Thursday, April 7, 2016

Only peasants

APRIL 1 was just another day for President BS Aquino III.

Per the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines – supplemented here with our comments – the BS was:

1)     in a meeting with local leaders and the community in Kawit, Cavite trumpeting the purported progress his daang matuwid effected for the Philippines and pushing for its continuity only with a Roxas-Robredo victory;

2)     turning over a new school building at the Carmona (Cavite) Elementary School and launching the shared-service facility for the garment industry of Carmona, again straining his voice hoarser with his self-proclaimed achievements;

3)     in Mandaluyong City, speaking at the Center for Community Transformation, once more coughing out his litany of accomplishments not only contributing to but verily causing the development of the nation.

Crowed presidential loudspeaker Manuel Quezon III: “At all these events, the President emphasized our country’s complete turnaround since 2010, and reiterated the danger of straying from the Straight Path. After all, there is no assurance that a leader not committed to Daang Matuwid would continue the reforms initiated by President Aquino. Under an inexperienced, corrupt, or reckless leader, there remains a strong risk that crucial programs like the 4Ps and PhilHealth, for example, would fall by the wayside. Keeping this in mind, let us discern well the principles and platforms of our candidates, and vote for a more progressive future for all Filipinos.”

Discernment, yeah.

Discerned, so we did, the full meaning of the day – All Fools’ Day – impacted on the BS himself as the police – a company of which in full battle gear – engaged in some virtual turkey shoot of hunger-fueled angry farmers protesting government inaction and indifference to their sorry plight arising from the devastating effects of the El Nino phenomenon.

Three farmers are reported to have been killed, scores injured. The cops have also their casualties.

‘Asan ang Presidente?


Reverberating anew the collective cry of the nation in the aftermath of the Mamasapano Massacre of the SAF 44.

Even as the presidential pretenders were quick to seize the Kidapawan tragedy and squeeze some prized media mileage out of it, there was, and still is, no BS voicing whatever take he has of the carnage.

Maybe, the BS found his minions sufficient and capable enough to do the doing for him, if only in the exercise of their vocal chords.  

Thus, presidential loudmouth Edwin Lacierda: “Have you realized who can summon thousands of farmers from outside North Cotabato and linger there for several days? Who feeds them on a daily basis? What was promised to them that they would travel outside their province to descend upon North Cotabato?”

Convinced in his conclusion: “The leftists have been at this game for the longest time.”

The red herring thrown there. Causa finite est. The government closed its case.

Notwithstanding Quezon III: “First of all, I believe it is fair for all of us to expect and require thorough, impartial investigation. There is no reason why people must die in order to be asking for assistance from their own government.”

What with the “killer-cops” peremptorily proclaimed as heroes befitting medals from Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Sarmiento himself.

Maybe, the BS is just being true to the core of his character. No, not the wide-mouthed Noynoying fiddler – in the context of a person engaged in fiddling, meaning “expending energy on something useless or misguided,” rather than the violin player – but the haciendero he was born to be and the heredero he was bred into.

As East is East and West is West, so too shan’t the twain of the landgrabber and the landgrabbed ever meet.

Class struggle, it is called. In fact, it is the “history of all hitherto existing society,” as that bearded prophet famously said it.

Bloody class struggle, of lord and serf, as proven repeatedly in the massacres of impoverished campesinos in Mendiola in 1987, at the Hacienda Luisita in 2004, and in Kidapawan only this April 1. All perpetrated in the name of, if not by, Cojuangco-Aquino.

Rings anew the song of the peasants of yore: Bangon sa pagkakagupiling, Bangon, kauring alipin…Buhay, dugo’y puhunanin, Tanikala ay lagutin…




No comments:

Post a Comment