Twisted-Sunshine

Atin ang Korte Suprema. Hindi kay Corona, hindi kay Gloria!

2012-01-17T13:53:00.001+08:00

Image courtesy of Politically Intoxicated

Humanity and individualism are sacrificed in the age of technology

2011-12-16T13:53:00.006+08:00

Humans have benefited so much from today’s technological advances. From birth to death, technology made tremendous impact on the human experience. The machines that are used to aid in delivering a new born as well as the virtual showroom for funeral wakes are both products of technology. Almost all aspects of our lives are shaped by technology: from the alarm clocks that are used to wake us up to the trains and cars that we ride to get to our destinations. Technology is so pervasive that we use it almost every hour of our lives.

Studies also show that technology has played an important role in the biological and cultural evolution of humans. The discovery and use of tools such as stone, wood and metal allowed early humans to not only be consumers but also producers of food, appliances, clothing and other useful things. These early technological advances had fast-tracked the development of humans and various civilizations.[1] I will not even mention how the wheel changed the human experience dramatically.

While it is true that technology has made enormous contribution to the rise of our species, it is also correct that technology has wrought havoc and destroyed many lives. One of the most horrifying episodes in human history was the Second World War; it is estimated that close to 60 million people were killed in that global conflict. Superior German aircraft made via technological innovations allowed the Nazi army to invade Western Europe in dizzying speed.[2] Technology was also used to develop war machines, bombs and other weapons of war including the atomic bomb. Today, the military-industrial complex continues to fund massive research and development projects that aim to develop more sophisticated killing machines.

However, the biggest casualties of today’s technology are our humanity and individualism. When I say humanity, I will refer only to one quality that makes us human: the ability to question or analyze things.

With technology we lost this trait that helped us get to where we are today. Look at the way the internet is dumbing us down. Today’s students, just rely on the internet to do things for them. When they want to research about a topic or know more about an idea they do not reach for the nearest book or dictionary, instead they turn on their computers and search for it on search engines. Basically, there is nothing wrong with it but they should not stop at Google. They should not rely solely on what Wikipedia says. One basic internet rule that I learned since I started going online in 1995 is this: do not believe everything you read on the internet.

One incident that illustrates best the need to adhere to this rule was when one of my friends on Facebook posted a photo] of a signage purportedly taken in Greenbelt Mall in Makati. The signage says that poor people are prohibited from entering the mall. I told my friend, who is a high-ranking officer of a prominent not-for-profit organization, that it must be a hoax. I said the Ayalas will never resort to that and will not compromise their corporate image. It is simply bad business, I insisted. He was unyielding, however. He said he will write to Ayala Land Incorporated. That was when I pointed out that in the photo it said “Ayala Land Corporation” and not “Ayala Land Incorporated” or “Ayala Land Inc.”, which is the official corporate name of the properties arm of the Ayala Corporation. A few days later, Ayala Land Inc. issued an official statement saying that the signage is not genuine. My point is some of us cease from using our ability for critical thinking and analyzing things when we read big stories online. We take online information as gospel truth.

Meanwhile, it is also on social networking sites that we see the demise of individualism. Since the advent of Facebook, how many people have been victimized by character assassination? How many of us readily pounce on someone online just because a celebrity attacked that person for his views on his blog? How many of us decided that Christopher Lao is stupid when we saw his Youtube video? How many of those who bullied Mr. Lao online truly know him personally. It seems that being part of a pack, a gang is more important to us in this wired age. We dilute our own personalities to be part of an online social group, to gain more online friends, to get more “likes’ to our status updates? Perhaps, in this digital age we just want to be part of that ‘glittering crowd’ and to be accepted even if we lose ourselves like what this poem by Mark Doty says:
“Suppose we could iridesce,
like these, and lose ourselves
entirely in the universe
of shimmer—would you want
to be yourself only,
unduplicatable, doomed
to be lost? They’d prefer,
plainly, to be flashing participants,
multitudinous.”

For those people who sacrifice their humanity and individuality at the altar of technology, the idea of losing one’s self in the vast universe of today’s social media is something they would gladly have in exchange for kinship and fame. Not for me though. I still want to be me, as they say, warts and all
--------------------------------------------
[1] Kasaysayan ng Filipinas at mga Institusyong Filipino
[2] Technology during World War IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_during_World_War_II

Indigenous communities and civil society groups challenge big business and ASEAN on CSR Framework

2011-11-28T12:10:00.005+08:00

Indigenous communities and civil society groups challenge big business and ASEAN on CSR Framework; calls for greater corporate accountability

Bali, Indonesia-Amidst the current worldwide economic crisis and the growing resentment against the so-called corporate greed, representatives of civil society groups and indigenous communities from Southeast Asia expressed their concerns over the wanton disregard by big businesses of the human rights of indigenous peoples, migrant workers and other marginalized groups.

In a public forum on corporate social responsibility (CSR) held in Bali, Indonesia on 25 November 2011 the participants said they were disappointed with how the multinational corporations were given almost free access by ASEAN member governments to take over their ancestral lands.

“Being highly dependent on resource extraction and exploitation for its economic development, majority of the ASEAN countries have directly taken over lands and resources of indigenous peoples and local communities or handed these over to corporations as concessions for mining, plantations, hydropower plants, and resorts,” said Bernice See of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and Indigenous Peoples Task Force on ASEAN.

The participants also disparaged ASEAN’s vision of a Caring and Sharing Community by 2015 when they said this community seems to exclude the people whose lives, livelihoods, homelands, jobs and futures are being sacrificed for this vision.

“The plethora of cases of human rights violations against the collective rights of indigenous and the human rights of workers, local communities, farmers/peasant, and other marginalized sectors of society does not speak well of a caring and sharing community. Large sections of the ASEAN community bear the burden while the benefits are being enjoyed by a few big corporations,” Ms. See added.

It was agreed in the forum that the present CSR framework espoused and supported by ASEAN should be challenged. “It is of great concern to us that, based on the record of businesses and governments in the South East Asian region, CSR is being used to mask the ill effects of existing business practices in the region. Furthermore, it is also used to hide the collusion of private business interests and governments in the pursuit of profit and economic development,” stressed Corinna Lopa, Regional Coordinator of the South East Asian Committee for Advocacy and Co-Convener of the Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy Working Group on ASEAN.

In her opening speech at the forum, Ms. Lopa also said that they want to see increased corporate accountability in the region, by both domestic and multi-national corporations. She said that greater regulation of the corporate sector by ASEAN member governments should be implemented in order to safeguard the rights of the peoples and communities. “We would like to see enhanced corporate regulatory frameworks in the ASEAN region to ensure the protection of the South East Asian peoples, communities and environment,” she said.

With the take over of their land come the abuses and sufferings

Some of the witnesses, who came from the affected communities in Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia, detailed the effects of development projects and abuses committed by the corporations against their peoples and communities.

The Xayabouri Dam Project in the Mekong region:

• Will inundate approximately 2,130 people from 10 villages.

• Loss of agricultural and riverbank gardens,

• Changes to aquatic habitat and ecosystem of the river by blocking fish migration route to upper reaches.Up to 41 fish species would be at risk of extinction, including the critically endangered Giant Mekong Catfish. Impact to Cambodia’s great lake

• Impacts on agriculture resource and saline intrusion in Mekong delta

The PT Freeport Mining Operation in Papua, Indonesia

Mine tailings containing dangerous chemicals caused various health problems to the people living near the area
Several people who opposed the mining operation were beaten and killed. In October 2011, three people were shot dead in the Tanggul Timur Navaro area. The community believes that Freeport security personnel were responsible

The Socfin-KCD Economic Land Concession in Bousra Commune, Mondulkiri, Cambodia

· 2 economic land concessions (ELCs) over 7,000 hectares of indigenous territory in Bousra Commune have been granted to Socfin-KCD for 70 years

· Over 850 families, 90% of them belonging to the Bunong indigenous people face displacement

· The Bunong practice an animist religious belief system that involves the protection of spirit forests and burial grounds of their ancestors

· Destruction of these sacred sites impacts on their freedom to practice their religion which is part of their identity

· The Bunong people’ collective right to free prior and informed consent was not respected by the Government of Indonesia when it granted the ELC as inadequate information was shared, information was not shared in a language fully understood by the affected Bunong communities, and it did not follow the decision-making processes of the Bunong.

The Nickel Mines of Vale Inco in Karonsi’e Dongi in Sorowako, South Sulawesi

· The Vale Inco succeeded the mining concession of PT Inco which has taken over the settlement of the Karonsi’e Dongi of Sorowako, South Sulawesi

· More than 38 years of struggling to take back their land has not produced any sustainable solution to their problem

· The Suharto regime turned over their land to PT Inco without their free prior and informed consent

· The occupation of their ancestral land by PT Inco denies them the right as a people to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions.

