Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas!

On my way home

2010-12-19T03:11:00.000-08:00

I was in a Bataan transit bus when I heard over the radio a commercial break that recited the PANATANG MAKABAYAN. My initial impression is that it is an LBC ad. To my surprise, at the end of the ad it said "this ad is brought to you by Makabayang Pilipino Movement, KBP and this station". Wow! The mainstream has finally recognized the significance of this panata.

Upon reaching home, I went to check on this Makabayang Pilipino Movement on the internet but it is not there. What came out on top of the search is the Makabayang Pilipino para sa Pagbabago facebook account. But I don't think this is the one. Will continue to search and contact this group that placed the Panatang Makabayan ad.

By the way, I am back.

Lupang Hinirang

2010-06-24T08:46:00.001-07:00

Congratulations President NOYNOY

2010-05-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

For more than a year, I have not posted on this blog. It is a reflection of the kind of hopelessness I felt during that time. When Cory died last year, I felt the emptiness, the anxiety of things will go from worse to worst. Not until NOYNOY's name was floated to run for the presidency. My reaction was why not.

From the presidential candidates then, I felt that I will just boycott the election. There isn't really much of a choice. It is more of the same, even worse, with the person of Manny Villar. From the time he started airing his ads on tv saying he helped bring home distressed ofws, I already considered villar a very typical trapo. Rexas? Gordon? Bayani? Maybe Gordon or Bayani but still with a lot of reservations. Not until NOYNOY accepted the challenge to run.

I my little way, I campaigned for NOYNOY. I openly told my friends and family that I am voting for him even when the are rooting for a different candidate. NOYNOY is the only one I TRUST among the candidates. When the surveys showed that NOYNOY and villar were on statistical tie, I was really affected. But I continued to defend NOYNOY in an internet forum. NOYNOY supporters are outnumbered by NOYNOY haters and detractors. Still I kept defending my candidate on each and every issue. That was how I helped my candidate.

On my lonesome, I went to the Quezon Memorial Circle to attend the miting de avance. On election day, I waited for three hours and still went home unable to vote. But to return in the afternoon to complete the task.

In the evening, I was already glued on the news. Based on the surveys, I have high confidence that NOYNOY will make it. It was just knowing if he gets to become a majority president by getting more 50% of the vote. As of this time, it is highly unlike that he will his the 50% mark. But still I am very much at peace and gratified that NOYNOY will be our next president.

In this regard, I will rekindle my personal advocacy, good citizenship. In a NOYNOY presidency, good citizenship is the equivalent of people engagement in governance.

Congratulation President NOYNOY!

According to Obama

2009-01-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

From MNSBC

To stop monsters, we need good citizens

2009-01-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

The following is a Letter to the Editor from the Inquirer.

I remember when I was young and dreaming of becoming the president of this country. Today I no longer hold that dream. I just wish to become a good citizen.

I think what we imperatively need more nowadays are good citizens who know how to care and love for this country, make it safer to live in, who know how to voice out their grievances without fear and who are prepared to die for their rights and principles.

There are only a few of these people now in our country.

There are more of us who rest content with our private lives and are unmindful of the issues of the day. There are many of us who cannot leave our comfort zones and instead decidedly remain spectators to what is happening in our country. They don’t bother to ask why their families starve, why there are broken families, why crimes abound, why classrooms are not enough for their children, why textbooks are scarce, why there is graft and corruption. Our society is becoming a voiceless society. It is this voicelessness that created roaring monsters in the government. While we may have heard the voices of some who appear to be messiahs of this country, theirs are irritating noises and are out of tune because of their self-seeking interests. What we need is a unison voice likened to the biblical passage that says “people shall shout with a great shout and the wall of the city will fall down flat.”

For the year 2009, it is my prayerful wish that we learn to become good citizens. It is my prayer that we should learn to be more aggressive about our rights, freedom and dignity as a people. I do not wish to leave this country even when it is filthy to live in. That would be unpatriotic. There is hope for this country. Let us start contributing our fair share by caring for and loving our country, making it more decent and respectable in the eyes of the international community and God. And we can do that by learning to become good citizens.

Thank you.

REGINALD B. TAMAYO, member, Sangguniang Bayan secretary general, SAVE Cagayan, Aparri, Cagayan

============

Definitely good citizenship is part of the solution.

Fighting corruption

2009-01-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

The following was posted on the comment section of this blog.

Fighting corruption is the best way to fight powerty. But how do we fight corruption?

There are two kinds of corruption, a one way corruption and two way corruption. One way corruption is about those people in the position, either elected or appointed by someone we elected, and use their position for personal gain. An example would be awarding contracts to relatives/friends. This is the palakasan system. The two way corruption is one where there is a giver and a taker. An excellent example is the transaction between a traffic violator and a traffic enforcer. This is the padulas system. Eliminate the palakasan / padulas system and corruption is minimized. Less corruption, less poverty, less hunger and peace is built. But how do we eliminate the palakasan/padulas system?

Even the Church has failed in this area. Only if the Church has guided its flock well, we will not be in this mess we are in right now. The Church teaches the rightwus path and the people don't seem to follow.

But something can still be done. The Church can still play a huge role in the CHANGE that we all seek. This is not just about religion. This is about attitude, way of thinking, a different mindset, a whole new perspective. We need a different approach and strategy. If we want to eliminate palakasan and padulas system, we need to capture first the imagination of our people. But not a single advocacy is working on this strategy. We have thousands of advocacies around us and yet not a single one seems to create a dent. Why? Because not a single on has captured the imagination of our people. Capture the imagination and we will be on our way to the CHANGE that we all seek.

Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas!

Three stars and a sun

2008-12-25T03:49:00.000-08:00

While waiting for the Malabon Citisquare Mall to open at 12 noon, it was very peculiar that a lot of teen aged guys are wearing the three stars and a sun tshirts. They come in various designs either with a Philippine map or the text "Pilipinas kong Mahal". It is doubtful if these are Francis M original shirts. They must all be imitations. According to the FrancisM Clothing Company blog, a shirt costs P550.00. That's quite expensive for the CDE and imitations are being sold for as low as P150.00. Other than shirts, I also saw sandals with Philippine Flag design on straps. Apparently, the three stars and a sun or a Pinoy pride design has become fashionable.

In the context of an Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas campaign, this fashion trend is very timely. The public can easily appreciate the campaign without really knowing yet that the campaign is all about the CHANGE that we seek.

And another one

2008-12-22T16:46:00.001-08:00

Here's another one, KAYA NATIN!.

From what I read, Kaya Natin espouses genuine change and ethical leadership by promoting transparency, social accountability, people empowerment and electoral reforms. We've heard of these words before. These are no longer new. Here is a list of groups who seek more of the same.

MOVEMENT FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE

TEAM RP

Simbahan Lingkod Bayan

Ang Kapatiran

Center for Responsible Governance, Inc.

Transparency and Accountability Network

Coalition Against Corruption

Transparent Accountable Governance

Pagbabago@Pilipinas

One Voice

Black and White Movement

Ang Bagong Pinoy

Moral Revolt

Dilaab Movement

Citizen's Battle Against Corruption

Kilusang Balik Kaayusan

just to name a few.

But nothing will really change unless we change the way we do things.

A campaign/movement will only be effective if every sectors in our society can be part of it. It shoud not matter if you are rich or poor, Christian or Muslim, Cebuano or Ilocano, overseas or Philippine based, student or retiree, magtataho or banker, etc. The audience must not be passive but active participants in the campaign. Corruption is truly a menace in our society. But corruption is not something that we could fight head on. Wether we like it or not, corruption has become part of our system, of our culture. The "baka makalusot" and "baka makaisa" attitude are reflections of this. It is easy to point fingers at people in government. But let us look at ourselves in the mirror. One way or another, we had our own shortcomings.

For the campaign to succeed, it has to be faceless. Nobody can come out clean, not even the Church. SAbi nga ng Bible, he who has no sin cast the first stone. Take out the face and a certain degree of credibility is achieved.

By combining the two, a campaign that involves everyone and faceless, then it will capture the imagination of our people. Once this is achieved, CHANGE will not be far behind.

Here comes another one

2008-12-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

In as much as I would like to avoid making comments on what's happening out there since I feel have stated my stand on most issues through this blog, I just can't help but react on this Inquirer article.

Again, the intentions are good and noble. There may be no personal agenda and the movers may be credible but Almonte????, anyway......

Somewhere, sometime ago, I know I have read something like this before. Advocacies such as clean elections and automation, voter education and empowerment, good governance have been battlecries for decades. Has anything changed? Nothing. And here comes another one and I doubt it very much if they will make a dent at all.

The strategy of these advocacies is very skewed. They always start with the media just as how this new group got the Inquirer headline. Well, that is a lot of free and big time space. It really gets the attention just how it did to me. But will anybody be talking about this group tomorrow? I doubt it.

When new groups are formed, it is always the media that is first targetted. Very logical since a press release is free, it gets the attention and creates awareness. But by taking that route, the advocay starts with a bang and ends with a pfffft. It is unsustainable, elitist and intangible.

There is only one free press release and that usually is the launching. That may be the only newsworthy part but the daily activities may be only good read in blogs or websites. The media will never give that daily free updates. The next option is the group to buy media space and that will cost. When money becomes an issue, disintegration begins.

It has been my observation that we are really have this penchant to form groups. At the onset, we believe we have common goals and aspirations. But through time, personal differences sets in, personal agenda gets magnifies, political colors come out and disintegration begins. Nothing gets sustained.

Elitist because ordinary Filipinos are mere observers. We are not active participants in this movement unless we are a member of a member group or know people who belong to this group. Why waste my time in the first place. Yes, the motives may be pure but I have seen this a thousand times before and nothing reall too off and what makes it different this time around. And where will my iconic magtataho come into the picture?

Gawad Kalinga has been very successful simply because their advocacy is very tangible, houses. From nothing you see someting. You can see it and touch it. That is very tangible and that gets a lot of support. But good governance, electoral reforms, votere education are very intangibles. Thay can be assessed through numbers and statistics which may be difficult for most of us to grasp.

For a movement or advocacy to really make a dent, it has to be sustainable, it can capture the imagination and it has to be very tangible. Lose one element and all the CHANGE that we all seek will not happen.

Sa Aking Pagkawala

2008-12-16T04:24:00.000-08:00

May halos 8 buwan din akong nawala sa blog na ito. Hindi dahil tinabangan o tinalikuran ko na ang advocacing ito, Wala na lang siguro akong bagong masasabi pa. Pakiramdam ko, nasabi ko na ang lahat ng gusto kong sabihin sa blog na ito. Pagnagkataon, magiging paulit ulit ang mga sasabihin ko dito. Kailangan ko nang itaas ang antas ng adhikain. Walang mangyayari sa pa blog blog. Ang internet ay isa lamang instrumento para sa pagbabago. Hindi nito mababago ang Pilipinas. Nasa labas ng cyberspace ang laban.

Upang maisulong ang laban sa totoong mundo, kakailanganin dito ang pondo. Kailangang maglabas ng pera. Ika nga, put your money where your mouth is. Sa puntong ito, wala kahit isang kaluluwa ang lubusang maniniwala sa kakayahan ng kampanyang ito na baguhin ang Pilipinas, ang Pilipino. Tanging ako lamang ang sadyang nakakaunawa kung saan ito patungo. Sa kadahilanang ito, imposibleng makakalap ng pondo upang maisulong ang kampanya. Sa sarili kong bulsa magmumula ang lahat. At iyon ang dahilang kung bakit nanahimik ang blog na ito. Tag hirap ako.

Kahit ngayon taghirap pa rin ako pero mas maayos na ang kalagayan ko kumpara nitong mga nakaraang buwan. Kahit papaano siguro itong daratng na bagong taon, may masisimulan na ako. Siguro makakapag paimprenta ako ng kahit ilang piraso muna ng ikap sticker. Pag maging mas maayos ang kalagayan kong pinansyal, mas mapapapalaganap ko pa siguro ang kamalayang ikap. Sa kamalayang ikap, doon magsisimula ang lahat.

The Sticker

2008-12-16T03:47:00.000-08:00

Above is where everything will start.

Dear Manny,

2008-12-07T00:54:00.000-08:00

Congratulations!

Today, you made us proud once again. You defied the odds. You were the underdog. But you prevailed. You have just given us Filipinos around the globe an early Christmas gift.

As we celebrate and await for your return, sycophants will be having a field day.

Manny, you are young, admired, adored and filthy rich while our country is old, a basket case and dirt poor. You inspire us. You make us proud. You are the only Filipino who can truly unite us as a people.

Unfortumately you are surrounded by sycophants. There will always be people who will ride on your fame and glory. The "friends" that you keep is what bothers us, most Filipinos. We can always respect who you choose to be your friends but you can be bigger than what you are now if you heed our clamor.

Manny, you are our Obama. This is not an insinuation that you run for president. Far from it. You are our Obama because you have captured our imagination just how Obama captured the imagination of the American people. You have in your hands the power to inspire CHANGE.

CHANGE is what we need. Only a Manny Pacquiao, at this point in our history, can catalyze the process of CHANGE.

Manny, your love for our country is beyond reproach. You always say that your fights are for the glory of the Filipino people. And we thank you for that. Your patriotism is pure, just as pure as your faith in GOD. That patriotism is your catalyst to inspire CHANGE. But you may need to distance yourself from the most hated kind of Filipinos, the trapos.

Play your cards well and you may be destined for greater glory. You have become an icon. Don't let the bootlickers take advantage of your iconic image. Instead, make it a tool to inspire us to CHANGE, to unite us towards CHANGE. Lift us up out of poverty not with your winnings but by inculcating patriotism which is hardly existent. You need not become a politician to do that. You need to distance yourself from politicians to do that.

The Filipino people needs you, Manny. Not just the temporary respite from our woes everytime you defeat your opponent but for the greater glory that we seek for our race as a people.

Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas!
Pinoy

Why We Are Poor

2008-04-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

by Francisco Sionil Jose

What did South Korea look like after the Korean War in 1953? Battered, poor - but look at Korea now. In the Fifties, the traffic in Taipei was composed of bicycles and Army trucks, the streets flanked by tile-roofed low buildings. Jakarta was a giant village and Kuala Lumpur a small village surrounded by jungle and rubber plantations. Bangkok was criss-crossed with canals, the tallest structure was the Wat Arun, the Temple of the Sun, and it dominated the city's skyline. Rice fields all the way from Don Muang Airport - then a huddle of galvanized iron-roofed bodegas, to the Victory monument.

Visit these cities today and weep - for they are more beautiful, cleaner and prosperous than Manila. In the Fifties and Sixties we were the most envied country in Southeast Asia. Remember further that when Indonesia got its independence in 1949, it had only 114 university graduates compared to the hundreds of Ph.D.'s which were already in our universities. Why then were we left behind? The economic explanation is simple. We did not produce cheaper and better products.

The basic question really is: why we did not modernize fast enough and thereby doomed our people to poverty. This is the harsh truth about us today. Just consider these: some 15 years ago a survey showed that half of all grade school pupils dropped out after grade 5 because they had no money to continue schooling. Thousands of young adults today are therefore unable to find jobs. Our natural resources have been ravaged and they are not renewable. Our tremendous population increase eats up all of our economic gains. There is hunger in this country now; our poorest eat only once a day.

But this physical poverty is really not as serious as the greater poverty that afflicts us and this is the poverty of the spirit.

Why then are we poor? More than ten years ago, James Fallows, editor of the Atlantic Monthly came to the Philippines and wrote about our damaged culture which, he asserted, impeded our development. Many disagreed with him but I do find a great deal of truth in his analysis. This is not to say that I blame our social and moral malaise on colonialism alone. But we did inherit from Spain a social system and an elite that, on purpose, exploited the masses. Then, too, in the Iberian peninsula, to work with one's hands is frowned upon and we inherited that vice as well. Colonialism by foreigners may no longer be what it was, but we are now a colony of our own elite.

We are poor because we are poor - this is not a tautology. The culture of poverty is self-perpetuating. We are poor because our people are lazy. I pass by a slum area every morning - dozens of adults do nothing but idle, gossip and drink. We do not save. Look at the Japanese and how they save in spite of the fact that the interest given them by their banks is so little. They work very hard too.

We are great show-offs. Look at our women, how overdressed, over- coiffed they are, and Imelda epitomizes that extravagance. Look at our men, their manicured nails, their personal jewelry, their diamond rings. Yabang - that is what we are, and all that money expended on status symbols, on yabang. How much better if it were channeled into production. We are poor because our nationalism is inward looking.

Under its guise we protect inefficient industries and monopolies. We did not pursue agrarian reform like Japan and Taiwan. It is not so much the development of the rural sector, making it productive and a good market as well. Agrarian reform releases the energies of the landlords who, before the reform, merely waited for the harvest. They become entrepreneurs, the harbingers of change. Our nationalist icons like Claro M. Recto and Lorenzo Tañada oppose agrarian reform, the single most important factor that would have altered the rural areas and lifted the peasant from poverty. Both of them were merely anti- American.

And finally, we are poor because we have lost our ethical moorings. We condone cronyism and corruption and we don't ostracize or punish the crooks in our midst. Both cronyism and corruption are wasteful but we allow their practice because our loyalty is to family or friend, not to the larger good.

We can tackle our poverty in two very distinct ways. The first choice: a nationalist revolution, a continuation of the revolution in 1896. But even before we can use violence to change inequities in our society, we must first have a profound change in our way of thinking, in our culture. My regret about EDSA is that change would have been possible then with a minimum of bloodshed. In fact, a revolution may not be bloody at all if something like EDSA would present itself again. Or a dictator unlike Marcos.

The second is through education, perhaps a longer and more complex process. The only problem is that it may take so long and by the time conditions have changed, we may be back where we were, caught up with this tremendous population explosion which the Catholic Church exacerbates in its conformity with doctrinal purity.

We are faced with a growing compulsion to violence, but even if the communist won, they will rule as badly because they will be hostage to the same obstructions in our culture, the barkada, the vaulting egos that sundered the revolution in 1896, the Huk revolt in 1949-53.

To repeat neither education nor revolution can succeed if we do not internalize new attitudes, new ways of thinking. Let us go back to basics and remember those American slogans: A Ford in every garage. A chicken in every pot. Money is like fertilizer: to do any good it must be spread around.

Some Filipinos, taunted wherever they are, are shamed to admit they are Filipinos. I have, myself, been embarrassed explain for instance why Imelda, her children and the Marcos cronies are back, and in positions of power? Are there redeeming features in our country that we can be proud of? Of course, lots of them. When people say for instance that our corruption will never be banished, just remember that Arsenio Lacson as mayor of Manila and Ramon Magsaysay as President brought a clean government.

We do not have the classical arts that brought Hinduism and Buddhism to continental and archipelago Southeast Asia, but our artists have now ranged the world, showing what we have done with Western art forms, enriched with our own ethnic traditions. Our professionals, not just our domestics, are all over, showing how an accomplished people we are!

Look at our history. We are the first in Asia to rise against Western colonialism, the first to establish a republic. Recall the Battle of Tirad Pass and glory in the heroism of Gregorio Del Pilar and the 48 Filipinos who died but stopped the Texas Rangers from capturing the President of that First Republic. Its equivalent in ancient history is the Battle of Thermopylae where the Spartans and their king Leonidas, died to a man, defending the pass against the invading Persians.

Rizal - what nation on earth has produced a man like him? At 35, he was a novelist, a poet, an anthropologist, a sculptor, a medical doctor, a teacher and martyr.

We are now 80 million and in another two decades we will pass the 100 million mark. Eighty million - that is a mass market in any language, a mass market that should absorb our increased production in goods and services - a mass market which any entrepreneur can hope exploit, like the proverbial oil for the lamps of China.

Japan was only 70 million when it had confidence enough and the wherewithal to challenge the United States and almost won. It is the same confidence that enabled Japan to flourish from the rubble of defeat in World War II.

I am not looking for a foreign power for us to challenge. But we have a real and insidious enemy that we must vanquish, and this enemy is worse than the intransigence of any foreign power. We are our own enemy. And we must have the courage, the will, to change ourselves.

More advocacies

2008-04-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

Almost every week, I read about a new advocacy being formed. The following are three advocacies that I have recently encountered in the www.

Citizenship by Good Example (CGE)

This is a Simbahan Lingkod Bayan (SLB) initiative. SLB is an Ateneo based socio political ministry of Society of Jesus. It is interesting to note that SLB recently came out with Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas statment at the height of the NBN ZTE scandal. Anyway, going back to CGE. I am with them since part of my advocacy is good citizenship. The initiative has two basic activities, distribution of a double CD celebrating love for the Philippines and are regular radio program on the AM band. The initiative is allied with various organizations like Center of Positive Futures, Gawad Kalinga, Inigo Corporate Formation Group, Pathways to Higher Education, Rags2Riches and other groups.

Another initiative is TEAM RP a youth led organization. This group, I think, was formed at the height of the Jun Lozada expose. The another Ateneo led group made news when they came out with a statement On The Makati Rally expressing their disappointment over the presence of former presidents Cory Aquino and Erap Estrada on stage during a rally at Ayala Ave. More on TEAM RP can be read on this blog.

Another initiative, Center for Responsible Governance Philippines, Inc. seeks to fight the culture of corruption by giving awards to uncorrupt and incorruptible people in government. They believe that a counterculture exists and that they want to turn the spotlight on good individuals, nurture them and hopefully grow them. This is a La Salle alumni led initiative.

These three initiatives are truly admirable. They do what they do for love of country. I believe there is no hidden or personal agenda. These initiatives were formed out of frustration, maybe, from all the scandal and crisis in our country. Through these initiatives, the participants won't feel helpless. They do their share in helping our country get on its feet.

Having said that, my problem with these initiatives are the following.

1) There is no direct participation from ordinary Filipinos. Very typical middle class initiatives. A magtataho may never be able to relate with these initiatives if ever he hears or sees them on the news. These kind of initiatives is good only for those who are part of it. I don't think poor Filipinos can empathize with these initiatives. There is no mass appeal in any of the initiatives.

2) There is nothing new being offered. Many initiatives have come and gone. A few have endured but not one truly made a dent, not even Gawad Kalinga, into our collective consciousness. Forgive me but I view on these initiatives is doing something for the sake of doing something.

3) There is no attempt to capture the imagination of our people. An advocacy can truly make a difference if it captures the hearts and minds of our people.

4) From the start, the initiatives are already labeled. CGE and TEAM RP being an Ateneo led initiatives while the other is La Salle led.

5) The initiatives have faces. Only a FACELESS campaign will get the attention and capture the imagination of our people.

Having said the above, I wish all three initiatives success in their endeavor for they do what they do for love of country.

How they see our problem

2008-04-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

The following is an essay written by a Korean about the Philippines. It was written years ago but the message is still very relevant.

My Short Essay About the Philippines
Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.

Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea . So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea. He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood. Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday.

However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines, there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines . Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others.

That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

This next one is a letter to the editor written by an Indian national.

This refers to Romeo Encarnacion’s letter titled “With so much talents and skills, why is RP a basket case?

I come from another developing and equally corrupt country, but allow me to put in my two pesos’ worth of opinion on this question.

I am writing this letter because I lived in Manila for about six months in 2005. I was born and raised in India. For the past 10 years I’ve been living in North America.

While in the Philippines, I would start my day with a hearty breakfast. I would usually have some toast, butter (made in New Zealand), jam (made in Australia/United States) and some juice (made in United States/Thailand/Brazil). I assumed the bread for my toast was made in the Philippines.

Compare that with my similar breakfast in India. There I never came upon a breakfast item that was not made in India. The point is, daily needs—be it jam, juice, butter or rice—should be homegrown.

Just like India, the Philippines has a huge pool of cheap labor. The government and the people should insist that basic goods be produced locally. That will create jobs, save precious foreign exchange and protect the nation from external dependencies and threats. So with cars, electronics and household products. The Philippines must set up more manufacturing facilities—with the help of foreign experts if needed—but the country should make sure that the units and parts are manufactured in the Philippines, not merely “assembled” here.

Another thing I noticed, which was so glaring and evident in Encarnacion’s letter—more specifically when he compared the Philippines with America—is the entire Filipino nation’s low self-esteem.

Having lived in India until the age of 26, I could feel the Indian people’s high national pride. Yes, India is as poor as the Philippines; yes, we do have tall, shiny buildings and malls but they are right beside shanties. Indians are complaining all the time about our government agencies but seldom or never do we compare ourselves to America. But in the Philippines, you open any local newspaper and almost every day you read at least one article singing hosannas to America.

Every country has its own culture and way of doing things. There’s no one cap that fits all situations. I believe the Philippines can develop and do things its own way. If China can do it as a communist, if India can do it as a socialist, so can the Philippines, Filipino style.

Many Indians, just like many Filipinos, are going abroad every day, but the Indian exodus has not hampered India’s progress. The Philippines has better infrastructure than India, arguably better quality of English speakers, fairly fertile lands and a vast pool of human resources.

I believe that the day the Filipinos wake up and take charge of their situation and take less pride in being a “balikbayan” [visiting overseas-based Filipino] than in being Filipino, that day when the Philippines will become another “Asian tiger” won’t be far away.

SANDEEP KANJILAL (via email)

Their observations are both valid. The Korean notes that we don't love our country while the Indian sees that we have a low self esteem as a people. That is essentially why I have this advocacy of love of country. National pride is almost non existent. Our morale is too low. Love of country is just evident only to a few but collectively there is none. As crisis and scandals becomes normal fare in our lives, there is really not much that will make us feel good about ouselves as Filipinos. Yes, there is this
Good News Pilipinas website but its just pampalubag loob. We need to do something about our collective esteem, collective morale, collective pride. Non Filipinos are seeing our problem. I wonder why we don't. Or are we just on denial?

Branding the Philippines

2008-03-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

I have just read this article, Branding the Philippines (in an increasignly) Flat World.

From the title itself, the article is obviously about marketing. But as I read the article, I have this impression that what the authors are trying to say is not far from my own advocacy.

My Iniibig ko ang Pilipnas advocacy is coming from a psychological point of view. It is about the collective psyche, the collective mindset, and the collective solution. That part of the problem is the collective behaviour of Filipinos and part of the solution is our collective action.

When the article stated WE ARE THE BRAND, instantly there is a connection. The article continues, Branding the Philippines begins inside the heart of every Filipino and Filipina, whether he or she lives at home or abroad. And so does Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas, it begins from our heart.

The proposed strategy offered in branding is almost exactly the same with what I envision, patient, consistent and persistent to seep ever slowly into the hearts and minds of the target audience. I simply term it capturing the imagination.

Culture, as admitted in the article, is an important ingredient in a country brand. But how can we create a brand with a "dysfunctional" culture? Nobody will buy such a brand. We continue to be on top of the most corrupt country in Asia. Not such a good label huh? Who will buy a brand that is equated to undisciplined, litter bugs, unfashionably late, balat sibuyas, mediocre, etc. Who will buy a brand that is low in spirit, low in morale? To create a globally acceptable brand, we need that change in our collective mindset.

We Filipinos are proud of our race. That is undeniable. Just look at how everything comes to a standstill when Pacquiao climbs the boxing ring. The brouhaha created by the "Desperate Housewives" episode showed how we will not take sitting down when it is our collective pride that is hurt. Look at the reactions to Arnel Pineda's selection in the Journey band and the waves that Vincent Bueno is making in Europe. When a Filipino is recognized somewhere, in whatever field, we are quick to say Proud to be Filipino sometimes being interpreted by outsiders as racist remarks. They just don't understand that we are just like that, ganun lang talaga tayo. Quick to say Proud to be Pinoy.

Unfortunately, that pride is us are just temporal spikes, only when good news comes in. Most of the time we sulk in our state of hopelessness and frustration.

So let us create that Philippine brand. Inspire ourselves. Take pride in our race. Show the world the kind of stuff we are made of. Proudly announce to the world, INIIBIG KO ANG PILIPINAS!

The design

2008-03-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on the design for Iniibig ko Ang Pilipinas. The following designs were suggested.

I am more inclined to take the first design, have it copyrighted and hopefully print bumper stickers to help spread the word.

Why I didn't go to Ayala

2008-03-01T02:32:00.000-08:00

At about noon yesterday, I got a text from a friend asking me if I will be going to Ayala as he plans of going. I texted him back saying that I'm passing this one.

It was really surprising getting the text from my friend. He is a very apolitical person. He just doesn't care what goes on in our country, at least since are last good talk a few months back. It seems the evil in GMA has changed him. He went to Ayala all by himself to express his disgust on GMA. Through text I told him I am glad that finally he cared, for Inang Bayan that is.

The younger part of my life was spent rallying against the Marcos dictatorship. This is not about been there, done that. This is about the supposedly battle between good and evil.

Every anti GMA force is portraying GMA as evil. Well, she is. But it does not follow that those who call GMA evil are good. They can also be evil themselves. It is that simple. We don't have a clear choice of what is good, of what is right. Anti GMA forces are demanding for the truth. But whose truth? What kind of truth? We have a thousand religious groups simply because of varying interpretations of the bible. So what is the true interpretation? What is the truth in the bible? And so what is the truth that these anti GMA forces are seeking? That people behind the NBN deal admit to the corruption? We all know that corruption happened. I myself believe that indeed that contract was tainted with corruption. But those who committed the crime will never admit to the wrongdoing. Walang magnanakaw na umamin na magnanakaw sya. The problem is, there is no paper trail that will prove the allegation. Yes, there were the testimonies of Jose de Venecia III and corroborated by Jun Lozada. But will it hold water in court? I don't know. I am not a lawyer. Former Senator Salonga has already filed a plunder case against GMA. Good. Then let's have the case take its own course.

