...nakakapagod na...

Yan ang madalas na binabanggit ng mga tao kung bakit ayaw nilang sumali sa mga rally, o sa kung anu mang pagtitipon ng mga tao. Minsan binigyan tayo ng pagkakataon magbago, EDSA Revolution, nag-iisa at natatangi. Pinalitan ang sistemang militar upang pairalin ang "demokratikong" sistema. Korupsyon ang naging bunga. Korupsyon na nais sanang tanggalin ng pagtitipon muli ng mga tao sa EDSA. Inakalang nakamit na ito dahil naglagay na ng isang edukadong presidente kapalit ng isang dating artista. Pero anung nakuha ng mamamayan? Pinagmumukhang tanga ng edukado ang mamamayang nawalan na ng pakialam.

Malakas daw ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas, mataas ang halaga nito laban sa dolyar. Totoo. Pero kaya naman mataas ang piso dahil bumabagsak ang dolyar.

Tumataas daw ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas dahil sa pangulo. Mataas ang ekonomiya dahil sa sobrang dami ng Pilipinong dismayado na sa bansa at nagdesisyong iwanan ito sa kabila ng kalungkutang mawalay sa pamilya, para lang kumita ng ipapakain sa kanila. Dahil dito lumalakas ang ekonomiya. Dahil sa mga makabagong bayani, ang mga OFW. Oo nga, siguro dahil sa pangulo kaya tumataas ang ekonomiya natin. Pero di sa paraang gusto nyang iparating.

May halaga raw ang mga Pilipino. Tumakbo ang isang tiyuhin(o lolo. ewan ko kung pinsan ng lolo ko o pinsan ng tatay ko) kong taga Bicol bilang kagawad ata noong nakaraang eleksyon. Nakapaghain sana siya ng tila maganda namang programa: pagpapaaral. Konkreto kung paano papairalin. Hinanapan siya ng tao ng pera. Wala siyang naibigay. Sa halagang isandaang piso, ipinagbili ng mga taong iyon ang edukasyon ng kanilang mga anak sa loob ng tatlong taon.

Gusto ng Pilipino ng biglaang solusyon. Tulad ng nangyari sa tiyuhin ko sa Bicol, hindi pinakinggan ng tao ang pangako ng magandang buhay bagama't konkreto ito. Mas ninais nila ang maliit na halaga kaysa ang magandang hinaharap. Makikita rin ito sa pila ng Lotto araw araw.

Ano ba ang pagkakamali ng unang EDSA na hindi naiwasan ng ikalawa? Ang masyadong pag-asa ng mga mamamayan sa napili nila. Tinanggal nila ang kinamumuhian nila at ito na ang tinagurian nilang tagumpay. Nawawala na sa mga mamamayan ang apoy ng pagnanais ng pagbabago.

Pagod na rin ako sa mga rally, sa mga tulak sa EDSA sa tuwing mei katiwaliang nangyayari, at sa mga pagpsapaikot ng kwento ng akusadong gobyerno. Hindi ako tanga, ayokong magpakatanga.

Nagtitipon nanaman ang mga tao ngayon. Nawa'y maintindihan nila na hindi ang pagpapalit ng gobyerno at namumuno rito ang solusyon sa problema. Nawa'y hindi lang ang pagkamuhi sa gobyerno ang nagtutulak sa mga tao upang kumilos ngayon. Kung pagkamuhi kasi ang nagtutulak sa tao, pag nawala na ang dahilan ng kanilang pagkamuhi ay titigil na lang sila. Ito mismo ang naging pagkakamali ng dalawang malawakang rebolusyon sa EDSA.

Pakikipag-kapwa tao. Sana ito ang isinasaisip ng mga tao upang makamit ang pagbabago.  Dahil hangga't malasakit sa kapwa ang nagtutulak sa tao at hindi pagkamuhi, hangga't mei naghihirap sa bansa ay patuloy ang kalbaryo ng mamamayan. Kung maipunla ito sa isip ng mamamayan, marahil ito na talaga ang tunay na daan sa pagkakakamit natin ng tagumpay.

...Change of sched...

Sorry friends. Spreading this out pains me as much as it does you.

The March 2 game dubbed "Magkasangga sa Katotohanan" was moved to March 16 due to the PBA Finals game 7 being sold out. Mangement in Araneta wanted to avoid what could possibly be "Ultra-II" due to the potentially 2 crowds conjesting at the venue around that time.

As much as we would like support, we don't want anything bad to happen naman. So better safe and wait than jump in and risk.

 

*I want to get in the UST Priests' faces about Gawi. I hope I could convince them to perform on the 16th. And hopefully, UP could as well.

...What's so hard about it?...

CBCP made a safe stand. So as not to be tentative, I would choose to take a stand. I don't like it. It could've been stronger. But at least, we're on the same page on something: EO 464 must be lifted.

News say that Palace Officials are discussing wether or not they will lift EO 464. What's so hard about it? Say what you know. A matter of national security? Since when did the Presidency become the nation? What, if something implicated the president it would risk national security? Man, if she was too concerned about this nation, she wouldn't have done something that might put it to risk.

It's too freakin simple. Lift EO 464, let Neri say what he knows, stop Mr Shuli (Ermita) and the Teletubby (Bunye. Just because he's always in the limelight trying to convince people of the palace's bullshit. Just because Teletubbies were so influential to kids when they were given the chance) from grabbing him by the balls (sorry Neri, I know you like it, but we have to, for the sake of the truth to come out), let Samaritan boy (Gaite. 500K from his own pocket to a complete stranger. Sir, I'm out of money too!) speak the truth and not just another version of the freakin story, and Zaido Blue (Razon) to get some integrity back. These men(2 1/2) are good people. One is an idealist who has such great vision. The other is a staple in the government, and fears that should he go against it, he will no longer have a job now and in the future. The other is simply being forced to lie, making up stories because of his position. With all these lies going on, these people's good names are being tarnished.

How hard is it to make a stand? How hard is it to act? How hard is it to stop watching and whining and do something about what is happening? How hard is it do decide on whether or not to allow truth to come out?

...Magkasangga Sa Katotohanan...PLS REPOST!!!!!!!!!!

Blue against Green. Archer against Eagle. Ateneo versus La Salle.

At almost every turn, people recognize that these three statements could only spell one thing: competition. Arguably the most storied rivalry in the country, a game that has "La Salle" in the same line as "Ateneo" always draws interest from people who get to know about it because they are sure to catch a highly spirited, tension-filled, and exciting game. People recognize that "Blue" is never a good combination for "Green". But in the light of the current turmoil our country faces today, when lies, excuses, and cover ups fill our television sets, radios and even newspapers, that line that separates the "Green" from the "Blue" disappears in order to be a strong force seeking one thing: TRUTH.

"Magkasangga sa Katotohanan" will feature players from the usually-rival schools teaming up with each other in a friendly game as a sign of unity for that "truth" that all of us are so desperately hoping to know. This game may be the only time one would see a player wearing a La Salle jersey passing to a player wearing an Ateneo jersey. This game seeks to show the country that even the worst of enemies can set differences aside in order to achieve a common cause for the good.

The game's opening rites will be graced by Eng. Jun Lozada.

Game will take place on March 2, 1PM at the Araneta Colliseum. Ticket prices are at PhP 350, PhP 300, PhP 120, PhP 70, PhP 25. For ticket reservations, please call Ticketnet at _____________. Proceeds of this event will benefit the Sanctuary Fund.

Blue against Green. Archer against Eagle. Ateneo versus La Salle.

================================================================
(Tagalog naman)

Asul at Berde. Archer at Eagle. Ateneo at La Salle.

Halos sa bawat sulok ng bansa, alam ng tao na ang tatlong pahayag na ito ay nagsasabi lamang ng isang bagay: kompetisyon. Ang masasabing marahil na pinakapinag-uusapang tunggalian sa bansa, ang "La Salle" na nasa parehong linya ng "Ateneo" ay nakakatawag pansin sa mga taong nakakapansin rito dahil siguradong mainit na tunggali ang aasahan nila rito. Alam kasi ng lahat  na ang "Asul" ay kailanman hindi naging mahusay na kombinasyon para sa "Berde". Pero sa kabila ng nangyayari sa ating bansa ngayon, sa panahong puro kasinungalingan, pagpapalusot, at pagtatago ang nakikita natin sa ating mga telebisyon, naririnig sa radyo, o di kaya'y nababasa sa dyaryo, ang linyang yon na naghihiwalay sa "Berde" at "Asul" ay mawawala upang magpakita ng malakas na puwersang magkasamang naghahanap ng iisang bagay: Katotohanan.

