ISANG BUKAS NA LIHAM

ISANG BUKAS NA LIHAM

SA MGA NAGBUBULAG-BULAGAN

AT TULOG PA ANG UTAK

NA NAGPAPANGGAP NA AKTIBISTA 

Buwan ng Wika at Araw ng mga Pambansang Bayani kaya sa Pilipino ko isinulat ito – Isang bukas na liham-pahayag para sa bagong henerasyon ng mga kabataang nagtatangkang maging aktibista. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang ginawa ng pamilya Marcos sa inyo at naging tagahasik kayo ng black propaganda laban sa kanila. Biktima ba kayo? Ang inyong mga magulang? Nasaksihan niyo ba ang mga pangyayari o ito’y idinuldol lamang sa inyong pananaw at isipan?

Ako po, panahon ni Pangulong Ferdinand E. Marcos nang gibain ang bahay namin sa Navotas ng walang karampatang kabayaran. Nasa high school pa lang ako noon. Dalawa lang kami ng nanay ko na nagpalipat-lipat ng tirahan habang kung ilang taong sinikap niya na mabigyan kami ng kabayaran; dumanas kami ng hirap, lalo na ang nanay ko; at muntik na akong hindi nakapag-aral kundi sa tulong ng mga kaibigan at kamag-anak ng tatay ko. Naging aktibista ang pananaw ko at sumama pa ako sa mga kilos-protesta ng Kabataang Makabayan (KM) laban kay Pangulong Marcos. Ang nanay ko ang nanatiling naniniwala kay Marcos – Loyalista hanggang sa pagtanda at huling hininga.

Salamat sa gabay ng nanay ko, hindi ako tuluyang nahatak sa kilusan. Taglay ko ang adhikaing makabayan at hindi iyon mawawala sa akin. Hindi naman sa pagbubuhat ng bangko, pero kung nagtuloy ako, baka naging kasapi ako ng central committee ng Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) o kumander ng New People’s Army (NPA). Sa Halip, nagsaliksik ako at napatunayan sa sarili ang maraming katotohanang gumising at nagmulat sa akin. Hindi lang ako, maging ang mga naging mentors ko noon – Ka Nilo Tayag, Co-founder at Chairman ng Kabataang Makabayan (KM) at Secretary General ng CPP, Dominador "Ka Domeng" Arellano, Spokesman ng Pambansang Samahan ng Makabayang Tsuper (PSMT), etc., ay nakasama ko rin sa pagbabagong-pananaw. Dahil nadiskubre namin na ang tunay na kaaway ay hindi si Marcos, kundi ang mga oligarkong kumukontrol sa lipunan at negosyo, ang mga lintang pulitiko at militar na nagpapasasa sa yaman ng bayan, ang mga pasistang nakaabito na lumilinlang sa kaisipan ng mamamayan, at ang mga dayuhang nanghihimasok at nagsasamantala sa ating soberanya at yamang-kalikasan. Sa aming pagsasaliksik, nalaman namin na hindi Komunismo ang ideolohiyang kailangan ng Pilipinas kundi marapat magkaroon ito ng sarili at lantay na pananaw at pilosopiya mula sa sarili nitong kalinangan, kultura at kasaysayan (Minsang tinukoy ko itong Maharlikanismo). Sa madaling salita, naliwanagan at nagising kami sa katotohanan. SANA MAGISING NA RIN KAYO AT MAKIPAGKAISA PARA SA BAYAN!

 

Ngayon kung nais ninyo ay maging aktibista para sa bayan at mamamayan, dapat pananaw at kapakanan nila ang inyong pinapanigan. Ang taong-bayan ay maliwanag na mulat at gising na sa katotohanan. Pinili nilang ibalik ang isang Marcos sa Malacañang. Huwag ninyong baliwalain ang kanilang kinimkim na galit sa loob ng tatlong dekadang panlilinlang ng mga trapong pulitiko at dilawang media. Kung kayo ay sasalungat sa kagustuhan ng taong-bayan, para kanino kayo gumagalaw?

Sa palagay ninyo makakakuha kayo ng simpatiya at pagsang-ayon mula sa taong-bayan sa ganitong propaganda na patuloy na paninira sa kanilang inihalal na pangulo?

Bakit hindi ang tungkol sa Mendiola Massacre at Hacienda Luisita Massacre ang ilaban ninyong magkaroon ng katarungan? Bakit hindi ninyo tulungan ang pamahalaan upang masugpo ang pagsasamantala ng mga buwitreng negosyante na siyang nagpapataas sa halaga ng mga bilihin? Bakit hindi kayo tumulong na ilantad sa publiko ang mga nagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon o ang mga nanabotahe sa ekonomiya? Huwag kayong pasuhol sa mga nananamantalang mangangalakal, buwayang pulitiko at pasistang oligarko. Dito, susuporta sa inyo ang taong-bayan!

