It was a stirring sight, even if viewed only through the TV screen.
There was no need to embroider the scenes with maudlin commentary or stirring music, since the crowds lining Edsa and the rain of confetti on Ayala Avenue, as well as the people braving the actual rain later that afternoon were testament enough to the public sentiment stirred by the passing of former President Cory Aquino. As the ANC commentators pointed out, many of those lining the city?s boulevards were students below 20 years old, too young to have any personal memories of the Edsa Revolution, the anti-Marcos protests, much less the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. What they had instead were memories of the Aquino presidency, and fresher memories of her unique place in contemporary history: an icon of democracy, a voice for reason and sobriety, a presence that challenged leaders seeking to use their power to extend their stay in office.
No one, no government, could command such a spontaneous outpouring of feeling and sympathy. True, crowds could be mobilized and public sentiment could be stirred and manipulated. But no amount of organizing ability could have summoned the ordinary folk who braved the heat and the rains, nor could it have faked or manufactured the feelings that poured out of the public?s hearts. Unbidden, people held up the ?L? sign with their fingers, the symbol of Cory?s struggle against the dictatorship. Without any prodding, bystanders shouted ?Thank You!? or ?Salamat? as the funeral cortege passed by, and voices sang in unison to ?Bayan Ko? in front of the Ninoy statue.
Indeed, as Kris Aquino said on TV Sunday, her mother needed no State honors since the real tribute would come from the people themselves. And pay ?Tita Cory? tribute they did, at this just the mid-point of the entire process of public mourning for the woman who by her death has united our nation and made us one in our grief and gratitude.
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WITH MY husband and daughter?our ?Edsa baby? born Feb. 26, 1986?I managed to drop by La Salle Green Hills Sunday evening, not so much out of journalistic duty but rather out of a sense of personal commitment, an urge not just to pay homage to the late former President but also to revisit the events and personalities of decades past.
Driving by Greenhills several times during the weekend, we noted the growing queue of mourners, lining up all the way from EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) to the La Salle gate, and then as the hours passed, snaking into a double and even triple loop, with some braving the heat and the congestion for as long as three or even four hours.
Fortunately, media passes in hand, we managed to enter through Gate 6, allowing us to skip the public queue, but requiring us just the same to make our way up the staircase and follow the designated route. What made the greatest impression on me was how organized things were, given how easily the entire wake could have descended into chaos. Credit for this must be given to the many volunteers, ranging from matrons to students, who patiently herded mourners around the halls of the La Salle Green Hills gym, including a mother and her son handing out chocolate Kisses to everyone entering the gym.
When we finally reached the queue of mourners, all differences, all distinctions dissolved. Whether we had entered through Gate 6 or joined the snaking queue, whether we came to the venue in our private vehicles or took public transportation, regardless of our motives for showing up, we all took our places in line, and waited patiently for our turn. When my turn did come, I was distressed to find my mind going blank, though it did register?shallow person that I am?how well made-up Tita Cory was, and how her yellow beaded dress suited her. I simply made the sign of the cross and hoped that the Lord and Tita Cory could read my mind and fathom my feelings.
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COMPELLING indeed was the interview given by Kris Aquino to her colleague Boy Abunda, initially a narration of the events of the final days of her mother, but veering into personal as well as national affairs, especially into the reason the Aquino family decided to decline the offer of a state funeral for Tita Cory.
Often tearful, at times ironic and comic, and filled with expressions of gratitude, the interview was indeed a tour de force, ?a masterful use of the TV medium,? as a friend commented.
But for me, as many others observed, the interview was a reminder as well of the unifying power of death, and brought back to me memories of the deaths in my own family, of my parents and in-laws, and of four of my siblings, who had died one year after the other. Kris? words and reminiscences brought back similar memories, many of which I thought I had long buried. Maybe that was one reason I decided Sunday evening to make my way to La Salle, to join in the grieving, and find redemption in our grief.
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ST. PAUL University Manila, together with the St. Paul Manila Foundation Inc., in preparation for the school?s centennial in 2012, are embarking on a number of activities to mark the event. Among these are the establishment of a Centennial Academic Fund for professional chairs and student scholarships, a commemorative coffee-table book, and the Grand Alumni Homecoming and Centennial Celebration.
Kicking off the festivities and fundraising efforts will be a ballroom and line dancing affair entitled ?Unang Padyak? to be held tomorrow, Aug. 5, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Philippine Army Officers Club in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. The show will feature sought-after retro band Rockin? Revival dishing out tunes from the 1960s to the 1990s.
All St. Paul Manila alumnae and friends are invited to attend. For inquiries, call 524-5687 (Susan).
