PEOPLE POWER MOVEMENT REFLECTIONS

Some people refuse to call what had happened in Edsa 33 years ago as a movement. This is treachery to the historical act of the Filipino people. Why so?

The confluence of the people's desire to end elitism - ang pagiging matapobre, ang pagbibigay ng espesyal na pagtingin at pagyuko sa lahat ng gawain ng First Family, ang pagsusupalpal sa media kung saan lahat ng mga sinusulat sa diyaryo, ang inilalabas sa TV at radyo ay kinakailangang magdaan sa mga mapanuring mata ng National Media Production Center, ng mga intelligence agencies ni Marcos; ang pagpili kung ano ang ilalabas na larawan ni Imelda at kailangang maganda ang anggulo at expression ng mukha niya; ang taun-taon na pamamasyal ni Imelda sa iba't ibang bansa, gamit ang private jet planes para mag-shopping para sa sarili at para sa kanyang pamilya at amigas; ang pagtrato ng mga Marcoses ng Malacañang bilang kanilang kaharian;  ang mga paintings na nagsisimbolo ng mga mukha at paghahari nila naka displey sa bungad ng Philippine Heart Center at sa Malacañang; ang wangwang tuwing daraan ang mga opisyales para ipakitang sila ang sikat at walang iba; etsetera etsetera. Hindi ko na babanggitin ang mga nahuli, pinahirapan, pinaslang, nakulong, at mga nawawala na hanggang ngayon ay di pa nakikita; ang pagbabantay sa mga klase sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas ng mga lalaking may bitbit na maliit na bag na itim, nakabarong, at may notebook. na naglilista kung anu-ano ang mga pinaguusapan, ang paglalagay ni Imelda ng korona sa kanyang ulo na nagpalahiwatig na siya ay reyna na may forever na appointment at di kailanman matatanggal sa puwesto, tulad ng aristokrasya sa Ingglaterra at iba pang mga bansa; etsetera etsetera.

Higit sa lahat ang paglalabas ng mga presidential decrees na siyang mga naging batas ng Pilipinas na hindi idinaan sa Kongreso (na nilusaw noong 1972) pa lamang, hindi napagdebatihan, hindi na sinuri, walang ibang nagbigay ng kontrang opinyon, ang kawalan ng paggalang sa karapatan ng taumbayan na mag-isip, magsuri, magbigay ng opinyon; ergo ang pagsira sa kahulugan ng hustisya. Ang mga ito ang tinatawag nating "one-man rule, " sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa.

Ang pinakamasama ay noong Snap Elections 1986, bilang pagsira sa karangalan ng kalaban, sinabi niya na "Women belong to the b__________m" isang uri ng ad hominem kung susuriin kung anong klaseng argumento ito. Ang ad hominem ay isang mapanginsultong paraan sa pakikipag debate.

Kailangan pa bang balik-balikan natin ang mga yan upang ideklara na ang nangyari noong 1986 ay isang pambansang pag-aalsa ng bayan sa lahat ng mga binanggit ko sa itaas? Oo, kailangan sapagka't marami ang may amnesia, makakalumutin, nakinabang sa ilalim ng diktadurya at gustong baguhin ang pagsusulat, ang pananaw mula sa makabayang pagtingin ng ating kasaysayan.

Yan ang mga karagdagan at sukdulang kadahilanan para itaga natin sa bato na kaylanman ay hindi natin ibabalik ang mga panahon yun, hindi natin hahayaang lumitaw muli ang isang diktador Sa ating bansa

ETERNAL POLITICAL NAME

Apathetic voters will be the greatest problem of the elections. Some people have become cynical of the outcome; others are simply tired of hearing the same people proclaiming themselves as the best for the position; still others are just waiting to gain a bit of money from the exercise but unbelieving that their vote would count at all. 

Now is the time for political activists to focus on making the elections as an important part of democracy and that doing nothing to make a change or to contribute a change in our political life is tantamount to committing oneself to the hermit's life. 

