I was going to post a cute little blog entry about interesting tidbits of information about this day. That changed when the news came out that there would be an interfaith prayer assembly in Makati.
So what, you're thinking.
Well, here's a small (very small) portion of the "assembly":
If it looks like the pictures I posted the other week about the anti-government rally, that's because it does look like that. But this was taken today, shortly after I had heard the Battle Hymn of the Republic for the forty-seventh time blare over the loud speakers. (Yes, those are the times even the most ardent gun-control advocates re-think their positions!)
As the Philippine Star predicted, the prayer assembly (which included former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada...no, not Ponch!
That's Erik Estrada! Though they are both actors...) turned into a rally calling for the resignation of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and accountability on corruption charges. Many Catholics were also expected to be in the ranks, unhappy that the powerful Catholic Bishops' Conference has been very hands-off on criticizing Mrs. Arroyo.
Of course, the Catholic Church supported the colonization of the Philippines under Spanish colonial rule for hundreds of years because it allowed them to come in and forcibly convert the nation to Catholicism. It isn't much of a surprise that they don't speak up about the corruption of the government since that very government is good to them.
So, for the second weekend in a row, I have had hundreds and thousands of people amassing at the base of the Columns to march down Ayala Avenue in their celebratory effort to bring down the corrupt government of Mrs. Arroyo. Yes, for those of you who were paying attention to my last post about these rallies, there were many vendors present, selling everything from ice cream to fruits. Hope they raked in some big bucks!
Anyway, I can't ignore my original intention for this post today! February 29th is such an odd day. Well, actually is is kind of even. Sure, 29 is an odd number, but this day only happens on leap years, which are once every four years (even) and those are in even numbered years as well. So it is more even than odd, which is odd in itself. And since we now have two odds and two evens in this line of thinking (If we're going to call this thinking.) I guess I should really call it a draw; being neither even nor odd.
If you had clicked on the link I provided you'll notice that nothing much of any global significance has happened on this date. But...
As far as the Philippines is concerned however, the Admiralty Islands were invaded in the American General Douglas MacArthur-led Operation Brewer; a step towards his returning to the Philippines after being defeated by the Japanese here in the onset of WWII.
And for all those who remember Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl: today is the day in 1936 that Baby Snooks, played by Fanny Brice, debuts on the radio program The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.
And today my mother gets to celebrate her friend Ruby's 22nd birthday! It is a bit odd when someone born in 1920 gets to have their 22nd birthday in 2008, but that's the way it is when your birthday only comes once every four years. Let's all hope she gets really good presents! C'mon, if you only have to buy someone presents once every four years, this is no time to cheap-out on them!
Happy Birthday!!!!
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