MACRON ERA

                                

                                                                  Place de la Bastille with the July Column in the center

                                                                  

                                                                                         

Meaning of Macron Presidency

Europe is more than 19 hours away from us. It has many languages, different cultures and political systems. Why bother about it?

I attended once a Europe Day and tried to understand why the need for a united Europe. Then I was given a workbook where each country that belonged to the European Union was narrated. One thing that struck me was the list of inventors, scientists, and literary geniuses.

In college we learned about Shakespeare as coming from England; of Moliere from France; of Cervantes as from Spain; meaning each country produced her own special people. So we connoted a famous literary person by his or her country.

However, in that workbook, no mention was made of the country at all. All the famous people were lumped together as European. I found that rather disturbing.

You see Folks, when I was in Europe in the 80's, a very rare opportunity for me to see that continent, I enjoyed travelling from one country to another. From Amsterdam where I had attended and presented my Super 8mm films at the First International Conference of Women in Film and Video, I rode a bus which took the boat from to England. After staying there for 3 months, I went around Europe – to Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, and back to Amsterdam. Later on, I was able to visit Brussels and Germany. I was amazed how the paper monies from one country to another differed from each other; and how they reflected the cultural differences. One country showed their royal personages; another their scientists thus showing whom they want to emphasize as having an impact in their society.

That is the beauty of Europe – the cultural differences which are only a few hours away from each other.

Now a European Union has been established which aims to unite all the countries and strengthen the continent in cooperating to solve the problems of existence in each country. Britain is exiting; whereas the ascendancy to the presidency of Emmanuel Macron is viewed as a step towards strengthening the union as he is loyal to its objectives.

So what is the relevance of Macron victory to our country?

1.The youthful age of Macron shows that the French idea of governance does not hinge on age. Rather it is the mind and the skill of the person that count more than the number of years of being in government or any other institution.

2.The defeat of Ms. Le Pen reveals the lack of synchronization of women's political capabilities to the requirements of society. 

      Ms. Le Pen comes from the right and so espouses a very limited view of how to govern a country. What France and all other countries in Europe need is a government that views the presence of all other countries whose developments could affect one's own. In other words, globalization is an issue that any ruler for that matter has to contend with, instead of running away from it.

3.Why are male leaders more open to the idea of globalization than women? Look at Britain which has a female prime minister, Theresa May, who is for Brexit or the exit of Britain from the European Union. And now, Ms. Le Pen whose defeat shows that the French are more for opening up to the other European countries and the world.

       I think the presence of international terrorists push countries now to band together instead of existing on their own. They must join hands in order to keep their citizens safe and their countries free from being torn into disorder by them.

In other words, the French are telling us, as they have chosen Macron that we need someone who can help us plan our future and make us feel safe in our own shores.

The men actually are being true to form. Remember that the many colonizers who went out of Europe were men and so the habit of going out is still there, albeit without the need to conquer any more but rather to establish stronger economic ties legally.

5.Macron is only 39 years old thus showing that he is a product of the 80's. He must have experienced already a lot of political transitions – from undemocratic to democratic rules; from colonized to decolonized; from apartheid to equality of the races; and from male to female domination to equality, among others. France being a highly developed country surely would have an information system that can reveal the different facets of the world. And so,  he must have seen that a multiple perspective of the world can bring about change, rather than an inward-looking one.

6. How much understanding should we make of French politics? In college, I tried very had to study the French language but I could not bring myself to really study it well so that I could read the works of Racine, Beauvoir, Sartre, and Camus in their originals.  From the French existentialists, I learned that “Existence precedes essence.” In other words, before individuals can learn morals and truths,

         they must be fed first.

By the way, my first French teacher died accidentally and so that scene always comes between me and my desire to learn the language. Perhaps I should overcome that. 

7. Culturally, I have devoured a lot of French writings. In college, I read Jean Genet's The Maids; Alfred Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, among others. But my appreciation was very skimpy of these works because I knew that they were only translations and I have a leery view of such. Translations could be skimming over the really important ideas that the original author is trying to say.

When Les Miserables, the film was shown here, I tried to see how it matched the novel of Victor Hugo on which it was based. I was rather disappointed but nonetheless I enjoyed the music of Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil 

8.When I visited Paris in the 80's, I marveled at the huge avenues, and the monuments right smack in the middle of the cities. Sometime during the celebration of French independence Day, on July 14, 1981, I bought a bottle of beer and drank it while sitting by the monument of Bastille, the site of the French Revolution of 1872 against the aristocrats. I really enjoyed that as I had just come from the restaurant where I bought the bottle of beer. 

You see, Folks, when you sit inside the restaurant and drink the beer, you would be charged more; and so I decided to bring the bottle right where history unfolded. And wasn't that very apropos? I am sure the martyrs of the revolution also were happy to see me there, especially as I was coming then from a country that was being ruled by a dictator-- Ferdinand Marcos.

9.So what makes us view France? She has intellectual ferment. Dictators are not welcome there. That's the importance of maintaining a president who would accept contrary and pro ideas as having equal weight to be discussed. 

