IS IT A SIN TO BE DIFFERENT? A short story by Wilhelmina Orozco

Vanda's happiness was half-celebrated in his mind. The film where he was starring was earning millions at the box office. He knew that the theme that of a gay guard would gather a lot at the tills. It was a dream role for him because he had always wanted to take potshots at men who liked to show off their masculine traits even if they did not approximate the physique of Hollywood macho wrestling actors. A good opportunity came when the film producer approached him for the role after she had seen him on television, singing, dancing, and acting among non-actors as well as actors to entertain the audience. She said, he had a knack for making people laugh.

But what brought tears in his eyes was the death of his lover from AIDS. He never exacted loyalty from him as he himself would sleep around when his lover was out of town appearing at provincial sorties. For them, it was a given that they would not allow loneliness to get over them once they temporarily separate. They only wanted the happiness of each other even if only for a minute or a day. And so they had gone their merry ways.

While he was receiving the award for best actor for the film, he thanked everyone, including his father who hated so much his having turned gay that he had thrown him out of the house and even followed him on the road.

He remembered that very day very much etched in his mind. He was brushing his teeth and preparing  to go to school. He was third year high school at that time and had friends who were also gay who came home with him the previous night. His father must have heard them talking about their escapades with guys. Fortunately, he did not bother them, nor reprimand them for the sometimes lewd parts of their discussions.

Why, we are all creatures of heaven, he and his friends had said. Vanda said that he would always feel his heart palpitating when a man whom he really fancied would pass by. But with women? No way. He was simply dedma, as in a stone turned rocky as Guimaras and Gibraltar.

Ah, I too had felt that way, his friend Toto told him. But I have to caution myself because if I so much as showed a flutter of my eyes, my father would right away bamboozle me with his slippers. He simply could not accept me as I am. But my mother, my dear mother would console me, hug me, embrace me and tell me I am just human. Bless her soul but she died after a few months when I left the house.

And why shouldn't I? I too left our house, Vanda said. My father followed me to the road, while hurling invectives at me. He grabbed the collar of my shirt but I was able to steal away. Still he pursued me until I tripped on a cracked cemented road. I fell and then he was able to throw his full weight around me. I was black and blue when he and I went home. My mother nursed me, putting hot and cold water on the red and blue "pasa" on my body and face. All night long I wept on my pillow. My mother did too, I know, while my father kept berating her for encouraging my insistence on being different. 

One evening, i talked to my mother and told her, Ma, I have to go na. I cannot stand it anymore. I hope you would not worry when I am gone.

But why do you have to go?

Ma, Father might kill me and I would feel responsible for the crime if he did. Then you would become a widow. What will happen to you then? Your only source of income is his pension from soldiery.

After a few days, my mother gave her consent. Actually, I had been removing my things one by one already and had brought them to a friend's house. Then when she finally gave her consent, I hugged and kissed her on the cheeks and told her I would communicate with her everyday of my life. Please Ma, pray for me that I may live longer to take care of you too.

Vanda and his friends went to Luneta to celebrate his freedom. It was the happiest day of his life. He no longer had to pretend that he was a man. For him that was the big boulder strung around his neck, having to show his father daily that he was a he-man, someone who showed very few emotions, guarded feelings. Instead, he and his friends laughed loudest when they would swap jokes among themselves, or even recall how some masculine men would even cry for them not to leave them because they too had fallen in love with them – their cute ways of being always modest, of being tender and loving towards them. Why did they leave them? Because they became spoiled by their love.

Yes, the gays have the tendency to spoil their loved ones. Vanda's friends would always splurge on their lovers after earning a lot from their impersonation jobs. They would buy new briefs, pancit and food galore, and the finest wines that the town could offer. They would go drinking overnight while the friends of their lovers shared the food with them. But when the bar they were appearning in closed down and they didn't have anymore jobs, no more salaries, Vanda's friends would stay at home and call up others for leads where they could perform again. For months that went on and on. Their lovers were sympathetic for sometime but later on turned cynical and finally brutal when they too were forced to look for higher-paying jobs to be able to pay their home rents.

The separations were either too violent or too ad misericordiam. Some men would hie off and Vanda's friends would even wrap themselves around the men's arms, legs and bodies;but they were just turned down and even oh, it is so difficult to describe. Other separations were tearful. Each one of them knew that to be together, they needed money, funds to feed the high lifestyle that they had cultivated while together. Not being able tosustain that no longer felt heavenly. Every sexual encounter was like a machinelike grating of bearings. Pilit na pilit. 

For Vanda, he was lucky to have reined in his feelings. He cultivated his talents, worked as a messenger at an entertainment company, which finally saw his histrionic talents. After a few workshops, he was ready to take off as a solo host of his own TV program, and as we said earlier, as a major actor in the film about gays. Now he is receiving his much-coveted award as best actor:

“Maraming salamat po sa inyong pagtangkilik ng aking pelikula at higit sa lahat sa pagkilala sa aking abilidad na maka-arte. Ay, no ba ito, inarte? Mahirap ho talagang mag Tagalog. Oy, ano ba ang acting sa Tagalog, di ba arte? Hahaha. Mga kababayan ko, pinasasalamatan  ko ang aking producer na si Eda Murillo. Kung wala siya, ay hindi ako mabibigyan ng break sa pag-arte. Pinasasalamatan ko rin ang aking ina, Ay sumalangit nawa ang kanyang kaluluwa. Siya po ang unang gumalang sa aking pagiging gay. Hinding hindi po niya ako kinagalitan sa aking masidhing pakiramdam na mapabilang sa gay sector, at matutong umibig sa lalaki.

At akin rin pong pinasasalamatan kayong mga nanood at mga manonood pa sa aking pelikula, bagaman ang kuwentong ito ay hango sa isang Hollywood film. Pinamagatan naming Is it a Sin? dahil po sa ating lipunan, kasalanan daw ang magmahal ng sariling kasarian. Nais po naming mamulat ang ating lipunan na may mga tao talagang ganyan ho talaga. At kaya  nakapupulot tayo ng ideya sa abroad at pagkatapos nolo-localize na lang natin ay dahil mas bukas ang lipunan nila sa pagkakaiba-iba ng kasarian ng mga tao. 

