Good Buys at the Likha ng Central Luzon Trade Fair 2013 (Oct 23-28)

1. Biscocho (Liza's) and carabao milk pastillas (Marissa's) - Bulacan
2  Tempura like fried crispy mushrooms (Mom's Haus of Mushroom)- Bulacan
3. Sesame seed candy (Sonia's Sweets)- Zambales
4. Greaseless peanuts (Edelyn's)- Pampanga

At least these are the items I will gladly buy again if I see them again in the future.

There were other items that I bought like the smoked mullet (banak) from Bataan, mango leather and bamboo shoot pickles from Zambales and spiced cane vinegar from Tarlac. They were not bad but not specially good either. What I forgot to buy was the chili sauce made in Nueva Ecija which was reasonably good and well packaged.

In the crafts and furniture section, except for the molave root mortar and pestle from Aurora, I did not remember seeing anything remarkable.  There were craft animals made from rice straws being sold at the Munoz City (Nueva Ecija) booth but the craftsmanship was shoddy. As for the wood furniture I saw, I wished that government will give them greater design and technical assistance to help participants come up with more attractive items.

For health reasons, I passed up the chance to buy a kind of pork chicharon from Nueva Ecija which was called inantala. It was the first time I saw this food item but I assumed its name was derived from the procedure of interrupting (antala) the cooking process so that the chicharon can be cooked to finish whenever by the end consumer..

Government sponsored trade fairs are a great way for the entrepreneurs to get exposure for their products. But for many of the products I saw,  I hope the government can also help the entrepreneurs package and develop their products better. For the food products, I hope government can also come up with standards of quality to guide manufacturers and consumers alike.

Central Luzon or Region III is made up of the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales. I hope I remember my geography right and did not miss a province.

pagbitiw sa isang blog

Dahil matagal na rin naman natutulog ang isang blog na sinimulan ko noong nag-aaral pa ako ng wikang pranses, naisip ko na lang na permanente na itong patulugin.

May tatlong pakay sana ako para sa blog na iyon. Una ay maging daan sana ito para sa mas madaling pag-aaral ng pranses. Pangalawa ay alamin kung sa ano anong paraan makikita ang impluwensya ng kulturang pranses sa mga Pinoy at sa Pilipinas. Pangatlo, subuking makuha ang magaganda at kapaki-pakinabang ng idea mula sa France.

Nakakahinayang rin dahil pinag aksayahan ko rin naman ng panahon at pag-iisip yon. At may mga souvenir pictures din doon kasama ng mga kaibigan. Sana kung magkakaroon ako ng pagkakataon para buhayin ito kasama pa ng ibang interesado sa relasyong Pilipinas at Pransya, ay muli kong mabuhay ang blog na ito.

(Ang mga nakaibigan ko sa klase. Kahit tumigil na rin ako sa pag-aaral ng pranses, minsan hinahanap hanap ko rin ang naging masayang samahan namin. )

Manipesto ng Botanteng Pilipino

Ako ay botanteng Pilipino.

Batid ko na sa aking boto ay nakasalalay ang kinabukasan ng aking bayan.

Ano man ang antas ko sa buhay, ang aking boto ay kasing halaga sa boto ng iba, maging sila man ay dukha o naka-aangat.

Pagkat sa batas at halalan ng aking bayan, ang lahat ay pantay pantay.

Isang tao. Isang boto.

Bilang Pilipino, pangangalagaan ko ang dangal at linis ng aking boto.

Pag-aaralan at pag-iisipan ko ng maigi kung ang aking mga ihahalal ay may sapat na kakayanan upang mamuno sa bayan at kung sila ay matapat at mapagkakatiwalaan.

Malaya akong boboto ayon lamang sa aking konsyensya

Lalabanan ko ang sinumang susubok na dungisan ang aking boto o magtatangka na nakawin ito.

Tututulan ko ang sinumang mangangahas na bilihin ang boto ko o magdikta sa akin kung sino ang dapat kong piliin.

Sila ay mga kaaway ng bayan at kalayaan. Ipagtatanggol ko ang aking boto laban sa kanila.

