Arnel Pineda nung di pa siya sikat

I wrote this article waaay back when I was in Hong Kong.  Even then, Arnel Pineda was an amazing singer.My friends and I (staff of Hong Kong News) had to acknowledge that he was no ordinary singer. He had real talent, and he had presence.

The sad thing was, the bar where we watched him perform was seldom full, so often he performed to a half-empty (or half-full, depends on how you look at it) venue.

Anyways, here’s the article.

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Wednesday, July 5th, 2006  (July 7 issue of Hong Kong News)

HALOS dalawang taon nang tumutugtog sa Cavern sa Lan Kwai Fong ang bandang The Bones. Pulos Pilipino ang mga miyembro ng bandang ito – sina Karen Domingo, Arnel Pineda mga vocalist; Monet Cajipe, rhythm guitar; Pierre Donovan Luib, bassist; Darren Mercado, drummer; at Elmer Palermo, keyboardist.

Sa buong panahong ito, nakilala ang banda para sa mahusay na pagtugtog at ‘concert-standard’ na pagkanta ng dalawa nitong  bokalista. Hindi man napupuno ng mga Pinoy at Pinay ang  Cavern tuwing weekdays kung kailan subsob sa trabaho ang mga OFW at hindi halos lumalabas ng flat ng kani-kanilang employer, madalas namang walang maupuan tuwing set ng banda dahil maraming mga ‘gweilo’ at iba pang mga turista at Chinese na residente.

Matagal-tagal na rin sina Arnel at Karen sa pagiging singers. Sa batang-gulang na 14, professional na si Karen at nanalo na sa mga national competitions sa Pilipinas gaya ng dating palabas sa RPN 9 na ‘Ang Bagong Kampeon.’ Tumugtog na rin siya sa iba’t-ibang hotel sa ibang bansa.

Si Arnel naman ay nagsimulang maging vocalist ng banda sa edad na 15. Tumugtog na ang kanyang banda na ‘Amo’ sa Shakey’s na kilalang hang-out ng mga mahilig sa live-band music, at nanalo na rin sa mga band competitions.

Nagkasama sila at ng buong banda sa The Cavern Setyembre 2004, at maganda ang kanilang naging chemistry bilang isang grupo. Asawa ni Karen ang drummer na si Darren. Gaya din ng ibang mga OFW, nasa Pilipinas ang kani-kanilang mga pamilya at sa kanila nakalaan ang kalakhan ng kanilang sinusweldo.

Ayon kay Arnel, mahirap ang trabaho pero masayang mag-perform. ‘Nagre-react kami sa audience, pinaanood namin sila at nage-gauge namin kung anong mood nila. Pag mukhang pagod lahat, relaxing music ang kakantahin namin. Pag mukhang malulungkot, medyo upbeat ang aming pipiliin,” aniya.

Ang responsiveness na ito sa audience ang makikitang isang dahilan ng tagumpay ng banda. Habang nagpeperform, mapapansin ang rapport nila sa mga nanunood at nakikinig. Kakaway si Arnel, ngingiti sa Karen sa ilang nasa audience. Parang dun lang mismo sa stage nila pinipili kung ano ang susunod na kanilang tutugtugin.

“Depende nga kasi sa mood ng audience. Minsan,sige, kahit  nababaduyan kami sa kanta, pero nakita naming bagay sa age-bracket ng mga nasa audience, kinakanta namin,” kwento ni Karen. Kaya nga naman minsan ay kinakanta nila ang walang kamatayang ‘My heart  will go on” ni Celine Dion na theme song ng ‘Titanic.’
Pag dumating ka ng alas-9, maririnig mo ang mga kanta ng dekada 70, 80, at kalagitnaan ng 1990s. Karaniwang mga pop ballads o kung tawagin ay ‘slow rock’ o ‘mellow music’ mula sa mga kanta ng The Carpenters, ni Anita Baker, Christopher Cross, Sade at Billy Joel. Minsan hahalo sa kanilang repertoire ang mga hits ng Soul Asylum, U2, The Police, at mga bagong kanta nina Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Robbie Williams at Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Walang mapapansing pattern sa seleksyon ng mga kanta dahil salitan ang mood na sinasalimin ng mga awit. Ang malinaw lang, nag-eenjoy ang audience kahit nakaupo lang sa kanilang mga orange na de-kutsong bar stool o banquet seat at nag-aalaga ng bote ng $55 na beer.

Pagpatak ng alas-11, rock-and-roll at disco naman. At dito talaga lumalabas ang energy ng audience na karaniwang binubuo na ng mga employees na gustong mag-unwind, mga bored na residente, at mga kabataang nilalabanan ang antok dahil gusto talagang mag-party.

Nakikita nina Arnel na mapalad sila kumpara sa maraming musikero na nasa Pilipinas. Bagamat tutoong hindi rin naman daw kalakihan ang sweldo nila dito sa Hong Kong, ‘di hamak namang mas malaki pa rin ito sa nakukuha ng kanilang mga kapanalig sa iniwang bayan.
“Sampu sampera ang magagaling na musicians sa atin, kaya masakit na hindi lahat nakakakuha ng magandang break,” ani Arnel. Naghihimutok din sila sa anila’y ‘diskriminasyon’ na dinadanas ng mga HK-based musicians. ‘Mas mataas ang bayad sa mga Puti. Siyempre kahit paano masusukat ang respetong binibigay sa iyo in terms of kung magkano ang binibigay sa iyo.”

Ayon sa isang survey, kumikita ang mga musician sa Maynila ng mula US$5 (HK$39) hanggang US$10 kada araw (o P250), habang ang mga overseas music jobs ay maaring pagkakitaan ng mula  US$600 hanggang US$1,500 kada buwan (o P31,800- P78,000). Sa isang bansa kung saan 43  percent ng populasyon ang nabubuhay sa  US$2 kada araw (ayon sa World Bank), ang kumita ng HK$10,000 kada buwan bilang musikero sa Hong Kong ay isang malaking tulong sa pamilya.

Gayunpaman, mas mababa pa rin, gaya ng sabi ni Arnel, ang kita ng mga Pinoy na musicians. Ayon na rin sa isang anonymous na performer, depende sa lahi ang swelduhan sa mga musikero sa Hong Kong. May mga Amerikanong musikero ang kumikita ng HK$30,000 hanggang HK$40,000 kada buwan; habang ang mga lokal na talent ay nakakakuha ng HK$15,000.

