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No History, No Self, Know History, Know Self.

You might be wondering who these lol@s are…Two of them might be very familiar to you: Benigno “Ninoy” (black tie) and Cory (red dress) Aquino. For those of you who don’t know, Ninoy Aquino was a strong critic and leader against the Marcos administration (1965-1986) in the Philippines. Ninoy often criticized the Marcos regime for its excessive display of wealth and extravagance, especially when the Philippines was deteriorating into the “underdeveloped” country that many of us know/characterize it as today. Ninoy’s wife, Cory, became the first woman to hold presidency of the Philippines after Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 until 1992. She is most known for being the face of the People Power Revolution, a movement in the Philippines 

The other two people in this picture are specifically close to my heart…my grandparents: Lola Betty and Lolo Pepe. Before coming to USF, I knew nothing about my family’s experience in the Philippines. It was only until someone from Kasamahan, the Fil-Am student org at USF, asked me where my family was from did I really try to explore and research my family’s history. I started talking to my parents, my tit@s, etc. more about their life in the Philippines and it was in that process I learned so much about my grandparents who were great supporters and dear friends of the Aquino’s. I learned about how one of my titos was jailed during Marshall Law and now I can see why some of my relatives act the way they do sometimes. I’ve gained so much more respect for my family and it is in this journey to self-discovery have I been proud to say that I am Filipino.

The point of this post I guess is just for self-reflection. The history of my family, my people, is so humbling and I will continue to explore and embrace it.

Rest in Peace: Belen Fabros Calderon, Jose Damocles Calderon, Cicero Damocles Calderon, and Jose “Boy” Calderon Jr.