Shobi And Wiggles

 

Here are pictures of the family’s two dogs. Both females, the big, black one (yes, she's big) is Shobi and the small, hairy one is Wiggles. Both remind me of one 9gag post which says that all pets suffer from Stockholm syndrome. I cannot argue about that; these dogs have been locked up in the house for so long and yet they haven’t gotten around to biting us out of vengeance.

Of Political Dynasties

The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law. (Section 26, Article II, The Philippine 1987 Constitution)

Senator Enrile should have known better. But I wasn't expecting him to say anything differently, given his reputation as a trapo (traditional politician). When quizzed some more about his son's bid for the senate, he had this to say: "As I told you, I do not decide the fate of my son. It’s going to be decided by the people but it’s my duty as his father to believe in him, and go out and campaign for him".

He is, after all, a politician. 

In contrast, a statesman would have none of this (excuse me for the word) "bullshit".

Ramon "Jun" Magsaysay, son of Ramon Magsaysay, also had this to say about his father in an article featuring the book launch of the late president's new biography:

IF president Ramon Magsaysay Sr., is alive today, he would be pushing anti-political dynasty bill that is pending in Congress, according to his son, former senator Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay.

Magsaysay said that his father never encouraged the establishment of political dynasties during his seven years in public office.

“He was a two term congressman, secretary of the Defense Department and president of the Philippines, and during his seven years in public service none of his relatives dared to run for public office,” the former senator said during the launch of a book about the Philippines' most loved president on Wednesday.

Magsaysay said that his father ordered all his relatives and even the kin of his wife Luz not to seek public office.

“He was a very tough leader, very dogmatic against nepotism, against dynasty. That is the kind of leader he was,” he added.

Magsaysay shares his father’s position against political dynasties.

“It is not democratic, it distorts the inclusiveness of our democracy, so personally I think the late president would have wanted that nepotism is not granted and dynasty is not encouraged,” he said.

In fact, according to the columnist Jose Sison in his piece, one of the late president's first moves was to issue an executive order effectively banning his family from taking government posts:

Hence, this issue of political dynasty is really more of a moral than a legal issue as Senator Ramon B. Magsaysay Jr. recently pointed out. It can only be solved or answered by reforming “the moral values of the family,” the clannish culture prevalent in most Filipino families. Indeed even without any law prohibiting political dynasty, the practice can be eliminated by our political leaders and heads of political families themselves if they set the example.

And such example has already been previously set by Senator Magsaysay Jr.’s late father, President Ramon Magsaysay Sr. (RM), whose first move upon assumption into office in 1955 was to issue an Executive Order prohibiting the appointment of relatives to any government post. Apparently the prohibition had also been considered by his relatives as a restraint on them to run for any elective office during his term. Thus no relative of RM occupied any government position during his short tenure that was aborted by a plane crash in 1957. Even RM Jr., who had no political inclination at all, became a Senator only in 2001, obviously because people already missed RM and his kind of good governance.

I am against political dynasties. Our Constitution even prohibits it vehemently. But still, we cannot assert this political principle if we continue electing politicians who embrace dynasties like long-lost sons.

Gay

(Inside the office pantry)
Ma'am Alav: "Bayot ka Pao (Pao, are you gay)?"
Me: "Unfortunately, no."

It still humbles and amazes me how my perception of homosexuals has morphed over the years. I can still remember my FYCF (First Year Christian Formation) class in college when I perceived homosexuality as a deficiency in self-esteem and vigorously argued this point against my classmate, Pamela Bitang.

My argument then was that gay people were ironically unhappy about their bodies and must learn to accept their sex and the gender requirements attached to it. In hindsight, it was a classic mistake of mine, equating homosexuality with transsexualism but back then, nobody ever rebutted me about this.

Then I entered the Cheer Dance competition. Almost all of the male dancers were gay guys. Perhaps, that was the threshold that changed my opinion on homosexuality. I practiced almost every night with people I presumed to be "unhappy" and, in turn, was surprised to find out they weren't.

After my college years, I worked in Manila for a year and a month while living with, viola!, two gay guys. By then, I had already accepted homosexuality as it is, a peculiar but valid sexual orientation.

Now, I can hear my sister sometimes exclaiming out loud, "Ngano naa may mga bayot uy (Why are there gay people)?", in a frustrated, intolerant tone reminiscent of my earlier voice against "gay-ness".

My response? Well, I just smile and let her vent out. She'll learn eventually. Just as I have learned my lesson over the years.  

Thesis Library

Wouldn't it be nice if we had an online compilation of all the theses and dissertations across all universities in the Philippines? This would make all the research effort in the Philippines accessible to all.

The problem nowadays is that you have all these universities and their respective libraries. The university library, however, limits access to only those bona fide students of the university and its alumni association. As such, you only have a disparate conglomeration of isolated silos of information.

Undergraduate and post-graduate students would be the first to tell you that this situation is frustrating. Imagine trying to research on your references and related literature only to be stymied by a lack of access to the works of other people from other universities. Or second-guessing oneself, never knowing if yours is an original research or one has already done it a long time ago.

Creating an online database eliminates these barriers. But then again, we ask: are our universities capable enough to imagine this dream into reality? 

Morning Prayer

This is I usually pray during the morning. I'm sharing this because my future self might forget how it was for me when I was 25 and might be curious to know why. 

I usually start when I am already walking the length of Bonifacio Street to Quimpo Boulevard to catch a jeep. I'm a person of habits so my morning prayer always starts with this:

Morning Offering

Oh Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer you all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings (with the emphasis) of this day in union with the holy sacrifice of the mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, for the salvation of souls (more specifically mine), reparations for our sins (again, mine), the reunion of all Christians (ahhh... ecumenism. But, honestly, I prefer we don't join under one umbrella. The differences in Christian doctrines across denominations make for a more interesting search for the Truth). I offer them for all the intentions of our bishops, and all the apostles of prayer (Their intentions only? Why not include the rest of the Church?), and in particular, for the intentions of our Holy Father the Pope (Whatever those are. An end to the scandals perhaps) for this month of...(Here's the clincher. This is the part where I get to find out if I'm really paying attention to what I'm doing or not because if I'm just simply parroting the prayer in my mind, I would stop and think what month it was). 

The Lord's Prayer

Our father, who art in heaven (I prefer "who is everywhere". Makes it more personal), holy is your name ("be" sounds like you're wishfully thinking His name is holy as compared to "is" where you're confirming a fact). Your kingdom come. Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread (or money) and forgive us our sins as we try (forgiving is hard, you know) to forgive those who sinned against us (and are better off in hell). Do not bring us to the test (please don't) but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is always with you. Blessed are you among all mankind (because "women" is too exclusive) and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God (Amazing. This phrase "mother of God" transcends all the other adulations, most of them nonsensical, people heave to Mary), pray for us sinners now and at the moment of our death. Amen.

Glory

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning and now and ever shall be world without end. Amen

After which, I proceed to my more personal and intimate petitions which, of course, I cannot share here.