Welcome to the Philifuns

I have no doubt that the Department of Tourism had very carefully thought about this new slogan.

But I have just one question:

If it is really more fun in the Philippines, why do Filipinos want to leave their country in droves?

Can rape be ok? I blame the media

I don't think I am a judgmental person and I even thought I had a wide tolerance for ideas that do not coincide with mine. But the other night I almost stormed out of a conversation I was having with a driver of an FX vehicle while on the way to Ortigas.

At first the driver was just complaining about life's difficulties. To be polite, I nodded in agreement and even expressed my fear of future increases in the prices of basic goods and services. Encouraged by my response, he then went on to express his unsolicited views of things which made me wonder where he got his information and ideas.

First he blamed former President Cory Aquino and her supporters for being responsible for the high cost of electricity today because she "gave" back MERALCO to the Lopezes. For him it was only right that then President Marcos confiscated MERALCO from the Lopezes because according to him the latter owed the former dictator a huge amount that they could not pay back.

I knew right then that our conversation was going nowhere so I cut back on my chit chat and simply grunted an interjection of "is that so?" from time to time.

From there he proceeded to tell me of his time in Kuwait working as a waiter in a Japanese military base. He told me of the time when Iraq invaded Kuwait and the atrocities he witnessed committed by the invading Iraqi soldiers.

Among the things he witnessed was the rape of Kuwait women done openly on the streets and which he watched with his companions from their place of hiding.

My mistake was to ask if he knew of Filipinas having been raped. He said he did not personally witness any but he was sure there had been such rapes that happened in other cities.

What jolted me though was his comment that Filipinas who were raped were "lucky" because they were amply compensated by the Kuwait government for their ordeal and they became rich. He also said that those Filipinas probably did not mind what happened to them as what they experienced might have satisfied their natural urges as well.

I could not believe what I was hearing. I told him that rape is a horrible ordeal and that I don't think there is any amount that can compensate for it. There were other women passengers in the FX and I felt ashamed that I was in that kind of conversation with the driver. I just shut up and thought of just getting off the vehicle and walk the rest of my way to my destination. As I was late for my appointment though, I just decided to sit it out and tried to change our topic.

Reflecting on this incident, I was reminded that he was not the only man on the street that I had talked to with very strange ideas although his was especially repugnant. I once witnessed two people debating whether clouds can be higher than the moon. I also talked to a former seaman who believed that in the old days, trees can bear different kinds of fruits and that there were islands with caves that open and close which are used by sea pirates to hide their ships and loot.

The question in my mind was how many people think like these trio of crackpots(?) and how can adult Filipinos get to have such kind of thinking?

As I try to answer this question, I can only blame media for their failure to help upgrade and develop the quality of our minds. The big three broadcast media use the news to pursue profit and not to properly inform and educate the viewers. Thus in their attempt to attract viewership that will translate into ad revenues, they draw no line between items of public interest and showbiz entertainment. They focus on the sensational instead of the intellectual. They do not distinguish fact from fiction such as when they feature seers and fortune tellers speaking as authorities in their supernatural field.

In their greedy pursuit of profit, media has seriously damaged our mental infrastructure. We should not let them go on with this anymore.

Firecracker injuries

(Poisoning the air we breath as a way to celebrate the New Year? photo taken from internet)


Every year the government through the Department of Health never fails to remind people to be careful in using firecrackers especially the prohibited ones- but always to no avail.

Given the number of injured, maimed or killed every year plus the untold harm to the environment caused by the release of toxic and noxious gases from exploding firecrackers, it is time that the Department of Health and even the Department of Natural Resources call for a total ban in the use of all pyrotechnics.

What government should do is not just to warn people about the dangers of firecrackers but to educate the people on why firecrackers should go.

Part of the task of weaning people from this deeply entrenched practice is to explore alternatives or to create new rituals to greet the New Year. There are already areas in the country that have done this such as in Davao or in some barangays where people have opted for a communal Noche Buena.

All those opposed to the use of firecrackers such as members of environmental or animal welfare organizations should help the government in this effort.

