Lessons In EDSA

I wasn’t’ able to join the People Power Revolution back in 1986. I was too young then. I just turned 14.

Neither was I able to join EDSA 2. It was physically impossible since I was too far away. I was living in Los Angeles then.

EDSA 3? I don’t think so. Even if this is the third chance for me to join a potentially historic event in unseating a president, I think I would choose to pass.

I have nothing against those people who march out to the streets to fight for what they believe in. People like Professor Randy David have always made it clear that this society needs changes. Radical changes.

But somehow, I believe that Filipinos haven’t really learned their lessons. And I’m not only talking about lessons in EDSA here but more so in realizing that EDSA is just the first step. Rebuilding a nation requires a lot more hard work than trooping to that famous stretch of road dissecting this metropolis.

I remember way back in 1987, at the first year anniversary of the original People Power Revolution, our most-feared History teacher required us to join the celebrations commemorating the event. I was young, idealistic, nationalistic, and I wore Haruta leather shoes. Without my socks on. Yes, my dear wife, I was a certified fashion victim back then. Imagine me walking the stretch of EDSA from Ortigas to Camp Aguinaldo wearing my leather loafers. Predictably, at the end of the day, my two feet were sore from all the blisters I got from that ordeal.

But the thing is I learned my lesson well. Wear the appropriate shoes for the proper occasion.

For the Filipino people, we cannot hope to go far on this journey if we do not learn the lessons history keeps on teaching us. Just like the blisters on my feet, these would prevent us from moving further.