|
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Editorial: Sona and the dangers within
EVERY Filipino in the country--at least most of them--have been glued to their respective TV and radio sets to watch last Sunday dawn's standoff instigated by 200 disgruntled junior officers from the military, navy and other sections of the armed forces.
The government extended the 5 p.m. deadline for surrender to two hours after a stream of soldiers went out of the Oakwood Premier Hotel at the Ayala Center in Makati City.
The first thing one notices about this standoff--the military putschists insisted on calling it as such saying it's not a coup d' etat but an expression of grievances and backed it up by releasing all hotel guests including foreign envoys--is that it was timed a day before President Arroyo is set to deliver her State of the Nation Address (Sona) Monday.
The issues raised by the renegade soldiers have been discussed for sometime by the media--corruption in the military via their continued total war policy on Mindanao, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes's mismanagement of the military and plans by President Arroyo to declare martial law next month.
The latter issue especially hurts the President who had vowed not to run in next year's elections. The group specifically accused Reyes and the administration of using the bombing incident to further their own agenda.
What makes this different is their collective demand for all the government officials to resign from their post and their earlier refusal to participate in a dialogue with government especially Reyes.
So we ask whom do they want to replace the Arroyo administration? These soldiers refused to answer giving rise to suspicions that it had been masterminded by Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who had earlier vehemently denied his involvement.
If and when the crisis is resolved without bloodshed the government had gained a temporary victory, with emphasis on the word temporary.
The victory came at a high cost even if there is no bloodshed. Already the country's image had been battered with the al-Ghozi escape and now this.
The country's sagging economy especially its tourism had taken a blow from behind courtesy of this uprising.
This incident only raised further concerns that the Philippine military is not only being politicized but polarized not only by the corruption from within but also by ambitious, avaricious politicians out to seize power for themselves the Constitution, the military and the Filipino people be damned.
This little "stunt" would also serve as additional propaganda fodder for the rebel movement, aka Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democractic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) which, though condemning the action instigated by the Magdalo group, had been exhorting disgruntled soldiers to join their ranks.
Here in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental and the rest of Region 10, the standoff may have serious repercussions on the promised investments by both local and foreign traders.
The travel advisories which the Arroyo government had decried as misleading will now be justified resulting in further decline of economic activities.
And so should the crisis be resolved by now the President would have a lot to talk about to the Filipino people in Monday's Sona.
(July 28, 2003 issue)
Want Sun.Star news on your mobile phone? Click here.
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[ return
to top ]
[ home
]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
|
