The multitude attending the Obama inaugural (bundled up of course!) on the Mall reminds me of Cory Aquino’s Tagumpay ng Bayan in March 1986. Surely the American people want to witness history as I did when Cory Aquino was apotheosized in her victory (delivered by an aborted coup d’ etat).
The Luneta was meant by the American founders of the Philippine Imperial Republic as our own Mall. In fact according to the Burnham plan, where Santa Isabel college now stands would have been the site of the Philippine Capitol. However, the President of the Commonwealth, Manuel Quezon had other priorities so the plan never was completely implemented. What we have are the Post Office, the Finance and Tourism buildings and the Old Congress now National Museum.
But that’s where the similarity ends. The United States Constitution has 100% worked in ensuring that in a democracy, the transfer of State power is according to the law. In fact even the timing and the traditions narrated in a step by step manner by CNN are rooted in the law and the constitution. The CNN coverage is a lesson in civics for Pinoys especially what we have trashed with the inheritance the United States gave us.
The US Constitution was in danger during the Civil War, yet it survived. It was in danger with the Nixon Watergate scandal but it functioned as expected. Surely the constitution was amended many times, but the amendments were not to support the benefit of an individual or group, but the common weal.
This is in stark contrast to our recent ridiculous presidential inaugurals. Quezon had his on the Congress steps (in imitation of the American practice). When the Republic was recognized, we had the postwar inauguarals in the Quirino grandstand (still vaguely in line with American practice). Cory had hers in a venue with Masonic nationalist origins, the Club Filipino. Erap did a tragic innovation. He had his in the Roman Catholic Church of Barosoain. My Masonic lolos and tios were horrified! My late granduncle predicted an early demise for the Erap presidency. He said Erap had no idea of history. The Aguinaldo presidency was doomed after his “inaugural” in the Malolos Congress. The prediction came to pass. Erap was thrown out of the Palace in less than 3 years! Gloria just continued with the inaugural innovations. She had hers in Cebu, a province with a bit of separatist tendency from the rest of the Philippines! Gloria probably was aware of the Masonic legend. She never was inaugurated inside a Roman Catholic church (although she was anointed and the crown given to her on the steps of EDSA shrine)
But we all know the tribulations of the Gloria presidency. So I think my Masonic elders have wisdom in their belief. We should celebrate the secular nature of the Presidency and show to the people that the government’s three branches are one in vision and purpose if we did not trash our American inheritance. This disunity is evident especially in Congress. The Senate sits in an insurance headquarters near malls and theme parks while the House sits in its own abode 20 kilometers east.
So the Obama inaugural which has attracted worldwide attention as no other US presidential inaugural has; is an ironic comment on the “no apologies” for EDSA 2 posters in the metropolis. Those who do not want to apologize for EDSA 2 are likely the one who are betraying, had betrayed or plan to betray the Constitution of the Philippines.
In just one hour of this posting, Barack Hussein Obama will swear to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States”. As long as he does so, he won’t betray the American people.
That is the best lesson for us in the Obama inaugural.
Popularity: 1% [?]
“Those who do not want to apologize for EDSA 2 are likely the one who are betraying, had betrayed or plan to betray the Constitution of the Philippines.”
Well that’s just a hateful comment. All the people did at EDSA 2 was call on Erap to resign, which is perfectly within the constitution. And– as the Supreme Court decided– he did.
i think, since we are great copycats anyway, why don’t we imitate for a “change” the very smooth, civil and orderly american transition from one presidency to another? to me, that’s the best lesson in cooperation worthy of emulating.
evidently both the outgoing and the incoming presidents, and all their followers if not the entire american people, know that the institution of the presidency is much, much bigger than themselves.
I assure you Bencard, we intend to make sure that transition DOES occur. It is the President who is the greatest threat to a “civil and orderly” presidential transition. Edsa Dos must never happen again, and those responsible should be punished. It was coup d’etat, the exact opposite of what you stand for, considering how it was SCoRP that did it.