“Talagang nakaka-dismaya din. Passionate ang mga Pinoy kung mag-perform kahit pa covers lang ang kinakanta, ubos-lakas talaga Unfair na kulang ang binibigay sa atin na recognition at respect,” ani Arnel.

Samantala, katulad pa rin ng ibang mga OFW, may opinyon din sina Karen sa mga kaganapan sa Pilipinas. Migranteng manggagawa din sila tulad ng mga kababayang domestic helper, at apektado ng mga nangyayari sa Pilipinas dahil nandun ang mga mahal sa buhay.
“Sana magkaisa na lang ang mga Pilipino,” anila. “Parang walang kauuwian ang pinaghihirapan ng mga OFW dahil sa corruption sa Pilipinas. Si Arroyo naman,dapat bumababa na. Lalong gumugulo ang sitwasyon, bumabagsak ang ekonomya.”

Isang bagay na gustong makita nina Arnel ang magkaisa ang mga musikerong Pilipino sa Hong Kong. “Maganda sana kung magagawa ng mga musicians na magtulungan, para mapataas natin ang pagkilala sa galing ng mga Pinoy dito. Huwag na sana magkaroon ng inggitan o alitan,” aniya. “Magtulungan dapat ang mga Pilipino na nasa ibang bansa.”

Parang mga bampira ang mga Pinoy na musikero, lalo na ang mga nagtatrabaho sa mga bars. Sa paglubog ng araw, saka lang sila lalabas, at gigisingin ang gabi gamit ang kanilang mga boses at instrumento. Mga artista at migranteng manggagawa, tumutulong sila na ipakita sa mundo ang kakayanan at talento ng mga Pilipino.#

Estrada for president again? Tsk-tsk-tsk.

Joseph Estrada a.ka. Erap is again running for president. Unbelievable. It makes one’s stomach turn over how he is being so selfish and so deluded as to think that it is he who is the nation’s hope for change and that he can, ‘again’, make a difference.

He has done enough damage during his term, and he was ousted and imprisoned for it. It’s clear that he didn’t learn anything from the experience, and nothing of humility.

Estrada’s involvement in the 2010 presidential race will make things even more difficult for sanity and order to make  their way back to the Philippine political system. What he represents are backward values of patronage politics, and he harps on being a leader of the poor when he himself has never been poor and his idea of helping them is giving them dole-outs. He makes people believe in dreams that can never realized because they are based on fiction and not on objective conditions which can be altered and reworked and restructured. He delivers speeches meant for actors, and he is an actor still.

It is a very, very sorry development, his declaration of candidacy. I feel sad and angry and disgusted.

It would have been better if he remained in the sidelines and instead threw his support behind the candidacy of , say, Noynoy Aquino. He should have let go of his delusions and of the past — he was president once, and once should have been enough. The fact that the poor supposedly love him doesn’t mean that he knows what is best for them and that he has done or that he will do what is best for them.

People sometimes continue love even those who hurt them; Filipinos are a sentimental lot, and often this is a bad thing. The slightest kindness given them make them slaves to those who showed the said kindness. It’s easy to get Filipino’s affection and loyalty — a smile, a handshake, a few handouts to those who have long been dismissed and neglected by the elitist system and government. This is what Etsrada has been long relying on.

In the meantime, his running mate is Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.

Now my views about Binay are slightly more positive– the man has worked for Makati, and he has been able to do some measure of good for his constituents. I really cannot make definite conclusions, only impressions; and my impressions, based on the little I see and know of Makati and the local government there, are positive.

I guess Estrada is banking on Binay to save him and his chances of leading the country well. Binay is the one who’s actually running for president, with Erap as the figurehead.

Still, tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk.

Estrada also named Juan Ponce Enrile, his son Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Jose De Venecia III,  Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III as among his senatorial candidates.

My head hurts just thinking about these developments. I could weep if I didn’t feel angry and frustrated.

Health and infrastructure issues in the wake of Pepeng and Ondoy

Lists, lists, lists all running in my head like a very, very long ticker tape. The world inside my head expands like a balloon slowly filling with helium, and I feel giddy. The lists are about needs and desires. There are so many things I want to do, things I want to happen, wish for, want; but the sorry fact is there are limits. Boundaries must be respected, limitations acknowledged. It’s far from being a perfect world, otherwise we could all do so much good and not just for our own selves but for other people, and humanity would be a few more steps closer to heaven on earth.

1. Repeal and junking of the oil deregulation law

2. Repeal and junking of the energy privatization law.

3. Repeal and junking of trade liberalization.

4. Free or substantially subsidized health care

5. Free or substantially subsidized education up to university

6. Free public housing

7. Genuine agrarian reform

8. Labor rights

9. Human Rights

10. Justice for all victims of state neglect, repression and killing.

11. Intelligent, humane and compassionate leaders with no concept of greed or personal ambition.

12.An independent and sovereign foreign policy.

Right now, though, I am very concerned about the state of the health care system. If it were a person, he would be one afflicted with so many diseases he’d be barely standing up. He pops a paracetamol tablet for migraines — the same way he relies on antibiotics for more serious complaints.

The news are disturbing. Over 700 cases of leptospirosis, and already, almost a hundred people have died. All because of the floods, and many areas remain flooded. Imagine wading and swimming through polluted water. Then imagine your own children doing the same. It’s  horrible. It’s dangerous. And now people are sick.

Besides leptospirosis, there’s cholera and the whole gamut of respiratory diseases because of the terrible living conditions in the evacuation centers. Skin diseases also proliferate.

As of this writing, there are still large areas of Pangasinan under water, and the same goes for areas in Laguna.

In the meantime, the landslides.  How horrible is it that Benguet and Baguio have run out of coffins and there’s a need to import them? Almost a hundred have died. Schools have collapsed.

I know that the positive attitude would be to work towards solutions and not to point fingers, but still, who and what is to blame?! I’ve been waiting for the anti-mining and anti-illegal logging groups to speak up. The areas that collapsed because of the massive rainfall were mountainside areas, and the houses were buried under soil and mud. There were no trees with spreading roots to hold the land together.

I’ve been reading reports about city planning. Sheesh, it’s only now that the experts are speaking up. There ARE plans to make the cities safer from floods and earthquakes and other natural phenomenon, they just haven’t been implemented because of lack of funds.

