Why The Hell Am I Not Surprised?

    Government Service Insurance System president Winston Garcia renders the people he serves a great disservice by not giving the pensioners what is duly theirs. And here he goes ranting about having the biggest share in Meralco. Wow, he’s that rich, isn’t he? Not! There’s this one friend of mine who said Winston Garcia’s smart to invest his money elsewhere. Damn yeah. That what banks and insurance companies do….given they don’t withhold pension to rightful beneficiaries. Pensioners are not even beneficiaries as there are no benefactors in the process. They pay monthly premiums for future sustenance.

    Now, why am I not surprised about Winston Garcia pursuing Meralco’s takeover? That’s ’cause his boss is behind all this! True, electricity distribution is overpriced, but it doesn’t mean that we disregard the other culprits! It’s like Jason Voorhees vs Freddy Krueger, this Aministration vs Lopezes thing. 

    What should happen is a big roundup of all the scourges of the country. A revolution, no less. Otherwise, it’s bye bye Philippines to all of us. To get rid of this problem named Winston Garcia, we remove the boss. Do we wait for 2010? For everything to start allllllll over again? Your call.

Contrapasso

    As good Filipino citizens, it is our duty to realize the problems of our country and act accordingly to fix these problems. We should go beyond our normal habits and duties. I have read that Woodrow Wilson approached governance scientifically and preferred the Congress’ informative duties over its legislative ones. The citizens are techically the bosses in a Democratic society, they therefore cannot just wait until a certain corrupt politician get his/her comeuppance in due time. The bosses fire their employees, as far as I know.

    Jun Lozada has recently been put to bad light because of his "politically sounding" speeches and tours. I think that he already went out of his way to speak the truth despite the fact that he was offered financial compensation and was assured safety if he kept his mouth. And now he’s persuading the Filipino people to act now, lest his sacrifices be in vain.

    What’s politics in the first place? I used to hate it (stupid me), but now I realize that politics is relative to the reason it is used for. Two people made me realize that. The first is one of my superiors in the office I take my training in, and the second from the author of my favorite column. Politics is innate to humans. We can’t be charged with original sin just because we’re political in nature. It’s what we do after that. After utilizing our political skills to do bad things.

    My point: Blogs are political tools and I want to use mine to convince people. Let’s all wake up, smell the stale coffee, and do everything we can to change this country. Let’s arm ourselves with information and study, so that no one will remain ignorant. Let us politicize our way to the betterment of the Philippines by shoving our fists in the trapos’ [you know what I mean]! Let’s not wait for the day of judgment to come and clean the trash.

    As for me, I’ll do my best to educate myself. At least that’s one less ignorant person in this world.   

There Is Definitely Hope For ‘Pinas

    Some may say that hope is for dreamers but I’ll never be ashamed to admit being one. Aside from the ones dreamt at daytime and even the wet variety, I still dream of a happy Philippine nation. It need not be of utopian proportions, but adequate  food, education, security, basic necessities and happiness would do.

    I just finished reading Conrado De Quiros’ article entitled "Past, Present and Future" and I can’t help comparing him to Gandalf (I might run the risk of being branded as a fan, but who cares?). Like him, I have never lost hope in the Philippines, in spite of its people’s depravity. I would sooner emasculate myself than lose hope in this country, so that’s saying a lot.

     In his column, he proposed three simple things to solve the majority of problems in our country, not least our sense of self. First, he said we should look into our past and study History. Besides dates and names and the good old cliché "studying History will help avoid committing the same mistakes" (it’s true though), studying our past gives us an identity and pride, notwithstanding the traitors and harlots who ran the country down. The current regime even brazenly discouraged commemoration of the revolution that propelled it into position.

     The second is to alleviate hunger. This is achieved by self-sufficiency and not importing our staples. Great economic nations give high priority to their Agricultural Sector through subsidy. Never mind that it costs more. At least the consumers pay lower for food. That’s aside from the Geopolitical pressures that entail importing necessities. 