Ako ay botanteng Pilipino.

Malaya. Matuwid. Marangal

Holy-dap: Bagong modus ng mga kriminal

  ("Crime and Punishment" - Mula sa collage series People and Power: 16 Views of Malacanang ni VFG)


May bagong modus ngayon ang mga taong nanghihingi ng pera sa mga pasahero ng jeep. Dati mamimigay lang sila ng sobre at susundan kunyari ng dasal, caroling o kaya ay pangaral mula sa bibliya.

Pero kailan lang, sa sinasakyan kong jeep, yong nagbigay ng sobre ay maangas na tinawag ang pansin ng mga pasaherong hindi siya pinapansin at sinabing pakinggan ang sasabihin niya.

Kunwari ay nangangaral siya pero ang kanyang sinasabi ay may kahalong pananakot tungkol sa masamang nangyayari daw sa mga taong mas pinapahalagahan ang pera ng higit pa sa salita ng diyos. Matagal siyang nagsalita tungkol sa mga pasaherong nasasaksak ng holdupper at napapatay dahil sa pagpapahalaga nila sa mga materyal na bagay, Paulit ulit nyang binabanggit ito at malinaw na ang pakay niya ay manakot. Ewan kung may kasabwat sya na maglalabas ng panaksak o baril kapag wala pa rin pumansin sa kanya. Nang makakita kasi ako ng pagkakataon na bumaba ng sasakyan, bumaba na ako.

Gusto ko sana isumbong sa pulis ang nagaganap sa jeep pero wala naman akong makita sa oras na kailangan ko lumapit sa kanila.

Dapat kasi ay hindi na pinabayaan ang ganitong aktibidad kahit noong pa aral aral pa lang sila kunyari. Halata namang panloloko ito. Ngayon tuloy ay nag level up na sila at nanakot na ng mga masasamang bagay sa mga pasahero.

Nahold up na ako minsan sa loob ng jeep at natutukan ng baril. Para sa akin, bago pa man makapanakit ng mga inosenteng tao ang mga ito at maisakatotohanan ang kanilang pananakot. dapat unahan na sila ng ating mga alagad ng batas.

A Park will rise here

It has been a while since I passed by the south end of the C6 road but when I happened to bike there recently, I was glad to learn that the local government of Taguig City is turning the south end portion of that place into a park. The C6 area which is on the edge of the Laguna de Bai  offers a wonderful view of the lake and has a great potential for becoming a tourist draw. I wish that eventually, the entire seven kilometer stretch of the dike area along C6 will be turned into a park. I was concerned before that the government was not doing anything to conserve or preserve the place which seemed to be degrading due to encroachment of informal settlers and unplanned development.

My hope for this park however is to become a world class national park that can compete in beauty with other famous parks in the world. This can even be a legacy of the Aquino Government to the people and I would not mind if we call this the "Matuwid na Daan" Park.

Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur

People want to be fooled, so let them be fooled. (translation for the title)

                               (photo taken from internet)

This is what I can say to people who came to the Ayala Million People March that was attended by less than three thousand people.

If there was a message that can be gleaned from that rally, it was the rejection by the people of mercenary activism and the career activists who led the rally. People did not just stay away from it, they watched with hostility and contempt, wary and suspicious of the organizers true intent.

One of the organizers even withdrew her support for  the rally at the last minute calling some of her fellow organizers users.

For so long and in the spirit of freedom of expression and free speech, people have tolerated the noisy disruptive antics of the professional militants mostly from the left. Now however, people seem to be more discerning and refused to be used or fooled by them.

There was one strange thing at the rally though. The golden pig that was supposed to symbolize the hated pork barrel had lost its nose and so did not really look like a pig. What happened? Instead of symbolizing the pork barrel, this animal aptly portrayed the militants who simply want people to conform to their version of  reality.

Alliance of the Dark Forces

   (original pictures sourced from the internet)

The Pork Barrel Scam did not come to light on its own. It was exposed because people wisely voted for a basically good man who appointed upright people who did their jobs dutifully and courageously. It is therefore the height of irony and malice if some people now assail the President for speculated abuses and misuse of funds under his office instead of hounding those who are implicated by evidence in the scam.

