Not too long ago, my cousin and I together with some friends visited the town of San Miguel in Bulacan. This cousin of mine was planning to purchase a small farmland for him to spend his time doing farm works as one of his hobbies upon his retirement. One of the concerns we raised to the owner of the farmland that my cousin got interested in buying was the peace and order situation in the area particularly in regard to communist insurgency. We were told that NPA activities in the province were dramatically reduced during the time of Gen. Palparan owing to his no nonsense campaign to eliminate the menace of insurgency in his area of jurisdiction. The farmers and the landowners were not only satisfied but likewise expressed their appreciation to the general's iron-fisted approach to counteract the harassment being perpetrated by the communist rebels particularly the unabated collection of revolutionary tax, a euphemism for extortion. By and large, they believed that Gen. Palparan performed splendidly during his campaign in the province of Bulacan during his term.
Fast forward to the present. Gen. Palparan is indicted and is issued arrest warrant by the DOJ in connection with the abduction and disappearance of two UP student activists. He is now facing charges related to their disappearance. The Human Rights Commission headed by a well known leftist figure and other leftist groups are also up in arms to pin him down for the alleged atrocities he committed which included among others excessive used of brute force and other extrajudicial methods in his goal of eliminating the threat of communist insurgency in the province of Bulacan.
I can only sympathize with the families of the two missing students and other victims of Gen. Palparan's alleged atrocities. The extrajudicial method used by the general in his campaign of ridding out communist threat in the area no matter how noble his intentions were was, to say the least, unacceptable. "The means, do not justify the ends"
But do the majority of the people share the same view that of the leftist and human rights group? Does Gen. Palparan deserve to be given the monicker "The Butcher"? The ordinary farmers and small landowners in Bulacan are expressing a totally contradictory view from what is being perceived by those who are against the general. These people whom he has protected and served took cognizant to his accomplishments irrespective of what they were told of the general's brutal application of laws. I'm sure for them, the means justified the ends! We were told that they supported him in his fight against insurgency albeit not openly for fear of reprisal from the rebels and their leftist sympathizers. This, I believe, is the dilemma hounding the military in its campaign against communist insurgency. Laws are crafted to be strictly enforced to the letter. The rights of every individual has to be respected by all means. As for Ret. Gen. Jovito Palparan, "damn if you do, damn if you don't
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
PLEASE DON'T ASK ME by John Farnham
Please don't ask me what am I thinkin'
It's about you
Please don't ask me, I never can see you,
What can I do
My first impulse is to run to your side,
My heart's not free, and so I must hide,
Please don't ask me what I'm gonna say to you
I toss and turn, can't sleep at night
It's worrying me,
I go to bed, turn out the light,
But your face I see
.
It only hurts the more I pretend,
That we could ever be more than friends,
Please don't ask me why I'm so in love with you
You could easily make me happy, that I know
But I'll try my best to never tell you so
I will sing to you my love songs, and pretend
And I'll keep the secret right down to the end.
Please don't ask me why I'm not talkin',
I just can't explain
And please don't ask me why I go walkin',
Out in the rain.
I would not live the lie it would take,
To have you near would be a mistake,
Please don't ask me why I'm still in love with you.
No please don't ask me.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
MY PASSION FOR LONG DISTANCE RUN:(Why & How It Started?) Part I
I was in my late 40s when I suddenly woke up one day to the reality that I was continuously gaining weight. A lot of physical signs have been manifesting on my overly abused body. At 5'7" I am supposed to have an ideal weight of 150-154 lbs. But at that time I was already hitting 175lbs. on the scale. My waistline was 38". When I looked at myself infront of the mirror it was as if I was looking at "humpty dumpty" because as if my torso was directly connected to my head minus the neck. Because I was a heavy beer drinker, my tummy seems to be that of a castrated hippo. My epidermal organ was so stretched to its elastic limit it looked like it was going to burst w/ a prick of a needle. I thought I was looking then at a breastfeeding swine. All this horrible signs on my physicality were taking its toll on my personality. As my tummy got bigger, my confidence got smaller. I started to spend more of my working time behind my office table rather spending it in the field where I felt I'm more potentially effective. But sadly, the more you become insecure of your body appearance the more you become a voracious eater. Not only that. I also found relief from my predicament thru heavy smoking. But what was worse was that aside from physical deterioration, I was also diagnosed with some physiological afflictions and conditions inherent to abused and sedentary lifestyle. My blood pressure was elevating, my lipid profile was problematic, and my heart beating was registering episodes of abnormal rhythm. But the most hurting of all (literally and figuratively) was that my uric acid was tremendously high. This further restricted my mobility. Nary a week will pass without parts of my extremities crucified by gouty pain. Sometimes the pain will hybernate in one location of my foot unabling me do my daily routine thus affecting my work. My legs became thinner because of atrophy due to immobility. It was a tortuous ordeal Pain relievers are just what they are - pain relievers! They have no curative value.
