International Women’s
Day: Their Day or Ours?
By ADOR LEANDA HURTADO, WARAYA/FPOP, UNFPA YAP/Y-Peer
Pilipinas
March
8, 2010
Almost all significant
elements in our society are commemorated. Numerous celebrations are
being recognized annually to honor women, mothers, fathers, teachers,
youth, the earth, animals, the environment, and the list goes on. Even
shortening the event to hours or extending it to weeks, months or even
whole year round. But what is so significant about these “day”
celebrations or commemorative schedules when most people are not aware
of it and some doesn’t even care.
Well, I do; and some
do.
The United Nations in
1977, two years after the International Women's Year celebration,
adopted a resolution during the General Assembly proclaiming a United
Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace as it has been
first observed on March 8 of 1975. Since then, the 8th of March has
been known as the International Women’s Day.
So why dedicate a day
exclusively to the celebration of the world's women? In adopting its
resolution on the observance of Women's Day, the General Assembly
cited two reasons. One was to recognize the fact that securing peace
and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and
development of women. Second was to acknowledge the contribution of
women to the strengthening of international peace and security.
For the women of the
world, the Day's symbolism has a bigger meaning. Apart from the sole
recognition, it is an occasion to review how far they have come in
their struggle for equality, peace and development. And an opportunity
as well to unite, network and mobilize for a meaningful change.
This year’s theme for
the International Women’s Day is “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities:
Progress for All”. As shared by United Nations Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon, “Gender equality and women’s empowerment are fundamental to
the global mission of the United Nations to achieve equal rights and
dignity for all... But equality for women and girls is also an
economic and social imperative. Until women and girls are liberated
from poverty and injustice, all our goals – peace, security,
sustainable development – stand in jeopardy."
Indeed, women are
facing developmental and societal issues in parts of the world.
Mothers, young ladies, girls, and women are struggling for equality
and equity over opportunities and meaning that hinders their
development as well as ours. Until we do not respect their identity,
their roles, and their significance in our society and in our lives,
we have not fully attained the true meaning of progress and
development. Be it in our communities or in our society, in our
employment or in our families, we must treat them with respect and
with dignity much as we do with ourselves.
As a youth advocate
and a person of respect, I am one with the many who acknowledges this
day not just as the International Women’s Day but a day for change!
Equal rights, Equal Opportunities so as to achieve progress for all!
So, is it their day or
ours?
“A woman without love
wilts like a flower without sun.”
Le
fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, 2001
Statement of Senator Pia S. Cayetano
Issue: Awarding of
Bronze Cross Medal to Col. Aurelio Baladad of the Army’s 202nd
brigade, and Lt. Col. Jaime Abawag, Commander, 16th Infantry
Battalion, who led the illegal arrest and detention of 43 health
workers attending a seminar in Morong, Rizal
February 23, 2010
“There’s something
seriously wrong when a government institution commends its personnel
for committing an illegal act, in this case, the two military officers
who led the illegal arrest and detention of the Morong 43. I’m
appalled at how the military keeps announcing mere membership or
affiliation with the NPA constitutes a crime.
Let me remind them the
Anti-Subversion Law has long been repealed. Membership in a Leftist
organization in itself is not a crime. But what is punished is the act
of rebellion or overthrowing government thru violent means, and other
acts defined in the Revised Penal Code. Doesn’t the Department of
National Defense (DND) leadership realize it’s the
AFP which commits a crime in wantonly tagging as criminals
activists and NPA suspects?
The illegal
arrest can’t be treated as a purely military action because it
involves a Constitutional issue and there was no gunfight or military
encounter involved. Sec. Norberto Gonzales must invoke supremacy of
civilian laws over military affairs. He should subject the two erring
officers (Col. Aurelio Baladad and Lt. Col. Jaime Abawag) to a human
rights refreshment course instead.”
How to deal with the
energy crisis and drought in the Philippines!
By DANIEL ESCUREL OCCENO
February
21, 2010
It will not help the
immediate problem, but to prevent future power shortages: We can use
CANDLE WAX BOILERS to replace burning diesel or buying coal or
starting nuclear power plants.
We can do steam energy
using the candle wax boiler. The price of diesel would drop.
As hydroelectric
plants’ reservoirs decrease to critical levels in
Mindanao, we are told by worldwide agencies dealing with Climate
Change we will have future flooding from rising coastlines.
Drought from tropical
radiation one season is followed by possible flooding weeks later,
another year in paradise.
Drought is expected and so is flooding
Consuming the water
with steam energy using rainfall collected by rooftops of buildings
and Pacific Ocean water during overflow of high tide to stockpile in
water tankers would lessen the chances of flooding. The idea of
stockpiling water in tankers would prevent water shortages and crop
damage from lack of water.
When I saw PETRON
Corporation’s tankers of stockpiled gasoline to supply the country, I
imagined the tankers filled with rainwater to prevent millions of
dollars of crop damage from drought and no more power blackouts
because a dam was low on water, candle wax boilers.
The semi trucks
delivering diesel to gas stations could have stockpiled rainwater
being delivered to areas stricken by drought. Wake me up when it
happens. I am tired of reading about disasters that have solutions and
nothing is done.
Ocean water purified
by layers and layers of ceramic pebble beds might prove to be a better
way to provide drinking water than WASTE WATER Recycling Treatment
Plants with all the urine, solid waste, detergents, cleansers, illegal
drugs, harsh chemicals, toilet paper, smoked cigarettes, and
everything else dumped into a toilet seat to recycle the water to be
acceptable drinking water with a wastewater treatment plant and
chemical additives so the water will be good enough to drink.
Soy
wax candles are safe for the environment
An experiment you can
do to witness an energy source we have for the future, but please be
careful and have adult supervision. Take an empty steel can like a
cylindrical can of sardines or canned corn and melt candles inside or
one-fourth filled with wax.
Then drop drops of
kerosene and drop a lit burning crumpled into a ball of paper inside
to ignite the wax to liquid. See how long the fire last and how hot it
gets, but be careful because the steel can will get hot so make sure
the bottom was placed in a safe location.
You can extinguish the
fire by placing a cover on top to choke the fire that can be used to
boil collected rainwater for controlled and safer steam energy for
unlimited electricity in the future.
Magnify the candle wax
boiler to produce the same energy of a nuclear power plant, but candle
wax has no nuclear waste. We might need to grow more soy beans and
sugar cane nationally. But I know how to irrigate the crops all year
even during drought seasons.
Low population causes
recession?
By Fr. ROY CIMAGALA
February 12, 2010
THAT was the drift of
an article I read recently. The president of the Institute for the
Works of Religion, aka Vatican Bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, claimed
that bankers are not the cause of the current global economic crisis,
but rather the low birth rate obtaining in many countries these days.
“The true cause of the
crisis is the decline in the birth rate,” he said. The cause is
ordinary people who do not “believe in the future,” and have few or no
children. The bankers and other economic players are only agents and
tools of an ailing social structure that needs to be transformed.
The Vatican economist
said that since people are not anymore interested in having children,
we are creating a negative economic context that can only lead to
recession.
He noted that in
Western developed countries, the birth rate has fallen to 0%, i.e., 2
children or less per family. This can only mean impending disaster to
said countries.
I personally feel
there is at least a correlation between low birth rate and recession.
I won’t go so far as to affirm a cause-and-effect link, since there
are just so many factors affecting the dynamics to isolate low birth
rate as the cause of recession.
But I also believe
that low birth rate is a significant factor, if not the defining one.