If our political life is dull, let's not blame the people. Let us reflect on what our leaders have been doing -- are they really sincere about improving the life of the people, or do they ONLY want to perpetuate their name through eternity? 

PAN DE SAL POLITICAL FORUM

I got invited to join the Pandesal Forum at Kamuning Bakery where two speakers were presented: Prof. Ramon Casiple, a political scientist and analyst and Dr. Anthony  Bravo, who represents the Kooperatiba ng mga Magsasaka in Congress and is the president of the Coalition of Partylists of the Philippines.   

To Prof. Casiple, the existence of a strong political party system would solve our political problems while Dr.  Bravo believes that the Opposition in our political scene is not cohesive. Nor is the partylist system really counted upon as a serious matter (a viable tool towards bringing about legislative solutions to the people's problems) to be considered and regarded upon during elections. "In fact 11 million did not vote for any partylist in the last elections." In other words, there is lack of education among the people on the significance of the partylist system. Shouldn't the COMELEC seriously work on this?  

Prof. Casiple also mentioned that social media is not a strong influence in our society; rather the mainstream media is the one being sought for opinions by the people. Voters are swayed by names and political parties. However, To Dr. Bravo, social media must be assessed in terms of the quality of the message and the messenger.

This forum made me rethink so many issues in our politics. First of all, Prof. Casiple mentioned that voters are personalistic.They prefer candidates na "nakamayan at nakita nila." 

In other words, the clash of ideas during elections is not based on issues nor programs being offered by the candidates but their personalities. Implication: if the candidate is not carinioso, lovable or a heart throb, then he or she will earn only a few votes compared to those who are often seen inthe limelight - the movie actors, the entertainment figures, etc.

To Prof. Casiple also, the Midterm Elections is not solely going to be about the candidates that are offering their names but rather a vindication of the election of President Duterte: do people really want him or not as president, especially that he has endorsed three people for the senatorial seats? 

The analysis of Prof. Casiple is done from the view of the politician working within the Establishment. Unfortunately, there could be  other ways of viewing our politics. As an educator and a member of the movement of non-government organizations, I posit the following:

1.    First of all, we must look at politics, holistically -- from the point of view of organized groups involved in influencing elections, whether directly or indirectly, as well as individuals who may or may not participate in the process. 

In other words, we view politics as everyone's concern, from the rural to the urban areas, from all sexes' viewpoints, from all ages' viewpoints, i.e., those of voting age. We do not discriminate whether a person has a solid background in politics, or law, or any other engagement that could influence the political scene in our country. 

Hence, with this position, I believe that we should also give everyone a chance to serve in government, not only those who are close to the political powers-that-be, nor who are attached to organizations that have the solid material wealth to launch a candidacy or present a whole slate of set of candidates for official positions. 

In other words, we recognize the capacity of everyone to participate in politics. No discrimination please. The COMELEC must provide fora for the recognition of individuals who do not have that party machinery to launch their candidacies. A bill is now being presented in Congress to address the problems of funds of political parties but not of individual candidates which is rather unfair. Why push individuals to join a party when they do not desire this? We must recognize the independent character of everyone to participate politically. 

2. Secondly, the Midterm Election has to be viewed for itself -- as a time to assess which candidates can fill in the vacancies in the government, whether national or local positions. That should be axiomatic, the primary standard qualifications of the individuals who could be trusted to hold the power and lead the people to a society of equality, justice and peace.

3. Thirdly, I believe that the president ( all presidents for that matter, not just the incumbent) has to be detached from the election process, except as a voter himself or herself during the election day. The president has to show to the people, recognition of their right to choose which candidates to vote for. All he or she has to do is to put up standards for judging the candidates -- what are the qualities to be upheld when assessing the qualifications of a candidate? 

I think that we would be doing away with personalistic practices if we teach the people the idea that the election process is their responsibility and therefore, the process of deciding whom to vote for is also theirs. 

