Apol Mabini was just waiting by the kiosk across the PLDT Office at Sampaloc, Manila. Classes were suspended by noon. News has been going around on what happened at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the employees of Ayala and Ortigas business districts. Already, there were students and other protesters at Mendiola. They had returned after being dispersed by Civil Disturbance Control units earlier in the morning. What led to the return bout was the appearance of pro-government mob who cornered a group of students isolated near Tandem. A group of students then threw rocks at them and they chased the students all the way to Morayta little knowing that a bigger group was waiting for them and ambushed them sealing both ends of Morayta. The pro-government mob were themselves cut off and were beaten up until none were left standing. There was no police to break up the fracas since most police were concentrated on Mendiola Bridge.
Lacson Avenue was already being filled with traffic. Welcome Rotonda was closed by the police since there was a contingent of students marching from UP, Ateneo and Miriam College. News travels fast in this age of the internet. Apol was lighting his third cigarette when 3 vans arrived. He saw Andy Bonifacio alighting from one and several people also disembarked. It was the signal for those also waiting in the area. They converged on the PLDT Office. Security guards were taken by surprise and a group managed to enter the building. Andy told Apol that this was strategic. They have to keep the international communications gateway open. PLDT must not be shut down. The group then proceeded to the Tower area and convinced the engineers to remain calm. Following the vans was a truck that brought in water, food and other supplies. The protesters were digging in.
Three police cars arrived but by that time, those manning the barricades were almost 2 thousand strong, mainly Civil Society groups and students from nearby UST. Andy let the Civil Society negotiators deal with the police. He was communicating via the new FB Messaging that included encryption. He was talking to his brother Proxy who at that time was at the Meralco Substation with other protesters. There would be no brownouts in the area. They sealed off the substation.
Andy was on the line again with Syano Jaena who was at Ayala Boulevard. Syano was telling him that the entire Ayala Golden Mile was emptied out of employees and the tail end was at Mckinley Road proceeding to BGC. A group of protesters with nuns from Assumption and students from the Ateneo Business Schools were already manning the barricades at the corner of EDSA and Ayala and another group manned by Don Bosco brothers and students were barricading Ayala corner Buendia.
Syano Jaena was also online and saw the drone footage realtime at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. An Assumption Sister was also watching and tears were running down her cheeks when viewing the carnage at the LmnB. Such ruthless barbarity but the barricade was holding. Syano tried to call Dr. Jose Rizal on the encrypted FB PM but got no answer. The video showed that the teargas was clearing up and the police and military have taken a step back.
Back in Espana, Apol was manning the front line of the barricades together with students from UST. One of his law students was pointing at something. When he looked towards the area, he saw several SUVs and Pick-up trucks disembarking men. The vehicles prominently had DDS stickers on their sides. “Ah, Digong Duterte Supporters” he said to himself. This was expected since police and military units were already stretched, it was just a matter of time that such hoods will show up to augment the regular police and military.
These men charged the barricades and they had pistols out. A UST bother tried to block them but they shot him in the head. Guns spewed fire towards the protesters and a dozen fell down. Nobody ran away, in fact, more reinforced the frontlines. Stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown towards the group of gunmen. Five were immolated at once. A foodcart became part of the barricade. Five gunmen fired at the barricades and a bullet ricocheted and hit Apol at the back. He was attended to by a student and dragged towards the back.
Apol was in distress, not because of the attack but because he could not feel his legs…….
