boogie

Filipinos' failure to act against injustice will lead to more deaths

2008-12-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

This is in reaction to the Youngblood article titled “One broken family.” (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12/18/08) After reading the article, tears welled up in my eyes at the thought that young as she was, she had seen the injustices being committed in our country. She was very frank and overflowing with righteous indignation when she, “Just when I thought it is never too late for justice to be served (especially in the Philippines, where the justice system is always 10 years too late), connections have once again overpowered justice.” I believe this statement rightly describes our present justice system, which is animated not by justice but by power, wealth and connection.

Those in power now who are abusing their influence (especially our representatives in Congress) must never underestimate the ability of our people to force them out of office. Heaven forbid, time may come when, because of deep anger and hatred, our people would feel that chasing our very corrupt leaders would no longer be enough.

We can learn from a country with lots of similarities to our history and nature as a people: Cuba. In 1934, Fulgencio Batista took over the government in what was known as the “Revolt of the Sergeants.” He ruled for 25 years as a dictator and was widely perceived as very corrupt. He committed a lot of human rights abuses against his own people. The United States condoned his regime because he was friendly to their interests even if they went against the interests of the Cuban people.

In July 26, 1953, a group of young men led by Fidel Castro and his brother Raul attacked the Moncada army barracks in Oriente province. It was a failure and led to the death and imprisonment of some rebels.

This didn’t deter the Castro brothers from removing a very corrupt and abusive leader in power. After being pardoned in 1956 as a result of public pressure, and with the help of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, they again tried to remove Batista from office. In Jan. 1, 1959, less than three years after being released from jail, they finally succeeded in forcing Batista out of the country.

Political ideologies notwithstanding, Castro represented the anger and hate of the Cuban people against a very corrupt and unpopular leader. In our country, we have a very ripe moment to force our “self-appointed” and very corrupt leaders to justice. But time is not on our side. And many more will die from the injustices in our land because we know what to do but don’t act on what is right.

(First published in the Letters to the Editor section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 31,2008)

Tricked and not treated so well by peace officers

2008-11-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

At about 1 am Friday October 31, as my officemate and I were on our way home, a police mobile patrol with plate number 588 flagged us down for purportedly beating the red light sign in the Duty Free Fiesta Mall area. Since we know that we just committed a traffic violation, my officemate didn't hesitate to give his driver's license. After haggling with the police officer to just let it pass, the police asked if my officemate can talk to his superior in the police car. After a few minutes, my officemate returned to the car and his license back. I asked him,"What happened? Did the police asked for money?" "Yes, I told them that I didn't have enough money. They said,'Kayo na bahala samin'. Then I pulled two twenty pesos from my pocket and I gave it to them.", he retorted.

I was laughing and shaking my head as he said the story. For a paltry sum of forty pesos, I said to him. Minutes thereafter, we saw the same police car at the right side of the road, with its sirens and headlights off, successfully nabbing another hapless violator (an airport taxi) beating the red light in the intersection of Kabihasnan going to Sucat.

Lesson here, discipline ourselves on the road. Even if it is 2 am or 3 am in the morning, you'll never know when these supposedly protectors of the people will strike next.

A way to sell nation's interests

2008-09-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

A letter-writer from South Cotabato, Remigio D. Saladero Jr., lamented the vested interests involved in the peace process in Mindanao. ("Treachery backed by US, cause for impeachment," Inquirer,9-5-08) I can feel his outrage against the United States. By now, we must realize that the players involved in the peace process are not really keen on a just and lasting peace in Mindanao. They are just using the peace process to advance their interests, among them the United States which wants a strategic military presence in Mindanao to counter China and to benefit economically from the oil reserves in that resource-rich part of our country. We must resist in whatever form any kind of intervention by other countries.

We can learn from what happened in Iran. In 1951, Iranians voted into power the nationalist government of Mohammed Mossadegh. Prior to that, the Iranian Parliament voted to nationalize their petroleum industry. It also took over the assets of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now called the British Petroleum).

