As I watched the final salute to our former President Cory Aquino weeks ago and the continuing coverage of her life, I begun to wonder where I was during those historical moments in the Philippines when democracy started to crawl up from its grave in 1983, the year Ninoy Aquino, husband and father, was assassinated and a political explosion erupted.
I really never knew Ninoy until someone in the neighborhood drove around annoyingly honking his horns to announce the untimely death of a dangerous opposition to the then current powers. It was a shot heard from every corner of the world that greeted him as he descended out of the plane where he thought he’ll begin his freedom from exile. That shot from an assassin awoke the nation and history was written.
Political uprising thru non-violence and civil disobedience begun, successfully unseated a naked dictatorship power. 1986 marked the year of the snap election and the total unrest of most that resulted into a moral victory, if not politically, of the people power.
I was in Saudi Arabia during those times and so I never consider myself part of those proud moments when our country was put back on the world map in bright yellow for its democratic resiliency.
It was a transition period when Cory Aquino was forced into office as President by loyal supporters of her husband Ninoy. A neophyte in the world of politics, she emerged surprisingly strong against coup attempts from some of the military leaders who didn’t want to accept a civilian like her to lead an angry and hungry nation.
All throughout her years in office, she was said to be the role model in spirituality, motherhood, honesty, and democracy yet there are still oppositions and brutal attempts to dislodge her. I wasn’t around during those tense moments of uprising against Cory’s administration...I was in Japan.
I thought the presidency of FVR in 1992 brought the needed stability but for some reasons didn’t seem to help the nation. From where I was in Los Angeles where I begun my self-exile in 1990, I thought I’ve seen improvements but then again also bright paints of discontent and corruptions.
1998 marked the year a former action star Erap hit the “hweteng” jackpot when he was proclaimed the new President in a landslide victory. Three years later and nothing to show for but bulging pockets of corruptions, he was ousted and jailed.
GMA began her interim presidency and years after allegedly bullied her way to another term. And once again, I’m somewhere else when it all happened.
The political climate have changed course many times since the day I left the island and yet most people I’ve talked to feel we have yet to emerge convincingly victorious with all the shadows of corruptions and economic failures that seemed to be the only tangible measurements of an improving or failing nation.
It’s all been said many times that changes in leadership upstairs will bring new hope to people down below. I think then and I think now….that’s all a misconception!
Changes should be within all of us.
Albeit all that happened the last two decades, I don’t consider myself lucky that I didn’t have to go through all that most of you endured. I would love to be part of it all but something pushed me to leave...at least temporarily.
A joke once told me by an American friend is that it seems Filipinos in general when they are mad they shop, eat, drink, sing, or out on the streets with their rallying cry for another change in leadership because they are not getting what they want.
Like I said, changes should be within all of us.
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7 comments:
Hmm you made me look back at those times, so let's see...I know I was along Espana, Manila, waiting to see Ninoy pass by, I wrote Cory's name to be my President, I was at the corner of Santolan and EDSA at the first coup, feeding some soldiers. Trust me, I didn't know where the food came from, I just know that some hands were needed to give them out, I was on my way to EDSA when we were told to go to Mendiola instead, and yes I was there when they took out the Dictator, and I was a witness to that very short-lived thing when some people start to loot Malacanang, and people were yelling "Wag magnakaw!".
You may not be there Mr. Webmaster, but it was the same reason why you need to seek better opportunities elsewhere, because your family came first, and your remittances were your little way of sharing to what has kept your lupang hinirang going. And I am pretty sure, if you were there, I will bump into you in one of those roads to democracy...besides, you're more Filipino than I am, you put me to shame big time as to how you've come around these years, patronizing our very own...so don't even fret a bit!
I thought you're a Republican...oh, or a CHANGEd Republican...joke, joke, joke!
So chill out homie, it's Monday Night Football...Chargers vs Raiders...I'm so stoked!
You would think we've learned a lot from the last 2, 3 decades. Hell no! We're worst than ever.
Watching all these local politicians doing all their spits on camera makes me cringe...especially the likes of Estrada's.
As always...like father...like son!
on the lighter side of things to come; the deadline for our pledges
is fast aproaching. we need this folks so we can move forward.
come, join; participate. we need
everyone's help so we can help.
dom
Thanks Dom for the PLEDGE REMINDER! Sana let's put aside our personal agenda and focus on our goal! Let's think above and beyond ourselves kasi this will make a huge difference in those kids lives, kaya sayang naman kung hindi ito matutuloy dahil lang sa mga ere, pa-importante, pakipot, pa-keme, pa-pride, pa-cute, at higit sa lahat...pa-utot! Di naman tayo mga pul-pol ng Pulilan di ba?So, ano na mga ka-peeps? Pledge na! Kaya natin 'to!
di na uso pakipot ngayon. kahit nga sa babae, ung mga pakipot napag-iiwanan, saka hahabol-habol pagkatapos. o baka naman talagang gusto lang maiwan sa kanyang sariling generation, magmuni-muni, at kausapin ang sarili. ung stage ng buhay niya na d'un siya masaya kahit maiwan na ng panahon. atat na atat n'ung una at gustong kumilos kahit wala sa porma.
pero kung kasama ka pa rin sa agos ng realidad, e welcome ka pa rin iho at iha! di ba lil?
EDSA-1, I remember nasa bukid ako at nagpapa-kwan..hehehe! I mean, nagpapatanim po ako ng pakwan sa bukid namin. It's summer and kailangan ng dagdag na kita. My sisters were all there sa Manila and my mother asked me to fetched them. Natatakot kasi mother ko at baka kung ano ang mangyari. But on the way, kandahirap din ako dahil I have to transfer ng bus. Walang gustong magpapasok sa Manila kaya hanggang toll gate lang ako. Buti na lang at malayo naman at ligtas ang mga sisters. Yes, i have to transfer from one bus to another. the same way na nangyayari sa atin ngayon. Papalit-palit tayo ng liderato, pero di pa rin nagbabago. Maganda sa una pero lumalabas ang tunay na kulay later on. I just hope for a day na wala ng aalis ng Pilipinas to work somewhere else..
right again you are, mr webmaster! it shd be within all of us. very meaningful din sa akin ang time na yan. we were alwyas on the streets joining the people power. i dont want to elaborate more since the space here wouldn suffice. needless to say, whoever seats as president, nothing better will happen to our beloved country if corruption and bad attitude at work would still persist.
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