Anti GMA forces have all the right to call for her resignation. But for heaven's sake, we were not born yesterday. We know that that is not going to happen. If GMA has delicadeza, she should have resigned when the Hello Garci scandal broke out. But she didn't. That is simply because delicadeza is alien to her. Delicadeza is alien to all trapos.

Snap election? Again, it will not happen. Marcos bit to opposition calls then and he lost. I doubt if GMA will do a repeat. She is a very cunning politician.

People power? It may be possible specially when an armed component will get in to the picture. But it will be a bloody one. This people power will not be as peaceful as the previous ones. Emotions are too high now. The intensity of disgust and frustration is reaching a boiling point, at least for the rabid anti GMA forces. If an ala Manila Pen incident happens in this atmosphere, a lot of lives may be sacrificed. I hope it won't happen. I hope tempers will cool down, agitation won't be sustained and a better option will come out from all of this mess.

Assuming a people power succeeds, what is our guarantee that those who will take over will come clean? When we ousted Marcos, we thought progress is at hand. It never happened. When we ousted Erap, we thought the culture of corruption will end. It didn't happen. It turned for the worse. Why would a people power work for us this time?

They say "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Does that mean that all who went to Ayala yesterday are good men? This I quote from the Inquirer column of Raul Pangalangan;

God sakes, in the La Salle Mass last Sunday, a matron overtook everyone during Communion! We had formed two queues before the priest, and Doña Buding simply decided to form her own “counter-flow”! Now I understand why the guillotine was invented. Such unholy thoughts.

NO, I don't believe that ousting GMA will solve our woes. Yes she is indeed one lucky bitch. But I will do what I can to make her the last lucky bitch. GMA, as I kept saying, is merely a reflection of a bigger problem. The problem is us, our collective mindet, our collective attitude, our collecitve action and/or inaction. We are collectively "evil". If not, our Dream Philippines is at hand. It is about time we also start blaming ourselves.

Those who would want to continue rallying in the streets, go ahead, do what you want to do. That is your right. It keeps this regime on its toes. NO, I will not call on you to stop what you believe is right because that is your right but please don't loose your respect on us simply because we have a different point of view. We both love our country. We only differ in our solution.

Meanwhile, enjoy the following Pinoy artists making waves in other countries.

ARNEL PINEDA

VINCENT BUENO

CHARICE PEMPENGCO

RAMIELE MALUBAY

Filipino talents we can all be truly proud of.

Walking the talk

2008-02-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

It is almost a year now since I started this blog. This blog has been my outlet in expressing my views and opinions on various political issues. But more importantly, this blog is the beginning, the foundation of a campaign that I have been wanting initiate as my share in helping my country. This I do simply because, INIIBIG KO ANG PILIPINAS.

My basic premise here is that we are all part of the problem. GMA is simply a reflection of the problem of what we are as a people. Removing her from office won't solve our problems. Things could turn to worse.

At the start, this campaign may appear to be governnmnet sponsored, but it is not. This is purely personal. If others will be willing to support this cause later, they will be most welcome as long as there is no hidden agenda. All for love of country.

An image designing company has been contacted and will be making the Iniibig ko ang Pilipnas logo. The final logo will be used as the standard logo throughout the campaign. This logo will be copyrighted to prevent others, specially the trapos, from hijacking the campaign.

I will be posting the developments on this blog as the campaign progresses.

The problem with Lozada

2008-02-08T03:32:00.000-08:00

After hearing the statements of Lozada at the Senate, I have a problem calling what he did to be heroic. At best, I say, it's admirable. My judgment on Lozada is based on what I read and hear on the news. I learned about his person only because of involvement in this controversy.

Lozada never wanted to testify at the Senate. As he said, hindi niya gulo ito. But now all the anti GMA forces are calling him a hero.
The Inquirer lost no time in searching for his heroic deeds with the article Just a "probinsyanong intsik".

I believe that Lozada is sincere. That he is doing what he is doing to give honor to his father's name. That he is simply giving back to his country as what his father has told him. But my issue is, why do what he did only when pushed to the wall. If there was a legal option, where there is none according to the staff of a certain Gaite in Malacanang, would he still have testified? If he wasn't kidnapped at the airport, would he still be as emotional as he is at the press con and at the senate?

Lozada has his own "baho" and he admits to it. Malacanang is definitely going to squeeze all that it can to use Lozada's ghosts to their advantage.

On the other side, all the anti GMA forces will try to squeeze everything that they can from Lozada's revelations to link GMA to the controversy. Anti GMA forces has found a new ammunition to hit Malacanang. So what's new?

I posted the following on Manolo's blog.

This part of the controversy is what bothers me.

Questioned by Senator Loren Legarda, Lozada says he is privy to the contents of a conversation Neri had with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in which Neri reported Abalos' attempt to bribe him. Lozada, however, refused to divulge what he knew about the conversation, saying it had been given in confidence to him. link

Is his love for country below Neri's confidence in him?

If Lozada truly wants to be of service to this country, why do a Neri? Why not spill out all the beans out? I doubt if the anti GMA groups will force the issue. They would not want to put their hero on the spot. Malacanang, meanwhile, would also prefer to have Lozada keep his silence on this issue, Neri's conversation w/ GMA with regards to the bribery attempt. This is where GMA can be truly pinned down, that she knows about bribery and did nothing about it.

If Lozada is truly a hero, tell all. Don't be selective.

Why is our country poor

2008-02-02T03:31:00.000-08:00

From the blog of PamagCUSA.

THE DIFFERENCE
by Dr. Arsenio Martin
Fort Arthur , Texas

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country.

This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor.

On the other hand, Canada , Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.

The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.

Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality! It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world's strongest, safest place.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

What is the difference then? The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture & flawed tradition.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for savings & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality.
10. and of course...Discipline

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.

The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources.

We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.

If you do not forward this message nothing will happen to you. Your pet will not die, you will not be fired, you will not have bad luck for seven years, and also, you will not get sick or go hungry.

But those may happen because of your lack of discipline & laziness, your love for intrigue and politics, your indifference to saving for the future, your stubborn attitude.

If you love your country, let this message circulate so that many Filipinos could reflect about this, & CHANGE, ACT!

-------------

My comments - In as much as I agree 100% with the statement that we are poor because we lack the correct attitude, I just can' agree with the concept of the author of making the above essay to be another pass around email. We cannot change attitude by simply passing forwarded emails. Only very few takes those "pass around" seriously. If we truly want to achieve character change, again, it is all about capturing the imagination. Even us who want to make a difference for our beloved country has to change our mindset. We need to re invent the wheel.

Character change not charter change

2008-01-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

For the nth time, charter change is back in the limelight. This time, the Mindanao problem is being used as an excuse to push for charter change.

Back in December 2006, the House of Representatives changed its rules to push for charter change and the Church took the lead to oppose it. CBCP called for character change before charter change. The howl of protest against charter change made our honorable representatives to shelve their plan.

At a forum in UP, Gov. Panlilio was asked about federalism. His response was "Our problem is not the form of government, but values and disvalues.” In his speech at the Ateneo de Manila University, he said, "Good citizenship must take root until following the law, paying taxes honestly, respecting the environment and upholding one's dignity shall become second nature to every person." Who is heeding the call?

Archbishop Lagdameo made the news when he called for
moral revolution in his blog. Except for the news agencies being the head of CBCP, nobody really took his call seriously.

Again, we hear the noise of charter change. I myself sincerly believe that nothing will really change even if we change our constitution unless we change collectively first as a people. The problem is, who will initiate the character change?

The politicians, having no credibility, cannot be part of any campaign for character change, much more be its initiator. We cannot expect the trapos to change in their ways. They are too inebriated by wealth and power that they hang on to it by whatever means.

The Church is an ideal leader for character change but unfortunately it has failed miserably. If the people only practiced the teachings of their religion, then we won't be where we are now. But we are. The Church has become merely a crisis manager, but not a change instigator.

So now, we only have ourselves to push for that character change or moral revolution. Unfortunately, even when a large chunk of our population believe that we as a people have our own faults, nobody, no group takes the cause of good citizenship seriously. This is not because they dont believe in it. It is simply because they don't know how.

What we do is what we know how to do, and that is to form groups, movements, alliances, political parties, federations, unions, associations, etc. That is where we are good at. But none of these groups ever made a dent, an impact because not one truly captured the imagination of our people. Not even Gawad Kalinga. Gawad Kalinga captured the imagination of overseas Filipinos but not the locally based Filipinos.

This is a battle for the hearts and minds of our people. If we want them to heed our call for character change, we need first to inspire them, get their attention and capture their imagination. We can start by inspiring patriotism. Then we remind them of their civic duties namely (1) Knowing the rules and following them (2) Falling in line and waiting for their turn (3) Keeping on'es word and coming on time. Then the call for character change will go on a higher level and so on. Character change will not happen overnight. But it will never happen if we don't do something about it. The Church is unable to inspire our people. So we only have us to inspire ourselves.

WANTED: A few good men (and women)

2008-01-08T19:30:00.001-08:00

By Dr. Rusty Balderian

Most of us overseas Filipinos talk a lot about the problems in the Philippines with passion. We praise ourselves as modern day heroes. We think that we are better morally than those in the Philippines because they are corrupt, poor, and less educated. We think we have the best solutions to improve our country. We talk and write with highfalutin words to show others that we have the best verbal and written command of English. That’s all we are good at. But talk is cheap.

If we are really serious in our desire to help our nation, let’s go back to the Philippines and do the job right, the way we want it done. Let us stop complaining. Let us stop talking. Let's roll our sleeves and do it ourselves like the retired navy officer from Vallejo, California, Congressman Teodulo "Doloy" Coquilla of Eastern Samar, and businessmen from Los Angeles, California, Congressman Rosendo Labadlabad of the 2nd District of Zamboanga del Norte, Ronald Golez, Mayor of Dumangas, Ilo-Ilo, and myself Mayor of TabonTabon, Leyte, to name a few. Each one of us have been "successful" in our own way while living in the land of milk and honey. We decided to go back to the Philippines because like most of us, we believed that our nation needs help. We were newbies in the Philippine politics of the last May 2007 election. But we won. We surrendered our American Citizenship and Green Cards and left our comfortable homes and gas guzzling cars because we believe that we can make a difference in our respective communities. We plan to implement the best practices that we have seen and learned in our adopted countries.

Before going back to the Philippines, we had our visions how we can help improve our nation. However, we are having a hard time because we are very few, a little voice that can not be heard in the hollowed halls of Congress. We need more people to run for elective offices so we can make an effective change. Alone, we will just be eaten by the corrupt system. We will be infected by the same deadly virus that we call graft and corruption. We are ineffective to make the change because we don't have the number. Politics is a numbers game. Good intentions doesn't mean a thing if we don't have the right number in the Municipal Council, Provincial Development Council or in Congress and Senate. We need more Congressmen who can not be bought by the President for Five Hundred Thousand Pesos to prevent her impeachment. We need more few good men and women. Let us stop criticizing the leaders running the country. Let us be the leaders running our nation,. Let us replace the "trapos", actors, and musicians in Congress and the Senate for an effective governance of our nation. Stop dreaming for a better Philippines. Let us work for it.

"Kung hindi dito, saan? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan?, Kung hindi ako, sino? Ang gagawawa nito para sa Filipino."

Let this be a challenge to all the leaders of the global Filipinos to go back to the Philippines and run an elective position in 2010 so we can solve the problems that beseech our nation. Let us stop talking about the problems. We need a concerted effort to get rid of the problems. We need to form a party whose candidates will all be coming from the overseas Filipinos. Idealistic, vibrant, educated, technologically savvy, full of good ideas, noble, morally upright and most of all, free from the deadly virus of graft and corruption. I'm sure we can find among the eight million Filipinos in diaspora, one thousand five hundred good men and women to run as Mayors in their respective towns, two hundred forty good men and women to run for Congress in their respective districts, Twelve good men and women to run for Senate, and one good man/woman that we can rally behind to run for President.

It cannot be done on an individual effort as what some of us have done. Dr. Martin Bautista a successful medical practitioner from the East Coast had the same dream to help improve our country. He returned to the Philippines and ran for the Senate in the last election under the Kapatiran Party, a very noble organization, but lost. Individually, we are weak even if we have the best resume, good intentions and sizable personal resources to back us up when we run against the well entrenched traditional politicians.

A united overseas Filipinos is a very strong force to reckon with. Imagine the 8 million Filipinos in Diaspora who send 12 Billion dollars annually to the Philippines can dictate their dependents in the Philippines who to vote for in this coming 2010 election. At an average of 5 voters under his sphere of influence, that is a whopping 40 million votes. Candidates of the United OFW will no longer have to buy votes to be elected.

If the 8 million OFW donates Fifty Dollars to the United OFW Party, that is Four Hundred million dollars as party funds. This can be used as a counterpart to the amount of campaign funds that a candidate can raise through donation only. Elected government officials will no longer have to take the ten percent "SOP" in all infrastructure projects since they have no massive campaign expenses to recoup. Graft and corruption will be history. There will be no political debts to pay except to the Filipino people.

MABUHAY ANG OFW !

MABUHAY ANG FILIPINO!

Human Capital

2007-12-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

This blog is about our damaged culture and the necessity to fix it if we want to move forward as a nation. The politcial solution has to wait. We need to do something about "us" first.

Through Manolo's blog, nakalkal uli ang isyu ng pag uugali nating mga Pilipino. Through a link, I was able to read an essay written two decades ago by James Fallow entitled A Damaged Culture: A New Philippines?. And Newsstand noted, "Has anything actually changed?"

One thing that really prevents us from taking off is our penchant for a political solution. Again, the politcal solution has to wait. We need to change first as a people.

Artemio Panganiban noted on his Inquirer column today the three L's of our survival instinct, lusot, lagay and lakas. He noted that the World Bank identifies three sources of wealth; natural capital, produced capital and human capital. Natural capital accounts for 5% of the total wealth, 18% for produced capital and 77% for human capital. It is just too obvious why we are not progressing. There is so much that has to be desired with regards to our human capital.

I was at SBMA in the last couple of days. We stayed at the Binictican housing renting a four bedroom house. I ahve been to SBMA several times. It is quire notable that once you are inside SBMA, the aura is different. There is so much order. Everyone is very conscious of the rules. In boarding a vehicle, it is quite automatic to facten one's seatbelt. In the housing where we stayed, there is zero trash. At stop signs, drivers do come to a full halt even when there is no other vehicle around. Everytime I visit the palce, I kept saying to myself, kaya naman palang gawin kung gugustuhin. I am not a regular visitor of Marikina but from reports, I reckon there is also a lot of sense of orderliness in that city. Again, kaya naman palang gawin. The human capital is capable of making things work.

But as a nation, as a race, as a people, there is so much to be desired on the Filipno human capital. The poor survive with the three L's. The middle class see the solution to their woes outside the borders of the Phlippines. While the rich continue to benefit from an expanding economy. Everythin is about the "I", my interest, my future, my survival. Nothing about my country. Oh yes, we have so much debates about our country. But that is as far as it goes, debates. Some took the extra step to form groups. Now we have thousands of groups but not even one truly making a dent. Not even one because no single group or cause has truly captured our imagination.

Our human capital is our biggest liability. The World Bank considers it as an intangible asset. But that asset is not really working for us. The human capital retards our growth. Our damaged, decadent, superficial (whatever we call it and it is pointless to debate on terminologies) culture needs correction, redirection and guidance. We can do it one small step at a time. We only need to be creative and imaginative to get the attention of everyone. Once we get everybody's attention, we can start to influence the collective mindset. It can be done.

Merry Christmas!

Moral Revolt II

2007-12-10T15:29:00.000-08:00

The following post is a response to the comments made from the previous post.

to pmcsi and nw49socal:

thank you for your comments and inquiries.

Our common concept of capturing the imagination is something that involves a person just like how Cory captured the imagination of the middle class in 1986, Erap to the masses in 1998 and Fr. Panlilio to the Kapampangans this year. Hitler is an excellent example of someone capturing the imagination of an entire race. I am not sure if Lee Kwan Yew captured the imagination of Singaporeans. Maybe he did. From the political point of view, capturing the imagination is often associated with a person.

But capturing the imagination is not just about politics. Everytime Manny Pacquiao goes to the ring, he captures our imagination and there is no politics involved in it except for politicians waiting for photo ops. Capturing the imagination is a marketing tool. Capturing the imagination gets the attention of a target market. In my advocacy, to capture the imagination is to get the attention of each and every Filipino. It is just the very first step in a long journey. Nothing preachy. Just get their attention and also for confidence building. Getting the public's trust.

Texting is one activity that has captured our imagination and that is faceless. It just happened. Everybody got hooked to texting that made our country the texting capital of the world. Technology has greatly influenced our lives. Therefore, it is possible to capture the imagination with a "faceless" campaign.

Why "faceless"? Because the moment you give the campaign a "face" the public will only be interested on the who and the motives instead of the objectives of the campaign. It deflects the attention. Secondly, it creates an aura of mystery. To keep the interest. To keep the attention. "Faceless" is a marketing strategy. It may be difficult to grasp at this point as we are used to campaigns with "faces", with endorsers.

The issue of citizenship, moral reorientation, good values, proper conduct are very sensivitve subjects. We are a very sensitive people. Balat sibuyas. You just don't tell people that what they do is wrong because their normal reaction is, "Sino ka? Santo ka ba?"

The call for moral revolt by politicians will never be heeded. As I said previously, they are the epitome of corruption. Even the calls of the Church will not be heeded. In the first place, we are what we are is simply a reflection of the Church having failed to guide its flock in the right direction. The Church has been with us for centuries but why have we become like this? There are many devout Christians among us but why are we what we are? Because the Church has its own agenda.

So to whom do we go to? Who will lead us? No one. There is no single individual, not even Tony Meloto or Father Panlilio, that each and every Filipino will listen to or trust. When someone calls for moral change, the usual reaction is "Bakit santo ka ba?" But if you hold a "faceles" campaign with a pure heart and intentions, people will listen because there is no face that they can argue against with. But that is already getting ahead of the story, influencing their mindset. We need to get first their attention by capturing their imagination.

This blog is my simple way of starting this campaign.

Moral Revolt

2007-12-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

Finally, a serious attempt to initiate a moral revolution.

Top Jesuit tapped for ‘moral revolt’ vs corruption

I call it good citizenship. They call it moral revolt. Whatever term is used, it means the same, the issue is behavioral.

But from the looks of it, this moral revolution campaign is bound to fail. People will not take this campaign seriously. Being the brain child of Speaker de Venecia, that in itself is already a liability. A moral revolt being initiated by a big time trapo will never take off. With all the so many trapos supporting this initiative, both from the exccutive and legislative, it is just too obvious the personal agenda these trapos have on this campaign.

Having a priest at the forefront is not enough to give this campaign some level of credibility. Fr. Intengan, a PDSP ideologue, must be very close to National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, who is a PDSP top rank.

By denying the participation of the left like Bayan Muna, Intengan has already highlighted his group's ideological difference with the Marxist-Leninist left. That is counter productive.

There is a need to influence collective behavioural pattern to minimize corrupt practices in our society. Initiating a moral revolution is a step in that direction. But to be effective, this campaign must be faceless. By coming out with names behind the move, the motive becomes suspect. People will not take the campaign seriously. They will only see this campaign as an attempt of trapos to deodorize themselves. Politicians have very, very low trust rating. They don't have the moral ascendancy to lead and initiate campaigns vs. corruption. They are the epitome of corruption.

My advocacy is a sustained and faceless good citizenship campaign that will capture the imagination of our people in order to influence our collective mindset. For not being faceless, I don't think this initiative can capture the imagination of our people. It will never be able to influence our collective mindset. Therefore, this initiative will just be a waste of time and money.

Let us start the change we want to see

2007-12-06T05:28:00.000-08:00

The following is an email I wrote in response to this statement from our La Salle brothers.

I am writing to share my opinion with regards to your statement I got from my inbox.

Like your group, I am also very much disturbed by the moral degeneration that has engulfed our society. Since the Hello Garci scandal, however, our sitiuation has gone from bad to worse. Everyday, it has been a regular fare to read on the news never ending scandals and charges of corruption. It appears that ethical practices become more alien to us as a people as time pass by. Unless we can find a way to arrest the moral disintegration, our country will really go nowhere.

The statement you made is your small contribution to somehow help arrest the moral disintegration. But it is also this small contribution that contributes to the continued moral disintegration. Ironic, isn't it?

Let me first say that I am on your side. We fight the same battle. My personal advocacy is good citizenship. You may want to visit my blog iniibigkoangpilipinas.blogspot.com to understand more where I am coming from. The problem is the approach.

Morals being the issue, obviously, the problem is behavioral. It is our collective behavior that needs to be fixed. Behaviors are very, very difficult to change, to influence. What more if we talk of the collective behavior. But it can be done. Psychology is part of the solution.

Honesty, integrity and truthfulness are manifested through our behaviors. On how we deal and interact with other people. Corrupt practices are again seen through our behavior. In fact, most of our values in life are reflected on how we behave. Therefore, the need is on how to maintain the good behavioral patterns and eliminate the bad ones.

Our collective behavior is what we need to influence. That is our role as middle class Filipinos. We can influence. Unfortunately, the approach we are doing will never do the job of influencing behaviors.

Making statements and passing it forward through emails will not do the trick. Initiating online petitions will not get the job done. Marching to Manila Pen nor sending Pinoy Big Briber card to Malacanang cannot influence behavior. Even starting the change we can to see won't change a thing. The thousand of advocacies around us with Gawad Kalinga the most popular of them all are hardly making a dent. Why? Because no one or group or advocacy is trying to capture the imagination of our people.

Capturing the imagination of our people does not necessarily come from an individual. A campaign, if properly executed, can capture the imagination of our people. Capturing the imagination is a necessary ingredient to get the collective attention. Once we have the collective attention, then we can start to influence the collective mindset.

There are tens of thousands of us who are truly frustrated with all the events around us. Unfortunately, us, the educated, cannot even get our act together so do we expect to masses be moved in the moral revolution that we want to see. We become content with the small contributions we make like coming out with a statement. We already feel good about ourselves when we do small acts of heroism or random acts of kindness. We already feel satisfied when we share our views and values to our immediate social circle. We content ourselves in influencing others one Filipino at a time and that will take forever. Even our approach reflects mediocrity.

The middle class can easily create critical mass of good citizens if only there is a single campaign they may bring them together.

We need to have a critical mass of good citizens. That is the objective. We cannot change everybody. But a critical mass can influence the collective mindset. This critical mass need not be organized. They are just out there, waiting to be tapped, waiting to be moved, ready to take the extra step.

Revolutions are won when the idea or concept captures the imagination of our people. If it is a moral revolution that we seek, let us capture our people's imagination. It will only need a few dedicated individuals to execute this moral revolution.

Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas,
Pinoy

The Spirituality of Nation Building

2007-12-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

By Tony Meloto, Executive Director Gawad Kalinga

[ Ed’s Note: The “Spirituality of Nation Building” talk was given by Antonio Meloto last October 5, 2007 as a public lecture in theology at the Ateneo de Manila University.]

Today, I am not here to preach or lecture for I am not a religious leader or a teacher in theology. I am just an ordinary Filipino in search of answers - why my country is poor, and a Catholic wondering why my people are corrupt. My nationality and religion are intertwined in defining who I am. In the process of raising certain issues about my birthright, it is not my intention to judge our religious institutions or to doubt my belief systems. It is simply to discover more honest expressions in showing that God did not make a mistake in designing me the way I am—and the Filipino, the way he is. I realize that I should be more honest in asking relevant and even embarrassing questions about my faith if my goal is to seek greater faithfulness and integrity in practicing it..

The journey that began for me 12 years ago in Bagong Silang,Caloocan City with 127 out of school youth, mostly gang members,was the start of a process—the spirit we now call Gawad Kalinga—of bridging the disconnect between faith and action, between preaching and practice. Even with my limited understanding, it is clear to me that the lack of conviction in putting faith into action has led to the inequity in wealth, inequality in status and the long history of injustice that has made our country the most corrupt and one of the poorest in Asia.

Poverty is the consequence when we do not walk our talk.

Hypocrisy justifies how we live with it.

We cannot talk about nation building without touching on religion since more than 80% of Filipinos are Catholics and their control and influence in the country is almost absolute. A strong nation needs a strong moral foundation. If we are a weak nation it must be because we are a weak people with nominal faith, lacking in character and moral conviction. A weak people elect corrupt leaders who use immoral power for personal gain, who impose their will on the weak majority with the use of force and violence. Corruption, greed, and violence that cause poverty are social ills that define us as a nation. In religion they are called sins. We cannot regain our pride as Filipinos unless we remove these ills. We cannot call ourselves Christians until we decide to purge these sins.

“Are we poor because we are Catholic or are we Catholic because we are poor?” This question raised by a Jesuit priest brings to mind the thought whether religion had failed us as a people. Clearly, God is not to blame for our poverty and corruption. My Church did not fail me, I failed my Church.. The sermons and the bible are replete with moral guidelines for a just and upright life for all, yet we who hear these have failed to live them out. We are poor because we failed to practice our religion. We compromised our integrity and tolerated corruption. We lowered our standard and accepted poverty.

In short, we became unfaithful. We lost faith in God, in our institutions, in each other, and in ourselves. We forgot the master plan, we lost our direction, we became a divided people and a weak nation. The Filipino has become his own worst enemy. We cultivated behavioral aberrations and cultural patterns that make it difficult for us to cut the cycle of poverty and remove corruption.

First is our split-level Christianity. We live double-lives: one inside the Church and another one the moment we step out of it. We have two laws that govern one life. Piety in our Christian environment, and self interest in the workplace. We learn to be our brother’s keeper in our Christian teaching yet we practice apathy towards the need of others in our daily lives. In dealing with the poor, our Christian compassion is mostly limited to giving alms making mendicancy a way of life for many. We stopped at pity towards the poor, instead of learning to genuinely care for them in the way that Christ showed us. We stopped at dole outs, instead of growing towards full maturity in Christian stewardship.

For me to be a real Christian I must practice Christianity.

Second is our double standard of morality. The prevailing state of inequality in our country is pronounced not only in a different justice system for the rich and the poor but more remarkably in the behavior of men and women. Men generally are on a survival mode in a third-world setting like the Philippines. They develop their predatory instincts and physical strength more than their intellect— dropping out of school early, attracted to jobs that require more brawn than brain, growing up with a fascination for weapons that draw them to gangs and syndicates engaged in illegal activities. Women on the other hand, who are designed by God for life giving and nurturing, learn to develop their emotional, spiritual, and intellectual strength— making them stronger and live longer—to cope in a similar environment. A difficult situation brings out the martyr in the women and the predator in the men. The patterns are clear. Raised under subhuman conditions, men are more prone to be irresponsible, unreliable, and abusive. Our criminals are mostly male. Our rebels are mostly male. Our corrupt politicians are mostly male; the politics of guns, goons and gold are expressions of our immoral macho culture. Thus, there is a clear bias in favor of women in poverty and development programs because they are easier to deal with and produce better results like those involved in microfinance.

Development to be effective must not lose sight of the need in also prioritizing help for men to develop character, to grow in their role as provider of the home and protector of their community in accordance with their divine design. Convert them from liability to asset, from burden to blessing, and raise them to be heroes and patriots for their country. If men are the problem, they can also be the solution.

Real Filipino men are those who are ready to die for honor, not those willing to live in shame.

Third is our “matapobre” culture. The historical pattern of exclusion and discrimination of the poor majority by the elite minority still prevail today. We who have been blessed with better opportunities in life feel safe living in exclusive communities, oblivious to the misery of Lazarus outside our subdivision gates. The poor are not our friends. They are our servants that we treat kindly because we are Christians, beggars that we should be charitable to or threats to our safety that we should wisely avoid. We look down on the poor when our Christianity demands that we exalt them the way Jesus did. We insult the poor by living extravagant first world lifestyles in a third world environment. Jesus calls on us to raise up the poor among us—those who are the least in opportunity, the lowest in status, and the last in priority. It is not hard to find the poor—they are all around us. We can make caring for them the new status symbol and nation building the new lifestyle. The new Filipino elite are those with the most who give the best to the least.

The truly rich are those who value the poor more than money.

Fourth is our crab mentality. This is our habit of bashing and blaming, of pushing and pulling people down. The concept of the collective good is difficult to practice when people are on a survival mode. The hungry and the angry find it easier to destroy than to build, to steal rather than work. Crabbing is the natural outlet to societal frustration when there is absence of hope or caring for those at the bottom. Envy is a common attitude towards those who succeed in their endeavors, even to those who work for causes that give hope.

Rather than wait for the poor majority to pull down by force the few who are on top, we must inspire those at the peak to go down to the weak and the fallen and raise them up with love. We must convince the poor that we will not leave them behind, that we will not cross the finish line without them. The book of Acts states it simply: “God’s community of believers shared their resources with one another and no one was in need. ” Being community of believers is about solidarity. It is about a relationship of caring and sharing. It is about presence—a giving of self to people we genuinely care about. It is finding joy when we see their dignity restored, when their lives get better—helping the poor become unpoor. The real poor are those who do not know the poor.