The Mossadegh government wanted his country to reap its fruits first before other countries could benefit from them. The British government quickly responded by dispatching the Royal Navy to the Persian Gulf to block Iran's oil exports around the world. Since Britain's interests were the same as that of America's (the acquisition of oil reserves all over the world), the former, under Winston Churchill, conspired with the latter, under Dwight Eisenhower, to overthrow Mossadegh.

The planning for the ouster of Mossadegh was assigned to US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and his brother Allen, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Operation Ajax, as it was called, was overseen by Kermit Roose-velt, grandson of Theodore Roose-velt. After a couple of years, the operation was successful.

Tehran, Iran's seat of power, riots and street clashes ensued, wherein more than 300 people died. The destabilization move against Mossadegh took its toll on him. Soon thereafter, Mossadegh resigned from office. The Shah, with US backing, was installed in power. Subsequently, the United States and the rest of the West were able to gain a strategic military foothold and at the same time secure their economic interests in the Middle East up until the time of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

The United States will use every means at its disposal to secure its national interests. The distressing thing is that we have a leadership that is willing to give away everything, the country's quest for peace, its people and its lands to other countries just to stay in power.

(First published in the Letters to the Editor, Opinion Section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 26, 2008)

Calling Muntinlupa City traffic enforcers!

2008-09-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Please ask the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the local government officials of Muntinlupa City to check the traffic situation on the southbound lane of Zapote Road, between Alabang Hills and the intersection leading to Ayala Alabang. The traffic there is horrendous because there are many vehicles that counterflow the traffic. They cut other motorists by the time they reach the stoplight, thereby impeding the movement of vehicles, including those travelling north.

Traffic enforcers must apprehend and issue traffic violation tickets to erring motorists. "Chaotic" is one word you can use to describe this common occurrence.

(First published in the Metro Citizen's Call, Metro section, Philippine Daily Inquirer,September 8,2008)

Calling Muntinlupa City traffic enforcers!

2008-09-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

Public officials now kings of the road

2008-06-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

My friend was recently cruising on the main road from Sales Bridge after Villamor Air Base going to Fort Bonifacio at around 10 a.m. when she noticed behind her a VIP convoy. It was composed of a police escort, a Black Ford Expedition with the number 7 on its license plate (presumably owned by a senator) and two AUV vehicles sporting government plates with blinkers and sirens blaring, signaling her to move aside. Since it was impossible to move to the right because many jeepneys were not moving on that lane, she didn't budge. When traffic became light, the police escort went to the left side of her car and hit her side mirror, folding it in the process.

Are these officials now the knigs of the road? We citizens pay for their vehicles, their transportation expenses and their salaries. We also pay our taxes so we can use our roads. In civilized countries, such behavior by public officials is condemned and they are punished posthaste. Here, government VIP convoys bullying thier way in traffic is accepted as part of our daily lives. After witnessing incidents like these and hearing and reading about rampant graft and abuse of power in government, it is no wonder many of us do not respect nor trust our top officials.

(First published in the Metro section, Citizen's call, Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 2,2008)

Going beyond 'same same'

2008-01-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

The editorial "Same same" (Inquirer, 1/21/08) observed: "This is a great evil of our times, this 'pare-pareho lang sila' mentality, which justifies tolerating the status quo on the defeatist assumption that all leaders are the same ... When the youth say 'they' are all the same, they obviously don't include themselves. And if they are the majority (which they are) then it means the youth can seize the day---but don't want to. They have judged, but refuse to be judged themselves." Thus the editorial clearly explained why we Filipinos point the accusing finger at our leaders for our follies, but never at ourselves. The editorial challenges us as a nation to wake us up from our stupor.

We can look to Japan as a model. Like the Philippines, it was a feudal society. Japan started its very long but sure path to progress during the Meiji Restoration from 1868 through 1914. When it started, the Meiji government was manned by very young people, with the youngest at 31 and the oldest at 41.

During that time, Japan sent its most talented and skilled people abroad, not to send back money, but to acquire more knowledge and skills that, upon their return, they could use to speed up their country's development. The Meiji government didn't support individual talents for the sole purpose of improving a person. It emphasized loyalty and service to the nation first, before anything else. It also declared its bureaucracy vacant, so that public service would be peopled by the best and most qualified, thus eliminating nepotism.

