Divided - we will all fall

As we observe another Independence Day, it reminds me that over a century ago – specifically in March 1897 – Aguinaldo and Bonifacio were already quarrelling. Aguinaldo manipulated the rebel elite into agreeing to form a republic with him as president prompting Bonifacio to bolt and form a rival regime. Aguinaldo tracked down Bonifacio and condemned him to death through a kangaroo court. In May 1897, Bonifacio and his brother were executed in a Cavite forest. Consequently, the dispute had weakened Aguinaldo’s forces and ultimately strengthened the Spanish.

Today, we are more divided than we ever were because of EDSA 2 and the alleged election fraud. The events of the past few weeks have undeniably caused foreign investors to grow very pessimistic about the future of this country because we can’t seem to get our act together. The perception outside is that this country is falling apart. As one very important diplomat said, "These are interesting times." The irony is, I seem to have heard this once before from another diplomat during the impeachment trial of Joseph Estrada. I guess it all boils down to the fact that the country is so divided we have to go back to the basics of reconciliation. For lip service, reconciliation is easy. But for Latin-tempered Filipinos this is difficult to live out because amor propio is more important to them than amor por la patria or love of country.

The confluence of events reinforces the painful fact of the country’s ever increasing fragmentation. The social and sectoral faults brought about by EDSA 2 are getting bigger and wider. Many believe the fault line in the armed forces is horizontal. This means the brass may be loyal to the government while the loyalty of the middle and lower ranks are questionable, to say the least. In the upper crusts of the political and social spectrum, the fault line is vertical. This is obviously caused by the many factions trying to push their own interests and agendas. Only those living below the horizontal poverty fault line are united in hunger.

The Senate’s jueteng hearings have become a recurring historical nightmare. This time, it started with a bishop, a whistleblower, then bagmen, and now a baggirl. To compound the situation, there is a brewing Gloriagate crisis with the taped conversation between GMA and, depending on whose side you’re on, either a Comelec official or a political operative. Toting Bunye exposed it and later retracted his certainty on the President’s voice. Malacanang’s credibility has been severely eroded by this flip-flop. Nobody believes that Spokesman Toting Bunye acted without any clearance from his superiors. Everyone is already turning daffy with how this drama is unfolding.

To get a grasp on the fast-breaking events, I called Jose Mari Gonzalez – an old friend of mine and an expert on film and video analysis – who analyzed the tapes of Ninoy Aquino’s assassination. He told me that GMA’s voice was authentic because of the excellent audio quality of the cellphone tap. And now, the latest bombshell from the NBI’s former Deputy Director Samuel Ong is that he has four master tapes provided by conscience-stricken members of the ISAFP. A new twist to this sordid soap opera’s convoluted plot.

Wiretapping has become widespread after 911. The United States has been countering terrorists through a higher-level technology sometimes dubbed as "Chatterbox." It uses a central security station to monitor all phonecalls, text messages, and email into the US, especially those coming from potential terrorist havens like Pakistan and Afghanistan. These equipment are obviously not available here. Equipment for intercepting GSM calls were reportedly brought in a few years ago by the PNP. These, however, are considered low-tech today.

I talked to Joseph Estrada the other day and I jokingly told him that he should stop talking to his ducks at his Tanay resthouse and just talk to me. Because of rumors linking him to destabilization plots, I asked him point blank if he had anything to do with it. He denied it outright because he said he didn’t need to do anything since the government was already destabilizing itself. Joseph Estrada disclosed that he was being invited by Abat’s group a couple of months ago but just dismissed their overtures. Just the same, I reminded the former president that he told us once to love our mothers because we only have one mother – I also reminded him we must all love our country because we only have one country.

The syndrome of divisiveness has spilled over to almost all sectors of society. We read about divided groups and factions in sports associations and now even media and advertising groups. All of these are symptomatic of what is going on in this country. Even if GMA weathers this raging controversy, it will be very difficult for her to govern unless she can find a way to reconcile all the factions that are working against her. That is a tall order. In the meantime, with every day that passes without action being taken to mitigate poverty and the rising cost of living, the numbers of the poor and hungry will continue to grow. These people are already united in hunger and one day we’ll wake up finding 10-million hungry people running amok in the streets. In the end, there will no winners, only losers. Because divided, we will all fall.

E-mail: [email protected]