And the time to act is now, not only towards the end of the year.

On a related matter, I find it outrageous that most of the time when news reporters feature people injured by firecrackers, especially the illegal ones, they focus on the pain and financial difficulty of the victims but not on how they came in contact with the illegal fireworks and whether anything was done to apprehend the culprits who sold or used them that led to their accident.

This year, more than twenty people were reported killed by stray bullets. Those who fire their guns in the air to celebrate anything are criminals and have no place in a free society. I hope government does its best to apprehend these people.

That which has happened...

(Sendong aftermath, photo taken from internet)

The New Year is a time to hope. It gives us a chance to make a new beginning and a chance to do things right.

It was indeed a great tragedy that typhoon Sendong visited our country towards the end of this year and wrought so much death and destruction. But it was not Sendong who cut the logs that angrily wiped out communities. It was not Sendong who ignored the warning of scientists about the danger of living on geohazard areas.

While we have no way of escaping from the fury of Mother Nature, we certainly can temper her destructive wrath. That is if we learn our lessons and do the right things.

That which has happened is a warning. To forget it is guilt. (Karl Jaspers, German philosopher)

Maangas na paalala ni PNoy sa mga mahilig magpapaputok sa Bagong Taon

(larawan kinuha sa internet)

Mga kababayan, aking mga Boss, makinig kayo sa sasabihin sa inyo ng inyong Pangulo.

Nalalapit na naman po ang pagtatapos ng isang taon at tayo ngayon ay naghahanda sa pagsalubong sa isa na namang darating na puno ng pag-asa.

Muli, ako po ay nananawagan na sana ay salubungin ninyo ang darating na taon na ito sa mas ligtas at mas responsableng paraaan.

Sa mga alipin ng tradisyon at superstisyon na naniniwala na ang pagpapaputok ang nagtataboy sa kamalasan, paalala lang po na huwag kayong gumamit ng mga ipinagbabawal na paputok at baka kayo ang malasin. Kung maari nga ay humanap na lang kayo ng ibang paraan upang mag-ingay at magsaya.

Nariyan naman po ang torotot, tambol, kalembang at kung anu-ano pang paraan ng pag-iingay kasama na ang karumal dumal na karaoke. Huwag n’yo lang po kalimutan na maligo dahil hindi naman po maganda kung kayo mismo ang may putok sa Bagong Taon.

Binabalaan ko rin po ang sinumang nagbabalak salubungin ang bagong taon sa pamamagitan ng pagpapaputok ng baril. Mga pinaputukan kayo ng tilapya!@@#$#!! Kapag ginawa ninyo ito, makaaasa kayo na tutugisin ko kayo sa buo ng aking makakaya. Hindi ako nagbibiro. Kung presidente nga naipakulong ko, e kayo pang mga kriminal na duwag at adik sa kayabangan.

Sabi po ng aking mga kalaban sa politika, ako daw ay may pagkadiktador. Hindi po totoo yan dahil kung ako lang sana ang masusunod, ang mga mahuhuling gumagamit ng bawal na paputok o baril ay hindi ko lang basta basta ipakukulong. Sa halip ay ipadadala ko sila sa Cebu Provincial Jail para doon sila ay piliting magsayaw ng walang tigil sa tugtog ng 'Fireworks' ni Katy Perry . Tingnan lang natin kung hindi nila isumpa kahit ang magsindi lamang ng posporo pag naranasan nila ito.

Hindi ko po maintindihan kung bakit hindi maintindihan ng marami sa ating mga mamamayan na ang nakagawiang pagsalubong sa Bagong Taon sa pamamagitan ng paputok ay hindi na angkop sa panahon ngayon at dapat nang baguhin.

Mahirap bang unawain na ang perwisyo ng paputok ay idinadamay ang lahat, maging ang hindi gumagamit nito?