Mike,
The people were within their rights to call for Erap’s resignation. But Davide and Reyes had no right to illegally and immorally install Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the name of a hooting throng. There was a perfectly legal and regular impeachment trial. That was Davide’s duty, not to put on the costume of a Chief Justice, appear before a religious shrine, and on the basis of permanent disability alleged by her, he swore in GMA, in conspiracy with the AFP.
It was only two months later that SCoRP magically discovered he had actually resigned, something he has denied since that very day on 20 January 2001.
Yet they could not have decided otherwise, without condemning themselves. They could not have ruled against what they themselves had done two months before. Since it became obvious Erap was not permanently disabled, as they had decided on that Saturday, they had to construct his resignation. The only alternative was to find that they had done the illegal, unconstitutional thing, as Justice Cecilia Munoz Palma had argued strenuously during the four hour debate that ensued in the Court before they sent Davide to Mama Mary to perform transubstantiation.
That is the conundrum of SCORP and Edsa Dos.
Right or wrong, Gloria will not be among the beloved presidents of the Filipino people. She’s like the spoilt child in some families who’s gotten control of the car keys. You never know what cliff she’s gonna drive it over next, or who she will hit and run. And she never, never wants to let go now, because the Tiger will bite her head off as soon as she dismounts.
She is much much worse than George W. Bush in one particular day. At least GWB left peaceably today!
prophecy of doom from our own (FV’s) nostradamus. i wonder what’s your channel, djb, since you are an atheist?
Just making a point you ought to appreciate more, Bencard. Perhaps you have mistaken me for one of those people power ideologues. But let me suggest an intellectual test of integrity.
We are against the ending of a presidency in any manner not sanctioned by the Constitution.
We must strictly uphold this principle no matter who is benefitted or disadvantaged by it. I am most comfortable with my position that even though it does benefit Erap, I can still believe that other high officials during his term did not do their duty, in particular the Chief Justice.
It is not a prophecy by the way, but a promise.
Mike
“Well that’s just a hateful comment. All the people did at EDSA 2 was call on Erap to resign, which is perfectly within the constitution. And– as the Supreme Court decided– he did.”
I say sorry not only for something worng i ve done.
I also say sorry for the “bad” outcome of what i did. No matter how noble my intention was.
If won’t you say sorry. So be it. But please scream your heart out defending this GMA regime.
Never engage in plain double talk of defending EDSA 2 and castgating GMA.
I went to EDSA. As you said to demand good governance, but not personally against ERAP.
And i am very sorry. Not for Erap’s ouster but to what happened next.
Not for Erap’s ouster but for what happened next.
Right or wrong, Gloria will not be among the beloved presidents of the Filipino people.
Dean:
For somebody so antiseptically cerebral in your approach to issues you consider worthy to discuss and expound, your above statement sounds very uncharacteristic.
Presidents agonize over whether they are or will be loved by their constituents?
Bush has argued his case so many times; that he does not make his political decisions based on whether it is good for his party, would placate his detractors, or would ingratiate and/or identify him with the current moods of the populace, or the world for that matter. He asserts that after due consultation and deep personal reflection, he acts based on what he believes is the right thing to do.
I suppose he implies, criticism or legacy be damned.
Is he then a cut below or under the other presidents of note?
Our hero, Lincoln, got and presided over his country warring against each other, causing untold casualties and miseries then. And we know he got a bullet for his efforts.
shama, just a note, i’m not so sure it’s santa isabel where national capitol would have been under burnham plan, see the map:
http://www.the-explainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/CivicCenterPersp.jpg
More here, if you don’t mind.
http://www.the-explainer.com/?p=25
seems the national capitol (with its dome) would have been between the rizal monument and agrifina circle
urbano de la cruz in a comment also linked to a map of the burnham plan:
http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/blogger/3209/1105/1600/detailburnham3.jpg
the capitol is underneath the legend “government centre”
Mike
Calling for the President’s resignation is within the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. However the manner by which Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the Presidency is I believe not. The fact is that Joseph Estrada did not sign a letter or resignation. Nor he was incapacitated, neither was he dead.