     

Intellectual discourse there is natural. People will not shy away from discussing. In fact, at that time I was there, many political refugees lived and worked side by side – El Salvadorenos, Chilenos, and all other Latin Americans, Africans, etcetera. I lived in the home of an El Salvadorena who spoke French and Spanish. I helped her in finding an equal treatment of media coverage of the revolutionary activities of Farabundo Marti  through just payments gathered from the sale of footages to French TV stations. I remember what she told me: “Bon travail, Guillermina.” That name is Wilhelmina, my real name, in Spanish and she spoke Spanish in her homeland.

Europe was actually then a huge political haven for citizens suffering from military dictatorships. Even England was full of political refugees – Palestinians, Latin Americans, South Africans, etcetera.

That tradition of sheltering refugees continues to this day as we can see that some other European countries have opened their doors to migrant-refugees from the Middle East, especially Syria.

And so in this age where the world is still opening up its doors to all kinds of ideas (mind you, I don't like the idea of Neo Nazis) we in the Philippines could learn a lot about political and religious tolerance.

Hence, we expect the same freedoms to be strengthened when Macron takes his powerful seat. By staying with the EU he is obligated to accept its decision to allow refugees to come in. 

10.           My expectations are that there be more cultural exchanges between France and our country. I would like French films to be available for viewing  every month if not every other month here. Film with captions should proliferate so that we can see how people from other lands live, and react to life's vicissitudes.

11.           French should be taught from the grades, as one of the foreign languages that a schooling child could opt for to learn. If English is available, why not French?

 And Folks, did you know that our Filipino migrants there could speak French? They feel very much at home there, speaking the language and communicating with the vendors in the market.

The unity of the Filipino migrant workers is intact there also because every Sunday, they visit one Church where they hear mass and share with each other their life circumstances afterwards. They would also exchange francs into dollars which they could remit to their families in our country.

However, I hope that our migrant workers there would be able to raise their working status there based on their qualifications. 

12.           One thing that I appreciated while in Paris was a pair of socks which I had bought to keep me warm at that time, which was autumn then. The colors were mustard, red and green with geometric design. I kept that for a very long time and miss it now.

      I was amazed at the color combination then which I had not seen yet at that time in our country. I knew also that my children would love to see those socks and so I bought two pairs for them. 

13.           Sans Souci Palace (means carefree) - I was able to visit this Palaca which is miles away from Paris courtesy of friends in the radical movement, a Filipina married to a Frenchman. 

    That experience I will never forget. The palace has a window that looks so very far to the horizon, you could not see the end of it. 

    I think the architect of a golf course replicated that here but I won't mention the name of the greens because it sits on an agricultural land that should be a source for food of MetroManilas. 

So you see how some enterprising individuals in our country appropriate ideas from other countries without even acknowledging them. 

I don't mind seeing French architecture but let us give credit where credit is due. 

  

14. Rue de Ranelagh – that street is that an OFW had told me was for the elite. True enough, when I walked there, I saw huge displays of fur coats, designer clothes, etcetera and I saw one lady wearing one and walking on the sidewalk.  It was very common to be rich and to look rich there. You know she glared at my outfit – layers of sweatshirts of different color combinations to keep me warm from the cold. It was also very common then to look down on the poor, I gathered.

Maybe we should also have streets in every province with businesses that showcase Philippine products worthy of being exported.

I expect that our own products should find their way to France and that the French would be appreciating the works of our people.

15.           Drama was very much alive in Paris then. I went to see Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca in a small theatre there. I was surprised to hear French, not Spanish nor English being spoken by the characters. And neither was it a literal translation but an interpretation of Lorca's play. In other words, the author had appropriated Lorca's ideas and shown it in his own way – with at one part, women all in white, riding a boat. Now that scene cannot be found in Lorca's drama at all. 

Maybe our own plays could find their way into the French theatres there so that the people would know that our country is not only a place for killing of drug lords, addicts and pushers but rather a welcoming haven for beautiful minds to prosper in. 

Lastly, I would like to mention that the non-party campaign of Macron shows that the French are ready for mavericks -- candidates need not belong to a political party as the people will judge them according to their credentials and ethical credibility.

What am I saying here? The term of Macron must show that France views third world countries like ours as important partners in development and that the European Union must also espouse the same policies to equalize the participation of all in making the globe an intellectually challenging,  healthier, humane and peaceful place to exist in.

 

 Marie Antoinette the last queen of France Marie Antoinette was guillotined at 12:15 p.m. on 16 October 1793.^[205][206] Her last words were "Pardon me, sir, I meant not to do it", to Henri Sanson the executioner, whose foot she had accidentally stepped on after climbing to the scaffold. Her body was thrown into an unmarked grave in the Madeleine cemetery located close by in rue d'Anjou. Because its capacity was exhausted the cemetery was closed the following year, on 25 March 1794.^[207]

   

 Scene of the French Campaign of 1814 by  Horace Vernet, painter

JEAN PAUL MARAT PAINTING BY JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID

MEANING OF MACRON PRESIDENCY

                                

                                                                  Place de la Bastille with the July Column in the center


                                                                  

                                                                                         

Meaning of Macron Presidency

Europe is more than 19 hours away from us. It has many languages, different cultures and political systems. Why bother about it?

