Spirit of EDSA II - JAYWALKER by Art A. Borjal

The People’s Power Revolution of EDSA 2 might have passed away, but its spirit remains. You can see EDSA II’s spirit from the close scrutiny being given by the public, through the power of media and information technology, to every appointment being made by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to her Cabinet. You can see it from the demand of concerned sectors involved in EDSA 2 that the gains of People’s Power not be dissipated again, through indifference and apathy. And you will see it from the continued vigilance of media in keeping watch over the actuations of the new power holders.

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The people have found power, and how to exploit it fully, through media. No one is no longer afraid to voice out his thoughts and sentiments on issues that matter to him, his family, the community, and the nation. No one will be intimidated – and those in the corridors of power are forewarned that a new People’s Power can erupt a third time, if the people’s expectations are betrayed and dashed to pieces.

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The new appointees who have suddenly found themselves at centerstage because of allegations against their integrity and honor have a way of showing their patriotism. How? By offering to resign, instead of hacking it – and before pieces of evidence are unearthed and presented, again through media, for public scrutiny. They must cut, and cut cleanly, if they are really sincere in their desire to help President Macapagal-Arroyo.

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Remember what happened after United States President George Bush nominated Linda Chavez to be his Secretary of Labor? Allegations were aired about certain improprieties and wrongdoings committed by the Cabinet nominee. What did Chavez do? She was persuaded to decline the nomination, instead of waiting for a bloodletting to take place at the US Senate confirmation hearings. That gave President Bush a graceful way out of the dilemma that confronted him and his new administration.

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President Macapagal-Arroyo has gotten some flak, particularly from Sen. Blas F. Ople, one of the 11 senators who voted to deny the public the right to know what the second bank envelope contained, for her designation of special envoys to various countries of the world on "special missions." According to former Ambassador Rodolfo A. Arizala, who is now a university consultant in Santiago, Chile, there is nothing wrong and nothing new with the sending of "special missions." He says that the practice is authorized by the 1969 UN Convention on Special Missions. The Philippines is a signatory to this UN Convention.

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The special envoys designated by GMA are men of impeccable integrity and of the highest stature. Alfonso Yuchengco, Roberto Romulo, and Rizalino Navarro are, for instance, respected personages that can make the country proud and can truly enhance our international image. So, what is all the fuss about their appointment as "special envoys"?

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Here is a little human interest item about one guy in the circle of President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo: Renato "Rene" Corona. I do not recall ever having personally met Rene before, but his older brother Arturo, nicknamed Art, was one of my closest friends at the Ateneo de Manila. That was the time when Ateneo at Loyola Heights seemed to be just a handful of classrooms, a campus where everybody knew everybody.

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Art and I became buddies, mainly because his father, who was then one of the top officials of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, was a good friend of my mother, then an employee of the BIR. My mother would tell me that Atty. Corona (Art’s and Rene’s father) was one of the most honest officials of the BIR.

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I remember that the Corona family’s residence at that time was in a street that was then known as Herran, somewhere in Pandacan. For many years, they stayed there in that simple house. There was nothing lavish about that house, an old two-story wooden structure whose coat of paint must have peeled off decades ago. That must have been 40 years ago when I last saw the Corona family’s house. And after Art’s and Rene’s father died, I think Art continued to stay there, in old Herran.

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Simplicity, humility and integrity – those were qualities that I knew the Corona family had plenty of, during the many years that Art and I were buddies at the Ateneo de Manila. I do not know what Art is doing now; I have not seen him for ages. But I am sure that he and his kin are still imbued with those treasured traits that I saw, way, way back when delicadeza was still in vogue in Philippine society.

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Here are excerpts from letters I received during the past several days:

Mau Aguirre, 27 Winston St., PNB Village, Fairview, Quezon City: "Now that the rallies are over and the anti-Erap groups have gotten what they were clamoring for, it is time to start picking up the broken pieces in our economy and in our morality, and trying to put them back together. As the popular song of Jamie Rivera goes, Let’s heal our land."

Fr. Sanny Y. Sanedrin: "Morning has broken indeed! Mabuhay ka at ang Philippine media. Napakahalaga ng inyong role sa People Power II. Mabuhay ang Pilipino!"

Willie Vicedo, 22432 Fries Avenue, Carson, California, USA: "I hope that the Arroyo administration will not have the same fate as Cory Aquino’s which experienced numerous coup attempts. The military and the people should wait and see whether this administration will work for the welfare of the people and not a chosen few."

R. Gonzales: "The true color of our fellowmen is showing: bad-mouthing one another to get a coveted position."

Francisco Almonte: "Trapos should not be given employment by Malacañang."

Celso Manuel Alincastre: "I am an employee of Equitable PCIBank. Please help our bank by appealing to your readers to continue placing their trust and support on us."

Jorge V. Diaz: "You inadvertently offended the people of Catanduanes when you published the letter of Al Manlangit describing Catanduanes as a miserable jungle hinterland in his censure of Francisco Tatad. I agree that Mr. Tatad is despicable as he, but to characterize my province as Mr. Manlangit wrote is unfair. We in Catanduanes live in a house, not on a tree. Our staple food is rice, not banana. We wear well-knit cotton clothes, not banana bark. We drive cars and use cellphones, too."

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My e-mail address: <[email protected]>