ILANG araw pa lamang matapos ang halalan, na para sa akin ay ang may “pinakamabilis” na bilangan ng balota na naganap, sunud-sunod ang ‘di mabilang na mga mensahe ang aking natatanggap sa e-mail, messenger, at text na puno nang pagpupugay at pagdadalamhati mula sa mga tao. Nagbalita na ang ang tinulungan nilang kandidato ay nanalo o kaya naman ay natalo sa katatapos lamang na midterm election.
Sa dinami-rami ng mga mensaheng ito – may isang liham na pumukaw sa aking damdamin at tumimo sa aking isipan.
Bagamat nakasulat ito sa English, gusto kong ibahagi ito sa inyo nang buo, upang maarok ang damdamin ni Lolo Ed Garcia, na ang tanging pangarap ay para sa kapakanan ng susunod na henerasyon at ng ating Inang Bayan. Ito ang kanyang “Bukas na Liham para sa Otso Diretso”:
“I write to thank you for the sacrifice, the hard work and the dedication you showed in your brave campaign. You offered our people an alternative, a choice of conscience. Though the odds were long, resources short and the field uneven, you gave all you had and fought the good fight. Yours was truly a coalition of courage, and we cannot thank you enough. Our people have spoken, and they have made their choices. I must say with all my heart that this day perhaps must rank among the saddest in my 76 years of life. For this is not who we truly are. As a people, we are far better than this.
“How can we return a Marcos to lead us into the future when she has not even reconciled herself to the dark days of the past of which she is a continuing part? How can she ask our people to move on after she had repeatedly used the currencies of dishonesty and deceit, not to speak of her attempts to revise the cruel history of the Marcos years?
“How can we reward the spineless subservience of a Go or the bumbling bravado of Bato, he who gained fame as one of the architects of a bloody drug war?
“How can we bring back to the Senate, people charged with corrupt conduct in the person of a Revilla or with the acknowledged incompetence of a Lapid?
“How can we live with the silent complicity of a Cayetano, Angara, Villar, Pimentel or Tolentino when their “leader” curses our God, demeans our women, and allows a predator nation to ravage our marine resources?
“This is not who the Filipinos truly are.
“Indeed, we will miss what you had on offer: the brilliance of the youthful Bam Aquino and the experienced Mar, the courage of an Erin Tañada and an Alejano, the legal competence of a Chel Diokno and the improbable narrative of a Pilo Hilbay, the dedication to Seniors of a Makalintal and the feisty grit of Marawi’s Samira Gutoc who showed us how to take a stand.
“You have given us reasons to continue the struggle, to be engaged on issues that truly matter. From today, it will be Otso Diretso Plus. You will be joined by the thousands of volunteers and the youth of the land who supported you and others who will take up the causes you raised.
“It was not enough perhaps, but in the end you have given us a common sense of purpose, an unfinished quest to pursue. That is the stuff of dreams. You inspire us to continue this marathon journey – for the sake of our children and the country we love.
“Salamat, at tuloy ang laban!”
Mag-text at tumawag sa Globe: 09369953459 o mag-email sa: [email protected].
-Dave M. Veridiano, E.E.