To my mind also, and which I had mentioned to Dr. Bravo, a legislation is needed to ban the president, (all presidents he said) from campaigning for any candidate. This is because, invariably, the resources of the government will be touched upon by doing this. Moreover, every moment of a president's life should be significantly spent for people's concerns, and not for bolstering some special people's ambition to belong to the political elite

4.  Also, I mentioned to Dr. Bravo my experience with the UP Coop, now defunct, due to mismanagement. I told him that I reported the matter to the Cooperative Development Authority -many months before it expired but the CDA did not lift a finger at all and had told me they did not have the authority to investigate, according to the law that created the agency. 

Dr. Bravo said that Congress has already amended the CDA law and it has passed a second reading. I mentioned that a need exists to have a special task force that will immediately investigate a report of any anomaly in order to avert that untoward incident of the board running away with the funds and leaving the coop members helpless without any final reporting on the coop demise. And he agreed. 

5. Social media is a strong political force that is now being used for political campaigning. In fact, Pres. Duterte's victory at the polls was greatly helped by his team that fully made use of it during the election period in 2016.  His female friend helped him a lot in her online accounts in order to make him known nationwide. 

Besides, social media is read worldwide, not just in the Philippines. I know for a fact that my blog is read all over the world, from the United States to Europe and the Middle East because I have met many OFWs in the past to whom I had shared my addresses. Some of my opinions I believe had been considered by officials in some countries like the Greek economic problem, and the lack of credibility of the presidency of Trump. The Greeks were treated more kindly by the economic managers in Europe, and now the Trump presidency is under scrutiny by Robert Mueller whose report is now being decided upon whether to revealed publicly or not. Moreover, the political issues of the day are readily commented on in social media which is very difficult to do within mainstream media as it has a long list of editors that will assess and re-assess everything that comes out in print or broadcast.  

In the open forum, Mr. Wilson Lee Flores, the writer and owner of the Cafe,  called on Mr. Linggoy Alcuaz, a political writer to share his views. Linggoy gave a rundown of the elections in the past revealing the topsy-turvy development of our politics -- parties uniting and breaking up almost every election time,  thereby showing how difficult it really is to maintain a pure interest only in serving the people. 

The dynamics of changing parties, of dwindling resources during campaigning which could push the winners of elections to get back their "investments" and the imperative need to be known nationwide, in the case of national positions, or to be known locally, for the local positions, cannot really be ignored. 

Now the question: are we politically mature already in engaging in elections? The series of killings certainly show that we are not yet at that level of believing and acting on the idea that everyone has a right to present himself or herself as a candidate for a position. 

Discussion should be continuing from hereon for us to be habituated to the idea that politics under a democratic rule requires discussions, debates, argumentations, and real clashing of ideas without let-up and sans violence. 

Luckily we have the Kamuning Bakery Cafe that provides the space for such events. By the way ,breakfast before and lunch after the forum were served. Pan de sal was generously distributed to everyone and brewed coffee, my weakness was freely served. Upon departing, the media attendees were gifted some more with a bagful of baked goods. 

According to Mr. Flores, "It is sad that politics and elections in the Philippines seem dominated by personality politics instead of issues; we focus on transactional or patronage politics instead of platforms, issues, or genuine political parties with ideologies. The Pandesal Forum of Kamuning Bakery Café is our humble contribution to efforts to elevate public debate and discourse in the Philippines."

Surely,  Albert Einstein was right: "An empty stomach is not a good political advisor."

Kamuning Bakery Café is at 43 Judge Jimenez Street corner K-1st Street, Kamuning, Quezon City (929-2216); open daily from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. Visit Kamuning Bakery Café's official Facebook page.

GREAT WAVE....

Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave at Kanagawa

WHEN PHILOSOPHY IS MOST NEEDED

Media people are a resilient lot. We cannot really be put down by anything, disasters human-made or Mother Nature-made we survive them all. 

We are used to all kinds of harassments and intimidations, especially if we belong to the non-government side. Reediting our works, being censored by them, or even theft of  our ideas we get over them quickly. We don't,wallow in self-pity. 

