The story of the First Quarter Storm (so called) has long been a part of the fibers of my soul. I was in the thick of the struggle for freedom during the terrible martial law years under the dictator Marcos. It is a story that needs to be told. It is not only a short story. It is stories within a long story.
The Daily Express, the only metropolitan daily licensed to publish rumors and gossips under the guise of news or vice versa, was anathema to the ideals of journalism in a truly free society and democratic society. All in all, martial law as a scenario of unthinkable jokes during that existential reality in our history was a horrible nightmare that should never be allowed to happen again. Never again!
All of the Filipino people in all corners of the country joyously cheer the Gilas Pilipinas basketball players for their admirable achievement in the current FIBA World Cup. Yes they deserve to be accorded loud cheers. They have made basketball enthusiasts all over the globe believe in the Filipino’s skill and love for basketball. Even the teams who have defeated them acknowledge their good performance.
And so the Filipino people rose up in various forms of revolt.
The People’s Initiative will gather momentum. It will reach its desired end.
The People’s Initiative will gather momentum. It will reach its desired end.
On this day, on this very hour, I am nursing an aching wound in my soul. I am sad and unusually depressed. My mind wanders to that long long night of terror in our land. . .to that nightmare in history called Martial Law! And it makes me sick. I open the Youtube, hoping to find solace. And I come upon Joey Ayala and his song “Wala Nang Tao sa Sta Filomena”. And the song summons living memories that weigh me down even more. Until I feel my soul in my eyes.
If there’s ever a cultural phenomenon that has pervaded Philippine society in all its layers and dimensions, it is “consumerism”. It has conquered and enslaved the Filipino psyche like some kind of addiction. It constitutes a large share of the Filipino culture.
A woman carrying a gun and passing through Gate 2 walked into the grounds of Malakanyang Palace. According to the news report, the woman didn’t say she intends to shoot President Noynoy Aquino. But didn’t mince words in saying , “Why has the people’s miserable plight gone to this extent?”
It’s amusing to hear President Noynoy Aquino lament what he perceives as “very early campaigning activities” by some politicians. His twit extends to the tune of an exhortation—good if it includes his colleagues in the Liberal Party! —that instead of politicking this early they should focus their attention on the many problems faced by the nation.
