It has been for the longest time that the political t-shirt of Thailand seesawed from Red (pro-Thaksin) to Yellow (anti-Thaksin) which is perhaps a proxy battle of colors between the mostly rural masses (the Reds) versus the dominant urban elite (the Yellows) and ultimately, the escalating political tension gave the Thai military a reason to step in and they did, locking out of the government both the Reds and the Yellows.
[Can it be also that the current political spectrum in the Philippines is becoming polarized into the Reds [mostly pro-Duterte rural working class] and the Yellows [dominated by urban-based economic and intellectual elite] which will escalate into a conflict that will rationalize military intervention?]
But Thailand has an ace, a revered king who can transcend colors, whose death plunge the country into deep mourning and further political uncertainty, which flooded Bangkok in a sea of black when I flew in for back-to-back face-to-face meetings.
As such, we kept in black too in solidarity with the Thai people, toned down the usually happy dinners, cut back on the alcohol intake which was two bottles of Singha beer at most, and went home earlier than usual.
I wore a black shirt when I flew back to Manila, in continuing solidarity with our Thai brothers and sisters, and as an act of protest to the unfolding outcome of a change process that is fast evolving into a huge disappointment, and to illustrate my own personal fear of the potential outcome of an escalating political tension between our own Reds and Yellows.
I still wore black the next day when I took "Bunso" to breakfast in our favorite street carinderia.
In Nueva Ecija, the annual remembrance for the dead is turning out into a week-long vacation so I changed into white biking jerseys to celebrate Bulan and Balong's return to our familiar biking haunts, although I vowed to wear black briefs until after November 1.
[Can it be also that the current political spectrum in the Philippines is becoming polarized into the Reds [mostly pro-Duterte rural working class] and the Yellows [dominated by urban-based economic and intellectual elite] which will escalate into a conflict that will rationalize military intervention?]
But Thailand has an ace, a revered king who can transcend colors, whose death plunge the country into deep mourning and further political uncertainty, which flooded Bangkok in a sea of black when I flew in for back-to-back face-to-face meetings.
As such, we kept in black too in solidarity with the Thai people, toned down the usually happy dinners, cut back on the alcohol intake which was two bottles of Singha beer at most, and went home earlier than usual.
I wore a black shirt when I flew back to Manila, in continuing solidarity with our Thai brothers and sisters, and as an act of protest to the unfolding outcome of a change process that is fast evolving into a huge disappointment, and to illustrate my own personal fear of the potential outcome of an escalating political tension between our own Reds and Yellows.
I still wore black the next day when I took "Bunso" to breakfast in our favorite street carinderia.
In Nueva Ecija, the annual remembrance for the dead is turning out into a week-long vacation so I changed into white biking jerseys to celebrate Bulan and Balong's return to our familiar biking haunts, although I vowed to wear black briefs until after November 1.
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