Yes, this book is blasphemous and disrespectful to the "holy" things you believe in!
Yes, this defies your dogmatic beliefs of what God is.
Yes, this might provoke your sensitive nature and put on bashful comments and tell the author all these are...
Chapter 8: Oplan "tukhang" - A deeper insight on the concept of "social injustices" and "human rights".
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Jeff's POV:
As this busy streets of Quiapo got devoured by the evening's darkness, my steps went from running to leaping strides as people bumped at each other at the raging sound of the police's siren. This would be another chaotic evening here in our small squatters' area, where terror and fear are just but a daily part of every morning, afternoon and evenings of our seemingly worthless lives.
"Tawagin mo si Baldo! Sabihin mo parating na ang mga pulis! Magtago na kamo siya kung ayaw niyang mapasama sa listahan ng mga napapatay sa 'oplan tukhang'!"
A lady with a "palengkera apron" rushed through the other neighbor's door, yelling at the people inside, warning them with full force of the terror that is yet to come.
I just had my tiring day in Quiapo church earlier, where I sold most of my "kangkong goods", and now headed home. The echoing noise, fishy aroma, people running back and forth in a disorderly fashion and the sense of fear are pretty much usual in this part of Earth, but tonight is a little bit different. The tone of urgency and adrenaline rush are quite higher in the crowd's voice than the usual. Each one of them were hurriedly running towards their homes with faster pace than the normal nights. The filthy streets appeared like dirty floors crowded with creeping cockroaches that got raided by beaming lights.
This is my home sweet home. Full of animosity and also home to hundreds and thousands of drug addicts, pushers, criminals and other lost souls judged by many. People that are treated by the society as social lepers - mocked, condemned and denied of their equal rights by the stereotypical upper class citizens. As if people living in this impoverished place are a menace to the elite. As if being poor makes them any lesser human as those in the upper lands and subdivisions.
"Oh, iyan, yung walang damit na 'yan, siguradong addict 'yan! Sige, isakay niyo na sa patrol!"
The echoing cries of a mother and her children reverberated through the air. It pierced through my empathetic heart and crushed my spirit. Their helpless cries permeated the scene and bounced off to all places possible. Their poor father got dragged to the car and pushed to the seat just because he wore no shirts and looked more of a drug addict than a dad.
In another minute or two, a loud "Bang!" sliced the crowd's relentless creed of agony. The mother along with her young children rushed to the scene. Overpowered the police men's grasp and saw the surprise of their lives. In a matter of seconds, their poor father bid his last heart breaking goodbye to his children and took his last breath. His children were as hysterical as their mother. As if they died along with their father's hopes and dream for them. As if the world stopped spinning and just got broken into small worthless pathetic pieces. Falling sarcastically on them like confetti shower in the most horrible moment of their lives.
