Madam Edna and Me

Now that she and his principal have joined forces, this can openly be told.

Many, many decades ago in Mamburao, there lived two sisters named Francisca and Bernardita Monsobre (y Delos Trinos) with their other siblings. 

The other siblings are nicknamed Suela (Valdez), Ensiang (Pansalin), Maring (Novelozo), Pauling (Monsobre), Miliang (Tadeja) and Juana (Coden).

When they grew up and had their own families, Francisca or Kikay (Nicanor) gave birth to a son nicknamed Luving.

After few years, Bernardita or Ditang (Ablog) who married a merchant from Zambales, gave birth to a girl they fondly called Senyang.

In their teens, though first cousins Luving and Senyang seldom see each other for the former lives in Sablayan and the latter in San Jose, they were very close. Senyang is always visited by his Manong Luving in Pandurucan every time there is a chance for him of going in Occidental Mindoro's southern town.

Years have passed and having separate families of their own, Luving had a child named Edna and Senyang got a son christened Norman but the geographical and social distance between the second cousins literally and figuratively made them strangers to each other. They did not become close like their parents. He knows that they are cousins from the start but she only discovered it lately when she had a recent political alliance with his principal and appointee. She was once a rival of his political appointee, by the way.

She is vying again for mayoralty position in Sablayan this coming May 13 while he is trying his best to be a good local blogger and a civil servant in said progressing town at the geographical center of the province.

Politics indeed change things. In life there are things needed to be momentarily kept until predicaments, circumstances and time set them free all together.

Even beyond this particular case, blood is thicker than politics and politics is thicker than blood, interchangeably, at times...

------

Photo: Jasper H. Francisco

Palaspas at Pulitika

Ang pagwawagayway ng palaspas ay isang pampulitikang protesta noong panahon ni Hesus. Ang palaspas ay simbolo ng tagumpay ng pakikidigma at hindi lamang pantaboy ng aswang o kaya ay para may masunog tayo para sa Miyerkules ng Abo sa isang taon, kagaya ng alam natin ngayon dito sa Pilipinas.

Sinakop noon ng mga Romano ang mga Hudyo. Inalipin sila, pinahirapan, inabuso at inalipusta. Brutalidad ang naranasan ng mga mamamayang Hudyo sa kamay ng mga mananakop. Ang palaspas ay simbolo ng tagumpay ng madirigma. Ang pagwawagayway ng palaspas din ay isang paghamon, isang protesta o banta ng insureksyon noong panahong iyon. Sabi nga ni Bo Sanders sa kanyang sulatin noong 2013 sa Tripfuller.com na may titulong Palm Sunday is the Most Political Sunday, “Laying down palm branches ahead of a man riding a donkey was an act of defiance and an aggressive political statement.”  Sa Pilipinas, ang kaisipan at historikal na katotohanang ito ay hindi gaanong napag-ukulan ng pansin at pagninilay. Dangan kasi naman, tayo man ay bansang sinakop din ng mga Kastila na siyang nagdala sa atin ng Kristiyanismo.

Papaano natin aasahan na ipamulat nila sa atin na ang orihinal na Linggo ng Palapas ay maituturing na isang kilos-bayan o aksyong pulitikal. Dagdag pa ni Sanders, “Palm Sunday might be the most flagrant example of ignorance and misappropriation. Palm Sunday is call for revolution against the powers of oppression, the systems and institutions that occupy foreign lands and repress its citizens with unjust practices and economic policies.” Sinong pari kaya ang mangangahas na iugnay ang tunay na diwa ng Linggo ng Palaspas sa mga aksyong panlipunan?

Pero hindi ko sinasabi na dapat gumamit tayo ng mga bagay na labag sa batas para tayo makalaya. Pang-aabuso, pananakot at panlilinlang ang gamit ng pamahalaang Romano noon para mapanatili ang kanilang paghahari. Ang pulitika ng matandang Roma ay nakatuntong nang labis sa otoridad at kapangyarihan.

Iba ang pulitika ni Hesus sa Pulitika ng Roma. Opo, si Hesus ay hindi pang-espiritwal lang. May pulitika sa Kanya, maniwala man kayo o hindi.

Halos lahat ng antas ng kanyang buhay, simula sa pagsilang Niya sa sabsaban hanggang sa pagkamatay Niya sa krus ay may pampulitikang kaugnayan at kahalagahan noon at ngayon. Ipinanganak Siya sa malayong lugar dahil sa kailangang silang masensus para mabuwisan at ipinako Siya sa krus, na parusa noon sa mga kumakalaban sa gobyerno. Ang pagbabayad ng buwis at pagsasalita, pag-aalsa kagaya nang ginawa Niya sa templo ay pawang mga pampulitikang gawain. Ang pulitika ay nasa sentro ng buhay ng Salitang Nagkatawang Tao.

Ang mga turo Niya tungkol sa pagdatal ng Kaharian ng Diyos ay maituturing na isang adyendang pulitikal. Ang Diyos ang totoong hari at ang kanyang kaharian ang siyang lulupig sa mga kaharian o mga terminong pulitikal  na gawa lamang ng tao.

Ayon kay Isaac Morehouse sa kanyang blog post noong Agosto 10, 2009 na Palm Sunday and Politics, “Physical freedom is a worthy goal. Defending oneself from violence and oppression is not immoral. But as a Christian, to use government to enforce the morality you believe in through law, backed up by the agents of the state, is to contradict Christ Himself.”  Ganyan ang sitwasyon ng lipunan ni Hesus noon. Ganyang din ang sitwasyon ng lipunan natin ngayon. Sinong tagasunod ni Kristo ang mananahimik sa mga pagpatay sa tungki mismo ng kanyang ilong? Sinong Kristiyano ang hindi kikibo kung ang kanyang Diyos mismo ay minumura? Sinong Kristiyano ang hindi magagalit sa panibagong pananakop ng mga dayuhan sa ating bansa kagaya nang naranasan noon ng mga Hudyo sa mga Romano noong unang Linggo ng Palaspas?

