Revelation

The Million People March

Luneta, Rizal Park

August 26, 2013 - National Heroes Day

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I closed my eyes and I saw...

...a man plying his trade, braving traffic, flood and smoke in his route, carrying passengers to the site, wishing his voice too, is heard.

...a vendor setting up shop, hoping to somehow make enough, selling her wares to the hungry and the thirsty multitude.

...two prominent columnists from a leading broadsheet, easily recognizable by their whitened hair, one long, one short, bearing witness to the event unfolding.

...a celebrated tourist guide, known for shouting "Damaso!" inside the sacred ground, one among the many.

rain or shine...

I turned to my left and I witnessed..

...children with pig snouts, adults with the Fawkes visage, dogs in their prancing outfits, teachers in their  neck-tied uniforms, priests in their white frocks, students and alumni in their school colors, nuns in their brown habits, cops in their blue gear, punks in theirs.

...people forming queues to set their names, and their hopes, to sheets demanding truth and justice.

...and others strolling by, enjoying the holiday, caught unaware of the events unfolding before them.

strolling along

I stood silent and I heard...

...not only the shouts of frustration and indignation, but also, unsurprisingly, of laughter, cheers and merriment.

...novelty songs, protest music, sounds of indigenous instruments, prayers, chants, songs of hope and the promise of a new day.

everyone a witness

I turned to the right and I sighted...

...flags of all shapes and sizes, of symbols and inclinations, of colors and affiliations.

...the rainbow colors in one flag, fighting for equality despite the discrimination of everyday life.

...the black flag and circled A unfurled, serving food for those who are hungry, presenting another way of  protest and action.

...the red army, shouting their slogans, singing their songs and marching on to put their demands right in front of the palace's doorsteps.

Kami ba ang boss nyo?

And as I walked, I noticed...

...the busts of heroes long gone, their names probably forgotten, but their struggles and causes, remembered on this day.

...the replica of the archipelago, with its dancing fountains and droning disco music, a reminder that cities across the nation are venting out as one. 

...the national hero standing still, a silent witness to the events unfolding before him, the inspiration for many generations.

...the red, white, blue and yellow of the stars and sun, proudly displayed, waving defiantly among the crowds.

He would've been the first to come.

Then I opened my eyes...

...and everything was not like as it was before. 

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On this day, an estimated 50-60,000 folks from all parts of the Metro came to Kilometer Zero, Rizal Park to stand and be counted. Though not reaching a million, the name is more symbolic than anything else, as all throughout the country, and worldwide, pockets of protests can be spotted.