It also converted from an agricultural to an industrial state. It aggressively and sincerely supported businesses, whether public or private, from light to heavy industries, so that the Japanese would learn how to build their country through hard work and patience.

In our country, our leaders must realize that remittance money is not the solution to our problems. Building industries here, producing "proudly Pinoy-made" products will entice our highly skilled workers to help rebuild our industries.

Japan also dismantled the feudal system that was the cause of inequality, injustice and divisiveness. The elitist samurai were suddenly treated as the peasants' equal; but they did not resent it because they knew it was good for Japan's future. In our country, we can start with Congress, by abolishing the pork barrel which is the source of all evil.

During the Meiji era, a credible and trustworthy government inspired the Japanese to build a great nation. Which the Japanese did, acquiring world-power status after so many decades of immense self-belief, patience, hard work and sheer determination.

We shouldn't feel powerless in the face of all the things happening around us. We can try the best we can to teach our children the value of patriotism and service to others. We may not see progress in our lifetime; it will take many years for us to become a developed nation. But we must start now by removing all the evils afflicting our society, starting with our leaders who think they are above the law.

(Taken from the Letters to the Editor section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer January 28,2008)

A new model for business people

2007-12-11T02:30:00.000-08:00

I found the story "Salay paper founder works hard to push for fair trade" (Inquirer, 11-25-07) very refreshing and inspiring.

Businesswoman Loreta Rafisura and her family personify the true model for all present and would-be businessmen (or women) in our country. She really has lived up to her patriotism, concern for the environment and Christian upbringing, "exemplifying that Filipino concept of bayanihan" by helping her poor constituents in Salay, Misamis Oriental, taking care of the environment (recycling of paper), and practicing and nurturing the values of fair trade in the many years she has been in business.

I hope many people, especially our top government officials, read her story, especially about how she managed to persevere and succeed in her endeavor. While she has slowly becoming a success in the paper industry, she also helped her people in Salay by providing jobs and livelihood for their families. (A stark contrast to most of our famous and wealthy businessmen who managed to get to the top by stepping on other people's toes.)

Our growth as a nation can start with people like the Rasifura family. If our government will sincerely help and support them, slowly but surely our local industries will develop, inspiring most of our countrymen to help in rebuilding our country and to truly move on to a better life.

But for as long as our high officials are preoccupied with political bickering, stealing money from the people, silencing government critics and manipulating justice for their own selfish ends, we will never know what the good life is. The high economic growth trumpeted by our national leaders will remain just a pipe dream.

Taken from the Letters to the Editor, Philippine Daily Inquirer December 11,2007

Eternal Life

2007-12-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

I remember one famous person who said,''He who lost everything but God, has gained more than any of the most powerful people in the world but don't have his God by his side.", or words to that effect. It happens to cross my mind every time I see good or bad things happening to people. Later in life, I took these words seriously.

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."-Psalm 62:1-2

This is my favorite verse in the Old Testament of the Bible. It gives me hope and strength every time I feel the world bears its weight on me. I know God will never leave us whatever happens to us.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me."-JESUS CHRIST.. Revelation 3:20

Anyone who reads this words from Christ will feel welcome. He said that He came to the world not for the righteous, but for sinners. He is truly the Good News. He came in our lives not to make our lives miserable, but to prosper and let us enjoy all His bountiful blessings and gifts in store for us.

In return, we must also return the favor by giving back to people in need of love and His Word. Not only people who are poor in physical wealth, but also to those people who felt they are alone, those who feel as if no one loves them anymore, those who are judged by people, those who are in prison, and other people in need of Christ.

He promised Eternal Life for us all. Let us seek Him with all our heart, mind and soul. We will never regret the outcome.

Items for sale

2007-09-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

Pajero Hubcap without the mitsubishi sign 400pesos/bags for women for sale 750pesos.. text me 09202966113 if interested :)

Sack GSIS chief

2007-08-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

This is a reaction to the column "The persuasive powers of the GSIS", written by acclaimed economist Solita Collas-Monsod. (Inquirer, 8-18-2007) I found it quite disturbing.