I attended once a Europe Day and tried to understand why the need for a united Europe. Then I was given a workbook where each country that belonged to the European Union was narrated. One thing that struck me was the list of inventors, scientists, and literary geniuses.

In college we learned about Shakespeare as coming from England; of Moliere from France; of Cervantes as from Spain; meaning each country produced her own special people. So we connoted a famous literary person by his or her country.

However, in that workbook, no mention was made of the country at all. All the famous people were lumped together as European. I found that rather disturbing.

You see Folks, when I was in Europe in the 80's, a very rare opportunity for me to see that continent, I enjoyed travelling from one country to another. From Amsterdam where I had attended and presented my Super 8mm films at the First International Conference of Women in Film and Video, I rode a bus which took the boat from to England. After staying there for 3 months, I went around Europe – to Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, and back to Amsterdam. Later on, I was able to visit Brussels and Germany. I was amazed how the paper monies from one country to another differed from each other; and how they reflected the cultural differences. One country showed their royal personages; another their scientists thus showing whom they want to emphasize as having an impact in their society.

That is the beauty of Europe – the cultural differences which are only a few hours away from each other.

Now a European Union has been established which aims to unite all the countries and strengthen the continent in cooperating to solve the problems of existence in each country. Britain is exiting; whereas the ascendancy to the presidency of Emmanuel Macron is viewed as a step towards strengthening the union as he is loyal to its objectives.

So what is the relevance of Macron victory to our country?

1.The youthful age of Macron shows that the French idea of governance does not hinge on age. Rather it is the mind and the skill of the person that count more than the number of years of being in government or any other institution.

2.The defeat of Ms. Le Pen reveals the lack of synchronization of women's political capabilities to the requirements of society. 

      Ms. Le Pen comes from the right and so espouses a very limited view of how to govern a country. What France and all other countries in Europe need is a government that views the presence of all other countries whose developments could affect one's own. In other words, globalization is an issue that any ruler for that matter has to contend with, instead of running away from it.

3.Why are male leaders more open to the idea of globalization than women? Look at Britain which has a female prime minister, Theresa May, who is for Brexit or the exit of Britain from the European Union. And now, Ms. Le Pen whose defeat shows that the French are more for opening up to the other European countries and the world.

       I think the presence of international terrorists push countries now to band together instead of existing on their own. They must join hands in order to keep their citizens safe and their countries free from being torn into disorder by them.

In other words, the French are telling us, as they have chosen Macron that we need someone who can help us plan our future and make us feel safe in our own shores.

The men actually are being true to form. Remember that the many colonizers who went out of Europe were men and so the habit of going out is still there, albeit without the need to conquer any more but rather to establish stronger economic ties legally.

5.Macron is only 39 years old thus showing that he is a product of the 80's. He must have experienced already a lot of political transitions – from undemocratic to democratic rules; from colonized to decolonized; from apartheid to equality of the races; and from male to female domination to equality, among others. France being a highly developed country surely would have an information system that can reveal the different facets of the world. And so,  he must have seen that a multiple perspective of the world can bring about change, rather than an inward-looking one.

6. How much understanding should we make of French politics? In college, I tried very had to study the French language but I could not bring myself to really study it well so that I could read the works of Racine, Beauvoir, Sartre, and Camus in their originals.  From the French existentialists, I learned that “Existence precedes essence.” In other words, before individuals can learn morals and truths,

         they must be fed first.

By the way, my first French teacher died accidentally and so that scene always comes between me and my desire to learn the language. Perhaps I should overcome that. 

7. Culturally, I have devoured a lot of French writings. In college, I read Jean Genet's The Maids; Alfred Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, among others. But my appreciation was very skimpy of these works because I knew that they were only translations and I have a leery view of such. Translations could be skimming over the really important ideas that the original author is trying to say.

When Les Miserables, the film was shown here, I tried to see how it matched the novel of Victor Hugo on which it was based. I was rather disappointed but nonetheless I enjoyed the music of Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil 

8.When I visited Paris in the 80's, I marveled at the huge avenues, and the monuments right smack in the middle of the cities. Sometime during the celebration of French independence Day, on July 14, 1981, I bought a bottle of beer and drank it while sitting by the monument of Bastille, the site of the French Revolution of 1872 against the aristocrats. I really enjoyed that as I had just come from the restaurant where I bought the bottle of beer. 

You see, Folks, when you sit inside the restaurant and drink the beer, you would be charged more; and so I decided to bring the bottle right where history unfolded. And wasn't that very apropos? I am sure the martyrs of the revolution also were happy to see me there, especially as I was coming then from a country that was being ruled by a dictator-- Ferdinand Marcos.

9.So what makes us view France? She has intellectual ferment. Dictators are not welcome there. That's the importance of maintaining a president who would accept contrary and pro ideas as having equal weight to be discussed. 