    Last is Education. We can never give enough emphasis on the importance of Education. Education is something beyond grades, or transcripts. Beyond Summa and Magna Cum Laude. It’s something beyond knowing Articles and Provisions by heart and memorizing equations and bodily functions. Education is Character and Values. It’s appreciating life and strengthening talents. Education is doing what’s right and what you’re supposed to amidst adversity and temptation.

      I know there are those who doubt, especially after the passionate wordings about Education. Everyone has every right and reason to be skeptical about turning this shabby excuse of a nation we call the Philippines, what with all the crimes, decadence and avarice this country has been witness to. But why not put faith in the Filipino people. Pessimism comes from seeing the horrible state of the country. Taking in all the crap is so dismaying, no one wouldn’t be negative. But why not look at what’s beyond the dismal state? What we can do for the better? What the frayed shoe would look like after a hundred strokes of brush after applying biton? Think positive for a change. Good thoughts attract goodness, so they say.

Extra Rice, Anyone?

     The public need not determine whether the rice shortage in the country is caused by either the lack of supply due to low yields or the inhumane hoarding by the corrupt few (or many for that matter). The bottomline here is that people are hungry, starving, famished or what have you to accurately characterize the state of the Philippine majority. I had a debate with my uncle and I explained the effects of Agrarian Reform, i.e., the inefficiency of rice production due to decentralization of arable lands, the lack of capital which is essential to planting rice crops, and of course, corruption among other related problems. My uncle then aptly countered that there is no shortage. On the contrary, there is  a surplus of rice in the Philippines—-the problem is the lack of supply due to hoarding of rice by both Chinese and Filipino businessmen. I realized that it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that we should do something. What options do we Filipinos have anyway?

    Rice, scientific name oryza sativa, is the staple food in our country. In western countries, carbohydrate-rich food like potatos, wheat and corn are considered side-dishes to meat and main dishes. But encouraging Filipinos to eat less rice will be hard as rice is deeply ingrained in Filipino culture, way before the Spanish colonization. I think it’s high time we Filipinos acted, though. Dire circumstances call for desperate measures. We should look at other alternatives to rice.

     We can eat more viands or "ulam," but if meat-based ulam is hard to afford (Viand originally being an allusion to meat and etymologically comes from the Latin word vivo which means life), then we can shift to vegetables, veggies being nutritious aside from cheap. East Asian countries like Japan have healthy lifestyles because they eat less by preparing a wide variety of dishes in meals.

       We can also plant wheat, as the crop can grow in the Philippines. Planting wheat can also alleviate early morning hunger as pandesal prices are anticipated to rise because of rising wheat prices in the world market. Corn is also a possible alternative. In Cebu, other Visayan provinces and parts of Mindanao, corn is processed into something like what Americans call "cornmeal" or "grits." Looks like mashed potatoes, ergo: looks tasty (for me).

    Forget about people ranting about what a shame it is that the Philippines, being an Agricultural country and the home of the International Rice Research Institute, has rice problems. No use in crying over spilled milk. We can prove other countries that we can’t be more stupid than we are right now, not least avoid Geopolitical pressure from others. 

Moral Ascendancy

    It’s really weird for priests both officials and rank and file "following" the footsteps of Jesus Christ to have a wide spectrum of stands in Philippine political issues. Okay, so everyone has the right to his/her own opinion. but preaching is a very potent source of influence. People look up to preachers and can influence a lot of people deeply whether outrightly or subliminally. So what is the official stand of CBCP about the NBN-ZTE deal? Who knows. But I know of one priest whose homily I have heard at least a couple of times.

