February 25, 2011 - Friday
At midnight, Ate Baby called me up. She sounded very anxious. She informed me that Khadaffi ordered to bomb all of Libya. He was suicidal already since his family was no longer in the country. According to news report, Khadaffi stated that he built Libya and he could also destroy it. Ate Baby also said that evacuation was now through Tunisia only and there are buses to pick up Pinoys in specific areas.
Ate Baby’s voice was so alarming that her message sent a little panic in my heart. I immediately sent an SMS to Bok and informed him about Ate Baby’s message. I asked him to stop his rhetorics and prepare his family for evacuation. He rang me up at about 8:00 AM and told me not to believe too much in news/rumors being circulated. He said that members of the Khadaffi clan were still in the country and even if they had left already, they would not be safe anywhere if Khadaffi would bomb Libya because victims would retaliate against his own family, and it could earn the ire of the international community. Besides, Kiko said their group had already decided to stay and their decision remained so. I heard a merry atmosphere at the background as I was talking to him which proved that everything’s okay at Zlatin (pronounced as Zletin). He was still worried of my being alone in Tripoli so he told me to stay with Dr. Najmed’s family. I attended the mass at 10:00 AM and offered it to my mom in commemoration of her death anniversary. Normally, there were two scheduled masses on Fridays and Sundays, 10:00 AM & 4:00 PM; and one mass, 6:00 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays. When the uprising broke out, only the 10:00 AM masses on Fridays and Sundays were maintained. During the regular masses before, the church was always jampacked with people. In today’s mass, less than ten people attended. The Bishop’s sad look was heartbreaking.He thanked the people who attended the mass for their support of the church which he said was being tested in the light of recent events.
After the mass, I took my lunch at my flat and washed clothes afterwards. I finished my chore at 4:30 PM, then packed a few clothes and called up Dr. Najmed. At exactly 5:00 PM, he was already downstairs waiting for me. I brought out food stuff that could get spoiled and gave them to my landlord whose family was on the ground floor. (My apartment is at the left wing of the second floor of a three story building. An Iraqi family lived on the right wing and a Libyan resided on the top floor). My flat is located at the interior part of Souq Jomaa, one of the biggest districts of Tripoli, and Dr. Naj remarked that it is an advantage because unlawful element would only go there at the risk of being cornered.
When we were already traversing the main road, I told Dr. Naj about my last day in the College (Feb.20); when my students told me that they could not understand why people are revolting despite the fact that most of the basic necessities are provided by the government. He said that it’s partly correct BUT (and this is a big one) how could people be truly happy in a country where there is no constitution; where people could not voice out their opinions and thoughts; where basic human rights are being trampled upon. He told me about the indiscriminate killing of protesters which resulted in 600 deaths after just three days of anti-government protests. He also shared with me other shocking incidents which happened in the past and in the present which painted a clearer image of why people had turned their back on the “Great Leader”. Remembering the anniversary of the Philippines’ People Power Revolution today, I realized that compared to Libya’s infamous head, Ex-President Ferdinand Marcos was a lot more humane, considering the fact that he stepped down from power after three days.
Later, at the safety of Dr. Naj’s home and while we were watching the news (They have five 120-inch TVs all over the house. What a luxury!), we learned that if my decision to stay with them was delayed for one hour more, we won’t be able to pass through Souq Jomaa’s main road anymore. Hundreds of anti-government demonstrators filled the street. A relative of Karen, Dr. Naj’s wife, died this afternoon.
At midnight, Ate Baby called me up. She sounded very anxious. She informed me that Khadaffi ordered to bomb all of Libya. He was suicidal already since his family was no longer in the country. According to news report, Khadaffi stated that he built Libya and he could also destroy it. Ate Baby also said that evacuation was now through Tunisia only and there are buses to pick up Pinoys in specific areas.
Ate Baby’s voice was so alarming that her message sent a little panic in my heart. I immediately sent an SMS to Bok and informed him about Ate Baby’s message. I asked him to stop his rhetorics and prepare his family for evacuation. He rang me up at about 8:00 AM and told me not to believe too much in news/rumors being circulated. He said that members of the Khadaffi clan were still in the country and even if they had left already, they would not be safe anywhere if Khadaffi would bomb Libya because victims would retaliate against his own family, and it could earn the ire of the international community. Besides, Kiko said their group had already decided to stay and their decision remained so. I heard a merry atmosphere at the background as I was talking to him which proved that everything’s okay at Zlatin (pronounced as Zletin). He was still worried of my being alone in Tripoli so he told me to stay with Dr. Najmed’s family. I attended the mass at 10:00 AM and offered it to my mom in commemoration of her death anniversary. Normally, there were two scheduled masses on Fridays and Sundays, 10:00 AM & 4:00 PM; and one mass, 6:00 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays. When the uprising broke out, only the 10:00 AM masses on Fridays and Sundays were maintained. During the regular masses before, the church was always jampacked with people. In today’s mass, less than ten people attended. The Bishop’s sad look was heartbreaking.He thanked the people who attended the mass for their support of the church which he said was being tested in the light of recent events.
After the mass, I took my lunch at my flat and washed clothes afterwards. I finished my chore at 4:30 PM, then packed a few clothes and called up Dr. Najmed. At exactly 5:00 PM, he was already downstairs waiting for me. I brought out food stuff that could get spoiled and gave them to my landlord whose family was on the ground floor. (My apartment is at the left wing of the second floor of a three story building. An Iraqi family lived on the right wing and a Libyan resided on the top floor). My flat is located at the interior part of Souq Jomaa, one of the biggest districts of Tripoli, and Dr. Naj remarked that it is an advantage because unlawful element would only go there at the risk of being cornered.
When we were already traversing the main road, I told Dr. Naj about my last day in the College (Feb.20); when my students told me that they could not understand why people are revolting despite the fact that most of the basic necessities are provided by the government. He said that it’s partly correct BUT (and this is a big one) how could people be truly happy in a country where there is no constitution; where people could not voice out their opinions and thoughts; where basic human rights are being trampled upon. He told me about the indiscriminate killing of protesters which resulted in 600 deaths after just three days of anti-government protests. He also shared with me other shocking incidents which happened in the past and in the present which painted a clearer image of why people had turned their back on the “Great Leader”. Remembering the anniversary of the Philippines’ People Power Revolution today, I realized that compared to Libya’s infamous head, Ex-President Ferdinand Marcos was a lot more humane, considering the fact that he stepped down from power after three days.
Later, at the safety of Dr. Naj’s home and while we were watching the news (They have five 120-inch TVs all over the house. What a luxury!), we learned that if my decision to stay with them was delayed for one hour more, we won’t be able to pass through Souq Jomaa’s main road anymore. Hundreds of anti-government demonstrators filled the street. A relative of Karen, Dr. Naj’s wife, died this afternoon.
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