SOME Filipinos, themselves, are the reason why the Marcoses are still in power. I am writing this essay for them. They are primarily to be blamed for the perpetuation of the Marcos power.
I am not talking about those who are forgiving. While they do contribute to our sense of forgetfulness, they are nonetheless mere accessories. Neither am I blaming the ignorant. They have been made to believe in false histories. To the young and the innocent, we simply repeat what the Lord said to his persecutors: forgive them for they know not what they are doing.
We also cannot put much blame on those who don’t care. Little do these people know that if another tyrant will rise to power, they will be among the most pitiful victims. Perhaps they still need to be oppressed. They still have to shed barrels of tears before they will be forced to say never again.
None of these three groups or perhaps any other additional category of Filipinos could be primarily blamed.
Basically, I am addressing the blame to Filipinos with high ambitions and dreams. Yes, the ambitious. My encounters with many Marcos loyalists made me discover their real element. Thomas Aquinas once said: “the things (or persons) we love reveal who we truly are.” Those who are deeply in love with Marcos actually share very intimately with the dictator’s ambitions and dreams.
The late Marcos did have some good and nice ambitions. But we have to ask whether those were for the Philippines or simply for himself and his family. Ambitions and dreams are part of life. It is normal for a leader to dream and have ambitions. He would not reach a status without dreaming. It is important, however, for a leader to always check himself. Ambitions and dreams are neither good nor bad. It is the manner of the execution and the intentions behind the ambitions that spell out the difference.
The myths that Marcos created, the delusions of Imelda, and the desire to keep on extending his term all tell us that Marcos’ ambitions were not for the Philippines. When he thought of making the nation great, he thought of the country under his greatness. In the end all the things that he did were for his own glorification and satisfaction.
But why are supporters blind to this? This is where the study of politics (political science) gives way to psychology. If I may be allowed to somewhat digress, the problem with those who study politics is that they pay little attention if any to the individual behavior (or personality) of the actor(s).
Like their political idol, Marcos loyalists have lots of dreams and ambitions. Hard it may be to accept, they desire for greatness. Listen to these Marcos supporters or even to many Filipinos. Think of how much they desire for the Philippines to become like Singapore. Another ridiculous wish is for this country to become part of US. These supporters desire for a country free of crime, where people can walk at night and sleep soundly without disturbance.
Here is a caveat. It would be dangerous when we become obsessed with our dreams. Our inability to reach our ambitions could drive us to selfishness. This happens when we start insisting on our wishes even if it is at the expense of others. Selfishness is dangerous. If the means to get what we want are not available, we take the shortcut. We want things done. We start dreaming of a Filipino Lee Kuan Yew. But because we don’t have one, we can only wish for a dictator.
In the end, many ambitious Filipinos would dream of another Marcos. They see themselves in a dictator who would do the things that they would want to do but could not. There is a need for a Marcos who would accomplish our ambitions without any sweat and effort.
We can only say, more truly, NEVER AGAIN if we denounce our own tendencies to tyranny. Let us check our ambitions. We should learn to love and use freedom responsibly. Our continual wish for a dictator simply means that we are a people who are good in dreaming and nothing more.