It must have been a bitter and sweet moment for Mar Roxas. He it was, or his supporters, who massively financed his television advertisements early on. With Mar on the pedicab's driver seat, the ads attempted to send the impression to the general public that he intends to run for the presidency this coming national elections with the firm belief that he will fight for the common good of the people, if not drive them there himself. He it was, or his supporters, who sought to campaign the soonest time, fueled by no less than the prerogative of propelling his name above the din months ahead of time. That, of course, assumes that we will be having one in 2010. But that aside, he recently decided to throw the towel and give way to Noynoy Aquino. It was the first time that I was impressed with Mar for, over the years, quite a number of his gestures never appealed to me. It was the first time since Bathala-knows-when when I felt the surge of genuine and selfless politics running through the very hairs of my skin. And I certainly hope that it will not be the last of it, at least for Mar, and at most for the rest of the millions of us.
It must have been bitter at first. At the onset, it was too plain to see that Mar had his eyes fixed firmly on the highest post in the government. One could easily tell and yell that Mar was more than willing to seize the opportunity. Eventually, he had to sacrifice his personal intentions before the altar of grace, notwithstanding the support he has gathered from those who have already rallied behind his name and chanted his battle cry. You could only begin to imagine the feeling of having to lay down your personal dream for a cause that is far nobler than any one of us could ever begin to realize. Or if we lack the imagination, we could only begin to surmise how Mar must have heaved a heavy sigh before doing what he did, which was to surrender before something more powerful than friend or foe alike. That was to surrender before the enduring sentiment of the public. But it was only par for the course, or part of the cause to which we should now act upon. More to that, knowing when to step aside when you understand that there is no stopping the train is not only practical but also prudent, if not the wisest any brave man would ever dare do in his lifetime.
It must have been sweet the moment he let the words escape from his mouth. To say what one can hardly say at a time when the nation so calls for it, or at a time when the moment is ripe and when everything seems to fall into place, is to let nature, or destiny, whichever way they put it these days, take its course. That bold move carries with it all the iotas of conviction and integrity. It bears with it all the grains of humanity's relentless pursuit for that golden opportunity to make things happen right here, right now. The long and short of it all is that Mar's decision to brush his personal ambitions aside must have lifted a heavy sword that pierced his very, well, heart. It must be like plucking a needle out of the skin which it so deeply struck. In some ways, it is akin, perhaps, to Arthur lifting the Excalibur from the stone with the rest of the succeeding events already falling into place the very moment he did so. But certainly, Mar's decision is only one side of the same coin. The other side of it belongs to Noynoy Aquino.
Or for the Filipinos clamoring for someone whom they can gather behind and push to the throne, which is still another way of saying that the other side belongs to the only son of Cory and Ninoy. You cannot have someone else pull this country from its plight of wanton misery other than Noynoy. Others, especially the mouthpieces of the Palace, readily say that Noynoy should learn to transcend the shadows of his parents. Now that, of course, is utterly mistaken on two grounds. One is that the sacrifices of Cory and Ninoy are not shadows in the history of this country. To begin with, their lives beam with all that is the opposite of darkness. Their sparks of light glow all the more, as they did during their time, when there is nothing more than an infinite stretch of blackness woven in all directions. That holds parallel significance in these dire times when you have all shades and hues of black springing forth from an institution which ought to have been the very source of hope. It is not wise to say that Noynoy should step out of his parents shadows. Your parents are Cory and Ninoy, what can I say? Only five people in this world have the exclusive privilege of sharing that immeasurable badge of pride. Indeed, only fools would dare proclaim that a son ought to totally remove himself from the magnanimity of his parents, especially so when your bloodline calls upon you to continue the mission of your father and mother.
Quite on the contrary, it is only best to say that Noynoy should stick with the examples of his parents more than before. There is more to him than just being the son of the two best leaders of this country—Ninoy being the best president this country has never had, according to no less than Jovito Salonga—which leads us to the second reason why the Palace is mistaken. It is that the very spirit of EDSA lives in him, as it does among us. It does not live in Erap, for he it was who succumbed to the power of that peaceful revolution several years ago. It does not live in Villar. What lives in him is the spirit of a traditional politican—in other words, "trapo"—who is so eager to gain the sympathy of the people so much so that he is more than willing to capitalize on his roots of abject poverty to stress his point. Poverty, we share with him. Other than that, all there is is "akala natin akala lang natin". Never mind the other presidential aspirants. They have already become footnotes in the pages of history even before they could file their candidacy.
