Young once again (Sabong News)
Author
Raymundo W. Lo, MD, FPSP
Date
MARCH 29 2022
Two Sundays ago, I dragged this 70-year-old body of mine to our meeting place at The Medical City, to be with my fellow pathologists and join the HEALTH Care Workers Unity Walk to the Pasiglaban rally. It was the first election rally I ever joined, and this was my first active campaign participation ever.
We were a small contingent with a rather large tarp proclaiming “Pathologists for Leni-Kiko.” Soon we were joined at the assembly area by a very large and loud group of youths from different sectors, including LGBTQA. Right from the start, I felt a sense of rejuvenation unlike any before. Their energy, passion, and fervor were infectious. Our group was chanting all the way to the Emerald Avenue venue: “Leni, Leni, Leni!” and “Hindi Kami Bayad!,” to which I riposted “Abunado Pa Kami!”
It wasn’t a long trek, around a kilometer or 1,246 steps in the hot early afternoon sun. The group kept getting bigger as more people joined along the way. Discipline was maintained by marshals keeping us in a neat formation to prevent us from getting sideswiped by vehicles. Approaching the rally venue, we saw groups giving out bottled water, ice cream, pink taho, bread, fans, ballers, caps, and various geegaws.
What a festive atmosphere! Soon we slowed down to a crawl and were stopped by a solid mass of warm bodies packed cheek by jowl. Fortunately, we ended up in a spot shaded by the tall buildings, next to an Ati-atihan band playing loudly. Looking up, we saw the giant tarps flown in from Bacolod for the occasion. There was no jostling or pushing, just a sense of camaraderie in having a common purpose of electing the only candidate who fits the bill.
The program started but I couldn’t see the stage from where we were. Looking at photos later, I saw that we were not even a third of the way there. Looking around, I estimated the crowd to be at least 70 percent young (30 and below). Their vibrancy was so contagious we didn’t feel like we’d been standing for a long while or that we were tired and thirsty. People were just going with the flow, chanting in unison when the host egged them on.
There were some who did succumb to the heat and the claustrophobic feel, and we did our part in attending to them. One was a young girl of about 18 who had skated all the way from Marikina and felt faint from dehydration and heat exhaustion. I took her to the first-aid station, to which we had to wind our way through the mass of bodies. I kept saying loudly, “emergency po lamang!,” and the crowd parted willingly. She felt much better after we made sure her vital signs were ok, but she’d lost her bag along the way. It had her cell phone, wallet, and skates. I sent a message to her cell phone number to return it to the proper owner, and then I assured her it would be found and returned to her. We parted ways, but later that day, I got a message from someone saying the girl had gotten the bag back. What an amazing experience that was!
Then I thought to myself, all is not lost. Our youth has once again seized the day and will carry us through this rough patch in our history. With the size of this rally, estimated at 180,000 strong, and with other rallies drawing big crowds, the momentum of the campaign appears to be shifting. I see the same enthusiasm and energy in the other rallies repeated over and over, even in more remote parts of the country.
This spirit of volunteerism hasn’t been seen elsewhere in the world. It’s a people’s movement almost equal to EDSA 1986, which I missed joining as I was doing my medical training in the United States. At that time, I could only watch the events unfolding on CNN, but I vowed to myself I would return to the Philippines after my training if only to contribute to its rebuilding in my own humble way.
Now, 34 years later, in the twilight of my life, I have participated in this rally and am pouring all my energy, time, and resources to have a government we deserve. There’s no way I would miss another momentous event in our history again. I feel young if only in spirit and, by sheer osmosis, am one with the enlightened youth I had the blessing to be with that day.
Long live the youth for they shall inherit the country, for better or for worse. I say better, for we really have no choice. Let the Pink tsunami wash over us for a rosy future!
