EDSA Revolution — What's the Difference Then and Now?

guns and tanks can't kill ideas

It's quite fitting that I got a free day from work today and basically all I had to do was endure the typical Monday traffic in EDSA (a main avenue here in Manila). It felt too coincidental that I had to struggle peacefully in traffic through EDSA then I was set free. It's as if some greater power or order is compelling me to write about the people power revolution.

So my immediate answer to the question of the difference then and now would be: mas trapik na ngayon (traffic is much heavier now).

"Field trip sa may pagawaan ng lapis"

And that's all I have to say about it, I guess, since I've already written a post about it last year for my future self (see The HarryLeaks EDSA Revolution Special).

As a writer who constantly strives for improvement and have learned so much more in just one year, it always feels that past work is always inferior and premature. But hey, it's my free day so I don't really want to spend it thinking about effective and witty ways of conveying ideas of liberty. Okay na yon, wag kayo maarte (the [previous post] is enough, don't be picky).

Since I've recently contributed to lowering the unemployment rate of the nation (see Small Fish in a Big Pond), I've really been immersing and absorbing insights about the unfree economy, the conditions of the working class, coercive government red tapes and taxation, opportunity cost, the oligarchs and their connivance with politicians and bureaucrats, and many more. All of which, of course, I am planning to expound on in other posts (so be sure to subscribe and come back for more! haha).

Your president is surely a far cry from his brilliant father (not that I agree with Ninoy's "Christian Socialism" but I do recognize his awesome brilliance and charisma). Although our economic freedom has been slightly increasing in your president's term's first half, the country remains to score below the world's average:

"...institutional challenges require deeper commitment to reform. Although the perceived level of corruption has declined in recent years, more effective anti-corruption measures need to be institutionalized. The inefficient judiciary remains susceptible to political interference and does not provide strong and transparent enforcement of the law, undermining prospects for long-term economic development."

"The business start-up process remains time-consuming. Launching a business takes 16 procedures and 36 days. ...the cost of completing [licensing requirements]  is slightly more than the level of average annual income. The labor market remains structurally rigid, although existing regulations are not particularly burdensome." (source: http://www.heritage.org/index/country/philippines)

The government needs to learn from the mistakes of the US and the Eurozone. Having been learning more about different perspectives on the business cycle, specifically the Austrian School perspective, I am quite worried. The shelf life of this "booming economy" may be long but it's all because of unhealthy and artificial preservatives. It's a lot like junk food. It tastes good and can make you feel full but it doesn't mean that you are truly nourished and this will take a toll in your health's future.

Also, now that elections are just around the corner, most legislation is all about looking good and the short-term effects. Like my pessimism over the traffic of EDSA, I sometimes feel hopeless and discouraged to write or put effort in trying to make a difference through writing.

Being that I wasn't born yet during the Marcos regime, I should consult adults instead of just doing my research on the internet. Yeah, so that maybe in next year's anniversary, I'll have something to write about once again.

Thanks for dropping by. :)