Ang "Magkasangga sa Katotohanan" ay maghahandog ng isang laro kung saan ang mga manlalaro ng madalas na magkatunggaling unibersidad ay magkakasama sa iisang kupunan upang magpakita ng tunay na pagkakaisa upang mailabas na ang "katotohanang" lahat tayo'y nais malaman. Maaaring dito lamang sa larong ito ikaw makakakita ng isang manlalaro na suot ang uniporme ng La Salle na pumapasa sa isang manlalarong naka-uniporme ng Ateneo. Itong larong ito ay nais ipakita na kahit ang pinakamainit na magkatunggali ay maaaring isantabi muna ang kompetisyon sa bawat isa para sa ikabubuti ng bansa.

Ang simula ng laro ay dadaluhan ni Eng. Jun Lozada.

Ang laro ay mangyayari sa Marso 2, 1 ng tanghali sa Araneta Colliseum. Ang mga ticket ay nagkakahalagang PhP 350, PhP 300, PhP 120, PhP 70, PhP 25. Para sa pagreserba ng ticket, maaaring tumawag sa Ticketnet sa numerong _____________. Ang larong ito ay para sa pagpapatuloy ng Sanctuary Fund.

===================================================================

Spread the word. Text me for reservations. 09228100450. Shit. Public na number ko. Ang mga di ko lang kilalang nagtetext sa kin eh nakita ang number ko sa "bus". Yuck. Wala akong ballpen. Parati akong skwater sa mga kaklase ko na nanghihiram ng ballpen araw-araw, tapos makakasulat ako sa bus? Tangna nun sinuman sumulat nun sa bus. Kung anu mang bus yun. Ticket reservations lang entertain ko. Ayoko ng textmate. Ang hirap magtext sa cellphone ko. Gusto ko sana sa PM lang shinishare ang number ko kaso walang nagPPM, ewan ko kung bakit. Linggo na ito. Huwebes na. 14000 na ticket ang kelangan ibenta. Ndi pa umaabot siguro ng 14000 ang lahat ng aktwal kong kakilala. Tulong naman.

Tickets will be on sale by tomorrow (late) afternoon at all Ticketnet outlets. PLEASE REPOST THIS MESSAGE WITHOUT THIS LAST PART!!!!!!!! Tama nang kayo lang nakakaalam ng number ko.

...change and action...

we all want change. we all want a better country. both sides, i think would agree. how this will be a better country, that is where we draw the line. while some think that GMA is the way to this, others would think otherwise.

for change to begin, we must let it begin in ourselves. we detest evil, but if you define evil, it is the absence of good. so, detesting evil is not enough. one must cultivate goodness in order for evil to be ultimately rejected. for, absence of something cannot exist if what was absent is now present. when will change be achieved? let's start first. if your life gets better, then we will have achieved it.

on action. i am passionate about this, mainly because it's my uncle up there people are talking about. i've said it before, and i'll say it again: i am not an activist, nor did i join any cause shouting out to the president that she should resign. but i did accept an invitation from an online buddy recently to post at a GMA resign blogsite. why? because it is not time to be tentative. i have to take a side. i understand that if i am not with her, then i am against her. therefore, i call for her to step down. i call and shout out that she should be taken out forcibly should she remain stubborn. i blog at almost every chance i get. i want my thoughts to be heard. this is the action that i chose to do with the hope of change at the end of this path.

now, i blog and make myself heard. i appreciate people looking, reading, and expressing support through prayers, words of encouragement, and all the good stuff. i comment on every blog i get to read whenever i get the chance. i want to call people to action, because this is the action i chose to do.

but then again, please do not misunderstand me. i am calling you to action not particularly to be on rallies, masses, or gatherings. i share schedules that those interested might come, but i'm not pushing you to be there. but i do want you to act.

"action" does not mean necessarily that you should be revolting on the streets. no. as i said, change begins in ourselves, and this is not the time to be tentative and continue sitting on our asses. as a former classmate of mine pointed out, while there is turmoil in politics in the capital, people are suffering in samar and in bicol. there are other things that need to be addressed. and what are the governors and representatives doing for their "kabayans"? nothing. they choose to troop tha palace to show freakin support. am i mad at them because they side with the administration? no. i am enraged because as elected officials of their respective provinces, their first concern must be the welfare of their people, and not their political allegiances.

now, i am inviting you to go to ayala on the 29th (friday) and in UST on the 2nd (sunday) to make yourself heard in detesting this perverted government. this invitation may be declined. but please, don't just sit on your asses. stand up and make a stand. do something. if there is a problem in your community, address it. hell, if there is a problem within your family, do something about it.

act. start change. stop dissing people on what they're doing if you're not doing anything. stop sitting on your ass, observing stuff and whining about what mess us people are doing, and stand up and do something. if you can't be an advocate of making the president step down, then be an advocate of some other cause for the betterment of this country. make yourself heard. do something. ACT.



===========================================================

much as i would like to blog about the hearing today, i can't rely on heresay. i wasn't able to hear it because i had a deadline to beat today. i'll be looking forward to other peoples' thoughts about the hearing...

...more thoughts...

Whoever watched the news about the "Bur-dyer to die for" must have seen signatures for whoever ate them. Moses, Uncle Jun's eldest, said that it was his signature, because they were the ones eating those to-die-for-burdyers (all this time, I had the pronounciation wrong. Thank you for enlightening me, Mr. Abalos. Let me share the correct pronounciation to everyone by spelling it based on how you say it.)...

Last Friday, a party was held at Club Industry in Tomas Morato at the Ratsky Building... It was light fun, something different from rallies and stuff, chill lang, sabi nga nun organizer.. But you know what it proved? Wiretapping's rampant. Imagine, invites went out within our circle of friends, starting Wednesday. You'd see no posters of it anywhere, and they set up stuff on the 2nd floor(where the place was at) and in no way could one possibly see it from outside... So thing is, if somone was there, most probably someone inside knows them... But what happened was, while they were not set-up yet, 3 swat cars were already downstairs monitoring the activity. How'd they know it? I don't know. What I know is, they don't belong to our circle of friends, that's for sure... No, the organizers didn't call them for security, the organizer was actually the one who told me about the swat cars being there watching us... haha.. freaks...

Frontpage of Inquirer says GMA admits that ZTE deal was flawed. Funny. I thought Formoso said it was "clean"? A lot of explaining needs to be done again.. But then again, if things go really bad as the Garci tapes did, what do we expect from the dwarf of the palace? Another pathetic "I am sorry" speech that will air in the middle of our favorite programs? Bull.Let's act and not let this be the end of it...

My sister said Uncle Jun told her these, but again, I'm sharing it for what it's worth:

Govenment asked US for help in justifying Martial Law next week. US didn't support it. Again, it's for what it's worth..

One other thing, for what it's worth again:

A huge local/private group does not want political turmoil. They asked how much it would take to silence Uncle Jun. So they decided to give 5mil to Lito Atienza, who in turn gave 2mil to Mike Defensor, who eventually gave Uncle Jun the grand sum of 50K... Talk about bureaucracy.. That means, the higher your position, the bigger your comission. So, $130mil for the comelec chair, how much would FG get, then? hm...

...the youth, evil, schedules, neri and more...

Let me start off with the schedule of the upcoming events:

Feb 25 (Monday) at 3PM - Mass @ Baclaran in honor of EDSA, and a call for truth, still. With Cory and probably some politicians who want to gain face, and Uncle Jun will be there for this. Originally planned to be @ Sto Domingo Church, but moved here because Malacanang decided to call for a mass at Sto Domingo too. So if you know someone going to Sto Domingo, pls ask to clarify if they're really there for the government or they just have non-updated info.

Feb 29 (Friday) at 3PM onwards - Interfaith mass @ Ayala. Originally planned to happen at Luneta, this was moved to Ayala because Malacanang apparently didn't approve of a gathering at Quirino/Luneta... So as to avoid confusion, please update friends that whatever was supposed to happen at Manila is now going to happen at Ayala. And may the change of venue not change one's passion.

Mar 2 (Sunday) at !0AM - Mass @ UST. Its somewhat of a grand homecoming for Uncle Jun, and he appeals to ALL Thomasians to be there. But of course, this invitation extends to all because as he said, he wants us to make as much noise as we possibly can that Malacanang will hear us... He has something interesting to say there, and I wouldn't want to spoil it. Just be there.

Mar 2 (Sunday) at 1PM - "Magkasangga sa Katotohanan" @ Araneta. It will be a basketball game featuring the most storied rivalry of collegiate basketball, Ateneo vs La Salle. As a sign of solidarity and unity for a common cause, the Ateneo and La Salle players will play with and against each other, as they will shuffle players. It will also feature the 5-time cheerdance champs UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe for the halftime show... Too bad UP had to decline, but it would've been great if they were there... They said they had prior commitments... This was a "spur-of-the-moment" kind of thing, conceptualized Friday, finalized today, maybe tix out by Wednesday... Proceeds of the event (a huge chunk of it) will be going to the sanctuary fund of Uncle Jun... This "sanctuary fund" I believe will go on to help future witnesses who have these risks...

