back when edsa happened

Photo mine.

I was too young to fully grasp the gravity of what was really happening, but I was old enough to understand something was going on.

I was eight years old. It was 1986. I wasn't sure what all the commotion about but I was happy that school was canceled for several days. All I understood at that time was that the whole nation was divided about Marcos and Cory. As a kid I always thought of President Marcos as a nice guy; my grandfather sorta knew him. And there was this nice lady named Cory who was running for president against him.

All I knew as a child about Cory was that she was the widow of Ninoy, the guy who they said was shot by Marcos' guys a few years earlier (I didn't quite get it then but I saw videos of his bloody body in the news; he was shot in the head and the bullet exited through his chin, my classmate told me). And she always wore yellow, Ninoy's signature color. And that the First Lady looked down on her for her umanicured fingernails (I even remember a cleverly laid-out magazine spread showing a photo of a smirking Imelda beside a shot of a smiling Cory holding up her hands to show her nails). Everybody seemed to like her, so i decided that I liked her as well.

A lot of people seemed to start hating Marcos. Before school got canceled, it was fashionable for kids to ask each other "Are you for Marcos or for Cory?," even if we didn't quite know what the heck we were talking about. I assumed that because he was the current president I was supposed to be for him, so without thinking I had answered, "Marcos". That was when my young activist friends educated me about his evils. I heard that he stole a lot of money and had a lot of people killed. Exactly how and why he did that, I didn't know how or why. I just started seeing him as evil incarnate, and out of peer pressure, I switched my vote to Cory.

There was Marcos-Tolentino, red and blue, on one side.
Cory-Doy, yellow and green on the other.

It was that time that I heard terms like "snap elections"and "democracy".

Songs like "Magkaisa", "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo" and "Bayan Ko" floated about, even until the next few years.

Yellow was the color of the day.

I didn't exactly know why we didn't have classes, but as the adults at home were glued to the news, I knew there were crowds in the streets, and tanks and soldiers. And nuns. June Keithley kept us constantly updated on Channel 4.

My mom participated in some of the crowd activity. I heard later that she had a serving of tear gas.

As for my dad, i didn't see him for days. He was in the military and worked in the Department of National Defense. I learned later that he was one of the first RAM boys, or those men in the Reform the Armed Forces Movement - rebels in the eyes of the administration, heroes to everyone else (At that particular time, it was a good thing to be in the opposition, that was Cory's side). My Dad was detained by his work for days at Camp Aguinaldo with Defense Minister Enrile (back then, they were called "minister" instead of "secretary"), General Ramos and a number of military men.

After a few days of Papa's absence from home, Mama gathered some of his shirts and stuff in a plastic bag and walked to the Camp Aguinaldo main gate (the house where we used to live was in a village just beside Camp Aguinaldo, it must have been one or two kilometers' walk). The gate was barred, enforced and heavily guarded; people were having a ruckus just outside. Mama went up to the gate with her plastic bag (she was never intimidated by soldiers, she grew up seeing them since my grandfather was a general) and slung it over to the top of the bars, where Papa was perched waiting for her delivery.

I would have considered that real sweet, except that only I learned about it after they were already separated, so there.

During this whole historic going-on, Papa dropped by the house briefly once; he just had to grab some stuff and then return to work immediately. I missed him a lot so I greeted him with a hug, but I pulled away as soon as I realized he stank from days without a shower. He showed us the Philippine flag patches that they wore on their arms: on the sleeve of his thick, rough uniform was a square of sturdy fabric with a print of the flag, red side up (It wasn't sewn on; it was held by four safety pins). And then he was off again, gone for another while. I wondered if I was wrong to worry if he could die in all that. Well, he didn't - it was a peaceful revolution, after all. He came home after a few more days, smelling worse.

After the whole revolution was over, my aunt showed me Papa's name in the newspaper, saying, "Do you know, your dad's a hero!"

By the way - Papa has numerous People Power souvenirs, a lot of them more interesting than stuff in most people's collections. He not only has button pins, Cory-Doy campaign merchandise, coffee table books and People Power comics. He was keen to make himself a photocopy of the yellow pad Enrile and Ramos used as a sign-up sheet (Papa's name was signed right there on the first page). He had the button pins and paraphernalia that RAM boys used; he also kept those flag fabric-patches that he wore, as well as the safety pins. He even has an Enrile-autographed book, and shrapnel from the scene.His souvenirs were later useful for me in high school when our class put together a People Power memorabilia exhibit for Social Studies.