It seems that there are three groups who are engaged in this sinister enterprise and all have spurious motives.

The first group is the militant left which is committed and determined to bring down government by all means and at all cost in the hope of seizing power.

The second group is composed of the plundering politicians and their allies who would like nothing more than to muddle the issue and burn the house down as a way of getting away with their crimes.

The third group is the tainted churchmen who could not find it in their hearts to forgive and reconcile with President Aquino not for any sin he committed but for espousing the matuwid na daan vision that exposed the bankruptcy of their morality.

The pork barrel scam has gone beyond the issue of corruption into a morality battle between good and evil. The public should be discerning and reject these three groups if they ever want to see anyone punished for the pork barrel scam and to have a truly clean government.

Sex Scandal

Minsan habang nasa isang inuman ako, naging pulutan ang paksa ng sex video. Marami kasing lumalabas na ganito ngayon.

Meron yatang mga tao na kusang naglalabas ng kanilang sex video - may kapartner o wala. Pero karamihan ng mga sex video, lalu na ng mga sikat na personalidad, kumalat ng walang pahintulot ng mga sangkot rito.

Para sa akin, wala akong paki-alam sa kanila. Mapanood ko man o hindi ang video nila, bahala sila at walang epekto sa akin kung ano man ang magiging pagtingin ko sa kanila.

Pero sa mga taong nanonood ng mga video na ito at sinasabing malaswa o masama ito, gusto ko sana silang tanungin.

Una, pinilit ba sila na panoorin yong video?
Pangalawa, nasaktan ba sila o naging masama ba sila sa panonood nito?
Pangatlo, gusto ba nilang paki-alaman din ng ibang tao ang kung ano ang ginagawa nila sa kanilang pribadong lugar?

Siguro para sa ibang tao, naakit silang makapanood ng sex scandal ng mga sikat dahil ibinababa nito ang mga taong sikat at ginagawa silang kapantay ng mga hamak at ordinaryong tao.

Manood na lang sila kung gusto nilang manood nito, pero hwag na lang sana sila maghusga o mamintas.

PEACE Ball

Simple lang ang bolang ito na maaaring gawin mula sa kawayan o rattan. Ito ay bola sa loob ng bola na nakapaloob pa ulit sa isang bola.

Ang gamit nito ay bilang laruan ng mga bata, pang juggling at pang exercise.

Sa unang tingin, parang walang kapansin pansin sa mga bolang ito. Pero sa tamang marketing at promosyon para tangkilikin ng pinakamaraming mamayan, maaari itong makapag bigay ng hanap buhay sa mga taong gagawa nito at makatulong sa muling pagbangon ng mga tao sa Zamboanga na sinalanta ng kalamidad na ang pangalan ay MNLF.

Proyekto ko sana ito para sa lalawigan ng Benguet pero sa Zamboanga yata mas may kabutihang maidudulot ito sa ngayon.

The Cardinal's Tears

(image taken from internet)

In one public engagement where Manila Archbishop Cardinal Tagle was asked about his reaction to the Pork Barrel Scam, the Cardinal was moved to tears as he appealed to politicians to be more compassionate to the poor.


Frankly, I am puzzled and disappointed at this reaction. The normal reaction of people in the face of betrayal and deceit is anger. Even Christ threw a fit at a temple when he saw how it was turned into a den of thieves. He did not cry and pleaded to the merchants to simply show more respect to the place.

Politicians who heartlessly plunder public money in the face of the massive miserable poverty of our country are incorrigible thieves. I doubt if appealing to them will do any good. The Cardinal may be trying to be like the good shepherd who will go out of one's way to find a lost sheep but in this case, these thieving politicians can not be considered as sheep but wolves. The good shepherd will try to protect his flock from predators instead of inviting these predators to mingle with his flock.

That Janet Napoles, the central figure in the scam was so close to church leaders and yet so mired in an evil enterprise of plunder - that should be the source of grief for the Cardinal.