In my faith journey, I have learned to relate to God through different forms of prayer. As a Catholic, I memorized rote prayer early and nurtured my spirituality through liturgical and devotional prayer. Retreats in college introduced the contemplative type and I learned to pray charismatically when I joined Couples for Christ. They are all designed to bring presence and to nurture a relationship with God. But I realized that oftentimes they are mostly about me—about my needs and wants, my plans, my family and the people who are important to me. Jesus’ prayer was about faith in God’s plan—”Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus is about presence on earth, about building God’s Kingdom in this life. God the designer, Jesus the builder. Jesus is not about living for self, but living for others. He told Peter if you love me “feed my sheep.” Jesus is about feeding the hungry, healing the sick, building homes and communities. Caring for the poor is not
mere social work. It is the heart of the mission of Jesus. I do not know Jesus if I do not know the poor.

As a Christian and Filipino, I am constantly challenged with choices and decisions that demand my faithfulness to my divine purpose. I call these my faith moments. To love or to hate, to despair or to hope, to build or to destroy, to be honest or to cheat- I am faced with life or death, heaven or hell situations everyday. My choices define who I am, influence those around me and affect the state of my country and the world.

First are my Adam moments. These are invitations to proper stewardship- to come to terms with my original design for goodness and excellence as a child of God and to execute the blueprint for a prosperous and just society taught to me at home, in school and in church. As the Filipino Adam it is my responsibility to protect the environment, to promote good governance in politics, to develop market with a social conscience and to build abundance for all where no Filipino is in need.

Second are my Abraham moments. These are moments when God calls me to surrender my Isaacs—the things that are most precious to me for the sake of others. Isaac was Abraham’s most precious, a gift from God given to him and his wife Sarah in their very old age. Just like Abraham and most parents my children are also my precious. I want the best for them, but my idea of best may not please God if it will deprive many others their just share in the country’s goods. This means sharing my land to the landless, building homes for the homeless and growing food for the hungry. Until I learn to make the poor my heir, my own children will not have security and quality of life in this land.

The third are my Judas moments. These are times of betrayal, of abandoning the ideal for what is practical, of selling out when the price is right. The Judases in our midst are not only the corrupt politicians, the gambling lords, the land grabbers, the crime syndicates and evil-doers who prey on the poor and make us a poor nation. They are mostly ordinary people like myself who profess to know Jesus but who easily sellout for a few silver pieces. They include mass going Catholics and bible-quoting Christians who cheat on their taxes and in elections, bend rules and disregard merit for patronage. Religion that does not build character breeds a nation of Judases.

Finally, my Jesus moments, are the daily opportunities to build on the innate goodness of the Filipino. While it is important to be vigilant in pointing out injustice and wrongdoing, I am called to just as vigorously honor what is good and what is right. I need to consciously extol kindness, generosity, hard work and heroism until these qualities become second nature to me. Jesus moments are opportunities to bring about societal change motivated by love, nurtured by caring, pursuing the path of peace. We are called to be witnesses to a lifestyle that brings hope, builds heroism and restores honor. By practicing true discipleship, we can build a first-world nation that honors God.

Ateneo de Manila President Fr. Ben Nebres talks about nation building, like the Gawad Kalinga model, as a Filipino response to a Filipino problem, anchored on strong faith and family values and aspirations. It is a development model that merges faith and patriotism, spirit and science, holiness and heroism. He is not referring to a self-centered religion and family ties that only seek the interest of kin which can be barriers to development but about the capacity for caring and sacrifice that Filipinos are capable of because of their love for God and devotion to family.. It is about loving the Philippines and pride in being Filipino.

The GK brand is a Filipino creation with a global mission to show religion not as opium but as faith that fuels growth. The branding is a marketing strategy to make love of God and country popular and exciting and make the Filipino believe that he has the power to move mountains of garbage and transform slums into beautiful communities. It is the good news about the Filipino that sells newspapers, the corporate campaign designed to prove that marketing hope is good business. The brand transcends social, political, cultural and religious borders for everyone to desire it and demands a contribution of excellence as its price tag for every Filipino to be proud to wear it. It aims to generate massive co-branding strong enough for politicians to deliver the promise, for businessmen to share the profit, for Christians and Moslems to walk the talk. It must be powerful enough to make weak and inconsistent Christians like myself believe that the way to holiness is marked daily
by little and big acts of heroism, that the door to heaven in the afterlife is wide open to those who liberate the poor from hell and misery in this life.

Today, it is my joy to see my children and many others join the Gawad Kalinga pilgrimage of hope. What began with Couples for Christ is now embraced by other religious organizations as their own journey of faith. What started in The Philippines is now spreading to other developing countries. In time, this nation in darkness will not only shine but will be a light to the world.

Let me end by asking all of you to start looking at yourself no longer as second-class citizens of a third world nation. Like Jesus, let us all be architects of hope and builders of dreams for our people who have lost their capacity to hope and to dream. Let us be patriots and saints who will restore the abundance of a rich land and the honor of a great people loved by a great God.

For love of country

2007-11-29T04:01:00.000-08:00

There is no denying. The people behind the Manila Pen take over did what they did for love of country. Iniibig din nila ang Pilipinas. I will give them credit for that.

Pero sayang. They are too focused on GMA. GMA is just a manifestation of a bigger problem. Ousting GMA is not the solution. Kapit tuko na si GMA sa malakanyang. Ang nakakatakot, ang magpilit siyang manitili sa poder beyond 2010.

Kaya napakahalaga na makapag buo ng critical mass. A critical mass of good citizens that will be strong enough to prevent GMA from holding on to power after 2010. Masyadong tuso si GMA. Kung nakapandaya sya noong 2004 para manatili sa poder, kahit ano pwede nyang gawin para manatili sa kapangyarihan.

Pero sa ngayon, mas mahalaga na pagtuunan ng pansin ang mapukaw ang atensyon ng sambayanan. There is a need to capture the imagination of the people. Confidence building is a necessary ingredient. There is a need to influence the collective mindset. For love of country is not enough to do the job.

The damage is done

2007-11-29T01:27:00.000-08:00

Thank God it's over. Tear gas lang pala ang katapat nila.

Naging katawa tawa naman tayo sa buong mundo. Pinagpyestahan nanaman tayo ng media.

Father Rober Reyes is now blaming the police for the violence. Oh please. If they did not do what they did, there will be no violence.

According to Trillanes, obligasyon daw ang ginawa niya. Oh please, you have such a strong hero complex.

Bibeth Orteza thanked the media for protecting their group. Oh please. The media was there not to protect them but to get the scoop.

Marami nanaman ang maisusulat ant masasabi tungkol sa insidenteng ito. Isama na ang blog na ito. Ang masasabi ko, isang malaking sablay at papansin ang ginawa ng mga anti GMA. Panibagong dagok nanaman sa atin ito.

Tulad ng nasabi ko na, hindi magtatagumpay ang kanilang balakin. Walang critical mass na akala nila ay mayroon sila. Hindi lumabas ang tao sa Oakwood mutiny. HIndi lumabas ang tao sa kasagsagan ng Hello Garci scandal. Hindi lumabas and tao noong Feb. 2006 coup attempt. Hindi lalabas ang tao sa pangyayaring ito sa Manila Pen. Kung sakaling mag underwear fashion show si Trillanes, baka sakaling maglabasan pa ang mga tao.

Masyado silang nagpapaniwala sa survey. Galit ang tao kay GMA pero wala din silang tiwala kung sino man ang ipapalit, kung meron man. walang mukha na maipakita ang oposisyon na maaaring magpagkatiwalaan. Kahit mga anti GMA forces hindi pinagkakatiwalaan ng taumbayan. Mahirap ba intindihin yon?

Dahil hindi sila marunong umintindi, ayon, sira nanaman ang imahen natin sa buong mundo.

The political solution has to wait

2007-11-29T00:46:00.000-08:00

As I write this blog, the Manila Peninsula stand off is on going. It is now 4:45 pm. I hope this crisis will end soon. This incident alone will definltey affect our economy in general. If this crisis drags and ends in violence, the more it will be bad for us.

Definitely, this will be the worst crisis for this administration.

Nakakalungkot. Hindi na nga maka usad and ating bansa, eto nanaman at may panibagong dagok. I saw two bishops, former senator Guingona, Dean Nemenzo, Argee Guevarra, JV Bautista. The statements made by Trillanes and Gen. Lim are quite strong. There isn't much new with all the statements they made. Mostly corruption charges against the Arroyo administration. As I kept saying, I am no GMA fan. This issue of corruption will not be solved by ousting GMA. The cycle of corruption will continue, itaga mo yan sa bato.

What I am seeing right now are men trying to beocme heores. They know that they don't have the support of the military. These people are disillusioned by surveys. What they are saying is that they have taken the fisrt step, the lead. Now they are calling on the people to support heir cause. They claim they have the support based on the figures in the surveys and the people who voted for Senator Trillanes. They believe they have a critical mass. But they are very, very wrong.

There is no critical mass. Yes, people are disgruntled but the people themselves are also at a loss on whom and what to believe. Even these groups wanting to oust GMA are not in agreement on who and how. In the absence of a critical mass, GMA will stay in Malacanang.

In the absence of a critical mass, the political solution has to wait. Everyone is talking of moral recovery but there isn't really a concrete move in this direction. Everything is lip service. Without the collective change in our values, as stated by Gov. Panlilio, change is not going to happen.

The Church has failed us. Only if the Church has truly done its role in our society, we will not be where we are right now. If the Church has not failed us, we should have become a nation of people with good values, with moral leaders. Unfortunately, as Tony Meloto noted, the Catholics have two personalities, one inside the Church and one the moment he/she steps out. And what is pulling this country down is our collective personality the moment we step out of the church.

So what do we do? Again, I reiterate my call for a sustained and faceless good citizenship campaign that will capture the imagination of our people to influence our collective mindset.

What we hear from these people are all motherhood statments. We hear nothing new.

According to Gov. Panlilio

2007-11-25T03:08:00.000-08:00

Lifted from here

"Our problem is not the form of government, but values and disvalues."

The disconnect

2007-11-24T18:15:00.000-08:00

As I kept saying, I am no GMA fan. GMA is part of the problem and she is not the only problem. The bigger problem is us. Unfortunately, we don't want to take responsibility for our faults. We'd rather blame others for our woes.

When the masses elected Erap in 1998, the middle forces' candidate, Roco was way behind the pack. Roco was again their candidate in 2004 with another dismal performance. The problem with the middle forces is that they cannot make a connection. They only connect amongst themselves.

There is no dearth of anti GMA forces around. Columnists, commentators, bloggers, politicians, civil society groups are everywhere always harping anti GMA statements. The civil society is very efficient in forming groups and actions to certain issues. At the height of the Hello Garci scandal, the
Black and White Movement was organized. When Sigaw ng Bayan made a lot of noise to change the constitution, civil society countered with One Voice. The Pinoy Big Briber campaign was organized to show civil society's disgust over the cash gift distribution in Malacanang. Then there is also a petition calling for GMA and De Castro's resignation and the holding of a snap election in reaction to the various scandals rocking the administration.

At the end the of the day, ordinary Filipinos, who have no internet access, just went on with their lives unaware of such campaign from anti GMA forces. They may hear a bit from the eveninig news or from radio commentators but that's it. The ordinary Filipino hears about the cash distribution in Malacanang with hardly a reaction as if it is just a normal occurence. The masa cannot see what the middle forces are seeing. That is where the disconnect lies.

Middle forces are mostly educated. They can have a wider lattitude for patience and understanding. The masa has little of that. The middle forces therefor cannot expect the masa to swalllow every bit of words that they say. The masa can only see things from their perspective. The middle forces meanwhile has the capacity to see the perspective of the masa but they refuse to go down to the level of the masa. The middle forces only see things from their perspective.

Middle forces are the catalyst for change. Unfortunately, they intellectualize too much. By doing so, they alienate the masa more. Online petition? Pinoy big Briber? How can the masa relate to these campaigns. And these campaigns are good only while the issues are hot. Once the issues are over taken by other events, so is the campaign. In as much as they want to effect change, the middle forces cannot hold a sustained campaign that may hopefully get the attetion of the masa.

There is no dearth of intellectuals around. Many have come and gone. But they hardly made a dent. Some made a living out of their being intellectuals by becoming newspaper columnists. I have observed that a lot of these so called intellectuals are more interested in bloating their egos than trying to find a common ground.

The people who has truly affected our lives are the politicians. We have allowed politics and politicians to rule our lives. I think, after EDSA 1, most Filipinos have become experts in politics. Just like showbiz, politics has captured our imagination. Each and everyone of us, be it the masa or the middle forces, become opinionated on every political issue. Since EDSA 1, there has been no turning back.

Politics means division. Because of our penchant for politics snce EDSA 1, our has been a divided nation. Up to this day, we are still deeply affected by our politics specially civil society. It is the masa who has already become numb on political issues. At this point, the masa just couldn't care less.

With the masa being unaffected by the political noise the anti GMA forces are trying to create, the corrupt politicans and public servants are having the best times of their lives.

There are a lot of Filipinos who really, really care for our country. We are everywhere, not just here in the Philippines but around the globe. Unfortunately, us, the middle forces also cannot get our act together. Some of us are staunch anti GMA. Others would have no problem seeing GMA finish her term. At the same time, many among us are also involned in various advocacies. Due to differing advocacies, it is quite difficult to create a single advocacy that could gel all advocacies and make a connection with each and every Filipino.

Advocacies would vary from environment, education, housing, microfinance, health, transparency, relief operation, etc. There are thousands of advocacies around us. Again, the problem is the disconnect. Each and every advocacy is treated separately from each other instead of being seen as interconnected advocacies. Just like the middle forces that cannot make a connection with the masa, advocacies cannot make a connection with each other. At the end of the day, in spite of the large number of well meaning Filipinos who want to do their share in nation building, everything is in disconnect. The kanya kanya attitude prevails.

What we need is to go back to the basics. The most basic issue that can connect each and every one of us and each and every advocacy is CITIZENSHIP. Let us take a moment to leave our politics behind. Yes it will be good for GMA. But I also believe, in the long run, it will also be good for our country. GMA is already a given. She is the product of what we have become as a people. But if we change as a people, change our attitude, be better citizens, then chances are, we won't have a problem like GMA again.

Reaction to Archbishop Lagdameos's blog post

2007-11-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

From the blog of Jaro Archbishop Lagdameo, Moral Recovery? Do it, I posted the following in its comments section.

Moral revolution or moral recovery is quite elusive in our only Christian nation in Asia. Has the Church failed in building a moral foundation to lead us Filipinos on what is right and just? In spite of its strong influence, not just at the pulpit but even on our political life, the Church was unable to lead its people to the righteous path. Why? Because the Church has failed to capture the imagination of our people.

Going to Church and attending masses is just a routine among most Filipinos. More often than not, religion has barely influenced our behaviours. We often see public officials attending masses and yet we suspect corruption from these officials. But it in not only the public servants who are guilty. It is also us the public. If we as a people, will only practice what the Church teaches, we may not be in this quagmire we are in now. We will not cheat on our taxes. We will follow the traffic rules. We will be more frugal and practice discipline. We will be more caring to others. We will not bribe our way out. We will reports wrong doings. We will return what is not ours. We will not sell our votes.

We have been a Christian nation for almost five centuries and yet we have not become an ideal Christian nation. The Church must also assess itself on where it has failed. Personally, my assessment is that, as I mentioned earlier, the Church has failed to capture the imagination of our people.

For moral recovery to happen, it has to be a collective experience. It must not be an isolated cases such as the Marikina or Naga phenomenon. Change can happen in this country if we do it collectively. We regularly read from the news on calls for moral recovery but unfortunately, there is not a single entity that takes up the challenge to truly push for such recovery. It is nothing but lip service and left to the readers on what they would do about the call.

My personal advocacy is good citizenship. What we need is a sustained and faceless campaign that will capture the imagination of our people in order to influence our collective mindset. We are all part of the problem We, then, should also be part of the solution.

Among Ed's speech at Ateneo

2007-11-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

Eight hours from now, I will be speaking before a similar audience at De La Salle University.

I know what you are thinking. You got first dibs at the governor of Pampanga, and for that alone, the eagle has soared over the archer once again. Tuloy, I am tempted to shout, FABILIOH!

By the way, I gave a talk in UP last week, so that probably settles the implied question.

Beyond your deep-rooted and far-reaching rivalry, I am grateful to you for giving me a forum to communicate the moral crusade in Pampanga. I hope that the campus communities will respond positively and become an active partner in the renewal that we all desire for our country.

You invited me to share with you my experience in responding to the call of leadership in a time of crisis. I would prefer to rephrase it as a response to a crisis in leadership. In order to make it clearer to you, allow me to begin with a bit of an overview of the social and political situation in Pampanga a few months before the elections.

Lilia Pineda, more casually called Nanay Baby, (nanay na, baby pa. trust the Filipino to be that family oriented) broke into the turf of the Lapid father and son when she began a series of so-called consultations with the people, asking them two questions: first, if their lot has improved with the ascent of the incumbent governor, Mark Lapid. The answer of course, was quite obvious, leading to the second question, if they have an alternative leader they would want to take over the governorship. The answer was equally undeniable. Equipped with more than adequate resources, she covered the whole province, practically running a roadshow of grassroots building.

There was talk that Pineda, then a board member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the wife of Bong Pineda (who is quite notorious, I mean, famous in his own right throughout Regions One to Five), decided to face Mark Lapid head on in the coming elections because the governor chose Con Laus, the son of a local businessman, over her own son, who was the mayor of Lubao town. To make matters worse for the father of the province, Pineda ally and Vice Governor Joseller Guiao filed a case against him, alleging graft and corruption in the supervision and collection of quarry taxes.

The stage therefore was set for a grand battle between the two political giants of Pampanga. Every media pundit and sari-sari store istambay were expecting a drawn out war of attrition, where no prisoners will be taken and no resources will be spared. A senior citizen described it with a mixture of expectation and dread, saying, " muran pera king kampanya," or that it will rain money during the campaign. So many of the poverty-stricken in the province excitedly awaited the coming of the usual generosity, commonly experienced every three years, but only this time it will come like wave after wave of blessings. It was often said that it is only during this period that the poor get the attention and assistance they deserve, so they better make the most of it by playing one side against the other, conceding to the highest bidder, as it were. Many among the Kapampangans, however, were disconsolate at the prospect of having to choose between two candidates they did not like. A good many of them have decided that early to leave blank the space for governor in their ballots.

Before this backdrop, a group of people, a priest and some seminarians among them (no, I was not the priest) regretted the state of affairs that their province was in. If only to express a statement to the world that Pampanga is not bereft of good leadership, they decided to gather more of their like-minded friends and begin to search for an alternative candidate. Enough is enough, they said, the pride of the Kapampangan is at stake here. And if you know us, then you should also know that our kayabangan is legendary.

And so began the series of consultations in search of a candidate with the moral ground, the resources and the acceptability, who will stand as a symbol for the Kapampangan dignity and conscience.

We had a great difficulty in searching for that candidate. It even dawned on us that we might have been too idealistic, too far removed from reality. Either our prospect could not measure up to our criteria, or he would not be willing to get entangled between two battling giants. "The election result is already common knowledge," one of them said, conceding to the strength of one of the candidates, although I will not say who SHE is.

In the midst of this desperation, one seminarian turned to me and asked, "what about you?" My immediate and emphatic answer was, "no way!" My heart and mind was then running on hierarchical fuel. It was never an option for a Kapampangan priest to run for office in any previous election. Kapampangans being such a pious people, they revere their priests to a fault, conceding to them a spiritual leadership that excluded political power.

Like any other Filipino, Kapampangans live with a compartmentalized sense of morality. Our churches are filled every Sunday, but our jueteng industry is equally robust. We declare ourselves cerrado catolico, but we do not pay our taxes honestly. Our cars and jeepneys are festooned with images and pictures of the crucified Christ and the Virgin Mother, but they are not powerful enough to remind us to obey traffic laws. Thus, what place is there for a priest to enter the secular world of politics?

The idea of a priest running for the governorship snowballed among the people of conscience who have begun to call themselves the Third Force. Slowly, my outright refusal gave way to sober reflection as I thought of the people being under the yoke of patronage, and for how long, since we all know how easily political dynasties can take root and flourish. I looked back at my past to find a ground and a horizon for my final decision.

Even as a seminarian, I have intently dedicated my life for the uplift of the marginalized and the weak, and this had continued in my parochial and archdiocesan work. Thankfully, I was assigned later to direct the Social Action Center of Pampanga, more popularly known as SACOP. This enabled me to delve more deeply into the plight of the masses and be exposed to their needs and aspirations, and more importantly, to identify with their situation. Thus, I made it a personal choice to live a simple life and temper my wants to the more basic necessities, for it would not have been in consonance with the Gospel had I enjoyed affluence while people around me were hungry. If they did not eat, I did not eat.

The eruption of Mount Pinatubo allowed me to work more closely with government and non-government organizations in helping to ease the plight of the poor and dispossessed. I began to realize that good intentions were not enough, there must be a working structure that would efficiently and effectively answer to the needs of the poor. I also learned that I did not have the answer to all the problems besetting the needy, that there are others who can creatively contribute to the common pool of knowledge and wisdom. Thus, it was impressed upon me that I was not a modern-day Messiah, but rather, a bringer of grace from the Annointed One. On the other hand, I realized that redemption has its social underpinnings, and that I join all other people in a journey towards salvation. Having experienced all these, there came a certain point in my life when I dedicated my priesthood to the central message of the Gospel of John, that Christ came that man may have fullness of life in all its dimensions, that we as clerics must not only feed the soul, but also see to the nourishment of the body and the mind. I celebrated the sacraments as essential signs of relationship with the Divine, but encouraged my parishioners to share their graces to the less fortunate they meet outside the Church. In my own humble way, I persevered in my vocation and my service to the archdiocese, giving my obedience to my spiritual fathers, first to Archbishop Oscar Cruz, and then to Archbishop Aniceto, fostered by my brotherhood with my fellow priests.

Thus, when I finally conceded to become a candidate for governor, it was in response to a gaping need for moral resurgence in a despairing province, and in a more personal way, a deepening of my ministerial priesthood. When Kapampangans of known capability, respected stature and proven worth would not want to give people an option to choose a better candidate, I had to stand up for my people. But believe me, I had to spend days of prayer and feverish consultations before I made my decision. I had to resolve if this was a genuine desire for good, or a hidden longing for glorification. Either way, I was made aware of the consequences of my decision. The reasons for not running were many and equally valid. Not a few friends came and gave me their advice. I listened. In the end, I had to listen to and obey what my conscience dictated. My own ministerial priesthood demanded that I come down from the safety and security of the pulpit and incarnate the Gospel message in the political world. The Church has been complaining for so long about graft and corruption, but she was generally being ignored. It would have seemed that she has lost her moral authority over the considering that most of the suspected practitioners of graft and corruption came from Catholic schools themselves, Ateneo included, or probably, Ateneo specially. It was my belief that the extraordinary situation prevailing in Pampanga at that time demanded an entirely different and fundamental response. I took the leap and decided to do something about it hands on. I leapt, and found that I was not alone. I was joined by men and women of good will who were willing to take a risk.

I honestly believe that the people who leapt with me, people from all class and all manners of persuasion were driven by a common desire to see through a crusade that will realize Gospel values in governance. I do not deny the fact that Kapampangans are personalistic, more so with their priests, but be that as it may, I have always explained that the crusade was not about me, but it was about something bigger than all of us combined. I was just a part of the whole, as important as the campaign manager, but equally as indispensable as the poll watcher.

Who were these people of conscience? A classic example would be our technical consultant on software systems. All his life he had never voted in any election, or even participated by any means whatsoever. He was a self-confessed apolitical and fence-sitting Filipino who would just let political dogs lie, for as long as they leave him in peace. But when the crusade began, he was convinced by his wife to visit the EDquarters and offer whatever talent or materials he could contribute to the furtherance of the campaign. We cannot quantify his involvement in pesos, much less measure its effects, but because of his free services, we were able to set up a text brigade, hook up the EDquarters in a wi-fi network, and more importantly implement an automated quick count system that helped us track down the results of the elections accurately. Given the fact that as independent candidate I was not privileged to receive a copy of the election returns, his help was truly incalculable. What is more notable is that during an interview, it was found out that he lived next door to a mayoralty candidate of the City of San Fernando. He could have earned tens of thousands of pesos, had he offered his services to him. But he chose to give it to us for free.

Actively involved, too were a dozen former seminarians who were among the workhorses of the campaign. Collectively known as Bakal Boys, their background often provided a spiritual dimension in our daily struggle. Where else would you find a campaign where strategies and tactics were discussed along with conversion, metanoia and kenosis? Many of them were influential in my decision to run, being members of the core group that searched for an alternative candidate. Among the Bakal Boys was one who lived quite an easy life in Cebu, earning a salary that would be the envy of most single men of his age and stature. But like Peter, he left everything behind, leaning on nothing but his faith and his earnest desire to do something good for our province. He is now a part of my team, involved in a sensitive position that requires my utmost trust and confidence. Another former seminarian came all the way from London, where his community produced the very first U-Tube video in support of my candidacy.

Perhaps it is the presence of the Bakal Boys that allowed us to look at the ordinary events of the campaign with the eyes of faith. The confluence of all the events, such as the blessing of good weather in both our grand miting de avances, the speed at which triumph was achieved, the mystery of the experts in statistics and probability being confounded by their own means, all pointed to the hand of God actively involving Himself in the affairs of man. At every turn, we looked for the sign of His presence, and we were not disappointed. Ours was not just a moral crusade, it transformed itself into a divine crusade.

A very palpable sign of God's presence was the full support of brethren from other faiths and denominations in the crusade for good governance. Among the first to express their support on the day I filed my certificate of candidacy were Methodist pastors. Leaders of born again fellowships also boosted our stock, widening the spectrum of collaboration into dimensions previously unknown. I believe that there is no other previous experience in our nation where people of different faiths actively involved and immersed themselves in a mission as one body. What we were seeing was the Kingdom of God, a dedicated assembly of people under one dream: to see good governance become a reality.

Cyrelle was your typical Among Ed volunteer: multi-tasking, energetic, uncomplaining, except for the fact that she just graduated from a private elementary school. She was everyone's kid niece or sister, a favorite object of pranks, but equal to every joke thrown her way. Forsaking a summer of visiting malls and beaches, she became the ultimate factotum, preparing coffee, manning the photocopy machine, answering the phone, encoding data and stapling sheets of paper. Not even four years social studies in high school would match up to the wealth of hands-on learning she attained during those months.

And of course, there were those who contributed their time, talent and treasure from all walks of life and practically from every corner of the earth. There was this public school teacher who was given a one thousand peso bribe by another candidate. She took the effort to visit our EDquarters and turn over the money to us. As fast as people were taking posters and flyers from our office, equally consistent were the kind donors who dropped by every day to deliver campaign materials they had printed on their own. During our motorcades, ordinary people threw coins into our showboats to share their support. Even non-Kapampangans generously shared their blessings.

And finally, there was Jomar Nulud, a barangay chairman in my last parish who was gunned down by still unidentified assailants days after my proclamation. Kapitan Jomar switched allegiance after he learned of my candidacy. The night before he was killed, he ominously told me to be careful. "Hindi baleng ako and itumba, huwag lang ikaw," he said. His was the ultimate sacrifice. I am nothing compared to him.

A common thread that ran among all of these examples of people who joined us in our campaign was the element of sacrifice. The Japanese have a proverb: always replace a thing of value with that of a greater value. In giving up something of themselves, whether as mundane as a summer vacation, as abstract as a preconceived notion of a different faith, or as irreplaceable as a human life, their surrender was for a far greater cause. And because of this, they gained an ownership of the crusade. This ownership has been multiplied a thousand times and has reached the puroks and barangays, but we still need to reach out to a lot more people and convince them to own this new politics.

Once, I expressed my misgivings to a supporter, rhetorically asking, What if I got used to all the attention and the glory? What if I started to enjoy it? What if I started to demand it? Thankfully, I am surrounded by people whose presence always reminds me that the crusade is a team effort. Even now, I am not "Gov" to them. I am still "Among Ed," and to the more familiar, I am "Brods or Jo." I allow this informality, because I know that I am just one instrument among many volunteers, workers, contributors, prayer warriors and well-wishers who gave a part of their lives to realize a vision. It just so happened that my position warrants me to be a primus inter pares, a first among equals, or more accurately a father to sons and daughters who deserve my love, respect and attention, because they gave so much so freely.

That we have won through a plurality reminds us that we have to be gentle with our salesmanship. We have to convince the civil society and the civil service, by way of example and education, that honest governance works. We have to provide for a transparent, efficient and effective delivery of services, that the people may pay their taxes with cheerful hearts, knowing that their hard-earned money does not find itself in some bureaucrat's pocket. Arriving much sooner than expected, as it were, we are quite pleased that the Capitol leadership, as well as the rank and file have for the most part adapted to our program of government quite quickly. I credit this to the government employee's innate goodness and willingness to work. I have to admit, though that the adjustment period was quite tenuous. But when the Governor sets the example in punctuality, simplicity of lifestyle, openness to the constituents, dedication to work and pleasantness of disposition, the most taciturn employee has no other recourse than to follow.

Today, our province earns an average of a million pesos a day in quarry revenues. Suppliers have lowered their bids dramatically after being reminded that the days of SOPs are over. A system of fiscal discipline is being instituted. We have streamlined the manpower to make it more citizen-oriented. Our primary attention is now given to the equipment, staffing and development of our provincial and district hospitals. We are at the moment studying systems and processes that will make quality service be delivered on time. Capacity and confidence building measures are being undertaken in order that the bureaucracy can pride itself as a working and effective body. For the first time in the history of the province, a draft three-year executive agenda will be submitted to the people tomorrow for their comments and suggestions, in the spirit of consultation and collaboration.

