Labas sa kampo ni Pangulong Joseph Estrada, may gusto pa bang makaalala sa trahedya ng EDSA 3, ang tunay na "People Power" na sinupil ng mga mang-aagaw sa kapangyarihang na mula naman sa balota?
"Then there's the unsuccessful EDSA 3 of May 2001, a real revolution that aimed to rectify the fallacy of the EDSA 2 power grab but which pathetically failed because the elites arrogated unto themselves the exclusive claim to EDSA. Buried in history, its importance was both undermined and misread by the elites and the Left. But that would be another Philippine EDSA story...."
http://jesusabernardo.news
April-30 ng 2001 ganitong Oras dagsa ang Tao sa Edsa Shrine pinaglalaban mg Masang Pilipino ang mahal na Pres. Erap saksi ako sa daang-daang libong Tao sa kahabaan ng Edsa at corner ng Ortigas....at mga bandang ala una ng gabi ay nag wawala na lahat sa galit laban kay Gloria kaya kaming lahat ay nag martsa na patungong Malacanang...hinarap namin ang mga bombero at mga tirgas noon at mga bandang alas 4:00 ng umaga nakarating na kami ng Malacanang isa ako sa mga front line that night at isa sa pumipilit buksan ang gate ng Malacanang habang nakatutok ang armalite lahat handang mamatay ng mga Oras na iyon!.... -- John Franklin
http://www.facebook.com/gr
AN EDSA 3 RALLYIST'S STORY
Out of curiosity and peer invitation (SSEAYP), I went to EDSA Dos one day, but my heart really never wanted to oust ERAP. Eventually, EDSA DOS removed ERAP from Malacanang. I knew it was a BIG MISTAKE and my conscience bothered me for having gone there for just one day.
I attended EDSA-3 from April 23 to May 1, 2001, morning 'till night, until I got exhausted each cycle of day. I personally saw that it was participated in by 99% POOR masses who wanted the President they voted to be reinstalled. I was able to talk to many of them and everyone I spoke with really went there voluntarily without any pay-offs -- I can attest to this.
At 12 Midnight of April 30, 2001, the march to malacanang started. I was at the front-line during the march from Greenhills to Malacanang. I was wearing an orange construction helmet, green shirt, and black jeans. PMAP was at the front-line (though I am not one of them). I thought I saw Jude Estrada at the back (but not sure about it because that was an evening) about five rows from the front-line, he was wearing white shirt with a white towelete around his neck. The first clash with the police blockade in San Juan was rather easy. As we moved, teargas were fired at us. A guy beside me got shot in the chest. When we arrived in Malacanang, we passed through a military truck, no driver, but it has stones and pipes and sharp objects, as if it is readily provided for for the rallyist to pick.
May 1, 2001 at 5AM we arrived at the Malacanang gate, there was a priest/pastor who stood up and told us to just sit down and wait and be calm. So we all followed and we sat down and I was right there infront of the gate.
At 7AM, suddenly, the police threw stones at us the rallyists. Stones as big as twice the size of the fist. I personally saw rallyists got hit in the head, and they fall to the ground like logs. Horrifying! Instigated, the rallyists threw back the stones to the police. I also saw at least two policemen who got hit by the stones and they also fell like logs despite their helmets. Stones all overhead, at least 20 stones flying at a time, and I was at the very frontline. Chaos sparked. Teargas and water canons hit the rallyists all over the place. We were just sitting on the floor -- it was the police who started the bloody fight.
At 8AM, ceasefire, then there was two hours of silence. Gradually, a long row of policemen, escorted by two heavily armed Military, marched slowly in the middle of the road, slowly slicing through the ranks of the rallyists. At that point, I knew that a harsh dispersal is gonna happen any moment. I slowly walked out, after a three kilometer walk though the ranks of the rallyists, i finally found a jeepney to San Juan. Then I ride a taxi and by 10AM I am back home.
I watched the television and by 11AM the police and military dispersed the rallyists. There was frustration and violence all over. It was like a civil war, a large scale riot, the masses were barehanded against the cops and military who have guns. The rallyists burned the cars out of frustration. Before sunset Metro Manila is already declared by Gloria Arroyo as under State of Rebellion.
On TV, I saw a lot of people got arrested after that. Prominent people.
