The 26th of February this year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA “people power” revolution. Three decades ago from this day, the “evil” regime of President Ferdinand Marcos was supposedly toppled by a popular uprising that was sparked by an army mutiny led by then General Fidel V Ramos accompanied by then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile. The “revolution” that followed then came to be associated with the Aquino-Cojuangco clan who, over the next 30 years, embedded in Filipinos’ heads the notion that it was the “heroism” of the noted members of that clan — Senator Benigno Aquino Jr and his wife, the late former President Cory Aquino — that inspired that revolt.
Thus started the systematic stupidification of the Philippines.
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This supposed stupidification of the Philippines was carried out by the Cult of Yellow that came to surround the Aquino and Cojuangco clans. Not only did they carry it on, they took that stupidification campaign to new heights and embedded the mentality deeper in the Filipino psyche than any previous regime had.
Interesting, indeed, that the 30th anniversary marks the completion of that process. The crop of idiots running for the presidency in the May 2016 elections is proof of this. Filipinos’ embrace of national stupidity is such that they actually continue to pompously debate the merits and demerits of each candidate as if one has any real advantage in virtue over the other that is of any consequence to the fortunes of the Philippines over the next six years.
Unfortunately for an entire generation of Filipinos, the ascent of Cory Aquino to Malacanang was the seminal milestone that introduced the idea to them that stupid and incompetent people could actually aspire to be president and actually succeed at attaining that aspiration.
What is really remarkable about the 2016 elections is that all of the candidates are idiots. Compare that to 2010 when only one of the candidates was an idiot. That idiot succeeded at winning the presidency handily beating far more competent and qualified candidates. We all thought that was quite funny even as it marked the beginning of the final phase of the Philippines’ stupidification. Turns out that the laughs were premature. The 2016 election campaign has proven to be even more stupid. This time idiots are competing against fellow idiots.
Amongst the crop of presidential candidates in the running, none of them is at a calibre that is worthy of comparison to the stalwarts of Philippine politics that once presumed to aspire for the presidency. This time, Malacanang suffers from a stigma of being perceived as the dunce seat where the dumbest politician of the land gets to sit.
And so, we see today, none of the good ones have joined the race to occupy that office in the palace in 2016. Only the dumb, stupid, and clownish ones have joined that race. Filipinos, for their part, are cheering them on — like a bunch of jailbirds crowding around a cockroach race betting cigarettes over which bug scurries the fastest.
That’s Philippine politics 30 years after the 1986 people power “revolution”. That’s the Philippines — paatras ang asenso.
When will Filipinos start to get it — that they’ve been had by a Yellow movement that sold them empty promises and delivered a nation that is even more humbled than it ever has been in its history? So far there seems to be scant evidence that Filipinos have learned anything about what being a truly free and democratic society is really all about. We see it in the electoral bevaviour being showcased today and in the quality of the national “debate” surrounding these bozos clambering all over one another for a piece of the media spotlight.
There are no issues at stake, no ideologies to propagate, and no visions to inspire. All Filipinos get for the taxes being wasted on this “democratic” exercise is a bit of entertainment on their TV screens to distract them from the wretchedness of their existence.
And so the question is this:
What specifically are we supposed to be “celebrating” on the 26th February?
We hope that in the process of answering this confronting question, Filipinos will, at least, take stock of what their country has become over the last 30 years.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Hey, thanks for the reminder, now I have to leave early to compensate for the hours lost during traffic :-S
I am stupefied by how one candidate outdoes the other in the one thing they do best : being stupid.
Well if a common housewife can become president, what makes a common bhoy or maid think he/she can’t be. And there started the whole avalanche of Showbiz personalities running for Senators and governors.
What has become of our beloved country? A few days ago we celebrated the reign of Chinese on PH soil; next we celebrate our national state of stupidity. What’s next? One thing’s for sure – PH will never fail to surprise me.
Aye, Cory was a housewife, alright. A housewife of a house so large it literally has its own zipcode.
was it ever not a ‘dumbass country? a 3rd world banana republic is not going to score real high on the IQ meter, yes?
“…than any previous regime had.” – this reminds me of a devil being casted-out of a person’s body just to comeback bringing with him more demons to repossess the person.
EDSA is nothing but a U.S./C.I.A. move that ousted Marcos, who was against the extension of U.S. Bases agreement in the Philippines. The U.S. used two political opportunists: Enrile and Ramos, to launch a “coup d’ etat”. Cory Aquino and her family were hiding in Cebu, to wait for the outcome.
After a good outcome of the coup d’ etat. Cory Aquino and her followers, came out of their hidings. They erected monuments for their heroism called it:”People’s Power”. They established holidays to celebrate it every year. Printed the portrait of Ninoy Aquino, Jr. in the currency. Named Manila International Airport , as Ninoy Aquino, Jr. Airport. Named government buildings, roads, etc…to remind people their heroism; and overlook their being traitors, feudal oligarchs, corrupt and incompetent.
