EDSA Dos: Remembered & Reflected Upon
Taking a break from the string of posts about the TriNoma Food Tour…
Here’s an entry dedicated to commemorate People Power 2, in support of the Blog Action Week spearheaded by Bloggers’ Kapihan.
I was a freshman student at Quezon City Science High School (map) back then. I wasn’t politically inclined (stop grinning, I wasn’t as obsessed in politics when I was a youngster as you think I was!), but I did like to watch the news and make side comments about the politicians. I mean, who didn’t? Politics was so much of a grand circus that I had come to like it enough to talk about it!
No one in my family remembers the things that happened the night we went to EDSA to participate in the uprising. Whenever I ask my mom, who, by the way, used to be a militant herself during her college days, she’d tell me she’s forgotten the date. My dad probably has no recollection whatsoever of what transpired that fateful night.
As for me, I have nothing but flashes of scenes. Seven scenes for the seven years since then.
- Scene One: Me dressing in black. Mom reminding me that I should leave my mobile phone behind.
- Scene Two: Us deciding that it’d be faster and safer if we took a bus to get to Ortigas.
- Scene Three: Us being sandwiched in the huge crowd. Me holding my mom’s hand tightly, afraid that I’d get lost.
- Scene Four: Some celebrities babbling on stage (thinking back, I wonder if they knew what they were there for better than I did).
- Scene Five: Us walking beside an ABS-CBN news van and looking at the reporter.
- Scene Six: Getting a couple of Commando matchboxes being given away somewhere.
- Scene Seven: Gary Valenciano singing and dancing. Us agreeing that he had to have no bones to dance like that.
I forgot how we even managed to get home safely. It was a week night, that much I remember. Maybe it was on the 17th, or maybe it was on the 18th. I — we remember nothing — absolutely nothing — except, perhaps, what we went there for. The glory. Or, well, you can call it anything you want. I could’ve gone there again, but even if I wanted to, I didn’t know how.
Some people may call it the cycle of mob rule. That EDSA Dos is merely a political tool. Sure, there’s some truth to those claims. I mean, look at us now! But, I beg to differ about the “same supporters” of Arroyo during EDSA Dos being the ones who want her to step down now. No, it doesn’t work that way. As long as someone takes advantage of his or her post, someone who has probably the worst human rights record to boot, these same people will fight.
I, for one, never wanted Arroyo to be the president. But hey, she was next on the hierarchy. It’s not like I was even allowed to vote, okay? The Supreme Court legitimized everything with a vow. Was I ever given a choice? Nope! But then, I wouldn’t have recommended any replacements either, so you got me there. It just turned out that the “next best thing” was Gloria. Too bad for the country, really. If only we had any way of knowing that it would all come to this….
So where are we now?
Reflection, my dear Watson, not anger, is the answer.
In all honesty, I’m done with revolutions — for now. It’s all too soon. It’s all too repetitive. What I want is some progress. Some real change. A change that doesn’t come with changing the president of the Philippines. Yes, I certainly don’t want Arroyo to remain in power. But frankly, you can’t make the Philippines a progressive country if all its people have all the excuses in the world to disagree. Progress won’t work if the Filipinos don’t even respect the other people living in the country, may them be from the north or the south. Change won’t take place if the Filipinos don’t even know how to discipline themselves. No matter how many times we try to oust the head of the state, if the people themselves are the same can of worms and the same bunch of rotten tomatoes, we’d get absolutely nowhere.
A few small steps can come a very long way, my dear Filipinos. What we need is more than a change in the system; what we need is a change in ourselves, in our own system.
I guess I have the same condition as yours, bathalumang Shari. Your last statement speaks a lot.
WE’VE CHANGED.
When I try to recall about it, I just feel silenced. And heavy. Feeling of guilt? I don’t know. I can’t even stand my own political perspective lately. Even resorting not to talk about it. very ironic to what I was doing in my yester college years.
Dayum. I stop nao. :cool:
a few good years had already past. marami ng nagbago, pero mas marami ang hindi nabago.
But I still hope our country can change for the better. If not, siguradong paulit ulit pa rin na mangyayari ang ganito.
