yes, what an eye opening, (and mind too) 2 days it was - that's Friday and Saturday.Friday nightA 'religious' affair at the AFP theater, "Bayan Umawit" sponsored by the Loyola House of Studies and Bank of the Philippine Islands, me, my cousin and my cousin's cousin sat on the VIP row, 2 rows away from the stage. We arrived at around 745pm and patiently waited. My first impression was that it would be a ultra religious affair with hands in the air - amen, amen and all that but my expectations were crushed for the better and i decided i did the right thing to change my mind in the last minute and attend. The performers - Ateneo chorale group, 2 other chorale groups, May Bayot, Jett Pangan, Cookie Chua and Noel Cabangon were the celebrity singers. It was really fun and the music was charismatic, religious yes, but very spiritual, uplifting, nostalgic, emotional and very very memorable. I remember the times when I was perhaps around 5 or 7 years old, swinging with my sister in our swing (of course) way back in 1995 in our home here in Manila, and we would sing Church songs and those Oldies songs we got to know. Sometimes, I'd be making up lyrics and it would only be me singing, along with the creaking sounds of the metal, the afternoon breeze to my lazy dogs. I found the greater importance though of faith in that evening affair, and it made me want to go to Church right after. When the program ended, the hosts thanked the sponsors and it was only me, my cousin, and my cousin's cousin, along with two middle aged scholastic looking men and a nun that sat in the VIP section. It seemed as though we were very important people ahaha.
Saturday morningI woke up at 550am in my alarm clock, which was 530 in my wall clock. I tried taking 5minute dozes but i forced myself to make it to the bathroom and shower. I had some cereal then went off with Justin to the the meeting place around a kilometer in distance, which was in school. We waited another hour in the 'corn field' with no corn really in sight, for our other classmates and available jeeps which would take us to the Pangarap Foundation for our Community Service activity. We arrived there after about an hour and a half, kinda sweaty and my hair dilapidated by the humidity and the erratic mobile wind. The program started and my blockmates conducted the starting events well. The games were fun, the
Mamera dances and the calamansi-spoon relay, not discounting the break dancing competition hahaha. okay, so there, i got to see the other talents of my blockmates - the hosting, the prayer making, the break dancing, hints of exotic body dancing =P (sexy!) hehe, the singing, the undying desire to get away from the sun, complaining about the heat, being hungry etcetera. So we left the foundation with a sense of fulfilment to an extent - knowing that we got away from our usual 'way' and spent some time with the members of the foundation. Although I did not see it as much of an outreach activity, it was still beneficial. We took the polluting trip back to Katipunan in the jeepney - my 9 time to ride a jeepney, fyi. the sun was directly over us so it was getting really hot. we had lunch in Mcdonald's, enjoyed some laughs, talks, and card playing, then I had to go.
Saturday afternoonI went with my tito and tita to the DZMM radio station at the ABS-CBN building somewhere in Quezon city, where they were interviewed by Senator Lim in his
Katapat 1 hour radio program. This was my first time to meet a person I see only in television or in the papers, in person. We were directed to a holding room because we were quite early. There we met two people who were to go on air on an Entrepreneur program after the Senator's program. One of them sold tilapia value added/processed products - tilapia fish sticks, tilapia longanisa, etc.. and the lady sold pili nut products - buko-pili jam, pili nuts that were sugar coated and stuck together, pili cakes, etc. Then the Senator came in, in black boots, in a long sleeve polo, with his white hair glossed back and perfectly lined and combed. He kinda reminded me of the Osmeña president you see in one the paper money demonination. He and my uncle talked about the program and of the case to be discussed. By the time it was about 5min to 6pm we went to the main broadcasting room and i sat in the sofa along with my tita's sister. It was also my second time in a radio broadcasting room but this could be deemed my first because the said first was in a low tech area, which served drama radio productions. Less than an hour was spent on delibrating the case itself, due to News Patrols, and these ads to the like of Palmolive shampoo 'bounce,bounce' and another shampoo's KSP - kulang sa sun protection blah blah... My tita cried when she first talked. Both of them got on a phone patch with an AFP representative and she was able to present her grievances, asking for the reopening of the case. My tito constantly said that despite Senate findings that my cousin's death was a murder, in written 40+ page documents of two senators, through forensic investigations, handwriting experts, the institutions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines still keeps in written record that my cousin had committed suicide. The case was put to a close due the ruling of the Ombudsman due to lack of evidence. We feel that after 10 years, justice to my cousin should finally be served, his soul will not rest for sure until his name is cleared from suicide, until the people behind his death with be brought before the law. His 10 year death anniversary will be this September 27.