Sa pulitika ni Hesus ay una ang paglilingkod kaysa sa anumang kapangyarihan. Ang pulitika ni Hesus ay may kababaang-loob, may paggalang sa paniniwala ng iba, hindi makasarili, nagbibigay ng pagkakataon sa iba pang ibig mag-lingkod. Hindi kumukuyapit sa pwesto. May totoong pagmamahal kahit hindi paulit-ulit na bigkasin.

Ang masaklap, hindi pulitika ni Hesus ang ating salalayan sa pagboto at pagwawagayway ng pampulitikang palaspas kundi pulitikang Romano. Pulitikang Romano na ang mga hari ay kapit-tuko sa kapangyarihan, marahas, mapanlinlang o kaya naman ay abusado.

Ang mga taong palaspas, malamang sa hindi, sa halalan ang ibuboto ay mga makabagong Hestas!

---------

Sources :

Photo: Imagenesmi.com

https://trippfuller.com/2013/03/25/palm-sunday-is-the-most-political-sunday/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/teachingnonviolentatonement/2016/03/the-subversive-politics-of-palm-sunday/

https://isaacmorehouse.com/2009/08/10/palm-sunday-and-politics/

Biased Crowd Counting

Political rallies are all over and as expected, crowd counting will always be contentious. Sure thing is, both political camps have a devolved interest in the counts. The rally organizers want to project a higher count and the rival camp(s) naturally want to project a lower count.

Well with the absence of estimates or data from credible and competent authorities such as the Philippine National Police (PNP), among other agencies, numbers are sexed-up thus used as political propaganda material. Nonetheless, all political rallies or gatherings will always be disputed. For instance, no matter how huge is the crowd a party draws in certain municipality, the adversary can always claim that it is just a tiny portion of town’s population. The opposing camp will claim that a hakot system was employed or even vote buying just to gather enormous crowd. Accusations that are most of the time as real as water and power shortages that the people are currently experiencing. 

In Philippine election where patronage politics prevails, a massive crowd drawing isn’t the true measurement of support or vote for particular group of candidates. In a community where the spirit of volunteerism is not put into flesh, the number of people attending a political event is not a manifestation of heartfelt support but a display of abundant resources,- material, manpower, and most of all financial, of those seeking for public office. As long as political campaigns are fueled with money, money will always be the ultimate crowd-drawer. How can one hire movie personalities and entertainers from the city without huge amount of campaign fund or to hire social media mercenaries?How could the organizers bankroll the event with meager funds and so forth and so on? As long as nobody applies a scientific method of crowd counting, it will always be subjective. Therefore, it is  mere empiricism, political strategy-wise.

The simplest way to have a fair crowd count is to know the square footage of the venue or its site carrying capacity, the percentage of the venue occupied by participants and the crowd density. This technique originates from a journalism professor Herbert Jacobs of University of California, Berkeley, who devised the process by watching students protest on his campus against the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

Jacobs’ premise was simple: Area times density will yield more accurate results than biased guesses. Density differs whether people are standing (at about five square feet per person) or sitting (at about 10 square feet per person), and observers know that the fronts of crowds are always more dense than the rear of crowds. I assume that it is one of the methods the PNP is employing today specially in mass protests.

When one crowd estimate in the ground, its result will always be over-estimation. According to sociologist John McCarthy in his book (co-authored with Clark McPhail) Who Counts and How: Estimating the Size of Protests which was published August 1, 2004, “If you’re on the ground, it’s easy to overestimate. Because if you’re in the middle of it, it looks like a million people.”  In this particular case, we must keep our feet off the ground.

Aerial photography via drone can help determine the carrying capacity of the venues or sites and make guesses at density especially in a stationary crowd like in political campaign or rallies. The interpretation from competent authority is also essential. If I may repeat, unless a system or a scientific method is applied we cannot have a believable product. 

Bottom line: Crowd counts are used as mental conditioning to create a band wagon effect but the true arena is still in the precincts, not much in crowded political gatherings. The silent majority and the fed-up onlookers are very much aware of that. Even if one is bent on using it as a sole determinant of election success…

---------

(Photo: GMA News Network)

To Farm is to Survive

He was a survivor of a plane crash happened in the mountains of Sablayan 53 years ago.

It was the most horrible peace-time air tragedy in Occidental Mindoro history where 26 people, mostly prominent residents of San Jose including the plane’s 4 crew, died after the Philippine Airlines’ DC3 Flight No. 785 reportedly crashed into a ravine of the northern slope of Mount Rabañgan that fatal Wednesday morning of June 29, 1966.

Based on the investigation conducted by authorities then, the PAL DC-3 took off from Mamburao Airport, which actually came from Manila after its stop-over at the capital town was bound for San Jose Airport. Official document has it that the probable cause of the accident was the "misjudgment of the terrain clearance of which resulted (in) the collision with trees.” That time, all the flights going to San Jose-Manila and vice-versa drop and pick passengers in Mamburao.

The crash site is believed to be part of Sitio Yapang (now part of the area called Palbong) inside the property then of Sablayan Penal Colony. One of the two lucky survivors was an Engineering student at FEATI University named Federico “Erick” Aguilar, eldest son of the late Joven and Conching Aguilar, 90, a farme parents from Barrio Bubog. The ill-fated aircraft which was found by the rescuers beyond repair first flew in 1944 and it was a twin engine Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92.

The other survivor also a farmer from San Jose identified as Donato Magpiling. His whereabouts are now unknown. Most of the passengers who died in the mishap were businessmen and professionals. He (Aguilar) survived because of the fresh water he drank from the Rayusan River and the abundance of vegetation in the mountain. Aguilar’s story instantly became talk of the town, how he survived for days with wounds all over his burned body before he was found by the rescuers. He endured the hardship by eating raw wild vegetables in the woods.

But Federico “Erick” Aguilar, at more than 70 years of age is still alive and kicking. He took up high school at the Divine Word College of San Jose in the early 60s. He stopped schooling at age 13 to help his Ilocano father tend their farm. That fatal air accident did not stop him from finishing college and started his career afterwards.

He later married Carol Liong of Baguio City giving him two loving and talented children, a boy and a girl. Their children have now a family of their own. The eldest is Dr. Lielanie Mae Liong Aguilar-Pascasio who lives in Florida, USA and Dr. Errol Charles Liong Aguilar now resides in Doha, Qatar. Erick lost his Carol in 1995 but remarried in 2002 and exchanged marital vows with Elena Salangsang, a widow from General Santos City. He has five grown-up step-children. Erick and Elena live and permanently reside in San Mateo, Rizal.

