My yellow revolution

MANILA, Philippines - To this day, over a week after her passing, a yellow ribbon still hangs outside the little balcony of my home. As a journalist, I have had front row seats to history unfolding. To many, it is more than the death of President Cory Aquino. It is the death of an era marked by the return of democracy and hope. Once again, thousands flocked to the streets in a show of love and support. The replay of the yellow revolution over the past week has made me sentimental and nostalgic and yet, the sea of yellow has sadly left me jaundiced as well. And I think predictably so.

As a journalist, I have watched this people power spirit fade slowly but surely, under the notoriously short memory of the Filipino people. I have watched each episode of moral degradation and rampant corruption inflame us, and I have watched as we allowed each incident to go quietly in the night, replaced only by the next sordid story. Now that the Cory fever is quieting and the yellow confetti has been swept off the streets, I wondered sadly if again all the fuss would be for naught. The end of a life, of an era, and nothing more. But then, it seems Tita Cory has shown that even death cannot stop a true revolutionary.

A revolutionary inspires change at one instance, a moment in history. But the essence of the revolution does not lie in that one singular moment. It lies in each and every person who decides to make a personal change because of that inspiration. It struck me that Tita Cory’s revolution could continue in me. And that cynicism has no place in a true believer of change.

As part of our Boto Mo, I-patrol Mo (BMPM) movement, I speak to students in universities about the importance of active participation in nation-building and that participation, not apathy, is the only hope for the future. The BMPM movement encourages them to become citizen journalists and become watchdogs in their respective areas so that those who should be held accountable can be made accountable and on the flip side, those who are worthy of praise be given due recognition. President Cory’s passing has put BMPM in perspective for me, as it made me realize that in many ways, it is exactly Tita Cory’s legacy. She wanted each and every person to realize that change starts from the individual: Ako ang Simula. She wanted us to take responsibility for our country and our own futures. She wanted all of us to be revolutionary.

During one of my talks, a student asked me my reaction to some comments that we are nothing more than “armchair revolutionaries”. It is sad that many of our youth are made to think that to be revolutionary you need to go out on the streets, placard in hand, shouting at the top of your lungs for change. Either that or take up arms and camp out in the mountains fighting the establishment. Is that what it takes to be a revolutionary? An agent for change? I think not. No wonder so few are empowered to make a difference.

Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”, a song all about personal change, resonates more strongly now that he is “gone too soon.” President Aquino’s call for unity in the face of national adversity rings more strongly now that we have watched her journey to her final resting place. Why is it that we have to wait for one’s death before we recognize greatness? There is power in the living.

In 2010 our country again faces a turning point in history. In May 2010, we are all called to make an active stand for our future. Cynicism has no room in the want for change. I have not voted in the past two elections but I am voting now. I am exercising my right to suffrage because I believe that it is my one small step to being revolutionary. BMPM is my own yellow revolution. I will patrol my vote. I will be vigilant. And I will do my part to encourage people to do the same.

Everybody is in need of a hero. Real or imagined, a hero may be merely a symbol of hope. I believe hope is intrinsic to positive change because it is what challenges a true revolutionary to action — a vision for a better world that is achievable because at some singular point in history, someone has proven that it can be done.

For this renewal of hope, I thank you Tita Cory. For my eureka moment of self-reflection, I thank you Tita Cory. For rekindling my altruism and love for others, I thank you Tita Cory. By your death you have left a revolutionary legacy not only for those of us who remember, but those who in their youth have yet to realize their own personal power for change. You are a true revolutionary, by making each of us revolutionaries, armchair or not. Ako ang Simula.

This is not about the death of a leader.

This is actually a reminder of how you’ll live in the future.

This is about you. This is not just another festival

of what we used to be, but a refresher on what we all should be,

and where we should be going from here. — Lilit Reyes (lifted from Facebook)