Police fire teargas at protesters in Mandalay, Myanmar. Photo: AFP/VOA t is absolutely shameful that the country that gave the world the People Power revolution now stands mute as the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's military junta, trample on its citizens' freedoms and human rights. Democracies across the globe have begun to voice their concerns. Even our more enlightened neighbors like Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore repeatedly urge ASEAN to act and condemn the violence. But from the Philippines, we have so far heard nothing. Why? Why is the Philippine government silent? Are they afraid that their Asian neighbors might one day also call them out as well? It has been clear from the start that the events unfolding in the capital Nay Pyi Taw and major cities like Rangoon, and Mandalay, is an outpouring of anger over the military's political power grab. At one point, the country was well on its way towards civilian rule. Aung San Suu Kyi and her political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), soundly won the November 8, 2015 elections with a supermajority in both parliament houses. Myanmar's 2020 parliamentary election gave the NLD an even more decisive win. The military-backed USDP party won just 33 out of a total of 476 seats in play. The many defeated parties and the military contested the results and demanded a new election. However, Myanmar's Union Election Commission stood its ground and insisted that there was no evidence of widespread cheating. The military, fearful that their grip on power would soon come to an end, staged a coup in the early hours of February first. Suu Kyi and other government leaders were rounded up and arrested. The Tatmadaw was not about to relinquish its power and all the lucrative enterprises it controlled. So it placed the country under a state of emergency and took back control of the government. However, the military failed to realize that the young generation of Burmese who grew up in relative freedom and democracy would not be intimidated. They protested and demonstrated from the start. Sadly hundreds have been killed. Thousands more have been injured or locked up and tortured. This naked power grab by military chief Min Aung Hlaing and his minions has not gone unnoticed by the international community. Freedom-loving people across the globe will not allow this travesty to continue. As Filipinos who have experienced tyranny first hand, we stand with the citizens of Myanmar. We demand that the results of Myanmar's 2020 election be upheld; all political prisoners be set free; all military leaders involved in the February coup be held accountable. Knowing what it is to have one's freedom taken away, we Filipinos cannot help but demand that it be restored in Myanmar. Published 4/15/2021