 

Ang kulang sa kasalukuyang mga nag-aambisyong maging aktibista ay pagsasaliksik sa kung ano ang katotohanan at pagsusuri ng mga pananaw na nagpapagalaw sa lipunan. Napakahabang salaysayin kung iisa-isahin ko, pero kung hangad ninyo ay patas na pagsasaliksik at katotohanan, basahin ninyo ng buo ang mga sinulat ko sa aking mga blog posts. (Maaring isipin ninyo pagkabasa ng mga ito na ako’y isang Loyalista ni Marcos. Tama, naging Loyalista ako matapos ang masusing pagsasaliksik at pagtitimbang sa mga pangayayari, subali’t ang pagkamakabayan ay hindi ko kailanman tatalikuran.)

Magbibigay ako ng ilang halimbawa:

1. SI NINOY AQUINO AY HINDI KAILAN MAN MAITUTURING NA BAYANI! Marami sa mga dating kasapi ng kilusang aktibismo ang nakatuklas na si Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr ay isa umanong “double agent” na nagtatrabaho para sa US State Department (USSD) at Central Intelligence Ageny (CIA). Nagsimula siya sa gawaing ito bilang media correspondent sa Korean War. Pagkatapos ay naging ahenteng ispiya siya ng mga Kano sa pamahalaan ni Pangulong Ramon Magsaysay habang nakikipag-usap kay Luis Taruk, pinuno ng Partido Socialista ng Pilipinas. Pagkatapos nito, palihim din siyang tumulong na mabuo noon ang CPP-NPA-NDF ni Jose Maria “Joma” Sison at Bernabe “Kumander Dante” Buscayno. Si Ninoy at si Joma ang nagplano ng pagbomba ng Plaza Miranda (Agosto 21, 1971), na ibinintang nila kay Marcos. Pero ang hindi alam ni Joma, binigyan ng CIA si Ninoy ng go-signal sa planong ito. Ang layunin ay upang magkagulo at matanggal nila sa puwesto si Pangulong Marcos. Nang magtrabaho ako bilang freelance researcher para kay Senador Jovito Salonga, na maituturing na pader ng Liberal Party noon, nakumpirma ko ang bagay na ito. Hindi makapaniwala ang senador na magagawa ni Ninoy ito subali’t si Buscayno diumano mismo ang nagtapat sa kaniya ng katotohanan. Dito nagsimulang umasim ang ugnayan nila ni Cory at sumuway siya sa kagustuhan ng balo ni Ninoy na panatilihin ang base-militar ng mga Kano sa Pilipinas. Tinanggal naman siya bilang Senate President at inilaglag bilang kandidato sa pagkapangulo ng mga dilawang puitiko (Sayang, isa sana siyang naging magaling na pangulo ng bansa). Bagama't may mga nailahad na siya sa publiko at sa kaniyang aklat na A Journey of Struggle and Hope, labis ang pagka-loyal ni Salonga sa Liberal Party kaya isinama na lang niya hanggang libingan ang marami sa mga katotohanang natuklasan niya tungkol kay Ninoy.

Si Joma Sison, hindi man niya aminin, pero maraming beses niyang pinuri si Marcos noon, lalo na nang simulan ng pangulo ang kaniyang Independent Foreign Policy at magsimulang makipag-ugnayan sa mga socialist countries na China, Russia, Cuba at Libya. Kaya lang kapag umamin kasi siya, malalantad din na nalinlang siya ni Ninoy Aquino na isang ngang double-agent ng CIA at USSD, at sa ilang pagkakataon ay nagamit pa ang puwersa ng CPP-NPA-NDF sa plano ng mga Kano na pabagsakin si Marcos. Tandaan  din ninyo, kayong galit ngayon sa bansang China pero mga tagahanga ni Joma, na ang ideolohiya na gumagabay sa CPP ay Maoism (mula kay Mao Zedong). Maging si Risa Hontiveros at ang kaniyang dating mentor na si Randy David ay pro-China at nakakiling sa Maoist Ideology, at anti-US imperialism noon, pero mukhang nag-iba ang simoy ng hangin. Dahil sa ngayon tila nagagamit si Hontiveros ng mga pasistang oligarko.

