Mamasapano

I know it isn't the right time to talk about this.

But it's so hard resisting the itch. I'm a Mindanaoan. I have three cousins who are policemen. During college, I have read the books Under The Crescent Moon, In The Presence of My Enemies, and countless essays about the Moro insurgency.

Now, I feel angry, betrayed, hopeless. But the worse feeling is reading the news, gulping, and thinking: "It's happening again. The cycle won't stop. People just keep killing and saying the wrong things."

I'm going to write about this incident in length at some other time. Right now, I have to pause and wait for the results of the investigation.

Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret.

- Laurence J. Peter 

Yearend Review: Service

It's been a long time since I've served or volunteered. I made sure that this year, I went back to service.

I give credit to Bro Rommel, a fellow brother in the community, for pushing me to service. Since I didn't know where to start, he gave me the idea to serve the community first, Ang Lingkod Ng Panginoon (ALNP).

So I began my renewed call to service by doing the little errands. First, Bro Jeff and I scouted the venue during the anniversary. Then, during events, I did the little things like cleaning up, doing the arrangements, and so on. During the Christian Life Series (CLS), I was tasked to be an assistant Discussion Group Lead (DGL). Inevitably, with this assignment, I was assigned as the assistant Action Group Lead (AGL). Then, I gave talks during the Lingkod Weekend and the Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS). Eventually, the year culminated with me being tasked to join the Online Evangelization team of the ALNP-Davao branch. Throughout the year, I also had a privilege to join feeding programs organized by the brothers.

Looking back, when I said yes, God also qualified that yes by giving me a lot of opportunities to serve Him. To be honest, there were times when I felt overwhelmed. But He, time and again, never failed to give me the necessary provisions that I needed to do my work.

To close, during one of our meetings in our Action Group (AG), one brother remarked that most of our service was confined only to the community. In that case, what about the people who need us outside the community?

Back then (and probably even now), I was tempted to ask him if he is serving.  But it was a valid observation nonetheless. My take is that each of us is obviously called to service. Yet, despite the call, we also have to start with the places we are familiar with.

In my case, the ideal starting point was the community and how we can help each other become better Christians. Later on, my level of service and commitment may evolve to such an extent that I have to venture outside to serve. But the fact still remains that, at least, I started serving. At least, this year, I decided to say yes.

Morena

Velia was one of my colleagues when I was working in Manila. She had a bubbly personality, a shiny smile (she had braces back then), and she sported a chocolate complexion due to many activities under the sun. To put the long story short, if I had known she was a rarity back then, she would have been the ultimate crush. 

When I came back to Davao, I began working among fair-skinned women. With the exception of Ma'am Jocelyn and Ma'am Beth, my other lady bosses and colleagues were from affluent families and it showed through their pearly white skin. 

Most of our clients in the bank also sported the same look: gleaming, white complexion from a combination of genetics, facials, glutathione products, and avoidance of the sun. 

Looking back, I began forming a hunch as to why foreigners typically perceive beauty as a woman with dark skin. Aside from the obvious fact that foreigners often perceive dark-skinned women as 'exotic' or at least different from the white Caucasian women they're accustomed to, they also perceive dark-skinned women as inherently healthier than their fair counterparts. 

Call this perception The-sporty-girl bias and the bias simply deduces that a physically active and fit woman is most likely a woman of dark skin. Why? That's most probably because being healthy  in our climate invariably means going outdoors and getting dark. For foreigners, this notion of good health is ultimately tied with their concept of beauty and sexiness. 

Anyways, these are just conjectures and anyone can prove them wrong anytime. But there is also one reason why I think dark women are more beautiful: they're comfortable under their own skin. Most of these women I've known are self-assured and that level of self-esteem is difficult to see nowadays. You'd likely see girls fretting about looking for shade than women happily basking underneath the sun. For dark skinned women, conforming to societal norms on what 'beauty' should be (e.g. pale, flawless skin, no blemish etc.) is no way to live a life. 

For me, that's sexy. 

Huwag Na Si Binay

To whom it may concern:

I belatedly apologize for voting for Jejomar Binay as Vice President last 2010.

It was a grievous error on my part and something that I have to carry to my grave. I ask that you forgive me for my ineptitude and ignorance inasmuch as I have already forgiven myself.

Rest assured, to atone for my wrongdoing, I hereby consider it my duty to ensure that the Filipino people be not misled into voting for Jejomar Binay or his kin should the former or even the latter run for the presidency or any other high-ranking government office come 2016. 

I further pledge that I shall, with all my heart, will, and soul, prevent the travesty of voting a Binay to the presidency from ever occurring. 