    This particular priest (some say he’s an authority in political matters because he’s a socio-political-whatever graduate. Sorry, I forgot) delivers his homily along the lines of NBN-ZTE deal and the "media hype" the issue is allegedly getting. He then rants about how the truth will not set a person free because according to him, the truth often hurts, hence it causes suffering and desperation. I mean, where’s the logic in that? Yeah, the truth hurts but you know you’re not living a lie or a Utopian life. Should we shun the truth away and pretend that the Philippines has food security even if our Digestive systems say otherwise?

    He also criticizes ABS-CBN for being partial about the news, especially the "sensationalization" of rice shortage. He thinks channel 2 is merely saying what’s on the Lopezes minds. It might be true, but isn’t that why we have a choice between GMA and ABS? Okay, assuming a lot of people are gullible and are either hardcore Kapuso or Kapamilya. So what? Social problems are still felt tangibly.

    I can’t do anything else but pray for him. Just so God can straighten him up and then be able to teach the parishioners the essence of Christianity. That beyond doctrines and dogma, there is a more simple yet better aspect to religion, and that is doing good. God Bless the Philippines.

Globalhotting

             We often hear "Global Warming this, Global Warming that, it’s hot," even Al Gore’s in on the issue. But does it really affect us? "Heck, to hell with that Global Warming crap! Who the hell cares! It ain’t got nuthin’ ta do wit’ our GDP, GNP, inflation, recession and currency trading stuff and jargon." 

             Indeed. Global Warming is not Globalization (which, by the way adds to the Greenhouse Effect), but what’s in stake here is our lives lives, people. Wake up and smell the coffee. Better yet, smell the Greenhouse gases. Let’s first define the terms so as to not cause Epistaxis. What are Greenhouse gases? Greenhouse gases are made up of gas molecules and compounds that absorb the heat of the sun, thus contributing to the Greenhouse effect. What about it? The Greenhouse effect is the warming of the Earth when Greenhouse gases absorb the Sun’s heat, particularly the "long wavelength of energy," whatever that is. Second, these gases block the latent and sensible heat from the Earth’s surface. It’s very much like plant Greenhouses, hence the term Greenhouse Effect. These gases are:  Water Vapour, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide and Ozone (Ozone traps heat as it prevents too much Ultraviolet rays from entering the Earth). The hole in the Ozone layer is another story altogether, and would take another blog to explain.

             So, onto the effects. Not much. Just the melting of Polar Caps and the snow on mountain peaks like Mt. Kilimanjaro. Of course, there’s Hurricane Katrina and the Killer Storms in the Philippines, aside from the drastic change in typhoon schedules. How so? Global Warming raises the Temperature by 1 degree. so, 1 degree is too insignificant. Correct, but if applied to vast oceans like the Pacific the Evaporation process would be greater in scope and scale. So, do we agree that 1 degree higher would evaporate more water at a faster rate? If so, let us move on.

             The dilemma we are facing is so grave that if it goes unsolved, the Maldives will be swallowed by Poseidon waves (Or Aquaman’s ifor that matter). Never mind New York. God knows the US is the second largest polluter next to China. It’s saddening to think that this is due to man’s desire for development, if we really are developing. The only development I see is that man is turning into a self-destructive maniac. John Crichton mention in Jurassic Park through Ian Malcolm that we cannot destroy the Earth. The Earth will go on. only man will die and receive his comuppance, or somewhat to that effect. 

             Solutions are cropping up and they range from the conventional to the outright weird but interesting. One is the reduction of Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide emissions from vehicles, especially ships and factory smog by changing fuel and energy sources from Fossil Fuels and Coal to better alternatives. The health risks from particulates is another related problem that arises from crappy pollutants. One bizarre solution that’s still in the works as we speak is still at the research and development stage. It’s conducted in Australia because the possible solution can be found there. Kangaroos are said to have bacteria that break-down components that result to Methane production in the Digestive system. Scientists are planning to incorporate these bacteria to cattle, sheep and other livestock (I wonder how beef would taste after). Now, methane quantity, relative to the number of cows may seem insignificant (again), but seems very threatening. Why? Beacuse methane is colorless, odorless (Yes, it’s odorless. Sulfur makes fart stink, not Methane) and can absorb heat 21 times more than Carbon Dioxide can. The idea seems cool and some Vegan groups are also advising people to turn Vegetarian so as to lessen meat consumption and livestock demand. But a DJ from the radio station where I heard this news said that Gorillas eat plants but are still flatulent. It’s true but meat-eaters also fart to the cow solution would really help lessen Global Warming.

