PGMA's Speech during the Launching Ceremony of Amando Doronila's books, "The Fall of Joseph Estrada: The Inside Story" and "Between Fires: Fifteen Perspectives on the Estrada Crisis"

PGMA's Speech during the Launching Ceremony of Amando Doronila's books, "The Fall of Joseph Estrada: The Inside Story" and "Between Fires: Fifteen Perspectives on the Estrada Crisis"

Manila Polo Club, Mckinley Road Forbes Park, Makati City (21 February 2002)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH SECRETARY CAMACHO.

MR. AMANDO DORONILA, OUR HERO OF TONIGHT AND OF MANY DAYS; MS. BOLASCO; MS.
PRIETO-ROMUALDEZ; DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

IN JANUARY LAST YEAR, MANY OF US, MANY OF YOU WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT WERE IN
THE VORTEX OF A STORM. THE EXPERIENCE OF EDSA DOS COMBINED WITH THE MAY 1
RIOT HAVE THEIR LINGERING EFFECTS. IT IS ONLY WHEN THESE EVENTS ARE
FINALLY CHRONICLED, AS THEY HAVE BEEN DONE BY DORO, THAT ONE FEELS A SENSE
OF SETTLING DOWN -- THAT THINGS HAVE BEEN PUT IN THEIR PROPER PLACE.

THE TITLES OF THE BOOKS THEMSELVES POINT TO THEIR MESSAGE. ONE IS AN
INSIDE STORY, THE OTHER IS A COMPENDIUM OF PERSPECTIVES. THIS IS THE WAY
A GOOD STORY MUST MOVE FORWARD. ONE MUST FIRST HAVE A FEEL OF THE PLOT,
THEN HE MUST BE AWARE OF THE FUTURE HORIZON. HERE WE ARE GIVEN A
COMPREHENSIVE AND SWEEPING VIEW OF EVENTS FOR WHICH WE LEARN FORMIDABLE
LESSONS.

THE MOST FORMIDABLE LESSON IS THAT ABSOLUTE POWER IS AN ILLUSION. THE
PRESIDENCY IS A SYMBOL OF THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE, AND OF THEIR
TIME-HONORED ASPIRATIONS AND VALUES OF TRUTH, OF JUSTICE, AND OF MORAL
RECTITUDE. THE PRESIDENCY IS NOTHING WITHOUT THE PEOPLE. THE PRESIDENCY IS
NOTHING IF IT FAILS TO STAND FOR THE IDEALS OF THE PEOPLE.

SOME LEADERS THINK THEY CAN FOOL HISTORY, THESE LEADERS HAVE FAILED. SOME
THINK THEY CAN CONCEAL DIRT IN CONTRIVED VIRTUE, WHEN THEY CANNOT. OTHERS
WOULD ATTEMPT TO MESMERIZE, CAJOLE AND ENGAGE IN DISTRACTING DRAMA. BUT
THE SIMPLE FACT REMAINS: YOU CANNOT FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.
THIS HAS BEEN PROVEN TWICE IN OUR RECENT HISTORY, IN EXTRAORDINARY
DEMOCRATIC UPHEAVALS IN OUR COUNTRY IN THE PAST 16 YEARS.

TONIGHT'S EVENT COMES IN THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF
EDSA DOS AND THE 16th ANNIVERSARY OF EDSA ONE. WE CHOSE TO BRIDGE THESE
CELEBRATIONS IN A CONTINUUM OF 40 DAYS -- OUR TRADITIONAL CUARESMA -- FROM
JANUARY 16th TO FEBRUARY 25th, BECAUSE WE WANT TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE OF TWO
EPISODES WITH A SINGLE MEANING THAT CAN BE STATED IN ONE PHRASE: DEMOCRACY
AND MORALITY.

DEMOCRACY IS OUR GIFT, OUR WEAPON, OUR PROFOUND BLESSING. OFTEN WE TAKE IT
FOR GRANTED LIKE THE AIR WE BREATHE. BUT WHEN IT IS TAKEN AWAY FROM US, WE
RISK HONOR, TREASURE, LIFE AND LIMB TO RETRIEVE IT. SUCH IS OUR CHARACTER
AS A PEOPLE. AND WE MUST BE PROUD OF THIS.

MORALITY IS OUR OBLIGATION TO THE DIVINE GIVER OF DEMOCRACY. PHILIPPINE
SOCIETY IS OFTEN LOOKED UPON AS TOLERANT INSTEAD OF PURITANICAL. BUT WE
HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE IS A LIMIT WHERE WE MUST DRAW THE LINE, AND AGAIN, BE
WILLING TO RISK HONOR, TREASURE, LIFE AND LIMB TO DRAW THAT LINE.