Right.

It’s no less than shocking, reports from the Department of Public Works and Highways saying that that some eight million residents in Metro Manila will still have to suffer from floods for at least ten 10 more years from flood and similar calamities because of lack of funds for infrastructure to prevent said floods.

Get real. There’s money alright, but this wretched, corrupt-to-the-bone government is spending it wrong.
Squandering is more like it.

Through the numerous financial scams and scandals the Arroyo administration has gotten itself into, a particular truth was exposed and affirmed:  there IS money, but it is not being utilized for the public good. This latest revelation of the government’s infuriating inability to address the urgent infrastructure problems of the country yet again point to corruption and twisted priorioties  as the reasons for its failures.

According to the DPWH, the government’s  estimated P82-billion flood-control projects that could have prevented killer floods caused by strong typhoons like Ondoy remain unimplemented for lack of funds. Plans to rehabilitate the damaged areas and prevent future disasters will be at a standstill for 10 more years as the projects go through the process comprised of feasibility studies, government and funding-agency approval, and bidding and construction.Nine of 15 projects that could have prevented massive flooding in Metro Manila have have not even been started.

Red tape! While people drown and their homes are submerged!

In the meantime, at least P30 billion is supposedly needed to implement the relocation of more than half a million squatter families living in danger zones, particularly riverbanks and other waterways. The Metro Manila Inter-Agency Committee on Informal Settlers, in a report submitted to the Supreme Court, said the task would involve the construction of 22,689 social housing units a year at an average cost of P3.225 billion annually to provide some 544,609 informal dwellers with decent and safer homes.

Great. And Gloria Arroyo and her sycophants gorge on steaks abroad.

Obviously, these are the things that Macapagal- Arroyo deliberately left out when delivering her State of the Nation addresses. It took Ondoy and Pepeng to force the government to admit its failures, and now it’s the Filipino people who will again suffer the consequences. There is a serious need to reorganize and restructure the government’s priorities when it comes to budget utilization. The implementation of projects that will ensure the safety and security of the populace against the ravages of natural phenomenon must be prioritized.

Turning 34 and 1.

I’ turned 34 yesterday. It’s strange how I don’t feel a day like it.

I suppose it’s because I don’t feel that I have changed much through the years. I’ve read somewhere that after a certain age, people are fully formed: their essential beliefs, their fears and deepest worries, the way they react to moments of bliss or woe will never again be a surprise. They are  who they are, and what remains of the potential for change can only be realized in increments. Most possibly, in sudden bursts of creativity, and  during great emotional upheavals that necessitate radical and immediate personal transformation all in the name of survival.

I feel the same way I did when I was 27. I think that was the age when I stopped aging inside. Or if I did age, it was a graceful process and intangible. The birth of  my baby daughter made me feel closer to complete, but in no way does motherhood make me feel old. I am  sometimes exhausted, but always, always  happy; do I ever feel old? No.

If anything, I feel younger. Kimiko gives me reason to be less adult in the sense that I am again more in touch with my childlike side. She marvels at the most ordinary things — the Columbia sports water bottle with its red tinge, the way spoons fit together when stacked one on top of the other, the CD player – and I can’t help but marvel along with her. It’s simply impossible to not see the world through her eyes when she’s happy; as if the world was a mostly happy place.

For a few hours, I can ignore the way the rest of the world weeps; I can pretend to be oblivious to the way injustice gnaws away at what hope we try to build; and afterwards, as I watch her sleep and dream (her pudgy legs sometimes kicking as they are splayed across the bed, as if she was playing soccer), I can resolve to be stronger.

In a way, Kimiko’s birth was also my birthday, because with her birth,  I was also reborn.  So I have two birthdays now; I am both 34 years old and 1.

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The image above is the cover of author Audrey Niffenegger’s second novel. It’s what I wanted for my birthday, but I made the wish for it too late as loved ones had already bought gifts (books pa rin, sheesh).

Anyway, I’m saving up for a copy (sadly, it’s not cheap, and I don’t think Booksale will be selling any for years yet. The book was released only October 1 or thereabouts), and if by the end of the month there’s enough left over, Powerbooks here I come!

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It’s hard to write about what’s happening in the Philippines. There are no more words to describe the grief and the agony, the level of despair. The landslides in Benguet and Baguio, the massive flooding in Pangasinan have left more people homeless, helpless; many have been killed and in the most painful way: being swallowed by mud, being buried alive in the earth that suddenly weakened and collapsed. It’s a collective nightmare that many will not be waking up from.

What’s worse is that there is a considerable amount of certainty that the tragedies could have been avoided. The landslides were set off the strong rains; but what made the earth more susceptible?

Mining and deforestation. The stubborn greed of local governments and mining and logging concessions have resulted in this. And now our children are paying. And we will all continue to pay for decades more unless we begin rebuilding now and in the right way by putting an end to open pit mining and illegal logging and slash and burn techniques of clearing forests and other areas for infrastructure building.

Is it too late? No. It’s never too late.We are paying with the blood and lives of our children and our loved ones for the mistakes of our daily living and our indifference or our willful refusal to heed the warnings nature has given us. And we will continue to pay in more valuable coin beyond lost property and homes if we do not change the kind of government and the kind of system in place now. Hundreds of thousands have no food, water, adequate shelter. Children are falling ill left and right.

Through all this, the government is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Now there’s a report saying that  dsaster-preparedness officials warned Defense Secretary and presidential wanna-be Gilbert Teodoro about how there was the strong possibility that there would be widespread flooding this year. Teodoro, however, fudged, and  did not act quickly on purchasing life-saving equipment like rubber boats.

I suppose it  sounds a bit corny to say, but I guess it is important that we must all live more aware now — aware of what we can do to make the Philippines a better place to live in, and in that way contribute to efforts to heal the planet. It’s all interconnected, likes strands of a spiderweb= the kind of government we have, the policies it implements; how we live and respond to these policies, how we take an active (or inactive) role in the way society moves forward (or not).

I was never an environmentalist in the sense that I proclaimed it as my personal advocacy, but I have always been concerned about the earth and the catastrophies that have been happening: ice bergs melting when they had no business doing so; ozone layer depletion; water pollution, air pollution, the damage caused by open pit mining.  Now, well, I guess I should pay even more attention and write more about these issues if I could (in the professional way, I mean, not just here where I’m mostly rambling).

