Remembering The Final Set

It has been three years since The Eraserheads gave us their final set. Three years after their record breaking concert. Three years since they formally bid us goodbye. Three years after their last bow. Three years after their last concert, and probably indeed their last.

Perhaps, this is one of my biggest regrets as an Eraserheads fan. I was not able to watch their two (2) post-breakup concerts.

During their first concert at The Fort in August 2008, there were doubts if the concert would push through or not. One of the major sponsors backed out a few days before the concert due to a threat of a criminal case from the Health Department. There were no formal announcement of the selling of tickets. There were no formal promotion on the tri-media - just a press release from one of the major broadsheets. I could have made it to the concert. If only I were not drunk somewhere in Calamba that night.

My first attempt to watch them turned out to be a failure.

But as we all know, the first concert was cut short due to Ely Buendia’s health condition. After that, there were speculations if the concert would still push through for a second installment. And the fans got what they wanted. The band will work on their ‘unfinished business’.

The second concert, The Final Set, happened on March 7, 2009, a day after the Master Rapper died, at the SM Mall of Asia concert Grounds. Compared to the first one, this has a bigger venue, a formal promotion, and more or less a hundred thousand tickets available to accommodate more fans. It is said that this is one of the biggest concerts in our history.

Did I make it to the concert? Obviously no. I was then stuck at the Seminary’s confines, punishing myself by studying for our comprehensive examinations. My College Diploma depends on the result of that exam. Bitter as I was, I just resorted to listening to the songs of the Eraserheads on the radio. (I think it was the now-defunct station NU 107 who played Eraserheads songs the whole day in anticipation of The Final Set.)

It was just a consuelo for those who were not able to attend the concert to watch  The Final Set on GMA-7. The network aired it a few weeks after the concert. And I did not waste that opportunity. I watched it with the whole family. But there is still something lacking, something missing within me. Regrets. I could have watched them live. 

And so it happened. March 7, 2009, Saturday, was an unforgettable event in Philippine music history. The Eraserheads, the music hero and inspiration of a generation, performed and bowed for the last time in front of their fans.

It was also during this date that Ely Buendia set flame to the famous “Sticker Happy piano.” You know, the one with the naked Joey Mead from the cover of their album “Sticker Happy”.

And for those who are asking the whereabouts of the sticker piano, the last time that I checked, it was at 70’s Bistro (46 Anonas Street Project 2 , Quezon City).

Photo courtesy of Sir Chris Linag. For additional information, please read the article by Aldus Santos here.

Thank you Eraserheads for being a part of our childhood. Thank you for being the soundtrack of our growing up. Thank you for the good music. Thank you for being our heroes. Thank you for the memories.

Maraming salamat Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Marcus Adoro, at Buddy Zabala! The Eraserheads will never be erased from our heads. That is influence at its finest.

Source: juanrepublic

7 March 93 Permalink

Francis Magalona, Filipino

It was Friday, March 6, 2009.  I was still drained from a week-long written revalida/ comprehensive examinations in Philosophy. Our superiors allowed us to unwind outside the Seminary’s confines, take a breath of fresh air, and forget the hardships of the week. We still have an oral revalida on the Monday to come, but that would be easy. I can ace it, I told myself.

I went to Robinsons Place Lipa with some of my classmates. We dined out, ate like a pig, and laughed off the hardships of studying Philosophy. After that, I excused myself and went to Netopia to surf the net and to relax. It was the heydays of Multiply, Friendster, and Yahoo! Messenger. Just like a warrior who survived the hardships of battle, I updated my friends and contacts that I surpassed the first, and the harder part of the Revalida (I could have just tweeted it then but Twitter was not yet known that time). When I logged out my Yahoo! account, I immediately saw an image of the Master Rapper, Francis Magalona, on the news box. (Believe it or not) I just saw the photo, but I did not dare read the headline because I was in a hurry to go back to the Seminary on time. I thought that Francis is going well on his battle against the Big C.