             Wow, the abundance of options are astounding, but the lack of action is saddening. One really good solution is planting more trees and preventing logging. Trees absorb Carbon Dioxide and produces Oxygen that counteracts most pollutants. Aside from that, trees serve as Storm breakers and prevent erosion and other problems.

             What a lame, dragging, long-assed rant this is. My point is, it’s high time we act  and save ourselves from the danger of Global Warming and the subsequent floods that are coming our way. And with that, I end my blog. Shame shame!

Thick, Thick, Thick

             I cant understand why our Beloved President spent all that moolah to go to Zurich when she could settle everything in Davos. It’s not like our Economy’s going to spring forth from the ashes after attending all the conventions she deems necessary for Economic growth. On the contrary, contradictory if you must. All the money she spent can be put to better use like feeding the starving and famished or better yet, investing in Education or Businesses that would employ our idle working force, if there’s such a term.

             What’s in Zurich anyway? It’s popular for the Bank Accounts (repeat: BANK ACCOUNTS), but I’m not aware of anything else. Dean Arcilla even mention a chartered PAL Airbus or Boeing. Well, yeah Heads of State need bragging rights, but that’s if every citizen you serve eats at least three times a day. Going to international "conventions and meetings" is not what you’d call Public Service. It’s Self-Service, much like fast-food chains and self-service we have because the people we elected to serve us do not. 

             Our Great Leader even mentioned that the recession in the United States would barely affect us. WHAT??! I’d know that even if I’m not in Ma’am Nalangan’s class. So would the poor people (I’m not saying I’m not poor) who feel poverty eating their intestines every painful day of their lives. Poor them. All they can do is curse the wretched politician, blah, blah, blah, they put there in the first place.

             There are a lot of things we can do to make this country better. We just need to realize our priorities and muster all the strength and courage we have to make the changes, however painful. I guess all we can do now is tighten our belts and look as our beloved country our heroes painstakingly fought for crumble into dust Economically.

Jeproks

            I always wondered where all the kanto slang in the Philippines started. The better question is "who started it." I just happened to pick up a Nonoy Marcelo (creator of the influential comic series "Ikabod") tribute book on my way to my throne, the toilet bowl. According to the book, Nonoy Marcelo, in all his weirdness and genius, invented the kind of slang that would influence the whole of Mega Manila, if not the whole country.

            "Datkilab" is widely used, especially by frat men and it's very "asteeg"-sounding, as it's shrouded in mystery if you don't understand or know how to discover its secret. The kanto lingo that gave birth to datkilab influenced a lot of people, including Ka Freddy Aguilar and even my uncles. 

            Ermats would translate to mother and Erpats to father. Erap is to pare while todits is to dito. The datkilab for pera is areps but that's pretty recent. Here are some of the words and meanings I discovered recently (forgive my ignorance): jeproks (housing PROJECTS that would roughly translate to jologs in modern time) and kachokaran means karancho.

            Weird or funny these words may seem, they still define us and who we are. Language is a vital part of Culture, and culture is what defines people and gives meaning and happiness to everyday life.   

Oh Crap.

            "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die." I'm not really into putting this statement into practice, but I'm not exactly holding back (especially when the viand is meat or when I'm on a drinking spree) either. Even slurping Bulalo bouillon is not enough to make me feel guilty. The conscience is but a mere speckle of dust when I'm eating heartily. Tampalin (burger patties are pure beef, so my friend says. It's 70% fat, and 30% scrap meat from the ribs. Not sure where "tampalin" came from, though) burgers from Burger Machine are my favorite merienda. 

