Luningning De Jesus: Shining for Jesus

Down in History

She was born two years ahead when President Manuel L. Quezon was elected to the presidency. Quezon, as history taught us, became the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth, the administrative body that governed the country from 1935-1936.

Luningning De Jesus first unleashed her baby yelp when the Philippines was still under the Insular Government under US Governor-General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr and the Pope was Pius XI the pontiff who issued numerous encyclicals, including Quadragesimo anno.

Everybody’s Tia Ning was born on May 27, 1933, here in Sablayan, and is 90 years old now, alive, blabbing, and still hearing mass unaccompanied and receiving the Holy Eucharist. The Sablayan’s most adored nonagenarian was already 11 or so when World War II broke out and outlived 15 out of 17 presidents this country has.

She was by then 7 when the people of Sablayan elected their first-ever municipal mayor Pedro Gonzales.

This woman touched many lives, including mine. How do you remember Tia Ning?

Town’s Echo

Medel Bundang recalled Tia Ning as his religion teacher way back in his elementary days in the late 60s. “To her, from my point of view as a child, I think her way of teaching the subject is more than forming our faith but an invitation to a way of life,” says Bundang, 59, the town’s Human Resource Officer. Tia Ning started to work under Fr. Father Ludwig (Luis) Halász, SVD, the missionary who first came to Sablayan in 1958. Tia Ning spent almost all her life as a catechist together with the late Minerva “Tia Meny” Gallardo. 

Father Ronald Panganiban, present parish priest of Sablayan said that despite her age, though she is already retired, she is still active in various religious organizations like the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (DMI), Catholic Women’s League (CWL) and Mother Butlers League (MBL), among others. The clergy said that she even received the Gawad San Sebastian, Huwarang Lingkod ng Simbahan bestowed by the parish on January 17 this year.

The word catechist comes from a Greek word meaning "to echo". True enough, this curly-haired little woman who has a stature like Mother Teresa of Calcutta echoed the Word of God to the children of the town whose patron saint is Sebastian. She was a full-grown lass of 20 when San Sebastian Parish church was canonically erected. From there she became every catechumen’s catechist in this Christian community in Occidental Mindoro.

Almost every prominent settler and resident in the town proper considered Tia Ning as one of their main travel companions in faith, keeping alive the memory of Jesus. As Pope Francis aptly puts it, "Catechists are people who keep the memory of God alive; they keep it alive in themselves and can revive it in others." The numerous priests who hailed from the place called Dongon of yore could very well attest to that.

Exemplary Spirituality

“She is my idol when it comes to spirituality,” narrates Flordeliza Paz or Tita Flor, who came to work as a government employee in Sablayan from Agkawayan, Looc in Lubang Island in 1973.

Tita Flor reiterates that Tia Ning’s devotion to Mary is worth emulating for she learned many examples from Mary, as a teacher and “model of catechists.” “Tia Ning’s ministry is especially enriched by her prayerful devotion to the Blessed Mother,” concludes Tita Flor who is also a member of the parish’s Lectorate Ministry. Like the Blessed Virgin, she is faithful to Jesus, the Light of the World.

Her fellow parish server, Sheryll Kenept (Naning), cannot forget how Tia Ning asserts herself to lead prayers before a dining table on every occasion. Her prayers are very long and religiously follow the sequence of Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. “Pero mahaba talaga. Gutom na gutom na ang mga kakain, hindi pa siya tapos magdasal. Grace before meals pa lang, parang rollo na sa Cursillo,” narrates Naning in jest. What is her membership in Cursillo (Spanish for “Short Course”) in Christianity and Apostolada ng Panalangin for? But Naning believes that her main secret to staying alive is her every day going to the Holy Mass, her devotion and everything follows like a stress-free mind and healthy lifestyle and all.

Naning is the daughter of equally illustrious Dr. Susana Diaz, the town's longtime physician, and past councilor.

Luningning Daprosa Orlina De Jesus’s spirituality defines who she is and what her life is all about.

Couple Shirts

Councilor Clarinda Lorenzo (nee Alvarez), 56, can still vividly remember Tia Ning and her late husband Leopoldo De Jesus, known in the neighborhood as Tio Polding, attending the mass donning clothes with identical color and design. She was so aristocratic with her elegant dress, complete with her signature handbag and lady shoes. Those were the days when couple shirts are still things of the future.

Like the lady councilor, our birthday granny also dived into politics. She was voted kagawad (councilor) of Barangay Poblacion and served her full term from 1998 to 2002 with Amable Urieta as the Punong Barangay, because, understandably, she is everybody’s Tia Ning.

“She sings like nightingale be it with the regular choir or during processions where she leads the singing,” recalls the local lady lawmaker who was once a teacher and a police officer. In SB Clarinda’s mind, such matching or complementary clothing of Polding and Ning gives a strong message: belonging, unity, and togetherness. Death did not separate Ning and Polding for in her heart, he lives eternally.

Though they are not used to wearing couple shirts, though a dozen of them were kept in their closet, Clarinda and her husband Edmon are trying to live up to such an example of being in love together, belonging in each other’s arms, and united by the bond of marriage, forever.

Birthday Bash

It started with a challenge or provocation, you may say. Mylen Lontoc, proprietor of the town’s famous Mylits Restobar along Medalla Boulevard told this scribe that when Tia Ning reached her 85^th birth anniversary in 2018, the retired catechist is very sickly. Her weight dropped and was not in the pink of health.

“Sinabi ko kanya, kapag umabot ka ng 90, libre venue mo sa Mylits. Basta magpalakas kayo at kumain ng mabuti,” (I told her, when you reach 90, you will have a free venue at Mylits. Just get strong and eat well.) the restaurateur assures her. 

Lo and behold, at 90, Tia Ning is very much alive to date, still praying and kicking!

Her Wishes

This is how she wants to be remembered, especially by the young generation:

“Gusto kong maalala ng mga kabataan ng Sablayan na minsan ay may taong kalakbay nila sa pananampalataya, namuhay nang simple at inilaan ang buhay sa paglilingkod sa Diyos at kapwa.” (I want the young people of Sablayan to remember that there was once a person who joined them in their journey of faith, who lived a simple life and devoted her life to serving God and others.) 

She fervently wished she will live long and continue to accumulate not earthly treasures but heavenly ones.  