I went back to the Seminary later that afternoon, did my usual stuff, and followed the usual Seminary schedule. After dinner, we went straight to the TV Room for our scheduled TV Viewing and recreation. We tuned in to 24 Oras and were all shocked to learn the news that Francis Magalona passed away. Almost of all of us fell silent, stunned by his sudden demise.

After our compline, I went to my room and turn my radio transistor on. Almost all the radio stations are playing Francis Magalona’s songs as a tribute to the beloved Man from Manila.  In silence, I said my prayer for the eternal repose of his soul, and expressed my regret for losing another Filipino legend.

I first met Francis when I was about four years old. My kuya, an artist, was busy then painting a portrait of Francis Magalona in a one-eighth illustration board at our old kubo. The face was familiar. He’s the man behind the infectious patriotic song Mga Kababayan Ko. And I have watched him on the movie Mama’s Boys with Ogie Alcasid, Michael V., and Anjo Yllana.

I saw Francis as a revolutionary young face that will achieve great heights. He challenged the conventional music style of his age. His music paved way for the unification of the then-opposing sides of Pinoy hip-hop and rock by experimenting on the merging of rap with rock music. After all, music is the language that should unite us, not divide us.

But more importantly, I saw Francis as a young man, whose heart is united with his beloved land. He redefined patriotism. He made it easier for the youth of this generation to appreciate and understand. And he showed us how great a race and nation we are.

Pride. Identity. Meaning. Perhaps, he saw that before we can shout to the world that we love our country, we must first know what it really means to be a Filipino.

I saw Mga Kababayan Ko then as an anthem which promotes Pinoy pride and identity along with the songs Ako’y Isang Pinoy by Florante and Tayo’y mga Pinoy by Heber Bartolome (and later recorded and reinvented by the Man from Manila himself). These three songs, together with our regular Monday school anthem Ako ay Pilipino, were my first inspirations to love my country, to appreciate my Pinoy identity, and to be proud of my ancestry. And this was long before Pinoy Ako by Orange and Lemons.

But he was gone too soon. Had he not died on that fateful Friday noon of March 6, 2009, he may have personally done greater things for our country and to our countrymen. 

But as in all war and tragedy, life continues. He may have gone too soon but his spirit, music, and legacy still continue. Thanks to her wife Pia and the rest of the Magalonas, the Francis Magalona Foundation was born.

The Francis Magalona Foundation was established to realize in each Filipino a true sense of Filipino pride, personal integrity and a commitment to positive change through awareness campaigns and personal development and skills building programs. Its tagline, Finding a Meaning in every Filipino, is an invitation to every Filipino to ask themselves the significance of their identities as a Filipino. How is it to be a Filipino? How do I promote my pride and identity to the whole world?

Up to this day, I still shed a tear whenever I see the videos of Francis Magalona’s death on YouTube. I may not know him personally but his patriotism was one of my influences. He is somehow responsible for what I am right now.

He may have gone at a young age but what is more important is that he had lived his life with meaning. He has influenced a whole generation. He has inspired many with his music. And with that, he is already immortal.

On the third anniversary of his death, let us remember The Man from Manila who have inspired many by his great music, who have been a good father to his children, who have been a good husband to his wife, and who have been a modern example of Filipino Patriotism.

You may have gone Francis but your legacy of music and patriotism will remain in our minds and hearts forever.

Mabuhay ka at maraming salamat Kiko!

Kickass photo courtesy of scarypet.deviantart.com 

Source: juanrepublic

6 March 107 Permalink

Ampatuan Massacre: Never Forget. Never Again.

This day marks the 27th month of the infamous Ampatuan Massacre, a horrible event in our history where 58 people were killed, 34 of whom were journalists or working for the broadcast industry. But do you still care?