We in the end are the ultimate resource responsible for our economic
growth. Of course, it’s not just numbers that matter, but also the
quality. Just the same, all things considered equal, the more we are
the better we are going to be.
We just have to make
the necessary investment, the necessary sacrifice, trying to make it
effective and productive, so that we can put everyone in his best
condition to be assets not liabilities to our economic development, as
well as in the other aspects of our growth. Education and continuing
formation should be a prime concern.
My exposure to
different families leads me to conclude that the bigger family more
than the smaller one is better able to fend off all sorts of
difficulties and to tackle all sorts of challenges.
Of course, this is
easier said than done. In real time, the dynamics can be so
complicated to dare to simplify it with some theoretical guidelines.
For sure, there are moments, when a smaller family would have the
advantage over the bigger one.
But we can’t stop
there. There are short-term and long-term considerations to be made,
and a proper blending and scheduling of these aspects is important. In
any event, some amount of sacrifice is unavoidable, and we should be
ready for it.
To me this question of
the relationship between population level and our economic status
should not be framed only within purely economic and financial terms.
That would impoverish the analysis of the issue.
We always have to
consider the moral and spiritual dimension, since we are not only
economic entities, but firstly and lastly, moral and spiritual
persons. Much of the economic crisis we are suffering can be traced to
moral and spiritual causes – vices, laziness, greed, lack of care for
the others, and worse, lack of faith and charity.
There are now many
studies that reinforce the thesis that in the end the main cause of
our current global crisis is precisely our crisis in the spiritual and
moral life. We are spending more than we earn. There’s a lot of
imprudence in our spending behavior, focusing more on instant comfort
and pleasure than on productive investments, on self-seeking than on
solidarity.
What happened in the
States regarding the sub-prime crisis, what is happening in Dubai and
in Greece now, are all indicative of a lifestyle that is more wasteful
than productive. Perhaps, we can say they are getting what they
deserve, a comeuppance they have been building up themselves.
It’s a lifestyle that
is afraid of the authentic responsibilities and sacrifices in life. It
tends to create a fictional world, its own version of the land of milk
and honey. It luxuriates in consumerism and all forms of hedonism and
intemperance. It is allergic to having children, to caring and
bringing children up to maturity. They even kill babies.
It is this sick
mindset that needs to be broken and replaced with a healthy one. Now,
do we like to get into that anti-life culture? Let’s be very careful
with things like the RH bill. Let’s elect leaders who are truly
competent, with integrity and pro-life, pro-God, pro-country.
The bigger picture of
sexuality
By Fr. ROY CIMAGALA
February
5, 2010
OUR main problem with
respect to our understanding and attitude toward human sexuality is
that this has been reduced to a purely biological and human aspect of
hormones, passions, urges, instincts, sensual stimuli and genital
activity, and a naturalistic sense of decency and nothing more.
This is giving it an
incomplete, inadequate if not distorted and dangerous treatment. We
need to bring it to the terra firma of its true nature and character,
its authentic beginning, purpose and end, away from the swamps and
marshes of the sensually, if not genitally, dominated aspect.
Sexuality is reduced
to sex. Worse, sex is made the climax and end-all of our sexuality.
All other considerations are made secondary, and even ignored,
ridiculed and finally rejected. Thus, there is that growing, headlong
drift toward an erotic and pornographic culture, at first hidden and
later open.
Because of this
phenomenon, sexuality is not anymore inspired by reason, let alone, by
faith and love. Instead the savagery of the passions and urges is
given free rein, with the matching fruits of all kinds of anomalies
and perversions.
Many people are
abandoning even the basic natural idea of masculinity and femininity.
That our sexuality is first of all a gift from God, meant to enable
men and women to complement each other not only for human development
but ultimately for the final communion among ourselves and with God,
is forgotten.
Our sexuality is a
necessary condition of our humanity. Since we are not pure spirits,
since we are what may be called as body-persons, our nature has been
endowed with sexuality for a variety of reasons and purposes.
Among them would be
the obvious differences between the masculine and feminine qualities
in their varying degrees and levels that are meant to enrich
everyone’s development and growth to maturity in the human and
Christian sense, in the material and spiritual sense, etc.
For example, one can
see the differences between masculinity and femininity in the way a
room is cleaned, the food is cooked, the car is driven, clothes are
worn, etc. And yet, in all these differences everyone can always
derive something for his own good.
Truth is we all need
both toughness and gentleness, action and contemplation, farm and
home, etc., and these are contributed in different ways by the
masculinity and femininity of our sexuality.
Of course, given our
subjectivity, we can also get wrong in our understanding of our
sexuality and misuse or abuse it, with the corresponding evil effects.
That’s why we have to be vigilant and help one another live our
sexuality properly.
One time in a family
reunion, a sister of mine, in her 50s, said that she found it odd that
when she visited a place frequented by call center agents, she found
the girls quite dressed up like “kikays” while their male companions
were kind of rugged, unkempt with beard and all, and she could not
figure out how they could be together and even quite cozy with each
other.
I kept my thoughts to
myself, but in my mind, with what I’ve read, seen and heard, what
sprang was the suspicion that these youngsters are playing a game very
different from what youngsters of our generation played. I just told
my sister to pray.
Among the big
challenges in this area is the spreading of the bigger, if not the
full picture of sexuality to everyone. It’s a delicate topic, I know,
but it simply cannot be marginalized, especially given its character
of immediacy, vulnerability and obstinacy.
This has to be handled
with utmost care, relying first of all on spiritual and supernatural
means of prayer, sacrifice, penance, sacraments, devotions, etc.,
without neglecting the appropriate human means of discipline,
self-control, work, the art of sublimation, etc.
A lot of clarification
need to be done, especially on the doctrinal level. The theology of
the body has to be explained well, giving both its temporal and
eternal dimensions. But the practical aspects of developing chastity,
modesty, prudence, self-giving, etc. should not be neglected. This is
the real challenge.
Besides, we really
need to do a lot of cleaning up in our environment—in the media, the
billboards, entertainment centers, malls, internet cafes, sport
facilities, wellness hubs, etc. We have to break down the wall of
biases that prevent us from giving ethical considerations to sexual
matters.
With these things
done, we can hope that more people understand the true meaning of
virginity and marriage, and that in the end, we all are meant to be
celibate in heaven.
Rooftop Hydroelectric
Power Generation
By DANIEL ESCUREL OCCENO
January
29, 2010
It will be almost
impossible to provide all the people with food, water, and a living
standard acceptable for human dignity unless an energy source that
every country can generate cost efficiently and effectively as the
world’s developing countries with rates of natural increase continue
to struggle because of the growth of population.
Rooftop Hydroelectric
Generation is the scheme of rainwater channels on the roof of
buildings for carrying away water to turbines coupled to a generator
that will convert the falling or running water into electricity with
the water eventually flowing to tankers to be stockpiled and vacuum
pumped back to the roof during non rainy days, instead of pipes
carrying water to the sewage, with the excess stockpiled rainwater to
be used to irrigate plants and gardens.
Successfully proven
with the appropriate architectural engineering design, rooftop
hydroelectric power will save the world from the potential of
devastation or at least reduce human suffering.
Rooftop hydroelectric
generation, which can be designed with a water cycle continuous loop,
is a perpetual energy source that will meet the future of unlimited
demands even with overpopulated developing countries in the billions.
Normally,
hydroelectricity depends on large natural water storage. Reservoirs
upstream of dams or rivers flowing down from mountain tops where the
water flow can be controlled to have constant water level to assure
power provided for a populated community.
