Are we headed for a major change?

Upon receiving an invitation to attend the press launch of Pamana, a docu-musical tribute to Ninoy and Cory Aquino, we must confess to having been unsure of attending. Since we were already among those who experienced those unforgettable years of Martial Law and the bloodless EDSA Revolution, it had already become a been-there-done-that thing for us. After 30 years and the various telling and retelling of the story of Ninoy and Cory, how much more could be done when nothing much had really changed.

How wrong we were. From the excerpts presented and the Q&A that followed, the Pamana project was not so much the retelling of Ninoy and Cory’s heroism and sacrifices but the unveiling of how they impacted the lives of ordinary Filipinos during these three decades. It is the couple’s gift of love to the country, the Pamana or inheritance left to the Filipino people. Hence, we are given stories from three points of view — from Malu de Guzman as Lola Azon, her son Jett Pangan as Edgar, and granddaughter Kakki Teodoro as Trina.

Lola Azon, a 35-year-old Metro Manila aide when Ninoy was assassinated at the airport, witnessed thousands following his funeral cortege for hours, and later experienced the miracle of a bloodless EDSA revolution that astounded the entire world. As the years went by, Azon never lost her faith in the power of a people to bring about change when guided by a higher Being. Azon’s husband Bodjie Pascua as Turo, while not sharing her optimism, concedes that the time of change will ultimately come.

Edgar, Lola Azon’s son, however, was witness to the misguided People Power II, and the return of corruption worse than in the previous decade. He gave up hoping for change, decided to migrate to the US with his entire family. But Edgar’s daughter Trina refused to join her dad.

As the third point of view in the docu-musical, Trina was 13 when Cory died, and had only heard of Ninoy and People Power. She was overwhelmed by the huge attendance at Cory’s funeral march. Her refusal to leave with her dad meant that she would be staking her future in the belief that a spiritual transformation is in the offing and the youth can help bring this about.

The Pamana project intimated the hope that the film would awaken in the hearts of the populace — a love for country and a giving of one’s self for the generations to come. When someone in the audience asked Rapa Lopa, who headed the Pamana campaign, what he was doing to make money, Pres. Noynoy’s cousin replied with a smile, “I don’t expect to make money.”

Going to this presscon was different from anything we had ever experienced. It wasn’t in the brilliant script from Rody Vera, or the ingenious concept arrived at by director Maribel Legarda and executive producer Jun Reyes, or even the knowledgeable cast. These are all givens. What was novel is the epiphany one gets from watching even just the play’s excerpts. Many came out of the theater feeling that they have become better persons!

Coincidentally, even as we are now mulling over our nation’s future, we find ourselves reading the column of Conrado de Quiros dealing with Pres. Noynoy’s SONA. He wrote of how finally, we have a President we can believe, one who desires to transform the country into one everyone can be proud of. Will this happen? Will P-Noy achieve his goal of bringing about social change through the empowerment of the youth? He believes so, and a growing number believe so. It is in his karma. It has been pre-destined. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been the only son born to Ninoy and Cory Aquino.

Pamana is produced by the Ninoy & Cory Aquino Foundation with Indie.go Media and PETA. Music by Manoling Francisco, S.J. and Ryan Cayabyab with Vince de Jesus as musical director. Chorus is Viva Voce under artistic director Camille Lopez-Molina. Shows are on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m., Aug. 22 at 8 p.m.; and Aug. 24 and 25 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. For further details, call PETA Theater Center, 725-6244 or 0906-4817333. For tickets, call 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. Don’t forget to buy those tickets and be part of our country’s transformation.

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