A Certain Smile

This happened a very, very long time ago. In fact Senator Loren Legarda was just beginning in Television as host of the then popular PEP TALK. She just interviewed me about the Fire Walkers of Alfonso, Cavite. It was October 6, 1986.

That night I was armed with an 'instamatic' camera (no digital yet that time) and extra roll of film, just in case. I prepared myself several days ahead of the very special event. I knew many were as eager as I was for the occasion and I intended to capture in picture every detail of it.

It took nature half a century to prepare me for that show, my first T.V. appearance: an interview by Loren Legarda, no less of the very popular PEP TALK . ABS-CBN channel 2 had experienced years of Martial Law and one revolution before I was finally discovered and when the anticipated moment came, heaven fell on my head.

It was that unusual, unannounced power failure again, a possible offshoot of the unusual and unannounced typhoon 'Oyang'. It was also an unusual time in my life when I hoped the whole country was in the dark so that the T.V. event would be postponed.

It was already 9:45 p.m. and no lights yet. I was supposed to appear on T.V. at 10:00 p.m. I was beginning to wonder why nature had to punish me that way after having done well all my life. But honestly I was not complaining, in fact, I was already in the mood to pardon whoever was at fault when suddenly lights were on and and so was my T.V. set just at exactly the time when PEP TALK show ended.

The new experience taught me new lessons. That this world was not only a valley of tears but also a hill of uncertainties. Nothing was certain and one must be ready all the time. Things just happen when you least expect them to happen, not far from the habit of a fly swimming on top of your coffee when you were about to drink it. If you were not in a position to face the worst at all time you were apt to disintegrate into pieces.

So, I swallowed my disappointment without bitterness. Thank God it was only a simple T.V. show which I could still watch on 'Betamax' because I told my son to tape it. Bigger disappointments could hurt more.

True enough when I opened the radio the following morning I was greeted by the news that "the whole Manila was under water". I couldn't fathom the thousands of possible disappointments of thousands of people and families that would be affected. My experience the other night was just a drop of water at the back of China Sea.

I came to think of it. So many people were giving too much attention to little pains until they were magnified into mountain sizes and beyond human solutions.

If man could only be realistic and practical; if man could only face daily trials with open minds and understanding hearts; then there shall be less quarrels among men, less wars among nations, less heartaches among selves and peace would be attainable.

When the time comes I wouldn't care much about seeing myself on T.V., I wouldn't curse Meralco for unannounced power interruptions for after all, dancing on fire, even on T.V. and with Loren Legarda as partner wouldn't leave a good taste if the rest of the country was submerged under water. I would rather be an instrument to inspire people to face the uncertainties of everyday with a certain smile.