BY JEROME C. VARON
AS EVENTS unfolded in the early part of the suspense-filled EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986, Filipinos and the entire world never expected the ending to the historic episode of our history.
For one, Ferdinand Marcos had an overwhelming advantage in terms of resources, organization and strategic control against a handful of mutineers inside a military camp. If not for the human wave that served as barrier between the government-controlled troops and the rebels inside Camp Crame, a military assault could have finished the whole thing overnight.
Marcos could have opted for other measures within his means to quell the mutiny. Observers predicted a grim scenario of failure for the Enrile-Ramos led group.
But unexpected twists to the storyline started to unfold. Troops started to defect to the rebel side; the Marcos-controlled media outlets were disabled; and finally, the US advised Marcos to “cut, and cut cleanly.”
For the despot who depended too much on a superpower patron during his presidency, it was a stern directive to discreetly step down. Nobody expected that Malacañang would be vacated by the Marcos family and his minions on that night of Feb. 25, 1986 after spending the best 20 years of their lives there. Earlier that day, Marcos, in asserting his grip to power, took his oath as the reelected president after the just concluded national elections.
The unexpected always happen just as friends you’ve never heard of for wins suddenly appear while celebrating an occasion. Sometimes it comes as shocking tremble like spending a great time with someone and learn something bad happened to him a short time after.
Surprise, unthinkable, improbable. Unbelievably, these things just happen, unexpectedly. And who would have believed during the 1990s that a decade after, America would be electing its first black president? That the wireless communications gadget in the James Bond movies of the 1960s would be a common accessory today?
In the realm of sports, there always come a time that any team would beat the strongest one in the league. We’ve witnessed how the most underrated boxers snatched the championship belt from their rivals in the ring. The best example was Manny Pacquiao who was unranked and picked as a substitute opponent to the then reigning champion in a division, Ledwaba.
Pacquiao was notified barely two weeks before the fight. The rest is history. Pacquiao beat Ledwaba and grabbed the first of his unequalled eight division championship belts.
It was a similar story for Kathy Horvath who was ranked No. 45 when she faced Martina Navratilova, the highest ranked female tennis player of the world during that time. It was on May 8, 1983. The chips were stacked against Kathy considering the fact that Martina had not lost in her last 36 matches. The previous year, she lost only three out of 93 matches. At the age seventeen years, Kathy was facing a gargantuan task against a seasoned champion.
The game was nip and tuck throughout, to the surprise of 16,000 people in the stands. Kathy, the overwhelming underdog, won that match in final set of an exciting game!
In life, we are treated to a lot of unexpected things, some good, some bad. But expect them to happen. Be prepared whenever necessary. Welcome them if you must. And even if you’re the underdog in the arena of life, get in the fray and fight your best way to win!
There’s always a time for everything. Sometimes, it is the most unexpected./PN
