All Filipino “revolutions” were co-opted by greedy and power-hungry oligarchs

China had the opportunity to colonize most of Southeast Asia if they wanted to. Did they do it? Nope. The Chinese weren’t colonial in their mindset and this is mirrored by their political and social structures during the time of the emperors. It was the Japanese who had plans to compete with the Western powers. Imagine a society where the shogunates survive to this day in the form of Yakuza. The warrior gumis are the modern day shogunates. But today, they control political power and decide who gets to be prime minister.

We Filipinos are now caught up in another shitshow of our own making. The “patriotic” Filipinos are those who stand up to China. Those who are for a diplomatic and pragmatic solution to the South China Sea disputes are labelled “traitors”, branded as Makapili, by our very own government. Good if this was our independent stand but the administration of President Bongbong Marcos relies on the “rules-based” international order, to peddle the narrative.

All this thus begs the question: Are we truly independent? No. The one and only revolution we had was co-opted by the oligarchs. Emilio Aguinaldo sold out to the Spaniards and came back on the side of the Americans only to rebel again because he wouldn’t be the leader of their new government. In his rise to power, he murdered two of the true patriots in the persons of Andres Bonifacio and Antonio Luna.

Today we continue to labor under the yoke of the Americans and our business and political elite, who continue to colonize the country. Whatever economic growth there is benefits mostly the rich and the poor are under the control of the political elite who have institutionalized dole-outs. We are now the Republic of Ayuda. To this end, it’s the middle class who pays the bills. These are our business process outsourcing (BPO) workers and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who toil to bring in the much needed foreign currency and the consumption these induce to fuel our economy.

The poorest of the poor feeds our nation. The farmers and the fishermen who continue with their trade are those who should truly be put on the pedestal along with the OFWs who have kept the country on its feet during the times of crises. This has led to our being overtaken by our regional neighbors. It’s only a matter of time before Cambodia and Laos pass us by. If Myanmar gets its act together, we will eventually claim the title of being last in the region.

I spent two days in Tagaytay conducting a seminar/workshop and I didn’t like what I saw. Our expressways don’t come close to our regional neighbors. Nothing is planned in this country. It’s all whimsical. The Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay road widens and narrows throughout its length which indicates the absence of planned development. The carbon footprint of Tagaytay is such that residents and tourists don’t get to enjoy the cold weather anymore because it’s gone. Going back to Manila was another nightmare because of the traffic. How can a toll road be called an expressway when your speed range is 40-60 kph? The traffic at SLEX is such because of the build-up at the exits. The same is true with C-5 where you have cars competing with trucks and motorcycles for every inch of road space. It’s no wonder why we have low tourist arrivals.

Unless Filipinos wake up to the realities of the control of the oligarchs and the politicians, the rape of the country will continue until there’s nothing left. This is the future of your children.

Ramon Ortoll

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