UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
Thirty-seven years ago, on a cold wintry day in February 1986, I rushed back to our hospital apartment in Connecticut to my wife Christine, and we watched the CNN coverage of the developments in the Philippines. The images of nuns praying the rosary, folks – old and young alike – handing out flowers to the soldiers who were ordered to shoot them, and men and women with locked arms confronting tanks and armored vehicles were burned into my consciousness. Over a period of four days, the Marcos dictatorship was overthrown in a peaceful uprising called People Power, with the famous yellow motif inspired by the song, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree.” In a state of euphoria, I told Christine, “We’re going home!”
And so we did the following year. After finishing my Immunopathology fellowship and passing the American Board of Pathology subspecialty certifying examination, we went back home, with a mix of excitement, hope, and trepidation.
Soon we were being emulated by other countries who were inspired by the power of our people’s movement. In country after country, despotic rulers were peacefully removed, like the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. It brought down the Iron Curtain, toppled the Berlin Wall, and caused the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Duvalier regime in Haiti was likewise deposed. It triggered a democracy movement in China in 1989, although unfortunately, the protesters in Tiananmen Square were unsuccessful in copying the Filipinos' tactics.
For one brief shining moment, the whole world looked up to the Philippines as a model of democracy. Filipinos abroad, who, before this event, were reticent about being identified as such, started proclaiming with pride, “I’m a Filipino.” Yet, 37 years later, it seems we are back where we started. The son of Marcos sits in Malacañang and seeks to undermine the meaning of the spirit of EDSA ’86.
I ask myself: Did we make a mistake in returning to this country? It does seem like we did. But even as we rue that decision, we also look at the brighter side. The past electoral campaign galvanized many from all sectors of society into volunteerism as we actively campaigned and readily contributed our time, resources, and sweat to put a deserving person in Malacañang. Our campaign rallies drew hundreds of thousands each time, when everyone wore pink shirts and waved pink banners as a sign of hope, this precious commodity that invigorates and inspires us to greater deeds.
Yet we were defeated, some say, because of massive cheating. Others opined that it was due to the massive disinformation online that poisoned the minds of many into believing the distortions of history. Even long before this election campaign, the other side had been engaging in these foul tactics. In that case, the outcome was already pre-determined.
No matter. We will soldier on. This 37th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution still drew many to the rallies held at the site where it happened. When Leni Robredo announced her candidacy for the presidency, I was inspired to name a pink cattleya hybrid orchid that I created after her. A few days before Feb. 25, which is the anniversary of the EDSA People Power revolution, another of my orchid hybrids fortuitously bloomed. Its petals and sepals were rose pink. Its lip was a golden yellow, with a splash of red cascading down its throat. I pondered over the symbolism of this flower, seeing how fleeting it appears, only to fade days later. Yet from the same plant, another flower will appear as long as it’s kept alive and nourished well.
Such is the nature of freedom and democracy. Indeed, we have to be eternally vigilant to keep our country from falling into authoritarianism and despotism. Democracy must be nourished and cared for to remain alive and bear its flowers. So we have to keep the faith and remain engaged. To commemorate the event, I decided to register this new hybrid with the Royal Horticultural Society Orchid Registrar in London, United Kingdom.
I named it Rhyncattlean the Spirit of EDSA86. This orchid is a trigeneric hybrid, coming from the Rhyncholaelia, Cattleya and Guiaranthe orchid genera. I think it fits the bill. The pink (Kulay Rosas ang Bukas) is the color of hope that inspired our campaign; the yellow for keeping alive the spirit of a people’s movement; and the red for the blood that was shed by Ninoy Aquino and the many other martyrs of the dark era of dictatorship.
Long live the Spirit of EDSA86!