In fact one can argue that Erap left the palace, crossed the Pasig to get to Malacanang park’s CR!
This is the Davide court’s quandary. They had to construe their decision not on a point of law (as Thomas More had put it 500 years ago and retold in Bolt’s play) but on their wits since they were scared of the mob.
“The world can construe according to its wits, this court should construe according to the law!-Thomas More, patron saint of lawyers, statesmen and politicians.
Mlq3
That is where that hideous map of the archipelago is!
amadeo,
60% of the Americans say they “estimate” that GWB will be a below average president, when History comes to reconsider his case. I agree with this estimate of History’s ultimate verdict and judgment of George W. Bush.
But I blame primarily Dick Cheney. He WAS the most dangerous Vice President of all, and a judgment of him seems in order, if we are to understand what really happened in the Bush White House.
Of course, it sorta depends on what happens next…if an atom bomb from OBL should explode somewhere (say Chicago, or Islamabad or Jedda, or Tel Aviv) I think you will see Barack Obama become more of a war freak than Dubya. Diplomacy and leadership will be needed first, to make sure we have the world behind us when truly drastic action may have to be taken. And I mean, truly drastic!
The nuclear threat scenario laid out by Mohammed el Baradei of the IAEA when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, is still live. He said the greatest danger the world faces is a nuclear terrorist attack. (Mohammed el Baradei, not George W. Bush) This is a problem that cannot be solved by diplomacy alone because the persons intent on this destruction are beyond the pale of negotiation or reasoning.
Barack’s election has not made AQ go away or diminish its resolve to bring down the Great Satan. I am hoping Barack will be more creative than Bush, in both military and diplomatic moves. I have a feeling that he wants to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all, to gut the radioactive core of that breeder reactor of terrorism.
Ummm…Oh yeah.
It’s a pity that America’s sole colonial experiment RP)does not embody the good traits of the greatest democracy: constitutional sovereignty, clean honest elections, and a peaceful transition of power. “In Our Image,’ as historian Stanley Karnow would have it.
Truth is, the ruling classes in the Philippines failed miserably to lead the nation to progress and stability.
Watch Obama’s inauguration, again. And weep.
Weep, Phil Manila? But why? Is not Barack Obama proof positive of what democracy can do? America was just as bad, if not worse than the Philippines around the time of Tamany Hall. It’s hard to believe but it’s true. And it was an inhuman Hell around the time Abe Lincoln showed up.
Now I guess you must mean, to weep with envy. Better we wept with a fresh resolve to end a long forebearance that has dissolved into pusillanimous acquiescence.
DJB @ Jan. 21st, 2009 8:33 am:
Assurance of peaceful transition of power is not the responsibility of GMA alone. It was the SCORP which made EDSA DOS transition of power constitutionally revolting. Constitutional perversion though literally peaceful is euphemestically bloody from the concept of constitutionalism and civilized government.
But I would my end my wailing about the constitutional perversion of the SCORP and consider GMA a de facto President because her government was recognized by the bureuracry and by other nations, and we the people did not do anything to dislodge her from power, either by brute force or by challenging the SCORP on the matter.
And quite frankly, between ERAP and GMA i would choose GMA, between FPJ and GMA i would choose GMA. In the island of the blinds, my professor used to say, the cross-eyed is the king.
Please tell me among the wannabes whom you think will be good enough for the country?
Jcc,
Who will be good enough for the country? I believe it has to be someone the common people love, who has maybe learned his lesson, as they have theirs. I say this because nothing can actually happen unless the people themselves move to change things. I think Erap is good enough, because the people still love him and would easily–EASILY–elect him President again.
