32 years later

Netnet Camomot .

IF the 1986 People Power will have a new version, it will be called Pehpohl Werpa.

“Deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper/Sweeter and sweeter and sweeter and sweeter,” sings Madonna.

For the People Power commemoration last Sunday, however, the attendees were fewer and fewer and fewer and fewer. Could be not sweeter the 32nd time around as it felt its age—aching joints, bad back, recovering knees…

And with the present Philippine situation seemingly regressing back to what the 1986 People Power banished to Hawaii, even the aged brain would ask, Aha naman ang hustisya ani?

The yellows had it all then. They had their chance to shine for 30 years until right before the May 2016 election. “Nandoon na, nawala pa,” sings Ray-an Fuentes.

If ever I’ll quote another old song here, that simply means I’m older than the Edsa revolt. And, yup, I was there, guarding Channel 4 against tanks while a sniper was aiming at us.

A friend of mine loves to say, Long story short… So, that’s my long story short—guarding Channel 4 while the rest of the madlang pehpohl went to Edsa. One of those where-were-you stories.

And because the Edsa spirit didn’t last long, complete with a comeback of the late dictator’s family in 1991 when Tita Cory allowed them to return, Pinoys became skeptical and cynical again as they began to hear long—not short— stories on  graft and corruption still prevailing in some government agencies and offices. We could almost hear the French Narrator in SpongeBob SquarePants: Five years later…

But President Rody Duterte’s fans are saying he is the answer to our prayers. He will banish graft and corruption to Hawaii, er, somewhere out there. But of course excluding the former dictator’s family since they’re all kind of friends.

This friendship can be confusing. The Guinness Book of World Records listed the former dictator as the world’s biggest thief, which is of course the opposite of what the incumbent president stands for.

But if Tita Cory could allow the former dictator’s family to return to Pinas, President Duterte must be feeling the same way, too—you know, “forgive and forget,” as sang by Sharon Cuneta.

President Rody Duterte’s ability to forgive, forget, and move forward has him focusing on his current Dutertenomics mantra which is “Build, build, build.” There will be bridges, subways, airports, railways, trains.

And there’s also the bill, bill, bill. No, not bilbil—that’s fats. It’s the tax bill especially for the increased rates per the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train).

This is where Pinas is 32 years later. With a president called a dictator by his non-fans. With the media fearing the worst for press freedom. With the students of the University of the Philippines protesting again, as usual. Sounds too familiar to those old enough to remember the ’70s up to the mid-’80s.

It almost seems like nothing has changed. But then, we go to downtown Cagayan de Oro and we see so many changes. Forget about the traffic. Instead, switch to positive mode and through that you’ll see a new mall being constructed at Limketkai Center. Like as if the nearby Centrio, Gaisano, SM CDO Downtown Premier, and Limketkai Mall are not enough. Talk of healthy competition. Yay!

Add to that the condominiums—downtown CDO has at least five, I think uptown has four.

All these build, build, build are resulting to rapid changes in the city’s skyline.

The present scenario is not exactly the same as that of the ’70s and ’80s, and that may encourage Pinoys to be lax in guarding their rights.

But then, the president’s daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has formed a new political party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago Party.

And there’s the late dictator’s daughter Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos saying, “The electoral protest filed by Bongbong has not advanced so one of his other siblings may be forced to seek national office, like me.”

Hmmm. It’s 2018, it’s not the ’70s, not the ’80s, and yet… Tsk tsk. The most appropriate saying for Pinas must be this: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

Former President Fidel Ramos was the only Edsa hero present at last Sunday’s commemoration. His reenactment of the Edsa jump was supposedly not as high as it was in 1986. Well, he will be 90 years old next month, it’s probably time for Pinoys to stop requesting for that reenactment. Besides, that jump has been replaced by another jump—politicians hopping to the administration party.