2. HINDI NAGNAKAW SI MARCOS, KUNDI NAG-ABONO PA. Saan niya kinuha ang kayamanan? Kasi kung susumahin mo, saan kukuha si Marcos ng kayamanang tinatayang nasa 1.2 trillion dollars (1987 estimate, batay sa lathalaing Executive Inteligence Review), na kahit pagsamasamahin mo lahat ng laman ng Philippine Treasury mula kay Aguinaldo hanggang ngayon ay walang ganoong kalaking halaga? Isang newspaper columnist at kritiko ni Marcos, si Hilarion "Larry" Henares, ang nakapuna rin nito. Ang average annual government budget (dollar exchange rate and inflation taken into consideration) noong panahon ni Pangulong Marcos ay nasa humigit-kumulang 120-million pesos. Ang estimated cost ng lahat ng kaniyang infrastructure projects ay humigit-kumulang 870-billion pesos. Hindi magsisinungaling ang matematika (Maraming halimbawang proyekto ni Marcos akong maibibigay kung saan nag-abono siya ng pangpondo at ilan dito ay nai-blog ko na). Meron ba ritong makapagpapaliwanag kung saan kinuha ni Marcos ang pinang-abono niya? Sa mga nagsasabing ninakaw niya ay sagutin ninyo kung saan niya nanakawin kung wala namang ganoong halagang mananakaw. Narinig niyo na siguro ang Yamashita Treasure (hindi po Tallano Gold ah, kagaguhan lamang ng isang LP senator yun. Pero sa ibang pagkakataon na ito)?

2. SINO ANG TUNAY NA MAGNANAKAW? Ang mga paintings at jewelries na naiwan sa Malacañang matapos ang 1986 EDSA Revolt, sino ang kumuha at nag-angkin? Ang mga ito ay bigay kay Imelda Marcos ng mga artists at royalties. Pag-aari dapat ng mga Marcos yun, pero hindi nila inilagay sa bahay nila kundi sa Malacañang, sa National Museum at Central Bank. Matapos ang 1986 EDSA Revolt, nawala ang ilan sa mga ito. Ngunit ang mga lihim na kasamaan ay hindi maitatago habangbuhay. Ilan sa mga alahas at paintings ay nakita sa mga Cojuangcos at Aquinos. Halimbawa, nang mamatay si Cory, sinabi ni Kris na wala siyang hihinging mana kundi ang self-portrait ni Amorsolo at ang obra ni Ang Kiokuk. Ang mga ito ay kabilang sa mga nawawalang paintings sa Malacañang. Isang reporter-photographer ang nagsiwalat ng isang larawan ni Kris Aquino kung saan suot niya ang isang kuwintas na pag-aari ni Imelda. Ang tanging sagot ni Kris ay “fake copy” lang daw yun. Sa masusing pagtingin makikitang ito nga ang alahas ng dating Unang Ginang. ANG KASAYSAYAN AY MAY KAKAYAHANG MAGSIWALAT NG KATOTOHANANG SA TAKDANG PANAHON AT ANG KARMA AY MARUNONG MAGBIGAY NG KATARUNGAN!

3. Naging freelance writer din ako mula noong ako’y nag-aaral pa lamang. Panahon ni Marcos, hindi ako kailanman na-censured; na-published ng buo ang mga artikulong sinulat ko. Katunayan nanalo pa ako sa essay-writing contest na sponsored ng Malacañang kahit pa may banat ako laban kay Marcos doon sa sinulat ko. Panahon ni Cory, sinabihan ang mga editors ko na huwag ilabas ang mga sinulat ko tungkol sa environment, flood control at US bases. Sa panahon ni Cory, WALANG PRESS FREEDOM kung hindi ka nila kapanalig.

4. PINASLANG NG PANAHON NI CORY AQUINO. Ang kaibigan kong si Lean Alejandro, founder ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN). Pinatay siya ng mga hitmen ng Yellow Army noong September 19, 1987, matapos siyang mag-anunsyo ng pambansang kilos-protesta laban sa pamahalaan ni Cory Aquino. Kung tutuusin malaki ang naitulong niya sa EDSA, pero nadismaya siya nang hindi tumupad sa mga ipinangakong pagbabago ang rehimeng Cory. Bago pa siya, si Rolando Olalia, lider ng Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) ay pinatay rin wala pang siyam na buwan pagkaupo ni Cory. Huwag din nating kalimutan ang madugong pagpaslang sa mga magsasaka sa Mendiola Massacre at Hacienda Luisita Massacre! Malayong-malayo sa kalingkingan ni Lean ang mga sumunod na namuno sa BAYAN o sa iba pa mang grupong kabataang nag-aastang aktibista.