It is a sure ball that many were invited to Mylits tomorrow and greet her and share this momentous moment with her. Wishing her good tidings and may she reach the century mark of life or even beyond.

Truly, Jesus loves those who make His light shine for the world.

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(Photo: Mrs. Tina Paz)

Nuclear Energy from Occidental Mindoro?

Is Nuclear Energy a long-term solution to Occidental Mindoro Power Crisis? Is this technology safe?

In a Press Conference with the officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in San Jose last May 6, 2023, Congressman Leody “Odie” Tarriela announced that on May 18, 2023, Congressman Mark Cojuanco of Pangasinan, Chairman of the Special Committee on Nuclear Energy in the Lower House will be coming to the province to discuss the possibility of putting up a power plant in Sablayan. Tarriela even informed the attending municipal mayors that there is a possibility Occidental Mindoro would supply the remaining energy requirement of the entire Philippines.

The press conference is launched by the Occidental Mindoro Print and Broadcast Media chaired by Daisy Del Valle Leano who also acted as moderator at Season’s Hotel sponsored by Tarriela himself graced by Governor Eduardo B. Gadiano, Vice Governor Diana Apigo-Tayag, DILG Regional Director Karl Caesar R. Rimando and PD Juanito D. Olave, Jr., among many others.

Please take note that I am writing this piece as a social communicator, which I have been doing for around 20 years or so, and not in my capacity as an office-holder in the local government unit where I am presently employed.

By the way, DILG Usec. Marlo L. Iringan, CESO III was there for the launching of the Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA) program in this western part of the island. It is an intensified and more holistic campaign against illegal drugs to reduce drug demand in the communities. The BIDA program’s main character is its adherence to existing laws, with high value for human rights and anchored on individuals' and communities' rehabilitation and socioeconomic development. The announcement of Tarriela on nuclear energy has nothing to do with BIDA but just conveys the consideration of the meeting on the schedules of the municipal chief executives present at the conference.

The country’s interest in nuclear power as an alternative source of energy started far back in 1973 but it was stopped before even it could take off. The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was the first and only nuclear power plant in Southeast Asia then was deferred due to safety issues. But on February 28, 2022, some four decades later, Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Executive Order No. 164 calling for the revival of the expedition of nuclear power sources as a national position.

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI), to mention just two, under Duterte, strongly supported the program. They believe that with the recent moratorium on establishing new coal-powered power plants, and the scarcity of renewable sources as the main source, there is a dire need for a reliable, base-load power source. It is expected to end the prevailing power shortage and meet the strong demand for clean energy. Director Carlo A. Arcilla of PNRI, along with Cong. Cojuanco, continues to push for nuclear projects in the land.

The strong support for nuclear energy is getting momentum. Many policy-makers in the power industry, under Duterte and even today under Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. believes that it can cheapen the high cost of growing energy in the country. As Duterte’s successor, the sitting president is bent on building new power plants in the next six years of his administration. “In the area of nuclear power, there have been new technologies developed that allow smaller scale modular nuclear plants and other derivations thereof,” the president said in his latest SONA.

Duterte’s EO 162 cites that 65% of Filipinos are in favor of building new nuclear power plants (NPPs). The Philippines, in this regard, is considering advanced small modular reactors (SMRs), including floating SMRs, from the United States, South Korea, and Russia, given the archipelagic nature of the country. DOE predicts that SMR deployment could come as early as 2027-2028, according to this report.

Reportedly, a certain company called NuScale Power Corporation already expressed its interest in investing in Occidental Mindoro and in Palawan. The company claims that they are the global leader in SMR technology.

During the forum or consultation come May 18, addressing the critical and crucial hazard and safety issues is essential. We all know nuclear waste will be generated by these SMRs, if ever. Also, there must be a clear-cut answer on how the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Occidental Mindoro, or Sablayan in particular, could affect our being a periodic host to typhoons and other climate-related incidents. We must also consider the presence of the Aglubang River Fault traversing our island.

Hence, there must be an assurance from the national government that the host province or municipality must be spared from disaster brought about by the NPP through an implementable geologic disposal scheme. 

There are still things to be done on the part of Cong. Tarriela and the rest of the members of Congress, especially the members of said special committee, if in case. They need to legislate a comprehensive nuclear law that will replace the outdated nuclear regulatory laws which in existence a long-time ago when "Sabel was still young", so to speak.

Both sources, solar and nuclear, are clean energy for they do not emit carbon dioxide, but nuclear energy might come with human and environmental dangers that cannot be rewarded by the electricity it can generate. Including the assurance of free electricity for the host LGU. Neither did the ending of a power crisis that its proponent promised. The non-existent geothermal plant of Emerging Power Inc. (EPI) assured us of the same some years back. Which in reality became a broken promise.

This signals the beginning of the democratic discourse on whether Occidental Mindoro or the country, in general, will finally go thread the path to nuclear power. Discourses and debates on hosting NPP would get Occidental Mindoro again in newspaper headlines and television coverages, for sure. 

Meanwhile, the issue at hand is the total overhaul of the prevailing power play in the local power sector that causes us decades-long of deprivations which is not yet over until it is over.

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(Photo: MIO-San Jose)

Of Sex Reveal, Aroma del Sol, and Anti-Brownout Rally

 

I was with my whole family, together with my sister-in-law, at Aroma Beach when the Oksi Walang Power Movement holds a rally at the San Jose Municipal Plaza last Saturday, April 15, 2023. We gathered for the sex reveal of my first-ever grandchild who is still in the tummy of my daughter.

Our venue is called Aroma Del Sol Café and it's the coziest watering hole in that area today. They offer delicious food, music, and spirit. It’s a perfect venue for any rendezvous. My son-in-law, who came from a family of food entrepreneurs in Carmona is very much impressed with the menu including the ambiance. True to their catchphrase, Aroma Del Sol Café is truly “your relaxing place under the sun with captivating seascape caressed by the sea breeze.” It is fronting the Tamaraw Sculpture Fountain at the Aroma Board Walk here in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. I guarantee you, their servings are all mouth-watering.

Take note, I call it “sex-reveal” and not the usual “gender reveal”. Those who are familiar with Gender and Development (GAD) need not be explained why. Well, as we have studied, sex refers to “the different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, such as reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, etc.” In short, sex is permanent.

