PEACE ALL OVER

                            

Hardly had the ink dried on my writings about Marawi City and then, the loose cannonball invaded Resorts World, killing 39 including himself. 

Our country is currently on the crossroads – of whether to remain peaceful or to continue being at war. To remain at war is to be treated daily to audio-visual images of the dead, the injured and the sick. To be at peace is for us to be able to focus on being creative, being in harmony with our neighbors, and being soulful.

What should be our attitude towards war?

Do all the sectors of the military institution focus their attention on how to bomb out the enemies? On what arms to use to demolish them?

On the other hand, how could we strengthen peaceful methods so that they are imbibed by every citizen and all other violent groups shall embrace them in the name of humanity?

As we are dealing now with the Marawi siege and the possible explosion here and there of bombs and forces of violency, everyone has to focus on creating the best situation that will foster peace. All, including the religious, must thrust their attention on this in order to make our country, not a Syrian or an African state that is steeped in civil war. The religious must cease from harping on reproductive health and instead just concentrate on strengthening and increasing the number of groups that will disseminate peaceful ideas. 

Schools could also make their students fly paper doves at the opening of classes and drop them from high rise buildings later on.

Jeepneys could fly peace flags on their antennae; private vehicles could have a sticker -- "Peace, don't be elusive."

Children -- let them wear colorful headbands signifying a colorful inclusive world. 

Then let's have contests -- painting, poems, plays, songs, musical compositions -- all containing the theme of peace.  

It's difficult to imagine living in this world with maimed limbs, blind eyes, or even a lost relative and friend to terrorism.

WHEN LEADERS NEED A-CHANGING

                                                 

   After a few days of a clean road, the Engineering Equipment Incorporated (EEI) has done it again. Bayani Street is reeking with fecal odor and brackish water which just spill over the road up to Araneta Avenue. 

I wonder why it is so hard for the DPWH NCR engineers to perform their simple job of insuring that the people are getting excellent work from them, making us safe and protected from their engineering operations. 

Is it not time to change hands?

Here is what I wrote a few weeks back:

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. 

WHEN WAR MAKES US RETHINK OURSELVES

Recent war data reveal that the armed extremist group, 
the Maute,  in Marawi City (Lanao del Sur)  siege also have foreign members coming from Indonesia and Malaysia. The plot has become complicated and we need more vigilance now that the war has entered its sixth day without any light dawning in. The last report says that the marines have been brought in which shows the gravity of the situation already. 

I think that the loss of lives is really unstoppable. The terrorists are trained to kill without mercy. Muslims though they are, they could kill their own kith and kin without guilt in the name of gaining power. A radio report says that the aim of the group is to put up a flag on the City Hall of Marawi so that internationally they could be recognized and given support by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 

But what could really put peace in this world as the highest and most important agenda for all countries? 

What should we, not just the Filipino people, do in order to bring about a lasting peace that would mean that we would still be living with our relatives, our friends, colleagues, and neighbors, our compatriots throughout our lifetime? 

I think that this world needs a cultural revolution. The ISIS groups are largely conservative who hate everything western. So they would hate the sight of Ariahne Grande in very short shorts gyrating on a steady bicycle, with her breasts almost popping out and her lips singing some kind of sexy songs. Remember her concert was bombed in Manchester afterwards last week where scores were killed and injured?

At the same time these groups are highly clannish which is then contrary to what democratic societies rarely encourage. 

Thirdly, the flaunting of wealth in the print media and online pages bring about a great insecurity on the part of those people as they come from less affluent societies. 

I could cite a host of other reasons but these are the glaring differences which could cause great disgruntlement I suppose. 

Maybe there ought to be a redirection of the advertising world, especially on the lives of Hollywood movie and music stars. There is too much emphasis on flashy lifestyles, on youthfulness, no matter how barren the intellect or no matter how distorted the lifestyle that is being pushed by the ads. Carefree-ness is always the underlying or the most magnified thrust instead of a caring, humane approach to being a human being in this world.  

Licentiousness, philosophy of unbridled lust and passions, egotism, hedonism are the order of the day, Just listen to the news reports in the morning -- as soon as the political news is finished, the entertainment business comes in with non-intellectual reports going round and round the personal lives of the actors and actresses, harping on their personal relationships, their likes and dislikes as if they were some gods and goddesses. Or maybe that is the thrust of the reporting -- to create demigods who would rake in money for the producers pronto. 

The effects of such exposure in the media viewed by millions alas have brought about our distorted world, and now our sufferings -- those explosions here and there -- are just one of the consequences. Who knows if we would still be alive tomorrow?

