Exactly A Year Ago

Exactly a year ago, Francis Xavier Manzano had no idea it would be his last day alive.

Exactly a year ago, Francis Manzano had no idea it would be his last day of school.

Exactly a year ago, FX had no idea it would be the last day he could ever see or be in touch with his siblings, daughter, relatives, girlfriend (and ex-girlfriends), barkada and old friends, teachers and mentors, classmates and former batchmates, acquaintances and peers.

Exactly a year ago, "F" had no idea he would be shot to death by overzealous, corrupt Philippine TMG police, looking to parade themselves as heroic cops by telling lies on why and how this all happened.

Exactly a year ago, I was never personally affected by the corruption in our country. I saw corruption on the news, read it in the papers, heard it on the radio, and even discussed it at gatherings. Filipinos shared stories of Philippine corruption to friends and colleagues with a comedic tone of silliness. (From the silliness of how many shoes Imelda Marcos had... to the "I Love You" virus to show how talented Filipinos can be... to why Filipinos suffer from a "crab mentality" society.)

After a year since FX's death....

- I learned that there is a tremendous amount of Filipinos (in the country and abroad) who have the intelligence to decipher the truth from the lies fed to us by the police and politicians involved in FX's death. There is an unbelievable amount of people who cry out for justice for Francis Xavier Manzano.

- We learned about the courage of UNTV; keeping their videos intact, despite continuous security and political threats. Their videos revealed the truth and remained untainted in the wake of the powerful propaganda spewed by the police and their superiors to the press.

- The Philippine Human Rights activists learned through their investigations that the case was an obvious rubout, not a shootout (again, despite the intimidation and threats by the police and politicians).

- You are now learning that the siblings and family of FX have couragely pushed forward to seek justice for Francis in the courts.

There are many things we have learned and yet to be learned. FX's death has shed light to this corruption in our society. In behalf of his family, it is our responsibility to turn this tragedy into a catalyst for making a better world for generations to come. Please continue your support for justice. Don't let corruption immobilize your thoughts, courage and actions.

F, we miss you.