We saw again the blatant abuse of power by high officials of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). They filed administative and criminal charges against the members of the Special Audit Team (SAT) of the Commission on Audit not only to hit back but also to intimidate present and future investigators and prosecutors.

If President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sincerely feels for government workers, she should not only increase their salaries, she should also sack GSIS chief Winston Garcia.

Over the years, there have been numerous complaints from retired government workers about delayed pensions. Many of these retirees have written the Inquirer, as last recourse, after the GSIS didn't act on their complaints. Many of the problems they complained about persist to this day.

On the other hand, there are reports that while the retirees are having a hard time getting their well-deserved pensions, GSIS officials have favored themselves with incredible cash incentives and fat retirement packages.

Firing the GSIS chief will send a clear message that the President truly shares their needs and concerns.

But I may be expecting too much from an administration that rewards bullies and jails do-gooders in government.

(Taken from the Letters to the Editor, PDI August 25,2007)

Antiterror law opens opportunities for human rights abuses

2007-08-12T09:03:00.001-07:00

I could only shake my head in disbelief after learning that the Arroyo administration still implemented the Human Security Act of 2007 despite the law's overwhelming rejection by the people who see it as a mechanism to "legitimize" more human rights abuses against government critics and the opposition. Fears about the HSA are not unfounded. Even before the HSA' implementation, we saw how the present dispensation could so wantonly violate the rights of the people.

We don't need the HSA (antiterror law) in our country. Yes, we still have the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army and the Abu Sayyaf, but our strong military alliance with the United States and the peace talks should be enough to deal with these problems. The antiterror law only unleashes the dogs of government abuse on the people.

The administration may say that under the Constitution, it is also the responsibility of the government to maintain peace and order. But it can do this by strengthening our police force and sincerely pursuing the AFP Modernization Program.

In implementing the HSA, the country's policymakers are missing the point. The priority concerns of Filipinos are education, health, jobs and food security.

Poverty is the worst form of terrorism. The government must address and solve this age-old problem once and for all. Curtailing the people's freedom to air their grievances is like rubbing salt on an already gangrenous wound.

It has been decades since we had a servant-leader in the person of Ramon Magsaysay. I hope the country will have a leader like Panama's Omar Torrijos who insisted on taking control of the Panama Canal on behalf of his people, or Ecuador's Jaime Roldos Aguilera who bravely defied the world's most powerful countries so that Ecuadorians would be the only ones benefiting from their natural resources.

President Macapagal-Arroyo is an economist. She must use her presidency and her brilliant ideas on economics for the benefit of the people. She must now choose between hanging on to power indefinitely or making good use of her God-given abilities by sincerely serving the people, especially the poor and downtrodden.

Sadly, after six and a half years in power, Ms. Arroyo and her minions have reduced the people into paupers and second-class citizens in their own country.

Filipinos have a great potential. Let us unite, act as one and aggressively pursue what is moral and just, and hold our past and present leaders accountable for their sins against the people. The nation has suffered so much.

(taken from the Letters to the Editor PDI July 24,2007 issue)

Why the nation can't move on

2007-08-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Let me react to Conrado de Quiros' column "Rage against the dying of the light." (Inquirer, 5/23/07)

Frankly speaking, we Filipinos have no idea of what justice really means. No country, where too many injustices are committed and its people don't do something to stop them, has ever progressed. The reason for this is that, whenever an opportunity or a challenge presents itself to us to test our capabilities as a nation, we blink.

Our country's violent political landscape is comparable to that of Afghanistan and Iraq, whether during election time or normal times. Every day, we always hear news of a journalist, a leftist, a police officer, or even a public official being killed or gone missing.

The Philippines today can be compared to America at the time of Al Capone, whose goons were deeply embedded in every fabric of society. We can't trust the military because we can't get over the trauma of Marcos' martial law; we can't go to the police because some of them are themselves the crime suspects; and we can't get any help from the media because some of them have been bought by the powers-that-be.

Who wants help from the communists? Certainly not us who want a democratic, peaceful and just life. How about from our public servants? Most of them are hated by the people because they operate like Capone's mafia, buying government positions and killing people to get things done.