Newsmen kept tabs on Enrile, Ramos and the RAM boys at that time that they were standing off against Marcos. On television were clips of uniformed men with large guns on the roof of the buildings of the Department of National Defense and AFP Headquarters in Aguinaldo. The likes of Gringo Honasan, Red Kapunan and Tiger Tecson became celebrities.

There is this clip that became iconic and popular, and has been used for documentaries on the Edsa Revolution: Enrile was on the telephone with Marcos one evening, surrounded by soldiers and media men. In a precise but emphatic manner, like a scene in a movie, he said, "Mr. President, your time is up." My dad happened to be in that very room and witnessed - participated in - that actual event.

As we were all committed to our TV set, keeping updated, we pretty soon saw images of kids and nuns giving flowers to soldiers on Edsa, rioters vandalizing paintings in Malacanang. It was utter anarchy, but there was a whole sense of happiness going on. News reporters and TV personalities weeping and hugging each other.

My brother and I, young as we were, made an appearance at Edsa too, with my mom, her friends and some relatives. I didn't even know what was going on, it just seemed real big; I didn't even know it was important, or historical. I have a vague recollection of things, which includes a memory of Cardinal Sin making a speech and a mass of yellow balloons. Street vendors were selling yellow button pins, yellow ribbons and headbands, yellow Cory shirts, Ninoy shirts that said "Hindi ka nag-iisa", Cory dolls, Cory everything. I took home a little Cory rag doll - which looked nothing like her, but you knew it was her because of the yellow dress, the curly black yarn for hair and the looped-wire glasses.

I caught a tiny glimpse of the real Cory by the way, at the PMA graduation in Baguio a few weeks later - a little yellow speck behind a waving yellow flag. Everyone seemed so happy at that time, like it was a massive national celebration.

And oh, I had some photos taken with Gringo, who was then a hero (but was later a national nuisance, and then a fugitive, and then a Senator, and then a wanted man again).

The following schoolyear, students had new details to memorize for Philippine History class - names, dates and events in relation to the People Power Revolution. Details that were apparently immensely important enough for publishing houses to produce updated textbooks immediately for the next semester.

The Philippines made world headlines for awhile for People Power, the peaceful revolution, as well as for the goings-on that led up to it.

February 25 became a new Philippine holiday.

Cory became the first woman president in the world. She became Time Magazine's Person of the Year. She brought back democracy, they say; she gave a fresh start for the Filipinos.

In a while, the Cory magic seemed to fade. People were verbally bashing her left and right, there were numerous coups, fiery oppositions and counter-cases for libel. The image of Cory the hero seemed to have disintegrated into Cory the intellectually-challenged housewife. I then wondered what made people change their minds about someone they previously venerated, why and how someone so adored became someone so widely hated. I thought maybe it was partially her annoying youngest daughter who suddenly became an actress who couldn't act.

Of course, years and other presidents later, I came to understand.

The magic was reignited last August 2009 when she came to rest, and people forgave her her wrongs. Yellow flooded the streets again, yellow ribbons were ubiquitous - I found it fascinating that designers coincidentally decided that yellow was the color of the year (even before her death). People brought out their "Edsa" stories and souvenirs, "Magkaisa" was again given airplay. The whole country was once more glued to their television screens to witness a common event - this time, it was Madam Cory's funeral. From the glorious sendoff the citizens gave her, it is clear she will always be a symbol of freedom in this country, despite all the bad memories she left us with.

Photo mine. Taken at Cory and Ninoy's site at Manila Memorial Park.

On the 24th anniversary of People Power, i find myself not really caring. Perhaps I was too young when it happened so I don't ever get emotional about it. I just saw Ramos and some personalities walk arm-in-arm, Edsa style, toward the People Power monument. I've been watching studio-23 telecasts of A Dangerous Life, an HBO miniseries on the Edsa Revolution and the events leading up to it (It's boring, but informative. But i heard it's more fictional than factual, so I take it with a bit of salt). I suppose that next year, the 25th Anniversary, there will be a huge celebration coinciding with the release of a compilation album and the opening of several exhibits.

back when we were the world

I just caught the premier telecast of We Are The World 25, a remake of the 1985 chart-topper. This 25th anniversary version and features artists such as Kanye West, Pink, Jennifer Hudson, Barbra Streissand, Celine Dion and a host of others. It was remade for Haiti and the victims of the recent earthquake.