To Malacanang: don’t steal from those who have already lost everything

Money, money. Gad.

Recent reports state that the donations and pledges for the victims of Tropical Storm Ondoy from other international organizations and from foreign countries have reached more than $13.22 million (or around P615 million).

Would it be too much to demand that Malacanang make a public accounting of how it’s using the funds? Because the donations do not make up a paltry sum (every single peso counts, anyone who has seen the state of the evacuation centers and the plight of the victims will fervently attest) : according to latest reports from the Department of Foreign Affairs,  a total of $7.33 million came from bilateral partners; $3.64 million from multilateral and regional organizations; $283,351 from international organizations, and $150,000 from foreign nongovernment organizations.

Based on a list released by the DFA, the top 12 donor-countries are Canada ($4.63 million), Spain ($1.46 million), Australia ($866,000), Germany ($729,000), Italy ($314,000), South Korea ($300,000), Switzerland ($242,000), Japan ($223,000), China ($140,000), United States ($100,000), Singapore ($30,000) and France ($14,583). In the meantime, Filipino overseas communities from the Marianas to Dubai, gave relief funds amounting to $5,820. DFA personnel in Philippine embassies and consulates raised $7,802 while other private individuals and groups contributed $64,582.

So that’s a lot of money. Money that could buy medicine and food and clothes; money that could be used to improve the facilities of the evacuation centers and the temporary shelters even as the areas and communities ravaged by Ondoy are being rehabilitated.

I worry in particular for the children, the babies. It’s beyond horror that they should be suffering the sorry conditions in the evacuation centers, that they should be forced to subsist mainly on instant cooked noodles and canned food.  Their mothers and fathers are much worse off, I know (because it is certain that they continue to make even greater sacrifices to ensure that their children get to eat and drink), and all in all it’s painful to think about.

Daily I think of how urgent it is, how crucial that we fight for a new government, a new system, an altogether different way of life.  It goes against everything great and good to accept that this state of things will continue for the longest time yet, and that no substantial and meaningful change will take place.

Is it not the height of something tragic or the other that we cannot even trust the highest official of the land to manage the funds and to ensure that every single centavo goes towards efforts to help the victims get back on their feet and to rehabilitate their communities, to rebuild and make them livable again?

A question: will all the money coming in, why can’t the government initiate the establishment of soup kitchens in the areas affected by the typhoon? Soup kitchens that will cook real meals, real food so the refugees will not have to continue living on noodles and sardines? If not actual meals, then certainly a bowl of steaming hot arroz caldo would be better than tinned food.

It’s been almost two weeks since many of the victims have eaten properly, food that is filling and genuinely nourishing. Can’t fruit be distributed? Apples and dalandan. And sandwiches? I don’t think it will take too much effort to make them — no fuss and frills, just bread and filling, maybe tuna and chopped lettuce? Or egg? No mayonnaise, because that would spoil quickly.  Dried fruit like raisins would also be okay.

It’s also appalling that there are no toilets and bathrooms for the victims. The schools turned evacuation centers have turned into virtual pigsties, and more sickness is sure to follow.

Aaaargh!The government should utilize resources better! This is so frustrating. There is no denying that an effective means of measuring the efficiency and strength of any society is to see how it takes care of its members during emergency situations. A government’s compassion and humanity is also measured in how it gives its constituents protection and how it looks after their welfare when they have been rendered helpless.

Macapagal-Arroyo should be reminded that it’s a mortal sin to steal, and even worse to steal from those who have already lost everything. The foreign humanitarian aid that continues to come in should be utilized well, and completely for the benefit of the victims and their communities.  And some of the fund should go towards the creation and implementation of more intelligent, more efficient, scientific disaster response plan. But I guess it’s useless to appeal to her, she who is corrupt to the core, she who showed little or no hesitation in dining lavishly as the rest of her constituents went hungry.

Even now, as she makes those tv appearances, feigning knowledge, pretending to exude confidence and strength at a time when so many feel so weakened, she is exposed as a liar as the situation refuses to improve and the victims continue to suffer.

Reclaiming human dignity after Tropical Storm Ondoy

There is much to applaud about the efforts of various people’s organizations, Church and ecumenical humanitarian groups and media outlets to bring aid to the victims of Tropical Storm Ondoy. Without their outstanding help, it is highly likely that the death toll would be much higher, and the suffering of the survivors would be even worse (yes, impossible as it may sound, it could still be worse).

Having said that, however, it is tragic to see how much help is still needed and how urgent it is to bring that help now. More and more children are falling ill, and their condition is further exacerbated by the fact that the health of their own parents are slowly deteriorating. It’s  hardly an exaggeration to say that many of them have not had a good night’s sleep since Friday– before Ondoy arrived and turned their lives upside down and on the wrong side. In the meantime, subsisting on canned goods, biscuits and instant noodle soup is never anyone’s recommendation for good nutrition.

Their must be more help to be had! There must be more that could be done to help them, and now!

How, I am not exactly sure. One feels so helpless, and not even the awareness that thousands of Filipinos are now doing their best to help provide relief for the victims is consolation.  It’s not a happy thing to know that the help being given is far from being enough. There is no comfort to be felt by those in the relief missions because of how well aware they are that the aid they are giving resembles drops of water in a wide desert and its permanently high noon. They can only give their time and their strength and their goodwill, and pray that more help comes in.

I have been ruminating over the entire concept of providing relief aid. Without question, it is a good and noble thing on the part of those giving the aid (especially if they don’t think about it at all and give themselves pats on the back); but I’m thinking how it must feel like for the recipients.

They must be grateful, I am sure. In their desperation and bewildered state, it is certain that they are very thankful for any and all kind of help they’re being given. But on then on the other hand, it must also be somewhat painful for them to be on the receiving end.

Yes, they were already poor before the calamity struck; but they lived in whatever dignity and independence they could muster. Majority of them worked for their own keep, relying on their own strength and their creativity to scrape a living and to bring home food for their children and families. Perhaps many bought their furniture second hand, or on installment; the same goes for their televisions and their DVD players and whatever appliances they also had in their homes. They did their best to keep their children clothed and fed; and worked hard to keep their children in school and out of the streets.

All this no thanks to the Macapagal-Arroyo government or its predecessors. All this without help from local officials or even those from higher positions (No, financial assistance from congressmen or any similar ‘aid’ is not really aid: it’s taxpayers’ money, and Filipinos who ask for help from local officials are only exercising their right to receive it. As for the officials who give it, they’re not saints: they’re just doing their duty as public servants).