Gender on the other hand refers to "the socially constructed characteristics of women and men – such as norms, roles and relationships of and between groups of women and men. Not even the most advanced CT scanning machine nor MRI technology could reveal or tell the gender of the child in his or her mother’s womb. If it is socially constructed, gender, therefore, is not permanent.

Ergo, sex, and gender are not interchangeable. They are not the same. But “gender” or “sex”, all we want is to have the baby arrive safely and our beloved Anawim in good health.

The day when the vice governor is being interviewed by broadcast journalist Mariboy A. Ysibido over 102.5 Care FM and reacting to the previous interview with the president of the OMECO Board, the expectant mother, my middle child, went to E. Asuncion Medical and Diagnostic Center for an ultra-sound scan. That was only last week.

While the anti-brownout mass action at the plaza is unfolding, we sat in the pre-baby celebration like what the Americans do. The little cake takes the invisible center stage and limelight on the café’s dining table surrounded by different drinks and dishes. The feeling of surprise dwells in our hearts

My youngest told me that such a reveal is a trend in pre-baby parties today even in our country. It’s a sensational hit for every “my day” on social media. She pointed to me that the cake contains a blue or pink filling or icing inside which will reveal the sex (or gender if you truly wish) of the baby.

Immediately after my wife said graces, Aldie, the future father, called the waitress and asked for a knife. He sliced the little mocha-colored cake from its red box. The moment he drew the knife from the pastry, a tint of pink stained the blade.

It’s a girl!

At that little corner of the Aroma Del Sol Café, we cheered and grin at each other. We celebrated because just four months from now, a darling baby girl will add life and meaning to each of our lives as a family.

“Can I suggest a name?” I broke the merriment. Suddenly, a group of youngsters entered the café. They are wearing white T-shirts. I assume that they came from the anti-brownout rally held at the town proper that night.

Thinking of combining the charm and beauty of Lady Di and the wit and wisdom of Mrs. Roosevelt, the First Lady, I jokingly blurted out, “How about Diana Eleanor?”

They all yowled in disagreement and threw angry stares at me.

Whatever will be her name, I might lovingly call her Gagay.

Oratio Voluntarium Against Brownout in Occidental Mindoro

 

I will compose a prayer for the very first time in my life today.

The Latin oratio imperata means “obligatory prayer” and on several occasions, especially during impending natural disasters or calamities, the Catholic church comes up with this prayer to be recited in every religious gathering. On January 2020, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) sought divine protection “against the COVID-19 virus that has disturbed and claimed many lives.”

The prayer was recited in English and many Filipino languages and it became part of the Eucharistic Celebration (online and on-site) and was nearly memorized, if not learned, by most of us, Catholics. In February 2023, the prayer was lifted since the height of the pandemic is gradually declining.

Here is a little catechesis on the subject: oratio imperata are short prayers that church authorities may ask the faithful to recite publicly, especially in times of grave danger and calamities, in the hope that God would stoop to listen and prevent potential harm to the community. I am of opinion that the massive power outage that we are experiencing brings harm to the people of Occidental Mindoro. Pardon me but I consider this a corporate-driven superstorm caused by the inutility of the power utilities involved, from top to bottom, that equally deserves an oratio imperata.

The power crisis issue had already been muddled. It became an interplay of theatrics coming from all ends,- the political fences, the corporate hocus-pocus, the arrogance of those who are well-versed in the issue, the indifference and the unwillingness of the consumers to objectively study the issue, et cetera. But very glaring is the silence of our local church.

Are man-made calamities not qualified for an oratio imperata? Why? Reverends, please educate me on this. 

With the absence of an oratio imperata on brownouts, I will be writing and reciting my prayer for deliverance in these darkest hours of our province and I will call this oratio voluntarium, as against oratio imperata. It is voluntary rather than obligatory. Who I am to obligate someone to recite a prayer in the first place? Only church officials can do that. I will write my oratio voluntarium below hoping that somebody would voluntarily recite it also for the intention.

If this situation of incessant power outages in our province is considered a tempest or a superstorm, we can always turn to Jesus who calmed the storm at sea while His disciples were screaming to death in dismay, fear, and anxiety. Just like us today.

The brownout that we are experiencing is considered a perfect storm. It devastates our lives and livelihood. It has socio-psychological evil effects on our people especially those who are members of the vulnerable sectors including children and seniors. It became a threat to both our physical and mental health as it greatly impedes development and progress and it’s a great shame to us as human beings with dignity, and having God’s image. It broke us as a people of God and as citizens. It divides us to no end like the doomed flock of Zechariah. We are living in the darkest era in our local history where people are captive by either inutility or corruption of all those in the power industry sector, both local and national.

I already wrote volumes and wasted gallons of my saliva opposing and exposing this power crisis in my late 20s since the early 90s as a young lay worker and social advocate, and social communicator of our local church. Now that I am old, I will just resort mainly to prayers. I cannot be an instigator of protest actions anymore unlike before. I will just work on the sideline. There are things that I cannot understand anymore. I surrender this problem to the Lord as I plan to buy a power generator set in the next few days, finally. It has already become an eternal legal and technical roaming around the bush. The resource speakers in legislative hearings and fora become like dogs chasing in circles their own tails!

This coming April 15, there will be a protest action in San Jose initiated by the Oksi Walang Power Movement, I pray and morally support its young organizers from a distance in this struggle. 

This hellish situation is bigger than me and all of us. All I can do actively now is recite my oratio voluntarium which reads as follows:

“Almighty Father, we adore You in gratitude for the gift of electricity, for its discovery and creation. We thank You for Your providence in filling us with our needs, and for Your wisdom that guides the course of the universe.

We turn to You, our Loving Father and beg for forgiveness for our sins, especially our greed, indifference, arrogance, and pride. May all those from the energy sector prioritize service over profit and may they experience a metanoia.

We pray to You for protection from the ill effects of brownouts and the reformation of those in power utilities and agencies to think first of the people’s welfare rather than laws and policies that are trampling the electric consumers’ lives and livelihood, personhood, and dignity. May we enjoy all the energy coming from You that You entrusted to them by their agencies and sectors.

Give us light and keep us all safe and far from harm these risky and darkest days and always. Please give us the light of the spirit and our physical lives. May the forces of darkness vanish from the face of the earth.

We ask this through Your Son Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Amen.”

