Reclaiming a sacred space

On a scorching day in March 2008, the EDSA Shrine is surrounded by Metro Manila Development Authority personnel sweeping its immediate surroundings.  On the area above the chapel where the Stations of the Cross are found, more of them are hiding in various nooks, resting and eating in the shade.  A solitary cat, thin and scraggly, keeps watch over them.

The space is cramped, the skeleton of a Christmas tree stands in the shadow of the sculpture of the Virgin Mary by Virginia Ty-Navarro and eats up what little space there is.  The artwork by Napoleon Abueva depicting the 14 Stations of the Cross seems like such a waste.  It is no place for contemplation.  Only the blooming bougainvilleas add splashes of life to the place.  It is dusty, the buses are honking their horns furiously, a small Philippine flag hangs desultorily in a skinny pole.

I first saw EDSA, the highway, as a college freshman in 1991. It was hard for me to picture the People Power Revolution happening there. Somehow, I always imagined the events of EDSA I in the same way I thought that someone having a mystical vision would see things: surrounded by bright white light, like a halo above a saint’s head. The EDSA I saw was dusty and grimy.  It did not look like the site of an extraordinary event, a hallowed ground in Philippine history.

Over the years, I would attend mass at the EDSA Shrine for the simple reason that it was convenient when I shopped at Robinson’s Galleria.  My only recollections of the shrine were that it was dark, it had low ceilings, and it made me feel claustrophobic.

In “The Power of Myth”, Joseph Campbell said that, “But every land should be a holy land.  One should find the symbol in the landscape itself of the energies of the life there.”  He also said that, “You can tell what’s informing society by what the tallest building is."

That the tallest structures in the site of the People Power Revolution happen to be malls, office buildings and flyovers instead of the shrine to freedom has led me to theorize that the People Power Revolution is not over yet.  Being optimistic, I tell myself that EDSA 1 was just the beginning of a paradigm shift, an ongoing change inside of us.  It is about being more vigilant and engaged as citizens (and that should include saying “no” to “intramurals”-level corruption and not just to those with “Olympian” proportions).

I like to believe that when that inner transformation is complete, our image of our outer hallowed ground will change too. Perhaps the EDSA Shrine will not be the grimy afterthought to a mall that it is now. No more tight spaces seemingly apologetic of interrupting mall-goers’ shopping pleasures, only more expansive ones to reflect our true freedom.  When that time comes, perhaps we can claim that the People Power Revolution was a success.

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The International Committee on Monuments and Sites celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites on April 18 every year. This year’s theme is “Religious Heritage.” 

While it is sad that the Oslob Church burned down, Cebu is lucky to have several heritage churches still standing.  I hope we keep it that way and exert efforts to preserve them.  That should include checking if the town fire truck is working and ensuring that it does.