Noy turns nostalgic in final Independence Day rites

MANILA, Philippines – It was a day for honoring heroes and unearthing memories.

“This isn’t just time for celebration, it is a time for remembering,” President Aquino told The STAR on the sidelines of his ultimate – if not, nostalgic – Independence Day reception at Malacañang. The President surprised many guests with an unusual farewell, which left some moist eyes in the audience – a video presentation of the country’s struggle to regain its freedoms after martial rule.

And when it was time to propose a toast during the  with the diplomatic corps headed by Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Pinto, he said, “To the Filipino people, may we never lose our patience with the ways of democracy and may we never take it for granted.”

Instead of just the customary speech before the toast, the President deviated from tradition by including a short video presentation of segments in modern history when the Philippines almost lost its freedom.

It was seen from Mr. Aquino’s point of view – from the time when, as a 13-year-old child he was made head of the family when his father Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was incarcerated in various military prisons and sentenced to death; to martial law, to his father’s assassination and the EDSA Revolution.

The President annotated the brief video presentation himself, speaking entirely in Filipino. He recalled the day his missing father’s toothbrush and eyeglasses were returned to his mother, the late former President Corazon Aquino, with the terse explanation that he (Ninoy) would not be needing them any more. There was also a colored photo of Ninoy lying face down and bloodied on the tarmac, and immortal images of people stopping the tanks on EDSA.

The video presentation, produced by RadioTV-Malacañang, was the President’s idea, according to Foreign Secretary Jose Rene Almendras.

“The President wanted to stress, ‘Today is Independence Day, let’s not go back to where we were before,’” Almendras said.

But after the tears, there were smiles and champagne glasses clicking. The President and his Cabinet had an informal group photo taken in front of the presidential seal at the Rizal Ballroom, which was spruced up with sampaguita arrangements. The President’s men were virtually all smiling from ear to ear, joking, and swapping memories.

Later, the President sang OPM hits with the band at one corner of the ballroom, before he was joined by his Cabinet secretaries, singer Leah Navarro and the rest of his staff.

Also present were Senate President Franklin Drilon, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and pillars of the business community.

Contractual rank-and-file Palace employees were visibly sad, as the time to say goodbye was near.

Lady in pink

 Among those present in the vin d’honneur were vice president-elect Leni Robredo, who clearly was the darling of the crowd. Guests made a beeline to have their photos taken with her, and she sweetly obliged, thanking those who told her they supported her in the last elections. Looking simply elegant in a baby pink piña terno by Paul Cabral, she stayed largely on the sidelines and kept to the table of her fellow congressmen. She was Camarines Sur’s representative to Congress before she was asked to run as the vice-presidential candidate of the Liberal Party.

Robredo said she would most likely hold office in Quezon City, in a government property that was once known as the “Boracay Mansion.” It got its name because its swimming pool has simulated waves and is fringed by white sand.

Although largely shut out by the incoming administration, Robredo seems to be taking things in stride and is, in fact, scheduled to attend the Independence Day celebration of the Filipino community in Japan.