It seems like the attention of the public on this issue is slowly going to the depths of the abyss of the forgotten. It’s in one of the infamous characteristics of the Filipinos. We have a short attention span. We tend to forget our past easily. Mabilis makalimot. Mabilis magpatawad.

Our attention may have been taken by the on-going impeachment trial of the Chief Justice. Or how some of us continuously rant about the trending topics on Twitter. Lady Justice and the men and women behind her must have been too focused on the impeachment trial.

But by letting this event just pass us by our consciousness, it will appear that we are condoning the perpetrators of this crime. Or depriving justice to the victims and their families. Or killing the fifty-eight victims repeatedly. Or allowing the culture of impunity in our country. 

Impunity. Kawalang pakundangan. It’s like saying “Go ahead, kill everyone who are against your plans! Shoot the story tellers! We allow murder in our country! No one is punished by the way.”

And we don’t want it that way, right? So what can we do as an ordinary citizen?

Never forget. Let us always put the Ampatuan massacre into consciousness. One way of doing it is to post something about it every 23rd of the month for everyone to see (on Facebook, Twitter, and in your blogs). This will help those who have forgotten to remember.

Be an educated and wise voter. The Ampatuan massacre is an election-related violence which involves (an alleged) private army. Choose your leaders wisely. Do not be swayed by their goods during the campaign season.

Be vigilant. Stay on guard, be watchful. Let us be our brother’s keeper. And let us keep an eye on the proceedings of the trial (even if it takes 55,000 years, according to Atty. Harry Roque).

Let us offer a minute of silence to remember the victims of the massacre. And ask God - or the Cosmos or some Force, depending on your belief - that this would never happen again.

Justice for the Victims of the Ampatuan Massacre. Never Forget. Never again.  

Source: juanrepublic

23 February 67 Permalink

Memoirs of Inday and the Bodyguard

It was the nineties. Some would say that it is the best decade for music, movie, recreation, fun, and entertainment. For those who were born and who grew up in that era, it wil be remembered for its good old memories of nostalgia and fun (but of course, those who were born on a different era will beg to differ).

Nineties. It was the year when kasamabahay(s) are stereotyped by popular TV shows and movies with the name Inday and having an affair with a sikyu (security guard). And it was also the year when a song for every Inday - and every romantics - came out.

It was I Will Always Love You. Or for every pun-loving Filipino in that decade, it was Inday will always love you.

The song was so popular in the country that it became an anthem of almost every music-loving Filipino (long before Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, but that’s another story). Though not a Whitney Houston original (it was Dolly Parton who sang the original), the song gained popularity after the former recorded it for the soundtrack of her debut movie, The Bodyguard.

Ah, that movie. It is considered one of the classic romantic-thriller movie of that age. I remember watching it in my grandparents’ house on their trusty VHS player. I did not care about the movie being a romantic flick then. What I care about is it being an action-thriller movie. And its theme song I will Always Love You.

This may sound not-so-manly but Whitney Houston’s  I Will Always Love you is one of the first songs that I learned to sing (aside from the jingle of cough syrup Tuseran Forte which I used to sing as ‘Sa Tusenan Boteee..’). In fact, I even held a mini-concert during my fourth birthday party, singing and screaming the song at the top of my lungs in front of our house. (I still have a picture of it but I think it’s still in our old house. I’m gonna post it soon when I find the opportunity to get it.)

And just like any other kid, or a typical Pinoy, who sing that song, I used to sing it as “Indaaa-hiyaay! Will always love you! Huuwaaa..”.

What made me sing a Whitney Houston song for cryin’ out loud? Perhaps it’s because of the song’s popularity during that time that it became the anthem of almost everyone. It became the song that everyone knew to sing and to love (unlike Frank Sinatra’s My Way that became infamous for it’s, uhm, fatal effects). Just like a young child singing whatever is overplayed on television and the radio, perhaps I just joined the Whitney Houston bandwagon then?

