BY ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO


LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “…This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…” (1 John 4:10, the Holy Bible).

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    PEPING’S BOOK: NASTY QUESTIONS FOR LP: Why is it that the presidency or the chairmanship (at least on an emeritus level) of the Liberal Party, the party under which President Benigno Aquino III ran last May, has not been given to him even up to now, as is the tradition with other political parties whose standard bearers won in the past?

    This question, and a host of others, will surely be raised by a book written principally by former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr.,  and co-authored by former President Cory Aquino, Ms. Ballsy Aquino Cruz, and by the epic Filipino journalist-literary writer, Nick Joaquin.

    The book will be launched on February 25, 2011 at the Cojuangco ancestral house in Dasmarinas Village, Makati City, to coincide with the 25th celebrations of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.

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    WHY WAS NINOY ALSO NOT MADE LP PRESIDENT? Indeed, there will be a lot of nasty and disturbing questions that the book, supposed to be entitled “The Philippines: 1978 to 1986”, will throw the way of the Liberal Party.

    First question: why was President Noynoy’s father, the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy”Aquino Jr., also not made as LP president when former Sen. Gerry Roxas, its president, died in the early 1980’s?

    According to Peping’s book, Ninoy wanted very much to become LP president so he could undertake moves to strengthen it to fight President Marcos, and so, Ninoy, who was then in exile in the United States, asked Peping to negotiate with party leaders in the Philippines to make him, Ninoy, LP head.

    However, the first time Peping urged that Ninoy be elected, he was asked to wait until the lapse of the 40-day mourning for Gerry Roxas. The second and subsequent time sPeping tried to have Ninoy elected as LP president, he was told that the leaders of the party could not be gathered for a quorum, prompting Ninoy to write “I am not a Liberal”.

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    LP REFUSED TO FIGHT MARCOS? Second question:  why was it that, in the many activities that were undertaken in opposition to President Marcos from 1978, to 1984, to 1986, the LP refused to participate and instead distanced itself from the opposition then, by several boycott movements?

    The book of Peping recounts that LP leaders inexplicably refused to fight Marcos in the elections that were called by him during martial law, so that Sen. Ninoy, Peping himself, and other political leaders who were genuinuely opposing Marcos, had to put up “Laban” (or the Lakas ng Bayan), the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, and the Unido (United Democratic Opposition) of the Laurels, to wage the fight.

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Libro ni Peping: mga tanong sa LP


INSPIRASYON SA BUHAY: “…Ito ang pag-ibig: hindi dahil minahal natin ang Diyos, kundi dahil minahal Niya tayo at isinugo Niya ang Kanyang Anak bilang alay upang patawarin ang ating mga kasalanan…” (1 Juan 4:10, Bibliya).

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    LIBRO NI PEPING: MGA TANONG SA LP: Bakit ba hindi pa ginagawang pangulo ng Liberal Party ang Pangulong Benigno Aquino III gayong sa ilalim naman nito siya tumakbo noong halalan noong Mayo 2010, taliwas sa tradisyon ng ibang mga partido-politikal kung ang kanilang kandidatong pangulo ang nananalo sa eleksiyon?

    Ang tanong na ito, kasama ng maraming iba pa, ang siguradong itatampok ng librong sama-samang isinulat nina dating Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, Jr., dating Pangulong Cory Aquino, Ms. Ballsy Aquino Cruz, at ng bantog at kilalang manunulat na Pilipino, si G. Nick Joaquin.

    Ang librong ito ay ilulunsad sa Pebrero 25, 2011 sa Cojuangco ancestral house sa Dasmarinas Village, Makati City, kasabay ng pagdiriwang ng ika-25 anibersaryo ng 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.

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    BAKIT DI RIN NAGING LP PRESIDENT SI NINOY? Tunay nga, maraming mga maaanghang at nakakabahalang mga tanong ang ilababas at ibabato ng librong sinasabing may pamagat na “The Philippines: 1978 to 1986” sa Liberal Party.

    Ang unang tanong: bakit ba ang ama ng Pangulong Noynoy, ang dating Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., ay hindi din naging LP president noong mamatay ang pangulo nito noong 1980s na si dating Sen. Gerry Roxas?

    Ayon sa libro ni Peping, gustong-gustong maging pangulo ng LP ni Ninoy noon upang mapalakas niya ito lalo sa pakikipaglaban kay Pangulong Marcos. Kaya inutusan ni Ninoy, na nasa Estados Unidos noon, si Peping upang kausapin ang mga lider ng partido sa Pilipinas upang gawing pangulo ng LP si Ninoy.

    Kaya lang, noong unang nagtangka si Peping na makiusap upang gawing pangulo ng LP si Ninoy, sinabihan siyang pag-uusapan ang isyu pagkatapos na lamang ng 40-araw na pagluluksa kay Gerry Roxas. Noong mga sumunod na pagkakataon, sinabihan naman si Peping na hindi matipon ng LP ang kanyang mga lider, kaya sumulat si Ninoy, “hindi ako Liberal”.

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    LP, UMAYAW LUMABAN KAY MARCOS? Pangalawang tanong: bakit kaya sa mga pagkilos noon laban kay Pangulong Marcos mula 1978, 1984 hanggang 1986, tumutol at hindi sumama ang LP  at sa halip ay nag-boykot pa ito sa mga labanan?

    Ayon sa libro ni Peping, sa hindi maipaliwanag na kadahilanan, umayaw ang LP na lumahok sa mga halalang ipinatawag ni Marcos noong martial law, kaya naman si Sen. Ninoy, si Peping, at ang iba pang mga lider-pulitiko na tunay na lumalaban kay Marcos, ay napilitang magtayo ng “Laban” (Lakas ng Bayan), Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, at ng Unido (United Democratic Opposition) ng mga Laurel.