Pero magaling ho ang aking scriptwriter na si Deo Alindogan at higit sa lahat – Direk! Direk Joe Laguerta, maraming salamat ha? Nailabas mo ang lahat ng aking talento. Alam nyo po mga kababayan, si Direk Lagueerta, macho ho yan. Hindi ho yan gay, pero talagang pinagtyagaan niya ang aking pelikula at kaylanman hindi ako nakaramdam ng panlalait sa kanya. Hindi ba Direk? At kahit na anong pilantik ng aking mga mata para naman maipamalas ko sa kanya ang aking tunay na pagmamahal... na kaibigan, oh, mga tsismoso at malilikot ang isipan, hindi po niya ako minaliit. So, maraming-maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat. At maraming salamat din sa aking gay lover na namayapa na at sa aking ama. Kung hindi niya ako binugbog, hindi ako magkakaroon ng lakas ng loob na umalis ng tahanan at magbakasakali sa buhay. 

Babu! Maligayang Pasko po. Pinasaya nyo po ng husto ang Pasko ko. 

PASKO, PASKO NA NAMAN

Feliz Navidad poster designed by Pigeon Post made                                                                                               by Zazzle Art in San Jose, California 

Yesterday, I sang Christmas songs together with a karaoke. Then a child stood in front of me, wanting to sing also. So I held her hands and beat with the song. She learned the beat but not the melody. Off-key, I found out. 

How many children are off-key nowadays? I think we can blame that on the music subject in the grade school. There are not many competent music teachers in the grades. The teachers are saddled with so many subjects that they do not have time to hone their skills in music teaching.  I think that every summer, all teachers of music should undergo a seminar to learn the basics of music. 

I remember my teacher in my grade four class at the University of the East. She was the one who egged me on to study piano further. Actually I have had piano lessons in Bacolod City under Ms. Eva Llorca a very dutiful and excellent teacher. But on my fourth grade, my teacher, so sorry I forget her name now, gave me a piano piece, Glow Wurmchen or Glow Worm in English. I loved the melody so much that I even memorized it so that it could be my recital piece. And I have played that ever since, even at private gatherings. 

Why I never became a full-time music student and professional musician is because the call of political activism has been stronger in me ever since college. I am a product of the sixties] a hot era -- full of questions -- whether democracy was good or not amid too many student demonstrations, and scrambling for political power -- and then the rise to power of the dictator. So I had chosen the path of knowing what was really going on, and analyzing how I could have a meaningful life as well. 

What songs did I learn then? Nationalistic songs and the Internationale translated into Pilipino. But on the side, I also memorized two pieces of Bach's two-part inventions which until now I can still play. I am prouder of being able to play the latter. The nationalistic songs are too sad. The society is sad already and so why should I sing them at all?

I also learned composing music from Tita King, before she became the National Artist for Music. By the way,  I hope she is happy with what has happened to her alma mater, the Philippine Women's University as it continues to exist despite the financial breakdown. A new company is now running it. 

Come to think of it, I shall compose Christmas songs. Actually, I wanted to Tagalize the Christmas songs like Jingle Bells, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas but somebody beat me to it. They are now sung on air. But the latter has words of its own  sang to promote a creamer for salads. Merry Merry Kremas. 

Adultish Christmas song
There is another song, the 12 Days of Christmas sang by a group of singers:

Sa unang araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Isang basketbol na bago

Sa pangalawang araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

Sa pangatlong araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Tatlong sakong bigas, dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

Pang-apat na araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Apat na pagong, tatlong sakong bigas
Dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

Ika-limang araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Limang pulang lobo, apat na pagong, tatlong sakong bigas
Dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

INTERLUDE

Ika-anim araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Anim na sofa, limang pulang lobo, apat na pagong
Tatlong sakong bigas, dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

Ika-pitong araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Pitong berdeng unan, anim na sofa, limang pulang lobo, apat na pagong
Tatlong sakong bigas, dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

Ika-walong araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Walong lechong baboy, pitong berdeng unan, anim na sofa
Limang pulang lobo, apat na pagong, tatlong sakong bigas
Dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

Ika-siyam na araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Siyam na case ng beer, walong lechong baboy, pitong berdeng unan
Anim na sofa, limang pulang lobo, apat na pagong
Tatlong sakong bigas, dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

Ika-sampung araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Sampung inaanak (mano, po ninong), siyam na case ng beer
Walong lechong baboy, pitong berdeng unan
Anim na sofa, limang pulang lobo, apat na pagong
Tatlong sakong bigas, dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

Ika-labing-isang araw ng Pasko, binigay sa ‘kin ng nobya ko
Labing-isang tuta (aw! aw!), sampung inaanak (mano, po ninong)
Siyam na case ng beer, walong lechong baboy, pitong berdeng unan
Anim na sofa, limang pulang lobo, apat na pagong
Tatlong sakong bigas, dalawang payong at isang basketbol na bago

It sounds nice but I don't really like lechon and beer. It makes the song too adultish. Children should not sing that at all. They will grow up not knowing that lechon or pork is a terrible source of bad cholesterol, and they could develop heart condition from it. Also beer is a drink for adults. 

Hence, I think that the singing group should have watched out for the target audience of their song. 

Tribal groups descend to MetroManila
By the way, the tribal groups from Zamboanga have come and are hitching up and down the jeepneys with their milk tin can drums. Their beat is very hard to follow but it is great music they create with them. Instead of rounding them up, the authorities should think of nurturing their music skills here in MetroManila and make us learn and observe them. 

I talked to one tribal guy at the corner of Lerma and I encouraged him to gather his friends and relatives. First, they should dress up well -- in their native costumes. Second, they should sing only at one part of the city, or a street. So that every time, the people on the jeep or any vehicle shall ready their donations before reaching that point. Third, they should have one person with a cup ready to receive the donations, or even to approach every vehicle and ask for donations while they are singing. In this way, they retain their dignity as performers. 

This style of  street performance should be allowed during the Christmas season so that our kababayan shall be able to enjoy it also, and not appear as mendicants. Maybe the NCCA, the CCP, and the DSWD could come together and plan this whole thing all together. 