I woke up last Sunday morning, February 12 here in the Philippines, learning about Whitney Houston’s death via Tumblr and Twitter. And I told myself that’s it, another musical legend passed away, leaving her fans, listeners, and people whom she inspired in grief. The news about her drug addiction during the last years of her life may always be included in her story but that would not suffice to overshadow her fame, success, and legacy.

You may call yourself a die-hard fan who would weep because of her sudden demise. You maybe just an ordinary music fan who appreciate her music. and you may be just someone who recently listen to her music and joined the We-love-you-Whitney-Houston bandwagon.

But I will always remember her as someone who introduced me to Inday and The Bodyguard. Someone who helped me discover my love for singing and music.

Goodbye Whitney. Thanks you for the music. Millie grazie!

Source: juanrepublic

14 February 30 Permalink

25 Years Later

Yesterday, January 22, 2012, marked the 25th year of the gruesome Mendiola Massacre, an incident that happened in Mendiola on January 22, 1987 in which Government security forces violently dispersed a farmers’ protest march to Malacañan Palace.

A wounded protester is helped by a peasant activist after the shooting broke out. Ramon Acasio

Pardon me for this late post. Aside from being busy yesterday because of my class, the major broadsheets yesterday did not put the commemoration of the massacre in their front page. Instead, I saw items about the Impeacment Trial, the Roman-Shalai wedding, Chinese New Year, and more impeachment brouhahas.

Or maybe because they are biased for President Noynoy Aquino and they do not want to talk about it. It would be remembered that the incumbent President’s mother, Cory Aquino, was the President during that time. (Well, this is just me with my crazy imagination. I will just leave it there.) Moving on..

Aside from the Maguindanao Massacre, I consider the Mendiola Massacre as an event that should not be forgotten or slip past our consciousness. If we saw slain journalists in Maguindanao, we have helpless peasants and farmers in Mendiola.

Peasants and farmers have a special place in my heart,. I lived with some of them during my formation years in College. And since the advent of my awakening, I have always supported the cause of the poor and the oppressed for justice, freedom, and ownership. You may not see me with a banner or a raised fist in the streets but I believe that there are other ways to support their cause other than protests and rallies.

Landless farmers. Feudalism has long been gone in Europe but it is still practiced in some parts of our country up to this day. The Agrarian Reform programs of the Government appears to be a failure. The problems of the landless farmers still haunt our country and I don’t see a beacon of hope that will signal its end. (Well, the Hacienda Luisita has been granted to the farmers - in a decision and not in reality - but there are still other lands that are yet to be distributed. Hopefully.)

Twenty-five years ago, a massacre happened near Malacañang, a bloody result of the fight of the farmers for land ownership and social justice. And twenty-five years later, justice is still nowhere in sight.

Will it happen on the term of the son of the President during the massacre? Is justice for the landless farmers included in the promised daang matuwid? I don’t know. I think they are still busy hunting the previous administration and her allies.

I want to see a new day where there will be no more landless farmers, no more greedy landowners, and no more social injustice brought by land ownership disputes.

And no more state-sponsored killing spree for these individuals.

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the Mendiola Massacre. Never forget. Never again.

Elsewhere:

• Mendiola Massacre slide show: 24 frames from 25 years ago - One gunshot sparked two parties to start shooting across Mendiola while rallyists ran for cover on January 22, 1987: the military with their firearms, and the photographers with their cameras. Photographers Ramon Acasio and Luis Liwanag captured these photos from the fateful day that saw 13 lives lost and more injured from the group of farmers and their supporters advocating “genuine land reform.”
• Mendiola Massacre: Survivor recounts horror 25 years later - Shot between the eyes and declared brain dead, Bong Manlulu was not expected to come out alive from the Mendiola Massacre on January 22, 1987.
• 25 years after, justice for Mendiola Massacre victims still nowhere in sight
• Lusisita Farmers commemorate 25th year of Mendiola Massacre today

Source: juanrepublic

23 January 60 Permalink

Do You Still Give a Damn?

