“A Nation for Our Children”

We do not expect perfect unanimity, we do not expect total agreement on every detail, but we believe that we can all agree at least on these basics.

If we can agree, however, on all of these basic issues even if we don’t agree on all the details, then it would be easier to get agreement on one candidate. Why? Because if all of us are agreed on what we want, then insistence upon running can only be the result of personal ambition. And no candidate will ever tell you that he has personal ambitions. In fact, they will all say: I don’t want to run, but if the people want me, I will run.

And if we do agree on these basics, then does it really make much difference who is the candidate as long as we are all united and agreed on what is to be done? It may make some difference. Some candidates may be more competent than others. The mere fact that we are all agreed on these basics should not make it impossible to achieve these changes regardless of who is this candidate. And therefore if we can agree on these basics, then we should be able to achieve the first step in this long journey to a nation for our children, and that is, the step of regaining our freedom.

But to do that, as I have said, will take time. It will be difficult. Wounds have become very deep, I’m sorry to say. I arrived, as you know, about a week ago, and I have found out during this short week that between certain groups disagreements have become personal, and those are the most difficult to address. But I also wish you to know that efforts are being made, and will continue to be made, so that all these disagreements can be ironed out. We do not expect perfect unanimity, we do not expect total agreement on every detail, but we believe that we can all agree at least on these basics.

First, that we must change not only Mr. Marcos but the system he has implanted. We must return to a truly democratic government with an independent judiciary and a responsible Parliament. And more than that, we must bring government and the making of decisions closer to the people affected by those decisions. Second, I feel that there should be — and there will be — no disagreement on the need to obtain our total liberation and freedom from American control. I say this because just the other day, there was a short meeting between representatives of UNIDO and others — those who had taken part and those who had not taken part in the last elections — and on the matter of “let’s start getting together, let’s talk and let’s see if we can get some bases of agreement,” one of them said: ‘Tanny, do you remember two years ago we signed a paper. Why don’t we use that as the basis of the agreement?” And Tanny said: “Fine. I don’t remember what was in that paper we had signed, but why don’t you just send it over’?” And it was sent over. And the first two paragraphs of that agreement made it very plain that every political force was committed to the proposition that the Philippines must be controlled by Filipinos and that all foreign bases must be removed from our country.

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