Padayon

Had we left the day after the May 10, 2004 mayoral elections in Madridejos, Cebu, we could have witnessed horror! It was just after six in the evening. Daddy and mommy were resting in their upstairs bedroom from a long day, awaiting the results of the elections. They hadn’t had dinner yet, nor did the rest of the household. BANGG! BANGG! Gun shots were fired from outside the gate, towards the sky, and above the house. Ritz (mommy’s nephew), who was in the courtyard, talking with daddy’s election staff about the possible election results, ran quickly inside the house. He was informed by daddy’s bodyguards that there was plan for the political rival’s goons to come in the house and slay him. “Pag-nga ang mga suga ug ang planka! Dali!” (Turn off the lights and the switches of the circuit breaker box! Fast!) Ritz shouted to the staff. In total darkness, Ritz ran quickly up the stairs toward my parent’s room. Ninfa followed upstairs, holding a lit candle on her right hand. Hearing commotion in the hallway, Daddy—with his magnum 25 revolver in his hand—opened their bedroom door. Mommy was pale and hysterical! Daddy was trying to be calm. “Dali! Manaog ‘ta! Adto mo tago sa storage room sa ilawom sa hagdanan!” (Quick! Let’s go downstairs! Both of you hide in the storage room under the stair landing!), Ritz whispered. Without hesitation, my parents crawled quickly down the wooden stairway, with Ritz and Ninfa crawling beside them. They squeezed themselves through the meter-wide opening of the musty pots and pans built-in storage. Just when they were about to go inside… “Time pa, nabilin ang akong bag sa ta-as! Kuhaon nato!” (Wait a minute, I left my bag upstairs! Let’s get it!), mommy worriedly whispered. Daddy sighed. “Sige Tiya, kamang nasad ‘ta sa taas,” (Ok auntie, let’s crawl up the stairs again.). Ritz hesitantly accompanied her upstairs again. As soon as mommy and Ritz came down, daddy turned over his magnum 25 revolver to Ritz, in case he needed it for extra protection. With hardly any legroom, they could only crouch on the floor and lean against the pots and pans, other odds and ends, amongst dust and cobwebs. It was a life-and-death experience they never expected to happen. It felt like forever! Shortly after, Ritz called his dad (mommy’s younger brother, my Tiyo Toto), PCpt Pedrito Figuracion, Sta. Fe’s Chief of Police, and asked to be rescued. Tiyo Toto wasted no time to call PCol Y. and inform him of the crucial situation. He also instructed daddy’s bodyguards not to fire their guns, while waiting for the rescue team. Ritz informed Eduardo (in Cebu) about the situation. The residence was lit only by candles and gas lamps. No one was allowed to come inside the residence, not even the staff who remained in the courtyard. It was too dark and too risky to let anyone else come in, Ritz thought. While there was deep darkness and silence inside the residence, there was chaos outside the gate! The people in the plaza, across my parent’s house, scampered for safety! The military men, who had been stationed in this town a few days before election, and daddy’s bodyguards, were the only ones left in the plaza. The gunman, who fired the shot earlier, had left the scene. All the security men were on RED ALERT! A body guard was posted inside the house. Others positioned themselves against the people entrance of the solid metal gate and by the atabay (water well), in front of the verandah, below my parents’ second floor bedroom. The rest of them were stationed outside the gate. Daddy instructed his security personnel not to use the weapons, unless needed. Then it happened. When one of his rival’s goons attempted to open the people entrance of the gate, Balo, one of daddy’s senior bodyguards, shot the back of his hand— to forewarn others. No one else tried to come in. They left quickly. Very soon after, PCol Y. and his men, arrived at the gate. Since no one of daddy’s staff knew him, Ritz requested the officer to remove his shirt, in the effort of finding any weapon in his person. After none were found, he was allowed to come inside, by himself. The rest of his men waited outside the gate. As soon as daddy’s staff confirmed that it was indeed PCol Y., they started to appraise him of what transpired. Lots of assessment made, lots of questions asked…everyone anxiously thinking about an escape plan. Soon after, Tiyo Toto arrived to assess the situation thoroughly. In the meantime, Ritz called Eduardo again to inform Flint not to come to the residence. Unfortunately, Flint was already driving toward the residence (from our beach house in Tarong), when bullets were fired at him! He quickly parked his car in a safe place between houses, along the road. He spent the night in one of those homes (one of daddy’s allies). In the early hours the following morning, when the streets were quiet, he drove to the residence to check on daddy and mommy…and everyone else. After a series of phone calls and negotiations, Eduardo was finally able to charter a helicopter to pick my parents up from the Bantayan airport (half an hour away). Ninfa quickly packed their belongings. The night scene around the residence was eerily quiet. But inside, more planning and coordination happened in whispers… among various members of the rescuing party.