A few days back I had a political conversation where I was told, by the person who
initiated the engagement, that she can’t understand why I “shifted” to BBM “overnight”. Let me put this in perspective. For starters, I was neither a fan nor a detractor of the Marcoses. I always look at things in balance – the good and the bad. I don’t just accept what I am told but I ask questions. I use logic and reasoning to sort the truth from the emotions.
My decision to support BBM was not an overnight decision. It was a product of years of asking questions and sorting out what is simply narrative and what are the facts. This approach is void of any emotions but deals more with logic and reasoning where the basic principles and human laws are applied. It gave me a rather fair judgement on the matter without any leanings toward color or hate.
Let me share with you some of the questions that I have asked myself through the years.
>> Magnanakaw ba ang mga Marcos?
Some would argue emotionally that the Marcoses are thieves and that they plundered the coffers of the country. However, a closer look on this question would actually yield that we have still to prove this accusation in court with finality. The fact remains that, as per the principles of justice, the Marcoses are presumed innocent and has yet to be proven guilty of corruption and/or plunder. With that said, all these talks about plunder and ill-gotten wealth are mere hearsay until we are able to prove it legally.
Case in point, the law is very clear that one is perpetually disqualified from government service if he or she has been found guilty of plunder or corruption. Fact, we have 3 Marcoses who have taken public office, local and national, since their return in 1992 – Imelda, Imee, and Bongbong. This alone should strike a nerve (no pun intended) to those who are against the Marcoses. Why did we allow this to happen? Hindi ba dapat noon pa lang, we should have demanded or “worked” on disqualifying them perpetually to prevent their return since “ninakawan nila ang Pilipinas”? What happened in the past 30+ years where OUR government failed to hammer a single nail to the coffin to prevent their return in Philippine politics? The fact remains that until we get a guilty verdict with finality, all this talk about “pagnanakaw” will remain hearsay, nothing more.
>> How about the atrocities committed during the Martial Law?
I am not discounting the fact that certain atrocities were committed to innocent civilians during the Martial Law years. Yes, those who are accountable needs to be brought to the proper courts. However, I also believe that most people who are, presently, at the front of this fight were the very same reason why Martial Law was declared. It was their connection with the communist movement that paved the way to the declaration of Martial Law. Some of these people are even representing groups that are communist-fronts that use government funds to help finance their so-called “activism” where innocent civilians are affected. We need to be wary of these individuals who harp on being “victims” of Martial Law to fuel their anti-Marcos sentiments because he was able to quell that movement during those times.
On the other side of the fence, we cannot also turn a blind eye on the actual atrocities during the Martial Law years. We need to make people accountable for their actions and decisions. We need to understand that these atrocities were not just on Marcos because there are people who were on the ground who had an active participation. I mean, we cannot demand justice against Marcos Sr. without demanding the same from Ramos, Honasan, and Enrile. If we demand for justice, we should also seek it from those with active involvement. Hindi pedeng namimili lang tayo ng gusto lang natin isalang.
What does BBM have to do with this? I have no idea because I do not see his participation in the declaration of Martial Law or in the atrocities committed. I mean, the only link that I see is his family name. Again, unless these people can prove that BBM has direct involvement to these atrocities, then they should be put him through the courts.
These two questions are the most crucial at this time. A single and final criminal conviction on these would have saved us from all this confusion and divide. Like what I have already written previously, we can only mark in stone as part of history if it was proven by Science and/or Legalities. A mere narrative should be taken with caution because historical narratives is written by the victors and, whether we admit it or not, those who preceded the Marcos administration really did not do much in the past 30 years to put a stop to the return of the Marcoses except to chatter.
I have already foreseen the return of the Marcoses to Malacanang long before this round of election. 2016 should have been a red-flag to those who were against the family but nothing was done. The magic of the yellow brand has long lost its touch. It has lost the stories that it forced feed on us and the reality soon took over. We never really progressed after the Marcoses until the Duterte administration came into fruition. It was this administration that showed us that we deserve more. PDuts made people realize that it was better to take risks rather than stick to traditional narratives. Most people have started to sift the truth from the mere narratives so I guess, it is working.
2022 is settling comfortably with most of us back to our usual daily grind. The year started out with a quite shake from the COVID19 cases spike that had most of us getting a little paranoid and queasy. It was an expected and calculated risk considering that our holiday season was more lenient and so was the behavior of many Filipinos. This is one topic that is worthy of another blog.
Anyway, 2021 was not exactly how I wanted it to be but I am thankful that it was as good as any other year. It was a ride of mix emotions from excitement to frustration and from recovery to a standstill to another round of recovery. It was a year that had me hopeful and working on adjusting to situations rather than reflex reactions. I guess I really lived up to the understanding that we need to adjust because COVID is here to stay. The earlier we accept this fact would translate to better calculated decisions and responses.
One thing that I am grateful for 2021 is totally overcoming the fear brought by the pandemic. This meant that COVID19 never got the upper hand on managing me. I managed my way around the pandemic and not the other way around. My confidence was driven by me getting myself fully vaccinated last May. Vaccination is the only way that you can protect yourself and the people around you. The privilege that we get as vaccinated individuals is being able to get back part of our normal lives without the fear of ending up in bad shape in case of a COVID19 infection. Get vaccinated!
I am also grateful that the team that I am working with has adjusted to the situation. We relatively performed better than the same months in 2020. That is a good sign. I have always pushed for a pro-active and solution-based approach when it comes to leadership. You don’t let the situation manage you but you manage the situation. You find opportunities amidst the struggles. You don’t drown out with the noise. I am glad that my teams are on that mindset as we enter the new year.
2021 was not an easy ride. I had to continually check our strategies, project possible outcomes, and re-align plans to make it easier for us. In the end, I realized that it was all about making sure of individual successes. Big things come from little packages so we had to invest on building up the morale of the people around us. I think that this would be crucial as we build back better this 2022. Having a solid support system that focuses on small wins has a bigger impact in the bigger picture of things. Small steps will always get us farther.
2021 was all about change. Changing our mindset to adjust to the shifting dynamics of the world. It was all about making calculated risks while proactively checking your surroundings to make sure that you get to act accordingly when needed, as needed. Someone once shared that those who will survive will be the leaders of the future. Good news is that we survived so this is the year that we build back better. After all, change is a constant of the world.
Padayon!
adobongpinoy 