A son’s broken vow? By Ronald Roy COMMENT 07/08/2010

A son’s broken vow?

By Ronald Roy COMMENT 07/08/2010 I had least in mind traffic violations as a dramatic theme to highlight President Aquino’s inaugural address. His voice resonated throughout the land as he asserted his newly acquired authority to enforce traffic regulations. He declared those wang-wang days were over and that he would himself lead the example of obedience to street laws. The cheers were thunderous and deafening. He was in command, and we rejoiced dancing, singing and feasting into the early morning hours of July 1. Having a new president was all that seemed to matter the day before, even if his speech was wanting in the reason he was there and his predecessor was not, and in the reassurance he had not forgotten his electoral vow to end the regime of an evil ruler. But now that the party’s over, we pause and reflect on our role as his masters — a role he recognized when he intoned the ancient democratic tenet “Kayo ang boss ko,” — and we sigh with relief we are at last the masters of our own fate after an electoral termination of a despotic nightmare that lasted for close to 10 agonizing years. But as we reflect, we are disturbed by the nightmare that lingers. We recall it each time the President’s mother led a street march denouncing the tyrant’s Charter-change (Cha-cha) gambit to perpetuate herself in power. We recall with a profound grief how those marches must have taken their toll on her fragile health. We sadly recall how her quixotic struggle ended beside the tomb of her son’s martyred father, and we poignantly remember then Senator Aquino standing with his four sisters at their parents’ gravesite, perhaps wondering where justice had gone.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100708com6.html

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