Trillanes and company did it again. For whatever reasons, the government neither had the foresight nor the skill to stop them.
I was third year in college when Trillanes and company stormed Oakwood and laid bombs all over the place to make a plea against corruption in government. It was a weekend and I spent the entire day following the developments (like a true-blue journ geek).
Four years later, I am now on my third year in law school, Trillanes and company walked out of a court hearing, marched their way to the Manila Peninsula, held their ground armed with high-powered rifles, until the military came, rammed a tank into the hotel lobby and fired tear gas on everyone.
How did it happen again? That’s just one of the questions. How, in the first place, could the rebel soldiers walk out of a hearing just like that? Didn’t they have security personnel with them? Were they not supposed to be on tight security, knowing fully well what they’re capable of? Where did they get the firearms? And the red armbands? It must have certainly been well-planned. How else to explain the presence of Guingona and other civil society figures?
Now, the Magdalo group is back in custody. Surprisingly, even members of the media have been arrested (I heard my college prof criticizing treatment of the media). There’s a curfew and a gun ban. What’s next?
If I’m malicious-minded, I’ll probably think this is all just a play. You think Trillanes hates GMA so much? I don’t think so. They’re probably lovers. You know, Trillanes plays bad guy so GMA would have reasons to impose Martial Law and they could rule the Philippines forever (insert evil laugh).
But I’m too goody-goody to think of that. Nah, it’s too impossible. Trillanes must really be a well-principled guy who happened to express his views in the wrong venue (then again, who am I say what’s the right venue?). GMA must really be this kapit-tuko president who has weathered several coup attempts and who has managed to stay in power because she’s brilliant (see, the economy?).
Frankly, I don’t know what to think anymore. Call me jaded, but how else should I react? Something tells me though that when history repeats itself, that means you haven’t learned the lesson.
Four years after Magdalo sieged Oakwood, they’re at it again, making the same pleas. Nothing much has changed since then. And you wonder why.
Sadly, people don’t seem to care. At all.
I don’t know what Trillanes was thinking this morning. Nothing happened the first time, why do it again? Did he really think people’s minds have changed?
Perhaps Trillanes was sending another message. He’s already in prison, yet he still managed to restage what he did four years ago, sans the help of grenades and bombs. What else could he possibly do? What could he not do? Matakot ka na Gloria!
Or maybe he was just trying to make our lives exciting. It was quite a spectacle, don’t you think? Another political turmoil and we’re back in the map of the world. We’re on cnn, bbc and al jazeera (never mind fox)! Ooo, how exciting.
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Was glad to see some familiar faces among the media people covering the Manila Pen standoff. Saw Julie, a college blockmate who’s a reporter for the Inquirer, running after Trillanes (what an exercise it must have been). Also saw DJ, a classmate in college who also works for the Inquirer, just outside the bus which brought reporters to Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan (I wonder if he was hauled off to Bicutan, too). I could imagine Kate and Cy doing last minute research at the PDI office in Makati, and Hannah must really be busy at the GMA newsroom. Iris most likely will have a long night tonight at Saksi. Glenn would have his story for Kyodo of course. I’m sure Paul and Nherz will have the showbiz angle over at PEP. Many other brave souls are working hard to keep us, the public, informed, mabasa man ng ulan, matapunan man ng tear gas, makulong man sa Camp Bagong Diwa. Great job guys, I am proud of you. What a noble job indeed.
Times like these I regret having gone to law school. I could’ve been there, right where the action is, telling everyone the story. I don’t even need to see my name on print, or be seen on tv; it’s enough to be there and to be able to tell my grandchildren later on that on this date, at this time, I was there, I saw history unfold right before my own eyes. walter cronkite over justice brandeis, any time.
Where was I today? I was at home trying to finish my readings for a subject on local government. Then I left for school only to find out an hour later that our prof isn’t coming. How very exciting.
On second thought, law school is exciting. You’ve got profs giving 5’s like no one’s studying (uy, bitter), good guys getting booted out of law school just because they’re too good to forum shop (jump from one class to another to choose profs) while others are making a career out of it, and of course, professors bickering over the deanship issue—perfect stuff for campus chismis.
Hmmm, why not put up a tabloid in law? Everyone’s talking about chismis anyway. Why not set the record straight in a tabloid? That way, professors and students alike will have a forum to express their views on who should be dean, or on whatever issue, so they need not post them on the walls of Malcolm or on their blogs. That way, both sides of the issue will be presented—front, left, right, back and center included. That way, information will be double-checked and inaccuracies corrected. And of course, I’ll have something exciting to do. Hmmm…why not?
Now, if only I could think of a fitting name for my tabloid. Suggestions, anyone?
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cross-posted at: driven 2
