second chance for trillanes and lim?

Senator Trillanes marched from the Makati Regional Trial Court to the Manila Peninsula in Makati City early today. He marched together with Brig. Gen. Danny Lim, and former Philippine Vice President Teofisto Guingona. What was confusing was to learn that even the soldiers posted by the government to guard Sen. Trillanes marched with them as well. Do they share now the same sentiments?

Gen. Lim was briefly interviewed by GMA 7 reporter Susan Enriquez inside the hotel. His message to the public: they want President Gloria Arroyo to step down from the Presidency, a sentiment that they have been pushing from the beginning, claiming that Ms. Arroyo rigged her way to the Presidency, using the military soldiers. Apparently, the higher officials such as Gen. Lim, got disillusioned and did not like how their soldiers were used to accomplish the deed. So many Filipino soldiers have already attested to this as true, yet people in the government refused to listen to them. A recording of Ms. Arroyo's conversation with a COMELEC (Commission on Elections) Official was exposed, discussing the number of votes she wanted to have secured over the other candidate (this was before the actual election) to which the official clearly assured her will be done. The expose led to her saying sorry on television to buffer the Filipino sentiments. We are truly a very forgiving nation.

Do the other government officials try so hard to ignore the issues because they have their own hidden agenda that are protected when Ms. Arroyo stays in power?

Is it really best for the country if all of us just swallow the truth, and to just keep quiet about these things that our own soldiers, trained for the worst condition in the battlefield, cannot even stomach anymore? Even the frailty of Mr. Guigona did not stop him from joining the disillusioned military officers.

I'm really, really confused now.

But one thing I'm sure about, is that I love this country, the Philippines, despite all these political struggles. And, I love my fellow countrymen, including these soldiers who are now risking life and future, standing up for what they believe is true and just. To watch our soldiers fight against each other is so heartbreaking. What will be the end to this event, I wonder? Will Sen. Trillanes and Gen. Lim be given a second chance after this? Will the government offer exile, a graceful exit, to them?

And how about us? Do we stay blind and deaf to the truths that we refuse to talk about...? Will it be for the greater good? Do we just forget the
1. rigging of the last presidential election
2. depletion of GSIS funds (used during the Arroyo campaign)
3. the Jose Pidal case
4. the ZTE deal (FG and the former COMELEC Chair Abalos refused to admit to it, despite the abundance of witnessess privy to their dealings re this busted project), to mention a few.

As of this moment, the government soldiers are now bombarding the hotel with tear gas, with some hotel guests and mediamen still inside. What will the international community be thinking now? Will they sympathize with, and commend the group of Trillanes (MAGDALO soldiers) for trying to uphold the truth even if it meant creating a temporary negative scenario for the country, and offering their lives for the cause? or will they side with Ms. Arroyo for wanting to stay in power despite the fact that she is not loved (nor even liked) by the country? She remains in power only because the Filipinos are just so tired of doing something drastic as ousting an intelligently manipulated, corrupt Head of Nation, the people opting to stay passive and letting fate interfere.

The whole Philippines is not scared of her, as former President Clinton jests. We are not impressed of her either, as she keeps lying about allegedly successful economic figures that do not translate to the actual experience (surviving is more difficult now, more than ever, as most of the Filipinos will attest to). No amount of mind-conditioning will appease the hungry stomach of the majority of the population.

To you, outsiders who are looking in, the international community, please bear with us. The Filipinos have a very loving, very forgiving, initially timid nature. But when enough is enough, we will rise to the occasion.

To Sen. Trillanes and Gen. Lim, I wished there was some other way you could have done this. But nobody can blame you, those in power refused to acknowledge the truth.

To fellow Filipinos, let us pray harder that peace and prosperity will eventually become ours.

Whatever happens, however long it takes to get there, the truth will prevail. God bless us all. The Philippines will remain to be a beautiful country.