            I'm not what you'd call a regular drunkard, but I certainly wouldn't pass up a bottle of beer or two. Drunken revelry's definitely not my style. But what the hell is the world coming to? Is the pain I often feel somewhere along my nape a sign of a blocked carotid or whatever artery there is? Am I flatulent because of irregular or fatty diets? I certainly hope not.

            It's hard losing someone special, family or friend, as was the case of my lolo's passing away back in '03. Though he did not die of his ever present Diabetes Mellitus or heart problems, I still felt bad that he suffered before his next great adventure. Now I'm on the brink of losing my lola to stroke (probably mild, but still….) and I do hope God would lend her some more time. 

             My point is, we should watch our lifestyles and dietary habits. It's fine to indulge one's self to a big, crispy piece of pata every now and then, but never forget to eat oatmeal and fiber-rich food and exercise. When the time comes for reunions, a healthy alumnus/alumna, kumpare/kumare, ninong/ninang can tempt and tease colleagues by eating crispy balat ng lechon and other pampabata stuff.

Really Sucks, Doesn’t It?

            Conrado De Quiros is undoubtedly one of the coolest writers of all time. I'm a big fan of his and he is like a Jedi Master or Gandalf of print media in the Philippines, ever so enlightened and true. What else can I say? He really is the coolest. 

            I read one column of his recently and it was very insightful. He discussed the reasons for the poor performance of Filipino students and I was convinced right then and there. I wanted to shout *hear hear* at that moment. He said that the problem lies with the confusing Language usage in the Philippines, or to that effect. We Filipinos use English in reading while using Filipino in speech. Prime time News is in Filipino, supposedly for the plebeian to understand. Broadsheets, on the other hand, are all in English. The most read, according to him is the Philippine Daily Inquirer, having 200,000 in circulation. Juxtapose that to Thailand, having millions of newspaper subscription, which by the way is written in their Language.  

            Asian countries that use their own Languages in Education are now very rich countries, i.e. Japan, South Korea, China and Thailand. Singapore and India, Asian countries that use English as communication medium in education are also developed Economies, aside from the fact that the people there speak fluent English.

            It's really saddening, this dilemma we are facing. We should change the way we teach students. Why not use Filipino in teaching Sciences and Mathematics? Let's not worry about translations because words are easily given equivalents. Electricity already has a n equivalent —- dagitab if I'm not mistaken. We just need to be willing enough to change our ways for the better.

I Wonder….

I just had a dream. I can’t say it’s a prophetic one. More like an insight to what the future will look like after World War 3. After the recent events like the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the raging extremism between Israel and Palestine, World War 3 is not so remote anymore.

            Back to my dream. Horrible is what my dream is, to say the least. The world (the Philippines actually) is flooded and people are in despair. Everyone is eating….fast-food! I’m not even sure if what they’re eating is fresh. I’d definitely eat stale food if I survive the nuclear fallout. I’d probably be mutated anyway.

            I was also wondering: Would the world be like in the manga “Fist of the North Star” where people fight over food, especially water and cluster into gangs? I sure hope none of this will happen.
 

We’re not sure what the future would be like, what with all that’s happening around us i.e. Global Warming, wars and stuff, but let’s work for the betterment of the entire human race. As Michael Crichton (via Jurassic Park character Ian Malcolm) said “The Earth will surely survive, but the Human race may not.” Or something like that.

Can We Really?

            I was almost disheartened when power failure stopped me from finishing this entry. What if Filipinos really can't?

            I have been hearing this statement quite often. Many say "The Filipino Can," but I have yet to see otherwise. Or maybe the Filipino really can, but the Filipino doesn't or doesn't want to.

