"BuB Tube"

Wearing my other hat as member of the KAAGAPAY NGO-PO Network, me and the rest of the team were assigned by the Empowerment of the Poor Program of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to work hand in hand with the LGU’s and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the conduct of the forthcoming 2014 Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) and Planning in Occidental Mindoro. We were dispatched in all eleven (11) municipalities of the province from January 11 to 22, 2013. All of our municipalities have been included in the expansion areas for the forthcoming BuB process conducted nationwide. KAAGAPAY, the LGUs and the GAs, if it were a water utility system, aside from being the pump, jokingly, our Network was just the “BuB Tube” here. The CSOs specially those coming from farmers and rural workers, fisher folks, women, youth and students, victims of disasters and natural calamities, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, senior citizens, urban poor and faith-based organizations, to name a few, are the main sources of clean water taken from the earth’s bottom, figuratively speaking.

Briefly, KAAGAPAY is a NAPC-accredited Civil Society Organization (CSO), though based in Sablayan, it operates in the whole of Occidental Mindoro. KAAGAPAY was registered under Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with Company Reg. No. CN200301797 issued last January 23, 2003. Formerly known as Sablayan Sagip Kalikasan, KAAGAPAY at present is chaired by Juanito “Boyet” Esteban, Jr., Barangay Captain of Brgy. Pag-Asa of said municipality. We have been involved in the past decade in various governmental basic sector engagements like the Kalahi CIDSS and the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among others. Aside from NAPC and DSWD, LGU-Sablayan by virtue of Resolution No. 2013-GGM002 has already accredited us. The Resolution states that, “[KAAGAPAY] has been actively participating as partners in the local governance of this LGU and have enhanced the socio-economic status of its members.”

Through this humble blog entry, I would like to thank, from the heart, the assistance and accommodation given to us by the nice people from DILG Occidental Mindoro, particularly those I rubbed elbows with, the MLGOOs of Sablayan, Mamburao, San Jose, Magsaysay and Calintaan namely, Jerry Santos, Eduardo Maranan, Ms. Memuiluz Baurile, Ms. Milagros Capistrano and Sonia Castronuevo. If I were Secretary Mar Roxas, I will give them Seal of Good House Hosting, if there’s such an award for DILG municipal officers!

Seriously, in this particular project, KAAGAPAY is tasked to facilitate the conduct of Municipal CSO Assemblies and assure the basic and marginalized sectors participation in the Local Poverty Reduction Teams (LPRATs) in each town. The LPRATs shall organize and facilitate the conduct of Local Poverty Reduction Action Planning workshop for the formulation of the Local Poverty Reduction Action Planning (LPRAP) and the identification of priority poverty reduction projects. Another is to agree on a list of poverty reduction projects for 2014 based on the LPRAP and submit it to the regional PRAT, and conduct quarterly meetings to monitor the status of the approval and integration of the said projects into the budgets of participating agencies and monitor the implementation and status of the projects.

In municipalities of Mamburao, San Jose, Magsaysay and Calintaan, during the CSO Assembly, I, just like my comrades in their respective area of assignments, Bong Marquez, Arcris Canillo and Deo Delfin, took full charge in the identification or leveling of social issues and concerns plus the prioritization of sectoral agenda, including the selection of CSO representatives to LPRAT plus the selection of Vice Chairperson (the LCE is the chair) and 3 LPRAP signatories. We capitalized the venue to emphasize on the essence of involvements of CSOs for LGU initiatives. The BuB process isn't alien to LGU-Sablayan anymore.