[...] check out Bloggers Remember People Power 2. See also Recovery Room on Edsa, and Misteryosa and Life in Random on Edsa [...]
[...] EDSA Dos: Remembered & Reflected Upon [...]
Sabi na eh ikaw yung nakita ko dati sa EDSA. Hehehe! Until now, I’m still hoping that EDSA DOS will serve its purpose… Hindi pa din ako nawawalan ng pag asa. Kaya, I encourage everyone to do their share for the betterment of this nation, kahit sa simpeng pagsunod sa mga traffic regulations or kahit anong paraan na sa tingin nyo makakatulong sa Pilipinas as a whole. Mahirap na natin mabago yung kultura ng politika sa bansa ngayon. Pero I am praying that in the soonest someday ay magkaroon ng tunay na transformation, but until then, let us do our share by starting the changes within ourselves. Hello Shari!
Neil, “I can’t even stand my own political perspective lately.” Ditto. As in. Exactly.
Lanc3, we can’t just hope that the country change for the better. It’s the people who need to change, not the country. Kasi kung tayu-tayo mismo ang mga gago, eh wala ring mangyayari sa bansa natin diba.
Bleue, ahahaha! Ang daming tao, nakita mo ako? Kaya pala parang napapamilyaran ka sa akin nung food tour! LOL! Haaay, 7 years after and still, “EDSA DOS will serve its purpose” pa rin ang ating hiling, right? Just how long are we going to hope for the better?
And damn right you are! Simpleng traffic regulations ay hindi masunod! Kahit man lang pagtapon ng basura sa basurahan ay hindi magawa ng karamihan! And we dare hope the country be a progressive one when in fact we’re the ones who are pulling it down?! If we can’t even handle a simple responsibility, what more pa kaya yung responsibilidad na paunlarin ang bansa? Hay, ewan ko ba!
The past EDSA “Revolutions” cannot be called true revolutions by themselves with merit to the fact that these merely change the name and the face of the individual on Malacanang’s prime seat.
Although it seems rather promising that social change could be obtained just by attempting to change ourselves, you could only achieve a superficial transformation with such. It’s but a postmodern fallacy that change of personal schemas could get your society anywhere when these schemas themselves remain limited to one’s own consciousness, and do not have acknowledgement for the mode of entwinement of economics, politics and culture. See, a Mining Engineering major could always tell the world that he loves his country, that he loves his fellow countrymen, that he’s willing to do everything to bring progress to his motherland. But with lack of adequate awareness about what’s going in with his society, is his will “to bring change through his own little ways” enough to beat foreign mining companies that have monopoly in the newest mining technology, and gain enough government subsidy for projects to flourish and translate to economy-developing programs? Is his will enough to make waves in Philippine society with a government that’s biased for mining companies, bias so rabid that they permit these transnational and multinational mining firms to operate albeit the low wages, ecologically destructive methods of operation and the subhuman conditions they provide their workers?
Same goes for smoking and the so-called lack of discipline amongst smokers to dispose of their trash properly: if you see cigarette butts lacing sidewalks and decorative plant pots, it’s not enough to condemn the smokers, dish out health advisories regarding the hazards of smoking, or even put an official ban on such (just like what they did on the University of Philippines, Diliman). Look into the fact that you have companies producing cigarettes, creating the “need” for cigarettes to be purchased, and gaining loads and loads of profits with product sales. As long as these companies continue to operate, there will remain a steady number of people decorating nooks with cigarette butts, blowing smoke into othger people’s faces, and dying from enphysema, lung cancer, tubercolosis, et cetera.
More than the need to change onself on our own, there is a need for a revolution that has economic, political and, yes, cultural components, one that recognizes the fact “our own little ways” are but by-products of a much larger picture. Collective action is indispensible. The general cannot be without the specific, but the specific cannot be without the general, too.
Roscka, I am in no way undermining the need for collective action for a(n) economic/political/cultural revolution. Merely, the “superficial” changes I’m suggesting also of - if not equal, then a very much bustling - importance as they play a significant role in attaining that much-needed change. (as you implied on your last statement) I strongly believe that every little thing counts.
Re: smoking, I’ve to say I really don’t care that much as long as the smokers don’t try to make me eat their cigar butts.