Too long a vacation
Christmas in the Philippines is truly something memorable. All our kababayan abroad want to come home and experience it. However, I find it too long a vacation. I think that government offices, especially government hospitals, clinics and libraries  should not close down at all but have a skeletal force that will be left behind to run them.

Not everyone are Catholic and so our fellow citizens who do not fancy observing Christmas should be allowed to walk about and do their business. Also, libraries are a nice source of information especially if they have wi-fi. Hence, they could be a good place for gatherings of the youth who are so eager to tinker with the computer. 

Happy Holidays Folks and may the coming year give us the best of times.

TRYING TO BE RELEVANT THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON

Despite the pressures of having to observe and/or enjoy Christmas, I am still gluing myself to events happening in our country. We cannot simply close our eyes to what is happening here. And I ask for forgiveness from my son who is now with our Great Creator. Anak, I have to keep on writing because that is one of the ways I can see myself being useful in this world. I cannot shut my mind from analyzing, thinking what solutions we can have to solve our repetitive national problems. So here goes:

1.The NBI raid of the National Bilibid Prisons opened up to me the great creative spirits of the prisoners.They were able to transform the prison into a multi-media center, complete with a recording studio. Minus the negative activities, i think that they were able to contribute the idea that prisoners need not be locked up forever in monotonous routines but rather they could also be made to tickle their creative urges to produce meaningful sounds -- although I have not heard the lyrics clearly, Folks. 

2. The kubol of the NBP should not be destroyed but rather be re-used to be a library -- of books, of educational DVD's, a recording center to record the biographies of inmates for posterity's sake, among others. 

3. Another use of the kubol would be as a therapeutic clinic for those in need of reflexologic massage. Why can''t prisoners enjoy that as well?

4. The jacuzzi should be another health spa for those with ailments. 

5. With regard to which tandem we should support for 2016, I would suggest to the media to reduce the space provided for such news. Look we focussed too much on politics and what happened? A new round of fare increases was once again announced to be implemented 
January 4th. I will just suggest one solution from our end here: Let us have a pooled newspaper headline: FARE HIKES UNFAIR TO SUFFERING RIDING PUBLIC. Don't you think there could be a great response to that when all the papers have that screaming headline?

6. When I heard that a South African woman won a beauty contest title,immediately, the image of a black woman surfaced in my mind. I was wrong. She is white. 

7. As I am writing this, a man has just blown cigarettesmoke inside the kiosk. Addicts with political agenda really are incorrigible. Folks if you live in the western world, I am sure you would not last long over here.

8. A relative of mind has dogs in her house.Then one died. I asked of what?And she said of lung cancer. Then I told her lung cancer is also caused by cigarette smoke. After that, I think she and her husband have stopped smoking. Here, we are being killed by the lazy implementation of no-smoking in public places. Look at the latest news: the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has had its budget reduced. I wonder what items they will cut back on. 

See you again Folks, it's not safe writing here. 

On Dealing with Typhoons

Our home is a veteran of floods and typhoons. Its roof has withstood the harshest of winds and the cement walls have not bent to earthquakes, although smal cracks have appeared in some of the interiors. Outside, the roots of trees which got uprooted cracked open the paved paths. That is about all that have happened. The house was built sometime in the sixties and so the materials then were really strong. Even the grills, though rusty, are still thick and have not bent. 

One tenant of ours who had a drug addict for a sidekick, hacked the grills of the staircase and that by the terrace in order to sell sa bote garapa, and earn some money to buy his "bad habit."

The recent typhoons in the Visayas have made mull over what would really help the people save their homes from the homewrecking Mother Nature. I researched and suddenly remembered the dome-shaped home where Ludy Resurreccion, Maryknoll College and later Miriam College English teacher in the eighties used to live. It was built by a Filipino engineer-architect I think and it was really very strong. when it is hot outside, it is cool inside and vice-versa. 

Then I have just come across a write-up about a home that survived the onslaught of a typhoon while other structure went a-shambles. The benefits from dome-roofed home by the sea are narrated here: 

From: http://domeofahome.com/dome-information/advantages-of-domes/

Advantages of Domes

Domes vs. Hurricanes

“When I originally wrote this segment for the web site in 2001, I had no idea how quickly the Dome of a Home would be put to the test. As we were building the dome, Tropical Storm Isadore came ashore and left a mess, but no damage. Then, in 2004, Hurricane Ivan slammed into Pensacola Beach wreaking enough havoc that it was called Ivan, The Terrible. Although many of my neighbors’ houses were piles of rubble or completely washed away, the dome suffered no structural damage. The Dome’s front staircase was designed to break away (which it did) to avoid damage to the actual structure. The 2005 hurricane season brought several storms to our shore: Tropical Storm Arlene in June; Hurricane Dennis in July; and Katrina in August. Hurricane Dennis was an extremely damaging storm to Pensacola Beach. Much to the community’s dismay, many of the repaired homes and buildings that made it through Ivan were decimated by Dennis. Again, the Dome of a Home suffered no structural damage. We had repairs to underground wells, exterior electrical and plumbing issues, etc. but no damage to the dome itself.” – Valerie Sigler
Storm Surge
The air form concrete dome is a moving-water survivor. Not only does the dome’s round shape allow the water to flow around it, much as the ocean rushes around a light house, its weight, strength and durability allow it to stay in one piece during high winds and storm surge. The pilings are driven in a circle under the perimeter of the dome and connected with a circular concrete pile cap, which becomes the foundation ring beam. A circle of concrete is built attached to the top of each piling. The pilings then act as teeth in the ground and keep the building from sliding. The pile cap attaches the dome to the teeth, and then rebar is run into the floor. This prevents the moving water from lifting or moving the floor. The storm surge flows through the large openings in the lower section of the beachfront dome, leaving it undamaged. The beachfront dome is built with its main floor suspended from the dome, thereby eliminating posts that can be knocked out by storm surge from underneath the floor.
Wind
Hurricane Keith, a force 4 storm, raged for three days off the coast of Belize, causing no damage to the two concrete domes built there. The shape of the dome allows the wind to pass around the home, eliminating any serious pressure build up and easily withstanding 150 mph winds. A dome can withstand over 2300psf forces. (A 300mph tornado exerts 400psf.) Because the dome is not flat, the maximum air pressure against it could never be realized. The margin of safety is four times greater than on a flat wall.
Flying debris may harm the shutters, but will not harm the structure of the dome. Even if, on the rare occasion, a large object hit and punctured the dome, the damage would be very local and never cause serious structural damage to the home. There is a dome in Port Arthur, Texas that has survived three hurricanes with no damage. An interesting side note: During World War II, the Germans’ thin shell structures withstood Allied bombing. The bomb would either bounce off the structure or create a localized puncture that was easily and readily patched.

