My Personal Reaction to GMA's Declaration of State of National Emergency

by Fr. Czar Emmanuel Alvarez
Rome, Italy

The first thing that came to my mind was Qoheleth's famous verse: "there's nothing new under the sun" (qoh 1:9). surprisingly GMA herself quoted almost the entire chapter from the same biblical book (qoh 3) during her speech at the "libingan ng mga bayani", where she went to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the EDSA 1986 revolution. And now the same divinely inspired author flashed back to my mind when I heard her declare a state of national emergency last friday (the 24th of february).Read More

Looking back at the history of the Philippines these past twenty years or so (I was born exactly on the same year Ferdinand Marcos became our president and have seen all the socio-political and religious events in our country since then), nothing is really new under the sun. States of emergency? Suspensions of the writ of habeas corpus?, Coup d'état attempts? Martial laws declarations? - we have had all these since the 1940's (although people of my generation would probably remember only the september 21, 1972 declaration of martial law by pres. ferdinand marcos; the december 6, 1989 declaration of national state of emergency by Pres. Corazon Aquino, and another one on december 20 of the same year).

Perhaps the only novelty consists in the fact that, after the 1986 EDSA revolution, the filipino people seem to have taken penchant for staging glaring protest movements and rebellions. Pres. Cory Aquino had her share of six coup d'état attempts!; GMA herself became president as the outcome of the so-called EDSA 2 (in january 2001); and since then our country has seen quite a number of socio-political disturbances (like the may 2001 uprising by the supporters of pres. joseph estrada, the july 2003 thwarted mutiny at the makati business district by the "Magdalo" faction, and so forth).

Should the supposedly coup d'état attempt last 24th of February and GMA's response to it surprise us then? Only people with short memory and with no familiarity with the local situation would be surprised at all. GMA has every right - both as president and as commander-in-chief - to do whatever she thinks is best to stabilize the local situation, see to it that social justice prevails, peace and order restored, and so forth. Some may not agree with the constitutional provisions or articles and sections she bases her decision on (art. XVII, sec. 17 and art. XVII, sec. 17?, or art. VII, sec. 18 and art. XII, sec. 17 of the 1987 constitutions?), or with the urgency of declaring a state of national emergency.

The official text of last friday's declaration, of course, does not limit itself to the coup d'état attempt last friday. it rather briefly reviews - clearly in an attempt to justify proclamation no. 1017 - episodes of lawless violence, rebellions, social disorders, etc. since the time the president took power onwards. there's really "nothing new under the sun". i just hope that, after the state of national emergency has been revoked, GMA would show the same clemency, for example, former pres. corazon aquino showed to coup plotters and rebel soldiers rather than literally stick to her warning of "babagsak sa inyong pagtataksil ang buong bigat ng batas".

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Fr. Czar Emmanuel Alvarez is a professor of Italian, English, Hebrew and Greek Languages and a member of the Augustinian Order.

State of Emergency: Solusyon Ba?

ni Jocelyn Ruiz
Rome, Italy

Dagok sa bansang Pilipinas nagtuloy-tuloy. Maraming trahedya ang naganap. Maraming buhay ang nawala. Maraming luha ang tumagas. Marami ang nasaktan at patuloy na nasasaktan. Lubog na nga bang talaga ang Pilipinas? Wala na nga bang pag asa na maiahon ito sa kahirapan na ngayon ay umaalingasaw sa bawat bibig ng maraming Pilipino? Totoo bang nasa putik na tayo ng kagipitan? Mga Mahihirap na tao patuloy na naghihirap. Gobyerno hindi na malaman kung ano ang gagawin. Mataas na bilihin hindi na naibaba.

Ekonomiya ng bansa umiiyak na at sumisigaw. Ang inang Bayan gusto ng mag alma pero walang magawa. Mga Bayani sa libingan na nagbuwis ng buhay binubuhay ang kanilang mga ipinaglalaban sa karapatan na makamtam ang “Kalayaan ng Bansa”. Usap usapan hindi na natatapos. Marami ang natatakot dahil Pilipinas nagkakagulo ang mga tao. Hindi na malaman kung sinu nga ba ang dapat sisihin sa mga pangyayari na sunod sunod na bagyong humahagupit dito.

Parang latigo na unti unting uubusin ang mga tao dahil ba sa Kahirapan ng mundo? Dahil ba sa Korupsyon? Dahil ba sa maduming pulitika? Dahil ba sa pang aabuso ng mga matataas na tao? Dahil ba sa maling panunungkulan? Dahil ba sa katiwalian at pandaraya? Dahil sa pagnanakaw at pagiging makasarili? Dahil ba sa maling opinyon at paggawa ng masama kahit kapwa tao ang mamamatay sa gutom? Ilan lamang iyan marahil sa possibleng dahilan para malaman ang dahilan Pero bakit nga? Pinapalo na nga ba ang Pilipinas sa mga maling pamamalakad at pag iimbot na bumabalot sa mga taong naninirahan dito? Sino ang dapat sisihin?

