The Martial Law Of A Frozen Arm

Today marks the 37th death anniversary of Freedom in the Philippines. To the GenYers who have no idea what I’m talking about, visit YouTube and type  search “Batas Militar” for an 11-part mini documentary about the dark era in Philippine history. So if you are on a cybercafe, that would be 11 parts multiplied by 10 minutes equals  parting off with your 45-hard earned-pesos. But that’s not too much considering that “Batas Militar” will provide a realization or something like a backgrounder especially to the younger generations as to how, a man named Noynoy, got to where he is standing right now: at the Club Filipino raising arms with Mar “Ako Na” Roxas amid the flurry of flash bulbs. However, Ka Freddie Aguilar, the Pied Piper of the ‘86 Revolt and a top Cory supporter, doesn’t subscribe to the idea of the former president’s son gunning for the top post of the land. They say Noynoy is not yet ripe. As if the election is one big eating event.

Back to Martial Law,  I was just a little boy at the time with no mission in life but to watch The Beatles or Funny Company or Sesame Street. But I’m also very much aware of familiar sounding names such as Nilo Tayag, Ed Jopson, Dante, Joma etc. And I also have my own definition of some of the newsmakers back then:  “Juan Ponce Enrile” is a  powerful man clad in denim jacket, “Benigno Aquino” is a mad bomber of Metro Manila, “Marcos” the greasy haired tyrant, “Aktibista” is a skinny college student with a placard on one hand and a megaphone on the other, ”Rally” is a noisy march on the streets, ”Curfew” is when people are confined inside their homes, “Metrocom” is a dreaded cop, and, Martial law means to KEEP QUIET. But that was long ago. So now, close to four decades later and looking at the state we are in, I can honestly say that Experience is not a good teacher.

arthritis? frozen shoulder? RSI? torn ligament?

But another Martial rule is reigning inside of me. And this is a sensational pain on my right shoulder which LIMITS my right arm movements, RESTRICTS me from reaching other parts of the body and PROHIBITS me from lifting weighted objects. Ms. Susan V. Ople of the Philippine Panorama, who has the same problem, told me hers is what her doctor termed as a “frozen shoulder”. Lamig? So she gave me her advice which is the one thing I fear most: to visit a doctor.

This is the real “arm struggle”.