How, how de carabao? (suspeced rebels charged with common crimes)

Last November 12, there are was a clash between the police forces in Ifugao and suspected NPA rebels. Four, two women and two men, were arrested while the rest of the group, presumably, managed to live (and fight ) for another day.

On research, their charge sheets (if that’s what you call them) contain a collection of sworn statements from police officials who related the events leading up to the eventual arrest of the four and an inventory of items that were confiscated at the scene. The inventory included personal items such as t-shirts, underwears, beddings and toiletries. It also has a list of food items like noodles, salt, dried fish, and some sort of a first aid kit which included a first-aid handbook, gauze bandages, betadine solution and cotton. Most importantly, it contained numerous plastics with revolutionary writings probably used as a teaching aid, a notebook with revolutionary songs and poems, and other subversive documents, as well as high-powered firearms like a baby armalight and carbine.

With these pieces of evidence obtained from the backpacks that were in the site where the early morning clash happened, the four are most probably the rebels the Consitution was referring to. But their charge sheet contains no conclusion that they are indeed rebels inspite of very incriminating pieces of evidence, and instead they were treated as common criminals and were charged as such.

Instead of a REBELLION charge which is a political crime, these four suspected NPA rebels were charged with ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF FIREARMS with no recommended bail. For thoses not entirely familiar with the NPA or New People’s Army, it is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which has been waging a protracted war, as per its Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology, for over 40 years to overthrow the government. They are far from the sinister warlords of the Ampatuan Clan who perpetrated the day-time murder of no less than 57 people, including women, journalists and human rights advocates, devoid of any obvious ideology, making the crime a criminal, not political, one. The Ampatuans are currently being packaged as “rebels” and the Arroyo government is bending over backwards to make sure they get what they deserve as such.

Once again, my feeble mind cannot grasp , or rather, does not find acceptable, the logic behind this move. How, how de carabao, indeed?!

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The devil’s advocate

This might be a tad late but I just have to say my piece on Neal H. Cruz’ column last December 7. It was titled “Maguindanao folk welcome martial law?”
Mr. Cruz started by commemorating the Pearl Harbor bombing on 1941 and the bombing of Manila a day after it. He further said that today we “have been hit by another sneak attack” that is “homegrown this time”, referring to the recent highly-criticized Martial Law declaration in the province of Maguindanao. He clearly states that he is against this proclamation, saying it is an “overkill,” even going as far as reminding the readers that a previous edition of his column has already “predicted it, quoting a Muslim leader Amina Rasul.”

Then, Mr. Cruz proceeds to share the views of “several friends and relatives living in Maguindanao” which incidentally are the opposite of the prevalent animosity to the proclamation.

Mr. Neal H. Cruz plays the devil’s advocate when he posed the question which “people on the receiving end fo the terrorism of the warlords”, would prefer “between a rock or stone wall.” He then proceeds to echo the reasons the administration made to justify Proclamation No. 1959 and taking a stab at the High Court’s statement disproving allegations that the local court has not been functioning and is one of the reasons why Martial Law had to be declared. As an afterthought, Mr. Cruz said that Congress will convene “anyway” to decide whether or not to revoke the declaration. Even more lamely, he ended that “in any case, Martial law lapses in 60 days.”

This is the kind of defeatist logic that we do not need today. A state of emergency in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Cotabato City was announced a day after the murder-massacre. Was that not enough? Day after day, arms caches are being unearthed almost everywhere. The Ampatuan arsenal is enough to arm a battalion or two. Is the AFP inferior to that force that they cannot handle it without having granted extraordinary powers to them?

Could Mr. Cruz not see that this Martial Law is part and parcel of a grand design of the devious sort to cover-up a huge can of worms that stinks to heaven? I understand that it was done all for the sake of journalism and fair play, to tickle our senses, jumpstart our brain cells, to present another angle of the biggest story of the year. I even understand the sentiments of his friends and relative, who after being scared to death of “fully armed goons” which has “the police and military… in their employ,” now are living in the midst of a “war zone” were countless uniformed men roam the place, replacing the goons. What I cannot understand is that apart from warning his friends and relatives to “be wary” because “in time, soldiers will also commit abuses”, reminiscent to Marcos’ version of Martial Law, Mr. Cruz, seems to be taking this matter sitting down.

I only found appeasement when I saw that his was a voice in the wilderness in that December 7 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, his column being fenced in by others very critical of the proclamation.

One such column is Kris-Crossing Mindanao which Ms. Noralyn Mustafa authors. The columnist of Kris-Crossing Mindanao, in her column that day paid tribute to the 57 victims of the brutal killings by “making sense out of the senselessness” after it apparently pushed the president to declare Martial Law therefore “generating more fear and uncertainty among the long-suffering and long-oppressed people.” Unlike Mr. Neal H. Cruz, Ms. Noralyn Mustafa ended her prose with a clenched fist thrust in the air, appealing to everyone who ‘do not wish to live under a continuing reign of eveil, of slavery, hunger, oppression and fear’ to ‘stand up NOW’ (emphasis mine) because ‘we may never have this chance again.’