De Quiros is right. Cheating, lying, stealing and killing are all around us, staring us in the face even. The question is, do we Filipinos have the balls to fight these evils? The United States went after Capone and other high-profile criminals.

A good start for us is to jail those high officials guilty of cheating, lying, stealing and killing. That will be the only time Lady Justice and God will start looking at us kindly.

(taken from the Letters to the Editor PDI May 30,2007 issue)

Overseas Filipinos can help our country

2007-08-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

I was so pleased reading Conrado de Quiros' column "13 Signs." (Inquirer 4/10/07) But let me react on the seventh sign he cited.

De Quiros hit the nail right on the head when he said some of the Filipinos would rather go to countries where they treat slaves better.

I can't blame Filipinos who leave the Philippines to work temporarily in other countries or to stay there for good. Life abroad, especially in First World countries, is really good. When you ask an overseas Filipino why he or she left the country, his or her reply is usually this: "Because here in our adopted country, the government treats its citizens well, and there is a justice system that functions well, unlike back home. Dito ka na lang! Mas aasenso ka pa dito, sa Pilipinas wala nang pag-asa, eh! Sayang lang kung dyan ka lang mamamalagi (Just come over. You'll be successful here unlike back there in the Philippines, there's no more hope. You're just wasting your abilities if you stay there)."

When I ask them:"What is the braver thing to do? Leaving your country for good and not looking back even though you know your heart still beats for it? Or, after a few or many years abroad, after learning so much about justice, progress, freedom, discipline and sanity from your adopted country, you decide to come back to your land of birth, unite it and do something to improve the lives of your countrymen?

What is the most honorable and courageous thing that our so-called modern day heroes can do to save our morally torn and poverty-mired country?

(taken from the Letters to the Editor PDI April 28,2007 issue)

US meddling in Smith case, extrajudiciial killings

2007-08-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

This is a reaction to the headline story titled,"US raps GMA on killings." (Inquirer,3/16/07)

Instead of blaming an outsider for the perceived misdeeds of the Arroyo administration, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Joker Arroyo should have just kept their mouths shut.

The problem with some of our public officials is that whenever the United Nations, European Union, the United States, or any other nation or international organization admonishes us for the offenses we commit on ourselves, they quickly denounce it as "meddling in our political affairs." They should just take it constructively.

Those entities can take the lead in stopping the extrajudicial killings. Besides, I haven't heard a good number of our legislators condemn the political killings happening since 2001.

And one more thing: I haven't heard a single senator condemning the transfer of convicted rapist Daniel Smith from the Makati City Jail to the US Embassy. They should've condemned this injustice, not the US condemnation of extrajudicial killings in our country, as "meddling in local affairs."

(taken from the Letters to the Editor PDI April 11,2007 issue)

No apologies to an important friend and ally

2007-08-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is in reaction to the news story titled "US military apologizes for S. Korea rape." (PDI 1-16-07).

I wonder why the US military can apologize to South Korea for a crime committed by one of its soldiers, but refuses to do the same to the Philippines for a similar crime.

Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith has been convicted of rape here in our country. The 23-year old US soldier in South Korea is still a suspect, but the US military has already issued an apology to the host country. "I deeply regret and personally apologize for this terrible incident that has resulted in grave injury to a Korean civilian. This vicious act is an affront to all soldiers," Maj. Gen. John Morgan, the acting US 8th Army commander, was quoted as saying.

On the other hand, instead of issuing an apology for the rape of Nicole by Smith, Gen. William Fallows, supreme commander of the US-Pacific forces, canceled the Balikatan exercises for this year (the exercises were rescheduled after Smith was given back to US custody) to show his government's displeasure with Smith's imprisonment at the Makati City Jail.

Is this the way to treat an important ally and "friend"? The US military already has its way with regard to the custody of Smith. The least it can do is to issue an apology to the Filipino people for the rape of Nicole.

Both the rape of a 67-year-old Korean woman by an American soldier and the rape of a 23-year-old Filipino woman by an American soldier fall into the category of a "vicious act (that) is an affront to all soldiers."

