Aung San Suu Kyi’s voice

A question on many people’s minds, including myself, regarding the upcoming Apec Summit is whether Burma’s (Myanmar) Aung San Suu Kyi, an internationally-renowned icon of democracy, will visit the Philippines to represent her country at the table of leaders.

That still seems farfetched as a “slow count” of the ballots in the recently-concluded national elections is delaying the proclamation of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy as the winner in the polls. Already, the NLD and local and international observers have said the party has won a “landslide” victory.

Recently, the NLD accused Burma’s election commission of “intentionally delaying” the release of the voting results. Suu Kyi has said that generally the elections were not fair but “largely free,” acknowledging that there had been “areas of intimidation.” She claimed that the NLD won about 75 percent of the contested seats, more than the two-thirds needed for a majority. Some 25 percent of the parliamentary seats have been reserved for supporters of the military junta which took over the reins of government after annulling the results of an election in 1990 where the NLD won over 50 percent of the vote.

But even if the release of the election results is fast-tracked and the victory of the NLD is confirmed, it’s still doubtful if we will have Suu Kyi in our midst during the Apec meet. That is because, said a briefer by the BBC, that while she could be named speaker of the House, she is barred from becoming president because of a clause added to the Constitution that “excludes anyone with close foreign relatives from holding the high office.” Suu Kyi’s late husband was a British national, and her two sons are also British citizens.

A tempting scenario for those gunning for the disqualification of Grace Poe, eh?

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Suu Kyi has said her party has a presidential candidate but has yet to reveal that person’s identity.

Despite the continuing controversy and the slow count, the results of the voting in Burma hold out hope that democracy may finally prevail in this country that was held in the iron grip of military rule for decades.

Held under house arrest for 15 years, Suu Kyi, now 70, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, remaining firm in her and her supporters’ call for a return to democracy in her country. Recently, however, she has come under criticism for her refusal to issue any statement of support for the country’s Rohingya minority, who have been forcibly rounded up and deported to neighboring countries or moldering refugee camps.

Even if she doesn’t hold the office of president, Suu Kyi can still be a compelling voice among the leaders of Southeast Asia as well as of the entire Asia-Pacific community. The plight of the Rohingya, for instance, has had much impact on the internal politics of Burma’s neighbors as well as the foreign relations among the countries in its “neighborhood.”

We look forward to hearing the voice of Aung San Suu Kyi, champion of human rights and of the oppressed.

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In my maternal hometown of Alaminos, in the seaside barangay of Lucap, the jump-off point to the famed Hundred Islands, stand two huge statues that dominate the pier.

One depicts a man in Chinese clothing and the other a woman in clothes dating back to pre-Spanish times. The statues are supposed to stand for Limahong, the Chinese pirate who led raids on coastal communities during the Spanish colonization, and for Princess Urduja, a legendary warrior-leader in the Kingdom of Tawalisi that is now the province of Pangasinan.

Unfortunately, the legend of an encounter between the pirate and the princess has long been debunked. Limahong’s raids have been recorded in colonial annals, as was his construction of a channel leading to the sea to evade capture by Spanish forces. But Urduja has been determined to be a myth, with no basis in reality. And even if they were both real historical figures, they could not have met because they lived centuries apart.

Still, Princess Urduja remains a compelling symbol for the women of Pangasinan, a symbol of strength, wisdom, fortitude.

No wonder Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas has dubbed as his “three Urdujas” three congresswomen who are spearheading his campaign in vote-rich Pangasinan. They are: Rep. Gina de Venecia of the fourth district, Rep. Baby Arenas of the third district, and Rep. Marlyn Agabas of the sixth district.

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During a recent sortie in Pangasinan, which has some 1.6 million registered voters, Roxas first stopped by Malimgas Public Market in Dagupan City which, so observers say, “turned yellow” as Roxas and his Liberal Party supporters clad in yellow shirts filled the marketplace for a dialogue with market vendors and market goers.

Also during his Pangasinan visit, Roxas met more than 11,000 supporters at the CSI Stadia in Dagupan, during a dialogue with tricycle drivers and operators, and three multisectoral meetings in Malimgas Market, San Carlos Gym in San Carlos City, and the municipal gymnasium in Rosales.

Among those who joined Roxas and who likewise openly showed  their support were Rep. Conrado Estrella III of the party-list group Abono, former congresswoman Ma. Rachel Arenas, Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez, San Carlos Mayor Julier Resuello and Vice Mayor Joseres Resuello, Urdaneta Mayor Amadeo Gregory Perez IV, and  Calasiao Mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay.

Perhaps ensuring “blanket” coverage for a Roxas candidacy in Pangasinan, Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil of the second district recently took his oath as an LP member (will he be now known as the fourth “Urduja”?), while Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino has also openly showed his support for Roxas.