Cultural revolution means being prudent and careful about displaying one's wealth. What is the use of using stars as representatives of this and that cause when in another magazine you could read that they had just bought a mansion with a large swimming pool? Do you see the irony? He or she could have a very honest and sincere desire to help the poor but their managers have a distorted idea of keeping their images in public -- they have to display conspicuous consumption at its highest. 

I don't really believe in going back to the Middle Ages but the recent events in the world should make us reflect on our total behaviors -- personally and socially -- are we part of a humane world? Are we connected globally or will we always be worlds apart?



SALVADOR DALI'S PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY

WHEN MUSLIM WOMEN'S VOICES ARE NEEDED

                                                             

                          

In the cacophony of sounds about the siege of Muslim rebels in the south -- Mindanao -- the voices of Muslim women have not been heard. Either their views are depreciated or their experiences are devalued and seen irrelevant to the current political turmoil. 

Moreover, women's concerns have taken a back seat to the macho world of war -- arms versus arms, killings versus killings, all in the name of preserving one's turf -- whether what the rebels hold to be worthwhile preserving, or the State's need to preserve its power and the status quo. 

Thirdly, the response to the siege of the rebels is largely militaristic, despite the need to have a holistic approach to the problem -- which implies a socio-cultural, spiritual, and economic dimension, apart from the political, of course. Women's concerns for peace, for the safety of lives which they have borne, delivered, reared into adulthood, their emotional connection of caring for the boys and men in their lives, have largely been ignored. 

With the advent of a president who says that he is a socialist at heart, the more we must redirect current moves to solve the problem in Mindanao away from the militaristic approach alone. I say alone because the rebels receive their orders from abroad and cannot be counted upon to listen to government entreaties for a panel discussion of how to solve the problem, or how to stop the siege of Marawi, Iligan. 

Why do I emphasize the voices of women? Muslim women know the boys and men in their lives. Being homebodies, they have a deep personal and intimate knowledge of their mental, emotional and spiritual make-up. Rarely do we find Muslim women who detach themselves from their families, except those who go abroad to become domestic helpers.

They are the soft pillars of their homes, providing that light to their families and when the men are gone. Traditional they may be but they are strong in terms of facing the demands of facing economic problems of the family. 

Having said that, I would say that one approach we can have in Marawi and the rebels right now is for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to put up a public loudspeaker right in front of the City Hall and make every Muslim woman talk to the rebels, convince them to give up the fight and to return to the fold of the law. 

Fighting will only result in hiding here and there, in plotting how to win the war, but never how to live a beneficial life that will increase one's assets in life -- that is to grow more knowledge, to be able to navigate through life with ease and dignity. 

I am sure that the Muslim women will find a way of talking to the men who hold guns. 

Maybe Santanina and Amina Rasul could coach the women to talk over the loudspeaker and show how the government can be overturned to look after the needs and wants of the Muslim people and other indigenous groups. 

I think that the government has not really paid attention to the problems of women, which is why they are just mum when the men in their lives start talking about war. 

It is high time that our education must be geared towards having special time to tackling the problems of Muslim women, and the indigenous groups in order to make them strong and partners when national crises like the siege arises. 

http://theislamicmonthly.com/painting-secret-lives-of-muslim-women

The tendency to judge comes not only from non-Muslims, but also from within the Muslim community. In Is it Enough Yet?, the central figure stares apprehensively upward at her tightly coifed head wrap extending the full height of the painting. No matter how little or how much fabric a woman wears, or how she carries herself, she is bombarded with criticism and comments from fellow Muslims, and struck by self-doubt as well. ARTIST AMEENA KHAN

HALLELUJIAH?

                                                                    

One would think that with the very high educational achievements in the United States, political problems could be solved easily

But it seems that the conflict between right and wrong is not so well-internalized over there. 

It has been six months already since the questionable election of a media-savvy individual but until now heads are still dizzy over whether the Russians really intervened or not over his becoming president.

Why is this so?

I think the nightmare of being impoverished stares everyone in the eye. Just look at how the stockmarket reacted to the latest act of their president when he met with Russians:

The S&P 500 and the Dow closed lower on Tuesday amid heightened political uncertainty in the U.S following news that President Trump had shared sensitive information with Russian officials.  - Zacks

You see, Folks, his movement is watched all the time. But the investigation is oh...oh... so slow. It is like watching a tele-novela in the Philippines -- will he be dropped or not?

And if he is dropped, does that mean that his partner is also untrustworthy? And ergo,cannot be depended upon to succeed as president? That's logical, is it not?

