Where was I during the Rage Outbreak of 2002?
Before I start, I have to say this: I am a millennial. I was born on September 4, 1996. I am part of what people call the 90's kids: the generation that grew up after the fall of communism, the victor of capitalism, free market, and democracy, the rise of globalization and technology, the appearance of great TV shows, movies, and videos games. The dawn of the new millennium brought both hope and fear to the world. Hope in the sense it would bring a prosperous future on what humanity has envisioned a 100 years before such as flying cars, robots, hoverboards, etc. And fear since many people thought the world would end on the midnight of January 1, 2000 in which the Y2K bug was supposedly to affect computers worldwide; causing the crashing of bank accounts and nuclear missiles flying from their silos or submarines. Surprisingly, none of this came true until almost a year or two later.
One of the biggest impact of a millennial or a 90's kid would be both the September 11, 2001 Attacks in the United States and the Rage Outbreak of 2002 in Europe. When the 9/11 attacks occurred, I just turned five a week before and was watching the evening cartoons on TV. It was nighttime here in Cebu City, Philippines. When my brother changed the channel and saw on the TV the Twin Towers burning, we both thought it was a movie. He was only eight at that time. I went to sleep afterwards. It was on the morning I realized how serious the attacks were. My family and our household helpers were glued to the TV. My mother said she saw the news in the hospital that evening. It repeated the footage of the planes hitting the World Trade Center, the Pentagon on fire, and another plane crash in a rural area. Later, I went to school and I saw some of my teachers and the principal talking about the 9/11 attacks. Even my classmates thought it was movie with one guy, if I remember his name: Jette Calderon, stating that "He was Twin Towers and he fell down." I do not blame him for acting that way for he was the same age as I was. Later that afternoon, I get dropped off at my grandmother's house as my dad is still at the hospital (Both of my parents are doctors). As I was about to watch Legends of the Hidden Temple on the Games and Sports segment of Nickelodeon; my aunt, my grandmother, and their household helpers were also glued to the TV watching the news of the attacks. The following days to come, my parents told me that those who were responsible for the 9/11 attacks had connections with the bad guys in the south (of which I later find out to be the Abu-Sayaff group*[1]). There, the sense of the relative peace of the 90s era was gone, as it was sure no one was safe from these terrorists. America and its allies then concentrated their forces to bring down the terrorists: from Afghanistan to East Africa, from Central Asia to India, and to Southeast Asia.
When the Rage Outbreak began in the United Kingdom in the May of 2002, I was already finished with Kindergarten level 1. It happened during my summer vacation. One day, my parents were watching the TV of the situation unfolding in Cambridge. Apparently, with my young mind that time, I thought it was a group of crazy people fighting over somethings. But days later, I remember it was announced on the news that those "crazy people" were indeed infected with a disease. The disease, called the Rage Virus, would turn anyone into a person with homicidal aggression. The infected would then attack anyone near them, regardless of relationship. The main methods of attacking were from using their bare hands, their nails, their teeth, or by vomiting blood on their victims' faces. If lucky enough, those beaten badly would not turn into the infected but those who managed to survive will turn into the infected and hunt for more victims. I remember my parents would shield me away from the TV. Once I knew, I kept on crying and crying, scared that the infected may soon reach the Philippines. When I was a kid, I was really scared of zombie movies. These things I saw on TV, they were like zombies but the media refuses to call them such, since they are not technically dead and are comparable to rabid dogs.
A week into the outbreak, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo mobilized the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces. They held exercises on how to respond in case an outbreak occurs in the country. Video footage showed heavily armed troops backed by V-150 Commandos, GKN Simbas, and Scorpion Light tanks with MD-520 light attack gunships, UH-1 Hueys, and OV-10 Broncos in support "retaking" an infected rural town in a simulated exercise. My dad used to say with the weak state of our military and police, in no doubt would the Philippines fall. He did mention should an outbreak in Metro Manila occur, then whole country would collapse. He also mentioned once that even though President George W. Bush would promise to send aid to the Philippines should the Rage outbreak be severe as per the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, America may not intervene at all due to "interests." Around this time, all major airports around the country such as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Pasay City), Mactan-Cebu International Airport (Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu), and Davao International Airport (Davao City) saw an increased presence of policemen and soldiers armed with M16A1s, MP5 submachine guns, and Uzis. British and European nationals were often quarantined for long hours at the airport under heavy guard. In the hospitals, my dad and mom told me they had some form of "self-defense" and "evacuation" procedure just in case of a Rage outbreak. At the schools nationwide, Citizens Army Training (CAT) became even more prominent as students were trained to shoot an M1 Garand, an M16A1, or a M1911 should the need arise to form a "volunteer army" as what the British did when the situation became even more dire. I already heard that our paramilitary forces, called the Citizens Armed Force Geographic Unit*[2], are slowly being incorporated to the regular army. Meanwhile, there was an order to evacuated Filipino citizens still in the United Kingdom, although I'll never know how successful the evacuation went since there are many of them there.
