JUST SOCIETY

the ugly face of politics is lurking in small corners, slowly appearing in some people's responses to the candidacies of certain officials. this is a bad omen, it means that some people won't be able to play in the field honestly; won't be able to take defeat quietly; and could resort to violent means should the election campaign period arrive.

i think that this early, the Comelec should come as a sober force enjoining all candidates and the voters to look at the process as something important but not a tool to destroy other people; that elections are at best a chance, a good opportunity for choosing good leaders whose hearts and minds are for the people's interests and not their pockets.

at the same time, for those who are not inclined to be in politics, the government should present opportunities for them to excel in their fields of endeavor in the form of loans for businesspeople and scholarships for students, and all other individuals who wish to hone their skills further.
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actually politics is really for the hardhearted. can you imagine candidates being called names and all their hidden "sins" in their personal lives being unearthed to destroy his or her chances of getting elected? this is ultra unofficial, improper and hardly a method to advance our aims of having a politically mature society.

so, this early, the comelec should already be planning how they will give equal promotion of the names of candidates and disseminated this to the public down to the barangay levels. in this way, the people will deliver a more informed and rational way of assessing candidates and knowing whether to vote for them or not. otherwise, only those who have the money will be able to promote themselves and stop all other negative publicities about them.

it's time to take stock of whether we shall, we can face the political challenges in our lives maturely and peacefully to bring about a just society.

FROM RUDOLF FERNAN, 28 0CTOBER 2009

Hello, I think this is an excellent step for a change !..it should be the choice of the people to
govern them, because authority come from them, not the dictates of the leaders of the party, who are the king makers. Then, when one become a president, the party members and diehards influence the supposedly rightful governance, creating greed and corruptions ( the bandwagoning style, seems unprincipled leadership ).
I believe this is a pathway for a change come 2010 !, A daring action for the youth, and the next generations to come. Kudus !.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

POLITICS WITHOUT STRINGS ATTACHED

Chiz Escudero just resigned from the National People's Coalition, and made a strong indictment of political parties in the Philippines. He said that "All the candidates should be accountable to the people and not any political party. It is the people who should decide who should vie for the posts and not any leader of any party." This is a hint that he will run as an independent. This is the same idea that the Peoples' Primaries has been promoting: the people alone shall nominate and vote for the candidates. They do not have to be dictated upon by any political party leader nor by the party itself, but rather by the interests of the Filipino people.

I view with great jubilation in the changes occurring in the political panorama of the country. It means that even a leader like Chiz knows how shabby a treatment a candidate or an applicant for candidacy could receive from the present set-up. Potential candidates will be at their beck and call, waiting for surprise decisions and not knowing the general and specific directions of their future.

This has been long in coming. We need to mature as a political group. We don't have to follow the traditional politics of the past whereby political party leaders would give the final imprimatur on any candidacy. Instead what should be welcomed is anyone who desires and is qualified to serve the people. Given the right qualifications, political party leaders should seek out such people and help them without any strings attached.

Let us bring about more leaders of the kind of Chiz especially that a growing youth vote is massing up -- registering at the last minute -- and knowing that their vote will COUNT.

ON THE NEED FOR GOOD OFFICIALS

That's a nice title, isn't it? President __________ and then everyone says: "Hail to the chief." But actually that's hard work, and the greatest temptation to go gallivanting from one's responsibilities is very strong, to moonlight, or to just taste the icing of the cake. Yet our country is so full of problems that anyone who is aspiring for that highest post could be in for a lot of sweeping to do, sweep the corruption, sweep away the corrupt and rebuild a new life ethic that will value people and the environment.

Hence, we welcome the many presidential aspirants in our midst -- for it shows that we still have idealistic people -- I hope and pray so -- who will spend a lot of money and smile and shake hands with as many people as possible just to be able to get their votes come May 2010. The temptation is really strong -- to vie for a post -- because the people are really in need of true leaders.

I was buying chocolate bars from a tiangge when the seller told me how the water rose too swiftly. She was so dedicated to her business that she had failed to notice the waters. And so it was her husband who egged her on to get out of the store. Unfortunately, they were not able to take anything to safety except their bodies and the little sales that they had made during the day. They had to climb the fence of the Buddhist temple which was accommodating them at the corner of the street where their store stands and wait there inside until the waters had subsided the following day.