When we pray as a community, obligatory or voluntary, we become children of Light. That is the pastoral and prophetic challenge to the church. That is what Jesus taught us. The same Jesus who cleansed the temple and angrily drove the greedy and unscrupulous business people away!

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(Photo: Pamibi.com)

 

Dear Batch '78

Allow me to begin with these words from H. Jackson Brown, Jr.: “Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends.”

After 45 years, we remain the same, valuable antiques. We, individually, are antiques who has varied past or historical significance, which can sometimes add to our overall value as human being, in our different capacities,- work, family, beliefs, persuasions, both political and religious, and so on. But three major things would define who we are. We are all survivors, of sickness and turmoil. We are all achievers in the eyes of those who love us, and we are the Batch 1978. (Regardless if you are around at Cunanan's  or Tamisan from March 4 to 5 or not.)

We parted ways and lived our own lives after high school, but this occasion streamed us together. At this very moment.

After 45 years, we are now different people. We no longer smell the same as before. Girls no longer smell like inexpensive perfume but like liniment. You do not carry slambook in your bags but maintenance medicines.

That boy thing no longer stands tall when we comb our hair but keenly observes when we tie our shoes. At this age when the only hardest thing in the morning is standing up from bed.

We were taught by the same teachers. We all bivouacked in Tugtugin, We all watched Bruce Lee films at Golden Gate Theater, Charles Bronson movies in Levi Rama, and "bomba" films in Gem or Guy and Pip flicks in El Mundo. Those were the days, unlike today in the day of cellphones with cameras when we queue at Sam-Pris, La Guardia, V-Art Studio, or Nelen’s Art for a groupie or a selfie.

We are very lucky that we reached the year 2023 and this era of advanced or modern technology that we experience today as senior citizens. But let us pray to those souls, teachers, and classmates, who have not reached this far. I would not mention them here. Just say their names in our prayers.

We all sing to the tunes of The Carpenters and Freddie Aguilar. We enjoyed Lipps candy, Timbura, and Banana Cue, and swigging gin at Monien during our school days, but when we separated after leaving the "original" San Jose High School, each one went his or his way.

We spread throughout the province, the rest of the Philippines, or the world and invaded other places in the country. Some preferred to stay here but our commonality hinges on the fate that we were gratefully accommodated by the fullness of life and the grace of God.

Volcanic eruptions, the proliferation of heinous crimes both of lawless elements and the law enforcers themselves, the earthquakes, floods, internal conflicts, and COVID-19, and our individual medical, familial, or personal issues. All the tragedies, natural or otherwise, that occurred in the long 45 years of our existence and all humanity in general, were not able to stop us from the coming of the old friends here today celebrating and sharing life with all memories and giving thanks.

We graduated high school in the year when the boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and vice-president and education secretary Sara Z. Duterte was born. We even graduated high school two years before Eat Bulaga was first put on the air.

Abroad, the now familiar rainbow flag as a symbol of LGBTQ+ was first flown in San Francisco in 1978. But it was also the year when my namesake, the great illustrator Norman Rockwell passed away. As a boxing fan, let me include that Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks fought twice in 1978 and they won apiece. Ali regained his lost greatness after that shameful upset from Spinks.

The memories of our past encourage us to succeed in the respective lines which we had chosen. To continue to live life. But as we travel longer in life, there are times when we, as individual pieces of artifacts in an archive of life and humanity, meet momentarily somewhere, sometimes face to face, sometimes virtual, sometimes together, and sometimes converge upon the same museum, so to speak, as we create power in our own way. A power in friendship.

We are each other’s and the world’s most valuable antiques. Because we are friends.

Forever.

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(Photo: Dr. Marilyn S. Pille, D.Ed.)

Habemus Pastorem!

The new bishop’s motto is very challenging. In his Episcopal Coat of Arms, these Latin words are inscribed: Animam Meam Pono Pro Ovibus. (I lay down my life for the sheep). This was taken from the Story of the Good Shepherd, John 10:15.

Thank you, Lord, for this gift. We have now a full-time shepherd!

Each bishop has his own coat of arms that bears his episcopal motto — usually a quote from Scripture — and symbols that have some personal significance to the man. These coats of arms are used on documents, letterhead, and other items.

Eight days after his episcopal ordination, Most Rev. Pablito Martinez Tagura, SVD, DD, was formally installed in his ecclesiastical office by Archbishop Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, today, February 25, 2022, 37th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution.

Finally after almost 8 years of having no apostolic vicar, the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose de Mindoro (AVSJ), Bishop Tagura was installed via a solemn eucharistic celebration held at San Joseph the Worker Cathedral in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. The 61-year-old prelate was appointed by Pope Francis to his new office last December 17, 2022.

Bishop Tagura was born on Jan 15, 1962 in Tayum, Bengued. His birthday falls on the death day of Saint Arnold Janssen, founder of SVD. Tagura joined Christ the King Mission Seminary in Quezon City in 1978. He professed his first vows on June 6, 1982, and his final vows on May 31, 1988. He was ordained priest on December 17, 1988. He served as Rector of Christ the King Seminary and Provincial Admonitor of SVD’s Philippine Central Province.

The good bishop is a scholar. In 1997, he studied at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, and was a guest professor at Divine Word College, Epworth, Iowa, USA.

With the seat vacant, Bishop David William V. Antonio was officially installed on February 12, 2016, as the administrator of AVSJ and he took full charge of the local church as mandated by the Roman Pontiff until this very moment that the seat for the Vicar Apostolic is already occupied. Bishop Antonio kept the fire of faith burning, so to speak, for 7 years.

While waiting for the holy mass to start, somebody from a religious organization recognized and approached me and led me to the reserved pew for government officials. I hesitated at first but because of her insistence knowing that I am the municipal administrator of Sablayan, I followed her. I sat at far back where Cong. Odie Tarriela, Gov. Ed Gadiano, and Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD (whom I asked for a selfie when the mass ended for I read his Manila Bulletin column) are seated. Sablayan First Councilor Clarinda Alvarez-Lorenzo was beside me. Included in the row are Vice-Mayor George Oriero of Calintaan and SB Tom Janolo, also of said town, with SP Alex Del Valle who is near the aisle. 

