Toronto, Ontaario
DIRE PREDICTION: CHRONIC CIVIL UNREST AND MARTIAL LAW UNDER FM JR.
Oswald Magno
Some say that social and economic progress would be difficult to attain under a Marcos Jr. presidency because of his shallow education and lack of experience in economic management and development.
But there is something more discomfiting and concerning than FM Jr.’s shallow credentials: the risk of chronic civil unrest, which could lead to the imposition of martial law.
The probability of chronic civil unrest under FM Jr. is very high.
Some of the things, real or imagined, that could spark and fan persistent civil unrest are:
(a) FM Jr. continuing to ignore and failing to settle the $2 Billion awarded by a Hawaii court as compensation to martial law victims and their families;
(b) FM Jr. continuing to ignore the BIR’s demand to pay the overdue estate tax on his father’s estate of P203 Billion or to delay payment through questionable legal maneuvers, even though the judgment is no longer appealable;
(c) FM Jr. weakening the PCGG, including putting it under the control of the DOJ, thereby stifling the agency’s efforts to recover approximately P125 Billion worth of alleged “ill-gotten wealth” still pending in the courts (NOTE: P175 Billion has already been recovered);
(d) FM Jr. using the powers of the Presidency to effect the return to the Marcos estate and/or to Imelda of the properties, jewelry, artworks and other assets that have been recovered, sequestered or confiscated by the government;
(e) FM Jr. influencing the outcome of his mother Imelda’s appeal of her 42 years graft conviction still pending with the Supreme Court, resulting in an acquittal;
(f) FM Jr. covering up or whitewashing the atrocities committed during his father’s martial law regime or otherwise re-writing history, such as banning textbooks from school libraries and prohibiting the teaching of certain subjects that blacken his family’s reputation, etc.;
(g) FM Jr. preventing the ICC from conducting an investigation into the alleged “crimes against humanity” committed during PRRD’s watch or covering up or whitewashing the alleged crimes;
(h) FM Jr. continuing to pursue militaristic solutions to the insurgency problem; and
(i) FM Jr. continuing to maintain a soft stance towards China in relation to the Philippines’ territorial and maritime claims in the West Philippine Sea, or otherwise selling out the country’s rights to the Chinese.
In the face of chronic civil unrest, FM Jr., like his father before him, will not hesitate to impose martial law.
If and when that happens, darkness will once again rule the land and history will be repeated.
The country’s economic development will be set back many years with the Philippines once again falling behind its ASEAN neighbors.
There is no need for voters to gamble their future by choosing a risky bet like FM Jr.
The country will be just fine without FM Jr. or any of the Marcoses for that matter holding any national position.
The other presidential candidates, most notably VP Leni Robredo, do not pose the same risks.
I firmly believe we and our children can all look forward to a brighter future under Robredo’s visionary, compassionate, inclusive and competent leadership, which will bring out the innate goodness in every Filipino, inspire the business community, lead to the pursuit of noble goals, command the respect of world leaders and mark the restoration of respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.