'What you are about to read is highly personal [...] I grew up in a lower middle-class neighborhood beside the Chinese Cemetery in Manila. The neighborhood was memorable because it was a hotbed of Marcos fans.' | via nolisoliph READ:
“Bayaran ,” the word commonly used by supporters of President Duterte to describe his critics, was initially an adjective for die-hard fans of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
They just had to watch, cheer, and clap as dancers performed on a makeshift stage set up on the muddy, rain-soaked lawn in front of the grandstand. They were also treated to revisionist speeches denouncing specifically the administrations of Marcos nemesis Corazon Aquino and her son Benigno III. From our clotheslines hung T-shirts with messages like “FIRM: Friends of Imelda Romualdez Marcos,” “Marcos Loves You,” and “LAB” for Ladies Auxiliary Brigade, the commoner’s version of Imelda’s Blue Ladies.
The nuns would visit detention camps where suspected insurgents were held. There were subjects in school where horror stories of torture methods were discussed. The stories escalated around the time Ninoy Aquino was assassinated. I was 14 years old. My yaya and aunt stared at each other before running while Five Star Waiter, still in his uniform, shouted, “Carpio! Carpio! Dali, uwian na!” My aunt turned back and grabbed me by the trunk. We reached the front door before the siren subsided.
Mom’s open defiance of her in-laws’ political tastes became a source of scorn and humiliation. “Her husband is a member of the Manila Police. She should be ashamed,” they whispered. Barangay captain Lola played a huge role in these set-ups. T-shirts would be distributed among neighbors who would disappear in rented jeepneys. They would be very excited when they leave and very exhausted when they return.
Believe it and the money will appear I never did confirm whether our representatives made it to the screen. I do remember, however, that the days after were heady with cash handed out by organizers. Everybody enjoyed better meals. Debts were paid and there was a fleeting feeling of prosperity. At some point, while listening to a woman screaming onstage, I got confused because the issues were being mixed. There she was, raging against the alleged efforts of the “dilawan” to reverse history.
The thing was, it’s so easy for organizers to bundle up anybody’s neighbors, make them change into red T-shirts and bring them to Luneta Park.
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