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11 Responses to “ Wanted: Correspondents ”

1. # 1 kcgonzaga Says:
   February 29th, 2008 at 03:12

   Shoot. I want any of the books, but not the rally, thank you very much. Besides, even if UP would suspend classes tomorrow, I’d still have fieldwork, anyway.

2. # 2 Jara Says:
   February 29th, 2008 at 07:03

   If anyone wants The Fireless Inferno by Arnel Salgado and wasn’t able to get it, you can download the PDF – I have posted the link on my ‘blog’: http://ephemeraljoey.spaces.live.com

   Cheers.

3. # 3 radiohead Says:
   March 1st, 2008 at 10:24

   I didn’t attend the rally, but I saw the ‘mano po’ picture of Cory and Erap — living up to the old adage: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Or as Jerry Tundag (The Freeman) puts it: Birds without feathers truly flock together.

4. # 4 freelancerautumn Says:
   March 1st, 2008 at 11:52

   i’m a fourth year accounting student in a catholic college and this is the first rally i joined (despite my father’s refusal) and i felt proud of myself. our school president got sick of writing signature campaigns and took the next step by rounding up all college students to join the interfaith rally. the night before, coco pimentel went to our school and in the impromptu forum, talked about electoral fraud and corruption.

   students from basic education curriculum who are too young to join conducted noise barrage at exactly 3pm. we went to don bosco and met with other schools, the farthest coming from malay-balay. from don bosco, we walked to paseo de roxas, encouraged by people on the streets by shouting with us. even employees from different establishments went out and cheer us, and motorists blew their horns. it’s an exhilarating experience. i used to think that rallyists just don’t have anything to do, but being there, being one of them, i realized (and this could be corny) why ninoy died for us, why there are people who will continue to give their lives for the filipinos..

   the interfaith rally has two parts: the first wherein leaders from different religious organization each gave a five-minute talk (politicians aren’t allowed to go up the stage). it was dubbed “tama na–itama na!” which aims not to oust gloria but to stand up for truth. the second part is the all-out rallying, with chants of “gloria resign!” and talks of erap and other group leaders.

   joining 80,000 people in ayala made me feel sad that i used to admire gma for being a great economist. well, she really is–she saw the philippines as one big business. she bought her way in, and now she’s getting it back–plus interest.

5. # 5 sharrytenn Says:
   March 1st, 2008 at 18:36

   Yesterday’s rally was my first. It was good that there was a fairly large number of students from UP who came, apart from the progressive student group population that’s always in attendance during such events. Maybe it helped that it’s still the campaign period for student council elections in UP. (In fact, one party did make use of the situation well to their advantage.:D) But nevertheless, it was great that many came. We were met by the police and their barricades only as far along as Philcoa, so we had no choice but to commute by groups. I think we only got the whole UP crowd complete in Ayala by 4:30, which left us with no place near the stage or the Ninoy statue, so we stayed near the Stock Exchange Plaza.

   This experience of joining the rally was great. Even if it took me three hours more than the average two-hour trip going home to Cavite, I would not regret ever coming. It isn’t because of that cool, astig feeling of having joined such big, televised national event, but because you know that all around you, those who have fought for so long are starting to be heard, and those who’ve always stayed in their comfort zones are now being woken up to a consciousness that their opinions, as the masses, count. I also loved seeing the dedication of my own professors who are unselfishly living the things they teach in the classroom, by initiating the students to join discussions and the rally itself.

   I had to go home early, though. My mom told me that the traffic was awful because army men have gone blocking the main roads of Cavite. That was really bad, downright oppression. Thankfully, I got home safe (although hours overdue) and slept knowing that this wasn’t gonna be my last time out in the streets.

   Here are some of the pictures I took.

6. # 6 Edrie Says:
   March 1st, 2008 at 19:50

   I really did not want to go to Ayala Avenue. However, because of a dinner I promised weeks before to celebrate the quadrannual arrival of the 29th in TGIF, Glorietta, I was in the middle of this huge crowd most of whom wanted to be somewhere near the center of attention but couldn’t displace the people who were there.

   Like Edsa 2, it felt like some giant get-together which made me think of a (mangled) quote from Mao Zedong: “A revolution is not a tea party.”