With hydroelectric
power generation from rooftops of buildings the Philippines, a country
with an average rainfall of more than 80 inches or more than 2000 mm
of rain each year, can have a perpetual energy source simply by
designing a Rooftop Hydroelectric Power Generator emplaced in
structures of high rises, schools, and homes providing the possibility
of electricity in all the provinces with (barangays) villages of
people currently living without power.
The individual
buildings, depending on the square area of the rooftops and
gravitational flow of the rainwater, will be classified as small to
mini or micro hydro in capacity of providing the energy.
An industrial rooftop
hydroelectric power generation to provide electricity in metropolises,
entire provinces, or new developments that can have the infrastructure
of poles and wires will provide electricity in a world worried about
Climate Change and Global Warming destruction with no worries of
accidental flooding associated with existing hydroelectric power
plants, but the idea of individual buildings can provided wireless
electricity in a planned community and independent from the problems
linked with power plants like during typhoon seasons of uprooted poles
and dislodged wires.
For the duration of
dry seasons or non rainy days, vacuumed pumped to the rooftop from
stockpiled rainwater in tankers on ground level can produce
electricity even during high peak demands instead of a loop, but
during tropical storms electricity will be naturally created from
raindrops and gravity for an energy source provided by Mother Nature,
every rainy day perpetually.
If President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo needs a suggestion on how to spend the $310 million
worth of funds for “green projects”, how about ROOFTOP HYDROELECTRIC
POWER GENERATORS with the turbines for buildings in the poor provinces
with barangay elementary and national high schools like in Gubat.
Coins for the future
vanishing?
By CHITO DELA TORRE
January
24, 2010
The title for today’s
entry here is taken from my own blog at Yahoo. I posted it last
January 17 as my second attempt at blogging on Yahoo. My first
attempt runs under the title “Pasuway Tikang Anay” by which I wanted
to convey my first trial at blogging. My attempts between March and
June last year failed, because I wasn’t anymore able to locate them on
different blog hosting sites. Actually, even with my current
successful blog attempts, I still find it difficult to access my own
entries in the Yahoo blog service. Thus, I copied them to another
bank on my desktop as at once as I got an access to them via My
Profile.
Let me share with you
what I entered in that blog 7 days ago: Fifteen minutes ago, I got the
last information I wanted. "P1,283.00!", said Jasmin. Jasmin, a
recently promoted teacher in Kapangian central school in Tacloban
highly urbanized city, just finished counting the coins that she
shelled out from the pink plastic piggy bank of her 2-year-4-month old
only child, Joschine. Joschine at first helped "count" the one-, five-
and ten-peso coins that were rolling out of the "pig's" mouth. She
soon turned her back upon noticing a first communion medallion that
came out with the coins, picked it up and began playing with it. At 4
p.m. yesterday (Jan. 16, 2010), Niño, Jasmin's big brother-in-law,
came to tell me that her older daughter Gladys (5 years 2 months 15
days old) amassed P1,864.00 from her yellow plastic piggy bank while
her younger daughter Faith (2 yrs 8 months old) had P1,482.00 in her
own white plastic piggy bank.
There was a fourth
blue plastic piggy bank, belonging to Lee-an (older than Joschine),
only child of Charisse, younger first cousin of Niño. I just surmised
it contained much fewer coins than those of Joschine's. Joschine
started first dropping coins in February, 2009. Gladys and Faith began
simultaneously in April. Lee-an started late, in June. Everyone
thought that Joschine's bank would have more coins saved when it would
have been opened by
January 16, 2010, not only because the chinese-faced little girl was
the earliest starter of the four cute little kids, but also because
her three single titas were taking turns in inserting coins each time
they would notice her piggy bank. The parents and relatives of her
cousins very seldom turned up to drop coins.
All the four piggy
banks were kept in the house of their Grammy Cione. Monthly, they were
weighed. Weighing spurred excitement among all those witnessing.
Weights were recorded and compared against the previous month's to
estimate the difference. The kids just didn't bother about the
weighing. They just loved inserting their saved coins. Often, each
would drop her own coin into her cousins' banks, and everyone would
roar into laughter. Gladys and Faith have their own tube banks in
their own homes, almost full, like their previous year's. Their mommy
Gay kept them aside for their future. The original rule which elders
set was to drop only the ten and five peso coins that looked brand
new. Soon they realized that other elders in other families in Leyte
and Samar were also saving the same pieces and dropping them into
their children's or grandchildren's banks which came in various forms
and makes - tubes, coconut shells, bamboo shells, cans, dolls,
etcetera. This meant, these coins were now vanishing in Tacloban.
Then, like them,
others had already been noticing that even small, medium and big
stores in the HUC were not anymore as keen as in 2008 to give change
in coins. Some cashiers were even taking out from their drawers or
cash registers the 5- and 10-peso coins and making long rolls out of
them then bringing them to another container elsewhere. This more than
confirmed suspicions that these Philippine currencies were destined to
disappear slowly, at least in the HUC.
Were the businesses
also keeping their own piggy banks? Between mid-2004 and mid-2006,
only 10-peso coins - whether old or new - were losing out from
circulation in Eastern Visayas. Ladies used to save them. One
explanation for that practice: there was "gold" in the coin and there
were buyers who would pay between P25.00 and P100.00 for each coin. I
was skeptic about it. By July, 2006, some of the ladies told me they
never were able to sell their coins, as there were no buyers. So, it
was hoax? They believed it was.
Since my assignment
back to Catbalogan, Samar more than five years before it got its
citihood status, I made it a habit to save my brand new P5 and P10
coins. By 6 p.m. of each December 24 since then, until 2008, I would turn
them over to my one and only wife as my wedding anniversary present.
Over the years, found out that each year, I could keep between P1,800
and P2,500. No, I didn't maintain a piggy bank or a coco shell bank. I
just kept my coins in places where no one would suspect some valuables
were there. I stopped saving for my lovely better half when I became
one of the depositors of my granddaughters' piggy banks. This year,
the four lovely girls want a new piggy bank and more coins. The
problem now begins. How could we plow in the coins that are vanishing?
* * * * * * * * * *
Just to give you an
inkling as to how I went about with my first attempt at blogging, here
are some excerpts of my post for that:
Anyway, Engr. Ray P.
Gaspay told me sometime in 2005 that he had prepared a blog site for
me, for inclusion in his website, the world-accessed www.samarnews.com.
I told him I didn't know anything about it. He said I just needed to
encode my day-to-day observations, experiences, thoughts, and others,
on the Microsoft Word and he would take care of the rest. I had not
been able to produce any for that blog site, yes, despite his
proddings. Not only had I weird imaginations about blogging, I also
lacked material time. I was engrossed in other activities most of
which entailed either thinking and writing, or traveling. That lack
had in fact slowly and gradually pulled me out of my commitment to the
Waray-Waray La cable television mini-magazine format program which the
Service Cooperative of Media Practitioners originally put out as one
of its special projects – thanks to SCMP chairman Justenry Mendoza
Lagrimas for his active and full support that lasted for quite a time
besides getting it realized, together with his having baptized the
program as such. Waray-Waray La was being shown on the local community
channel of Decobeam Cable TV in Catbalogan, Samar, an outfit of which
Engr. Gaspay himself was chief of operations.
