kilusangmayouno.org

KMU corrects Noynoy: Credit goes to the people

Date:

24 January 2010

Reference Person:

Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU Chairperson

Contact information:

0929-629-3234

On the 23rd anniversary of the Mendiola Massacre, wherein 13 farmers were killed in a march to Mendiola to demand genuine land reform, progressive legislator Satur Ocampo called on presidentiable Sen. Noynoy Aquino to admit the failure of former President Cory Aquino’s land reform program and to “do more” than what her mother accomplished on the issue.

Sen. Aquino shot back by saying “Satur should be the last person to call my mother a failure. The freedom of expression he is enjoying and the freedom given to all political prisoners under Marcos, he owed to my mother. Is that failure?”

Sen. Aquino’s statement could only proceed from an incorrect understanding of history, and a lack of appreciation for the role of the Filipino people in making history.

When former President Aquino restored freedom of expression and set political prisoners free, she was merely fulfilling her promises to the Filipino people – to whom she owed her ascent to the presidency. She was merely acting as a medium of the people’s will. The people invested power in her but the real power resided in the people.

It is the Filipino people who consistently fought the Marcos dictatorship even before the assassination of Sen. Ninoy Aquino in 1983, and even before the declaration of martial law in 1972. It is the Filipino people who ousted Marcos, and who demanded that the freedom of expression be restored and political prisoners be released.

While former Pres. Aquino should be recognized for restoring these freedoms, the ultimate recognition should be given to the Filipino people. Even former Pres. Aquino said so and, had she been alive today, she would have been very embarassed by this statement from his son.

Sen. Aquino’s statement displays a lack of understanding of the role of the Left in fighting the Marcos dictatorship.

Sen. Aquino should also be reminded that the Left, to which Rep. Ocampo belongs, played a most important part in arousing, organizing and mobilizing people against the Marcos dictatorship. It is not as if Rep. Ocampo merely sat there and waited for his freedom to be granted by the new president. He risked his life and gave up a life of comfort in fighting the Marcos dictatorship.

Sen. Aquino’s statement aims to blackmail the Left and other critical voices into silence about former President Aquino’s record in government.

What is Sen. Aquino saying? That the Left and other people cannot criticize his mother’s record in government because that is being ungrateful for whatever freedoms former Pres. Aquino restored? This is a most personal take on a very important issue that the Left and other people are raising. It will lead us nowhere – especially near genuine change.

Sen. Aquino’s statement shows his failure to recognize the plight of Filipino farmers.

Judging from the present situation of Filipino farmers, who remain landless, exploited by landlords and brutalized by the government, former Pres. Aquino’s land reform program can only be called a failure. In evading the issue, by implying people are being ungrateful to his mother, Sen. Aquino displays his failure to understand the situation of Filipino farmers.

Sen. Aquino’s statement is a warning that no genuine change is forthcoming for Filipino farmers if he wins as president.

An honest-to-goodness assessment of previous presidents’ record on land reform is of utmost importance in truly improving the program. Judging from this statement, Sen. Aquino is incapable of objectively assessing his mother’s record on the issue. This could only create doubts as to whether he is capable of improving the program for the benefit of farmers or not.

The Filipino farmers, workers and people are sick and tired of empty statements like “my vision is not just a transfer of assets, but empowering the people.” We have heard it before, from presidents and politicians who wish to appear pro-farmer and pro-people but who are actually advancing the interests of the landlord class to which they belong.

Perhaps Sen. Aquino’s lead in the surveys is getting into his head. What should enter his mind, however, are the lessons of the past that can only come from an honest and humble assessment of history.