THIS is what I, and possibly, most people, want to hear. The voice of action and inner strength, of trust in the power to change things deemed unchanging. I remember a part in the movie SAKADA *insert Hyperlink to old entry* where a farmer was trying to organize a union, he said “Mahirap talagang kumilos kung nakaluhod, pero kung nakatayo, lahat magagawa. (It is indeed hard to move when on your knees, but when you’re on your feet, everything is possible)”

Whereas Ms. Mustafa translated herself to be one of the many movers of change, Mr. Neal H. Cruz is an agent of the status-quo. With Ms. Mustafa calling the Maguindanao Massacre the “metaphor of Ms. Arroyo’s reign of evil,” Mr. Neal H. Cruz might also very well be playing the part of a devil’s advocate literally.

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Remembering our HUMAN RIGHTS

"We can assure the civilians that there will be no curtailment of rights as long as they are not part of uncontrollable private armies," Major Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the Eastern Mindanao Command, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone.

I am in no way coming to the aid of those who belonged to the Ampatuans' private army and carried out his murderous command. But I am for the express observation of human rights, even for those presumed, but not proven, to be part of the private army.

So this is how the men in uniform think. It comes as no surprise then why presumed members of armed groups such as the New People's Army and activists branded as enemies of the state receive the most vile treatment, encroachment, on their human rights. It cannot be denied that more than private armies, activists have borne the brunt of the state's war on terror, patterned after US' own. The problem it seems is that, the men in uniform cannot restrain themselves strongly enough to realize that though they are dissidents, they are still human and therefore have rights inherent to their being.

As of August this year there are 284 political prisoners in the Philippines, many of which are National Democratic Front Consultants which should have been covered by JASIG (Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees) Roughly 300 media killings have been recorded, including the 31 dead from the recent massacre. According to KARAPATAN, a human rights organization, more than 800 HRVs have been committed since GMA took office in 2001. Most of these cases remain unsolved to this day. This may not be the exact figure of HRVs in the Philippines.

Whatever made HRVs legal everyday fare? Let me count the ways.

The CPR or calibrated preemptive response was put into action in the face of mounting popular dissent which takes the from of mass actions, inclusing rallies and protest marches. It allows for the police to disperse the congregation even with no threat emanating from the latter. One popular dispersal happened in the streets of Manila where no less than the former Vice President Guingona and Senator Madrigal, along with priests, nuns, professionals and students, were among those dispersed with water canons.

The Executive Order 464 meanwhile, in an unprecedented move that undermines the check and balance in a democratic republic, prohibited members of the Cabinet from testifying in inquiries without prior consent from the President herself. This came in the wake of Norberto Gonzalez' banana-eating drama in the Senate halls for almost spilling the beans on his boss.

And of course, the crowning glory of the Arroyo Regime, the Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2 (Oplan Freedom Watch) which gave the greenlight on more HRVs as it casts as enemies of the state even people deemed guilty by mere association.

(I have listed only three, please feel free to add what laws, orders or decisions you can recall through which HRVs was institutionalized.)



Today, there is a seeming downtrend of HRVs as tales of abuse rarely make the frontpage of the papers. They are often relegated to the back pages and mentioned only in passing. After UN Special Rappourteur Philip Alston's report on the extrajudicial killings and the culture of impunity the government itself propagates made the global round of news, the GMA Regime can no longer afford to dismiss the UN's "muchacho". Did you not realize that motorcycle-riding men blazing the guns of impunity and bestowing judgement on every subject it deemed sinful has not been seen as often as before? But this abscence does not mean the blatant killings and human rights violations have stopped entirely. This lull could also mean a shift in strategy.

Then the Maguindanao Massacre came along which has been making the headlines for more than a week now. The issue of Human Rights Violations has gained ears and hearts again.

But human rights violations do not come in all-in-one packages such as brutal murders, enforced disappearances, and such. It comes in different forms. It may be wrapped in perfumed tissue paper or in colorful gift baskets. Sometimes, it is even sealed with a kiss. We cannot afford NOT to be vigilant even for a moment. Human rights violations know no race, no age, not even gender or religion. Nothing is sacred for hardened transgressors, not even our human rights, own humanity.

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REBELLION: Ticket to Freedom

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SAKADA remains RELEVANT

Anyone who has seen SAKADA raise your fist!

I have and I raise my fist to toast to it. It have seen it only recently. A friend very kindly gave me a copy recorded from a tv special of TV5 then ABC5. It was almost like a discussion as the special also featured interviews from people who know filipino film history and the film's director (Behn Cervantes), and actors (Robert Arevalo, Rosa Rosal etc). They gave they're insight on the film's topic and the fate it suffered during its time.

Sakada, produced by the now-defunct Sagisag Films, was part of the second Golden Age of Philippine Cinema (1970's-1980's) when films made were mostly part to the so-called protest cinema, tackling issues relevant to the current political climate which is Martial Law.

It was on January 1976, two weeks after a successful run when the Marcos Administration ordered it shut down and confiscated.

Sakada is a film about the Filipino's basic problem, land. It opens with this ...




It proceeds to document the stages of sugar production once in the mill then shifts to the unrest outside where a sakada was shot to death by one of the hacienda's guards.

A sakada is a farmer who works in a sugarcane field, harvesting it during the months of October to December. After this period, some sakadas who already live in the hacienda plant crops to tide them over until the next sugarcane harvest. Those who came from other provinces go back home. They are seasonal farm workers without any benefits. The plight of the sakadas is further explained as the movie develops, exposing along the way the vast gap between the rich and the poor.

After the death of Arsenio Del Mundo, the movie follows the life of his bereaved family as they cope with his death and their life as a family at the mercy the haciendero's family.