   However, after a few minutes of making a decision on whether to entertain myself by heckling or keeping my hide safe (I chose the latter), I was reminded more of Waiting For Godot. Everyone had that look that something big was about to come. The Beckett analogy is actually more appropriate. We’ve been doing this since 1986 and nothing has happened and never will. Significant changes will not be made if all we ever do is assemble for another pity party.

   Of course, this helped me formulate my cynicism gland theory. Which is a bit of a digression. A text message reached me despite the clogged network, telling me that fellow celebrants of the 29th of February were already in Friday’s. Hoofing it as fast as I could, we had a round of margaritas. Gave a toast to the moral superiority of being apolitical and left around 12 AM.

7. # 7 franzi j. Says:
   March 1st, 2008 at 21:47

   Erap, his family, and his cohorts arrived. Can you believe it? The guy who we all kicked out of power 7 years ago on the same circumstances is joining the struggle against corruption? Sitting beside Cory? What in heaven’s (or is it hell’s) name is going on in this melodramatic country? There’s a rumor that Jun Lozada was crying in the senate because his right foot was accidentally caught under the leg of some senator’s chair. LOL.

8. # 8 opinionatedbanana Says:
   March 2nd, 2008 at 00:40

   I already had mixed emotions about the rally before going there. I was at the 2nd Edsa revolution, actively participating, but at this time around it’s like I’ve been more inclined to just observe, reflect and try to formulate of other ways to usher human development. Well, blame it on the frustrated, drained position and the knowledge that we haven’t improved that much from the past rallies. Going there, from Paseo Center, the main roads were already blocked. But I was amused on the group of people walking and actually crowding around these mushroom establishments in the main roads of paseo and ayala. There were couple of fishball vendors, ice cream vendors, taho ventors, mani vendors, mais vendors, beverage vendors, cotton candy vendors…and I literally saw a man selling guitars. Business boomed for those simple entrepreneurs. Makati professionals from work, carrying their SLR’s, are scattered getting the perfect angles. But in all fairness, the rally was peaceful. There was an impressive gathering of people, but not that overly congested and definitely not unruly. There were student groups in the middle of Ayala giving lectures and insights on what’s happening. It was simple yet inspiring. It is hopeful, yet a sad and tiring sight of what’s happening to the country.

9. # 9 celinus Says:
   March 2nd, 2008 at 19:39

   My partner and I went to the rally. Here’s something we overheard as we were walking home:

   ALE #1: Dapat tuluy-tuloy na ‘to eh. Dadami pa yan parang dati, yung mga pamilya nagdala ng pagkain. Nagbibigayan lahat, walang nagugutom.
   ALE #2: Oo nga eh. Reading-ready pa naman ako. May baon akong t-shirt, o!
   ALE #1: Ako may dalang panty!

   For photos and further impressions:
   http://sleepyscout.multiply.com/photos/album/15/February_29_Interfaith_Rally_at_Ayala

10. # 10 ddperez Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 21:36

    I was only able to catch people going to RCBC Tower around 7 pm on my way to catch a Rep’s show. Well I got work on that day so I didn’t take part . And will never even go to it if it is a day off. My sense is that what is the point of all these demonstrations when at the end of the day, the crocs are out there. The Filipino has a penchant to show off and in Ayala Avenue, the stage is fully propped up. And the crocs are everywhere – whether the wear or the wearer.

    I am very pragmatic but I respect the search for truth. But as in the X-Files, the truth is out there – in our face, straight to our gluthathione-seeking skin. If we want to clean up procurement system and the government inside out, sign up Tarantino.

    I remember going to EDSA Dos after I missed a job interview in Ortigas. I will never go to anything like it because for me, protest may be an exercise of freedom but let us remember that the same exercise more than two decades proves to be futile.

    If you are interested, you can read my take on this latest Philippine pasttime that is rallying in my blog : http://ddperez.blogspot.com

11. # 11 djdon Says:
    March 6th, 2008 at 08:10

    http://deej.tabulas.com/gallery/a@61821/
    here’s a link of photos i shot during the feb. 29 rally. i shot this using my cellphone, that’s why the resolution is not that clear. hope that’s ok.