Remember, remember some events of October
Not Another Newsletter looks back on events in October 2014
(WARNING: Long intro will eventually have a point. Hopefully.)
My work in beating deadlines began when Dan Mariano (who passed away in September) assigned me to produce a two-thousand-word feature every week to be serialized in a brand-new newspaper he ran and edited.
At that time, Fidel Ramos was still president, Araneta Center was still Cubao, and Commonwealth Avenue was still known as Don Mariano Marcos Ave.1 (which, by the way, was the location of the newspaper's offices).
During one meeting, the boss told me in jest: "Don't you dare cross me." He then pointed a finger outside and declared, "Don't forget that that highway is named after me. It's not called Dan Mariano Marcos Avenue for nothing."
We both chuckled.
As a newbie trying to sound smart, I submitted pieces that cited famous quotes by famous people to increase the word count and lessen the work load. In short, it was amateur night starting from my very first day and Dan Mariano was tuned in to every episode.
In one piece, I mistakenly referred to George Bernard Shaw as British when I cited one of his quotes. My editor promptly corrected me and said he was Irish. He was right.
The Shaw quote I used was: "We learn from history that we learn nothing from history,2" a saying that could have originated from philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.
I chose to mention this anecdote for two reasons.
First, as a small tribute to a former boss (and several are posted online including one by Abe Cerojano3, also a former editor) and, second, a reminder that all of us should remember our country's dark past, both distant and immediate.
During martial law, Dan Mariano was among the thousands who were jailed in the 1970s.
Another was journalist, editor, and poet Pete Lacaba.
Last September 22, 2024, less than a week after Mariano died, Lacaba received the Gawad CCP award for literature.
In his acceptance speech, Pete Lacaba "socked it to them," Babeth Lolarga said in a piece she wrote for VERA Files4, adding that Irene Marcos-Araneta who represent[ed] her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was seated near the front row. The presidential sister therefore clearly heard what Lacaba had to say.
Nagkataong bukas ang anibersaryo ng deklarasyon ng batas militar5—ang panahong humubog sa aking kamalayan at panulat. Ginugunita ko ngayon ang aking pinaslang na kapatid na si Eman Lacaba, isang makatang isinabuhay ang pinakamatayog na responsibilidad ng manunulat at guro. Kaya naman nanawagan ako sa kapwa mga alagad ng sining na magsalita, makialam, at makibaka. Tandaan natin ang aral ng kasaysayan at makibaka para sa kinabukasan. Never again. Never forget.6
Ten years hence, let's hope that we can still remember what Lacaba said in speaking truth to power in the same way we ought to recall some events that have taken place in October 2014. Consider the following:
In Olongapo City, the police launched a hunt for the foreigner suspected of killing transgender Jennifer Laude.7 The killer was later found to be US Marine Corps officer Joseph Scott Pemberton who was deployed to the Philippines for joint military exercises. Pemberton was convicted of homicide by an Olongapo City Court in 20158 and later pardoned by President Rodrigo Duterte in September 2020 during the pandemic.9 The pardon placed then-Duterte presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who previously represented the Laude family, in an awkward spot.10 The Philippine Daily Inquirer released a list of 206 paintings believed to have been purchased by Imelda Marcos. Human rights victims of the Marcos dictatorship have filed a claim on the paintings after a US court in 1995 said that they were entitled to US$ 2 billion in damages.11 The paintings included a work by French impressionist painter Claude Monet, which had been illegally sold by Vilma Bautista, an aide of Mrs. Marcos, for US$ 2 million.12 "The list may not be complete," the Inquirer's Ma. Ceres Doyo said of the paintings, adding that the list was the result of "research and investigative work done by the claimants' lawyers led by Robert Swift.13" Shortly after Ferdinand Marcos Jr. became president, a missing work by Pablo Picasso had been seen in Mrs. Marcos' home.14 In Balanga, Bataan, the Diocese of the Catholic Church there opposed the move to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.15 In Quezon City, an official said that Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. closed 20 bank accounts in 2013, shortly after the pork barrel scandal hit the headlines. Revilla had been accused of siphoning millions from his office’s development funds and channeling them to bogus organizations.16 Revilla would be later cleared of all pork barrel cases.17 In Quezon City, a Bulacan representative filed a bill to ban cellphone use in banks. The prohibition covers bank employees, clients, and all persons inside a branch "except for doctors and emergency health care workers.18" In Manila, a Filipino US visa applicant who was supposed deliver a presentation at the 2014 Laughter Wellness Conference in California criticized the embassy for rejecting his application and for his “rude treatment” by the staff.19
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1984085/danilo-luis-mariano-a-life-of-integrity-passion-and-purpose-71 Cerojano was also known for, among others, writing a banner story entitled: “What is happening to our country, general?” citing a quote from former Vice-President and then-Assemblyman Emmanuel Pelaez after surviving an assassination attempt in July 1982. Pelaez posed that question to then-police general Tomas Karingal who now has a camp named after him in Quezon City. Years later, while we both were working for an online outfit, Sir Abe Cerojano and I exchanged several bottles of beer and opinions about the song, Spanish Flea and Bill Evans’ Mother of Earl at a time when Mother of Earl — as far as I could remember — wasn’t on YouTube yet.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/specialreports/582020/september-23-1972-what-happened-on-the-day-martial-law-was-declared/story/ Even though martial law was imposed on September 23, 1972, Marcos Sr. chose September 21 as the date of the declaration because 21 was divisible by seven, a number he considered lucky.
Salamat, Boojie.