Partido MnD

Now that the term of PNoy is almost over, I hope his Matuwid na Daan advocacy will continue.

Critics of PNoy sneer at Matuwid na Daan when they find fault in PNoy and his officials. What they do not understand, fail to see or refuse to see is that Matuwid na Daan is an ideal that we, all of us should strive for in our government because there is no other way.

For this reason, I believe Matuwid na Daan should even be turned into a political party to become an instrument for nation building instead of treating political parties just  as vehicles for personal ambition.

Principled remnants of the Liberal Party which is now almost decimated by defection of its members to the camp of the new President elect can be the core founders and members of this new Party.

When a house  has been so badly eaten and weakened by termites, it is just more practical to raze it to the ground and simply build a new one.

"Barangay Utakan" - A good tv show

I think we should appreciate efforts of tv networks to come up with intelligent and decent shows that engage the people and foster community spirit.

One of these kind of show is "Barangay Utakan" on Channel 5 which airs I think every Sunday.

The show combine mind and fun games pitting residents of one barangay from another.

The winning barangay gets for a prize something that the entire barangay residents can enjoy. In the episode that I saw by chance while channel surfing, it was a the improvement of the barangay basketball court.

More power to the people behind this show.

What happened to the sanggumay?

sanggumay last year around February

I am disappointed that this year, the sanggumay in our backyard did not produce any flower. It looked very healthy and I assumed that once the leaves die off, flowers will automatically follow.

But not for this one.

What happened?

Was it because it was suddenly exposed to intense bright light when the mango tree shading it was cut down?

Or was it because it we continued to water it even late into the year when watering should have stopped to hasten the dying off of the leaves and induce flowering?

But I only learned this too late.

Oh well. I like gardening but gardening does not seem to like me.

this year's sanggumay

Flores de Pusher

photo from PDI

Sa Batangas may isang mayor na nagpapa uso ng bagong tradisyon - Flores de Pusher.

Sa mata ng ibang tao, ayos lang ito. Salot naman talaga ang mga pusher at adik sa lipunan.

Ang problema ko lang dito, panay maliliit lamang ang mapaparusahan ng ganito pero ang mga malalaki at makakapangyarihan, ewan kung maisama dito. Lalong lalo na ang mga politikong sangkot sa narco-politics.

Isa pang isyu ko sa ganitong hakbang, sa simula ay maaaring mga pusher nga ang ipaparada. Pero sa kalaunan baka maabuso ito at kahit na sino na lang na hindi gusto ng may kapangyarihan ang padaanin sa ganitong panghihiya.

Ang unti unting paglabag sa karapatang pantao ay parang maliliit na bitak sa isang gusali na pag hindi inayos ay balang araw na mauuwi sa malaking bitak at pagkawasak mismo ng gusaali.

And the winner is.... Democracy!

Even before the May 9, 2016 Presidential election, it was already evident who would most likely win the election.

But win or lose, I stood by my candidate. I was not voting for a person. I was voting for honesty, integrity and a genuine desire to do what is right for the people. Unfortunately for me and my candidate, majority of the voters had a different a view.

This election had a huge voter turnout at 81%. For the most part, it was clean and honest. Voters went for different candidates, but in the end, with a clean and honest election, the winner is democracy and for that, we can say that we all won.

It is far far better to lose in a fair fight than to win by dirty means.

This thing called suffrage

Today millions of Filipinos will vote for a new leader. The generally good turnout of voters during elections make me believe that Filipinos are aware of the power of their vote.

What I wonder though is that when Filipinos vote, do they vote as equal where they believe they can hold the person they support accountable or do they vote as minions and underlings ceding their right to their bet?

Cool water

Aguas Frescas from Reggie Aspiras column Kitchen Rescue. WIP

Ubas mula sa Sagada

Habang naglalakad ako sa palenke sa Baguio, nakita ko ang panindang ubas na ayon sa karatula at tindera ay galing daw sa Sagada.

Maganda nga sana kung totoo ito pero parang ang hirap agad maniwala. Gusto ko muna makita ang ubasan sa lugar na iyon o makakalap pa ng patotoo ng iba maliban sa nagtitinda nito.

Brushing teeth with baking soda

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. After learning from some people thru the internet that it can be used as replacement for toothpaste, I tried it and found it to be okay enough for me to use it from time to time.

It tastes salthy but not as lathery as the commercial toothpaste. However I can say that it can make my mouth feel clean and that is what is important.

There are concerns that it can be very abrasive. However its abrasive rating is much lower than the ones used in commercial toothpastes.

To use it, just put a small amount in a small cup - I use a ceramic egg holder. Dip my toothbrush in it and brush away.

Don't forget to brush gently but thoroughly.

The "Musikalye" Show

I am one of those people with no musical ability or talent whatsoever. But I am happy and proud that many Filipinos have been blessed with this gift and are chalking up recognition one after the other all over the world.

One nice thing about music is that it is one of the truly democratic arts. The rich have no, and can not have a monopoly on it. But it can be a ticket out of poverty for many poor people.

Since it is almost a given that Filipinos love music, love to sing and also like watching variety game shows, I wonder if it is possible to make a "musikalye" show wherein an entire community or barangay can be engaged in a musical production?

What I have in mind is to transform noontime variety shows featuring fun games done on remote locations to incorporate surprise musical numbers by members of the community.

At least by showcasing talents instead of sob stories for people to earn some cash, the musikalye show can undo the mendicant mentality fostered by some variety shows.