[OPINION] Why Do Some Filipino Boomers (Some Are EVEN Fact-Checkers) Insist that the Marcos Years Were Under a "Parliamentary System"

This is a screenshot I got on Facebook. The Tweet is courtesy of Raissa Espinosa-Robles, who I hear is a marites or a gossiper. I'm not denying that there are some truths in what she said. It's true that the Marcos Years have their well-documented human rights abuses. However, Mrs. Robles still continues to insist in the myth of a parliamentary system under Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.'s regime. It's not just Mrs. Robles but also some Filipino boomers who keep saying, "Are you crazy? We had a parliamentary system under Marcos."

I could show them some evidence like Marcos' severe lack of legitimacy to disprove the parliamentary systme. I even wrote about the snap elections because Marcos was a president with powers (read here). Under a parliamentary system, the president is purely ceremonial. The president is just a door opener and credentials receiver! Benigno Simeon A. Aquino Jr. and Salvador "Doy" Laurel both challenged the legitimacy of Marcos' regime. Marcos was never formally installed as president or prime minister. Cesar Virata was nothing more than an executive assistant. That's why I challenge them to go ahead and tell that to parliamentary countries, that the Philippines truly had a parliamentary system during the Marcos Years!

There's always such a thing as being stuck in a comfort zone

Come on, Mrs. Robles unfortunately shot her own foot when she said the following:

On the part of Marcos, his 1973 Constitution provided for a Vice-President but this post was only made available during the snap election in 1986. Marcos was allergic to vice-presidents, having quarreled with his vice-president, Fernando Lopez, whom he accused of plotting against him. Sounds familiar?

The 1986 Edsa People Power put an end to Marcos’ semi-presidential-parliamentary set-up and restored the presidential form of government with all its checks and balances.
Duterte has made no bones about his deep dislike for checks and balances. In August last year, Duterte threatened to declare Martial Law if Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno stopped his war on drugs. In the same month, Duterte also threatened to shut down Congress if it bungled his plan to change the Constitution and set up a parliamentary-federal system.
The fruit of the 1986 Edsa people Power is the 1986 Constitution.

Robles already mentioned it was semi-presidential. It was still a presidential system nonetheless. Just because there was a prime minister, doesn't mean that there was a parliamentary form of government (read here). Robles already had the details that it was still a presidential government. The prime minister's role in Marcos' government wasn't the same as Lee Kuan Yew. It's a shame how Filipinos quote LKY on the Marcoses but not follow his sound advice for the rest.

A good example of a comfort zone is the Chiong Sisters Case. The narrative heard back in 1997-1999 wasn't even complete! I watched this episode of Case Unclosed on YouTube (above). I was shocked when somebody told me that Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larrañaga was innocent of the crime. Paco still had the right to defend himself. Sadly, Paco wasn't given the right to testify. Josman Aznar whose offenses weren't that huge, is still in jail over a crime he never committed. Some people still believe in the "testimony" of Davidson V. Rusia (read here) instead of the evidence that proved Paco's innocence. Just because someone is a bad boy and a possible suitor of the victim (which Paco denied courting Marijoy). They ignored the overwhelming evidence that it's impossible for Paco to do the crime. They were too used to Davidson's daily "testimony", which was full of inconsistences.

The same went for Hubert Jeffry P. Webb's wrongful conviction, during the Vizconde Massacre Trial. Some people still believe Hubert was guilty, probably due to whatever wrongs he did in the past. Some people still believe in The Tolentino Blunder. Atty. Amelita G. Tolentino refused the DNA test--something that could've helped solve the case. If the DNA sample was tested, it could've pointed ot a different suspect. However, some people still wholeheartedly chose to believe in Jessica Alfaro's lies (read here).

Given the two crimes I mentioned (both in the 1990s), some people are still stuck with whatever narrative they get. Remembering my Civics and Culture up to Philippine History subject (Grade 1-First Year High School) in the 1990s, things are rushed through. We're often told about how Marcos used charter change to become a dictator. After that, charter change is viewed as "evil" because of Marcos. However, that's a guilt-by-association fallacy. Charter change isn't necessarily evil. Not even Maria Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino intended that the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, be the "forever constitution" of the Philippines!

For some people, they refuse to get out of their comfort zone of knowledge. It may be because they're strokign their ego because they have a high grade in that exam. Maybe, they may have gotten a high grade reporting about the Vizconde Massacre case or the Chiong Sisters case. They may have perfectly enumerated the suspects. They may still be clinging on to that high grade in the exam. The same may go if they cling on to their high grade in the quiz about the Martial Law years. I'm not saying that the books are completely wrong. They books aren't completely right either! That's why there's always room for correction and updates! Any good teacher continues to learn. A bad teacher stops learning and seeks to stick to the status quo.

