Mariano Carrasco
THIS early, we are hearing of “package” offers for straight voting amounting to P 3,000 to P 5,000—from the presidential down to the level of councilors. We have reliable sources.
This could become the most expensive and corrupt election ever. We have it from reliable sources that the political party is being supported by Ayala, |Araneta, and American money. After all, its local mayoral candidate has expressed support for the use of Lumbia under Edca, meaning he would accept the use of Lumbia as military facility for American military forces and missiles. That certainly will put Lumbia and the city in the crosshair of the Chinese and Russian nuclear missiles in the event of war against the Americans. As appearing in the Inquirer, the other two mayoral candidates have expressed opposition to the use of Lumbia as facility for American military forces because it will endanger the lives of the Cagayan de Oro residents and violates our sovereignty.
Back in the 1940s, the American military forces were already here in the Philippines, and they could even hardly protect us effectively from the Japanese military forces. MacArthur and his group abandoned Corregidor and simply gave the Filipinos his stupid promise that he will return, of course, after almost half a million Filipinos have died and our cities have become devastated. Cagayan de Oro City was among those bombed and strafed by the Japanese, and most of the residents evacuated to the hills. With equally superior technology, unhampered by the limits imposed under copyright and patent laws under the American system, the Chinese and Russians have developed military weapons and nuclear technology which the Americans cannot belittle. Combined, Russia and China have more nuclear weapons or missiles than the Americans. It would be foolhardy of us to think that the presence of the American military forces here would help us prevent a counter-attack or an attack by Russia and China.
Now, why should the Sangley Airforce base in Cavite be relocated here in Lumbia to serve as military facility for the American forces? No sufficient reason has been given. I could theorize that the Cavitenos, where Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the collaborator of the Americans who caused the assassination of Andres Bonifacio and Gen. Antonio Luna comes from, want to be safe from war. Or why not relocate the Sangley Airforce base to Palawan which is not as populated as Cagayan de Oro so they will directly face the Chinese missiles, if the purpose is to defend our country from Chinese aggression?
In the Internet, I have seen the pictures of hundreds or thousands of Filipino revolutionaries massacred, hanged, and tortured by the American forces during the Philippine-American war from 1898 to 1901. They succeeded in subjugating and conquering us, and now, they want to fool us into believing that we must resist Chinese aggression by allowing them to use Lumbia for purposes of Edca. Or, are we that stupid? Should we allow Lumbia and the city to be used as a defense wall, nuclear wall or magnet in the event of war? That is the question that you will vote on. You decide. But my wife, a candidate for the second congressional district, an independent and the only woman candidate of the six, will certainly oppose the use of Lumbia as Edca military base. Against the power and influence of the Ayalas, Aranetas and Americans, she and others opposed to the use of Lumbia for Edca, can only pray for the enlightened vote of the Cagayanons.
(Mariano B. Carrasco is a lawyer based in Cagayan de Oro.)