There were other reported cases of violations of the collective rights and customary laws of indigenous peoples in the mining projects in the Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippines and in North Maluku in Indonesia.

Towards the end of the forum, the participants said that they will not let ASEAN and the multinational corporations treat them as victims as they will continue to organize, cooperate and build their own capacities to push for the recognition of their rights and for ASEAN and big business to respect these rights.

“There is something that we can do. It is us who will change the situation. It is in our power to change the tide against the exploitation of our resources in our territories,” said Joan Carling, Secretary General of the AIPP.

The forum was organized by the South East Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA), the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) and the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) for the Solidarity for Asian Peoples’ Advocacy (SAPA) Working Group on ASEAN, the SAPA Task Force on ASEAN and the Extractive Industries, and the Indigenous Peoples’ ASEAN Task Force.

# # #

November 25, 2011
For more information please contact:

Corinna Lopa, clopa@seaca.net, +639088649695
Bernice See, bernice@aippnet.org
Fabby Tumiwa, fabby@iesr-indonesia.org

Feeling artista

2011-02-16T20:30:00.002+08:00

While walking inside the Prambanan complex I bumped into a bunch of grade schoolers from Jakarta.

Indonesian schoolboy: "Mister, can I ask you a question?"

Me: "Sure, go a ahead."

Indonesian schoolboy: "Where are you from?"

An Indonesian schoolgirl cut in and cheerfully said: "He's Korean!"

Me: "Nope, I'm Filipino."

Upon seeing how disappointed she was with my reply I immediately uttered: "Aku cinta Yogyakarta! Aku cinta Indonesia!" Her eyes lit up and the other kids started bombarding me with questions: "What's your favorite Indonesian food? What's your favorite color?" They then took turns getting pictures with me.

Wow. I felt like a movie star. I was so happy I started singing a song and saw all of them slowly backed away from me and then they scampered in different directions.

Happy Birthday A!

2011-01-18T12:46:00.004+08:00

Dear A!:

Congratulations! You are now a tween! Time really flies no?

I remember when you were just an idea. It was a very exciting time for me, for a lot of people. There were tons of meetings and equal number of misunderstanding and 'tampuhan' among your moms and dads. Yes, you were conceived not just by one set of parents but hundreds of brave women and men who fought real hard to have you.

Do you even know that Akbayan was not your original name? hahaha

You have grown and developed so much for the past 13 years that it is no wonder that you gained so many friends. I heard that you are now in the company of very important people. My only hope is that you will not go astray. Never lose focus. I believe you. We believe in you. You have grown up consistently on the straight path that we know you are less likely to succumb to a friend's bad influence.

People say that the teenage years are difficult. Be strong and continue to ask for discernment from the people whom you trust. One other thing, do not forget the men and women who reared you. They may not be with you now but they still love you.

Cheers!

2010 election ‘will make or break' Philippines

2010-04-07T22:11:00.006+08:00

2010 election ‘will make or break' Philippines

Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas
Chairperson: Boy Nuera
April 6, 2010

In less than five weeks more than fifty million Filipinos will be electing new leaders who will steer the Philippines in the next six years with hope that they will deliver us from the political and economic rut that exacerbate corruption and poverty.

Thus, the May 2010 Elections is a crucial time in our country’s convoluted political history. On June 30, 2010, we expect to see the much awaited departure of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who has reigned for over nine years with her gang; and the proclamation and swearing in of the new leaders. Hence, we must ensure that this first automated election shall be handled in an honest and credible way by the Commission on Elections.

This is a make or break time for the Philippines. This election, if done successfully, represents a clean break from the corrupt and morally bankrupt administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her gang of greedy cronies; a break that will hopefully lead to a positive and new beginning.

Reports have been circulating of a ‘non-proclamation scenario’ due to a general failure of election or a selective failure of election due to the malfunction of precinct counting optical scan (PCOS) and other issues related to automation. We are worried that these machines will fail or will not read or count our votes accurately; some softwares are not reliable; some processes were done in non transparent way; and thousands of extra memory cards for the PCOS machines will be used to load up fake election results. These are serious allegations that the COMELEC should address. A faster way of counting our votes will be meaningless if the processes are under clouds of suspicion. A vote cast but not honestly counted is surely a waste.

Alarming is that we are being conditioned of a military takeover in case of a failure of election. Worst of all, they will install Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the interim head of a transition government. If these things happen, it is the end of the line for our country. We will surely be in an endless cycle of poverty, moral degradation and political mayhem.

We strongly believe that our democracy, with all its imperfection, is now under attack and Filipinos must fight tooth and nail against these evil plots. We believe that another uprising of the people is not far-fetched should they try these things.

We are urging the Filipino people to guard against any effort to rob us out of our votes through massive cheating or a naked grab of power that will perpetuate GMA and her gang to stay in power. We must show the international community that notwithstanding the election circus that we are in, we, as a nation, can collectively stand up and choose our leaders in a smooth and honest way.

muzzling of the media in South Korea

2010-01-29T16:55:00.004+08:00

The democratic gains South Korea has achieved in the past years have slowly eroded under the Lee Myung-bak's regime. Recent efforts by this administration to control broadcast media has been widely criticized by human rights organizations.

The recent attacks on freedom of expression and communication in South Korea took for the worst when the Korean Film Council, under the pretense of budget cuts, decided to shut down the operations of Mediact, the first public media center in South Korea. If things go as planned, Mediact will cease to operate on February 1.

Advocates of free expression and communications rights have circulated a petition to oppose this attack on media freedom in South Korea. Please read, sign and forward the petition.

Cybercrime Bill threatens freedom of expression online, encroaches on our privacy

2010-01-21T10:21:00.005+08:00

I am extremely concerned with the passage of HB 6794 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2009. This bill is a serious threat to our fundamental right to privacy as well as the freedom of expression online.

Many of us do not realize that this bill does not only affect the estimated 24 million internet users in the country but also the more than 70 million mobile phone subscribers. This bill not only penalizes cybercrimes committed using computers but also those acts using mobile phones as defined in Section 3 of the bill.

While I agree with the critique on the vague definition of some of the terms of the bill (i.e., computer data', 'recording of private acts'), I am more worried on the provisions of the bill on data collection and retention. Under Section 10, law enforcement agencies are authorized to collect or record 'traffic data.' Meanwhile, Section 11 states that services providers are ordered to preserve data for six months or up to 1 year if so ordered by law enforcement authorities.

This is dangerous and unacceptable. I believe that the collection and preservation of what this bill calls as traffic or computer data will pave the way for the government to do mass surveillance. It gives the government the power to not only monitor alleged cybercrime perpetrators but also political opponents such as the opposition and political and human rights activists.

Retaining data creates risk of abuse by the State and law enforcement agencies. These data will be a very powerful tool to intimidate and silence critics and activists. We all know how skilled some of our security agencies and other government organizations in manipulating and twisting information. Just remember martial law.

Data retention prevents open communication and the free flow of information as it creates an atmosphere of fear and put pressure on the users to 'behave' as exchanging critical information might incriminate them later. Some will even resort to not communicating at all as it puts them at risk. It is like being under the martial law regime where one needs to be careful about what he says or expresses. This is not good for a democracy like ours which encourages active participation of citizens in every aspect of the society.

Collecting and storing of data for a certain period of time also encourage identity thefts. How can we be sure that our most private data are secured from hackers and identity thieves. And who will pay for data storage? Is it the service provider or the government? If it is the latter then it is another unnecessary burden to us, the taxpayers, considering the potentially high cost of data storage given the narrow definition of traffic data in the bill.

I urge the lawmakers to pause and carefully consider the issues raised against the bill.

Bawiin ang Teknolohiya. Now na!

2009-11-27T13:26:00.025+08:00

Last Wednesday, November 25, 2009 was the start of TAKE BACK THE TECH (TBTT). It is a 16-Day campaign of online activism against gender-based violence.

A collaborative campaign to reclaim information and communications technology (ICT) to end violence against women, TBTT is a call to everyone, especially women & girls, to take control of the ICT tools (Internet, email, chat, web, social networking sites) and consciously use these to change power relations between men and women.

The campaign ends on the International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2009. It is spearheaded worldwide by the Association for Progressive Communications-Women's Networking Support Programme (APC-WNSP). For more information on the Take Back The Tech please click here.

Here in the Philippines, the campaign is being organized by the APC-WNSP Philippines and the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA). On the very first day of the campaign, APC-WNSP and FMA gathered feminists and communication rights advocates in the second round of discussions on VAW & ICTs: Gender, Technology and Public Policy. It was held at the Function Room of the Sweet Inspirations Cafe along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, Philippines.