That said, let me share with you my Dad and Uncle's thoughts... They said that they have done their part when they deposed a dictator. Today, it is the youth's turn. It is our time to move, our time to take a stand. Forget indifference, we must act now. I may seem to be an activist right now, but I refuse to just let this be. Sabi nga ni Uncle Jun, kung ikaw ba, nakita mo ang bahay mong ninanakawan, hahayaan mo na lang ba at sasabihing "ok lang yan, dalawang taon na lang naman akong nanakawan nyan eh." Sagutin mo. Tapos isipin mo kung ano ang gagawin mo. Kung naisip mong meron kang gustong gawin, halika, sumama ka. Marami tayong gustong kumilos para dito.

Yesterday, Uncle Jun and I had a long discussion about stuff.. I told him some producers were thinking of making a movie out of his life with Wally Bayola as the lead actor. He laughed it off, saying his life is not that interesting. And c'mon. Wally's funny, but c'mon.

I was telling him about shirts being donated to us, with these people asking us to sell these shirts that the proceeds may go to his cause. We have some shirts now, but there are more to be made, more people offering to make shirts. Uncle Jun said he wants the theme for the events now as "Act to reject evil now!"..He says given a chance to make a shirt, he wants the front part to read: "I am Filipino... Ibalik ang Mabuting Pilipino!" And the back part to read: "Act to REJECT EVIL now!"...

Why that quote in front? He says because nowadays, it seems that the norm for the Filipinos is to not love our country. When someone says "I love this country" one will ask "why? What's to love?" when he says, in fact, that one does not need to justify his love for the country. Also, as an article in Star says, "corruption has been such a norm in our country that we adjust our moral compasses to accomodate it"(i don't know if that's exactly how she said it, but more or less, that's about it)... Nagiging negative ang tingin ng mga Pilipino sa sarili nilang bansa. Baguhin natin ito, itaguyod muli ang buti ng mga Pilipino. Simulan natin sa mga sarili natin. Everything will fall into place, we just have to start. Everyone's asking him how all these are going to end, he says we just have to start somewhere. And "change" always begins in ourselves. I refer you to the prayer that inspired him:

http://voltz1129.multiply.com/journal/item/49.

It may have been originally for La Salle, but I hope it would inspire you too.

Secretary Neri, the gutless wimp who keeps on invoking EO 464, seems to have valid reasons for doing what he's doing although in truth, he can't stand it. As my sister says, it's blackmail. Apparently, there's a scandal invovling him and a bait the government used. I don't know the details, but the word "scandal" and "blackmail" is enough for me to think that there could actually be something more gross than the Mahal-bath scandal... YUCK. But hey, I don't want to be charged libel here. I'm just saying what I've heard, and giving it out here for what it's worth. It may or may not be true.

Again, I reiterate that I don't want to be charged libel. For those who want to know, PM me, but for now, I won't name names. One of the mediamen bribed by this "rich government" interviewed my uncle over the radio. It was a live interview, so here's what happened: Reporter keeps on asking about Uncle Jun's supposed corruption that he has committed himself during his days in the government office and some other stuff to strengthen the administration's arguments... At the end of the interview,
Uncle Jun: Ah, (insert reproter name) pede ba bumati?
Reporter: Sige po.
Uncle Jun: Nagpapasalamat po ulit ako sa media dahil nga po kung wala sila nung araw na dumating ako eh malamang patay na ko. Sana po eh hindi kayo magpadala sa pera, para hindi po kayo mabahiran ng korupsyon. Hindi po ba eh korupsyon din ang pagtanggap ng pera mula sa gobyerno? Eh nananawagan lang naman po ako na sana eh ipagpatuloy nyo lang ang pagbabalita ng makatotohanang balita ng walang halong pulitika o korupsyon.
Reporter: ah. uhm. (clears throat. twice)
Uncle Jun: Pde pa ba ko bumati?
Reporter: Ah, eh, sige po.
Uncle Jun: Nananawagan po ulit ako sa media..(click)(phone line dies)

Di kinaya ni reporter. Inatake kaya ng konsensya? hehe...

It's been 3 days since my last blog, I feel like I'm missing some things out, but what the hell, the gist of it is here...

Oh, again, we're selling shirts, with proceeds going to Uncle Jun's fund. We don't choose the size nor colors of it, but we could offer ideas on what to write on it... Thus, we normally sell 1 size shirts, some of it actually low quality(which we sell for 100). The better quality shirts sell for 150. We don't have too many designs yet, hopefully we will have those by the Ayala thing on the 29th. If you would be on any of the venues, please do buy some of the shirts... And no, I don't get commission. Neither does my mom. We could give it out for free, but we at least want to get the people who chipped in for the production to get their capital, and the rest of it goes to the fund. Why sell something you won't profit from? Hey, we gain everything here, support, as people would wear shirts bearing these statements of support, and we gain something for the sanctuary fund, which would not only help my uncle, but many others.. Plus, it at least compensates for the La Salle Brothers' expenses for taking care of my uncle's whole family... So, basically, this is our part of the fight, that's why we may not gain anything monetary from it, but we do gain many things apart from money which is more important at these trying times...

Intsik kasi ako eh. Baka isipin ng iba(lalo na ng mga gagong kaklase ko, i.e. Olgado) na pinagkakakitaan namin to.. Dumepensa lang ako. hehe...

...the rich government...

Who says we are a third-world country? That's totally untrue.

Look, Mike Defensor, upon knowing that my uncle, Jun Lozada, didn't have any more money,decided to give him 50,000. It was his own money, and not in any way from the government. It just so happened that he brought it in his car. But that's not surprising, since all of us do have 50,000 pesos in our cars.Right?

Now, Manny Gaite, the guy who gave my uncle 500,000 pesos, is claiming that this money was "out of compassion" for my uncle and is in no way again from public funds nor is it in any way a bribe for him to shut up. Again, this is not surprising, because whenever a friend tells us that he doesn't have any more money, the first figure that comes to our mind is 500,000 pesos. Right?

Yeah, we're a rich country...

...Sidewalk vendors, and forgotten pieces...

Secretary Neri was supposed to be the guy everyone's talking about right now, not my uncle... We would've been drinking and playing tong its last weekend if these things never happened to him... We would've still been convincing Uncle Jun to buy pizza for everyone, would've still be making fun of his claims about buying this and that, and we would've still been making fun at his receding hairline (for clarity: though he claims he is a "probinsyanong intsik", it doesn't mean that he's rat-poor... this particular "probinsyanong intsik" made a decent living long before this whole mess. and he'd normally make bold and crazy predictions like "ilan bang ganyang kotse gusto nyong bilhin ko, lima?" na papatulan naman namin, until we get to a point where we're already convincing him to buy pizza to which he'd reply: "ilan ba kasya sa tin, tatlong yellow cab? tawag na kayo!". Finally, to this day, though he's where he is, we still make fun of that hairline of his whenever we get the chance.. "Buti na rin ikaw un nandyan, parating maliwanag pag mei camera sa mei ulo mo eh") ...

Secretary Neri started off good, until that "executive privilege" part... until then, it seemed that he wanted change, and then he suddenly made a u-turn... as it seems, he's now one of the people making up fairy tales to cover up for the president... he's having what i call "selective amnesia"... you know what's stupid? with all this mess, the palace still actually believes that Neri would be able to help them... Neri is just someone in the middle now. He can fill in the blanks, but the palace can't make him give new answers, not because the guy has integrity, but rather because he has said enough to give the palace headaches when he went to the senate last time. don't get me wrong, his trip to the senate was palace-sanctioned, so they thought that was gonna be it.. and for a while, it was... But one can't hide the truth forever, and here comes the mess that my uncle is in right now, just because he wants to say it to the public even just before the government or Abalos silences him permanently. And again, they might have succeeded, had it not been for the media who were on their case...

Anyway, my point is, Abalos is a palace lapdog. He made a booboo when he asked for too much as his "last hurrah" as a government official. Joey is a spoiled brat who didn't get what he wants, so he spills the beans. Neri is the clueless government official whose signature is essential for the project to be approved. My uncle believes so much in his abilities that he'd extend his help to some friend even if it is outside his field in the government. FG is just the pig he is, but make no mistake about it, he thought about his wife's political allies, which is why he lets Abalos dominate him, so that they can be assured of some seats come election time for senators. When Neri spoke, it was against Abalos, the lapdog. Now, as my uncle is speaking the things he knows, the government is trying its best to shift the attention to ruining my uncle's credibility, so that people would forget that it was Abalos who started all this mess... By defending too much the president, people are somewhat forgetting that Abalos is the guy who asked for too much, and now it seems the president is at greater fault because she was the one who approved the project and went to China to witness its signing. Now, to cover up for the president, they try to use Neri to put a smudge on the credibility of my uncle.

