Little Miss Red Riding Hood

In that popular children’s story, it was the big bad wolf that was ready to pounce on Little Red Riding Hood. Just like Little Miss Red Riding Hood – GMA was about to be pounced on by the big bad wolf – personified by the coup plotters which include rightist groups, some members of the business community and leftists – all ready to devour her, leaving her with no choice, as she claims, but to declare a state of national emergency. Whether people believe her or not is now a matter of perception.

In the Philippines where perception is 90 percent of the game, people are not certain if we really were in a state of emergency, and what it means to the ordinary Filipino. Of course, what happened last Sunday at the Marines headquarters seems to give credence to the serious attempt to topple the administration. So now government has to prove whether there was really a situation where the big bad wolf – the Opposition – was ready to grab power with help from the left and the right. Of course it doesn’t help that only The Daily Tribune was raided, considering that it is purely an opposition newspaper. In the game of perception, the government seems to be losing out on whether there was really a need for Presidential Proclamation 1017. It also doesn’t help that her supposed ally, FVR, said that there were a lot worse scenarios in the past (meaning during Cory’s time) that would have warranted a declaration of a state of national emergency. Inevitably, Proclamation 1017 is being compared to Marcos’ Presidential Decree 1081 declaring the country under Martial Law. History clearly shows that Ferdinand Marcos had planned Martial Law long before 1972, where he carefully laid out the groundwork for people to accept it. The leftist demonstrations, student unrest, the Plaza Miranda bombing – all of these created the atmosphere of chaos and disorder in the country. Although the Plaza Miranda bombing was later on proven to be the handiwork of the communists, which even former Senator Jovy Salonga admitted – it was indeed ordered by Jose Maria Sison. Winning the perception game was really the hardest part, but Marcos had people convinced that Martial Law was needed to "save the Republic." Even Ninoy Aquino had reportedly said that if he were in Marcos’ place, he would have done the same thing. Washington, D.C., was convinced, too, and supported it. It was all a matter of timing, and Marcos knew how to play the game of perception. Of course, everyone got convinced that Marcos cried wolf in declaring Martial Law when then Secretary of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile admitted after EDSA I that the assassination attempt on him was staged – giving Marcos the excuse to declare Martial Law.

When GMA declared a state of national emergency, she said that government had prevented a coup plot and that there was a clear threat to the nation. The military recently announced that it uncovered "Oplan Final Talk 2," a massive conspiracy between the left, the right, the military and private individuals to assassinate GMA and some Cabinet members and take over government, one of the reasons used to justify the declaration of a state of national emergency. In this country where people eat coup rumors for breakfast everyday and coup plots are periodically announced in advance through text messages, nobody really knows anymore which is what. True, there was some tension and uncertainty in the air, but by declaring a state of national emergency, GMA heightened the tension. Perception-wise, people were not really sure if the crisis was really as bad as the government wanted people to believe. The locals, especially students, were more concerned about whether there were going to be classes or not. But the international community panicked, many of them immediately taking the first plane out, so to speak. A lot of foreigners are still asking, "What the hell is going on in the Philippines?" Luckily, things didn’t turn out to be as bad as we thought it would be, but the problem is it created the perception, especially among tourists, that the country was on the brink of a civil war.

A lot of people were so dumfounded to see Cory Aquino rushing to Fort Bonifacio to defend the very same people who tried to topple her through a bloody coup. That 1989 coup attempt against her was the bloodiest, which caused untold anxiety and instability, not to mention the severe economic fallout that resulted. More than a hundred people were killed and some 570 wounded. Of course, let’s not forget that there were 13 farmers who were killed in Mendiola during her time.

If what the government is saying is true, the perfect formula for disaster and chaos is when you combine the rightists, the military and the leftists, all mixed into one. This kind of chemistry is the perfect mixture for combustion. One lighted match and boom! – we’re all dead. This could very well happen in this country if this "tactical alliance" succeeds. Even now that she has lifted the state of national emergency, GMA has taken this whole political situation one notch higher. She must still convince the people that she was right in declaring a state of national emergency and most of all – finish the job. Otherwise, just like Little Miss Red Riding Hood, she may end up being literally devoured by the big bad wolf!

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