Buencamino does political affairs analysis for Action for Economic Reforms. This piece was published in the newspaper Today, 26 August 2004, page 9.
Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights,even if you don’t know what your rights are, or who the person isyou’re talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door. -Jack HandyAmericans are not the only ones who meddle in the Philippines. Citizens of other countries also butt in from time to time.
A Dutch with a Filipino surname, Jalandoni, arrived in the countryrecently and invited the President of the Philippines tovisit his organization’s armed camps. He said he would give her asafety conduct pass so she could talk to their partisans and see forherself how they lived
The invitation to visit his armed camps seemed innocent enough, akin toan invitation to a petting zoo, but it was actually an audaciousgesture from a foreigner trying to topple the Philippine government. Iexpected nationalists to defend our sovereignty, but they stayed home.I asked myself, wouldn’t they tear him to pieces if he were an American?
The Dutch chairs the negotiation panel of an organization callingitself the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Its overallleader is an expatriate Filipino called Professor Jose Maria Sison.
Sison believes two governments exist in the Philippines. One, he says,is “the counterrevolutionary government of big compradors and landlordscentered in Manila” and the other is, “the nationwide revolutionarygovernment of workers and peasants based in the countryside.”
Both sides have been engaged in on-again off-again peace negotiationsfor the last 18 years. The comprador side is chaired by a Filipino. Therevolutionary side is chaired by a Dutch and only the expatriate Sisonknows why he preferred a foreigner over a Filipino to represent theinterests of his nationwide revolutionary government.
The other foreign meddler is a Canadian. He also has a Filipinosurname, Luz. He was among those who conspired to overthrowPresident Estrada. He was one of the most outspoken critics ofthe deposed president and his views on the “second envelop”containing Velarde’s bank records are well known.
In one television interview, he spoke out against releasing informationcovered by bank secrecy laws because of the damage it would do to thecountry’s banking system and he wanted the inquiry into the fake bankaccount to stop…… no, wait a minute; that’s the Pidal expose hewas trying to stop— not the Velarde investigation. Anyway,the Canadian was also involved in the last presidential election.
In that election, he was with a watchdog group called Namfrel. Thegroup was suspected of trending its unofficial tally in favor ofPidal’s relative. A researcher, Roberto Versola, decided toembark on a “personal search for the truth.” He details hisfindings on the Canadian-led watchdog’s shenanigans in a reportcalled, “The True Results of the 2004 PresidentialElections.” A printed copy of the report together with a CD canbe ordered by sending a text request to 0919-608-7073.
If the two foreigners were American, the usual suspects would bescreaming American imperialism and burning American flags; however inthis case there are no epithets and no bonfires. Consequently, somequestions need to be asked.
Why is the Philippine panel negotiating peace with a Dutchcitizen? Is the Philippines at war with the Dutch? Whyhasn’t the Bureau of Immigration deported the Canadian citizen formeddling in our elections? Are Canadians allowed to campaign and votein our elections? Why presume those foreigners are not agents of thecountries they owe allegiance to? Didn’t they turn their backs onthe Philippines when they chose to become citizens of another country?
I don’t have the answers to those questions but the Suzette Pidofan club, the Pidophiles, have a motto that may provide the answer.Above every Pidophile’s heart is a tattoo with these words: “differentstrokes for different folks.” We can’t have the same rulesfor everyone, can we?
Comments