Yesterday's dream still seems so far away

I do not want to be a “killjoy” to those celebrating the 23rd anniversary of EDSA People Power revolution today. Don’t get me wrong what happened in 1986 was a phenomenon – only in the Philippines can such an interplay of powerful forces happen.

After the long struggle to overthrow the 21-year dictatorship of the Marcos regime, the Filipinos finally rose up to spiritual arms to make their voices heard. That just goes to show how kind, gentle, patient, composed and forbearing we are as a people. Of course, these traits also cause our own downfall – as we allow our leaders to take advantage of us.

I think we should stop dwelling on the past. Those celebrating People Power on the entablado today are actually taking advantage of the anniversary to show themselves to the people. They just want to remind us that they were the heroes who fought to restore democracy in this country. Although for the others who were not there in 1986, I am sure they just want to the party to show us that they have the same beliefs as those who fought during that time – pakitang tao lang to earn pogi points. Seems to me like another occasion to grandstand especially now that 2010 elections is just around the corner. Let us not forget, the real heroes were the Filipino people.

What an irony, yesterday we fought with all our might to oust one dictator, Marcos. Today we are fighting to remove several Marcos clones (you can also call them ‘clowns’) who are in fact, worst than the original dictator. What a life! And mind you, they have morphed and multiplied like gremlins all over the place at the Barangay level, municipal halls, Congress, Senate, executive and judiciary branches of government.

The memories of the People Power Revolution will always be a part of our history but let us not overuse it. We have more battles to conquer and more revolutions to win. Let us not fool ourselves. We need to keep the dignity and the respect of this spiritual and momentous event – let us not exploit it.

We should instead continue to keep that fire forever burning within our hearts as the song written by Jim Paredes, Handog Ng Pilipino Sa Mundo reminds us:

‘Di na ko papayag mawala ka muli. _’Di na ko papayag na muling mabawi. _Ating kalayaan kay tagal natin mithi. _’Di na papayagang mabawi muli…

Masdan ang nagaganap sa aming bayan, _nagkasama ng mahirap at mayaman. _Kapit-bisig madre, pari, at sundalo. _Naging langit itong bahagi ng mundo…

Huwag muling payagang umiral ang dilim. _Tinig ng bawat tao’y bigyan ng pansin. _Magkakapatid lahat sa Panginoon. _Ito’y lagi nating tatandaan!

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I would like to share the thoughts my late father, Maximo V. Soliven had of the EDSA anniversary in 2006, just before he died:

This writer never returned to EDSA in the succeeding 19 years to “celebrate” the anniversary of those four days which overthrew Macoy and company. I don’t believe in constantly patting ourselves on the back. It’s time for People Pawis, the sweat of hard work in building our nation, not an annual fiesta. Sanamagan, I just heard GMA has declared this another “holiday.” Commemorating what?

In any event, we had a commemoration of sorts yesterday which had Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and yours truly unveiling a memorial marker honoring “Manila’s Martyrs” in the Struggle Against Martial Law. We cut the ribbon revealing the huge marker entitled “Dambana ng Kabayanihan.”

Afterwards, they got me to deliver a speech as guest of honor – I guess this was Mayor Atienza’s way of humoring me. We were on an improvised grandstand at the main gate of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) – and the affair was well attended by not only Manila Counselors and officials, barangay leaders, teachers, students, and policemen, but the people living in the neighborhood who packed the surrounding streets to listen. As the Mayor was speaking before he introduced me, a train came chugging along just a few hundred meters away to interrupt his remarks, but Lito took the interruption in stride without even a pause in his eloquent remarks.

I’m happy two of the heroes of the freedom struggle were with us on the entablado, namely former Senator Heherson “Sonny” Alvarez, and radio preacher, Roger ‘Bomba” Arienda. Our mutual badge of honor was that we were imprisoned by Marcos during martial law. But if I was incarcerated in Fort Bonifacio maximum security compound, proudly the cellmate of Ninoy Aquino, I’d say Roger Arienda was behind bars under more miserable conditions. He had been slapped into the bartolina, the dingiest hole in Muntinlupa national penitentiary. A former leftwing incendiary using hardbitten language in his popular radio program, Roger, while in the depths of misery, found “conversion” and the light. He became in prison a deeply-religious Christian, and when he emerged he dedicated his life to preaching the gospel and the Word of God. He asserted of that period, “ I didn’t find God – God found me!”

I won’t bore you with my own speech, but the gist of it was that we ought to honor not just the EDSA People Power barricaders, but the people all over our land who fought to burst the shackles of the Marcos tyranny – what we must commemorate is “ The Spirit of 1986”. Thus, it was significant that our celebration yesterday was held, among the people, in Manila itself.

Better to quote the opening paragraph of the Dambana which we unveiled:

“Ang pagtutol sa rehimeng military ng diktadura ni Pangulong Marcos ay pinagtulung-tulungan ng maraming sector nating lipunan. Libo-libo ang kumilos at higit 9,539 buhay ang nabuwis ng ating mamamayan, lalong-lalo na sa hanay ng kabataang Pilipino. Sila ang naging isa sa mga nagsilbing ilaw sa madilim na yugtong ito ng ating kasaysayan hanggang sa maganap ang EDSA People Power Revolt noong Pebrero 22, 1986.”

In effect, it declared that the rejection and overthrow of the military regime of the Dictator Marcos was the work of many sectors of our society. Thousands resisted, and more than 9,539 lives were lost, the majority of them from the ranks of our young people. They provided the light in the darkness which led us to the triumph of the EDSA People Power Revolt of February 22, 1986.

Our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, on the eve of his execution by the Spaniards put it most poignantly of all, I believe. He said: “I die just as the dawn breaks over our native land. You who will see that dawn, salute it – but forget not those who have perished in the night.”