The film documents how a family always played with by fate seeks to transform their
sorry plight. Ester (Hilda Koronel), after being heartbroken and seeing how his elder was brother was duped for being so trusting, decided that she wouldn't suffer again. She became a prostitute who sells her body but not her heart and soul. David (Bembol Roco), taken under the wing of a progressive Catholic priest, found the road to priesthood wanting and took a different road. Badong (Robert Arevalo), a practical thinker, resented his mother's decision to use the abuloy to send David and Ester to school. He eventually joined the union seeing no other way out of their miserable life in the hacienda but through an organized effort to advance the sakadas' demands. Flores (Rosa Rosal), Arsenio's widow, was plagued by her children's state and how life turned out for them. She also joined the union, delivering a fiery speech about the women's role in uplifting all of their lives.

29 years after Sakada was first shown, the film remains very relevant. It still depicts the microcosm of Philippine society where the rich enjoy life and the poor takes whatever was left of it.

Land reform being the topic at the very heart of the film still has not seen any improvement and even suffered a grave misstep when the compulsary sale of land was taken out of CARP's provisions. The problem of the sakadas, as representative of the peasantry, still persist as evidenced by the Hacienda Luisita massacre a few years back. Today, they still hold fast to their dreams of one day owning the land they have tilled for so long and continue to fight fo it.

Sakada is a film they should make more of today in light of the present economic and political situation.

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The cat is out of the bag: GMA running for Congress

Tsk,tsk,tsk.

That is for whoever wins the presidency next year. Any president who gets elected next year cannot and should not relax one bit if GMA wins a seat in Congress (which in all probability might happen.) He might eventually face an ouster from a GMA-led Congress if and when the ChaCha trains gains speed once again.

Lest we forget, GMA is an ravid (rabid + avid) fan of Charter Change. For one, an amended constitution would make the Philippines more viable to foreign investors, selling it piecemeal or wholesale, as it would relax the provisions on foreign ownership of companies and land in the country. For two, this would ensure her unlimited stay in power. Either her term as president gets extended or she gets a seat in Congress, be the House Speaker and eventually the Prime Minister. this leads us to reason number three, as president or Prime Minister, she will remain immune to criminal charges that have been hounding her for as long as she had been President.

For almost a year, GMA has been ducking questions about her plans after her term as president ends next year. Speculations started to buzz when trips to her hometown in Pampanga become more frequent. Then came the news that a mansion was being there in preparation for her candidacy. Her lawyer Romulo Macalintal
almost preempted the news when he granted an interview with the media quoting him saying that the president didn't particularly tell him she plans on running for Congress, merely asked if it is allowed by election laws. All the law says is a prohibition for presidents to run for a second term as president. So there! When this was cleared up, the "GMA for Congress campaign" became more aggressive. People supposedly from Pampanga continuously trooped to the Malacanang Palace to ask her to be their representative. Her son, Rep. Mikey Arroyo, who was also the subject of unexplained wealth controversy early this year, even went so far as pledging that he will step down and nor run for reelection if his mother would grant the people's clamor. The drama ended early this morning with a statement that the President's CoC will be filed by 9 am today.






Assuming that GMA will win her bid for the Congress, she has a very big chance of being elected as the House Speaker, with the representatives being virtually under a single party, Lakas-Kampi-CMD. I have to admit that GMA has been very wily and resilient, surviving political upheavals and military threats with a widespread division of spoils. Realizing that she could not run for the Presidency (and after her immunity) without people attacking her for it, she opted for Plan B, thereby achieving the same goal via a different route.

Just look at who their party is fielding for the top posts, a virtual nobody and a tv host! If this doesn't smack of desparation, if not an ulterior motive, I don't know what will. Gilbert Teodoro, a Department of National Defense secretary, has yet to prove his political mettle. Why, he even failed the test when the twin disasters struck despite his tv ad about disaster preparedness. We have no guarantee that he will not be a pushover, letting a GMA-led Congress make all the calls.

Honestly, I think this election would essentially be a protest election. A protest against everything GMA stood for, incompetence, greed, partial politics, iron-fisted disclipine on assumed dissidents. GMA doesn't really stand a chance on winning the presidency even if she managed to have the CHACHA passed. People have had enough of her and those who still believe in democracy will use their power to vote to keep her off the highest seat in the country. Although local politics have a different dynamism, I think it would be hard for her to HONESTLY win this seat as most victims of her Oplan Bantay Laya 2 (OBL2) are from Central Luzon and they would surely campaign against this fire-breathing bitch.




Tsk,tsk,tsk.
This is for GMA and her cohorts who think that they can fool the people into thinking that public service is all she really is after.They really should think again.

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The Twilight Saga

Napanood ko na ang Twilight. Nabasa ko na din ang libro. Gusto kong sabihin kung anu-ano ang pagtingin ko sa dalawang ito. Uunahin ko ang libro, ang serye.

Kailangan ko yatang aminin na naadik din ako sa seryeng ito. Magaan ang pagkakasulat. Mabilis din ang mga pangyayari. Kaya parang hindi ko mahintay ang mga susunod na mangyayari. Kahit nga hindi ako nakaharap sa libro at may ibang ginagawa, naglalaro sa isip ko ang mga eksena sa libro.

