Ariel, remembers ...
Yes, I was there during the revolution, to the end. I was a young high
school teacher at the Ateneo back then. My longtime classmate and co-teacher
at that time, Howie, and I got together about 20 high school students and
some faculty, and put up the Ateneo High School volunteers for Cory.
We did quite a few campaigning sorties, mostly to slum areas around Manila
and Laguna. Cory's campaign supplied us with tons of leaflets and stickers,
and other campaign materials. The high school principal even donated gas
money from his personal funds. It was ironic that one of the students who
joined us and provided a van for our use, was in fact the son of one of
Marcos' men.
After the elections, we continued the group and participated as a water
brigade during the EDSA standoff. We had a truck, two huge drums, which
I navigated through the crowd into a home in Greenhills, to fill up with
water which we distributed to the people for drinking. We also served as
a distribution point for food donated through Ateneo college.
Our group was there present during the standoff with Gen Tadiar. In fact,
the megaphone which Butz Aquino used when he climbed the tank was the Ateneo
High School megaphone we had with us. I was in EDSA during the aborted celebration
(when we thought Marcos had left), and with our group drove around Manila
hoping to reach Malacanang during the actual liberation.
This was definitely a most memorable time in my life. Many of our
former students are now married and executives in big companies.
One of them is about to finish his masters at Carnegie Mellon. A few of
them have gone into teaching.
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