By Col Dencio Acop (Ret), Ph.D.
Move on! For some strange reason, I am getting this same message a lot these days. I even get them from people I know. And since they mouth the same message I usually get from trolls I am tempted to think that these friends of mine are trolls themselves. I just got one from a graduate of the Loakan Academy after I wrote my last piece entitled ‘The Filipino is Not Worth Dying For’ which I thought was strange since the article was really not about moving on. See, that’s the thing about shared articles these days. People react even if they did not read the article or fully understood it. At any rate, let me just say a few items relative to this favorite message nowadays: ‘Move On!’ After all, there are a number of perspectives to it that can apply. One, what is exactly meant behind the phrase? Two, who is saying it? Three, moving on to what? Four, moving on is a given. Five, who benefits? Six, what does it imply? And seventh, what will really happen moving on?
First of all, what exactly is meant by ‘move on’ as repeatedly used by people usually associated with any other political camp than Leni Robredo’s Kakampinks? Gaging from what is insinuated by those who voted for BBM or others except Leni Robredo, the phrase refers to accepting the results of the elections that BBM won so that Leni supporters will no longer be stressed thereafter. But the results for the top two positions have not yet been publicly announced nor the winners officially proclaimed! In fact, there is a pending protest action from the Robredo camp due to alleged massive cheating with statistical impossibilities which even a moron can take a hint from. In short, the message ‘move on’ is ill-timed, to say the least.
Secondly, the fact that mostly BBM supporters are so in a rush for the entire nation to ‘move on’ despite massive cheating allegations yet unresolved smacks of biased interference in matters of the state still under sub judice. There is a legal process that must be followed both in substance and form before we can all really ‘move on’. There is no need for rush especially in important matters of state because even if matters move on but are yet unresolved, the public as a whole is under-served leading to mass discontent.
Thirdly, what exactly are we moving on to? Massive cheating allegations whose ways, means, and magnitude make a mockery of a nation’s sovereign will are not a toying matter that can be glossed over just to favor a candidate and his horde of supporters at the expense of other candidates and their supporters and the rule of law. Left unresolved, are we now saying that we as a people are alright with lying, cheating, and stealing as our new-found national values? As I responded to my mistah, is this what we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren as their values? The future we all want to move on to is a future characterized by character (emphasis intended), not lying, cheating, stealing, and tolerating those who do. Of all Filipinos, we former cadets from the academy lived the honor code as our cardinal virtues up until some of us got seduced by the dark side.
Fourthly, moving on is a given. So the advice (thanks, but no thanks) ‘move on’ is an oxymoron remarked only by morons in this case. Whether we like it or not, we all have to move on. And move on we shall. We must and we will. It does not necessarily mean that we have to agree, for we can also agree to disagree, but we certainly will move on. As scripture says, we submit to authority but there are times we need not obey because authority wielded by fallen men can sometimes be illegal and immoral.
Fifth, are people who say ‘move on’ merely saying it because such benefits their candidate and of course themselves? In which case, such a situation would not really resolve all our situations would it? Last I heard we are still a democratic republic wherein the will of the ‘true greater majority’ is sovereign. Well, wait a minute, as some of you might unthinkingly say ‘but we got the majority here which is all of 31M votes!’ (A preposterous claim which is under question owing to statistical impossibilities whereby unprecedentedly a presidential candidate win more votes than the top senatorial aspirant, whose returns came in two hours after casting of votes ended, and counting servers were allegedly switched, etc). The integrity of the ballot is in fact the most sacred in representative government that is why democracy is the highest governance structure of choice. It must be established first and foremost by all means possible before we can ever utter the words ‘move on’.
Sixth, ‘moving on’ now implies accepting the fantastic results of the just-concluded elections because it has already happened never mind the allegations of cheating and corruption. The allegations of irregularities are all over the internet and in the physical ballots (all the more reason to do manual counting so long as the ballot boxes have not been switched which will nevertheless reveal any tampering and redundancies if any).
Finally, what will really happen if things ‘move on’ when they are not supposed to yet is only the postponing of the inevitable. That truth, sooner or later, will reveal itself. In the chaos and anarchy that will ensue at least in the hearts and minds of a huge chunk of the Filipino people ruled by a power they did not choose and frustrated by that power which cannot give them what it did not possess.
