Pnoy – A Dictator in the Offing

As the Bamboos Sway
By Rudy D. Liporada

Ironically, his father, Ninoy Aquino, died fighting a dictator. Ironically, his mother, Cory Aquino, quashed the constitution of the dictator and instituted the 1987 Philippine Constitution – which provides that a president could only have a one six year term.

Now, ironically, Ninoy’s and Cory’s son, President BS Aquino, pretending to be coy about it, definitely wants a charter change on the 1987 constitution so he could extend his rule for six more years and maybe beyond. This he announced last August 14, 2014.

Replying to an interview, he said “When I got into this, I remembered it is for one term of six years.” He continued, using again his usual rhetoric, “Now after having said that, of course I have to listen to my bosses.” He seemed to have forgotten or really ignorant that the restriction for the term extension came about due to the detested experience with martial law under the Marcos regime of over twenty years. The restriction then was in place with the slogan: Never Again.

If his ‘bosses’ is three-fourths of congress, he will definitely have his charter change as he definitely has the influence on his allies who are the majority in the legislative body of the Philippines. Before August 14, Mar Roxas, who must have already accepted the fact that he could not be the next president for his bungling of affairs, already endorsed the idea of giving extension to BS Aquino’s term “because he needs to continue with the ongoing projects he has instituted.” The Yellow Army of Aquino are also reported to have set a rally on August 25 to be his ‘bosses’ clamoring for him to extend his term.

Apart from the extension issue, BS Aquino also said that the charter amendments would allow the review of the powers of the other branches of the government like the Supreme Court. It should be noted that last month, the Supreme Court declared Aquino’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) fund to be unconstitutional. Please note that Aquino has also said that he is vent on modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). He went on to say that there could be no coup among the ranks of his AFP because his men are highly paid.

Control of Congress, a weakened Supreme Court, and a cuddled military are indeed ingredients of a looming martial law disguised as legal through a masked changed charter.

Past presidents after Cory Aquino also attempted charter amendments to extend their terms but were intensely criticized. BS Aquino is surely to face the same public reaction. These would come from, ironically, presumably those real ‘bosses’ that he must serve.

Whether or not he is listening, however, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes, Jr. insists that they will “Let Aquino know we say no.” He further said “He has no qualms about plunging the nation in an unprecedented political crisis worse than during the time of Estrada and Arroyo. This makes him a very dangerous person. His capacity to lead becomes even more questionable. With his dictatorial tendencies showing, Aquino’s removal from office becomes even more urgent.” And Reyes asks “Mr. President, what part of ‘Never again!’ did you not understand?”

If BS Aquino studies history, he would learn that the anti-Marcos Con-Con or Constitutional Convention of 1970, designed to extend his rule beyond his last term as president, sparked massive protests against his rule. The movement grew to a Marcos’s perceived monster that he was forced to declare Martial Law. BS Aquino should be reminded that his father, Ninoy, was among those detained by the dictator Marcos because Ninoy fought and, eventually, died against the regime. Lest BS Aquino forget, the massive movement grew to be the People’s Power that toppled Marcos and catapulted his mother, Cory, to the presidency – with which she instituted the 1987 Constitution – which Pnoy now wants to change.

BS Aquino should listen to history, listen to his ‘real’ bosses if he wants to preserve the Aquino Legacy; if he wants not to be the architect of the most ironic presidential regimes in Philippine history.

But will he listen?

I guess not. He must be a megalomaniac, or ignorant, or his auditory nerves must now really be as crooked as his ‘Daang Matuwid.’