Nagustuhan ko rin ang treatment na ginawa sa mga bampira at sa taong lobo. Mga kwentong bayan ito na pamilyar tayo kahit kwentong bayan ng ibang bayan. Bagamat ginamit ni Stephanie Meyer ang popular na banggaan ng mga bampira at taong-lobo, mayroon itong bagong mga elemento. Ang mga bampira ni Meyer ay hindi ang mga tipikal na bampirang nakilala natin sa iba pang naunang mga pelikula at libro na hindi kayang lumabas sa liwanag at walang pusong mga mamamatay-tao. Pinanatili rin naman ni Meyer ang ilan sa ganitong palasak na katangian ng mga bampira ngunit hindi sa mga bida niya, kundi sa mga kontrabida.




Kung sa mga taong-lobo, hindi ako ganoon ka pamilyar sa mga kwento dito maliban sa napanood kong Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans . Pero syempre, magkaibang-magkaiba naman ang treatment ng mga bampira at taong-lobo dito. Teka, napanood ko rin nga pala ang Lobo pero magkaiba rin ang pinagmulan ng lahing ito. Iba rin ang kontekstong pangkultura nito dahil Asyano na. Pero bago sa akin ang konsepto ni Meyer ng “pack mind” kung saan bukas sa buong grupo ang isipan ng bawat isa kapag nasa anyong lobo sila. Hindi ko rin alam kung halaw sa totoong kwentong bayan ng Quilete ang kwento ng mga taong-lobo ni Meyer.
Naaliw din ako sa karakter ni Bella Swan. Hindi ko alam kung napakatapang niya o napakatanga niyang babae. Sabagay, yung din naman ang sinabi ni Edward Cullen sa kanya, na hindi niya maintindihan si Bella kung bakit gustung-gusto pa rin niya si Edward kahit alam niya lubhang mapanganib ito. Pero, kakaiba naman siya talagang babae. Matalino, matalas ang pandama at mapagmahal sa magulang hanggang sa huling sandali.

Si Edward naman, the ever shining knight in armor with a twist. Hinangaan ko din ang kontrol niya sa sarili sa pakikipagrelasyon kay Bella. Nagustuhan ko rin ang humor niya at ang pagiging hindi makasarili. Biro mo ba naman, nanjan na ang palay, hindi pa tinutuka? Gusto na nga ni Bella na maging katulad niya para magkasama sila pero si Edward mismo ang may ayaw.


Yun nga lang, pagdating sa ikatlong libro, nakakasawa na ang kilig factor na ito. Buti na lang at medyo naiba ang focus ng ikalawang libro, nagkaroon ng focus sa mga taong-lobo at relasyon nila kay Bella. Pagbalik sa ikatlong libro na magkasama na uli sina Bella, nilalaktawan ko na ang ilang mga bahagi. “Hayy, napakabango ng hininga niya, hihimatayin yata ako.” “Ang gwapo niya talaga.” “Hindi ko masubdan ang sinasabi niya dahil napaganda ng mga labi niya.” Hindi ko na kinaya ito.

Naintindihan ko din ang nabasa kong mga review sa Twilight series bago ipalabas ang pelikula. Sa ikaapat na libro, bagamat napanatili ang tiempo ng mga bagay-bagay, parang nagmamadali na nga sa dulo. Iyung lumitaw na kauri ng anak nina Edward at Bella, parang pilit na ang pagkasingit. Nakakainis din ang ending na nag-uwian na lang ang mga bampirang ito. Nakakagigil ang Volturi sa paghahanap ng butas na magbibigay ng dahilan parang patayin ang pamilya nina Edward. Pero natapos ang lahat sa pananatili ng status quo, nanatili sina Edward sa Forks at umuwi na ang Volturi sa Italya. Sabi nga ni William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing.

Kahit pa nagsimula bilang non-conformist at revolutionary ang mga karakter ni Meyer, hindi niya ito napanindigan sa dulo at biglang bumaliktad. Imbes na maging tagapamandila ng pagkakapantay-pantay, pagbabago at pagkilala sa paniniwala ng iba, nauwi sa pagtatanggol sa status quo ang lahat. Hindi naging maganda ang mensahe nito para sa akin. Ayon Meyer, ayos lang na maging kakaiba at sumalungat sa agos, pero dapat matapos na iyon doon at huwag nang maghangad pa ng mas malalaki at mas magagandang pagbabago. Tama ba yun?

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A Picture Especially Posted for the Ampatuans

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When will the resting ancestor toe the line on top of the killer?

When will the resting ancestor toe the line on top of the killer?

just some gibberish.

i need to keep my mind away from the horrors of reality

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The Maguindanao Massacre

As of 8pm tonight, 46 people have been excavated from two different sites in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, Mindanao. They are mothers, fathers, wives and husbands, children, journalists, and filipino civilians who died for nothing but the selfish interest of one group.

Electoral violance reared its head early in the game, with the filing of the certificates of candidacy barely on a roll.

Almost half of the victims are people related to the vice mayor of Buluan. The other half are media practitioners who are just doing their jobs.

Accounts say that the military and local police declined requests from the media to escort them as they go about this coverage. Now, they're saying no such request reached their quarters. However, with a massacre this brazen, people are demanding that heads roll. The first batch of casualties include top ranking officers from the local police.

But this is not enough. Evidences point to Ampatuan, the governor of Maguindanao, as a political rival of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu whose wife was among those dead, in the gubernatorial race. A backhoe, according to reports, was found in the hastily-dug graveyards allegedly used to dig out the craters which later served as graves. It bore the name "Andal Ampatuan Snr".