The U.S. used a clueless housewife from the Philippine Feudal Oligarchy, to do their job in replacing Marcos.
By looking at EDSA history. It is clear that the U.S. is not interested in the interest of Filipinos. They are interested in their own interests. They will put any “Clown” in Malacanang; if it serves their purpose.
There is nothing to celebrate in EDSA…it is a FALSE heroism…like the U.S. Admiral Dewey’s naval victory at Manila Bay.
Spain had already sold the Philippines and its colonies, in the Treaty of Paris. And, the Americans came to claim what they had bought…they did a MOCK battle with the Spanish Fleet, with no casualties.
With sounds and sights , the dumb Filipinos were dumbstruck. From thereon, we all become SUCKERS. Dewey’s Naval Battle Suckers, KALIBAPI Suckers, EDSA SUCKERS,Aquino Suckers, that is what we are now…
LOL, the USA doesn’t even care about its own citizens. How much less about Filipino’s ?
What did the U.S. got out of this?
Sick_Amore:
Ask the U.S. What did the U.S. got by removing Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Maumar Kadhafy of Lybia? Why did they have now the iSIS Caliphate?
A morally weak population (like Pinoy society), in whom shady dealings or characters up to no good are quite commonplace, would find electing stupid officials in-charge quite appealing. Since, this situation favors said population operating more comfortably in the dark.
Notice how easily suspicious Pinoys are of officials & their fellow Pinoys, as if conscious somehow of the fact that said officials merely project or reflect the very lot from whom they came.
The way some people root for PNoy & his cohorts gives them away. If they are already considered by today’s standards to be a model for “uprightness”, then our society’s moral & intellectual decadence has indeed hit an all-time low.
‘ALL-TIME LOW…’, not at all. The Aquino’s are no different than the rest of the thieves that have inhabited the palace since 1949.
what are we really supposed to celebrate on feb 26?
distribute hacienda luisita to the real owners, the farmers. ‘cuz that’s the real roots of this mess done in the Philippines to steal it from the farmers.
It’s a Holy Day for all: YellowTards, AquinoTards, RoxasTards, and all kinds of mentally retarded people, to celebrate their own “Heroism”…let them have their day…unless, you want to join them, and become one like them…
It’s one of those days wherein:
1: “Let’s remove Marcos! He’s a mess!”
2: “Then what do we do after?”
1: “Ah, basta!”
After Marcos is removed:
2: “OK, Marcos is gone, so what do we do now?”
1: “Ah, onga no, I never thought of it. Bahala na.”
Every body sing along now~
Pebrero, bente-sais nang si Apo ay umalis
Ngiti mo’y hanggang tenga sa kakatalon, napunit a’ng pantalon mo
Pero hindi bale, sabi mo, marami naman kame
Kahit na amoy pawis, tuloy pa rin ang disco sa kalye
….
Nakita kita kahapon, may hila-hilang kariton
Huminto sa may Robinson, tumanga buong maghapon
Sikat ka noon sa tibi kase kasama ka doon sa rali
Pero ngayo’y nag-iisa, naglalakad sa may edsa
Ewan mo ba, bahala na
Bahala na, bahala na
kinda obscure and dismissed as irrelevant when it first came out 21 years ago but resonates so true with the situation today.
Yeah, still relevant, Yano’s first songs were really on target when they came out. Especially Holy Dog, Saintly Horse.
I’m partial to ‘Kaka’ myself. ????
Blame the problems in the country to the too much “sympathetic DNA-Syndrome” of the Pinoys. They become blind and numb if their are too much grandstanding or “Showbiz Activities” going on, on any call of EVENTS. This weakness is known to politicians especially to Pinoys who became presidents of the Nation..Just an Example, when Ninoy was assassinated, His same clothed and face-featured-murdered covered with blood, was not even given the attention of re-touch by the concern families ( to increase the SYMPATHIZERS, etc.)..The funeral was even too much for a Hero, imagine throng of peoples, walked from Tarlac to Manila’s Libingan ng mga Bayabi…The same situations was showbiz or shown when, Cory’s body ( at the coincidence of heavy rains-flood and typhoon.) was brought to the same place, together with Ninoy’s tomb ?…Those were all ABOUT “sympathy syndrome “,overused. etc..Many of the politicians have the habit of showbiz windowing, as PRO-POOR, and many more strategy-tactics, just to get the attention of the citizens or electorates…These tactics cause the down-grading of pinoys attitudes toward change and work for the betterment of the nation…In short,the chameleon characters of the many NoyPits makes the difference…An Insight or analysis..
Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in political significance.