This day marks the 26th month of the infamous Ampatuan Massacre, a horrible event in our history where 58 people were killed, 34 of whom were journalists or working for the broadcast industry. But do you still care?

A few days ago, I wrote about the eleventh anniversary of EDSA Dos and why do people seem not to give a damn to throw a celebration. I assumed that people tend to forget it because it was a considered a nightmare, a dark part of of our history that should be forgotten and never be repeated again. It has transformed into a collective repressed memory for the Filipino people.

Repressed memory is a hypothetical concept used to describe a significant memory, usually traumatic ones, that has become unavailable for recall. It is also called motivated forgetting wherein the subject blocks painful or traumatic events in one’s life.

This massacre is undoubtedly one of the most horrible events in our history and democracy. Fifty-eight people were killed in an election-related violence, thirty-four of whom were people working for the broadcast industry in a country where there is supposed to be a freedom of the press.

This is an event so painful and traumatic that it could become a collective repressed memory for the family’s victims and Filipinos. But should it be?

No!

Unlike EDSA Dos where nobody seems to give a damn to throw a celebration and/or memorial every year (for obvious reasons, I believe), this one should be different.

Most of us may have forgotten this horrible event in our history. This issue may have been overshadowed by the recent issues in our country.

But by letting this event just pass us by our consciousness, it will appear that we are condoning the perpetrators of this crime. Or depriving justice to the victims and their families. Or killing the fifty-eight victims repeatedly. Or allowing the culture of impunity in our country. 

Impunity. Kawalang pakundangan. It’s like saying “Go ahead, kill everyone who are against your plans! Shoot the story tellers! We allow murder in our country! No one is punished by the way.”

We don’t want it that way, right? So what can we do as an ordinary citizen?

Never forget. Let us always put the Ampatuan massacre into consciousness. One way of doing it is to post something about it every 23rd of the month for everyone to see (on Facebook, Twitter, and in your blogs). This will help those who have forgotten to remember.

Be an educated and wise voter. The Ampatuan massacre is an election-related violence which involves (an alleged) private army. Choose your leaders wisely. Do not be swayed by their goods during the campaign season.

Be vigilant. Stay on guard, be watchful. Let us be our brother’s keeper. And let us keep an eye on the proceedings of the trial (even if it takes 55,000 years, according to Atty. Harry Roque).

Let us offer a minute of silence to remember the victims of the massacre. And ask God - or the Cosmos or some Force, depending on your belief - that this would never happen again.

Justice for the Victims of the Ampatuan Massacre. Never Forget. Never again. 

Elsewhere:

• On the Maguindanao massacre, impunity and the role of media in a supposed democracy (by ellobofilipino) -  Last November, during the second anniversary of the massacre, I asked what if there were no members of the media involved in the massacre, would the impact be the same? This is Sir Kim’s take on the issue.
• End Impunity. Remember Ampatuan. - TV-5/Interaksyon.com’s comprehensive page about the Ampatuan Massacre. (Two thumbs up for continuously updating this page.)

Source: juanrepublic

23 January 59 Permalink

EDSA Dos: A Historical Repression

Today is the eleventh anniversary of the conspiracy that ousted Former President Joseph Estrada from Malacañan Palace and put Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the helm of power in January 2001. We commonly know it by the name of EDSA Dos. And no one seems to give a damn to throw a celebration.

I have been observing the internet (Twitter, Facebook, and news websites) the whole day and no one posted a stuff about the day that changed our Political history. I searched the word “EDSA” on Twitter earlier and I only saw less than 10 tweets (mine included) about EDSA dos (The results are mostly MMDA’s traffic update on EDSA.).

How come nobody commemorated the events that happened eleven years ago at EDSA Shrine? Maybe because we are too busy talking about Chief Justice Renato Corona’s impeachment trial. Maybe because some of us chose to watch the filming of Bourne Legacy in Manila. Or too excited for Katy Perry’s concert. Or too busy watching the season premiere of American Idol and the finale of My Binondo Girl. 