As I was departing she told me, "Ma'am tell us whom to vote for because we know that you read a lot, you know a lot. So we will follow you -- whomever you want us to vote for." I was humbled by her statement, and felt very sad that she could not decide for herself. I also felt the great burden of having to make the right choice or else, if that person turns out not to be good at governance, then that would mean a lot of people who will get frustrated again.

Hence, I resolve now to keep a list of all presidential aspirants, make a tickler -- of their background, their politics, their parties, and their accomplishments. In this manner, we could also be reaching out to the people on how to make choices based on reasonable factors. I think that the people have wizened up, especially after the storms that hit us. Those who survived them are now thinking that life is precious after all, and that we need a government that really cares for us -- one that will not allow erring officials to go scot free, one that will not give us loans but rather grants whenever it fails to give us a secure, safe, and protected life; when...so many things to aim for.

But we must start now. Seven months till May 2010, is not so long for many heads to think together, and many bodies to act together. As they say, at the end of the rainbow, we will always find a pot of gold.




- Lila Rose Kennedy poster

GREATNESS IN BAD TIMES

The harrowing difficulties that the Filipino people are suffering from right now -- from Luzon, the flooding, drowning, hunger, homelessness, -- and Mindanao -- kidnapping of priest, insecurity amid plenty of natural resources -- all these are signs of a very badly run government. The people's patience and sense of understanding are now under trial : should we allow the present government to exist or shall we boot out the officials without due process anymore?

Actually, it is easy to blame the environment, to claim that God is punishing us for our sins. But through all these, we know very well that the fault lies in governance. And to top it all, people are being given loans instead of grants to rebuild their homes, to restore their health, to create a new life so that we may survive all kinds of onslaughts again.

But we know that the Filipino people are always there to stand strong and believing in our capacity to pull through all kinds of crises. We can cry, laugh and joke among ourselves and still come out whole. The people I would pity are those aged 20 and below because they could be suffering now from culture shock, as to why of all countries should they exist here. Yet slowly, they will learn to dance with the music, whether rock, tango or just plain boogie-woogie. For after all, life is like that isn't it? We need not take it seriously, because we know there is a cycle that we must follow, that cycle of changing officials. So come 2010, we know what to do already.

Maybe those who plotted the flooding -- for isn't it horrible that 5000+ cubic meters of water per second should be released from San Roque Dam, and all of its gateways opened? Only a sick mind would do that, and those engineers who did that, should be made to pay -- incarcerate them for not using their brains. They are being paid by the people to perform professionally, but instead of that, they had chosen to drown the people. Didn't they admit that -- that they knew that many people would drown if they opened the dam gates? Only a retarded would say "No, I did not think of that."

Through all these, let us pray, not only to stop the storms from coming, but to free us from all these bad-intentioned officials whose loyalties are highly questionable until now. Let us also meditate on the just outcome of all investigations of those floodings so that truth shall prevail and punishment be made of the flood-plotters.

HAIL TO THE GREATNESS OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE!

SEA COUNTRY

I woke up on September 27, 2009, a day after the rains hit MetroManila and went out to our terrace. Instead of seeing trees and the road I saw the rushing waters from the river as high as our terrace going south, carrying all the debris from the communities where it had passed. No, I did not lose much compared to other people I know. Willie Nepomuceno lost his precious videos and photos built starting from the time he entered showbiz till the present. He lives in Marikina. A friend in my Biblical studies group lives in Pasig and till last Tuesday, October 6th, her house was still above knee deep in water. Two friends of mine living in Commonwealth told me that they were lucky that the dam gates were not opened by their side (they live by La Mesa Dam), but their neighbors were not so lucky. So, Carlita Doran, one of the two, said that she had had to work till late evenings packing goods donated by friends and by her to alleviating the sufferings of their neighbor-flood victims.

So, we could have ended this year with a nice outlook had this tragedy not struck. We could have been so proud to say, "hey, the economic recession never got into our shores. Our OFWS are our heroes and heroines, sacrificing their emotional health just to be able to earn enough for their relatives back home." But no, that won't be anymore. We now belong to the paupers of the world, living off on donations, would you believe even lifeboats to save our people from drowning? What, we don't have enough lifeboats, and yet our country is surrounded by water?