So help me God.

Anita Sarkeesian, Laci Green, Jim Paredes, and Death Threats

The first time I came across Anita Sarkeesian was on one of her earlier viral Youtube videos where she criticized the costumes worn by female characters in video games. Today, she's one of the recognizable feminists in the gaming industry.

Laci Green is a Youtuber who was the first to stand up in alarm and rightly accuse Sam Pepper of sexual harassment in the latter's videos. She's also known for her work as a sex educator and is also a well-known feminist.

Jim Paredes is a Filipino musician especially known for being a part of the musical group, APO Hiking Society. He's also a political activist who has not yet flinched from sharing his personal views on some key issues in our government.

What's common among the three is the fact that each had her or his share of death threats. All three were subjected to the inconvenience of reading one too many crazy internet trolls prophesying their impending deaths.

This is symptomatic of the internet right now where death threats are thrown with increasing impunity with no regard for the psychological burden borne by the recipients. It's also a clear sign that, over time, websites should take on the cudgels of policing its users' ranks to weed out those who inflict emotional harm to fellow users.

For me, I don't mind seeing these trolls who throw death threats get banned from their favorite websites. I don't mind internet companies modify their policies to better guard their respective communities from abuse.

Just to be clear, many will see this as an act curtailing the freedom of expression. But, with the way some people are acting now, this is inevitable and admittedly necessary. 

Yaybahar

Have you heard of the Yaybahar?

What?

No?

How dare you!

Go listen for yourself and get a glimpse of heaven.

Click here.

Never Again

This is saddening. 

With a generation like this, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that another Marcos can stay again in Malacanang.

To the younger generation: Please. Never again. Utang na loob. Study your history.

Human Personhood and Abortion (Part 2)

In a previous post, I shared an article by Peter Kreeft, a Philosophy professor, who debunked the position held by pro-choice advocates by demonstrating that their arguments are not logically sound.

In another article, Nina Martin writes about Justice Tom Parker and how he's subverting the precedent established by the Roe vs. Wade case, which legalized abortion in the U.S. How he is doing it is based on a simple assumption: that, in order to illegalize abortion, the fetus must be considered a person in the eyes of the law.

In the Philippines, abortion is already illegal. The 1987 constitution protects both the life of the mother and the unborn from conception. The Revised Penal Code of the Philippines (RPC) provides criminal penalties against women who undergo abortion and those who assist in such procedures.

In our country, most people recognize that unborn fetuses are indeed persons, as contemplated by law, and are to be accorded rights, including the right to life.

In the U.S., this assumption is still taking root several decades after the Roe vs. Wade case. What judge Tom Parker is doing is laying out the foundation, the jurisprudence necessary to overturn the current precedent. He is doing so by establishing in his opinions that fetuses already enjoy fetal rights, rights which show that existing statutes recognize fetuses as persons. From there, it can already be argued that fetuses also have a right to life or have the right to seek legal protection against abortion. 

As to whether Justice Tom Parker is successful in pushing this position if and when the right case comes along, we'll have to wait and see.

Here's the article: This Alabama Judge Has Figured Out How to Dismantle Roe v. Wade

Pusod

Puso!

That was the rally cry of Filipinos supporting Gilas Pilipinas, the basketball team representing the country in  the FIBA world cup a couple of weeks back.

I wasn't a fan of the team, knowing full well that tournaments like these don't favor underdogs. It wasn't about being an un-patriotic citizen but more of being the casual observer who simply knows upsets in favor of Gilas Pilipinas are unlikely. 

Still, I have to commend the grit and determination of those who competed. But it doesn't change the fact that the team was woefully equipped, financially and genetically, against the juggernauts of the basketball world. 

I remember the lamentation of my PE teacher, a soccer coach, way back in college. He shakes his head whenever he mentions the nation's love affair with basketball and insists that it is soccer which offers the best chance to win gold medals. He backs this up by saying that soccer is a game which nullifies the advantage of height and favors petite players who can perform intricate footwork (think about Lionel Messi, for instance).

Anyways, arguments like these are rehashed. A lot of experts have already argued about prioritizing other sports (e.g. dragonboat racing, boxing etc.) where our Filipino athletes have a better chance of winning. But these sports don't seem to capture the nation's passion as much as basketball.

As to why this is, that's a question that demands a lot less heart and a lot more navel-gazing.

We Need Songwriters

I've already mentioned this sentiment to several people: this country needs songwriters. 

