Accents
A daughter remembers… (2)
(Last week I gave my space to May Wan, daughter of Luisa Posa-Dominado who was abducted along with Nilo Arado by elements still unknown—on the night of April 12, 2007 in Cabanbanan, Oton, Iloilo. This week I yield my space to the other daughter, Tamara, who was not yet 15 on that black day of April. She lost what would have been the guiding hand of her teenage years. Unedited, these are outpourings of a young mind trying to understand her mother’s self-sacrifice for the sake of country and people. A daughter remembers them all…as we, friends and relatives of Luisa and Nilo, remember their unrealized hopes and uncompromising principles. Do they still have the breath of life in them? Hopelessness is an awful word and it is not the answer. Living the dream and the idealism is the answer — by all means, a challenge to honor the Desaparecidos under the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.)
What would you do if you were Smart, Rich and Beautiful? You could have anything you want, be anything you want. If you had everything, would you give it all up just so you could stand up for what you believe in?
The Martial Law era was an awful time to live. You never knew what would happen to you and everyone else you know. Anyone could die at any given moment. The masses went hungry. The rich prospered, just as long as you were on the right list.
Someone needed to take a stand to end such atrocities. That someone needs to be bold, courageous and willing to give up everything, even their lives, for the sake of everyone else. There were a lot of people who took this stand. These were normal people who risked their lives because they have had just about enough of being tricked by some mad man posing as the president. These were people who wanted peace and justice for everyone. And one of these people was my mother.
In the stories they told me as a child my mother joined the cause through the persuasions of her brothers. She was still schooling at the time at USA where she got kicked out for her “extra- curricular activities”. I heard stories as a child about her escaping prison four times, about her dodging flanks of soldiers in the mountains, dodging bullets here and there. These captivated me, and I’ve always thought of my mom as somewhat of a hero.
My sister was born during these stories they told me were being played out. Heck, during her birth there were soldiers chasing after our mom. But I, you see, was born 7 years after the martial law. The country was almost back to normal. And I never got to witness what my mother did let alone grasp the concepts and the meanings of what she did.
As a kid she’d take me to her many offices. I never understood any of what they talked about, but I knew it’ll help lots of people in some off town or baranggay or something. She’d take me to lots of rallies and other places where they’d implement their projects. Not somewhere you’d usually take a kid to.
As a kid I have always understood what she and my father did. They’d always explain it to me and my sister but I’d never listen anyways. I have always known. And that’s why I never asked them to stop what they do. Even as I experience complications in my life and wishing that someday it would be normal, I still won’t ask her to stop. Because what they do is beautiful. The most beautiful thing any person could do. Self-sacrifice.
Now back to that last question. If you had everything, would you give it all up just so you could stand up for what you believe in? Well, my mom did. I could never have done what she did. I’m too much of a coward. But she, she has all the courage in the family. And she was my mom. And I had to share her with everyone else. But I never mind. Everyone else needed her.
But now, I am scared to think what would happen to those people who needed her help. The people who need her voice to speak out their pleas to those who should’ve heard them in the first place. Who would have the courage like her to give up their everything?
(Email: lagoc@hargray.com)