When Back In Time

Esperanza stood outside the cell of Pepe. The latter was sitting on the floor, bending his head down.

Esperanza looked at her left side and saw Pepe's father, a guardia civil (Civil Guard).

"Paano mo nagawa 'to sa anak mo?" she asked angrily. (How could you do this to your son?)

Pepe's father just glanced at her and then looked at the book he was reading.

"Huy! Kinakausap pa kita!" (Hey! I'm still talking to you!)

"Bantayan mo  ang asal mo binibini. Ito ba ang nakuha mo sa kakasama sa rebelled na 'yan? Nasaan na ang iyong paggalang sa nakakatanda sa iyo?" Pepe's father asked. (Watch your manners, miss. Is this what you get after following this rebel? Where is your manner of respecting those who are older than you?)

Infuriated, Esperanza was about to retort when suddenly Pepe stopped her.

Esperanza looked at Pepe. How could his father do this to him? She knew that Pepe was a rebel and the government wanted to hunt down those people who would go against them. It's like that in this era. But this….

She looked at the guradia civil (Civil Guard) with the hat numbered 101. He was Pepe's father, how could he imprison his own son?

She spoke to Pepe's father, "Pero…. Papaano niyo po ito magagawa sa anak niyo? Paano niyo po matitiis makita ang anak niyong nasa likod ng rehas? Ama niya po kayo. Dapat tinutulungan niyo siya, hindi ganito. Wala po ba kayong pakealam kung anong mangyayari kay Pepe?" (But…. How can you do this to your son? How can you stomach seeing your son behind the bars? You're his father. You should be helping him, not the other way around. Don't you care what will happen to Pepe?)

He snickered, "Pepe, iyon ba ang pinangalan niya sa sarili niya? Pepe ka na pala ngayon Manuel?" Pepe's father looked at Pepe. "Lahat na lumalabag sa batas at sumasalungat sa pamahalaan ay hindi na mamalas pa ang araw. Kaya maghanda-handa ka na sa sarili mo Manuel." (Pepe, is that what you named yourself Manuel? So you are Pepe right now, Manuel? People who violate the law and go against the government shall never see the sun anymore. So, ready yourself, Manuel)

Pepe's father snickered one more time and left the room.

'Doom? Pepe is doomed?' Esperanza looked at Pepe who was now grabbing his hair.

Esperanza held the bars, "Kasalanan ko itong lahat. Kung hindi mo ako sinundan hindi ka na sana nadakip ng iyong sira'ng ulo na ama. May diperensya ba s'ya sa utak niya? Paano niyang masasabi na ma-ma----- hindi mo na makikita pa ang araw. At Manuel? Ano ba ang pinagsasabi niya? Ikaw si Pepe. Diba?" (This is all my fault. If you didn't come to me you wouldn't be caught by your lunatic father. Has he had a defected head? How can he say that you will di-----di------ that you're not going to see the day? And Manuel? What is he talking about? You are Pepe. Right?)

Pepe raised his head and looked at her. It pains Esperanza to see him there. She thought to herself, this was really her fault.

Pepe explained his real name was Manuel Arellano. But he did not like that name, especially carrying that last name of his father. That's why he called himself Pepe.

His father was a civil guard under the Spanish government. His father was loyal to his duty rather than to his blood. Pepe did not like his father supporting the Spanish government. Pepe was against the colonizers. That's why he choose to be a rebel, to free his countrymen from the colonizer. It's been years ever since the colonizers oppressed the Filipinos. It's been years since the oppressors looked down on the Filipinos and called them 'Indio'.

Esperanza remembered the history of the Philippines under the Spanish colonization. Of how the Filipinos strived to break free from the colonizers after 333 years of being colonized.

Seeing how Pepe and his father had their own sides in this conflict pains Esperanza. Filipino turning their backs on each other and follow those people who were not their brethren is excruciating. It pains her to see how the Philippines in the past were divided.

Night came and torches inside the prison were lit.

Esperanza stayed in front of the cell of Pepe after other guardia civil (civil guard) urged her to leave. She could not leave Pepe and she had nowhere to go.

Esperanza was in the middle of her sleep when suddenly she heard firing of guns outside the prison. She stood up, horrified and looked at Pepe.

Outside, footsteps could be heard and then clashing of swords and firing of guns. A fight erupted inside the prison.

'Oh no! What is happening?' Esperanza thought in panic.

She yelped when she heard someone kicked the door from the outside. It was kicked once again. Thud. Thud. Thud.

And then the wooden door flew after the intense kick. A man came inside and yelled, "Pepe! Nandito ka ba?" (Pepe! Are you here?)

Pepe called out gladly to the man. The man looked at Pepe happily and immediately opened the cell using his gun.

The man gladly hugged Pepe and looked at Esperanza.

She asked the stranger, "S-sino ka?" (W-who are you?)