Mahaba. Nahirapan ako. Main point is: even if it started as if Neri abhors Abalos for asking too much, he is now seemingly defending him by claiming now that he has no essential part in the ZTE contract. Palace officials are using him now to destroy credibility, and Abalos seems to be lost in the background. Palace can't turn their backs on Abalos, which is why they're trying to make him a forgotten piece in this mess, and focusing the discussion instead to the accusations against the palace and the pig.

*******************************
I was watching the news and saw the MMDA decimate the products of the sidewalk vendors. You know what, I don't like them either. They do cause traffic on the streets, and sometimes they even cause traffic for people passing by. And I do like Bayani Fernando, because he's done great things for Marikina, and now its such a beautiful city (his wife is continuing the work, one of the few dynasties I could appreciate). I'm not personally from Marikina, but as an outsider who visits Marikina once in a while, I think they did a good job out there.

But what's happening now, I think, is wrong. Those people are trying to make a living. They may cause trouble at some point, but at least they're not grabbing cellphones or wallets or anything. If you say that one thing is wrong, then propose something right. Bayani destroys sidewalk vendors, traffic might be solved. But what about those people? What happens to them? What does he want them to do? Is he going to give them decent jobs? Is he going to provide for the families of those people?

I understand not everybody can make a decent living. Everyone has a role to play in society. These people's role was to provide us with cheap specialties that they bring closer to you so that you won't have to go to groceries or supermarkets. They are part of everyday life, and that's what they can offer society, because they didn't have the opportunities that some of us enjoy/ed. If by asking them to leave the sidewalks, Bayani offers them instead a place to sell their stuff, then this is a good thing. But by destroying their stuff and telling them to don't do that anymore, what does he want them to do then?

I don't know. I know you've got to have authority in order to enforce laws, but I just hope that he would have a heart in him. Even Machiavelli understands that one must be both feared and loved by the people, and that one of the two is not enough to be an effective Prince.

To Mr. Fernando: Propose solutions to a better life. Don't degrade these people further by saying that this way of living is not decent.

...The Ateneo, Jim Paredes, and how the green and blue wars would end...

La Salle celebrated a mass for truth on Sunday, and I thought Ateneo would not be outdone... True enough, there was a huge turnout at the Ateneo today,  considering it's a Monday, and it was at an uncommon hour, 6PM... The senate hearing wasn't even over yet, and it's moving to see a lot of people still coming to show their support... My sister and I decided to go there to show them that at least some members of the family is there... One priest, though, told us that my uncle was planning to be there after the senate hearing, and it's good to know that at least they don't feel left out...

While waiting for them, Leah Navarro was talking to my dad, and of course, I mingled... I mean, it was better than doing nothing... She was a fun character, entertaining in fact, and I appreciate her humor... Maybe because it's as if we're talking about "inside jokes" as some might call it, since we're making fun of things that we're both aware of... Eventually, she noticed Jim Paredes was there, and she told us to come with her so that she could introduce us... And she did... And it was a fulfilling experience, especially today, since I have just read his thoughts on yesterday's paper... He was sharing his thoughts further, explaining that he could write that way about my uncle even if he hasn't had the pleasure of speaking with him exclusively because he can see how my uncle exudes courage... And for that, he said, he felt that my uncle was telling the truth...

He was also sharing some ideas of the Australian Prime Minister, which made me curious and would want to know more about it... He was saying  that the Australian Prime Minister always thinking out of the ordinary... He put forward the interest of the nation rather than the interest of the few... He cited the Kyoto agreement, which involves coal... As of the moment, my mind's not working that well, so I can't remember exactly how he said it, but from what I understood, the point was, even if it meant that the coal industry would suffer, he pushed through with that agreement because in the long run, it would benefit the nation.. He then said that on the next elections, he will vote for someone outside of the system... He said it was idealist, but "idealism is the new realism."...

It was an enlightening and educational experience... How come singers are no longer as eloquent as he is nowadays?

Upon my uncle's arrival, it is very evident that he was wearing a green pin because he was from La Salle. He was joking about the Ateneo-La Salle stuff at the beginning, and some more light jokes at the start of his speech, like "I want to be part of the mob every once in a while, because it seems as if everytime it's like one vs the mob..." Let me apologize to GMA (the network, not the dwarf) for the publicity that their competition is getting, but it just so happened that it was appropriate... But I hope this won't turn into a network war.. Things are tough as they are now, hopefully, network wars won't make it worse...

In the end, a priest announced that there should be no Ateneo-La Salle in this situation, because for this cause, we are all one...

Again, hope tries to manifest itself once again before us, as people acted for a common cause...


**I want to just say it here, remembering Abalos: Way back in February, my uncle was saying Abalos threatened him, saying "P...Ina ka, wag kang papakita sa kin sa Wack-Wack o Mandaluyong, kundi papapatay kita.." That was not under oath... Under oath, my uncle said: "Wag kang papakita sa king hayup ka sa Wack-Wack o Mandaluyong, kundi papapatay kita." And then, watching the replay of Harapan last night, I watched as Abalos was saying "sabi ko daw sa kanya 'P...Ina ka, wag kang papakita sa kin sa Wack-Wack o Mandaluyong, kundi papapatay kita..' " What's funny about it is the fact that even if my uncle was saying it differently in front of the senate, Abalos knew exactly how he said it... I guess you really can't hide the truth...:p

...on selective amnesia and a bunch of crap...

Why is it that everytime I hear Ermita speak, all I can understand is "bullshit"? Demmit, Secretary Neri may be the one person who could strengthen the testimony of my uncle, and now, it seems that the palace is grabbing him by the balls (not that he hates it)... For some reason, he now has "selective amnesia" as what I would call it... He remembers some things, but those things that might implicate the president, he says he can't remember... Maybe the bald black guy from Heroes actually lives and works with OUR government by erasing memories of a person during a period of time...

One thing about Secretary Neri though, and that palace press conference, if someone can have a transcript of it, it would be cool to analyze... As far as I can remember, the first time the media asked Neri about the so-called "patriotic money", he said it (the testimony) was the first time he had heard of it, and maintained that he went there to discuss stuff about the structure of government that we have... And then on with the questions... But before the end of the press conference, Bunye or whoever was the moderator, mentioned that they will give a reporter a chance to make a follow-up question... And the question was about how much "patriotic money" was offered to Neri, to which Neri replied: "around 20M or more, I'm not sure." Which is weird considering the testimony from earlier today was said to be the first time that he has heard of it, and as far as I can remember being told this story (way back a couple of months before, my dad was the guy whom Uncle Jun referred to as "kuya" who was with him during that dinner, and who is the 'friend' of Lacson), Jamby never disclosed a figure, and told my uncle that she won't be able to help Neri out because it seems he doesn't want to be helped, with all the incomplete information he has been giving...

Additionally, it disgusting to hear Neri outrightly denying being the one who asked for that meeting to be organized... As far again as I remember, my uncle sought the help of my dad because during those times, if Neri went down, my uncle goes down with him... Should they turn their backs on the government, which at that moment were the prevailing feelings among them, they would be left with nothing; no job, no money, no friends... Neri was so concerned about what life he would have if he turned against the government, that he didn't disclose as much information unless he was given assurance of monetary assistance and people mobilization... In the end, that meeting came up with nothing to both parties; Neri without money, Senators without facts, my dad with a little less pride (he was instrumental in calling up the senators, and by ending up with nothing, seemed as if it was a waste of time), and my uncle with more pride swallowed than I have ever known of (he was always the boastful type, those you can make fun of... He never liked losing in any argument, and as you can hear him, with his intellect, he'd make it seem that he's still right even if he's wrong.. If by chance he can't do that, he'll just playfully slap you on the forehead and we all laugh at the result...) for seemingly wasting the senators' times and seemingly making my dad's efforts come to waste...

I was seriously thinking Neri might have some integrity and soul left in him, but as it seems, that "visionary" of a "man" had a pricetag that the palace was able to satisfy... Or he just wants people grabbing him by the balls...

...on disappointment and optimism...

I've been blogging ever since the incident started... Well-wishers and concerned people express their support and prayers for everything that has happened... People have re-posted, people have commented, not only here, but also for the other blogs... I do my best to scour the net to look for blogs concerning the events happening in the controversy and try to speak on what I know about it...

With all the positive remarks and responses, I felt that the call for the Makati demonstration would gather people... As it turned out, it was a gathering of militant groups... It looked many if you watched it on TV, but I don't know, I felt that it wasn't enough to threaten the "stubborn mule" that is the president... I was honestly disappointed... I seriously thought of just migrating somewhere, a thing that never in my wildest dreams I have considered... I was thinking, "man, a man stood up for these people, and all they can do is watch on TV what's happening? A man said that 'this nation really is worth dying for' and poured his heart out amid the administration lapdogs, and these people can't even come here to make their own voices heard?" I know of people's reservations, but man, that was it?

My dad was telling that today is different from before... Back in the martial law period, people were so sick for so long, that if somthing happened, it will spark the whole nation... But today, people are tired, and things now aren't as bad as before... As it seems, at least today, we have our freedom... So that's why I didn't blog first... But I was disappointed...

