WHAT'S the big deal when Lapu-lapu killed Magellan in 1521? Nothing much really. In Lapu-lapu's time, Mactan was strictly tribal. Think small. There were no big ideas such as nationalism or geopolitics. Lapu-lapu was simply, the local siga-siga and Magellan was the culture-shocked Westerner, a native first-timer in the exotic east. We lionize Lapu-lapu as a hero and nationalist. Ang totoo, nagkatsamba lang si Lapu-lapu. But his defeat of a foreign invader, did not make a Filipino nation. The timing was wrong. And don't you believe that bull that Spanish explorers came to find spices of the East to improve the taste of their bland cuisine. Their hidden agenda was to spread their kingdom through colonization, the euphemism for land grabbing and sucking all those eye-popping, though-how-small-the-quantity-is - gold.

During the 333 years of Spanish rule (1565-1898), hundreds of rebellions were waged by native firebrands in many parts of the archipelago. Not one succeeded. Our rebels were either caught, garotted, or simply ignored by the commandantes as nuisances. Puro malas!

The execution of Rizal in 1896 was a traumatic experience for Filipinos. Those who read Rizal's Fili and Noli were incensed by the abuses of the church and state regime of the Spaniards. Emotions ran high, from Aparri to Jolo. The critical mass needed for nationhood was formed. At last we could rebel as a people, as a nation.

The Katipunan did their battle heroics, originally led by the firebrand Bonifacio and later on by the crafty Aguinaldo. With more Katipunan charges (Sugod mga Kapatid – sigawan sa Balintawak!), freedom seemed possible. Between 1897 and 1899, stealth, betrayal, and skullduggery bedeviled our prospect for independence. The Aguinaldo and the Bonifacio factions engaged in an ugly infighting (the talangka mentality – that is still being practiced by us – the Pinoys) resulting in the execution of Bonifacio (‘di tapos ang isang bida…).

Meantime, an American Admiral named Dewey entered Manila Bay and defeated a lackluster Spanish navy. Aguinaldo reneged on the pact of Biak na Bato. He resumed the revolution by proclaiming the Philippine Independence in Kawit.

Meanwhile, American and Spanish soldiers held a "moromoro" battle in Intramuros with the Spaniards surrendering (nagtalo-talohan). Aguinaldo's republic and his KKK patriots were left out and ignored. Kaawa-awa naman. Naisahan uli tayo. Minalas na naman. The Filipino-American War broke out (– aka nuisance rebellion, too?). Tall American soldiers looking like Clark Gable chased and battled the outlawed Filipino revolutionaries, ending in the capture of Aguinaldo in Isabela. Thanks to the mercenaries from Macabebe. This was the mother of all kamalasan.

At that time, our population was 8 million. The gap between the rich and the poor was estimated at 30% middle-class and rich, 70% low-class and rural poor. During the Commonwealth period (1901-1941), which followed, there were lot of learning on democratic principles, its structure and governance. (At about this time, the Americans told us that Rizal is our main hero. We don’t know that ... later, someone picked up Lapu-lapu as one of those.) Technology transfers were done on Constitutional Rights, Public Education, Transportation, Health, International Trade and Industrialization. The Americans turned out to be good tutors. We learnt so fast, and exceeded more than what we were taught. Filipinos also went crazy over American brand products like Libby's corned beef and Portola sardines, Hershey's Kisses and Wrigley's chewing gum, Camel cigarettes and Model T Ford for the hacienderos of Pampanga and Negros.

Hollywood films made Pinoy males fantasize on Jean Harlow, Betty Grable, and Mae West. Thus, Filipino colonial mentality began. We fondly called this period Peace Time. By the way, American troops massacred innocent people in Balanguiga. Mga hayup din pala!

1941. Disaster! World War II! After attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese army invaded our country defeating the combined American and Filipino forces (USAFE). General McArthur, the proud and handsome Army chief, fled to Australia at the height of the battle, with the promise of returning. No timeline was given, basta’t babalik. For four miserable years we suffered the sadism of the Japanese militarists rule. Torture, famine, and death were for us, the order of the day. Kaawa-awa. Malas na malas. Piripino turo kapwa Piripino. Malas talaga!