"Wala na tayong oras para magpakilala sa isa't isa. Kinakailangan na natin umalis dito," the man said covering his face with a red mask. He then went outside. Esperanza and Pepe looked at each other, still bewildered, then followed the man. (We do not have the time to introduce each another. We need to escape here, now)

Outside, it was total mayhem. And Esperanza was about to lose her composure as she saw a man cut someone's head, a man shooting at each other, slicing each other's guts and brutally punching the other. The violence led to bloodshed. She saw gaurdia civil fighting against people with red and green masks.

The man before who wore a red mask pulled Esperanza and led her outside. They kept running until they get themselves in the outskirt of Tondo.

The man pulled them to the nearest big tree. He pulled his mask off and looked at Pepe and Esperanza, panting.

He addressed Pepe, "Bakit ka ba nandito sa Tondo Pepe? At ba't mo ako hinahanap?" (Why are you here in Tondo Pepe? And why are you looking for me?)

Esperanza looked at Pepe, "Siya ba 'yong hinahanap natin? Siya ba si Andres?" (Is he the man we are looking for? Is he Andre?)

Pepe nodded and answered, "Oo siya. Siya si Andres. Siya si Andres Bonifacio y de Castro, ang kaibigan ko."

Esperanza, with gap mouth, looked at the man called Andres Bonifacio. She didn't expect the one she was looking for was one of the national heroes of the Philippines. She thought to herself, 'OMG! Is he Andres Bonifacio in flesh? I wasn't expecting to look for someone as prominent as him. This is crazy! He is the man who was known as the revolutionary leader in the history of the Philippines. He was the founder and the Supremo (Supreme leader) of the organization called "Kataas-taasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan" (KKK) or commonly known as Katipunan. This organization is a movement that seeks the independence of the Philippines from the Spanish colonization and started the Philippine revolution. He was one of the heroic figures in history, alongside Jose Rizal. Wow! Just whoa!'

Pepe started, "Nandito kami upang itanong sa iyo kung may nalalaman ka ba kung nasaan ngayon si Jose Rizal. Ang binibining kasama ko ngayon na si Elizabeth ay hinahanap siya. Alam namin na tumakas si Ginoong Jose Rizal bago siya maihatid sa Dapitan." (We are here to ask you if you know where is Jose Rizal right now. This lady here named Elizabeth was looking for him. We know that Mr. Jose Rizal escape before he was transported towards Dapitan)

Andres Bonifacio cupped his chin and rubbed it while thinking. He already knew about the news that Jose Rizal escaped before being deported to Dapitan. But he had no idea where Jose Rizal was right now.

Esperanza looked at Pepe in desperate.

Andres Bonifacio added that Jose Rizal could have been hiding. But he could not be hiding here in Luzon because it was packed with allies of the Spanish government. Jose Rizal could not also flee to the other country because the government will hunt him down in every port. There was nowhere he could flee.

Andres Bonifacio added, "Maliban na lamang kung…" (Unless….)

Esperanza asked, "Maliban na lamang kung?) (Unless?)

Andres Bonifacio looked at her and said unless Jose Rizal went to Mindanao. The only place that was untouched from the Spanish regime was Mindanao. Some of the Filipino rebels fled here to hide. Mindanao was untouched because the Spaniards could not defeat the people who were living here, the Muslims. The only place which was safe for Jose Rizal to hide was in Mindanao.

"Pero," Esperanza asked, "Nasa Mindanao ang lugar na Dapitan. Bakit tatakas si Ginoong Jose Rizal kung doon din naman s'ya tutungo?" (But the place called Dapitan was in Mindanao. Why would Mr. Jose Rizal escaped if Mindanao was really where he wanted to go?)

This was the question Andres Bonifacio could not answer.

...

Far away from Tondo, a man was walking. He took off his salakot (wide-brimmed hat) revealing his face. He has a well-trimmed mustache and on his wrist was a wristwatch, the other clock of Bangun Bangun.

He stopped and looked around the forest.

After a few moments, someone came. It was someone who was wearing a black robe with a hood. Under the hood was an old man who was holding a cane.

The old man asked with a raspy voice, "What news do you have for me?"

"I just triggered a revolution in the jail of Tondo," the man with a mustache said. He touched his wristwatch, "I urged the leader of the Katipunan to invade the prison. Now, the place is bathing with blood just as what you like."

The old man smirked behind his hood. "Now the fun started. But there is this one thing that's hindering our plan, Agustin." The old man looked at Agustin, the man with the mustache and the wristwatch. "The girl from the future. She's a hindrance to our plan. I want her to be eliminated."

Black smoke came out from the hem of the old man's robe. The smoke hovered towards Agustin and entered inside his mouth.

Agustin vigorously shook. His face became pale. After a second, he opened his eyes.

Agustin's eyes for a moment were filled with darkness. He answered, "Understood."