5. ANG TUNAY NA TUTA NG MGA KANO. Si Pangulong Marcos, pinahanga niya ang mga Kano sa kaniyang talino at pamumuno, kaya tinangka nilang hawakan siya sa leeg at kontrolin. Nang simulan niyang kumawala sa kadena ng mga Kano, lalo na nang baguhin niya ang Saligang-Batas at lagyan ng hangganan ang pananatili ng US Military Bases, pinagplanuhan na siyang pabagsakin ng makapangyarihang US Liberal Democratic bloc. Ito ang nuno ng mga imperyalista na lumilikha ng digmaan sa daigdig, nag-aalis at pumapatay ng mga pinuno ng bansang tumatangging sumunod sa kagustuhan nila. Ang tangkang pagkarit ni Marcos sa kuko ng Agilang Panot ay lihim na nagpagalit sa kanila. Ito ay humantong sa panggigipit sa pamahalaang Marcos ng US government, tuloy-tuloy na paninira ng western press, sinadyang pagpatay kay Ninoy Aquino (Agosto 21, 1983, parehong araw at eksaktong 12 taon matapos ang pagbomba sa Plaza Miranda), at nagtapos sa 1986 EDSA Revolt.

Si Cory Aquino, iniluklok ng mga Kano kapalit ng pagpatay sa kaniyang asawa; at naging sunud-sunuran sa mga Kano lalo na sa kaniyang mga among Democrats. Pakatandaan natin na pinilit ni Cory na panatilihin ang mga base-militar ng mga Kano, kundi lang sumabog ang Bulkang Pinatubo. Dito nga nagkalabuan sila ni Sen. Salonga. Ang tumulong sa kaniyang mailuklok sa puwesto na si General Fidel V. Ramos, ang itinuturing na “American Bulldog” ng mga aktibista ng Unang Bahagdang Unos ay inilagay niya bilang Kalihim ng Tanggulang Bansa upang sawatain ang mga sasalungat sa dilawang pamahalaan. Ganoon din ang kaniyang anak na si Noynoy Aquino, na sa wika ng isang kasapi ng Anonymous Philippines ay “tutang laging nakaamoy sa puwet ni Obama,” na sa dami ng mga kapalpakan, kurapsyon, at iskandalong ginawa sa puwesto ay itinuturing na pinakamasamang naging pangulo ng Pilipinas.

 

Tungkol naman sa 20 pisong bigas: Wala namang sinabi si Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr na gagawin niyang 20 piso ang halaga ng isang kilong bigas sa isang iglap pagkaupo niyang pangulo. Ang sabi niya ay pangarap niyang mangyari yun. Ito ay nabanggit niya noong Mayo 2022: “.... I will work to bring down the price, so that we can achieve our dream – the P20 to P30 na bigas.” (Magtatrabaho ako upang mapababa natin ang presyo, para maisakatuparan ang ating pangarap – ang P20 hanggang P30 na bigas.) Kayong mga dilawan at malabulaw, huwag kayong magtagpi-tagpi ng mga salita upang sirain ang isang adhikain.

 

Ito ay ilan lamang sa mga kongkretong ebidensya (mahirap tibagin), hindi haka-haka, hindi paninira, hindi yellow journalism, hindi black propaganda!

 

LIGHTS FROM THE PAST, GUIDES TO THE FUTURE (Celebrating the PCC Centennial)

LIGHTS FROM THE PAST, GUIDES TO THE FUTURE

(Celebrating the PCC Centennial)

A BRIEF LOOK AT 100 YEARS OF HISTORY

It all started in 1923. A school was established by the Philippine Chinese Educational Foundation (PCEF) through the leadership of Carlos Palanca Sr (1869-1950), a businessman and philanthropist who migrated to the Philippines in 1884. Palanca Sr, whose birth name was Tan Guin Lay (陳迎來) was born in Amoy, Qing China (now Xiamen) in 1869. He came to Manila together with his uncle and godfather, Tan Quien-sien (陳謙善, 1844-1901), who was at the time, the acting Consul General in Amoy. Both of them adopted the name of their benefactor, Carlos Palanca y Gutierrez, a Spanish colonel and the gobernadocillo of gremio de chino de las islas filipinas (Chinese guild of the Philippine Islands).

The younger Carlos Palanca Sr is the same person who founded the La Tondeña Incorporada (which later became Ginebra San Miguel) in 1902, and in whose honor the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature was established in 1950.

The school that Palanca founded was originally named Philippine Chinese High School (PCHS) and consisted only of 47 students. It was the first Chinese-Pilipino secondary school in the Philippines. Two classroom of the Anglo-Chinese School (Later Tiong Se Academy) in Binondo, Manila were used. Classes started on June 27, 1923, thus the date became the foundation day of the school.

In 1937, the first batch of alumni organized the PCHS Alumni Association, with Mr. Go Seng Guan elected as the first president. A year later, the PCEF organized a board of trustees which would take over the management of the school. Mr. Go Chong Beng was the first chairman of the board. In 1940, a new school building was constructed along Jose Abad Santos Street. This was made possible through the efforts of Dr. Teng Chiu Huang who served as the 7th school principal and Mr. Sy Eng, the president of the Educational Association and at the same time the chairman of the Board of Trustees, and funded by donations from various sectors of the Chinese community.