Their efficacy is only limited to certain period of time so that the pain keeps on coming back when their period of potency is gone. Even worse, pain relievers can cause fatal side effects and adverse reactions in prolonged use.
It was the thought of getting out of this morass that I decided to embark on a program of gaining a physical rebirth. I was hoping against hope then that discipline, dedication and perseverance, not only can I gain my old physical look but transform me to new and better person. And so I started a revolutionary transformation program that will change my lifestyle that I used to have, albeit gradually. No more over indulging on food and liquor. I dropped my smoking habit completely and limit my nightly adventures. But the most significant part of my program for physical renewal was embarking on a regular physical activities.
One day in summer, my brother Dennis went out to go jogging with some of our friends in Baywalk area. From U.S. embassy in Roxas blvd. to CCP in Pasay and back covers more or less 2kms. Dennis and our friends were regular joggers who do this activity every weekend. I had engaged in different sports activities during my youthful days but I had never tried doing a middle distance run. Aware of my dilemma and worried that I might end up instead in an ER of a hospital, Dennis advise me just to walk the entire stretch of the distance and asked one of the guys to join me in my first ever attempt of a long distance run. It was only a 2km walk but my nicotine-filled lungs, beer belly and gouty arthritis conspired to really give me hell in this first sojourn to my would be passion. Fortunately, I crossed the "imaginary finish line" with my "alalay". And as I rested on the sea wall I felt as if a tsunami was coming to the filthy beach on Roxas Blvd. My head was on a twirl and looking behind me, I felt that the buildings along the boulevard were collapsing domino style. It was terrible feeling that I thought it would be the first and the last of my walking exercise.
But after 2 days rest, maybe because of my resolute decision to pursue my goal, I felt that my enthusiasm was creeping back and rising. I went back to Roxas blvd., this time alone, walked the same distance and much to my amazement finished the stretch sans the terrible feeling that I felt the first time around. After that I repeated the same routine and gradually add more distance and increase my pacing. Before I knew it, I was already doing more than what I expected of myself to be doing. I was running double the 2kms. distance.
MY FIRST LONG DISTANCE RUN TRAINING: The old Sta. Ana racetrack Had more than mile round oval. On the side perimeter circled a grassy area ideal for walking and jogging exercise. It was here where I formally started building up my stamina by circling the area at least five times a day every morning. It was also here where I met Melvin, an experienced long distance runner who have already joined quite a number of full marathons not only here but also abroad. Melvin was also of my age and thru his persistent encouragement he was able to convince me to start on a running program that will eventually qualify me as an experience runner and thus be able to join the 42kms run. But he said that achieving this is not a walk in the park. It entails discipline, hardwork, time and determination. Melvin gave me a manual that contains program and tipsters on how to develop oneself into a long distance runner. I read the manual, memorized it by heart, and tried my best to apply what I have learned from it. I started to wake up at 3:30 am and hit the road at precisely 4 early morning. I now had a new running venue which was around the power plant area in Rockwell. Soon enough, after 3 months of regular training I was already joining footraces which were the 10kms distaff events. The first fun run that I joined was the Milo finals although I only ran the 10 kms. event. I remember it was Dec.10 which coincided with my birthday. I was so excited to have finished my first ever 10km run that in the afternoon of my birthday party, I gulp down more than a dozen bottles of san miguel beer. Well, I thought it was my birthday anyway and there's nothing wrong to reward myself for such an outstanding and successful endeavor. And so that was the beginning of a series of running events that I joined.