And then I went straight to UST for the canvassing of the local college's votes, of which I am a member of a local political party, the Students' Democratic Party... As the results were being announced, I was again disappointed, but now, also disgusted... I didn't even have the heart to look at the proclamation of the president, because I thought it was a joke... Discussing the whole thing is going to be another matter, but the point is, I was thinking "first, the Makati snub, now, we lose to a joke of a party? What has this country become? Even these kids get manipulated and can't even make a stand for themselves... Professors threatening students to run for a position, I'm not surprised if they threatened to flunk a whole class if they didn't vote for their bets.."

I was so sure that I'm going to write a disappointing blog today, but as it turned out, Sunday wasn't half bad... I read an article by Jim Paredes in the Philippine Star, an article he thought that went against his stand of not writing about political stuff, but still he did, because he felt he needed to... An enlightening article by another person was also good education for me... She said that "the moral compass of the Filipino people seem to be affected by our norms. Corruption has been such a norm that we already bend our moral compasses to accomodate it." Well, she might not have said it that exact way, but that was the whole thought of it... All I could say was, "O nga no.."

And then came the mass... People went up the La Salle Gymnasium, and flocked the whole place... I thought I'd just stay downstairs, outside, just to see if people would actually come... And they did... And I don't know what to say... I was happy... The place was crowded, they needed to stay in the cafeteria, and the park, and still it overflowed... Some had to stay on the field, and halfway through the mass, people were still coming... It was touching to see... There were no flags, no militant groups, just people, wanting to show that we are together in prayer... And outside, people were blowing their horns to show support... And it was great to hear... Cory had a message to the people, my uncle thanked the people, but it was really too bad that we downstairs weren't able to hear it because of the crappy sound system...

Overall though, it shone a glimmer of optimism in me... And I sincerely believe that people still do care... And migrating isn't an option just yet...

 

**to those there, I was giving out t-shirts and one of the few who were in yellow in the mass... hopefully, Thomasians will be more visible next time...

Liga Ng Filipino

It's a 14-page essay, but it should be substantial... Haven't read it yet, initially planned to attach it, but then again, one might not be able to download it properly.. so for the sake of making it known to the world, here is another one of my uncle, Jun Lozada's thoughts he wants us all to know:
**notes before you read: sinosirizal is a pen name he uses. It's also the same email address he used as president of the PFC... Baka mabitin ka, sabi mei illustration... totoong meron, hindi ko lang alam ang tamang pagkabit nito... nakaatach ang word file, check it out from there if you're able to download the thing...

ANG LIGA NG PILIPINO

The Filipino Ideology of Nationhood

   sinosirizal

 

INTRODUCTION: DESTROYING THE PRESENT

 

“All profound human advancement destroys the society in which it was born.”

 

Herodotus said, “All things are born in war.”  Notoriously anti-war, Herodotus obviously did not mean ‘war’ to mean bloodshed or armed conflict. Rather, he pointed to how everything that comes to being is born in struggle: butterflies fight their way out of cocoons, eagles peck and claw their way out of eggs and even babies must fight their way free of the birth canal.

 

Herodotus’ message is anything but comforting. However, I feel it is timely and appropriate in these times of anxiety and turmoil.  All beginnings, whether birth or rebirth, are chaotic and terrifying, and therefore require innate strength and courage. The alternative is to suffocate and die in darkness. 

 

Historical exigency and colonial exploitation has made the Filipinos forget of the great teachings of our heroes.  However, the nation in crisis is again calling forth this spirit.  This upheaval is a time of reawakening, a period of catharsis towards self-renewal. 

 

The Filipino is coming of age.

 

Soon the children of the Nation will rediscover their heritage and reclaim their true identity as a nation of heroes. They will find their way, guided by the principles of the first sons of the Nation – Rizal and Mabini, to name but a few – to a new way of life. A new age. With a new ideology.

 

The Liga Ng Pilipino aims to help usher in this new age, to revive the spirit of our heroes and imbibe the nation with knowledge of their teachings and bring about the creation of a modern Filipino ideology. It aims to use that same spirit, the same way it was used by Rizal a century ago, to unite and galvanize a fractious nation into one tide, powerful enough to drive away the Spanish colonizers after almost 400 years of colonial domination.

 

In tangible terms, the Liga ng Pilipino aims to create and lead a political force firmly anchored in our Nation’s history and culture, with a sole purpose of uplifting the human dignity of every Filipino. This shall be accomplished by providing freedom from the want of food, shelter and education, the freedom to pursue their happiness, and the freedom to practice their beliefs. 

 

While this work attempts to revisit and encapsulate the lessons of Philippine history to use in creating a road map for the future, it is not meant to be a historical textbook or authority on historical events. Rather, it is meant to present a new way of studying and interpreting the lessons of history, from a ‘dangal ng lahi” perspective,” as prescribed by Rizal. It is meant to be a reminder and a guide to the new patriots, as we prepare the soil for a bountiful harvest of patriotic fervor.

 

A century ago the teachings of Rizal gave birth to a revolution. Today, we shall again take up his fight, not against foreign oppressors, but our own nihilism, and armed not with bullets and swords but with knowledge and information.

 

 

I. SOME DOCTORS TREAT THE SYMPTOMS, THE BEST ONES CURE THE CAUSE

 

It is an undeniable fact that the Philippines, once to the most envied nation in Asia during the mid 20^th century, is in crisis. Our people are poor, not only in economic terms, but we are culturally lost and morally weak. We were not always this way – our history was glorious and full of promise. Yet we look at our country now, at a loss as to how we have come down this path. Time and again we have tried to reverse ourselves, fix our perceived problems. As with physical pains, our automatic response has been attempt to gain relief and rid ourselves of the pain. We have applied salves, massaged the aching part of our body and maybe even taken medication orally.  In the extreme situation, perhaps we may have even considered surgery, drastically cutting off limbs in order to spare the rest of the body.  However, until we know the actual cause of our pain, all of these actions will only aggravate the pain, worsen our condition, or even lead to our death.

 

Our country is suffering a lot of pain right now. We have been witness to numerous efforts to relieve the Nation of these difficulties. We have tampered with our Constitution, created various commissions --from good governance to values formation,-- we have raised a couple of EDSA revolutions, a number of coup d’ etats, negotiated peace agreements with armed insurgents, and others, all of which were supposed to cure the country of its malady and set it on the road to progress and prosperity. Most of these efforts to improve the living conditions of the Filipinos have failed. Some of these programs are even to blame for worsening the situation. 

 

The failure of these attempts may be attributed to a litany of reasons, such as graft and corruption in government, corrupt politician, undisciplined people, lazy Filipinos, Talangka mentality, etc. It is the proverbial situation where the patient not only fails to recover, he is in fact chastised and blamed by the doctor, when in fact the doctor had given the wrong prescription/diagnosis. A situation reminiscent of the Spanish colonizers’ attempt to justify their enslavement of our people by blaming the indolence of the Filipinos for the misery they were suffering under the Spaniards.

 

Just as Rizal repudiated the claims of the Spaniards through his scholarly opus “The Indolent Filipino,” we must arm ourselves with scholarly knowledge of our culture and history in order that we may clearly identify the causes of our Nation’s suffering.  For it is only with full knowledge of the true causes can we summon the courage and resolve to extinguish our people’s suffering, one painful step at a time, freeing them from poverty and restoring their dignity and humanity.

 

 

We were a new Filipino Nation fighting for our freedom at the twilight of the 19th century when our country came neareast to a genuine nationalist freedom more than any other time in history.  It is the spirit of that struggle that we must recapture in preparing our people for nationhood in the 21st century. It is a spirit firmly anchored in our history and our culture.  A spirit that was sparked by Rizal and that will permeate through every aspect of our lives, from the education of our children, the practice of arts and culture, the bureaucracy of our government, the conduct of business and politics in our beloved country.

 

 

II. THE PHILIPPINES AS A BASTARD CHILD

A short interpretation of history

 

To the Filipino, God is ever our father and the country is our mother. However, our innocent mother was discovered by the Spanish in 1521 and ravaged in 1565 by the arrival of the conquistadores led by Legazpi. Generations of Filipinos lived and died as abused bastard children of an exploitive foreigner. Our Mother suffered greatly with the oppression of her children who were shackled in ignorance and kept away from the exploding social and industrial developments of the 18th and 19th century.

 

The year 1872 marked the awakening of the country when the innocent blood of Gomes, Burgos and Zamora were spilled in reprisal for an aborted mutiny. These children of 1872, particularly Jose Rizal and Marcelo Del Pilar, bravely went to the home of our foreign conquerors to ask that we be treated more like stepchildren than slaves. These propagandists were instrumental in the patriotic awakening of more Filipinos, particularly Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini, who joined in the fight to defend our trampled rights as citizens in our own country.