KAAGAPAY’s involvement in this endeavor corresponds with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s declaration, through his People’s Agenda or Social Contract with the Filipino People, that a CSO is considered as “Bantay”, “Kaagapay”, “Tulay” and “Gabay”. In short, KAAGAPAY intends to be intermediary between the LGUs and the citizens, in Sablayan and the rest of Occidental Mindoro…

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(Photo: Sablayan Herald) [Mayor Ed Gadiano together with DILG 4B ARD James Fadrilan, PD Ulysses Ferraren and AD Jun Olave, during the Inauguration of the Yapang Water System Project]

Edukasyon at Pilosopiya

Ang buong akala ko noong bago ko damputin ang isang munting aklat sa loob ng aming opisina na may pamagat na “The Gift of Presidency” ay tungkol ito kay Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo o kaya ay kay Joseph Estrada o maaring kay Benigno S. Aquino III. Nahimasmasan lang ako nang makita ko ang logo ng Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) sa back cover nito. Lalo akong naintriga kaya binaliktad ko ang aklat at doon mo makikita ang cover design naglalarawan ng isang bakanteng presidential chair at sa ibabaw ng upuan ay may nakadapong puting kalapati na may kagat-kagat na dahon ng olibo. Sa bandang ibaba sa gawing kanan ay makikita ang pangalan ng may-akda, isang Virgilio A. Rivas. Si Rivas pala ayon sa aking nabasa ay kasalukuyang direktor ng Institute of Social History at ng Research Institute for Politics ng nabanggit na pamantasan.

At nang mapagtanto ko na ito ay hindi pala tungkol kay GMA, kay Erap, o kay P-Noy ay lalo akong naging intresado kaya agad kong inayos ang aking antipara at pinalakad ang mga daliri sa mga unang pahina nito sabi nga, to satisfy my curiosity. Hindi ninyo naitatanong, kahit madalas ay hindi ko maunawaan at hirap talaga akong intindihin, nakahiligan ko na ang magbasa ng mga aklat tungkol sa pilosopiya mula nang iuwi ng aking panganay ang laksan niyang mga aklat dito nang lumabas siya sa seminaryo noong isang taon. Siya ang nagpapaliwanag sa akin sa mga bagay na ‘di ko malirip ukol sa dati niyang kurso. Guro nga rin pala ng Pilosopiya sa PUP ang awtor, bago ko makalimutan. Ang aklat ay inilambag noong 2010 ng Office of the Vice President for Research, Extension, and Development at Institute for Social History and Research Institute for Economics and Politics ng PUP sa Sta. Mesa.

“Mapanlikhang pag-uugnay at paglalahad sa pamamagitan ng mga personal na karanasang salalayan  ang mga dimensiyong pulitikal, panlipunan at pilosopikal.” Sa mga katagang ito ko nilalagom ang prosa ni Rivas. Binubuo ng pitong kabanata ang kulay maroon na aklat. Bagamat sentro ng bawat paksa ang presidensiya ni Dr. Dante G. Guevarra sa PUP noon, hindi ito maituturing na isang tahasang bayograpi. Sangkap nito ang mga palitang pananaw ng may-akda at ni Dr. Guevarra at pagbabanggit ng mga iba pang personahe, kagaya ng komedyanteng si Tado, at ilang mga anekdota at talang pang-kasaysayan na siksik, liglig at umaapaw sa dagdag kaalamang anything under the sun, wika nga. Malaking ambag ang aklat hindi lamang sa mga estudyante o alumnus ng PUP kundi pati na rin sa iba pang ibig tumuklas ng kasaysayan ng pag-unlad ng isang paaralang  nagtataguyod ng prinsipyo ng pampublikong edukasyon sa bansa. Kabilang na ang mga tulad kong intresado sa ‘di pormal na pag-aaral ng pulitika, lipunan, lalung-lalo na ang pilosopiya, na gradweyt lamang sa isang kolehiyong promdi at wala sa hanay ng akedemiya.