So it is useless for the government to make any move that will try to cripple our ability to make a stand and write, call out, broadcast or even to withdraw from sticking to our profession.

What the government should do is employ information people who know philosophy, the tenets of communication and be able to respond to the brickbats that come their way, not underhandedly but frontally - ideas contra ideas.

The world is full of competition - whether in goods and brains or any other thing. The job of the media practitioners is to be able to sift through facts and opinions and create a new or improved perspective that will advance humanity's quest for peace, equality and justice.

To thwart our moves is to create more and more adherents. Why because, especially with the advance of feminism, students studying journalism and mass communication are already prepared by their professors, with an enlightened curriculum, to face and survive in the world of letters and images.

I think we should call it a Calling. To engage in media is to say that we have been born into it. Those who come for the money will be known by what they churn out. Those who come for principles will be listened to and read by the people. 

I think what is  lacking in government is the capacity to debate and discuss in a democratic way. Harassments and intimidations are a sign that some people have run out of words and ideas to respond peacefully and that is sad.

A strong philosophical bent is what the western world media can be proud of in its being able to keep the level of discourse going on and on even with the presence of some brainless leaders who would drive their countries to sick situations.

I am not saying that the situation of our media is deplorable compared to that of the west. But you see Folks, the leaders in the west and also here in Asia have been honed in philosophy before coming into power and living in a democratic place; they have imbibed the need to use democratic means to advance their aims and to maintain them when they come into power. And so media is vibrant there.

In the case of Myanmar, I think her female leader is an exception to what I have said above.

Anyway my discourse on media and society shall be a continuing act because our society is evolving. After having gone through 14 years of martial law that suppressed media and press freedom, we can pray and hope that there will still be torches of enlightenment in our midst that will never move back from what we have embraced as our only link to the world of ideas and humanity.

Touché to all our comrades in media, in or out of jails. To the departed, our sincere prayers for their violent or peaceful transition to the other life.

Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave at Kanagawa

Happy Birthday My Dear Apo, ERIKA!

I LOVE YOU APO!

Lola Emma

IN THE LAND OF TRUMPALALA

In the land of Trumpalala, lived a group of migrants, dutiful, conscientious workers. They had gone there to look for greener pastures, so that they could remit money to their relatives. The country they came from was so barren, that they could not make both ends meet. 

So by hook, and by crook, they sought to go to the land of milk and honey, the land of Trumpalala. 

That land was seen as a virtual place for advancing their careers and achieving a good life. Unfortunately, when they arrived, they saw that the good life was a myth. They could not be equal to the nationals of that country at all. So they sought to work and work hard to earn more and more money to send. 

Some of them became prosperous, rich, and influential. Others remained lower  middle-class, happy to be living in the milk of honey, despite the lowly ability to rise up in the social ladder. 

Eventually, they formed an online group 

PAYATAS MAUUBUSAN NA NG LAMOK

February  11, 2019

The warm reception of the Payatas barangay community under the leadership of Capitan Manny Guarin and ably assisted by Brother Gino and his staff,  was very evident when I went there today. i could see the eagerness in their eyes to hear what i have to say. 


(I opened my statement with - under my administration as a mayor i would be requiring the planting of herbs in all the vacant lots so that we could pick fruits and vegetables freely. Then i defined herbalism, a study of the uses of the different parts of plants and animals for use as healing tools or medicinal matter for all kinds of human ailments; after which gave away flyers which contained among others my promo as a mayoralty candidate for QC; the history of herbalism and its evolving definition acc to the WHO; ang mga ginagamot ng lagundi, sambong at tsaang gubat which Carmela Sanqui Santiago had sold me for a song;  then one flyer on Literacy - why it is important to be literate - to know how to read and write.

Afterwards,  i clarified the difference between squatter and urban poor. the former is now being done away with because " Ang Pilipinas ay bansa para sa mga Pilipino. Therefore, the Filipino people reside in the Philippine land. And no one can claim or declare that we are squatters in our own country because this is ours. The Philippines is for the Filipino people and we are Filipinos and Filipinas. 