Until I learned how to
use the internet sometime only last year (2008), I was actually still
having a nebulous background about maintaining a blog site. Not long
ago, I did try at one, through Yahoo!Mail's assistance, but I was only
wondering what I could get out of that try. In fact, I didn't know how
to access that myself. Thus, I have no idea whatever was sent to that,
if any, from anybody who could have possibly read it. I didn't care. I
wasn't ready for it. Perhaps, it would be all right if I can just
request any one who can make himself or herself into this site to
suggest what else should this contain and display.
Yes, I do have
several ideas in my mind. But I don't know how to pick them up from
the viewpoint of blog searchers and readers. In fact, too, I've also
been thinking of posting here some of the photographs that I have
taken – mostly in my hometown of Basey in the province of Samar, here
in the Philippines. Yes, I did just open the website of my admired
spelunker, Joni Abesamis Bonifacio of Catbalogan, and mused whether I
was viewing his website. It contained photographs of the
Langun-Gobingob cave system in Calbiga, Samar, personal travelogue of
Howie Severino who made his first trek into that mountain-nestling
cave solitarily distant from the town proper, and Joni's reproduction
of my own article on Howie's adventure to the depths of the cave, plus
comments or reactions. I wondered how I could do the way Joni did for
an international public audience.
Tim Smith ducked the
Pacquiao-Clottey press conference
By RYAN ARGUELLES /
PNS
January
23, 2010
Tim Smith, the sports
columnist of The New York Daily News was a no-show at the
Pacquiao-Clottey press conference this week in
New York
at Madison Square Garden.
Filipino mediamen and
press are looking for a chance to get an answer from Tim Smith about
his article on Dec.25, 2009 where he wrote that he has a source
familiar to the talks that a Pacquiao representative asked what
penalties Pacquiao would face if he tested dirty and also if dirty
results could be kept secret so that the integrity of the sport
wouldn’t be ruined in the public eye.
Reporters are also
eager to get some answers from Tim Smith about where did he get his
information that Manny Pacquiao is afraid of needles. There is no
interview where Manny Pacquiao said that he is afraid of needles
except from the press release coming from the Golden Boy Promotion,
where they put words in the mouth of Manny Pacquiao.
A number of Filipino
press, including myself, were looking around if there was a visibility
of the noted columnist of The New York Daily News since the press
conference is in his backyard and he writes for one of the biggest
newspapers in New York City and the United States. Instead, Tim Smith
was nowhere to be found within the surroundings of the WAMU Theatre
where the press conference took place.
Tim Smith, until now,
has not produced facts even with the request and challenge coming from
Manny Pacquiao himself in his own Kumbinasyon column titled, “Innocent
Until Proven Guilty” posted at Philippine Boxing.com. Together with
Teddy Atlas and ESPN, Tim Smith was issued a challenge coming from the
number one pound-for-pound champion in the world – to show facts about
a certain representative from within the Pacquiao camp, to show facts
before you write something false.
That Wednesday
afternoon at the Pacquiao-Clottey press conference was the chance for
a respected journalist and columnist like Tim Smith to actually gather
his facts and evidence and SHOW IT, because Manny Pacquiao came to
visit his home territory in
New York City.
Manny Pacquiao was ready to face the facts.
Tim Smith backed down.
Tim Smith didn’t show up for this kind of conference to obtain facts
from Pacquiao himself, instead he relied on a source for his facts.
And what I can’t fathom on this is that Smith writes for a major
newspaper in New York that has a large readership in the tri-state
area. New York
readers deserve to be told the story with the truth accompanied by
facts.
Does Tim Smith
underestimate Manny Pacquiao because he came from Philippines and
Pacquiao is not an American, so that’s why he can write things in his
article without facts? Does Tim Smith have the superior ego because he
is a New York sports columnist and that he can write without basis and
facts to a person who is not American like Manny Pacquiao? Are you
trying to bully a Filipino like what the Mayweathers and Golden Boy
Promotion is trying to do to Manny Pacquiao? These are the words from
Bob Arum in his introduction of Manny Pacquiao. Are you a bully Tim
Smith?
Manny Pacquiao refused
to be bullied as Bob Arum suggested, “Filipinos refused to be bullied
by the Japanese Occupation Forces in World War II”. We also refused to
be bullied by a writer like you Tim Smith, who does not present facts.
He knows writing
against an individual is accepted as long as you present your facts,
what is not proper conduct from a writer is when you do write against
a person without presenting real facts because you happen to write for
the Dailly News newpaper in New York.
Tim Smith could have
all the excuses by not attending the press conference, such as he is
on vacation, he has an important meeting, he has to interview a Jets
player, he is attending another more important press conference, his
dog is sick, it’s too cold to go out, he’s not feeling well on that
day, he had a doctor’s appointment. Whatever it is, he should be right
there in that press conference, studiously and objectively taking
notes from Manny Pacquiao if he still believes in the real value of
journalism. FACTS are required in a career of proper journalism – not
relying on some source that never existed or some fraudulent source
that came from the Mayweather camp.
By not coming to the
press conference of the Pacquaio-Clottey fight, Tim Smith ducked and
avoided to see Manny Pacquaio eye to eye, because he is guilty of
fabrication, like Bob Arum stated. Because if Tim Smith is not guilty
of fabrication, then he could have and should have shown Manny
Pacquiao and the fight fans across the globe, his source and the facts
that are related to it. Tim Smith has failed to do so.
Movie making from
Waray’s olden history should begin now
By CHITO DELA TORRE
January
20, 2010
Marinel Cruz of the
Inquirer entertainment staff dished out late afternoon of January 11,
2010 an information on ABS-CBN’s intensive preparations to unleash
soap opera teleserye series sans cowering under an earlier
announcement by TV5 that it would go heavy with “more films than ABS-CBN’s
Star Cinema and GMA Films combined”. Said
ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya network Channel head Cory Vidanes in Cruz’s
feature story, “We are ready to compete.
Even before Manny
Pangilinan took over TV5, we’ve already lined up new projects for
2010”. Pangilinan, whose Media Quest recently took over the
management of TV5, was quoted as saying that TV5’s goal for 2010 is to
“provide the best content for everyone, everywhere, anytime.
ABS-CBN, through
business unit head Deo Endrinal, told the Inquirer entertainment staff
that it will make sure its products address all the markets that it
wants to penetrate. “When we compete, we go where we are strong” and
“(w)e have content inspires the viewers.” Soap operas are dramas
which originate from scripts written for the radio, originally in the
United States of America
and later on in the Philippines (according to Endrinal: “In April
1949, P&G brought in the very first Pinoy soap, “Gulong ng Palad,”
which aired on dzRH. It was written by Lina Flor and directed by Lucas
Paredes.”) and were voice-acted to give life to the script’s
characters, without the actors being seen by radio listeners composed
mostly of female launderers.
Well, for that plan, I
say, good luck to ABS-CBN. Well, too, that plan doesn’t put aside GMA7
which Cruz said “GMA7 has positioned itself as the fantaserye
network”. On this note, it happens that I am one of the avid watchers
of GMA7’s fantasy serials like those of the love-team Dingdong and
Marian and Richard’s.
On top of all these,
I’d suggest that the Philippines’ top television drama and commercial
movie producers now start producing history-based films and
biographies of adventurers of fellow Filipinos many of whom have been
recognized for their heroism, and epic adventures. The Juan Tamad had
been one of the contemporary examples along this line, although
perhaps Juan “Johnny” Pusong of Leyte and Samar may prove just as
worthy. We also have a rich history of the pulahan rebel warriors.
