Political quack doctors with analytical myopia tragically mistake the symptoms from the disease in this country.

They rumble that the "political noise" and "rambunctious rallies" scare away investors and cause destabilization. They are wrong in both counts.

The economy is now facing a China Wall between politics. Businessmen have discounted these political exercises as part of republican democracy that is why the exchange rate, interest rate and inflation rate remain steady despite "this noise." Who is scaring what?

As for destabilization, these rallies and protests action are reactive mechanisms - they are symptoms of the deeper maladies of graft and abuses of power. The real deep-rooted diseases - that have to be exterminated - are corruption and excessive abuse of power out of hubris. They lead to exasperated political noise.

And the devils' agents of corruption and human rights violations - those in government and their crooked allies in the private sector - are the true "destabilizers" of social sobriety and political stability. Unless their breed is exterminated, protest howls across the nation will never come to an end.

Of course, those who benefit from the largesse of a corrupt and abusive regime will move heaven and hell - mostly hell - to keep the status quo because there is power to savor and thirty pieces of silver to steal every day. Why give up the present government, the military that props it up and the oligarchy that keeps both happy?

Some of the oligarchy has been identified by former NEDA chief Romulo Neri - powerful families responsible for blocking economic reforms in their industries in order to create an uneven playing field in their favor and therefore have the cash wherewithal to keep government policy makers with glued lips forever - but happy.

That is why the Status Quo uses everything in their power to prevent "truth" and "issues" to be ventilated in public.

Eighty thousand people displayed their anger in Makati at the Interfaith Rally last Friday despite all government efforts to discourage the rallyists for massing. They propagated fears of violence in the rallies, infiltration by the Reds, the assassination plans on the life of GMA, declaring the Makati air as "No Fly Zone," harassing bus-loads of rallyists from Cavite, Laguna and Manila and misleading the public about the actual count and attendance.

We were at the Friday Gathering of different faith believers and saw hideous checkpoints as well in many towns in Bulacan and Nueva Ecija even the day before the Friday Rally.

Earlier we had all seen how the conspiratorial allies tried to prevent star witness of ZTE-NBN deal Jun Lozada from testifying and used EO 464 to prevent government men from testifying on investigations.

"Masses for Truth" and "Interfaith Rallies for Truth" - are precisely those instruments to aid in finding the truth. Obviously their anti-thesis of "truth finding" are those who prevent or condemn these democratic tools enshrined in our Constitution. They are the modern-day Draculas - deathly afraid of the crucifix and the light and the breaking of a new dawn.

Why indeed shoot down efforts to find the "truth" if one has nothing to hide?

The anger of people is not confined to Metro Manila although the latest survey so glaringly say that three of four people in Manila distrusts and are unsatisfied with the performance of GMA. Nationwide surveys have shown GMA is the most disliked president ever after Marcos. An even worse nationwide survey displayed corruption is worse in GMA's rule compared to all administrations including that of the unlamented Dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Que Horror!

Yesterday's latest Metro Manila survey disclosed that close to 700,000 of Metro Manilans are ready to go to the streets in protest over this Government's excesses - a number close to a million warm bodies that can seriously threaten any Palace leader - with or without a military component.

We earnestly plead for Government not to continue antagonizing people with reckless comments and anti-people acts if they do not want to recruit more converts to shout at the streets of Manila. Already, the provinces including peaceful Bohol are feeling signs of rightful agitation over the growing maladies besetting the nation. One can stay in a state of denial but the reality bites.

The people will go to People Power only if the remaining options are no longer available. The options are narrowing by the day, unfortunately.

The government institutions and the democratic processes are daily showing signs of being dysfunctional and subversive to the interest of truth which could push more and more people into the streets.

The corrupt practices in the Comelec have made political winners not necessarily the popular choices of the people. The "Hello Garci" haunts and the 2007 Bidol and its other cheating offenses. The Executive Department using the EO 464 makes it impossible to come nearer to the truth of criminal offenses in the bureaucracy. The Lower House, pampered by pork, perk and largesse will never have an independent mind when it comes to the impeachment process.

The DOJ will forever be a reflecting mirror of the pontificating arrogance and political bias of an ailing Justice Secretary. The Ombudsman, chaired by a classmate of FG (Merceditas Gutierrez) is not perceived to be capable of playing Lady Justice - given their record of exonerating the Comelec "commissioners" who botched the computerization deal with their sticky hands and hairy fingers. The COA has so-so record in dealing with errant public servants.

Killings of contrarians to Government will continue and the Military will not intervene - keeping the Status Quo safe in bed while protestations shake their very windows daily.

The Church appears emasculated by recent Papal directives for the clergy to stay out of politics - and often there are gray areas along the way.

Even the investigative aggressiveness of the Senate is hampered by its lack of prosecutory powers and only the Supreme Court appears to be a lonely stranger in this national struggle for truth and justice.

This sum total, sadly, of a national sense of hopelessness and despair over the Government institutions and processes is the very thing we dread will leave people with no other choice. The People - the very front of our sovereignty will have no other choice.

It is a scenario of probable chaos that we all fear to happen. But there is still time.

Those who are sleeping - especially those who pretend that they are - should wake up now. The Last Train is leaving.

* * * * *
For Comments: email to bingo_dejaresco@boholchronicle.com Or editor@boholchronicle.com