 

The year 1896, witness to the execution of the country’s Eldest Son, Jose Rizal, was the breaking point of this asphyxiating surrogate relationship. Inspired by the ideals of Rizal, Andres Bonifacio led the cry for justice and the movement to break free to chart our own Filipino course.  Soon most of the children were nursed with these same ideals and the surrogate was faced with the fury of exploding social volcano.

 

 

Divide and Conquer

 

However, on May 1897, a day of darkness prevailed. Andres Bonifacio died at the treacherous hands of a covetous countryman, Emilio Aguinaldo.  Soon after his death the revolution lost its spirit, a situation taken advantage of by other less patriotic children, especially those favored by the surrogate father with material wealth. And a peace pact was immediately concluded at Biak-na-Bato between the surrogate and the covetous child, who was rewarded with 800,000 pesos in selling out the aspiration of the Filipino people for freedom and self determination.

 

At the same era, far away in the west, a great young nation born out of the spirit of freedom and equality of mankind was then contemplating freeing all the lands under the weight of our old and corrupt surrogate masters. While it seemed a very noble undertaking at the surface, it was underlined with imperialistic designs. They schemed to wrest our mother country from our false father that they may fulfill their own imperialistic desires. In 1898, this imperialist power waged war on our surrogate in the name of freedom and rescued the covetous son of our country from lawsuits in Hong Kong as a result of his wanton splurging of the movement’s money.  He was a perfect puppet for the imperialist, being naive and unsophisticated in world affairs. The covetous son was brought home by the imperialist to rally support for the movement, now tacitly backed by the young western power.

 

 

Manifest Destiny

 

Soon, the surrogate father was running out of supplies and losing the war against the determined children of our land.  During these times of euphoria, another great son of our country continued to warn the covetous son of the dangers he and the imperialists brought top the land, but was dismissed as the alarmist thoughts of a paralytic. At the end 1898, the unthinkable happened, the motherland suffered another betrayal. She was sold by the false father to the imperialist for $20M, her children like a herd of sheep, with a price of $2.50 per Filipino head.

 

Too late the naïve covetous son realized that he had been duped by the American imperialist ambition. Belatedly, he took arms against his former allies, who has now turned invaders. The motherland was once again afire with hatred and awash with blood that the new invaders spilled in the name of their “pacification campaign.” More than 220,000 Filipinos were lost, in battles such as those of Balangiga and Tirad Pass.  The Philippines had now become a sacrifice to the American’s cause of “benevolent assimilation.”    It is interesting to note that this is also what is happening to Iraq today. In short, the Philippines was America’s Iraq a hundred years ago.

 

Our young nation, born from the blood of heroes who fought Spain, now grew up recognizing America as her father, a misassumption encouraged by Aguinaldo when he forced the revolutionaries to swear fealty to the new conqueror. A few patriots, knowing the truth, chose to die rather than accept this lie.

 

In 1902, the bullets stopped flying, but only with the deaths of those who refused to recognize America’s sovereignty. This marked the full enslavement of our fledging nation, considered a barbarian and kept in chains by its new master.

 

 

Not Armed Occupation but Economic Domination

 

Our fledging country learned to walk, aided and shadowed by the new father it now recognized. All traces and records of its short history as a nation was captured and confiscated by the imperialist father, in order that the young nation would never grow to be its own independent people. In time, the young nation grew to recognize and love the imperialistic conqueror as a true father, not realizing that it had actually enslaved its mother country.

 

History reveals that there are ways to keep a nation in chains: (1) keep them in ignorance, (2) keep them in poverty, or (3) exterminate them. The Spaniards had kept the Filipinos ignorant and poor but had been unable to exterminate them. The new imperialists, on the other hand educated us but kept us poor. They allowed civil and political freedom while justifying the colonization of our motherland by claiming that the Filipinos were unfit for self-government and that it was their manifest destiny and their mandate from God  “to educate uplift, civilize and Christianize” the Filipinos. They allowed us civil and political freedoms that the Spaniards had denied us, but claimed that we were yet unfit for self-government.

 

The American foster father educated the young nation, allowed the Filipinos civil and political liberties, but at a great price to the nation. In exchange, the imperialist took advantage of the strategic location of the Philippines to establish military bases and the kept control of our economy. Not only did our new nation’s identity become lost and corrupted, its riches were sacrificed for the economic interest of the Americans.

 

All this occurred with nary a protest from the young and innocent nation who trusted the foster father for its well-being.

 

In 1941, a new conqueror arrived, this time from within Asia.  A race that refused to bow down to the Westerners, their goal was to stop the lands in Asia from being conquered or seized by these outsiders. Our young nation was once again plunged into war and violence, fighting beside its recognized father.  After a protracted and brutal struggle, the imperialists were forced to abandon the country, promising to return. Starved of aid, thousands upon thousands of Filipinos died under the hands of this new conqueror, while they waited for their “father” to return.

 

In 1946, our growing nation was “granted” freedom and independence by the Western foster father, but only upon the condition that its riches would remain in their keeping and that its military would remain on our land.

Time passed and the young nation continued to be led by leaders that remained loyal to the interests of the western father. While these leaders had good intentions and truly wished to see our young nation prosper, they failed. Their hands, as well as the reins of the government and the economy, were still tied, with the foreigners pulling the purse-strings.

 

By 1972, more and more children awakened to the truth that the “father” they had long recognized was not their true father.  They began to question the true motives of the Americans. They were harshly rebuked and bidden to be silent through the threats of a brilliant and ambitious leader, Marcos. He was able to threaten the new patriots with the encouragement and support of the Americans who promised him more wealth and power as long he kept the status quo. The nation continued to weaken, become more divided, under Marcos’ martial law regime. But even its armies of police and death squads was unable to squash all resistance. Ultimately, the people, with their history of courage and love of freedom, would rise up against the Marcos government, spelling the death of one of the country’s best opportunity to rise up as one Nation under the visionary leadership of Marcos.

 

 

The New Revolution

 

In 1986, the brilliant yet misguided leader-son was cast off by his brothers and he was quickly snatched away and brought to safety by the foreign father he had served well for so long. He was brought to the father’s land and stayed there until the hour of his death. The whole world celebrated the peaceful “People Power” revolution brought about by the Filipino brothers, but most of the people who replaced the old governance also grew up on the shadow and teachings of the foreign foster father and continued to fulfill its teachings and serve its interests, such as continuing to pay debts incurred during the time of the dictatorship, none of which benefited the nation.

 

The joy and celebration faded quickly as the people continued to suffer poverty and hardship, to the point of hopelessness and starvation. Some children of the new nation decided to take their fates into their own hands and tried to seize power from the sitting government, believing they would be able to do more for their country and better serve their fellow Filipinos, however, when they were near victory the foreign imperialist once again meddled, negating the efforts of these idealist Filipinos, it was a very clever and effective way of  expressing American support for the government who had remained obedient to their instructions and interest.

 

In the 1990s, the Philippines underwent three leadership changes. All three promised hope and prosperity for the country but none could alleviate the suffering. The unrest and struggle continued to worsen, the hostilities between brothers spread further. More people lost hope for reconciliation and progress.  

 

In the 2000s, the nation joined the foster father it its fight against Iraq and was rewarded by a mere visit, and not even the financial support that it had given to other nations.  This brought forth more questions about the nature of the relationship between our fledging nation and our “father.”  While it is true that our “father” is powerful, is it really to our benefit to continue to cater to his whims? If this relationship is truly beneficial, why do we continue to suffer when our land is rife with riches and the Filipinos are some of the most brilliant, talented and hardworking people in the world? Till when are we supposed to go on like this? How much more suffering can our poor country take?

 

The aim of this document is not merely to recount the events but to ask the question, the way Rizal did so long ago: “Tayo ba ay sadyang hamak na ginawa ng Diyos or sadyang hindi pa lamang nabibigyan ng pagkakataon?”  Are we inherently poor because we were created that way or is it only that we have not had the chance to forge our destiny ourselves?

 

“Knowledge of the past is a potent weapon in the conquest of the future.” If by revisiting the past we can find the answer to this question, or even if only raises new questions as to why our nation is suffering as it is, then it will have done its purpose. We hope this is the start of the awakening of our minds towards the lessons of history, our heritage and our Dangal Ng Lahi; an awakening sorely overdue towards recovery and renewal, and ultimately true independence and progress of the Filipino people.

 

 

 

III. ANG LIGA NG PILIPINO: RATIONALE FOR A REVOLUTION

 

A study of Philippine history allows us insight on our psyche as a people, it provides many examples of turning points where the Filipino could have had seized control of his destiny yet failed. Many of us have therefore become resigned to the idea that it is too late for our country, that we are too much in debt, our government is too corrupt, our people are too undisciplined, etc.  Many of our countrymen have fled to other shores in search of better lives, thinking as if the Filipino culture is not capable of progress anymore and only the foreign culture are capable of progress. However, many more of us are like Rizal, who despite three hundred years of enslavement and turmoil held fast to his faith in the Filipino.