This is not the first massacre in the Philippines, neither will it be the last. What makes it chilling is the number of perpetrators indicating a private army, a cause that is possibly politically motivated, an alleged mastermind that is the incumbent governer of the province and the coldness in which it was perpetrated.

In the wake of the public outcry for justice against this brutal killings, Dureza, a cabinet secretary told Mike Enriquez on 24 oras that both families being close to the president, the people should expect that the [judicial] process will be fair. Well, isn't that what JUSTICE is supposed to be in the first place?

The Ampatuans are wealthy, powerful political figures who dominate ARMM as a clan reminiscent of feudal times. People say that money talks. Then, who is it talking to right now?




Picture from Michael Wosley's blog and Lauri Lipton

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A Chiz-y Presidentiable No More

The clock is ticking, it is only seven months before The Big Turn Over. And the road to the presidential elections is littered with candidates who have fallen before the race even began.

Months before the official filing of the certificate of candidacy, presidential aspirant Ping Lacson, stepped aside as old issues with the deposed president Estrada now-presidentiable again hounded him more rabidly.

Veep Noli de Castro also succumbed a few weeks after Ping. With the political situation very volatile, candidates switching parties faster than a speeding bullet, and an endorsement from the incumbent president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, De Castro was treading the political path very slowly, making sure that no misstep ends up blowing him to bits. However, he moved ve-e-ery slowly and missed the presidential train.

Today, a popular candidate once made the death bell toll. It is Chiz Escudero.




Chiz Escudero, a fledgeling senator, was once a district representative of Sorsogon who was at the forefront of the impeachement campaign against Arroyo. A very eloquent speaker, he is perceived as the least trapo (TRAditional POlitician literally, but trapo also translates into dishrag which most traditional politicians turn into) and is very popular among the idealistic Filpino youth.

Hoping to maintain an independent image, Chiz (I prefer to call him on a first-name basis) resigned from his party on the day that everyone was expecting him to make his formal announcement. Everyone was surprised, even his supposed running mate Loren Legarda. It spurred rumors that he will be running under Manny Villar's presidential bid. But, no, he went ahead and reiterated his previous statement against running with Villar. Chiz made it clear that IF EVER he would run for the presidency, it will be as an independent candidate, free from party affiliations and obligations.

The death of Chiz' presidential bid could also be a case bad timing. On the eve (not literally of course) of the Chiz' formal announcement of joining the presidential rat race, along came the twin disasters ketsana and parma. He decided to wait awhile and let the nation grieve first before the big announcement.Although that was a a fitting move for a gentleman and sensitive politician, putting the nation first before his own ass, but I also think it was a carefully calculated move to further bolster Chiz' popularity.

Anyway, today, Chiz's third (Imagine!) D-Day wasn't the bombshell everyone was expecting it to be. Early this morning he announced that he would no longer be in the running for the presidential bid, he wanted the presidency "but not at all costs". It would have been more dramatic only if it didn't coincide with the Maguindanao Massacre. Again, bad timing.

However, with Chiz dropping out, the ever-growing list of presidentiables, nuisance candidates and all, has trimmed down. And the nation has one less candidate to think about.

More importantly, with Chiz dropping out of the race, the opposition, busy with in-fighting themselves, has unintentionally become more united and more concentrated against the Evil Witch.

Now that's the silverlining in the dark, dark sky.



Thank you Michael Rodgers for the picture.

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Paskong Paksiw

Paskong paksiw yata tayo ngayong Disyembre. Parang si Mike Enriquez kasi ang mga problemang dumarating dahil hindi tayo tinatantanan. Biruin niyo, magtatapos na lang ang taon, dumating pa ang napakalalakas na bagyo. Winasak ang mga bahay, kinuha ang mga buhay at pinataas ang presyo ng mga gulay!

Ngayon, makalipas ang halos dalawang buwan, may ilan nang nagsisimulang bumangon kahit paano. Sa amin nga, mejo mukha nang bahay ulit, pero malayo pa rin sa dating itsura nito.



Pero muling nakaamba ang pagtaas ng presyo ng pamasahe dahil sa biglaang pagtataas ng presyo ng langis. Syempre, kapag tumaas yun, pati presyo ng ibang bilihin, susunod.

May nafeature sa GMA na isang kakaibang belen. Kumpletos rekados naman, may Joseph, Maria at Jesus at mayroon ding mga hayop sa paligid ng munting sabsaban. Iyun nga lang, mga taong biktima ng nagdaang kalamidad ang mga bisita doon at mga bigas ang dalang alay. Salamin ng pag-asa pa rin ng mga Pinoy kahit binugbog ng kalikasan.

Kahit naman siguro Paskong Paksiw tayo ngayon, masaya pa rin kahit paano. Mayroon pa ring mga ipagpapasalamat at mayroon pa ring pag-asang matatanaw kahit aninag man lang ng susunod na araw. Masarap naman ang paksiw, di ba? Maligayang Pasko!

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DED na si Lolo: isang rebyu

Sa paggunita sa araw ng mga patay sa susunod na mga araw, gusto kong ibahagi ang isang pelikula na nagpapakita sa kaugaliang Pinoy pagdating sa mga patay, and Ded na si Lolo.

Ang pelikulang ito ay isinulat at idinirehe ni Soxie Topacio.

Tawa kami nang tawa nang pinanood namin ito. Kuhang-kuha kasi ang kaugaliang Pinoy sa pelikulang ito. Para lang pinapanood mo ang sarili mo sa pelikulang ito.