(taken from the Letters to the Editor, PDI January 23,2007 issue)

De Quiros on GMA

2007-08-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

This is in response to the critics of Conrado de Quiros who tell him to stop writing negatively about the Arroyo administration.

De Quiros is well aware of the sins of the government has committed against the people. He is also well aware of what is going on in our slowly dying nation. Most of all, he is aware that our country is a state at "war".

He knows that keeping silent will only aggravate the problems facing our nation. He offers ideas that could help us break the impasse our country is now in. But that is a task that will never be easy to accomplish. The problems have been with us for the past 500 years.

To build a strong nation requires genuine patriotism and nationalism and love of God, But first, let us look within ourselves and ask this question,"Am I willing to fight for my country?"

If we want our nation to be great, we have to kill the old, selfish and indifferent person in us. We have to bring out the selfless, patriotic person that has been sleeping within. Finding this new self will be the turning point for our country.

So, stop criticizing De Quiros, and start doing something for the country. We have a job to do and we have to do it for our nation and our sons and daughters.

(taken from the Letters to the Editor, PDI July 17, 2006 issue)

More Philippine history reminders for Filipinos

2007-08-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

I nearly shed tears of joy while reading Ramon Farolan's column titled "Balangiga and Catubig." (PDI 10/15/06) For a brief moment, I felt so proud of my country.

The government should invest heavily not only in books on Math and Science but also on Social Sciences and Philippine History. Knowledge of our country's past will make most of our youth aware of the sacrifices that our heroes offered for our nation. It will also open the eyes of our people to the real value of nationhood.

I am not advocating that our people adopt a kind of extremist nationalism. What I want is for our government to make a deliberate effort to instill in Filipinos love of country. What really keeps our nation from moving forward is that almost all of us, leaders and ordinary citizens alike, have practically no love for our country. The government refuses to be accountable to its people, while the people don't care about what the government does. There is a yawning gap between the rich and the poor. There is a general sense of depression over the present state of our nation and most of the middle class want to get out of the country in search of greener pastures, leaving behind a country in dire need of their services. Take a look at our skilled workers and professionals.

Our enemy at present is not a foreign invader or colonizer, but our very own selves. We can have a hundred Edsa revolutions but still find ourselves stuck in this mess. Some of us may say,"You can't eat nationalism for breakfast!" But with love of country, coupled with honor, justice and respect, we may yet find ourselves doing something to uplift the quality of life of every Filipino. For us to move on, we must learn to put patriotism in practice. Only then will everything we aspire for as a people fall into place.

Maybe, sometime in the future, we may yet bring the Balangiga bells back home.

(taken from the Letters to the Editor PDI October 23,2006 issue)

The challenge to rage against injustice

2007-08-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

i would like to thank the Inquirer for reporting the awful but genuine truth regarding the oil spill in Guimaras, the killing of journalists and activists, the leakage of test questions in the June 2006 nursing board exams and the bid to impeach the President. It is now up to us, Filipinos, how we will respond to the challenges faced by our nation today.

Will we keep our silence amid the unjust killings of Filipinos (because they happened to be on the other side of the political fence) until one of our own in the family has also been murdered? Shall we rise up to the challenge of bringing before the bar of justice those responsible for the massive oil spill in Guimaras, so that environmental disasters of such an unimaginable scale will never happen again in our country? What is our stand regarding the cheating issue in the last nursing exams? What does it say about our morals as a people and a nation?

And finally, do we really care about transparency in government, when what we see is the stubborn refusal of the Arroyo administration to submit itself to public accountability?

When will we get our senses back? When will we finally feel the rage inside our bodies, to finally act together as one nation and fight against the injustices being committed in our land?

(taken from PDI August 29,2006 issue in the Letters to the Editor)

Lamentable majority, unbelievable minority

2007-08-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

I lament the deafening silence of the majority of Filipino youth amid the grinding poverty, graft and corruption in government, moral decline, destruction of cultural treasures and the suppression of basic rights in our country. I can't believe that only a minority of our countrymen are appalled by the evils now stalking our land.

