Requiem for lovebirds

The Airport Quarantine and Customs officials were right, of course, to "destroy" those 353 cute lovebirds some importer tried to sneak into the country without the proper permits and clearances. The little birds had been flown in from the Netherlands via a "bird flu"-infected country’s airport, meaning Don Muang in Thailand. Safety first – for everyone, whether man, bird, or beast. That’s the rule.

Avian flu has already killed 19 persons in Thailand and Vietnam. What’s terrible, to boot, is the fact that it also kills millions of chickens, whether from infection, or owing to the fact that 50 million chickens have had to be slaughtered in countries affected, including Japan, and now Delaware in the United States, to prevent the spread of the disease.

Imagine the disastrous impact this has on the food resources of the world, and on the poultry-growers, many of them in poor countries, whose livelihoods have been devastated. The spread of "bird flu" and its political collateral damage illustrate as well how fickle is Dame Fortune. Only weeks ago, Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was riding high, at the peak of his success and popularity. Now he’s seen pathetically munching on chicken on television, in an effort to demonstrate to Thai consumers, turned off on chicken, that it’s "safe" to eat fowl, if correctly culled and cooked.

Politically, though, because he had hesitated to warn the populace of the outbreak of the disease, his own goose might be cooked.

With Valentine’s approaching, the lovebirds roasted at the airport will be missed. We’re all sorry for those condemned lovebirds, put to sleep and burned to a crisp. But, alas, when life-threatening viruses run riot, cute doesn’t cut it. Perhaps the eruption of SARS, mad cow, and avian flu is the revenge of Heaven. Man started tampering with genetics and dabbling in biological mischief – and this is what we’re now getting. Perhaps it’s time we learned to leave well enough alone.

* * *

Our friend, former Defense Secretary Fortunato U. Abat, who’s been pushing the "No-El" (No Elections) Movement, sent me a handwritten note declaring that FVR (former president Ramos) has "nothing to do" with the movement. He decried a front-page story in a Manila daily – not this one – which had alleged his honorary classmate, i.e. PMA ’51, had "berated" him for No-El.

"It’s a lie," Major General Abat fumed. "He never talked to me, which he promised to do after the Holidays."

Well, Tony, the Holidays have come and gone, unless FVR meant Valentine’s Day, which is next Saturday.

The general, referring to himself in his letter in the third person clarified: "Abat is not one who can influence people. It’s the Fourth Estate who can condition (hope I read his scribbles right – MVS) the hearts and minds of people." Thus, Abat said he had appealed to the Defense Press Corps "to push this movement whose objectives are to reform a corrupt political system and to renew values of our people toward national discipline. I said that if they believe in these objectives, then push it. If not, if they are for the perpetration of a corrupt system, if they believe in the anarchic attitudes of our people, then I can’t do anything. Perhaps political troubles, anarchy, or irresponsible democracy are good sellers for audio-visual and print media."

Gee whiz, Tony. We keep on being told, us stupid editors and publishers, that we’re only concerned with "selling" newspapers or television advertising. For the umpteenth time, we don’t enjoy anarchy, troubles, and crime; we merely report what happens.

Who wants to "perpetuate" a corrupt system? Not us. But, speaking for myself, I repeat: I’m uneasy over "The Abat Way".

Just consider the hortatory words he uses in "moving for NO ELECTION". (His own capital letters, utilized in his manifesto.)

Can the message be clearer? Another phrase: "We are on the brink of a precipice."

Further down, the general asserts: "Now is the time to change. Divine Providence calls us to take a resolute action – to clean our political system; to take the road that will improve our quality of life, especially that of the poor, the marginalized, the underprivileged, to secure the safety and happiness, not only of ourselves but also of the future generation."

When a retired top general begins to hear the voice of Divine Providence calling on him to rally people to take "resolute action", don’t you get alarmed? When I hear that bugle call, I reach for my gun.

In the other document General Abat sent over to me, the concluding section was flagged: "The Constitutional Responsibility of the AFP."

In this segment, Abat reiterates that the Armed Forces of the Philippines "stands as the protector of the people and the State in times of crisis. Since the Independence of our Republic in 1946, the military has proven itself as the safety valve of our democracy."

He reminds us of how the military withdrew its support of President Marcos in 1986, then that "the military again intervened in aid of the people against the economic plunder and immoral abuse of governance by then President Estrada." Again, "the military intervened against the riotous use of people power on Labor Day 2001 that was intended to violently overthrow the newly-installed government of President Arroyo."