Nowadays, many people are clamoring to be the next big singer: the one who's going to belt out those high notes on live television. Everybody wants the glamour associated with being the sole singer on stage.

But there are only few good Filipino songs around in contrast to the hundreds of English songs that many of our artists sing nowadays. So the tendency for most Pinoy pop artists is simply to adopt a UK/US/Swedish English song, put a little twist, and present it as, ironically, an "original rendition".

It's sad because there are a lot of things in our culture that demands to be written and sung. 

This phenomenon, our tendency to sing foreign songs, only lends credence to what an artist, Freddie Aguilar, said several years back. Although politically incorrect, his remarks then speak to a truth which our artists should take to heart:

"Hindi ako nagsasabi ng monkeys, ang sabi ko kaya tayo binabansagang mga Pilipinong unggoy dahil manggagaya tayo. Ako, magtatanong sa lahat ng mga singers na mga Pilipino, bakit puro mga banyaga ang kinakanta ninyo? 'Yan ang tanong ko, hindi yung tinatanong n'yo kung bakit ko kayo tinatawag na unggoy, kayo ang nagpatawag na unggoy, dahil gaya-gaya kayo."

- Pep.ph

Happy Parent's Day

A birthday is a weird thing: it's meant to be special but, at the same time, can be very generic.

Cliches abound. The birthday cake. The birthday gifts. The dinner with family or friends. The pampering that goes with the day like a massage session, a trip out of town, or a stay-at-home leave free from work and stress. The many greetings that are superficial and the few which are heartwarmingly sincere.

All these are modes to celebrate. But it begs the question: what are we celebrating exactly? Are we celebrating the fact of having lived another year, an accomplishment that only 98% of the world's population can say they've achieved or will achieve in 2014? Are we celebrating the presumed growth and maturity that comes with aging? Are we celebrating it to remind people that we are God's gift to the world?

First, let's think about the most popular birthday: Christmas. Rightfully, we celebrate it because it marks the arrival of Jesus Christ. It marks that historic moment when God dismembered Himself, became powerless and vulnerable, and transformed into a crying baby. 

But this is not the only reason we celebrate Christmas. That's because, in the days leading to December 25, we also commemorate and celebrate the story behind Christmas. The readings point to the family history of the Savior, the shepherds in the field, the wise men (this reading is after December 25 though, if I'm not mistaken), and even the barn animals who are witnesses to a medical miracle: the first and perhaps only human baby who is a product of parthenogenesis and a virgin who gave birth without a midwife or a doctor in sight (and in a completely unsanitary setting if you don't know that yet). 

More importantly, we remember Mary who, with a meek yes, became the Mother of God. We remember also Joseph who got wind of God's plan only in a dream and, even so, still chose to believe it.

In short, when we celebrate Christmas, we actually celebrate both the birth and the story. 

This is important because when we apply this insight to our own birthdays, we become aware that our celebrations are incomplete: we don't usually remember the story behind our births let alone celebrate it.

But when we begin to give a second thought to the story, something opens up. In my case, I begin imagining a young woman who was probably cursing at the universe while she was pushing me out of her womb (This boggles me: after millions of years of evolution, why is childbirth still painful?). I also imagine a man almost my age right now, thinking to himself, "How am I supposed to raise two kids with my (choose adjective) salary?!" Finally, I imagine a young couple who got stupid, fell in love, and created me.

The story matters and it's important that we celebrate and remember it for two reasons.

First, because by doing so, we break down the edifice of narcissism and self-worship characteristic of this hyper-commercialized event. 

And second, when we do so, we start realizing that our birthdays are not really about us. Birthdays are ultimately about our parents: about the mother who gave birth and the father who held her hand afterwards.

In sum, a birthday is never just a celebration of life; it's a celebration of the people who made that life possible in the first place.

So to the two persons responsible for my birth: Happy Parent's Day.

The Reinvention Of Senator Miriam Santiago

Recently, Senator Miriam Santiago announced that she has cancer.

Based on the comments in the news articles about her condition, many are sympathetic at her plight. Many are expressing their support, fully siding with the feisty senator's fight against cancer.

Though the reaction is understandable, still, this is surprising considering how polarizing the senator is in recent years. She has butted heads with several key people in the administration, including her beleaguered colleagues in the Senate who have a lot of masa supporters in tow.

Still, Miriam Santiago has come out as the darling of the crowd and this is a testament to her PR guys who've made her, should I say, "likeable" despite the odds.

One thing that has endeared her to the masses, especially the youth, is her newly found sense of humor evidenced by her extensive use of pick-up lines in her speeches. These comedic stunts have served to both project an image of an approachable and fun senator and to belittle and berate her enemies at the same time.