In 2009, Erick (some close friend call him Einstein, his dead ringer, according to them) retired from his work at the Kanlaon Broadcasting System-Radio Philippine Network as news cameraman. Now a retiree, he goes abroad almost every year and have a 6-month with visit to his grandchildren, either in Florida or Doha.

As I write this blog entry, Erick is busy in his new life project. The OMG or Oh May Gulay. The construction of the farmers' vegetable market is now underway. When asked how did he came into this business idea, he said, “Our Barangay (Bubog) is very rich with sea and farm resources kaya lang binabarat ng town market retailers.” What is OMG in reality? “It is a place where farmers can sell their freshly picked products”, he added. The site of OMG is in Barangay Bubog at the opening of the feeder road going to Glendenning Resort. It is expected to open in a few months time.

The scars in his body proved that he indeed survived his deepest wounds. That in itself, for him, is an accomplishment and they bring to mind something else, too. They remind him that what life has inflicted him left him stronger and more resilient.

"To farm is to survive." This made Federico Aguilar better equipped to face the present…

-----

(Photo from Erick Aguilar’s Facebook page showing he and his mother Conching on her 90^th birthday last February)

The Grandmaster that never was

He first played chess in 1963 when Tigran Petrosian was world champion. He participated in many out-of-town competitions three years after until 1966 when Petrosian was already 36 years old. After failing to dethrone Petrosian in 1966, Boris Spassky, 26, described his older opponent as, "first and foremost a stupendous tactician.” In chess, unlike in physical sports, like in love, age doesn’t matter. As long as dementia do not get you.

Marcelo “Boyet” Abeleda, Occidental Mindoro’s monster chess player is now 66. He is the Last of the Mohicans, so to speak, in our local chess landscape. Other pioneers are either by now at the bosom of the Heavenly King, lived somewhere or already gone nuts. (Yes there is one mentally challenged person roaming around San Jose that was once a maestro de ajedres in the locality. But I won’t elaborate any further to keep respect to his privacy. )

Playing for nearly 6 decades, Boyet Abeleda is breathing chess. There is chess in his cigarettes and also in his dreams. Even coming from family of prominent politicians, joining politics never entered his mind. He preferred to display his tactics in the chess board rather than the political war room. To him, chess is the most dignifying thing in the world. Anything not related to chess are just icings. It is his main dough. Chess is his life and at times, his financial resource. Chess is to him is science, art and sport, rolled into one, paraphrasing Anatoly Karpov.

According to him, he garnered 1810 Elo rating. A player's Elo rating is represented by a number which increases or decreases depending on the outcome of games between rated players. But as a young enthusiast, he had been a constant feature in the downtown of Pandurucan, especially in barbershops, billiard halls and the rest. Glued to this game, chess made him intellectually independent. In 1969, he became a national player when he joined a national competition held at La Salle Lipa in Batangas.

His most unforgettable feat came in 1987. The only player coming from Occidental Mindoro, out of more than 4 hundred participants in the National Capital Region (NCR), he placed 7th in the over-all. It was a national tournament. But he was not able to reach the finals and failed to join the elite group coming from Luzon, the NCR itself, Visayas and Mindanao. The tournament was held in the now site of the Coastal Mall along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.

He said his love of chess was influenced by a certain Emilio T. Villamar III, nicknamed Baby, one of the pioneering players in Southern Mindoro along with the late Raul Jimenez and the all-around sportsman Ronnie Carlos.

Tatay Boyet, as he is fondly called by the younger co-members of the Occidental Mindoro Chess Academy (OMCA), hopes that through the present loaded activities of the OMCA and its officers, the province will produce lot of masters or Grand Masters in the future. He also involved himself in tutoring young players whenever there is a competition participated by his Alma Mater, the Divine Word College of San Jose. He shares his talent to everybody specially the young. Though he already loose many of his teeth, he is a saber-toothed tiger when he moves.

Marcelo Abeleda never been ranked by the Philippine Chess Federation as Grand Master but he is certainly the Grand Ole Man in Occidental Mindoro chess history.

----------

Reference: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=54395

Photo courtesy of Emmanuel Bandelaria Asi of OMCA. Shown in the picture above are L to R, Marcelo “Boyet” Abeleda, Mr. Renato Gatuz, President of OMCA and SB Ana Barrera-Sembillo of Magsaysay. This was taken during the Awarding Ceremonies of the Mayor Eleonor Barrera Fajardo Chess Tournament held in said Municipality recently.

A Gray Area in the Universe

Is it universally ethical to accept any form of gifts from politicians specially this season of Christmas and election? On the other hand, is it also ethical to give any form of gifts, money or otherwise, if you are a candidate at this very moment of the year? Could you tell me exactly when a gift becomes a bribe?

Gift-giving, especially cash-giving, is a fad among politicians in this very hour. They are all over Facebook. Photos of politicians distributing cold cash were posted. But when a gift is not a gift? Giving, in whatever form, establishes a relationship. One ethical issue to consider when assessing whether offering or accepting a gift is appropriate is whether the relation will be ALTERED or if there is an expectation that it will be INFLUENCED in some way. For example in such a gesture, when the giver is expecting favors (read: votes) in return, this is clearly a bribe and NOT a gift. The giver’s as well as the receiver’s motives are important in pinpointing this but there are still no instrument invented by man to detect or measure one’s motive.

What is “Ethics”? It can be summed up with these words: "Ethics is concerned with how people ought to act and how they ought to be in relationship with others. Ethics does not just describe how things are, but rather is concerned with establishing norms or standards for how human life and conduct should be." Ethics are a set of principles of right conduct. But how can one distinguish clearly what is right from what is wrong? And it becomes more complicated when these two areas (what is right and what is wrong) overlap so that a gray area develops. It is clear to me as once student of Ethics, gifts and bribes as distinctively separate. Gifts are ethical while bribes are not. 