Bagama’t ga-patak lang ng hamog ng aklat sa pilosopiya kumpara sa dagat ng mga nailimbag na tungkol dito ang tanging nabasa ko, maihahanay ko sa kategorya ng “Sophie’s World” ni  Jostein Gaarder ang “The Gift of Presidency” ni Rivas. Ito ay dahil sa pamamaraan ng parehong may-akda na nagpapagaan sa paglalahad at paghahabi para sa mga karaniwang mamamayan ay intellectually heavy na paksang nabanggit. Sa aking palagay, kung ang mga aklat na katulad nito ang pagka-bahig ay maisasalin sa wikang malapit sa puso ng masa, sa wikang Filipino, magiging higit itong makatutulong sa layuning palaganapin ang kaalaman sa pilosopiya ng mga Pilipino. Hindi ba’t ang nobela ni Gaarder na orihinal na nasusulat sa wikang Norwegian ay naisalin 53 iba’t-ibang mga lenguwahe sa mundo? Ang problema, matumal ang produksyon ng mga sulating ganito (o kumukuha ng kursong ito) na tuma-target sa mga karaniwang mamamayang labas sa akedemiya na tulad ko. Gamit ang mga  popular na midyum tulad nito. Sa pamamagitan ng mga akdang ganito ay unti-unti tayong iigpaw sa negatibong konotasyon ng kulturang Pinoy sa salitang “pilosopo” at “pamimilosopo”. Hanggat hindi natutong “mamilosopo” ang masa sa istriktong kahulugan ng salitang ito, mahihirapan tayong umunlad bilang isang bansa.

Sa Epilog ng aklat ay ikinintal ni Rivas na ang PUP ay “bastion of social justice” sa pamamagitan ng paunang paglalatag na mga philosophical foundation of giving na ayon sa kanya, ang unibersidad ay may buhay na kultura nito. Ang PUP, sa matuling sabi ay isang kanlugan ng katarungang panlipunan. Ito ay kung paniniwalaan natin si Rivas.

Sa mga hindi nakababatid, dito po sa Sablayan ay may kampus na ng PUP na matatagpuan Brgy. Buenavista na may lawak ng 3.3 ektarya. Ito ang kauna-unahang unibersidad sa lalawigan at malaking bahagdan ng mga mag-aaral dito ay mga anak ng masa. Mga mangingisda, magsasaka kabilang ang mga katutubong Mangyan. Batay sa Socio Economic Profile ng 265 na mga estudyante sa isang random survey na ginawa noong 2012, 67% ng mga pamilya ng mga mag-aaral ay kumikita lamang ng mababa pa sa P 7,000 kada buwan. Kabilang sila sa masang nagnanais na makakamit ng kalidad at murang edukasyon ang kanilang mga anak. Masang sumasalig sa edukasyong abot-kaya bilang kanilang tanging pag-asa upang maka-ahon.

Sa aking tingin, kapwa ang edukasyon at pilosopiya ay may tungkuling tulungan ang tao na masagot ng maayos at makabuluhan ang mga pangunahing suliranin ng buhay…

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(Photo : Let's Adventure to Mindoro! Blogspot)

The Resurrected DZVT

DZVT is already on its test broadcast. It is expected that in 2013, the Catholic Church’s-owned radio station broadcasting from Occidental Mindoro will again occupy the airwaves after it was razed to ashes in October 2011. I was informed that none of the former announcers, technicians and staffs were re-hired. Aside from it’s tagline “Ang Tinig ng Pamayanang Kristiyano sa Occidental Mindoro”, DZVT ‘s other catch phrase is, “Radyo Totoo sa Kanlurang Mindoro”.  Having these in mind, the true mandate of any radio station, be it secular or otherwise, is to tell the truth. But to tell you the truth, unless I hear their regular radio programs dwell on the burning issues of the day fearlessly and responsibly and other ministries rejuvenated, we cannot celebrate as yet.  

While DZVT went off air because of that evil arson, lies and liars litter our airwaves and even more became intense. The two warring stations had their heyday. Local broadcasters from opposite end of  the political fence accusing each other as liars. As far as I am concerned (and I think many of you will agree with me), the situation of our local media specially those owned and operated by politicians can be summed up by these powerful but truthful words: instruments of social demoralization, confusion and political destruction! Can we afford to let those things just pass through our Christian lenses doing nothing concrete?