But if the Russians had truly intervened, who got bamboozled? Hillary. She lost all her chances of becoming president which she must have worked on so hard for many decades. 

And so, she deserves retribution, does she not? 

Is that really a big problem that is difficult to solve? 

When GMA here in the Philippines ascended into power without a clear mandate from the people, (remember, Hello Garci?) the media also crowded on the issue. She nearly got dislodged if only FVR did not intervene in 2005. And the specter of military force brought about by martial law loomed large in our horizon. Yes, he was the architect of ML. By siding with GMA it seemed as if he wanted to say: "Better do as I say or else, I can still stir up the military if I want to."

After so many years, I think our people are still infected with that fear of being under martial law. The present administration is rocking that fear in us. Right now, we are slowly being anaesthetized to the presence of soldiers in the civil government -- DILG, MMDA, and DENR -- all sensitive positions. DILG tackles all the problems of the barangay, the smallest political unit; MMDA handles MetroManila where the seat of political power is; and the DENR -- the lucrative resources of our country. 

Yet, fear or no fear, the people's response is simply to leave the country. 

Hello, Europa?  Or Saudi, or maybe just Hong Kong?

More seriously though, Folks, everything boils down to a question of ethics. What is a morally and immorally just action? Certainly when dealing with the highest political power  of any country, we can demand the most stringent ethical rules because the person will lead the nation, not a city. The person shall be answerable to the people, not to himself or herself. The person cannot say he or she owns the position. Being catapulted into that position means he or she owes that position to the people. 

And the people deserve nothing less than the most moral response. 


Now, what is expected of the people around the president is that they be not copycats or become echoes; rather they must stand as strong pillars performing their tasks that are morally swayed towards the people's needs and wants and not that of whoever is in power. 

I think it is a big letdown if everyone in the government will be singing Handel's Messiah all the time. That requires great vocal training so as not to look like poor imitation of tenors and sopranos, Folks. 

ON NURTURING FOREIGN RELATIONS

If the Philippine officials are mulling to reject the aid from the European Union, we must consider how the lives of our compatriots there will be affected. Every European will ask them, why is your president rejecting aid? Is your country rich enough to do so?
                                         Some countries could start restricting the travels of the Filipino people to their countries, by imposing requirements that are difficult to comply with like having a high amount of money upon entrance. 

Still another backlash could be restriction of scholarships to their academic institutions of deserving Filipino and Filipina students. 

The list is endless and we, the citizens here in our country , should exert all effort to persuade the officials not to be too touchy when it comes to criticisms of political acts  which do not jibe with the democratic processes. 

I think that the drug war will be a continuing program of the government; however, it should focus on the sources not the addicts and the pushers. 

The addicts need rehabilitation. The pushers need alternative livelihood. Those are situations that do not need militaristic action. We must focus our sights on the real cause of the problem. 

Going back to the issue of the European aid, should we travel to Europe, we will have great difficulty explaining our side to the citizens over there. 

On the other hand, relying on aid only from the socialist countries does not sound very good either. Those countries have a questionable record of human rights, critics would say. Why should we label ourselves as pro-socialist? 

Rather, we should be non-aligned, free to choose our friends and accepting of gifts from them without strings attached. 

What is a healthy foreign relationship? It starts by knowing that no country is an island by itself, meaning, it cannot exist by itself. Secondly, it means that the world may have boundaries but they are redrawn by finding nurturing relationships among the different countries, not in the matter of dominant-subordinate ties. 

I think this is why our participation in the Asean is very important. We should balance our foreign relationships according to how our neighbors also deal with the European Union and the other countries. 

The Asian countries belong to a region that has a lot of commonalities, and one important bond there is that we fall under one religion or another.  Islam,Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastranism, can be found here. 

In other words, we look at life beyond death which then cautions us about how we relate with God, people and the environment. We seek peace with all. 

FOR GENUINE BEAUTY OR FOR BUSINESS?

FOR GENUINE BEAUTY OR FOR BUSINESS?

DENOUNCE

The Miss Universe Beauty Pageant

and all other beauty contests

Let us now face a more vigorous campaign to assert our presence and our right to participate in the socio-political, cultural and economic affairs of the cuntry Let us focus our attention on the biggest deterrent to women's development, these pimping beauty contests.

For many decades now, we have been led and inured to think that women's bodies can be paraded and sold in the guise of such contests. The proliferation of smut magazines and tabloids, as well as beauty contests on television programs manifests this degrading attitude towards us – that we are commodities for sale in whatever form and manner.

It is true that appreciating and loving our bodies are normal.

