Grabe ka!

Akala ko babae lang ang kayang magalit ng ganito! Pinagsasampal nya ang lahat, walang patawad. Marami na nga ang umiiyak at nagmamakaawa para tigilan na sila pero sa loob ng mahabang oras, di pa rin nawala ang hagupit nya.

Kitang-kita ko ang resulta ng lisik ng iyong mata. Lalaki ka pa naman na naturingan.

Marami sa mga kababayan ko ang nanglumo sa iyong walang-awang pamamayagpag na naging sanhi ng paglubog ng kanilang mga kabuhayan...at paglitaw ng iba ng kanilang kamatayan.

Bahid sa kanilang mga mukha ang hirap, pagod, gutom, uhaw, pagkatalo, at galit. Pero gayunpaman di mo sila kayang pasukuin. Babangon ulit sila at ipararamdam sa iyo na di mo sila kayang talunin. Sisiguraduhin nila na sa susunod na mangyari ito, mas handa sila!

Grabe ka Ondoy...mas masahol ka pa yata kay Katrina!

Countdown

Night High School Scholarship Project

Kill Bill...Not!

I have been following this hotly-contested and controversial house bill for quite sometime now and carefully examining the pros and cons of having such enacted legislation in the Philippines, if eventually pass in Congress.

And yes, I support RH Bill 5043, the Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008.

I have read the full context of the bill here and I don’t see anything objectionable about it as it simply aims to give freedom and informed choice to everyone, especially women, poor families, and the youth, giving them free access to family planning options, promote pro-quality of life, sexual education, responsible parenthood, and enhance the country’s population policy as it is really becoming an overburden for the country and the rest of us living wisely and consciously about the economic ramifications of an uncontrollable and rapidly-growing population.

Like always though, it’s the implementation that I’m worried about. But still, I do hope members of Congress don’t kill this bill.

Instead, allow this very contentious bill to pass so that be given a chance “to take the bull by its horn” and do something about our ridiculously over-population of unwanted pregnancies, and uninformed uneducated but uber-sexually-active youths and poor sectors of our society.

Read this to give you some idea about it. Kill Bill later if it has not proven it’s worth.

It is really an uphill battle for proponents of this bill, going against the ultra-conservative (yeah, go forth and multiply) Catholic church exerting every effort to block it. Some opponents even say that this bill is anti-poor, and worst, say it advocates abortion while in reality it’s the opposite, based on my understanding.

I grew up in a big family and I know first-hand what it’s like sharing a piece of bread and a bowl of soup to everyone around the table. And trust me, if I can avoid it, I wouldn’t want to experience that life again as I believe poverty can be considered tragic.

Over-population, resulting into poverty, and of course corruption, are the main reasons why our so-beloved country Philippines can’t catch up with neighboring countries.

Life isn’t a lottery that the more you have tickets, or in this case, children, the more you have chances of winning.

Last Chance

Two weeks from today we will know if all the efforts we’ve put in so far for the proposed high school scholarship project will come into fruition.

You all have between now and the end of this month to submit your pledge donation form....and make a difference.

If you are still interested, willing to participate, and you just simply procrastinate, this is your last chance to put the money where your mouth is!

All bets will be off after September 30, 2009. I promised!

It was an uneventful period between now and the last update about the status of the proposed scholarship project. Tsk tsk...not a good sign...

...not a good sign.

Changes should be within all of us

As I watched the final salute to our former President Cory Aquino weeks ago and the continuing coverage of her life, I begun to wonder where I was during those historical moments in the Philippines when democracy started to crawl up from its grave in 1983, the year Ninoy Aquino, husband and father, was assassinated and a political explosion erupted.

I really never knew Ninoy until someone in the neighborhood drove around annoyingly honking his horns to announce the untimely death of a dangerous opposition to the then current powers. It was a shot heard from every corner of the world that greeted him as he descended out of the plane where he thought he’ll begin his freedom from exile. That shot from an assassin awoke the nation and history was written.

Political uprising thru non-violence and civil disobedience begun, successfully unseated a naked dictatorship power. 1986 marked the year of the snap election and the total unrest of most that resulted into a moral victory, if not politically, of the people power.

I was in Saudi Arabia during those times and so I never consider myself part of those proud moments when our country was put back on the world map in bright yellow for its democratic resiliency.

It was a transition period when Cory Aquino was forced into office as President by loyal supporters of her husband Ninoy. A neophyte in the world of politics, she emerged surprisingly strong against coup attempts from some of the military leaders who didn’t want to accept a civilian like her to lead an angry and hungry nation.

All throughout her years in office, she was said to be the role model in spirituality, motherhood, honesty, and democracy yet there are still oppositions and brutal attempts to dislodge her. I wasn’t around during those tense moments of uprising against Cory’s administration...I was in Japan.

I thought the presidency of FVR in 1992 brought the needed stability but for some reasons didn’t seem to help the nation. From where I was in Los Angeles where I begun my self-exile in 1990, I thought I’ve seen improvements but then again also bright paints of discontent and corruptions.

1998 marked the year a former action star Erap hit the “hweteng” jackpot when he was proclaimed the new President in a landslide victory. Three years later and nothing to show for but bulging pockets of corruptions, he was ousted and jailed.

GMA began her interim presidency and years after allegedly bullied her way to another term. And once again, I’m somewhere else when it all happened.

The political climate have changed course many times since the day I left the island and yet most people I’ve talked to feel we have yet to emerge convincingly victorious with all the shadows of corruptions and economic failures that seemed to be the only tangible measurements of an improving or failing nation.

It’s all been said many times that changes in leadership upstairs will bring new hope to people down below. I think then and I think now….that’s all a misconception!

Changes should be within all of us.

Albeit all that happened the last two decades, I don’t consider myself lucky that I didn’t have to go through all that most of you endured. I would love to be part of it all but something pushed me to leave...at least temporarily.

A joke once told me by an American friend is that it seems Filipinos in general when they are mad they shop, eat, drink, sing, or out on the streets with their rallying cry for another change in leadership because they are not getting what they want.

Like I said, changes should be within all of us.

Don’t Stop Believing

A week ago, daughter and I had a VIP pass to watch a free concert hosted by my employer. One local band played exclusively songs popularized by the famous group Journey.

You know...we may have gone "Separate Ways" after high school...

...and then started wondering during that time "Who’s Crying Now".

Our grand reunion 25 years later found ourselves meeting once again with "Open Arms"...

...and we "Faithfully" promised to keep in touch after.

We tried and struggled to be become one solid, cohesive unit...

...while we have that grand vision to become relevance to others in need.

Well friends and classmates, please "Don’t Stop Believing".

Anyway, the place was rockin’...

And in case you are not an avid follower, our very own Arnel Pineda is now the lead singer of Journey.

myHeart Is Burning

It's all good now with the fire being contained efficiently. We're so equipped with the latest mapping technology that we will win in the end...GIS ROCKS! ;-)

From where I stand next to my office window I can see in the horizon an orange glow and a burning desire to conquer the steep slope and dry bushes fueled with the long drought of summer compounded by low humid temperature reaching boiling point. The mountain fire is inching towards the vicinity of suburban Los Angeles and it so far destroyed about 50 or so houses.

I am safe for now but others aren’t.

You’re so angry….chill out boy…chill out! You’re giving me too much work with all this fire perimeter mapping stuff I have to spit out of Harry, the plotter.

You shouldn’t be that mad! Life is too short to let yourself consumed with all this non-sense and unhealthy feelings towards us. We have to learn to co-exist or else we don’t get to accomplish things we want to….help us so we can help you..dumbass!