THE FILIPINO MIND

A BLOODY REVOLUTION.... WHAT KIND?

"Those who profess to favor freedom
and yet deprecate agitation
are men who want crops without plowing up the ground;
they want rain without thunder and
lightning.
They want the ocean without the
awful roar of its waters.
This struggle may be a moral one
or it may be a physical one
or it may be both moral and physical
but it must be a struggle.
Power concedes nothing without a
demand
It never did, and never will."
- - Frederick Douglass, Abolitionist, Author, Slave (1817-1895)
(from Fr. Pedro V. Salgado, O.P.,The Philippine Economy: History and Analysis, 1985)

"If the people are not completely free and happy, the fault will be entirely their own." - George Washington, shortly after the end of the American Revolution

WHAT WE FILIPINOS SHOULD KNOW: Ever-worsening poverty. All politics, no statesmanship. Systemic corruption. Lack of Discipline. Education. Desperation. Frustration. Anger. Apathy/Indifference. Social cancer. American domination. Chinese domination. Japanese domination. Korean excursion. All Foreign domination. Escapist religion. State-sponsored terrorism: military and paramilitary. Possible, but Improbable reform. People Power. Charter Change. Parliamentary System. Coup d'etat. Transitory council/government. Bloodless revolution. Bloody revolution.

(See: http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/12/charter-change-nationalism-and.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/07/charter-change-gats-and-presidential.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/05/filipinos-in-cage-in-pursuit-to.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/11/religion-and-philippine-society.html)

For almost 60 years, all these talks, all these realities. Shall we, once and for all, have a real revolution, to finish the unfinished revolution?

This train of thoughts going through my mind while walking my dog! Bloody revolution. If we should ever have one, a bloody but "productive" revolution (not just a waste of lives, especially of innocent ones), we first need to have the social consciousness of the majority raised to understand "what is going on" and the "why" the need for a revolution. It would be ideal if their understanding creates a political pressure on the so-called leaders to change and work for the common good. Obviating the need for a revolution. How long will it take for them to reach that understanding, with the powers-that-be working hard to prevent it?

A peaceful, bloodless revolution may be possible, but improbable in our homeland. And historical realities have demonstrated its unreality. The history of nations, though not to be taken as absolute and deterministic, has shown time and again that fundamental changes or radical social transformations necessitate a bloody revolution. And as we have repeatedly witnessed in our homeland, needed fundamental changes are not allowed to occur; thus the opportunity for desired, true and radical changes in the homeland, seemingly and inevitably, can be offered only by a bloody revolution.

A bloody revolution for the simple reason that the powers-that-be has not and will neither change nor shy away from the abuse they impose on the majority. A bloody revolution because we expect the powers-that-be who profit from the status quo will surely be violent and unreasonable when their selfish interests, their possessions/properties including those they unfairly and/or illegally obtained, are questioned. Appeals to their sense of human decency and reason are ignored, muted and dealt with deceitful legalities and outright use of violence. Let us remind ourselves that the powerful has been and is already doing direct and indirect violence. Direct violence is done by their use of the military and paramilitary forces; indirect violence is being committed by depriving the impoverished of the means of livelihood and adequate social services such as health care, food and shelter, and education.

The bloody revolution will not be communist, which reduces everything to a class conflict. The bloody revolution will not be anticommunist, which simplifies everything to a communist versus anticommunist conflict. The bloody revolution will and has to be nationalist. A nationalist revolution for the common good of the majority of native Filipinos-in-the Philippines.

It will not be a communist revolution because communism, though to some degree a great ideology, does not and did not work for the majority, as recent world history has shown. Communism in Russia and its satellites, in the long run only created a new and exclusive, ruling class -its Party members- to replace the aristocracy of the defeated regimes. A "dictatorship of the proletariat" does not work and did not work (World communism is dead, but communist analysis is still largely valid and relevant to our homeland). I believe that communism has served, in some nations, as a useful stage to socialism, not vice versa. Let us remember that socialism is not communism. Note the Scandinavian countries.
(see: http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/12/terrorism-communism-capitalism.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/09/socialism-real-and-fake-noam-chomsky.html)

It will not be an anticommunist revolution. Because anticommunism in our homeland only maintains the status quo of exploitation, of greed and of selling out to foreigners based on purely selfish interests that brought the ever-worsening impoverishment. Of selling out our national patrimony and mortgaging the future of the next generations. Of paying lip service to democratic dissent. Of labeling dissenters as "communists," "terrorists," "leftists," etc. thus rationalizing the elimination of those labeled and any rational discussions of society's ills.
(see: http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/08/state-as-terrorist-dynamics-of.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/05/corruption-and-good-governance-by.html)