     

Intellectual discourse there is natural. People will not shy away from discussing. In fact, at that time I was there, many political refugees lived and worked side by side – El Salvadorenos, Chilenos, and all other Latin Americans, Africans, etcetera. I lived in the home of an El Salvadorena who spoke French and Spanish. I helped her in finding an equal treatment of media coverage of the revolutionary activities of Farabundo Marti  through just payments gathered from the sale of footages to French TV stations. I remember what she told me: “Bon travail, Guillermina.” That name is Wilhelmina, my real name, in Spanish and she spoke Spanish in her homeland.

Europe was actually then a huge political haven for citizens suffering from military dictatorships. Even England was full of political refugees – Palestinians, Latin Americans, South Africans, etcetera.

That tradition of sheltering refugees continues to this day as we can see that some other European countries have opened their doors to migrant-refugees from the Middle East, especially Syria.

And so in this age where the world is still opening up its doors to all kinds of ideas (mind you, I don't like the idea of Neo Nazis) we in the Philippines could learn a lot about political and religious tolerance.

Hence, we expect the same freedoms to be strengthened when Macron takes his powerful seat. By staying with the EU he is obligated to accept its decision to allow refugees to come in. 

10.           My expectations are that there be more cultural exchanges between France and our country. I would like French films to be available for viewing  every month if not every other month here. Film with captions should proliferate so that we can see how people from other lands live, and react to life's vicissitudes.

11.           French should be taught from the grades, as one of the foreign languages that a schooling child could opt for to learn. If English is available, why not French?

 And Folks, did you know that our Filipino migrants there could speak French? They feel very much at home there, speaking the language and communicating with the vendors in the market.

The unity of the Filipino migrant workers is intact there also because every Sunday, they visit one Church where they hear mass and share with each other their life circumstances afterwards. They would also exchange francs into dollars which they could remit to their families in our country.

However, I hope that our migrant workers there would be able to raise their working status there based on their qualifications. 

12.           One thing that I appreciated while in Paris was a pair of socks which I had bought to keep me warm at that time, which was autumn then. The colors were mustard, red and green with geometric design. I kept that for a very long time and miss it now.

      I was amazed at the color combination then which I had not seen yet at that time in our country. I knew also that my children would love to see those socks and so I bought two pairs for them. 

13.           Sans Souci Palace (means carefree) - I was able to visit this Palaca which is miles away from Paris courtesy of friends in the radical movement, a Filipina married to a Frenchman. 

    That experience I will never forget. The palace has a window that looks so very far to the horizon, you could not see the end of it. 

    I think the architect of a golf course replicated that here but I won't mention the name of the greens because it sits on an agricultural land that should be a source for food of MetroManilas. 

So you see how some enterprising individuals in our country appropriate ideas from other countries without even acknowledging them. 

I don't mind seeing French architecture but let us give credit where credit is due. 

  

14. Rue de Ranelagh – that street is that an OFW had told me was for the elite. True enough, when I walked there, I saw huge displays of fur coats, designer clothes, etcetera and I saw one lady wearing one and walking on the sidewalk.  It was very common to be rich and to look rich there. You know she glared at my outfit – layers of sweatshirts of different color combinations to keep me warm from the cold. It was also very common then to look down on the poor, I gathered.

Maybe we should also have streets in every province with businesses that showcase Philippine products worthy of being exported.

I expect that our own products should find their way to France and that the French would be appreciating the works of our people.

15.           Drama was very much alive in Paris then. I went to see Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca in a small theatre there. I was surprised to hear French, not Spanish nor English being spoken by the characters. And neither was it a literal translation but an interpretation of Lorca's play. In other words, the author had appropriated Lorca's ideas and shown it in his own way – with at one part, women all in white, riding a boat. Now that scene cannot be found in Lorca's drama at all. 

Maybe our own plays could find their way into the French theatres there so that the people would know that our country is not only a place for killing of drug lords, addicts and pushers but rather a welcoming haven for beautiful minds to prosper in. 

Lastly, I would like to mention that the non-party campaign of Macron shows that the French are ready for mavericks -- candidates need not belong to a political party as the people will judge them according to their credentials and ethical credibility.

What am I saying here? The term of Macron must show that France views third world countries like ours as important partners in development and that the European Union must also espouse the same policies to equalize the participation of all in making the globe an intellectually challenging,  healthier, humane and peaceful place to exist in.

 

 Marie Antoinette the last queen of France Marie Antoinette was guillotined at 12:15 p.m. on 16 October 1793.^[205][206] Her last words were "Pardon me, sir, I meant not to do it", to Henri Sanson the executioner, whose foot she had accidentally stepped on after climbing to the scaffold. Her body was thrown into an unmarked grave in the Madeleine cemetery located close by in rue d'Anjou. Because its capacity was exhausted the cemetery was closed the following year, on 25 March 1794.^[207]

   

 Scene of the French Campaign of 1814 by  Horace Vernet, painter

PUBLIC WORKS ETHICS

So many roadworks are being made around Araneta Avenue in Quezon City. One particularly galling project is the Skyway 3 which traverses the Avenue and wreaks havoc on many streets perpendicular to it. 

