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Quest for substantive change
DEPENDING on which side of the political fence you’re standing, Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was a martyr, a villain, or a political opportunist. On this day in 1983 under the Marcos dictatorship, he was assassinated at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport.
The assassination sparked sustained nationwide outrage, forcing human rights violator Ferdinand Marcos to call for a snap presidential election three years after. But the election was rigged, resulting to millions of Filipinos protesting on the streets and eventually driving the dictator out of the country.
The Agrava Board that conducted an investigation concluded that the Aquino assassination was a military conspiracy. No, Ninoy did not die of a self-inflicted wound as averred by some “careless whisperers”; that is “chika patalang” by people with hidden agenda (read: deliberate misinformation). Take it from our columnist Runji Jamolo. Read her column today, “Labay Man Akon” on page 10.
But 30 years after the people’s victory to overthrow the Marcos fascist and kleptocratic regime and six succeeding administrations later, the same unjust social structures persist. Administration after administration harped on the wrongs of the preceding regime to cover up essentially the same oppressive and exploitative system they perpetuate. The masses, anesthetized for a second after Edsa, have awakened to the same harsh realities, unchanged by the promises and hopes of Edsa.
Administrations that followed the Marcos dictatorship – including the two Aquino governments, ironically – failed to sustain the people’s victory and fulfill their hopes. Unemployment, landlessness, illegal drugs, corruption, dwindling social services, low wages and pensions that could not cope with the continued spiraling of prices of basic commodities, criminal negligence of victims of disasters, high cost of education and a lot more debacles characterize the series of governments after Edsa.
Realization from experience is the real catalyst. Clearly, a change in leadership or administration is not enough. No substantive change will occur for as long as the great majority remains in their dire plight. If anything, the great upheaval that followed Ninoy Aquino’s assassination teaches us that only the collective and decisive action of a determined people – not our self-absorbed leaders – can reverse the oppressive and exploitative system we are all in and bring about genuine change.
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