But in Occidental Mindoro culture in particular and the Philippine culture in general, the concepts of gifts and bribes are not distinctly separate. That is why both the giver and the receiver of both bribes and gifts considered their gestures as normal. There are overlapping areas between offering gifts and offering bribes. Gift-giving behavior can be extended into the area of giving bribes, so that the concepts overlap. When this occurs, the behavior is at the same time ethical and unethical. But this is not limited only to politicians and their constituents but also to other “relationships” like between a politician and the other individuals under them.

Applying a code of ethics to behavior becomes very complicated because a gray area exists between ethical actions and unethical actions. As discussed before, offering a gift is an ethical (right) behavior and offering a bribe is an unethical (wrong) behavior. But in the gray area where offering a gift extends into the area of offering a bribe, it is very hard to interpret whether the behavior is right or wrong.

We are not expecting government regulations and laws alone can solve the prevailing problem of corruption and bribery here in Occidental Mindoro or elsewhere in the Philippines. There is a dire need for a group of citizens to differentiate between the overlapping area of offering gifts and offering bribes so that we, Filipinos, are able to distinguish between gifts and bribes. This is not an easy task because gifts and bribes have traditionally overlapped in our culture so that the distinction between ethical and unethical behaviors is not clearly defined and practiced.

On December 3, 2018, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) reiterates the provisions of Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees which prohibits civil servants from soliciting or accepting gifts, favors, loans or anything of monetary value in the course of their official duties.

Under CSC’s lenses, the propriety or impropriety of the gift is determined by value, kinship, or relationship between the giver and receiver, and the motivation. Thus, gifts exempted from the prohibition are those from family members given without expectation of pecuniary benefit; those coming from persons with no regular, pending or expected transactions with the government office where the receiver belongs; those from private organizations given with humanitarian and altruistic intent; and those donated by one government entity to another. Something of monetary value is one which is evidently or manifestly excessive by its very nature. The CSC reminder is timely. RA No. 6713 is a welcome development and very relevant though it is very specific. Specific laws such as this are imperative in giving clear-cut, crystal-clear legal measures on this ethical issue.

Corruption in the form of bribery and accepting bribes serves as a contributory factor in the commission of human rights violations. Human rights offenses no doubt, are good breeding grounds for impoverishment or poverty. Nonetheless, bribery should be put under human rights lens. Moreover, there is a very thin line that separates gift from bribe, the ethical from the unethical. But we have forgotten that there is also such an animal called delicadeza.

Gray reigns in this universe…

--------

(Photo: Cebu News)

Beking Pari Ba ‘Ikamo?

Hindi naman talaga maitatatwa na mayroong mga beking pari sa Simbahang Katolika pero ano kayang pampatulog ang tinira ng pangulo na tila sa panaginip lang niya kinuha ang kanyang mga numero. Sa kanyang talumpati sa Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas (PAFIOO) na ginanap sa Rizal Hall sa Malacañan noong Miyerkules, Disyembre 5, 2018, sinabi niya na 90% ng mga pari sa Pilipinas ay bakla.

Pustahan tayo, ikaw na nagbabasa ng ng sulating ito ngayon ay may kilalang baklang pari, ‘di ba? Ilan sila, dalawa, tatlo, sampu o higit pa? Hayag man o hindi sila ay mga gay o homosexual.

Totoo na sinabi ni Pope Francis na, “Ang mga baklang pari ay dapat maging celibate at kung hindi ay umalis na sila sa pagka-pari”. Ang marami ay ipinapalagay itong pagsasabi ng, “Kung bakla ka huwag kang mag-pari o hindi ka dapat na pari.”  Sa ganitong konteksto at sa nagdudumilat na katotohanan na marami talagang baklang pari sa Pilipinas (o sa buong mundo), madaling pagbintangan na ipokrito nga ang Simbahang Katolika. Ngunit kung ganito ang interpretasyon natin sa sinabi ni Pope Francis, mag-iiba na ang ating paninigin dito: “Ang mga baklang pari na hindi kayang mabuhay sa  celibate life ay hindi maaring mag-pari.”  Malinaw na ang diin ni Pope Francis ay sa celibacy at hindi sa sexual orientation ng isang pari o ng kandidato sa pagiging pari.

Bakla ka man o hindi, maliwanag lang na sa panahong ito ngayon, kung talagang gusto mong maging pari at magpatuloy sa pagiging pari ay dapat na namumuhay ka bilang isang celibate. Walang ka-kulakadidang at hindi nangha-hada ng sakristan. At siyempre pa, kung beki ka man, hindi ka dapat naka-lipstick, o naka-stiletto at naka make-up habang ginagampanan mo ang iyong administrative, pastoral at ministerial duties. Lalong hindi papayagan ng Simbahan na ang mga pari imbes na mag-suot ng sutana ay magsuot ng abito kagaya ng sa mga madre. Hindi pa pwede ang cross-dressing (no pun intended) na ganito. Hindi pa ito tanggap ng Simbahan. Hindi pa ngayon. Kaya meanwhile, habang habang hindi pa tegi ang mga matatanda at konserbatibong kardinal sa Roma and elsewhere, closet queen muna ang mga paring may “pinakatatagong lihim” (parang CST lang ang peg 'no?).

Mabagal nga lang kumilos ang Simbahan sa pagbabago ng kanyang mga doktrina pero malamang na may ginagawa na ito para dito. Super bagal nga lang kaya naman imbyerna ang mga kritiko nito lalo na sa usapin ng pagbibigay ng hustisya at pagpaparusa sa mga paring sangkot sa sex scandal ng mga kleriko. Kabilang ang pag-o-ordena ng mga kababaihan.  

Samakatuwid, hinahamon lamang ni Pope Francis ang pari and other consecrated people na tupdin ang kanilang vows of celibacy. Hindi sila pwedeng mabuhay sa double life, wika nga. Hindi komo bakla sila ay pinalalayas na at inaalisan na sila ng pagka-pari o hindi na sila agad pahihintulutang pumasok sa seminaryo. Hindi po ganoon. Dadaan sila sa mga psychological tests upang matiyak na kaya nilang pumasok sa celibate life at sumunod sa mga patakaran ng seminaryo.

