The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Alvin I. Dacanay
Like many Filipinos, the Philippine entertainment community shared in the sorrow of the families and friends of the 44 men of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) who were killed in a clash with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mampasano town, Maguindanao province, on January 25, and several from the community expressed their appreciation for the slain men’s sacrifice and sympathies to their loved ones on television and social media.
Leading them was television host-actress Kris Aquino, who, in the early hours of January 30, visited the multipurpose hall inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City—where the bodies of most of the men were lying in state—to pay her respects and condole with the bereaved families.
According to GMA News reporter Vonne Aquino, Kris said at the wake: “Nawalan din ako ng mahal sa buhay sa isang marahas na paraan, at ipinaabot ko lang’ yung simpatya at pagdarasal [I also lost a loved one in a violent way, and I’m extending my sympathy and prayers].”
She was referring to her father, the late former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., whose assassination at the tarmac of the former Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983, sparked widespread anti-government protests, and led to the first Edsa Revolution that ousted strongman Ferdinand Marcos and installed the ex-lawmaker’s widow Corazon as president on February 25, 1986.
“We have so much respect for the sacrifice na binigay ng mahal nila sa buhay, at ‘yun lang, ‘yun lang ang dahilan [that their loved ones gave, and that’s all, that’s the only reason],” added the self-proclaimed “Queen of All Media,” who is reputedly the country’s top product endorser.
On January 29, Kris posted on her Instagram account a picture of lighted colored candles with the image of Our Lady of Manaoag that was taken at the popular Marian shrine in Manaoag town, Pangasinan province.
The photo caption read, in part: “We [Kris and her Kris TV staff] all fervently prayed a special intention for our country & God’s healing & Mama Mary’s comforting embrace of the loved ones, families, co-workers & friends left behind by the 44 fallen SAF officers.”
Kris’s colleague at the ABS-CBN television network, comedienne Ai-Ai de la Alas, also went to Bagong Diwa to pay her respects. She said in an interview at the camp and aired on the station’s Umagang Kay Ganda morning program: “’Yung mga heartaches ng [mga] nanay—medyo naluha-luha ako.… Nanay din ako; alam ko ang pain ng mawalan ng anak [The heartaches of the mothers—I cried a bit…. I’m also a mother; I know the pain of losing a child].”
Excruciating pain
Actors and recently married couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, two of the GMA TV network’s top stars, posted on the latter’s Instagram account on January 30 an image depicting a lavender cross and flowers, and the words “In deepest sympathy,” which are inside a lavender frame.
“Nakikiramay po kami sa lahat ng nawalan ng [mga] mahal sa buhay [We condole with all those who lost loved ones]…. There is no pain as excruciating as what the loved ones of our fallen SAFs in Maguindanao are now experiencing, especially when the new year just ushered in—a time when we all try to be doubly hopeful that things will be better in the days to come,” Dantes wrote in the image’s caption.
“Indeed, these SAF personnel rightfully deserve to be called heroes…but only TRUTH and JUSTICE can provide eternal peace to their souls and heal the wounds inflicted upon us, especially to their families…. Let peace reign, even when we are all in pain,” he added.
For her part, Miss Philippines-Universe 2014 Mary Jean Lastimosa—who arrived in the country days after competing in the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant in Doral, Miami, Florida, where she finished in the Top 10—said she was heartbroken when she heard about the dead SAF officers.
“I know how hard it is [to lose a loved one], and I just wanted to pray for them [the grieving families],” Lastimosa, who hails from strife-torn North Cotabato province, said in an video interview with the Rappler news website, and expressed hope that the rest of the country would also pray for them.
The 27-year-old beauty queen and entrepreneur also said that she wished armed clashes and the deaths resulting from them would stop, adding that these doesn’t help, especially the children who witness them.
Photos, ribbons
Like Kris, Dantes and Rivera, other celebrities who expressed their condolences—via posting pictures of the arrival of the slain SAF personnel at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City or of black ribbons on their social-media accounts—include Miss World 2013 Megan Young, Carla Abellana, Kim Chiu, Rodjun Cruz, Anne Curtis, Richard Gomez, Ruffa Gutierrez, Maxene Magalona, Amy Perez, Judy Ann Santos and Regine Velasquez.
Also expressing his sympathy is comedian Michael V., who demonstrated his little-publicized talent for illustration by drawing a fallen SAF member holding his gun in one hand and his cell phone in the other, and posting this on his Instagram account.
“One of the heartbreaking stories I heard is about a fallen SAF who died viewing his family’s photos on his phone,” the image’s caption read.