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The Speech I Want to Hear from Noynoy
bayanihan2010 | February 17, 2010 at 7:37 am | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/pOxxb-7
“My dear Fellow Filipinos,
Those who are campaigning against me have repeatedly asserted that leadership is earned, not inherited. I agree with them and I wish they would do more than mouth these words.
My friend Dick Gordon has repeatedly stated these words in every presidential debate. Yet sadly, in his native town in Olongapo, every Gordon was replaced by another Gordon. Thus, he may not have inherited his position, but he surely is passing it on to his heirs.
Manny Villar has said the same thing about me. But in his home town in Las Pinas, his wife is the current representative in Congress and will soon be replaced by their son. His brother in law is the Mayor and every other public official in that town is one way or the other related to them.
Truth is, every serious contender in this race, myself included, is a part of a political dynasty. And that is a national tragedy. I cannot and do not believe that with 80 million Filipinos, there are but a few families who could produce genuine leaders. Instead, I believe that our economic and political system has marginalized the majority of our people. It has so far prevented the true leaders from coming out. Precisely because our election processes are money driven, only those who control the economic system are allowed to become candidates. The true leaders, the nameless cooperative leaders who have selflessly promoted self help and genuine people power have no space in these elections. The same is true for leaders of farmers associations, of government workers’ unions leaders, of outstanding students and professionals, of true leaders who work with, and for the people.
But I am offering myself to you now, not as Ninoy’s son. I am offering myself to you now, not as Cory’s heir. I am offering myself to you now, because I have come to appreciate and understand the historical opportunity that you now see in my person.
People who assert that the Cory magic is gone have so far failed to understand what it is really all about. Hence, they claim, it has faded, or worse, that it will continue to fade. The Cory magic is not about Cory. It is about hope. It is not about Ninoy. It is about belief in our collective capacity to dream, and to do something about that dream. We did not stand up against tanks of the most feared dictator to save the person of Cory. We did so, and we did so bravely because we wanted to save the dream and the hope that Cory represented. And our hopes and dreams will never fade. We will never allow it to fade.
My mother, our dearest Cory, came at a historical moment when everything that happened to our family became a reminder of everything that each one of us experienced in the hands of a dictator.
Like most of the Filipinos, my father Ninoy, lost his freedom when martial law was declared. True, not all of us were incarcerated. But each one of us had our basic democratic rights stripped from us. We could no longer speak about what was in our hearts and minds. We were no longer allowed to think and analyze on our own. We could no longer go where we want, and when we want. We were not allowed to choose what we wanted to read, what we wanted to watch. We were not even allowed to watch VOLTES V! And so while the majority of our people were not behind bars, they too were like my father, stripped of their freedom.
When my father left for the States, he had to kowtow to the dictator and begged him to be allowed to go. Again, by historical accident, he came to represent a part of what the people were feeling. The Filipinos were willing to kowtow to the dictator, for a little freedom, for a little progress. We were all willing to take scraps from him for as long as we can maintain a little of our humanity. And so my father took some and he gained some freedom. But the dictator pressed on. And though he gave my father a little freedom, he showed his desire to strip him of his humanity. So pushed against the wall, my father decided to fight back. Unwittingly, he came to represent every Filipino who felt that they were slowly being stripped of their humanity. Unwittingly, Ninoy did what every other Filipino wanted to do -- fight back.
And so when he came back and was killed, the tragic incident showed us all that there was no hope under a dictatorship. In exchange for a little freedom, the dictator demanded complete submission. In exchange for little privileges, he wanted us to surrender our humanity. And to retain the very little that we had, we must fight back.
My mother became the symbol of our collective desire to fight back, not because of who she was, but because of where she found herself. Because of what the dictator did to my father, my mother found herself in a situation where she would either fade into oblivion or fight back. When she chose to fight, she reminded each and every one of us of our dreams, of our hope. And so we refused to let the dictator kill our dreams. He may have killed Ninoy, but Ninoy lived in our hearts, in our minds. And Cory became a symbol of that – the Filipinos refusal to let anyone kill our dreams.
