THE “blitzkrieg” rally by members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) that began at dawn on June 30 started in trickles at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila and the People Power Monument on EDSA in Quezon City. By 6:30 a.m., White Plains Avenue was teeming with thousands of people and EDSA’s northbound lane was paralyzed by demonstrators spilling onto it.
The rally didn’t have the required permit, the Philippine National Police (PNP) lamented. It admitted being caught off-guard by it, which explains why it was unprepared. But Malacañang is not ready to call it a “failure of intelligence.” No prior coordination was made with the PNP, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, or any other relevant government agency.
The INC members protested what they considered the “selective justice” shown following Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s pronouncement that one of its members, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, will be charged with plunder, a nonbailable offense. It questioned the government’s motive in zeroing in on Marcoleta, who was resolved to expose the top government officials and other prominent individuals behind the flood-control fund scandal. It declared that the INC was against bending the law, especially if it was done to protect those behind that massive corruption of public funds.
But despite being able to mobilize a mammoth crowd at a moment’s notice, with prominent speakers like Marcoleta and fellow Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Robinhood Padilla in attendance, the three-day INC rally appeared unable to make a discernable impact.
The Ombudsman proceeded to file a plunder case against Marcoleta and three others on Friday, a day after the rally ended. The case buildup against Padilla for alleged obstruction of justice in helping Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa evade arrest persists.
The lightning rally only enraged the riding public, who complained of the severe inconvenience of the horrendous traffic it caused.
The INC was able to eventually obtain a permit from the Quezon City government, but it was later withdrawn due to the massive traffic it caused and for other purported violations of the terms and conditions of the regulation. The rallyists had to gather at Liwasang Bonifacio, where a permit is not required. But it failed to generate augmentation from other groups with allied advocacy to consolidate a critical mass of demonstrators in a location “a stone’s throw away” from the seat of power.
Traffic was further disrupted when major road arteries around Malacañang were closed with concertina wires and container vans serving as roadblocks, further infuriating commuters — including parents and children — who had to walk to work or to school.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. just dug in at the Palace and later left for Canada for an official visit at the height of the INC rally.
It was the INC’s show of force, all right — but only insofar as marshalling the flock, and it was not quite enough to cause Malacañang to even blink.
Has the parliament of the streets lost its old glory? In the case of the INC-led rallies, has it lost the political muscle to impose its will on or influence political leaders?
INC members bemoan that the media only reported the trouble the rally caused for the public, but not the inconvenience of the flock in fighting for justice and accountability. They lament that the public does not see their sacrifices on their behalf in pursuing the charge against corruption, which should be the battle of every Filipino.
But why could that be so?
I see competing strong narratives on social media that could otherwise fuel the people’s drive to join protests. There is no predominant narrative. There were reports of big names being implicated in the flood-control fund scandal, regarded as the biggest scandal involving the corruption of public money after the fertilizer, pork barrel, and National Broadband Network-ZTE deal controversies. But the story is countered by reports that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and the Ombudsman said there was “no sufficient evidence” to prosecute them.
Protest fatigue could be another reason. The public lost its appetite to join protests because, notwithstanding the struggles they experienced, there were no discernible gains out of it.
Since they see that their joining protests amounted to nothing, they become apathetic. They tend not to care anymore and have learned to embrace helplessness and the inutility of protest actions. They succumbed to hopelessness; to the idea that there is nothing they can do to alter the situation, to correct the system, to make a positive change.
But I would argue that protest actions are not a lost recourse. The framers of the 1987 Constitution believe in, and thus guaranteed, freedom of expression and the freedom to peaceably assemble to petition the government, even without permits, which merely works to regulate the exercise of such a right. And where a mechanism for genuine redress of grievances exists, the government will know and its leaders are supposed to heed.
In other countries, where even just a whiff of corruption or public charges of fraud or dishonesty are enough for a public official to step down, public sentiment plays a vital role. Public office, being one of public trust, is immediately vacated when an alleged commission of a wrong or fraud has cast doubt on the integrity and reputation of a public servant.
But this is the Philippines, a nation where most political leaders are shameless. Where most politicians were so corrupt that they resorted to machinations, weaponizing the law, exerting undue influence, and giving away suitcases filled with money to deflect charges or cling to power. “Delicadeza” has long been a lost virtue among public officials.
So there goes the rub. But beware!
These shrewd politicians should be reminded that there is always a time for reckoning. Filipinos may have resigned themselves to helplessness and embraced hopelessness, but there is a limit to the hardships they can endure or the injustices they can tolerate. There is such a thing as a tipping point — on the streets again or at the ballot box.
atty.edarevalo@gmail.com