I’m very much against the smoke ban in UP, but I’m also not absolving the people of their responsibility when it comes to smoking. Sometimes, one has to to actually think of their social responsibilities not just because they have no other choice or they’re required to, but because they genuinely want to. 
Followed your lead and wrote about EDSA II.
@Roscka: With all due respect to your opinion, all too often it’s a seeming preoccupation with the “big picture” that prevents us from moving forward. While it is true that we should frame things in macro-perspectives, the individual inevitably views these perspectives from his or her own perspective: the individual should see these things as important to him or her. All perspectives boil down to personal viewpoints.
Ewan ko ba kung bakit up to now eh umaasa pa din ako, false hopes probably, malay mo may miracle???… We could have been one of the progressive nations in the world, we have the elements: rich natural resources, strategic location, and people. Pero sa tindi at dumi ng politics, nababalewala lahat. These politicians are raping this nation in front of its people they promised to help, the worst it, we are letting them to do it, pero di naman tayo masisi dahil di natin alam kung kanino dapat magtiwala… There were times na nacocompare ko ang Pinas sa ibang bansa and naaawa ako… may times na gusto ko na mag give up at magmigrate na lang but in the end of the day, the patriotic side of me pa din ang nanaig, sino pa ba magmamahal sa bansa natin kundi tayo ding mga Filipino. I hope, I REALLY HOPE and PRAY for the better Philippines. I HAVE and WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE HIGH HOPES in this country!
lahat dapat magsimula sa ating mga sarili…
as in lahat!!!
===
pasensya na hindi ako nakapunta sa kapihan event… sabi ko naman sa iyo hindi ko alam yung lugar eh.
Marocharim: Yes, it all boils down to ‘personal perspectives’, but no matter what extent we call these perspectives as our very own and differentiate them from others, what matters is that objectivity exists for a perspective.
Marocharim, thanks! Liked your entry (as usual, blah).
Bleue, naaalala ko tuloy ang kanta ni Tiffany na “Could’ve Been.” O kaya yung “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda” ni Beverly Knight. Pero ano pa bang magagawa natin, diba? For the record, I think the politicians are not the only ones “raping this nation.” Just because we appointed them leaders doesn’t necessarily mean we’re also not to blame, right? Ewan ko, basta ang feeling ko lagi, kasalanan nating lahat ito. We may play the blame game as often as we like, pero it all boils down to each and every one of us actually having a well-directed purpose…or something like that.
Kingdaddyrich, gaah! If only my Sun mobile’s working! Di pa naman tapos yung Bloggers’ Kapihan! Mamaya pa yun! Will send you an SMS later.
You are absolutely right Shari. Ang totoo, kulang talaga sa disiplina ang karamihan sa mga Pinoy. I remember one time may katabi akong estudyante (nakauniporme eh) sa jip, at akmang itatapon yung empty can of softdrinks nya sa bintana ng jip habang tumatakbo, ayun di ko napigilan sarili ko, sinaway ko at kinuha yung can, sabay lagay sa bag ko (nabasa tuloy… lols!). Nahiya ako after nun, nakatingin ibang passenger sa akin pati yung estudyante parang natulala. Gusto ko sanang sabihin na lang na “Actually nagcocollect ako ng empty can ng softdrinks”. Heheh! Anyway, start within ourselves na lang, at least makabawas tayo sa mga pasaway! Hehehe!
bleue, that’s happened to me too many times already, I’m already used to it. Besides, I think the looks you got are ones of approval. Ako rin kasi, very particular about garbage disposal (pero pagdating sa segregation, taob na ako haha) kaya I feel yah. And nice to know there really are some people who can do good things, no matter how little they may seem.
[...] Cruz, Misteryosa.com January 18, [...]
You’re absolutely right in saying that we need a change in ourselves, in our own system. Having said that, I must insist that change on a massive scale happens when there’s a big push from our government leaders, business leaders, civic leaders, artists, writers, media personalities and other reality-shapers.
I was in EDSA 2… I’m happy that I participated despite everything that happened afterwards.
hey, look at your pingback. you have “the explainer”
thanks beucause i lern about edsa2