Their efficacy is only limited to certain period of time so that the pain keeps on coming back when their period of potency is gone. Even worse, pain relievers can cause fatal side effects and adverse reactions in prolonged use.
It was the thought of getting out of this morass that I decided to embark on a program of gaining a physical rebirth. I was hoping against hope then that discipline, dedication and perseverance, not only can I gain my old physical look but transform me to new and better person. And so I started a revolutionary transformation program that will change my lifestyle that I used to have, albeit gradually. No more over indulging on food and liquor. I dropped my smoking habit completely and limit my nightly adventures. But the most significant part of my program for physical renewal was embarking on a regular physical activities.
One day in summer, my brother Dennis went out to go jogging with some of our friends in Baywalk area. From U.S. embassy in Roxas blvd. to CCP in Pasay and back covers more or less 2kms. Dennis and our friends were regular joggers who do this activity every weekend. I had engaged in different sports activities during my youthful days but I had never tried doing a middle distance run. Aware of my dilemma and worried that I might end up instead in an ER of a hospital, Dennis advise me just to walk the entire stretch of the distance and asked one of the guys to join me in my first ever attempt of a long distance run. It was only a 2km walk but my nicotine-filled lungs, beer belly and gouty arthritis conspired to really give me hell in this first sojourn to my would be passion. Fortunately, I crossed the "imaginary finish line" with my "alalay". And as I rested on the sea wall I felt as if a tsunami was coming to the filthy beach on Roxas Blvd. My head was on a twirl and looking behind me, I felt that the buildings along the boulevard were collapsing domino style. It was terrible feeling that I thought it would be the first and the last of my walking exercise.
But after 2 days rest, maybe because of my resolute decision to pursue my goal, I felt that my enthusiasm was creeping back and rising. I went back to Roxas blvd., this time alone, walked the same distance and much to my amazement finished the stretch sans the terrible feeling that I felt the first time around. After that I repeated the same routine and gradually add more distance and increase my pacing. Before I knew it, I was already doing more than what I expected of myself to be doing. I was running double the 2kms. distance.
MY FIRST LONG DISTANCE RUN TRAINING: The old Sta. Ana racetrack Had more than mile round oval. On the side perimeter circled a grassy area ideal for walking and jogging exercise. It was here where I formally started building up my stamina by circling the area at least five times a day every morning. It was also here where I met Melvin, an experienced long distance runner who have already joined quite a number of full marathons not only here but also abroad. Melvin was also of my age and thru his persistent encouragement he was able to convince me to start on a running program that will eventually qualify me as an experience runner and thus be able to join the 42kms run. But he said that achieving this is not a walk in the park. It entails discipline, hardwork, time and determination. Melvin gave me a manual that contains program and tipsters on how to develop oneself into a long distance runner. I read the manual, memorized it by heart, and tried my best to apply what I have learned from it. I started to wake up at 3:30 am and hit the road at precisely 4 early morning. I now had a new running venue which was around the power plant area in Rockwell. Soon enough, after 3 months of regular training I was already joining footraces which were the 10kms distaff events. The first fun run that I joined was the Milo finals although I only ran the 10 kms. event. I remember it was Dec.10 which coincided with my birthday. I was so excited to have finished my first ever 10km run that in the afternoon of my birthday party, I gulp down more than a dozen bottles of san miguel beer. Well, I thought it was my birthday anyway and there's nothing wrong to reward myself for such an outstanding and successful endeavor. And so that was the beginning of a series of running events that I joined.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
P-Noy's SWS Rating; Arroyos' Indictment; & Gullibility of the Masses
P-Noy's latest satisfaction rating has again improved from good to very good according to latest SWS survey. Basing it on this survey we can surmise that the Filipino people recognized the effort of the present administration to bring to the bar of justice all the people guilty of corruption in the previous administration with no less than the president at the forefront of the anti-corruption campaign. This in particular is the serious drive to investigate all the perceived excesses of former president Gloria Arroyo and her husband Mike and other members of the Arroyo family and file appropriate charges in court. Although we cannot help
