God's Wisdom

We like to make choices that will ultimately make us happy. We ask God in fervent prayer or in a distracted plea to take our side. Then one day He doesn’t agree with us and turns us down. Why? His judgment may disappoint us and cause us pain and discouragement but He turns out to be fair all the time.

In 1998, I grudgingly put my trust in Him and decided I couldn’t fight Him but must go with the flow of His judgment, believing that in His time I would be happy by letting Him lead me. I finished my doctorate degree, which landed me the job as president of the Philippine Public Safety College through President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It took me 12 years to discover His ways and that I was an instrument of God’s wisdom. Today I know why.

Now, I comprehend God’s plan. He wanted Noynoy to assume the large task of liberating our country. Return the country to the noble stature of the fairest Pearl of the Orient. Now I understand the reason for my choice to leave Tarlac’s governance. It was His decision through me because He wanted Noynoy to assume larger tasks, bigger than a province of more than a million residents — too small for a young man whose parents sacrificed the gift of life for our country’s freedom. He gave Noynoy victory as president to chart the future of almost 90 million Filipinos.

For the family, Tarlac has been the battlefield of intense debates, re-alignments, intrigues, competition, which could have been settled at a conference table, to clear the skies of dusty bagas that fall, dirtying and destroying our houses. Yap destroyed it with his mastery of black intrigue. He had served Ninoy, Peping and finally Danding, dependent on their political funds, pitting cousins against each other so that one midnight, he refused to run for governor, fearful the two Cojuangcos, Eduardo and Jose, would come to an agreement and dump him. I ended up filing my certificate of candidacy for governor against Henry. I fought fiercely, especially for the children and farmers, with the very organized machinery of Peping, the hacienda. And we won. The years brought me to two terms until Yap intrigued relatives all over and Henry and I were left without a position in Tarlac while the Yaps remained to govern the province. We gave up Tarlac to a follower whom Ninoy and Peping “fed” for some 50 years while he ascended to power.

Henry lost the governorship but today received his reward as the new Congressman of the first district of Tarlac, which Peping had previously occupied.

There have been similarities in the lives for us to compare and sift for ourselves the rights and wrongs in other lives and how fate entwines us. For example, that of Ferdinand Marcos and Benigno Aquino, who both defended themselves in court.

In December 1938, Mariano Marcos, his brother Pio, his son Ferdinand, and his brother-in-law Quirino Lizardo were prosecuted for the murder of Julio Nalundasan. Nalundasan had defeated Mariano Marcos twice for the National Assembly seat for Ilocos Norte. Nalundasan was killed in his house in Batac. Some say while brushing his teeth. Philippines Free Press in 1941 stated that the four conspired to assassinate Nalundasan with Ferdinand Marcos eventually killing him. 

The Marcoses were denied bail in mid-1939. Marcos defended himself in court and all were convicted. Ferdinand and Lizardo received the death penalty for premeditated murder. Mariano and Pio were found guilty of contempt of court. The Marcos family took their appeal to the Supreme Court. On October 22, 1940, the Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s decision and acquitted them of all charges but contempt.

Aquino was tried in Military Commission No. 2 headed by Major-General Jose Syjuco and was found guilty. Why? In 1972, using the excuse of an alleged assassination attempt against Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, Marcos declared martial law on Sept. 21. Later Secretary Ponce Enrile would admit the assassination attempt had been staged.

Ninoy was the first to be arrested and imprisoned on trumped-up charges of murder, illegal possession of firearms and subversion. Journalists, students and labor activists and criminals were arrested and detained at military compounds run by the army and the police. Newspapers were closed and mass media tightly controlled. Demonstrations, strikes and boycotts were outlawed. Marcos assumed absolute legislative power and Ninoy defended himself at the Army Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio where the Commission held court. 

He said, “I will not be represented by counsel. The prosecution can present its witnesses without any cross-examination. I will not put up a defense. I will remain passive and quiet through the entire trial and will merely await the verdict. In as much as it will be a completely one-sided affair, I suppose it is reasonable to expect that the maximum penalty will be given to me. I expect to be sentenced to imprisonment for the rest of my natural life, or possibly be sent to stand before a firing squad.”

On Nov. 25, 1977, the Commission found Aquino guilty of all charges and sentenced him to death by firing squad. “Guilty. Death by musketry,” I saw and heard General Syjuco say.

Meanwhile, human rights groups placed victims of extrajudicial killings numbering 3,257. Thirty-five thousand were tortured. Seventy thousand were incarcerated during those Marcos years. One hundred twenty thousand were arbitrarily arrested and detained. Seven hundred fifty-nine involuntarily disappeared, their bodies never found. Many were killed like Ninoy.

In due time, Marcos was removed through People Power. A joke that went around upon Marcos’s exile was that the pilot said to the Marcos party, “I shall take you to Paoay (Ilocos Norte).” They had misheard. In reality the pilot said “Hawaii.” After all, one American official described the Philippines as a country composed “of 40 million cowards and one son of a bitch.” 

It was likewise reported that, when Marcos fled, United States Customs agents discovered 24 suitcases of gold bricks and diamond jewelry hidden in diaper bags. In addition, certificates for gold bullion valued in the billions of dollars were allegedly among the personal properties he, his family, his cronies and business partners surreptitiously took with them when the Reagan administration provided them safe passage.

In a twist of fate, Ninoy went to America earlier for medical treatment and refuge. While there, he accepted engagements for university lectures to make the world aware of the Philippine plight, under martial law. He advocated the use of non-violence towards a repressive regime. 

The lives of two men — Marcos and Aquino — were brought together for us to treasure democracy.

Noynoy will fulfill Ninoy’s would-have-been destiny. Bongbong will be a senator. 

Their father’s roles have been reversed for their sons.