The American forces returned in 1945 to liberate the country. Mac is back! Happy days are here again. McArthur, general superiority complex himself, sporting a pair of Ray Ban glasses and corncob pipe swaggered back to Manila. Piqued at his humiliation in 1941, McArthur ordered the bombing and shelling of Manila till kingdom come. The whole-wide expanse south of Pasig - from Post Office to Vito Cruz, including all of Intramuros – was pulverized. Manila was the most destroyed city of World War II next to Tokyo. Our culture, our heritage, and historical assets (seven beautiful churches in Intramuros, hundreds of elegant Art Deco and neo-classical architecture in Paco) were sacrificed recklessly and completely erased from the face of the earth. Almost nothing left to remind us that we were once forced by Spaniards to build those, else our souls will land in hell. Sayang na sayang!

In 1946, we gained our Independence from the Americans. We were a free nation at last. We had enough exposure and lessons on how to govern a democratic country, the first in Asia. Our population then was 17 million. The dollar exchange was US$1 to P2.

But there was still no peace from 1947 to 1966. A widespread communist rebellion led by Taruc, the Lava brothers, and its armed guerillas called Hukbalahap waged bloody war with government troops. Filipinos killed kapwa Filipinos. Malas na naman!

On the system the Americans taught us, we learn so fast and so vast. In no time our politician mastered graft and corruption, election rigging (also resurrecting dead on every election days just to vote), etc. (what are we in power for?) that our tutors didn’t even teach us. We turned out smarter than our tutors.

Sample of our politicians and bureaucrats mastery on graft and corruption early on: the war surplus bribery, the Tambobong wheeler-dealing and the Namarco scam. Talo! Six presidents were elected to manage the country from 1947 to 1972, under the democratic system - they were Presidents Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, and Marcos.

Economists looked back to the decades of the 50s and 60s as the best years of the Philippine economy, surpassing any other Asian countries. The nostalgia was naiveté, a useless ego-tripping. The gap between the rich and the poor remained big. 30% middle-class and rich, 70% low-class, rural and urban poor. We were 27 million people. US$1 was to P4.

During the late 60's, the Maoist communists led by Commander Dante intensified its drive to overthrow the government. Marcos added fuel to the fire by creating a communist spook. Violence and mayhem rule the streets.

The youth went up in arms! Martial Law was declared in 1972 and Marcos became dictator. Freedom of assembly and expression went out of the window.

What followed were years of dictatorial abuse, crony capitalism, shackled free enterprise, near economic collapse and a demoralized middle class. The gap between the rich (30%) and poor (70%) remained in a quagmire. Pareho pa rin ang situation. Our population was 40 million. Exchange rate was US$1 to P7. Kaawa-awang kaawa-awa! Malas na malas!

In 1983, Ninoy Aquino, Marcos' exiled arch rival, was assassinated upon his return. Push came to shove. Cardinal Sin egged on the people on to protest. Outrage, self-pity, shame and fury raged and rumbled like a tidal wave, culminating in the incredible People Power Revolution. The very sick and obstinate Marcos fled (hijacked by Americans from Clark) to Hawaii (thought he was to be taken to Paoay, Ilocos Norte, pala eh, mapa-Hawaii) where he died. His alleged millions of stolen dollars intact and unresolved - up to now... Peso to dollar exchange is now P20 to $1.

But People Power was our shining glory! The whole world applauded our saintly courage, our dignified defiance, our bloodless solution to expel a dictator. We were the toast of all freedom-loving countries, the envy of all oppressed people. In 1986, we placed Cory Aquino, Ninoy's widow, in Malacañang. She was virtuous, sincere and full of good intentions for the country.

But what happens? Coup attempts by Honasan (who thought of himself as superhero having been dubbed as "Rambo"), power struggle, political squabbles, and the infighting for juicy deals harassed the amateur Cory presidency. So nothing happened. No progress took place. The economy was still bad.