but admire the determination of this administration to go after all the officials of the arroyo administration allegedly involved in maleficence and send them to jail if proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, somehow, the act of some of his officials including some members of the senate and the House of Representatives manifests an ostensive superfluity and overkill judging from the way they brought their case to the bar of public opinion without due respect to proper juridical protocol and procedures. Many legal luminaries are questioning the preemptive announcements in the media done not only by Malacanang but likewise by other investigating bodies particularly the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee without considering the strength and values of all the evidentiary documents and the credibility of the witnesses paraded during the senate hearings to insure an airtight case for the eventual conviction of the guilty people involved. Majority of the Filipino people are so incensed with the corruption that happened during the previous administration that all moves directed against GMA and her cohorts are openly welcomed by them irrespective of the plausibility of the nacharges or issues that were being brought out in the media. This headbashing of the Arroyos became a successful strategy made by then opposition parties before the 2010 elections catapulting them to power and banishing the members of the previous administration to political oblivion. The perceived resolve of sending all those corrupt officials to jail is now the paramount goal of most of the Filipino people that is why they continue to support P-Noy failing to take cognizance of the more pressing problems now affecting them which include among others poverty, job creation, education, peace and order, spiraling prices of basic commodities and other serious international issues relevant to our survival as a nation.
It is in this context that I have my reservation in regard to the sincerity in purpose of some of those who are publicly sensationalizing the issues against the Arroyos sans the basic principle of proper judicial proceedings. For one, why are they exposing all the alleged evidentiary documents they possessed and parading all witnesses that were supposed to directly link all the accused to all the frauds committed during their term. They (the accusers) have to know better. The Arroyo couple is not an Erap who readily admitted during media interview that he signed the Velarde account in front of the bank officials right in Malacanang palace. GMA is a highly intelligent person while FGMA is not a stupid lawyer. And what's more, they are leaning on a very thick logistical wall to be able to hire a battery of brilliant lawyers to defend them in what is expected to be a long and protracted court battle. And so the question is, why were all the accusers brandishing all the supposed documents and showing them to the public. If this is not a publicity stunt then I wonder what it is. Or quite possibly, it can be a trojan horse scenario to give the Arroyos a chance to prepare for the expected court litigations.
Another point we may have to consider is the obvious gullibility of the masses who readily believe all the corruption expose' on a mere "say so" statements. Admittedly, all the senate and congressional hearings that took place and will have to take place in the near future have all the trimmings of a "telenovela" plot in which our gullible "masa" are breathtakingly anticipating to watch live on television. For the discerning people however, all these statements gathered and were presented in the hearings will not be recognized the moment the case reaches the proper court. Everything will start from scratch.
The situation is just a case of maneuverings of shrewd political characters out to gain media mileage and a hopeless gullibility of our maleducated masses. What could be more pathetic than seeing these guilty people laughing their way to freedom.
but admire the determination of this administration to go after all the officials of the arroyo administration allegedly involved in maleficence and send them to jail if proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, somehow, the act of some of his officials including some members of the senate and the House of Representatives manifests an ostensive superfluity and overkill judging from the way they brought their case to the bar of public opinion without due respect to proper juridical protocol and procedures. Many legal luminaries are questioning the preemptive announcements in the media done not only by Malacanang but likewise by other investigating bodies particularly the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee without considering the strength and values of all the evidentiary documents and the credibility of the witnesses paraded during the senate hearings to insure an airtight case for the eventual conviction of the guilty people involved. Majority of the Filipino people are so incensed with the corruption that happened during the previous administration that all moves directed against GMA and her cohorts are openly welcomed by them irrespective of the plausibility of the nacharges or issues that were being brought out in the media. This headbashing of the Arroyos became a successful strategy made by then opposition parties before the 2010 elections catapulting them to power and banishing the members of the previous administration to political oblivion. The perceived resolve of sending all those corrupt officials to jail is now the paramount goal of most of the Filipino people that is why they continue to support P-Noy failing to take cognizance of the more pressing problems now affecting them which include among others poverty, job creation, education, peace and order, spiraling prices of basic commodities and other serious international issues relevant to our survival as a nation.
