Sound the drums, join the chorus

On June 3, 2009, like thieves in the night, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's merry band of goons in Congress passed House Resolution 1109, calling for a Constituent Assembly (a.k.a. ConAss), the initial step toward Charter Change or Cha-cha, that diabolical dance choreographed by those with delusions of despotic grandeur. It is beyond both injury and insult that the HONORABLE gentlemen and women of the House of Representatives would have the Filipino people believe that this underhanded, unconscionable move is NOT part of a plot to put our pygmy President in power permanently. With HR 1109, the Lower House has taken upon itself, WITHOUT the involvement of nor intervention from the Senate, to convene as an assembly with the intent to amend the Philippine Constitution, the foundation of our nation's democracy.

It's like allowing a bunch of incompetent interns to perform open-heart surgery on an already dying patient with no supervision from their residents. And then when the patient flat-lines, the insidious interns harvest the organs and deliver them to Dr. Frankenstein. A diminutive, devious Dr. Frankenstein with a mole on her face and an Igor of a fat bastard husband by her side.

Yet instead of angry townspeople spilling onto the streets brandishing pitchforks and torches to go after the villains, we have meager media coverage of the issue (while Hayden Kho got the rock star treatment), and millions of clueless citizens who don't even know what ConAss stands for, much less understand the ramifications it could have on our country. Worse still, many of our fellow Filipinos DON'T CARE that something this big, this serious, this DANGEROUS, is happening right under our noses, perpetrated by the very people we elected into public office to serve our nation, not serve it up to the avaricious appetites of the Arroyos.

I know we are all weary of hearing about how our sorry excuse for a government has failed us, betrayed us, and sucked us dry, particularly under this administration. I know we are sick of protest rallies and noise barrages and petitions and other attempts at dissidence and demonstration, which all turn out to be for naught. I know it is easier to be fatalistic and apathetic and go about our daily lives tolerating the corruption and crimes of our nation's leaders. But the day we stop feeling galled by the shameless greed of our government, the day we stop feeling disgusted over the filth and scum that coat our politics, the day we stop feeling pained that our country is spiraling into economic, social, and moral decline-- is the day we let the Dark Side win. And how can any decent human being stand by and let evil prevail? And now, how can anyone with any shred of loyalty or gratitude or love for this country not be outraged at what has been accurately described as a "gang rape" of the Constitution, the very bastion of our civil rights and liberties?

I'm not saying we all have to take to the streets, or storm the Bastusang Pambansa (as Manuel Quezon III has renamed it). There are many ways to express dissent and contribute to the fight against one of the most contemptible CONs being committed by the ASSes in Congress. For one thing, we have to keep ourselves INFORMED and UPDATED on the issues; knowledge is power. For another, we have to SPEAK UP and SPEAK OUT. Don't be afraid to be contrary, don't be afraid to start an argument. The truth is ugly, but it has to be told. And since we live in a digital age, let's exploit the channels available to us: put those social networking sites to good use. Spread the word among your contacts. Tweet or Plurk about it! Get discussions going on Multiply pages or forums. Blog about your thoughts and views. Many Filipino bloggers have already made their voices heard, and hopefully the online outcry will reach the right people, trigger the right reactions, and ignite the indignation needed to galvanize others into action.

Knowing GMA and her minions' malevolent machinations, ConAss is but their first strike. I'm sure they have many more dirty tricks up their sleeves, all with the end goal of securing GMA's stranglehold on our country. I say let's give 'em hell to pay. I say throw all the monkey wrenches we got in their pernicious plans. Let's fan the flames of righteous anger, and let's show them we're NOT going to go quietly into the night. Let's make their first strike our last straw.