Ilan pang mga Pilipino ang mamamatay? Ilan pang mga Bata ang makakakita ng kahindik hindik na mga pangyayari sa bansa na wala namang kamalay kamalay? Ilang beses pa na tayo ay luluha at maghahanap ng katarungan? Ilan beses pa na tayo ay makukulong sa pag aalsa at paghihimagsik? Kailan matatapos ang rebolusyon? Kailan mawawakasan ang korupsyon, kasamaan, katiwalaan? Kailan magigising ang dapat magising? Kailan ba tayo magtutulungan at hindi magiging alipin ng kasakiman, ganid at galit na pagtataksil sa bansa? Bakit tayo ganito? Ikaw? Anu ba ang masasabi?
Bakit ayaw nating magtulungan? Lahat tayo ay may buhay at nais mabuhay sa maayos na paraan. Bakit ang yaman yaman mo na ayaw mo pang magbahagi at imbis ay ninanakawan mo pa ang kaban ng pamahalaan na sana at dapat maitutulong sa mga nangangailangan at naghihikahos. Bakit kayo ganyan? Binigyan kayo ng posisyon pero hindi ninyo ginagamit sa mabuting paraan. Itinayo namin kayo dahil kami ay nagtiwala at ibinuhos ang buong pagsuporta sa inyo upang maiahon ninyo ang bansang Pilipinas. Hindi lang ito para kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo kundi sa lahat ng nanunungkulan sa mundo.

Kahit pa sino ang iluklok natin sa bansa, kung ang kanyang layunin ay magpayaman, magkamkam ng salapi ay walang mangyayaring pagbabago, walang mangyayari na pag unlad at pagtayo ng bansa. Wag sana tayong maging makasarili. Ang naapakan ay ang mga taong walang malay, mga taong halos gutom ang inaabot sa araw araw, mga taong magpapakamatay makakain lamang sa isang araw. Nasaan ang katarungan? Nasaan ang inyong pinag aralan? Nasaan ang tinatawag na Pagkatakot sa Diyos kung tayo ay isa sa nagdudulot ng hirap sa mundo.

Tumayo tayo at ibangon ang Pilipinas. Magkaisa. Wag nating hayaan na tayong mga Pilipino ang magpatayan Dahil MAGKAKAMPI TAYO KABAYAN, MAGKASAMA TAYO KAIBIGAN, MAGKADUGO TAYO KAPATID, PAREHO TAYONG PILIPINO KAYA DAPAT NATING PAHALAGAHAN AT MAHALIN ANG INANG BAYAN. Wag nating hintayin na mahuli ang lahat magsama sama tayo sa pagkilos sa mga dagok, at bagyong rumaragasgas sa ating bansa.

ITAGUYOD ANG KALAYAAN PARA SA KABUTIHAN DAHIL SA HULI’T HULI ANG MANANALO AY HINDI ANG BATAS NG TAO. ANG HAHATOL AY HINDI TAO. ANG MANGINGIBABAW AY ANG BATAS NG DIYOS KAYA HANGGANG MAY PAG ASA PA AT PANAHON NA MAGBAGO AY DAPAT TAYONG MAGBAGO DAHIL TAYONG LAHAT AY SA LUPA NAGMULA AT LUPA DIN PUPULUTIN AT MAGBABALIK. KAYA MAKONSENSYA! ITIGIL ANG KASAMAAN AT ITAYO ANG KABUTIHAN! MABUHAY PILIPINO! LABAN PILIPINO SA HAMON NG MUNDO!

My Opinion on the Proclamation of the State of National Emergency

by Fr. Alberto M. Guevara, Jr., CS
Rome, Italy

My opinion, as a Chaplain/Parish Priest of the Mission for the Filipino Migrants in the Diocese of Rome, regarding the proclamation of the 1017- State of National Emergency, I think it is not the ultimate solution yet in order to pacify the situation in our country. It is a fundamental human right of every person- Filipino citizen to seek for justice, democracy and freedom of expression. The 1017 certainly suppresses this basic human rights. How could justice and freedom and democracy then be expressed? Would it not provoke more chaos in our beloved country?

I think the necessity of proclaiming the 1017 has to be reevaluated or
examined again, because it created a nationwide controversy.

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Rev. Fr. Alberto M. Guevara, Jr. is the Chaplain of the Filipino migrants in Rome, Italy.

Comment on the State of Emergency

by Ermie de la Cruz
Rome, Italy

I do not agree to the State of Emergency because we can't easily judge anyone without having proofs that they have committed a sin or done reckless thing against the law. How about those ugly people or faces? How can we be sure that they are bad ones? What right do we have to judge nor arrest someone we don’t know. I think that is very unreasonable and discriminative. Let’s try to look those elegant people, clean people, those who live in a better place or has the power to control over other peoples’ life. How can we tell that they are innocent? In this world, people are born to comment and to judge but in the depth of God’s love, we are equal. He doesn’t judge nor arrest, he give chances and forgiveness.