It is in this context that I have my reservation in regard to the sincerity in purpose of some of those who are publicly sensationalizing the issues against the Arroyos sans the basic principle of proper judicial proceedings. For one, why are they exposing all the alleged evidentiary documents they possessed and parading all witnesses that were supposed to directly link all the accused to all the frauds committed during their term. They (the accusers) have to know better. The Arroyo couple is not an Erap who readily admitted during media interview that he signed the Velarde account in front of the bank officials right in Malacanang palace. GMA is a highly intelligent person while FGMA is not a stupid lawyer. And what's more, they are leaning on a very thick logistical wall to be able to hire a battery of brilliant lawyers to defend them in what is expected to be a long and protracted court battle. And so the question is, why were all the accusers brandishing all the supposed documents and showing them to the public. If this is not a publicity stunt then I wonder what it is. Or quite possibly, it can be a trojan horse scenario to give the Arroyos a chance to prepare for the expected court litigations.
Another point we may have to consider is the obvious gullibility of the masses who readily believe all the corruption expose' on a mere "say so" statements. Admittedly, all the senate and congressional hearings that took place and will have to take place in the near future have all the trimmings of a "telenovela" plot in which our gullible "masa" are breathtakingly anticipating to watch live on television. For the discerning people however, all these statements gathered and were presented in the hearings will not be recognized the moment the case reaches the proper court. Everything will start from scratch.
The situation is just a case of maneuverings of shrewd political characters out to gain media mileage and a hopeless gullibility of our maleducated masses. What could be more pathetic than seeing these guilty people laughing their way to freedom.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
SOMEWHERE IN YOUR HEART
Somewhere in you heart
Try to find a place for me
Somewhere in your heart
I don't care where it might be
One little corner
May not mean so much to you
But one little corner
Somewhere in your dreams
Let my lips come close to you
Though they're only dreams
Someday they may all come true
Is it so much to ask
For such a tiny part
Won't you save a place for me
Somewhere in your heart.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
AN ECCLESIASTICAL OPINION
I really enjoy reading biblical passages being posted by friends on Facebook. I find these quotes from the gospel a truly enlightening spiritual paradigm that connects our temporal being to that of what is beyond. Although I may have not posted nor to some extent have immediate plans to write scriptural quotes on my FB profile, this does not mean that I'm just solely engrossed with purely secular subjects and apathetic to the more sublime ecclesiastical topics. I recognize the supremacy of what is providential and forever declare my marriage to what most of us are dire in pursuit of - eternal divinity.
But truth to tell, my indifference to touch on subjects of religion can be traced from my previous empirical observations where 2 contending parties in positing religious arguments, almost always ended up with nothing between them were lucidly arrived at to be convinced and sadly, both of them parting ways bearing hatred against one another.A very unfortunate irony indeed! This convinced me to consider that topic of religion is not my province of interest and completely detach myself whenever there is religious subject being initiated for discussions. I always expect emotions to simmer even before 1 protagonist ends his argumentation. But make no mistake about it. I am a religious person. I was exposed to Karl Marx godless dogmatism and its incessant indoctrination during my college days but this did not put a dent on my belief and faith to my Creator. I am a regular churchgoer.At present, I do my morning running exercise inside our parish churchyard. I'm trying to limit my roadruns which I used to do before because of a near fatal accident that happened to me during one of my early morning training exercise. I can easily do my morning runs inside the compound where we live which is relatively wider but the habit of attending the early morning mass before my daily exercise routine becomes more of the priority option which I will never regret developing as a habit.
What part of the mass that attracted me most? To me, the "homily" is the more pragmatic communication and interpretation of God's words to His faithful. It's not that I recognize the significance of the other liturgical rituals of the mass but I really consider the "homily" as the part of the mass that best serves as a guiding path towards our day to day function to serve Him through all His creations. I must admit that I'm still infinitely way beyond of what is expected of me as a true christian but nevertheless this does not deter me in my resolve to try my best to be good servant of God however undeserving I might be. I particularly admire one of our priests in Sta. Ana who is consistent in telling the daily churchgoers this: "One is not obliged or needed to be attending mass daily. One good deed a day to your fellowman is more than enough to manifest your adoration to Him".Love of neighbor is love of God!