Someone should remind us that to be nationalistic is not only to be anti-imperialist. It also means being vigilant and being advocates of truth.

We call on all Filipino youth who are afraid to air what they feel about our country to stand up and fight the evils in the government! May our Lord God provide us with everything we need to destroy these evils and restore our nation.

(taken from PDI July 8,2006 issue in the Letters to the Editor)

Things happen for a reason

2006-03-13T01:21:00.001-08:00

I'm not in a very good mood right now...

Things are not going as planned...

The weather is bad...

Nightmares...

Loved ones going astray...

Work life is boring...

Friends are nowhere to be found...

Respect begets disrespect, love is thrown out of the air...

The government, still wasting away the people's hard-earned money...

Let me stay with You... For I know You'll all bring us back Home safely...

Things happen for a reason

2006-03-13T01:21:00.000-08:00

HOTTA HOTTA!

2006-03-03T00:12:00.000-08:00

it's summertime! time to get that ideal tan in your body, to try a new watersport, to try that henna tattoo, to visit a place here in the Philippines where you haven't been before, etcetera etcetera! :)

Hmm.. I hope our planned Palawan adventure will push thru. My beloved and her folks are already ironing out our proposed activities there. I haven't been to the place, I don't care whether its in El Nido or Coron, I just want to see our beautiful beaches there :) In May, my friends are planning a Boracay trip. I hope that too will push thru. :)

Musings of the devil

2006-03-02T23:16:00.000-08:00

I write this piece not to bash the present authority in the country, but to congratulate it for fullfilling its promise to me to further destroy the nation. I also intend to say something to its people, because it seems that my dream of a lost and lifeless Filipino race is soon becoming a reality.

To the Filipino people, from Class C and below-> Well, well, well, what do you know, the common Filipino is tired, hungry and apathetic. You deserve your state of being, because you are a born loser. Born to a family whose parents are only concerned with making babies not knowing the consequences, waiting for you to grow up not experiencing education, but being used for their selfish interests. Keep it up Filipino, do to your future children and grandchildren what your parents did to you. That is your only duty in this nation.

To the Filipino people, the middle class -> I knew it, you people are really a bunch of creatures without balls. You claim to have such heroes like Lapulapu, Rizal, Bonifacio, and Aquino, but you can't even stand up for your rights. Pathetic. I guess your heroes only represent 0.0000000000000001 percent of your population. "Let's move on.", "Pare-pareho lang sila!", "eh sinong papalit?", "sawang-sawa na ako sa politika!", "Bahala na ang Diyos".... Ahhh, these are my favorite words. Go on with your 'royalty lives', keep your bank accounts, setup your cars with JDM, EUDM, and US version, work your ass out, take care of the family business, go on traveling around the world, keep on pampering yourself in the Spa and beauty salons while a rally is going on, party hard, keep on describing your fellowcountrymen who are brave and patriotic as destabilizers and 'mga taong walang magawa!', clean your labradors' house, while letting your HOUSE being fed to the dogs.

To the "Elite" Pinoys -> Prep up yourselves, pucker up, you f**kers! I'll see you soon! I can't wait boys and girls! Just enjoy yourselves stashing away the country's gold and resources, keep your businesses flourishing, let your children graduate from Wharton Business School, Harvard Law School, MIT, etc. Continue extorting from your poor fellow Pinoys, continue bribing the authorities, its for your OWN good.

To the ruling power -> Cheating, lying and stealing = one of my favorite activities. Pride=my favorite sin. Continue this activities for the sake of the regime, it'll keep you up there, and you can be and feel like you're God. It feels good isn't it? Wrong question. It feels great, isn't it? Hold yourselves right there, I have a surprise for you before we meet in Hell :)

Ahh, Filipinos.... As Marcos has said before, "This nation shall be great again!". Great in what? I have an answer. Filipino is not synonym to prosperity, but to FOLLY.

The greedy people has a room in my place, but the cowards and indifferent are bound in the deepest echelons of my garden.

See you in Hell Filipinos! >:-)

Illegal blogging...

2006-01-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

i'll address this to the most special person in my life:

PAANO BA ITONG BLOG? c'',)