Personally he may be a stinker, but I believe that of all the possible candidates that could win in 2010, only Erap would lead a proper investigation, prosecution and punishment of all the nasty crimes that have been committed under GMA. It cannot be that all these issues are a bunch of political noise. There is too much evidence already of plunder in such things as the Comelec ACM fiasco and the Fertilizer Fund Scam, the Garci Tapes…it’s a long litany and my strength fails…
If those responsible are not punished and brought to justice the Rule of Law will remain a beggar and it won’t matter who the President is. Evil will reign unchallenged.
The Audacity of Empire continues. Don’t you love it.
Empire through the ages started out with brutal hard power. Then the competition amongst empires forced them into soft power formats. Now empire has to remake itself to smart power to survive.
The world has changed. The U.S. banking system much like the old Soviet Empire is bankrupt.
It will either have to repudiate its foreign debts owed to sovereign wealth funds or continue to borrow from foreign countries to prop up their economy.
In the early 30′s FDR unilaterally reneged on U.S. debt when he increased the price of Gold that backed up the U.S. dollar and banned the private ownership of gold bullion. That was necessary as all previous debt papers issued by the U.S. treasury were denominated and convertible into gold. When he raised the dollar price of gold ($20 to $34) effectively devaluing the U.S. dollar creditors were shortchanged. FDR got Congress to pass a law revoking the promise to redeem U.S. debt in gold bullion.
That was the greatest unilateral confiscation of wealth in the U.S. That is the reason libertarians call FDR to this day a communist.
The U.S. Empire is in the process of remaking and reinventing itself in the midst of the challenges to its economic power in the world.
Here in the Philippines the house slaves (overseers) of empire continue their deference to the master and will strive to keep the slaves on the plantation.
The countries with the surplus are being asked to continue lending to the U.S. or else risk losing their monies already lent to the U.S. government and U.S. financial institutions that are insolvent. The total equity base of these institutions is only $1.4 trillion. The toxic assets could be in the $3-4 trillion level. The longer the crisis goes on the higher the figure will go to.
They cannot cover the collapse in asset prices.
There are only three scenarios that can happen.
The present crisis is not resolved and foreign countries continue to lend money to the U.S.
The world monetizes currency back into gold at anywhere from $500 to $700 an ounce or
Direct nationalization and/or the U.S. government creates a SPAV where all toxic assets can be transferred at $0.20-0.30 to the dollar and the banks can then recapitalize. However stockholders then would have to take a haircut.
Those assets then hopefully sometime in the future – 5-10 years could appreciate once again.
The betting is that Obama and his merry crew will simply kick the can down the road.
For ordinary people with some savings move to physical assets house and lot (paid up) and keep funds in secure money markets (cash)up to insured limits and gold.
If one lives and intends to die in the Philippines keep it in pesos.
If one intends to live and die in the U.S. keep it in the U.S.
Phil Manila
The Philippines was the FIRST of the USA’s colonial experiments. The second was Puerto Rico, third was Guam and the fourth is the CNMI, Palau, Micronesia and the Marshalls.
Puerto Rico is in limbo. It can’t be a Estado Libre associado forever and get to eat Mom’s apple pie. It either has to join the Union or be independent. It is only independent in sports and in the Miss Universe pageant.
Guam is likely to become a commonwealth but with powers similar to any US state. The Marshalls, Palau and Micronesia are independent, fully sovereign but are in compact with the US.
The CNMI is a US Commonwealth and like Quezon’s Commonwealth, had powers over immigration and labor. The Federal government recently took away the CNMI powers over immigration over issues of white slavery and corruption.
The Philippines is much better than the CNMI.
DJB
Historians could probably write that the Bush administration was really a diarchy. There is a bit of truth in your statement that Cheney was a most dangerous veep. He was more than a spare tire. BTW, we don’t keep our spare tires in an undisclosed secret location everytime we have a flat!
jcc
Again you are dead wrong. Several sectors of the Pinoy body politic did something to get GMA dethroned. We call these impeachment complaints!
You have the right to choose GMA over ERAP or a stray dog for that matter. However if conscience has to be upheld, you have to make the choice through that “horrible moral squint” exemplified in Bolt’s Man for All Seasons.