Mayor Lyn Tria and former San Jose Vice Mayor Roderick Q. Agas are seated behind me. Rod tapped my shoulder and said, “Seems you truly missed church events like this. You are so silent.” I smiled at him, nodded, and said, “I am.” Agas and I were former lay workers of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose under the late bishops Vicente C. Manuel, SVD, DD, and Antonio P. Palang, SVD, DD. I worked as the program coordinator of the Diocesan Human Development Commission, also known as the Human Development Office (HDO), the social action arm of the Vicariate from 1990 to 2010. VM Agas who served as a board member of the 2^nd District of the province and was later elected as vice-mayor of San Jose until 2022, once worked with the Vicariate-owned radio station DZVT, part of her social communication apostolate. Bokal Alex, a broadcast journalist by profession, was also with VM Rod at DZVT in the 90s.

Truth is, I am silently reflecting on the Gospel today while the new bishop is rendering his homily. Three times Jesus told Peter: “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep”, thus Peter became a new person with a new mission. Not unlike me when I transfered to government service from being a pastoral worker of the vicariate. In my moment of reflection, I presume the Good Shepherd would like to say this: “You Peter will now be in charge of my sheep but I want to emphasize that they are MY sheep. I am not giving you a sheep of your own. They are mine.” Peter, like me, is not the main shepherd but just the administrator. Even those who lead a government office have no people neither office of their own.

Jesus is the shepherd who laid his life for the sheep, that they might keep theirs. Bishop Pablito M. Tagura knows for sure how challenging and demanding this job is, especially with the very turbulent road we have gone through.

But Jesus has heralded him on this road.

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(Photo from San Jose MIO)

Cultural Appropriation and the Indigenous People’s Education (IPEd) in Occidental Mindoro

 

The Indigenous People's Education (IPEd) Program is DepEd's response to the right of IPs to basic education that is responsive to their context, respects their identities, and promote the IPs' indigenous knowledge, skills, and other aspects of their cultural heritage.

As a human rights advocate, I believe that efforts should be made to ensure that the Mangyans have access to rights-based education that is culturally and linguistically appropriate and that does not aim at or result in undesirable assimilation. 

The IPEd here in our Division, like in any other DepEd divisions in the country, is not yet fully established. In the previous assessment of the department itself, it was found that the problem lies in a lack of learning resources and a lack of knowledge of the IPs’ systems and practices.

I believe that all interventions, be it in education or other aspects or social dimensions must be culturally appropriate. The cultural appropriation must be eliminated in the general educational system.

The present educational system and I am very sorry to tell you this, is rampant with cultural appropriation, and exploitation of the Mangyan culture than promoting it. During cultural presentations, we exploit and misuse the Mangyans’ cultural tradition, fashion, symbols, language, songs and music, and traditional dance steps by “modernizing” them. By doing such, we are distorting or losing their cultural heritage because we are removing those aspects from their originating cultural contexts, and such displays are disrespectful or even a form of desecration of their ethnicity and humanity. Such lowland "intrusions" are an affront and more damaging to their already waning culture. 

But despite these flaws and bottlenecks, teachers and administrators are trying their capacities to implement it and abide by the noble act towards IP culture and education, therefore the Community Engagement cum Orientation on the Formation of Consultative Advisory Body or CAB meeting this 22^nd of February, Ash Wednesday, here in Mamburao.  

In my opinion, this is our immediate task as CAB-IPEd: Set up indigenous education resource centers, essentially task-organizing in nature, to handle research and promotion of courses, teaching materials, and teaching methods for indigenous education and to assist the schools, to develop ethnic education curriculum plans and evaluation methods suitable for the local indigenous peoples, and deal with other indigenous education matters.

Secondly, to implement the teaching of indigenous peoples’ languages, cultures, and art, educational institutions of all types at all levels may select and appoint tribal leaders and elders or prominent members of IC/ICCs with relevant expertise to provide related teaching support. They must be accredited by the NCIP and/or the ICCAO/ IP Affairs Office of the Province. The role of the NCIP is as highly important as the IP leadership as well.

The CAB-IPEd shall regularly organize ethnic education-related training programs and workshops to enhance the professional skills of indigenous education teachers. 

Our indigenous education teachers shall study courses on indigenous peoples’ cultures and/or multi-cultural education courses to improve their professional teaching skills in close coordination with the NCIP and other related government agencies.

LGUs at all levels shall provide opportunities to learn about the indigenous cultures of the Mangyan and multi-culturalism to enhance the basic knowledge of multicultural and indigenous education-related efforts of the teachers and other staff in schools at all school levels to enhance their professional development.

This is our first line of defense or self-reminder against cultural appropriation. Educators also need to be educated. In this particular aspect, by the tribespeople themselves.

The road ahead to IP education is long and rough but this historic gathering is a giant leap in hitting this challenging road. Cultural immersion is imperative in this quest.

On behalf of Mayor Bong Marquez, I would like to thank Ms. Marilyn S. Pille, PSDS-Sablayan, Atty. Ulysses G. Bambo of the Legal Division, Mary Queen T. Bernardo of the Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) and Ms. Haydee P. Abeleda, focal person of IPEd, all of DepEd-Occidental Mindoro, and the rest of the organizers and participants, especially to the Mangyan attendees, for such a historic and timely endeavor.

Fadi, fadi. Saayo fagayu.

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Photo: Dr. Marilyn S. Pille

Si Narsing at Si Francing: Mga Tauhan sa Dalawang Aklat ng mga Kuwentong Bayan

Ang aking kakilalang si Rowena Festin at kaibigang si Allan Paul Catena na kapwa propesor sa kolehiyo ay sumulat ng mga aklat na sana ay sundan ng mga kabataan ng San San Jose (Pandurucan) at iba pang bayan sa Occidental Mindoro na nagnanais magsulat sa hinaharap.

Bagama’t ang kanilang mga akda ay hindi sa anyo ng kasaysayang pampook, ang mga ito ay pumpon ng mga kuwentong-bayan na inihain sa pamamagitan ng literatura. Ang sinumang lumaki, isinilang at nagkamalay sa dulong bayan na ito sa timog ng Kanlurang Mindoro at pinakamaunlad na bayan sa lalawigan noong 1960s at 70s hanggang 80s ay tiyak na makakakonek sa Si Mang Francing at ang mga Lagalag na Kaluluwa sa Siete Central ni Catena at Ang Buang ng Bayan: Mga Maikling Kuwento ni Festin.

