Ninoy and Our Future

"The Filipino is worth dying for." But twenty-six years since Ninoy's assassination, we remain a country mired in widespread poverty, endemic graft and corruption, trapo politics, unending civil strife, and worst, abuse of power often unnoticeable in almost all levels of government. Take for example a Makati judge who cited in contempt of court an employee who occupied his parking space.

The resurgence of the "Laban" sign in the massive outpouring of support for Cory Aquino surely tells us that the battle we all waged for freedom, democracy, and development is not over yet.

Laban pa!

Thus, what is more important now is how we can fashion our future.

The 2010 presidential election is a singular opportunity for change. But we need for this a president we can trust. Someone who will not cheat or lie. Someone with integrity. After all, public office is a public trust.

And for that matter the next six years are most critical for our country.

For one, we can no longer postpone charter change given the clamor of the people. The so-called economic provisions in our present Constitution and the much-ballyhooed supposed need for a parliamentary system are actually secondary only to the more fundamental question we face: whether to resign ourselves to our colonially-rooted unitary nation-state system where "Imperial Manila" directs the life of our Nation and for which reason we are saddled with the problems cited above, or make a paradigm shift to a federal system where the "Peoples" of the Philippine archipelago are able to freely exercise their right to self-determination and development, becoming agents of their own social advancement, if you will, following then Pope John Paul II's teachings.

To illustrate, if we Bikolnons are recognized as a distinct "People" exercising the human right of self-determination, which includes the inalienable right to full sovereignty over all our natural wealth and resources in the Bikol homeland, then our bishops do not have to seek the Pope's help in addressing the mining controversies confronting us like the open-pit mining operation of Lafayette Mining Co. in Rapu-Rapu, Albay, and coal mining in Catanduanes where the national government has awarded 7,000 hectares of land to Monte Oro Resources & Energy Inc. and also set aside another 8,000 hectares for such exploration. To mine or not will then be a decision we will make as a Bikol People.

Thus, it's imperative that we elect a president who will shepherd charter change for genuine structural reforms for our Peoples' true empowerment. FVR's "Cha-Cha" and GMA's "People's Initiative" and "Con-Ass" met outright rejection by the people and nationwide demonstrations for the simple reason that both presidents appeared interested only in term extension.

On this note, human experience has shown that one who doesn't seek the presidency is more trustworthy than those who have long spent their own money to become president particularly through TV advertisements and other gimmickry.

And for me then, I'd trust Noynoy.