Needed: real-life 'Panday'
Posted:10:46 PM (Manila Time) | Nov. 14, 2003
By Letters to the editor

RAUL F. ALEJANDRINO, professor, Philosophy Department, Miriam College, Quezon City

MANY Filipinos, especially traditional politicians, are pushing for Fernando Poe Jr.'s presidential candidacy in the 2004 elections. They argue that he is very popular with the masses and he is not the center of any controversy.

The best argument for FPJ's not running for the presidency is precisely this absence of controversy. His failure and inability to take a clear moral stand on the many issues that our country faced in the past and in the present, clearly shows his lack of moral courage and his failure to appreciate the tremendous impact of these issues on the life of our people especially the poor. Where was FPJ in the struggles against the evils of martial law? Where was FPJ during the confetti revolution to give justice to Ninoy Aquino and other human rights victims? When Filipinos by the thousands were risking their lives during the 1986 People Power Revolt, where was FPJ?

The answer to all these questions is silence! Fernando Poe Jr. is Mr. Nowhere Man. He was silent and absent in all these historic events. Why? Was he not interested in the freedoms, dignity, progress and sovereignty of our people? Was his friendship with the Marcoses and his cronies greater than his love for our country? The real sin of FPJ against the Filipino people is not the sin of commission but the sin of omission. FPJ is a reel hero but not a real hero who fought against the oppressors of the poor in the real world of our people!

One of the moral problems of our country is corruption-so widespread and well-entrenched that a combination of system reforms, leadership by example and political will is needed. The next president of our country should have the moral courage and the track record to go after the culture of corruption. Can we rely on FPJ to do better than Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the fight against corruption? His silence on the massive and systematic corruption of the martial law government and his campaigning for Erap's presidential bid and his loyalty to Erap even today, do not speak well of FPJ's ability to curb corruption.

We have a saying: "Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are." Who are the friends of FPJ urging him to run for the presidency? Maybe they see FPJ as their savior from the crimes they have committed against our people. But can FPJ save our country from corruption, terrorism, poverty and coups?

As a movie fan of FPJ, I love FPJ. But I will never vote for him even for the post of barangay captain. Our loyalty to our country should be more sacred than our loyalty to our show-biz idols. What our country needs is a real hero who can slay the dragon of poverty and corruption, not an imaginary Panday who can only slay monsters and evil men in the world of make-believe.

:: Bing Tuesday, December 02, 2003 [+] ::
...

Comments: Post a Comment