Letters.(Letter to the Editor)

Manila's New Beginning

Our Jan. 29 report, on the people's revolution in the Philippines, prompted scores of Filipino readers to write in and share their joy, their hopes, their sense of deja vu. "I was moved," wrote an expatriate. "I missed being there as I had been in 1986." Another reader hoped that "performance over patronage will now be the criterion for new leaders." Praying for a better future, one letter writer simply reminded the new president, "she is there because of the people."

The Voice of the People

As a Filipino living abroad, I was moved to read your Jan. 29 report, "The Return of People Power," on my compatriots' reuniting in People Power II for justice (asia). I missed being there as I'd been for People Power I in 1986. I hope that the incoming president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, serves our people better than did her predecessor. May she remember that she's there because of the people--not because she was voted in. This is her big chance to be an honest, just and effective ruler. If she fails, People Power III will be just as easy to organize.

Giovanna Mabanta -- London, England

Many Filipinos believe that Arroyo's ascent to the presidency did not come about through the constitutional process but through the mob rule of "people power." In a democratic and republican state, the sovereign will is manifested through the electoral process. What happened at EDSA is repugnant to the concept of representative democracy. The mob that gathered at EDSA was not even 1 million strong, and yet it was able to hold hostage the vital institutions of our young constitutional democracy.

Marife P. Varela -- Bacolod City, Philippines