Ergo, booms Abat, "the intervention of the military in times of crisis simply means that the security of the State and the protection of the people are fundamental in the stable survival of the nation."

Of course, he back-pedals (my favorite word these days) in the last two paragraphs, but methinks the threat has already been delivered. I’m not saying that manifesto flirts on the razor’s edge of treason – but the Oakwood Boys could not have sounded any worse, yet they’re behind bars and not sipping fraternal drinks in comfort at The Last Watering Hole.

General Douglas MacArthur, who was older, admittedly, than FVR and Abat, was the man who first invoked an old barracks ballad of his youth, which went, "Old Soldiers never die . . . they just fade away . . ."

Old Soldiers like Tony Abat refuse to fade. And we admire his fire and spirit. But the military Messianic spirit is no less dangerous in the geriatric generation (to which this writer also belongs) than it is in PMA ’95, the class of such "mutineers" as Trillanes, Maestrecampo, Gambala and Yabut.

We honor our soldiers. But, as martial law demonstrated, they don’t look more capable of running our country than our politicians. When we were in the Army ourselves, many years ago, there were two commands which had to be followed immediately, and with complete obedience. The first was: "Produce!" The second was: "Shoot!"

* * *

The candidates, in an obvious effort to curry favor among the 200,000 school teachers being commandeered to run the polling precincts next May, to count, tabulate and canvass the ballots the old-fashioned manual way, have been calling teachers "heroes" and "heroines". Talk is cheap. Let’s see whether our legislators and Malacañang sincerely honor the teaching profession, as well as recognize the educational needs of our ignorant – yes, ignorant – people, by what they do.

One glaring example of what was left out when the House of Representatives junked the 2004 budget and forced the nation to revert to the year 2003 budget was the funding for 10,000 new teachers’ positions for literacy in Nonformal Education. The DepEd (department of education) is now at its wit’s end. DepEd cannot determine where savings from the re-enacted budget can be derived to underwrite the needed 10,000 teachers.

Here’s where President GMA can and must step in. The funding has to be drawn from the discretionary budget of P11 billion available to the President under the current set-up. Attention, GMA!

As it is, the compensation package for teachers is already inadequate.

* * *

Political "crusaders" and nitpickers are suggesting that the Commission on Elections hire an agency to monitor the spending of candidates, in order to determine whether they are violating the strictures of the election law.

Why is the solution to problem always to "hire" and "hire"? You’d think we weren’t running out of money, the way some well-meaning meddlers so blithely recommend the spending of more and more in adding a new layer to our over-bloated bureaucracy.

Of course we must strive to prevent the buying of votes, or the usual three G’s – an alliteration which the late Ninoy Aquino invented – Guns, Goons and Gold. Candidates must not be permitted to "buy" election. But why restrict the amount of T-shirts, ballpens and other useful material they may hand out to potential voters? Many of our impoverished folk in shantytowns and in our villages need these simple things desperately.

I recall that long after the Dictator Marcos had been ousted, and flown away to Hawaii (not Paoay), men in the barrios or barangays who were not personally supportive of Macoy were wearing "Marcos Pa Rin" ("Still for Marcos") t-shirts. When I asked them why they did so, they sheepishly shrugged that they weren’t making any political statement. They just didn’t have enough shirts to wear. Those t-shirts and giveaways come in handy, I kid thee not.

In our countryside, there are few diversions. Farmers labor from dusk till dark. In our provincial poblaciones there’s not much excitement for the citizens living there. Not until the political circus comes to town. Suddenly, the "forgotten" are remembered. Entertainers, from politicos attempting to be nimble and simpatico to the actual show biz types (can’t tell sometimes between the candidates, comics and clowns) pirouette on the entablado. There are bands, canned music, dances, hip-hip-hoorah, and "We say Mabuhay". I remember one Wharton genius, brilliant in economics and finance, campaigning for a political post – not by speaking about how he’d solve his listeners’ financial and economic woes, but playing the guitar and doing karate kicks. When the vaudeville show comes to town, the folk are happy – every four to six years. And those giveaways are manna, it not from heaven, certainly not from hell. Let them have their fun.

Will our people vote wisely? Not if we don’t educate them first. Our leaders keep on ululating about the Fight Against Poverty. This fight can’t even begin until we first win the Fight against Ignorance. Unless our people know the truth, we cannot set them free.