A Birthday Party for the Ages
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The author with sunglasses, on the right.
I hired an Angkas motorcycle driver, Kuya Alex (except that his mom is only a year older than me so he is hardly an older brother to me!) who picked me up in Marbella Manila to take me to the condo of Dea's brother in law further down Roxas Blvd. past where the Asian Development Bank used to be in Pasay City, closer to the rally site. I found out that he also is a Leni supporter so I convinced him to join the rally with me instead of just picking me up again at midnight as originally planned. He arrived decked in Leni-Kiko arm sleeves that riders love, and a Leni face mask. We parked his motorcycle beside Dr. Jimmy Lozano's sparkling Harley Davidson and then walked for what seemed like forever to the rally site at 3:30 p.m. We got only as far as the HK Sun Plaza Building on Macapagal Avenue through the thickest crowd you can imagine, and then could go no further. So there we stayed with a mostly young crowd watching a video screen of what was happening in the 3 stages so very far away from where we were. But never mind, we all felt united.
Kuya Alex, the Angkas motorcycle driver I hired.
I was amazed at the young people around me. They were in a party mode and obviously came in gangs. But even as they danced and whooped it up, they were actually listening and reacting to everything that was being said on the stages. And just like us when we were young like them, they knew all the lyrics to the songs!
People kept offering us food and water. It was a big street party and people brought food to share. I finally had one tuna sandwich and a bottle of water. I was wary about removing my mask to eat and also didn’t want to drink too much water lest I have to find a toilet.
The drones flying overhead to video the crowds were greeted with such glee! They would hover so close above our heads which would delight the young folks to near delirium.
When megastar, Sharon Cuneta Pangilinan started to talk, they clapped and cheered but not as loudly as when Vice Ganda came onstage. That's when they all just started screaming and jumping and cheering. I realized what a huge generation gap existed between me and these young ones. Sharon is big deal to my generation but not to them. And Gary Valenciano's son Gab got two or three times louder and more enthusiastic response from them, DUH!
Gary Valenciano and son Gab (Source: facebook)
Leni's speech was brief but to the point. Even as she tried to be inclusive and advise us to be respectful of everyone's differing beliefs, she encouraged us to continue talking to people and upholding the truth and facts. Only 14 days left! She definitely has the momentum. I only hope it’s enough to avert the disaster of a Marcos comeback!
We finally made our way slowly out of the rally after Leni spoke at about 11pm! The walk back to Dr. Jimmy Lozano's condo was a much cooler exercise than the afternoon, but exhausting just the same, amidst a thick and very slowly moving crowd. The climb up the concrete overpass to cross Roxas Blvd. was challenging. I wondered how much weight load that structure could take as we slowly inched our way.
Very luckily, coincidentally or by happenstance, I had to go to my dentist the day before this rally for an emergency repair of my front tooth which I chipped. And she was using this wearable gadget called Easy Flow (www.easyflowusa.com) with a tube that you stick through your N95 mask and it delivers fresh hepa-filtered air to you so you breathe easy through double masks. She uses that all the time she works on patients, staring down their mouths. I immediately bought two units for Dea and myself and I swear they were life savers! I don't think I could have lasted with my double mask for the 8 hours that I spent rallying for Leni!!!!
I am happy we were there to be counted. Crowd estimate was 410,000.
May this and the other rallies translate to votes and may we finally get the President we truly deserve!
Ma-an Hontiveros is a Business Consultant, Environmentalist and a staunch advocate for the Arts. She was a student activist during the First Quarter Storm of 1970 and remains an activist to this day. She received the Outstanding Achievement Medal for Public Service from the Armed Forces of the Philippines for her role in the liberation of the government TV Station during the 1986 People Power Revolution, and the EDSA People Power Commission Freedom Award in 2019.