Maganda rin at gumawa ng gawa-gawang datos ang pangulo at nawa ay magising din ang Simbahan upang suriin ang kanyang sarili. Hamon ito upang magnilay ang mga Obispo at mga namumuno sa Simbahan. Panahon na para sa CBCP na magpagawa ng isang impartial survey o study to determine what percent of our bishops and priests ang mga beki. Gayundin ang kaparehong survey o pag-aaral na nagmag-de-determine sa reaksyon ng mga mananampalataya hinggil sa pagkakaroon nila ng mga baklang pari o obispo. Gagawa ng mga paraan para sa obhetibong resulta nito na hindi naman ilalagay sa alanganin ang pagkatao at dignidad ng mga kakapanayamin. Isama rin ang mga Pamayanang Kristiyano at mga religious organizations para kunan ng mga datos.

Hindi pa katanggap-tanggap sa panahon ngayon na ang mga pari, matapos halimbawa ang isang concelebrated mass ay sabay-sabay na mag-iiritan at magde-deklara na, “Mga kafatid, kami po ay mga vaklush!”  Hindi pa handa ang Simbahan sa mga paglaladlad na ganito. Nasa larvae stage pa lang yata ang paru-parong mula sa langit para sa mga beking pari. Hindi kagaya nung paru-paro ni Rustom Padilla na nagpakita bago ibunyag niya  noon sa PBB house na siya nga ay beki. Hindi dapat na talikuran ng Simbahan ang katotohanang ito at dapat kaagad na gumawa ng konkretong hakbang ukol dito. Dapat itong masusing pagnilayan, pagpasyahan at isakatuparan ng Inang Simbahan.

Ang baklang pari ba ay hindi na magiging tapat na lingkod ng Diyos? Masasama ba ang mga baklang pari? Dito pumapasok ang “Who am I to judge” ni Pope Francis. Sino tayo na para lamang alipustahin ang isang institusyon ay hinuhusgahan natin ang mga taong naka-paloob dito na ang batayan lamang ay ang kanyang gender at hindi ang kanyang pananampalataya, gawi, salita, prinsipyo at buong pagkatao?

Tungkulin din nga lahat ng pari, kabilang ang beking pari, ang tumulong sa kaligtasan ng ating kaluluwa ngunit ang kaluluwa ng tao ay palaging kaisa ng kaniyang katawan sa buhay na ito. Ang kaligtasan ng kaluluwa ay palaging konektado sa kaligtasan at kaginhawaan ng katawan. Upang mangyari ang kaligtasang pangkaluluwa, kailangan tumulong at magsalita ang mga pari, kasama na rito ang mga baklang pari, tungkol sa kaligtasang pangkatawan. Nagtatanggol siya at nagtataguyod dapat ng karapatang pantao at lumalaban sa mga lumalabag dito. At saan mabisang itataguyod ang kaligtasang pang-katawan maliban sa larangan ng buhay-lipunan? Sa gawaing ito, ang pakikisangkot sa mga isyung panlipunan, kagaya ng federalismo o war on drugs, na may direktang epekto sa buhay at katawan ng tao ay isang pagpili na hindi maaaring kalimutan o talikdan ng mga naniniwala kay, at tagasunod ni Kristo. Pari man siya o hindi, gay ka man o heterosexual. Magiging ligaw na kawan tayo kung wala sila. At mukhang ito ang gustong mangyari ng tao sa Malakanyang at ng 16 million.

Mr. President, lampake ako kahit na lahat ng pari ay bakla!

----------

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons, iStock/Composite: America)

Tumatagos sa Lahat ang Karapatang Pantao

Masaya po ako dahil kahit pala ang isang parokyal na blogger katulad ko ay maitatampok din sa isang unibersal na tema ng human rights o karapatang pantao. Masaya dahil kahit na ang karamihan sa aking paksang tinatalakay ay naka-sentro sa Mindoro at Kanlurang Mindoro, ang isla at lalawigang aking pinang-galingan, sa loob ng lampas isang dekada kong pag-ba-blog, ang unang kumilala sa aking mga sulatin ay ang isang grupong “from beyond” Mindoro pa, ang HR ONLINE PH at hindi ang mga institusyon sa aking lalawigan.

Maraming-maraming salamat po sa tumulong sa okasyong ito ng 8th Human Rights Pinduteros Award at sa mga online voters na tumuguyod sa aking nominasyon bilang best Human Rights Blogsite.

Pero kung tutuusin, ang usapin ng karapatang pantao ay hindi natin maaaring ikahon sa isang dimensyon lamang ng buhay lipunan o sa isang gawain lamang tulad ng pagba-blog. Ito ay dapat tumagos sa pagsasakatuparan ng ating piniling propesyon at sa ating everyday life, so to speak.

Ang pagtataguyod, pagtatanggol at pagsasabuhay ng karapatang pantao ay ang palagian nating mithiin bilang guro (kagaya ng aking may-bahay na naririto ngayon kasama ko), duktor, manunulat, brodkaster, abogado, negosyante, pulitiko, magsasaka, mangingisda o sa anumang larangan ng buhay tayo nabibilang. Katulad ng ating pananampalataya, ito ay gabay natin sa ating bawat gawain sa opisina, sa kalsada, sa pagawaan, sa laot at maging sa bukid. 

Sapagkat ang karapatang pantao ay tumatagos sa lahat ng larangan ng buhay.

Kaya lahat ng Pilipino na wala dito ngayon, o yaong mga hindi pa isinisilang, o yung mga bumoto sa akin online ay pawang mga potential human rights advocate.

Inaasahan tayong magtataguyod sa dangal ng tao at maging responsible sa ating kapwa sa lahat ng oras. Sa anumang uri ng lupa tayo tumubo, lumago at namunga,- sa Mindoro man, or beyond.

Salamat sa lahat ng mga pinagpipitagang tagapag-taguyod, taga-pagtanggol at tagapag-patupad ng karapatang pantao sa bansa na naririto ngayon lalo na sa mga kapwa ko nominee.

Hayan sila ….

Batiin natin sila ….