An article from Linkedin points out to this critical truth:

There are several reasons why some baby boomers may resist learning or changing:
Cognitive rigidity: As people age, their cognitive abilities may decline, making it more difficult for them to learn new information or adapt to change.
Fear of the unknown: Baby boomers may feel uncomfortable with new technologies or social norms that challenge their worldview and way of life.
Resistance to criticism: Baby boomers may feel that they have already achieved a certain level of success and do not want to be criticized or challenged by others.
Cultural and social influences: Baby boomers may have been raised in a culture that values conformity and stability, which can make it difficult for them to embrace new ideas or behaviors.

Some people may think that just because they graduated cum laude from 19-forgotten that they know everything. That's why there are some cum laudes who never did anything significant with their lives. I blame the reasons above more than I blame their being cum laude. Some cum laudes are still doing well even after school. However, some cum laudes fail when they refuse to adapt to change, fear the unknown for the sake of it, become resistant to criticism (believing their successes made them invincible), and influences can cause that behavior.

It's also the reason why some businesses fail. Take Nokia for example. They used to be leading brands. That's why it can become useless to tell children, "When your father was your age, he was already this and that." What year was that? It's 19-forgotten? It's 20-forgotten? Schooling was easier during their time compared to today. They may have succeeded with their Flintstones technology (an exaggeration) but can they still do it now.

In insisting on the comfort zone, the Philippines continues to decline in failure. Staying with the Marcos parliamentary system narrative is just one of them. How can people who claim to fight against fake news, spread that fake news? If they're serious about fact-checking, why not fact-check the Marcos Years all over again to check if it was a real parliamentary system?

The 1986 Snap Elections Would Also Disprove the Myth of the "Marcos Parliament"

Anti-charter change proponents love to use Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. among their reasons, to defend their stand. The argument is that "charter change must be evil" because Marcos used it--a fallacy of Guilt by Association . Please, even Atty. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo's supporter Andrew James Masigan supports charter change! Now, we must look at Marcos and remember another significant event. It's the 1986 snap elections and why it's also proof that we never had a parliamentary form of government. February 7, 1986, was when Marcos declared snap elections. Two years before the snap election, Marcos even declared that the Philippines was never a parliamentary government under him : The adoption of certain aspects of a parliamentary system in the amended Constitution does not alter its essentially presidential character . Article VII on the Presidency starts with this provision: ‘the President shall be the Head of State and Chief Executive of the Republic of the Ph...

The Late Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino's Chinese New Year Proclamation

It's disheartening that the Facebook page Tuloy Lang Tayo (which fortunately only has 358 followers) said that Chinese New Year should be discredited. The page is also supportive of Atty. Maria Leonor "Leni" S. Gerona-Robredo. Does the owner of the page even know that the late Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" C. Aquino was the person who declared Chinese New Year, a holiday? The Asia Society gives this detail on Noynoy's declaration: It was the very first time that the Chinese New Year was celebrated in the Philippines as a special non-working holiday which gave the opportunity to both Chinese-Filipinos and Filipinos in the country to enjoy the celebration. This became possible because of the Proclamation declared by President Benigno S. Aquino III , stating that this "is a manifestation of our solidarity with our Chinese-Filipino brethren who have been part of our lives in many respects as a country and as a people." Further details from Asia Society als...

Real Talk: Chinese Filipinos ARE Still Filipinos

It's the Chinese New Year once again. Some ignorant people have their ill feelings towards Chinese Filipinos, never mind the long history of Chinese immigrants who have become Filipinos. A simple classroom history lesson to a Google search, will tell us what it meant to be a Filipino. What does it mean to be a Filipino? It's often said that Filipino is more of a nationality than a race. Here's the definition of what it means to be a Filipino: 1 : a native of the Philippine Islands 2 : a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines 3 : the Tagalog-based official language of the Republic of the Philippines Filipino adjective According to the current constitution, these define what makes one a Filipino: Section 1. The following are citizens of the Philippines: [1] Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution; [2] Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines; [3] Those born before January 17, 1973, of Fili...

The "Star Witness" Davidson Rusia

It's Time to Free Paco Now Comparing one's perspective when one was in high school vs. the present can be a daunting thing. For example, I could get told that, "Maybe the person wants to be friends with you already. Maybe he realized that you were only teenagers and your fight was nothing more than a childish quarrel." As a 13-year-old who got into the case--I once admired what Davidson Rusia did. However, after hearing that Paco Larrañaga was innocent--I was really shocked. Yes, Paco was really in Manila when the crime happened (read here ). Why was David even allowed to testify when he wasn't even qualified? That's what the documentary Give Up Tomorrow highlighted. Atty. Florencio Villarin, who may be retired now due to his advanced age, also stated that in Case Unclosed. A lot of people were interested in what he had to say. At first, I thought Paco was wrongly tagged along with guilty people. However, what Solita Collas-Monsod said in Give Up Tomorrow , ...