But truth to tell, my indifference to touch on subjects of religion can be traced from my previous empirical observations where 2 contending parties in positing religious arguments, almost always ended up with nothing between them were lucidly arrived at to be convinced and sadly, both of them parting ways bearing hatred against one another.A very unfortunate irony indeed! This convinced me to consider that topic of religion is not my province of interest and completely detach myself whenever there is religious subject being initiated for discussions. I always expect emotions to simmer even before 1 protagonist ends his argumentation. But make no mistake about it. I am a religious person. I was exposed to Karl Marx godless dogmatism and its incessant indoctrination during my college days but this did not put a dent on my belief and faith to my Creator. I am a regular churchgoer.At present, I do my morning running exercise inside our parish churchyard. I'm trying to limit my roadruns which I used to do before because of a near fatal accident that happened to me during one of my early morning training exercise. I can easily do my morning runs inside the compound where we live which is relatively wider but the habit of attending the early morning mass before my daily exercise routine becomes more of the priority option which I will never regret developing as a habit.
What part of the mass that attracted me most? To me, the "homily" is the more pragmatic communication and interpretation of God's words to His faithful. It's not that I recognize the significance of the other liturgical rituals of the mass but I really consider the "homily" as the part of the mass that best serves as a guiding path towards our day to day function to serve Him through all His creations. I must admit that I'm still infinitely way beyond of what is expected of me as a true christian but nevertheless this does not deter me in my resolve to try my best to be good servant of God however undeserving I might be. I particularly admire one of our priests in Sta. Ana who is consistent in telling the daily churchgoers this: "One is not obliged or needed to be attending mass daily. One good deed a day to your fellowman is more than enough to manifest your adoration to Him".Love of neighbor is love of God!
Friday, September 23, 2011
MY REMEMBRANCE OF PROCLAMATION 1081
I was a senior student of political science at the Lyceum of the Philippines in Intramuros when Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos signed Proclamation 1081 placing the entire country under martial law. The date was September 21, 1972. The given reason behind the declaration was the alleged threat of communism which according to intel report was getting more and more strength and starting to gain foothold all over the archipelago. This was coupled with the heightening violent occurrences in Metro Manila perceived to be caused by communists guerillas as well as other leftist groups which were almost always at the forefront of every radical activities in the metropolis particularly in the City of Manila.
Before martial law was declared I was already a member of an extremely radical group called Kabataang Makabayan (KM). Student activism was already a commonplace allover the different schools in Metro Manila and Lyceum was not an exception. In my case however, I became a student activist not really out of conviction but rather because of association. Nary a student in our university was not a member of any leftist organization because anyone who was not a member of any of those militant student orthodoxy will be subjected to ridicule and will be ostracized endlessly inside and outside the school campus. It was not that I'm unaware of the active militancy of our school when I enrolled in the college of arts and sciences. The kind of highly charged political mindset of the students were clearly manifested when I first set my foot in the school to enroll. I was greeted by broken glass windows of the building which I was told was the result of the recent violent demonstrations by the students against some existing school rules. If it were today, you can imagine the gore picture of an airstrike at a certain place in the middle east. During my first year, I tried not to be involved in student activism but eventually, after a lot of of relentless persuasions from my classmates and some professors, I joined the radical mainstream.
Before martial was declared, all the ominous signs were already written on the wall, the most significant of which was the lifting of the "writ of habeas corpus" which ostensibly was already a prelude to the real Mcoy (pun intended). We knew that it was only a matter of time before the fateful event will unfold before us. And so, the dictator did not disappoint us.
One morning when we woke-up, there was no sound on the radio, no tv telecast, no dailies but only our regular hot pandesal and coffee. It was eerily silent. Rumors and conjectures were already circulating in the streets. Everyone in the neighborhood was already aware of the worse case scenario yet there was no news or confirmation of the fateful political event. We were simply left hanging in the air. Finally before noon, if I remember right, Marcos was on air over radio and television. And with his familiar booming voice he announced Proclamation 1081 which placed the entire Phulippines under martial law. Soon after that, Press Secretary Kit Tatad, also with his own baritone voice, was reciting a litany of "whereas" and "therefore" on radio and television.