Or is it because EDSA Dos is considered a nightmare, a dark part of our history that should be forgotten and should never be repeated again? Maybe yes.

Where were you eleven years ago?

I was eleven years old then, a graduating student in Elementary. The last days of the impeachment trial and the mass protest in EDSA Shrine coincided with our third quarterly exams. Prior to that, whenever I go home early from school, I see to it that I watch the impeachment trial. I can still remember how my classmates and I would horse around, imitating the Chief Justice, the Prosecution, and the Defense Panel. The words Objection your honor, overruled, and sustained became a part of our daily conversation.

I remember watching the controversial voting whether to open the second envelope or not with my father. I can still recall how Senators Pimentel and Drilon hugged each other and in tears, how Senator Legarda wept, how Chief Justice Davide removed his judicial robe, how the Prosecution panel resigned and walked out in disgust, and how the aunt of our current President, Senator Tessie Aquino-Oreta danced a la dougie in jubilation. Minutes after the controversial decision, the streets are filled with protesters, the car owners are blowing their horns, and the members of the crowd in EDSA Shrine, increased in number.

The next day, I remember my father putting up a printout of JOE’S COHORTS in the windshield of our car as a sign of protest. It is a mnemonic of the Senators who opposed the opening of the second envelope - Jaworski, Oreta, Enrile, Santiago, Coseteng, Osemeña, Honasan, Ople, Revilla, Tatad.

Text messaging is a new technology then (There were no unlimited text and calls promos though) and it also helped to spread the message to gather in EDSA Shrine and force the President to step down from office. As expected, ERAP jokes became rampant to taunt President Estrada. The Senators who opposed the opening of the second envelope were also not spared from taunts and heckling. Some of the famous lines then which I can still remember are Tadtarin si Tatad!, Oreta Dancing Queen!, and  Ninoy Aquino’s photo with the lines ‘My sister is not worth dying for’.

The protest to became festive with artists and bands performing at the stage and with the presence of, uhm, some artistas. (The most memorable personality then was President Estrada’s friend, Nora Aunor, who joined the crown on calling him to resign. But if there is one song which I can associate with the protest, it would be Sam the Sham and the Paraoh’s ‘Wooly Bully’ which the protesters sang as ‘Huling-huli! Si Erap! Huling-huli!

Though I was not present with the protesters during that time, for obvious reasons, I made myself updated by constantly tuning in to news programs on television. And some of the memories were still vivid because when I was in high School, my tambayan is our library and I have repeatedly read this coffee table book:

The President was ousted eleven years ago today and his Vice President succeeded him - with the help of the high-ranking military officials, political and business elites, and the Catholic Church led by Jaime Cardinal Sin. Conspiracy, as they say, to oust the President extra-constitutionally, a de facto coup that led to the  proclamation of Gloria Arroyo.

In the later months and years, Erap would be arrested, EDSA tres would happen, Erap would come out saying he was forced to sign a resignation paper during the height of EDSA Dos, and Gloria Arroyo would become the infamous President that we know today.

Is EDSA Dos a historical success? No. Did it play an important part in history? Maybe, but what we learned more are lessons for the future of our country.

A contemporary Filipino writer who goes by the pen name Bob Ong, wrote something about EDSA Dos in his book Stainless Longganisa. He compared the protest in EDSA to drinking antibiotics to cure a disease.

He wrote that it is wrong to immediately go to the street to call for the resignation of a leader - or to immediately drink antibiotic without first consulting the doctor. Time will come that the bacteria would become immune to antibiotics and it would be more difficult to cure the disease. Just like the cancer of our society, the more we use the usual way of cure, that is, to march in the streets and call for change, time might come that the usual way will no longer work for us. And worse, during the time when we really need change.