One of these is Bayani Street, after Araneta Avenue going west. Everyday, the water from the sewage system flows from a digging and goes down the avenue. It reeks of toilet waste causing the establishments around it to curse the EEI supposedly, which is in charge of building the Skyway to high heavens. The hardware, the guards, the offices around are all crying out against it but their cries do not result in anything because public works are considered necessary. 

Is that so? Of course not. The problem is not just the flowing down of dirty water; it is the very cause of illnesses like stomach ache, vomitting and uncleanliness that the shoes, slipper and feet that stepped on the dirty water  could bring to the homes. 

As for myself, I have to endure walking a longer distance just to avoid stepping on that road. 

I wonder what public works ethics the EEI and the DPWH NCR are doing about this. The officers of the companies are simply blind to the oppressive conditions that they are causing the people. 

I tried calling up 911 but I always get a busy answer. Is help really hard to find nowadays that Ms. Gina Lopez, the secretary of DENR bamboozled by green-eyed "Yea" voting members of the Commission on Appointments?

Please Folks, you are earning your salaries gathered from the people. Kindly do your jobs excellently, that is free from any havoc caused by the ignorance, blindness, or simply insensitivity of the people you have commanded to do the public works job. 

TOUGH PEOPLE, TOUGH TIMES

                                                                           











What can we learn from our society today?

1. We have to be tough. No room for sensitivity. When we see a dead person on the street, just look; no emotions please. Make it look like an ordinary sight.

2. Don't worry if you see trees being numbered for felling as those inside the Philippine General Hospital, where more thaN 2 dozen trees are going to be chopped down to give way to a new building. So what if we lose trees here and there?

3. Don't curse when you see cars parked at pedestrian sidewalks and you have to walk on the streets instead. Cars are more valued, not people, in our society. So bow. 

4. Seek your tribal group. Belong to a tribe. That's the key to belonging, not to a democratic society. With a tribe you are guaranteed of security. Democratic societies are passe in our generation. 

5. When you see a child in the streets begging, give food; don't talk or pontificate. Why you think you can still change their mind about poverty? No. They have to earn to give to their families. 

6. Forget about waxing sentimental over sunsets. The skies are dirty, full of pollution. Feel lucky you see the moon as big as a plate of spaghetti. 

7. When you read screaming headlines about murders, say, "Ho-hum, another one of those things. Tough times call for tough people." 

Come to think of it, restore your humanity by reading the Psalms or take a book of poetry and read Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, or why not read Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote de la Mancha? Take time to be quixotic. It relaxes the mind. 

MEXICAN PAINTING: Raymundo Andrade, King of the Mountains

MOST OPPRESSED IN METROMANILA

WHO ARE THE MOST OPPRESSED PEOPLE OF METROMANILA? THE PEDESTRIANS AND THE COMMUTERS, OF COURSE.

YET MAJORITY OF THEM ARE WORKING PEOPLE CONTRIBUTING TO THE ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT OF THE COUNTRY.



1. Pedestrians have to contend with sidewalks which have different heights -- most of the time causing them to trip over. Actually, anywhere we go around MetroManila and other cities, a standard height of sidewalks should be made, not according to the whim of the construction company.

I have suffered a lot from such sidewalks, especially along Ortigas which is not well-lit at night. I was crossing the street when I didn't know there was a center-island sidewalk at all. The color was the same as the street whereas it should have had a yellow lining around it and should be luminous at night. 

2. Commuters have to withstand having to ride jeepneys with the same problem -- different  heights of step to get inside. I must hold both bars on the left and right in order to get on instead of just stepping in with a grasp of one bar. 

3. Inside tricycles are all steel wallings and ceiling. When the drivers are crazy and think they own the road, the passengers could bump their heads on the steel wallings. No protection at all for them, not even insurance. And who would sue the driver here in the Philippines? No one would listen, not even if you complain to high heavens. 

4. Local officials think it is cute to have overpasses all over MetroManila whereas they are the ugliest blot in the skyline - steel bars that look like they have just come out of the factory and the construction company built the overpass with it in order to recoup the commissions that he had had to shell out to win the public bidding. 

Folks, no design at all; just simple welding here and there. 

5. Worse yet, Folks, majority of the overpasses do not have escalators nor elevators. Some have but are not functioning, never function, or perhaps had functioned but are no longer maintained. 

So pity the senior citizens, the pregnant women and children, the people with disabilities as they have to negotiate these oppressive overpasses.

By the way, except for the Ayala stations, LRT 1, MRT 2 and 3  do not have escalators and elevators. 

The proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways is P458.61 billion while last year it was P397.11, an increase of P61.5 Billions or 15.49%.  

How much of the new budget will go to alleviate the problems of commuters and pedestrians, most of whom are trying to eke out a living?

There is a commuters association but it is not so much involved in the paths of their constituents than the smooth and efficient transport systems. 


Photo above: Street Art Utopia

https://pradaforbreakfast.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/beyond-the-mural-unconventional-street-art/

WHY CHRIST IS CHRIST

I am aghast at the type of Easter messages I hear over the radio. -- "As we died with Christ, so did we resurrect with Him." What kind of a message is that? Good God, whoever hears that would say, but I am not Christ. How could I die with him?

