Thursday, November 26, 2009

...The Blame Game: On the Maguindanao Killings...

(Sorry naman, wala sa Multiply ko un option na palitan un fonts sa maliit o malaki, un mei bold, underline, at italic. Inisip ko lang, naaangkop sa panahon ang blog na to, at baka ndi ko na ma-resolba na ang kaso bago ko pa mailatag ito (best joke ever: mabilis na hustisya sa bansa). Pero, siguro, isa na rin sa mga dahilan ay para maisulat na ang mga ideyang baka sabihin ay ninakaw sa iba. Hindi ko naman sinasabing sa akin lang nanggaling ang mga ideyang ito. Napag-diskusyonan namin ni Sof, Len, at Che ang ilan dito habang kumakain, at ilan pa habang nanonood kami ni Che ng Bandila.)

*eto na, edit ko na.

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Beheading by chainsaw. Raped. Shot in the Head. Shot in the Privates.

These are but some of the inhuman acts that were done to some 50+ people in Maguindanao. It makes one sick to hear about it on the radio, it makes one’s heart sink to read it in the papers, and would probably make one puke if the TV didn’t blur out the images. I don’t get to read/watch/hear news much, but these things can’t just go on happening without you not even knowing a single thing about it. So now I say, before I am cast as an idiot for not knowing the REAL deal, I have little knowledge about this whole event, I have watched some news, read some articles, and discussed with people, but that’s about it.

I’ve cooked up some conspiracy theories, after discussing some scenarios with friends. Yes, they’re probably sick, but hey, considering the way they killed people the way they did, I’m probably not as sick as you think.=P

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1. The Victim.

Filipinos love the underdogs, the weak, those getting bullied. What if Mangudadatu himself plotted this whole thing to make it appear as if he is the victim here, like all the families of those who were butchered in Maguindanao. Everyone’s dead anyway, so who’s to say what really happened? His wife got killed, among others, and what better way to gain sympathy votes than pointing the blame finger on your political rival? While his sympathy votes skyrocket, the Ampatuans will forever have that tarnished name to carry with them, and will never be trusted by anyone’s vote anywhere. So, then, was it really that much of a sacrifice? The loss of some 50++ lives in exchange for the eternal blemish on the Ampatuan name?

2. The Fall Guy.

There’s Ampatuan Sr. and Ampatuan Jr. Ampatuan Jr. comes out and gets arrested, but claims innocence, saying he wouldn’t show himself if he was guilty. What if he wasn’t? What if it was his dad who ordered the killings? “Technically”, he wouldn’t be guilty, because he didn’t do it, his father did. And “technicality” is the way to go around loopholes these days. What, so you can place obvious campaign ads from January 2009 because “technically” you’re not yet a candidate since you haven’t filed your CoC yet? Please.

3. The Vigilantes.

While Ampatuan claims innocence, he points at the MILF to be the responsible party. Of course! Blame it on the terrorists! After all, they’re used to getting blamed for ruthless killings to scare people off. But then what are they to gain by doing what they did? They could have been paid to do what they did, if they did, but by themselves? These people are rebels, for sure, but they’re fighting for a cause. And this advances nothing. But you know why this blame-it-on-the-MILF thing won’t get any headway? Our dearly beloved president has proclaimed herself as the “Czar of Anti-Terrorism” to the whole world a few months back. While blaming these killings on the terrorists would surely get some steam off Ampatuan’s back, GMA’s reputation would be hit hard, as she would appear incompetent, not living up to her self-proclaimed title that made some leaders look up to this punitive lady president.

4. The Poor.

In the last presidential elections, GMA won decisively in the province of Maguindanao. “I…am…sorry” never absolved her from the “Hello Garci” scandal. Vote buying was obvious. Poverty is so rampant that people would do anything to score instant cash. Now, this “Boy” character comes out and claims he’s one of those who killed the people on site, and says that Ampatuan himself ordered them to kill the Ampatuans specifically, and spare no one else to eliminate all witnesses. If he was telling the truth, well then, great, because we at least know who should burn 8 times in hell. But what if he’s but another pawn paid to further enhance Mangudadatu’s side of the story?

5. The Hero.

Going back to the premise of Maguinadanao being GMA country, I can only speculate that it’s either she’s paid good money, or they truly, genuinely are loyal to GMA. Maguindanao did whatever it took to win GMA the seat she has now, the seat now in danger of being claimed by someone that is not her ally. Now, presidential aspirant Gibo Teodoro, acting on his Secretary of Defense duties, has taken Mangudadatu under his care, and Ampatuan behind bars. What if all those killed were willing victims who sacrificed themselves for their queen’s successor? That this was a whole set-up to give Teodoro the chance to serve justice swiftly, and be the toast of the town for doing such a fine job at giving justice to those who died?

