For all you know, some of the people who read Benign0s pieces come from a group of people who risked their lives in the 80s, or was part of the core group that launched the first Welgang Bayan which was replicated all over the country, former hardcore militants who are now in the mainstream.

A group that steadily conducted agit-prop campaigns to create the polarized politicized atmosphere leading to the fall of Marcos, but as history would have it, the oligarchs in sheep's clothing hijacked the process as the group was divided between pro and anti-boycott camps.

A sitting oligarch was replaced with another oligarch – and as of 2009, the oligarchs are back with a vengeance. Governance-wise, we are back to square 1, circa 1984.

All those pol-ed, nat-sit, planning-and-programming, arouse-organize-mobilize and ideological-political-organizational work, gone to naught.

Seeing the hubris that proliferates today, these same "vacuous minds" are second guessing themselves. It is frustrating, disappointing, and totally disgusting. Perhaps, the flipazz isn't worth dying for – but worth SMACKING.

Civil society is composed of the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society as opposed to the force-backed structures of a state (regardless of that state's political system) and commercial institutions of the market.

Civil societies are often populated by organizations such as:

* registered charities
* development non-governmental organizations
* community groups
* women's organizations
* faith-based organizations
* professional associations
* trade unions
* self-help groups
* social movements
* business associations
* coalitions and
* advocacy groups

Marx further argued that "civil society" and the state as the executive arms of the bourgeoisie, therefore, both should be withered away.

****

"Civil society", in the Philippine context refers to the very-slightly-right-of center; centrist; and very-slightly-left-of-center organizations whose members are made up of steak commandoes and paper tigers, the oxymoron called "intelligentsia" that continuous to be dominated by Padre Damaso's lapdogs. Though, for the Erap-oriented instiutions – I prefer to use "jolog groupies" as in starstruck ignoramuses.

It is this same "civil society" that has provided the apology for Arroyo's controversial administration under the guise that the alternative, an Estrada comeback, is worse.

Cory Aquino and Erap Estrada are used in the same sentence as civil society because they both headed, influenced, swayed, cajoled, and bullied "civic societies" to follow the respective agendas of the oligarch Aquinos and the populist thug Estrada.

The respective leaders of the "civil society" groups often brandish their "hotline connections" – to the powers that be. And of course, the powers-that-be remind the talking heads of "civil society" that for a sustainable "hotline" or to remain "astig", "sikat", "in the loop", the talking heads must toe the line of the powers that be. Such a relationship is anything but "civil" but sure smacks of patronage politics.

Which kinda gives you an indication whether there is intelligence in the "intellegentsia" that make up "civic society". Ika nga – Pigs of the same rind, waddle in the same pigsty together.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/coldpassion/pig.gif">

I thought that "TRUTH SETS YOU FREE" as long as it's not on me … HA!HA!HA!HA!HA! Let's get real Flips … TRUTH IS VERY SCARCE IN THE FLIPSIDE …. From ZTE to Fertilizer … NO TRUTH CAME OUT OF IT because Flips hate truths …. HA!HA!HA!HA!

When the tsismosos and tsismosas reached to a critical point that they cannot be mowed down by mashine gone, the priests came out and hijacked it from the tsismosos and tismossas and vendors and called it Miracle at EDSA.

Big businesses not to be outdone came out in force with the tisoys and tisays and june keithley as their spokeswoman and called it politically as EDSA REVOLUTION.

Then the environmentalists and flower people came to roost in EDSA, too. They called it PEOPLE POWER … whatever ….

Now that, caffeinesparks, I hope, should douse a pail of ice water on benigno's head, heheh.

That's more than the personalities our newspapers like to pick up on.

Then you can differentiate between those who have the capacity and leisure to indulge in civic duties and those too busy surviving day to day.

I wouldn't fault those who belong to the latter group for not having anything constructive to do or say.

Now those who belong to the first group but have nothing at all useful to do or say, what a shame.