After serving for 20 years as principal, Dr. Huang passed away. A memorial foundation was established in his honor. In 1961, the foundation bought a 10,000 square meter lot in Caloocan City, which later became the campus grounds of the PCHS Annex. Classes started on June 1967 with around 320 students.

In 1976, the Marcos Administration filipinized all Chinese schools in the Philippines, and the school was renamed Philippine Cultural High School, having the same acronym – PCHS.

Additional buildings were constructed in the PCHS (Annex) Caloocan campus in 8th Avenue, Grace Park, during the late 1970s to house classrooms for pre-schoolers and elementary student and, in the 1990s, the extension buildings were added. On the other hand, the new PCHS (Main) building in the Manila campus, along Jose Abad Santos St., was completed in early 1988.

In 1998, during its double diamond 75th foundation anniversary, PCHS was featured in the Philippine postage stamps, coinciding with the Philippine Independence centennial.

In 2008, the school opened its college and changed its name to Philippine Cultural College (PCC). At the same time, the school changed its organizational structure, with the president being the highest in office and a vice president each for the college and the basic education departments. Dr. Lily Go was named president of Philippine Cultural College and Dr. Sining Marcos Kotah as vice president of the secondary, elementary and kinder departments of both the Manila and the Caloocan campuses.

On January 15, 2012, ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a new PCC building in Cuenco St. corner Tuazon St., Quezon City. The lot on which the school building would stand was donated by Mr. Benito Cu and Ms. Elena Cu Uy. The construction of the new college building went into full swing. Alumni responded by giving generous donations. With the opening of the new college building, PCC began its march into the future, tasked with providing trilingual education, with the propagation of Chinese-Filipino culture, and with nurturing the hearts and minds of the youth. Everybody at PCC, students, teachers, and alumni are united as one, in their vigorous pledges to contribute more to society and to the Pilipino nation.

 

MARKING THE 100TH YEAR

It rained early in the day, June 25, 2023, but the weather calmed down as the sun nears the mid-sky. Alumni dressed in red started gathering in the meeting places to wait for the rides that will take us to the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the venue of the celebration. After days of talking with each other in the Facebook Messenger, my batch – PCHS Annex Class 1978 – were all excited to join in the celebration of our high school alma mater’s centennial foundation anniversary.

It was a grand, though modest, ceremony! Class 1978 will also be having its sapphire anniversary as we again meet after 45 years. Sapphire, so why do we dress in red and not crystal deep blue?

Well, for one, red is the color of the times. It’s the color of volunteerism, solidarity, grandeur, passion, joy, triumph, celebration, and all good things there are. One more trivial note: Since it’s a Pilipino-Chinese school, the predominant common color in both the flags of the Philippines and China is red.

As it turned out, only Class 1978 wore predominantly red. But we stood out among the rest. We probably had the biggest contingent of attendees. Hurrah!

As I have mentioned in my July 8, 2018 post – CONNECTED @40: The PhilippineCultural High School Class 1978 Reunion – we are the crème de la crème, the batch to reckon with. (And if you want to laugh your hearts out, revisit our 40th Class Reunion in 2018  picture "comics" page.)

To update that blog post: We’ve survived 12 Olympics, watched about 40 Marvel superhero films, and the entire eight seasons of Game of Thrones. We’ve gone through coup d’etats, recessions, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, supertyphoons, sinkholes, draughts, nationwide floods, landslides, pandemics, fake news, historical distortions and historical restorations, and whatever-else. We’ve seen Darna’s mystical pebble passed on to ten generations. Ah yes, we’ve managed to remained together after eight presidents, from Ferdinand E. Marcos to Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. Whoa, from father to son! Is that also a coincidence? No, it's Iginuhit ng Tadhana (drawn by destiny) – a Marcos returning Malacañang. Indeed, we’ve lasted through eight administrations, with all the political intrigues that came with them. While we may allied ourselves with different groups, parties, affiliations, and browsed through all the political gobbledygooks that made us rants against one another, at the conclusion of it, we remained friends. Indeed, friendship that lasted for half a century. That's incredible! GOD must really love this group.

Oh, by the way, going back to the color red: It was the color of activism during the 1970s when we were in high school, and it is today’s political and presidential color symbolizing solidarity, change and a bright future. The color that flooded the Internet and the streets during the presidential election campaign, and dumped the yellows and pinks in the septic tanks! Cheers and peace be with you! And yes, magenta red is also the color of the year 2023.

Enough verbals, let the pictures do the talking:

 

LETTER FROM PRESIDENT FERDINAND "BONGBONG" R. MARCOS JR

Thank you very much, Manong President! I thought of this and my thought came to reality! Just as I have predicted you becoming president, against all odds, so shall we all join together to have a progressive Philippines! Mabuhay!

