How have the Marcoses managed to make a comeback? I mean, come on. They plunged our country to chaos and poverty through misguided and self-serving policies which made us the 'Sick Man of Asia'. Yet 30 years after being kicked out of the country they're once again near the top. WTF? Is it reallly just a case of "kalimot", of the Filipino people's notorious propensity to be forgiving, and forgetting any previous faults? Or is it something else?
Let's look at the current demographics of the country. Today's institutions and businesses are run by the generation dubbed as "Martial Law Babies", either born during or had their childhood in the Martial Law years. These children grew up indoctrinated in the Bagong Lipunan program, where the all-powerful President Marcos, so the narrative goes, is the man responsible in keeping the country safe from communism and other 'bad' elements of society, in making the country an economic and military power in the region, and in keeping the Philippines a "bastion of democracy in the East."
These children came to see their younger years as a 'golden age' full of progress, with society orderly and disciplined thanks to their beloved President. Then in their teens and early adulthood saw the upheavals of the 1980's: the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, the chaos in the streets, People Power, then the various 'Kudeta'. For a kid growing up, it certainly is a far cry from their 'orderly and disiplined' childhood.
This presents the genius of the man that *almost* made the Philippines a military and economic power in the region. Perhaps by design or by accident, his schools produced a generation who saw him as a strong leader who kept the country strong by discipline. No wonder why in 2016, these same people voted for another 'strong leader' hoping he'll keep the country strong through discipline, without seeing that for these two leaders, discipline means a creating a culture of fear though military rule and violence.
History is indeed written by the victor. By controlling what the schools taught he was able to instill loyalty to his regime even from beyond the grave. Education is the most powerful influence to society. Today, we pay little mind as to what is taught in our schools and so are open to the influences of the political agenda of certain groups. And dangerously so. What generation are we molding right now? We still have to see.
Let's look at the current demographics of the country. Today's institutions and businesses are run by the generation dubbed as "Martial Law Babies", either born during or had their childhood in the Martial Law years. These children grew up indoctrinated in the Bagong Lipunan program, where the all-powerful President Marcos, so the narrative goes, is the man responsible in keeping the country safe from communism and other 'bad' elements of society, in making the country an economic and military power in the region, and in keeping the Philippines a "bastion of democracy in the East."
These children came to see their younger years as a 'golden age' full of progress, with society orderly and disciplined thanks to their beloved President. Then in their teens and early adulthood saw the upheavals of the 1980's: the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, the chaos in the streets, People Power, then the various 'Kudeta'. For a kid growing up, it certainly is a far cry from their 'orderly and disiplined' childhood.
This presents the genius of the man that *almost* made the Philippines a military and economic power in the region. Perhaps by design or by accident, his schools produced a generation who saw him as a strong leader who kept the country strong by discipline. No wonder why in 2016, these same people voted for another 'strong leader' hoping he'll keep the country strong through discipline, without seeing that for these two leaders, discipline means a creating a culture of fear though military rule and violence.
History is indeed written by the victor. By controlling what the schools taught he was able to instill loyalty to his regime even from beyond the grave. Education is the most powerful influence to society. Today, we pay little mind as to what is taught in our schools and so are open to the influences of the political agenda of certain groups. And dangerously so. What generation are we molding right now? We still have to see.
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