Scraping the Fringe

I read the news daily. I think this was brought on by my somewhat subversive tendencies and very anti-right wing upbringing. In any, I feel I have this need to be well-informed about the world especially when it comes to politics.

Cory Aquino to gov’t: Where’s Jonas Burgos?

I grew up in the Philippines. I lived there for 16 years and thus giving me an affinity to keep up to date with what’s happening in my home country. A couple of days ago I was reading the Inquirer when I glanced upon the front page photo. It was a mother holding a picture of his missing son. Reading the caption, I was awestruck by what it said. The photo is of Jonas Burgos, apparently a social activist in the Philippines. The name sounded familiar but hey I’ve known many people in my life. After his name, he was described as the son of late Joe Burgos. For many people, Joe Burgos was a hero during the Martial Law. He was the editor of a famous newspaper that defied Ferdinand Marcos’ orders of towing the government line.

Jonas Burgos, I suddenly remembered, was my high school art teacher. Memories of our interactions are fleeting but I do remember having fun with the projects he let us do. I also remember that we went on a field trip to their farm, where they grow wonder chickens! It was a nickname for larger than normal chickens due to a breeding program they initiated.

There is seriously something going wrong in the Philippines. Moreso than usual. Labour leaders and social activists are either missing, attacked or assassinated. Many reports and even the UN have concluded that the military is behind this. Of course, Gen. Esperon has denied any of these allegations. I suspect either of two things with what is happening.

One is that there is a government plan to silence critics. The Arroyo administration has been bedeviled by allegations from electoral fraud to fiscal mismanagement. These things have been a staple of Philippine politics. However, the administration is finally doing something to save face in the international community or shore-up support from the electorate.

Another scenario could be the beginning of something similar to warlordships in different areas in the Philippines. It is already well-known but highly unacknowledged that many politicians support their own private army. This is done either through army/police bribery or hiring of locals to do their dirty work. Another aspect of this is that many military leaders are now following their own agendas without the consent of their superiors.

I do not know which scenario is scarier. Both are unwanted and not needed by the Filipino. Many of the things happening now are eerily similar to heinous crimes done by the military during Martial Law. The ghost of that era has haunted people since 1986. Every president has been suspected of abusing their power or extending their terms much like Marcos. However the situation of Martial Law can always be replicated in many ways and this is one of them.

Last Tuesday, I received an email notification that Anson Chan was coming to UBC. The inner politics geek inside me started getting all pumped up and excited. She is one of the most powerful women not only in Hong Kong but also in Asia. For people like me who study these kinds of things (or at least try to study), she is one of those superstars you can only meet regularly if you have high level access to power or people with power.

On my way to the talk, I did not know what to expect. She surprised me in many ways. Her talk was candid and honest. Many of her opinions I agree with. We were advised to follow Chatham House Rules, which I will adhere to. I have no idea if I can even mention what she talked about but of course it would be about Hong Kong and what the future holds with the status of the Basic Law. Gah! This is killing me, as I usually spout things off-the-cuff (i.e. the other name for this blog).

Anson Chan giving a talk at UBC.

The whole time she was speaking, she exuded this air of intelligence, grace, frankness, and honesty that you rarely see in somebody in politics. I must say it was an interesting talk, illuminating and informative to say the least. The photo is very bad since I came a bit late and all the good seats were already taken. I wanted to move around but it didn’t seem appropriate at the time. It doesn’t do justice to her presence. On the other hand though, I can see how some people can be critical of her and her ways. She seemed firm on everything she said. Many have said that she is akin to Margaret Thatcher.

Oh thank God for Wikipedia. I don’t need to explain a lot of these things. As usual though, don’t take everything as is while reading the entries. Anyway, let’s see if this blog gets blocked in China. Woot! My last one did and my only reference to China was because I was studying economic reform and transition.

I have just read a news article that said bodies of soldiers were being dragged across the streets of Mogadishu similar to the events during the UN Peacekeeping Mission of ‘95. It is very disheartening to hear something like this happening. I know that this kind of event is probably happening all the time in war-torn areas however, it only amplifies the amount of work that we have to do to help developing countries.

Dragging of bodies has to be one of the worst and most humiliating action you can do to a person. It disrespects who the person was. It’s like kicking somebody when they’re already down. Somebody once said that all is fair in war but this just goes beyond it.

I am not an African expert. I have only passing knowledge about the various events that happens on the continent. However, I commend the African Union, especially countries like Uganda and Ethiopia for contributing troops to the peacekeeping mission there. I know they’re just doing their job but again this event is just disheartening to hear.

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