What we are questioning is the money attached to others' appreciation of our bodies. Beauty contests commoditize women by making the contestants parade on stage with numbers attached to their bathing suits which now have been slitted to highest proportions in order to make the wearer look sexy, or ready for bed. Then the observers of the bauty contests are charged a heft sum – what for ? For them to be able to ogle at the bodies of the contestants donning bathing suits at close up.

​The media are now promoting the Miss Universe contest. Local and international movie stars are being asked to lend credibility and/or legitimacy to this event. Hence, this requires our utmost vigilance.\

WHY DENOUNCE THESE CONTESTS?

1. Many women have lost their sense of reason because of this preoccupation over physicalities. They have been led  to believe and think that past their youthful stage, they are no longer attractive or desirable.

2. The young are given more opportunities for advancement  in the workplace, especially, while the needs of the senior citizens are neglected or if there are programs at all, they merely done in lipservice.

3. Such beauty contests make women look inward all the  time, instead of outward; in other words, women turn too individualistic, forgetting that one's talents are for service   to those in need as well; that we have a lot of women from the disadvantaged sectors of society needing our help and service.

4. Beauty contests pit women against other women, creating an uhealthy standard for competition. Our physical looks are natural; we cannot change them nor attempt to              change them artificially. They are God's and our parents' gifts to us. But beauty contests make us feel as if we  should not be ocntented with them.

If ever there should be any form of competition among women, it is only in terms of serving others using our best talents and abilities, whether this bein the form of the arts or social services.

5. Beauty contests discriminate against the disabled and the aged. Persons who are lame, blind or have any for of disability is right away eliminated in such beauty contests. Holding a beauty contest is adding insult to injury to them.
6. Beauty contests generally have racist standards with a prefernece for white or light-skinned contestants. These  are contrary to the UN Declaration of Human Rights which states explicity that people are all equal regardless of skin color.

7. Beauty contests depict women as jjst plain bodies to be ogled at in a parad of their legs and thighs with buldging bathing suits below the waist.

8. Beauty contests use women as come-ons for products advertised side-by-side with media programs; in other words, they use them as commodities to sell              manufactured products. Women are treated as objects, nnot as human beings.
9. Most of the so-called questions to test the intelligence  of the contestants are just sugar coating to hide the real commercial intentions of the sponsors.
10. Beauty contests give false hopes to women that these are stepping stones to fame, wealth and glory. Definitely, there are decent ways of achieving those goals.
11. Beauty contests make a mockery of the spiritual character of our people They are contrary to the Christian tenets in this country which is proud to be the only Catholic country  in Asia. To be a Christian is to value the human body, and not to use it for commercial purposes. The priests and            nuns of all denominations in the country must look at these contests as anti-Christ's teachings.

12. Beauty contests hammer the idea that for women to be considered adorable, desirable and worthy of recognition, then they have to be young, with beautiful whistle-bait bodies. Ergo, if a woman is beyond the required age qualitied in beauty contests, the implication is that she is no longer adorable desirable and worthy of recognition..

13. Beauty contests provide the wrong aspirations and image of the future of women in our country to the young girls of our generations

14. Beauty contests are imported commercial activities that  do not jibe with the Philippine traditions and customs of revering womanhood. In our tribal groups, we do not have        any history of women baring themselves for commerical purposes.

IN THIS REGARD, may we call on all individual women, women's groups and non-governmental organizations to help  in this campaign by signing the petition denouncing the Miss Universe Contest.

Miss Universe Contestants will be parading at the Flores de Mayo on May 8, 1994 thus blurring the real meaning of this even which is to honor the Queen Helen, the mother of Constantine who found the true cross of Christ. The significance of Flores de Mayo rests on the religious and spiritual meanings of Christ's teachings and their influence on the directions of our lives.

Hence, let us all put up our streamers and posters on that day.

May we also request all the women in media orgnaizations to conduct their own campaigns, keep a running commentary on the issue and propose to the publisher to put up their own streamer in front of their offices decrying the degradation of womanhood.

Let us all exercise our creativity in this campaign for the  future of our own children, both girls and boys who will grow into what we are shaping now a liberated society steeped in equality, development and peace.

For further information, call or write to:

MAKAMASA

Makabayang KABABAIHAN NG MASA

c/o Wilhelmina S. Orozco, Coordinator

The beauty of a woman is felt in her self-awareness, in her sisterly attitudes, and her humanitarian acts towards those in need.”

