On being marginalized

by Rod P. Kapunan

If only the Left and the so-called petty intellectual progressive writers and their brainless drones will ask why since 1986 they have been gradually marginalized to a point of extinction, the best thing they could do to avert that is to ask themselves whether their alliance with the elite and the oligarchy has helped advance their cause. 

Let us not talk on how they where shortchanged on many issues important to their cause, but on the issues of martial law and human rights violations. These two issues are crucial because it is on these issues why they managed to maintain their value, with the oligarchy providing them the mainstream media as their outlet to discredit and destroy the Marcoses not knowing that it is the same strategy that is rotting them to extinction. 

Jose Ma. Sison for all of his ideological prowess failed to notice that it is precisely that anti-Marcos line that has eroded much his credibility, a misguided propaganda that has kept afloat the elite-oligarchy conspiracy. If only the Left know how to use simple arithmetic, they will realize that in the social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, the overwhelming ordinary of the subscribers have become the defenders of the Marcoses. 

As the so-called progressive petty intellectuals continue to discredit and malign the Marcoses, the elite and the oligarchy enjoy it because it accords them the credibility to monopolize political power with the so-called Left playing the role of malnourished mad dogs. 

The Left just like the elite and the oligarchy continue to trivialize the Marcos land reform and food production program. But they cannot deny the fact that it was his land reform, and rice production program that allowed this country to become self-sufficient in rice that for the first time even allowed us to export our excess rice to Malaysia and Indonesia. The cost per kilo of rice then was only P7. Today the average per kilo is between P47 to P50. Our farmers were given the land they could till, but under the elitist and hypocritical Aquino government they were given bullets and on many occasions were slaughtered in Mendiola and at the gates of Aquino-owned Hacienda Luisita. 

They tried to discredit his efforts to industrialize this country like his creation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, the PNOC and Petron, the National Steel Corp., Philippine Phosphate Corp., the government-owned and control corporations like Meralco, PNB, Pal, MWSS, the Philippine Geothermal Plants, and the North and South Expressways, and many more. As the the Left continue to slander of the Marcos administration for the woes they suffered during martial law, the elite and the oligarchy repaid them by privatizing the government-owned public utilities. 

The price of gasoline during his time was P7 per liter, now it is P54, the price of LPG during his time was P56 per 11 kg. now it is P720, the price of water during his time was P5 per cubic meter, now it is P35 per cm, the average electric bill paid by ordinary households was only about P85, now they pay an average of more than P1,000. Toll fee then from Balintawak to Sta. Inez in Pampanga, was only P21, now it is P218 if one will go up to Carmen in Pangasinan, it will cost P486 for ordinary vehicles. 

For the twenty years that Marcos was in power, he spent a total of P478 billion, while this government of the elite and the oligarchy that was installed with the support of the Left has for this year alone spent P2.1. trillion, and the only accomplishment it could present is a mere drawing. 

They also accuse Imelda for her extravagance. But as they try to destroy her image and reputation forgetting that it as Imelda who built for our people the various hospitals such as the Heart Center, the National Kidney Institute, the Lung Center, the East Avenue Medical Center, the Children's Hospital, rehabilitated and improved the PGH, and many more and for which many of our people from the lower bracket of society including the disoriented progressive petty intellectuals now avail.

They dislike and even hate Imelda for her extravagance for building the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the PICC, the Nayong Pilipino, the Folk Arts Theater, etc. without them thinking that today these places is being used by the elite and the oligarchy and is off limit to our poor people to propagate their rubbish art and culture. 

Maybe if the Left could explain all these, I would have all the reasons to return to their fold. But how could I when all the woes suffered by those who were detained was of their own making. Mercenarism will not detract the truth that martial law was imposed because they bombed the meeting of the opposition in Plaza Miranda, that rendered partly blind, deaf and insane Jovito Salonga. Their infantile revolution was tantamount to challenging the Marcos government to a fight, shouting on top of their voices the cry for people's war.

When casualties began to take its toll and one by one the agitators were being arrested and detained, they began to cry foul claiming alleged human rights violation. They even want to project as our heroes those who violently fought against the government making it appear that our soldiers are bloodthirsty savages. 

Finally, they continue to demand compensation for their lost revolution again without analyzing that for as long as these “revolutionaries” turned mercenaries are not paid their misguided services, they will continue serve the interest of the elite and the oligarchy because their continued hatred against the Marcoses provides a good smokescreen for their continued plunder of the nation's resources, and serves to buoy their political credibility. 

Indeed, the prostitutes in the mainstream media are doing a good job to the elite and the oligarchy, but in so doing they shamelessly disguise themselves as progressives by harping on their usual anti-Marcos line. In fact, these so-called progressive writers in the mainstream media or trolls of Joma are the ones serving as the biggest stumbling block to our people's liberation from the yoke of poverty. Most shameful, the unwitting collaboration of the Left with the elite and the oligarchy, with the hypocritical Church, they now stand as the new berdugo in ruthlessly suppressing the dream of our people to attain progress and prosperity.
If only the hypocritical elite and the oligarchy surpassed what Ferdinand and Imelda have achieved, maybe the Marcoses would have long been forgotten.

Alas, they have not accomplished anything. On the contrary, they continue to bury our people deeper into poverty and destitution. It is in comparing the present with the past that keeps alive the memory and spirit of Marcos in the hearts and minds of our people.