It will be a nationalist revolution, first and foremost. It has to be led by a truly nationalistic leadership, who will be identified and validated by an informed, nationalistic and thus unified majority. Its leadership will be a collection of nationalistic citizens from all the social classes in society; but mostly from the middle and lower classes; given that the upper class mainly profit from the status quo. It will also have the majority vigilant and ready to reject any "personality cult."
(see: http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/05/what-is-filipino-nationalism-mrs.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/05/what-nationalism-good-article-by.html)

It will be a nationalist revolution because only nationalism is the sentiment, call it ideology, that calls for loving one's country. It is the only force that can destroy our being a "a nation of strangers", and create in its place a truly, united Filipino community, a true Filipino nation-state.

Filipino nationalism will be the force for anti-neocolonialism, for economic and political sovereignty, that is, true economic and political independence, for national fraternity/identity and national pride, all within our borders. A Filipino nationalism will provide the unity of decision and action for the common good, i.e. the social justice for and dignity of the native, Malay Filipino majority.
(see: http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/12/do-filipino-nationalists-use-blame.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/11/power-of-nationalism-and-american.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/08/finishing-unfinished-revolution-in.html,

Specifically, the nationalist revolution will be vigilant to safeguard its nationalist endeavors. It will hasten and pursue the nationalist education of the majority, its young and old. It will protect its nationalist endeavors by building a nationalistic armed forces. It will rebuild its agriculture by implementing true land reform, providing instructions and implements for productive farming. It will support and provide protection for native industries geared for self-sufficiency and limiting imports to essential commodities. It will therefore put export as secondary. It will refuse to pay for odious debts and negotiate firmly for a moratorium and/or a rescheduling of foreign debt payments. As a last resort, with the support of a nationalistic majority, it will default on its debts. It will discard/dismantle the neocolonial economic and military agreements that the past and present regimes have agreed to. It will support mass education, educate and train for more health providers to reach the impoverished.

A nationalist revolution will seek to form a "new" Filipino: a Filipino nationalist. It will seek to vanish the destructive habits and way of thinking that were products of "cultural imperialism." It will seek, identify and teach the good habits of thought and behavior that our forefathers have, including the good from other Asians and other nationalities. It will seek to make a mature Filipino, having a national identity and appreciating that he belongs to a community beyond his family and relatives, which only nationalism provides. It will seek to make him grow up as a person, devoid of myths and superstitions that militate against personal and social responsibility.

It is only through a nationalist revolution that we Filipinos will then be able to stand on our own as a nation, with earned respect, with national pride and national dignity, and to be able to deal with other nations in mutual respect. It is only then that we can be truly responsible, be able to go into negotiations with other peoples and nations, with eyes wide open, confident that we will not be fooled this time and at ensure that, at the very least, be treated fairly.

Lastly, lest we become romantic. A nationalist revolution is not welcomed especially by today's developed world including America, now effectively controlled by its transnational corporations; and for some time now very different from the America of Adam Smith. America, the icon for capitalism, can deal and do business with communists, as it does now with former communist enemies Vietnam and China. America is more vehemently opposed to the nationalisms in the developing or Third World countries as nationalism will put into question the highly advantageous, neocolonial arrangements it got and therefore will surely work against a nationalist revolution.

Please see: http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/12/terrorism-communism-capitalism.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/11/power-of-nationalism-and-american.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/12/fidel-castro-moncada-50-years-later.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/12/persistently-damaged-culture-by.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/11/multinational-corporations-corrupt.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/11/on-failed-coup-hugo-chavez-president.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/11/understanding-venezuelan-revolution.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/11/global-bully-goes-to-guatemala-russell.html,
http://thefilipinomind.blogspot.com/2005/08/neoliberalism-and-global-order-noam.html

"The selfish spirit of commerce knows no country, and feels no passion or principle but that of gain" - Thomas Jefferson, 1809

“Colonies do not cease to be colonies because they are independent” – Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister (1804-1881)

“The first priority for any underdeveloped country, before it can begin the economic and social development most appropriate to the needs of its people, is the seizure of power by the masses and the total destruction of the control and influence of the foreign power and local exploiting elite. Without this, nothing is possible.” – Felix Green, British Author, 1970