Tragically, my mother failed to fully appreciate what she symbolized during her term. Probably because she was too busy fighting back the threats to her person, she unwittingly allowed the threats to our dreams grow and regain its strength.
Political opportunism began to re-appear and dynasties, old and new ones, re-emerged. Human rights violators became politicians, and politicians became human rights violators. And slowly, my mother’s administration became what it swore to oppose. And by the time her term ended, her so-called magic became a cover for corrupt politicians to regain their lost power.
To be candid, I only started to realize what she symbolized upon her death. When she died, the Filipino community remembered not what my mother did. They remembered what we, as a people, fought against. The words of the songs of her times came back to mind –
“Di na ako papayag, mawala kang muli.
Di na ako papayag, na muling mabawi.
Ating kalayaan kay tagal na minimithi...
Magkakapit bisig, libo libong tao
Kay sarap pala maging, Pilipino....”
Her death and the memories of our struggle made us look at our current reality. Amidst us are all the signs that all that we fought against are now back to rule us. Corruption, human rights violations, political dynasties, political opportunism, bureaucrat capitalism.
This was the historical accident I found myself in. Amidst the rampant corruption and human rights violation, our people were reminded of our struggle. At a time when all efforts to remove a fake, lying, cheating President have failed, our people were reminded of what we can do together. And because the Filipino people will never let their dreams die, they refused to let my mother Cory, die with her body.
I may have faltered as I began this campaign. I admit, I became more of them. I allowed political opportunism to dictate my choices. I failed to draw the line between good and evil. But the people will not let me forget. They have reminded me that once I stop being the symbol of good, I too will be condemned as evil.
And so I say, “Hindi ako magnanakaw” not as a promise, but as a commitment. But more importantly, I will add:
“ibabasura ko ang mga trapo!” All political opportunists, old and new, will find no room in my administration. Traditional political opportunists, even those integral to my campaign will never be a part of my administration. So, to those of you who are helping me in the hope that you will find a position in my cabinet I say now, go to Manny. Be one with your kin. Because the moment I gain the trust and confidence of the people, is the day I abandon all the trapo that is in me.
“Ipakukulong ko lahat ng nagkasala!” Sins have been committed against our nation. And as I stand here before you now, I can hear the hearts of the people shouting, "reconciliation based on justice!" So while I will exert every effort to reach out and unite all the sectors of society, unification will be based on principle, not political survival. I will prosecute every criminal, especially those who committed crimes under the cloak of official action.
“Ang tao ang tanging kapamilya ko!” Political dynasties must end. I admit, that would be a long and winding road. Laws preventing their emergence must be studied before they are passed. But I will begin the process now. No relative of mine will have a position in government. None of them will do business with the government. This will be without exemption. And no other relative of mine will run for public office. Not even if there are 20 million signatures supporting them.
I know doing all these will not solve our problems. But I am sure it will provide the space for people power to once again emerge and rule our land.
I have now come to realize that this campaign is not about me. This campaign is about our hopes and dreams. My victory is only incidental. And so I will lead this fight not so that I will become President. I will lead this fight so that you, my people, will finally become victorious. And I know now that this cannot end with the campaign period.
Let us instead use this campaign period to strengthen the people’s ranks. Let us give no space for politicians to deceive us. This is no ordinary campaign. It is an extra ordinary opportunity to call a spade a spade. Let us condemn all lying, cheating, and stealing politicians. Whether they are with me or against me, let us condemn them together. And let us ensure their defeat.
I am a mere symbol, and therefore your servant. I call on you not only to follow me, but rather to lead me. A large part of me is as trapo as Manny Villar or Gibo Teodoro and I can only rely on your steadfast commitment to reject all trapos, even those hidden within me.
Lead! And I will follow. Act, and I will be amongst you. Win, and hold on to the genuine people’s power.”
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Written by Atty. Roel Pulido.
credits: Xylle Amaro's Notes, Messages from the Bayanihan
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