That, too, could make for a vivid movie and tv presentation, more
particularly if the actors and actresses are chosen from among the
Waray talents, of which we have a preponderance. Calbayog City alone
continues to produce new casts for stage plays that make a long list
of stage players since short plays had unwound in the guerrilla
campaign against the Japanese soldiers. Colorful history-allied
legends could likewise be portrayed, like the Bungansakit of Basey,
Samar (although newfound archives reveal that Basey did not actually
get its name from the word baysay, native term for beauty, from an
explorer who bore the surname “Basey”, and although Bungansakit was
actually not an incanto’s daughter but that of a woman abused by a
Spanish priest assigned to Basey).
That done, our own
local history would help much in educating our youth, and re-educating
our adults on their distant and most remote past. The world-famed
Balangiga Massacre had gone into video documentaries, but a full movie
on that massacre need be produced, with compact disc copies reproduced
for circulation, as should other similar history-recounting movies,
and deposited in schools and public libraries. Perhaps, too, there
should be a cinematographic revivification of the Philippine
rediscovery of Fernando de Magalhaes via Homonhon
island of
Guiuan
(the southernmost tip town in Samar island. A friend based in Makati
City – a highly urbanized city boasted of by its mayor, now
vice-presidential candidate Atty. Jejomar Binay – sent a message
asking if the idea is good that a former education regional director (Maximo
Alibe, Nacionalista Party of presidential candidate senator Manny
Villar) from Eastern Samar who is now a candidate for congressman in
that lone district would promote historical revivifications.
Along this vein, Mao
Tse Tung had this thought to teach: “No political party can possibly
lead a great revolutionary movement to victory unless it possesses
revolutionary theory and knowledge of history and has a profound grasp
of the practical movement. – (The Role of the Chinese Communist Party
in the National War" [October 1938], Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 208.)
Spiritual childhood
and maturity
By Fr. ROY CIMAGALA
January
15, 2010
PIT Senyor! Cebu now
is abuzz with the celebration of the feast of the Holy Child, Senyor
Santo Niňo. I find it very gratifying to note that in spite of the
complications of the world today, we still can find simple and
spontaneous popular piety throbbing vigorously in this little island
province.
This is actually true
in many places in our country, thank God, but
Cebu iconizes this phenomenon beyond compare. Let’s continue to
derive precious lessons from this celebration, avoiding casting pearls
before swines. For precious lessons, there truly are a lot!
The image of the Santo
Niňo reminds us of two seemingly contrasting qualities that we need to
blend properly in each one of us and in our society. They can
generally be termed as the qualities of spiritual childhood and
spiritual maturity.
That’s what we can
immediately see in the Santo Niňo. He is at once a child and a king,
the ruled and the ruler, helpless and in control of the world, asking
to be taken care of yet he actually takes care of us…
It’s the same
combination that we hear St. Paul once said about Christ’s ministers:
“Let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God…as dying, and behold
we live; as chastised, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing; as needy, yet enriching many; as having nothing, yet
possessing all things.” (2 Cor 6,9-10)
Of course, earlier we
hear our Lord telling us in no unclear terms: “Be wise as serpents and
simple as doves.” (Mt 10,16) Our human condition, limited compared to
its supernatural goal and weakened further by sin, conflicts these
qualities that are meant to be consistent in the mind of God for us.
We have to find a way
to achieve this Christian fusion. Especially now when we are plunging
deeper into more pluralistic cultures, usually accompanied by
complications, we urgently need to develop the pertinent attitudes and
skills to combine charity with truth, mercy with justice, tolerance
and convictions…
Pluralism is part of
God’s will for us. That’s because he gave us freedom that has to be
exercised in the context of our human condition, both material and
spiritual, temporal and eternal, mundane and sacred… We cannot avoid
this.
In fact, pluralism has
to be fostered, and not only to be put up with. Depending on how we
use our freedom, pluralism is the inevitable way to either our
development or our destruction.
Thus, we need to have
a certain openness of mind and outlook, even to the extent of
suffering the evil consequences of such openness. This is what we see
in the life of Christ. He was open to all the twists and turns of our
freedom, but he also managed to carry out the will of his Father.
This is the challenge
we have – how to be both accommodatingly open and tolerant, on the one
hand, and demandingly faithful and loyal, on the other. Truth is we
often get lost along the way, ending up by being either too lax or too
strict.
Obviously, this
combination can only be lived in Christ, who said “I am the way, the
truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.” This
is something we have to remember always. Only in Christ, and Christ on
the Cross, is this blend of qualities possible.
Christ precisely gave
us the new commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you.” That
means, all the way, up to death, a love that knows how to suffer, how
to respect our freedom however it is used or misused, a love that
drowns evil with an abundance of good.
It surely is not just
a sentimental kind of love. It’s full of tenderness, all right, but
it’s definitely a strong and mature love, full of daring and prudence,
generosity and wisdom, magnanimity and determination.
It’s a love that lives
out to the hilt Christ’s command even to “love your enemies, do good
to them that hate you and pray for them that persecute and calumniate
you…for if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do
not even the publicans do this?” (Mt 5,44-46)
We have to be wary of
our tendency to fall into complacency, on the one hand, and
self-righteousness and bitter zeal, on the other. We have to have a
universal heart to fit all. With God’s grace and our efforts, this is
always possible.
This is what Senyor
Santo Niňo is teaching us!
Newest good tidings:
fund grant from PDTF
By CHITO DELA TORRE
January
10, 2010
There’s the likelihood
that the town of Basey in Samar will make it to the top list, in
Region VIII, at least, as the first town with duly registered
organizations who wish to be the first to qualify for the government’s
People’s Development Trust Fund or PDTF, for short. Basey has a good
number of non-bank organizations that engage in micro-financing.
Among them are the millionaire cooperatives among teachers and
government employees, including that in barrio San Antonio. The Basey
local government unit itself will most likely qualify. In fact, it is
eager to become one of the first LGUs in this part of the country to
get enough attention from the PDTF.
Make no mistake about
it. This government funding program is open to all qualified
applicants, many of whom may come from other towns and cities in the
Eastern Visayas region, if they will be interested to avail of it,
including all interested towns and cities. The PDTF offers a maximum
contribution of P500,000 – to be euphemistic, half a million pesos –
per mincrofinance institution. The amount contributed in is about 75%
of the total cost of the proposed project, but the
proponent-organization must shell in 25% in terms of direct cost
(consisting of the equivalent value of the contribution in kind –
example, human resources and materials)
The good tidings about
the PDTF reached Basey during the last week of year 2009. Manager
Maria Carmen S. Apuli of the resource development and management
department, People’s Credit and Finance Corporation (PCFC) introduced
the PDTF to the Basey local government unit thru town administrator
Balbino Estorninos. Apuli must have marvelled at some of the good
points about my hometown which Pare Balbin revealed to her.
According to manager
Apuli, the PCFC is a government-controlled corporation registered with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. It was created in accordance
with Administrative Order No. 148 and Memorandum Order No. 261. The
PCFC serves as a vehicle for the delivery of microfinance services for
the exclusive use of the poor. As a government-owned and controlled
corporation, it is the lead government entity specifically tasked to
mobilize financial resources from both local and international funding
sources for microfinance services for the exclusive use of the poor.
