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HISTORY | 
Marcos' Revolution from the Center


September 21, 1972 signaled the end of an era of liberal democracy characterized by free elections, freedom of speech, free press, and the free discourse and exchange of ideas. On that day, President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law. His so-called revolution from the center mimicked communist regimes. But it was a revolution coming from the right and the palace itself. And there lies its own contradictions.

Marcos trifled with Capitalist principles, toyed with Socialist solutions, did away with Western concept of democracy and experimented with his version of centralized planning by nationalizing several industries.

With the presence of U.S. military bases in the country, Marcos knew the Philippines' strategic role in America's wars in the Far East. He played his cards well in getting what he wanted from the U.S. While pursuing his agenda for the reengineering of Philippine society.

Marcos in accordance with the 1935 constitution, could no longer ran for  a third term. To circumvent the constitution and perpetuate himself in power, he declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972 putting the Philippines under  military rule for almost 10 years. He ruled without the legitimizing power of elections. America look idly as its former colony slid into violence and increasing  polarization. The United States was convinced it needed Marcos in fighting rising Communist threat in Southeast Asia that it would be willing to turn a blind eye to Marcos' undemocratic policies.

After his proclamation of Martial Law, Marcos did away with representative democracy, America's vaunted legacy to the Philippines. He abolished Congress and threw into prison his political enemies. Oppositionist senators, lawmakers, government officials and private individuals including intellectuals, priests, technocrats, students, and labor leaders were detained with many of them tortured, held in solitary confinement, abused, their rights and freedoms denied. The streets were cleaned up of mass protesters and almost everyone suspected of opposing Marcos was  thrown into prison.

Private properties were confiscated by the state and so-called oligarchs suspected of being critical to Marcos were persecuted. Marcos created a totalitarian state, decimated the political opposition and  controlled the traditional elite by threatening them.

He had complete control. The old order demolished, he created a new order. Like communist regimes of the time, the Philippines under Marcos was a police state ruled by a single party, his Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL).

Marcos took over several companies and nationalized various industries. With the elite neutralized, Marcos' trusted cronies controlled vital Philippine industries, siphoning profits, appropriating for themselves public funds. In his “oligarch-free” Philippines the new elite made up of his cronies took over and enriched themselves.

In the political arena, with elections a thing of the past, Marcos appointed politicians loyal to him as governors, mayors, council members, etc.

The dictatorship ends

Questions of legitimacy hounded Marcos. Ruling without a mandate from the people, Marcos was forced to call for a snap election in 1986, almost three years after the  death of Ninoy Aquino. In an unprecedented development, Ninoy's widow, Corazon Aquino challenged Marcos and ran as president. The contrast was stunning but it was lost on Marcos, already isolated and out of touch with the course the nation had taken. Marcos, an aging and sickly dictator with a face bloated from complications of a failed kidney transplant,  was a shadow of his former self. Cory, a woman, grieving widow, loving wife and mother and a well-educated member of old elite class posed serious threat to Marcos' autocratic rule. Cory's presence alone was a refreshing breeze in the dreary, blood-tainted national politics.

The United States, however, supported Marcos until it was no longer tenable to do so. The mistake almost sidelined America in one of the defining events of the 20th century: the 1986 Edsa Revolution. In a scene  reminiscent of the American defeat in Vietnam, America was forced to airlift Marcos as thousands of people stormed Malacanang. Palace.

Hindu-Buddhist goddess Kinari found in Butuan. Photo from Wikipedia

HISTORY | The glory that was Butuan
BY JUN VELEZ

Before there was the Philippines, there was Butuan.

I was in Butuan sometime in the early 90s during an exposure trip by Anthropology students of  the University of San Carlos in Cebu. What I saw there left a lasting imprint in my mind

Butuan is one of its kind. No other site has yielded such rich, enormous finds. In what is said to be a dried up portion of Masao river we saw an endless array of Chinese porcelains in all shapes and sizes, testament to its trade with China. There is evidence indicating that Butuan  was in contact with China. Wikipedia writes:

"Evidence indicates that Butuan was in contact with the Song dynasty of China by at least 1001 AD. The Chinese annal Song Shih recorded the first appearance of a Butuan tributary mission at the Chinese Imperial Court on March 17, 1001 AD and it described Butuan (P'u-tuan) as a small Hindu country with a Buddhist Monarchy in the sea that had a regular connection with the Champa kingdom and intermittent contact with China under the Rajah named Kiling.[5] The rajah sent an envoy under I-hsu-han, with a formal memorial requesting equal status in court protocol with the Champa envoy. The request was denied later by the Imperial court, mainly because of favoritism over Champa.[6]"

"A new ruler with the Indianized name Sri Bata Shaja later succeeded in attaining diplomatic equality with Champa by sending the flamboyant ambassador Likanhsieh. Likanhsieh shocked the Emperor by presenting a memorial engraved on a gold tablet, some white dragon (Bailong 白龍) camphor, Moluccan cloves, and a South Sea slave at the eve of an important ceremonial state sacrifice.[7] This display of irreverence sparked interests from China over the small Rajahnate and the diplomatic relations between the two states reached its peak during the Yuan Dynasty. Chinese records about the Rajahnate stopped after the reign of Rajah Siagu the last independent Rajah of Butuan. He was formally subjugated into the Spanish empire after he made a blood compact with Ferdinand Magellan in 1521."

Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Polynesian-style animism soon gave way to Christianity. Spain succeeded in establishing the first and only Catholic colony in Asia. But at the cost of obliterating the natives' identity, history, cultural pride. We were reading and writing when the Spanish conquestadores arrived. We had native writing known as Baybayin. We were expert boat-builders. We mined gold and made them into precious ornaments and artificial teeth.

In Butuan were unearthed the golden statuette of the Hindu-Buddhist goddess "Kinari", the golden tara, a 21-carat golden figurine of a female deity and the wooden balangay boats and many other relics and artifacts, testament to its rich and glorious past.

What remains of Butuan today? With the help of the National Museum, the city tries to rediscover its past, and in the process our history prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Butuan is our own Maya, Aztec or Inca civilization that Spanish conquestadores destroyed.

TRAVEL/CUISINE | Food trip
BY JUN VELEZ

One can never guess where following one’s taste buds may lead. I’m often like a blind man led only by my nose and tongue as I follow the enticing aroma and delightful taste of food.
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DEVELOPMENT | Solving the Philippine puzzle 

| BY JUN VELEZ

The Philippines is a puzzle. America swept all the country's divisions under the rug when it wrested the islands from Spain. It colonized the country and patterned its political development with that of the US,conferring upon Filipinos their rights as citizens of a commonwealth under the United States.
. read more>>