President Ferdinand E. Marcos October 5, 1973 (continued)
In the old society the poorer classes paid the most and enjoyed few of the blessings. The elite prospered and held the reigns of power; the poor (with reasonable and unavoidable envy) knew that they were excluded from the political process but could do nothing about it. The desirable system in which rich and poor participated equally never materialized, while the desire for such a system has always existed. The few people who recognized the need for change did not have the political power or the will to bring it about, or they resorted to violence, which is totally unacceptable. The injury and killing of innocent people does not have a place in a just society. The legal code fixes the penalty for those who hurt other people. Some communist argued that the cause justified the means when they set out to overthrow our democratic system; just as others have argued that the steps I have taken are just as Draconian. There were disturbances; there was the lamentable loss of life, but the masses of Manila are safer tonight than they have been in a very long time. All people will benefit, as criminals and crooked politicians are rounded up and punished for their crimes. One of the first things I did, by executive order, was try to stop corruption. (Swift action was necessary, given the pervasiveness of the problem.) I took swift action to show that complacency was totally unacceptable. Too many politicians and leaders, judging from their speeches, were willing to accept the mess we found ourselves in. Once initiated martial law meant that I had to take steps that will impact everyone in the country. I wish I could say that the consequences are calculable and that our enemies will throw up their hands. Unfortunately I’ve had to detain a few individuals that I wish we could’ve been sure that they would co-operate, while at the same time the imprisonment of our enemies, given the stakes involved, was/is a necessity. I know that the voice of privilege will try to re-assert itself. At times it may seem as if they still have the upper hand, but let me assure you that the Citizens Assemblies I have established all across the country will for the first time complete the circle of dialogue in participatory democracy. At first this new process may seem chaotic until people get used to it, but one must remember that change is rarely easy. To avoid conflict, I ask my fellow countrymen to accept a new Constitution (make the needed adjustments), which reflects, where the old Constitution did not, our national aspirations. I’m counting on the Citizens Assemblies to play a major role in elucidating and disseminating to all Filipinos the new constitutional ideas that are now governing our nation. Everyone is encouraged to participate. There will be, of course, impediments, but these will be quelled before they become insurmountable. Since our New Covenant is based on the equality of all citizens, whatever their station in life may be, the nature of their faith is, and the color of their political beliefs are, we must approach political life as a means of promoting the general welfare.
Incredibly, there have been complaints, and I can’t possibly answer all of them directly. In the simplest terms, let me again give notice to those officials and functionaries charged with conducting public business. They are not to engage in graft and corruption, fall into inefficiency and incompetence, or be involved in wrongdoing as put forth by the law. The fact that more than 6,000 people have already lost their jobs or positions in government should put everyone on notice. It has been suggested that I’ve gone too far with the purging and that I should’ve forgiven them and enjoined them not to do wrong again. I think not, if I mean business.
My actions have stopped the communist. It also produced other effects, as I had hoped it would. It has deeply modified how our government does business. I don’t know what more I can possibly do. I can not at this time accept anything less than the most ruthless discipline. Those who work with me must work hard and observe the highest standards, and if the masses of Filipinos are still deprived and suffering, all of us must deprive ourselves and suffer with them. This is a basic tenant for a public servant in the New Society.
However unlikely it might seem, the ordinary citizen now has a chance that they didn’t have before. Filipinos sooner or later will know by experience whether or not they have been lied to. Meanwhile they have their space of freedom, and within that space they may behave as they please in pursuit of their private happiness and they may order or disrupt their lives accordingly. But once they misuse their space of freedom, they will risk a revolution that may well impose on them a totalitarian regime. Right now ours is a constitutional authoritarian regime; it is not totalitarian.
Randy Ford