And now, in the wake of Ondoy, these same Filipinos who worked and slaved for their families, who dreamed of simple dreams for their children and hoped nothing beyond keeping their families together despite grinding poverty and the worsening economic crisis, now these Filipinos have been reduced to being charity cases.

They are now forced into the roles of mendicants, and they cannot even see beyond the next meal. The future is too far for them to see: surviving from one hour to the next is already an ordeal in the cramped evacuation centers where the heat is stifling, where there are not enough sanitation facilities, where boredom can take the toll on anybody’s already restless mind and troubled spirit. Desperation clings like second skin, and not even the hum of the ever-present mosquitoes and flies can distract one from the fear of  uncertainty: where will they be in a week? what will happen to the children? how will they rebuild their homes and their lives?

This is one more thing the government and the system should be held accountable for: for snatching away the remnants of dignity left to so many Filipinos.

National media sites are rife with reports of how the Macapagal-Arroyo regime squandered funds initially earmarked for disaster operations, and how the government knew beforehand that a calamity was coming because of reports they received from the meteoriologists.  Did the government initiate any preparations? No. And now another strong tropical storm is coming and we are all left fearing what could come next.

I suppose the main goal now should be this: helping the victims reclaim their dignity. And to do this means going beyond giving the much needed emergency goods.

It means helping them see their options other than returning to their lives pre-Ondoy; it means, helping them see beyond the horrible tragedy of the moment and giving them strength to claim their rights and demand it from the government who was tasked to protect the people but instead abused the powers it was given. It means opening their eyes to the truth that this tragedy, the nightmares given life because of Ondoy, were man-made and could have been avoided, and that similar tragedies can be stopped in their tracks.

It means enjoining them to help fight this system of corruption and oppression, and encouraging them to participate in efforts to create a better society, putting together a humane and compassionate government, and laying down the foundations for a new way of life where preserving human dignity and life and upholding social justice take precedence over personal gain and selfish ends.

Because in the end, so long as this kind of government remains, this kind of system continues, we are all victims.

For the sake of Typhoon Ondoy’s victims

The biggest crime would be to allow the kind of government we have, the kind of system that’s in place, to continue. I think this is the lesson that typhoon Ondoy has taught us.

Since Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos have been caught in the grip of the inescapable:  the impact of a typhoon that let down an ocean’s worth of water through the streets and alleys of a country ill-prepared.

It would be a gross inaccuracy to say that the Macapagal-Arroyo government didn’t see the typhoon coming. I mean, freaking hell, the Philippines is a country that get’s visited by typhoons on a regular basis: every year, at least 10 typhoons come; and even the slightest rains leave the streets flooded and people are forced to wade through knee-deep, black and fetid water. That should be more than enough warning of what greater damage can happen if the rains took longer, if the water didn’t go down less slowly through the antiquated and often blocked drainage systems. But really, what does it mean that up to now, since the time the Republic was founded, the Philippines continues to fall victim to the devastating effects of natural phenomena like typhoons?

There is no excuse for the Philippines and the government, the administration that currently, supposedly ‘leads’ it, to be unprepared for Typhoon Ondoy, or for any other typhoon for that matter.

Every hour, tv news programs give update on the lives of Filipinos all but destroyed by the typhoon– the flooded houses, the damaged furniture and the personal possessions forever gone are the least of important of what has been lost. Thousands are in the evacuation centers, men, women, old people and the very young trying to adjust to suddenly very bleak conditions, a long horizon of hopeless scenarios ahead of them.

It’s a living nightmare, after surviving the typhoon, to find that you have no food and water, that your children are contracting flu that could quickly turn to pneumonia or bronchitis or some other killer respiratory disease. It’s almost a fate worse that a painful death by drowning to find that you have lost your wife or husband, a sibling, a parent, a child to the flood. It’s enough to even make you wish for death to realize that their bodies have not yet been found and the chances of finding them are so far they’re practically nil.

Not enough rubber boats. No helicopters. Transportation and telecommunication systems and electricity and water supplies are down. The private sector had to take over, and the government can only issue excuses.

Some would say that now is not the time to be issuing criticism or blame; that what Filipinos should focus on is helping each other to recover from the devastation and to make sure that everyone gets back on their feet. But is that enough? Do we simply forget what happened by chalking it up to bad luck, to nature punishing the Philippines, to faulty drainage systems?

I have no doubt in the indomitable spirit of of Filipinos.  We are made of stronger, flexible stuff that ensures our survival. We are capable of smiling even in the midst of grief. We are capable of forgiving even our worst enemies. We believe in the power of hope, and we cling to our hope even as all signs point to a lost cause. We can and have often showed unity in the face of almost crippling challenges and difficulties. We are capable of great love for one another, as well as forgetting wrongs done us.  There is both good and bad in this, and the division changes daily; but in whichever case, this is what helps us survive, what allows to continue, to get back on our feet and try again.

But how long must we rely on our resilience? And dare we hope that our children can and will be as strong as us? Dare we risk it — their futures; dare we gamble on it, their own chances of survival? And would it be right?

How long will be grin and bear it? Until when will we grit our teeth, or heave hollow sighs as we try to come to terms with what neglect we as a nation and a people suffer, the punishment undeserved that continues to be inflicted on us by deliberately flawed, callous and selfish governance? How many times can we turn the other cheek and try to forgive when again and again we have been not only slapped, but struck and bloodied all over?

We can replace television sets, sofas, refrigerators. Cars are merely metal; and houses can be rebuilt after all the mud has been carted away and the streets cleared of the flotsam.

But to say that it would be easy to forget the agony of trying to keep our heads out of the water after hours of treading it; of withstanding the wet cold of the wind and rain as we stand on rooftops;  of seeing our children getting hungrier or thirstier by the minute or worse, needing immediate medical attention and getting none… that is simply not possible.

Now, more than ever, it is important — IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH — to realize the necessity of having a good government; one that takes into consideration the safety and welfare of the people above everything else; one that looks far into the future not to secure itself in power but to see what it can and should do to ensure that Filipinos will never again suffer like they are suffering now because of a typhoon.

We cannot fight nature and we shouldn’t. What we can do is to prepare for whatever it brings on, and to prepare well.  Nature is predictable, and science has made leaps and bounds in foreseeing its actions and measuring all possible impact so humanity can adjust and keep itself safe.