A brochure left by
Apuli in the office of the municipal administrator of Basey says: The
People’s Development Trust Fund is a fund created under the Social
Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act (Republic Act No. 8425) of the
Republic of the Philippines, for the development of a nationwide
network of viable and sustainable microfinance institutions and
micro-enterprise business development service groups that are able to
deliver effective and efficient microfinance services to the poor and
help them develop enterprises. The corpus of the PDTF (that is,
non-disbursable portion) consists of the amount to be provided by the
government over a 10 year period and other additional amounts
mobilized through voluntary contributions, grants and gifts from local
and foreign sources. The disbursable portion consists of the earnings
of the PDTF corpus and other additional amounts expressly donated,
contributed or granted as part of the disbursable portion.
Who are eligible as
grantees of the fund? Fund grantees include non-bank microfinance
institutions (meaning non-government organizations, cooperatives, and
people’s organizations); special sector organizations (which maybe
NGOs, co-ops and POs that are about to start providing microfinance
services to unserved and hard-to-reach areas; LGUs; other possible
grantees (example, bank-microfinance institutions [MFIs]) which have
poverty reduction as a primary objective in their microfinance
endeavours upon evaluation and duly approved by PDTF executive
committee; and service providers or promoters for microfinance and
microenterprise development.
The pre-qualification
criteria for an LGU to avail of the PDTF are only two: 1) provide
microfinance and microenterprise programs to their constituents,
provided that the Fund shall not be used for personal services and
maintenance and other operating expenses as loanable fund; and 2)
undertake self-help projects where at least 25% of the total fund
earnings shall be used exclusively for the provision of materials and
technical services.
A non-bank MFI must
meet the 8 pre-qualification criteria, namely: 1) duly registered with
the SEC (for NGOs, or Cooperative Development Authority (for co-ops);
2) a track record of at least 2 years continuous microfinance
operations; 3) presence of credible, competent and qualified board of
directors and key officers; 4) presence of accounting and cashiering
services and internal control systems; 5) presence of savings
mobilization for co-ops; 6) no material and adverse findings on the
reputation and competence of the BOD and principal officers; 7) pass
the financial criteria: past due rate is not more than 20% of total
loan portfolio, total resources of at least P500,000, and has
profitable operations for the last 1 year and has capital to risk
asset ratio (CRAR) of at least 10% after PCFC and other creditors; and
8) an outreach of at least 100 borrowers.
A microfinance
institution is simply defined as an organization that offers financial
services to the very poor. MFIs are NGOs, rural or thrift banks and
cooperative committed to assisting low income households.
Microfinance is the
provision of a broad range of financial services such as deposits,
loans, payment services, money transfers and insurance products to the
poor and low income household and other microenterprises.
The clients of
microfinance are the economically active and entrepreneurial poor
(e-poor). The National Anti Poverty Commission considers as within
this category the shopkeepers, ambulant vendors and household-based
entrepreneurs, as they have stable economic activities and the NAPC
believes they will be able to sustain and enhance such if they are
provided with even small amounts of readily available funds.
The microfinance
credit facility of NAPC has also what it terms as “microfinance plus
plus”, a package of credit that includes several trainings that are
deemed necessary to sustain the gains of microfinance. Since clients
are primarily women, the trainings include modules on gender
empowerment, women’s health, and responsible parenthood.
To avail of loans or
savings, or insurance from MFIs, go to a microfinance institution
(NGO, cooperative, or rural/thrift bank) in your area; bring your
identification card (ID), barangay clearance or community tax
certificate; form a group (for group lending) or find a co-guarantor
(for individual lending); go through interview or testing; and attend
social preparation meeting or training.
Q&A: Journalist who
escaped 'Maguindanao massacre' tells stories of survival
By
Asian Human Rights Commission
January
5, 2010
HONG KONG – The
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is publishing below the full text
of the interview made by a radio host with one of the three
journalists who had escaped from the November 23, 2009 Maguindanao
massacre.
In December 2009, the
AHRC has invited the person (name withheld for security reasons) for a
meeting in Hong Kong to discuss matters regarding cooperation on
monitoring and documenting the progress of the case in court to ensure
that those responsible are held to account in court.
During his stay, we
have also organized several meeting for him with several individual
journalists and group of journalists based in
Hong Kong.
The interview below
conducted by Ms. Serenade Woo, host of the radio programme "Yun Liu
Chat Room" of the Radio Free Asia (RFA). Only spelling mistakes and
few grammatical errors were corrected but the rest were restored in
its full sense during the transcription of the interview.
The AHRC hopes this
could give the public an idea as to how community journalists in the
Philippines struggle and survive daily in their journalism profession.
**FULL TEXT OF THE
INTERVIEW: **
Q: First of all, can
you tell what was happened in
Mindanao? Because, I believe so all our audience know nothing what was happened
in Mindanao.
A: Particularly the
massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province in the island of
Mindanao on November 23, wherein among those killed were 30 journalist
those slain journalist where suppose to cover the filing of candidacy
of a candidate for governor of the province of Maguindanao together
with the women members of the clan of Mangudadatu because one of the
members of his family is running, the vice mayor of the small town in
Maguindanao, which is Buluan is running for Governor of the province.
While along their way, going to the Office of the Provincial Election
officer, they were abducted by at least 100 armed militia men led by
the Mayor of a certain town in Maguindanao, identified as Mayor Andal
Ampatuan Jr., who led this suspects in executing the victims. After
their execution they were buried in shallow mass graves, in an
outskirt village in Ampatuan town also in Maguindanao. They use a
backhoe equipment to dig up the graves they buried all those victims
together with their vehicles. But unfortunately, because of the
immediate response from the military and the family of Mangudadatus
not all the victims were buried and the vehicles and they were
immediately located by the authorities. And the suspects especially
Mayor Ampatuan was arrested after 3 days. They was charged for 25
counts of murder and some of the members of Ampatuan clan were also
charged and arrested after the government declared State of Emergency
in the province and subsequently Martial Law was declared.
Q: Why do you think
the suspect, the culprit is the Mayor of that province?
A: It's because, it
was for the first time that somebody challenge the Ampatuans in the
forth coming gubernatorial elections in the province. The election as
dated on May next year, but the filing of candidacy was done in
November, so somebody from their rival political clan had challenge
the Ampatuans who are considered political kingpins of the area. And
sad to say, those suspects armed men, who participated in the killing
are members of the militia forces in the area and they served as
private armed groups of the Ampatuans. They used these militia forces
to kill political rival who belongs to the Mangudadatu family.
Q: Is that mean that
you believe that there are some linkage between the provincial
government and central government, Arroyo government?
A: I don’t think so,
in that way that the National government specially President Arroyo
was in the cahoots with the Ampatuan in that massacre but, the
national government could partly be blame on the incident because it
tolerated the permission of the private armies in the area, specially
serving as private armies for the Ampatuans and the government has
been tolerant of the presence of these militia forces being use as
private armies of the Ampatuans, its because the Ampatuans use to be
close political allies of the president. That’s why in the past this
private armed groups in the area, are not being checked shall we say
it was been tolerated
Q: I've been heard
many people were killed in
Philippines,
since the former president of Philippines. What was happened in the
Philippines, why many people were killed?
A: I would say in that
particular province in Maguindanao, a lot of stories about summary
execution, summary killings perpetrated by this Ampatuans in the past.
Even before November 23 massacre, but sad to say because they have
established Ampatuans were able establish a reign of terror in their
place and everybody was afraid to challenge them or to exposed these
incidents otherwise they were get killed so until this incident on
November 23 that the public knew and proved that there is really such
gruesome activities, killings perpetrated of this Ampatuans in that
Maguindanao province. Because, maybe they had able to established that
culture of impunity, because in the past nobody checked had them.