Palakpakan natin ang isa’t-isa…

Nais kong espesyal na pasalamatan ang isa sa aking naging inspirasyon sa gawaing pang-karapatang pantao at malaki ang naging ambag sa paghubog ng aking pananaw hinggil dito. Kagaya ng mga propeta noon, hindi rin lubos na kinilala sa kanyang sariling lugar. Isang magiting na alagad ng Diyos at tanod-karapatan na kahit hindi ko pisikal na nakasama at hindi rin niya ako personal na kilala, ngunit ang mga kaisipan ay malalim na tumimo at humubog sa akin, kabilang ang iba pang human rights pioneers ng bansa na hindi na natin pisikal na kapiling ngayon.

Ang aking tinutukoy ay si Sr. Mariani Dimaranan na tulad ko na ipinanganak din sa Occidental Mindoro, sa Isla ng Lubang, madre na unang namuno Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), institusyon na aking kinapalooban din noon. Si Sr. Mariani na nagpamalay sa atin na may dangal ng tao sa bokasyon. Nagturo sa atin na kaya may karapatang pantao ay dahil tayo ay nilikhang kawagis ng Diyos. 

Saglit po nating gunitain ang kanyang mga ambag at ala-ala.

(Pause for a while)

Human Rights Education Program o HREP regional coordinator ako noon ng TFDP-Southern Tagalog. That was 1990 at si Sr. Cres Lucero ang chairperson noon ng TFD. Lumubog ako sa gawain sa mahabang panahon while Sr. Cres led the institution in conducting massive human rights and peace education and training in a rights-centered approach and capacitate the paralegals with documentation and monitoring skills. Wala yata si Sr. Cres dito, pero sana pahabain pa niya ang kanyang buhay dahil marami pa siyang itatamang historical inconsistencies ni Juan Ponce-Enrile. Biro lang po.

This award is also dedicated to her and the present men and women from TFDP, notably my longtime comrades Brenda Reyes and Jerbert Briola, the project coordinator of this event. Further, since I am now a government employee, I also share this award to a fellow former TFDP worker na ipinagpapatuloy itagos ang karapatang pantao sa serbisyo publiko bilang mga lingkod bayan. Si SB Walter “Bong” Marquez ng Bayan ng Sablayan sa Occidental Mindoro na nagpatunay na kahit na ang taong-gobyerno ay pwede at dapat maging tagapagtaguyod ng karapatang pantao. 

Gayundin sa taong unang humimok sa akin noong 2008 na ituloy ko lang ang pagba-blog na kahit ang mga bloggers ay walang editors at proofreaders ay may automatic grammar corrector naman daw ang computer, si Joma Cordova.

Sabi ko kanina, tayong lahat ay potensyal na human rights advocate. Halimbawa, mula sa presidente hanggang sa mga guro, hanggang sa guwardiya, hanggang sa janitor ng isang tanggapan, lahat tayo ay marapat na nagtataguyod, nagtatanggol at nagsasabuhay ng karapatang pantao ng ating kapwa.

Ang masaklap, kung lahat tao maging yaong mga hindi pa isinisilang ay potensyal na human rights advocate, lahat ay potensyal ding human rights violator. (Isama na natin yung mga bomoto sa akin online!) Maaaring hindi natin namamalayan na tayo ay lumalabag na, sumasagka at walang pakialam sa dangal at karapatan ng iba: ka-trabaho, ka-pamilya at kababayan o maging sa mga social media friends natin na i-unfriend na natin at in-unfollow!

Probinsiyano po ako kaya hindi ko ganap na gagap at dama ang buong kaganapan sa bansa (NatSit) ngayon pero hayaan po ninyong bigkasin ko ang isang tula sa aking blog entry noong ika-26 ng Hulyo, 2016 na pinamagatan kong “Alisin Mo Ang Lahat” sa kalagitnaan noon ng EJKs para lagumin ang mga kaganapan ngayon:

Alisin mo ang karapatang mabuhay

Lahat ng karapatang pantao’y wala nang saysay;

Alisin mo ang karapatang dinggin sa husgado

Sa lahat ng batas ay wala nang sisino;

Alisin mo ang pangamba sa patayang ito

Lahat ng patayan sa iyo na’y panuto;

Isa pa, when human right is retailed, na mukhang ito ang ipinamamayaning kaisipan ng gobyerno ngayon, the essence of human being is degraded wholesale.

Sa panahong ito na ang aksyon tungo sa pagtatanggol ng karapatang pantao ay itinuturing na karima-rimarim, habang ang paglabag dito ay ipinapalagay na kapunya-punyagi, marapat lamang na paigtingin natin ang ating hanay, patagusin lalo natin ang karapatang pantao sa lahat ng larangan. Tayo’y maging pinduteros para dito sa maraming paraan pero humuhugot sa iisang dahilan: ang itaguyod ang dangal ng tao.

Muli, maraming salamat at magandang gabi at mabuhay ang mga tagapag-tanggol ng karapatang pantao!

------

(Talumpati ng Pagtanggap sana sa 8th Human Rights Pinduteros Awards Night noong ika-27 ng Nobyembre, 2018 sa Prime Hotel sa Lunsod Quezon.)

A Power Story

I am telling this story anchored on an aphorism I posted in my Facebook Page today: “Power has its own story to tell and every story has its own power when told.” But this is not just my reaction to our present predicament of power shortage, this is also a product of my personal reflection on being a writer and, you've guessed it right, a story-teller. Aphorism oftentimes consist a metaphor, remember?

This coming December 3, 2018, the power company called Energy World will be finally launching their bid for the CSP to be presented to OMECO. This power company is just one of the many prospective new players in the horizon. It looks forward for the finalization of the Off-Take Agreement that would hopefully pave the way for the building of a plant somewhere in Sablayan if no trouble (of whatever nature) would exist in the process. Sablayan LGU had already signed a MOU with Energy World regarding the construction of the plant within the jurisdiction. According to people from Energy World, due to its geographical location, the municipality is ideal in supplying power in the whole of Occidental Mindoro. The company is using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in their operation as fuel. They have plants in Australia and Indonesia and here in the Philippines, they have a service utility in Pagbilao, Quezon. Be reminded that I am in no way endorsing said company and this is a statement of fact.