Many of the prominent personas involved during the EDSA Dos have already expressed their regret on being a part of that event. And maybe, most of the participants in EDSA and in key cities of the country who helped, in a way, put Gloria Arroyo into power in 2001 did the same.

It is said that we cannot change history, and that there are no ifs in it. But we can always carve the future of our country. May the lessons of the events of yesteryears be a guide on making a better future for our country.

Today is the eleventh anniversary of EDSA Dos. Did it already become a repressed memory? Do you still give a damn about it?

Today is the eleventh anniversary of the EDSA Dos. And no one seems to gives a damn to throw a celebration. And I don’t think the woman who replaced Joseph Estrada, who is now detained at the Presidential Suite of Veteran’s Memorial Medical Center, is celebrating either.

Elsewhere:

• When Last the Military Withrew Support (2006) - Dean Jorge Bocobo’s (and Amando Doronilla’s) commentary and chronology of events of the EDSA Dos. Some of the details here are unknown to me until now. This is a must read.
• The Stupidity of EDSA 2 People Power Gulbles Relived (2008)
• ‘Never Again’, says girl holding Bible at Arroyo oath-taking - Remember the girl who held the Bible during Arroyo’s oath-taking in 2001? (This is a thread of comments. Please refer to the post of ‘dokdok’.)

Source: juanrepublic

20 January 56 Permalink

From Apprehension to Comprehension

When I was a little kid, there were two things that come to my mind whenever I hear the words AIDS and HIV. The first was Sarah Jane Salazar. Second, that it was a contagious, incurable, fatal disease, a death sentence of sort, and is something to be feared of.

Sarah Jane Salazar was a prominent figure during the late nineties. She was a Filipino AIDS activist and educator and the second Filipino with HIV to go public. She stirred controversy in 1997 when she was charged with child abuse for having sex with 16-year old Ritchie Atezado without protection. She later bore two children who were both tested negative for HIV. Her partner Rithchie, on the other hand, was later tested positive.

I was raised watching the evening news and current affairs programs (like Brigada Siyete and Magandang Gabi Bayan) and the story of Sarah Jane was like a serye that is being followed during those years. I can still recall the story of a young Arnold Clavio on Brigada Siete that documented Sarah Jane’s life, health, and advocacy. (Arnold Clavio would later be her kumpare when she asked the latter to be her child’s godfather.) In June 11, 2000, Sarah Jane died of AIDS complications.

Watching the stories of Sarah Jane and other victims, I saw AIDS then as something to be feared of. Seeing the images of victims from Africa and Cambodia, who have lost their appetite, thin, very sick, and abandoned by their loved ones added my fright to the disease.

Because of my fear of HIV/AIDS, I developed these beliefs. It has no cure. If you contacted it, then you must count your remaining days on this planet. You will be abandoned. You will be hated. You will be feared. It’s the modern-day leprosy wherein the victims must be isolated from the public.

But that was before I was educated on the disease. That was before I see things differently. That was before I expose myself to different stories of hope, survival, compassion, and love.

My first experience of awakening was when I watched one episode of Hirayamanawari (I’m not sure if it is that program or some other educational program during the last glorious days of quality local television programs). There was this boy who accidentally contacted HIV/AIDS after undergoing a blood transfusion during an appendectomy. After being tested positive for HIV/AIDS, his friends, due to their ignorance of the disease, started to isolate him for fear of contacting the same disease for they thought that mere physical contact can bring AIDS. The young boy died at the end of the story but thanks to the doctors and his parents’ help, his friends understand more what HIV/AIDS is.

With that simple presentation, the way I view the disease changed. It also thought me the importance of the support of the patient’s family and friends.

Fast forward to year 2000, I was in Grade 6 when we discussed HIV/AIDS in school. If my memory serves me right, it was included in our Science and Health subject. Our teacher, who happened to be one of my favorites, tackled the basics of the disease and on how it would be prevented. She even let us do a skit on how to avoid contacting the disease (infected needles, blood transfusion, etc.). Though included in our school textbook, for obvious reasons, we did not demonstrate how to practice safe sex then.