Inivited organizations include WeDpro Inc., Women's Legal Bureau, Philippine Alternative Study Center for Research and Education in Social Development, Institute for Social Studies and Action, Alliance for Progressive Labor - Women, AKBAYAN, Philippine Internet Commerce Society, Women's Feature Service and Duetscher Entwicklungsdienst, among others. Although some organizations were not able to send their representatives due to numerous events focusing on women and gender that day, the discussions were substantive and insightful.

Jessica Soto, Philippine Coordinator for the MDG3 project of the APC-WNSP discussed the highlights of her research paper on VAW and ICTs in the Philippines. Among the major points she stressed during her presentation are as follows:

The Philippine Government has ratified all international instruments that aim to promote and protect women’s and girls’ rights .

It has also enacted laws that aim to protect women from various forms of violence. These are: Anti-Mail Order Bride Act of 1990 (RA 6955), Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 (RA 7877), Anti-Rape Law of 1997 (RA 8353), Rape Victims’ Assistance and Protection Act of 1998 (RA 8505), Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (RA 9208), Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 (RA 9262).

The latest legislation which dealt with women’s and girls’ rights was the Magna Carta of Filipino Women ratified last August 2009. It aims to institutionalize the protection and fulfillment of all Filipino women’s human rights.

Yet in spite of the existence of these laws, a wide gap between practice and customary laws remain, resulting in discrimination against women, a violation of their human rights.

This is the backdrop of the development of information and communication technology (ICT) in the country and around the world. Unlike other countries, the policies surrounding ICTs in the Philippines lean to e-commerce and e-governance objectives.

Specific laws have yet to be defined in order to prosecute perpetrators of violence against women (VAW) through the use of ICTs or cyberspace.

Jessica Soto added that there is a lot of work to be done in developing a national policy advocacy that would eradicate VAW through the use of ICTs. She added that a collaborative effort of ICTs and anti-VAW organizations is not impossible.

Al Alegre of FMA, meanwhile, said that there is a noticeable rise of reported incidents of sexual harassment of women on SMS, email and social networking sites such as Facebook. Most of the participants agreed with Al's observation.

Al Alegre also mentioned a case of rape in Second Life, a virtual reality site. "From the 'low-tech' SMS to the 'high-tech' virtual reality space Second Life, there are new arenas that we have to look into," Al Alegre said.

One participant narrated her own experience of sexual harassment through the use of ICT. She said that an admirer of hers was sending threatening and sexually explicit messages and images to her mobile phone and email address. She, however, also used ICT tool to fight back and end her ordeal. Her weapon of choice is her blog; her ammunition is her words. She said ICT is a powerful medium and potent enough to combat violence against women.

technorati tags: takebackthetech

We will never forget November 23. We will never forget the women victims of the Maguindanao massacre

2009-11-26T16:51:00.014+08:00

I am reposting the statement of PANDAYAN, a a democratic socialist political organization in the Philippines, on the gruesome Maguindanao Massacre. They say that we, filipinos, forget easily but this time I don't think we will. This is too much. What happened last November 23 was beyond comprehension. It numbs my mind. For a few seconds last Monday I was just staring at the screen of my laptop when I chanced upon the news on the Inquirer website.

The whole world was shocked and appalled by the barbaric killings. Once again, the Philippines is back on the world stage of notoriety and shame. CNN said that the country topples Iraq as the world's most dangerous place for journalists. How could this happen? The administration of Gloria Arroyo should answer to the Filipino people for this. For it is her administration which allows this to go on.

As a Filipino, it pains me to hear the word 'Philippines' mixed with killings, impunity, lawlessness, massacre. It is even sadder to note that as of yesterday there were 21 women who were among the victims of the atrocious crime committed in Maguindanao last Monday. These were wives, mothers, daughters, and aunts who showed courage and bravery even if they knew the risks that they were taking when they accompanied they male relatives in filing their certificates of candidacies.

Another deplorable thing was the news report that some of these women were sexually assaulted before they were killed and others were mutilated. This is simply abominable. Esmael Mangudadatu was right. We should not call the killers 'animals' for they are monsters. Evil. I have seen a lot of injustices and evil things in my life but this one takes the cake.

To the victims of November 23, we will never forget you. To the women who suffered and were killed just because they wanted to show their support to the people whom they believed in, we honor you.

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

The Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas (PANDAYAN) condemns in the strongest terms the brutal politically-motivated massacre in Maguindanao of women, lawyers, civilians and journalists.

Under the current administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Philippines has become the most dangerous place in the world for media workers. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least 74 journalists have been killed during its eight-year reign, yet this regime's response to end this culture of impunity is barbarically inept and ineffectual. This is unacceptable.

Forming a 14-member legal team to handle the Maguindanao massacre case is not enough. The regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should take firm and decisive actions and ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.

We also call upon the PNP to completely revamp their ranks in the province to ensure that their people are non-partisan. Once perpetrators are positively identified, we urge that they be immediately arrested and put to jail.

Pandayan appeals to all parties concerned to restrain themselves from retributive acts of justice, and we condemn the pervading climate of impunity, coercion and terror to maintain or secure elective positions, that give rise to warlordism and further violence.

We urge the dismantling of all private armies and the confiscation of their firearms, starting with known warring factions not only in Maguindanao but also in places that historically are considered hot spots every election.

We call upon the COMELEC to impose the total gun ban now and not wait until January 2010. We call upon the PNP to strictly implement the ban to prevent further violence as we approach the 2010 elections.

We call upon the PNP to expedite the investigations and resolution of past incidences of violence against elected officials and political rivals, to have the will to prosecute the perpetrators of the crime regardless of political positions and connections. We urge both the AFP and the PNP to ensure their non-partisanship especially on the ground.

Pandayan also calls upon the Filipino people and on its volunteers nationwide to strengthen their ranks, exercise vigilance, and in their own respective areas lead in identifying and monitoring potential threat to the security situation.

Pandayan supports the COMELEC and encourages the PNP to fulfill their tasks to ensure the holding of a truly credible and peaceful elections in May 2010.

The Filipino people and the whole world are watching and will continue to watch this case. Pandayan will make sure that we will never forget November 23. Finally, we extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and colleagues of all those killed in Maguindanao.

technorati tags: takebackthetech

Setting the record straight

2009-11-17T16:07:00.005+08:00

The United Nations Security office is now on the offensive. There is an Associated Press story that says UN has a policy against commercial sponsorship and has a no poster policy. Duh. The ONI / opennet.asia book reception is not for commercial purposes. We were not even selling the book then as the book is yet to be published.

If the UN really has a no poster policy then what the hell was this banners doing there at the main hall. This was taken Tuesday morning by one of the IGF delegates.

I am cross-posting Ron Deibert's points of clarification on the ONI poster confiscation incident that happened last Sunday.

1. We were told that the banner had to be removed because of the reference to China. This was repeated on several occasions, in front of about two dozen witnesses and officials, including the UN Special Rapporteur For Human Rights, who asked that I send in a formal letter of complaint.

2. Earlier, the same officials asked us to stop circulating a small invite to the event because it contained a mention of Tibet. They even underlined it in showing it to me. Because the event was just about to start, we said that we would not be distributing any more of these invitations so it was a moot point.

3. We asked repeatedly to see any rules or regulations governing this act. They did not give us any, only referring to the "objections of a member state."

4. There were in fact many posters and banners in many of the rooms that I attended, including others in our own. The video itself shows us, at one point, taking one of the other posters we have and offering to cover up the original one. They objected to that and told us this banner must be removed.

On another matter of clarification:

The UN officials did not throw the banner on the ground. They asked us to remove it and one of our staff placed it on the ground for us to consider what to do. That's where we had the discussion. When we refused to remove it, their security guards bundled it up and took it away.

Controlled: Anti-censorship and surveillance group censored at the Internet forum in Egypt

2009-11-15T22:40:00.005+08:00

November 15, 2009

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

See video of the incident

The opennet.asia, a research and advocacy network which monitors cyberspace practices in Asia, and fosters respect for human rights online, deplored the 'censorship' act committed by the United Nations Security Office during its book reception event at the 4th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.

Members of the group, who come from the academia and non-governmental organizations all over Asia, were shocked when a United Nations security officer confiscated the opennet.asia poster at the entrance of the venue for the opennet.asia's reception event for its forthcoming book, Access Controlled. The group tried to reason out with the officer but were unsuccessful in convincing him in allowing them to display the poster which shows a sentence allegedly in violation of a United Nation's policy. The sentence in question reads, “The first generation of Internet controls consisted largely of building firewalls at key Internet gateways; China’s famous “Great Firewall of China” is one of the first national Internet filtering systems.”