But for society to be transformed, it is not enough that government employees be empowered and motivated. The desire for positive change and the willingness to sacrifice for the greater good must not only trickle down, but must engulf every barangay. A visual way of describing the approach to this objective is that of the way the bibingka is cooked: heat on top, heat at the bottom. We should inflame the governing and the governed. The inured system of political patronage and dependency may take a little more time and may require a more extensive strategy for the people to realize that in the end, the benefits to the community will outweigh any personal gain. Good citizenship must take root until following the law, paying taxes honestly, respecting the environment and upholding one's dignity shall become second nature to every person.

I don't think that God meant me to endure five seminaries just to become a Governor or some other public official. I love my vocation, and at the end of this temporary detour into politics, I shall desire nothing more than to have my priestly faculties once again, and be a shepherd of the faith anew. A personal glory shall be that day when I shall hold aloft the transubstantiated body and blood of Christ, recalling my first mass after my ordination. It is from this vantage point that I say that I really do not encourage the entry of priests or ministers to the electoral arena. It would be utter presumption and even a complete falsehood to maintain that only the clergy posses the moral superiority to lead the nation. A layman with the proper motivation and popular support can lead any province to glory, in the same manner that an elected priest with less than honorable intentions can bring the province to its knees. Every believer has a divine mandate to do good and cast out evil. For the sake of the beggar out in the street, for the sake of the baby who is fed with rice water, for the sake of the sick patients in our public hospitals, for the sake of every Filipino who persists in the hope of a brighter horizon, I ask you to help us prove that we are essentially good, and that we uphold the common good.

It has been said so often that Pampanga right now is a laboratory mouse in a grand experiment upon which almost every eye of every disillusioned Filipino is fixed, steadily observing how the dream of good and honest governance is realized, and if it can result in the improvement of the people's plight. Historically, our province has always been the breeding ground of social unrest and revolutionary thought. Once again, there is something revolutionary going on in Pampanga. With fervent prayers, consultative and exemplary leadership, participatory and law-abiding citizenship, collaborative and dedicated service, together with the application of better organizational systems, technological processes and innovations, I believe that we can overcome and transform the individual and the society. Then shall our success in Pampanga be translated in every province of the nation. Let us all join forces to transform ourselves, and in turn our beloved Philippines.

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Good citizenship is my personal advocacy. I sincerely believe this is part of the solution. Unfortunately, people can't see things from my perspective. I sent email to various columnists and known personalities floating this idea. They can't even give a "thank you" note responce which is a reflection of good citizenship.

But I am not giving up. I know there is still people out there who may be willing to take up this cause. Among Ed has recognized the significance of good citizenship. Beyond being inspired by Among Ed's speech, let us take it a little further by actually doing something to promote good citizenship.

De Quiros is clueless

2007-11-21T16:10:00.000-08:00

Conrado de Quiros is not really my favorite columnist. What he writes in his columns are quite predictable. It is always his being anti GMA. If something goes wrong, chances are he will blame GMA.

For a change, in his column today entitled Suggestions, he lamented what he observed as dysfunctional behaviors among Filipinos. He wrote,

You know you’re Filipino when you bump into a friend or friends on the door of a building and you exchange pleasantries there and then, oblivious to the fact that you’re blocking other people going in and out. You know you’re Filipino when you freeze in the middle of a supermarket aisle and have a conversation on your cell phone, oblivious to the fact that it’s everything people can do to squeeze around you. You know you’re Filipino when you park in front of a parked car, expecting him to push your vehicle out of the way when he comes back; when you talk loudly in a forum or movie house, not particularly minding that a speaker is speaking or that other people are intently watching the movie; when you throw soft drink cans, hamburger boxes, and wrappers outside the window of your van on the highway.

As I continued reading his column, I was already expecting that he will blame this behavior to GMA. Thank God he was quite reasonable this time. In fact, he was clueless why we behave the way we do. His college teacher theorized that one thing Filipinos never learn is civics, or or a self-propelled sense of duty or sense of propriety, something ingrained in other Asians. Exactly! This is what I have been saying all along.

We do have good Filipinos or good citizens around us. Our problem is our collective psyche. Good citizens involve themselves in various civic activities or duties. They become part of advocacies in various forms and agenda. Once in a while we hear from the news acts of kindness. We can come together in time of calamities and tragedies. But these are more of the exceptions than the rule. Collectively, we simply are bad citizens.

We are all very aware of this characteristic. There is a show on channel 2, Noy-pi Ikaw ba 'to, showing our faults as a people. We always hear and read comments saying how we easily adjust in a foreign land. We are very much aware of our faults. Unfortunately, there is really no group or individuals that could influence our collective psyche. Our collective psyche is part of the cause of why we are where we are. Good citizenship has to be ingrained to most Filipinos. This can only be done if we can create a critical mass of good citizens. There are many good citizens among us. We just have to come together and really behind a singel cause and/or campaign.

Who should we believe?

2007-11-18T15:59:00.000-08:00

From his Inquirer column, Manolo was asked this question by Cebu students in one of his speaking engagement.

It is heartwarming to note that students are engaged. That they want to do their share and be part of the solution. With the question, it is obvious that their adult counterparts are doing a terrible job.

In my youth, I did not have that dilemna. There was Senator Tanada, the old Man, there's Ka Pepe Diokno, Sen. Jovito Salonga, Chino Roces and even Cory Aquino. In those days, there were people we believe in. Senator Pimentel was one of them before but now he has become a huge disappointment.

But today, the youth is asking, Who should we believe?. For me, that is not the right question. Or maybe it is just a statement of fact in the form of a question. That in our country today, there is hardly anyone among our leaders that is trustworthy.

Leadership is part of the solution but looking for a leader is not the solution. What we need is to create a critical mass of good citizens who can make their voice be heard. This critical mass will come from the youth and the middle class. Once this crtical mass is formed, a true leader who will hopefully emerge, who will stand out. But what is vital is the critical mass. Let us worry about the who later.

So how do we form the critical mass of good citizens? Through a faceless good citizenship campaign that will capture the imagination of every Filipino and influence our collective mindset.

Faceless is a necessary ingredient to have a credible campaign. The campaign will be visible but the movers will be invisible. This is a must. If the movers will be coming out in the media to explain the cause, then it is very predictable that the campaign will be lost through insinuations of personal agenda and motive. Anonymity must be maintained even after the formation of a critical mass.

Capturing the imagination of our people is the best way to get their attention. Nobody will take the campaign seriusly unless it is able to get the attention of evrybody. NO, it does need to set off a big blast, literally and figuratively, just to get the attention. What the campaign needs is a content where each and every Filipino can relate to. My idea is the title of this blog, Iniibig ko Ang Pilipinas. We can start something as small as this phrase, Iniibig ko ang Pilpinas. Space in newspapers can be bought specially in tabloids and have the phrase "Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas" printed. Stickers of "Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas" printed in the local dialect can be spread all over fro Batanes to Tawi Tawi. It is just a simple teaser that will make everybody asking, what is this campaign and who is behind it? Questions that the public and the media will not know and will always keep them asking the question in order to sustain the interest of the public on the campaign.

Once the attention is there, then influencing the collective mindset is the next agenda. But the details of this cannot be expressed in a public space such as this blog. Confidentiality is a necessary component to be able to thwart any attempts of various groups who may want to use the campaign to their advantage.

Going back to the Cebu students. If a good citizenship campaign is already in place, chances are, these idealistic students would most likely invlolve themselves to be part of this campaign. They can easily adopt and propagate whatever ideals the campaign will pursue. Student can imbibe the values of good citizens and practice them not just in school but in their every day dealing with people and in their homes. We, adults, simply have to show them the way, the correct path. If we can do these, then the student won't be asking, "Who should we believe?" but "How can we help?"

The Filipino driver

2007-11-18T03:03:00.000-08:00

An article from the Inquirer caught my attention.

For Filipino drivers, traffic lights are mere suggestions

Many explanations were offered to explain why Filipino drive the way they do. The Filipino time attitude results in aggressive driving for doing things in the last minute. Lack of education and training is said to be a factor. Road bullies are also blamed. Our "makaisa" and "makalusot" attitude reflects in our driving behaviour. From the article, it said that drivers are more likely to commit traffic violations if they don't see any traffic enforcer.

My solution to this is simple, good citizenship. Good citizens will follow traffic rules and regulations. Good citizens will not break the law even in the absence of enforcers. Good citizens will become good drivers. Good drivers who will not drive on counter flow, who will give way and who will not just cut lanes. Even if one is uneducated but a good citizen, chances are this citizen will follow the law.

How to promote good citizenship? That is another story. All I am saying is if we are good citizens, our roads will not be as chaotic as it is today.

Nakalulungkot

2007-11-09T02:04:00.000-08:00

Batang nagpakamatay dahil sa kahirapan

Mga Bata ng Hapag

Nakapagngingitngit. Hanggang kailang magiging ganito tayo. Lugmok sa kahirapan.

Sa Malakanyang, yung mga mayayamang pulitiko binibigyan pa ng bugkos bugkos na pera samantalang may mga batang kumikitil sa sarili nilang buhay dahil sa kahirapan.

May pwedeng gawin pero kanya kanyang diskarte pa rin tayo. May mga magpapadala ng postcard sa malakanyang. May mga nagpapakalat ng petisyon upang magresign ang nasa malakanyang. Pero ang mas nakararami sa atin, sadyang wala nang pakialam. Masisisi ba natin sila?

May gusto akong gawin pero di ko magawa. Gusto kong magkaroon ng isang kampanya. Kampanya na pupukaw sa kamalayan ng bawat Pilipino. Kampanyang magiging bahagi ang bawat Pilipino. Kampanyang walang mukha. Kampanyang pakakaisahin tayo.

Kung kailan ko maisakakatuparan ito, di ko alam.

The November 9 protest

2007-11-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

Some may already be aware of the planned mass-mailing scheduled on November 9. The details of the protest action can be read on the blog of the Black and White Movement. On the same day, an e campaign will also be held. Details here.

When I read about this protest action from Manolo's blog, my initial reaction was, here they go again. I am sure the intent of the organizers is pure. That there is no personal agenda. That what they plan to do is for our country. But this kind of campaign is only a good media event for the day. After this event is reported on the news, everything will be forgotten.

As I kept stressing in this blog, what we need is a campaign that will capture the imagination of our people. This November 9 event is too middle claish. Napaka burgis. It is something that our poor kababayans will not be able to relate to. They will simply see this event as another anti gloria campaign. Just one of those, ika nga.

If we truly, truly want to have change, we need to influence the collective mindset of Filipinos. We should always think of the collective. Hindi iyong tayo tayong lang na mga nasa middle class. A campaign must involve each and every one of us.

There may be no speeches or banners on this day. But still, it will just be like another perya. Remember the Black Friday campaign? May nangyari ba? So many other campaigns have been launched and forgotten. November 9 will be another one of them. Sayang. The middle class is just too elitist it doesn't know how to involved ordinary Filipinos in its campaigns. Masyadong napapaka burgis ang burgis. The reason why it can't make itself become catalyst for change.

Yes,the middle class may be outraged by the suhulan, but still I asked on this blog, where is the outrage?, the collective outrage, that is. Part of the solution is psychological.

A collective wound needs a collective action

2007-10-19T19:47:00.001-07:00

With nine people dead and more than a hundred injured, we have another dark day in our history. We can always speculate on who the perpetrators are but our speculation may most likely be tainted by our personal biases. And as we speculate, the more we magnify the rift that prevails in our land.

Just this time, can we leave our personal and political biases aside and come together and mourn for our dead innocent countrymen. Are we not capable of doing something together at this time of tragedy.

With the Makati bombing, the cyberspace is very much abuzz with all reactions, speculations and personal experiences about the incident. We as a nation have experience a colletive wound, the bombing. And yet, we are not capable of making a united collective action. Instead, we keep on rattling on who did it, what did it, who gained from it, etc. Comments from Manolo's and Ellen Tordesillas'blogs are excellent examples. The Inquirer has reported blogger covering the Makati blast. All blogs, I believe, will say something in reaction to the incident. The blast is also the center of discussion internet forums and groups. That is very understable. As I said, what we experience was a collective wound and it is but normal for us to make a reaction.

But let us also view this incident as an opportunity. An opportunity to come together by mourning for the casualties and expresing our disgust over the dastardly act. Let us take and make a collective action. For once, let us show to ourselves that we are capable of doing something together collectively as a people, as a nation We can use the internet to spread the word. Let it not be an initiative of any group or political party but an initiatve coming from us, netizens. Then we make ourselves useful, instead of bickering all of the time just like politicians.

There are many ways where we can take a collective action to show our unity in expressing our disgust over the bombing. We can make a call on every Filipino homes to display a Philippine flag. Or we can all wear a black shirt on a particular day. Or we can ask the church to toll the bells, honk our cars, hit the pan, make a noise on a particular time. Or we can all just go to Glorietta, no speaches, no banners, no placards, just a show of numbers. Or we can spread the slogan, Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas (too self serving), to express our sentiment on our love for our country. The point is, we have experienced a collective wound. To bring about a positive outcome from this incident, we, the citizens minus the politicians, have to make a collective action.

Bloggers brought Malu Fernandez down on her knees. Let us raise the level of our significance. There is an opportunity to bring our country come together. Are we netizens up to the challenge?

Lumuha ka, aking bayan

2007-10-19T05:16:00.000-07:00

Sa araw ng pagsabog sa Makati, sa walang katapusang iskandalo, sa garapalang suhulan, lumuha ka, aking bayan.

Kung Tuyo Na Ang Luha Mo, Aking Bayan
ni Amado V. Hernadez

Lumuha ka, aking Bayan; buong lungkot mong iluha
Ang kawawang kapalaran ng lupain mong kawawa:
Ang bandilang sagisag mo’y lukob ng dayong bandila,
Pati wikang minana mo’y busabos ng ibang wika,
Ganito ring araw nang agawan ka ng laya,
Labintatlo ng Agosto nang saklutin ang Maynila,

Lumuha ka, habang sila ay palalong nagdiriwang,
Sa libingan ng maliit, ang malaki’y may libangan;
Katulad mo ay si Huli, naaliping bayad-utang,
Katulad mo ay si Sisa, binaliw ng kahirapan;
Walang lakas na magtanggol, walang tapang na lumaban,
Tumataghoy, kung paslangin; tumatangis, kung nakawan!

Iluha mo ang sambuntong kasawiang nagtalakop
Na sa iyo’y pampahirap, sa banyaga’y pampalusog:
Ang lahat mong kayamana’y kamal-kamal na naubos,
Ang lahat mong kalayaa’y sabay-sabay na natapos;
Masdan mo ang iyong lupa, dayong hukbo’y nakatanod,
Masdan mo ang iyong dagat, dayong bapor, nasa laot!

Lumuha ka kung sa puso ay nagmaliw na ang layon,
Kung ang araw sa langit mo ay lagi nang dapithapon,
Kung ang alon sa dagat mo ay ayaw nang magdaluyong,
Kung ang bulkan sa dibdib mo ay hindi man umuungol,
Kung wala nang maglalamay sa gabi ng pagbabangon,
Lumuha ka nang lumuha’t ang laya mo’y nakaburol.

May araw ding ang luha mo’y masasaid, matutuyo,
May araw ding di na luha sa mata mong namumugto
Ang dadaloy, kundi apoy, at apoy na kulay dugo,
Samantalang ang dugo mo ay aserong kumukulo;
Sisigaw kang buong giting sa liyab ng libong sulo
At ang lumang tanikala’y lalagutin mo ng punglo!

Where is the outrage?

2007-10-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

There was a collective outrage among bloggers with the Malu Fernandez controversy. There was a colletive outrage among Fil-Ams with the racist statement from Desperate Housewives. Today, we are confronted by a much, much more despicable incident but where is the outrage?

The opposition is and will bleed the issue for their selfish motives. The commentators and opinion writers are having a heyday making various spins and interpretations with Fr. Panlilio's expose. But where is the outrage?

Definitely, it is not only the few who have spoken that received a paper bag with bundles of money. An ABS CBN video footage showed other politicians carrying similar bags. The rest may deny getting any money but it won't change the fact that public perception is that they indeed got money. Delicadeza is alien to them. Garapalan is the name of the game. But still, where is the outrage.

Why are we not out in the streets demanding for explanations and even making calls for resignation? Why do we go on with are lives as if this suhulan is just a normal incident? Why is there no collective outrage? NO, I am not calling for people power. I am merely asking why have we become so meek and numb as a people in spite of the endless political scandals that confront us everyday.

The suhulan did not really come as a surprise. The suprise is when somebody, thanks to Fr. Panlilio, finally came out to expose the incident. (I am quite disappointed with Gov. Grace Padaca when she claimed on the news that she got a Christmas card from the GMA with P50,000 but never came out to expose this gift giving incident at that time.) Corruption has become a way of life in our country. We know it happens. It is the P500,000 that Fr. Panlilio showed to media that gave corruption a "face".

In his column today, Jose Ma. Montelibano said, "Nation building is character building". Precisely. And that is my personal advocacy. Call it character building, value formation, good citizenship. If there is no collective change in our attitude and ways as a people, we will remain unaffected by the corrupt practices we see and hear everywhere. It is not really surprising why there is no collective outrage with regards to this blatant suhulan in Malacanang.

Garapalan

2007-10-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Last April 28, 2007, I wrote an entry on this blog entitled Be Brave. The post is about the speech of UP graduate Mikaela Irene Fudolig and my support on the candidacy of Fr. Ed Panlilio for governor in the province of Pampanga. We all know that Fr. Panlilio defeated his two trapo rivals. Now Fr. Panlilio again is the news with the P500,000 he received when he went to Malacanang.

Syempre tod deny ang Malacanang. Walang magnanakaw na umaming magnanakaw sya. Walang manunuhol sa aaming nanuhol sya. Between Father Panlilio's word at ng mga nasa palasyo, napaka obvious naman kung sino ang paniniwalaan natin. Nakasusuka talaga ang sistema ng mga pulitiko. Ginagawa talagang pera pera lang ang labanan. Mabuti na lang at may nahalal na isang Fr. Panlilio. Kahit todo deny ang malakanyang, marami na ang mga nagsalita na sadyang nagkaroon ng bigayan ng pera. Talamak na talaga at sadyang mga garapal. Huwag nila ipangalandakan na bumubuti and ekonomiya dahil kung tutuusin, sila sila lang naman ang mga nakikinabang.

Manny Pacquiao

2007-10-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

As I write this blog, I am awaiting for the Pacquiao-Barrera fight in the internet. This is where I try to get my regular updates.

Of course I am rooting for Pacquiao just like all Filipinos everywhere. Sana walang aberya. I hope Pacman continues with his winning steak.

While reading news on this fight, there are insinuations that Pacquiao continues to harbor political plans. He is cooking up something for 2010. Sayang. Pacquiao can do more for our country outside the political ring. He should have learned his lesson in the last election. His camp claims they were cheated in the last election.

Politics in this country stinks. Barangay election pa lang trapong trapo na ang mga kandidato. Instead of breeding good leaders, our politics only breeds trapos. May mga matitino din naman but they very, very few. Ang mga high profile na "santong" politiko, para sa akin, ay sina Grace Padaca, Jesse Robredo at Fr. Ed Panlilio. I'm sure may mga matitino din dyan kaya lang hindi nabibigyan ng media exposure. But the rule of the thumb is, once you enter Philippine politics, kakainin ka ng karumihan nito. Kahit si Pacman, kakainin ng sistmemang ito. Sana hwag nya na lang pasukin ang mundo ng pulitika.

Manny Pacquiao is one of the very few individuals who has truly captured our imagination as a people. Medyo nagka setback yon nung kumandidato sya sa nakaraan halalan. But with this fight with Barrera, everyone is again focused on him. The others who have captured our imagination are Cory and Erap. Pacquaio is in that league or even more. Pacquaio cuts across all socio-economic-political-religious divide unlike Cory and Erap. Si Cory pang middle class while Erap is pang masa.

To have credibility, Pacquaio must stay out of politics. Pacquaio has the capacity to inspire. But to lead, I doubt it. He is in the league of the two Revillas, the two Lapids. It is really their advisers who think for them. I may trust Pacquiao with regards to his sincere desire to help. But I just can't trust the people behind him whoever they are.

Pacquiao is an excellent endorser. Businesses have recognized this considering the long line of products he is promoting. I just hope one day he can become an endorser of the good citizenship campaign. He is the ideal endorser for this campaign.

Good luck Pacman. I hope you again win this one.

Desperate Housewives

2007-10-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

Marami na ang nasabi tungkol sa isyung ito. Normal lang na mag react tayo violently, ika nga. Karapatan natin yon. Kum baga, natapakan tayo bilang mga Pilipino, normal lang na aaray tayo.

Ang problema, hindi na natin hinahanap ang dahilan ng prolema. Nainsulto tayo at yun na yon. Bakit di natin matanong sa mga sarili natin, bakit "some med schools in the Philippines" ang nabanggit at hindi "some med schools in India" o "Pakistan" o "Thailand"?

Yes, racist yung statement. Kung ibang bansa ba ang nabanggit, mag re react ba tayo na racist yung programa. Siempre hindi. Hahayaan na lang natin yung citizens ng sino mang bansa ang nabanggit ang mag react. Malas natin tayo ang nabanggit. Pero bakit tayo pa?

Hindi kaya dahil sa may "image" problem tayo as a people? I would rather look at this issue from this perspective. May problema tayo as a people pero ayaw nating tanggapin o harapin. Ngayon kapag naiinsulto tayo because of this image problem, nanggagalaiti tayo. Sana makita natin ang isyung ito from that perspective.

Mabilis tayong mag react kung may mga negative statements towards Filipinos. Instead na maging wake up call ang issue to recognize our faults, the issue became a unifying incident for an ego that was collectively hurt.

Still, Desparate Housewives has no right to those lines. My ego was also hurt.

More on Boracay to Greece

2007-09-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

The following is an interesting email with regards to the Malou Fernandez controversy.

From: abaynsc@...
To: PerryDiaz@...
Sent: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 1:44 pm
Subject: On Boracay to Greece, OFW, HSW and Filipinos

Dear Perry,

I am an onlooker, an involved onlooker nevertheless, to all these passionate exchanges about our pride pricked and pruned, and the new found energy to exorcise the blundering witch(es).

That beastly chest beating should follow is perhaps as natural.Very Filipino, perhaps.

There is reason behind the spewing lava from the eription of a long suppressed
anger after chronic oppression, when occasion to vent this powerful pent up emotion
is given by a thoughtless, perhaps insensitive tremor that cracked a vulnerable, thin
wall

The build up of such an enormous energy result from very real heat derived from deplorable, hateful occasions and situations that our OFW, HSW and all Filipinos, at one time or another find themselves. Filipinos are usually timid and stymied to even raise an eyebrow, much less complain about their wretched, often undeserved lot.

Perhaps, we ought to pause and ponder...

The reason the blow stings, is the fact that it hit a sensitive nerve of truth in many. That it came from an arrogant, unfeeling swing made it stinky sore.

The truth uncovered however need be noted, perhaps recognized, accepted and rectified.

At the risk of being misunderstood, perhaps it is time, we Filipinos own up to some of the painful truths that have occasioned others to treat us with little or no respect, many times harshly.

It angered me to no end when, Filipinos, their passport collected and held, were herded like cattle into a hall bare with no furnitures in Seoul, Korea, in transit to the homeland, while other nationals were led to a beautifully furnished waiting area with refreshment kiosk, shops and entertainment.

Was it outright discrimination? Or could it have been because, Filipinos littered the plane seats, hallway and bath rooms, unmindful or no courtesy to the next users? Or after repeated admonition "to remain seated until the plane has come to a complete stop and the seatbelt sign turned off," Filipinos would stand and open overhead bins to collect their belongings as soon as the plane approaches the terminal to the stewards/stewardesses' chagrin?

Or is it the sum total of the lack of respect for the law and for each other in our day to day living in our streets, our homes and our country, "ako muna, bahala kayo sa buhay ninyo" prevailing attitude as seen by foreigners in our own country and elsewhere?

Even as we find an occasion to come together for a good reason, like Gawad Kalinga, the new found potential of OFW might and power, we will step on one another to prove we are better than , and be on top of the other. How many "Global Filipino Organizations" are there?

Could it be possible we brought all these upon ourselves?

If I had my way, I will never take an airline that stops in Seoul, Korea on the way home. But shouldn't we perhaps seriously consider, taking a little bit more pride in ourselves, in our country? Show the world what we Filipinos are truly made of?

There is a need to change our flawed "culture". Let us rally to a good cause like GK, Focolare and the like.

It doesn't matter who gets the credit.

Let us rally to our beloved country's cause. Together, we can do it.

God Bless!

Boy Abay

==================================
The following is my reaction to this email.

Again, GK, Focalore and the like are all dots. The important thing is to connect the dots. If we do not connect the dots, all the good causes around us will not, cannot create a national impact. All the good things we do will not, cannot influence our collective mindset unless we connect the dots.

What will connet the dots? A good citizenship campaign is what will connect all the dots. GK, Focalore and the likes are all good citizenship activities. If we can bring to the public consciousness that these groups and activities are not merely socio civic activities but more as acts of good citiznehsip, it may be much easier to convince Filipinos be good citizens.

How can you relate "ako muna, bahala kayo sa buhay ninyo" to Gawad Kalinga? How can "to remain seated until the plane has come to a complete stop and the seatbelt sign turned off" be connected to OFCOuncil, Rock Ed, GILAS, HABITAT, medical missions, PBSP, Ayala Foundation, etc? It's all about citizenship.

A good citizenshp campaign is part of the solution. We need a campaign that will capture the imagiantion of each every Filipino. The campaign will only need a few dedicated individuals who sincerely believe that citizenship is part of the solution. It does not have to become a movement that will take members. All it needs is a lot of imagination and creativity to inpire Filipinos to be better citizens.

GO NEGOSYO

2007-09-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

Just saw on TV the GO NEGOSYO awarding of Manila entrepenuers. One of the awardees is Carlos Celdran for his walking tours. Congratulations Mr. Celdran.

Other awardees include Mr. Gerry Chua for his hopia busniess, Ms. Alejandra Clemente of Rajah Tours, Ms. Alice Guerrero of Tesoros, Robert Kuan of Chow King, Ms. Willen Mai of Masuko, Mr. Jose Reyes of Arisctocrat, Dra. Elena Benitez of Philippine Women's University. Posthomus awards for Dr. Nicanor Reyes of FEU and Ms. Betty Go Belmonte of Philippine Star.

Being an entrepenuer myself, and I do business with one of the awardees, entrepenuership is very close to my heart but it is not really part of my advocacy. Not yet. Our collective mindset is not geared towards entrepenuership. Our
collective mindset is more about a future working oversees.

GO NEGOSYO is a government program that promotes entrepenuership. Their website is exactly tha of the DTI. I wonder why. Being a government initiated program, I doubt if people will really take this campaign seriously.

As we all know, entrepenuerhsip is not just about capital and profit. It is also about vision, passion and commitment. But it doesn't end there. It includes trade secrets, contacts, marketing savvy, product development, cash flow, technology and commuication. More importantly, entrepenuership is about calculated risks, honesty, integrity and hard work. Entrepenuership therefore is about values, good values, that is.

The world of business is a dog eats dog world. To survive, you have to be ruthless. You must be cunning. You must protect your trade secret with your life or else gagayahin ka. You must spy on your competition. Sulutan is the order of the day. You must know how to barat your suppliers to get the best deal, no matter what. You cheat on your taxes to increase profit. You do under the table transactions to get juicy deals. You underpay your employees and over work them to be able to buy a new car. You may even hire children who are very willing to work for a few bucks. You don't improve the working conditions as this will add to your overhead. That is the reality of the world of business. It sucks.

What GO NEGOSYO attempts to do is to inspire people to go into business. People are invited to share their success stories. Most of the time, we hear the same thing from their speakers; hard work, motivation, inspiration, perserverance, dedication, commitment, etc. But once people engage in business reality sinks in.

Registering a business name is a walk in the park. It is getting a mayor's permit is where the nightmare begins. Fees are subjective depending on the type of business you are putting up. A fixer will make life much easier. The rest of the nightmare will follow. Saints who succeeded in business are more of the exception than the rule. Palakasan, sipsipan, siraan, sulutan may bring better deals. Most of the reported corruptions we read in newspaper is about doing business with government.

Because of this reality, I won't advocate for entrepenuership. Not yet. What we need is a change in values, a change in attitude, a change in mindset before we encourage people to go into business. Let us first be good citizens before we can become good entrepenuers.

The plot thickens

2007-09-10T05:42:00.000-07:00

Akala ko game over na. Yung pala nagsisimula pa lang ang boksing.

The Malu Fernandez controversy just won't fade away. Now there is a full blast internet campaign to bring Manila Standard Today down on its knees. Apparently, people are not happy at how the newspaper handled the issue so now there is a call to boycott the newspaper. Again, just like what I stated in my previous post, I cannot relate. I don't read this newspaper. Never got hold of a hard copy and hardly read them online. I read Bong Austero, the blogger, not the columnist. I am not an OFW. I am not a Manila Standard reader. So how can I be part of this boycott campaign? Or should I be?

Do I have to put that button on this blog to be kasali? Nah. Hindi ko na isasawsaw ang blog na ito.

Nakalkal pati ang column ni De Quiros na hindi naman gumawa ng ganun kalaking controversy noon. Bakit kaya hindi pinagtulung tulungan noon si De Quiros?