My dad was also getting concerned now that 14 days into the outbreak, several British had settled as refugees in Europe, with some settling in Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Australia, and even New Zealand. We had a British neighbor who married a Filipina. They had two kids, whose name is Jessica and Kyle Knight. They are both British-Filipino. Kyle is just a few months older than me. I was concerned what he thought of his homeland. He told me once when we were playing that he could not wait to serve in the Royal Navy so he could fight the infected once he grew up. There were also many British tourists here in Cebu, usually in Mactan Island where there are many beach resorts or in the red-light district of Mango Avenue where there are many strip bars that attract foreigners. From what I could see, there would always be an armored personnel carrier backed by a truckload of troops, SWAT, Special Action Force (SAF)*[3], and regular police officers in areas where there are numerous British or European tourists. As London fell, I remember my dad buying a Glock 17 pistol and a Ruger Mini-14 rifle. He told us that this is necessary for home defense. My dad also laid out an evacuation plan: should the Rage hit Cebu, we would seek shelter in some islands that are sparsely populated such as Bantayan Island or the Camotes Islands. We actually followed the British government's retreat to York, then to Edinburgh, then to Belfast on the news.
When the Europeans finally stopped letting refugees in, I think the whole country gave off a sigh of relief. Of course, we remained vigilant. I would later learn from the news that the infected are starving and dying off. We then followed the news of the repopulation of mainland Britain. However, the world's nightmares would soon be confirmed. A second infection broke out in the repopulated London Zone which was firebombed by the United States Air Force. That would not be the end, as the infection reached France, then slowly made its way to Belgium, Germany, Poland, and several other countries. This occurred around December 2002; I was already six years old. Never in my life would have I seen the French deploy nuclear weapons in their own soil, a very sign of desperation. My dad told me those kinds of weapons were not used since World War II when the Americans dropped the bomb twice on Japan to make them surrender. This time, the enemy is someone or something that could not be intimidated. The infection then consumed its way through Central Europe and was now on its way to Eastern Europe. I remember my dad going to the grocery store and started packing up on food, water, supplies, fuel, and other weapons. He then started to book tickets to Camotes Islands; as he told our household helpers to home to the province with their family. My first helper, the one was with us even before my brother was born in 1993, went back to the town of La Libertad, Negros Oriental. I knew she had the advantage since Negros Oriental has a big mountain which could be used as a refugee. My other helper went back to her home in Bantayan Island. We then stayed in Camotes for a week, my dad refused to work back at the hospital for the sake of our safety. We were joined by many others who too were fearful of an outbreak reaching the Philippines. We were still in Camotes when we heard the infection had encroached Russia, but not far off. Once we heard it was contained and that it would not reach Moscow, we went back home and told our helpers it was safe to return.
I learned that despite the damage, many countries in Europe survived by virtue of natural geographic barriers. Spain, Portugal, and Andorra survived, as well as Switzerland and other countries isolated by mountains. The French had relocated to the island of Corsica. Other nations had done the same or had collapsed. Russia has "liberated" some of the Eastern European nations from the infection. Others thought that Vladimir Putin was going to revive the Soviet Union but at this point, I was just glad the infection was contained. My family did take note of the irony that the United Kingdom became one of the safest places in Europe once the infection had hit the continent. I was glad to know the Philippines did not report any infection.
