GMA: WE HAVE PARTYLY HEALED THE
WOUNDS OF EDSA 1 AND 2
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - At Edsa. President Arroyo greets former President Fidel V. Ramos
during the flag-raising ceremony in celebration of the 24th year of the People
Power Edsa Revolution at the People Power Monument in Quezon City.]
MANILA, FEBRUARY 27, 2010 (MALAYA) BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR - PRESIDENT Arroyo yesterday proudly declared that her administration has achieved "to a certain extent" its goal to heal the wounds caused by the Edsa People Power 1 and 2 revolutions.
"A few years ago I declared that one of our goals is to heal the wounds of EDSA. To some extent, but not necessarily to the extent that we want it, we have achieved this to some extent," Arroyo, said in a speech in the culmination of the 24th anniversary of the Edsa People Power 1 at the People’s Power Monument in Mandaluyong City.
"Most of those who used violence to express their opposition have had a change of heart and are now working with mainstream society to fast-track our growth. The few who have vowed to fight the constitutional authority, many of them are now seeking their own place in our political system placing themselves under the rules of the Constitution," she added.
The President was referring to Navy. Lt. (s.g.) Antonio Trillanes IV who, after leading the Oakwood mutiny of 2003, was elected senator; Lt. Col. Ariel Querubin, who was involved in the 2006 Marines standoff and is now running for senator under the Nacionalista Party; and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, who is facing court martial for a plot to overthrow the government in 2006 and the Peninsula Manila standoff in 2007, and who is now running for senator under the Liberal Party.
Arroyo said the February 1986 Edsa revolution has "taught the world how to be free again" and inspired many nations to stand up for their own freedom by pursuing a "bloodless revolution."
But she reminded the public that while the world embraced Edsa 1 in 1986 and tolerated Edsa 2 in 2001, it would no longer forgive an Edsa 3.
She said another such uprising would instead be condemned and the Philippines and its political system would just be tagged as "hopelessly unstable."
"Under these circumstances, who would invest, foreigner or Filipino, in the Philippines? How would we weather the difficulties arising from the global economic crisis?" she said.
She said people power is neither partisan nor about "whose politics one supports" but it is instead about the heroism of the many who "held strongly to their faith in the Filipino and who have sought a new Philippines that would stand proudly beside any free nation in the world."
The President skipped the annual festivities in 2006 when she declared a state of emergency following the supposed overthrow attempt against her government.
In 2008 and 2009, she was also absent as she instead led the launching the conditional cash transfer program Ahon Pamilyang Pilipino in Caloocan and opened a jobs fair program under the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration in Mandaluyong, respectively.
Arroyo yesterday was joined by former President Fidel V. Ramos, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman who assisted her in the raising of the flag, the releasing of yellow balloons, and the singing of the Edsa theme songs "Magkaisa" and "Bayan Ko."
Ermita, chair of the People Power Commission, said the Edsa spirit remains alive.
He said while the family members of former President Corazon Aquino were not present, the late president’s brother-in-law and former senator Agapito Aquino was on hand.
The Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP) welcomed the presence of Arroyo.
AMRSP chairperson Sr. Mary John Mananzan said she hopes that Arroyo cherished the last time she will attend the gathering as president.
"We hope that her visit in EDSA reminded her how she has betrayed the spirit and vision of EDSA 1," the nun said.
Mananzan said there is no doubt that Arroyo, who assumed power in 2001 after Joseph Estrada was ousted, has done nothing but to lead the country back to the martial law era.
In Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Estrada said whoever is elected as president in the May 10 elections should work to restore the spirit of Edsa and the country’s democracy.
"Naging biro ang demokrasya nung nakaraang siyam na taon. Kailangang ibalik ng susunod na pangulo ang dangal ng Edsa. The challenge, therefore, for the next president is to show that while we cherish our freedom, we are also a country that commits itself to the rule of law."
"Philippine democracy became a joke in 2001 when a mockery was made of Edsa with the message that a duly elected leader could easily be kicked out if found unacceptable to the ruling class," he added. – With Gerard Naval and Ashzel Hachero