Adrian,

These "politics of the streets," etc. led by diverse groups of conflicting interests and the Arroyo regime reacting to them are nothing new; we've been there, done that: in EDSA 1, EDSA 2 and EDSA 3 (if the Oakwood Mutiny is lumped with both).

As we all see/experience, the long-run results are the same: ever-worsening existence for the majority. Because we, the so-called educated among the middle class and up, only talk among and plan for ourselves, only think within a caged mentality, without looking at and/or avoiding the need to deal with the root causes of our socioeconomic problems, which requires questioning our basic assumptions: the socioeconomic system we inherited from America and unquestioningly practice/propagate. We do not question because we profit from it.

And at the same time we ignore and put down the poor and ignorant, we are that arrogant and cocksure. Thus, w e all get bogged down and spent on personalities among our so-called leadership who, then and now, still have no honest desires and actions that would lead to public good (It is so discouraging and outrageous to see an endless pretense/show to "fool the people, buy the people and off the people.)"

Most of these personalities are from within our ranks of so-called educated class; and many of us desire to be among these personalities in power: in government to make and have our share in the people's money cum power.

Thus we want to keep the majority ignorant and use them only for our own selfish purposes. We know that with an ignorant majority, we can easily fool and get no pressure from them to have us change our decisions which adversely impact the majority in the long haul. Radical changes for their betterment and for the common good will therefore not come from us.

Unless the majority of the populace are made to raise their national consciousness (nationalism) and thus gain national unity and united action, fundamental changes for the generations of Filipinos, for their common good will never come to fruition. Of course, again, we so-called educated do not want these fundamental changes to occur.

So we continue to self-destruct as a people, WHILE our foreign "friends and /or naturalized citizens," i.e. Chinese, American, Japanese, Canadian, Korean, etc. thanks to the WTO, laugh at us and enjoy themselves in our house, i.e. homeland, take our women and children, our patrimony: our land and its minerals, buy off/shut our factories, convert our agricultural lands into malls and golf course, steal our accumulated native knowledge, etc. all so very cheaply with our devaluated peso. At the same time, depriving millions of natives of decent jobs. We the so-called educated are traitors by allowing these economic disasters to perpetuate since we can still go on with our selfish and merry ways.

It's been 40+ years since we last enjoyed a "Filipino First" national policy, to look out for #1, i.e. us native but decolonized Filipinos. I hope it will not be as long, that I witness a nationalist revolution come to stop us in our self-destruction, for the sake of our children, grandchildren and the next generations of native Filipinos.