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SO, am I the only one who’s not THAT interested in THIS ROYAL WEDDING?
The Philippine media strikes again… yes, it managed to get on my nerves, AGAIN! Why???
For days now, ALL the channels on free tv and on cable are all over themselves trying to outdo each other in their telecast of this event. Bombarding our tv screens with anything and everything that may be connected to this wedding, not even caring if the connection is even worthy of airtime. Do they really think it deserves this 24/7 blow-by-blow account and updates of a royal wedding AT THIS DAY AND AGE? Its not as if the british monarchy rules the world, therefore, all that they say and do matters specially to us here from the other side of the world who’s not even a part and never have been a part of the British Commonwealth. With all due respect to the Queen of the United Kingdom, lest we forget, Queen Elizabeth is a queen that doesn’t have a kingdom to rule, it is to all intents and purposes … an empty title. So why the h*ll does the News and Public Affairs Department of these tv networks spending all this money giving live telecast, sending their best correspondents halfway around the world? Cant they put even half of the resources they are spending to better use and highlight or give their airtime to a more worthy issue that could make a difference in our society?
I think I can hear some people say ..”oh, youre just jealous and envious ‘coz you don’t have royalty in this country, inggit ka lang!”. OKAY, give me a minute or two to reflect upon that accusation to test the veracity of that statement …hmmm, TOTALLY NOT. Sure, we are all curious and interested to know how the “other half lives”. Maybe to indulge ourselves a little and engage in a happy daydream OR to torture ourselves on what we couldn’t have. Dont we just looove to see their photogenic faces, their bejeweled crowns and capes and scepters, their ridiculous hats and all their excesses. What for? beats me! Whatever it may be, its just my sense of fairness and justice and misplaced priorities of our media people that’s getting to me. I love history, and the British Monarchy has a rich and long history to boast of… even I am interested in that. BUT, if I want to learn about them, id rather read a history book or watch a documentary about its past when they were ruling their loyal subjects, rather than throwing the present decesdants of that family in my face TODAY when basically nothing they do cannot be done by any British commoner …well, that is if this is a fair world.
Im not saying a news blackout of the event… im not even saying, not to cover it live. RESTRAINT is a good word for these journalist and TV networks to contemplate and reflect upon. The word they seem to be overly practicing in recent history on just about any sensational issue is …OVERKILL. Patulan ba ng paulit-ulit ang kalokohan ni Donald Trump about the circumstances surrounding the birth of their own elected president and whether he is indeed born in the US of A! I have to hand it to them, nobody can top the US media in the overkill department …wait, that’s an entirely different issue ..hehe :)
That’s about it, im done with my rant today:p excuse me while I prepare myself to watch a drama that is about to unfold. I cannot afford to miss the episode today, I want to see what our leading lady is going to wear for her big day. i'll write all about it tomorrow when i do a "review" of the episode tonight :D In this drama production, she is after all going to be a crown princess or maybe even a queen someday…well, not unless in the future, 20, 50, 100 years from now, the viewing public says they’ve had enough of that SHOW! …on second thoughts …I’ll just wait for the replay OR better yet, just watch the clip on the news tomorrow and do away with all the commercials these networks will surely overload their live telecasts with. Who says I have to or need to watch it live??? SO, to those of you who are eagerly awaiting this event… by all means, go ahead and enjoy watching. Don’t mind the occational loud and cynical accusations or discontent of moi, YOUR RESIDENT GROUCH.
