The coup
(Herman Tiu Laurel / DieHard III / The Daily Tribune / 02-18-2015 WED)
It was an open secret since early 2014: Some bishops, together with political, media, and retired military figures associated with the previous regime started a call to oust BS Aquino III. The bishops had a litany of issues--the reproductive health (RH) law was one; but the massive Janet Lim-Napoles (remember her?) pork barrel funds scam certainly took the cake.
The attendant blackmail of Napoles by the National Bureau of Investigation soon morphed into a Malacañang cover-up. The principal suspect’s “surrender” was arranged, with Mar Roxas chauffeuring his “Ma’am” to meet (with a warning to cooperate) with BS Aquino. Then, the “Million Man” march followed.
Catholic Church notables led rallies at the Luneta. But the backlash against Aquino exploded when Sen. Jinggoy Estrada exposed the trillion-peso presidential pork (confirmed by former National Treasurer Liling Briones) called the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
The crescendo reached its loudest when Napoles wrote a letter, channeled through the bishops and read at the Club Filipino in mid-2014, where she pinned Aquino’s Budget Secretary Butch Abad as the biggest DAP-porker in the land. From there, the clergy-led National Transformation Council (NTC) evolved.
From having attended an NTC meeting and reading its papers, I had quite a few misgivings about the group. It said its leadership would remain confidential--which is certainly starting on the wrong foot. Moreover, what is NTC’s stand on power, water and public transportation rates abuse by the oligarchs? I haven’t heard any answers. Still, I egged it on since the more dissent, the better to shake up the demonstrably corrupt and oppressive system and its rulers.
The NTC was far from being alone. Other crusaders revolved around the MRT/LRT fare and water rate hikes, the power rate abuses, the Smartmatic-PCOS Comelec scandals, and other issues. The whirlwinds were there even when there was no eye to the storm.
But the Jan. 25 Mamasapano Massacre changed all that. The horrific killings and the rage against the treasonous Malacañang tenant’s cowardly acts raised a maelstrom against BS Aquino. In a flash, his history of fiascos welled up in the memory of the nation--from his insane Executive Order No. 1 to the Luneta Massacre, to his presidential pork scandal as well as intractable poverty and unemployment, and endless rising costs of living. Thus, when the gallant SAF (Special Action Forces) 44 were slaughtered at the altar of BS Aquino’s BangsaMoro Basic Law obsession, all hell broke loose. The little whirlwinds of dissent fueled and fired by a nation’s revulsion gathered a storm against him, which some saw as the winds of Jericho.
Great political storms have gathered before: Edsa III almost toppled the walls of Gloria Arroyo’s Jericho. That great storm had mighty elders of another church and a lay religious movement as well but did not draw in the nation’s men-of-arms nor the winds from the West that once blew phantoms (such as the 1989 coup) to snuff out the fires of rebellion from those men-of-arms.
It remains to be seen if the maelstrom today can draw in the forces to gather enough momentum to sweep away the Tower of Babel that Malacañang has become. The completed coups, in 1986 and 2001, disguised as “People Power,” had both elements joined in.
Past failed coup attempts (1987, 2003, 2006, and 2007) had varying shades of “people power” configurations but failed to muster the military’s commitment or the blessings of the Western Lord of the Winds.
The present effort at a coup is, at this stage, still trying to draw in the military while hoping to create a fait accompli for the Western power to abandon Aquino. Groups of young officers are being courted but consensus is not easy.
The NTC avoids what it perceives as “trapo” politics, hence its “resign all” call. Disgruntled presidential uncle Peping Cojuangco shuttles between factions and young officers. Sen. Antonio Trillanes disrupts what he sees as pro-coup consolidation by calling out former National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales. The principled Left initiates its own moves to contribute to the gathering storm. But while there’s no legal alternative, much as Arroyo was for Edsa II, coupled with a nonchalant US Embassy, the military will be hard put to consolidate any putsch.
Aquino’s credibility is zilch. Many Filipinos would certainly be happy to see a new “people power” push through. But two presidential ousters only had them thrown from the frying pan to the fire and then the fiery coals.
People are now both wary and weary of “instant revolutions” that show no demonstrably capable leadership and program of reforms beyond motherhood statements. The people themselves, too, have much to learn, no thanks to their dumbing down by mainstream media.
The people must rise from being sheep to becoming critical human beings. After all, the best teachers have been the pains of the failed promises of Edsa I and the Aquinos.
(Listen to Sulô ng Pilipino, 1098 AM, dwAD, Tuesday to Friday, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; watch GNN Talk News TV with HTL on Destiny Cable Channel 8, SkyCable Channel 213, and www.gnntv-asia.com, Saturday, 8 p.m. and replay Sunday, 8 a.m.; search You Tube Talk News TV Feb 14 2015; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com; and text reactions to 0917-8658664)
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