What lives in Noynoy is the same spirit that swept across this nation barely twenty-three years back in time. He carries the same pulse that breathed more life into the Aquino leadership. He wields the same fire that reclaimed democracy in this country and rectified the wrongs of the martial law years. One need not look any further than the limits of our shores to bear witness to the ghosts of the past lingering in our midst today. The burden to do the same examples that his parents did rests on his shoulder any way you look at it. It is not an easy task, which is exactly why Noynoy himself had to take the time to contemplate on the fate that itself presented before him, not like the other presidential aspirants who, upon smelling the first scent of the roses, scramble towards the fields without having a brief moment to reflect on what beauty and madness lay ahead of them. Certainly, there is beauty to every rose and madness to its every thorn. The same holds true of bearing the gravity of leading a nation already begging on its knees. Indeed, how wiser can one get? Should Noynoy finally decide to heed the call of the people, he will immediately find himself a cut above the rest.
Others may now be pouncing upon the idea that this is history all over again. Yesterday, it was Cory and Doy. Today, we have Noynoy and Mar. Yesterday, we had a plain housewife who so happened to be the spouse of a great leader and a senator who relinquished his personal ambition of running for the presidency. Today, we have a humble legislator who so happened to be the son of two icons of democracy and a senator who relinquished his personal ambition of running for the presidency. Deja vu? Maybe not entirely. Maybe it's what they call the sign of the times.
Or maybe, just maybe, this is Cory Magic finding itself six feet from below, or sprouting majestically therefrom, with no signs of simply fading into the background waiting for the curtain call. Cory's death undeniably took a great impact on where Noynoy now finds himself today. It was a death that sent a grieving nation to tears. It marked the end of an icon of democracy, but we have Noynoy to carry the torch and continue what Cory, Ninoy and the rest of the people have begun during the twilight years of an oppressive regime. There must be truth to the saying that death is not the end of everything. It must be truer that death is the start of something new, hoisted all the way to the top for the rest of us to marvel upon and draw inspiration from. With Cory now somewhere else, somewhere where peace is forever, you cannot help but source her moral integrity from the one whom she raised herself, without fully knowing in hindsight or foresight that the little boy she shaped with her hands would soon inherit this country's unfinished business.
Credit should be given where it is due. Mar deserves it, owing largely to his intention and initiative of sowing unity instead of division. Noynoy deserves it, owing largely to his intention and initiative of seeking first the call of the conscience rather than the call of politics. You cannot have anything better than all these. The best of both worlds are now hanging by the edge of the ballot. The fate of this country now rests on each of one us, the voting public. It is ours, or a collective "yours", alone.
It must have been bitter at first. At the onset, it was too plain to see that Mar had his eyes fixed firmly on the highest post in the government. One could easily tell and yell that Mar was more than willing to seize the opportunity. Eventually, he had to sacrifice his personal intentions before the altar of grace, notwithstanding the support he has gathered from those who have already rallied behind his name and chanted his battle cry. You could only begin to imagine the feeling of having to lay down your personal dream for a cause that is far nobler than any one of us could ever begin to realize. Or if we lack the imagination, we could only begin to surmise how Mar must have heaved a heavy sigh before doing what he did, which was to surrender before something more powerful than friend or foe alike. That was to surrender before the enduring sentiment of the public. But it was only par for the course, or part of the cause to which we should now act upon. More to that, knowing when to step aside when you understand that there is no stopping the train is not only practical but also prudent, if not the wisest any brave man would ever dare do in his lifetime.
It must have been sweet the moment he let the words escape from his mouth. To say what one can hardly say at a time when the nation so calls for it, or at a time when the moment is ripe and when everything seems to fall into place, is to let nature, or destiny, whichever way they put it these days, take its course. That bold move carries with it all the iotas of conviction and integrity. It bears with it all the grains of humanity's relentless pursuit for that golden opportunity to make things happen right here, right now. The long and short of it all is that Mar's decision to brush his personal ambitions aside must have lifted a heavy sword that pierced his very, well, heart. It must be like plucking a needle out of the skin which it so deeply struck. In some ways, it is akin, perhaps, to Arthur lifting the Excalibur from the stone with the rest of the succeeding events already falling into place the very moment he did so. But certainly, Mar's decision is only one side of the same coin. The other side of it belongs to Noynoy Aquino.