It brings back memories of course. We Are the World came out 1985. It was the brainchild of Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson and produced by USA for Africa.



It was one of the most heavily played songs on the radio. Anyone you ran into could sing it.

There was a stretch of time that its music video was aired on television daily. The video is very simple - just the stars singing in a studio. But I liked watching it because I had fun trying to identify the artists. Lionel Richie - Kenny Rogers - Michael Jackson - Diana Ross - Bruce Springsteen - Cyndi Lauper - Stevie Wonder.

It was also heavily covered - at least here. It was done from noontime shows to bars. My mom used to sneak us into bars when we were kids and I got to watch showband versions of We Are the World.

I suppose that the concept of gathering together big celebrities in a big production for a cause was novel then that it was emulated. Soon after there was Live Aid's Feed the World, and even a cast of local artists doing the national anthem in a similar style.

At the 25th year since it's release, the devastating earthquake came around and Lionel Richie came up with the idea of recreating We Are The World. I think the original is still better though; this new one for some reason sounds a bit less polished. Nice try that hiphop and reggae elements were put in, but I found it too sloppy.

I think it was sweet that Michael Jackson was spliced in from the original footage. But it was totally creepy.

back when rivermaya was a sellout band

In a segment of last night's news, a reporter interviewed celebrities for their opinions on a COMELEC proposal to basically ban entertainers from endorsing candidates for the upcoming elections. In a brief snippette were a few members of the rock band Rivermaya - endorsers of presidentiable Gibo Teodoro and performers of his campaign jingle. I caught a glimpse of guitarist Mike Elgar and couldn't help noticing that he still looks a lot like he used to in high school.

I also couldn't help notice that the band called Rivermaya is an immensely different reincarnation of the band that was born sometime in the early nineties. Aside from the member overhaul, they kinda even have an all-new sound and overall personality.

I never was a fan of Rivermaya. I always found their songs ... er... too ... mainstream. The lyrics are clever (but not brilliant), their music kinda lacks edge and personality, like they were the kind of band that was afraid to experiment or go too extreme because it's all about producing something entirely "sellable". I don't know for sure of course; it's all just my opinion. "Rivermaya has always been a sellout kind of band," some stranger told me once in retrospect. And yeah, one could say they were good artists in a mainstream, pop-rock, sellout kind of way.

It was 1994 when Rivermaya's first single Ulan, was first (over)played. I was a sixteen-year-old high school junior then.

Ulan was an almost-instant crowd favorite; it gained the band A-list status and was the first of many hits. Bamboo was on vocals, Perf De Castro on guitars, Mark Escueta on drums, Rico Blanco and Nathan Azarcon somewhere in there. Those guys were all under twenty years old when they became famous.

One interesting trivial tidbit that people must have forgotten is that the young Bamboo used to have long hair (Whenever I saw him on television, I would always remark that that look just didn't work for him; his hair was always was too flat and greasy-looking. And with that big mouth and those puffy eyes he was plain UGLY. He's a lot less upsetting now that he's bald).

At that time, Michael Elgar was a senior at ADMU High, already acknowledged by his peers as a guitar demigod and band-competition winner. (If I remember correctly, he had a band called Elgy's Blueberry Juice then ... and he had another called Black Roses in his elementary days. I never knew him personally, but ever since grade school, he was the kind of guy that girls knew about. And oh - he had braces back then). Not yet the rock star we know him to be today, he was then just one among the sea of fans of Bamboo et al.

Rivermaya remained one of the country's most popular bands through the '90s. Their singles were played massively to the point of easy recall. They weren't only on the radio and music videos; their songs were used as commercial jingles, movie soundtracks and cover band performances.

