CORAZON AQUINO

Drogin did an excellent job of documenting the progress of the Philippines since Aquino became president, and I think his writing has captured the essence of what the Philippines is all about.

The Philippines has been under a “new” leadership for almost four and a half years now, and, unfortunately, not a whole lot has changed since the years of the Marcos dictatorship. It’s a miracle that Aquino has survived as long as she has, and it causes one to wonder if she will survive her term as president. The government has quelled six military-coup attempts, and some say there are more to come. Many continue to question Aquino’s ability to lead, and still more are dissatisfied with the policies that have come into law since she has been in power.

Aquino’s promise when she was running was to return land to the people. Land reform was the key campaign issue, and if she had acted quickly to decree significant land reform, many of the nation’s woes would probably have been alleviated. However, when she possessed sweeping powers during the first year of her leadership, she failed to act by executive decree and let the landlord-dominated congress mull over the question. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was drafted into law and was to be the showpiece of Philippine democracy. CARP, unfortunately, retains so many loopholes that it effectively gives the landowners full ownership of their land and keeps the landless from obtaining any title to any land. CARP is a classic example of Philippine legislation.

The main question is who will be the next president of the Philippines, and what will that president do (if anything) to get the country out of the medieval times and into the 21st Century, where it belongs.

J. BAUTISTA VIRATA, Westminster