How  do  we  get  total  recall out  of  memory?  How  do we attain   order out  of  a  country  born  of chaos  and live up with the  faith that out of a peaceful set, nothing lurks behind our knowing ready to seize control  using  force  and  intimidation to gain full authority?

      The Cretaceous Period which dates back about 65 million years ago marks the reign of dinosaurs which thrived at the surface of this planet. These creatures seemed to have existed in conditional harmony until the fall of asteroids brought them all to extinction. My recollection of the occurrence at the break of dawn of May 1, 2001 was just a vision induced by lack of sleep which had me seeing dinosaurs running for their lives at the onslaught of fiery stones from heaven. Forests had gone ablaze, volcanoes erupt and oceans rise with the accompanying violent hum of gigantic waves resulting from the displacement of water at the depths and the surface of the earth trembles with portions revealing huge cracks trapping the mighty species below. It was a hopeless run which brought up the extinction of the early life forms in this planet, too unfortunate for the succeeding species of creatures who digged deep down at the surface 65 million years hence to have discovered enormous fossils of their predecessors gone extinct. And yet to have repeated the like of that hopeless run at the burst of gunfire, the splash of water cannons and a shower of stones in a politically induced public commotion. The fall of a proverbial asteroid would be more of a blessing but who could better tell if extinction could pave way for a better species with less inclination to politically induced chaos?  

      I was caught at the winds of change one early, fiery, Tuesday morning. I was on the 3rd relief duty sentinel from 0000H to 0400H and have just rendered my tour at the arrival of my reliever at 0355H. The music aired on the radio was soothing to the ears adding cooling effect out of the dry, windless, hot summer morning. I still had the melody of the last song I’ve heard over the radio echoing in my ears, seemingly dragging me to collect my folding bed and submit to sleep. We were on red alert for days following the arrest of former President Estrada. With the build up of supporters rallying for days at Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA)  we were obliged ourselves to converge in line of duty as we’re placed on heightened alert. There was something about the arrival of May 1, however. Something imminent, vicious, inevitable that tends to challenge the state of order of a nation. I watched the course of events in progress while EDSA protesters had been accumulating until the arrival of the dawn of the very day where chaos took its due…Just seconds after I’ve scribbled  notes for turn over on the duty logbook and handed over the M16 rifle when my reliever switched the radio from FM to AM and we heard the news of pro-Erap activists storming Malacañang. By then, pandemonium took its toll.