As much as I disliked their music, you gotta admit they made for good soundtrack. In a project for Electronic Media class back in college, my groupmates and I included Hinahanap-hanap Kita in a "romantic comedy" short we produced (And a bit more trivia: among my groupmates were Paolo of Moonstar '88 [then called Orphan Lily] and his missus Mara, Monsterbot's Karl and direk Avid. Our lead actor for that video was then-CFA-tambay now famous as Kamikazee's Jay).

At the turn of the century, Bamboo disappeared from the band and Rico Blanco took over as frontman (by then, Perf De Castro had already long dropped out and formed a flopped band called Triaxis; I vaguely remember it for cheesy, jologish, mid-'90s rock ballads in Filipino).

With Rico Blanco at the helm, the band seemed to have developed a more distinct personality and maybe a bit more sex appeal. Some people would have argued that Bamboo's departure made the band tank, but the way I see it, it just made them a bit less mainstream - which isn't exactly bad if you think about it. I.m.h.o., the Rico Blanco songs were more brilliant than the Bamboo ones. Bamboo may have been the more spirited performer, but Rico was the artist. Besides, it's more fun to watch a sexier, more attractive frontman. Bamboo just couldn't rock the shirtless look.

Meanwhile, Bamboo formed his own band named after himself, which I think was equally if not more successful.

I think Mike Elgar became the new lead guitarist around the time that Rico Blanco moved up front. Like i said, I never was a fan of the band and I don't follow them, so I didn't really notice. I just spotted him on television one day - Uy, si Mike Elgar yung bagong gitarista?! It was easy to recognize him because like I said, he still looks pretty much the same as he did in high school.

I remember catching the closing act for MTV Pilipinas on the telly (I don't quite remember what year; it was the one in which Pepe Smith was souped up as usual and was "improvising" onstage) - a few of the country's top rock icons came together for a smashing performance. Mike Elgar performed a guitar duet side-by-side with Francis Reyes of The Dawn. The Francis Reyes. I was just amused at seeing an 80's guitar titan with a "younger" star. Reyes was the inspiration and aspiration of guitarists of our generation from when we were kids; I'm quite sure Elgar used to dream about meeting him, and now happened to play on the same platform as him. Kinda reminds me of that Mark Wahlberg rockstar movie whatzitcalled - of how a former fan could play in the band he admired in his youth. Elgy is now an icon of sorts himself, prolly the new Francis Reyes of this generation.

Also amusing is how Rivermaya seemed to have done the reverse of what most bands from the '90s did. While most crossed over from the alternative scene and sold out into the mainstream, Rivermaya went from mainstream into a sort of alternative. Not entirely of course - they're clearly still holding up a certain sellable quality. And speaking of sellable, I also notice they're now more of a "pogi band" - stylish duds and tons of hair product, far from the unkempt look and slouchy clothes the original group donned in the mid-'90s.

back when we played atari and used joysticks

I remember the day when our uncle introduced us to Atari. We only used to see arcade games played by white boys on TV, and it was such a thrill that we had our very own Atari thingy - hours of indoor fun! We felt so privileged since none of the other kids we knew had one yet.

Photos from AtariAge.

Back then, "joystick" wasn't the least bit a dirty word. So if I say "Our uncle showed us how to work the joystick", it doesn't mean nor imply anything nasty.

Shift the joystick up, down, left and right to move your "player" - it was that simple. No complex combos, no special attacks. The most special attack was to press the red button to fire or whatever. Everything was in large-pixel, eight-color 2-d.

I was really tiny then, so was Pong was one of the few games I could play with some degree of satisfaction. It's a two-player game of table tennis in simple pixels. All I had to do was move my "player" up and down to deflect the square "ball".


Pong was one of the first - if not the very first - video games. I guess anyone can tell from its pixelated primitiveness.

The most popular game then was Pac Man - it used to be so high tech. I tried playing it, but I always failed at the first level. I developed a sort of hatred toward Pac Man - I think that contributed to my general disinterest toward all things video game to this day.


I had a bit more success with Space Invaders. It was my favorite one - it was as simple as moving left and right, and pressing the red button rapidly to fire at the incoming aliens.

Yar's Revenge was already a bit complex. I never even got what the objective was. The cartridge had an artwork of a luminous-looking giant fly, but the graphic in the game itself looked nothing like.


Atari was our go-to recreation source for some time (that and the Betamax), and looking back, I can't imagine something so simple being so addictive.