Ang Si Mang Francing … ay inilathala ng Hinabing Salita Publishing House sa Tarlac noong 2020 samantalang ang Ang Buang …  naman ay noong 2022 ng University of Philippines Press sa Diliman. Ang dalawang aklat ay smorgasbord na likha ng dalawang awtor na may kasing likot ng tandô-tándò  na imahinasyon at diwang mapanghalukay tulad ng kurukutok.

Hindi taga-San Jose si Catena pero dito siya nakapag-asawa. Kababaryo ko sa Bubog ang kanyang biyenan na dating basketball coach sa amin noong bata pa ako. 1990s yata nang siya ay napadpad dito galing ng maraming lugar, sa Los Baños at kung saan-saan pa. Siya ngayon ang Director for External Affairs and Global Linkages sa Occidental Mindoro State College (OMSC). Isa ako sa napili ni Doc Allan na sumulat ng blurb ng Si Mang Francing … na ating mababasa ang ganito:

“Pinaglaruan ng pluma ni Allan Paul Catena ang ilang bahagi ng kasaysayan ng Occidental Mindoro sa gintong multiberso ng kababalaghan o paniwalaan-dili. Totoong tao sina Hiroo Onoda, Maria (Puting Kilay), Mang Francing at iba pang tauhan sa kuwento na nabuhay sa magkakaibang-panahon na malikhain niyang isinilid ang mga ito sa isang kapsula ng hiwaga na sinapnan din ng konting komedya.”

Samantala, si Festin naman ay taal na taga-San Jose (Pandurucan). Kabilang siya sa huling batch ng mga high school sa St. Joseph School bago ito nagsara noong 1982. Isinilang at lumaki siya sa San Roque 2. Kilalang alagad ng panitikan sa bansa, ang kanyang mga tula at maikling kuwento ay nagkamit ng Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards at Gawad Galian. Maraming mga akda niya ang tampok sa mga Pambansa at pandaigdigang dyornal at antolohiya. Ang kanyang aklat ng mga tula na Banayad ay nagwagi ng National Book Award. Propesor siya ngayon sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas sa Pampanga.

Ang bayan at ng tao ay iisa at kapwa sila dapat na itampok dahil kung lalabnaw ang isa, lalabnaw sila pareho kaya mahalagang balansyadong mapanatili ang mga kaalamang-bayan na mayroon tayo simula noon hanggang ngayon. Ito marahil ay pakay at layon ng dalawang manunulat sa unang tipa pa lamang nila sa keyboard nang umpisahan nilang sulatin ang mga ito.

Hindi na napag-uukulan ng panahon ang pagsasariwa at pananatili ng mga kuwentong bayan sa panahon ng Tiktok at vlogging na iniluwal ng bagong teknolohiya, ang labis na pagkahumaling natin sa halalan kaysa sa panitikan. Kasama na ang pagiging murit natin sa mga tagisan ng itsura at pigura, kaysa sa tagisan ng diskurso at talino.

Naging bigo ang mga dapat sana’y mga tanod ng kasaysayang lokal sa aspetong ito. Hindi sila gumawa ng paraan upang yumabong ang literaturang batay sa lokal na kasaysayan sa atin. Kasabay na yatang tumanda ni Kuya Rudy (Candelario) ang layuning iyon at parang sumama na rin kay Ka Bise (Acebes) sa hukay.

Mabuti na lang ay may mga akdang ganito na kahit papaano ay magpapatuloy, magbibigay ng pagkilala sa mundo sa ating bayang sinilangan. Mga akdang nagbibigay halaga sa mga kuwentong-bayan sa layong magbigay ito ng katuturan at papel sa mayamang kultura at kasaysayan ng Pandurucan, maging ng Sablayan o alinmang bayan sa lalawigan.

Ang “Si Mang Francing …” at  “Ang Buang …” ay mistulang kasing-bisa ng kinayod na niyog na inorasyonan ng batikang albularyong taga-Bubog at amba tulad ng bato sa marusing na kamay ni Narsing Buang na taga-San Roque 2, sa nanganganib na paglaho at paglimot natin sa kahalagahan at iral ng mga kuwentong-bayan kagaya ng mga nasa aklat nina Catena at Festin.

Charity & Recognition in Sebastian’s Martyrdom

Thank you Sir Mulong [Tampolino] for the kind introduction.

Good evening everyone.

I am speaking on behalf of Mayor Bong Marquez and to those who are not familiar with the whereabouts of the mayor at this very point in time, our LCE, together with Councilor Mc. King Legaspi, is in Geumsan-gun county in South Korea upon the invitation of Mayor Park Beom In to forge a pact of mutual understanding and friendship that around 500 of our farmers will benefit from. Kon. Marffin Dulay here could have joined them but due to his/her hectic schedule as chair of the Foundation Anniversary Committee, Kon. Marffin was not able to process his/her travel documents.

We will keep you posted on this official travel.

Mayor Bong is extending his warmest congratulations to all of you on this occasion. And since he gave me a full blanket authority to speak to you freely, I am speaking now as his appointed interim Municipal Administrator.

I missed speaking in front of the laity, the officers and members of the mandated religious organizations, the parish pastoral council, the basic ecclesial communities, the catechists, lay ministers, acolytes and all that we call the workers of the vineyard of the Lord. Many of you are aware that before I entered the government, I was first a lay employee of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose for 25 years. I was with the Diocesan Human Development Commission, the social action arm of our local church. In 2011, when I was retrenched at the Vicariate, Mayor Bong, then executive assistant of Mayor now Governor Ed Gadiano, came to San Jose and invited me to join his government and help them in serving you, their beloved constituents. As they say, the rest is history, for the three of us.

We are gathered here today for two main reasons: For Charity and Recognition.

Charity. This is a Night for a cause. Proceeds of this charity drive would be used for the construction of our church’s retablo. But what is a retablo? The word “retablo” comes from the words “retro and tabula”, roughly translating “behind the altar”. Working behind the altar is what San Sebastian, our patron saint, has done. To me, the highest form of charity is to offer one’s life for others and his or her faith. This may not be theologically or doctrinally sound but I consider Sebastian a martyr of charity. Isn’t martyrdom the highest form of charity? Sebastian faced martyrdom, to borrow from the late Susan Roces, not only once but twice!