Apparently, the reason for the disapproval of the United Nations Security office is that it might displease the Chinese government officials who are attending the IGF meeting.

“We condemn this undemocratic act of censoring our event just because someone is trying to impress or be in the good graces of the Chinese government. It is ironic that while people are allowed to gather here to discuss freedom of expression online, censorship and surveillance practices on the Internet we are being restricted and controlled in expressing our views,” said Al Alegre of the Philippine-based Foundation for Media Alternatives, a member of the opennet.asia network and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).

According to Ron Deibert of The Citizen Lab and Open Net Initiatives (ONI) Principal, one of the organizers of the book reception, he will file a complaint against the 'censorship' of their event and send it to the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights.

astrofood

2009-01-29T02:05:00.002+08:00

Lulubog, lilitaw

ang iyong ngiting parang talang

sa kislap ay walang katulad.

Para itong bulalakaw sa bilis,

pilit ko mang habulin ay hindi ko maabutan.

Marahil ito'y dahill alam kong ang iyong labi'y hindi magiging akin.

Aalis, babalik

ang pagtatangi ko sa iyo.

Kahit ilang boteng beer di ito kayang lunurin.

Kapag nakikita kita simbilis ng bullet train

ang pagpapalit-palit ko ng emosyon.

Nariyan ang pag-ibig, galit, pagnanasa, at pangungulila.

Darating, lilisan

ang pag-asang balang araw ako'y mapapansin mo rin.

Basta nandito lang ang puso kong umaandap-andap

sa saliw ng iyong matang mapanglaw.

Patuloy na mangangarap na minsan

baka masagi sa iyong isipan

na ako ang iyong natatanging astrofood.

Gaiman kills Batman

2008-11-18T00:16:00.001+08:00

I'm not a big fan of comics but this story will surely give nightmares to some of my friends, especially Helter Celtser and Jason Biggs. Here are snippets from the USA Today article:

"Just as The Dark Knight closes in on $1 billion worldwide gross, DC Comics is ready to have Bruce Wayne "die" — or at least give up the cape — in his monthly comic.

Batman #681, due Nov. 26, wraps up writer Grant Morrison's Batman R.I.P. story line, in which the crimefighter is so shaken by a secret from his past that a new Batman must be found.
What makes this "death" go beyond the usual circulation booster is the talent involved. Helping to bury Batman will be best-selling novelist Neil Gaiman, who created the goth-cult Sandman comic 20 years ago.

Gaiman is writing a two-issue tribute to the character, starting with Batman #686 and tentatively titled Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, due in February."

San Miguel: The Exorcist

2008-10-14T19:45:00.002+08:00

“Niyaya mo akong mamasyal sa zoo.
Ang sabi mo kasi kailangan mo ng kasama.
Sumama naman ako kasi crush kita noon pa.
Kung sabagay gusto ko na ring magka…alam mo na.”

I don’t know if you know that song but since you asked me to join you that day several months ago my dreary life becomes even bleaker. Oh you do not know how you made me miserable. It’s like I was suddenly thrown into the eternal fires of Sheol.

Good thing I met San Miguel. Suddenly, I have someone to dance with, although, it is a very slow and shitty death waltz.

It is not that I blame you for this jam I’m in. No, no, no. It is not your fault. I guess, I was just too naïve in spite of the fact that I’ve been walking this savage garden for three decades now. I just thought you were the one. But I was mortally wrong

I never knew I would fall for this crap again. Caesar, my best friend, said it was a good thing: that I am still capable of that dreadful thing called love. But how can it be good when it brings so much pain?

Loving you is lethal. It’s madness. Was it the Dominatrix of the Universe who said we all go a bit cuckoo when we fall in love? The worst part is listening to Frank Sinatra’s “In the wee small hours of the morning.”

Who would want to drown in sorrow when one could seek comfort from San Miguel? So, I did the one thing that I know would help me: to drink my anguish and swallow the bitter taste of my grief. Dionysus tried to stop me. She said it would not help me at all but I ignored her.

So, everyday, I dance. Hidden from the prying eyes of everyone I reach for San Miguel and we dance! I would embrace his slender and bluish body and grip him so tight so he would not escape from me. We would sway to the music of Smashing Pumpkin’s Landslide or to Supercar’s Wonder Word. We would stomp our feet, pluck the strings of our air guitars and scream out the lyrics until I would lose consciousness.

I know I have to stop mooning for you. So, I am exorcising you out my system. I am casting you out. Now.

By the power of San Miguel, I compel you! Swig.

By the power of San Miguel, I compel you! Gulp.

By the power of San Miguel, I compel you out of my life. Belch.

Salud!

Bite me, Meyer, bite me.

2008-10-05T01:19:00.039+08:00

It was a dreary afternoon at the office when I saw Rain poring over a book the size of a hollow block. Yes, it was that big. And he was a bit fidgety at his station while reading that monster of a book.

I was thinking it must be that good for that to have an effect on Rain or it must be the freaking weight of the book because he could not sit still. One moment he was holding it while sitting cross legged on his stool and then another moment he was putting it on his desk then on his lap while wriggling his enormous derriere.

I think that it must be one of the reasons why he lost so much weight. Boy, if you would be carrying that stuff everyday to work then I guess you would lose 5 kilos a week! Hey Rain, why not use that monster to work on your biceps next time eh?

He was really into it so I guess it might be a very interesting read. So I went over to his station and asked him what was the book all about. He said it was by this relatively new writer named Stephanie Meyer and that it was about vampires.

"Whoa! Wait a minute. Did you say bloodsuckers?" I asked a bit too loud I guess because I noticed everyone was looking at me like I was about to pounce on Rain and throw him across the floor.

He looked at me, his mouth agape and said. "Yes, so?"

My head started to spin and suddenly I heard music by Cocteau Twins, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Dominion, Prominence of Cathedral and The Mission. It was a mishmash of different songs actually but what stood out was Bela Lugosi's dead by Bauhaus.

"White on white translucent black capes,
Back on the rack,
Bela Lugosi's dead,
The bats have left the bell tower,
The victims have been bled,
Red velvet lines the black box,
Bela Lugosi's dead,
Undead undead undead."

I thought I was going to faint so I hold on to the post near his station and licked my hundred-year-old denture. I know it is absolutely hideous but hey it is still working. Anyways, I did that because I was trying to feel for my fangs. I thought those choppers suddenly grew long but then it was just my overactive imagination.

You see, I am a huge Anne Rice freak. Back in the 1990s when I was working for FDA/FMA and earning a paltry sum of four digits for a salary I was throwing away money on anything Anne Rice or Poppy Z. Brite. I started with Vampire Lestat then Queen of the Damned and Tale of the Body Thief then worked my way back to Interview with the Vampire before the movie which starred Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt was shown in theatres. I wanted to read the first book in the series (Interview) first before I would watch the movie. We all know that most films could not hold a candle to their original book versions.

Who could forget the saga of Lestat De Lioncourt, a truly immortal character? He is a legend among Anne Rice's preternatural monsters. From the moment I touched the first pages of Vampire Lestat, I was mesmerized by this bloodsucking fiend who was inducted to the dark world by Magnus. Anne Rice made this exquisite and prancing devil into a 'hero' for many lost souls in the 1970s up to the 1990s. How many of us can relate to his existential drama, his questions about life: "Am I in His plans?", "Are my actions good or bad?", "What happens after death?" What about the other unforgettable demons in the Vampire Chronicles: Armand, Louis, Marius, Akasha. Didn't you feel the pain of Louis when Claudia died?

Anyways, I am ranting. This is not about Anne Rice. This is about that other author, that Meyer girl. So I used all my persuasive powers and asked Rain if he could lend me his copy of Twilight, supposedly, the first installment in Meyer's trilogy about her bloodthirsty fiends. For about two weeks, while Rain was carrying that adobe of a book to work I was salivating like a rabid bulldog. I kept on pestering him to finish the book so I could lay my hands on it. I even restrained myself from googling the darn book.

Finally last Monday, Rain approached me and said he was done with the book. As he was handing the book to me I quickly snatched it off his hand and snarled. A low growling sound escaped my mouth. I made darting glances around me as I knew that Amazon also wanted the book for herself. Quickly, I shoved the book into my backpack and murmured my thanks to Rain who was slowly backing away from me.

Five minutes before clock out I was already itching to go home. When the clock struck 2:00 I rushed to the door and pushed my way into the elevator full of blundering humans. I did not even bother to say goodbye to my friends as I dashed my way out of the building. It didn't even bother me that my back was aching due to the monstrous weight of the book.