“Ang kagandahan ng babae ay nadaraMa sa kanyang malalim na  pagkakakilala ng kanyang sarili, sa kanyang pakikipagkapatiran at sa pakikipagkapuwa-tao sa mga nangangailangan.” WSO

This manifesto came out on May 8, 1994 in MetroManila to refocus the sights of the youthful women to what are genuine achievements in life. -- WSO

EARTH AS ONE EMPLOYER

                                                             

The problem of mining in its present state will always draw conflicts, no matter how many laws are passed, and no matter how virtuous the leader of the department of environment is. The mining companies will use all means to influence government activities to use the land and other resources instead of preserving, protecting them. They will always be there to check if their financial positions are in dangerous state. If they think they are in control of the earth, why can't they control the people? 

Hence, the debacle that happened in the appointment of Ms. Gina Lopez, a passionate environmentalist, is just a continuing movement of the mining companies who could easily band together to counter the earth advocates positions. 

Why do I say this? That any move along the same lines, no matter how many principled individual and groups raise their voices and attempt to shake the status quo, will always meet defeat. 

Actually this stems from the mistaken view of the earth's resources. Gandhi said that "The earth's resources are enough for everyone, but not for anyone's greed." That is the whole point: once the mining companies get their legal papers, they become too eager to recoup their capital and then ride roughshod over human rights, over the required obligation to attend to the needs of those who will be displaced by their profiteering activities. 

Where lies the fault, aside from the inner workings of a mistaken moral position? The receiving countries. Those who will benefit from the export of raw materials.  .They dictate the prices of raw materials and so the mining companies try to extract more profits through volume of exports. That becomes the overriding interest -- to export as much raw materials as possible. 

Now why doesn't the government use the materials to manufacture finished products, like steel from iron; or jewelry from gold and silver. Nickel is also much sought after. the Nickel Institute says that it is used : food preparation equipment, mobile phones, medical equipment, transport, buildings, power generation – the list is almost endless. They are selected because - compared with other materials - they offer better corrosion resistance, better toughness, better strength at high and low temperatures, and a range of special magnetic and electronic properties.

Most important are alloys of iron, nickel and chromium, of which stainless steels (frequently 8-12% nickel) are the largest volume. Nickel based alloys - like stainless steel but with higher nickel contents - are used for more demanding applications such as gas turbines and some chemical plants.

In addition, iron and nickel alloys are used in electronics and specialist engineering, while copper-nickel alloys are used for coinage and marine engineering.

We will be first class in the First World if we join the ranks of manufacturing nickel, won't we?

But that should not be our aim. Rather, we should turn away from the current economic activities: where poor countries become supplier of raw materials, and then the middle agents buy them for sale to the users -- the west- which then resell them to us in finished form and under a much higher price. 

That is where iniquity, inequality set in resulting in conflicts. 

Actually, we should view the world as one big employer. It provides humans with all the materials they (us) need to live, work and be happy. Ergo, we should all equally enjoy living on this earth. 

Hence if this is the case, then the sale of raw materials at very low prices should be banned. 

If we are going to work by percentages, the producers of raw materials -- us -- must have 50% ownership of the finished product. Our contribution to the manufacture of the finished products is the supply of raw materials. Ergo, we, the source of the raw materials should be seen as equal partners in the whole global economic enterprise as provided by our earth. 

I think it is time to make the world turn around really in its practice of very poor economic principles. The principle used is "i invest, I get a profit, from 60 to 100%." And so the source of the raw materials, the poor indigenous groups who have lived and protected them from exploiters are shut out from the equation. Only the capitalist, the middle agents and the finished products remain as major players in the formulation of how to be wealthy in that particular industry. 

No. We should say no to that. No more should our raw materials become targets and used to acquire, accumulate more and more capital for other people. Our participation has to be recognized as equal to everybody else. 

In fact, we don't really need those middle agents, the mining companies anymore; their expertise, yes; but not as investors. The government could set up extracting companies and then sell directly to the users abroad. However, the relationship should be as partners in economic exploitation of and earning from the minerals.

1 Timothy Chapter 6

17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

painting on global warming and save earth ---

CHARADE

                                                          



Should we believe that James Comey the FBI director was really dismissed due to his acts toward Hillary's emails?

I think there are secrets that we cannot fathom yet. Remember, that although Comey
knew that he would destroy Hillary's chances of becoming president, he acted as if he was innocent of the consequences of his asking for a reinvestigation of her emails even during the Congressional investigation.  

And Mr. Trump is a media person, used to the ways of acting before the camera. 

So let us see behind the charade, Folks. 

We are witnessing a political drama unfolding scene by scene and the writers do not know how to end the audience's curious prying into the plot.