Pahiyas 2011

Karaniwan sa mga litrato na nakikita ko sa Pahiyas ay kinuha sa umaga. Pero sa bisperas pa lang ng pyesta, maaari nang maglibot at mag-obserba ng mga bahay na tapos na ang pagkakagayak o ginagayakan pa lamang. Siguro matatawag natin itong Pahiyas-by-night

Sa araw ng pyesta, eto ang itsura ng mga bahay. Ang Pahiyas ay dinaraos sa pyesta ni San Isidro Labrador na patron ng mga magsasaka. Sa isang banda, ang Pahiyas ay parangal din sa mga magsasaka at manggagawang bukid.



Pero hindi lahat ng bahay ay nakikisabay sa tugtog, ika nga. Meron ding mangilan-ngilang bahay na walang gaanong gayak tulad na lang nitong nakuhanan ko ng litrato. Sa halip, ang ginawa ng may ari ng bahay ay naglabas ng sound system upang mabigyan ng musika ang kapaligiran. Kaya lang, nang nasa lugar ako na kung saan matatagpuan ang bahay na ito, ang tinutugtog ay isang jazz version ng kantang "Our Love Will Go On" mula sa sineng Titanic.

Hindi ko hinangad na mapakinggan ng buo ang tugtuging ito kaya umalis kaagad ako sa lugar na yon. Iniisip ko siguro mahilig sa mga barkong lumulubog ang may ari ng bahay na ito. Kung ganito nga, siguro naka line up pa na tugtugin ay ang We May Never Love Like This Again mula sa sineng Poseidon Adventure at yong awit na the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.




Isa sa nakita kong display ay ang saging na ito na may bungang nyog. Naalala ko tuloy na minsan
ay may nakausap akong matanda na nagbabalik tanaw sa nakalipas na panahon na kung saan maginhawa raw ang buhay. Ayos lang naman ang ganitong pag-iisip kaya lang nang sabihin nya na noon daw ay may mga punong may iba-ibang bunga, ang naisip ko ay "Aba, e loko yata ito ei!"


Maganda at masayang okasyon ang Pahiyas at certified na pang-akit ito ng mga turista. Ang kailangan lang siguro ay mas mabisang matugunan ng mga otoridad ang problemang dala ng tagumpay ng kaganapang ito tulad ng matinding traffic at kakulangan ng matutuluyan ng mga turistang dumayo pa mula sa malayong lugar.

Graveyard of Culture

Someone told me about a biodiversity exhibit at the National Museum partly supported by the French Embassy and suggested I see it if I want to see how the French Government supports science cooperation projects here in the Philippines.


I did go but I was a little disappointed to see that when I got there, there was hardly anyone apart from me viewing the said exhibit. Not that the exhibit was really worth a special visit especially with an entrance price of P100.00 to the museum. Actually it was a free day when I went since it was a Sunday but even so the free entrance could not make the people come in.



While walking alone inside the deathly quiet corridors of the museum leading to the exhibit, it occurred to me that in our country, the National Museum serves more like a graveyard of our culture instead of a venue of mental enrichment.

I don't think people are to blame. In our country Culture has mostly been the preserve of the privileged and the rich. The ordinary people have far pressing problems to attend to and maybe they simply refuse to become props for the privileged few's illusion and social self pleasuring.

I can imagine how the organizers have gathered during the launch of this exhibit, agreeing about the importance and relevance of the exhibit's subject, toasting to their accomplishment and forgetting everything as soon as the ribbon is cut.

The Big News Today

Photo sourced from Yahoo news image

Not only Americans but everyone and anyone who loves freedom and democracy can rejoice and heave a sigh of relief at the permanent elimination of terrorist OBL. Finally, justice has come to his thousands of victims whose only fault were to be in the wrong place when he sowed his terror.

But justice should not just be the preserve of a people of a nation that happens to be the mightiest in the world with the capability to demolish life on this planet would its leaders please to do so.

There is a people too of a weaker nation who cry for justice in relation to the September 11, 2001 terror attack. A people whose country was invaded and ruined on the basis of a lie by a reckless and enraged former leader of this same mighty nation that now savors the joy of justice.

This leader lied to his people and the world to rain death and destruction on a hapless and innocent people with nothing to do with what he accused them of. His lie led to the loss of lives many many times more than what Bin Laden had taken and it plunged the living into a life of deep misery and poverty. Surely these people too deserve justice.

Americans lost a building but this people lost a nation. How will they ever get justice?

For the world to heal, justice must cover all.

Mayo Uno....

Para sa mga relihyoso, ang araw na ito ay simula ng panahon ng pilgrimahe tulad sa Simbahan ng Antipolo para sa Ina ng Kapayapaan at Mabuting Paglalakbay o kaya naman ay sa Manaoag, Pangasinan para magdasal sa Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Manaoag.


Ngunit para naman sa mga militante,ang araw na ito ay ang pagdiriwang ng Pandaigdigang Araw ng Manggagawa kung kaya sila ay nagtitipon tipon sa lansangan upang igiit ang kanilang mga kahilingan habang nagwawagayway ng bandila na karaniwan ay pula.

Image sourced from Yahoo Image Search

Saan kaya mas mabisang manawagan? Sa langit o sa pamahalaan?