Ika 21 ng Agosto 2008

Today is the death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino, my hero.

I still can recall the event with dread. It was a confusing time for a new graduate on the threshold of discovering the world to live her dreams that fateful day in August of 1983. Our old TV set kept on replaying the scene at the tarmac. NINOY AQUINO WAS ASSASSINATED!!! Rolando Galman was to be the unfortunate fall guy who would also be killed. He probably died earlier than Ninoy. There were crying. I think my mother cried. I probably did not understand Ninoy's ideals but I felt lost in the ongoing turmoil. People did not dare speak the unspeakable but something larger than life was looming. I was apolitical in my youth but I knew instantly that my life was about to change.

The days that followed were marked with more confusion. The Dictator Marcos and his frivolous wife, Imelda, were holing up in Malacanang probably scared about the consequence of Ninoy's death. It was reported that Marcos blew his top upon learning of the assassination and threw an ashtray at Imelda. People were wary. Chaos might erupt anytime. I knew it was serious because my parents would privately discuss the situation in hush hush tone.

It was also about the time I would be undergoing the hiring process by my first employer, GTE Directory Philippines, an American firm which produces the Philippine telephone directory. On the day of Ninoy's funeral on August 31, 1983, I was scheduled for an interview. Never wanting to miss my first crack in the corporate world, I dressed up in white for my interview. I took a jeepney ride from home to Quiapo to get a bus to go to Makati. My fate took another turn. I was about to meet my hero up close for the last time as his funeral march was underway when I reached Quiapo. The skies would holler with unstoppable rains. People would ditched their umbrellas not wanting to do an Imelda. It would be coincidental that I didn't fancy umbrellas that time. In my white dress, I would be soaking wet as I watched Ninoy's coffin atop a truck passed by. I have completely forgotten my interview and lost my thought in the unfolding drama. Two million of us, the second ever largest crowd to assemble for a funeral (Gandhi's funeral would gather the biggest crowd), would weep with Ninoy's family, friends, and compatriots as he was laid to rest. For the first time, I felt courage building up in me.

I would eventually be hired by GTE Directories even if I didn't make it to my interview. I returned home a different person. I called up the HR head and I didn't need to explain much as they understood. From a carefree youth to a more responsible employed individual, I would slowly be reawakened to the harsh realities of times. I would actively participate in the clamor for change joining rallies hobnobbing with both the coiffed and the unkempt. It was to be a slow process. The tide of change would finally culminate in the first People Power in February 16, 1986 which would force the Marcoses to flee to Hawaii.

It's been 25 years, yet tears still well up in my eyes recalling Ninoy's death and how it instilled courage in a late blooming activist and the rest of the country. It is one of those moments when I am truly proud to be a Filipino. It is indeed a poignant yet inspiring occasion to remember Ninoy at a time we all need a hero.

PS: Ang mga kabataan ngayon, ano kaya ang pinagkakaabalahan nila? Sa pakikipag-usap ko sa kanila, alam nila ang mga pangyayari na pinapakita nila sa mga reklamo nila sa pamahalaan. Alam nila ang mga anomalya at minsan pipilitin pa akong magpahayag ng aking opinyon. Hindi ko kinakagat ang ganitong pain sa paniniwalang lahat ay me kanya kanyang paniniwala sa tama at mali. Mas importante sa kin kung ano ang ginagawa mo para itama ang mali. Hindi lang yan sa pagigimmick o pagkakaroon ng mga bagong gamit. Hindi sa buong oras na pagbabad sa internet para makipagchat o pagsusurf o sa pakikinig ng musika sa iPod o pakikipageyeball sa mga bagong kakilala at iba't ibang bagay na umuubos ng oras nila. Minsan tuloy di ko maiwasang di maisip bakit wala na yun idealismo ng kabataan nung panahon namin.