Another major advantage of the dome is that there are no shingles or roofing to be replaced during frequent tropical or winter storms. This is a monumental benefit for those of us with steeply pitched roofs that cannot hire a roofer, regardless on the amount of money offered. Steeply pitched roofs act much as a straight wall will in high winds and is adversely affected by the pressure exerted by the wind. Also, the new 5% deductible for our windstorm insurance determines that basically the homeowner will be providing the out of pocket money to replace the roof each and every time it is damaged. Also increasing the expenses is the continued rise in insurance premiums. The Siglers’ wind insurance premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Knowing ones roof is not going to blow off provides one with the assurance that the contents within will also be safe.
Mold and Mildew
Another advantage of the dome is the fact that there is no fiberglass insulation to become wet and essentially useless. Polyurethane foam is applied to the interior surface of the air form, eliminating the need for fiberglass insulation. The Georgia Pacific sheetrock products we used do not absorb moisture, thereby eliminating another source of the mold and mildew that can be even more devastating than the original storm damage. The mold and mildew takes an insidious toll on the livability of one’s home. I know several instances where the home made it structurally, but the mold and mildew growing on the wet insulation and sheetrock caused the owners to completely gut the structure.

Domes vs. Tornadoes

“During Hurricane Ivan, Mark stayed in the home with the MSNBC news crew. Throughout the storm, the increase in pressure and noise convinced them that tornadoes whirled around them on several occasions. The tornadic offspring of Hurricane Erin in 1995 drove lumber through the roof of conventional home. But, the Dome suffered no damage from the tornadoes spawned by Ivan, the Terrible.” – Valerie Sigler

As the Siglers know personally, hurricanes can spawn tornadoes. The stress created by a 300 mph tornadic winds would increase the compressive pressure in the concrete shell to 1098 psi.
Domes can easily withstand 2394 psi using design strengths of 4000 psi, easily giving it a margin of safety that is nearly 1 ½ times its minimum design strength, although the margin of safety is probably more like three or four. Tornadoes separate a house from its roof when the wind exerts pressure and lifts the roof off. Since there is no roof to lift off and no straight walls for the tornado to build pressure against, domes are virtually tornado proof.

Domes vs. Fire, Termites, Rotting, and Corrosion

Because a dome is constructed with concrete, there is no wood to burn. Obviously, this reduces the risk of fire. Even a dome with multiple flooring can remain fire resistant by using aluminum studs. Once again, because of the does concrete structure placed on concrete pilings, there is no threat from termites because the wood they thrive on does not exist in the concrete home. The dome also eliminates the risk of other insects and creatures living in your wall space, as there are no spaces in your walls to infest. Concrete does not decay and rot as a wood structure does.
There is virtually nothing to corrode or rot on the concrete dome home. The procedure uses Air form and urethane foam that is immune to corrosion. The rebar is placed so that it is protected by concrete, reducing corrosion.

Domes vs. Earthquakes

Earthquake forces do not even approach the design strength the air form concrete dome is built to withstand. It would take an external force many times as large as the earthquake to approach the design strength of the concrete itself.

Domes vs. Rising Energy Costs

“The Dome of a Home is 1500 square feet larger than our previous conventional home located on Pensacola Beach. Yet, my electric bill is consistently less than my previous electric bill. With rising costs of power such a concern, I consider the dome’s energy efficiency more important than ever.” – Valerie Sigler
Because free air circulation eliminates hot or cold corners and dead air pockets, dome structures can easily reduce heating and cooling costs by 75%. The externally insulated concrete shell exploits the concept of thermal inertias, radiating warmth to the interior spaces, while moderating room air temperatures. There is none of the heat loss found with wood studs. The virtually airtight outer skin makes infiltration a controllable component of cool air or heat loss. In Alaska, the 8000 square foot Trinity Christian Center has an average heating bill of $72. With the rising energy costs, the monolithic home can offer the owner reduced expenses.
The use of polyurethane, which is a plastic, enhances the home by giving it an even temperature. This foam has the highest insulation value of any building insulation. Since the insulation is bonded to the outside of the concrete, it reduces the amount of heat being transferred into or lost from the concrete to outside conditions. The fact there are no joints or seams, therefore, no leaks, gives the dome an R-value in excess of 60.

Domes Building Costs

“Having the Dome of a Home survive over 5 tropical events in three years makes it the best money we have ever spent in construction. With all of the recent hurricanes, building supplies are becoming increasingly expensive. Building a structure that takes into consideration the hazards of its environment is the only option that makes sense.” – Valerie Sigler
When building a non-coastal dome, prices are comparable to conventional housing. But great savings can be realized when building a dome on the beach. Building a dome on the beach makes economical sense in several areas. Significant savings can be made on the piling package alone. Conventional structures require pilings to be placed every ten feet underneath the home, resulting in a nightmare of poles. The monolithic structure requires that pilings be placed only around the perimeter. As a result, a completely open area can be created under the home to park several cars, entertain, or become outdoor living space. Obviously, with pilings on the perimeter only, there are far fewer pilings to purchase. The savings on the piling package for a 3000 square foot home can be $40,000 or more. Because there is no roof, several thousand dollars can also be saved on the hurricane-strapping package that secures the roof to the structure. This money can be spent on finer amenities. Everyone would prefer to spend money on creature comforts, rather than pilings that support a conventional home.