I was ecstatic. Alas, the book is with me. I primed myself to enjoy this experience. Hell, this might be the start of a new gothic romance between me and this Meyer girl. But I was wrong, dreadfully wrong. But more on that later.

When I reached home I opened the kitchen cabinet where I keep my stash of gin and some chips. I went to my CD rack and pulled out Four-Calendar Cafe by Cocteau Twins and then lugged the DVD/CD player and two speakers to my dungeon upstairs. I turned on the music, lighted some incense on the altar, jumped on my mattress, put some gin on my glass (no ice! btw), chugged my first shot and slowly opened the book.

Twenty pages into the book and the unthinkable happened, I was dozing off! No it was not the gin. I can drink ten shots of that poison and I can still sing "I see you, You see me" by The Magic Numbers without slurring. Hell, I can even recite lines from The Breakfast Club. Besides, I only had three shots of gin at that time. I was thinking that I was distracted by Elizabeth Fraser who by that time was wailing "Are you the right man for me, Are you safe, Are you my friend, Or are you toxic for me" so I turned the CD off and resumed reading the book.

I was reading the part where Bella, the human girl, was being chased by lowlifes near the mall when he was grabbed by Edward and shoved into the car and then he attacked her! He had slit her throat open and drank her blood.

Wait! "This can't be real," I said to myself. Rain told me she wasn't made into a vampire in this first book but then why did he bite her?

I turned the page to find out and the next scenes were too graphic. After drinking all her blood, Edward smashed Bella's head on the dashboard which had cracked her skull open. Then, he twisted her neck, pulled off the whole head from her body and threw it outside the window.

"Jeez, this guy is a maniac alright," I whispered. Damn, this is twisted stuff but then I realized that I am on the last page of the book.

"What the..? What happened to the other pages?” I said.

I was supposed to be just halfway into the book. But this last page was a real shocker. After throwing Bella's head out of the window, Edward reached into the glove box of his car and pulled out a silver dagger and plunged it into his heart! While the blood was oozing out, he cupped some and smeared it on the windshield. Because he could not see anything the car slammed into an electric post. Edward, weakened and with the dagger still lodged in his chest, tried to get out of the car but it was too late. The car by then was engulfed by fire and the freaking fiend was roasted.

Suddenly, a kick landed swiftly on my butt and I saw my sister glaring at me. She looked absolutely frightening! Her eyes were burning and her mouth was twitching. Her long hair covered most of her face except those two malevolent eyes! She looked like she was possessed by daemons from the deepest pit of hell!

Slowly, she reached for my shoulders with her claws and I screamed my lungs out! Then two slaps landed on my face and I awakened. She looked at me, smirked and said: "Yung incense mo nalaglag sa unan ayan nasusunog na!"

"Ha, alin?" I muttered.

I then realized that I dozed off again. I reached for the book and saw that I was still on the part where Bella was trying to get away from the horny toads from the mall. Damn. It was just a dream then. A pity really since the dream was more exciting than this frightful bore of a book.

So how did the book fare you might ask. Well, it is a freaking waste of pulp. While I was still reading it, I was hoping that Meyer would give me something to look forward to but alas, I was disappointed. I was waiting for the punch but it never happened. Reading "Twilight" is just like watching an afternoon soap. Hell, there is even more action in those Latin American soaps.

For me, a good book is like a portal to another world. It should allow us to wander into the other realms; it should take us into a parallel dimension where we can pretend to live the lives of the various protagonists. But this one, this book just opens the door to Disneyland; wait no, to your local 'perya' where the major characters seem to be in perpetual state of inanimation. Nothing seems to happen in this cursed book.

Edward is a wimp. He is Louis in a straitjacket. Why can't he just pounce on the girl and get it done and over with? And Bella? Well, I want to shake and slap her until she realizes that this vampire whom she loves so much might be gay! I freaking loath the book so much that I was hoping that Meyer would just kill the two main characters so I could close the book and chop it into pieces. Now I know why I had that dream.

I know a lot of tween girls and other fans of Meyer will hate me but hey, your idol is a fake. If you're writing about vampires you should write with more blood and gore. And what's with the anonymous CD, you freak! And you're supposed to be a fan of Muse?!! To Meyer, why don't you just bite me, eh?

Image from Mistress of Sorrows.

Support the Sumilao lumad-farmers' March for Land, Dignity and Justice

2007-10-07T22:33:00.000+08:00

The children of the Sumilao farmers. They are now continuing the struggle of their parents. Some of them will be joining the March on October 10.

The original hunger strikers back in 1997.

Ka Peter Tuminhay with Erap Estrada and Etta Rosales.

Ten years ago this month, 17 lumad-farmers from Sumilao, Bukidon staged a hunger strike in front of the office of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Quezon City. Their call then was and still is the redistribution of the 144 hectares of their ancestral land. Many things have happened since their 28-day hunger strike in 1997. Former President Ramos’ much vaunted Win-Win formula came to naught when the Supreme Court decided to uphold the conversion order of then Executive Secretary Ruben Torres. Meanwhile, the Norberto Quisumbing Sr Management and Development Corporation sold the land to the San Miguel Food which is now putting up a piggery farm. In spite of these setbacks, the Sumilao farmers remain steadfast and still believe that one day they will be able to reclaim their ancestral land. They have now filed a petition for the cancellation of the conversion order before the Office of the DAR Secretary.They are also asking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to use her powers to give them back their ancestral land.

On October 10, 2007, fifty of the more than 150 claimant farmers will walk on foot from Bukidnon to Manila. They are expected to arrive in Manila on December 10 to press the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Office of the President to act on their case. This walk is their non-violent way of protesting the more than ten years of injustice they have gone through in trying to reclaim their ancestral land. Their story is a sad reflection of the state of agrarian reform in our country. It demonstrates how little our commitment is to agrarian reform justice. It is the lumad-farmers' hope that through this walk they will be able to re-ignite our awareness on the situation of agrarian reform in the country and create a groundswell of support for the acceleration of distribution of lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

The lumad-farmers of Sumilao need your help. The students of the AB Development Studies of the Ateneo de Manila University (Kristine Basa, Aya Mamaril, Ivygail Ong, Audris Umel, and Kristine Wee) have started a fund-raising drive to help the Sumilao farmers. As of October 6, 2007 they have raised P2027. However, the Sumilao farmers need more. All throughout the 60-day walk they need food, water, raincoats, slippers, tent, medicines and first aid kits. You may send your donations to PAKISAMA’s bank account:

Bank Account Name: Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA)

SavingsAccount Number: 0280-14200-0Equitable PCI Bank, Katipunan Branch
Please e-mail the details of your donation (amount, time and date of deposit, etc.) at Sumilao march email or to PAKISAMA to check if your donation has been received and to receive updates on the march.

PAKISAMA is a national confederation of farmers association in the Philippines. Its National Coordinator is Raul Socrates Banzuela. Its office is located at Rm 207 Partnership Center , 59 Salavador St. Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Revoke the Conversion Order! Redistribute the Land under CARP!
Reform and Extend the Agrarian Reform Program! Rationalize Land Use!

For updates please visit this site. Please download the flyer and distribute to your friends, organizations and networks.

All photos by JMOD.

Red shirt day for Burma

2007-10-03T19:11:00.001+08:00

FREE BURMA

2007-10-03T18:47:00.000+08:00

Photos from Freedom for Burma. Stand up with the people of Burma, sign the petition.

ang pagbabalik ng show na may tama

2007-08-20T12:27:00.000+08:00

strangebrew: ang show na may tama...remember that kids?

Launched in 2001 on UNTV, strangebrew became a cult favorite. It's like a pinoy Beavis and Butthead. The show introduced us to Tado and Erning. After a brief stint on UNTV 37 it went on to Studio 23 but was eventually axed as well. Tado became a household name and Erning or Angel had done hosting job for Breakfast.

DokAris, a cousin of mine who played with Tado in a band called Live Tilapia, emailed me this gif file on the return of strangebrew. Joining Tado and Erning is Direk Ramon Bautista who played oddball characters in the original run of the show. strangebrew airs on 99.5 RT. Tama? Tama!

huh?

2007-08-12T22:54:00.000+08:00

This was posted outside the clinic of a large business organization. It's absolutely daft, isn't it? The bulletin board was posted with reminders on how to live a healthy lifestyle. The number ten was so hilariously stupid that I could not help but to take a picture of it. I was always laughing my head off everytime I passed by that moronic sign. They took it off after a week.

are you ready for the future?

2007-08-08T15:30:00.000+08:00

We were discussing the fantastic TV series Heroes at the HQ when Sheila mentioned that she is going to lend me her copy of this sci-fi thriller called The 4400. I’ve been bugging her for some time now to let me borrow some titles from her enormous collection of Quiapo finds and I thanked her for this.

