lifeunderthecylindricalbox

I just thought I’d share this. It’s a song written by my uncle a few decades ago entitled “Maynila”.

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Back then, whenever my folks would listen to it, I get lost trying to find its meaning, being a kid and all at that time. I’d usually forward it to the next song which I found to be more amusing. A few years before that, I vaguely remember being smothered with all kinds of yellow paraphernalia that had the name “NINOY” on them; made to stand in one corner, and have my picture taken by my uncle or my dad. It’s one of the few memories that I managed to dig up from the deepest recesses of my mind. Here’s a photo I found somewhere deep within my grandmother’s baul:

Fast forward to today: I woke up to the sound of heavy rain hitting the roof. Despite having no TV and a crappy internet connection which made it impossible to stream video from the local news, I was aware that today was Cory Aquino’s burial. At around lunchtime, I heard sirens wailing through Quirino Avenue — the procession has just passed by our area. Our househelp told me she’s going to have a look-see, and acted as if she was waiting for me to follow suit. I didn’t.

Up to now, the reason why I decided not to go still eludes me. Maybe I thought it’d be best to stay and guard the house, for fear of opportunists taking advantage of all the hullabaloo; or maybe I’d have rather stay dry than brave the rain; or maybe I’ve grown too tired of the country’s political situation that even the death of one of it’s most important (and well-respected) figures of our time didn’t seem to matter to me anymore.

It’s funny how people are like when someone famous dies. All of a sudden, everyone drops what they’re doing. They remember what she has done during his lifetime, how her mere presence changed the world. Even during the time of her wake, you can tell the sincere ones from those who were there just to be seen, preaching all this bullcrap about democracy and freedom and patriotism. Heck, you didn’t even care to listen to her when she was alive! Now you’re in her parade, making sure the cameras get all your emotions and “acts of unity”. Pfft. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m pretty sure everyone in his right mind can tell that all this will be forgotten as soon as the next scandal hits the airwaves and grabs everyone’s attention, be it an upcoming movie starlet or an unfortunate government office peon who decided to take the bribe. It’s a vicious cycle.

I also remember not joining EDSA 2. And not voting… I don’t think I even exerted the slightest effort to register.

Yes, I’m that much of a cynic.

Whatever my reason was for not going out to see her, I can honestly say that I’m as saddened by the loss as the guy next to her hearse. She will truly be missed. Quoting yet another famous figure, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”.