Atari's popularity waned a few years later, after some Japanese geeks developed the Family Computer and introduced colorful, more complicated games that were basically Pac Man with a twist.

In another few years, Nintendo came out with even more complex recreation. And in yet another few years came the Console Wars, in which Sony and Nintendo kept grinding out bigger, better, faster stuff in rapid succession, one after another, for the growing ADHD of our generation. And before we knew it, games came in 3-d, rapid action, multilayered sound.

The video game has gone through a helluva makeover in three decades. Today's MMORPGs are a far leap from Pong.

I am amused though that Pac Man seems to have made a comeback on people's laptops. It's not an upgrade or a remake - it's still classic, up- down-right-left Pac Man. It's like we've come full circle.

back when parokya was young

Another entry in Taglish.

Kung tama ang pagkakaalala ko, March 1994 noon; patapos na ang schoolyear. Ang graduating batch ng Ateneo de Manila High School ay nagra-wrap up na ng kanilang apat na taon sa high school -- ilang linggo ng grad practice, clearance at iba't ibang non-academic activities na pampalubag-loob. Isang hapon, nagtipon-tipon ang mga studyante sa High School Covered Courts* para sa isang event. Sa kalagitnaan ng programa, may pumanik sa stage na banda: ilang mga magkakalase mula sa graduating batch.

*Oo, may S talaga yun.

Sinimulan nilang tugtugin ang Creep* ng Radiohead. Nakilala ng mga mag-aaral ang tugtog, at nag-cheer sila. Pero nang kumakanta na ang vocalist, iba yata ang lyrics - ha, tagalog? Kumanta siya tungkol sa craving niya para sa siopao na special. Ang kanta nilang ito ay hindi Creep, kundi Trip ang pamagat.

* Ang Creep ay isang kantang noise-rock na sikat na sikat na sikat na sikat to the point of rocker anthem noong mga araw na 'yon

Trip nga talaga - laugh trip. Ang galing ng wording, at saka ang kulit - in a really good way.

Nagpakilala nga pala ang banda: "Kami ang ... Parokya Ni Edgar!"

Hindi pa actually Parokya Ni Edgar ang pangalan nila at that time, kundi Comic Relief - kasi nga, pang-comic relief ang mga novelty rock songs nila. Ang phrase na "Parokya Ni Edgar" ay isang inside joke ng section nila. Isa itong impromptu smart-aleck answer ng classmate nila noong tinatalakay sa Filipino class ang El Filibusterismo ni Jose Rizal.

"Saan (blah blah blah) si Crisostomo Ibarra?," tanong ni Teacher.
Ang sagot ng nagulantang na estudyante, "Sa ... parokya ni Edgar!"* **

* Ang ibig sabihin ng parokya ay "parish" o "parish church". Kung sino si Edgar, hindi ko alam.
** Ang estudyanteng iyon ay ang kaklase nilang nagngangalang Bambi Cuna (info provided by Chito).

Obviously, benta. So nung ini-introduce nila ang mga sarili sa programang 'yon sa Ateneo High, bigla na lang nasabi ang phrase / inside joke na ang mga ka-section lang nila ang makaka-get. At mula noon, dumikit na ang bago nilang pangalan.

"Our next song is a song by a blonde nun,"* sabi nila . At saka tinugtog nila ang What's Up ng 4 Non-Blondes.

* Siyempre mga ingglisero pa, Atenista pa sila nun eh.

Tinugtog din nila ang Nanakaw Ang Wallet Ko, na version nila ng Knocking On Heaven's Door ng Guns n' Roses / Bob Dylan. Patok na patok sila sa mga ka-eskwela nila dahil sa kakwelahan.

Pagkagraduate, bumenta din sila sa ibang tao. Ang iba sa kanila nag-college sa Ateneo, ang iba nag-UP*, at tinuloy ng ilan ang pagba-banda. Eventually nawala sa Parokya ang dalawang original members nito from Ateneo high, pero nag-merge naman sila sa mga dating member ng bandang Looney Tunes. Na-form ang Parokya na kilala natin ngayon:

Chito Miranda on lead vocals
Darius Semana on lead guitar
Gab Chee Kee on rhythm
Buwi Meneses on bass
Dindin Moreno on drums
Vinci Montaner ... ano nga ba siya?