But because of the kind of government, the kind of system that’s now in place, the Philippines is as helpless a paper sailboat in a storm everytime there’s a typhoon. Corruption is what eats up what should be allocations for disaster preparedness campaigns and plans — the same way it eats up funds that should go towards education, health and housing.

Even now there are reports that billions of public funds are being earmarked for moves to amend the 1987 Constitution:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/172888/house-panel-approves-p2b-budget-for-con-con.

And for a moment, if any of us is still inclined to give this government the benefit of the doubt, there was an August 15, 2009 story in the Philippine Star that states how the Macapagal-Arroyo administration utilized the government’s P800-million contingency fund for emergencies like calamities for her trips abroad. This was according to an opposition lawmaker who cited a Commission on Audit (COA) report. The COA findings show that the 2008 contingency fund was not enough for foreign travels and Macapagal-Arroyo augmented it by P120 million.

So crucial questions remain: will be wait for the next typhoon to devastate us as the government that should be leading us squanders taxes and the national budget for self-serving purposes? Will we again simply rely on our strong sense of survival and try to forget the man-made tragedies exacerbated by natural phenomena?

For the sake of those lost, and those still missing, for the sake of the children suffering in the evacuation centers, for the sake of those grieving and all that has been irretrievably lost, let’s not forgive this government and fight for a more humane, more compassionate one. Because Typhoon Ondoy was not the first; and it will certainly not be the last.And the body count of those lost to the raging floodwaters of the yearly typhoons continues to mount, and the tears of those who lost loved ones are almost enough to drown the nation if they had been contained, collected and then unleashed.

Learning from the Emperors

I wrote this piece back in 2005.  I’m reposting it because I saw a review on ‘March of the Penguins’ today in the Manila Times. Apparently, the original  documentary (meaning not the one dubbed in Filipino) will be shown this weekend in one of the major theatres.

I loved that documentary; and one of my dreams is to be able to walk with the Emperors as they waddle through their natural habitat. They’re also great fathers, and I think they should be made symbols for Fathers’ Day.

——–

I’ve always been fascinated by penguins-those tuxedo-wearing,flightless birds who live in the coldest places on earth. My favorite penguin is named Opus – he’s the neurotic but good-natured, naive and paranoid Emperor penguin who has been immortalized in Berke Breathed’s comic strip “Bloom County.”

Opus has at least twice ran for president, and considering who has had to run against (the likes of George Bush Sr), it’s a shock that he always lost. Opus’ platform included planting daffodils in deactivated minefields, a ban on animal poaching, murdering the government’s foreign policy on territorial defense and military operations, and free herring for all.

Penguins. Aren’t they the coolest (forgive the pun) animals?

I’ve already seen the latest penguin documentary by the people of National Geographic –”The March of the Penguins.” Its narration is plainly written, straightforward  but beautifully compelling as told by Morgan Freeman.

The narrative thread is wound around the mating and breeding habits of Emperors, and how the specie survives through the harshest of environmental conditions. Penguins mate, give birth, and raise their young in 9-month cycles.Can you imagine living in minus 40 degree-weather? And trying to build a family right then and there? The mother and the father take turns taking care of the egg, and after it hatches, the chick.

It’s nothing short of a miracle how they do this. They do a sort of synchronized dance to make sure that the egg is passed from between the stubby legs and from under the thickly-feathered belly of the mother to those of the father’s.

Two seconds that the egg is exposed to the brutal cold and it freezes solid, and there’s no hope for the embryo inside. There are only two colors in the antarctic , and they’re even considered non-colors: black and white. The seemingly endless blank expanse is broken by the black and white of the penguins, and the deliberate and calculated movements they make to keep warm,but at the same time make sure that the eggs are never dislodged.

The father foregoes eating for four months months as he protects the egg, and the mother leaves to feed and fill herself with fish and krill. It’s at least a seven days’ walk to where the ice breaks and the ocean is exposed from where the penguins nest, and there is only cold, darkness and silence.The walk back, in the meantime, is often longer as the topography changes and shifts (glaciers form, cracks in the ice, small avalanches that put barriers in the path).

I’ve always thought that animals and their rights should be respected and protected. This world is as much theirs as it is ours; but humanity continues to ravage and plunder the planet, destroying even the very habitat and source of food for thousands of species.(Of course when I say ‘humanity’ I am mostly referring to the actually inhuman and inhumane multinational and transnational companies and their operations: waste-dumping, mining, logging,chemical testing,etc).

Watching the documentary, I was filled with such awe and respect for animals in general and penguins in particular. Call me cuckoo, but I believe there is genuine emotion, genuine love between animals and their families. In March of the Penguins, the birds would stand close to each other and appear like their hugging and kissing.

Penguins are such…sentient creatures.One sees and feels their grief when an egg freezes, or when a chick is similarly lost to the biting cold. The anguish is palpable, unmistakable in the body language, the gentle movement of the father prodding the chick’s lifeless body.

Happiness and relief –heaven in such a godforsaken place! – resound when the mother, father and chick reunite. The chirping and calling noises are such heartfelt sounds, the communication between parent and offspring. The mother gently teaches and prods the chick to take its first steps, to play and to mingle with other chicks. It’s a scene that pinches the heart, tweaks it something joyfully painful.

All this has, as usual, gotten me to thinking about my own specie, my own  tribe.

Majority of the Filipino people build their families, raise their children under economic and political circumstances that are every bit as harsh as those environmental factors penguins have to contend with.

Even worse.

Instead of the killing cold, there are the killer prices of basic commodities and medicine; the high electricity and housing rates. In the far-flung regions, the provinces and way up in the mountain areas, farmers and their families are always under threat from the military and their massacre operations. If penguins struggle to keep their chicks warm, the Filipino masses fight to keep their families alive and together despite hunger, disease and high levels of criminality which is the inevitable moster-child of a depraved, decadent ruling culture and a profit-oriented society.

The biggest enemy of penguins and their families (aside from lion seals and killer whales which are their natural predators) is the cold; and they flock closely together to generate collective heat. The Filipino poor also should huddle together and unite to build the strongest front against their collective enemies- the destroyer of families, killer of dreams, the blood-sucking System and the government it currently represents in the Philippines.