By the way, During EDSA 3, I was the one who wrote instruction order in one piece of paper, photocopied it to 500 pieces of fliers, and distributed it to the rallyists to tell them that the assembly of the march to Malacanang will be at 12MN of April 30, 2001. I did it because I was already impatient, the people speaking on stage everyday and the entertainment just keep on coming morning till night for over a week already and nothing is happening. No elite on stage did have the balls to give orders to command the march. You can see Butch Aquino there, Miriam Santiago, Gringgo Honasan, Ping Lacson etc etc but none of them really said the WORD OF ORDER and the COMMAND TO CHARGE.
I used the codename TIRGAS after that riot and built a website about the Prople Power 3. While I watch TV at home, everyday prominent people were arrested by the GMA administration. They even wanted to arrest Miriam Santiago and she said she will shoot anyone who will attempt to arrest her. My wife convinced me to go away to hide because who knows I could have been be identified at the front line. I agreed to her and purged all electronic documents and websites and destroyed all paper trace. I hid in Batanes Island, and was able to catch up the May 2001 Elections there.
The only memorabilia I have with People Power 3 is my construction helmet, some pictures (without me because I am the one who shoot the pix), and the anti-riot police shield that I got as trophie after fighting barehanded with the police at the frontline.
After EDSA 3, all ERAP supporters got scattered. We were defeated. We all hid in our separate ways. My boss in NEDA, Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Philip Medalla went back teaching in UP Diliman. I went back to real estate brokerage.
I hate it when media spin the terms and always say "MGA NAG-IIDOLO KAY ERAP". I hate the word "idolo", it's a twisted spin and just not fair. We don't like Erap because he is an actor. We like him because he is pro-poor.
In 2008, President Cory Aquino admitted participation in EDSA-Dos and apologized to President Estrada. Cory is lucky that she still had chance to apologize before she died. That apology made Cory Aquino a real hero.
EDSA Dos was an elite-led widely participated and effective political mudsling against President Estrada. During EDSA-2, you could not use your cellphone in Ortigas because all cellphone networks were congested. Cellphones were not yet very affordable to the poor at that time. Elite people were all over the place, that's why cellphone network was congested.
Edsa Tres was 99% initiated and insisted by the poor masses, the underdogs of society, and they came in spontaneously and individually. The picture above is a sample. Very simple-dressed people were there. Vendors, taxi drivers, out of school youth, farmers, old-folks. The whole EDSA-3 smelt bad because many of the rallyists don't have a place to stay in Manila, they have not taken a bath the entire one week-long rally. Just like me, there were many good samaritans who give away hard-boiled eggs, and pandesal, and steamed banana. But there were also opportunistic GMA sympathisers who gave away rotten spaghetti and contaminated water that food-poisoned some rallyists, forcing them to go home. It was hell out there and I was there the whole time the whole week -- pero umuuwi rin ako para maligo at matulog ng konti, tapos balik na naman sa site. And I have seen tears fell from my wife's eyes everytime I bid farewell.
The frustration of EDSA-Tres is the end of poor-mass-based rally in the streets. After EDSA-3, the masses will never again join the Elites in rallies.
After EDSA-3, all other attempts to consolidate the masses to oust the corrupt administration of GMA has failed. Hyatt ten never got the sympathy of the masses when thay attempted to show their Black and White Movement protest in Bay Walk. The Marine Stand off by Quirubin never attracted the support of masses. The Oakwood Mutineers never attracted the sympathy of the masses.
History is written by the Elites. You search the internet and bookstores, there is almost no articles and pictures about the People Power 3. Why? Because as I said, the Elites were not there.
CHEST-OUT WITH PRIDE FOR ERAP (Rallyist-side Story)
By: John Petalcorin
http://www.facebook.com/ph
Katarungan para sa inagawan ng kapangyarihan mula sa boto ng taumbayan, si Pangulong Erap at sa mga napatay sa EDSA 3, kasing labo ng katarungan para kay Supremo Bonifacio.
Gigising pa kaya mula sa tulog-zombie ang mga Pilipino/Taga-ilog?
fuck! walang magawa ang gumawa nito.
ReplyDeletef**k your dad? wala ka sigurong isip kaya ganyan reaksyon mo.
ReplyDelete