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It’s sad to think that people’s lives have been reduced to insignificance. Ampatuan, as we know, is an ally of the president. The politics game says that the rival political parties would prey on this incident to say that the administration’s candidate is incapable of leading the country as he can’t even lead his own party into agreement. And because of that threat into their party’s and their candidate’s integrity, the Palace is stalling until they come up with an acceptable decision for the people, while not damaging their own political asses (no, not “assets”, as they’re taking care of their own, and not just their people’s. It’s not misspelled. I did mean “asses”; that which they take care of. With how I am disgusted with them, I see their faces and asses looking all the same). How fucked up can the government be, to make justice for these people take a back seat to their political agendas?

No, I’m not trying to take a hit on Gibo. I concede that he’s a great guy, a capable leader, and a competent person. I don’t hate him because he’s with the administration, or because I’m not going to vote for him, I hate him because he showed up on the screen right after Pacquiao raised his hand in victory after he defeated Ricky Hatton. I mean, what the F, nobody cared who he was. And that was in May, for crying out loud. We only cared for the fight, not his freakin "Congratulations" to Manny. And now, he’s tangled up with this mess, among others. I can only pity him for having to stand up for what GMA has done over the years while trying to prove to the country that he can lead us into progress. Hey, I guess his being with the administration ticket does have an effect on me not even considering him as my president: he’d spend the next few years of his presidency trying to justify that the projects GMA undertook were for the good of the country.

It seems absurd, to me, that the brutes who killed all those people had the time to rape women, but did not have the time to dispose the bulldozer bearing the name of Ampatuan. Whether it was planted or just sheer stupidity on their part, we'd probably never know, as everyone else won’t. But of course, we all want to know the truth. Hopefully, the MILF comes out with something to take the blame or dismiss Ampatuan’s finger-pointing. That takes one less party to blame, at least.

But really, with how those people were butchered, I sincerely hope that those people so detached from their conscience don’t get to sleep at all, and not be able to live with themselves. We can only hope that that small amount of humanity left in them might wake up, and admit to the heinous crime that they have done, that all that must be held responsible suffer the consequences of their actions.

Nobody deserves to die the way those people did.

(version 2.0 na to. meron na ko nagawa kanina, 6 points pa nga instead of 5. kaso nag-hang ang lekat na multiply. at ndi ko na mapiga sa utak ko kun ano ang mga nasabi kong detalye. iba pa rin talaga yung tulak ng emosyon yung sulat kumpara sa humuhugot mula sa ala-ala.)

Saturday, November 21, 2009

...On the Idea of Death...

This is an overdue blog. I think I wrote it a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't want to post it without having the chance to edit my fonts. I'm well aware I write painfully long blogs, so anything that would make it more readable is a must for me. 

But I think that piece was a bit unorganized. I hope to do a better job.

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I'm reading vampire novels, but not the Twilight kind, but the True Blood ones of Sookie Stackhouse. While reading one time, I felt my body shudder. I thought again of that which I fear most, death. 

It's long fascinated me, what happens after what we call life? Is there afterlife or is there just a pitch black void? Would our souls roam about this world, stalking people? Could we be reincarnated? Are we to live again as people, or as animals? If heaven did exist, is that where we will be forever? If hell did, would we suffer for all eternity without having any means to redeem ourselves? What if we professed the "wrong" faith? Could we still have the same capacity to think as we can now?

Our professor back in college mentioned that we probably do not fear death. What we probably fear most is the idea of the unknown.

I said time and time again that despite Philosophy as a course seems to limit my employment options, I do not regret taking it. It has given me great insight on things people don't usually talk about or dismiss as absurdity. We don't always get the answers we are looking for, but at least it made us think. We got to exchange ideas about it, and to some extent, we learned. It truly is a pursuit of Truth. 

I'm a curious kind. An extrovert. Someone who wants to be in the loop of all things. I can't stand not knowing what people around me are talking about in their "private language". I find it difficult to be alone, not being able to talk to someone. I want to know answers to questions if they pop into my head. 

It's probably why I fear death so much. Dying is ultimate solitary confinement. You have no one but yourself. No one (probably) to talk to. No one to gossip around you about other people around. It's one thing that I can know that I think is useless. I want to know things because I want to share my knowledge with people. But what's the point of knowing the answer to how death is if I can't share it with people? 

I don't know how to die. There's no way to know for certain, no way to wish how. It just comes. You know it may come anytime, but you'd wish it didn't happen soon.

In that light, I think that's why I want to meet someone this early in life. I may not be ready for a family as of yet, but I'd sure want to be at peace knowing I have a significant other in my life. Someone to share everything with, someone to matter to me as much as I would to her. Because at the end of the day, when death comes, the idea of you will just pass in everyone's lives, like everyone else, and will be forgotten eventually. But if to at least one person, you mattered like the world did to her, you'd live in her memory forever. If only through memories, you'd still live, you'd still have someone. And that grave that will have your name written on it would at least have a frequent visitor.

...And only then would death feel not complete aloneness. 

I may not know how death is, but for certain, it is a life that is completely distinct from the one we are conscious of now. And to be celebrated or remembered by those you have left in this world will mean, at least to them and to you, that you have lived a meaningful life.  Isn't that what matters? 

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I realize I write only cheesy/emo stuff on my blog. Kala mo exception na to? Wahahahahaaha... Sorry naman.