If animals like penguins can survive the brutality of endless winter (even in the summer, the South Pole is a landscape carved and painted in ice), mate and raise their chicks and defend themselves from predators, then shouldn’t people — the exploited and oppressed — be able to defend themselves as well and fight back?

Penguins only have their fur-like feathers, their sharp beaks. They waddle through the Antartic or they belly-flop through it (their tummies are like tobaggons, and they heave and push themselves along when their legs get tired). Sure they swim very well, but sometimes not fast enough for the ocassional sea lion.

People — the Filipino masses and the Kilusan that represents them- what do we have?

We have everything the ruling classes have except for the stolen wealth, the insatiable greed, the dead conscience, and the ruthless desire for more endless control and power over the nation’s resources.

Their only superiority lies in the physical weapons they have. Outside of that, patas na ang labanan (in fact we’re even superior. Who runs the factories and cultivates the land? Even without the ruling elite, the working classes can run this country. Of course, this with the help of patriotic economists, scientists, teachers, doctors, artists, engineers, writers, chemists etc etc. Professionals and creative souls whose loyalties lie with the poor majority and the country and are not enslaved by love for personal gain and individual achievement).

There is always strength in numbers. This is something we should always remember. This is something the exploited should take advantage of, and wield both as shield and spear. This is why the exploiters always try to divide the people — make them think that there are other ways by which they can achieve their goals and overcome the viciousness of poverty, want, inequality.

Other ways than through collective struggle, through the righteous dictatorship of the working classes and the Kilusan that represents them.

Penguins protect each other and their chicks against the cutting wind and the storms by forming one huge mass of bodies, and they put the weaker ones in the middle. There is always a sense of collective unity — the instinct that they can only survive if they help each other. This lessens the casualty rate, and increases the chances that the majority will survive and a next generation of stronger, hardier penguins will follow.

Let us shield ourselves from the relentless storm and fight for the next generation of Filipinos. The predators cannot maim or kill all of us — even with their ripping claws and poisonous fangs, they cannot destroy an entire people determined not only to survive, but to overcome.

If penguins can do it, so can we.#

Say ‘No!’ to Gibo Teodoro

I’m not to crazy about Mar Roxas being Noynoy Aquino’s running mate for vice-president, but I suppose he could do much worse, no I won’t be crabby about it. I don’t see myself voting for Mar Roxas, though. I completely disagree with his championing the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

Malacanang’s reaction to Mar and Noynoy’s promise that they won’t cheat or lie (delivered via dimbulb extraordinaire deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo) that it’s enough to make propaganda statements or slogans is hilarious: she said that candidates should stick to issues.

Right, like her boss Macapagal-Arroyo didn’t exploit her (Gloria’s) faint but noticeable resemblance to superstar Ms. Nora Aunor and used that to fuel her campaign when she first ran for vice-president. And what issues is Fajardo talking about? The issues that her president and their government have made a terrible mess of?

(If only to see if Roxas and Aquino will make good on their promises, it would be interesting to have them win in the 2010 polls. I’m not holding my breath or anything, though).

Malacanang also says that its candidate Gilbert Teodoro has  a more definite edge over Noynoy because he, Teodoro, already has a platform of government and a blueprint for the economy: if he wins (heaven forbid) he will continue the programs began by Macapagal-Arroyo.

That’s Gilbert Teodoro’s game plan and main selling point?! Hell, all the more reason why he shouldn’t be elected!

No one in their right mind believes that this government has done wonders for the economy and that the country is well on the way to true progress and development. Daily we see proof of the wretched state of the nation in the hundreds being laid off on a daily basis; the new taxes Congress is itching to implement (such as the tax on SMS or texts, canyoubelieveit?!!!); the escalating prices of basic commodities. Instead of allowing the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to die its long-awaited death, the government extended it, and amended it, making it even worse. We are lightyears away from having  a self-sustaining, self-reliant economy; no genuine heavy industries, and certainly no genuine land reform program; and privatization, deregulation and liberalization has all but killed the chances of majority of Filipinos to buy cheap oil, utilize cheap electricity and avail necessary social services health, housing and education.

And Gilbert Teodoro wants to continue all of Arroyo’s programs?!

The fact that he has remained loyal to Macapagal-Arroyo all throughout is definitely a bad thing. He stood by Macapagal-Arroyo as she maimed and massacred the economy,  rewarded officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who implemented military campaigns of extrajudicial killings, abductions and mass coercion and harassment of civilians and activists. All throughout the investigations into the ZTE scam, he said nothing (loyal nga) and essentially condoned the lies and theft of the presidential hubby and their golfing buddies/allies/fellow criminals.

In the meantime, as DND secretary, Teodoro has done nothing but make excuses and even justify the bombings in Mindanao that have left hundreds of thousands homeless and helpless. The same way that he has always made excuses for this rotten-to-the-core government.

Pamalakaya and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) have said that Teodoro is a male version of Macapagal-Arroyo, and that is so not a compliment. Millions of  Filipinos are sickened and digusted with Macapagal-Arroyo, but here’s a candidate who’s claiming to be  her alter-ego and it’s hysterical that he’s betting on getting elected on that basis, crap crap crap.

The main thing he has going for him (and it’s not something patriots and nationalists look kindly upon)  is the support of the US  government. Signs are rife that he’s the White House’s horse in the RP presidential race because he’s all for the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the continuation of the  RP-US Balikatan exercises, and the continuation of the cheap labor policy  and the import-dependent, export oriented set-up of the economy.

Breaking news about Teodoro: Arroyo  cabinet members are beginning to declare their support for Noynoy Aquino. First it was Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, now it’s Cabinet secretary Silvestre Bello III.  I wonder how Teodoro feels about that — he’s being junked by his own co-cabinet members.

—

It’s my first time to read anything by Paulo Coehlo, and so far, I’m not bored.

I’m currently reading his “The Witch of Portobello” and it’s full of deliberations on mysticism and self-healing and self-discovery. I admit I’m not particularly attracted to mysticism in fiction, but Mr. Coelho writes in a way that pulls you in and makes you interested inspite of your own biases. He has a very compassionate and humane way of seeing things, and his characters seek to find self- fulfillment and meaning in helping others, by believing in the Goddess, the Mother –  nature and gentleness.

I’ve read somewhere that Mr. Coelho has written more than 20 books (!); the most famous being ‘The Alchemist.’