Nobody had investigated them. Of all this killings they had done in
the past.
Q: Why was that nobody
investigated the case? Are you suggesting the central government are
not doing their job?
A: Yeah, especially
the authorities have been remised on their job. It is maybe because of
the strong political connections of the Ampatuans before with the
president and that’s why authorities become tolerant of all these
things, of all these abuses, all these excesses, all of these wrong
doings committed by the Ampatuans, they are considered as political
warlords in that province of Maguindanao.
Q: I was told actually
there is kind of witness protection in order to help the people to
bring the culprit to the court to be prosecuted but the witness
protection seems useless is that true?
A: In this case the
Maguindanao massacre they were some witnesses overtaken to the custody
of the witness protection program and so far the case is not yet on
its trial so, we don’t know yet what gonna happen on the witnesses
during the trial but we learned that there are some witnesses who are
in the custody of the witness protection right now,
Because in the early
stage of the filing of the case many witnesses are afraid to come in
the open because they are still afraid of the vengeance of the
Ampatuans only the, several members of the Ampatuan clans have been
arrested, have been jailed, have been detained there are some willing
witnesses who came out and testify and give their statements to the
authorities.
Q: Did they were
killed later?
A: I hope it will not
happen because a lot of witnesses as what I’ve learned a lot of
witnesses who are considered as vital in the prosecution of the case
because there are some witnesses who belong to the armed groups who
kidnapped but they were not part of the another group who executed,
they served as look outs during the execution of all the victims, so
they are very vital in the prosecution.
Q: But the government
offer that kind of that protection to the witness because some
witnesses were threatened, harass or even killed in the previous time,
its that correct?
A: Yeah, in this case
they really know that the authorities, the prosecutors now influence
clout of the suspects specially the Ampatuans they have to be more
cautious in the prosecution of the case and to secure all the
witnesses and the evidence.
Q: I know that you are
so lucky to escape from that massacre in November, Can you tell
something more what happen on that day, why suddenly you did not
proceed to your interview on that day?
A: Actually, I was
supposed to be part of the group of journalist, who will cover the
filing of candidacy of that candidate for governor. But I had decided
to back off thinking that my life would be in danger if I would
proceed to Maguindanao. Because in the past we had differences of the
Ampatuans and the security arrangement for us going there was very
uncertain, because the military and the police did not provide for the
group of Mangudadatus and group of journalist who will covering that
event and that gave me some reservations about my safety if I would go
to Maguindanao with the group.
Q: If you are saying
that you found your safety protection offer by the military, by the
government or by the police was not enough why do you think they need
to offer that kind of protection for the journalist? Was it because
they were number of cases or incidents were happened in the past?
A: We see a conspiracy
of among the local military and police authorities in this case
because you know some of those suspects, who flagged down who stopped
the convoy of the victims were police officials. They were present
when Mayor Ampatuan sees the vehicle and herded to an outskirt village
where they are executed so we presumed that they had conspired with
the Ampatuans in the killing of the victims.
Q: Right now how many
people were killed in November massacre?
A: All in all 57
bodies were recovered among those killed were more than 30 journalists
Q: So far how many
people were killed since the former president of the Philippines?
A: Do you mean the
incumbent president? I would say specifically from the case of media
killings all in all more than 100 journalist have been killed since
2000 that is according to the official record of the national union of
journalist including the recent murdered journalist.
Q: Can you share some
of your experience to our audience because I knew that you also under
threat because you think your job to report the news?
A: Yeah, because I
worked as a journalist in our community. In
Mindanao, we shall call our self community journalist we are more
prone to harassment, vulnerable to threats. It's because those people
we expose of their involvement in illegal activities, wrongdoings in
government are coming also from our place. We concentrate in that
small place in our community where we meet each other maybe some other
day so the threats and risk are there maybe because maybe we have an
immediate contacts those we hit on the paper or those we hit on the
radio
Q: Can you
specifically let our audience to understand what kind of harassment
that you received previously?
A: There are a lot of
threats I experienced but the greater risk I received when I exposed
the unexplained wealth of this Ampatuans in 2004, wherein I wrote
about their huge mansions worth millions and star contrast their
constituents are living in small shanties in front of their huge
mansions. And it's very fortunate that the province of Maguindanao is
considered the second poorest province in the
Philippines.
And those local officials are living in luxurious life. So, they have
all these big mansions, luxury cars, and it seems that they are doing
nothing to improve the living condition of their people.
Q: But what kind of
threats did you receive? Threatening you, kill you.
A: They plan to
liquidate me. But, it so happen that many of my friends had caution me
and informed me about their plan and they warned me to take extra
precaution, they even advice me to lie low from my work as a
journalist.
Q: But you are still
working in the media industry, why?
A: Maybe, because of
my calling. In the
Philippines,
shall we say, it's like a challenging task if you are a community
journalist. I've been in this work for about 20 years now.
Q: Do you have to
worry about your family members? Are do they worried? Do they pursue
you to leave this industry?
A: Yeah, they are
worried than me. I'm quite worried but they are more worried than me
family, most specially my mother. But you know if it's your time to
die it's your time you can't go away with it.
Q: So, right now how
you are going to protect yourself?
A: You know I just
maintain a low profile status in our community. I have a lot of
friends from the military, from police, from other law enforcement
agencies, who are helping me.
Q: I was told a lot of
journalist because of they are working in a dangerous zone or
dangerous area so most of them they were armed when they go out to do
their job. Is that true?
A: It’s a common
practice in our place in Mindanao for local journalist to arm
themselves. Because they think that their personal safety could not
be100 percent entrusted to the authorities and the only way to protect
themselves is to armed is to carry firearms and at the same time to
deter any would be assassin to kill them.
Q: Do you have any
friends that, they were assassinate because they did their job?
A: I have some
colleagues who were murdered in the past because of their hard
commentaries against the local officials in our place so there are a
lot of my colleagues some of them are my personal friends who have
been killed while in the line in pursuit of their journalistic work.
Q: To be honest I
think you are very brave because you had some of your friends,
personal friends they were killed but because they did they job but it
not make you live that industry, you are very brave. I was shocked
because I believe most of the journalist will not do the same thing if
they are situated in that situation.
A: I'm not really that
brave maybe I just know how to secure myself and how protect myself
against any threats.
Q: And what kind of
armed you protect yourself, that kind what kind the weapon you protect
yourself?
A: Although carry all
the time my two .45 caliber pistols but it's not enough to be
confident or to be complacent you must also assess the real situation,
if there is an eminent danger. So, that’s not an excuse if you have
firearm. In our case we trained ourselves about marksmanship, in
combat pistol handling. Local journalist they are being trained.
Remark: So,
impressive. Please take care of yourself. Thank you so much!
The interview was
done by Ms Serenade Woo, host of the programme called "Yun Liu Chat
Room" of the Radio Free Asia (RFA). Ms Woo is also a staff member of
the International Federation of Journalist (IFJ) in Asia Pacific and
member of the board member of Amnesty International - Hong Kong
section.
Hello 2010
By DANIEL ESCUREL OCCENO
January
3, 2010
In the Chinese
calendar the Year 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. The Chinese culture
also believes in the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men. Wisdom is more
important than gold, but I am forty-nine years old. I have plenty of
wisdom but not one ounce of gold is in my possession.
King number one
represents fortune.
I have heard many
times and been sent E-mail responding to my articles with a similar
repeating point: How can your country end your poverty? The government
does not have that kind of money.
