I was touched with what I saw and read in the post of REM ZAMORA at his Google+ Profile.

This picture shows only that TEARS AND PAIN remind us of our humanity.

Photo credit to REM ZAMORA

Such drama and emotions happened during the SONA 2013.

Photo credit to REM ZAMORA

Photo credit to REM ZAMORA

This is the moment where we are called to UNITE.  To create one big culture and institutions wherein we are all responsible to mold our self in PROGRESS. 

We must all therefore, walk in forward for justice to be applied equally to all.  To give PRIDE with our RACE and be as one to FIGHT for our FREEDOM.

Excepts from his post...

Crying Cop

It was a long and tiring dispersal. People were injured. But amidst all of this, I saw a scenario which I thought I will never see during a dispersal.

A foreign protester was berating a policeman asking him why were the policemen hurting the people. Why were they pushing them. The officer simply stood ground and said he is a policeman it is their job to maintain peace and order. That they were given orders and they had to follow. 

Suddenly the officer cried. The foreigner kept on shouting at this officer. He was still crying. He was trying to hold his tears but he can't.

A second round of dispersal erupted and while every other anti-riot policemen are pushing and shoving trying to remove the protesters from the ground, the crying cop simply stood ground. He was still holding his shield firmly. Still weeping. Sobbing.

I approached the policeman and asked him his name. He said he is Joselito. A quick glance at his name tag reveals he is Policeman Joselito Sevilla. He said he is a private and his uniform patch reveals he is from Marikina police unit.

When asked why he is crying he replied, "Sa gutom at pagod. Walang tulog. Walang pahinga. Dalawang draw na kame nakadeploy dito. Tapos ganito nagkakagulo." This was also PO1 Sevilla's first dispersal assignment. (Because of hunger and no sleep. We have no rest and we have been stationed here for 2 days already and now it's getting violent.)

Suddenly I understand his situation. No sleep. No food. No rest. And he came face to face with protesters with a clear goal in mind, to break the police line. PO1 Joselito Sevilla was physically and emotionally exhausted. But he had orders to stood his ground and not let protesters get near the Batasan Complex. And he did. Without harming the protesters who at many instances during this long and tiring dispersal tried to hurt them also by throwing rocks and hitting them with wooden sticks from protest flags. 

And other protesters notice him also. A policeman whom they expect to retaliate to them was in front of them, holding his shield firmly, weeping. And they started to console PO1 Sevilla. A man hold his shoulder saying that everything is ok. A woman in front of him tried to give him a handkerchief to wipe his tears. And amidst all the chaos, these two protesters hugged PO1 Sevilla and assured him everything will be fine. 

Seconds after, other policemen noticed what was happening and they snatched PO1 Sevilla from the front lines. I was caught in the middle and I can not find him anymore.

He was gone. 



To Rem Zamora, thanks so much for taking all these pictures and show us the brighter side of the day on how we Filipinos embrace the real and true meaning of KAPATIRAN and KABABAYAN.