Another is her obvious aura of high-brow intelligence and wisdom. This is perhaps the most important reason why many are rallying behind her, not because she has the brains but because, in a Senate humiliatingly low in IQ and intellectual discourse, she is a rarity and a fragile link to the Senate of old dominated by Recto, Salonga, and other heavyweights.

Despite what the senator is going through right now, rest assured she has won over more people than she ever had in the past decade. Playing the role of the underdog this time around only serves to boost her popularity and mythical status. 

Davao City's Speed Limit Ordinances

Through Executive Order No. 30, Davao City passed its strictest speed limit ordinance yet. The ordinance was a reaction to a series of motor vehicle accidents purportedly brought about by drivers driving too fast.

It's fair to assume that many residents grumbled at the limits. Most argued that the speeds set didn't optimize cars' performances but instead seriously affected cars' engines. But most citizens readily understood that the limits were necessary for everyone's safety.

This leads us to the fun part. The ordinance does, in fact, suffer from a serious flaw which makes it revocable at any given moment. It only takes one motivated person to file a petition to the Supreme Court to have the ordinance declared void.

This particular case is our precedent. In Primicias vs. The Municipality of Urdaneta (G.R. No. L-26702), the ordinance regulating the municipality's speed limits for vehicles was rendered invalid for contravening the provisions of a relevant statute, R.A. 4136 at that time. R.A. 4136 also regulated the speed limits of vehicles on all roads in the country. 

Thus, when there's a conflict between an ordinance and a statute, the provisions of the statute must prevail.

Unfortunately (lest you celebrate prematurely), the ordinance is more or less a copy of the statute. Any conflict that may arise comes from the minute details such as whether this specific road is subject to this speed limit and so on. 

So what we have here is an ordinance that merely reiterates the speed limits as set by Congress. This in turn makes everything I wrote about revoking the ordinance moot and inconsequential. But still, if ever the statute does get amended, at least you know there's going to be a way to scrap this ordinance.

Have a nice week everyone.

Camera Cafe

I almost forgot about this show.

Camera Cafe was one of the delights that the young TV station, QTV, had then. It was actually a spin-off of the French-made TV comedy series of the same name:

Caméra Café is a French-born concept of comedy television series exported around the world. A movie spin-off has been made in France under the title of Espace détente. It was originally a French television show created by Bruno Solo, Yvan Le Bolloc'h, and Alain Kappauf and it was broadcast from September 2001 to December 2003 on the M6 channel...

The show revolves around a dysfunctional office. Its originality stems from the fact that, within the fiction, the camera is fixed into the automated coffee machine of the office space.

-Wikipedia

The show featured quite a cast of comedians and the scripts, though possibly borrowed from its French counterpart, still featured situations that were unique jabs at Filipino culture. Unfortunately, I only caught a glimpse of its episodes every now and then. 

Fortunately, there's Youtube.

Tunay Na Lalake

Hay! Men! Ang blog ng mga tunay na lalake.

Clinton was the first one to share this site to me. That was way back 2008. The site's content was a satirical take on the sex-drenched, asshole-like, and slightly misogynist tendencies of Filipino men who oftentimes devolve to becoming jerks flouting societal norms in today's community. 

It was funny back then. And guess what? It still is.

During our summer outing, Sir Ivan and his wife, Ma'am Celeste, mentioned this site and we snickered while recalling some parts of the site's manifesto for "real" Pinoy men. Here it is in full.

Manifesto ng Tunay na Lalake

1.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY DI NATUTULOG.
2.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY DI NAGTE-TEXT-BACK, MALIBAN NA LANG KUNG PAPASAHAN NG LOAD. GAYUNPAMAN, LAGING MALABO ANG KANYANG MGA SAGOT.
3.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY LAGING MAY EXTRA RICE.
4.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY HINDI VEGETARIAN.
5.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY WALANG ABS.
6.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY HINDI SUMASAYAW.
7.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY UMAAMIN NG PAGKAKAMALI SA KAPWA TUNAY NA LALAKE.
8.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY LAGING MAY TAE SA BRIEF.
9.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY DI NAGHUHUGAS NG PINAGKAINAN O NAGLILIGPIT NG KANYANG MGA GAMIT DAHIL MAY BABAENG GAGAWA NOON PARA SA KANYA. MAS LALONG NAGIGING TUNAY ANG PAGKALALAKE KUNG DI NIYA KILALA O DI NIYA MAALALA ANG PANGALAN NG BABAE.
10.) ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE AY DI NAGSISIMBA.