 

FOUND IN TRANSLATIONS: SONGS AND CAPTURED INSTANCES

FOUND IN TRANSLATIONS:
SONGS AND CAPTURED INSTANCES

YOU AND ME AGAINST THE WORLD

[Song by Paul Williams]

Sometimes it feels like you and me against the world;

When all the others turn their back and walk away,

You can count on me to stay!

(IKAW AT AKO LABAN SA MUNDO

Minsan pakiramdam ko tayong dalawa laban sa mundo;

Kung lahat man ay tumalikod at lumisan,

Narito pa ring iyong maaasahan!)

PIC: Spiders usually live alone, but these two I notice at the back of our house share the same web.

PANGAKO

[Song by Regine Velasquez]

Bakit ba may lungkot sayong mga mata?

Ako kaya'y di nais makapiling, sinta?

Di mo ba pansin ako sayo'y may pagtingin?

Sana, ang tinig ko'y iyong dinggin:

Ako ngayo'y di mapalagay,

Pagkat ang puso ko'y nalulumbay.

Sana ay pakaingatan mo ito,

At tandaan mo ang isang pangako....

Pangako hindi kita iiwan;

Pangako di ka pababayaan;

Pangako hindi ka na mag-iisa;

Pangakong magmula ngayo'y tayong dalawa

Ang magkasama!

(PROMISE

Why is there loneliness in your eyes?

Maybe you do not want me with you, my dear?

Can’t you notice that I have feelings for you?

I wish, my voice you will hear:

Now I’m filled with anxiousness,

Because my heart is deep in sadness.

I wish that you will treasure this,

And bear in mind a promise....

I promise I will never leave you;

I promise I will never let you down;

I promise you will never be alone;

I promise that from now on the two of us

Will be as one!)

PIC: My niece’s cats, Poopooh and Paklang. Notice the mosquito at Paklang’s left cheek.

I WON’T LAST A DAY WITHOUT YOU

[By the Carpenters]

When there’s no getting over that rainbow;

When my smallest of dreams won’t come true;

I can take all the madness the world has to give,

But I won’t last a day without you.

(Kung walang paraan upang tawirin ang bahaghari;

Kung pinakamunti ko mang pangarap ay hindi mangyari;

Makakayanan ko lahat ng mga kabaliwan sa mundo,

Ngunit di kayang isang araw na wala ka sa piling ko!)

PIC: Captured from an Avanti Press card.

YOUR LOVE

[Song by Alamid]

You're the one that never lets me sleep;

To my mind, down to my soul, you touch my lips.

You're the one that I can't wait to see;

With you here by my side, I'm in ecstasy

(Ikaw ang dahilan na ako’y di maidlip;

Halik mo’y gumigising sa’king kaluluwa’t isip.

Ikaw ang laging inaasam kong makita;

Ang makapiling ka, rurok ng aking ligaya.)

TUKSO

[Song by Eva Eugenio]

Tapat ang puso ko

At ito'y hindi magbabago,

'Pagka't pag-ibig ko

Ay tanging para sa 'yo.

... H’wag sanang mangyari

Matukso ako nang sandali,

'Pagka't ang tukso ay madaling nagwawagi.

... Kay rami nang winasak na tahanan;

Kay rami nang matang pinaluha;

Kay rami nang pusong sinugatan...

Oh tukso, layuan mo ako!

(TEMPTATION

Faithful is my heart

And this will never change,

‘Cause my love

Is always just for you.

... I hope it doesn’t happen

That I be tempted for a moment

‘Cause temptation easily wins.

... So many homes been devastated;

So many eyes swollen in tears;

So many hearts gravely wounded...

Oh Temptation, leave me alone!)

NEED TO KNOW

[Song by Calum Scott]

It's been a minute since we connected;

I got the message, you don't feel like that.

So why can't you leave it the way we left it,

Instead of reminiscing 'bout the past?

I showed you things I know you liked,

And I thought that I could change your mind.

And I almost did now didn't I?

And I almost did now don't lie.

Do you think about me

And the way it could be?

I'll make it easy:

You tell me, should I stay or go?

'Cause I need to know.

(Lumipas ang sandaling nagkalapit tayong dalawa;

Sa palagay ko, hindi magkatulad ang ating nadama.

Bakit hindi mo hayaang magpatuloy ang nasimulan,

Sa halip na nakatali ka sa alaala ng nakaraan?

Natuwa ka sa mga bagay na ipinamalas ko,

At akala ko’y napagbago ko ang isip mo.

Muntikan ko ng magawa hindi ba?

Muntikan na huwag kang magkaila.

