Noong nakaraang Huwebes, anim na oras bago pumatak ang Pebrero 24, 2023, idineklara ito ng Malacañang bilang special non-working day alinsunod sa Proclamation No. 167. Ayon sa proklamasyong ito, ang biglaang pagbago ng itinakdang araw para sa pagdaraos ng anibersaryo ng EDSA People Power Revolution ay ginawa para “mabigyang-daan ang ating mga kababayan na makinabang mula sa pagpahaba ng katapusan ng linggo” batay sa prinsipyo ng holiday economics—isang polisiyang unang ipinakilala ni Macapagal-Arroyo, ipinawalang-bisa ni Aquino, at ibinalik naman ni Marcos Jr. 

Several days pass until the crisp air gets a little bit warmer. What once were strips of bright Christmas lights and tinsel are soon replaced with ribbons of pinks and reds, teddy bears and roses line storefront windows, and the glaring shape of a two-dimensional heart begins to take up every visible space.

As fireworks go off into the sky and noises such as horns tooting, pots and pans banging, celebratory cheers mark the genesis of the new year, there is one question that also begins to emerge in everybody’s minds as they hug their loved ones and smile bright for the camera: who will I be this year? 

Have you ever walked inside a room where people glanced as if they were mocking you? Eyes seamlessly darting and judging every move you make. How about hearing their muffled giggles and unbearable whispers? Mouths running as if they were ready to devour what hope is left inside; and have you once felt ashamed of the person you are because of what others perceive you to be? In this world of ours, people of some sort are more or less depreciated or even mocked because of their gender identity; commonly associated with women and the LGBTQ+ community who are undergoing devaluation. Beyond these unruly actions and unfair justice, do you think that these people still have that hope within themselves—and would they—these fireflies continue to flicker and wander despite the world darkening as their light dies? 

Gaze up from the foot of the hill. Above it, an eagle soars. There are many of you who lie beneath its watchful eye—determined, doubtful, yearning students, armed with but pen and mind. Lines of information familiar like the back of a hand, and dreams of a distant future are but left to thrum through a beating heart. Months of earnest preparation have boiled down to this—but the battle is never truly over until the questionnaire graces the desk.

The night before someone passes away, one will dream of green pastures that had bundled mist lifting from its grounds. The sun never set and the flowers never wilt,  almost as if it were a place of infinite grace that spaced between life and death itself. It was peace manifesting into life beyond reality. Who would have thought that this feeling of peace is something worth yearning in the years to come?