to
the streets. Gusto
ko lamang na malaman nila na kaming mga sinasabihan niyo nito ay mga
taong dumalo at nakisama ng EDSA DOS. Alam namin kung paano at kung ano
ang pakikipag-rally. Alam naming ang pagod at hirap na dinadanas
dito. Alam ko na dyahe ang init. Alam ko ang karanasan ng maipit at
mabangga sa rally habang ako pa ay estudyante sa UP Manila at nang ako
ay lumipat ng UP Diliman.

      Ngunit ngayon, hindi na ako naniniwala na may magagawa pa ang rally.

      Hindi ako emosyonal tungkol sa proklamasyon 1017, kahit alam
kong may mga karapatan na nalabag ito. Hindi umaalab ang aking damdamin
kahit nakita ko sa TV ang isang nagproprotesta na pinagpapalo-palo
paulit-ulit. Hindi ako pumasok ng Criminal Law kaninang umaga dahil
hindi ako nakapag-aral – dahil nakatututok ang aking mga mata buong
araw sa balita sa TV, sa ANC at ABS at GMA (at saglit sa Pinoy Big Brother dahil kailangan ko rin naman ng ibang mapapapanuod kapag drained
na ako). Hindi na ako naniniwala na may magagawa pa ang rally.

      Marahil isa ako sa mga taong sasabihan nyong, “tanga!” Ngunit
tanga man para sa inyo – KARAPATAN KO RIN NAMAN BILANG MAMAYAN AT
ESTUDYANTE na paniwalaan at hindi paniwalaan ang isang ideolohiya.

      Sa pagsabog ng balita sa Fort dulot ng pagprotesta sa
pagtanggal sa pwesto ng Commandant ng mga Marino sa pamumuno ni Col.
Querubin, nakinig ako sa mga hinaing niya. Nakita ko rin ang mga taong
nais magpunta sa loob para ipakita ang suporta sa kanya. Isa doon si
Cory na hinarang, si Imee Marcos, mga personalidad na mahilig
este madalas magpakita este makita ang mga mukha sa telebisyon. Narinig ko rin ang sinabi ng newsreporter ng ANC, “It didn’t have a substantial number of crowd.” True
enough, it didn’t gather as much tension as it did in EDSA DOS. It
didn’t trigger my heightened emotions as it did before. I just sat on
the sofa watching TV, unlike before that from the moment the envelope
was voted not to be opened, I immediately went out to the streets with
my two friends and walked towards EDSA.

      Now, I didn’t walk out to join some of my blockmates, rather,
I am sitting here at home, infront of my laptop writing my sentiments
on the matter. I don’t see walking out to the streets
would make things better. I am one of the minority who believes that
our Government also wants cooperation and unity and the State has a
right to protect itself. The State with a powerless government will
collapse. This is precisely the reason why GMA had to proclaim 1017 and
give Gen. Order no. 5 the moment they were alarmed by the coup attempt
in addition to the agencies that provided her information on the
conspiracy of the extreme right and the extreme left. I know that some
have been criticizing GMA and her cohorts but fingerpointing won’t do
any good. We have been fingerpointing every president since time
immemorial! What about the other side of the coin? What about (just few
hours ago) GMA’s order to review the Proclamation 1017 in the next 72
hours which makes me think, why not be patient guys and just wait?. What
about the good side of her saying, “I will only lift Proclamation 1017
if we are convinced that we are in control,” for like any other leader,
she doesn’t believe in anarchy. What about the recent news that the DOJ
and the PNP are asked to assess the situation whether or not to lift
the state of emergency? This “PP1017 and General Order no. 5” is a judgement call
by the President. I don’t think she even wanted to give such
proclamation. Even before she even decided, she had the PNP,
presidential advisers and cabinet members with her before she made
such. She doesn’t believe that a democratic system has a powerless
government, because if so then our nation would collapse. As what Sen.
Franklin Drilon said, the PP 1017 was a description of the prevailing situation.

      Cecille, my blockmate, said in our Legal Theory class few
hours before we had lunch, “We are law students and we know the rule of
law, it shames me that we are just sitting here doing nothing while
students in other colleges are walking out to the streets when we know
the law better than them.”

      I am a first year law student, however I defer from this point
of view. I have studied law but I still have so much to
learn. Constitutional Two taught me about freedom of speech, freedom of liberty, marketplace of ideas. However
my not joining the rally is not indifference. My being a lawstudent
taught me to appreciate and understand better the current issues of
today, and one of which - it taught me to make a stand which is not
pressured and independent-minded. Until I don’t see a better alternative to Gloria,
it is my right not to conform to the stand of the UP Law Faculty and of
some of my blockmates. I do not see the point going out to the streets,
criticizing and protesting against the government. We, as a nation
needs revival but not through such actions. The people have so many
things to change in themselves.