I have a confession to make …as early as last month, my fingers were already seriously itching to write about this topic BUT, for some “secret” reason I stopped myself from typing anything, not even a single word. I was happily cruising along, minding my own business until, KABOOM! …before I knew it, this controversial issue is taking center stage again and exploded in my face, taunting me to write something …daring me to say my piece. Suffice it to say, after reading other comments and opinions, some hilariously funny and well crafted, others …well it succeeded in putting me in a “ dangerously pissed” mood …knocking on my sense of fairness at the injustice! Baby, its time to let off some steam. Honestly, i avoided writing anything about this neverending controversy. Not because I couldn’t care less OR I wasn’t interested enough. On the contrary, I was just trying to avoid putting myself in a foul mood. And, writing about the Marcoses and the role they played in this country’s history is for me a sure guarantee for stress overload! But what can I do, the debate on whether to allow Marcos’ burial at the Libingan is no longer just that, BUT lately, there are clear attempts to distort history and there are people who now wants to portray the man we once ousted as a hero? In the past few days, the loudest voice came from Marcos’ former Agriculture secretary, now a congressman from Sorsogon, who filed a resolution in the house and was able to muster 200+ votes from his fellow congressmen to allow the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan. This man is Salvador Escudero and yes, he just happens to be the father of a senator named Chiz Escudero(is it any wonder why I never trusted the glib-talking Chiz, then and now?)… Whether their opinion on this issue was brought about by sheer ignorance or an honest-to-goodness opinion/values/beliefs based on strong principles, I have no idea. That is between them and their conscience …if they have one.
While it is indeed EXHAUSTING to argue over some things specially one as touchy as this, sometimes I just cant seem to dodge it, I end up being reeled slowly in. BUT for the people who doesn’t know any better …FOR the youth of this country who never knew what it was like under martial rule ...FOR the victims and their families who are still waiting for justice to be served …FOR all the misguided people with a warped sense of values …FOR all of them, I WILL CONTINUE to educate, inform and tell the story, over and over and over again, if I have to. This subject is sooo sensitive, it touches a raw nerve on some people, as you can tell, me included. You may ask, but why YOU, its not as if a member of your(meaning mine) family has been killed or tortured or raped or disappeared/abducted never to be seen or heard from again because of “martial rule”. PEOPLE, last I heard, its not a crime TO STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT. I don’t need to wait for a loved one to be a victim of an evil and sinister government for me to get involved and speak-up when there is gross injustice against my own race or any other race for that matter. IT’S THE LEAST THAT I CAN DO. Indifference and turning a blind eye, that kind of an attitude breeds evil and dangerous leaders who thinks the nation they lead and govern are their own private kingdom and all of us are their slaves with zero rights(a la Ampatuan). While I cannot do what they do, I can only admire legitimate activists who go out there in the field, scream at the top of their lungs, calling attention on important issues, hoping to effect positive changes in our society. ME, I can only do this …rant on my personal blog.
I have heard it all before, I mean opinions contrary to mine as far as THIS subject is concerned. Sure, I wanna hear them all, bring it on. If you think you can contribute something to the enlightenment of this opinionated yet humble blogger, educate me por favore. But please come prepared and review your history first before you open your mouth or type a nescient comment. I so hate arguing with people who pretends to be knowledgable on something when they obviously are not. its all out there, fully documented …the human rights victims, the court cases that has been won/lost/dismissed, the hundreds of millions of dollars recovered by the PCGG, the loot that they tried but failed to sneak in US airports when they flew to America in disgrace, the multi million dollar bank accounts in different overseas banks including a swiss account under the names of William Saunders a.k.a Ferdinand Marcos and Jane Ryan a.k.a Imelda Marcos(complete with their specimen signatures under those names!), the cronies that acted as their dummies to run businesses that they snatched from oligarchs when they dared to oppose the regime, and the list of atrocities goes on and on and on.
Ok, ok …some are arguing that at this time when our country is facing crisis after crisis after crisis because of recent world events, upheavals everywhere and destructive natural disasters, let this nation unload some of its excess baggage, and besides, the guy has been dead for many years now anyway, there are those who say, “let him be buried where the family wants to bury him and put closure on that ugly part of our history so we can all move forward”. Again …SURE, im all for closure and moving forward BUT …wait just a minute, HOLD IT, Marcos’ thick-faced descendants want to bury him in a place called “Libingan ng mga Bayani”(Cemetery of Heroes). IS THAT A JOKE? It is a joke right? But why no laughter from anybody? Oh I know, it is not a joke, they are serious, THEY SIMPLY WANT TO MOCK US! Yes US, those who think that Marcos is a thief, a tyrant, a fake war “hero” with fake medals …a power hungry dictator with blood in his hands.
