Former president Ramos issues valid warning

Five days ago, former President Fidel Ramos warned the nation that if a new "people power" revolt breaks out, there is a strong possibility that it will be bloody because this time, the Armed Forces will not be united. It is good for the authorities to heed this warning for he has had first hand experience in such matters being one of the two most responsible persons for the so-called "people power" revolt. The people’s actual contribution to that revolt was just to uphold the Armed Forces’ decision to withdraw their support from dictator Marcos. The people reiterated the Armed Forces’ decision.

The Armed Forces were united then. Now, no less a person than the former head of the Armed Forces and an ex-president of the republic is informing the public that if a mere 5 to 10 percent of the AFP voluntarily withdraw their support of the President, it would be sufficient to trigger a civil war.

The way we see it, the Armed Forces are there to uphold the Constitution and they will. When they threw Marcos out, they threw out a dictator. The only legal way President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo can be removed from power is through impeachment and she has already survived that crisis.

So far, we see no signs of another people power revolt. Even the Gloria-Step-Down demonstrations are now dwindling. The danger that we see is that of terrorists infiltrating the street demonstrations. A lone terrorist could throw a bomb, not necessarily in an anti-GMA demonstration, but even on the present transportation strike.

The truth is that the opposition at the moment are not organized and united. They have not presented their alternative plan of government. They have been demanding that GMA step down. But they themselves have no inkling as to who will take over. Will it be Vice-President Noli de Castro? Or is he also unacceptable to them? The present administration is at least organized. We cannot honestly say the same for the opposition. What is the name of the opposition party? Who are its members? Who is their leader?

Former President Ramos may be right in saying that if another people power revolution erupts, it will most likely be bloody. But it will be because most people will resist a pointless revolution. The opposition can attain what they want if they have the people’s support. They cannot get the people’s support at the moment because they have no program to present to the nation. They know what they do not want – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s stay in power. But they have no alternative statesman to replace her. We really don’t see even the remotest signs of another EDSA uprising in the future. Former President Fidel Ramos may be right, the Armed Forces are divided. They may be divided in the sense that some are satisfied with the GMA administration and some are not. But we don’t believe that there are a significant number of officers and soldiers in our Armed Forces that will support any unconstitutional means to change the leadership of the country. Our democratic system will prevail. We will solve our problems according to the rule of law. Our people are united. There will be no civil war because we are Kapamilya.