Twenty-Six Years Ago...

I remember that night as clearly as if it happened yesterday. It was about 7 PM and we were all gathered at the table after dinner listening to what was happening in Manila on the radio. Then, we heard it..."wala na si Marcos" (Marcos is gone)...we all looked at each other as if to check if we all heard it right. Then I saw my dad for the first time ever in my life, with tears in his eyes and in a quivering voice saying, we are free.  My mom started crying and suddenly everyone was laughing (and crying all at the same time), cheering, jumping and hugging each other.  We all climbed into our car and drove to the town center, where the church bells were ringing, people streaming into the street in their night clothes (just like us), some did not even bother to put their dentures on!  There was a lot of clapping, cheering, hugging and pure joy in everybody's face.  The police kept a respectful distance but some were also waving and clapping.  That was our shining moment...a time where hope rose like a phoenix in people's hearts.  It was a time for change...a time when everything was possible...a new beginning.  I can still remember that feeling of expectation and relief.  But 26 years after EDSA, questions remain unanswered and life for majority of Filipinos have not improved.  What happened to the hope and promise of EDSA?  Where has it gone?  Can we ever bring it back?

On Why Marcos Should Never be Buried in The Libingan ng Mga Bayani.

What are these talks about Marcos being buried at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani? It seems that the son of the late dictator is now resurrecting the issue after Gen. Angelo Reyes was buried there. And the response? We will study it. What?  We just celebrated the 25th anniversary of EDSA One!  If this burial is allowed of a man who put back the Philippines a hundred years in terms of economic and social progress behind other Asian countries, what do we celebrated EDSA for? The mere idea that this is a possibility is enough to make me break out in hives! And that there are even some  sectors who seem to favor this is beyond comprehension. I shake my head in disbelief.  How short our memory is.  I was 16 when Marcos declared Martial Law and 29 going on 30 when he left the country...that is 14 years of my life.  A life lived in fear and trepidation.  I was in first year college and I remember being told to be careful with what I say, do or even look like. Friends were picked up by the military for arbitrary reasons.  Travel was restricted, curfew was in place for all and we could not move around as we wished.  As time passed, we got used to this lifestyle and maybe even forgot what life was like before.  Pockets of dissent still existed and contrary opinions were whispered but life went on and if people's lives suffered, nobody dared complain. Corruption was rampant and because of this, moral degeneration among the people became an obvious consequence...people learned to live and deal with it and this became a culture that continues to this day.  The "Bagong Lipunan" (New Society) that Marcos envisioned never came to be. What happened instead were years of political repression, crony capitalism, graft, unbridled corruption, racketeering, human rights violations, bribery, embezzlement, land grabbing, control of the press and many more abuses, the name of some are not even invented . People became poorer while Marcos, his cronies and cult followers became richer.  And then, they murdered Ninoy Aquino.  

So, NO, please, please NO...do not even consider giving Marcos a place in the Libingan ng Mga Bayani...this will be an act of betrayal against all Filipinos who suffered the despotic Marcos years. Those were our lost years...years when we could have become the people and country that we deserve to be...time lost that will never come back again. Even for that alone, Marcos should never be buried in the place of heroes.

Memories of People Power - EDSA I

We haven't slept straight for 4 nights...my parents and brothers were all huddled over our radios listening to what was happening in Manila.  The atmosphere in the province was tense and everyone stayed at home waiting to see what would happen.  Those of us who volunteered for Namfrel during the snap election two weeks before were waiting for the signal to gather.  I remember it very clearly...it as around 8 or 9 PM, we just had dinner and my family and I were all gathered at the dinner table listening to the news...then the commentator calmly said..."wala na si Marcos?"...we all looked at each other thinking...are we hearing it correctly? And then, a stronger voice..."The Marcoses have left Malacañang!" and then, another "It's over! Marcos is gone"!  I could feel the tears coming and then I saw my Dad with his silly grin, a look he had every time he felt strong emotions and to keep himself from crying...my mom was in tears and we all started hugging each other and jumping for joy.  Then the church bells started to ring and my dad took the car keys, got us all into the car to go to the city center...upon reaching the area...we can see hundreds of people laughing, jumping, hugging and shaking each others' hands.  Almost all were in their night clothes and even one neighbor did not have her teeth on! The church bells kept on ringing and car horns were honking.  As I write this, all those memories comes back and even until now, I could not describe the feeling...a feeling of happiness that until today, 25 years later remain unsurpassed.