Copyright © 2013 Dome of a Home. All Rights Reserved. | Website Design and Hosting by Rick Loe Creative Designs "

 I hope that our home-builders in Eastern Visayas would look over the possibility of rebuilding and building the homes of our kababayan using the above-described technology. 

Hopefully, we could lick the disastrous typhoons that come our way. 


 

WHAT?

1. A beautiful scenery on the major roads of MetroManila and all other cities in the Philippines. Unfortunately, Calamba is so ugly I cannot even recognize its historical value anymore. Manila is foggy of soot. Quezon City is full of billboards. Only Makati and Global City seem to have a sane atmosphere. 

2. I think that architects in the  country should start flexing their muscles and insist that billboards should not cover the beauty of their artistic works. Why not limit the size of the billboard only up to the first floor, and should not cover the 2nd floor and up? In this way, we could still know the historical dates they were designed and produced. Now why this penchant for history -- that is because we are human beings, not robots who have just been placed on earth to eat, sleep, work and make love. We need to use our minds, to think of beauty and goodness. 

3. A scenery that is bereft of families with cariton as their homes. Why until now there has not been a consistent program to place them in houses, I cannot understand. Why doesn't the government rent homes and place them there, room by room? It is so depressing when we see human bodies, young and old lying on cemented pavements, asleep or drugged, you will never know. 

4. An atmosphere that is oxygenated, not where we have to wear masks the whole stretch of streets from Quezon City to Manila in order to protect ourselves from the soot.

5. Road islands, or curbs that are planted with flowers and herbal plants not converted into parking lots for backhoes, environmental trucks, steel frames, and all kinds of paraphernalia used for construction, etc. It is really another depressing sight Folks that we have to contend with, and you can see for yourself that stretch underneath the overpass crossing Santolan, or that portion after the Post office, or even that space under the overpass in the crossing of Kamias and Edsa. Truly, our officials could have gone abroad and seen for themselves how beautiful the sights are in many other countries, whether Asian or western. How come we cannot do that?

6. A consistent and persistent program of stopping smokers from smoking in public, especially along pedestrian sidewalks. I could see how these smokers look so arrogant, as if they owned every inch and cranny here. Also, all barangays should have a program that will survey the households where there are smokers and ferret them out to put them under the quit smoking programs, if there is any, and if there is none, then to start one. 

7. Many a times I have had brushes with these men and I tell you to do that every day, ten or twenty times a day is truly upsetting the mood for the whole day. Why because you know there is a solution but you just feel helpless over the low priority placed on such an issue. 

The garbage trucks in our barangay come at their own sweet time. We only know they are there when they start honking. But on the days they are supposed to be there, you cannot find them. And suddenly, as you feel happy doing something for the day, there they are sending their awful smelling trucks down the main highways, would you believe right there around the Quezon Memorial Circle at 8 o'clock in the morning when everyone wants to reach their offices fresh and smelling good? Why is this happening at all? Are garbage collectors more important the people who pay taxes so our officials could have their salaries on time?

when restaurants fail to give exact change up to the last centavo. Take note, American franchisers. Your cashiers have the tendency to undercut the change. 

when cinemas have to dictate only two days and up to 4:30 pm only when senior citizens can watch movies. Supposing we want to watch with our grandchildren who come home late in the afternoon on Fridays? Supposing we want to catch an animation movie at 7pm. with them. Why can't we do that? I think the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) have to put up more flexible hours for us to be able to enjoy the cinema with our relatives. 

Also, why can't the OSCA include in the list to be given discounts, oats, raisins, biscuits, soya milk, such items making our relaxing days more enjoyable? For people who have devoted their most fruitful years to make this society livable, don't we deserve more benefits?

Also, why not have a particular point at bus stops where the elderly, the pwd, and pregnant women can stand and wait for their rides? Many a time, we have had to race  or compete with more able-bodied students for a seat in the jeeps and buses. 

Then why can't we get discounts when we want to buy gadgets like celfones which we need for communicating with our loved ones? Instead, we are made to wait for gifts to be given us in order to enjoy one. Last December, my son who died last July 28, according to the reckoning of the Singaporean police, told me, as he was handing out to me the laptop with the touch screen, "Ma this could be the last expensive gift I am going to give you." I thought that was because he was going to lose his job and he might transfer to a lower-paying one. Instead, it was his last because he was going to depart from this earth, or he was made to depart?

Anyway, Folks the title of this article is ...WHAT THIS GOVERNMENT OWES US. 

WHERE SHOULD INTEL FUNDS GO?

Folks, this is a personal view. I think that we are not advancing economically because the very people who are supposed to help us, those holding the institutions, become so paranoid that they use the moneys for secretly spying on people Have you heard how much the intelligence fund is? It runs into 1.2 billion, and will be unaudited. 

This intelligence fund, how much is reserved for spying on media practitioners? What kinds of spying do they do? What happens to the data they gather?

How come they don't spy on why food prices are going up and up? How come they don't unearth the truth as to why petroleum prices are skyrocketing? Or why the budget of the government keeps increasing, instead of decreasing? Where does the money go? Do we see any difference in our lives?

I only see indifference and hopelessness around. The thriving groups are those funded from abroad. Where do the trillions go?

The Maguindanao Massacre happened because there was connivance between government people and the police forces there. So what happened to the intelligence funds there?

The problem with our intelligence groups is that they fancy themselves as untouchables. They do not even reveal how they have spent their budgets. But we need to know why. 

I know that intel groups are having a heyday. They can ride fancy cars, buy good clothes, and fancy gadgets to justify their snooping. They have access to all kinds of reports, no need for FOI. Everyone is at their beck and call. 

When I was working for the Budget Commission from 1977 to 79 we unraveled the secret role of one of our employees. He grew red in the face. In that office, there was Rey Abella the Division Chief with a radical background, and many employees with UP student group backgrounds. I was then the spouse of an ex-detainee. So our division was really crawling with radical minds. 

Yet, we knew our limitations. We could not raise our fists nor shout slogans as  the student demonstrators could do. But we were able to present three part play showing the history of our country from Spanish to American and Japanese period, with the title: "Ganito Kami Noon..."