The 4400 is an excellent mix of fantasy and science fiction! It is a cross between X-files and Heroes. If X-files had Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, 4400 has Tom Baldwin and Diana Scouris. Set in Seattle, the series focuses on a group of people who mysteriously vanished at different times in a span of 60 years. Then one day these people suddenly reappeared unharmed, not a day older and most of all gifted with paranormal abilities.

We have heard several theories about abduction but this show reveals that the 4400 were abducted not by little green men but by humans, albeit from the future. They were sent back and given powers to avert a major catastrophe that will destroy the human race. Would they use their newfound powers to heal the world or would they use it for themselves? If you have a supernatural ability would you use it to enrich yourself or would you rather use it on the Marcoses and have them imprisoned till they rot? If Imelda had the power of Isabelle, let’s say materialization, would she summon for the body of Macoy and bring him to life and sing Dahil sa Iyo? If Ate Glo had the power of precognition, would she still call Garci? Well, if I have the power of telepathic suggestion, I would use it on Cueshe and make them jump off a cliff so that we will not hear their shrieking voices again.

The series opened in July of 2004 on USA network and is now on its 4th season. Ian said that it is being shown on AXN. If you don’t have AXN on your cable network (Damn you Global Destiny!) then ask your suking DVD pirate.

the lost boys...and girls pala

2007-07-29T17:53:00.000+08:00

twisted slammer

2007-07-29T15:56:00.000+08:00

i'm a news junkie. being an advance man for several organizations in the past it is my job to be updated on the latest stories here in rp and around the globe. i was googling for any news on rp when i chanced upon this story on the bbc website. it reported on how "an unusual physical fitness regime at a jail in the Philippines has attracted worldwide attention on the video sharing website, YouTube." last time i checked the clip that features pinoy inmates dancing to wacko jacko's thriller was watched 2 and half million times! it was also featured in al-jazeera tv and countless other news websites.

and what did people say about the video, you might ask? well, here are some of their comments i gathered from one news article:

"Does it seem fair that these prisoners in the Phillipines are having a
much better time than most American office workers? "- Mo Rocca , a famous blogger who has appeared on 'The Daily Show', 'I Love the 80s,' 'Larry King Live,' 'Iron Chef America,' 'Amor Descarado' (Telemundo), 'Video Babes: Secrets Revealed
(CMT),' and 'The Today Show.'

"Most inmates spend their days churning out license plates, but not the lucky prisoners at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines. They’re far too busy perfecting elaborate dance routines." -says Lauren Katulka for WebTVHUb

"Attention, Bureau of Prisons. Some folks over in the Philippines have a new prisoner exercise routine you might want to check out." - says Tom Shoop of Fedblog.

isn't it neat? here is a story that shows pinoy on a positive light. i mean, yes it is about crooks doing those stupid steps but it is way better than the story of one loony who took dozens of kids as hostages, right? guess, i am so starved of good news on our country that even this piece of crap makes my day. anyways, it is one hell of a funny crap! check this out.

tools for online warriors!

2007-05-30T05:46:00.000+08:00

i would like to share with you this amazing handbook from Reporters without Borders. if you want to share your opinions on what is happening in your communities and remain anonymous then this handbook is for you. here is the review of rebecca mckinnon on global voices. click here to download the handbook.

rain

2007-05-25T00:27:00.000+08:00

When I woke up at around 6pm I noticed that it was drizzling outside. I found myself singing Garbage's "I'm only happy when it rains." I know that it is quite a dreadful image. Me, an overweight slob suddenly bursting into a song releasing my lethal stale breath into the atmosphere. Man, that is way deadlier than the non-existent WMD of Saddam. I don't know why but hearing the sound of rain in our alulod makes me chirpy. It always brings back happy memories. Anyway, acording to PAG-ASA we should expect increased rainfall in the next few months because of La Niña.

What's your favorite "rain" song?

sing in the shower, save the environment

2007-04-19T23:12:00.000+08:00

For the past several years now environmental groups and concerned scientists have been warning us about the impending environmental destruction through global warming. However, most of us dismissed this as ramblings by hard-line greenies who have nothing else to do. Thanks to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and the various freak storms and weather disturbances we are now finally sitting up and taking a hard look at the issue of global warming.

Here is your chance to take part and help save the planet. Join Greenpeace's campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% worldwide by 2050. Be an 'Energy Revolutionary'. To start, download Greenpeace's 'How to Save the Climate'.

According to the booklet, one tip in reducing our energy consumption is by singing or whistling in the shower! That I can definitely do! The Greenpeace handbook instructs us to 'take a shower instead of a bath, turn the water off when soaping, and to sing or whistle a short song to remind yourself to end your shower quickly.' Now, just don't choose stairway to heaven because if you do you will surely end up with hypothermia. I think the best shower song is 5 years by Sugar Hiccup. It is short, has no cheesy lyrics and reminds me of the movie Psycho. That will make me end my shower really fast. Cold Water by Damien Rice is okay too, I guess.

my big fat geek belly

2007-03-21T21:19:00.000+08:00

it's official. i am now a member of the fat ass club. i am 25-pounds overweight!

well, the news did not come as a surprise. i have been eating my way to oblivion since october 2006 when i decided to go on a self exile. again. for the nth time.

my membership card to blubber world was handed to me when i joined SHREK on his visit to the doc. he has hypertension and is diagnosed as class II obese. he is 190 pounds of rolling and bumbling fat! poor kid. he is not only fat, he is class II obese! i didn't even know that there is a difference between overweight, obesity and obesity II until then.

anyways, after SHREK's turn in the fat register machine i asked the nurse on duty if she could assist me as well in measuring my weight. she then hurled me to the weighing scale like a big slab of pork chop, asked me to strip down and proceeded to tinker with the damned scale. after a few seconds she looked at me with a devilish grin and uttered: you are 25-pounds overweight. she obviously relished delivering the bad news. i was shocked at first but i came to realize that it is the truth. i felt like someone had just shove a whole quarter pounder to my mouth. i could not breathe. i guess i did not like hearing what was obvious to a lot of people. i am old and fat. no, i am just an old fart. darn it. it is time to hit the fat farm.

welcome to the plus size world, baby!

para sa MAYO 2007

2007-03-04T11:28:00.000+08:00

no human being is illegal; images of civil society protest action in NYC

2006-10-23T18:58:00.000+08:00

Human rights activists in NYC joined our rally.

More than a dozen police cars lined up outside the UN Headquarters
in anticipation of our protest action.

The United Nations Headquarter in NYC. It's in First Street. Our group gathered in a plaza across the UN to protest migration policies across the globe.

Isabel, a Latina from New Mexico, putting up the great MFA quilt.

billboards and bollywood on broadway

2006-10-07T16:26:00.000+08:00

two bollywood bombshells strutting their stuff on broadway.

when i read the readers' digest report that NYC people are one of the most polite in the whole world I could not believe it because of all the things i see in movies and read in all the news. everytime NYC comes to mind i think of muggers but the reader's digest story was correct, at least based on my encouters with the locals. i was lost several times in the subway and the people are very helpful and accommodating. i guess they're afraid i'm one of the suicide bombers so they were forced to help me out haha

billboards galore on broadway. good thing they do'nt have tropical typhoons there or else MMDA will smash 'em to bits.

my NYC trip (central park west and broadway)

2006-10-07T15:52:00.000+08:00

remember the color purple? it's now a musical on broadway. the ubiquitous oprah produces this musical based on the pulitzer-prized winning book. shot this pic at the corner of 53rd and broadway. that meant i walked for ten blocks from YMCA West!

P.Diddy in the house! Billboards in Broadway.

West side of Central Park. Remember Kate and Leopold. You'd see a lot of horse-drawn carriages, T-shirt hawkers, and tons of homeless people. Guess what? QMC Park is way cleaner.

CNN Center in NYC. It's about 5 minute-walk from YMCA West in 63rd Street where I stayed for 8 days last September 2006.

citizens of hemp republic (scenes of decadence in xaymaca)

2006-08-29T19:26:00.001+08:00

hell's belles: mabster, gen, bernice

too much ganja is bad for your health: diego and gus

gimme! gimme! gimme the ganja! (bernice and twisted man)

guess why they're smiling: mabster and tatcee

here comes your (boogey) man

laban?!!! very 80s. hahahaha

jao shall not have other gods before me

save guimaras, sign the petition

2006-08-28T15:06:00.000+08:00

It has been more than three weeks now since a tanker chartered by Petron sank off the waters of Guimaras. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the threat of habitat degradation is very high. However, until today the resulting oil spill has yet to be contained. The spokesperson of Petron was even quoted as saying that the oil company can not be held liable for the oil spill. It said that it has no legal obligation to do so. This is truly disgusting! Petron must and should be held accountable for this environmental disaster. Petron should exert all its resources to contain the oil slick and repair the damage it caused to the environment.

