The warmth of the late afternoon's sun filled the living room as we lounged in the sofas and stretched our legs. It was the second day of our visit in Brussels but the summer heat and the tropical plants in the terrace made it feel like we were still in the Philippines. I would sooner find out that my country was very present in this home through Bernie.
Bernie was the "blonde white woman" as she called herself, who welcomed us in her beautiful home filled with memories of my country. And I was the Filipino who hailed from Mindanao who came to this foreign land for the first time in my life. Two individuals from very different backgrounds who came to understand each other through one passion.
"What do you do?" This was the question I usually get from people who met me for the first time. The answer was always the same: I am a peace advocate working for a peace movement in Mindanao. This is true and I stand proud every time I say this. But that afternoon in her cozy living room, Bernie followed her question by asking me what I love doing as if she felt that there was something missing in my answer. "I love telling stories through writing and photography. It is my passion", I told her. Suddenly, there was spark on her eyes and a glow on her face which started a bond between us that I will always cherish.
Bernie used to be a photographer and a documentary film maker. And one of her memorable experiences was covering the Philippine People Power Revolution from its conception and birth in the 1980s. Soon she was opening up drawers filled with photos of the most inspiring event in my people's history that began in 1983 and commenced in 1986, the year I was born.
As I was looking at her photos, I felt the blood pumping and rushing to my head. For the first time, I held historical images of that significant time when my people reclaimed their power to overthrow a dictator and build a just and democratic Philippines.
The strength of the images of social movements when they filled the streets of Manila in massive demonstrations seemed to creep beneath my skin and to flow in my blood. I was completely overwhelmed. And each photo, Bernie patiently told me the stories behind. These were stories of courage, of perseverance and of solidarity to break the chains not just from the tyranny of the ruling master but mostly from the hegemonic system that oppresses and enslaves people.
This peek at my people's revolutionary past was important for me. As part of the generation who was born to a society where my rights and freedom as an individual were secured by those who made it happen, I have so much to give thanks to them. But I also have a great responsibility of sustaining the genuine gains of that revolution, however it may have turned out in the process. It is my heritage and it is also my task to continue struggling for emancipation and liberation. This is my revolution.