Before the intelligence committee chairs in Congress decide to increase the intelligence funds, they  should line up where the funds should go -- what are the critical areas where mindsetting, using brains is needed -- and primary to that is the food sector. Our people must have food to eat. All else may follow. 

Where are the sources of food, of agricultural crops? What brings up their prices? What are the responsible government agencies doing? Can there be a monthly monitoring of these prices so that the agencies shall be able to say definitively that the prices shall go down?

I don't think our problems are unsolvable. They are. It is only a matter of having the will. 

Think Food Senate and House. And Malacanang. Think of mouths to feed. 

That is democracy?

I get paranoid whenever I enter an internet  kiosk. I fear that someone is peeking into whatever I am writing on the screen, or that my article would not be uploaded at all or if so, would be diluted. That is "democracy?"

WHOSE VOICES SHOULD BE HEARD

Even if non-government organizations proliferate in our country, we still do not feel their real power. We, in the NGO movement, still are a marginalized group that has to look for connections, establish rapport with influential people, and do underground activities to maintain ties with them (as the Napoles group which brought a really negative image to NGO work) just so that our objectives would be realized.

Why so? What is missing in our existence as a Movement. This is capital M simply because it is an important sector of society. We should be treated with great importance, because as we think -- opposite or maybe and parallel with how governance should be conducted in our country -- in opposition to or in collaboration with those in the bureaucracy-- then our image, our presence, our words and thoughts have to be valued, respected and sustained, not degraded, nor our personas killed and murdered.

I was listening to a popular radio program of someone from Eastern Visayas one morning as to how the Yolanda victims are being treated by the government. And I heard that a website has been created so that the people may insert their ideas and have them be read by the power-that-be.

What is good about this? First it is a recognition that our ideas matter.

Second, that they have to be heard or read shall we say.

But what is lacking here? What is lacking is that we are still marginalized. They may or may not take our ideas; they may or may not regard them as valuable for inclusion in their plans, strategies and programs; they may or may not exist in the website at all

Hence, what is the best solution to be done to make us -- the real NGO movement-- matter?

The best thing where infrastructure and all other terminal projects and activities are concerned are these:

1. In the case of housing projects, there should be triumvirate watchers who will be always on alert if the moneys are being spent judiciously; if the timetable is being met; if the steps to realization of the projects are being done qualitatively and quantitatively.

2. These watchers should include:
a. government - COA
b. private sector -- NGO with capabilities related to the project
c. ecumenical religious sector -- ecumenical

B and C sectors are the real voices that should be heard in any government program.

All these people should have the power to approve and disapprove every step along the way the releases of checks for payment. In the event that the contractor fails to fulfill the requirements of one step, then they should be barred from receiving any further payments. Should the people in the area complain about the havoc they are causing to them, then they (the contractor) should be made to pay a penalty to be distributed to the people in the area.

I think institutionalizing the roles of these sectors -- private and ecumenical sectors should make all who are transacting business with the government wary about making hanky-panky activities that would bolster the corruptibility of government public service.

Vox Dei, Vox Populi!

He is gone

The words of my son reverberate in my mind everytime I face the computer now, "Ma, huwag ka nang magsulat." "Bakit Anak, sino ang nagsabi sa iyong patigilin akong magsulat?" But he didn't answer me.

Now, my son is gone. I will never know who asked him to do that but apparently it is someone from the political field who wants to silence me.

Can a writer be silenced at all? Can ideas be stopped from occurring? Why try to stop them? Have people run out of answers? Or have their positions made them so dizzy with power, glamour and visibility that they cannot figure out or do not care to figure out anymore how to be creative in serving the people?

Serving the people was a popular mantra at UP way back in the 60's but the service had meant we were to go up the mountains, be with the people, and possibly hold an armalite. I am not cut out for that one. I am asthmatic and need glasses. I could easily stumble in the dark.

Through the years, I have developed the idea that to serve the people is through education. So people ask me, "Ma'am are you a teacher?" And I answer I am -- a peripatetic teacher. I teach people wherever I am -- the smokers (Mama, ale hindi kayo guguwapo (gaganda) sa paninigarilyo), the jeepney drivers, the vendors, the streetchild (selling sampaguita but didn't know the name of his product), and many more. I think that we still have a lot of people who didn't finish elementary or even high school and this is why when I talk to them, they tend to listen.

Later on, I told my son, I am writing cultural reviews now, Ogening. No longer political articles. And I even sent him an animation of a cyclist, less than a minute. In our last communications, he had told me he wanted to write a script, asking me if I could give him a sample script. I was going to answer he on July 29, but then the news was broken to me by my niece, that he is gone.

Yes, now he is gone. Our last meeting is deeply etched in my mind. His eyes were sorrowful -- And I asked him to stay in the condominium, na hinulughulugan ko para matirhan nila ng kapatid niya. 

Yes, he is gone. And I am questioning, how come, he was pronounced dead by a mere paramedic or the police and not by a doctor in Singapore. How come, the doctor came in only during the autopsy?

Singaporean labor laws declare that when a foreign national dies, a doctor should attend to him. No one should touch him.

STREETFOOD VENDING NOT REALLY HEALTHY

by Wilhelmina S. Orozco

The Filipino people are fond of: tusok-tusok fishballs, quail eggs, balut or penoy, kikiam, chicken balls. They buy this everywhere, whether inside malls or on the streets. This is the problem: the street is not really a safe place for eating. You get the flies, the soot from the jeepneys, the motorcyles, the tricycles, and all other vehicles, including the coughing and sneezing of the next customer to you. And they do that while in front of the food. Others dip their food in vinegar but the stick has already been lined by their saliva.

No rules and regulations exist to control, to supervise, or even to make foods by the sidewalks safe for our people. I know this for a fact. Twice I ate food by the sidewalks and the next week, I was down with a cold and a slight fever. I can only attribute it to the lowered resistance I got from eating there.

Who are responsible for regulating streetfood vending, the barangay or the city health centers. Whoever they are, the people need their muscles to control the race for profits of the vendors and to insure that the people stay healthy despite their poverty -- of resorting to eating by the sidewalks.