What I want from the Marcos family is simple, AT THE VERY LEAST, a show of REMORSE or an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY over the abuses that resulted from the imposition of Martial Law by that administration coming from HIS family who are now public officials. THAT IS CLEARLY CALLED FOR IN THIS CASE. The parents, the wives, the children, the family of the dead or the STILL missing, NEEDS to hear that FROM THE MARCOS FAMILY for their own closure. it doesnt even have to be an "i am sorry" a la Gloria, just a heartfelt statement of regret to those who suffered, i think would be most welcome. For once, lets put ourselves in their place to better understand their plight. Some ugly personalities would even dare to say that, “oh, those victims are a bunch of communists anyway” …ughhh, excuuuse me??? That kind of sweeping statement has no place in a civilized society such as ours, besides, differences in ideology does not mean we shoot and harass and torture and jail those whose beliefs are unlike ours. The insensitivity of a callous mind.
OK, last na to, promise ...Here’s another favorite comment that I would often hear that could only come from an ignorant mind Some say …”during Marcos’s time the Philippines was quiet and peaceful and rich!”.teka, teka, teka, sumakit yata ulo ko dyan. Tell me, WHERE DO I BEGIN IN MY REBUTTAL OF THAT STATEMENT??? Papatulan ko ba??? O sige na nga patulan ko ng konti, konti lang …when FM declared martial law, ALL the TV stations were closed down, eventually some reopened but ALL under new management …under the management of The Government of the Republic of the Philippines. In a nutshell, media was 100% controlled by government. in those days, “quiet and peaceful” does not mean everything in the country was rosy and everybody was blissful therefore no bad news, it simply means the BAD NEWS ARE NOT BEING REPORTED on TV. So there is this eerie and surreal feeling of calmness that comes from a public barred from knowing the reality of what’s going on out there. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather know what im up against versus complete ignorance and disconnect. They will let you see ONLY what they want you to see. In that scenario, do you think they will air anything ugly??? So in “Madame’s” famous words, in those days all you would see are “the true(her truth), the good and the beautiful” . And as if to prove a point, beautifully erected fences were built around the areas were informal settlers(the politically correct term these days para sa mga SQUATTER!) resides, in order to hide the “ugliness” of poverty inside. sicko! ...
...who's rich??? granted, when Marcos first came to office the US dollar was maybe 1 is to 1 against the Philippine peso OR granted, let me also buy something they always brag about, the the Philippine economy was second only to Japan when Marcos was president. MANNN, the operative word here is when Marcos first came into office . let us not forget that soon after he came into power, "Sir and Madame" a.k.a. William Saunders and Jane Ryan opened their swiss accounts and started looting the national treasury. of course, not to be outdone, their cronies did the same and "Sir" needs them to stay in power therefore he turned a blind eye. IN FACT, before they left, they left the Philippines heavily indebted by the billions of dollars that to this day Juan de la Cruz is still paying for them! So, if that is your ideal kind of society to live in, by all means worship Marcos to high heavens BUT pleeease, kung pwede lang, don’t expect the rest of us freedom-loving filipinos to embrace and swallow that kind of crap.
Look at this fine example of how outrageous these people are, even proud of their loot. I’ll let you take a guess where they got the money to buy all these… Gen. Yamashita’s treasure??? weH? Nagpapatawa ka?
I better stop myself right this minute before this entry becomes as long as a novel. So now, will somebody pleeease explain to me why a person named Ferdinand Marcos deserves to be interred in a cemetery called Libingan ng mga Bayani(Cemetery of Heroes)??? haaay ...PILIPINAS KONG MAHAL...