Ayon kay celdran, si Malu Fernandez ay isang matapobre. Yun na yun.

Ewan ko kung ano ang kahihinatnan ng boycott campaign na ito. Feeling ko lang, may mas mga importante at mahalagang isyu na dapat nating pagkaisahan at pagtulungtulungan kesa sa isyung ito. Syempre, wala din akong karapatan para sabihing hwag nang ituloy ang kampanyang ito. So, sundan na lang ang susunod na kabanata.

The Malu Fernandez controversy

2007-08-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

Game over. Tapos na. Nag resign na sya.

I read this controversy here. No comment ako when I read the blog. I am neither of the two. I am not an OFW and I am not a jetsetter. The conflict is all about point of view.

Sabi ni Malu na nagpapatawa lang daw at may specific target audience sya. Syempre para sa mga nasaktang OFWs, hindi acceptable yung explanation ni Malu at mas lalung na insulto yung mga OFWs, at least those who wre very vocal against her. Sabi ni Malu, she was just stating facts. Pero the way she presented her facts ang naging offensive. Clash pa rin ng point of view yan. Sino ang tama at mali? Depende sa point of view.

From personal experience, I did feel embarassed being Filipino when I boarded a flight back to Manila from Bangkok. Nakasabay ko yung mga so called byahera. They buy stuff from Bangkok and bring it to Manila to re sell. Para makatipid, iha hand carry nila yung malalaking plastic bags na punong punong ng pinamili nila. Hindi na hand carry yun kundi hila hila luggage. PInagtitinginan sila ng ibang pasahero pero paki nila. Wala silang pakialam. Ang sa kanila, naghahanapbuhay lang sila.

Again point of view yan. Wala akong karapatang sabihihan ang mga byahera na i check in nalang nila yung mga bagahe nila para hindi nakakahiya. Ang airline lang ang may karapatan nun kaso tinotolerate.

Hindi ko pa na experience yung mag byahe na maraming nakasabay na OFW. Ini imagine ko, siguro ang ingay sa eroplano. Ganun na lang siguro kaingay ang kwentuhan at tawanan. Sa point of view ng mga OFW, wag silang pakialaman dahil excited silang maka uwi. Pero sa mga tulad ni Malu, nakaka irita ang ganitong sitwasyon. Kaso ang nasulat ni Malu ay yung tungkol sa pabango na may halong kahambugan kaya pinagtulungan sya.

I can imagine where both sides are coming from. Paradigm shift is a two way traffic, not just one way. Malu should have been sensitive enough to understand why OFWs behave the way they do. At the same time, OFWs (this is just an assumptiion based on my byahera experience) to be more considerate of other passengers trying to get some sleep in the plane by keeping their voices low. The problem is labeling. Ang problema sa ilang OFW nagiging reflection nang buong OFW community.

At the end of the day, I believe Malu Fernandez has no intention to malign. Unfortunately, offensive naman talaga yung sinulat nya kung sa point of view ng OFWs titignan. It's good Malu resigned. At least nagkaroon ng closure for this particular issue.

I am not attending

2007-08-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

Last year, I attended the first Good Citizenship Movement (GCM) Congress held at UP NCPAG. Tomorrow, the second congress will be held but I am not attending.

My attendance in last year's congress is through my membership in the Ang Bagong Pinoy (ABP) Movement. For several months, the ABP has been inactive. Not even a single meeting from the core has been held. Essentially, it is only the yahoo group that allows some members to communicate with each other. I am not attending this year's congress not because of ABP's inactivity. It is because of the fact that the campaign is a government sponsored congress which wasn't exactly clear to me last year.

My personal advocacy is good ciitizenship but I cannot support a good citizenship campaign initiated by government, by this government.

I am no fan of GMA. GMA is an execellent example is a bad citizen. When she did not fulfill her word not to run for president during a Rizal Day speech she made, I have lost all my respect to GMA. I believe she cheated in the last election. She is capable of doing that. It is in her character because she is a bad citizen. She practices politics of patronage to the highest degree. She has allowed her two sons to run for congress. She has kept all military men, from Cimatu, to Ermita, Ebdane, Mendoza, Reyes who were loyal by rewarding them cabinet positions. Atienza is now a cabinet member because of his blind loyalty to her. GMA has no integrity. You cannot trust the words that come out of her mouth. She said she will step down come 2010 but she can always change her mind. GMA is just the kind of person I cannot trust. She is not the ideal citizen. She is not a good citizen.

That is the problem of a good citizenship campaign coming from government. It has no credibility just like its leader. It will be a very hard sell. I think the campaign is an attempt to deodorize GMA's administration. Chances are people won't heed calls for good citizenship from this movement.

Monsod vs. De Quiros

2007-08-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

An interesting read from two Inquirer columnists regarding the request of Senator Trillanes to attend sessions in the Senate.

The Trillanes myth for Monsod and Wrong math for De Quiros.

Both columnists expressed their views regarding the ruling of Judge Oscar B. Pimentel on denying Senator Trillanes certain privileges. The two columnists attacked the issue from opposing angles. De Quiros questioned Judge Pimentel's competence while Monsod doubted Trillanes idealism and principles.

De Quiros obviously didn't check on Judge Pimentel's background for being clueless how Pimentel became a judge. His insults towards the Judge got so much space on his column. De Quiros called the ruling idoitic. That Pimentel doesn't know the difference between apples, oranges and bananas and the meaning of the word "precedent". De Quiros insinuates as if Pimentel was appointed by GMA as RTC judge when in fact he has been a judge for the last 30 years. The following rejoinder from an Inquirer reader may help us know more about Judge Pimentel.

Monsod meanwhile was very blunt with her criticisms on Trillanes specially on his failed coup attempt. Obviously, there not an iota of sympathy from Monsod towards Trillanes. Chances are she did not vote for him. Monsod did take her time to check on the background of Judge Pimentel.

Between the two, I will side with Monsod.

I believe that De Quiros and Monsod mean well. What they express is what they believe is for the greater good. That they both have no personal agenda. That they are both righteous individuals and competent in their own fields.

My problem with De Quiros is his satanic view on GMA. Everything that is connected with GMA is evil. Pati pag utot ni GMA dahilan ng paghihirap ng Pilipinas. Simply because Judge Pimentel's ruling is to GMA's advantage, Judge Pimentel is now evil himself. Oppose GMA and you become a saint to De Quiros. Do or say something that will make GMA's life easier and you instantly become devil. Somewhere along the way, De Quiros has stopped being reasonable.

It's fine to stage a coup as long as it is against GMA. It's ok to steal as long as you steal from GMA. It's ok to cheat as long as you cheat againat GMA. Curse all you want as long as you curse GMA. That is an extreme way of interpreting De Quiros views.

Many people from the opposition, including De Quiiros, are wondering why we are not out in the streets to oust GMA. The common response is, who will you replace GMA with? The opposition will respond back by saying, let's oust GMA first and worry about her replacement later. The people are not buying. I am not buying.

GMA is part of the problem but she is not the only problem. I don't believe ousting GMA will solve our woes. We are all part of the problem. We all have to take responsibility for our woes. We are where we are because of what we are.

I did not vote for Trillanes. He is simply trying to become a Honasan copycat. Just because the Ramos-Enrile coup succeeded, it does not give them the license to engage in the same adventure. Unfortunately, their adventure is what captured the public's imagination.

Monsod dismally failed in her attempt to get a seat in the Senate. I did vote for her. Her loss is merely a reflection of what we are as a people. We are not yet ready for reasonable people like Monsod in our politics. But we will get there.

In the meantime, let's watch the Trillanes saga in the Senate. In spite of his 11 million votes, I doubt if people can be mobilized to form a critical mass to put pressure in our courts to allow Triallanes to attend sessions in the Senate.

Baka makalusot

2007-08-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

Nananghalian ako kanina sa may isang side sidestreeet sa may Carriedo, Manila. Napansin ko na pwede nang daan ng mga sasakyan ang Carriedo dahil pinaalis na ni Mayor Lim ang mga structures ng mga vendors sa gitna ng kalye.

Sa gitna ng aking pagkain, biglang naglitawan ang mga vendors ng mga mansanas at prutas tulaktulak ang kanilang kariton sa sidestreet na kinakainan ko. Ayun, nagkakahulihan ng mga illegal vendors sa may Carriedo mismo. Alam ng mga vendors na ito na bawal ang ginagawa nila pero sige pa rin sila, baka makalusot.

Nagbibigay naman ng permit ang city hall para sa mga nais magtinda pero masgusto nilang nakikipag patintero sa mga nanghuhuli. Bata pa ako, ganito na ang kalakaran doon sa palengke sa Olongapo. Hanggang ngayon, ganun pa rin ang sistema. Matgpunta ka sa mga palengke lalung lalu na sa Divisoria, normal na ang pagtataguan at paghahabulan ng mga illegal vendors at mga tauhan ng city hall. Ginagawa at ginagawa ng mga vendors ang pagtitinda kahit laam nilang bawal, baka sakaling makalusot.

Sabi nila masarap ang bawal. Mas lalung sumasarap ang bawal kapag nakakalusot. Minsang makalusot ka, malaki ang posibilidad na uulitin mo kung ano man yung bawal na gawaing ito.

Sa gobyerno, oras na makatikim ng simpleng lagay ang isang empleyado, tuloy tuloy na yan. Ang isang nakikipagtransakyon, oras natutong magbigay ng lagay kahit alam nyang bawal, tuloy tuloy na rin yan. Kapag sa umpisa nakalusot, uulit at uulit na yan.

Si Ramos at Enrile, nagbarikada noon sa Camp Crame dahil huhulihin na sila ng mga tauhan ni Marcos. Alam ni Ramos at Enrila na bawal yung ginawa nilang yon pero sige pa rin sila. Ayun, nakalusot. Yung isa naging pangulo at iyong isa nangarap ding maging pangulo pero hanggang Senado lang ang kinaya ng powers nya.

Si Gringo, tumulad kina Ramos at Enrile. Malas nya di sya nakalusot. Si Trillanes, nagbakasakali ding makalusot kaso minalas din. Ang sinusuwerte pa lang ay si GMA. Nakipag usap sa isang Comelec commissioner kahit alam nyang bawal baka sakaling makalusot. Malas nya na wiretap sya pero hanggang ngayon nagpipilit pa ring makalusot.

Lahat ng gumagawa ng kabulastugan, katiwalian, kalokohan o anu mang labag sa batas, lahat yan ginagawa, kahit mali, dahil baka sakaling makalusot.

Iyan ang isa sa mga ugali nating nakakapikon. Alam nang bawal ginagawa pa rin, baka sakaling makalusot. Kapg hindi natin ito nalabanan o nabago, itaga nyo sa bato, habang panahon na lang tayong lulusot ng lulusot.

Pero may magagawa tayo. Kailangan lang na ma inspire tayo para magkaroon ng kolektibong pagbabago. Sa isang good citizenship campaign, mababago natin ito.

The collective silence

2007-08-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

With all the political killings and disappearances that are happening around us, Jose Ma. Montelibano laments why are we not out in the streets to condemn the killings. Even US solons have urged GMA to act on the killings.

The absence of collective outrage may be explained by the absence of a collective sense of nationhood.

Those who are silent about these killings, view these killings as a fight between the left and the right. They are silent because they are not part of any of these groups. They are mere watchers on the fight between these two protagonists.

We all know that the killings are condemnable. We should rise up against it if we are morally upright citizens. But unfortunately, we are, collectively, not good citizens. It is more of a norm to look in a different direction when we see unlawful acts. Good deeds, good citizenship, volunteerism, heroism are very common news items because they are not the usual way of things are done. Apathy, distrust, hopelessnes is not news because these are the prevailing attitude. These are the norm.

The absence of a collective sense of nationhood results into a collective silence towards political killings. A campaign on citizenship will help bring about this sense of nationhood. With s strong sense of country, we can easily mobilize our people to pressure government to act on the killings. With a better collective moral value, it may be difficult to find individuals who will execute these dastardly acts. Our moral values have become so low that life has become so cheap. The absence of a collective outrage to condemn the killings is a reflection of what we are as a people, walang pakialam. But we can do something with this kind of collective attitude. We are just too busy with our individual advocacy and agenda.

Julia’s death inspires 57 US volunteers

2007-08-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

Maraming salamat, Julia.

An upsetting read

2007-07-30T22:43:00.001-07:00

From Madame Chiang's blog.

When I was in BKK last week looking for my new apartment, I spent some time with one of my new colleagues, a Thai lady, about the same age as me, well travelled and with fairly strong opinions on Asian countries...HKG - fine, Singapore - very nice and organised, Japan - interesting, the Philippines....and here the conversation went south....I have rarely heard such a negative description of the Philippines - the end result was she told me that in a past job one of her colleagues had won (at a staff party) an all expenses paid trip to the Philippines for two....the colleague who had won, was so horrified at the thought of going to the Philippines he passed up on the prize and offered it to his other colleagues...nobody wanted it, the prize was unused.

I wonder what it is that made people feel this way towards us/our country. How we are viewed by other people is our own doing. We need to earn the respect of other people. We can always make a lists of things that we can be proud of but these lists won't mean a thing if we continue doing these things.

Teaching the poor good values

2007-07-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Mr. William M. Esposo stated in his Philippine Star column, "The poor need to form new, right values in order to exit from their cycle of poverty." I agree but how? How can you change the mindset of the poor?

From where I sit, it is the norm to see able bodied men drinking red horse early in the morning. All day, you see women playing either tong it or bingo. Chismisan is a favorite past time.

Will I tell them to stop dong what they are doing? Magpapakasanto ba ako? Sesermonan ko ba sila and tell them to make themselves productive?

Years ago, I allowed myself to socialize with the squatters in our neighborhood. But for now, I have distanced myself. Why? If you have more than what they have, uutangan at uutangan ka nila. Utang yon na walang bayaran. If you ask for payment, ikaw pa ang masama. Kaibiganin mo sila and they will take advantage of you. They will see you as an opportunity to give them pulutan or a share in their drinking expense. Kung makakaisa sila, mang iisa sila. Not all of them, but a lot of them behave that way. Good values are alien to most of them.

Mr. Esposo has cited intervention works of Gawad Kalinga and the economy of communion of the Focolare Movement to empower the poor. These groups had a wholistic approach in fighting poverty which includes value formation. Great! Excellent! But what percentage of our population is being served by these groups? As I said in a previous post, where do us who are not in anyway part of Gawad kalinga fit into the picture? Will good values be taught only to Gawad Kalinga beneficiaries?

I have nothing against the works of Gawad kalinga or other charitable foundations/institutions. I commend and admire them for what they do. But my issue is how about those who are not reached by these institutions? How can we influence the mindset of the poor who are not Gawad Kalinga beneficiaries?

My response is to create a critical mass of good citizens. There are a lot of good citizens among us. Unfortunately, us, the good citizens, can't get our act together. Kanya kanya pa rin ang approach. From the middle class, we need to make it "fashionable" to become good citizens. In doing so, the poor will hopefully adopt these good values. The next quesiton will be, how to create that critical mass of good citizens from the middle class?

Hopefully, this blog will lead to that.

Anti Dynasty BIll Discriminates

2007-07-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

From an INQUIRER article, Rep Gatchalian told an editor “An anti-dynasty bill is a regressive bill. It discriminates … How would you feel if you and your brother both want to write but because you’re already a writer people would tell your brother he could no longer do so?”

Wrong analogy. Rep Gatchalian is correct in saying that An anti dynasty bill definitely discriminates. It will discriminates against those who have the name and resource advantage during elections. It will discrimate against the concentration of public fund in the hands of a few. Last time I checked, 20 political clans control billions of pesos in pork barrel, gov't funds. His family is not even on the list yet.

Do we have anything positive to expect from these neophyte congressmen? NADA. Simula pa lang, nilamon na sila ng sistema. I doubt if they can rock the house.

Thrilla in Cebu

2007-07-26T01:08:00.001-07:00

If these Cebu inmates can get their act together, why can't we as a people?

A commenter said, "This is great...these people are not fighting they are working together not working on killing each other either. I don't know who runs this prison but whom ever it is needs a tap on the back and a rise in pay for allowing them to do something they can be proud of and learn from it. while watching this video I didn't see them as prisoners in a prison, I seen them as a group. These people are learning to work together. This is so cool."

After seeing this video, I sincerely believe that we can still find a way to get our act together.

SONA - ang taunang perya

2007-07-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Marami na ang nasabi at nasulat bilang reaksyong sa SONA ni GMA noong nakarang Lunes. Ang sa akin, matapos ang talumpati, ala lang. Ako's isang ordinaryong mamamayan lamang na nanood ng palabas ng mga pulitiko.

After reading Manolo's minute by minute acount of the day's event, it made me realize that people do take this SONA very, very seriously.

Masyadong predictable ang mga reactions sa SONA. Pag kakampi ka, very good ang reaction. Pagkaaway, kung anu anong puna at batikos. Lagi namang ganun di ba? Once you know where people are coming from, may idea ka na sa mga magiging reactions nila. Ang balita, kung maiiba ang reactions nila sa expectation mo. Yun ang news. Kaso wala naman talagang naiba.

Pansin ko lang, tuwing SONA, may from the crowd na binabanggit ang pangulo. This year, mostly sa mga ni recognize ay mga estudyante na nanalo sa iba't ibang competition. It's an obvious attempt to raise our spirit. Pero hanggang doon lang naman yon. Hindi naman talaga magre register sa atin. Mga props lang sila sa isang palabas. Pagkatapos ng speech, wala na.

Lahat sila forgetables except siguro doon sa tatlong bata ng bangkang papel. Isa sa mga bata sa bangkang papel na feature sa evening news. Ayun, hirap pa rin sa buhay. Nag aaral pa naman at tumatanggap ng P18,000 taon taon mula sa gobyerno. Kumusta na kaya si Mang Pandoy?

Sa panahon lang yata ni GMA na naging big deal ang SONA. Ano ba talaga ang meron dito na masyadong inaabang abangan at kinapapanabikan. Ilang linggo pa bago mag SONA, pinag uusapan na ito. Syempre una dyan kung bibigyan ba ng permit yung mga magrarali. Tapos mga haka haka kung ano ang sasabihin sa SONA. At walang katapusang haka haka kung sino ang dadalo at sino ang hindi, gaano katagal ang speech, ano ang isusuot, maghehelicopter ba o magli limousine, mag pasok ba o wala, at kung ano ano pa. Ang siste, ang SONA ay naging isang malaking kwento na ang build up at anticipation ay nagpi peak sa araw ng SONA mismo. Ang climax ng istorya ay ang pinaka speech na mismo ng pangulo. Lahat tayo, ang sambayanang Pilipino naging bahagi na ng malaking palabas na ito. Tayong mga ordinaryong mamamayan ang taga panood ng palabas. Mga bida at kontra bida, depende sa political color mo, ay ang mga pulitiko. Mga kritiko ang media, kolumnista, bloggers at mga manonood na rin. Walang katapusang komentaryo, puna, papuri at batikos, Pagkatapos ng isang linggo, ibang palabas naman ang aabangan at panonoorin natin.

May nagbago ba? Wala.
Umusad ba tayo? Hindi.
Nagkaisa ba tayo? Lalong hindi.
Ano ang napala natin? Naaliw tayo.
Sino ang nakinabang? Definitely hindi ang ordinaryong Pilipino.

Sa isang taon, itaga nyo sa bato, mauuulit nanaman ang peryang ito.

Heartless GMAs

2007-07-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

I was watching GMA 7's Unang HIrit when the news broke on the release of Father Bossi. It's a relief that this unfortunate incident is finally over with Father Bossi being freedd unharmed.

Arnold Clavio, an anchor of the show, got the opportunity to interview live on tv Father Boassi while he was eating. Clavio's first question was "Kumusta ka na Father?" to which Father Bossi responded "Please speak in English or Visayan." Anyway, basic questions were thrown at Father Bossi specially about his captivity. But I felt uncomfortable when Clavio asked, "How do you feel that 14 marines were killed in their attempt to rescue you." or something like that. Such an insentive question! Or course Father Bossi feels bad or terrible about what happened. But do they need to get the sound bite? Kailangan pa bang ipamukha nila sa pari na marami ang namatay in the efforts to rescue him?

Then came this Inquirer editorial. GMA, the president, apparently congratulated Father Bossi for his release but informed him that many people died. Such an insensitive president! I agree with all the words used in the editorial such as unforgivable, tasteless, a national disgrace, to descibe the incident. It is not Father Bossi's fault that he was kidnapped. It is not Father Bossi's fault that men died in the line of duty. We should not make him fell guilty about what bappened. We should even be grateful to him that he is here in our country doing his religous vocation. We know that his kidnapping and the death of the marines are related but let us be more sensitive with the questions asked and statement made. Father Bossi is very much aware of what happened and he must have felt really bad about it. That's already safe to assume.

Clavio was just doing his job but he must also consider the feelings of the interviewee. GMA is simply looking for someone to blame, except herself, with the death of the 14 marine soldiers.

The best job in the world

2007-07-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

I saw on the news this evening Rep. Rolando Andaya speaking in an orientation for neophyte representatives. Without batting an eyelash and with a big smile on his face, he said that being a congressman is the best job in the world. That you can report to work anytime you want. I don't know what else he said but that portion of his speech was shown in the news. So disgusting to hear.

They will kill to get the best job in the world.
They will cheat to get the best job in the world.
They will lie and steal to get the the best job in the world.

At least I did not vote for anyone to get the best job in the world. With that kind of culture among our representatives, no wonder we are so pooir in this world.

Knowing that there was media coverage for the event, Mr. Andaya should have restrained himself from saying those words. If it was meant to be a joke for the neophyte representatives, it's in bad taste.

When they campaigned, they said they want to serve and that it is the interest of the public ang priority nila. Syempre alam naman natin na pangbobola lang iyon. At alam din natin na to get the best job in the world ang talagang motibo nila. PERO KAILANGAN PA BANG IPAMUKHA NILA SA ATIN IYON???

Connecting the dots II

2007-07-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

The option is not rare, not as rare as a Lee Kwan Yew.

In his Inquirer column, Jose Ma. Montelibano explained that good governance will emanate both from the elite and the general population. The overseas Filipinos will also play a role in the birth of good governance. I agree with him. But from my understanding of his column, he considers the elite, the general population and the diaspora as separate entities. If these three sectors will operate separately, nothing will really change.

The elite cannot separate itself from the general population nor from the diaspora. So is the general population from the elite and diaspora and so is the diaspora from the elite and the general population. That is our problem, every is to each his own.

The elite has spearheaded thousands of initiatives and advocacies. The most popular, Gawad Kalinga, which is the biggest dot of them all. Big companies have established their own foundations to bring back something to society that has given them so much. We have the Ayala Foundation, Metrobank Foundation, ABS CBN Foundation, SM Foundation, GMA Kapuso Foundation, and a lot more
. We also have the Rotary, Jaycees, Kiwanis and Lions Clubs. I really don’t know what these groups do since I don’t belong to any of them but they do a lot of charity work too. All of these elite groups do their share in promoting good values, charity, citizenship and volunteerism. Each group represents a dot.

If the elite have their initiatives, so do the general population. I personally consider the left organizations as people’s initiatives. Without the political agenda, the leftist groups do fit in as examples of advocacies. NGO's in the Philippines are in almost every corner of the country. Service organizations are not in dearth. These groups may differ in their advocacies but they espouse something for the benefit of the less priviliged in our society. Altruism is not a monopoly of the elite.

Then there is also what I consider as personal initiatives. This blog is a personal initiative. Simple acts of citizenship are personal initiatives. We sometimes see these initiatives in the news like taxi drivers returning left packages. Some of us do take that conscious effort to perform good deeds as Christians, as Filipinos, as human beings.

The diaspora also has its own initiatives. The death of Antonia Bisol has not been picked up by the mainstream press but the internet is abuzz with praises, here, here and here to link some, on what she has accomplished. On its organizing stage is the 1st Overseas Filipino Congress to be held in Dumaguete City from December 6-8, 2007. There are many other initiatives coming from the diaspora and overseas Filipinos.

All of these initiatives and advocacies, irregardless of the size and scope, reflect the good values within us. There is so much goodness around. All we need to do is to connect all of these initiatives and advocacies through a good citizenship campaign that can capture the imagination of our people. The option is not rare. It is within reach and doable. We don't need a Lew Kwan Yew. We simply need to connect the elite, the general population and the overseas Filipinos initiatives to form a critical mass of good citizens. We need to connect the dots.

Proudly Pinoy

2007-07-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

There is an ongoing Proudly Pinoy logo design competition. The competition intends to have a common logo that expresses the pride of being a Filipino. The logo will hopefully bring elegance to a website's Filipino identity. There is a cash prize of P10,000 for the winning logo.

Even if I don't know where they are coming from, I believe that the proponents of this competition mean well. There is really nothing wrong in telling the world that we are proud of our race. The objective of the competition can be easily appreciated. Having said that, let me make comments based on my agenda of "connecting the dots".

This endeavor is a dot. It tries to evoke some sense of patriotism among Filipino netizens. Unfortunately, the use of the logo will be limited to websites. There has to be a link to use the logo. The logo cannot be used as a sticker that we can put in our vehicles, or be printed on our products. What I envision is to have a logo that can be seen and printed anywhere, not just in websites. Something like this is what I have in mind. Instead of Proudly Pinoy, I still prefer Iniibig ko Ang Pilipinas. It is quite difficult to translate Proudly Pinoy into Filipino or other dialects unlike Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas. Iniibig has more passion to it. The poorest and the richest Filipino can relate to Iniibig while Proudly Pinoy is limited to the educated. Since the campaign that I envision is something that will capture the imagination of every Filipino, I believe that Iniibig is the best slogan to promote.1

I am not comfortable with the use of the color of our flag in the logo. Let us promote our flag not through logos but as a flag. Our flag must be distinct from the logo and not trying to fit our flag in the logo. We, Filipinos, have not been respecting our flag the way we should. Masyado nang gasgas yung paggamit ng flag color sa mga logo.

Well, these are just my opinions. Just trying to explain where I am coming from. But to the organizers, go for it. I wish you the best and hopefully I will see the logo that wins in every Filipino website, as envisioned. Good Luck!

It's Not a Deal

2007-07-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

Just watched the show Deal or No Deal. It had a certain Wendy as its participant. I think she was part of the last Pinoy Big Brother show.

I really don't watch this show but what I heard at the beginning of the show caught my attention. The winnings of the contestant will be donated to a certain sick child named Erin. I felt disgusted when I heard this. If the show wants to help the child, just help the poor kid. Wag nang idaan pa sa contest. I felt more disgusted when Wendy said something like "yung buhay ng bata nakasalalay sa kanya". It's just too disgusting that this show is even using a sick child just to rate. All I am saying is, if they want to help the child, just help specially if it's a matter of life and death. Pero yung ipapa contest pa, that's below the belt na.

The total winning at the end of the show was P25,000. I really don't know if this amount is enough to save the child. Does it matter anyway? Nagamit na nila yung bata kung sino man sya.

Connecting the Dots

2007-07-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

Our country is not wanting of advocacies, groups, foundations, NGOs all existing in the sincere desire to make a difference and help our country move forward. A dot will refer, but not limited to, these aggrupations. All acts of good citizenship is a dot. A song, a poem, a poster, a video that promotes patriotism and citizenship is a dot. There are big dots and small dots. As a stated before, I consider Gawad Kalinga as the biggest dot of them all.

With all the dots around us, we hardly feels these dots unless we are part of the advocacy or a beneficiary of it. I belong to the group called
Ang Bagong Pinoy which is also a dot. In the absence of an activity, this dot is slowly disappearing. That is the only dot I may say that I belong to. But surely, millions of us do not belong to any dot. Many of us are merely spaectators these dots. Every once in a while, maybe we perform acts of citizenship, which becomes a dot. But are we able to sustain this dot? We can if there is an outside motivation for us to keep our personal dots.

There is a lot of frustration among us but we keep on hoping that someday things will be better. Just like myself who refuses to accept that I will not see my Dream Philippines in my lifetime. I have to do my share and that is to connect the dots.

Connecting the dots is not an easy task. It will cost and it will be a lot. It has to be sustained to create an impact. It has to be apolitical from the start but may need to be political when the situation calls for it. It has to create a critical mass of good citizens that can be mobilized but not necessarily organized. It has to capture the imagination of all Filipinos including the diaspora. Connecting the dots is all about the promotion of good citizenship.

I have been floating this idea for sometime now but it seems no one really believes in the viability and wisdom of this campaign. We see pockets of good citizenship campaign coming from the media, the government and some corporations. But they are just that. Small campaigns that are not sustained nor coordinated therefore not creating any impact at all.

For now, I will try to build up my personal resources to get this campaign rolling. In the meantime, I will just blog about this campaign. I will be featuring in this blog all the dots that I can find. Hopefully, one day I can connect all of these dots.

INIIBIG KO ANG PILIPINAS!

What Not to Do

2007-07-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

Last March 2007, Mr. Abaya wrote a column Most Corrupt Country. I simply sent him an entry in my blog as a reaction to his column. His reply to my post was

Good citizenship also means having the courage of your convictions by attaching your full and real name to your opinions.

He did not comment on the merits of my arguments. Instead, he made an issue out of who I am.

