leap-musings

an inter-faith rally is still being held at this very moment. competing with the echoes of "gloria step down" is a menagerie of comedy bar mainstays having their own usual friday tryst in PBCom's foodcourt. videoke singing of such songs as Pagdating ng Panahon, Torete, among others, and anti-Arroyo chants… true to the Tide commercial, vie for the available airwaves from where i'm sitting.

tita c and i actually went to paseo de roxas, not to join the rally, but to take pics! well, she took these pics and i was one of her main subjects… at least that's what i felt! i even found some nice inihaw na pusit, 20 pesos for 3 sticks!

i can't help but to turn my back… rallies and mass demonstrations are designed to arouse group enthusiasm and push for the greater good, but such recent gatherings have already been marred with heavy politicking, driven by also-greedy politicians that are only out there because of their eagerness to usurp power and have their chance to plunder the country's riches through the (mis)use of people power. supposed demonstrators are given their appearance fees and free packed lunch… to the point that a new career has been started – professional rallyist!

such mass movements are already tiresome and has lost its essence. seemingly honest witnesses like Jun Lozada might get the sympathy of most pinoys, but not to the point of actually taking the EDSA way and protest… they have more important things to do and can't miss a day's work to earn for their family. opposition stalwarts and even Cory Aquino need to come up with a better alternative than either Noli or anyone from their group as they call for Arroyo's resignation… that is, for the middle class to join in the action. as Amando Doronila puts it:

Today’s configuration has lost the fervor for mass action of 1986. It tells us that today’s movement is not based on mass action to bring pressure on the key support institutions of government to defect, such as the military and the bureaucracy. Today’s movement has changed emphasis. It has shifted its cutting edge from confrontation in the streets to bringing moral pressure on government. The shift is not exerting a powerful pressure on government officials to step down. It emboldens them to stonewall.

a rally in a day that happens only once in four years might be a good footnote in history… but only if it achieves what it is ultimately hoping for. for now, the people will go about their usual routine, while i'm hoping that this phlegmatic feeling finally makes its halt.

Whitney Houston's I Wanna Run to You has already swallowed the airwaves… courtesy of the belting abilities of one of Allan K's entertaining cohorts.