I SPEAK NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF BUT ALSO FOR MY LATE FATHER IN EXPRESSING GREAT
ADMIRATION FOR DORO, THE WRITER AND EDITOR OF THESE VOLUMES. MY FATHER,
THE LATE PRESIDENT DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL CONSIDERED DORO ONE OF THE MOST
PROFOUND WRITERS AND POLITICAL ANALYSTS OF OUR TIMES, AND HE PONDERED UPON
EVERY WORD THAT HE READ IN DORO. I HAVE INHERITED SOME OF THAT
AWESTRUCKNESS. I CANNOT REMEMBER ANYTIME WHEN MY FATHER EVER DISAGREED
WITH THE ANALYSIS OF DORO. ON MY PART THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I DO DISAGREE.
BUT THIS IS IRRELEVANT IN TONIGHT'S SETTING. (LAUGHTER) TODAY, TONIGHT WE
CELEBRATE GOOD JOURNALISM, WHICH MEANS WE CELEBRATE PRINCIPLED
DISAGREEMENT, ENLIGHTENED DEBATE, PRODUCTIVE CONTROVERSY. WE CELEBRATE THE
LIGHT THAT SHINES THROUGH EVENTS AND MIRRORS THEM IN THE FIRMAMENT OF TRUTH.

TRUTH IS WHAT EDSA WAS ALL ABOUT. AND WHEN WE SAY TRUTH RESPONSIBLE
JOURNALISM CANNOT BE FAR BEHIND. PEOPLE POWER HAS ALWAYS MARCHED WITH THE
PRESS IN DEFEATING DESPOTISM AND CORRUPTION. AND THE PRESS, DESPITE ITS
PERCEIVED FAILINGS SOMETIMES, ALWAYS COMES TO THE RESCUE OF DEMOCRACY AND
OF THE BEDROCK OF MORALITY IN THE MOST CRITICAL TIMES.

THE WORLD IS KEENLY INTERESTED IN HOW THE DISTINGUISHED, WORLD FAMOUS AUTHOR EXAMINES IN DETAIL
THE ROLES OF OUR POLITICAL AND SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN A TIME OF CRISIS --
THE MILITARY, THE CHURCH, BUSINESS, CIVIL SOCIETY, CONGRESS AND THE SUPREME
COURT. DORO CONSISTENTLY SUGGESTS THAT PHILIPPINE DEMOCRACY IS
STRENGTHENED BY THE EXPOSURE AND THE RESPONSE OF THESE INSTITUTIONS TO
CRISIS. AND I AGREE WITH HIM.

THE SECOND VOLUME APPLIES THE COLD LIGHT OF SCHOLARSHIP TO WHAT MAY HAVE
BEEN TO MANY AN EMOTIONAL UPHEAVAL. FIFTEEN OF OUR LEADING ACADEMICS,
JOURNALISTS AND SOCIAL CRITICS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK
PUT TOGETHER BY DORO.

FOR MANY DECADES NOW INDEED, DORO HAS GRACED AND BROUGHT LIFE TO OUR PAPERS
WITH HIS THOUGHTFUL AND INCISIVE COMMENTARY. HIS INSIGHTS ARE STREET SMART
AND YET SCHOLARLY. HIS GOOD SENSE FORGED IN THE CRUCIBLE OF
INCORRUPTIBILITY.

DORO'S PRESCIENCE IS EVIDENT IN A PIECE HE WROTE IN MARCH 1998 WHEN HE
SAID, AND I QUOTE:

"TODAY, THE REAL ISSUE SHOULD BE COMPETENCE, THE CHARACTER OF A
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AND THE PEOPLE THE CANDIDATE IS ASSOCIATED WITH.
IF A CANDIDATE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SHADOWY CHARACTERS, WE HAVE AN EARLY
WARNING SIGN OF CRONY CORRUPTION AND COMPROMISES THAT COULD TIE THE HANDS
OF A NEW GOVERNMENT IN TACKLING THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IN INITIATING REFORMS."
UNQUOTE.

VERY WISE INDEED, THAT'S WHY YOU NOTICED BEFORE I BECAME PRESIDENT AND NOW
AS PRESIDENT WHEN I COME TO PARTIES SUCH AS THIS I DON'T BRING A COTERIE OF
CRONIES WITH ME ANYWHERE.

FOR SUCH MEANINGFUL INSIGHTS, I ALWAYS TAKE DORO VERY SERIOUSLY. HE IS AN
APOSTLE OF STRATEGIC OUTLOOK AS WELL AS COMMON SENSE.

LET ME THEREFORE THANK AND CONGRATULATE ALSO THE PEOPLE BEHIND THESE TWO
VOLUMES -- ANVIL PUBLISHING -- WHICH HAS ALWAYS PUBLISHED SOME OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT WORKS IN OUR COUNTRY EVEN WHEN THEY WERE WRITTEN BY PEOPLE WHO
ARE NOT ALWAYS AS BANKABLE AS AMANDO DORONILA. AND THE PHILIPPINE DAILY
INQUIRER, I CONGRATULATE THEM TOO. I CONGRATULATE BOTH OF THEM AS I
CONGRATULATE DORO FOR SUCH WORTHWHILE PROJECTS. AND I PRAY THAT THE
SUBSTANCE OF THESE WORKS WILL ENLIGHTEN AND INSPIRE ALL OUR PEOPLE. IT
WILL CERTAINLY INSPIRE THIS PRESENT ADMINISTRATION TO DO MORE AND TO DO
RIGHT BY THE FILIPINO.

DORO, CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

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