For Toma, as part of our little challenge to write fluff and also each other's specialty character or ship, depending on which is harder to write. The Philippines here is his OC. Hopefully, I haven't butchered her character, but, enjoy!
Live!
She had never been more happy to be alive and live! Live! Live!
Mabuhay!
Pilipinas would live as the birds soar free; her heart was airborne and singing.
The sun beamed down at the earth below, relentless in its hospitable warmth. Just a pinch too much, perhaps, if the pearls of sweat gliding down her neck was anything to go by, but she understood the sun's over-the-top enthusiasm:
She had a zest for life too sweet, too ripe, too good to not share with anyone and everyone around her.
In this mood, she could love the world with all its imperfections.
Earlier, she bought a fragrant blossom from a young girl on the street, gave her an extra coin with a wink. The flower was now tucked into her healthy black hair, brimming with a passion.
The smell of food from street vendors waft to her and entwine with the flowery fragrance. At that, her stomach entreated her for a treat; she was inclined to acquiescence.
Moments later, she had an ice cream cone in her hand, the icy-cold sweetness tingling on her tongue. It didn't matter to her that a bit of ice cream had slipped from her fingers and dripped onto her new dress. She grinned to herself.
Life was good.
Shadows of the palm trees sway to a mambo, and her footsteps and hips follow along to match the beat as she strolls down Dewey Boulevard. Her lovely, oceanic voice was compressed into a cheerful hum as she materialized the tune to which she danced. She knew this song by heart, and she was singing it since the 1953 presidential campaign:
That is why, that is why
You will hear the people cry
Our democracy will die
Kung wala si Magsaysay.
—if there is no Magsaysay? No!
It was unthinkable to her. Ramon Magsaysay was alive— alive as the earth was alive and nurturing her rice fields and mango trees— and he was coming back (finally!) from Cebu City to a modest surprise welcome-back party she organized.
Oh, and he was going to win his reelection too, when the time comes. Pilipinas felt it in her blood the way nations always do.
She felt a rush of affection for this president of hers. The champion of the people, her guy, he had given her so much already: the government was clean, the people were heard, the landless had land, the economy was taking off, there was a tangible, real brighter future she could almost just grasp-
Mambo, Mambo Magsaysay
Mabu, Mabu- Mabuhay!
Our democracy will die
Kung wala si Magsaysay!
There was still a long way to go.
The sunlit boulevard was stretched out languidly before her, beckoning her to walk the way to the end. She would in time, she would in time. After all, hope had been such a rare commodity until now, where she can find it anywhere from the Malacañang Palace to the street vendors of Dewey Boulevard.
It was March 16, 1957, let the future bring what it may—
She felt like she could do anything.
Historical Endnotes:
"Mabuhay!" is a Filipino greeting, in the imperative for of "life."
The lyrics are from "Mambo, Magsaysay," the campaign jingle of Ramon Magsaysay, who won the presidency in 1953 by a landslide.
Dewey Boulevard is now known as Roxas Boulevard. It is a popular waterfront promenade in Manila. The boulevard runs along the shores of Manila Bay and is well known for its sunsets and stretch of coconut trees.
Ramon Magsaysay was the seventh president of the Republic of the Philippines. An automobile mechanic, Magsaysay was appointed military governor of Zambales after his outstanding service as a guerilla leader during the Pacific War. He then served two terms as Liberal Party congressman for Zambales before being appointed as Secretary of National Defense by President Elpidio Quirino. He was elected President in 1953 under the banner of the Nacionalista Party. Magsaysay was truly a champion of the people, restoring their trust in the military and government. His administration is considered one of the cleanest and most corruption-free in Philippines history, and his presidency is referred to as the Philippines' "Golden Years." In the words of professor and author Jose Abueva, Magsaysay is considered the "yardstick by which Filipino presidents should be judged."
Unfortunately, his presidency was cut short by a plane crash when he was travelling back to Manila from Cebu City on March 17, 1957.