Current Political Climate

There has been a lot of news coming out of the Philippines recently regarded attempted coups, military command stand-offs, a declared state of emergency and the like. So far, we have not been adversely affected by the actions.

We live about 10 miles SW of the EDSA shrine, which is ground zero for the protests and actions. It is a shrine commemorating the People Power Revolution of 1986 which overthrew the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. It was done without bloodshed and was a peaceable transition. EDSA is the name of a main thoroughfare through Metro Manila and the center of the marches back in 1986. The current president was put into office through a second People Power Revolution (EDSA II).

On Friday February 27th there were extra roadblocks going into Manila on the expressway. We stayed around home on Saturday, but Ray went to the airport in the afternoon to pick up tickets and LeAnn went in the evening to catch her flight back to the states and everything seemed very normal.

The following was put together by a friend at work and probably best summarizes the political climate here in the Philippines.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) declared a State of National Emergency in the Philippines late last week, amidst coup threats, street rallies and civil disturbances. The various opposition groups have since failed to muster a crowd to mobilize another People Power that in the past had unseated Presidents. It usually takes the confluence of forces of the Catholic Church, the Business sector, the Military and the middle class civil society to spark a successful people power. It does not look like this will happen anytime soon. Most probable reason is that these groups have not identified one credible and qualified successor to GMA. Thus, it's a wait-and-see situation for most Filipinos.

Attempts to unseat the President is not foreseen to cease anytime soon. Various opposition groups and some ranks in the military --- united solely in their rejection of GMA (accused of cheating in the last election) but divided in their political agenda --- will continue to agitate and mount destabilization moves. While most of the actions are confined within Metro Manila, the Philippines will continue to grab the global headlines for political unrest.

Filipinos have learned to ride the tide of political upheavals in the country since the time Marcos was ousted (1986). They brace themselves for the expected --- the coming and going of rumors, threats and attempts of a coup. Anyone familiar with the terrain of Philippine politics gets used to it.

We will keep you posted as to any changes or further developments.