The Late President Corazon Aquino and the Dying Philippine Democracy

To be quite honest with all of you, I have not been a fan of democracy in the Philippines. I believe that democracy is only suited for disciplined and logical people who have minds of their own. Contrary to popular belief, democracy is not for everyone. I mean, how long have we been a democratic country? Has anything changed for the better? With democracy, people think they have the right to scream at the top of their lungs wailing for the incumbent to step down when they themselves have done nothing to serve our country. In my opinion, marching down the crowded streets of Manila and burning effigies is not a service to our country but a disservice.
Wasting money for materials and food for something that would only cause traffic and negative impressions is not aimed to uplift our nation but it is designed for the opposite reaction. It might have worked in the past, but things are different now. We should be helpful for our country. And my dear ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry to point this out to you, those rallies and pickets do nothing but cause traffic and shame to our country. Not everything can be solved by this method..not anymore.

I wasn't born at the time of the EDSA Revolution. However from the stories of my predecessors, I felt that it was a thing of grandeur...it was like one of my fairy tales. I grew up envying my brother for being able to participate in such a wondrous event. I wasn't even conceived yet at that time but when they were talking about it, I thought that I was part of that revolution. Cory Aquino was like a hero to me...an icon that I looked up to. She, for me, was the epitome of the woman I wanted to be. No, I do not want to be a politician, nor a politician's wife. But I wanted to be a person of influence and a symbol of hope and justice. As time went on, and I was educated on various things from the classrooms and from the news, my view of democracy and what she fought for changed. Although my opinion of her bravery and strength would never change, my belief in the system that she fought for waned.

Democracy is a thing of beauty, I must admit. However something so beautiful should be taken cared of because like any other beautiful thing, it is fragile. The careless hands of the Filipino people has broken democracy. A presidential system is not working for us, however I do not think that a parliamentary form of government would be any better. Our government is full of turncoats and kiss-asses that we would not be able to achieve anything. Sweet words and colorful promises poison the minds of the people, and unfortunately for us years of this trickery permeated the land we call the Philippines. I love our country, that is why I still blog about it and study it. The news depict our lives like it would be terrible to be a Filipino. With corruption and human rights violation cases thrown at the incumbent left and right, those who do not know any better is more prone to the virus called "political agenda." Before we call ourselves worthy of democracy, study our situation carefully; cross reference everything you hear and keep a discerning mind. Do not easily bite in to the propaganda of those people claiming to know where you are coming from because most of them have not even experienced what you did. Do not just take their word for it, because most of the time it is filled with deceit and hidden agendas. Do not just take my word for it, talk amongst yourselves and most especially those with conflicting opinions. Because that is where you can get information you never thought existed. Converse. Argue. Learn. then perhaps we can call ourselves worthy of the democracy that Cory and our parents fought for.

To the late president Corazon Aquino, I hope that someday we would be worthy of the legacy that you fought for. When the time comes that people can follow simple pedestrian and traffic rules, I think that is the time when we can proudly say: WE FOUGHT FOR DEMOCRACY.

DEMOCRACY=DISCIPLINE.