Pamilyar ang mga tao sa mga pamahiin na binabanggit sa pelikulang ito, hindi na bago, ika nga. Pero ang nakakagulat, mayroon pa palang hindi ko alam. Tulad ng paglalagay ng pera sa kamay ng patay, hindi bilang pabaon sa kanya, kundi para maging maswerte sa hahawak ng perang ito na kukunin din bago ilibing ang bangkay. Isa pa’y bawal din daw ang maligo sa bahay na may patay. Dapat din daw, ang lahat ng malilikom na abuloy ay gagamitin sa patay lamang. Hindi rin daw dapat nakatapat sa pinto ang mga paa ng patay. Dapat din daw na agad na maglinis ng bahay sa sandaling buhatin ang patay palabas ng bahay. Maswerte din daw ang makasalubong ng prusisyon ng patay sa daan.

Ilan lang iyan sa mga pamahiin na bago sa akin at doon ko lang nalaman sa Ded na si Lolo.

Nakakatawang eksena din dito ang ugaling Pinoy na “picture-picture”. Mahilig magkuhanan ng litrato ang mga Pilipino. Gustung gusto kasi nating hulihin ang tuwa ng sandali at ikahon ang mga ito sa eskaparate para lagi nating makita at mabalik-balikan ang mga “Kodak moment”. Lalo nang nauso ang Friendster at Facebook, lahat na lang ng kilos ng tao, gusto nilang pakunan ng litrato para maipost sa internet at makita ng mga tao, kilala man nila o hindi. At oo, maging ang mga malulungkot na pangyayari, tulad ng pagkamatay ng isang mahal sa buhay, ay hindi ligtas sa pagnanais na maidokumento ito sa litrato. Hindi naman ito masama. Ang kaso lang eh, kailangan ba talagang ngumiti kapag nagpaplitrato kahit hindi naman bagay sa okasyon at dahil naiuugnay lang na kapag “picture-picture” kailangan lagi naka-”Smile!”

Bukod sa mga pamahiin na ipinakita dito sa pelikula, isang aspeto din nito ang pagpapakita sa isang hindi gaanong magandang ugaling pinoy. Hindi lamang pagdadalamhati ang dulot ng pagbaha ng luha sa lamay na ito. Sa isang eksena dito, may dumating na bisitang matandang babae na hindi kilala ng sinumang pamilya ng namatay maliban sa isang anak nito. Noon lamang lumabas ang isang matagal nang sekreto ng kanilang ama. Gayundin,
nabunyag din ang sama ng loob na kinikimkim ng isang kapatid sa napakahabang panahon.

Ang lamay na karaniwang ginagawa ng mga Katolikong Pilipino sa loob ng isang linggo ay isang okasyon para magdalamhati at magdiwang. Magdalamhati sa pagpanaw ng isang mahal sa buhay at magdiwang sa buhay na kaniyang tinahak. Ngunit, ang lamay, tulad ng ipinakita sa Ded na si Lolo ay okasyon din ng pagpapakatotoo at pagharap sa mga takot at pag-aalinlangan, at ng maluwag na pagtanggap sa mga ito.

Sa mga lamay, dahil tipon-tipon at kargado ng emosyon ang
hangin, lumalabas sa bulung-bulungan man o sa sigawan, ang mga sekreto pinakatatago hindi lamang ng patay, kundi maging ng mga taong nakapalibot sa kanya.

Ngunit sa kabilang banda nito, ipinakita ng pelikula ang ideyal na kalalabasan ng mga dramang nagaganap sa lamay, isang unang pamilya, inggit ng isang kapatid, (at kung ano-ano pa sa tunay na buhay). Ito ay ang pangingibabaw ng dugo, o ng relasyong magkamag-anak, at pagkakaayos ng lahat-lahat na tila mga pyesa ng isang nabubuong larawan.

Ang mga Pinoy kasi, dulot ng agrikultural at hindi pa industriyalisadong ekonomya at ng kulturang hindi pa lubusang nakakahulagpos sa makalumang pag-iisip, ay maraming pamahiin sa buhay, mula sa pagbubukang-liwayway hanggang sa pagdapit-hapon ng buhay. Tatak ito ng kulturang Pinoy na halo-halong kulturang sarili at kultura ng mga nanakop sa atin.

Ngunit kahit napakatagal na nitong namumugad sa ating isipan, maliwanag na ipinakita ng Ded na si Lolo ang kakapusan ng mga pamahiing ito sa harap ng nagbabagong panahon. Kinatawan ni Roderick Paulate dito, bilang baklang anak ng namatay, ang mapanuring isipan. Kung titingnan kasi, bilang bakla mismo, hindi na rin siya kabahagi ng namamayaning kultura dahil lumantad siya at kumawala sa pagkukulong sa kanya sa pananatiling lalaki. Dito, siya rin ang tanong nang tanong at naghahamon sa mga pamahiin na iyan. Sino bang nagsabi na bawal ang magsuot ng pula ang matatanda pero okey lang sa mga bata? Sino bang nagsabi na hindi pwedeng maglinis ng bahay habang may patay kahit nanlilimahid na ito sa dumi? Sino din ang nagsabi na hindi pwedeng maghatid ang mga taong namatayan?

Sino ba sila?

Magandang tanong hindi ba? Sino nga ba ang nagsasabi sa atin kung paano kumilos at mag-isip?

