(I wanted to edit Coup Holidays because it sounded bad to me, and this is what I came up with. For, thinking such writing would never see the light of day in a government newsletter, I gave it to my boss because I was facing deadlines. It did (or will) see the light of day, minus a few names and harsh words. Well here are the words in entirety. Here's to living somewhat dangerously in dangerous times.)
One cold December night I was watching the Return of the King on DVD when in the scene where Aragorn was meeting an army of the dead, I got a crazy idea.
Maybe this was what the Manila Pen Siege was all about; Sen. Trillanes, ala-Aragorn, beseeching the ghost of Andres Bonifacio to lead an army of dead Philippine revolutionaries to help him capture the leadership of this country.
Crazy idea, indeed. I only came up with it because I failed coming up with a sane one on why a Navy Lieutenant (now Senator) would repeat the same tactic with far less arms and personnel, on a red letter date, and still have the audacity to think that people would "join" him.
Normally, I am the type who would repeat movies over and over again as I did with Return of the King. I do it because I like the story; because I want to feel good again.
What I don't understand is why anyone would repeat a sad pathetic story like the Oakwood Mutiny? Why the replay in Makati?
As that question ran through my head I realized that the Senator was not alone. We are all as a nation stuck in replays; one sad story, running in a loop.
Case in point, when January came into its first weeks, we hear the familiar ring of destabilization in the air; tentatively, the headlines point out it should have happened on Anniversary of Edsa II (Jan 20) and Mendiola Massacre (Jan 22). Add to that, like the January before this, the legislature replays the deadlock in the passage of the General Appropriations Act.
The destabilization plot is a stranger one for me because I haven't gotten over the stupidity of the last one, which happened barely two months ago. Why give predictability in the toppling of a government?
Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese general and author of the Art of War said that deception and surprise are key elements in War. Apparently, these "plotters" have not heard of him.
But then the same can be said of the government. Why do they keep tipping their hand and say 'a plot is afoot'? I doubt that it's for the benefit of the investigation as news that a plot is no secret would certainly drive plotters underground. Isn't it time for a new approach right now because obviously success has been elusive.
What more can be said of the nearly annual song of a reenacted budget. How many a January have we said 'reenacted'? How many times have we heard 'pork' as the issue?
I am one of millions who are praying (again) for the passage of the GAA and get my much needed salary increase. I am not alone in being saddened in hearing this sad news again. Besides, didn't someone say too much pork is bad for you?
In the movies there is an art to making something seemingly new – I believe they call them 'sequels'. What we see in our news is often branded as sequels; something is new, something improved; this is the best way to achieve our dreams; or a new dawn is approaching.
All are replays in the end. The true test is not the story but heart that always knows an old story without remembering much of a scene, script, or in this case, the points of a news story.
Are we a happy nation refreshed with hope and excited with the approach of something new?
On that note, I believe we have found the saddest story in our nation of replays: the people. We are a nation that fails as a people to grab the "remote" and 'change that channel'.
What's next? My calendar shows February. What could be on the 25th I wonder? Anyone interested in May 1?
I'd give a fearless forecast but I grow tired of this show.
Surprise Me!
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