            We Filipinos are lazy. I'm not saying I'm not nor do I say that everyone is.  I'm working on it, though. Changing my habits and work ethics (I wish). Filipinos are also stupid. Or maybe not stupid but we just don't think about what we do. Kinda reminds me of Homer Simpson. Act first before thinking. Impulsive seems to be the word. We tend to let our emotions and feelings take over before rationalizing our actions (Pilipino nga ako). We Filipinos are also impractical. Well, so am I, given situations that I can't seem to solve or when I face tasks that seem daunting and impossible.

            The show "Jessica Soho Reports" featured a parent who has an unbaptized 2-yr old kid. The reason for this is downright unbelievable: The parent wanted a grand baptismal celebration that would be able to feed the whole barangay! And that's just for one child! We can't always use lack of education to justify wrong decisions and irrational decision-making.

            Another related problem (Is there an end to Philippine Socio-Economic problems? I guess not.) we're facing is overpopulation. I mean, are Filipinos that horny to not be able to hold the heat in and control themselves (look who's talking) and release it through other avenues? What about masturbation and porn? Aren't these made for the purpose of achieving worldly pleasure without paying the price? Or are these also contributing factors to the problem? Whatever.

           I recently saw Itchyworms perform. That was in SM Mla. last Saturday and Whoa! They perform really well. They sang a song entitled "Noon Time Show" and yet another problem popped into my mind. Noontime shows are cool. I watch them whenever I have time, especially when the EB Babes are on *snicker*. But we Filipinos rely on luck too much. When we "professionally" rely on luck, watching the shows, joining the contests live, through text, and what have you, we become too hopeful that we forget our priorities and livelihood. I mean, it's good to watch these show for entertainment and if lucky, then well and good. But fanaticism is too much!

            I hope the Philippines still has a future. I honestly believe we still have, but we also have to do something like read or study, even if we hate to.

ARGH!!!!

DAMMIT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE PHILIPPINES!!!! I'M MAKING AN ENTRY AND THEN BOOM! POWER FAILURE! EVEN THE DAMN BROADBAND CONNECTION SUCKS! 

Why Monthsaries Seem Impractical To Me

            Romantic traditions like monthsaries bother couples every month on the same date as when the romantic relationships became formal. These so-called "special days" become hellish routines and defeat the real purpose of and meaning of "love" in more ways than just being simply bothersome.   
            Now, I'm quite aware that a lot (and I emphasize the word LOT) of people out there would kill me for saying this. I wouldn't be surprised if I would be stoned to death the minute I get out of the house tomorrow morning, but I'll say it anyway. Monthsaries (it's not even in the dictionary) are IM—-PRACTICAL. Period. Let me count the ways:

            First, a person in a romantic relationship will need to fuss about remembering the monthsary date, notwithstanding finding ways to greet his/her partner.
            Second, for the day to be special, arrangements must be made. However simple the settings or plans, and even the so-called spontaneous dates are, they still require a lot of effort.
            Third, Monthsaries are time consuming. All's well if and when the couple goes out very seldom. Seeing each other every damn minute of the day is another thing.
            Fourth, monthsaries, again, become routines becoming more and more like brushing your teeth. You just do it 'cause you need to. The reasons are endless!

            Now, you may think I'm bitter, but YES, I AM BITTER ABOUT THIS NONSENSE! Whew! I'm not altogether saying that Anniversaries are impractical too. I just hate the hell out of monthsaries. God knows how much ruckus and headeaches monthsaries cause

            I don't give a damn cow manure if you think I'm crazy (I really am, though) for not liking it. They say constipated people don't give a s**t! And I'm constipated, mind you. I'm not saying you should agree either. What, I just forget it's the sixth, the thirtieth, or whatever date it is and all hell breaks loose?

            I would rather express my feelings on ordinary days, especially rainy ones (figuratively and literally) and that is what I consider sweet and special. Am I just weird or unconventional? Nah, I don't think so. That said, to hell with monthsaries!