Yours Alone

It must have been a bitter and sweet moment for Mar Roxas. He it was, or his supporters, who massively financed his television advertisements early on. With Mar on the pedicab’s driver seat, the ads attempted to send the impression to the general public that he intends to run for the presidency this coming national elections with the firm belief that he will fight for the common good of the people, if not drive them there himself. He it was, or his supporters, who sought to campaign the soonest time, fueled by no less than the prerogative of propelling his name above the din months ahead of time. That, of course, assumes that we will be having one in 2010. But that aside, he recently decided to throw the towel and give way to Noynoy Aquino. It was the first time that I was impressed with Mar for, over the years, quite a number of his gestures never appealed to me. It was the first time since Bathala-knows-when when I felt the surge of genuine and selfless politics running through the very hairs of my skin. And I certainly hope that it will not be the last of it, at least for Mar, and at most for the rest of the millions of us.

It must have been bitter at first. At the onset, it was too plain to see that Mar had his eyes fixed firmly on the highest post in the government. One could easily tell and yell that Mar was more than willing to seize the opportunity. Eventually, he had to sacrifice his personal intentions before the altar of grace, notwithstanding the support he has gathered from those who have already rallied behind his name and chanted his battle cry. You could only begin to imagine the feeling of having to lay down your personal dream for a cause that is far nobler than any one of us could ever begin to realize. Or if we lack the imagination, we could only begin to surmise how Mar must have heaved a heavy sigh before doing what he did, which was to surrender before something more powerful than friend or foe alike. That was to surrender before the enduring sentiment of the public. But it was only par for the course, or part of the cause to which we should now act upon. More to that, knowing when to step aside when you understand that there is no stopping the train is not only practical but also prudent, if not the wisest any brave man would ever dare do in his lifetime.

It must have been sweet the moment he let the words escape from his mouth. To say what one can hardly say at a time when the nation so calls for it, or at a time when the moment is ripe and when everything seems to fall into place, is to let nature, or destiny, whichever way they put it these days, take its course. That bold move carries with it all the iotas of conviction and integrity. It bears with it all the grains of humanity’s relentless pursuit for that golden opportunity to make things happen right here, right now. The long and short of it all is that Mar’s decision to brush his personal ambitions aside must have lifted a heavy sword that pierced his very, well, heart. It must be like plucking a needle out of the skin which it so deeply struck. In some ways, it is akin, perhaps, to Arthur lifting the Excalibur from the stone with the rest of the succeeding events already falling into place the very moment he did so. But certainly, Mar’s decision is only one side of the same coin. The other side of it belongs to Noynoy Aquino.

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