Tony Abaya is somebody while I am just a nobody. His English is flawless while mine is just passable. He is a columnists who rubs elbow with presidents and other people in power while I just live sa looban. Is being anonymous makes my argument less valid? In the internet, I believe, we are on the same level. Identity should not be an issue. I am not revealing my identity to avoid of being accused of "Sino Ka?" or "Ano ang karapatan mo?" Dito sa cyberspace pantay pantay tayo.

Having said that, let me react to Abaya's latest column What To Do. Apparently, Abaya was challenged by his readers to offer solutions instead of just griping and whining. His column essentially listed a litany of suggestions. His suggestions included developing a hydrogen economy, have an electronic voter's id, no election until election is computerized, banning of political ads on radio and tv, have a run off election for president, a qualifying exam for candidates for public office, solid waste of Metro Manila be buried in sanitary landfills, outphase buses and jeepneys, a cable car network in Baguiio City, a subway from Caloocan and Muntinlupa, form student brigades for house building, a freeway from Luneta to Cavite, a one hectare manufacturing zone in every town, manufacture goods for export, vigoruous tourism promotion, adopt legal and constitutional method to defeat the insurgents, a one hour tv/radio program dedicated to what govt does, send medicines instead of soldiers to Iraq, acquire pilotless aircraft to curb smuggling, illegal logging and poaching, etc. etc. etc. Whew!!! Such a long list of suggestions.

Being close to power, has any of his suggestions ever been implemented? Are the suggestions realistic enough to be doable. Either these suggestions need money or political will. We don't have both. So they are just that, mere suggestions.

It very easy for columnnists to say let us do this and that. Well, it won't really matter what they say as long as they fill up that newspaper space. That is what they are paid for, fill the space. The column will elicit positive or negative reactions. Then let's move on to the next column. Just like in blogs, posts may provoke some debate and discussion. Then it will be on to the next post where you read the same people making comments and reactions just like in this blog and this blog. And the cycle goes on and on. At the end of the day, nothing really changed, only bloated and hurt egos. Just an observation.

My suggestions? It is written all over this blog. It empowers. It is doable. Unfortunately, I am just a nobody.

Bayan Ko/Pilipinas Kong Mahal

2007-07-06T02:44:00.001-07:00

PARAISO, a Gawad Kalinga movie

2007-07-04T05:28:00.000-07:00

After watching the Gawad Kalinga film PARAISO, I had this "then what?" feeling. Where do I fit myself?

The movie, I reckon, was made to help raise fund for Gawad Kalinga. By watching the movie, I hope I did my share in helping the cause. Then what?

Gawad Kalinga is already a household name. Well, maybe for us the middle class. We know they build houses for the poor. We know that rich people donate land or go to GK sites to contribute sweat in building houses. We know that a lot of Filipinos overseas support GK. We know that this is all about volunteerism where many companies have made Gawad Kalinga part of their corporate social responsibility program. Then what?

I have heard of Gawad Kalinga maybe since the time they first hit the news. It has been many, many years ago. Since then I have been an outsider watching or reading about them in the news and newspaper articles. Their website provides enough information about what they have accomplished and what they still intend to do. So much has been written about Gawad Kalinga but I never had the opportunity to be a part of it.

At the end of the movie, there was a message stating that they seek donations from those who have more. Unfortunately, I don't have more, only enough to keep me going. I am not "Micheal V" or "Cesar Montano" characters of the movie. I am just me, an ordinary individual living an ordinary life. So where do I fit?

There are many perspectives on how to appreciate what Gawad Kalinga does. It may be appreciated from the spiritual point of view having been formed by members of Couples for Christ. It may be seen as an excellent CSR opportunity. Or a reflection of the collective desire of the Filipino diaspora to help the motherland. But for me, I see Gawad Kalinga, or the people behind this cause including volunteers as practitioners good citizenship. Since my personal advocacy is good citizneship, I look at Gawad Kalinga from that point of view.

The practice good citizenship is not a monopoly of Gawad Kalinga. There are thousands of groups, NGOs, foundations, rotary, lions and jaycees chapters, alumni associations, and inviduals who do their share in nation building be it medical missions, protecting the environment, giving awards to outstanding citizens, providing scholarships to the poor, doing small acts of heroism and good citizenship. There are thousands, if not, even millions among us who have felt frustration but still hopefull that we, as a people, can do something for our country. There is not shortage of good citizens among us. The problem is, we cannot connect the dots.

The biggest dot of them all is Gawad Kalinga. But there are many, many other dots around us. It may be a very miniscule dot representing an individual who lives a simple life, helping his neighbor when in need, following traffic rules and being a good father to his children. It may be a medium sized dot like GILAS or ROCK ED. All medical missions, feeding programs, volunteerism, shoclarships, bayanihan efforts, pakikisama, coming on time, falling in line, respecting the flag, not giving or taking a bribe all represent a dot. There are a lot of groups in cyberspace being formed by Filipinos everywhere trying to do something for our country. All we need to do is to connect all of these dots. Being disconnected, each dot, even if in millions, don't mean much or will not affect our collective psyche. Connect the dots and national transformation will be very possible. That is where I will fit myself, to connect the dots where Gawad kalinga is the biggest dot of them all.

Weder weder lang

2007-07-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

I think this term was coined during the presidency of Erap. Pana panahon lang yan.

This is what is happening on the strip of Avenida from Carriedo to Recto.

I am no Atienza fan. But when he pedestrianized the half kilometer distance of Avenida from the LRT station in Carriedo up to the corner of Recto, it was for me a very welcome change. The jeepneys and all other vehicles have to take the secondary routes. That short strip of Rizal Avenue evolve a life of its own. Some kiosks were put up. People watch people go by as the sit on the metal benches formed around the LRT posts. Enterprising indviduals offer various services such as manicure/pedicure and massage. On some spots are the medicinal herb vendors doing actual demostrations on how to use their items. My favorite is the lady blind singer who sings regularly to a crowd who intently awaits her every song. To walk the half kilometer distance is a breeze. Hindi ka maiinip, ika nga.

But now, Mayor Lim has decided to open the portion of Avenida to traffic again. At first, it was a feeling of disgust when I saw the tiles being torn away. Sayang. I really appreciated the pedestrianization of Avenida as it gave an aura of order and "oneness" among urbanites coming from the gut of the city. It will take a while before the reality of changing to the old way, meaning the absence of change, sinks in.

It's now Mayor Lim's judgement call. Is the opening up of Avenida for the greater good? Is it about keeping his word during the campaign? His move will certainly be appreciated by the jeepney drivers. It may even bring in more business in the area. I really don't know what will happen next in that portion of Avenida. From my point of view, I do not welcome this move of Mayor Lim. Change is about moving forward, not going back to the old ways.

Weder weder lang yan. Who knows. Three years from now, Atienza may regain back the City Hall. If that happens, will he re pedestrianize Avenida? Such a waste. I am glad Ali Atienza lost but I do not welcome the move of Mayor Lim to re open Avenida.

Good Citizenship + Good Leadership = Dream Philippines

2007-05-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is where I am coming from.

Bad citizens produce bad leaders. Good citizens elect good leaders. It is that simple. Manolo's Your Leader is Like You from the ArabNews somehow validates my view. We usually blame the trapos, who are indeed the salot of our society, but did we ever try to look at the mirror? It is so easy to put blame on everything but never on ourselves.

Yes, GMA is also part of the salot. Just look at the number of her relatives running is this election. Look at how the military is being used to her advantage. The problem is, GMA is in power because of our own doing, because of what we are as a people. (GMA's rise to power is not simply EDSA2. It was the result of series of events which are our own doing like electing Erap in 1998. What if we elected Joe De Venecia or Raul Roco in instead of Erap, would we be better than what we are now? No one can really tell.) What we have become as a nation is our collective doing. We cannot just blame everything on a single entity, be it a person, a party, a system or whatever. A major component of the problem is us. Ousting GMA will not really lead us to our DREAM PHILIPPINES unless we change first as a people. We should take responsibility on what our country has become.

The very first question that will be asked is how are we going to change as people? How are we going to influence the collective psyche and mindset of Filipinos to become good citizens?

This is all about creating a good citizenship product, package it and market it well. The product must be something that every Filipinos can identify with. Atty. Alexander Lacson has written a book entitled 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country. When I first read about the 12 little things, my first reaction is that the list is elitist, pang middle class. It is a good citizenship product but with a very limited market. It cannot capture the imagination of ordinary Filipinos. We need something better.

A lot of good citizenship products usually coming from private corporations have come out before. Aside from the tons of "go out and vote" ads we have right now, the most recent that I could recall is the Johnny Delgado commercial where he is seated in the backseat of a car saying, "Bakit ang mga Pilipino kapag nasa ibang bansa sumusunod sa batas" or something to that effect. I'm sure there were also campaigns that came from JOLLIBEE, PLDT, GLOBE and media outfits like GMA and ABS CBN. I know ABS CBN had a plug about our flag some years back. The problem with these campaigns is that they are not sustained, sometimes self-serving and more of a kanya kanya aproach. To influence the collective mindset, the campaigns coming from various entities must be coordinated. Otherwise, these campaigns will not create an impact. I, myself, can’t even recall most of these campaigns.

Therefore, there must be a single campaign with a single source of content. The content may be provided by a small group with the same vision on good citizenship. The title of this blog "Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas" may be used as a slogan for the campaign and using the Panatang Makabayan, the very first entry on this blog, as a basic source of content. From there, the content can evolve into more specific values such as honesty, integrity, excellence, punctuality, etc.

Packaging is a very necessary ingredient of the campaign. The campaign must never, never be identified with any political group specially the administration. A good citizenship campaign is an excellent deodorizer and deflector of issues. In 2005, GMA declared 2005 -2015 as the decade of GOOD GOVERNANCE AND CITIZENSHIIP. Last year, a conference on GOOD CITIZENSHIP was held at UP NCPAG which I believe is the result of the proclamation. The website of the campaign, is now missing in action. Manolo pointed out before that the organizers of this conference are identified with Malacanang. That essentially makes the whole activity null and void. A government with a very low trust rating will never be taken seriously. The moment the envisioned campaign becomes identified with government, the whole exercise will just be a waste.

The other component of the packaging is for it to be faceless. A good citizenship campaign must not be identified with a known personality. If the campaign takes off, chances are many politicians may want to join the bandwagon. Any form of support coming from politicians must be avoided unless they want to be anonymous in their support. The campaign must truly be a people's initiative. If the campaign gets media’s attention, the basic question of “who” will and must not be answered. The "who" will divert the attention from the campaign so it must remain faceless. Media must not always get what it wants. It cannot dictate on us how things can be done all of the time.

Another important component of the campaign is that it must be able to capture the imagination of our people. It is a must. There must be a strategy where each and every one of us, even those living and working overseas, may be involved or can identify with in this campaign. How to capture that imagination of every Filipino? That is the trade secret.

The execution or marketing is the most difficult and easiest part. Difficult for it is quite hard to get the ball rolling. Who is willing to support this campaign without any personal agenda except in the sincere desire to be part of nation building? I cannot do it all by myself. Since I truly believe that good citizenship is part of the solution, I have to walk the talk. I have to start the campaign myself not here in cyberspace but out there in the real world. Meaning, I have to use my own money to buy space in newspapers to market the campaign. Unfortunately, I still don't have the resources for that. So what I can do for now is blog about it. But the moment my resource allows it, something will come out.

Once the campaign takes off and gets the attention of the public, it will be smooth sailing along the way. Considering the very high sense of frustrations among us Filipinos, a campaign where every Filipino, be from Forbes Park or Payatas, can identify with, support will just pour in. The support will come as long as the packaging remains intact. Support will come in if people will see this campaign as a way out and as long as the campaign remains “pure”. Once we have captured the imagination of our people, there is no turning back. The immediate task is to create a critical mass of good citizens and there many among us. There isn't just an avenue to show our force, express our disgust and our clamor for the collective change that we all seek. The campaign could fill this vacuum.

The good citizenship campaign has no timeline. It must be sustained. It must endure. If ever we get to where we want to go, backsliding is a very distinct possibility. Being a good citizen, like learning, is a never-ending process. There will always be something in ourselves that is worth changing and improving. It is a way of life, not an end in itself.

As good citizens, then we will no longer have problems like GMA. Trapos will be history. The common good will always be above personal agenda. Unity will prevail. We won't be feeling so bad about ourselves anymore. DREAM PHILIPPINES won't just be a very distant reality but will be within reach.

Do I make sense?

It will be more of the same

2007-05-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Next week, the circus will be over.

We will all then be glued on tv and radio to get an idea of who is leading and winning in the count. Accusations of cheating, vote buying, ballot boz snatching, mysterious brownouts and election return tampering will be the news of the week. We will have our regular dose of localized people power, assasinated candidate and supporter, Supreme Court petitions and reactions from the international community on the outcome of the election. Then everything gets back to where we were before.

Who will be the Senate Prseident? Who will be the House Speaker? Who will chair this and that committee? Who cares?

All I care about is a win for Fr. Panlilio in Pampanga, the reelction of Grace Padaca in Isabela, the reelection of Jesse Robredo in Naga City and a defeat for Datu Arroyo in Camarines Sur.

I couldn't care less if Pacquiao wins. But it would be welcome development to have a high school batchmate win a seat in Congress, him being on the white list of the Black and White Movement. It will be interesting to know the results of the counting in Batangas, Manila and Caloocan.

But once the noise has settled down, chances are things will remain the same. The charter change issue will be revived for the nth time. Extra judicial killings will remain with a continued defeaning silence from the public. GMA's legitimacy will still hound the presidency as the administration is not expected to get a majority in the Senate. The opposition will attempt to file a new impeachment complaint even if they don't have the numbers, for whatever media mileage they can squeeze out of it. And the media will always be there to feed us with the same news. And the political analysts will continue to bombard us with their opinions. When will we see change if after this election it will just be more of the same?

My vote goes to . . . .

2007-05-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

ANG KAPATIRAN

I will not be voting for any other senatorial candidates. Not Sonia Roco. Not Kiko Pangilinan. Not Joker Arroyo. Only the Ang Kapatiran candidates.

There are three posts in this blog labeled ANG KAPATIRAN. What I have written about this party has not been so supportive of their cause. I have criticized the group for joining this election unprepared. They are virtually unknowns with no chance of winning. Nada. Zero. That everything will just be a waste of time, energy and resources. But that doesn't mean I won't be voring for them.

Only three names will be written on my ballot. I won't be voting for any one in the local positions. There is an Alvin Sandoval campaigning for the congressional position. Chances are this is a brother of the other Sandoval who has completed his three terms and is now running for mayor in Navotas. I heard the incumbent mayor, Oreta, is running unopposed. Just the same, the space for mayor, vice mayor and councilors will just be crossed out. I have no idea who the candidates are for these positions. For party list, I will also cross out this space. For the last two elections, I voted for BAYAN MUNA. I won't be voting for them this time althoughI truly appreciated the response of Rep. Teddy Casino on my comments on the Batasan 6 blog. He is sensible and I was humbled for him taking the time to respond to my posts. But still, my challenge to BAYAN MUNA to renounce and denounce armed struggle and for them not to avail of the port barrel will not be heeded. For that, they don't get my vote this time. So there will only be three names that will be written on my ballot.

I really don't know who Martin Bautista, Paredes and Sison are. Dr. Bautista is a doctor in the US who decided to come back and make a difference. Paredes is the VFA director. Sison is a total unknown to me. I hardly know anything about them. So eesentially, I am not voting for the person but for the party. I am voting for the party because I believe that the people behind this group mean well. I know personally some of its members. That there is no personal agenda involved. That it is all about the national interest that they are after. I may not agree with their strategy but their conviction is still worthy of the support.

BE BRAVE

2007-04-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

My day just started right. Opening my inbox, I got a copy of the UP Diliman commencement speech of Mikaela Irene Fudolig, 16 years old, BS Physics, summa cum laude with a grade average of 1.099. Whew what a feat!

The following is her very inspiring speech.

One of the things that strike me as being very "UP Diliman" is the way UPD students can't seem to stay on the pavement. From every street corner that bounds an unpaved piece of land, one will espy a narrow trail that cuts the corner, or leads from it. Every lawn around the buildings sports at least one of these paths, starting from a point nearest to the IKOT stop and ending at the nearest entry to the building. The trails are beaten on the grass by many pairs of feet wanting to save a fraction of a meter of traveling, no matter that doing so will exact some cost to the shoes, or, to the ubiquitous slippers, especially when the trails are new.

What do these paths say about us, UP students?

One could say that the UP student is enamored with Mathematics and Pythagoras, hence these triangles formed by the pavement and the path. Many among you would disagree.

Others could say that the UP student is naturally countercultural. And the refusal to use the pavement is just one of the myriads of ways to show his defiance of the order of things. This time, many would agree.

Still, others will say that the UP student is the model of today's youth: they want everything easier, faster, now. The walkable paths appeal to them because they get to their destination faster, and presumably, with less effort. Now that is only partly true, and totally unfair.

These trails weren't always walkable. No doubt they started as patches of grass, perhaps overgrown. Those who first walked them must have soiled their shoes, stubbed their toes, or had insects biting their legs, all in the immovable belief that the nearest distance between two points is a straight line. They might even have seen snakes cross their paths. But the soiled footwear, sore toes, and itchy legs started to conquer the grass. Other people, seeing the yet faint trail, followed. And as more and more walked the path, the grass gave in and stopped growing altogether, making the path more and more visible, more and more walkable.

The persistence of the paths pays tribute to those UP students who walked them first – the pioneers of the unbeaten tracks: the defiant and curious few who refuse the familiar and comfortable; the out-of-the-box thinkers who solve problems instead of fretting about them; the brave who dare do things differently, and open new opportunities to those who follow.

They say how one behaved in the past would determine how he behaves in the future. And as we leave the University, temporarily or for good, let us call on the pioneering, defiant, and brave spirit that built the paths to guide us in this next phase of our life.

We have been warned time and again. Our new world that they call "adulthood" is one that's full of compromises, where success is determined more by the ability to belong than by the ability to think, where it is much easier to do as everyone else does. Daily we are bombarded with so much news of despair about the state of our nation, and the apparent, perverse sense of satisfaction our politicians get from vilifying our state of affairs. It is fashionable to migrate to other countries to work in deceptively high-paying jobs like nursing and teaching, forgetting that even at their favored work destinations, nurses and teachers are some of the lowest paid professionals. The lure of high and immediate monetary benefits in some low-end outsourcing jobs has drawn even some of the brightest UP students away from both industry and university teaching to which they would have been better suited.
Like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths are the easiest to take.

But, like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths take longer to traverse, just as individual successes do not always make for national progress. The unceasing critic could get elected, but not get the job done. The immigrant could get his visa, but disappear from our brainpower pool. The highly paid employee would be underutilized for his skills, and pine to get the job he truly wants, but is now out of his reach.

And the country, and we, are poorer because of these.

Today, the nation needs brave, defiant pioneers to reverse our nation's slide to despair. Today, we must call upon the spirit that beat the tracks. Today, we must present an alternative way of doing things.

Do NOT just take courage, for courage is not enough. Instead, be BRAVE! It will take bravery to go against popular wisdom, against the clichéd expectations of family and friends. It will take bravery to gamble your future by staying in the country and try to make a prosperous life here. It might help if for a start, we try to see why our Korean friends are flocking to our country. Why, as many of us line up for immigrant visas in various embassies, they get themselves naturalized and settle here. Do they know something we don't?

Do NOT just be strong in your convictions, for strength is not enough. Instead, DEFY the pressure to lead a comfortable, but middling life. Let us lead this country from the despair of mediocrity. Let us not seek to do well, but strive to EXCEL in everything that we do. This, so others will see us as a nation of brains of the highest quality, not just of brawn that could be had for cheap.

Take NOT the road less traveled. Rather, MAKE new roads, BLAZE new trails, FIND new routes to your dreams. Unlike the track-beaters in campus who see where they're going, we may not know how far we can go. But if we are brave, defiant searchers of excellence, we will go far. Explore possibilities, that others may get a similar chance. I have tried it myself. And I'm speaking to you now.

But talk is cheap, they say. And so I put my money where my mouth is. Today, I place myself in the service of the University, if it will have me. I would like to teach, to share knowledge, and perhaps to be an example to new UP students in thinking and striving beyond the limits of the possible. This may only be a small disturbance in the grass. But I hope you'll come with me, and trample a new path.
Good evening, everyone.

Coming from UP Diliman myself, I really can relate with those "narrow trail that cuts the corner". There is always a narrow trail that leads to every building in the campus. I never saw those trail from the point of view of the speech.

Coming from an adolescent, the speech must move us, adults. There are small, little voices crying for patriotism. The challenge is how we can bring all these "small disturbances" together to create a thunder of noise to jolt us from our apathy, disunity, disinterest and create a new path for our beloved Philippines.

After reading Fudolig's speech, it is refreshing to know from the
banner story of the Inquirer the outpouring of support on the candidacy of Fr. Eddie Panlilio for Pampanga governor. There are still brave Filipinos around us. Just like Mabulo of Camarines Sur, I want Fr. Panlilio to win this election. With still a good two weeks of campaigning, the snowball of support still can go a long, long way.

To all my Kapampangan kababayans, please set the example on the new kind of politics that our country needs. Make Fr. Panililio win by a big margin in order to thwart any attempt to cheat by his opponents. Lead him to victory and we will be very grateful to you. The implications are just too enormous. The more significant of which is you may love our president being a fellow Kapangpangan but you will not always bow to what she wants.

Read more about Fr. Ed here and here.

TOP 24 - Oreta kulelat

2007-04-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Halos magkamukha ang resulta ng top 24 senatorial candidates ng Pulse Asia at SWS.

1) Loren Legarda
2) Manny Villar
3) Francis Escudero
4) Panfilo Lacson
5) Francis Pangilinan
6) Ralph Recto
7) Edgardo Angara
8) Joker Arroyo
9) Allan Peter Cayetano
10) Vicente Sotto
11) Noynoy Aquino
12) Gregorio Honasan
13) Kokoy Pimentel
14) Juan Miguel Zubiri
15) Sonia Roco
16) Micheal Defensor
17) Cesar Montano
18) John Osmena
19) Prospero Pichay
20) Vicente Magsaysay
21) Antonio Trillanes
22) Richard Gomez
23) NIkki Coseteng
24) Tessie Aquino Oreta

Ok na sa akin kung magiging ganito ang kalalabasan ng resulta ng halalan sa Senado. Yung mga pesonalidad ang batayan ko at hindi ang kani kanilang partido. Ala naman talagang pinag iba ang dalawang partido.

Buti nga kay Oreta. May pa sorry sorry pa syang nalalaman. Balimbing to the max. Di nakuha sa oposisyon, bumaligtad agad. Naka tsamba lang sya noon, pang 12, lumaki na nang husto ang ulo.

Bokya si Richard Gomez. Ambisyoso kasi. Nang hindi tanggapin sa oposisyon, nag apply sa administrasyon. Nang di rin mapasama sa line up, nag solo. Nagsisimula pa lang balimbing na. Kumandidato na lang sana sya bilang konsehal tiyak panalo sya. Tingnan mo si Isko Moreno ngayon, tumatakbo nang bise alkalde ng Maynila.

Si Coseteng, isa pa itong di matuto tuto. Kahit sa pagka kongresista nga sa Quezon City natalo sya tapos mag aambisyon pa syang makabalik sa Senado. Please......

Buti na lang si Chavit sumabit. Walang nagawa yung pamumudmod nya ng pera. Pag ito ang naupo, tiyak marami itong kukurakutin dahil malaki laki ang nagastos sa kampanya. Di na kasi nakuntento sa Ilocos Sur.

Walang ding nagawa ang pera ni Pichay. Nalanta ng husto. Malas nya kamukha nya si shrek.

Isa pa itong si John Osmena. Hanggang ngayon ilusyonada pa rin kahit isinuka na sya noong nakaraang halalan. Di na lang kasi maggantsilyo sa tumba tumba.

Di ko ikatutuwa kung sakaling makalusot si Sotto at Honasan. Si Honasan hanggang ngayon di ko sya mapapatawad kahit umamin na syang nagkamali sya. Malaking dahilan kung bakit ano tayo ngayon ay ang mga coup ni Honasan noon. Nasayang ang bwelo ng Cory magic at people power. Sumadsad ng husto ang ekonomiya natin noon dahil sa mga coup ni Honasan habang umaarangkada ang mga kapitbahay natin. Lumabas na lang sya sa pulitika tutal wala naman syang nagawa ng maupo sa senado. Gawin nya yung gusto nyang gawin para sa bayan outside the political arena baka sakaling mapatawad ko pa sya.

Si Sotto? Mas mato tolerate ko pa sya kaysa sa isang Chavit. Pero may ibang pang mas mahusay dyan. Palitan na natin ito.

Isa pang gusto kong matalo si Kokoy Pimentel. Eh ano ngayon kung bar topnotcher sya. Di na ba sya makapaghintay. Walang delikadesa ang mag amang ito. Akala mo kung sinong mga santo kung umasta pero trapong trapo din naman. Mga ganid sa kapangyarihan.

Kung saka sakali, may tatlong bagong mukha sa senado. Sina Escudero, Cayetano at Noynoy Aquino. Ok lang. Sana may madagdag pa tulad ni Roco o kaya si Defensor. Sa pangkalahatan acceptable na sa akin kung ganito ang magiging resulta ng halalan.

Mas ok sana kung ang mga makakapasok ay ang mga kandidato ng Ang Kapatiran kaso bigla silang sumabak. Sa labanan ng pulitika dito, hindi lahat nadadaan sa prinsipyo. Kakagatin naman sila ng mga botante kung "nakapag ingay" sila kahit papaano bago pa ang kampanya. Kaso parang out of nowhere bigla na lang silang sumulpot. Yung pagiging "novelty" nila is not enough to be translated into votes in spite of a fairly good media coverage.

Mukhang kitang kita na natin kung sino sino ang maglalaban sa 2010. Pero ako, Tony Meloto pa rin.

The problem is competency, not political dynasty

2007-04-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

This message on the Ang Bagong Pinoy yahoo group led me to this website.

The author is calling for a tsunami of outrage through click and text. While I believe that his intentions are pure, I just can't imagine how his means will bring him to his objective of dismantling political dynasties . Again, this is a classic example of the elite mindset. Click and text may only be a start of something since he claims that this campaign is for the long haul. But still, the approach is elitist.

Let me first state my stand on the issue of political dynasties.

Political dynasties will always be with us. I'm sure, it is not just us. Every country must have its share of political dynasties. The problem is not political dynasties per se but having incompetent public servants. If all the elected family members in a particular clan are all competent in the position they vied for, then I really won't have any problem with that. The problem is, most of these political dynasties have used their positions to protect family interests and perpetuate themselves in power. But these politcal dynasties don't always have it their way.

In Caloocan City, the old power is the Asistio clan. Sometime in the 1990s, Rey Malonzo defeated Boy Asistio who was then Caloocan City mayor for a long time. When Rey Malonzo completed his third term as mayor, he had his wife run for the position. He even had his son run for councilor and he himself run for congress. Fortunately, they all lost. This election, both Malonzo and Boy Asistio are trying to make a comeback but may have some difficutly dislogding the incumbent Echiverri. It will be interesting to see if the two old dynasties can beat the new and upcoming one.

Dynasties are not unbeatable. In 2004, Grace Padaca defeated Dy in the Isabela. Fred Lim ended the reign of Lopez and Bagatsing in Manila. From a Yabut turf, Makati has now become a Binay kingdom. From an Osmena country, Cebu is now becoming a Garcia territory. The Mathay's of Quezon City won't even challenge in this election the incumbet Belmonte. The Laurels no longer dominate the ala eh province. An old dynasty will fade away while a new one may emerge.

This May election, Ali Atienza, son of Lito Atienza, is running for mayor in Mnaila. Datu Arroyo, the son of you know who, for congressman in Camarines Sur. Alvin Sandoval is eyeing for the seat his brother, Ricky Sandoval, has held for three terms. Pimentel, the son may have topped the bar exam, wants to become like his father just like Alan who wants to become like sister. It will be interesting to see if they will win due solely to their surname.

The Remulla brothers in congress, Crispin and Gilbert, are quite competent as legislators. Vilma may be the wife but I believe she has done a good job as a mayor of Lipa. The mayor of Marikina may just be the wife of Bayani but still, she is doing a great job continuing what her husband started in Marikina. Chiz Excudero, Migs Zubiri, Rolando Andaya, Ace Durano may have eclipsed the political careers of their respective father. I don't know about the wife of Florencio Abad, the wife of Jejomar Binay, the wife of Dilangalen, in terms of competency but some wives do make a good job.

People in certain localities will always have some kind of "attachment" to political families. The Marcoses will continue to dominate the Ilocano country for years to come while the Romualdezes will remain strong in Leyte. The people from Tarlac may always identify themselves with the Aquinos just like the Gordons in Olongapo.

The problem with political dynasty is the long list of incompetent officials elected to public positions. There is no board exam for politicians. All it takes is a surname to qualify.

On the issue of corruption, it is a skewed reasoning to blame it on political dynasties. It is not their monopoly. Corruption happens everywhere. Dismantling Kamag-anak Inc. is not a guarantee to a graft free society.

At the end of the day, it is still us the voters who will make the choice. In many instances, however, the choices made had beeen very disappointing. Next month, we will see more of the same. But I am sure, somewhere, these dynasties will also suffer defeat. It has happened and it will continue to happen.

