Standing Up to the Storm

I have never seen so many angels as I have today, not surprisingly, on the feast of the angels. I remember this day yearly because today also happens to be the birthday of my cousin, martina ANGELa. (Happy Birthday, Mima!)

Who says angels have to have wings? Church doctrine and common practice has associated the term with cute Cherubs and Seraphs, and the archangels Michael, Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel.But as far as I know, the term "angel" is derived from the latin term for "Messenger".  So, technically, when you've got a message to deliver, you are an angel. Maybe that's why even in his most evil state, Lucifer, is still referred to as a "Fallen" angel.

But lest I veer off from the goodness of this day, I have never seen so many angels as I have today. I have also witnessed the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish. But this time, it was the multiplication of relief goods.

Lyceum's CPAD (Communication and Public Affairs Department, where I belong) all went to Poveda to help out with repacking the relief goods. When we got there, the place was filled with angels with a unified message to send: "No storm is going to stop us from doing our little part". Classes were suspended for a whole week, yet students of all ages (some even as young as Grade 2) were all there, packing sacks and sacks of relief goods for families they don't even know.

The strange part is that the boxes of relief goods for repacking just kept on coming and coming. No politicians' names, no NGO name-droppijng, just boxes and boxes, sacks and sacks. In his time, Jesus did this same thing with just 5 loaves and 2 fish, and this took place in a specific location (a small mount, with around 5000 people, or so they say). Today we packed goods that will go out to a much bigger range and number of people. Humanity and the spirit of "bayanihan" transcend and religion. I will go out on a limb by saying that not everyone present today is Catholic (maybe not even Christian). But the angelic message still remains.

Immortalized by the most controversial "angels (in their own right)", Lennon and Macartney... "All you need is LOVE".

The Quiet One

There's hardly ever a group of people, where everyone is just as loud and outspoken as the other. Normally, in a group of four or more, there is at least one quiet one. But with the "silence" comes power. Usually, when the silent one speaks, everybody listens.

The voice of the quiet one is often filled with a resonance and charm of churchbells as the ring and reverberate as cherubs in the sky. The messages they bring are simple yet lasting.

Such was the case of our late chairman, Sen. Sotero H. Laurel. I will admit, I never knew him. I never even met him. And yet, he is spoken of in the highest regard by everyone whose lives he has touched. He was not a man of the spotlight, and yet, his very existence has brought about many great things to our people and to our country.

He has left behind a great legacy in Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), as it makes its way towards its 60th anniversary. Being a bastion of Academic Excellence in the country as its founder,Dr. Jose P. Laurel envisioned, LPU was nurtured and cared for by Sen. Sotero, as he brought Lyceum from Manila to Batangas, Laguna, Makati and Cavite.

Sen. Laurel was also "one of the ‘Magnificent 12’ who voted against the extension of the United States Military Bases" in the Philippines in 1991. Thus, as if to honor him for his participation that nationalistic act, he was taken peacefully in his sleep on the 18th anniversary of that historic moment.

Sen. Laurel was not a politician. He was a public servant. He was an educator. He was not one to take the mic, but when he did, people listened. People, the Filipino people, remember and will remember him for his life and what he did with it.

I cannot help but allude and compare Sen. Teroy (as he was fondly called), to the late, great Beatle George Harrison (as Music is the only way I can express my thoughts well). George Harrison was not as vocal and outspoken as Paul and John. He was not as distinct as Ringo. But when he spoke, people listened. When he cracked a joke, people laughed. And when he played his guitar, people lived.