Meanwhile, what is the Philippine government doing? According to reports, Gloria is visiting Guimaras to check that tourist spots in the area is not affected by the oil spill! Instead of ordering Petron to do its part in the clean up and meeting with the government agencies to coordinate its efforts she is planning to stay in a resort and meet with the resort owners. What an ass?!!

The spill has already affected the lives of the people of Guimaras whose survival and only means of livelihood depends upon the waters of Guimaras. The government and Petron must act now. Please sign the petition now.

street scenes in Singapore

2006-07-31T19:14:00.000+08:00

wow mali!

people everywhere!

shopping! shopping! shopping in bugis street. every effing item is made in china!

Chinese street musicians in Singapore

Me cast in bronze!

Shops galore in Little India

Little India at night

artsy fartsy in singapore

2006-07-28T16:28:00.000+08:00

i arrived in singapore on the 24 of June 2006 and went straight to waterloo hostel. my heart sank when i arrived at the hostel; it was freakin awful. oyie's comment was the most appropriate: it was the looooowest of the low! the whole place stinks! the only good thing about it is its location. it's a few steps away from the singapore art museum and other art galleries.

At the courtyard of SAM. At the end of your tour you'll see the above concrete sign. According to the brochure, SAM was formerly a school called St. Joseph Institution, which was founded in 1852. It was founded by 6 La Salle brothers. When the school relocated in 1987, it was declared as a national monument and restoration began in 1992. In 1996, the museum opened. Filipino creativity was showcased in SAM in the exhibition titled 'Of Tides and Times.' Featured Pinoy artists are Tony Leano (Urban Cosmetics), Neil Manalo (The Accuser Suddenly Intervened), Neil Doloricon (Ang Bagong Kilusan ng Paggawa, Contradiction, Rape of Sovereignty, Tutubing Bakal), Pablo Ben Santos (Bagong Kristo), Lazaro Soriano (Maria ng Banahaw), Onib Olmedo (Beauty Parlor and Song from the Alley), and Agnes Arellano's Three Buddha Mothers.

SAM at night. I was fortunate to view the Fiction @ love exhibition which tells how popular culture like comics, graphic design, animation, manga and anime influence modern art. It was surreal. I'm not an art critic but I loved Jimmy's Smiling Fish and Missing My Cat (Taiwan) and Claire Lim's Hidden Ghost (Singapore). Sayang, can't take pics.

art sa bangketa!

this is a former presbyterian church turned into an art gallery

another art gallery featuring aussie artists

sing's premier art venue: esplanade. thirty-minute walk from my hotel. boy, it was a looong walk but it's worth it.

lobby of esplanade

Stop Israeli agression in Lebanon now!

2006-07-21T17:47:00.000+08:00

The war in

Lebanon

between the Israeli government and the armed militias of Hezbollah is raging. It is getting worse by the day. Latest reports say that

Israel

now expanded its operations on the ground in

Lebanon

and has thousands of troops across the border. This is a sign that

Israel

is not backing down despite the pressures from the international civil society to cease its agression. The

United States

, the only country in the world that has the power to influence

Israel

, is sticking to its position that the Jewish state has the right to defend itself notwithstanding the fact that it is killing innocent civilians. It vetoed the UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel. This is like granting Israel the 'diplomatic license' to kill.

The conflict, which was prompted by the capture of three Israeli soldiers by Hamas and Hezbollah, is truly deplorable especially with the unjust and disproportionate reaction of the Israeli authorities who bombarded Lebanon everyday with complete disregard to the lives of innocent civilians. Various reports estimate that more than 300 people are now killed in Lebanon due to the constant air strikes by Israeli security forces while scores of Israeli citizens are hurt and several people killed by Hezbolla rockets fired to Northern Israel. The Jewish State, in its effort to force the Hezbollah militants to release the soldiers, also held hostage the entire Lebanese population through land and sea incursion with tanks, gunboats and planes across the Lebanese border and by destroying bridges, schools, mosques, power and water supplies which have no obvious military use. This is clearly a violation of the Geneva Conventions and other international laws.

If the crisis in Lebanon continues, I am afraid that it will escalate into an international war. As of this moment, the Arab countries are agitated. They can not wait in the sidelines as hundreds of their brothers, sisters and children are being slaughtered everyday. Already, thousands of Muslims across the world are holding protest actions calling for a pan-Arab action against Israel. If they do strike against Israel, the US will surely take a stand and defend the Jewish state. An immediate ceasefire is clearly the best option right now.

If you believe that Israel should stop its attacks against Lebanon please send an email protest to the Embassy of Israel in Manila. (Photo from Beirut Lemons)

Below is a statement I wrote for Migrant Forum in Asia on this crisis:

MFA calls for ceasefire in Lebanon; chides Asian governments for not acting fast on repatriating their citizens

Migrant Forum in Asia, a regional network of more than 260 member-organisations, expresses its deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. We lament the escalating violence committed by the Israeli government and the armed militias of Hezbollah and Hamas against the civilian population of Lebanon and Israel including the thousands of Asian migrant workers in those countries.

MFA condemns in the strongest terms the actions of Israel, Hezbollah and Hamas. Terrorism, in any kind and form, is barbaric, heinous and completely unacceptable. The potential humanitarian crisis is catastrophic if the crisis escalates further. The United Nations (UN) believes that more than 500,000 Lebanese are now internally displaced and scattered in various refugee camps along the borders of Lebanon. All freedom-loving governments and organisations must act now to stop this nonsensical show of brute of might. MFA calls on the UN to call for an immediate ceasefire and show the whole world that it will not be intimidated by a superpower whose ‘low-key’ response to the crisis is fuelling Israel’s frenzied and vicious attacks on its neighbours. Continuing apathy and inaction of the international community give Israel the ‘diplomatic license’ to continue its destruction of Lebanon. The UN, through the Security Council, must not allow this to go on. It should, likewise, reinforce security in the region by deploying a multinational peacekeeping force along the Israeli and Lebanese border. It must push for sanctions for all those who are responsible for this conflict.

The collective punishment of the people of Lebanon by Israel affects the more than 200,000 migrant workers from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh and from countries in the Northern African region. Thousands of migrant workers who wish to return to their respective countries are now trapped in the deadly pit that is Lebanon. We are worried over reports that many domestic migrant workers are left behind by their employers who also took their passports. Many of them are left with no money, food and shelter. We must bear in mind that these migrant workers helped in the reconstruction of Lebanon after the devastating civil war years ago. They surely do not deserve to be treated as commodities only to be abandoned when their services are no longer necessary.

We are also appalled by the slow response of the governments of migrant sending countries to the plight of their people. We cannot understand the delay in the immediate evacuation of those who are willing to leave. After propping up their economies with billions of dollars in remittances the least these countries can do is to ensure the safety of their nationals during crisis such as this. Conflicts do happen and the Asian governments should have seen this one and established an early warning mechanism that will help the migrant workers. As in the 1990 Gulf War and US-led occupation of Iraq, the sending countries seem to be always at a lost on what to do to evacuate their citizens. While it is true that some of the sending countries lack financial resources, there are charitable institutions that can be tapped for assistance such as the International Organization for Migration and the International Red Cross and Crescent.

This recent conflict underscores the need for a quick-response mechanism to protect the rights and livelihoods of migrant workers. MFA recommends that relevant international organisations such as the IOM, Red Cross, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to work with the governments of sending countries and formulate measures that will ensure that the migrant workers are protected from harm and can be evacuated immediately during periods of upheavals and conflicts.

