What is the biggest headline in the last 25 years?

(To mark the 25th anniversary of The Philippine STAR, we polled STAR readers on what they felt was the biggest headline from July 1986 to the present. Here, we feature these readers’ pieces and their vantage points on three events that changed the world. Winners may email [email protected] to provide their contact details.)

‘Terror Attacks Hit U.S.’, September 12, 2001

By Carmencita Taganas-Lopez, Pasay City 

MANILA, Philippines - For me, the headline that made the most impact was the one reporting the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Until that moment, I believed that the world was a safe place to be in, that tolerance and acceptance of each other’s beliefs and faith still held true among the peoples and cultures of the world.

These attacks in New York in 2001 shattered it all. It was inconceivable, unbelievable; the most inhuman and the most cowardly attack ever made on mankind.

http://www.september11news.com/USAFlagImages.htm

My husband Bong and I were at my sister-in-law’s house in Pasig when the attacks happened. Curiously, the subject of our conversation was US visas, since Bong had an appointment at the US Embassy two days later to apply for a visitor’s visa to the US with his mother. My sister-in-law was then in the middle of a long-distance call to her grandmother, who was celebrating her birthday.

The person on the other end of the line must have said something for she immediately asked Bong to turn to CNN. And then we watched horrified at the scene unfolding before our very eyes. The first tower was already burning, and I recall seeing horrified people on top of the building or those staring out the windows waiting to be rescued, when a second plane suddenly came into view and steadily approached the second tower. I just sat there on the floor, speechless, not knowing what to expect. Then the plane slammed into the second tower and burst into flames.

The memory of that fateful day still affects me. The images linger in my mind. I can still see the people running on the streets of New York with utter terror on their faces; the confusion; the thick smoke; papers that covered the streets; people helping other people; the police force and firemen all trying to do what they could to save lives.

This isn’t the usual headline that you read today and forget about a few days after. Osama bin Laden not only attacked America, he attacked the whole world with his deeds, making an enemy out of us. It changed our way of life, our world.

While 9/11 may have shown the evil that man can do, it also showed the inherent goodness of mankind. Heroism was the norm that day and for days after 9/11. There was disbelief, death, grief, fear, anger, but there was also hope and survival.

Maguindanao massacre, November 24, 2009

By Pablo T. Tamesis, San Pedro, Laguna

The Maguindanao Massacre is my top choice for the “biggest headline of the past 25 years”.

It opened a gruesome can of worms, leech-like, gorging on bullet-riddled media men and women, the wife and sister of Gov. Mangudadatu and innocent health personnel.

The mass murder eclipsed the 1991 Pinatubo eruption and the typhoon Ondoy flooding of Metro Manila, which are natural occurrences and therefore force majeure.

The “mass murder” was reportedly ordered by the patriarch of a very powerful political clan. It was also reportedly spawned by infusions of unaccounted millions to the ARMM: the proliferation of high-powered guns and the employment of bloodthirsty killers.

It reminds me of Lord Acton who postulated, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Indeed, the 3Gs –– guns, goons and gold –– make a very volatile mixture.

Frank death toll hits 19, June 22, 2008

By Recto I. Vidal, Kalibo, Aklan

It was a matter of life and death as hapless victims made a mad dash to safety as Typhoon Frank struck Western Visayas in June 2008. Frank was no ordinary typhoon. The rains Frank dumped for hours almost toppled mountainsides in Libacao town and submerged lowlands with mud and rocks.

Beyond the grim stories of lives lost and lives changed, I recalled what I first saw: Destroyed houses blanketed in mud, rocks and other debris.

The massive destruction wrought by Typhoon Frank was terrifying. Kalibo and Iloilo were devastated by the worst flooding in Western Visayas in decades.

At that time, the world barely knew what had happened as Kalibo was completely isolated from the rest of the world.

As a local newsman, I was there when I saw residents, many of whom were barefoot, lining up for food packs at various centers; their eyes filled with a tragedy that happens once in a lifetime. Some victims broke into tears and pleaded for help.

Most stores and banks were closed and the Kalibo capital town of 71,000 had no water and electricity and was cut off. Power and telecommunication facilities at the town proper were out. People also had to wade in knee-high waters in most areas of the town.

On a positive note, I was in awe of the survivors who picked up their lives and started anew in their new homes built for them by national and foreign aid organizations.

I have nothing but admiration for the hundreds of nameless and faceless volunteer rescuers and relief workers. They had shown what they can do and are willing to do, even beyond the call of duty.

Those were defining moments for Aklanons who were grappling with tragedy as they tried to cope with lost homes and livelihood in the wake of Typhoon Frank.

It gives one a great feeling when human spirit triumphs over disaster and adversity.