The tableau surrounding Cory Aquino’s death brought our memories back to the mystical moment of EDSA Uno when Filipinos rose united to put an end to Martial Law. There were no tanks to stop this time only intermittent heavy downpour that failed to discourage the outpouring of collective mourning for one widely acclaimed as a symbol of democracy. Interviews and testimonies of people who knew her at closer distance gave many of us a better glimpse of this woman of substance.
The sight of the Marcoses expressing their sympathy and the Aquinos graciously accepting it is perhaps one of the more touching sidelights at Cory’s wake, never mind if it happened only for a fleeting instant. One is humbled by this mutual display of grace notwithstanding deep scars and stands out as one of the moment’s best messages. It may not have finally settled the issues but showed possibilities of how we Filipinos can reach out to one other in spite of our disagreements.
In the last few days, we have witnessed euphoria that dispelled distress. It was like EDSA Uno all over again. But after the dust shall have settled, will it back to the old ways again? Is there any hope at all that things will ever be better?
EDSA Uno indeed brought back our civil liberties which many believe constitute what democracy is. Now we have free speech, free press, free assembly, to mention a few. Yet democracy is not just about political freedoms. We can have all these freedoms but if abundance is confined to a more or less exclusively entitled minority, there would objectively be social disharmony. Democracy also means freedom from poverty, freedom from hunger, freedom from diseases. It also means economic democracy. A government is more or less democratic to the degree that it empowers its citizens not only politically but economically as well.
Monopoly power, expressed in cartels and in subtle interlocking directorates, is perceived to be alive and well in the Philippines today. Economics and politics are inevitably intertwined and the exclusivity of economic opportunities will have an unhealthy impact on the political dynamics of a country which prides itself to be democratic. A situation marked by economic disparity engenders a system of patronage that negates free political choice. To empower public stakeholders, government has to regulate excesses at the top while supporting economic activity that will directly benefit the majority who need to be uplifted. Otherwise, our vision of a progressive and democratic Philippines - even with all our civil liberties - will forever remain an elusive dream.
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