 

A hundred years later, we continue to place our trust and pin our hopes on the youth. Just as Rizal once exhorted them to break free from the shackles that bound their hearts and minds so that they may soar to the heavens and attain their dreams, so do we call on the Filipino of today to remember their heritage and destiny, to hold fast and revive the Filipino values that we believe will propel the nation to independence and preserve time-honored traditions as a distinct race. We seek to remind the Filipino of his true heritage, the truth of the blood that flows in his veins, and in doing so redefine and re-ignite his sense of nationalism.

 

While others may have prescriptive answers for the problems of the Philippines, we recognize, just as Rizal and Mabini and the patriots of old, that the power belongs to the people and change must begin within a person. We believe that once the Filipinos posses the same vision, set their minds on the same goals, we will naturally unite and act in accordance to the fulfillment of that shared aspiration.  In a nutshell, the right mindset leads to the correct behaviors, which will in turn lead to the desired result, in this case a revitalized Philippines. Towards this shared vision, therefore, we have created the Liga ng Pilipino, in the hopes of calling together nationalists of the same persuasion, enlightening and guiding the lost, that we may band together, work towards and finally achieve our true destiny.

 

A century ago, Rizal identified specific conditions for a “just revolution.” An avid advocate of peace, he nevertheless stated that under very special and specific circumstances, it is necessary that we take control of our own destiny. 

 

1. There must be a grievous situation that warrants action.

 

Mere dissatisfaction or disagreement with policy is not enough cause for revolution. Strict and healthy respect for diversity is vital in a democracy. Here we must be able to distinguish between mere political noise and genuine cause, between unpopular opinion and true oppression.  Before any fight is taken up, it must first be determined if the cause is just. Even then, the people must first exhaust all peaceful means to seek resolution. Once all other options have failed, then the Filipino must be prepared to do whatever is necessary, even take up arms, in order to set the country right and the Filipino free.

 

2. We must prepare for imminent victory.

 

Once it has been determined that a revolution is necessary and once the people have resolved to change the situation, the people must already have a plan of action to replace the old system. Most freedom movements were concerned mostly with how to wrest the reins of power and not how to establish a new order. Due to this absence of a post-victory scenario, the Philippines has wasted many opportunities for significant change and renewal. Aside from 1898 Philippine Revolution, the nearest the Philippines has ever come to genuine freedom was in 1986, during the first People Power Revolution. However, the leaders of that movement were unprepared for such historic opportunity. Once they were established as the new government, they simply change the personalities and continued to build on an existing system that was already flawed. It was the same dog with a different collar!

 

 

3. We must not leave even a single trace of the system we fought against or it will simply come back in a more vicious form.

 

Corollary to the above “condition,” the Filipinos must not only prepare for victory, they must prepare to completely restructure the system of government.  Again, after the first EDSA revolution, corruption continued to hold the “new” government in a death-grip, being comprised of the old crony-dynasties: the Cojuangcos, the Aquinos and the Marcoses. A more recent example, replacing Estrada with Macapagal-Arroyo, was an equally divisive & futile task. While replacing the head operator of flawed machinery is crucial, it means nothing if the machinery itself remains in place.

 

 

The Liga Ng Pilipino believes that this “grievous situation” alluded to by Rizal exists, that it has existed since the Spaniards created the conditions in the Philippines and continues to exist till this day. We believe that the time is not only ripe for a social revolution, that it is necessary and inevitable. To this end, it becomes clear that the task of the Filipino in bringing forth a brighter future is two-fold: establishing and supporting the proper system of government and electing the right leaders.

 

The current crisis in government reaffirms the exigency of the above tasks.  The media is flooded by the two most pressing issues whose answers are purported to be the answers to the nation’s problems. Will our country’s problems truly be solved by a shift to a federal parliamentary form of government and the removal of Arroyo from office? Do Filipinos even understand what a federal parliament entails? In the same vein, while the ouster of the current president is certainly an option, the people remain confused and tentative in their choice for a replacement.

 

The following sections of this document are dedicated to sharing our vision of a post-victory scenario and our ideology of leadership. The aim of the Liga Ng Bayan is not to endorse a specific form of government or candidate. What form of government is right and who leads it will be for the people to decide. However, we believe that what is necessary is to equip the people with capacity to make value judgements on what is right for the nation. We believe that what is necessary is to strengthen the institutions such as the election process and the justice system, as they are the foundations of the government and community, and that this is possible only through the empowerment of the people.

 

Bridging the gap between our unstable present and our desired future is a task that will require discipline, determination and a shared vision of a future. Keeping our desired end in mind and guided by this shared mindset, we can now begin to find the path to progress and our way to becoming the great citizens of the world that we were destined to be.

 

 

IV. ANG DOCTRINA NG BAGONG BAYAN: A POST-VICTORY SCENARIO

 

 

The post-victory scenario envisioned by the Liga is simple. This scenario, which we call the Doctrina ng Bagong Bayan, is based on the principle of Dangal Ng Lahi. 

 

We believe that despite having lost our way, we Filipinos continue to hold within ourselves the promise that Rizal saw so brightly shining within us. We believe that given the opportunity, we can stand side by side with any nation, achieve progress on our terms and without compromising our ideals. 

 

We recognize food sufficiency as the source of political power of the people. Food sufficiency supports the creation of a truly symbiotic political relationship between the leaders and their constituents. We believe that the people must first be freed from hunger of the body in order that we may pursue the higher needs of the mind and the soul.

 

We recognize the protection and enforcement of property rights as the source of economic power of the people. Property rights supports the creation of wealth among the people in their practice of exchange economy, as well as the creation of wealth for the State in their practice of re-distributive economy.

 

We recognize a shared belief in the goodness and talent of the Filipino race as the source of social Capital. The ideology of goodness supports the creation of an organization of social relationships between the leaders and the constituents based on trust, respect and equality.

 

This doctrine is designed to strengthen the socio, economic, political pillars required of a modern Nation State, as we envisioned the Philippines to be in the 21^st century. It is the mindset, the tool, the weapon that we believe will be the proponent first of an internal paradigm shift and ultimately a social revolution towards the true Bayan ng Pilipinas.

 

 

I.                   AFTER THE FALLOUT

 

 

Once victory is achieved, the first thing people will feel about the new government is uncertainty. Change will naturally make people uncertain, particularly people who used to hold a certain amount of power and enjoys the pleasure of wealth in the old establishment. The new government must immediately address these concerns or the consequences will be dire.

 

Fear always breaks down people into their most primal instincts – flee or fight. Those who feel threatened will always either fight the establishment or flee the country. Fighting, either in the form of resistance or rebellion, wastes time and resources better spent rebuilding and strengthening the new society. As for flight, flight of citizens translates to flight of capital and resources, capital that is valuable in acquiring the resources in rebuilding of the country. Such setbacks will only hinder the restoration and growth of the nation.

 

The first policy statement of any new government must therefore be dedicated in assuaging the fear of the people. They should be made to understand that they have nothing to fear, and the goal of the new government is to restore the rule of law.

 

 

II. ESTABLISH THE THREE PILLARS OF POWER

 

The key to unraveling any mess that the nation finds itself in is right governance. However, instead of trying to enforce a broad scope of governance, which would require much force and resources, and which would no doubt inspire much resistance, it would be better to focus on a minimum but definite set of laws that can be deeply enforced. Physics proves that similar forces applied to two areas of different sizes, will result in far more pressure in the smaller area relative to the bigger area.

 

 

Recognizing that the modern state rests on three pillars of governance – socio, economic and political – these pillars must be strengthened for a nation to be strong. It is necessary that we understand how power is created through these three pillars.

 

A. POLITICAL POWER: Food Sufficiency towards Political Stability

 

Watch any news program involving a protest and chances are it is someone protesting high prices and lack of livelihood. These are political problems that stem from a very basic need – the need of people to sustain their physiological needs. The most noble of speeches will always be drowned out by hunger pangs. Until government can adequately provide for the basic needs of its people, it cannot expect to move forward and grow. The key to growth and political stability, therefore, is clearly food sufficiency.

 

Any study of history will always point to food sufficiency as the cornerstone of civilization.  In the earliest days, there were no superpowers, debtor countries, or monopolies. As hunter-gatherers, subsistence was the main agenda, and while people likely had different abilities, no one controlled the food supply. People were nomadic, following the food supply and slaves to the movements of nature. Once the people were able to produce food – through farming, fishing and animal husbandry – they were able to stay in one place, build permanent structure and have sedentary lifestyles.  Communities began to be formed.  Sharing technology and resources allowed them to produce more food. Once food sufficiency was attained, they could now engage in task specialization. From being socio-economic equals of hunter-gatherers, there arose class distinctions and classifications such as warrior, medicine women, farmers, teachers, and others.  Thus civilization is born. It is no coincidence that the world’s most famous philosophers and thinkers came from the great civilizations. Freedom from physical hunger allows the pursuit of higher goals and aspirations.