Ang mainit na pagtanggap ng komunidad ng Payatas, sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Capitan Manny Guarin, na tinulungan ni Bro. Gino at ng kanyang staff, ay kitang kita ng ako I magpunta doon ngayong umaga. Nakita ko ang kanilang paghihintay na makarinig ng aking sasabihin. 

Binuksan ko ang aking pananalita, na sa aking administrasyon bilang mayor, itatakda ko ang pagtatanim ng mga herbal sa lahat ng bakanteng lote sa lungsod upang tayo ay makapitas ng mga kinakailangan nating mga prutas at gulay. At pagkatapos ay binigyan ko ng depinisyon ang herbalismo- isang pag-aaral sa mga gamit ng iba't ibang bahagi ng mga halaman at hayup upang gamiting panghilom o panggamot sa lahat ng klase ng sakit ng tao.Matapos nito ay namigay ako ng mga flyers na naglalamat ng depinisyon ng herbalismo ng Organisasyon ng Pandaigdigang Kalusugan o World Health Organization; ang ginagamot ng lagundi, sambong at tsaang gubat na binigay sa akin ni Carmel Sanqui Santiago sa napakamurang halaga; at isang flyer tungkol sa Literacia - kung ano ang halaga nito - ang kaalamang magbasa at magsulat.  

Matapos nito ay nilinaw ko ang pagkakaiba ng mga salitang squatter at urban poor.  Ang una ay hindi na dapat ginagamit dahil tayo ay nasa bansang Pilipinas at ito ay para sa mga Pilipino. 
Kung kaya't  dapat mga Pilipino ang nananahan dito. Kaya't  walang maituturing na squatter sapagka't atin ang bansang ito. Pilipinas para sa mga Pilipino at Pilipina, tayo."

Pagkatapos noon ay nagsalita si Ann Rawlins tungkol sa juices mula sa prutas at gulay at kung paano itong nakakatulong sa pagpapalakas ng katawan. Nag demonstreyt siya kung paanong makagagawa ng juices at binigyan. niya ng sample ng mga juices ang karamihan manonood na 95% ay mga kababaihan. Pati si Mam Pecson ne tumatakbong kandidato sa pagka councilor ay nakinood at pagkatapos ay nagtabas at gumawa na rin ng juices.

Gamit ni Ann ang kanyang imbensyon na juicer, isang mga 6 na pulgada ang taas at medyo squarish  na may tatlong  bahagi: ang ibabaw na siyang gamit sa pagpiga; ang gitna na binubuksan at kung saan nilalagay ang mga tinabas na prutas at gulay at pagkatapos ang pinaka ibaba kung saan lumalabas ang juice. Puromg puro ang katas ng juice at tiyak naging malusog ang mga nakainom doon. 

Bakit mahalaga ang herbalismo sa mga taga Payatas? Sapagka't sila ang number two, dati ay number one sa Dengue Cases. Ang number one ay ang katabi nilang barangay, Barangay Commonwealth. Kaya't ang lamok ay nagpipiyesta - pakipatlipat sa iba't ibang dugo.

Sa tulong ng paginom at pagkain ng mga preskong gulay at prutas lalakas ang katawan natin. Kasi ang juices diretso sa mga organom walang kemikal at hindi na pinroseso sa mga makina.

Kasama rin ni Ann si G na taga Visayas, na alalay sa kanyang pagsasalita at pagdi demo; at ako naman si T na tubong Ilocos at kasama ko sa pagkakalat ng mga babasahin. 

MGA KABABAYAN SA FRANCIA BANTAYAN

Protesters set fire on Saturday to a car belonging to France’s antiterrorism squad.CreditKamil Zihnioglu/Associated Press

(Mga Kababayan, ano ang nangyayari sa ibang bansa, sa Francia na kinabibilangan ng may 47,000 at 65,000 Filipinos na naninirahan sa Francia at 33,000 ang tinatayang naninirahan na ilegal doon. Araw-araw basahin natin ang nangyayari sa Yellow Vest Movement sa Paris at ibang bahagi ng Francia. )

Ang mga nagpoprotesta laban sa gubyerno ni Pangulong Emmanuiel Macron ng Francia ay  muling nagbalik pero mas kakaunti kesa sa mga naunang demonstrasyon. 