It is not only money we can give. We can give time, we can give our expertise, we can give our love, or simply give a smile. None of us can ever run out of something worthwhile to give. My favorite quotation about Charity is one from Mother Theresa who said, “It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” As you have emphasized in tonight’s theme, “Every charitable act makes a difference.”

The upcoming retablo is somewhat our expression of our devotion to our faith.

Recognition. San Sebastian, due to his “double martyrdom” was recognized and declared a martyr and saint by the Mother Church. He has Her full recognition as a brave believer and dedicated soldier, he is the patron saint against plague and illness, of archers, armorers, ironmongers, police officers, soldiers, athletes, the dying, and the Pontifical Swiss Guards. Lately, he is without authorization considered the patron saint of those who belongs, take note Kon. Marffin, to the LGBTQ+ community. If I may repeat, this is not backed up by some sectors of the universal church.

Both social media and real life itself are full of discouraging people who live to put others down. But we as pilgrims under the banner of Catholicism and our Pamayanang Kristiyano in general, are people who recognize others as we encourage them. Your Parish Pastoral Council led by your Parish Priest, the ever-dedicated and hardworking Rev. Father Ronald Panganiban, and its VP, Ms. Nimfa Yyance, and the Parish Finance Council VP, Councilor Clarinda Alvarez-Lorenzo, appreciate and honor you and are grateful for what you have contributed for the sake of our faith by bestowing recognition tonight. With ardent prayers for you to keep the bush burning, congratulations to all the recipients of the Gawad San Sebastian, Huwarang Lingkod ng Simbahan.

My greetings and felicitations too to Mother Butler, for leading this year’s fiesta celebration and also to Madam Rose Dangeros, overall coordinator of the Working Committee and Festejos President, for a job well done.

As pilgrims on a journey, both your local government and your parish look for the integral development of men and women, the LGU constituents, and the Church faithful and continue our partnership, our unity despite diversity, for the common good and general welfare of our people. If the church looks for the spiritual side of us, the government is in charge of our physical needs, therefore they are inseparable. They work and do their mandates differently but towards one goal which is the development of human beings, as citizens and as believers. How could we separate one’s body from his or her soul?

Give ourselves a good round of applause and my congratulations to all who had been tirelessly standing to their faith and being workers of the Lord’s vineyard in this part of the universe.

On behalf of Mayor Walter Bong Marquez, whom I consider an honorary Catholic, let me say out loud:

Viva San Sebastian!

Hail Sablayan on its 121^st Founding anniversary!

Thank you.

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(Inspirational Message rendered in Filipino on the occasion of A Night for a Cause, a project of San Sebastian Parish on January 17, 2023, at Fr. Luis Halasz Gymnasium, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro)

Bakbakan sa Sablayan

Mixed martial artist Denice Zamboanga is not from Zamboanga because she is from Quezon City, as boxing prospect Weljon Sandag Mindoro hails not from Mindoro but from Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur. Mindoro was on top of the card in the boxing big bang here Sablayan in January this year.

Mayor Walter “Bong” Marquez and Vice-Mayor Edwin N. Mintu, in line with the 121^st Founding Anniversary of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, initiated what they call as First Sablayan Festival of Sports (FSFS) and boxing is one of its features. Mintu and Marquez and the unified force from the local legislative board and the executive officials are all keen on sustaining Sablayan’s sports program. They put considerable effort and budget into the cause of FSFS. The week-long affair is themed, “Siento Bente Unong Singkad, Bugso ng Bayang Maunlad (BBM).”

The fight was billed “Bakbakan sa Sablayan” and was promoted by Gerry Balmes, managed by Orlan Borcelango and Art Monis stood as a matchmaker. The event is sanctioned by the Philippine Games and Amusement Board or GAB. Balmes, et al, are the top honchos of QuiBors Boxing Gym, and all adhere to their mission of developing world-caliber boxers through revolutionized training.

The “Bakbakan” was held January 12, 2023, at the Sablayan Astrodome, the same venue as Manny Pacquaio’s first two professional fights. The first fight was against Edmund Ignacio on January 22, 1995, and Pinoy Montejo on March 18. The construction of the arena was a brainchild of the then-mayor Doring Mintu, father of the present chief legislator and presiding officer of the municipality. At the same time, the current mayor is a relative of the Magramo boxing clan who hailed from Mindoro and Romblon.

Little did Pacquiao know that a legend would be born on that momentous night of January 25, 1995, in Sablayan.

This is expected to be one hell of a “fistival”. It was consist of 5 professional matches plus an array of amateur bouts taken care of by Occidental Mindoro’s living legend of boxing and former #1 Philippine Junior Featherweight contender and #3 in the OPBF or the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation, Diomedes “Joe” Francisco.

In reality, this is already the second fight of Mindoro in Mindoro. The first outing was in Mamburao on November 15, 2019, defeating Joel Borbon, an event that is also part of the province’s founding birthday, and his post-fight pic is shown above.

Mindoro, 22, downed all his nine opponents and he carries an immaculate record of nine wins with zero losses. His moniker is “Triggerman”, therefore, he can be considered the Allan Caidic of Philippine boxing. All the fights are well done by Weljon, as boxing commentator and sports podcaster Pow Salud used to put them. After Reyk, Mindoro had two fights. He had a game judged as a draw against Takeshi Inoue and downed another Japanese, Mao Tameda via first round KO in May 13, 2023.

QuiBors Boxing Promotion heralded the clash last January as the first middleweight boxing fight in the whole country. Mindoro will slug it out against veteran journeyman Willem Reyk of Jakarta, Indonesia. The Mindoro-Reyk non-title clash is the main event and Mindoro’s first fight against a foreigner. Mindoro downed Reyk in the 3rd round.

In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above 154 lbs. (70 kg) and up to 160 lbs. (73 kg). Today’s known middleweights are Jermall Charlo and Gennadiy Golovkin.

But the first-ever and only Filipino middleweight great is Ceferino Garcia. Garcia holds the most victories ever achieved by a Filipino boxer and is also the only boxer from the Philippines to become the world champion in the middleweight division. Garcia, the originator of the so-called "bolo punch" won a total of 121 fights with 77 knockouts from 1923 to 1945. 