Ang Ded na si Lolo ay salamin ng buhay-Pinoy. Panoorin niyo ito at panoorin ang mga sarili natin.

Ang mga litrato ay video grab lamang sa pelikula.

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Freedom of Spits

Kuha ito sa Northern Luzon kung saan marami pa rin ang nagma-mama (o moma). Ito may ay saligang mga sangkap na bunga (bua/betel nut), apog at buyo. Nginangata ito at idinudura ang katas, pwede ring lunukin kung gusto mo.

Noong nakaraang taon, pinagtaibay sa Baguio ang isang ordinansa na nagbabawal na sa pagdura ng moma. Bilang isang lunsod kasi na naka-asa sa turismo ang ekonomya, hindi daw magandang tingnan na marumi ang paligid. At isa ang mapupulang bakas ng moma na napagdiskitahan.

Hindi ko lang nakuhanan ng litrato noong minsang nasa terminal kami ng bus papuntang Sagada, may nakapaskil na Bawal ang Moma at sa ilalim ng paskil na ito, isang matandang ngumunguya-nguya, syempre ng moma. May iba pang turistang naroon na nagpicture-picture pa sa ilalim ng paskil na iyon, pagkatapos, sabay sabing, "Ano ang moma?" (sabay-sabay tayo: "Nyeee!").

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Book Review: Meridian

(This is an article that never got published no matter how I tried —sad—- So, I’ll just post it here!)

Meridian’s Hill
“Perhaps it will be my part to walk behind the real revolutionaries – those who know they must spill blood in order to help the poor and the black and therefore go right ahead.”
- Meridian Hill
in Meridian by Alice Walker

Here is a story seldom told. Here is a story seldom heard. Meridian by Alice Walker appealed to me as a reflection appeals to its owner. Meridian Hill’s quest to make sense of her world and contribute something to it echoes humanity’s inclination to make its mark in the world, to effect a difference. Yet her story differs from the usual as she made her mark in ways that are not so popular and accepted by those bound by convention and conformity. Meridian is the story of a black woman-activist’s personal revolution as she joins the Civil Rights Movement.
As a black woman, life wasn’t kind to Meridian Hill at all. Her family is definitely not the ideal American family with the white picket fence, a porch and a dog. In fact, her father is the silent type that the Filipino society approves of, while her mother is a typical example of a bitter Filipino woman whose career and freedom was cut-short as society expects her to stay at home and raise fine children without any need for self-fulfilment and a sense of accomplishment besides being a wife and a mother.
Meridian’s childhood is far from perfect. Like the average victim of molestation, Meridian suffered in silence. She took it in all by herself and found comfort in exploiting her already exploited body, thinking that nothing good will ever come out of a damaged good. She got pregnant before even graduating from high school, distanced herself from, and eventually divorced, his husband and ultimately, gave up her child when a new opportunity to rebuild her life presented itself. Meridian, unknowingly and knowingly, rebelled from her mother’s image, both as a wife and a mother, and embraced her life’s passion, once she recognized it, wholly and without reserve. She is a survivor and an inspiration though not necessarily the epitome of a “good” woman.
In every person’s life, there comes a time when we make crucial decisions that change the course of our lives permanently and irrevocably. A change happens at the very core of our being that we cannot unchange and revert back to the way things were before. It happened to me as it happened to Meridian.
People say I have rebelled against everything I was taught, but in retrospect, I have not. With all due respect, I maybe more Christ-like, in terms of helping my brothers and sisters, than those who shake their heads and cluck their tongues, clutching their rosaries near their hearts, at my advocacy. Meridian wasn’t new to this either, she may not be considered religious but her spirituality is more than most religious people can hope to have.
At first, it was curiosity that drove me to join the mobilization for higher state subsidy. In my heart I know what I’m doing is right, in accordance with values my parents taught me and instilled by a Catholic upbringing. It was an innocent adventure at first, one with fellow but unfamiliar students. But when we hid streamers and stormed the Congress gates, it ceased being innocent and unfamiliar. The students I was with are obviously anticipating an initial confrontation and they came prepared as if in a war. That was the time when Meridian first connected to me, when we both “became aware of the past and the future of the larger world.”
And it’s true. The moment that you discover that life isn’t all about you is when you actually start living for yourself. You start to assess your beliefs, unlearn misinformation and amass a whole new education. It is when you find and stand for causes closest to your heart that you start living and cease just existing.
Meridian, like me, grappled with her conscience. As a civil rights worker, she debated on doing what is right or doing what is correct. Sometimes, the right thing is not the correct thing. Case in point, “the right thing is never to kill, but the correct thing is to kill when killing is necessary.” Complexity arises when the right and the correct don’t coincide and in fact, go the opposite directions. It took Meridian years to finally come to terms with this philosophical question and has found the answer to cement to commitment to her cause in the death of a total stranger. More often than not, the answer to the most complex question is the simplest one that we tend to overlook.
My own encounter with activism is fraught with struggles, both internal and external. Like Meridian, my health was affected with the stress that comes with work that is very stressful. My skin developed sores and I contracted various diseases as my immune system went haywire. I lost so much weight that I was half my size when I was a teenager. I let out a laugh when Meridian said, referring to her own frail health, “I am strong. I’m just not Superwoman.”
With immeasurable pressure, from the state, my family, friends and myself coupled with the innate difficulty of launching campaigns and getting the people to believe in the power that resides within them and make them get up and do something, everyday is war.
Battle fatigue is what Alice Walker called it in her book. Life sometimes presents itself as such a challenge that living it is tiring enough, without having the need to bother yourself with other’s problems. Sorrow without hope is probably the worst emotion a man, or woman, can show. Many activists whose initial idealism has been sapped by the seemingly endless confrontations succumb to battle fatigue and choose to live a more “peaceful life.” Meridian had it, and so did I.
But what a friend once told me echoes each time the fatigue crawls its way to me, “Everyday, you affirm your commitment to yourself . Everyday, you affirm your commitment to the people.” Everyday, I wake up and search for answers to very elusive questions as the world starts to include everybody else, not just oneself. All I have to do is look around, I need not go very far, only outside my door, onto the streets, into my child’s eyes, and the affirmation I need is there. Meridian understood when she said that “the respect she owed her life was to continue, against whatever obstacles, to live it, and not give up any particle of it without a fight to the death.”
Alice Walker, in Meridian, described a life that is most certainly far from perfect, but in its imperfection Meridian Hill found the peace that eludes most. Meridian’s revolution within has reached its decisive point and she emerged ever more sure of herself and her beliefs. But her life has not ceased to be a struggle as she continues to walk down the road, as Bob Marley said, to emancipation from mental slavery.