Sinulat ni Adam Nossiter

Sa ika labintatlong linggo ng Yellow Vest demos sa Francia, patuloy ang protesta kahit na nagbigay na ng mga benepisyo si Pangulong Macron. 

May mga bayolenteng aksyon sa pagitan ng mga nagpoprotesta at polissa Paris at sa ibang syudad sa Francia- Avenue des Champs-Élysées at National Assembly sa central Paris. Ang mga motorcycle at basurahan ay sinunog sa Paris, at isang kotse na pag-aari ng antiterrorism unit ay sinunog sa harap ng Eiggel Tower. 

May 51,000 katao ang nagmartsa sa buong Francia noong Sabado, ayon sa pulis ay sikalima or 1/5 lamang ng mga unang demo ng Yellow Vest Demonstration noong Nobyembre. 

Ang hinihiling ng mga demonstrador noong una ay ang pag-aalis ng pagtataas ng buwis sa gas at inalis naman ng gubyerno. Ngayon naman ay hiling nila ang mas mataas na suweldo at mababang buwis higit sa lahat sa mga pagkain. 

"Hindi kami bata. Kami ay malalaki na," ayon Hugues Salone, isang IT engineer mula sa Paris, habang nagdaraan ang amga demonstrador na may daladalang placard at umaawit. 

"Nais naming maparating ang aming gusto, at hindi ang gusto ng mga pulitikong hindi naman tumutupad sa sinasabi nila. 

Ang iba sa mga demonstrador ay naghahanda na ng listahan ng mga kandidato sa darating na eleksyon sa Europa. 

BREWING ISSUE AT UP ARBORETUM

Behind the Ayala Techno Hub along Commonwealth Avenue, is a sleepy community full of old and new trees. The place has been the home of UP employees and their descendants since the 50's. It is huge and "the subject of scientific study..., green advocacy and University custodianship. Measuring a mere sixteen hectares of the 493-hectare academic institution that is the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines, it supports a diverse collection of plants and wildlife, which, while not necessarily remarkable as compared to undisturbed ecosystems, can still be considered a compelling attempt at environmental preservation in the face of urban accretion and human threat." That is the description of the UP. 

However, a rambling is being felt in the area. The big issue is that the Arboretum residents are being agitated to move out of the place without any promise of a relocation site for them. In its last meeting with the Director of the Community Affairs, the officers of the Samahang Magkakapitbahay ng Pook Arboretum, which include the members and the following officers: Antonio Basconcillo, Chairman, Rolando C. Bantegui, vice chairman, Salvacion Tuboro, Secretary, Myrna Repalda, soledad Ravancho, Jose Revilla, Rosita Palana, Teresita Parco, Rosemarie Notarte heard unsavory remarks like: "Magbalut-balot na kayo. "

And so the residents at Arboretum spent the saddest Christmas and New Year in 2018. Question, the Director of the Community Affairs, does she understand what community means? How did she get that post when she exhibits the least compassion for our landless fellow citizens? 

The residents whose grandfathers started the place in he 50's were shocked at the brazen character of the Director. They contend that UP wants to remove them even without any relocation site being offered. 

Hence, the residents are asking the help of everyone, the alumni included, to petition UP to stop its commercial interests in the area. Tomorrow, February 4, 2019. a rally will be held in front of the UP administration to be participated in by kiosk owners who sell cheap snacks to students and faculty, faculty members and UP personnel to protest the privatisation of UP. 

UP is not really well known at protecting the land for academic pursuits -- it leased the land of the UP High School along Katipunan Avenue to the Makati Conglomerate which had built a mall to sell shoes, shorts and what have you.