The former Olympic bronze medalist-turned-professional Eumir Marcial is the best Pinoy middleweight today, who like Mindoro, has a clean professional slate. They are two of the best so-called “Midboys” the country currently has. They are the country’s current big boys, literally speaking. Only a few Pinoy pugilists are qualified in that division because of their physical attributes.

This coming Foundation Anniversary in January 2024, hope we will have boxing matches in Sablayan!

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Rape and Culture of Silence: Both GAD and Human Rights Issues

 In the recent meeting of the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) of Sablayan last November 24, Chief of Police PLTCOL Allan Montillana Jr. and Municipal Social Welfare Officer Marie Joi Angway reported the proliferation of rape cases here in our town. Mayor Bong Marquez considered it not only very alarming but a disgusting situation. He ordered both MSWDO Angway and COP Montillana to exhaust all possibilities to mitigate the problem.

This is one of the issues of Gender and Development (GAD) that is slightly overlooked. I am writing this article right after our Gender Sensitivity Training (GST) +++ in Lucena City scheduled from December 5 to 9, 2022. Today is December 10, 2022, and the world commemorates International Human Rights Day.

The Sablayan Municipal Police Station (SMPS) report further reads, “Rape incidents happen mostly with the people who know each other at home, in the family, in the neighborhood, and friends. Most cases were within the family and perpetrated by the father, uncle, friend, neighbor, and grandfather. It occurs usually when parents are away and working long distance wherein their children are left under the care of relatives or guardians.” In most cases, victims are frequently threatened with death if they disclose the incident.

The report covers the period of January to November 2022. The age of the suspect ranges from 31 to 59 being at the top of the bracket, followed by 15 to 17 and those who are 18 to 30 years old. While on the other hand, the most common age of the victim ranges from 11 to 14 years old, then 15 to 17, and 6 to 10 years of age.

COP Montillana said that there are instances that complaints were retracted in favor of the perpetrator especially when committers are husbands and common-law partners because of economic dependence. While some victims are minors who have a relationship with the perpetrators where parental guidance is deemed lacking. The PNP pegged a total of 7 reported cases for the period.

In their report, the MPS stresses that there is a need to address the root cause of poverty, which drive parents to be away from their children for work. As a mitigating measure, the MPS and the MSWDO continuously conduct an intervention in the form of awareness and education to prevent sexual assaults and violence.

Led by PEMS Melissa Fajardo Gonzales, chief officer of the Women and Children’s Desk, the MPS conducted lectures in different barangays, dialogues and information drives, and radio hopping discussing the salient points of RA 8353 (Anti Rape Law Act of 1997) and other related laws.  Lectures about the bad effects of alcohol were also conducted. They have distributed flyers about safety tips and penalties to be imposed for the violation of RA 8353 were also initiated.

Meagan Emerald C. Aguilar, Social Welfare Officer II of LGU-Sablayan believes that the present situation requires more pressing and aggressive action. Active multidisciplinary participation regarding child protection, specifically against rape is imperative. But those are not enough.

Rape has something to do with parenting and, incestuous or not, it leaves the family broken. What the victims truly need immediately is medical attention for physical trauma. That is where the Municipal Health Officer Dr. Meldie D. Soriano, MD, could come into the picture.

What they need are crisis interventionalists like trained or resident psychologists for empathetic treatment of emotional trauma. We also need staunch and fearless and incorruptible lawyers and paralegals that will seek justice against their attacker. These are the two mechanisms that we need to establish here in our municipality in the future.

Today, rape is already a public offense. It is no longer a private crime. We must teach people that anyone who knows about the crime may be lobbed on the victim’s behalf. On our IECs, we must emphasize that even if the victim drops the case or pardons the attacker or the suspect, the prosecution continues and it cannot be stopped. Rape violates a person’s well-being and not just one’s virginity or purity. Anyone can be a rape victim, but the incidence of rape is more common and rampant in women and girls.

Rape is committed by a man who shall have sexual intercourse with any woman through force, threat, or intimidation when the victim is deprived of reason or is unconscious, employing fraudulent machination or grave abuse of authority, and when the victim is under 12 years old or is demented (old aged), even these circumstances are not present. By any person who, under any of the above circumstances, commits an act of sexual assault by inserting his penis into another person’s mouth or anal orifice, or any instrument or object, into the genital or oral orifice of another person.

Therefore, any man or woman may be held liable for rape. A man may rape his wife, an act deemed as “marital rape.” The penalty for rape in general may apply to the offender who commits marital rape. Rape is punishable by Reclusion Perpetua (Imprisonment from 20 to 40 years) imposed on the offender if rape is committed through sexual intercourse, Prision Mayor (Imprisonment from 6 to 12 years) is imposed on the offender if rape was committed through oral or anal sex or through the use of any object or instrument that was inserted into the mouth or anal orifice of the woman or a man. This may also be elevated to Reclusion Temporal (Imprisonment from 12 to 20 years) or Reclusion Perpetua depending on the circumstances surrounding the crime.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Dubravka Šimonović, in her thematic report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2021, emphasized that rape is grave and systematic human rights violation and gender-based violence against women.

The proliferation of rape can be rooted in the Culture of Silence that chained us to this hellish social phenomenon. The fact that those who know the crime other than the victims preferred to shut their mouths in fear and shame, we will forever be drowned in this situation. We are afraid to be involved as we are fearful to "tarnish" the reputation of the municipality and the family of victims as well as offenders.

Sablayan’s Gender and Development (GAD) thrusts must also be directed to its multiplying rape cases. A lot of cultural factors contribute to such a social predicament but we cannot stop with our arms akimbo. We cannot lose focus and enthusiasm to combat it. We should not settle only on the financial and budgeting; project, program, and activities; and training aspects of GAD. We must tap the help of our moral guardians in religious organizations, academe, humanitarian associations, civil society organizations, or civic groups and even the nationalist women's alliances. This situation cannot be remedied by prayers alone. Our faith must be coupled with legal non-violent activism. We need a community-based, loud, massive, thorough, and sustained advocacy campaign about GAD issues.

Unless the witnesses and those who know a rape case remain in silence in cowardice, we will remain in this shitpit. As GAD, women, and human rights advocates, by simply being vocal at an individual level we can call to friends’ and acquaintances’ attention on this issue.

While most victims and witnesses adopt the culture of silence in rape cases and suffer without uttering a word or lifting a finger about it, this local government cannot afford to do the same.

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Photo: Social Issues Breath