Led by Mayor Eduardo B. Gadiano, concerned heads of the legislative and executive branches of the Municipal LGU visited the plant, and for their part, Energy World already started to conduct prospecting for the plant site since the informal partnership was last year. While the Energy World renewed commitment for its realization, the town’s local chief executive made the same commitment whoever would provide sustained, affordable and reliable energy for the province. We hope that in due time, many players will ultimately be considered to provide power and energy in this doomed part of the planet, power supply-wise.

Electricity is life. Without access to reliable power, our lives would be much more like being sent back to the Stone Age, as one Facebook user used to post it. Needless to say, it is so crucial to modern life, in fact, the history of electricity is really the history of the modern world.

This writer is not pinning all out hope on the realization of the proposed project of Energy World because as we all know, there are still a lot of legal and technical processes to hurdle before this could come to fruition. Nothing in the industry works like magic. Also, it is expected that a lot of peripheral things will come along the way like partisan politics, vested interests of the local elites, to name just two.  

I am relating this not to fully expect its realization for it may bring us false hope. It is still a long, long way but what I am just trying to emphasize is there is an on-going progression with regards to the application of possible power (preferably “clean” energy) providers in the future for our province and this one, too, has a chance to remedy the decades-long power supply problem in our locality. Moreover, it is necessary for every concerned citizen and OMECO member-consumers to be aware of every bidding process which unfolds every now and then. The electric cooperative likewise needs to be very transparent on everything under the bulb, so to speak. The bidders should also be scrutinized and skinned like a jack fruit by the member-consumers in general. The local politicians should be aware of the limits of their authority and power with regards to intervening in the problem specifically in the operations of the electric cooperative.

I am not zeroing-in on Energy World alone or any in existing or other forthcoming specific power providers for that matter. That wouldn’t be my story line ever. I am out of the loop in legal and technical aspects of this situation. My story is all I can offer.  

The issue of problem of power and energy has certain implication to one’s candidacy for sure to those who are occupying or struggling to get a political position especially the provincial slots. It is clear that this issue could again make or unmake political careers. With high expectation, this issue is domineering to be in the front lines in every miting de avance in due time.

Since the time of Thomas Edison, the electricity industry is already politicized. Before Pearl Street (his pioneering streetlight project) ever opened, Edison had to bribe New York politicians just to begin laying the foundations of his work. As Time magazine recounts, Edison “obtained with great difficulty the consent of New York’s famously corrupt city government to build his proposed network on the southern tip of Manhattan.” As the early electricity industry grew, it became more involved with city politics over lighting contracts. Electricity providers had to receive franchise rights from city officials in order to serve local areas, opening the door for those officials to extort power companies for campaign contributions or personal bribes. Who says it’s a different story now? I am mentioning this with the national situation in mind.

In going back, some may say that this and all the proposals are just “drawings”, far-fetched. Well, even drawings, and not only stories, have power. If one is not moved by the power of stories and images, one could not be a story-teller (or a witness) of his time, therefore, he cannot transcend from darkness to light….

-------

Photo: Concept News Central

References:

https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/history-electricity/

http://www.energyworldcorp.com/

Musmos pang maituturing ang Kanlurang Mindoro

Anaki’y sanggol pa lang tayong kilik-kilik ni Inang Bayan. Musmos pa ang Occidental Mindoro kung ihahambing sa ibang munisipalidad sa bansa na naitatag noong panahon pa ng Kastila at libong taon na mula nang opisyal na kilalanin. Sanggol pa lang tayo sa aspetong ito.

Noong magsimula hanggang matapos ang Ikalawaang Digmaang Pandaigdig, hindi pa tayo ganap na lalawigan. Sa taong ito, 68 anyos pa lang tayo at wala pa sa century mark, ‘ika nga. Ang taunang pagdiriwang upang gunitain ang ating pagkaka-tatag ay tinatawag na Arawatan Festival. Walo pa lang ang bayan noon sa lalawigan nang ito ay likhain sa pamamagitan ng R.A. No. 505 na isinulong ni Congressman Raul Leuterio noong 1950. Isandaan at apatnapu’t siyam na barangay na ang bumubuo dito sa kasalukuyan.

Wala pa noong Magsaysay, Rizal at Calintaan. Ang mga bayan pa lang noon ay Abra de Ilog, Looc, Lubang, Sta. Cruz, Mamburao, Paluan, San Jose at Sablayan. Batay ang nasabing Batas Republika sa Panukalang Batas Blg. 640 ni Congressman Raul Leuterio.

Bago ito, sa bisa ng Act No.  2964 noong Pebrero 20, 1921, itinalagang isang probinsya ang buong isla ng Mindoro kasama ang Lubang hiwalay sa lalawigan ng Balayan (Borbon) na pinagtibay ng Pamahalaang Espanya noong 1581, hanggang sa opisyal na inihiwalay ito sa dalawang lalawigan noon ngang Hunyo 13, 1950 at dito isinilang ang probinsiya ng Occidental at Oriental Mindoro. Nagkabisa ito noong Nobyembre 15 ng taon ding iyon.

Sampung araw na selebrasyon para sa paggunita ang magaganap ngayong taon. Simula Nobyembre 8 hanggang 18, 2018, hitik sa kabiserang bayan ang mga aktibidad dahil maliban sa ika-68 na taon nga ito ng pagkakatatag ng ating lalawigan, sa Mamburao din gaganapin ang 4^th MIMAROPA Festival na kakatampukan ng search para sa Ginoo at Binibining MIMAROPA 2018, MIMAROPA Tourism Unity Night, MIMAROPA Grand Street Dance, at kung anu-ano pa. Pinagsama, sa madaling sabi, ang Arawatan Festival at MIMAROPA Festival na magtatampok sa kultura, sining at kalakal ng iba pang mga lalawigan sa rehiyon. Magkasunod na masasaksihan ang dalawang higanteng okasyon.

Matapos opisyal na malikha na isang bagong lalawigan, itinalaga bilang una nitong gobernador si Damaso Abeleda ng Paluan noong 1950 at noong 1952 naman ay nahalal bilang kauna-unahang kongresista ng lalawigan si Jesus Abeleda.