"Life must go on", and so they say. We were back to school soon enough. This time however, everyone was wary and at the same time worried. Wary because martial law means the rule of the military and the suspension of all our civil rights as expressed in our constitution, and worried because we might be one of those identified as political troublemakers and hauled inside an army truck to be transported to a military camp for incarceration. My fear grew even more when I set my foot near our school premises. On top of the wall of Intramuros, directly facing our school entrance, a 50cal. machine gun was mounted on the tripod manned by military men in complete battle gear. I knew I had seen this scenario before on local movies depicting Japanese occupation of our country in the early 40s. But this was actuality! And it's immensely frightening. As if one false move, I and my co-students will be mowed down to kingdom come in an instant. Fortunately. me and my classmates were inside our classroom without any untoward incident that happened. But much to our horrors and disbelief, 2 of our classmates who were with us during regular student demonstrations at Malacanan, Congress and US Embassy, and singing "Internationale`" with clenched fist at that were wearing military uniforms. They may not be showing their service firearms but we knew for a fact that they were concealed inside their shirts. On that day alone we have witnessed a lot of our colleagues who turned out be members of the military. Only then did we realized that Marcos was able to successfully planted deep penetration agents (DPA) among our ranks.
Even our faculty had changed. Some of our professors who used to discuss and propel our class towards radical ideological propensities were nowhere in sight or was heard to have resigned. One professor was missing and soon to be included in the long lists of of "deseparados". Others who opted to stay behind and continue the tasks of educating us, forlorn students, were now more subdued in dealing with subjects relative to delicate topics of Maoism, Marxism, Leninism and other revolutionary communist doctrines. In a word, it was a totally different academic and campus atmosphere.
One day on the same week, I went to a radio station located in Sta. Cruz, Manila where I was soon to start training as a radio newscaster after having been able to pass the preliminary audition. Sadly to my dismay, the radio station and all its subsidiaries were all padlocked having been perceived to be toxic Marcos antagonist. Well, there went my supposed to be a newscasting career.
Martial law was a new genre of of cultural, social, and political transformation, and so it was said. We were treated with 12 midnight curfew, so that boozed or not boozed you have to be home before 12 in the evening. I was once picked-up by Metrocom (the military law enforcement agency during that time) while heavily intoxicated with alcohol. It was a little over past midnight. Fortunately I was brought and turned over to a police station in Sta. Ana, Manila. Otherwise I would have been brought in Camp Crame for an overnight stay and a whole day grass cutting penalty inside the military compound. When the Metrocom left, I was instructed by the police officer to leave and run home. And run I did, without looking at my back!
Who can forget the "Green Revolution" of Imelda? The book "Today's Revolution-Democracy" authored by no less than the dictator himself. Songs that regularly filled the air praising hossanas to martial rule and "The New Society". Who can forget Imelda's "Blue Ladies", the bogus presidential election and many more footprints imprinted in those dark days of martial rule.
I was lucky to have witnessed that fateful era in our history but likewise not so lucky to have lived in an era where all my basic rights as a citizen were taken away from me by one man.
This event will forever occupy a permanent niche in my memory.
Before martial law was declared I was already a member of an extremely radical group called Kabataang Makabayan (KM). Student activism was already a commonplace allover the different schools in Metro Manila and Lyceum was not an exception. In my case however, I became a student activist not really out of conviction but rather because of association. Nary a student in our university was not a member of any leftist organization because anyone who was not a member of any of those militant student orthodoxy will be subjected to ridicule and will be ostracized endlessly inside and outside the school campus. It was not that I'm unaware of the active militancy of our school when I enrolled in the college of arts and sciences. The kind of highly charged political mindset of the students were clearly manifested when I first set my foot in the school to enroll. I was greeted by broken glass windows of the building which I was told was the result of the recent violent demonstrations by the students against some existing school rules. If it were today, you can imagine the gore picture of an airstrike at a certain place in the middle east. During my first year, I tried not to be involved in student activism but eventually, after a lot of of relentless persuasions from my classmates and some professors, I joined the radical mainstream.
