Last Sunday, September 21, we commemorated the declaration of Martial Law by the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1972.
During this dark period of history, many people suffered from abuses. The Marcos couple looted government coffers. The military and police disregarded people’s rights, especially those who were critical of the regime. Student activists disappeared.
There was no freedom of expression. Newspapers and television stations were closed down.
The opposition had a hard time seeing their opinion in print. Marcos controlled the media. Opposition leaders were harassed. They were incarcerated without charges or faced fabricated ones.
Marcos imprisoned my uncle, newspaperman Napoleon Rama, who wrote exposes about these abuses alongside Monching Mitra and others.
Those who say that the Philippine economy did well under Marcos should think again. When Marcos became president in 1965, the country was next to Japan, but he left us at the bottom next to Bangladesh.
Businessmen at first played along with Marcos until they got fed up with the abuses and corruption.
But the worst thing that Marcos did to the country was ask public school teachers to cheat in the election where the vote count was still done manually. Teachers were highly respected in society but during the Marcos era, they became the subject of mocking. People would joke that they did not know how to count.
Marcos also filled the Supreme Court and the rest of the judiciary with his favored men. That was why many failed to get the justice, that they were seeking, especially in cases against the police or military.
Corruption was at its highest peak, committed by those in the lowest levels up to the highest officials in government.
Eventually, the people had enough. Marcos was thrown out through people power in 1986. Democracy and decency were slowly restored in Philippine society.
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Last week, six days worth of rain was dumped over Metro Cebu in just one night, causing immense flooding in Cebu and Mandaue Cities. Properties were damaged. Classes, as well as work in some offices, were cancelled for the day.
As usual, leaders were not only on a “reaction mode,” there was also finger-pointing. Former Mayor Tommy Osmeña was quoted as saying he had envisioned several projects which were not implemented because his term had ended.
His statements are of no moment. He is irrelevant today, especially on the problem of flooding in the city. He was given the chance by the people but he blew it because of his obsession with the South Roard Properties (SRP), which took up a huge chunk of the city’s budget for loan payments.
The people are tired of the government not doing anything concrete. This is not the time for pointing fingers. It’s time to put words into action.
But it is also necessary for all the stakeholders to cooperate. People must dispose of garbage properly to avoid blocking waterways. The three-meter easement zone from rivers and other water bodies must be followed. Encroaching commercial establishments must pull back.
The assistance of the national government is also necessary to address the problem.
It is unwise for people to solely blame the government. Equal blame lies with the people.
So let us all join hands in finding ways to solve the problem of flooding in Metro Cebu.
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