vi. WE ARE NOT ALONE

I left the Philippines barely few days before the Marcos-Aquino snap presidential elections. The first time I attended my classes at the University of Iowa, I was introduced to the class, and as soon as they came to know where I came from, I was bombarded with inquiries about the political situation in the country at the moment. I avoided giving elaborate comments because I did not want to be put on the spot. I was sent abroad by the Philippine government, so I did not think that it was my place to be giving “derogatory” remarks about the government that sponsored my foreign fellowship.

The US and world media kept close watch on the happenings in the Philippine before and after the elections. Everyday broadcast and print media played alarming news about the Philippine situation. A couple days before the election day, a local news reporter did an interview with Evelyn de Juan, Marina Espiritu, and me at the Office of International Education and Studies. It was expected that we would know the candid score since we just recently left the country. When asked about how bad the situation was, we declared that it was not really that bad, contrary to what the media pictured it was. Our ‘positive’ statements were refuted by a Filipino couple, Lemuel and Rowena Torrevillas who claimed that there had been rampant brutalities and abuses committed against the Filipino people as reposted to them by their relatives in the Philippines. The news write-up appeared on an issue of the Iowa City Press Citizen on the eve of the Philippine elections.

The election was described by US observers as having been marred by massive cheating, vote buying and fraud. It was followed by chaos as people supporting the wife of the slain Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino, went to the streets to protest the self-proclamation of Ferdinand E. Marcos as president of the republic.


The People Power Revolution (also known as the EDSA Revolution, the Philippine Revolution of 1986, and the Yellow Revolution) was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that began in 1983 and culminated in 1986. The methods used amounted to a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud. This case of nonviolent revolution led to the departure of President Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of the country's democracy. It is also referred to as the Yellow Revolution due to the presence of yellow ribbons during the demonstrations following the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr. It was widely seen as a victory of the people against the 20-year running authoritarian, repressive regime of then president Ferdinand Marcos and made news headlines as "the revolution that surprised the world".
The majority of the demonstrations took place on a long stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, more commonly known by its acronym EDSA, in Metropolitan Manila from February 22–25, 1986 and involved over two million Filipino civilians as well as several political, military, and including religious groups led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila. The protests, fueled by the resistance and opposition from years of corrupt governance by Marcos, culminated with the departure of the dictator from Malacañan Palace to the United States state of Hawaii. Corazon Aquino was proclaimed as the legitimate President of the Philippines after the revolution.

During those chaotic days, I became worried of my family. The uncertainty of events bothered me. I was in the process of adjustment, and here was a greater worry I had to face. It was during this time when Lemuel and Rowena Torrevillas gathered us and the other Filipinos at their Hawkeye Court apartment on the last Sunday of February, 1986. Lemuel Torrevillas, a former radio broadcaster, was a graduate student in theater arts. Rowena, the daughter of Edith Tiempo, worked as coordinator of the University of Iowa International Writers’ Workshop. They had a daughter named Roema.

At the gathering, we met Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., the son of the famous Tagalog novelist, and his wife, Dreena. Doy, as he was fondly called, used to teach at De La Salle University in Manila, and rose to fame as a movie scriptwriter. He wrote the screenplay of such highly acclaimed Filipino movies such as “Batch ’81,” “‘Merika,” “Kisapmata”, and “Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag”. At the time, he was working on a doctorate in film studies with a teaching assistantship. Dreena, his wife, used to teach, too.

In the same gathering were Robin and Effie Hall. Effie used to work with San Miguel Corporation in Manila. Her American husband finished dentistry in a Philippine university. Effie, who was a television news director, was now broadcast news service director at the University News Service. They had two kids.

What an honor to be in the company of these accomplished people. With who they were and the jobs that they were holding, there was no chance I could have been in association with these people. What was common to us all was that we were all compatriots in a foreign land, and we tended to make an effort to bond together. Knowing that we were not alone made us feel better.

The now historic “People Power” revolution, supported by the then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and the then Maj. Gen. Fidel Ramos of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, was triumphant in causing the ouster of President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who was taken to Hawaii via Guam, along with his family, relatives and some supporters in tow.

To celebrate President Aquino’s assuming the presidency, Effie Hall hosted a gathering of Filipinos at her home at Coralville outside of Iowa City. The Philippine flag waved proudly outside the Halls’ home . The men had imported San Miguel beer and for dinner, we had tacos and refried beans.

Later in the year we met more Filipinos who had made Iowa City their home.

Aside from making new Filipino friends, Dave and Jean Gerig, both Americans, became our friends. Jean was my classmate in public school law, and Marina’s in another course. She drove us to Williamsburg where we visited the Williamsburg Community School District. Her sister, Faye, was a teacher in the district. Jean and Dave invited us to dinner on one weekend at their home in West Branch, Iowa. Jean was always there to lend us a helping hand when we needed it.

We also found friends in some Indonesian, Malaysian, and Thai graduate students. It was easy for us to get along well with our fellow Asians. We had so much in common – we looked alike, we liked chicken curry (although it varied in how spicy each was), and to my surprise, the Indonesians had number words that was like the number words in Ilocano, my regional dialect.

I got acquainted with my American classmates, but I did not expect friendship. I had been oriented that my idea of friendship may not necessarily be like theirs. Filipinos and other Asians in general tend to be more emotionally attached and view friendship as a commitment. They were those who seemed to be friendly, though. They would ask me how my family had been. A few were interested about the Philippines and its educational system. Having people initiate conversation with me made me feel much better, especially during the chaotic situation in the country.

Most of my classmates were actually employed as teachers and school administrators during the day, so they came to class direct from their places of work. This was the reason why all courses in educational administration were scheduled during night classes.#