Learn the Facts, Not Gossip, from Reading Lee Kuan Yew's "From Third World to First"

The Straits Times I could remember ordering the book From Third World to First ( sometime after electricity and Internet connection got restored) in January. I wanted a copy of the book but it's that hard to secure. So, I used Shoppee to order the book shipped from Indonesia . There's so much misinformation that I read on Facebook about Singapore. No, I'm not just talking about using the late Flor Contemplacion as an excuse. Instead, it's all about Singapore's development. I felt that my best "Christmas Gift" (it was bought with my savings, not given) was having a copy of this book. It was written by none other than the great statesman, the late Lee Kuan Yew, the father of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. There are a lot of misconceptions about Singapore's progress. Some people have written on Facebook gossip about Singapore's progress. These are the following gossips I could read on Facebook such as: Singapore only opened to foreign di...

Indigenous Dance in Dayuan District, Taiwan

In the quest to know more about Southeast Asia's indigenous people--Taiwan can become a hit destination. This would look like a group of Filipino indigenous dancers but they're from Taiwan. This long dance number may show how the Taiwanese government may have been treating indigenous tribes better than the Philippines. One article I wrote was about how some Filipino natives now have to travel to Taiwan to learn indigenous weaving . Just watching this video makes me think of what the Inquirer cited about Taiwanese indigenous people: TAIPEI—In communities of the indigenous Amis tribe across Taiwan, locals say lima for five, pito for seven and mata for eye, just like Filipinos . In southern Taiwan’s Alishan mountain, the Tsou tribe calls the community’s meeting hut a kuba, strikingly similar in design to the Philippines’ kubo . Whether in language, architecture or way of life, links among indigenous peoples of the Philippines and Taiwan are undeniable, with...

Why I Think Banning the Mention of Hitler on Facebook is STUPID

Getty Images It's crazy how reporting a comment with the word "Hitler" can get anyone banned. For example, this is what I found on Quora : They should be allowed. there are quotes of his that are not in praise of hitler but showing how he thought so that people are critical of their current leaders . For example, here’s a quote by him “ How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.” This is a perfect example of why Hitler quotes should be allowed; to show how dictators think and how people should be critical. Yes, he started a giant war and murdered people but censoring what he said will only help the next dictator start more wars and murder more people because people forgot about Hitler . This is why the First Amendment is so important: it’s about communication and freedom so that we all make better decisions in the future. I just told someone that Adolf Hitler seized the means of production and I got a strike. Like what? I wonder what ...

The Paternity of Sergio Osmeña Sr.

More than 10 years ago while I was a college student, I remembered one of the topics raised was who in the world was the father of the late Sergio Osmeña Sr.? I remembered my Humanities subject while I studied at the University of San Carlos (USC) during my summer classes. I immediately took summer classes after I finished my associate's degree and proceeded to take my bachelor's degree in business administration. We had a field trip at Casa Gorordo in Cebu where one of the curators said, "Just who was his father?" There was a wild guess it was the late Pedro Lee Singson Gotiaoco. The Freeman I heard from someone, back in college, that neither Tomas Osmeña nor the late John Gokongwei Jr. admits to being related to each other. Gokongwei Jr. is a great-grandson of Gotiaoco. A Sunstar article about Juana Osmeña mentions this one about the past 145 years ago which may verify their mutual claims: SCIENCE has settled almost a century-and-a-half-old mystery -- history and g...

The Chiong Sisters' "Still Alive" Conspiracy Theory Was Around Last 2005?

No, the girls below are not the same people above. Granted, I never saw Give Up Tomorrow nor realize that Juan Francisco G. Larrañaga aka Paco was innocent until 2018. I was shocked to realize, from a friend, that he was with Paco on the night of the crime. From the New Scientist website, it talks about how innocents die without DNA tests . Hubert Jeffry P. Webb's life was wasted because of one foolish judge's decision not to grant a DNA test of the semen sample found in the late Carmela Vizconde's body. Here's a very interesting excerpt that points out the conspiracy theory that either one (or both) of the Chiong sisters may still be alive: Conspiracy theories surround the case. A policeman who worked on the case said last week he thought Larrañaga was innocent. Only one body was found, which was identified as Marijoy’s, but there are serious doubts about whether it is in fact her – even from the original trial judge . What’s more, there are rumours that one or both s...

A Business Graduate's Random Blog on History and Gossip

Search This Blog