I’m back at Red Planet but in Ortigas. It rained hard late afternoon until evening so I just booked a room because I don’t want to drive for three hours only to wake up at 5 am again to be back here at 9 am tomorrow. I don’t have any energy left after interviewing three people and chased a foreign government official.

Last night the winds were brutal. It felt like we had a typhoon but it was just the monsoon rains being pulled by super Typhoon Ragasa. Power was cut so I got to test my giant battery pack.

After an hour or two, the power was back.

I guess it was just a dry run because another typhoon is coming. This time it will hit us squarely. It will barrel straight to us.

It’s not a joke. Those who deny climate change should be thrown into the eye of Typhoon Ragasa.

I was sooooo exhausted yesterday. We woke up at 5 am and left at 6:30-ish. I wanted to park at Manila Hotel but all the roads were closed so I had no choice but to park at the closest street I could do street parking. And prayed no one will carnap or scratch it. It was around Anda Circle near the Port Area, which was my old haunt as my former newspaper’s old office was located there. I think that building was already demolished because it was ancient.

Because I drank coffee—a diuretic—after I had my diabetic med in the morning, I was already doing the pee pee dance when we got out of the car. I had to endure the long walk because the nearest toilet was in Manila Cathedral inside Intramuros. After that business was taken care of, we proceeded to walk along A. Bonifacio when I discovered I left my phone in my car. I knew Twin I already wanted to kill me but we had to go back for it for safety/survival reasons.

The sun was already high and it seems like the typhoon has yet to make its presence felt.

We hopped from one place to another, chanting with the crowd. We are angry. We are disgusted.

My sis-in-law and my nephews were making their way into Luneta from her home church along Taft Ave. I doubted if we were going to find each other among 80,000+ crowd but they did!

In between squeezing through crowds and chanting, shouting, singing and all that, we had to take breaks and find benches to breathe and be away from the sun. They announced that by 2 pm they will go to Mendiola, traditionally the place where student rallies are held because it is right in the middle of the university belt and is near Malacañang.

During the protests against Joseph Estrada in 2000-2001, I rallied with students and faculty there. I slept on Legarda Street with just newspapers or a placard on my back. There was one time I was with my mom and my socio civic org brothers and sisters at Mendiola. We really didn’t care if violence would erupt. At that time I was a fresh graduate and working as a research assistant so I was still feeling a little bit invincible. These series of protests culminated at Edsa in January 2001 and the uprising was dubbed as Edsa Dos, because this was the second time we ousted a sitting president, after 1986 when we got rid of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. My whole family was there but we were in separate groups. My older sister was with her workmates, my brother was I don’t know where, my mom was I think with other faculty members, and my younger sister was with her friends. I can’t remember who I was with because I think I was solo with a bunch of students from my university. It was only my father at home because he was already sick at that time.

Anyway, I digress.

When they organizers said they would be transferring to Mendiola, I knew we had to leave. Marcos would try to crush the students or the DDS may do something stupid like destablize a peaceful rally that would force the government to declare martial law and then Marcos would be ousted and have Sara Duterte as president—which has been their gameplan all along.

We walked back to the car, about 2 km from where we were. When Twin I got inside our airconditioned car, that’s when it hit me that I was almost going to have a heat stroke. No wonder I was non-stop chugging water but the headache didn’t dissipate. I think we were just there sitting inside the car for 30 mins to wait for the headache to go away after taking paracetamol.

Twin I was disappointed because she wanted to join them in Mendiola. I told her, “Girl, I’m a veteran of street protests and Mendiola is where things go wrong. I won’t take that chance with you.”

Since all roads were closed, Waze directed us to take Del Pan bridge to get to… Right smack in the middle of U-belt. While we were driving parallel to Pasig River (Escolta, I think), we saw the student protesters crossing Jones Bridge. I had a fear that we could get trapped there or by some miracle, our lane would be free.

I took a chance.

And it was a great chance to be with the rally without having to march with them to Mendiola.

It was a peaceful rally ruined by thugs later that afternoon until evening. Rioters threw Molotov bombs near Mendiola, at the foot of Ayala bridge.

Some reporters said these rogue rioters were the masked entities that came from Liwasang Bonifacio who were identified as DDS. It looked like destabilizers. It is yet unsure if they are connected to the thugs that destroyed the lobby and looted Sogo Hotel along Recto Ave.

They are clearly not associated with the peaceful protesters from Luneta.

There were a lot of fear-mongers online, saying 30 students from UST and other universities were killed/shot/arrested. Legit media said nothing like that happened.

The online trolls are sowing confusion. Duterte is behind all this.

Sorry I missed this yesterday but I was deep into the story my colleague and I were chasing. It was already 7 pm when we’re done and set for editing on Monday when I realized I missed this. I only needed to step out of the house and et voila! I would already be with the mob.

As the super typhoon is staying in its extreme northern Luzon path, I think it will only be a stormy rally. Still thinking if I should push through with it since I have a three-day conference in Ortigas from Tue to Thurs.

---

I printed this and will be sticking this at the back of my car tomorrow. I also printed several Straw Hat Jolly Roger images to stick on my cars windows. I’m blasting Yano’s songs like Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayo and Trapo while doing so. Also love me some Rage Against the Machine.

I don’t have a white shirt, I’ll wear my protest shirt instead. I will have Twin I wear my Martial Law Commemorative shirt, too.

…and it’s not a good sign. Usually that indicates a strong low pressure area would be barreling its way in a day or two. Fishermen and farmers can tell impending disaster that way, and by how pink or red the sunset is.

It seems like there is a clear eye forming now. It’s also not a good sign. The clearer and more defined and organized the cloud system is, the stronger the typhoon.

Ragasa also has a wide scope, and you can see the large swath or area that is covered by red swirling clouds.

Without a doubt, Batanes and the Babuyan group of islands will be a direct hit. The next three to six hours will be critical as this would determine if Ragasa would still go south or maintain its west-northwest trajectory and pummel Hong Kong.

---

The thing with low pressure areas meandering over Pacific Ocean is that their paths are unpredictable. Initial reports from JMA and PAGASA project it will be heading towards Northern Luzon. But given that its cloud system is wide, which will almost engulf half of the Philippines, it can go lower and directly hit Metro Manila and Southern Luzon.

I have to prepare my solar panels and my Bluetti power pack. I also need to stock up on canned goods and instant food in case we lose power for a week again.

Oh dear, I have like three conferences and expos to cover next week.

And I may have to skip the rally on Sunday.