Naiisip mo ba ako

At kung ano sana ang hinaharap?

Ganito na lang:

Sabihin mo, ako ba’y mananatili o lilisan?

‘Pagka’t kailangan kong malaman.)

One More meme!

Hindi sapat ang kumot sa gabing malamig;
Ang kailangan ko’y ang init ng iyong pag-ibig!
(The blanket is not enough for the cold night;
I need the warmth of your love to hold me tight!)

SPARROWS IN THE PARK (In remembrance of the Mendiola Massacre)

SPARROWS IN THE PARK

(In remembrance of the Mendiola Massacre)

        Darkness had finally engulfed the horizon. Two lowly shadows were talking as they traversed the riprap bordering the seashore. A myriad sparkles of light coming from the yachts afloat, the tall buildings and the nearby park illuminated the surrounding.

      “Where do you want to sleep tonight?” Rod amusingly asked his little brother as they passed the PICC building.

       “How about up there?” Ador pointed to the rooftop of the convention center.

       “No way. It’s too cold up there. Remember, you got sick the last time we slept there? Besides, we might get caught by the guards this time.”

     “Hey, I know where – the waiting shed!” Ador trotted to the area carrying his wooden cigarette box. At the age of twelve, Ador was already a veteran cigarette peddler. He would jump from one bus to another, or streak from one side of the road over the center island to the other side. It was his everyday routine from five in the morning to six in the evening.

      Rod, on the other hand, was a master at odd jobs: from being a whisper pimp to cleaning the post office facade, to stevedoring. He was observant and aloof, and could almost always tell if you are being honest or deceitful. He had learned a lot from the streets he grew up on.

        Disappointment covered the two boys’ faces when they reached the place.

       “We can’t sleep here anymore, kuya. The cover is gone!” Ador kicked the withered santan plants that were supposed to cover the waiting shed from the road and served as sieves for street dust and vehicle smoke.

        “Too bad!”

        “They didn’t pay the caretaker again!”

        “Come on, let’s try the park.”

        The park was so quiet except for a few whispers and the usual night sounds. Near a low, bushy tree was a snug pit quite hidden but sufficiently lit by the high post lamp.

       “Hey look here, kuya,” Ador peered through the bushy camouflage. “This sure looks like a cosy place.”

        “Okay, let’s clean it up a bit,” Rod agreed after taking a peek. “Be careful. There might be centipedes or lizards nestling in the grass.”

        After the brothers ate their unemancipated supper of pancit guisado and two small plastic pouches of rice, Rod opened his bag and pullled out a half-torn blanket. He spread it equally on the ground, removed his shirt and used it to patch the large hole of the blanket. Then he sat down with his brother, legs stretched to the hilt.

        For several minutes, the two mused insignificant queries and exchanged thoughts as if they were Socrates and Plato playing with unfathomable ideas and enigmas, making shrieks now and then. Though most of the concepts were beyond them, not because they were intellectually incapable but due to the lack of education, all the arguments were reduced to the simplicity of cause and effect. This, too, was a daily routine between the siblings before they sleep.

     A bird’s eyeview would picture the sleeping duo in a small patch of ground surrounded by manmade landscaping and the pollution of the night world. The coincidence of that night’s tandem of dreams made it unforgettable. Both Rod and Ador had been wanting to know their past. They were separated from their parents when Rod was barely seven years old and Ador only two years old. They could vaguely remember their father and mother, and the incidence that separated them. The firmament above, perhaps in consolation, granted their desired dream where they would realized the past:

     There was a commotion from both sides of the Mendiola Bridge. The rows of protesting farmers were met with automatic rifle fire. The cries of agony were overwhelming as the farmers scampered for dear life. The memories of that infamous day – the Mendiola Massacre – became so vivid. It was horrifying.

      Indeed, how horrible was that day! Smokes of yellow and dirty-white covered the crossroads. Even the menacing barbwires bowed down to repent the evil that was committed. When the asphalt could finally be seen amid the smoke, nineteen bodies lie dead in front of the streets that separated the Malacañang Palace from the rest of the metropolis.

        There! There was father from one among them! Father’s wish to have a piece of land he can call his own, after decades of abuse and hardship in the sugar plantation, had been granted. A piece of land he could neither plant on nor cultivate, but a piece where he would be eternally emtombed. Yes, my God! There lay our father. There he was.

        A shiver of chill half-awakened Ador as he stretched his arm to embrace his brother beside him. The lenitive luminance lashing between life and limbo was languidly lacking. There was a greater haze than any of them could understand. To them, however, it was enough to temporarily appease their longing. And the dream, nay, nightmare continued:

        There was a scuttle – a chasing spree. The clean-up operation was massive. People of all ages were being yanked into a detention van.