Then the message also talks of our getting cleansed of our sins. What sins are they talking about? Christ lived in an era where there was so much greed, oppression and fighting between traditional priests and Jesus. So what sins is the message talking about?

I believe in the teachings of Christ but making a parallelism between his life and mine is an entirely different thing. His having been a moral guide and a persevering servant of God are difficult to copy and could only serve as an ideal for us to inspire us to help others.

Also, I believe more in broadcasters' expounding on the value of the teachings of Christ rather than in romanticizing or mistifying his death.

His death was a gory experience and nowhere would people want to die in that manner except for some who have done it yearly, that is being nailed on the cross.

So the writer of that radio message has a distorted view of faith -- very masochistic I must say. I hope the station company president would replace it with a more humane message, more attuned to strengthening our faith on the Christian teachings rather than wallowing in poor imitation of the death of Christ.

Christ's message that I like best is "Feed my sheep."

-From Mayhem Mediums "Jesus carrying the cross"  www.saatchiart.com

WHEN EATING IS NOT A HEALTHY HABIT

"Magkano ang turon, kasama ang alikabok?"

"Magkano ang kwek-kwek, kasama ang polusyon?"

I ask the sidewalk vendors this way because I want to make them conscious that they are selling unhealthy food to their decent customers who pay them without asking nor criticizing their food handling 

Is it not rather irritating that we spend so much for health and yet the very simple act of demanding that sidewalk vendors observe simple clean, hygienic foodhandling is not even done?

A news report says: MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is still one of the unhealthiest countries in Asia, lagging behind India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

Based on a survey by pan-Asian insurance giant AIA Group, the Philippines scored 61 out of 100, below the regional average of 64. It is tied for ninth overall with Korea, India and Singapore.

Ironically, we are spending billions for health as the budget for 2017 is P144.3 billion ($3.04 billion), 15.4% higher than 2016 figures.

Why do the Filipino people patronize sidewalk food stalls? It's cheap to eat there than at restaurants. Kwekkwek is P20 per 5 balls depending on the place; turon is P12 to 15 and contains saba with sugar  and langka if the vendor is generous enough. For a hungy student, this is one way of scrimping on expenses to make the allowance enough for the day. Contractual workers and some professionals stretch the value of their salaries by scrimping on food, like eating at those stalls. 

The dirty food in the sidewalk could cause stomach troubles and even "trangkaso" especially if the vendor should start coughing on it. You could even see a barbecue stand at a corner along Aurora Boulevard where jeepneys idlepark waiting for passengers and their "tambutso" blowing on the stall when departing and arriving. Yaki talaga! 

Eeky, isn't it? But I think the Business Permits section, the health sections of the local governments and the Departmen of Health itself should put their heads together to face this problem. Or else, we will be repetitively spending billions for health without gaining any health at all. 

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL MOVEMENT

Parang kaylan lang nag people power tayo. Malalim sa aking alaala yung nakahiga kami nga mga kasama ko sa kalye Mendiola at binabantayan ang Malakanyang; baka bumalik pa si Marcos at ang pamilya nya. Yun pala, kayraming mga bantay-salakay din na nagmula sa people power -- kumuha ng mga "souvenir items" na mga alahas ni Imelda at mga etsetera, male-maleta, balita ko. 

Hay naku. Kaydaming leksyon na matutunan tayo sa People Power na yan. 

Pero ang isang mahalaga na natutunan natin ay "timing." Napakaganda ng panahon para patalsikin ang diktadura noon. Sa totoo lang, nagsimula kaming mangalampag tungkol sa kapantayan bandang Disyembre ng 1982. At nang pinatay si Ninoy Aquino sa paliparan, noon Agosto 21, 1983, ay lalong sumiklab ang mga propaganda para maitaas talaga ang kahalagahan ng kababaihan. 

Tandang tanda ko pa, naglabas ako ng pulyetong ang pamagat ay "Feminista" noong libing ni Ninoy at sinabi ko run, ang paglutas ng problema ng bayan ay nasa Pilipinas, wala sa ibang bansa. Kailangang itaas natin ang karangalan ng kababaihan. 

Mula 1972 hanggang 1983 ay 11 taon. Pero ang pagmumulat na umaatikabo ay mula 1983 hanggang 1986, bale tatlong taon. Palagay ko, naging matagumpay tayo dahil sa nagagap natin ang mga pangyayari; may kontrol tayo sa kilusan para patalsikin si Marcos at ibalik ang demokrasya sa ating bayan. 

Siyempre, ang pagsusuri ng reconstruction period ay iba rin. Ang mahalaga ay naibalik ang mga kalayaang mamahayag, magsulat, magmartsa, magsalita sa radyo, mag FB sa ngayon at iba't ibang uri ng kalayaan. Kalayaang mamatay? Hoy, hindi yan kasali. 

Anyway, Folks, I am trying to compare our movement with that in the United States. The thievery of the presidential elections was conducted in November 8, 2016 at it is already five months; yet Congress is still in its investigative stage. "They talked to Russians; partied with Russians; secretly met with Russians; and telephoned Russians." Yet there was no connivance or conspiracy to destroy democratic processes?