* UP: University of the Philippines. Naging kaklase ko si Chito sa College of Fine Arts. Si Vinci naging kaklase ko sa GE 'nung freshman (sa isang subject kung saan marami kaming binagsak ng walanhiyang prof); naalala ko lang sa kanya ay pogi siya noon at napapag-initan ng prof na mukhang manyak. Madalas kong nakikita ang Parokya boys sa CFA, lalo na kung may tugtog sila sa UP, which is madalas mangyari. Minsang naka-tambay ko sila sa tindahan ni Manang Babes.

Kahit wala pa silang album noon, sikat na sikat sila sa mga nagpapaka-rocker na suki ng Club Dredd* at Mayrics**. Alam ng mga fans ang mga kanta tulad ng Cooking ng Ina Mo, Chikinini (spoof ng Banal na Aso / Santong Kabayo ng Yano) at Pangarap Ko sa Buhay.

* Oo nga pala - nasa Km 19 Edsa pa ang Dredd noon. At ni wala pang Eastwood.
** Sazi's na ngayon ang Mayrics.

1995, sumikat ang kanta nilang Buloy - una sa NU 107 at humawa na sa ibang mga station - at noon sila nakilala sa radyo ng mga taong hindi alam kung ano ang Km 19. Ang Buloy ay tungkol sa totoong tao na na-kainuman nila sa Gulod*. Hindi yata nila alam ang totoong pangalan niya, basta ang tawag lang nila sa kaniya ay "Buloy". Hindi daw talaga siya nag-suicide nung una, pero pinatay nila siya dun sa kanta. Later on naging totohanan na ang suicide niya.

* Gulod : tambayan / inuman place sa loob ng UP Diliman Campus; nawala na ito nung 1999

Iilan lang sila na novelty rock acts* - marami kasi noon ang grunge / post-grunge, alternative at metal - kaya medyo naiiba sila sa karaniwang style noon. Pero ang pinakaka kakaiba sa Parokya ay ang husay nilang mag-entertain gamit ang kakulitan (at minsan, kabastusan). Ang maganda pa sa kanila, hindi sila nagpapa-cute tulad ng ibang mga banda na may pa image-image pa. Medyo jologs ang dating nila kung minsan, pero hindi baduy kasi intelihente yung humor nila, hindi slapstick. Nakakatawa kapag nagtanggal ng T-shirt si Chito - patpatin pa ang katawan niya noon, yun nga ang nakakatawa eh. Kung minsan may pekeng tattoo pa na naka-pentel pen lang (wala pa silang mga tunay na tatoo noon).

* Novelty Rock : Rock ang music, pero kakulitan ang lyrics. Ang iba pang novelty rock acts noon ay Grin Department, Tungaw at Ciudad. Pero angat talaga ang Paroyka. Wala pang Kamikazee noon.

Kaya nga nanalo sila sa NU Rock Awards ng Best Live Act noong 1996.

Sila din ang Best New Artist nung taong yon. Official na "recording artist" na sila dahil lumabas na ang unang album nila na Khangkhungkhernitz. Nandun siyempre sa album na 'yon ang mga kantang nabanggit, pwera ang Chikinini, dahil hindi pumayag ang Yano. *

* Medyo mayabang pa ang Yano noon kasi sikat pa sila na pinoy alternative band. Nung 2003, binigyan na rin ng permiso ang Parokya i-record ang Chikinini at isama sa album na Bigotilyo. Nalaos na kasi ang Yano, at sikat na sikat ang Parokya. Mas big-time pa ang Parokya kesa sa kung ano man ang inabot ng Yano.

Lagpas isang dekada nang sikat ang Parokya - nagkaroon na sila ng sampung album, at parang parami pa rin nang parami ang fans nila - at hindi pa sila naluluma. Maganda kasi sa kanila, bukod sa magaling sila tumugtog at magsulat ng lyrics, hindi sila natatali sa genre, at hindi sila takot mag-experiment. Kaya nga nagugustuhan sila ng maraming tao - whether bata o matanda, jologs or soyalin, simpleng tao o inggliserong Atenista level. Patunay dito ang lagpas 10 na panalo at lagpas 20 na nomination mula sa NU Rock Awards, MTV, Awit Awards, MYX at iba pa.