Kitang kita naman natin kung paano nababalot ng nakasusulasok na usok ang kapaligiran tuwing sasapit ang bagong taon., Paano na ang mga may sakit na nahihirapang huminga? Paano na ang mga alagang hayop na walang panlaban sa matinding ingay na gawa ng paputok? Naisip ba ninyo kung ano ang epekto ng usok na inyong pinakawalan sa pag-init ng mundo at pagbabago ng klima? Kung wala kayong paki-alam dito, huwag ninyo kalilimutan sa susunod na matinding bagyo, habang kayo ay paanod anod sa malalim na baha na ‘you deserve it!’.

Mahirap makakawala sa mga nakaugaliang paraan. Ngunit kung para naman ito sa ating kapakanan, hindi po ba dapat lamang ay gawin natin ito. Kung makahingi pa naman kayo ng pagbabago sa pamahalaan ay parang KAYO na ang kampeon sa pagbabago. Ngayon, meron kayong pagkakataon na ipakita ito sa pagbabago ng paraan ng pagsalubong ninyo sa bagong taon.

Kung magagawa ninyo ito, anong hamon na kinakailangan ng pagbabago ang hindi ninyo makakayang harapin? Umaasa ako na magagawa ninyo ito pagkat sa totoo lang, mababago lang natin ang ating bansa sa pagbabago ng ating sarili.

Hanggang dito na lang po at maraming salamat.

Happy New Year!

Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all

WIP

wip

Ano ba ang maganda sa Pinoy

Habang inaantay ko na tumigil ang ulan sa kainan sa Fort Bonifacio Mountain Trail, nabaling ang pansin ko sa Christmas decor sa isang lugar na pinagpapahingahan ng mga sundalo at bikers.


Naisip ko kung ano kaya ang ganda na nakita ng mga gumawa ng dekorasyong ito kesa sa pinanatili na lang nilang malinis ang lugar na iyon.

Ano nga ba ang maganda sa paningin ng mga Pinoy? Ganito ba?

Para sa akin sapat na sana ang mga puno at halaman para maging maayos at maganda ang isang lugar. Hirap akong unawain kung paano kaya sa tingin ng iba ay maganda ang magsabit ng mga kung anu-anong palawit, masabi lang na yon ang gayak para sa pasko. Paano kaya naging maganda ito?

Sa mga larawan at sa ilang mga pagkakataon ay nakakakita tayo ng mga lugar na sinasabi nating tunay na kay ganda. Maaaring hindi natin magagaya ito pero gaya nga ng narinig ko sa isang matalinong tao, Kalinisan ang simula ng Kagandahan.

Paano kaya maipapaunawa sa mga tao ito?

Removing our "Corona" of Thorns

I hail the members of Congress who voted to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. Their action does not signify an unmerited attack on a co-equal branch of government as the Chief Justice claims. Rather, their action represents a people’s desire to restore the credibility of the Supreme Court and straighten out the judiciary.

With the looming trial of former president Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for electoral sabotage, there is a need to ensure that the justices who will ultimately decide her fate be above suspicion of partiality. The ideal situation would have been for the justices who were appointed by Mrs. Arroyo to have enough decency and delicadeza to voluntary inhibit themselves from continuing with their function or even to quit their post. However, in the evident lack of these virtues from these justices, the people have the right, through their elected representatives to take the proper action to protect their institution and interest.

Chief Justice Corona misleads the people by encouraging the fallacious idea that at stake is the integrity and independence of the judiciary which is being attacked by the executive and legislative branches of government for purely political reason. In effect, he wants a domain wherein he reigns supreme and unchallenged whatever his comportment and decisions may be. Towards this end, he rallies Supreme Court employees to stand behind him in his fight.

But Supreme Court empoloyees are Filipinos too. Their ultimate duty is not to the Chief Justice but to their country. They have no obligation to listen to him if they are not so inclined.

It is an arduous and uphill struggle versus the forces of selfishishness and unpatriotism to strive for a clean and honest government. At this point in our struggle, if we are to succeed, we must get rid of our “Corona” of thorns.

Fidelisms

Where there are bad roads...

(Napindan, Brgy. Cinco Road, Taguig City)
There are bad leaders.


Where there is grim poverty.

(photo downloaded from internet)

There are poor leaders.