Maybe the American way is different from ours. Our people are sensitive, highly sensitive which is why the military was able to capture the two Syrians who were in our midst, most likely plotting to threaten us or bomb us out of existence. 

The Americans depend too much on what is writtein in black and white; on what can be heard. But intuition, feeling our way through is our process. 

And another reason our restoration movement was successful was that everybody was involved, from the parents -- mothers, to the daughters, sisters, the women in the family anad the community -- up to the classes a and b. I remember having brought my daughter to Luneta when Cory was calling the people to boycott the companies identified with Marcos and his cronies, she tore up the flyers and through them in the air,  to see them fly as the people were shouting, "Ibagsak! Ibagsak!"That was why when I was going to Makati Ugarte Field to join the rallies there, I could smell perfume almost all around, with glittering jewels, fake or not fake. They must come in style, baby!

Whereas my group which went to EDSA, were urban poor women's groups, dark-skinned, yet laughing and smiling all the way, bringing with them bottles of water (not mineral yet) wrapped rice and fried fish just in case they needed to stay awhile and food would be very expensive to buy from the store around the area. 

Hence, one lesson we need to learn is that in a social movement, everyone, ALL, should be involved. 

Another lesson, No high falluting flyers please. Don't English me, I did not school. So Pilipino ang mga flyers. Even that Feminista which I published, was in Pilipino, and of two colors, red for banner and black ink for letters. 

Three, praying was part of our gatherings. Before the start of the rallies, usually there was a mass held, or a prayer led by a priest. 

Fourth, a movement is created in the streets and inside buildings. Inside the Congress, we saw how the Comelec employees walked out when the counting of votes was manipulated to favor Marcos. Outside, we received them. 

In the United States, the movement to produce credibility in the US presidential elections is now mainly concentrated in Congress. This I surmise because the papers cover mostly what is going on in the WH and Congress. What about the people? How do they accept the current situation?

The success of stopping the repeal of the Affordable Care Act is a triumph in the use of legislative processes. I just don't know how far that would go in righting a wrong when it comes to producing credibility of presidential elections. 

And so Folks, here we are trying to find out how to be successful in conducting mass movements amid threats of LINDOL. Right now, Batangas province has borne the brunt of 5.++ magnitude, what you could say is LINDOL BUNSO!

CHEERS!

KONSERBATISMO, ANG KONSERBATIBO

Ang konserbatibo

Kapag sinabi nating konserbatibo, ang ibig sabihin ay sinauna.

Maraming mga suliranin sa ating lipunan ay dulot ng kawalan ng progresibo o isang bukas na isipan sa pagbabago.

Matagal ang pag-asenso natin dahil sa konserbatibong pananaw.

Ang mga Hapon ay umabante kaagad dahil isinulong nila ang pagkampanya laan sa pyudalismo, isang uri ng pananaw

Talakayin natin ang salitang ito.

Nung panahon ng mga Kastila sa ating bansa, dinala ng mga mananakop na pari at gubyerno Espanyol ang mga konservatibong pananaw tungkol sa kababaihan.

Pinagsuot sila ng mahahabang damit na dalawa o tatlong patong upang maitago ang kanilang mga binti na sa tingin nila ay nagdudulot ng masasamang kaisipan sa mga lalaki.

Ang edukasyon ay bawal sa mga babae, puwera na lamang ang edukasyon tungkol sa katesismo, sa pagbuburda at iba pang gawaing bahay.Iniluklok din sila bilang “ilaw ng tahanan,” ibig sabihin namamahala, gumagawa ng lahat ng gawaing bahay.

Bakit konserbatibo ang ginawa ng mga Kastila sa kababaihan? Kasi bago sila dumating, ang mga babae ay kapantay ng kalalakihan Maaari silang mamuno ng barangay, at sila ay pinunong tagadasal kapag may bagong ani, may namamatay, may pagdiriwang bayan, at marami pang iba.

Nang dumating ang mga Amerikano, binago nila ang pagturing sa kababaihan. Pinilit nilang bigyan ng edukasyon mula pagkabata hanggang sa tumuntong ng kolehiyo.

Taong 1937 nagkaroon ng karapatang bumoto ang mga babae kapantay ng mga lalaki.

Moderno na ba nuon ang kalagayan ng mga babae?

Hindi sapagka't hindi katulong ang mga lalaki sa gawaing bahay. Mga babae pa rin ang namamahala nito at sa katunayan, kung taghirap ang pamilya, ang babae ay magbibigay sa lalaking kapatid upang makapag-aral muna. Titigil siya at mamalagi sa bahay hanggang sa makatapos ang lalaki.

Sa maikling salita, may mga panahong tayo ay nalubog sa konserbatismo.

Fast forward tayo sa ngayon. May konserbatismo pa ba?

Natatanaw pa rin ang konserbatismo sa pagtingin:

1. Na ang buong lipunan ay isang malaking pamilya na may pinuno, at walang nagso-solong mga taong may sariling pananaw. Samakatuwid, kung ano ang iniisip ng pinuno, ay siyang dapat mamayani. Malapit-lapit na suportahan ng mga taong Konserbatibo ang Diktadura dahil sa ganitong pananaw.

