september is almost over... a lot of significant dates in september. of course, there's september 11, which is very significant to americans. but for most filipinos, that date used to be remembered for something else. that was former(deposed) Philippine president, ferdinand marcos' birthdate. when i was in grade school, that date used to be declared a special holiday to commemorate his birthday. of course, we loved the idea because it meant no school for us. but my dad hated it. he said it's a day wasted, both for the economy and the students. i didn't understand then what he meant...
another significant date for filipinos is september 21, the day martial law was declared by marcos. the year was 1972. it was a military takeover, and they were everywhere. during those years, everything was suppressed. i didn't understand the gravity of this until later on. the Philippines was under martial rule until january 17, 1981, when it was finally lifted.
on a personal level, a significant date for our family is september 25, my paternal grandfather's birthday. i remember him only with fondness and love. i still miss him even though he'd been gone for more than 30 years. he was the only lolo i ever knew since my maternal grandfather was kidnapped by japanese soldiers during wwII, and was never heard from since. my mom's family were told he was brought to the mountains where he was tortured and eventually killed for being suspected of being a supporter of the filipino resistance group during the war. that was really a sad part of my mom's family life.
so many stories to tell about my family but i won't. not here or maybe not ever...