In April 2003, I graduated from Kindergarten. I entered Primary School that July, and the Rage outbreak was still the most talked about topic. Two years later, when I was 3rd Grade, we had two British expat classmates: Daryl Burkill and James Cole. Daryl was born in Hong Kong while James (I forgot where he was born) managed to be in the right place when the Rage hit. Those two were always asked by teachers and students on their thoughts or where were they during the Rage Outbreak. In April 2009, I graduated 6th Grade as the Valedictorian. By that time, an outbreak of H1N1 was reported in Mexico causing another mass hysteria. Thankfully, the Mexican government quickly eradicated the infected pigs and sought quarantine measures, often jointly with the United States. I entered high school that July, and yet the memory of the Rage Epidemic still haunted the miles of the people. In my last year as a high school student in 2012, around the time our school had a Filipino Month*[4] dance program, word came out from the CDC and WHO that a vaccine for rage has been found. Majority of the world commented the vaccine came too late but was nonetheless grateful just incase the Rage might resurge again in the future even with WHO declaring Rage to be extinct. I graduated high school on April 18, 2013 and took B.S. Biology in the University of San Carlos - not to far from my former high school; with the passion to be a doctor. Many people, including my friends ask me what I'll do if Rage would occur when I am a doctor; I said to them I'll have to make sure I have to be armed even if it would mean smuggling a gun to my office/clinic. In June 2015, I took up Microbiology as a subject and our professors discussed the Rage Epidemic when we talked about virus. I guess 13 years later, the memories of the event still lodges in our mind. In September 2015, after a few days I turned 19, I watched on TV headlines that Andy Harris, a.k.a. the 21st Century Hitler, had been executed by firing squad due to him causing the Fall of Europe to Rage. Personally, I felt that he is not to blame since he was still 9 years old when he escaped the UK with his sister and a rogue U.S. Army pilot. I know for sure that he is not responsible for the infection that brought the United Kingdom and Europe to its knees. We do not even know what kind of experiment the U.S. did to him or where they kept him (CDC or Area 51 is anyone's guess).
Now, it is March 31, 2017. I am now 20 years old and about to graduate college and get that degree in B.S. Biology. I will graduate on April 10, 2017. I will proceed to medical school afterwards. My life has been well recently. Just last October, I met this girl from Coquitlam, British Columbia. Her name is Mikaella de los Reyes; she's part Chinese-Filipina. The day I met her was the day after she turned 17. After an exchange of conversation and telling to her I am biology student, she did share to me how Vancouver saw lots of well-off British refugees that escaped to Canada as the Rage took over the UK. From what I researched, the British mainly settled in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, and many isolated towns in Nova Scotia. That is also what my friend Albert Ybañez to me. Albert graduated in high school the same year as I but in a different school. He moved to Surrey, British Columbia in 2013, then to New Westminster around 2014 or 2015, before coming back here to Cebu for cheaper education. To be honest, I do have feelings for Mikaella because she is down-to-earth, honest-to-God gorgeous but I do not know when I will ask her out on a date. I just hope the Rage Virus will never return again when I am about to ask her out. I have so many plans to do in this world.
Since it is now 2017, this will be the 15th Anniversary of Rage Epidemic in the United Kingdom and Europe. I cannot believe even in my life time I would see an event that should only exist in science fiction and horror movies. Never I thought would I see a virus with the ability to turn a human into an unstoppable killing machine. Eventually, nature and humanity triumphed but the horrors of this Epidemic will always be lodged in everyone's mind regardless if one was directly affected by it or not. It too is lodged in forever in mind, of which I would share to my children in the future should I have one. I cannot believe that I have have seen the biggest and the worse defining moment of the 21st century at a very young age.
Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it. - George Santayana
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Notes Section
*[1] Abu Sayyaf (Arabic: جماعة أبو سياف; Jamāʿat Abū Sayyāf, ASG; Filipino: Grupong Abu Sayyaf) is a Jihadist terror group based in and around Jolo and Basilan islands in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than four decades, Moro groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country. They were responsible for several terrorists attacks, such as the Rizal Day bombings in 2000, just prior to 9/11.
*[2] The Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU), variously called Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit, Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit, is an auxiliary paramilitary unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The CAFGU was created on July 25, 1987 when President Corazon C. Aquino signed Executive Order No. 264 entitled "Providing for the Citizen Armed Force". The creation of the unit was based on the "clear, consolidate, hold and develop" strategy adopted by then-Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos in dealing with insurgent-infiltrated villages. The CAFGU are mostly armed with World War II surplus weapons such as the M1 Garand, the M1 Carbine, the M1 Thompson, and the M3 Grease Gun. Occasionally, they are seen armed with the M16 assault rifle and the M14 battle rifle.
*[3] The Special Action Force (SAF) is one of the elite forces of the Philippine National Police. The SAF was formed on May 16, 1983 and is tasked with VIP protection, high profile public security, and counterterrorism. They are somehow considered a paramilitary force of the police, bordering between a SWAT and the Special Forces of the Philippine military.
*[4] Filipino Month (Filipino: Buwan ng Wika) is usually celebrated in schools throughout the country for the entire month of August.
