Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Alfredo Lim: The Truth Behind EDSA1

Alfredo Lim has been consistently receiving accolades and admiration for the role he played during the famed EDSA 1. The mayor of Manila, who is in the hunt for reelection, has been making false claims and fake representations to boost his image as a real EDSA 1 hero. Mayor Lim has been successful in doing so as evident in the current status of his political career. However, as he successfully builds up his reputation, he also continues to misrepresent the facts.

Recorded events of old Manila watch will show us exactly the opposite of what Alfredo Lim has been claiming. The mayor of Manila has been building up his image for his own political gain at the expense of another great unknown EDSA hero in Col. Jose H. Dawis. Dawis served as the Chief of Police of Quezon City during EDSA 1 under the leadership of the then General Lim. Dawis is witness to how the former general acted during the height of EDSA1. However, his account of Lim's participation in EDSA1 is still untold and misrepresented.

Colonel Dawis witnessed how General Lim acted like a coward during the height of demonstrations and protests. As Commanding General, Lim was not brave enough to confront the angry demonstrators and was cowardly hiding in small Antique shop in P. Tuazon the whole time laden with fear. He was so reluctant and afraid that he passed on the burden of controlling the crowd in EDSA to his personnel. Dawis was ordered by General Lim to disperse the crowd in EDSA at all cost upon the order of order of then President Ferdinand Marcos.

Colonel Dawis at that time only had a handful of 100 people under him when he was ordered by General Lim to disperse the crowd of more than 100,000 in EDSA. To make Colonel Dawis' job more manageable, General Lim has promised him with additional 500 military men to help him in the dispersion of the crowd in EDSA. But Colonel Dawis was defiant. The brave Colonel stood his ground and told Gen. Lim that he will not disperse the crowd who were just expressing their grievances peacefully.

The insubordination of Colonel Dawis has made General Lim enraged and fuming.He was completely furious with how Colonel Dawis responded and disobeyed his orders. As a response, General Lim started to berate Colonel Dawis who remained unmoved. Colonel Dawis stuck to his principles and did not follow the orders of his superior officer despite the threats of losing his job.

Former Senator Butch Aquino can prove this claim since he and Colonel Dawis had developed a very good relationship.Colonel Dawis was very considerate and warm to the opposition leaders and would allow them to protest peacefully in Quezon City.

This is a clear sign that the accolades and admiration that Alfredo Lim enjoys should not be extended to him. Lim should not be considered as one of the many real heroes of EDSA1 for the fact that he was never one. Lim is misleading the public into believing his frivolous claims and misrepresentations of facts at the expense of another great and worthy hero. Colonel Dawis is the real EDSA1 hero and should be the one receiving all the necessary accolades and recognition, and not the person who desperately tries to build his self a reputation using nothing but lies.

The mayor of Manila, who is seeking reelection, has been making frivolous claims and false representation to bolster his image as a real EDSA one hero. Mayor Alfredo Lim has in many ways succeeded in doing so as evident in the current status of his political career. On the contrary, Lim is using his frivolous claims and misrepresentations of facts at the expense of another great and worthy hero, Colonel Dawis.

-Julius Arante

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