Liars hate the one telling the truth. A liar hates the truth and willing to employ all criminal acts in the book to silent those who are going against their lies and half truths. To decipher media lies, lying and liars, from p. 77 of his book “Media in Our Midst”, Oscar V. Cruz has this to say : “Lies are the product of misdeeds...the manifestations of guilt. The earlier someone starts and continuous lying, the more and bigger lie he or she tells, the more people he or she repeats the same lies to. Even liars themselves cannot stand each other for long precisely because they hold one another in disdain. Liars are made, not born. No matter how accustomed one is to lying, lying still remains an effort for him...” True, when a local media get rid of lies and liars, its existence is a blessing, for instance, when broadcast practitioners go against those who illegally use public fund to stay in power. On the other hand, when the supposedly non-aligned and apolitical Catholic broadcasters keep quiet, play deaf, waste their energies on the icings than the main dough and dwell exhaustively ONLY on skin-deep problems and issues, when they solely and overly confine themselves ONLY to sacraments, spiritual matters and less controversial issues, they become not only social liabilities but enemies of truth. They become sons and daughters of the Father of Lies without them knowing it. We cannot be brothers and sisters of the Man who truthfully declared that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life if we are at the same time sons and daughters of the Father of Lies!

More than ever here, political propagandists and supporters fight like hell over the radio and elsewhere. They even expanded time slots for their public affairs programs. While we, the listeners, the constituents, the general public, are as ever enjoying the circus or extravaganza.  Enjoyment that dilutes our political maturity, transforming the very essence of politics from intellectual democratic exercise, from service, authority and governance, to a mere entertainment which most of us enjoy with gusto! Thus, our radio apostolate should indirectly evangelize the secular media in our midst as well.

Radio as a medium of communication must be prophetic therefore must be liberating. Every member of the Catholic Media Network (CMN) knows that. For every Catholic broadcaster, the events unfolding each day is God’s agenda for action. But words alone do not make an authentic prophet (read: witness). They must have corresponding action. This is where other pastoral concerns enter into the scene. In p. 307 of his book “Communicating in Community : An Introduction to Social Communication” Franz-Josef Ailers, SVD rightfully states : “Prophetic communication serves truth and challenge falsehood. Prophetic communication stimulates critical awareness of the reality constructed by the media and helps people to distinguish truth from falsehood, to discern the subjectivity of the journalist and to disassociate that which is ephemeral and trivial from that which is lasting and valuable. Often it is necessary to develop alternative communication so that prophetic words and deeds can be realized”. Indeed to advocate for social transformation is also a way of evangelization and bringing the Good News. Hundreds of thousands of people in our community are prayerfully dreaming that DZVT would finally be that local alternative media. And it is still trying to be, I pray.

The re-opening of DZVT coincides with Pope Benedict XVI’s declaration of 2013 as Year of Faith. Voluminous theological materials dwell on this subject but as a layman, I have a very limited view on the topic. For me, faith is simply a continual search for meaning, for making sense what is happening here and now and by discovering what links them together. Our faith is a personal individual response, says “Cathechism for Filipino Catholics” (CFC, 168), yet only possible if we act as member of the Christian community, the Church. By the way, the Year of Faith started last October 2012 and would last until the Feast of Christ the King this 2013.

May the “Tinig ng Pamayanang Kristiyano” continue to advocate and be the Church’s mouth piece in ventilating immediate problems, by protecting the environment through enhancing and initiating programs and projects say,  to minimize the effects of climate change here in our beloved province. Or by seriously and collectively, down from the BECs to parochial and diocesan levels, fight against,- together with other civil society organizations, our common enemies like aggressive development projects such as mining which are affront to our sovereignty and natural resources. Including other social ills like gambling and other criminality or social ills in our midst like drugs, illegal fishing and illegal logging and anti-life and anti-family initiatives and issues. Not only that. If DZVT is resurrected it must re-exist to compliment with all the diocesan pastoral ministries like the Mangyan Mission, the Family and Life Apostolate, the Lay Formation Office, the Social Services Commission, Prison Apostolate, Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihood Apostolate, and all the religious organizations and so on.  I think the hierarchy already made a paradigm shift in her main pastoral direction and the Diocesan Curia already intact that’s why they have already decided to bring back DZVT on  trail. Have they? Actually I have no idea for I've been away from the center more than a year now. How can the Church walk the talk if she neglects those pastoral (and also administrative) thrusts through consultations or assemblies at the diocesan level?

Well, unless dialogue and reconciliation toward total renewal are put into place in our present predicament as a pilgrim Church, resurrecting DZVT’s would be irrelevant and meaningless...

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(Photo : cccmumbai.com)