I believe in the
market economy not in Socialism. There are several men and women in
the Philippines that already have the great wealth to end poverty in
their properties. Many have large sums of money available to invest in
more developments. You might say luck will be required to bring
fortune to the poor, but it is our destiny to end our poverty like
with domestic tourism and domestic trading, province to province,
region to region, and island to island.
King number two
represents prosperity.
Prosperity can be
defined as success or the enjoyment of wealth.
By developing a
working middle class, the
Philippines
can end poverty. The division of the rich and the poor will merge as
one unit with a common goal of prosperity for all.
Education is just the
first step. Jobs creation will be crucial, but it should be jobs that
the native born Filipino children are capable of doing. The average
height in the Philippines is with most of the working adults stand
less than five-foot-seven inches tall so labor intensive jobs would
not be recommended to create.
Jobs in construction
will be plenty as the country continues to develop.
Intellectual,
sedentary, and less labor demanding jobs would more likely meet the
overpopulated human resources available in the
Philippines.
Jobs in television,
communications, and the movie industries would be examples of
non-labor intensive careers; but it is more important to build studios
similar to Pinewood Studios in England because of our rainy seasons.
Outdoor filming would be limited as indoors would offer year around
salaries and will improve success, being wise to be more profitable.
If industrialization
is a must, then the need for intellectual assistance must coincide
with the labor force such as robotics in the workplace and machinery
to mass produce in making salad dressing bottled with 100% coconut
cooking oil as just one example.
King number three
represents long-life.
Bitter herbs are good
for diabetics because it is natural diuretics that flush unneeded
sugar and fat when we urinate. As we get older, however, your family
doctor might recommend that you cut back on coffee and tea because of
the caffeine. It is more important to get plenty of natural sleep
because digestion occurs during deep sleep.
Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO)
is marketed as a food supplement in the
Philippines
with claims that a teaspoon a day is good for diabetics. Family
doctors will worry that people will stop taking their diabetic
medicine with such claims, but digestible protein is a preventive
medicine for diabetics.
If you are healthy,
may I recommend Philippine prawns (giant shrimps) and Blue Marlin
steaks if you were told to avoid beef, pork, and chicken in your New
Year’s diet. Blue Marlin steaks fried in 100% coconut cooking oil is
excellent. No need to add salt to a deep saltwater fish. Egg battered
Philippine prawns fried in 100% coconut cooking oil would ruin a New
Year’s resolution diet. Do not forget to peel the skin and butterfly
the prawns before dipping in egg batter. Use non-fat flour (rice
flour) in the egg batter to thicken if you are worried about getting
fat.
Of course the best
preventive medicine to live a long-life or my fountain of youth is
natural Vitamin C.
The Philippines does
not have a 100% fresh squeezed Florida orange juice industry
available. We can have a fresh pomelo (Chinese grapefruit) juice
industry squeezed by a hydraulic press in the hundreds of thousands a
day. We have plenty of 100% pineapple juice however. But medical
doctors will tell you that the secret to a long-life is to poop
regular, flush out solid waste from your colon and intestine.
If liquid refreshments
are not for you, how about fresh papayas, fresh mangos, and vegetable
roughage like lettuce or cabbages would also help. And I like adding a
slice of fresh ginger root to my orange pekoe cup of hot tea. Fresh
ginger aids in digestion. But the caffeine so pureed green papayas
added to chicken noodle soup with sprinkled ginger powder for spice,
then boil and simmer. Slurp when cool. Just to poop and live longer.
But get some deep sleep.
Exercise is needed to
stay mentally and physically healthy. Standing toe touches can replace
sit-ups for us with a couch potato stomach belly. Spread your legs
wider with bended knees if that belly is a problem to do more toe
touches or to touch the ground.
Some joggers will tell
you that they jog not to be skinny but to shake loose the undigested
waste in their intestine. I have asthma and crippling arthritis so
power walking with leisurely-walking to control my breathing when
needed is what I can handle.
May the Year of the
Tiger bring you fortune, prosperity, and long-life!
Happy New Year and
hello 2010.
Updating the family
By Fr. ROY CIMAGALA
December
28, 2009
CHRISTMAS time is
obviously family time. Let’s thank God that in our country we still
see this equation largely lived happily. Let’s pray that in other
places, especially in developed countries, the same ideal can also
take place. We cannot deny that it is not quite so in many of them,
including parts of ours.
We see rising cases of
dysfunctional families, with marriages defaced by infidelities and
unrefreshed love and a sense of commitment unable to “Reset” when
needed, children’s neglect, family life reduced to a minimum, etc.
The family always
deserves our utmost attention. We should not be naïve to think that we
can take our duties and responsibilities toward it for granted.
Especially now, tricky and openly difficult challenges confront it. We
have to be aware of them and try to do something about them.
We need to repair the
damages, heal the wounds and plot out the paths to make the family
healthy, vibrant and capable to do its sacred duty of nurturing
persons and citizens.
Let’s remember that we
can never outgrow the need for the family, no matter how old, mature
and independent we can be. Even those who lead a prominently spiritual
and celibate life need it.
It’s a requirement of
our nature, given by God and not by some human consensus. The family
is a divine creation, before it is a human institution.
With family life given
a boost during this Christmas holidays, let’s take the time to see
what we can do to reinforce the family, both in general and in
individual cases. Let’s not waste the opportunity by spending it
solely on having fun. It’s a time for discerning, anticipating,
planning things for the family.
May it be that in
every level of our life, this concern for the family is taken up
seriously. For the Church, for example, there should be abiding
diocesan and parochial efforts to help the family in some concrete
way, an effort translated into continuing prayers, sacrifices and
timely reminders.
For example, the
preparation for couples for marriage should be attended to well.
Effective programs to nourish couple’s conjugal love should be
developed.
Prompters about the
evil of contraception, the RH bill, etc. should be frequently made
since this now constitutes clear and present danger to marriages.
The government and
NGOs should also do the same, trying to figure out the issues families
in general are now facing and tackling. There are many of them. It’s
good to have a systematic and massive approach to this, monitoring the
relevant developments closely and ever presenting solutions.
For one, it pains me
to see some workers pressured to do overtime work at the expense of
their family life. Stories I hear about inhuman pressures suffered by
call center agents are really depressing. The problems involved should
be addressed.
Also the environment,
especially that part known also as the human ecology, should be
continually cleaned and renewed to foster family life among the
people. This area is often ignored, its challenges not taken up
adequately.
There are situations
that undermine the family’s vitality. Pornography, unregulated means
of amusement and recreation, etc., are now going viral. People get
unduly absorbed by new technologies at the expense of family life.
Obviously, the spouses
and the other members of the family should do their part to enrich
their family life. Quality time together should be fostered, planned
and defended against factors that tend to undermine it. Affection,
good manners should be shown in any weather.
Everyone should try
his best to be generous in this area, always thinking of details that
can brighten the home and warm the relationships among all the family
members, heroically fighting against tiredness, attachments, personal
preferences, selfishness, etc.
In this regard, the
little things of everyday count a lot and are, in fact, the main
ingredient to strengthen the bonds of the family. We need to take
advantage of these little things in our family life to culture our
love for God and for others. There’s actually no other way as basic as
this one.
For this purpose, it
might be good to realize the need for us to develop a devotion to the
Holy Family. Our families should be a reflection, if not a
participation in that family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, where
everything good for us was lived to the max and continues to be lived.
We should never
fail to realize the need to use spiritual and supernatural means,
without neglecting the human instruments, to develop our families.