When I was a college freshmen, many of classmates were raving about it. At the time I wasn’t inclined to read it because as they explained it and as I understood their explanations, the book was a fairtytale and written in somewhat languid and florid prose. At the time I was pretty stubborn about the books I liked and read, and I wasn’ t easily convinced about books that were popular (meaning I was firm in my stand that  just because it’s popular, doesn’t automatically mean it’s good).

Well, almost two decades later, I’m more flexible and less snooty: there’s nothing wrong with reading ‘popular’ fiction. At least people are reading, right? Sensibilities can only get sharper and more refined, hopefully.

Speaking of popular fiction, I am glad that I read the Twilight books — Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

I know the books are for teenagers (and they ARE for teenagers, quite unlike the books in the Harry Potter series which grew heavier and more metaphorical as the plot continued and developed), but they are so very entertaining. Stephenie Meyer uses the language with grace, and she is capable of lovely descriptions and passages. One wonders what she could come up with if she chooses a heavier, more serious topic than vampires and aliens (which is the topic of her book ‘The Host’).

And now the countdown to the movie version of New Moon has begun and I am unabashedly, unashamedly looking forward to it. I want to watch it with friends like Zengki and She, who also like books and who are prone to screaming and giggling like teenagers whenever Edward Pattinson’s name is mentioned).

Hurrah for Noynoy! Support Family Planning!

I am pleased as punch! A day after the Roman Catholic leadership in the country issued statements pressuring him to change his stand on the Reproductive Health Bill,  Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III  has promptly answered that he will not give up his support for the use of artificial contraceptives to curb population growth  – even at the risk of incurring the ire of the Catholic Church.

According to newsreports, Noynoy  has appealed to Catholic bishops, exhorting them to  “wake up to the reality that something must be done to arrest the rapid growth of the country’s population, which now stands at 95 million or almost double the 50 million in 1986.  Noynoy has reportedly said that there really IS a problem, “I hope that the Church will see that I have the reasonableness of my position on the issue,” he said.

It’s very commendable that Noynoy stood firm against the Church and its threat to mount a campaign against candidates in the 2010 election who will defy its supposedly “pro-life” and “pro-family stand” (how’s that for self-righteousness – as if the Church has the monopoly on knowledge, as if it’s the main authority on what is good for families; as if those who support the RH Bill are anti-life and anti-families!)

Noynoy has further stated that while he is in favor of artificial contraceptives, he does not believe that the government  should force couples to practice them, including the use of birth control pills. “I am encouraging the use of contraceptives. But that will be left to the conscience of the person,” he said (Imagine being told that you will rub elbows with Satan and the rest of hell’s denizens for using condoms, for using an IUD, for taking birth control pills! Nevermind that you’ve done nothing but good in your life!)

Another quotable quote from Noynoy: “The State has no right to dictate to its citizens who they should plan their families. It can only provide guidance.” Hear, hear!

Noynoy added that it is the responsibility of the government  to remind the citizens of their duty to take care of the needs of their children, including their education.  He also denied that there is a provision in the RH bill that would allow abortion.

What Noynoy is proposing is that Church leaders should be made to participate in population education program envisioned under the RH bill to enable them to present their side. Let people think for themselves, for crying out loud!

It’s great that Noynoy is unfazed and will not buckle to the pressure of  the Catholic Church.  This all the more strengthens the opinion of some that  he is running not because he wants to be powerful, but because he believes in something and hopes that he can make a difference by being president. It’s not every politician who willingly defies the Church and stands pat on his beliefs on issues regardless of threats that support will be denied his electoral campaign.

As for me, it’s all the more flawed and unjustified for the Catholic Church to present itself as the main authority on life and families when for one thing, priests don’t even have their own families: they’re not allowed to have sex, to marry, and to have children. I know the Church means well, but on this issue (and in some many others…), it is waaaay off the mark. Let parents see the options on how they can take of their families; let mothers and women decide for themselves. If they choose to follow Church doctrine against family planning, fine; but if they choose something else, that’s well within their rights.

The Church  says that it’s out to protect life, but how can you protect the unborn if the mothers who will carry them are unhealthy? Imagine a woman who has given birth four times before, and she’s poor and has no access to medical care. She can barely provide for her children; but since she’s still young, she might still get pregnant. What if she doesn’t want to anymore , because she knows she shouldn’t because her body can’t take it and she’s aware that bearing another child will have severe impact on how she will be able to take care and look after her already existing children – shouldn’t she be allowed to do something to stop herself from getting pregnant?

And for those who do want more children, shouldn’t they be allowed and even encouraged to determine when they’re going to have them? Two years between pregnancies will allow the mother’s body and health to recuperate from the rigor of childbearing and birth; and by then, the previous baby will be a toddler and will be less difficult to look after (compared to taking care of a one year old AND a newborn).

In the meantime, there are so many developments in the field of science that have to do with birth control. There studies that say that pills are dangerous for women’s health. Wouldn’t it be better for people to be able to talk and discuss these developments among themselves and with professional, medical practitioners instead so they can make informed decisions? So they can take care of themselves better? Making something a taboo topic, if it has to do with health and safety, is dangerous.

Some would say that the Church should not get involved in other issues outside religion and faith; I disagree. By all means, the Church and its people should not separate themselves from society and politics, but JEEZ, THEY SHOULD MAKE THE CORRECT STANDS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE ECONOMIC,POLITICAL AND CULTURAL WELFARE OF THE POOR AND WORKING PEOPLE.

And how will they know what is good? That’s a different blog altogether. But for starters, I would suggest that they abandon their rich parishes and go to where the poor and oppressed are and listen to them,  discover their problems, live with them and help them to defend and assert their right to eat, to have homes, to have work, to live and not merely exist in a state short of waiting for death or  whatever else that comes before death. The Church should WORK with Filipinos as they fight for life  against entropy and despair — a life that is better, more productive, more meaningful, less troubled, and more dignified.Work and not just preach. Guide instead of order. Respond, instead of command.

Roman Catholic priests can also take lessons from their counterparts in the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.

In the meantime, think about this: the Arroyo government has a budget of P252.49  for the health needs of  each Pinoy for entire 2010. This is according to the the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD).

Shouldn’t the Church lobby for higher government allocations for health services and cutbacks on military spending and foreign debt payments instead of venting its  ire on the RH Bill?

And for the record, it’s not GOD I have issues with; it’s THE CHURCH.