2.  Takot ang mga Konserbatibo sa pagbabago. Sa kanila ang pagpapaunlad ng lipunan ay sa pamamagitan ng tuluy-tuloy na pamamayani ng pangkasalukuyang kalakaran. Kahit na may pang-aabuso ng mga tungkulin, ayaw nilang kumilos para masawata ito.

Halimbawa may isang tiwaling opisyal. Hihintayin nilang matapos ang termino nito bago palitan sa halip na palitan agad.

3. Sa larangan ng medisina, ang mga duktor na sarado sa pagtingin sa kakayahan ng mga natural at herbal na panggagamot ay isang uri ng konserbatismo. Mas gusto nilang sumandig sa nakagawiang paggagamut gamit ang mga medisinang kanluranin o kaya ay yung tinuro sa kanila ng kanilang mga paaralan na lubog sa medisinang kaalamang kanluranin. Ang mga kaalamang panggagamot ng mga indigenous groups natin ay isanasantabi

Sa eskuwelahan, ang mga guro na hindi nagbabasa ng mga bagong saliksik tungkol sa kanilang larangan at nagkakasya na lamang sa paulit-ulit na pagtuturo ng kanilang mga leksyong niluma na ng panahon ay mga konserbatibo.

Sa ating reliyon sa ngayon, ang mga konserbatibo ay ang mga nagsasalita ng ganito:


Nang tayo ay bininyagan sa pagkakapanganak ni Kristo, tayo ay bininyagan din sa kanyang kamatayan.

Bakit mali ito? Ang gusto ng nagsalita nito ay maging masokista tayo, mag-isip na tama ang tayo ay naghihirap at walang kailangang pagbabago. Kung si Kristo ay naghirap tayo pa kaya? Ito ang pahiwatig ng kanyang pananalita.

May isa pang pananalita: “Si Kristo ay naghirap, ipinako sa krus, namatay, at nabuhay muli.” Mangyayari ba yan sa ordinaryong tao, ang mamatay at mabuhay muli?

Konserbatismo ang tinuturo ng nagsasalitang ito, ang ideya ay dapat tayong maghirap na kaparis ni Kristo. At tayo ba ay mabubuhay muli? Yan ay isang malaking katanungan. Kailangang mamatay muna ang isang tao bago natin makita kung siya ay mabubuhay muli. Ang pagbabalik ni Kristo ay posible pero ang isang taong gagaya sa nangyari kay Kristo ay mahirap paniwalaan.

Sa larangan din ng reliyon, nariyan pa rin ang ideya na mga lalaki ang namumuno sa mundo. May isang banyagang pastor na nagwikang - “Let us understand man,” o Unawain natin ang lalaki. Ang babae ba ay lalaki? Hindi. Ang tawag sa pananalita niya ay “gender blind,” ibig sabihin ang lengguwahe niya ay sinauna – konserbatibo – sapagka't hindi niya kinikilala ang buhay ng mga babae. Dapat ang sabihin niya, Unawain natin ang buhay ng sangkatauhan hindi lamang ng lalaki.

Ang mga konserbatibong taga relihyon din ay may pagkiling sa pananaw na lahat ng tao ay may pagkakasala. Mahirap ang mga pananalitang ito sapagka't walang pagtatangi kung sino ang mas may malaking kasalanan at dapat parusahan. Tulad nito – ang kriminal ay tiyak na dapat parusahan. Pero ang hindi ba pangungumpisal ay pagiging makasalanan? Ang pagdarasal, hindi sa loob ng simbahan ba ay kasalanan? Samakatuwid, yung pangungusap na “Diyos ko, patawarin nyo po kami sa aming mga kasalanan,” ay parang di naaayon sa pangkasalukuyang pamumuhay natin.

Dapat ang pagdarasal ay magsasabi o dapat masundan ng pangungusap na, “Diyos ko bigyan nyo po  kami ng lakas upang mapangimbabawan namin ang pagkakasala. ” Ibig sabihin, hinihingi natin sa Diyos na huwag tayong dalhin sa lusak ng kasalanan.

Ang isa pang konserbatibong pananaw sa relihyon ay nabasa ko sa isang awit:
“I will make thine cross my crown.” Gagawin kong korona ang iyong kurus.”

Anong klaseng pananalita yan? Ang kurus ni Hesus, gagawin niyang korona? Anong klaseng korona? Mabigat yun ah, ang kurus ni Kristo ay kaylanman hindi natin dapat isuot ng korona. Ang ibig sabihin ng korona ay isang sinusuot upang parangalan ang isang tao. Yung koronang tinik na nilagay kay Kristo ay tinig ng mga makasalanan. At yun ay naiwaksi na nang siya ay mamatay sa kurus. Tapos heto ang isang kompositor na sasabihing, Ang iyong kurus ay gagawin kong korona.

Maraming mga pananaw na konserbatibo pa ang mahahalukay natin sa lipunan. Pakatandaan lamang natin na ang pagbabago ay kaylanman hindi manggagaling sa isang konserbatibo.