On the call of Mr.Roger Olivares for a tsunami of outrage against political dynasties, that will not happen. This kind of approach will not capture the imagination of our people. It is too elitist. The magtataho won't even know what a website is. Is clicking a button enough to express one's outrage while sitting in the comfort of homes or offices? Since February of this year, the number of clicks has not even reached 200. It is not even a drop. Oh well, the problem with technology is that it has magnified the culture of passive resistance. The battle is not in cyberspace. This is just a tool. Drean Philippines can be achieved only by capturing the imagination of our people and not by click and text

To capture the imagination of our people

2007-04-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

From Manolo's blog, I was directed to AlterNation101 blog. The last sentence on the blog caught my attention and it said ‘”But we just have to do something!” This is the reason why the writer is going to vote for Ang Kapatiran. This kind of reasoning won’t help our cause to achieve our dream Philippines. It is a very typical middle class mindset.

I have already expressed my views here and here that it is not yet the right time for Ang Kapatiran to participate in this coming electoral exercise. I even started a thread in their forum with the title "hindi pa hinog" but has now disappeared. Ang Kapatiran is not yet prepared and still has nothing to show for and that the public is not yet ready with their kind of politics. Unfortunately, this “para may magawa” attitude must be what made them decide to take part in this election. All the resources, time, talent and energy will just go to waste. They may be aware that it will take divine intervention for at least one of them to make it to the top 12. But still they went for it because they "have to do something".

We have to do something and so Gawad Kalinga was born. We have to do something and so we have Books for the Barrios, Rock Ed Philippines, Gilas, Tulong Pinoy, Yabang Pinoy, People Power, HOPE etc. The Rotary, the Jaycees, the Kiwanis, the thousands of foundations, the various group and personal initiatives, there is always something that we do for others. There is really nothing wrong in creating movements, pursuing causes that will help alleviate the suffering of our people. I am all for it. But if we really, really want to achieve our dream Phlippines, we have to think beyond “to do something” mindset. We need to capture the imagination of our people. But nobody, no one among us in the middle class, the so called intellegentsia, has tried to find a way to capture the imagination of our people. We prefer to remain in our comfort zones, writing blogs, making comments and reklamo, expressing our thoughts and opinioin, forming groups and movements, writing letters to editors and of course, sharing our material excess when the opportunity presents itself.

In our own little and big way, we have done so much. When calamities hit us, we come together to help the victims. Support pour in from around the globe. Medical and dental missions are regular civic activities. Pondong Pinoy is doing quite well. As Mr. Montelibano said in his column, our sense of generosity is overwhelming. Agreed. But how come this sense of generosity is not translated into collective action except during calamities? This sense of generosity may even blind us with the belief that we have already done something. The sad part is that our sense of generosity remains on the personal level. The attitude “I have more so I have to help the poor” attitude has to be transcended and turned into “I am a Filipino, that is why I am helping my fellow Filipino”. If only there are some (but preferably a lot of) sense of patriotism in our sense of generosity, then all of the various initiatives around us will have a greater impact. Our oneness as a people will be bonded by this sense of generosity. Unfortunately, even in our sense of generosity, it is to each his own.

So we go back to the “we have to do something” attitude, a mediocre level sense of generosity. We have lots and lots of this. The Ang Kapatiran’s participation in this election is a reflection of this mindset. If we will always see things from this perspective, don’t expect change to happen. The trapos will continue to dominate our political landscape. For change to happen, we need, we should, we must capture the imagination of our people. That is the only way to go. Hopefully, this blog will be a tool in that direction. I believe we can start it with something like, “Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas!”

Handog Ng Pilipino Sa Mundo

2007-04-11T03:35:00.001-07:00

'Di na 'ko papayag na muli mabawi,
Ating kalayaan kay tagal natin mithi.
'Di na papayagang mabawi muli.

Magkakapit-bisig libo-libong tao.
Kay sarap palang maging Pilipino.
Sama-sama iisa ang adhikain.
Kelan man 'di na paalipin.

Ref:
Handog ng Pilipino sa mundo,
Mapayapang paraang pagbabago.
Katotohanan, kalayaan, katarungan
Ay kayang makamit na walang dahas.
Basta't magkaisa tayong lahat.

Masdan ang nagaganap sa aming bayan.
Nagkasama ng mahirap at mayaman.
Kapit-bisig madre, pari, at sundalo.
Naging Langit itong bahagi ng mundo.

Huwag muling payagang umiral ang dilim.
Tinig ng bawat tao'y bigyan ng pansin.
Magkakapatid lahat sa Panginoon.
Ito'y lagi nating tatandaan.
(repeat refrain two times)

Coda:
Mapayapang paraang pagbabago.
Katotohanan, kalayaan, katarungan.
Ay kayang makamit na walang dahas.
Basta't magkaisa tayong lahat!

Mga pangakong hindi napako

2007-04-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

Sa kasagsagan ng kampanya, sangkaterbang pangako ang inihahatag ng mga kandidato. Alam naman nating hanggang salita lang naman ang mga ito. Mga pulitikong pansariling interes lang ang nasa isip oras na maupo. Pero di naman pala lahat. May mga pulitiko din naman palang may silbi.

It is very refreshing to read stories of local government units taking the initiative of really making a difference in their localities. I've heard of GALING POOK before but I didn't really pay much attention about it. I thought it was just another attempt of the (national) government to prop up its image. But I guess I was wrong.

After downloading their KAban Galing 2006 Edition ebook, I was enlightened on various LGU initiatives that have made an impact on the lives of oridinary Filipinos. From a wide ranging list of initiatives, the common goal is to lower, if not, eliminate poverty in their respective localities.

Many of the LGUs mentioned in the book are never heard of. I don't know where in Iloilo province the town of Concepcion is but this town has an ambitious goal of eliminating poverty by 2020 considering that in 2002, 86% of its familles live below the poverty threshold. In the same town, it launched the program Harnessing Synergy in Integratged Population, Health and Environment Planning. A program that aims to control its population growth, better health service and saving the environment.

Negros Oriental, in partnership with civil society, improved the delivery of health care services by taking various initiatives. In 1998, the provincial government launched a program called the Barangay Agricultural Development Center which aims to make upland barangays to be more productive and to minimize external migration.

In Pasay City, the local government, in partnership with a local NGO, came up with the Bayanihan Banking Program. This program provided financial services to poor borrowers coming from 10 cooperatives, 10 people's organization and 35 barangays. The city government also improved the delivery of its health services by upgrading its health centers and partnering with the health programs of PhilHealth.

The provincial government of Nueva Vizcaya has turned its people with disabitlities (PWD) from mendicants to self sufficient individuals.

Education is a major trust in the City of Naga and the Province of Bulacan. The province of Bataan has been quite successful in its intergrated coastal management (ICM) through its kontra kalat sa dagat program.

Barangay Tabok, Mandaue City took the initiative of solving the inadeguate water supply in the barangay.

Waste management are the success stories of Los Banos in Laguna, Sta. Barbara in Iloilo, Carmona in Cavite and Linamon, Lanao del Norte.

The Quezon City government established the Molave Youth Home for minor offenders. Muntinlupa City had an effective anti drug abuse campaign program.

Women power is the battlecry in Compostela Valley, Capoocan in Leyte, Davao City and Cebu City. Child rights are the focus in Alicia, Isabela, Maitum, Sarangani and Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur.

The better news is that these programs initiated by local government units can be replicated by other local government units. Considering the wide ranging initiatives from health, education, waste management, gender rights, productivity, peace and order, other LGUs can easily adopt which initiative would most likely fit their locality's immediate needs. But then again, this requires political will and lots of it. Local government must be able to inspire its constituents to be part of any programs they undertake. Partnership with NGOs is also very vital in the success of these initiatives. These programs are the exact opposite of the street lights, waiting sheds and basketball courts that politicians are very fond of spending on where there is zero participation from the constituents.

That is the sad part. The above mentioned success stories are more of exceptions to the rule.

Shoo go away

2007-04-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

I seldom engage myself in forum and group discussions in the internet. I believe I am past that stage. There are some occassions that I do specially when I feel that the issue is "non negotiable". On two occassions, I had a quite spirited discussion with Dindo Generoso of OFCouncil yahoo group. We never went personal and our discussion was quite productive. We ended our exchange of thoughts cordially keeping our respects for each other. But this Cyber Istambay is the exact opposite.

I have expressed my opinion on this blog and other blogs when I see it fit, that Ang Kapatiran is not yet ready to be part of the electoral process. That their participation will just be a waste. When this Cyber Istambay mentioned the Ang Kapatiran in the Ang Bagong Pinoy yahoo group, where I am also a member, I thought it would be nice to engage him in a small discussion in his blog with regards to my opinion on Ang Kapatiran's participation in this election. I did not discuss with him on the yahoo group to avoid offending other members that I personally know who are also Ang Kapatiran members. Secondly, I don't want to create more stir on that yahoo group. I have done enough already.

So I went to Cyber Istambay's blog where I re posted an entry in my blog.. At the start, there was really nothing unusual in our exchange of thoughts. I myself is trying to validate my opinion that Ang Kapatiran is not yet ready. If Ang Kapatiran supporters can convince me that they are ready, I can change my position. I am not an enemy. We are on the same side. Unfortunately, this Cyber Istambay became personal with his counter arguments. It came to a point where he insinuated that I support the trapos. Then pinagtabuyan nya ako from his blog by saying, "shooo go away, we are busy in this election" in the comment section of his blog.

Again, this is a mindset issue. It is not just the ordinary folks who have mindset issues. If we cannot be civil in cyberspace, what more in the real world. I created a thread on the Ang Kapatiran forum entitled hindi pa hinog. I again expressed my opinion that Ang Kapatiran is not yet ready. While there is a good discussion on the thread, someone butted in to say that "close the topic and let's move on". Well, it's their forum and I really have no intention to be a panggulo or kontrabida. So I acceded to the request and did not make a fuss out of it. Then came this "shoo go away" statement from Cyber Istambay.

On these two occassions, I was told to stop expressing my views. It does not feel good to be told to stop saying what you are saying simply because what you say does not jibe with their thoughts. The emotional reaction is quite natural. The moment it sinks in, you become more objective. Then you ask, why do these people say what they say. You perceive them as allies but they treat you as an enemy. It's an attitude problem. "If you are not with us, you are our enemy." A too narrow minded perspective. This is very prevalent in our society. An excellect example was when Bong Austero wrote an open letter which created quite a stir in cyberspace and in the real world. The anti GMA group immediately labeled Austero as "pakawala ng Malakanyang" and pro Arroyo while Malacanang extracted whatever propaganda juice it can get from the issue. But essentially, Austero is neither here nor there.

Why is it that people will only see things from their perspective? Can't we be mature enough to realize that in every issue, there are thousands of perspectives due to thousands of interests. The bigger question is, where does the greater interest lie? But then again, that is getting way, way ahead of the story.

This "shoo" incident is a form of arrogance that will never help our cause. This journey is truly a lonely one but I will keep my focus. I'll move on and hopefully allies may be found.

Let us support Mabulo

2007-04-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

I hope the people of Camarines will junk Dato and guard their votes. Making Dato run for a congressional seat is the height of greed for power. Making him lose may give a warning to those in power that they cannot always have it their way all of the time.

Against all Odds
By Sabas Mabulo

More than a decade ago, when I first entered government service by way of running in an elected position, it was clear in my mind that the only desire in me was to give a part of my life in the service for my people.

True enough, I was entrusted a sensitive post for 12 years (3 years as a municipal kagawad and 9 years as a local chief executive). But, least to my expectation and never in my wildest dreams have I considered the thought of wanting a higher post other than what was granted to me by my town folks for I am aware that, that would be like paddling against all odds.

In politics there is a popular clique, “there are no permanent friends and enemies only indestructible interests”. One day late last year news of unification of the 3 political kingpins in the province resonated all over our place. Congs. Villafuerte, Alfelor and Secretary Andaya forged an alliance making way to what is to be the strongest political alliance. Any decision to battle them was like banging one’s head against a brick wall – in short committing a political suicide. No one was taken aback by the sudden change in the flow of the tide, the once rivals are now comrades – they are indeed true blooded politicians who possess insatiable appetites.

Almost as soon as news of unification broke out, another dumbfounding issue appeared. The kingpins are endorsing Dato Arroyo to the congressional seat of the first district of Camarines Sur.

It was alarming news, to think that Andaya a stronghold in the first district is backing out in favor of the President’s son. The decision created a sensation; it made way to many implications.

First, considering the unification of the 3 naturally merging of the big parties including the mayors will follow, because they are now united who will have the guts to run against anyone in any position
more so with Dato – he will then run unopposed. Second, not everybody welcomed the idea with open heart and the same fervor as the seasoned politicians of the province. Questions emanated like, why is Dato here in the first district, what’s in it for the 3 if they can give Dato the congressional seat in a silver platter and is there no other local politician capable to run the business of his own territory?

To concretize the plans a meeting was set last December 10 by Secretary Andaya to make way for the forging of a covenant endorsing Dato But with the on going relief and rehabilitation operations to the victims of typhoon Reming the meeting was cancelled.

In disgust over the gesture of our political leaders, a core group composed of representatives from NGOs, People’s Organization, academe, business and church based organizations met and invited me over – I was surprised to find out that I was the only politician in the group. The occasion was the first step taken in their desire to redefine the stance, that in any election candidates with biggest machinery brings home the bacon and at the same time tackle the issue on Dato running unopposed. Yes, Dato will not run unoppossed; I was their best option.

I left the meeting in a state of awe as mixed emotions engulfed my being. I felt elated at the same time fearful , why a simple man like me whose only wish after June 30, 2007 is to go back to ordinary everyday life be the local choice for the congressional seat. There are a lot of things I would rather do – teach for instance or go back to NGO work or plant and go fishing in the farm, than go to what I a consider an unmatched fight in a bigger arena.

One result of that drum roll was the growing interest of opposition politicians who one by one began to call, inquiring and even insinuating the possibility to offer myself as alternative. At that time my only response was a laughter or a big smile, for viewing the whole idea from all perspective I would say accepting the challenge is a long shot to make.

It was difficult to make a quick and decisive stand regarding the opposition and core group’s hope for a dramatic change. Committing myself to a delicate matter must be a conjoined decision of my family, relatives, friends, political contacts and leaders whom I consulted and gave me one common sentiment – GO AHEAD AND FIGHT.

Realizing that in any decision to make the thumbs up or the big yes of people around you is never enough, our trust in God’s divine wisdom is necessary. He alone knows the best, He alone will give me the one final answer.

So on February 12 in what I consider a crucial CLC prayer meeting, the issue I had long been trying avoid to face squarely was posed to me point blank. Despite my fears and unworthiness at the same time after carefully listening to my inner thoughts during that prayer meeting with the help of the community divine inspiration flowed through me. Specially touching was when
one shared – that all prophets were afraid and unworthy but they followed the calling. Right there I felt compelled to take the path that seemed to be risky and unthinkable.

Together with the decision I made were the many fears tagged along with it, for one there is the inconvenience of a political campaign on a broader scope, which I am not used to. When before I have to cover only the barangays in my town this time I have to reach all the barangays in the towns of the first district.

Security risk is another thing to contend with, considering I am fighting a powerful political force. Most of all my fear of not being able to reach the finish line for lack of logistics is one reality to face.

Although, despite the fears and unworthiness I constantly remind myself that they may have the finest arms, the support of the strongest political party, countless resources in the land, I am confident that I will give them a good fight because I have the most powerful campaign manager and shield at hand – God is with me expressed through the countless people who encouraged and expressed support to my YES, I can make a difference even as I sail in this battle paddling against all odds.

spread the word

2007-04-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Election is about winning

2007-03-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

In his Inquirer column today, Jose Ma. Montelibano described the three Ang Kapatiran candidates as sacrificial lambs. He compared them to the 299 Spartans who "dined in hell". (One returned to tell the story.) But no, we don't need another heroes.

Mr. Montelibano tried very hard to justify the significance of the candidacies of the Martin Bautista, Adrian Sison and Zosino Paredes in spite of being unknowns, "penniless" and without a machinery. He claimed that they are symbols of purity. That the party they represent is the opposite of compromise and corruption. That they are not the lesser evil nor the alternative but the pure and virtuous. But how can we be sure? Should we just take Mr. Montelibano's words as the truth about these candidates and the party they represent? Of course not. Mr. Montelibano is merely expressing his point of view.

What about my point of view? Well, I came to know some of the people behind the Ang Kapatiran. They are indeed very honorable individuals. Their love for country is beyond reproach. But they are just a few. Still, I have a lot of respect to the group as a political party. I believe they mean well and that there is no personal agenda. But I sincerely believe that it is not yet ripe for the party to enter the political arena as I have state in their forum. That's just my point of view.

What about the point of view of the magtataho, the masa? Chances are, their take on this is, sino sila? Elections in our country is always about the person not the platform nor the party. I myself don't even know who these three candidates are or how sincere they are. I am merely taking my cue on the fact that they are Ang Kapatiran members. That is enough to convince me that these three are righteous individuals. But what about the masa? They who have no access to internet and may not even know what a podcast is. What the Kapatiran candidates say are also being parroted by the trapo candidates. So how can the masa tell the difference?

All politicians mouth motherhood statements during campaigns. They all say they will stamp out corruption. They all say that they will create jobs. They all say that they will lead us to our Dream Philippines. But they are all, well most of them, the same after the election. It is personal interest first before the national interest. So how cna the ordinary people tell the difference? It is not enough to tell our people that these three candidates are "saints". Prove themselves first.

But no, they did not take the route of introducing themselves first to our people as who they are as individuals. Instead, they immediately offered themselves as an option and make the people believe that what they say is who they are. The problem with Ang Kapatiran is that it is not capable of seeing things from the point of view of the masses. It does not shed its elitist character but instead magnifies it more.

Now that the candidates are not even appearing in the top 20, Mr. Montelibano tried to justify the wisdom of Ang Kapatiran's entry into the political fray. It will be very, very interesting to see what happens to the party after the counting.

Pilipinas kong mahal

2007-03-30T03:05:00.001-07:00

May ibang paraan pa

2007-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Sila ba ay makabayan o sila ba ay panggulo ng bayan?

Simulan natin sa OAKWOOD MUTINY. Mga junior officers ng militar, kinontrol ang Oakwood sa Makati para ipakita ang kanilang pagkadismaya sa kasalukuyang gobyerno.

Makalipas ang ilang buwan, ang former ATO chief, kinontrol ang NAIA tower, bilang protesta sa umiiral na sistema ng pamahalaan sa Pilipinas.

Tapos kahapon, nagpyesta nanaman ang media. Mga bata hinostage bilang pagtutol sa political dynasties at rampant stealing in government.

Sa tatlong insidente, kitang kita ang frustration sa klase ng pamamalakad ng mga pulitiko sa ating bansa. Masyado nang naipon ang frustration na iyon kaya napunta sa act of desperation. Gumawa na ng krimen para lamang maipahatid ang kanilang hinaing sa pamahalaan. Kung tutuusin, di naman sila mga ordinaryong Pilipino. Mga may kaya at may pinag aralan. Pero bakit humahantong sa karahasan ang frustrations nila? Isa lang ang nakikita kong dahilan, atensyon.

Alam na nating lahat na corrupt ang pamahalaan magmula sa mga ordinaryong empleyado ng gobyerno hanggang sa kataas taasang pinuno nito. Na puros pansariling interes lamang ang alam ng mga pulitiko. Pero may ginagawa na ba tayo para labanan at tutulan ito? O nagkikibit balikat na lang ba tayo at tinatanggap na ganun talaga ang kalakaran dito sa ating bansa? Para sa iba nating mga kababayan, napuno na ang salop. Gumawa na sila ng hakbang kahit labag sa batas. Justified ba ito? Para sa akin, sa kahit anong anggulo mo tignan, hindi justified ang mga ganitong pamamaraan. May ibang paraan pa upang makakuha ng atensyon.

Sa paggamit ng armas, di malayo na may maaaring mapahamak. Maaaring may mga buhay na madamay. May mga inosenteng masasaktan. Pero kailangan nila ng armas para sila mapansin. Kung magtatalumpati sila sa gitna ng kalye upang ipahayag nag kanilang saloobin, baka isiping may topak pa sila. Pero kung may hawak silang baril at granada, tiyak pyesta ang media.

Pero hindi naman kailangang may baril ka para mapansin ng media. Ang kailangan lang naman, magiging kakaiba ka. Be creative. May mga ibang pamamaraan pa upang maipahayag ang ating pagka dismaya. May ibang paraan pa upang makuha ang simpatya ng tao. Hindi natin kailangang magpapansin. Gumawa na lang tayo ng mga bagay bagay na kanilang mapapansin. Dapat ang atensyon, nasa isyu hindi sa tao. At kapag nagtanong ang media ng sino, wala silang makikitang kasagutan dito. Ganun dapat. May ibang paraan pa.

Bakit ngayon lang?

2007-03-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

Part of GOOD CITIZENSHIP is to admit ones mistake and to say sorry kung sino man ang nasaktan. Pero yung "sorry" ni Oreta, hindi naman talaga sorry iyon. May agenda yung "sorry" nya. Ang makabalik sa Senado.

Hindi ko pa napapanood yung ad ni Oreta. Madalang lang naman kasi ako magbukas ng tv. Nakakasuka kasing mapanood yung mga political ads. Kahit itong ad ni Oreta, wala akong balak na abangan. Ang akin lang sana matalo sya.

Nang matalo sya sa halalan noong 2004, napabalita na naging relihiyosa sya. Ganun? Kailangan bang ipagsigawan yon? Tapos noong napabalitang hindi sya mapapasama sa lineup ng opposition, biglang bumaligtad kasama si Sotto? Ano yun? Ganun ba talaga sila kagahaman sa pwesto? Walang prinsi prinsipyo, ang importante maupo sa pwesto. Dahil nangungulelat sa survey, ngayon may pa sorry sorry pa sya? Hellloooooooooo.....

Magsorry sya sa lelang nyang panot. Kung talagang sorry sya sa pagiging dancing queen nya, dapat noon pa nya ginawa, noong hindi pa sya nangangampanya. Noong sinasabing naging relihiyosa na sya. Kung talagang sorry sya, umatras na lang sya sa pagtakbo para hindi pag isipan na may iba syang motibo.

Yung nasa malakanyang naman, kaagad agad nag sorry dahil political survival nya ang at stake. Pero syempre alam natin na hindi sincere iyon. Naghahanap lang sya ng karamay. Para sa akin, kapag ang pulitiko ang nag sorry, mahirap tanggapin. Dahil alam ko may iba silang agenda.

Philippine Agenda

2007-03-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

Kakapanood ko lang ng episode ng Philippine Agenda, isang News and Public Affairs program ng channel 7. Mga ilang linggo na rin akong hindi nanonood ng tv. Ngayon lang uli at nakaka depress pa ang napanood ko.

Topic sa episode ng programa ang state of Philippine education. Siguro hindi na lingid sa kaalaman natin kung gaano ka talamak ang sistema ng edukasyon. We all know that there is so much to be desired in our educational system. Sa programa, nagkaroon ng mukha ang klase ng edukasyon meron tayo.

Naantig ako ng husto doon sa batang babae na 12 taong gulang na nasa grade 1 pa lang. Kailangan nya pang mamulot ng basura para may pang baon. Masigasig ang bata mag aral. Ayaw nyang mag absent. Aktibo sa klase kahit kulang sa timbang. Napa shit na lang ako ng sabihin ng nanay patitigilin na sya sa susunod na pasukan. Parang gusto na lang yatang pagkakitaan ng nanany yung anak. Di ko masyado nakuha yung dahilan kung bakit patitigilin yung bata.

Yung teacher tricycle driver bago at pagkatapos ng klase. Yung isang estudyante, amgtitinda muna ng pandesal sa umaga para may makain ang mga kapatid bago sya pumasok.

Inabangan ko kung ano ang io offer na solusyon ng programa. Ayun, nauwi sa boto. Ang sabi, pag isipan ng husto kung sino ang iboboto. Ako? Wala, wala akong maio offer na solusyon. Malalim ang ugat nito mula sa kariharap, pulitika, corruption. It is the state of our nation. Sa munting simulaing ito, nawa'y lumuganap ito at magtulong tulong tayong mapabuti ang kalagayan ng ating bansa.

Tatsulok

2007-03-24T21:18:00.001-07:00

pilipinas

2007-03-23T22:24:00.001-07:00

MONAY

2007-03-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

When I first saw the trailer of this movie, alam kong hindi sya maganda. Sa trailer pa lang, mukha siyang pito pitong pelikula. Out of curiousity, pinanood ko kanina. Di nga ako nagkamali.

I know Jun Urbano means well. He has a message to share to all of us. His call is for us to change by showing what is bad about us. He is sincere and that his intentions are pure. Unfortunately, he failed miserably.

Sobrang pangit talaga ng pelikula to the max. I don't even find their comedy funny. Some even borders into being insulting. The movie tries to appeal to our senses but the movie itself doesn't make sense at all. The plot is just too absurd.

The movie tries to show the kind of citizens that we are. That we are bad citizens. Mga pulis na nangongotong. Mga pulitikong kurakot. Taxi driver na mapagsamantala. Mga umiihi sa pader kahit may karatulang bawal umihi. Mga estudyanteng walang alam sa kasaysayan. Pinapakita ng pelikula ang mga mali sa atin bilang mga mamamayan. Pero pati yung pelikula, napakagandang halimbawa kung ano tayo, mediocre. The movie is soooooo mediocre. Wala ka man lang makakitaan ng attempt na mag stive for excllence. Yung tipong basta matapos lang, ok na. Walang karapatan ang pelikula na magsabi kung ano ang mali sa atin dahil yung pelikula mismo isang malaking pagkakamali. Taong 2007 na pero yung pelikula parang circa 70s pa. Ganun na lang ba talaga ang kaya natin?

Sayang ang pera. Sayang ang oras. Lahat sayang. Maganda sana ang intensyon kaya lang pati yung pelikula nagpe perpetuate ng culture of mediocrity.

The Elite Mindset

2007-03-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

Para sa post na ito, kung sino ang hindi masa, yun ang magiging definition ng elite. Yung ABC class, yung mga pa gimik gimik, yung mga nagkakape sa starbucks o figaro, yung nakakapasyal sa boracay at baguio, yung mga tumira sa ibang bansa at nagpalit ng passport, yung mga naging successful na OFW, basta alam nyo kung sino kayo. Kayo ang tinutukoy ko na mga elite sa post na ito.

Marami sa atin malaki ang malasakit sa bayan. May mga naglakbay o nangibang bayan sa atin at nakita natin ang progreso at kaibahan sa ibang bansa. Maayos. Malinis. May disiplina. Progresibo. Halong inggit at panghihinayang ang ating nadama. Bakit hindi ito magawa sa Pilipinas? Bakit hindi ito magawa ng mga Pilipino? Bakit kulelat tayo?

Alam natin na malaki ang problema ng Pilipinas. Masalimuot. Kumplikado. Malalim ang ugat. Lahat tayo may kanya kanyang opinyon. Gusto nating makatulong.

Sa mundo ng internet, napakaraming initiatives ang mga nakita kong binuo, binubuo at tiyak ko marami ang bububuin pa. Gusto nating maging bahagi ng pagbabago at makatulong sa pagtaas ng antas ng kabuhayan ng mga Pilipino. Walang masama doon. Katunayan, kahanga hanga yon. Pero ang tanong, sapat ba iyon?

Miyembro ako ng isang yahoo group, ang ofcouncil. Samahan ito ng mga Pilipino na mga naninirahan na sa ibang bansa. May mga OFWs din at mga Pilipinong nandito sa Pilipinas. Ika nga, sila/kami ay mga brdigebuilders, torchbearers at pledgekeepers. Walang masama. Ang problema, ang mindset. The elite are always looking at our national problem from their/our point of view. Yung point of view ng masa, yung mas nakakarami, hindi nakikita.

Mahaba haba rin ang pakikipagbalitaktakan ko sa grupo noong simula. Ang una kong tanong, how will the magtataho come into the picture. Ang sagot, if this initiatives becomes successful, then they will benefit from it or something to that effect. Trickle down effect, ika nga. Di ba napaka elitista ng mindset. Para bang sinasabi sa magtataho, maghintay ka lang at makikinabang ka rin.

May mga overseas fund, investment board at kung ano ano pang mga terminong mahirap unawaiin ng magtataho. Ngayon, napaka excited ng mga post nila tungkol sa binabalak nilang walk in clinics in every town. Again, walang masama. Ang tanong, will it make a difference? Kung ang magiging assumption ay ang pagiging sucessful ng initiative, of course, it will make a difference. So the next question is, will it succeed? I doubt it. I wish them success but I doubt if it will succeed. Masasayang lang ang lahat ng effort at resources nila. Mapupunta lang ito sa wala. Hindi ko pwede i post ito sa yahoo group nila at baka mabansagan pa ako ng crab mentality at kontrabida. So I will just keep my comments here in my blog.

Why do I think this initiative won't succeed? Because of the mindset. Marami na ang mga gumagawa ng iba't ibang initiatives. May pa donate donate ng libro, damit at kung ano ano pa. May mga nagtatayo ng eskwelahan. May tumutulong sa mga binagyo. Siyempre ang pinaka sikat, ang pagconduct ng mga medical at dental missions. Libreng gamot, libreng bunot, libreng tuli, libreng konsulta, libre lahat. Syempre yung nakatanggap ng libre tuwang tuwa. Yung nagbigay ng tulong, natuwa din dahil nakatulong sya. So lahat masaya. Pero may nabago ba? Wala. Sadly, the culture of mendicancy is perpetuated.