     “My children, my children, where are my children?!” Tears of protest and pain watered the reddened cheeks. Bruises of red and black bemedalled the shoulders. A woman of courage, brave yet weak, persistent yet unarmed! There was mother!

        “Inay….!” Ador cried.

        Rod gently tapped his nape: “Sshhh!  Go back to sleep, we’re just dreaming.”

     The moon was now on the far side. Rod gazed as the clouds passed against its transformation to opacity. At the background was darkness, yet an entire universe full of stars. It was like traveling in time. For each twinkle of a star, a day passed. Like a lost sparrow on its flight, his thought quested for an unknown future.

        The siblings were awaken the following morning by an abundance of fragrance that filled the surrounding air. The flowers in the park started blooming.

        “Arayku! Arayku….!” Ador screamed. “What is that? Don’t hurt me!”

        Rod jerked up. “It’s just a bird pecking at your back.”

     How did the bird got there, so far from its natural habitat? A mother sparrow, probably thinking they were intruders landgrabbing her nest area, riled-up behind in a warlike fashion. Rod folded-up his head to meet his knees and mused a few more thoughts.

     “Why, you….! I’m going to make you my breakfast!” Ador angrily caught the sparrow.

        “Let it go!” prodded Rod. “The bird is merely protecting its nest.”

        “Nest….?! Where….?

        “There, about a meter behind your left.”

       Indeed, a little nest inside a thick bush with two stocky newly-hatched nestling at the center. Of all places, it’s a miracle that they have found a home in an urban park.

        “So, you’re the strange noise I’ve been hearing last night,” said Ador.

     “They’re just like us, but at least they have a home and a mother....!”  Rod contemplated. “They’re just like us….. They’re……”

        The echo of that particular memory brought Rod back to the present.  He smiled as he walks ahead of his mother and brother. The seawaves endlessly flirting with the ripraps; the cold breeze hovering over the convention center area; and the nearly-dilapidated waiting shed – such unforgetable parts of the immediate past.

Elena had accompanied her children in attending a free concert of folk and ethnic songs. It was barely a month since she was released from prison after the new government found her innocent of the crime of rebellion and was reunited with her two sons. 

        It was already past three o’clock in the morning and they decided to walk and stroll a little bit in the park and partaked the blessing of the morning air. They passed through the same path taken by Rod and Ador when they were still wanderers in the park.

        Finally, as if Ador’s limbs were being lured to the spot, they reached the sparrow’s haven – their haven.

        “Look, Inay….! This was our favorite sleeping place!” cried Ador.

        “The bottle I used to put drinking water is still here!” Rod noticed as he probed the area.

        Elena could only bite her lip thinking of the hardships that her young children have encountered during her absence. And to think that during those times politicians were claiming that democracy was returned to the country. Elena wrongfully was imprisoned for ten years, her husband murdered and their two very young children left to fend for themselves. She never did get justice for all these sufferings. The people responsible were even considered by some as heroes who restored democracy in the country. Such is the irony that beclouded a society ruled by the oligarchy. Elena emboldened her thoughts – “it was part of the struggle, a great sacrifice for a greater cause.” Thank God they survived.

        Elena’s tears invoked by her revolting spirit could merely alleviate her pain. As she looked toward the heavens, she saw a yellow ribbon tied to a tree, she angrily pulled it down, crampled it in her hands and threw in the garbage bin. At the same time, the first rays of sunlight venerated the zenith. Unnoticed, she wiped her tears and followed her children.

        “The nest….!  Is the sparrow’s nest still there?! Ador asked curiously.

        “Yes, it’s still here, but the sparrows are gone!” Rod replied.

        “Oh look ….! There they are, all three of them!”

        “It seems our former neighbors are migrating. The nestlings have fully grown their wings, and with their mother by their side, they will soon find a new home.”

      The sight of the three sparrows soaring freely through the morning sky was an advent as equally magnificent as the background. For now, darkness had been defeated. The sun was in full sphere. And the sky, hopefully, preparing a new dawn.

 

 

NOTE: This is a short story I wrote for Mr. & Ms. Magazine (published May 18, 1999), based on a true story, true  experiences, a piece of true history culled from the aftermath of the infamous Mendiola Massacre. The Cory Aquino Regime tried to cover everything, but no matter how they buried the corpses of the past, their spirits will emerge and reveal the truth. The perpetrators are now rotting in their graves. Perhaps justice may have been served through time after all.

I chose the title "Sparrows in the Park" to make it more dramatic. The names of the characters and certain situations have been change to protect their identities.

 

“LEARN TO DO GOOD; SEEK JUSTICE; HELP THE OPPRESSED; DEFEND THE FATHERLESS; STAND FOR THE WIDOW’S CAUSE!” – Isaiah 1:17