So here go the suggestions:
1. Require all vendors to cover the food they sell with an acrylic plastic.
2. Roasting by the roadside should be banned.
3. Washing of dishes by the streets should be banned. Instead, plates should be used.
4. Dining tables should be allowed only on streets where vehicles are not allowed to pass.
5. Vinegar in open bottles should not be allowed. Instead, they should be capped and the customer has to just pour it on the food.
6. Food handlers should wear plastic gloves.  They should not be used for handling moneys.
7. Soot coming from barbecue stands should not bother homes around. I have seen those stands where they roaster just keeps doing his activity without regard to where the soot would fly, whether to the open windows, the indoors of homes, or waft over the faces of passersby.
8. Food should be fresh. I have also seen kikiam, fishballs, etc. being sold at UP stands without any ice to keep them fresh. I wonder if they can withstand the heat of the whole day and still remain delicious.
9. Overpricing of foods should not be allowed. At Maria Orosa street corner Padre Faura, a turon vendor sells two pieces for P20 whereas along Pedro Gil, it is only P15. I think that the DTI should monitor the prices of such foodstands so as to prevent business opportunist that wreak havoc on the financial capabilities of our kababayan.

More to come.

BEREAVEMENT PROGRAM FOR THE COMMUNITY

DEAR FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES IN THE N-G-O MOVEMENT,

While attempting to understand why my son departed for the other
world, I began to mull over how I had carried myself during the
grieving period. I found out that I felt very much alone, trying to
sort out my feelings. I went to different places, most of all to the
columbary garden to be with my son, but only I was the one talking,
and I have to think hard how he would answer me back.

I felt pain in my belly, as if he was still there, trying to squeeze
himself out of my ovary when I was carrying him still to go out into
this world.


The memory of the Kalinga, the Tiboli, the Tingguian, the
Maguindanaons that I met, and all the indigenous groups that I had
met, they seemed to have been very strong in facing life and death.
why because all the things that an individual goes through is
collectively experienced, meaning to say, the people are there to help
the individual go through the various phases of life.

And so I came up with this bereavement program.And so bereavement
becomes a welcome experience, becomes not a feared experience.

Hence, I would like to suggest that the Dept of Social Welfare and
Development provide a  BEREAVEMENT PROGRAM with a budget that will be
implemented in every barangay.


It will contain the following topics to be explored:

1. SECTORS INVOLVED - barangay, dswd, communities, ngo's operating in
the area, business concerns

2. A. FAMILY INTERVENTION -- definitely, for the urban and rural poor,
family intervention is important,  especially when there are children
left behind.

My family is lucky because the children are schooling in institutions
that have built-in counseling programs.

  B. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
The barangay should send a representative to inquire what kind of help
the bereaved need -- funds, candles, prayer-leading, etc. The presence
of the barangay rep is very much important to show that within that
environment, there are people who care to help the bereaved carry on
life in this world.

.
    SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT -- the principal and the teachers must greet
the child-in--bereavement. Everyday, the counselor must be there to
help the child process the feelings, why the dead is gone.



  AGENCY INVOLVEMENT -- other agencies to get involved are the DILG to
provide help so that the bereaved can secure the pensions from
government institutions, banks, and other benefits from the savings of
the dead, etcetera, or the inheritance, whatever, without delay.

Someone must accompany the bereaved as he/she goes through these problems.


  III. BUDGET

  A. Prayers:-- from the time of the funeral, up to burying, up to the
40th day, the barangay must help find prayer support for the family.
They must advance the help because usually the family is grieving and
cannot find the right directions to get help.

  B.Repatriation and Funeral Services -- if the departed is coming
from abroad, the barangay must be informed of the incident and so
would help the family get to the airport to collect the body, help the
family go through the voluminous paperworks needed and help the family
transport the body to the funeraria or the home of the family. the
barangay should also be ready with ample financial help to get these
things done.

  C. Interment or In-urnment -- this is up to the family to decide.



 First 45 days
  1I. ACTIVITIES3.
  A. Prayers - ecumenical
    priest/imam
    prayer books
    snacks
It is possible that the family dead wants an ecumenical service and
so, the barangay should help to realize their wishes.

    candles -- the barangay should have ample storage of candles,
prayer books and incense that can be used during the wake. The
community can help with the snacks and merienda for visitors.

The barangay must be able to provide the  casket, flowers, autograph
books for the family, especially if they come from the poor sectors of
society.
        singers -- The barangay must ready singers as music is an
important part of the funeral.

 The barangay should provide transport such as jeepney rides to help
the beraved get to the garden or the cemetery to bury the departed.

Masses for the dead should be part of the preparations and
implementation of the helpo for the bereaved. The priest must be able
to speak in English or Pilipino.

   After the burial, a regular Counsellor should be assigned to visit
the family everyday for the first 40 days, then gradually, reduce it
to three times a week the next six months, and once a week the next
six months. the Counsellor shall make sure that saying prayers with
candles every night is followed during the first 45 days.

The presence of the Counsellor gives a continuity in the minds of the
bereaved that there is someone who fully understands their grief from
the first moment up to a year. In this way, the bereaved or family
will find meaning and purpose in living again without the departed.

The Counsellor should also provide new directions in the life of the
bereaved -- such as schooling, having a small business to help them
tide over their needs -- if they feel lost, what other supports are
available that the government can give.

The following need special counseling: a. spouse; b. children


    e. Activities to be done once counsellor leaves
 Prayer and spiritual books are to be left with the beareaved

OUT OF THE BOX

The Americas belong to the Indians who were displaced by the colonizers in the 1600's. They belong historically to them and so their ancestral ownership must be respected.

The question of space to be occupied by indigenous groups in this world is being questioned by the entry of young children into the United States. We always say that the world is for everyone regardless of race, sex, age, class and ethnicity, that this is a democratic world despite the presence of rightists.

Yet, upon the entry of young children in the borders of the United States, I felt there was something awry in the way boundaries have been set up all over the world. These children from Latin America, who are running for their lives, endangered by the presence of drug-related violence, are seeking shelter on their own (or probably with the help of some adults) for the first time.

I felt very sad knowing how they could stand being separated from their first families at such a very young age. They should be enjoying their childhood, going to school, learning new ideas and thoughts that could help them navigate all kinds of problems and evil in this world. But there they are, thinking of their body and soul, where they could sleep peacefully.