Noong Marso 10, 1952, sa makasaysayang unang talumpati ni Congressman Jesus Abeleda, sinabi niya, “… (The) people (of Occidental Mindoro are only) 70,000 few, but determined band of pioneering, hardy and industrious men and women. They are carving homes… in the last frontiers of civilization… they are there to stay, including by degree their foothold upon a territory which is a wilderness today but will be towns and cities of tomorrow.” Ganyan ka-optimistiko ang ating mga naunang lider sa punto de vista ng progreso. Pero sa aspeto ng kamulatan bilang mga mamamayan, pasulong ba tayo o paurong? Na-differentiate na ba natin ang Politics of Patronage sa Politics of Service o hindi pa? Ang Politics of Vision sa Politics of Ambition?

Kung noon ay 70,000 pa lang ang bilang ng mga mamamayan natin, ngayon, ayon sa 2015 census, matapos ang lampas anim na dekada ay umaabot na tayo sa 487,414 katao na may density na 83 inhabitants per square kilometer or 210 inhabitants per square mile. Sa pinaka-bagong datos, ang ating lalawigan ay ang may highest magnitude of poor population sa buong MIMAROPA na may 208,435 katao. Sa buong MIMAROPA, ang Occidental Mindoro ay ang may pinaka-mataas na poverty incidence sa bilang sa 41.2%, kasunod ng Romblon na may 36.6%

Magkagayunman, malayo-layo na rin ang naabot ng lalawigan at hindi natin maipaparangal ang kasalukuyang pagbabago at progreso sa iba’t-ibang larangan (gaano man kabilis o ka-kupad ang mga ito) sa iisang pangkat lamang ng mga lokal na pulitiko. Sa mga pagbabagong ating natatamasa ngayon, mas higit ang papel ng mga ordinaryong mamamayan at pribadong sektor, kaysa sa mga halal na lider. Humantong tayo ngayon sa magpi-pitong dekada ng pag-iral at maliban sa mga panandaliang kasiyahan at palabas, sana ay maalala nating kilalanin ang mga tao na nagsumikap upang marating natin ang kinalalagyan natin ngayon, hindi lamang yaong mga kasalukuyang naka-upo sa pampulitikang poder.

Ang susunod na taon ay taon ng halalan, muli ay lilikha na naman tayo ng kasaysayan, maghahalal ng bagong tao at magbibigay ng bagong mandato sa mga nais umulit (o ng paulit-ulit!). Isang pagkakataong muli ito ng pinaka-marubdob na pagkilos para sa ating paghayon sa kasaysayan tungo sa isang maunlad na dako pa roon. Nagkakaiba-iba man tayo sa maraming importanteng bagay ay alalahanin natin na nagsasalo tayo sa iisang lalawigan, sa iisang pamayanan. Sama-sama nating sinisimsim ang mga biyayang mula sa kanyang kanlungan, hininga at sinapupunan na parang mga sanggol.

Sa diwa ng pagkaka-tatag ng lalawigan, sana ay maunawaan natin na ang serbisyo-publiko kagaya ng pulitika ay entablado ng paglilingkod kaya sa ibabaw ng entabladong ito, matatag tayong manindigan upang hindi tayo mahulog….

-----------

Larawan kuha ni Arlo Macaraeg (+)

Mga Reperensya:

http://pcij.org/stories/stats-on-the-state-of-the-regions-hubs-of-wealth-ponds-of-poverty/

Source: House of Representatives, Congress of the Philippines, Congressional Record, 2nd Congress, 3rd Session (march 10, 1952), pp. 696-698.)

A Need for a Political Research about Occidental Mindoro

Marty Rubin, one of my favorite modern-day aphorists, penned this one-liner: “An echo has no voice of its own.” To put it in the positive light, I think an echo can be likened to a research work that only resonates the voices of the respondents.

When I was still at the Social Action Center (SAC) of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose, I dreamed of reading a sort of a political research work aimed at describing and analyzing the structure and the dynamics of the present-day Occidental Mindoro, say from 1970s to date, which is anchored on the province’s politics of public administration. My search was futile. The people in the academic field are apparently more interested in some other scholastic endeavors than this particular kind of investigation or study.

Talking of researches and echoes, in 1962, there was a student paper published by the University of the Philippine’s (UP) students from Mindoro called “The Mindoro Echoes” where some of its staff members are tasked to conduct researches financed by the university’s Institute of Public Administration. Its editor that time is a student named Edgar Tarriela. The Up research team was led by Dr. Remigio E. Agpalo and started 15^th of April that year. Aside from Tarriela part of the team are Juan Tapales and Artemio Arellano. They, at that time, are all graduates of UP with AB Political Science degrees. Tapales and Arellano then are both working for their master’s degree while Tarriela is pursuing his course in law.

The research mostly consists of field interviews and ocular observations and their interviewees were local elected officials in select towns of Occidental Mindoro.  The tedious tasks made by the OCM-born students paved the way for the publication of Agpalo’s book, which was published a decade later (1972), titled “The Political Elite and the People: A Study of Politics in Occidental Mindoro”. This is the only documented and published research on the subject matter as far as I know. I just do know why.

As far as I know, there are colleges in San Jose which are offering graduate studies in Public Administration. I do not know what prevents the students in researching such a badly needed academic output. I have my own speculations that I do not want to share here.

Why such a research is important? First and foremost, the citizens can be provided with information on our political mindsets as a people living in one community that could very well guide us to our main quest of participatory citizenship, civic duty and public functions.

On the part of the local government officials, it will provide data that could help evaluate and assess the needs and aspirations of their constituents or the people. And, from Agpalo’s own words, “Thus, public officials will be able to formulate and adopt enlightened policies based on adequate and objective information to cope with the province’s problems.” I just do not if these are important to them other than winning each electoral race.

Allow me to reiterate the need for such a research and call on the attention of the competent and independent men and women in the academic field to please initiate it for you are the most qualified, credible and capable to handle such a noble work than this biased, lowly blogger and story-teller.

Or I just sound like an echo talking only to myself…

------

(Photo: researchguides.library.wisc.edu)

Source: Remigio E. Agpalo;“The Political Elite and the People: A Study of Politics in Occidental Mindoro”; 1972; p. 390-390; University of The Philippines’ College, College of Public Administration, Manila.