~~
After a little while, Yara received a call, and she enthusiastically answered it as her parents also responded with happiness and a beaming grin on their faces as well.
After the Inauguration, Imee got in touch with Yara, which was great to her surprise. They were en route home to get ready for the party later that evening at Malacañang when they began engaging in conversation.
Yara: Thanks for calling us, Tita Mommy! You look very beautiful in your Filipiniana; like I previously told you, you will stand out!
Imee: Thank you, ma chérie. I really miss and appreciate the compliments you gave and your presence the most, today!
Irene then appeared on Yara's phone screen loving her sister's specially designed Filipiniana, which she had worn to their brother's Inauguration.
Irene: Manang, you are rocking your entire outfit, it is extremely poetic. and sentimental, and you put everything all together so brilliantly, the lockets, chains, and pendants as embellishments, are outstanding!
Imee: Well, of course, the original blue lady color of Mommy is the color of my Filipiniana, and I put all the katutubong ginto of Ilocos Norte.
Yara: And considering Lolo gave each of them to Tita Mommy as gifts, there are far too many memories to count associated with them. You are "a muse with a museum in her(your) sleeves standing out while sitting in the national museum" earlier Tita Mommy.
~day following Bong's winning~
Since Yara and Imee are so close, whenever a chance pops up that works for both of their schedules, they quickly seize it as a chance for quality time with each other. On that particular morning, Yara visited her Tita Mommy, while holding gifts from his dad,
She took a precious look at the bracelets and lockets her father had given her...
Imee: Ma chérie, "what do you think? Can I put it on the arms of what I will wear at the Inauguration?"
Yara: Oh wow, are these those gifts from Lolo to you, right?
Imee: Yes, it was. "It's a good thing I'm a senator, I can go."
Yara: *confused* Of course, you can go, you are the Super Ate of the incoming President
Imee: *doesn't imik for a while* We are not talking...
Yara: Why? What's wrong? *astonished* Is it malala ba? You haven't shared any with me...*worried*
Imee: "Hindi ko nga maintindihan eh" *cried softly*
Yara quietly comforted Imee by giving her an affirming hug; Yara was conscious of the fact her Tita Mommy rarely cries and only did so when something was so heavy that it consumed her completely.
Imee may come across as tough, but in reality, she is a very hardworking, very intelligent, and one of the most loving sister to her siblings and family, willing to protect and fight for them.
~~
"I brought my father in the Inauguration, after all, siya naman ang dahilan ng lahat ng ito,
he escorted me, he is in my arms.." - Imee
They were merely talking about what happened at the Inauguration a while ago and the behind-the-scenes before it started and Imee even teased the Aranetas who did not attend, that they should just watch her vlog instead when it's out and they just all laugh at her.
When Imee hung up because she still had to make arrangements for tonight's dinner. Yara thought back to her conversation with Imee this morning when she called her, it was short but a heartfelt talk...
~earlier phone call~
Yara: Are you there na, Tita Mommy? Who's with you na or are you going alone?
Imee: "I'm bringing my Dad, He's with me. He's in my arms..."
Yara: *teary eyes* Awww, I love you, Tita Mommy. I am so certain that Lolo Macoy, up there, is happily watching this momentum very much.
~~
As their conversation from earlier lingered in her thoughts, Yara suddenly remembered. Back in 2016, when the decision was made for their family to allow PFEM to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, it came to a favorable decision, after decades of endless dispute regarding this long-running heated debate.
~back in 2016~
The status quo ante, imposed to block attempts to bury Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, was finally dismissed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines on November 8 with a majority of 9–5 votes, with one abstention.
Irene received a call from her sister Imee in the quiet hours of the day, joyfully informing her that President Duterte had granted permission for the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, just hours after the Supreme Court allowed a hero's burial for the former leader of the country. Irene was in shock and started crying as she responded to the phone.
Following the aforementioned approval, PRRD and Bong met that day in Tacloban and spoke about his father's burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Rodrigo: "It's your choice"
Bong: "Can we now proceed?"
Rodrigo: "Oh yes, you can"
"As a lawyer, I stick by what the law says. The law says that soldiers and ex-presidents- nung namatay, or masking hindi siguro ex basta Presidente dun ka ilibing. Now the question about this tussle on the dictatorship of Marcos is something that cannot be determined at this time. It has to have history kasi ho yung nasaktan- and it was a contention, really, of a political fight, initially then turned sour because of the power struggle of the political families ruling this country. That part of the sins of Marcos has yet to be proven."- PRRD
~~
Following the Supreme Court's ruling, the Marcos family started making arrangements for their father's burial. They decided to keep it as private as possible, to honor PFEM, and to keep things as private and simple as possible, as everyone in the family also wishes.
