“There was no choice but to sit silently while history was narrated anew, no choice but to wait in a dumbly, unenthusiastic silence for the mocking dismantling of our old stories, until later when we could whisperingly remind each other what the plunderers had tried to steal from us.” – Abdulrazak Gurnah, Gravel Heart (2017).
In one of the barrios in the north-western part of the country, a small nipa house will hold a meeting. It’s late in the evening and the quietness of the place is deafening. Not even the dogs are barking although footsteps are slightly making noises. There is calmness before the storm. One by one, they enter the house with one candle illuminating their way in. It is located in the middle of the room. They form a circle around it. Seven people all in all: a professor, a student-activist, a soldier, a politician, a peasant, an actress, and a businessman.
Professor: —I don’t have all the details but the president has proclaimed Martial Law throughout the country. I barely escaped from the fast-moving arrests he ordered. But all present here are the core leaders of our movement. That’s the main thing. So we can discuss how our movement will proceed from here.
Politician: —Someone tipped me what about to happen and I left the city immediately. I’m pretty sure they are looking for me. I never had the chance to say goodbye to my family. I just hope they are safe and won’t be harassed. I can’t return without the risk of being incarcerated. Who knows what they’re going to do to me in jail. These people are brutal. So my only option is to go underground with you.
Soldier: —All I know is to fight. I am groomed to kill or be killed. As you know, I was once a member of the presidential guards. I saw firsthand the president’s corruption. I am not political. But at the same time I can’t turn a blind eye to the poverty that is rising all over the country because the president and his cronies are siphoning all the wealth and resources. They must be stopped. I am dedicating my life to doing just that.
Actress: —Your story can be made into a movie. If it happens, I wish to play the role as your wife. But that’s for another day if we survive this. Nobody knows I am against the president. My play-acting skill has served me well. So I still can come back to the city, be your ears to what’s going on there. The tricky part is how to get in touch with you. I cannot be the messenger as well. My prolonged absence will be noticed right away by my agent. She is a friend of the president’s daughter. She must be wondering where I am right now. I cannot stay here long. I need to know my order by the end of the day, if possible, as well as the logistics for communication.
Businessman: —I bet the wrong horse. I only make money if there is chaos. Martial Law has put an end to that. I can no longer finance your movement. I am sorry. But if your movement becomes stronger in the future and you can make a lot of trouble for the president, then we’ll talk again. Right now, I have nothing to offer you. So I am leaving after this meeting is over. Be assured I will never betray you. That is tantamount to exposing myself, a risk I will never take. Believe me. All I want is to make money not death.
Student-Activist: —Guys like you disgust me! The future of my generation is always screwed because of your self-serving, greedy take on life. You don’t consider anybody else but your self-interests. Betting the wrong horse, pshaw! I know you think life is all a gamble. I don’t see it that way. There must be higher morality and principle for life to have meaning. I am young but my future looks dim. I have no other option but to pursue a dangerous path. I am with you, professor, all the way. My life is in your hands.
Businessman: —Spare me the lecture, young man. I didn’t have an easy life. Everything I have, I earned it the hard way. I succeed because I keep my eyes on the ball, even becoming ruthless if I must. Do you think morality and principle are excellent business practices? They thrive in religion and no more. You should become a priest. Then you don’t have to worry about your future. You will live a comfortable life until you die.
Student-Activist: —If I want to be a priest I surely can. But I am not just concerned about myself. Besides, not everyone in my generation believes in the promise of heaven. I am an example. I rejected the divine offering since I became aware of the cruelties religion inspired. Religion is nothing but a cult. There’s only one way to believe and if you defy its teaching, you are condemned harshly without compassion. Remember the Spanish Inquisition! I would rather die for a cause creating heaven here on earth.
Peasant: —Both of you can debate your points all day long, but how does that help me? You people have better lives than I am. I was born poor, am still poor and will remain poor for the rest of my life. I look at you to bring about an improvement in my status and offered my house for you to come to a solution. It seems like this meeting is a waste of time. Danger is all around us. You will not be safe even in a place like this. The reach of the president is long. He makes sure of that. That’s why he is so confident of declaring Martial Law. Perhaps right now, a platoon of soldiers is on their way here. I don’t want to scare you. But we need to come up with a firm response on how we will oppose the president immediately.
Professor: —Well, then, let’s get to work. I already prepared a manifesto in anticipation of the president’s action. In it, I first traced the history of the country before and during the president’s rule. I compared the glory years of the president’s predecessors and his. The result, of course, is that our country is in bad shape and Martial Law is not the cure. It is just a way of obscuring the real motivation of the president — to stay in power for as long as he lives and create a political dynasty. I conclude with a call to arms in resisting the president’s regime and with specific guidelines on how to achieve it. I want Melanie to carry this with her when she goes back to the city later. She has the resource to make copies. I trust you will be able to distribute them without endangering yourself. I am disappointed in you, Justin, for cutting your losses the moment there’s a hole in your pocket. I thought you believed in our cause. I misread you completely. I can kill you right now but I won’t. I will let the authorities do that for me. So you are free to go as you wish. For the rest of you, I thank you for keeping faith. I cannot promise you a solution right now. The road ahead is tough and rough. Our first priority is to stay alive. Here is a list of safe houses we can hide until the military containment is relaxed. If we split up, you will have an idea where to go. We will try to establish communication with our allies and supporters when we can. That goes with you, Melanie. So be patient when you don’t hear from us for a long time. I don’t want to give you a lecture on how important our mission is. We all share in the conviction that the president is corrupt and ruthless. Yet it is hard to convince people with just words. They must feel the widespread effects of his evilness before they act. And even if they are affected, they suffer in silence until everybody rises in anger and despair like a mob. We tried to urge them, enlighten them and push them. Now we find ourselves restrained as well. We are no longer in a position to change their hearts and minds. It is more difficult to do that. But with small steps a destination can be reached. We will do that as long as we are alive. Let’s not give up. It is just a temporary setback. Morning is upon us. A new day is a duty calling. There will more tomorrows to conquer. The sentimental in me is showing. I can cry in desperation for my heart bleeds as to where this country is heading. We like to believe that our lives matter. But when death comes right now, nobody will know. Even if history acknowledges us sometime in the future, who will read our story? Perhaps a few. The rest will be indifferent. They are more concerned with pocketbook issues. The hell with high-flown ideas such as democracy, liberty, freedom, justice, law and order, and equality. They don’t put food on the table or entertain us. So sometimes I have doubts but I am such a romantic idealist and overcome them with blind faith that our cause is worth dying for. In the meantime, we better get some shut-eye. Justin, you may leave and don’t you dare betray us.
*****
All stand up to stretch themselves from their cross-legged seating positions. The candle has burned out without anybody noticing. Except for Justin, they look around for their respective places to lie down. But suddenly bursts of gunfire pierce through the four walls of the house, non-stop for fifteen minutes. When silence prevails, bloods are dripping underneath the house, staining the ground that once sustained the hope of poor people for a better life.
19 October 2023