To whom much is given, much is required - Atty Ramoncito Ocampo
Despite continuous and increasingly agitated protests against Pres. GMA by opposition forces especially with the most recent Lozada blockbuster expose', I regret to say that it will take nothing short of a miracle, albeit a civil war, for her to step down from the presidency before 2010. Her steadfast refusal to give up the reins of power is evidenced and bolstered by the fact that despite the Machiavelian, iron-fisted approach with which she recently dealt with incumbent Senator Trillanes and company, with their liberties/activities effectively curtailed/neutralized to say the least, there was hardly any corresponding revulsive response from opposition forces befitting one of Sen. Trillanes’ stature. Apparently, many of the equally prominent and so-called "opposition" politicians would rather play it safe rather than risk losing it all just like he did. Moreover, a sizeable portion of the Filipino people have resigned to the status quo as it is and would rather prefer to live in relative peace devoid of the turmoil, violence and uncertainties that accompany any EDSA-inspired mass protests. Disappointed in having seen the absence of profound changes from 2 previous EDSA-style protests, the ordinary Filipino just doesn’t see any point in having a third EDSA-style protest. Even with her out of the way, many believe that nothing much will change in the political arena anyway. Besides, there is also a reasonable apprehension by some prominent sectors of our country that the Philippines could easily become a "banana" republic by another EDSA-inspired political upheaval of this sort.
It is disturbing to note that what reverberates behind this increasing passiveness/indifference of the Filipino people to replace Pres. GMA is the dismal disunity of opposition forces as well as the absence of a Ninoy Aquino-like leadership in the national horizon with the clout, personality, integrity, charisma and competence that people could unite and rally behind. Indeed, in looking at the current political scenario, it is easy to see that why many Filipinos think that replacing Pres. GMA is more akin to getting out of the frying pan straight into a raging fire. Such a dismal lack of choices for national leadership does not augur well for a country which desperately needs enlightened, strong yet benevolent leadership with the political will/resolve to not leave any stones unturned to prosecute and stop once and for all the prevalent graft and corruption, violence-prone mentality in our government and get our country back on track towards political integrity, stability and its resulting economic prosperity.
Unfortunately, in the midst of what is happening in our country and the need for a drastic political upheaval, many prominent Filipinos, unlike Senator Trillanes or Mr. Lozada or even Bro. Eddie Villanueva, who has become even more vocal in ousting Pres. GMA prior to 2010, simply want to eat the cake but will not bake it or want to go to heaven but not willing to die. To make it worse, many of our people are so distracted and pre-occupied by the need to provide for the basic necessities of their families that they just don’t have the financial resources and the luxury of time to address the seemingly incurable social ills and government irregularities which like cancer are causing the sheer deterioration of the moral fabric of Philippine society. This is why I believe it’s about time for Filipinos overseas especially those based in the USA who have been blessed with so much, especially in the light of the Lozada expose' depicting the massive impunity with which graft and corruption is practiced in the highest levels of government, to lend a vital helping hand in the Filipino people’s ongoing struggle for the moral, economic and political transformation of our country. It is about time that collectively, we come out of the woodwork, put together our respective time, financial resources, talents and abilities and start being pro-active in the Philippine political arena and perhaps in due time, offer and support viable, alternative and winnable choices for national leadership in 2010 and beyond. No more should political governance be monopolized by existing political dynasties, many members have turned out to be morally bankrupt individuals whose integrity and competence leave much to be desired and whose self-centered interests run contrary to the very essence of public service and the promotion of the public welfare they pledged to uplift. After all, isn’t it written…"To whom much is given, much is required."…Amen?
Atty. Ramoncito "Bro. Mon" Ocampo, a licensed attorney in CA and Phil. welcomes your comments at ocampolawusa@yahoo.com.