Here's the link to the site.

Napolist

So this was probably the plan all along.

Again, I know I'm late but the enduring saga of Napoles and her list is getting murkier on purpose. My take is that both the release of several lists and the inclusion of a barangay's worth of names are meant to diminish the credibility of Benhur Luy and other witnesses.

The use of these means are quite ingenious. First, the release of several lists, with their jarring inconsistencies, make the "official" list less damning (whatever the "official" list is at this moment). Of course, the names on the list are simply that: names. The prosecution still has to present the evidence to implicate those names which are in the list. But this tactic forces the general public to take a step back and to be, at best, wary or, at least, be suspicious of the lists ("Totoo ba talaga yan, kuya?"). 

Second, the inclusion of individuals whose credibility is unassailable according to their respective colleagues is equally brilliant as well. Some people, especially in the media, are bound to stand up and acquit some names. This puts another cloud of doubt on the list and, in extension, the witnesses that will be testifying about it in court.

For the defendants, polluting the entire lake was the best plan and it's worked quite well. 

God help the Philippines then.

Tagum Death Squad

Where are the investigative journalists? Where is the police? Where is the outcry at such impunity?

It took a foreign organization, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), to uncover what we suspect: the existence of a vigilante group, Tagum Death Squad.

Not only that, in their investigation and subsequent report, they've uncovered the following too:

1.) That members of the Tagum Death Squad were under the payroll of the local government

2.) That the group was directly under the supervision of the previous mayor, Rey Uy.

3.) That the group was operating with the tacit consent of the local police.

The question now is: who is brave enough to bring those responsible to justice?

Read the full PCIJ article here.

So What's News?

I've been following this website for sometime now. It's part of my daily feed.

The site is an aggregation of satirical pieces presented as "news" in the line of its US counterpart, The Onion.

Though most pieces sport jokes that are crude and obvious (probably to dissuade the more stupid among us that what the authors are saying are merely fiction), there are also gems which leave me impressed; I mean, if I hadn't known it came from this site, I'd never know that article isn't true. Some works are that clever.

I've had a lot of fun reading the "news" articles. But the hobby had also got me thinking how inextricably infantile our political system is. Reading these fictionalized essays ironically hammers home the reality that our government is hopelessly inutile (and I don't even consider myself a pessimist).

Here's the link to the site, So What's News?

As usual, enjoy, laugh, and weep for our mother country.

Blackouts

The main difference between a brownout and a blackout is the amount of voltage being supplied to an area. Brownout means that the amount of voltage being supplied is lesser than normal while blackout means no voltage is being supplied or it's a complete power outage.

- Ask.com

Okay. Now that we know the difference, it's time to rant. Davao City is currently experiencing its worse blackout season ever. Because of a shortage in available electricity, Davao Light, the power distribution company, has put in place a schedule of power interruptions, causing rotating blackouts with durations of at least 2-4 hours. 

It's unprecedented and, soon, those durations are going to get longer. It's a classic case of government sitting on its ass and not investing time forecasting demand or planning for future higher power requirements.

Some columnists have already pointed out that the highly anticipated Mindanao Power Summit, attended by no less than the President last 2012, was a joke. Two years since then, blackouts are still common nuisances. The power plants being built now should have been built a decade ago but nobody, I guess, thought that was a sensible thing to do before.

So here we are, left wringing our hands at the incompetency of those who are presiding over this mess.

Here's a link to a previous related post.

Postscript: 

Papa had shared to us about a certain friend working in government before who was tasked to submit a proposal mapping out the energy plan for Mindanao. That task was way back during the Ramos presidency. Unfortunately, the submitted proposal was in limbo during the Erap presidency and went unnoticed during the Arroyo presidency (because the president then was busy fighting for her political life). 

In sum, there was action and it was unfair to me to generalize initially. However, the fact remains that though there was action, it wasn't followed through. 

Two decades could have been enough to craft an action plan centering on the promotion of renewable sources of energy for Mindanao. Now, because of lack of time, government is busy promoting coal plants as the best solution to the energy crisis while the rest of the world is weaning away from coal energy. Pretty pathetic, right? 

BIR Versus Doctors

I know I'm really late but I'm writing this anyway. 

Today, the BIR's shame campaign to compel doctors to pay the right taxes may have run its course. 

Several weeks back, columnists have already castigated the BIR for what they think are hugely unjustified attacks against medical professionals. Doctors have also weighed in, condemning the campaign as putting every doctor under a bad light.

But, first, I'll share a story.