Edener Benitez Fabella
fabelous2@netzero.net
May 30, 2006

What went wrong and where do we go from here? 5 years ago, a few thousands gathered in EDSA to decide what they deemed was the best for the rest of the 80 million Filipinos. They claimed, the corrupt and incompetent college dropout Joseph Estrada, didn’t deserve a day longer in Malacanang and must be driven out. They claimed, Gloria Arroyo was the nation’s answer to the country’s woes. I recall the only woe we had then was the revelation of Chavit Singson that of Joseph Estrada being the king and lord of jueteng raking in millions by the truckloads. I remember we did not have fertilizer scam, election Garci scam nor did we have the most expensive boulevard in the universe planted in our country. To the best of my recollection, the incompetent Joseph Estrada had the Abu Sayyafs and MILF’s on the run and about to reach the end of their line in the vast Sulu seas. Today, we are talking peace with the MILF and about to give them part of Mindanao they want for themselves. Camp Abubakar and other camps for which many of our soldiers died retaking is back to the MILF’s courtesy of an illegitimate leader. Human rights violations were not an issue then unlike today. No one dares to question the leadership or else they might be the next victims. Why not just close the Philippine Military Academy? After all, most of today’s government agencies are managed by former generals from this institution? What is this academy producing? Liars? Human rights violators? Corrupt and incompetents? These military and police officers who are abusing citizens must all be made to account for their misdeeds. It may not happen while this regime is in power but someday it will happen.