I was painfully struck by the images of young boys, lying on cemented floors and their shoes, rubber shoes that could have been made by subcontract with multinational companies in their countries. It's the same in the Philippines, we have seen those shoes, some of them pirated and sold here. Actually, those boys could have been our own youth here.

I think repatriating them to their countries could be rethought as an option on dealing with them. In my years of volunteer work in Tondo, the biggest slum in Asia way back in the 60's and perhaps second now to Payatas, I know that the youth from those areas could fall into the hands of gangsters and corrupt officials who would exploit their background.

So what I would suggest is that a home be created wherein they would all be housed, given a chance to have a life, peaceful and not lacking in food. The UNICEF must be tapped to lead the agency that will provide them this haven, and insure that they get to be enrolled in schools.

What are a few concessions to these children now who could be future leaders of the world, given the world-class education in the United States? It's time for us to think out of the box.

 

WHY NETWORKING WORKS

Where do people get their statistics on poverty? The poor people I see are the vagrants in Manila who choose to smell the soot from pollutants like diesel-fed jeepneys and inhale the cigarette smoke by inveterate smokers. Also the child beggars who climb jeepneys and distribute white envelopes for "maawa pa-epek" but you can see very well that they are a very systematic lot with the way they look at you and beg you for help.

Outside of these people, I don't see poverty at all especially when you visit Ortigas where there are heavy lines of networking groups. And if you will examine the profits of the people in this field, your eyes would really go very, very wide: one has bought a Ferrari, another sports several vehicles, still another boasts of having made P200 million pesos selling products in 15 years, and that is more than P1M a year, Folks.

Meaning to say, Folks, networking is the path to go to, when we speak of solving poverty. The traditional business where one man or a corporate group owns the business, controls the company is slowly being taken over by the networking biz.

What can networking teach our people? It teaches us to think independently, to work as a team with others, to know how to expand one's reach, beyond the family and clan network, as well as how to compute one's earnings from products sold.

It's really a very lucrative business, Folks and you have better latch on soon enough when a new product comes into the market. To be up there in the pyramid or hierarchy of the business is to enjoy the perks early enough and to gain benefits that the networking business would offer the members.

For example, Chews, a tablet product which is a superfood, is currently being sold nationwide in the Philippines. Superfood means it contains plenty of minerals and vitamins, enough for what an individual needs for a day. It is sold through networking means and plenty of people already swear that it gives a great boost to one's energy, daily power needs for facing mental and physical tasks, and as it can rejuvenate cells, you can be sure that it arrests aging, and most probably could make you look younger which is the aim of so many of us.

Now Chews is being sold as a networking business, but, and this is the great but -- once you sign up, you then become eligible to earn P10,000, then P70,000 and so forth and so on. To get a better idea, just surf this blog: chews4health.blogspot.com.

It will give you a very good idea how chews is a good health tool -- as it provides you all the nutrients you need for the day. In fact, when I take it, I don't feel hunger pangs at all. But because it is candy, then you look for something to chew when you could be filled up by it already.

So happy reading the blog, Folks. and should you want to buy a banig, or to join the paluwagan or both, just email me at miravera2010@gmail.com. I could write you my celfone and local numbers personally.

CABLE WIRES FOR SALE, ANYONE?

	6:13 PM (35 minutes ago)

 

It is already the 2nd millennium but our communication lines are terrible. Glenda passed and many could not be contacted anymore. Maybe there is something terribly wrong the way the cables as connected. Is there any engineer with bright ideas on how they could be less prone to destruction when typhoons and other disasters come?

 

Look at the telephone and electricity lines. They look like long hair that has not been combed for centuries. They wave from one post to another. Some even have cut lines due to some "enterprising" fellows who think that the copper wires are theirs and that they should be a source of personal funds for themselves.

 

At a series of condo home blocks along Bayani Street, lines from several companies run from building to building, and they make the passageways UGH UGLY. Really UGLY Folks. If you are a filmmaker, you would not even look at them anymore for one second.

 

Along Kamuning, you will find the same views, actually all over MetroManila.  This is why I was trembling listening to the radio  and hearing the voice of the electric official who seemed very smug narrating how 150 cables of theirs were downed by Glenda, as if it was not their fault that they did not design the cables to be embedded underneath the earth.

 

And so how many more times are we going to be victims of these occurrences, of brown and black outs, of dead phones if the DOTC does not put its foot down and require everyone to remove all the posts and let the wires move down below the ground.

 

That is the only way that the cables shall be free from the destruction of the typhoons and all kinds of storms. Why, even if they get cut down there, it would be so easy to re-connect them and less expensive at that, unlike if they were over ground. With the latter, the cables are always ready for hacking, for cutting up, and stealing.

 

I think we should be practical already. The many profits lost through destroyed cables could run into millions, when electricity is cut off. Right now, I have just experienced radio stations which suddenly conk out and then resume after a few minutes. That really gets to be very jarring.

To think, I am in Quezon City, the capital city of the country.

 

If one would say, it is a national disaster and that no one could be blamed for it. No, we cannot use that argument. In fact, the companies are raking so much money and I am wondering if they are putting up anything for improving the design of their cables and making them destruction-proof.

 

Besides, lives are endangered when those electric posts are up. In that Bayani street condo blocks, the electric post had a boiler up there on one post, and suddenly, hot liquid overflowed.

 

I just learned that it did overflow but nobody told me if somebody was injured. But listening to radio news, I heard a man was killed when an electric post hit him.

 

Maybe it is time that we produce a standard for assessing public works -- which is more important, infra or human lives?

 

Perhaps also we should look at how first world countries have designed their megacities. Why they are really cable-free. That is also why they are always filmed. It is so nice to look at their cities without those spaghettis swaying with the wind or swinging here and there. Filmmakers have a heyday filming at those cities.  

 

Then the film becomes expensive to purchase. Hah. And that is also why our films remain in the doldrums. They do not contain the local color at all. Nothing to be proud of, scenic-wise unless we go to the provinces.

 

Cable wires for sale? Not a very bad idea but ridiculously low act.