Cross-posted from my other blog.

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Gas Pains

Tapos na ang halos isang buwang stand-off ng gubyerno at ng mga oil companies. Hulaan niyo kung sino ang nanalo?

Noong lunes tinanggal na ang EO 839 na nagpako sa mga presyo ng gasolina (petroleum products, in general) sa presyo nito noong Oct 15. Ibig sabihin, pwede itong bumaba, ngunit hindi pwedeng lumampas sa presyo ng krudo noong petsang iyon. Ang dahilan ay napakasimple. Ipinag-utos ito para tulungan ang mamamayan na makabangon mula sa hagupit ng sunud-sunod na bagyo.

Talaga naman, di ba. Binaha, nawalan ng bahay at ng mahal sa buhay, at higit sa lahat inalipunga dahil kina Odoy, Peping at Santi, tapos magtataas pa ang presyo ng krudo. Aba, aba, aba, hindi na yata tama iyon! para bang pinagsakluban na tayo ng langit.

At eto, mula sa kataas-taasang opisina ng ating bayan, lumabas ang kautusan para kontrolin ang presyo ng krudo. Mainit itong tinanggap ng gutom na gutom at giniginaw na mamamayan.

Syempre, merong hindi natuwa sa eksenang ito at nagmukmok sa tabi-tabi at bumulong-bulong. Sabi nila, hindi daw kakayanin ng ganitong presyo ang demand para sa krudo. Tuluy-tuloy din ang pagbabanta nila na magkakaubusan ng krudo kung pananatilihin sa mababang presyo ang pagbebenta samantalang tumataas ang halaga ng pagbili nila.

Makalipas ang ilang araw, may ulat nang mga gasolinahan na nililimitahan ang krudong ikinakarga sa motorista. Anong full tank-full tank, full tank 'na mo! hanggang P300 lang ang pwede, ano ka sinuswerte?!

Meron na ring mga istasyon na nagsasara sa gabi kahit dapat 24 oras sila (serbisyong totoo lamang!) na bukas sa mga motorista.

Mukhang tinotoo ng mga oil companies ang banta nilang magkakaubusan ng langis dahil sa EO 386 kahit pa may mandatory 3 month inventory sila ng langis na nabili sa mas mababang halaga.

At hindi lang ito, marami din sa business community ang nagsalita laban sa EO 386 dahil hindi daw ito investor-friendly (talaga, kasi itsurang pro-people ito) kaya baka makaapekto sa pagpasok ng mga dayuhang mamumuhunan. Hindi raw kasi magandang nakikialam ang gubyerno sa "free market". Ibig lang namang sabihin nila, hayaan silang magkamal ng milyun-milyong tubo kahit sumusuka na ng dugo ang mga Pilipino. Free market yan eh, bakit ka makikialam sa mga batas na umiiral dito, samantalang ito ang niyayakap na moda ng produksyon ng Pilipinas?!



Makalipas ang halos isang buwang patutsadahan at pagtatambol ng dibdib, lumabas ang tunay na hari sa Strong Republic, ang mga negosyante.

Sa kasunduan ng gubyerno at ng mga kumpanya ng langis, babawiin na ang EO 369 kapalit ng pangako na hindi agad magtataas ng presyo at hindi biglaan ang pagta-taas ng presyo na gagawin para bawiin ang halos P5 daw na lugi.

Pero anong nangyari? Sabi nga ng matatanda, hindi pa nga malamig ang bangkay, may kalokohan nang ginawa ang mga kumpanya ng langis.



Napakaganda nga sanang hakbang nitong EO 369 na ito dahil nasa puso nito ang mamamayan (kahit pa sa tingin ko ay papogi points ito para sa 2010 elections. May bahid ito ng tangka ng gubyerno na kahit paano'y hawakan ang ekonomya ng bansa at hindi lamang lubos na iasa sa dikta ng internasyunal na merkado tulad noong nagdaang panahon ni Marcos. Bagamat matagal na nating inaani ang bunga ng Oil Deregulation Law, ngayon naramdaman nang mas harapan ang lakas ng kapangyarihan na inalis sa kamay ng gubyerno at sa esensya, ng mamamayan.

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