I think what I heard on radio is right. Our country should be seriously considered as 7,100 islands, a sea country, meaning we are literally surrounded by water. Therefore, development plans should consider that very well. We cannot ape the way some foreign cities have been constructed, with high towering buildings, and miles and miles of concrete roads.

Rather, we need to revise our concept of landscaping, especially the way our streets and houses have been constructed. We probably could approximate the way Venice has set up its land -- a city connected by bridges and transport is via boats. That is the reality especially of Manila which is lying below sea level. And if typhoons visit us now and then, our rooftops have to be domed, in order to avoid the strong wind from destroying our homes.

But then, it is nice to spread our imagination now while everyone is agog as to what to do with that word, "GOVERNANCE." It does not seem to ring truth over here, Folks. When will it be, in 2010? Abangan!

WHO IS TO BLAME?

Many thoughts have been expressed as to why the rains singled out the Philippines for flooding almost the whole of Luzon, including MetroManila. Some have turned Biblical, saying that it was an act of God to warn us of the way we are dealing with Mother Nature. Those from or for the government are blaming the people in general for their failure to be "disciplined" in throwing their garbage. Still others think that the time has come for us to take stock of our natural resources and start planting trees in order to make the mountains hold rain water more strongly.

But a new development has come: a CLASS SUIT being planned against the dam private caretakers. The basis is that the dams should not have been allowed to spill water before having alarmed the people, and that they should have spilt the water earlier in order to create more space for rainwater. In other words, some kind of hanky panky has been committed which would nullify all those thoughts above. The culprit are the dam caretakers, not God, not the people, not even the loggers; well yes, maybe including the latter. But then the finger should first point at the dam caretakers.

Why is it necessary to get to the root of this tragedy, which has killed 300 people plus plus and destroyed billions of properties, including ricefields which could have fed millions of people? Because POOR GOVERNANCE IS POOR GOVERNANCE AND DOES NOT DESERVE ONE MINUTE MORE TO BE SITTING ON THOSE POSTS THAT ARE BEING PAID OUT OF THE PEOPLE'S POCKETS.

when water is not a friend

the floods came to our house in late morning. then it rose and rose and at around 11 close to midnight it had reached the 2nd floor of our house, about 14 feet. it was the first time that i had felt afraid of the waters rising inside our home. in the past, it rose only by 3 to 7 feet and i could still laugh with my housemates. but last saturday it was different. the people living with us were worried -- they had children and some belongings which were very precious to them like the radio, tv, and the
Bible.

as the waters still rose and rose, the others started transferring to the next house where there was a third floor where they could all stay. our house had only a second flood and they were worried that they would not be able to sleep anywhere should the waters enter fully. they asked us to join them but i did not. the house was bequeathed to us by my mother who died telling me to take care of it. a relative stayed with me there while waiting for the waters to subside.

so i prayed hard that the rains would stop. and then i texted brother melo, a born again christian pastor to help me pray also to make it stop. he has the gift of prophecy and so i had been thinking that he would be a good go-between to Christ and God to please stop the rains. after 15 minutes of praying, it did.

at 2 am i checked if the waters had receded. it had but only a foot. then at 4 am i woke again to see and it had, about 3 feet. at 6 am, the waters were still on the road -- about four feet, rushing to the south, carrying with all the filth and dirt of the northern residents -- from Kamuning, Talayan, and possibly Kamias as the creek parallel to our house after the lot in front of us winds its way from those places.

today, i tried going to makati, from here - sta. mesa, but along e. rodriguez, the traffic was snarled. so i took a cab to go through san juan. again clogged crossroads. i told the driver, i would just go home and wait another day. going through aurora boulevard, i saw the wang-wang brigade, carrying guess who -- the moled one. what an easy life she has, having a group of men in black in the most modern vehicles plying through the streets, very easily while we have to suffer through all these.

who or what caused the floods? it is easy to blame - climate change, garbage, but those responsible for unleashing the waters from angat dam, la mesa dam -- why did they have to wait on the day itself before releasing them. why didn't they do it slowly, emptying them so that when the rains had fallen, the dams need not be emptied right away?

so many questions to ask, so many facts to be extracted before we can get a clear picture of why this tragedy had to happen. is 2010 nearing, or is its stoppage starting?

no, water is a friendly element, if only humanity would learn how to harness it. only those who are detached would use it for evil ends.