Imee: Dad's burial will be done with "simple rites like an ordinary soldier", and will not be a state funeral but a "funeral for a soldier" which he wished for.
Mama Meldy: I want you all to be here in Ilocos so that we may go together with your father to his final resting place.
Bong: Ime, let's coordinate with them about airlifting Daddy's remains from Batac to Fort Bonifacio on the day of the burial.
Irene: Greggy and I are much willing to shoulder the burial cost of Daddy.
They are also talking about how to have their father's burial in private and to ensure it is more safeguarded for them as well. They want to increase security and, ideally, prevent media coverage. They don't want any more chaos, just for their late father to be finally laid down to rest without any problems.
Irene: Couldn't we just let them know the night before the burial that it will take place the next day? That way, we can at least have a quiet burial for Dad and there won't be a lot of fuss from the people in opposition who argue against having him buried there.
Mama Meldy: I support your sister; after decades of waiting, it is only right to give your Father a peaceful rest.
Imee: We can manage to do so since they are aware that there will be a funeral going to take place, but we aren't disclosing the date just yet. General Bato informs us, fortunately, that they are now currently preparing security measures to deal with any potential protesters.
Bong: Besides that, we essentially need to inform PRRD of our plans so that he will be aware of them.
Mama Meldy: We should kindly express our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. President for finally allowing us to carry out your father's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
The family firmly chose to carry out a private, solemn, and simple burial ceremony for PFEM without making any public announcements about the burial plan.
~~
The Araneta family flew to Ilocos Norte early in the morning the day before the burial to make preparations for their father's remains to airlift to Taguig the next day. Everything was ready, including the people who were permitted to join them on the day of PFEM's burial ceremony at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Greggy and Yara, his daughter, just go around while the others are setting up their belongings for tomorrow, she is asking questions.
Yara: Daddy, why do they need to transfer Grandpa to a new place? He doesn't like the museum na, does he?
Greggy: Yara bear, he will be going to the Libingan ng mga Bayani, a cemetery, because he was a soldier when he was young and you recalled that your mom told you he wishes to be buried there.
Yara: Oh, yes, but after tomorrow, will we still get to see him?
Greggy: We will, of course. Since we are so near to him, we can always visit him; we don't need to take a plane to do so frequently.
Yara: But you said they would bury Lolo on the deep ground; we couldn't see him na; Lola Meldy and Mommy will be sad too...
Greggy: They will be sad for a while, hija, but they are also pleased as their father will finally rest in peace where he rightfully belongs after decades of waiting.
Yara: Well, I think that's right but Dad, I cannot understand much of it.
Well, as a young child who is puzzled by what is taking place, why is her Lolo getting transferred to another setting, why does it cause her family to experience conflicting emotions—happy that he will finally be placed to rest, sad because they have become accustomed to seeing him in their museum for years.
Greggy: Just remember, we need to be there for Mom, alright? Mom needs us...
Yara: I will hug and shower Mommy with some kisses nalang so she won't be sad na.
Greggy: That's right, that's my girl. *kissed his daughter's forehead*
Yara, at her current age of ten, a young kid, still don't understand how their family waited and begged for the opportunity to fulfill PFEM's request to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, and now the moment has presented itself.
At nighttime when everyone was about to go to bed, Yara is in her parents' room, Irene made sure her daughter was fast asleep. She then used the time to see his father's preserved body and have a private conversation with him.
Irene's POV
Hi Daddy, we miss you so much, Dad. Finally, tomorrow, you will be buried in the place where you should be twenty-seven years ago, you shouldn't be here in the first place, but still thankful that Yara gets to see you even if you are there in the glass coffin *sobbing* Your only granddaughter didn't even get to see you alive, she would have learned so much from you, dad. Greg and I will make sure that she will grow up to know who his lolo is and how amazing you are. I hope you will be happy up there, Dad, watching us. I love you and your youngest daughter, your Irene miss you so much, my daddy.
Irene was then hugged behind by her daughter, who had come looking for her after discovering her mother sobbing at PFEM's coffin when she had woken up. Irene was unable to speak for a while and instead just hugged her daughter back and wiped her tears.
Irene: Hey little one, I appreciate you hugging Mommy.
Yara: *no response, just hugging her mom*
Irene: Mommy is fine, I just miss my dad so much, my love.
When they entered their home, Yara simply hugged her mother before returning to bed. There were no words exchanged; simply being there for one another was all that was needed. Irene softly sang to bring her daughter to sleep because they all have a long day ahead of them tomorrow.
~to be continued~