A Temporary Victory for Filipinos, Pres. GMA Placed ConAss on Hold
10 days of the loud clamor of Filipinos against HR 1109, President GMA probably heard it and placed ConAss on hold. GMA ordered her allies to temporarily suspend HR 1109 on the day of Philippine Independence, June 12th. It was a temporary victory for us and an additional reason to celebrate this freedom during our day of Indepence.
I say temporary because we cannot trust GMA,or any of her allies, that this won’t be pursued again before the national elections. But nevertheless, temporary victory is better than none at all.
Photo by Karla Redor (with Sparks, me, Phoebe, Karen, Mark and Karen)
When ConAss was still ongoing, I participated in 2 of the rallies that were announced through Facebook, Plurk and Twitter. The first one I attended was the silent protest organized by Rock Ed held at Baywalk last June 7th. Different kinds of people congregated there, some of them were people I am connected with 2-3 degrees apart. There were passersby who just stared at the tarpaulin banner Rock Ed prepared which says “Explain Yourselves, Indimidation is the Way of Leaders Who are Weak” and didn’t really bother to know the issue. I heard Phoebe (a fellow blogger) ask “Why aren’t they joining us?”. We were joking that there were some television celebrities there like Pen Medina and Ronnie Lazaro (which were really present there) but people just lurked. Estimated number of people there: probably a hundred. My fellow bloggers and I got hungry after the silent protest and decided to have a dimsum and ensaymada fix after.
The second rally I participated in was at Ayala last June 11th. Not really sure on how many people attended. There are different estimations from 6,000 to 30,000. I would say 6,000 and a little bit more is the right estimate. This was much noisier and all the media and political personalities were there. Even the known ‘balimbings’ are there, riding the bandwagon. It was a peaceful rally. Then the very next day, ConAss was suddenly placed on hold by GMA.
Anti-ConAss rally at Ayala Ave.
Reading a lot of blogs about con-ass made me realize that an alternative form of activism is becoming popular and probably can be effective. Many people say that the online protests about ConAss influenced the Palace to place it on hold. Most likely, the government is already used to street protests. Even though how loud they are on the streets, it seems that the Palace wouldn’t care to listen. This alternative kind of activism, through the use of existing social networking resources in the internet, made Filipinos aware about the pros and cons of the issue.
The question is, are street rallies not enough for us to be heard? I still believe that rallying in the streets isn’t the only way to do activism. I am not saying that it’s not effective anymore but it will be effective if the message will be transmitted to a lot of people.
Tags: Con-Ass, Conass, No To ConAss
5 Responses to “A Temporary Victory for Filipinos, Pres. GMA Placed ConAss on Hold”
i am not anti con-ass and the more i am not for con-ass, but don’t you all think this is just a waste of time? these bloggings and eyeballs, rallies etc. di pa rin nila tayo marinig, at kung naririnig man tayo ng mga tao dyan sa House, still they don’t give a “D”. Because kahit na dumarami na ang sumisigaw sa kalye para ibasura ang con-ass, still there are politicians who obviously will walk side by side with us shouting anti-con-ass slogans, nagbabalat-kayo lamang for their own benefits. Di man lang sila marunong mahiya. Nakakawalang gana kung iisipin, nakakaawa kung titingnan ang mga Pilipino, laging naniniwala sa mga dalang pangako ng mga pulitiko, na alam naman nating mapapako lamang iyon, at patuloy pa rin tayong magbulag-bulagan, umaasa sa mga pangako nilang PAGBABAGO. Dahil ang pagbabago ay dapat magsimula sa ating sarili. Magpapa-uto pa rin ba tayo sa mga taong niluklok natin sa gobyerno? Pilipino ay madaling makalimot at madaling magpatawad.
a waste of time is not being involved in anything and just keep on repeating the system of apathy. People have their own way to contribute sa mga nakikitang pagkakamali sa sistema. You are absolutely right na dapat magsimula sa atin ang pagbabago. Whatever small act that we do (like blogging or even rallying in the streets), at least we care about the country. If you are already discouraged in this country then go ahead, migrate in another country and renounce your Filipino roots. I don’t want to judge you because I don’t know you personally but let me ask you. What have you done lately to contribute in changing the system? If you feel that being apolitical can contribute the system, then fine. I rest my case.
thank you for that enlightenment, ma’am. but sad to say I’ve done that and I’m sure a lot of Filipino have done the same, na hindi lang nakontento sa pag upo lamang sa ating mga tahanan, i’ve done that in several previous elections, but sad to say, sa wala rin napunta, napako pa rin ang mga pangako ng binoto nating mga pinuno, mga taong hinalal natin para makinig sa ating mga hinaing, may pagkakaiba pa ba sa darating na halalan? when all i can see are the same opposition politician faggots lurking beside or rather behind us, pushing us to demonstrate, to rally, to shout to the top of our voice. My point is, as long as those same face politicians, ma-pa opposition man o ma-pa administration, as long as sila pa rin ang mga player ng ating government, ay walang mangyayari.
yes but the point is one still has to be consistent. I understand disappointment because of the people seated in government. me too, I get disappointed but that doesn’t stop me in making my own little moves in changing the system. we are a young republic and it will take years and years for us to achieve what the French has achieved in their revolution way, way back. I am still optimistic. No matter what pessimistic people will say, I will still care for my country. There are a lot of things that makes me proud to be a Filipino. I can’t blame you if you are already tired. Like I said, rallying in the streets aren’t the only solution to be heard. There are different kinds of activism that one can do. If you really want to change something, no one can ever force you to do it. Educate the young ones on being socially aware of what’s happening.
by the way, thanks for sharing your insights too.
Juan. meron pang pag-asa. Merong kandidato na hindi trapo. Si Perlas. He is an activist and was very vocal against con-ass. Take the time to learn more about him at nicanor-perlas.com
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