Or for the Filipinos clamoring for someone whom they can gather behind and push to the throne, which is still another way of saying that the other side belongs to the only son of Cory and Ninoy. You cannot have someone else pull this country from its plight of wanton misery other than Noynoy. Others, especially the mouthpieces of the Palace, readily say that Noynoy should learn to transcend the shadows of his parents. Now that, of course, is utterly mistaken on two grounds. One is that the sacrifices of Cory and Ninoy are not shadows in the history of this country. To begin with, their lives beam with all that is the opposite of darkness. Their sparks of light glow all the more, as they did during their time, when there is nothing more than an infinite stretch of blackness woven in all directions. That holds parallel significance in these dire times when you have all shades and hues of black springing forth from an institution which ought to have been the very source of hope. It is not wise to say that Noynoy should step out of his parents shadows. Your parents are Cory and Ninoy, what can I say? Only five people in this world have the exclusive privilege of sharing that immeasurable badge of pride. Indeed, only fools would dare proclaim that a son ought to totally remove himself from the magnanimity of his parents, especially so when your bloodline calls upon you to continue the mission of your father and mother.
Quite on the contrary, it is only best to say that Noynoy should stick with the examples of his parents more than before. There is more to him than just being the son of the two best leaders of this country—Ninoy being the best president this country has never had, according to no less than Jovito Salonga—which leads us to the second reason why the Palace is mistaken. It is that the very spirit of EDSA lives in him, as it does among us. It does not live in Erap, for he it was who succumbed to the power of that peaceful revolution several years ago. It does not live in Villar. What lives in him is the spirit of a traditional politican—in other words, "trapo"—who is so eager to gain the sympathy of the people so much so that he is more than willing to capitalize on his roots of abject poverty to stress his point. Poverty, we share with him. Other than that, all there is is "akala natin akala lang natin". Never mind the other presidential aspirants. They have already become footnotes in the pages of history even before they could file their candidacy.
What lives in Noynoy is the same spirit that swept across this nation barely twenty-three years back in time. He carries the same pulse that breathed more life into the Aquino leadership. He wields the same fire that reclaimed democracy in this country and rectified the wrongs of the martial law years. One need not look any further than the limits of our shores to bear witness to the ghosts of the past lingering in our midst today. The burden to do the same examples that his parents did rests on his shoulder any way you look at it. It is not an easy task, which is exactly why Noynoy himself had to take the time to contemplate on the fate that itself presented before him, not like the other presidential aspirants who, upon smelling the first scent of the roses, scramble towards the fields without having a brief moment to reflect on what beauty and madness lay ahead of them. Certainly, there is beauty to every rose and madness to its every thorn. The same holds true of bearing the gravity of leading a nation already begging on its knees. Indeed, how wiser can one get? Should Noynoy finally decide to heed the call of the people, he will immediately find himself a cut above the rest.
Others may now be pouncing upon the idea that this is history all over again. Yesterday, it was Cory and Doy. Today, we have Noynoy and Mar. Yesterday, we had a plain housewife who so happened to be the spouse of a great leader and a senator who relinquished his personal ambition of running for the presidency. Today, we have a humble legislator who so happened to be the son of two icons of democracy and a senator who relinquished his personal ambition of running for the presidency. Deja vu? Maybe not entirely. Maybe it's what they call the sign of the times.
Or maybe, just maybe, this is Cory Magic finding itself six feet from below, or sprouting majestically therefrom, with no signs of simply fading into the background waiting for the curtain call. Cory's death undeniably took a great impact on where Noynoy now finds himself today. It was a death that sent a grieving nation to tears. It marked the end of an icon of democracy, but we have Noynoy to carry the torch and continue what Cory, Ninoy and the rest of the people have begun during the twilight years of an oppressive regime. There must be truth to the saying that death is not the end of everything. It must be truer that death is the start of something new, hoisted all the way to the top for the rest of us to marvel upon and draw inspiration from. With Cory now somewhere else, somewhere where peace is forever, you cannot help but source her moral integrity from the one whom she raised herself, without fully knowing in hindsight or foresight that the little boy she shaped with her hands would soon inherit this country's unfinished business.
Credit should be given where it is due. Mar deserves it, owing largely to his intention and initiative of sowing unity instead of division. Noynoy deserves it, owing largely to his intention and initiative of seeking first the call of the conscience rather than the call of politics. You cannot have anything better than all these. The best of both worlds are now hanging by the edge of the ballot. The fate of this country now rests on each of one us, the voting public. It is ours, or a collective "yours", alone.
|