Before martial was declared, all the ominous signs were already written on the wall, the most significant of which was the lifting of the "writ of habeas corpus" which ostensibly was already a prelude to the real Mcoy (pun intended). We knew that it was only a matter of time before the fateful event will unfold before us. And so, the dictator did not disappoint us.
One morning when we woke-up, there was no sound on the radio, no tv telecast, no dailies but only our regular hot pandesal and coffee. It was eerily silent. Rumors and conjectures were already circulating in the streets. Everyone in the neighborhood was already aware of the worse case scenario yet there was no news or confirmation of the fateful political event. We were simply left hanging in the air. Finally before noon, if I remember right, Marcos was on air over radio and television. And with his familiar booming voice he announced Proclamation 1081 which placed the entire Phulippines under martial law. Soon after that, Press Secretary Kit Tatad, also with his own baritone voice, was reciting a litany of "whereas" and "therefore" on radio and television.
"Life must go on", and so they say. We were back to school soon enough. This time however, everyone was wary and at the same time worried. Wary because martial law means the rule of the military and the suspension of all our civil rights as expressed in our constitution, and worried because we might be one of those identified as political troublemakers and hauled inside an army truck to be transported to a military camp for incarceration. My fear grew even more when I set my foot near our school premises. On top of the wall of Intramuros, directly facing our school entrance, a 50cal. machine gun was mounted on the tripod manned by military men in complete battle gear. I knew I had seen this scenario before on local movies depicting Japanese occupation of our country in the early 40s. But this was actuality! And it's immensely frightening. As if one false move, I and my co-students will be mowed down to kingdom come in an instant. Fortunately. me and my classmates were inside our classroom without any untoward incident that happened. But much to our horrors and disbelief, 2 of our classmates who were with us during regular student demonstrations at Malacanan, Congress and US Embassy, and singing "Internationale`" with clenched fist at that were wearing military uniforms. They may not be showing their service firearms but we knew for a fact that they were concealed inside their shirts. On that day alone we have witnessed a lot of our colleagues who turned out be members of the military. Only then did we realized that Marcos was able to successfully planted deep penetration agents (DPA) among our ranks.
Even our faculty had changed. Some of our professors who used to discuss and propel our class towards radical ideological propensities were nowhere in sight or was heard to have resigned. One professor was missing and soon to be included in the long lists of of "deseparados". Others who opted to stay behind and continue the tasks of educating us, forlorn students, were now more subdued in dealing with subjects relative to delicate topics of Maoism, Marxism, Leninism and other revolutionary communist doctrines. In a word, it was a totally different academic and campus atmosphere.
One day on the same week, I went to a radio station located in Sta. Cruz, Manila where I was soon to start training as a radio newscaster after having been able to pass the preliminary audition. Sadly to my dismay, the radio station and all its subsidiaries were all padlocked having been perceived to be toxic Marcos antagonist. Well, there went my supposed to be a newscasting career.
Martial law was a new genre of of cultural, social, and political transformation, and so it was said. We were treated with 12 midnight curfew, so that boozed or not boozed you have to be home before 12 in the evening. I was once picked-up by Metrocom (the military law enforcement agency during that time) while heavily intoxicated with alcohol. It was a little over past midnight. Fortunately I was brought and turned over to a police station in Sta. Ana, Manila. Otherwise I would have been brought in Camp Crame for an overnight stay and a whole day grass cutting penalty inside the military compound. When the Metrocom left, I was instructed by the police officer to leave and run home. And run I did, without looking at my back!
Who can forget the "Green Revolution" of Imelda? The book "Today's Revolution-Democracy" authored by no less than the dictator himself. Songs that regularly filled the air praising hossanas to martial rule and "The New Society". Who can forget Imelda's "Blue Ladies", the bogus presidential election and many more footprints imprinted in those dark days of martial rule.
I was lucky to have witnessed that fateful era in our history but likewise not so lucky to have lived in an era where all my basic rights as a citizen were taken away from me by one man.
This event will forever occupy a permanent niche in my memory.
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