 

Once a community grows and becomes progressive, however, it must focus on protecting its assets from external threats, traditionally either by annexing or annihilating the perceived threat. This gives birth to armies, and ultimately, to empires.

 

The oligarchy created first by the Spaniards and the monopolies created by the Americans have destroyed our capability for food self-sufficiency. Transforming a great number of our countrymen & women to today’s modern hunter-gatherers (the overseas workers), needing to go outside of the country-community to earn money. The money they send back is then used to buy food that mostly comes from outside the country – creating a vicious cycle and a cruel irony for people living in a land so blessed with natural resources.

 

The primary task of the government should therefore be to enforce laws that will ensure food sufficiency. The food sources – our farms, our fields, our forests and our waters – should be protected on a political level.  Once food sufficiency is achieved, political stability and progress will naturally follow. In fact, it is the nature of man to always protect its source of sustenance. If the source of food is integrally tied to the political system, the people will act in accordance to its preservation.

 

 

 

B. ECONOMIC POWER: Protection of Property Rights towards Prosperity

 

While most people know that the Philippine economy is based on a capitalist system, they may not necessarily understand how capitalism works and some may not even care at all. While some educated citizens may argue that other systems may be more advantageous or desirable, we simply have to accept that this is the current reality, free market capitalism rules, not only in the Philippines but in the world. I always believe that to be good in a certain game, the first things we must know are the rules of the game. It is necessary therefore that you should know even the rudimentary rules of the capitalist game.

 

In a nutshell capitalism revolves around capital. Capital can mean many things but for our purpose we will define financial capital as the value assigned by an institution of capitalism (such as banks and stock exchange) to an ownership.this ownership can be real property (land), intellectual property (patents, books, etc.) or time (such as daily, monthly labor).  In a capitalist society, therefore, the source of power is property rights. As with food sufficiency, the first priority of the revolutionary government in order to secure economic stability is to balance the distribution of wealth by protecting and enforcing property rights.

 

Land reform is also the most obvious demonstration of social egalitarianism.  As Lenin noted in 1905, mere land distribution is not enough.   Only those who posses the capital to till the land can do so and therefore “socialization of the land” cannot be effected without “socialization of capital.” This has been the flaw of all the land reform movements in the last hundred years. Even Marcos’s Agrarian Reform project was aimed at social emancipation rather than an economic movement of “socializing capital.”

 

Of the approximately 30 million hectares of land owned by the government, only 15 million are titled, that leaves 15 million hectares that can be still be distributed and utilized productively. Assigning value to property rights to the land allows it to be translated into financial capital, which is in turn translated to a source of economic power, rightfully in the hands of the people.

 

 

 

C. SOCIAL POWER: Transformative Education towards empowered Citizenry

 

Modern States derived its power to rule from the consent of the people, Abraham Lincoln’s government of the people, by the people and for the people still is the norm of today’s nation states’ government.

People being the primary building blocks of modern democratic societies is one of the most important form of capital in nation building, the so called Social Capital ranks as one of the pre-requisite in creating a modern nation State. Thus, it is a sacred duty of the government to serve the advancement of the children of this generation and the succeeding generations of Filipinos in the field of education. A complete overhaul of the current education system beginning with the institutions of public education to the curriculum and teaching methodologies must be employed to fulfill this duty to our people. Because we believe that only an empowered citizenry can participate in the political dynamics required in a modern democratic society, without an empowered citizenry, it will simply be a mockery of democratic processes by an elite ruling class over a multitude of destitute and mal-educated majority of working class Filipinos.

 

This scenario must be presented well to the people in order to get their consent for the program of government that will be implemented to turn this scenario into reality. Once this consent is manifested in a legitimate electoral exercise or a plebiscite, the business of establishing the institutions that will administer the execution of governance and delivery of State services to the people must immediately commence.

 

 

Building the institutions that will build the Nation

 

History has shown including the most recent events in Iraq that regime change is the easy part in effecting change in a Nation’s leadership, what has proven to be more difficult is the tasks of establishing a new order of government. Choosing which institutions to build is a very critical decision that a new Government must make, because any perception of failure entails risking the withdrawal of consent of the people that may lead to a political crisis that could spiral out of control.

 

Institutions of Prosperity before institutions of democracy

Another look at history has shown us that it is prosperity that leads towards a strengthening of democratic institutions and not the other way around of democracy leading to prosperity. Examples abound from the most recent economic miracles that were borne out authoritarian regimes such as Singapore, Korea, Malaysia that matured into a more democratic society once prosperity has been achieved. Even the present democratic States such as the United States of America were first prosperous colonies of an imperial monarchy before becoming a Democratic independent nation. While poor countries that were constituted as democratic State from its birth of independence from its former rulers, most of them have remained undeveloped and mired in poverty. Making a farce of its democratic processes and institutions and serving the interest of the ruling elite rather than the majority of the people.

 

It is with this realization that I propose the building of these institutions of Prosperity that will govern the Nation towards a progressive and democratic State.

 

Institution of Protection and enforcement of Property rights

Land or real property is the most basic source of capital according to the rules of Capitalism, being the de facto economic system of the present world, wherein it states that Capital is created only upon the assignment of value to a certain property rights by the institutions of Capitalism which are the banks and the stock exchange. We propose the creation of a single body managing and administering the protection of property Rights, it must address the infirmities of the current system and easily allow the conversion of the entire Nation’s real property asset into capital whenever there is a need to do so. It shall also unleash the confidence of the public to invest and develop real property assets knowing that their investment are covered with secure titles & certificates and shall be protected with a firm enforcement of property rights laws.

 

This institution shall secure for the Nation the most basic building block of prosperity in the modern economic society and must be protected from being captured by vested interest groups with a robust set of laws. All efforts must be exerted and all resources must be employed to hold this most essential institution free to serve the interest of the Filipino people.

 

Institution of Scientific Research and Technological Development

Technology is another source of capital thru the creation of Intellectual Property Rights or IPR, looking at the top corporations of the world will show you that IPR and not real property rights are the main source of wealth of the modern world. It is therefore a must that an Institution dedicated to scientific research be created and supported by the highest level of government, the establishment of this institution shall ensure the next level of wealth creation for the Nation. Particular focus on environmental restorative technology and life based technology will be the priority areas for development, it is a niche that offers the most potential for a rich bio-diverse territory like ours.

 

This is consistent with the post victory scenario of implementing a transformative education for the youth of the Nation, this institution shall be responsible in managing the output of the revitalized education system towards creating a new basis for wealth and prosperity.

 

 

 

 

Institution of Capitals Market administration

With the abundance of capital created with the protection of real property rights and the development of Intellectual Property Rights. An institution that will administer and protect the investing public shall be created, its mandate is to seriously enforce rules and carry out severe punishment to those who will compromise the integrity of the market that may undermine the trust of the public to such a vital institution to the country’s progress. The liberty to make money must be tempered with rules of fairness and accountability, unlike the present times where outright thievery in the market such as the pre-need debacle and inside trading are slapped with the proverbial “slap on the wrist” penalty.

 

The primary aim of this institution is to provide access to low cost capital to invest and develop to our mis-valued real property sector and to fund scientific research and technological development of Intellectual Property Rights, thereby creating a spiraling of economic growth and prosperity that can be sustained throughout future generations of Filipinos.

 

Institution of Communications and Transportation

With the investment of internally generated capital into our land and industry, we expect productivity in our farms and industry to grow, these growth will require transportation systems to move the goods from the source to the market and communications infrastructure to move information between producers and consumers. An institution that will supervise the most cost effective way to move goods and information is essential to the realization of the country’s prosperity.

 

This institution must learn from the lessons of the past and the not so recent past, where communications and transportation projects are pushed for approval and funding simply to become expensive white elephants without any economic benefit to the people. I must reiterate that a vigilant system of checks and balance must be enforced to protect such institution from getting captured by vested interest groups.

 

 

 

Conclusion

We have now discussed a broad range of subjects from a new ideology, through history, a rationale for revolution, a post victory scenario and finally to building institutions to support our thrust to prosperity. It has been intellectually stimulating writing this paper in trying to decipher what is ailing our beloved Nation and what could probably cure such affliction, whatever mistake or omission is entirely my own fault. I hope that you will find some useful idea that you may use to serve our Nation, it will be a great source of joy if my writing will even lead you to take action towards helping our people.

 

I am sure that there still so many Filipinos out there who shares our longing for a peaceful and progressive Philippines, a country, we shall leave to our children in a better shape than the one we came into.

 

Let me end this paper with a quote from my favorite hero Jose Mercado Rizal……

 

“It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal, It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of a great edifice.”

 

 

Let us be part of the edifice of the Filipino Nation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attachment: liga ng filipino ver 04Dec06.doc