The First Quarter Storm happened around 46 years ago and people hardly talk about it anymore. In fact, hardly anyone knows what it was.

What triggered it? Some say it was the massive cheating that happened in the 1969 Presidential elections that saw Ferdinand Marcos win handsomely against a rather pitiful showing by Sergio Osmeña, Jr. Those elections were widely believed to be the dirtiest in Philippine history—money was flowing freely to the electoral powers that be, and intimidation through violence became more commonplace.

If you think about it, dito na nga ang simula.

It was on January 26, 1970 when President Marcos gave his State of the Nation address after he won the 1969 elections. This event coincided with student demonstrations by the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) and University of the Philippines Student Council. These students, as fate would have it, were obviously quite passionate…