It has been more than a decade since I stopped fearing the disease. And in those years, I have encountered numerous movements, groups, and advocacy to raise the awareness to the disease.

In today’s world where sex can be as casual as a fist bump, various ways and movements to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS have sprung up. Safe sex, condom, protection, you name it.

Safety. It’s as if it is stupid to go on a joust with another knight without your armor, it is also stupid to have sex without, er, protection. 

Though some of the ways, beliefs and advocacy challenge my personal beliefs (and faith, if you may permit), I believe that we can all agree on a common ground wherein our similarities will help us fight together for a good cause:

Awareness. Education. Understanding. Empathy.

Awareness. In the course of history, battles are won primarily by acknowledging the peril, danger, and the possible aftermath. Before all the planning of military tactics and search for a cure, one must first acknowledge that there is an imminent threat or danger. HIV/AIDS does exist. We may not have a cure yet for it but that doesn’t mean that we cannot do something about it.

Education. In my opinion, if there is one thing more fatal than the disease itself, it would be ignorance. HIV/AIDS has been here for quite sometime now and there are a lot of people who are willing to shed light on this feared disease. Know the disease. Know its symptoms. Know its cause. Know how to possibly avoid it. Your paranoia over the disease might be the cause of your early demise. Be educated. Call it a cliche but still, prevention is better than cure.

Understanding. Being aware and educated of the disease is not enough. There are HIV positive patients whose sufferings are doubled because of discrimination and the wrong and lack of understanding of the disease. I believe that there are bad things in this world which are brought primarily by misunderstanding. And we can be a part of changing this. 

Empathy. It is the capacity to recognize and share feelings that are being experienced by others. Unlike sympathy, empathy is like putting ourselves in the place of others. It is more personal. By putting ourselves into the mental shoes of another person, especially the victims of HIV/AIDS, we will know them better. It is only then that we can show wholeheartedly our love, support, and compassion.

I will not preach here about the different ways to prevent HIV/AIDS. I will just leave it to the experts. And I know that you are educated with the basic knowledge about the disease.

It doesn’t matter to me if you are a supporter or a critic of safe sex, condoms, and other protection. I believe that no matter how HIV/AIDS volunteers or your religious institutions teach you about how you use your personal and sexual freedom, the decision is still up to you.

An international group of scientists has traced the ancestry of the virus that caused AIDS back to strains found in African monkeys. If we will believe Charles Darwin’s theory, we humans are descendants of the earlier species of monkeys. But there are two things that differentiates us from this creatures aside from appendix - freedom and intellect.

We are creatures endowed with freedom and intellect. We are the ones whodrive our own life. We have the control of our body. We are free to choose an option. We are intelligent creatures.

As we commemorate today’s World AIDS Day, let us be aware of the disease, be educated on how to prevent it, understand the victims, and empathize to help them fight the disease. Together, we can defeat this. I hope this year’s celebration is one of the last ones.

Spread the love. Spread the word. Spread the knowledge. Not the virus.

Elsewhere:

• I am no expert when it comes to AIDS and HIV but you can talk to my good Tumblr buddy Gelo (@pananaghoy), an HIV counselor from the AIDS Society of the Philippines. You can also visit his blog and see the other important links on his page.
• The AIDS Society of the Philippines - The AIDS Society of the Philippines (ASP) is a leading association of individuals from the government, non-government agencies, and the private sector, with a common unifying interest in preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS.
• Boy Positibo - Journal of a Pinoy HIV positive
• Take the Test Project - they provide adequate information about HIV and AIDS and make HIV test more accessible to everyone.
• A Continuing Battle - Philippine STAR’s editorial about the World AIDS Day.
• Awareness of an Important and Undeniable Situation - Gee’s take on the World AIDS Day.

Source: juanrepublic

1 December 64 Permalink