When we found out a big Leni-Kiko rally was happening in Pasig, we were excited to go. We lived in Pasig so we just planned on either walking or biking to Emerald Avenue to attend PasigLaban. But my sister had other plans. She booked several rooms at a budget hotel on Garnet Road, which was near the rally venue, near enough for our senior citizen parents, aunties and uncles to feel and see the festivities without having to join the crowd. My sister had the foresight to make a family affair out of PasigLaban! It's been a while since we've done anything together as a family because of the pandemic.
We checked in on Saturday afternoon and immersed in the festive atmosphere of preparations until late in the evening. We watched rehearsals on stage, and saw banners, tarps, flowers, lights, speakers, tents, ribbons, photo walls, and standees being set up in preparation for Sunday's event. Even the pedestrian lanes were turned pink! My sister and I bought dinner for my parents and we ate them in our hotel room and showed them photos of the preparations. After dinner, close to midnight, my dad and mom, who are both in their late seventies, decided to take a stroll outside to check out Emerald Ave!
I thought they'd only take a quick look near the stage area. But they wanted to keep walking - until the end of Emerald Ave. and back again. It may not seem like anything out of the ordinary, but for me, it was a pleasant surprise - it was something special! My mom was complaining of a swelling ankle just days before, and my dad's contact dermatitis prevents him from taking long walks because the friction points of footwear causes discomfort. But that night, all pain was forgotten. It's been a while since they had this much energy and interest in going out.
It was past midnight and we were still out. Emerald Ave. was abuzz but not frenzied. The night air was cool, and there were lights and sounds coming from the stage. My parents spend hours daily watching debates and listening to speeches and interviews of candidates. With less than fifty days to go before the elections, they couldn't help but feel inspired to participate in some way in the pink effort. Back at home, they've hung tarps on our gate and pink parols from Christmas are still hanging on our trees. They've also readied their pink clothes, face masks, caps, and scarves.
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| Rehearsal the night before |
My mom's family hails from Bicol and Sen. Leila De Lima is my mom's cousin and at a recent family meeting via Zoom, my mom's siblings from US and Canada, together with her siblings in Manila (12 in all) discussed how they can pool personal funds to donate collectively to the campaign. Some of my cousins and I, meanwhile, contribute our time and energy by joining the pool of surrogates who speak in behalf of our Aunt Leila at various campaign-related events. But attending Leni rallies as a family wasn't something we did - at least not before PasigLaban! We're glad we did it.
We all volunteered something for the family affair - my sister took care of accommodations, I volunteered to take charge of lunch, my cousins took charge of dinner, another aunt took care of breakfast. We picked one room where we would share our take-out food and watch the livestream - and those of us who were not senior citizens went to Emerald Avenue to join the crowd. We felt inspired to take turns in giving or volunteering to provide for the group -- and outside - the spirit was the same! People were handing out tarps, pins, caps, fans, posters, calendars, cookies, pink bread, snacks - random people sharing what they've prepared to strangers!
I must admit it was a tiring weekend for me - it didn't seem like my usual pasyal at pahinga since I just stayed in Pasig, I was walking around until past midnight, and I had to stand for long periods in the heat during the actual rally. And yet, it felt like I had an awesome weekend adventure! I got to spend time with my extended family (after two years of the pandemic, this was such a treat!), and I got to roam the streets of Ortigas Center and discover all the shops along Garnet, Emerald, Ruby, Topaz, and Sapphire streets! I got to bond with my daughter as my sister and I showed her the ropes in rally land. My husband walked from home and back again with our son Guijo - which means our kids got to spend time outdoors doing something active away from their gadgets (that's our usual goal every weekend). And I enjoyed a mental, emotional, spiritual and moral recharge! Our bodies may be tired from an eventful weekend, but our spirits are high, and our hearts are full! All of us felt inspired, enthused, and energized! We just might do this again at the next rally!
Date: 19-21 March, 2022
PasigLaban at Emerald Ave.
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