Hope EDSA celebration is not a confrontation

The truth about all past EDSA celebrations is that it is very difficult to even get an audience or a crowd to attend the occasion. Sometimes the organizers even have to transport a paid audience to attend the celebration, but after they are taken to the stage, they don’t bother to stay and hear the speeches. Now 10,000 policemen and three battalions of soldiers have been assigned just to ensure that the celebration will be peaceful. This is because there are groups that want to turn the celebration into a confrontation.

Deposed President Estrada, for example, still maintains that he is the lawful president of the country. Erap loyalists may take advantage of the situation to call attention that he still has followers. But the more dangerous groups will be the Abu Sayyaf and Nur Misuari followers in Manila. We sincerely believe that, perhaps, it will be better if the EDSA 2 celebration is just called off. The most important element for peace and progress is peace and order. Sad to say, that is what is lacking, not only in this country, but in the whole world.

Yesterday, the report from Jolo, Sulu was about a "miscounter" between Philippine Marines and the local police against one of the rebel Muslim groups. So, we really do not have reasons to celebrate. What we must do is: first, enforce law and order; second, embark on a program to alleviate and eradicate poverty.

If the planned EDSA celebration turns not only into a confrontation between opposing groups, it will be a major setback. And knowing how terrorist groups are operating world-wide, all it will take is for one provocateur to infiltrate the "celebration" and launch a grenade or a bomb. Just the worldwide publicity of such an event will drive foreign investors from the country.

The truth is that people find it hard – if not impossible – to celebrate anything today. Many people could not celebrate Christmas as they had no money whatsoever to celebrate with. The Christmas festivities only served to draw more attention to their plight. EDSA II deposed Erap. Plunder may have ceased, but we have yet to solve our economic problems and in the meantime peace and order further deteriorated. As we said earlier, this is true of the whole world.

The first step in solving any problem is to recognize the problem. Let us not celebrate EDSA II. Instead, let us all work together so that there will never be any need of another EDSA.