The poor suffered more and more. Sure we got democracy back on its feet. But the Filipino resolve didn't happen. People Power pala was Ningas-Cogon power (an idiomatic phrase referring on what happens when one set a blazing fire, only to watch it quickly fizzle out - or an unfortunate tendency of starting something and left unfinished). Sayang na sayang! The gap between the rich and the poor remained at 30% (middle-class and rich), 70% (lower-class and rural/urban poor). Exchange rate was US$1 to P25. We were 55 million people.

In 1992, Cory's choice, Fidel Ramos, West Pointer, soldier, and hero of the People Power won the presidency. He had the bearing, the single-mindedness and the vision to bring the country to a tiger economy status. Ramos was a terrific salesman of the Philippines to the world. He was able to hype a climate of an economic ground. He removed barriers to progress. He was an apostle of privatization. His mantra was, - less government, more private sector! Fidel hit the right note and the economy went on a roll. Fidel wanted to run for reelection but failed to swing the cha-cha (an idiotic acronym for Constitutional Change) so he could run again.

In 1997, the Asian economic crises struck, triggered by a balloon's burst of the hyper speculative Bangkok economy. The financial debacle created disastrous effects in the investment institutions of Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Taiwan. All the Ramos gains evaporated into thin air. Malas na naman! The poor, especially Mang Pandoy, were poorer than ever.

1998 was showbiz time! The “Erap, Para Sa Mahirap” show opened to the chagrin of Makati Business Club. Pasensya na po kayo, mga elitists. Democracy is also weird. The choice of the masa must be respected. Catastrophe! Chavit Singson exploded jueteng bombs! For days on end, a nation sick in the stomach, sat through primetime TV aghast at watching the bizarre drama of alleged bribery, gambling, drunkenness, womanizing, deceit, and corruption. A lantern-jawed witness and a sexy intelligence "asset" hogged the witness stand.

Viewing the scandals on TV was like watching dogs mating in the public square. It's embarrassing but you can't take your eyes off them.

The impeachment trial serialized on TV was riveting. The defense lawyers, some wearing a canine sneer (ngiting aso) insulted our intelligence often. (Hoy! mga 'langya, di bali kami'y gugutomin, 'wag lamang lolokohin ...) The whole country was stinking to high heavens. The prosecution produced its own witnesses Clarissa Ocampo, Emma Lim, Carmencita Itchon and many others. Idols with feet of clay fell crashing into the dust. Those who voted against opening the enveloped were legalese, procedural, and sounding intellectually brilliant; also heartless and thick-skinned. They couldn't fathom the heartbeat of the nation. Cardinal Sin, aging and sickly, called the people again. It was People Power II! Same humongous and collective umbrage, same brinkmanship, and same staccato prayers! Generals Reyes and Villanueva simply joined the mammoth EDSA crowd. No US jets from Clark this time. Erap was out! Gloria was in!

Hope springs eternal. Malacañang regained its honor and dignity. Protocol was observed. Absurdity was gone. Grammatical English was back.

2002. More catastrophies! The peso plummeted to a horrifying P55 to US$1.

The Abu Sayyaf (extremist ideologues? - or mindless barbarians?) were into kidnapping and terrorism, gaining worldwide notoriety. Businesses were still closing shop. Thousands of workers were being retrenched. Prices of food and gasoline were sky-high. (Galunggong was P80 per kilo!) Our streets became permanent garbage dumps.

Maggots multiply to spread disease. Our communities stink. Again, the whole nation was witnessing sickening crimes attributed to people in the government. One after another, our leaders learned how the government off the people, buy the people and fool the people, works nicely... Talo na naman ang sangbayanang Pilipino! We are now 75 million people but the gap between the rich, 30% (middle-class and rich), 70% (lower-class and rural/urban poor) remains the same for one century.

When will this end? It's been more than 350 years since Lapu's-lapu's victory, 100 years since Rizal martyrdom and we're nowhere as a people, as a nation. Malas pa rin!

NOTE: Obviously there is a political commentary ingrained in this 'short history'. History is currently unfolding so the rest of what follows depends on the unfolding of events and who will write that history.

Red Cross