When we give something for free, "no strings attached", the "you have and I have none so you should give me" attitude is reinforced. My advocacy is to put strings when we give something. People who receive must take some form of responsibility. That responsibility is for them to become good citizens. Tell the masa to be part of change. The best time to inspire them to change is when they are on the receiving end.

What does the OFCouncil got to do with this since they are not really giving anything away? It's the mindset. It is not enough to say to ourselves that we did something for our country if we really want change to happen. The elite must go down to the level of the masses and see things from their point of view. The masses are also people. They have feelings and emotions. They need the respect and confidence. They should be part of the picture. If we don't see things from this perspective, nothing will really change.

Let us continue making donations and holding medical missions. Let us involve oursleves in various selfless initiatives. Let us continue to discuss what is best for our country. But let us involve the ordinary folks by making them take responsibility. They just can't be spectators and always on the receiving end. They should also do their share in nation building by becoming good citizens. And our responsibility is to inspire them to become such citizens.

Kapag Metro Guapo, Tao Ganado!

2007-03-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

Ito ang GOOD CITIZENSHIP campaign ng MMDA. Lagi kong napapanood sa sinehan yung film clip ng kampanyang ito. Maliban kay Atienza, bawat alkalde ng Metro Manila may dialogue sa film clip. Noong una kong napanood, ang unang pumasok sa isp ko, napaka aga namang mangampanya ng mga mayor ng Metro Manila.

Kapag mapapadaan ka sa mga malalaking lansangan, tiyak may makikita kang karatula ng Metro Guapo. This campaign is all about GOOD CITIZENSHIP. Pero may pumapansin ba? May sumusunod ba? Sa tingin ko wala. Sa mga nakakakita at nakakarinig ng kampayang ito, ang reaction nila, ala lang. Sa EDSA na nga lang, ang lalaki ng karatulang may nakasulat na WALANG TAWIRAN, NAKAMAMATAY pero, hala, sige, tawiran pa rin ng tawiran ang mga tao. Sadya nga ba talagang matitigas ang ulo ng mga Pinoy?

Hindi ko iku question ang sincerity ni Bayani Fernando sa kampanyang ito. Maganda ang nagawa niya sa Marikina. Kung kayang gawin sa Marikina, bakit di magawa sa buong Metro Manila o sa buong Pilipinas? Kaya naman talaga nating sumunod sa mga alituntunin. Mga Pinoy din naman ang mga nakatira sa Marikina, di ba? Pero bakit ang titigas ng mga ulo natin. Karamihan sa atin, mga pasaway. Kung susundin lang natin ang mga panawagan ng MMDA, magkakaroon siguro ng kaayusan sa ating paligid. Pero bakit walang pumapansin sa kampanyang ito ng MMDA?

Hula ko lang, dahil kampanya ito ng gobyerno. Walang tiwala ang mga tao sa gobyerno kaya't ang mga panawagan nito ay hindi pinapansin ng tao. Ibig sabihin, walang kredibilidad ang gobyerno. Baka isipin pa ng mga tao naghahanap lang sila ng pagkakagastusan para may makurakot.

Sa palagay ko, ano mang kampanya tungkol sa GOOD CITIZENSHIP ay mahihirapang ma internalize kung hindi ito sustained. Isa pa, ang problema ng GOOD CITIZENSHIP ay hindi lang sa METRO MANILA. Ito ay problema ng buong bansa. Kailangan ang maging target ng kampanya ay ang collective psyche ng mga Pilipino. HIndi uubra yung mga nasa Marikina o Naga lang. Para magkaroon ng impact dapat national ang scope. Isa pang importante aspesto ng kampanya, dapat faceless ito.

Noong isinama ang mga mayor ng Metro Manila sa kampanya, ala na. Simula pa lang sira na. Dapat faceless para hindi pag isipan ng agenda. Kaso hindi uubra sa mga pulitiko ang faceless dahil kahit ano ang mangyari, ilalagay at ilagay nila ang mga pagmumukha nila kahit saan mapa pader man o poste.

Sayang ang kampanyang ito. Pinagkagastusan pero di naman sineseryoso ng mga tao.

Hearts and Minds

2007-03-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Isang paumanhin kay mlq3 sa pagkopya ko ng title ng blog nya sa Inquirer. Hearts and minds ang labanan. Whoever can capture the imagination of the people, yun ang panalo.

Ang pagngangawngaw ni Norberto Gonzalez na ang mga partylist groups na BAYAN MUNA, GABRIELA, ANAKPAWIS na mga front ng komunista ay may batayan. Isang maka kaliwa si Gonzales bago sya napasok sa Malakanyang. Normal lamang na ide deny ito ng mga nabanggit na party list groups. Pero hwag na tayong maglokohan. Totoong mga front sila.

I was once a part of the underground left. Yung sense of nationalism ko ngayon doon nag ugat. Marami sa mga dating kasamahan ko sa kaliwa ngayon ay nasa main stream na. Nagulat nga ako ng marealize ko na si Malou Mangahas top executive na ng GMA samantalang noon isinisigaw namin sa kalye, "Palayain si Malou Mangahas!".

Anyway, maliit lang ang naging bahagi ko sa kilusan pero nakita ko kung paano sila nag o operate. Yung mga legal na organisasyon binubutasan. Ibig sabihin, magpapasok sila ng kaalyado nila at pilit iimpluwensyahan ang mga policies at patakaran ng legal na organization. Pilit nilang ipapasok ang kanilang influence hanggang makuha nila ang liderato. Habang ginagawa ang "pagbutas", may underground cell na gumagabay sa legal personality para magbigay ng political direction sa pagbutas. Ganun ang gawain. Ang gawain ay magbutas ng mga legal na organisasyon. Pero sa ngayon, ang pagtatayo na nang legal na organisasyon ang kanilang ginagawa.

My point being , may personal knowledge ako sa gawaing ito. But that was years ago. Pwede nilang sabihin na hindi na nila ginagawa ito, which I doubt. In the past two elections I voted for BAYAN MUNA. The vote is essentially a support in their participation in the electoral arena. I want that. I want them to join the mainstream.

Initially, BAYAN MUNA got three seats. I guess that was in 2001. I got suspiscious of their intentions when they branched themselves out to include GABRIELA and ANAKAPAWIS. Now there is a new one, the KABATAAN party list group. At this point, I realized na pera pera lang pala ang hanap nila. The pork barrel must have been so sweet that they wanted more.

At the height of the Batasan 6 issue, I engaged Rep. Teddy Casino in a discussion in their their blog with regards to my personal call for them to denoucne/renounce armed struggle. (The blog is not there anymore.) Rep. Casino's reasoning is essentially what Ina Alleco said in her blog. It is that it is the right of the people to defend themselves against an abusive regime. Parang scripted tuloy ang mga sagot nila. From legal point of view, syempre hindi sasabihin ng mga party list groups na ito na sinusuportahan nila ang armed struggle. Krimen yon. At the same time, hindi rin naman nila ito ide denounce.

Ang pinakamalaking proof ng "alliance" ng CPP/NPA/NDF with BAYAN MUNA and company ay ang existence ng AKBAYAN, SANLAKAS at PARTIDO NG MANGGAGAWA. The existence of AKBAYAN, SANLAKAS and PM is a reflection of the split in the underground. Kung hindi nagkaroon ng split, magkakaalyado ang mga leftist party list groups. Kaso kahit sila nagbabangayan. So wag na tayong maglokohan. May basis yung sinasabi na front lang ang mga party list groups at malaki ang posibiladad na ang underground left ay nakikinabang sa pork barrel ng mga party list groups.

Sa blog ng batasan 6, tinawag ko ang mga representatives nito na mga ipokrito. Bago pa man sila naupo sa kongreso, sinisigaw nila na ibasura ang pork barrel. Ngayong nakaupo na sila, naririnig pa ba natin sila sa panawagan na i scrap ang pork barrel? Ayun nagpapakasasa na rin sila sa pork barrel. Imbes daw na mapunta pa sa corruption yung perang nakalaan para sa pork barrel nila, might as well gamitin na lang sa kanilang mga proyekto. Palusot. Lubusan akong hahanga sa kanila kung hindi nila tataggapin ang nakakarimarim na pork barrel. Kaso nilamon na rin sila ng sistema.

At dito nag uugat ang lahat. Sinisikil ng gobyerno ang party list representatives dahil alam ng gobyerno na ginagamit lang ng party list groups na ito ang kanilang pork barrel para mapabagsak ang kanilang rehimen. Kung patuloy silang dadami sa kongreso, patuloy na lalaki ang kanilang pondo through the pork barrel. Sinasamahan pa ito ng pananakot at pagpaslang sa mga kaalyado ng mga party list groups na ito. Kaya ayon, gumugulo ng gumugulo ang sitwasyon. Ang reaksyon ng taumbayan? "Bahala kayo dyan kahit magpatayan pa kayo basta kami mas aabangan namin ang latest kay Kris, James at Hope."

This kind of reacton is simply a reflection of the kind of people we are, bad citizens. If we are good citizens, we will mass out in the streets to condemn these killings irregardless of who are being kllled. We will raise our collective voice to demand from government a resolution of the issue. But as a people, we don't. It needs foreign government, international organiations and even the UN to make these killings become a full blown global issue. And the left is obviously trying to extract whatever propaganda mileage they can get out of the issue. Naging katawa tawa pa tuloy ang sitwasyon. Ang kaliwa humihingi ng tulong kay Uncle Sam at nakikinig naman si Uncle Sam habang tayong mga ordinaryong tao ay mga miron lang. Pero mukhang kahit magmiron, hindi interesado ang nakakarami. Kasi karamihan sa atin wala naman talagang paki.

Wala tayong paki dahil nga kasi, most of us are bad citizens. Why we are bad citizens? Ibang usapan na yan. And to turn our people into becoming good citizens, we need to capture their imagination, we need to capture their hearts and minds.

Gold in Grass

2007-03-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

I met Ms. Lilia Pelayo, finance officer of Gold in Grass Corporation through ANG BAGONG PINOY. We've attended several meetings together. I know she is in the lemon grass business but never really got to know the details. Not until today when I went to Megamall to visit the National Trade Fair.

I am not exactly impressed with the products in this year's fair. Halos pare pareho lang every year. But this lemon grass business, I believe has a potential. Not that I am making sipsip to Lilia because I know her personally but I am truly convinced that I has a huge potential.

I know nothing about essential oils and its product derivatives. What struck me with this product is the technology that they employ. The machine used to extact the oil from lemon grass was invented by Lilia's brother. There are other available equipments that can extract the oil but in terms of efficiency and quality, the machine they use in Gold In Grass is much better. There were email offers coming from other countries to buy the machine but no, they are not selling. I begged Lilia and her brother not to sell the technology if other offers come along and they assured my that they won't sell. Keep it as ours, I pleaded them.

Their main issue right now is expansion. In as much as they would want to extract more oil from lemon grass, they are limited by the fact that the only have one extractor at this time. It costs more that P7M to build one extrator. I am not really sure about the economics of this since its a huge amount on capital outlay for one machine. Maybe Lilia is a better position to explain in terms of ROI.

There must be a huge potential here considering that the lemon grass anywhere where cogon grow. The lemon grass can be harvested within three months with a minimal input. Compared to rice production, there is more to earn in lemon grass. Well, I am speaking from what Lilia told me. But the most important thing here is the technology. The technology is ours. It's something that we should/could capitalize on.

National Trade Fair

2007-03-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

The National Trade Fair (NTF) is a yearly event organized by the Department Trade and Industries. If I am not mistaken, this has always been held at the Megatrade Hall at Megamall. NTF is the government's attempt to introduce small producers to a bigger market. Support is also given in terms of product development, product design and packaging. Small producers are usually those that have graduated from the level of micro/backyard enterprise. The customary buyers for this fair are exporters, department stores, specialty shops/stores and some foreign buyers. This week is another NTF week.

After visiting NTF every year for several years now, all I can say is that it's still all the same. Not much has changed. It's the usual stuff; bags, accessories, bamboo craft, weaves, packaged food, wood craft, furnitures. Since the time that I visited the NTF event, the only product that I know that was truly developed and has matured is the virgin coconut oil. After all these year, it's still the same kind of products year in year out, except for this one..

I am not really sure if the NTF is focused on mass produced/handicraft/labor intensive products but that is my impression since they are dealing with small producers. The NTF is suppose to be a showcase of Filipino ingenuity and creativity. Well, I'm not impressed. Pare pareho na lang yung creativity at ingenuity na nakikita ko. Sana may ma create tayo na product na makita mo pa lang, ang masasabi mo agad, "Wow, this is something new!" Kaso halos puro replay lang yung mga produkto.

My wish is sana maka create tayo ng global brand. Kung magawa nating global brand ang adobo bakit hindi natin gawin. Ang Thai restaurant dito hindi lang pinapasok ng mga Thai kundi pati mga locals and expats. Ang Filipino restaurants abroad ba pina patronize din ng mga locals at expats doon? Di ba kadalasan tayo tayo ding mga Pinoy ang tumatangkilik sa mga Pinoy restaurant. Since nagkalat na tayo sa buong mundo, hindi ba natin pwedeng turuan ang ibang nationalities na ma appreciate ang pagkain natin. Di ba masarap pakinggan kung sasabihin ng mga expats, "Let's have Filipino food for lunch." Hindi na lang yung puro Chinese, Japanese, French, Thai, Mexican food ang choice nila. Ewan ko kung ano ang kinalaman nito sa NTF pero sana meron tayong ganung mindset, pang global ang approach hindi iyong puro handicraft na lang.

Ewan ko kung may bagong technology na na imbento in terms of processing and production. Hindi naman kasi nakikita yun sa end product at usually iyon ang trade secret. But since pare pareho yung mga produkto, siguro walang bagong technology na naimbento, except for one. Siguro dapat mas mag focus tayo doon. Ewan ko kung na kopya na yung process nang paggawa ng virgin coconut oil sa ibang bansa pero I'm sure tayo ang naka develop ng process nun. Yung technology ng waterless fish hibernation, atin iyon. Pati din yung coconet technology. Yung mga ganito ang dapat natin i encourage at i develop. Yung mga bag, picture frames, fashion accessories na yan, kayang kayang gayahin yan sa China at bagsak presyo pa. Dapat ang mindset, ano yung di nila kayang gawin, ano yung hindi nila makokopya.

Sana ma transcend natin yung mindset na handicraft. Walang masama sa handicraft. Maraming nabubuhay dito. Ang akin lang naman, sana sige pa. May magagawa at madidiskubre pa tayo maliban sa handicraft.

Most corrupt economy in Asia

2007-03-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Balita pa ba ito?

Sa looban dito sa amin, may nahuling nagsa shabu session. May nakuha ang mga pulis na mga paraphernalia. Isa lang ang nadala sa presinto. Pagdating sa presinto, tawaran portion na. Ang unang hinihingi ng mga pulis P40,000 para hindi sampahan ng kaso. Saan kukunin yon nung pamilya ng nahuli eh hampas lupa lang sila. Hirap na nga sa buhay nagsa shabu pa. Ayun, natauhan siguro ang pulis at alam na di makakapagbigay nang ganung halaga ang pamilya kaya bumaba hanggang P3,000. Pera din yon.

Minsan, yung mga nagbi bingo dito sa may eskenita sa amin nabulabog. Pinagdadampot sila ng mga pulis. Illegal gambling daw. Yung limang nahuli pinagbayad ng P200 para walang kaso. Isang libo din yon, pang good time din sa beerhouse. Yun eh kung nagbabayad nga sila sa beerhouse.

May pulis dito sa amin ang sideline naglalakad ng kung ano mang papeles. Kailangan mo ng lisensya? Sa tamang halaga, sya na ang bahala. Ang ilaw, tubig at cable jina jumper. Ang magsumbong, maaabala para tumestigo sa korte. Kaaway mo pa lahat. Yung nagtatrabaho sa munisipyo, sya na mag aasikaso kung ano man ang kailangan mo, pang kape na lang ang katapat tutal kapit bahay naman.

Iba ang corruption na nagaganap na itaas. Iba din ang uri ng corruption na nangyayari dito sa amin sa ibaba. Sa amin barya barya lang. Sa taas, milyon ang pinag uusapan.

Sabi ni Alex Magno, ang solusyon daw dito, bureaucratic reform. Ano daw? Bureaucratic reform? Baguhin mo man ang sistema ng pamamalakad ng pamahalaan pero hangga't hindi nagbabago ang mindset ng mga taong nasa gobyerno, hahanap at hahanap yan nang butas para makapag sideline. Sila sila din naman ang gagawa ng mga patakaran at guidelines. Matagal nang problema yang corruption na yan. Kahit ano pang batas ang ipasa nila, itaga mo sa bato, walang magbabago. Malalim na ang pagkakabaon sa kultura natin ang ugaling maka isa, makalusot, maka lamang, maka daya, maka parte, at kung anu ano pang maka. Di naman kataka taka kung maging most corrupt tayo sa Asia.

Sa anggulo ng pagkamakabayan, halos wala tayo nito, nada, zero, bokya. Kung may pagmamalasakit man lang tayo sa bayan natin, magdadalawa o magsasampung isip muna tayo bago gumawa nang katiwalian. Kaso yung paggawa ng katiwalian parang automatic na yon. Sa amin na lang, yung mga pipitsuging pulis, suma sideline eh ano pa kaya kaming mga ordinaryong tao lang. Para bang nagkakaroon ng dahilan na gumawa ng kalokohan ang mga tao kasi yung mga awtoridad mismo, gawain nila ito. Pero kung yung mga nasa gobyerno meron man lang kahit katiting na pagmamalasakit sa bayan, magkakaroon sila ng kahit katiting na kahihiyan para gumawa ng kabulastugan. Huwag sasabihin ni Gloria na perception lamang ito. Corruption is a reality, tanggapin nya iyon.

Kaya ang solusyon ko sa corruption, GOOD CITIZENSHIP. Mga Pilipino pa rin ang mga nasa gobyerno. Kung mga good citizens sila, mababawasan at hindi magiging garapalan ang corruption. Kung tayong mga mamamayan namam ay magiging good citizens, hindi na natin tatangkilikin yung mga fixers na yan. Magtitiyaga tayong pumila. Kung mga good citizens tayo, hindi tayo magbibigay at tatanggap ng suhol. Kung mga good citizens tayo, hindi lang yung mga kamag anak natin ang bibigyan ng kontrata sa gobyerno. Kung mga good citizens tayo, hindi tayo magiging most corrupt nation in Asia. Tayo ang number one kasi nananaig sa kultura natin ang bad citizenship. Our country is in a mess because most of our leaders are bad citizens. Karamihan sa kanila hindi magandang example and they themselves help perpetuate the culture of corruption. If majority of our people are good citizens, chances are, we will have leaders who are good citizens. Then we won't be where we are right now. GOOD CITIZENSHIP is the answer.

In his Inquirer column, Jose Ma. Montelibano called this rating from PERC a national shame. From his point of view, it is a national shame. But I doubt if there is a collective feeling of national shame. The people in our neighborhood couldn't care less what this news is all about. The so called intellegentsia, do feel a lot of shame about this report. The people in Malacanang must also be shameful. But on a national scale, there is none. Why? Because we are bad citizens. Bad citizens won't be affected by such reports. For most of us, the report is just "so what?'.

At the end of his column, Mr. Montelibanno said, "This is the moment for Filipinos to realize that it is truly a change in character, from corruption to honesty, from falsehood to sincerity, from compromise to integrity, that is the ONLY way for a nation to cast away its national shame and regain national honor -- and attain progress as well. There is a hint of light in our dark tunnel with more and more Filipinos becoming more and more intolerant of corruption in their lives. Let us seize the moment and begin our journey towards the sun." I agree. So what's next? Is it just a paragraph to end a column or are we going to take concrete steps into that direction? Last December at the anti Cha cha rally, the Church said we need character change. Has the Church taken a concrete step into that direction? We all say we need to change our character. But has anyone, any group really taken this issue seriously?

GOOD CITIZENSHIP is part of the solution but we have to work on it, not just lip service.

M.O.N.A.Y.

2007-03-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

State of the "neysion" is de Quiros' Inquirer column today. I will not react with what he wrote. I will just post a personal email I wrote to Leo Martinez last March 6, 2007 regarding this movie M.O.N.A.Y. Up to this day, I am still awaiting for his response. No word from him even if just "I got your email" note.

The following is my email to him.

Dear Mr. Martinez:

A few days ago, I had the chance to view the trailer of the movie M.O.N.A.Y. which will be shown in theaters this month. I also heard a plug on the radio on this movie where you said "ang problema tayo mismo" or something to that effect. I agree with you. The problem is us.

Although many of us do recognize that a major cause of our woes is us, there isn't really a serious campaign to address this. The movie M.O.N.A.Y. is an obvious attempt to show what is wrong with us as a people. Unfortunately, I doubt if people will take the message seriously. It is the "comedy" aspect that they will see.

GOOD CITIZENSHIP is my personal advocacy. I believe this is part of the solution. Unfortunately, I simply can't find people who may be willing to work on this cause. Everybody seems too busy with their own advocacies. I am writing simply to make a connection. I feel that GOOD CITIZENSHIP is also your cause. I am just an ordinary Filipino who wants to do his share in nation building. I am just taking my chance that maybe we could build up a strategic campaign on a regular, nationwide and sustained basis to change the collective consciousness and mindset of Filipinos. What I envision is a large scale campaign but we can always start with something small and build it up from there.

Just taking my chance.

Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas,
Pinoy

There is also an email I sent to Mr. Harvey Keh in reaction to his open letter about leaving the Philippines. To date, no response. Nada. I really wonder what's wrong with the GOOD CITIZENSHIP advocacy. But this is where my heart is. I am most willing to discuss this advocacy but no one seems to care. It's a lonely road.

Another open letter

2007-03-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I made a post about this "open letter" phenomenon. Well, here is another one.

Cyber Istambay is obviously writing from his point of view. Well, most of the time, we always see things from our perspective. He rants about the kind of people we elect, He blames the "the system that brings us these shady characters". The he makes an appeal to see beyond characters and personality and to collectively respond for meaningful change.

Tell this to the magtataho and he'll give you a blank stare. The mangangalahig may not even know what an intellegentsia is. And Cyber Istambay wonders why we have become such a basket case in Asia? Don't look far. Part of the problem is us, the so called intellengentsia. We always see things from our perspective, from our point of view. Have we tried to see or explain why we can't get our act together in choosing the right leaders? Simply because the intellengentsia won't go down to the level of the mangangalahig. The intellegnetsia never tried to see things from the perspective of the mangangalahig. Tayong mga nag i internet, matatalino tayo. Laging may opinyon. Pero paki ba ng mas nakakaraming Pilipino na hindi alam kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng online.

It is good that Cyber Istambay made mention of the Pinoy DNA. That is what the intellegentsia and the mangangalahig have in common, the Pinoy DNA. I will call it our collective psyche. Walang mayaman at mahirap dito. Walang grade one lang ang natapos vs. may PhD. Kapag Pinoy ka, pare pareho ang Pinoy DNA natin. Iisa lang ang ating collective psyche. The solution must be viewed from this perspective. Walang matalino, walang bobo. Lahat pare pareho. Kaya ng ang advocacy ko GOOD CITIZENSHIP. Lahat tayo dito pare pareho. Yung kandidato, bad citizen sya kasi bumibili ng boto. Yung botante bad citizen sya kasi nagbebenta ng boto. Sa isyu ng citizenship, walang mahirap o mayaman. Yung collective psyche natin ang tina target. Minu mutate natin yung Pinoy DNA para manaig ang GOOD CITIZENSHIP. Once we've become good citizens, or at least a majority, then we can develop, evolve, formulate a system that will best lead us to our Dream Philippines. Baguhin man natin ang sistema o konstitusyon pero kung hindi naman tayo magbabago bilang mga PILIPINO, walang totoong pagbabagong magaganap.

Maagang suhulan and the NBI incident

2007-03-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

Dito sa amin sa looban, kapag tinatamad magluto, ang takbuhan, sa kanto para bumili ng lutong ulam. Kahapon habang napi piano ako ng mga kaldero, yung isa isa mong tinataas yung takip para malaman kung anong putahe ang laman, nagkakabiruan ang mga tao.

Sabi ng taga takal ng ulam sa karinderya, "alam ko kanino galing yang pera mo. Ah, iyan alam ko rin kung kanino galing iyan." Nagtaka ako kung ano yun pinagsasabi nya. Mga malulutong na P50 ang ibinabayad sa karinderya. Yun pala, may mga pulitikong namimigay ng pera at sa gabi ito nagaganap. Sa loob loob ko, sana matalo yung namudmod ng pera para madala. Kapag nanalo ang pulitikong ito, tiyak mahigit sampung beses pa siguro ang balik ng pinuhunan niya sa panunuhol at pangangampanya. Siyempre yung mga taong nabiyayaan syempre natuwa pero sana pag isipan nila ng husto kung sino ang iboboto nila.

Ganito ang realidad sa looban. Mag sasanto santohan ba ako at sasabihin sa mga tao na huwag tanggapin ang pera? Baka ang isagotlang nila sa akin, "Sino ka? Mapapakain mo ba ang mga anak namin?" Kaya ayun, mere spectator lang ako sa garapalang pamumudmod ng pera ng mga pulitiko. Kung mag isa lang akong magsasalita sa lugar namin di iyon uubra. Ang pangungonsensya, di pwedeng pa isa isa. Collective dapat ang approach. Ganun ang target ko sa GOOD CITIZENSHIP na kampanya. A strategy that will collectively influence the Filipno psyche.

Which reminds me. Almost a year ago, I tried to take a photo of the tattered flags displayed at the NBI headquaters head office along Taft Ave. I was accosted by NBI agents and was brought inside the compound for interrogation. Their first question, after verifying my identity, was why I was doing what I was doing. I just told them that it just doesn't feel right everytime I pass by their building, I see our tattered flags still on display. Their follow up question was, "Sino ka? Anong klaseng makabayan ka?" Or something to that effect. For almost two hours, I was passed around various offices before they finally let me go after being convinced that I am not a terrorist or an enemy of the state. That I was merely trying to expose a practice of bad citizenship, displaying tattered flags.

The whole incident simply validated my view of what we are as a people. Na bad citizenship ang nangingibabaw sa atin. Wala tayong paki kahit araw araw nating nakikita yung madumi at punit punit na watawat natin. Hindi natin pinpahalagahan ang ating sagisag tapos magtataka pa tayo kung bakit ganito ang bansa natin. We need to raise our morale as a people. Kaso ang ginagawa natin hilaan tayo ng hilaan pababa. Na tayo ang tama at yung kabila ang mali. We never tried to find a common ground. GOOD CITIZENSHIP is our common ground. But it seems there is no one out there who wants to take this issue seriously.

Sinubukan kong "magpakabayani" sa NBI pero hindi sila makapaniwala na ginawa ko lamang yung ginawa ko dahil sa pagmamahal ko sa bayan ko. Hindi na ako nagpakabayani habang pinag uusapan ang pamumudmod ng pera ng mga pulitiko. Pag nagsalita ako, tiyak pagtatawwnan lang ako. May ibang paraan pa.

The pledge card

2007-03-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Ano kaya kung bawat isa sa atin ay may pledge card. Ang pledge card na ito ay lagi nating dala at araw araw binabasa upang maisa puso ang mga nilalaman. Ka size nito yung atm para kasyang kasya sa wallet. Sa isang side ng pledge card, nakasulat ang
Panatang Makabayan

Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas
Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan
Ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi
Ako’s kanyang kinukupkop at tinutulungan
Upang maging malakas, maligaya at kapakipakinabang

Bilang ganti, diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang
Susundin ko ang tuntunin ng aking paaralan
Tutuparin ko ang mga tungkulin ng isang mamamayang
Makabayan at masunurin sa batas
Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan ng walang pag iimbot
At buong katapatan

Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na Pilipino
Sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa.

Sa kabilang side naman ay ang Sumpa Ko...

Parang ganito ang nilalaman ng Sumpa Ko side,

Sumpa ko,
1) Igagalang ko ang watawat at aawiting ng buong puso ang Pambansang Awit.
2) Tatangkilikin ko ang gawang Pilipino at ipo promote ko pa ito sa ibang bansa.
3) Ako ay matitipid at mag iimpok.
4) Lagi kong paghuhusayin ano man ang gawain.
5) Hindi ako mandaraya, manlalamang o mang iiisa.
6) Sa lahat ng usapan, ako ay darating sa takdang oras.
7) Hindi ako magkakalat o magtatapon ng basura kung saan saan lang.
8) Lagi akong pipila at hindi makikipag unahan.
9) Ang mga turista ay aking igagalang at hindi pagsasamantalahan.
10) Tutulong ako sa mga nangangailangan sa abot ng aking makakaya.
11) Hindi pwede ang pwede na. Kailangan da best.
12) Hindi ko iboboto ang mga trapo na pansariling kapakanan lang ang pinapahalagahan.
13) Hindi ako mangsusuhol at hindi magpapasuhol.
14) Hindi kailanman ikahihiya ang pagka Pilipino ko.
15) Igagalang ko ang opinyon ng ibang tao.

Pwede pang baguhin, bawasan o dagdagan.

Tapos i sponsor na lang ng mga malalaking kumpanya ang pag imprenta nito kung saan pwede nila ilagay ang pangalan at logo ng kumpanya nila. Siguro kahit papaano magkakaroon ito ng collective effect sa ating mga Pilipino na magkaroon tayo ng character change. Mas maganda pa siguro kung may versions ito ng iba't ibang major languages sa atin. Hahanapan ko ng paraan upang magkaroon ito ng katuparan.