Migrant Forum in Asia
59-B Malumanay Street
Teachers Village, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel (632) 4333508
July 20, 2006

happy independence day

2006-06-12T14:22:00.000+08:00

photo from manila standard

skyflakes.fita.royaltruorange.sarsi.titacory.imeldific.
basketball.chato.sipa.trumpo.luksongtinik.
quiapo.divisoria.pasulubong.pasaload.salidumay.uyayi.
batanes.tawitawi.hundredislands.babuyanislands.
watawat.balangingabells.lakesebu.taallake.
hinulugangtaktak.mariacristinafalls.kwekkwek.balut.
oraro.otap.maya.philippineeagle.akbayan.bayanmuna.
sanlakas.ateglo.erap.kris.imee.puto.sapinsapin.nora.vilma.
juday.claudine.baguio.tagaytay.mountapo.bundokbanahaw.
limasawa.corregidor.deathmarch.leyte.edsa.mendiola.
josemariasison.ferdinandmarcos.intramuros.vigan.puertoprincesa.
marikina.pugadlawin.balintawak.monumento.baclaran.
fuenteosmena.sessionroad.matinasquare.saintfrancissquare.
nanay.tatay.pacquiao.preciouslaraquigaman.tandangsora.
emiliojacinto.fernandoamorsolo.bencab.bruneiyuki.japayuki.
pinatubo.bulusan.douglasmcarthur.yamashita.jologs.sosi.
thedawn.eraserheads.rivermaya.bamboo.nina.kyla.
gracenono.bayangbarrios.joeyayala.garygranada.miriam.fvr.
lapulapu.mayamaya.galunggong.nolidecastro.mikeenriquez.
tvpatrol.saksi.tamaraw.tarsier.chocolatehills.elnido.
boracay.puertogalera.joserizal.andresbonifacio.
sergioosmena.manuelluisquezon.pancitcanton.tamisanghang.
jollibee.chowking.greenwich.smcity.robinsonsgalleria.
nvmgonzales.leandrolocsin.leooracion.pastoremata.
taonggrasa.mangpandoy.ayala.zobel.araneta.ortigas.
wowowee.eatbulaga.tiacarrere.robschneider.
nicolescherzinger.apldeap.jasminetrias.migayesa.
lalainegarcia.vanessaminillo.whilceportacio.
nurse.seafarer.domesticworker.caregiver.
cebuano.tagalog.ilocano.sakada.
magnifico.angpagdadalaganimaximooliveros.
linobrocka.ishmaelbernal.sanmiguelbeer.

happyindependenceday!

parokya's children of the damned

2006-06-02T10:31:00.000+08:00

I've been to hell and back.

Yes. It is true. Now I know what hell looks like. It is full of sweat-drenched, rowdy ten-year olds and their bewildered parents who are cursed to accompany them to the eternal fires of Hades. And no, Satan is not the overlord of hell. The one who truly is in command is a wafer-thin guy named Chito. Yes, Chito Miranda of Parokya ni Edgar is the one and only Lucifer, Beelzebub or Mephistopheles. He is the Angel of Darkness.

I had an omen earlier that day. My alarm clock slash radio woke me up with Parokya’s irritatingly famous song titled ‘Mang Jose.’ I dragged my bloated body to the shower where I was followed by Chito’s croaking voice. I headed back to my room then smashed the blasted alarm clock slash radio against the wall.

Ok, I admit it. There was a time I enjoyed listening to Parokya. I found them hilarious. Their music was fun. But I can not listen to crap all the time. I guess I just grew up and they didn’t. Try listening to ‘picha pie’ and not pop a vein in your forehead. I heard once that a guy was shot in the face for singing ‘chikinini’ in a karaoke bar. Yes, listening to Parokya can turn you into a homicidal maniac.

Anyway, I was led into the gates of hell by my eagerness to please a Bangladeshi visitor from a non-profit organization based in KL. Tatcee, Mabster and I just wanted to treat this guy to dinner but were forced to meet Iryn in Conspiracy. Guess who was the featured performer that night? Correct! It was Parokya.

And so my torment began.

We arrived at around 9 in the evening. There were just a few people around. I did not plan to stay long but then the Bangladeshi became interested in seeing the band perform. He said that he never get to watch bands in Malaysia. So I decided to stay put and concentrated on getting myself drunk.

Hell's Belle: Beware, she might put you under her spell

Thirty minutes later, I was slurring my words. I stood up, went to the john and slammed the door shut. That was a big mistake. I didn’t know that the darned lock of the door was broken and I was locked inside. Good thing I had my phone with me. I called Tatcee to open the door from her side but she couldn’t. So she asked one of the waiters to get the keys. All eyes were on me when I went out of the men's room ten minutes later. I could hear giggles and stifled laughter. That was the time when I noticed that the bar was suddenly filled with all these kids. Almost fifty percent of the crowd was below 15 years old. And they had their parents with them. Whatthefuck! Was I in a bar or what?

Those kids were running and fooling around like they were in a playground or something. It was chaotic. One parent threatened an obese twelve-year old who was blocking his son’s view of the stage. Pandemonium engulfed the crowd when Parokya arrived and started to mount the stage. It was if the kids were suddenly possessed by malevolent spirits. I noticed the symptoms immediately: eyes rolling, excessive swearing, pulling of one’s hair, uncontrolled fits, and horrible body odors. I was tempted to conduct a mass exorcism but I didn’t bring my bottle of holy whisky, err, water. So I just went back to guzzling all the beer in front of me. But my attention was again caught by their low, murmuring voices. They were chanting something I couldn’t understand. I was suddenly gripped by fear! Was this the part of the satanic ritual where they would offer virgins to the altar? But I am no virgin! The susurrant voices continued. I could not comprehend what they were saying. Perhaps, it was a secret mantra in Latin or Hebrew. No, it sounded like they were chanting something in English. They kept repeating ‘papacolon’ over and over again. The murmurs grew louder and louder. Then, I noticed malefic activities inside the bar! Chairs were flying. The tables were moving. I thought I even saw one boy levitating. These were clear signs of diabolic infestation!

The Dark Prince and his minions!

I ran away as fast as I could and screamed. The only thing in my mind that time was to escape from that place. I’ve read somewhere that proximity to evil persons and places can cause someone to become possessed. Tatcee, Mabster and the Bangladeshi guy ran after me. They caught me just outside the bar. They grabbed me by my shoulder and shook me hard. I looked at their red eyes and knew that they were now minions of the Dark Lord. I tried to scream again but instead loads of purplish-green vomit escaped from my mouth then I passed out. The next day I woke up with a major hangover. Merde.

Da Vinci Code is bad for your health

2006-05-22T18:24:00.001+08:00

You listened to the nonsensical debate over whether it should be shown. You laughed at the congressman cum pastor who said that the movie was the work of Satan. By the way, he looked like a rabid dog on TV.

You read the early reviews which you hated. You told yourself that the critics don’t get it. “They just don’t get it,” you murmured to yourself.

You even bought a copy from your suking DVD vendor only to find out that it was the documentary and not the movie. You contemplated whether to return and throw the freaking copy at your suki’s face. You hesitated. He weighs 250 lbs and is taller than you by 3 inches. Besides, he is a member of the local syndicate and is known as the Berdugo ng Cotobato. Also, he looked really mean with that goatee which is 5 inches long. You felt weak.

Your friends sent you the text message with the supposed code in Tagalog which you forwarded to all the numbers in your address book. This made you miserable because you just wasted 250 pesos worth of load. You realized that your life is pathetic. You are PATHETIC. You derived pleasure from receiving and sending jokes via SMS.

You asked another friend to watch the movie with you. He declined. He said that he read the book and decided not to watch the movie. “Besides the movie is BAAAAAD,” he said. You told your friend that he is an idiot. “How can it be that bad when millions of people from around the world line up to watch the movie? It was the 12th Best Opening Day in Hollywood”, you screamed at your friend. He looked at you in the most condescending way and said: “Get a life, you freak.” You almost fell on your knees when you heard your friend uttered those words. You took double steps backward. “Why? I thought you were my friend,” you mumbled. You felt the horror of being nothing.

You ran away without looking back. You felt hot tears streaming down your face then something hit you. Scrreeeeech! Baaam! Blag! You heard people screaming. Your body ached terribly and the last thing you saw was the poster on the side of the bus that said: “Now showing: Da Vinci Code.” Before losing consciousness you muttered: “Tangina kasing hype yan eh.” Then you closed your eyes and there was nothing but darkness.

yes, i know i'm ancient! don't rub it in

2006-05-19T06:53:00.002+08:00

What genre of rock are you?

Old school punk! You just say what you have to say regardless of what everyone else thinks! You're one of my most favourite types of music... You're raw and uncut! You're surrounded by hype...just don't let it make you go insane...
Take this quiz!

The path to dental salvation

2006-05-14T01:39:00.000+08:00

"senri no michi mo ippo kara."

That's a japanese proverb which loosely translates as "a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

This afternoon I took that big, single step to have that confidence, close-up confidence that is. The proverb came to my mind when I visited Mimi the dentist this afternoon. You see my friends and family have been constantly bugging me to visit the dentist and have my teeth fixed and cleaned. Well, overhauled is a more apt term I guess. Yes, I have a very bad set of gnashers! They’re so bad I haven’t had a date for centuries now. Sigh.

Smile you’re on candid camera! (Photo from the BBC)

The culprit for my dental misery: cigarette smoking and all those chemicals I got from drinking soda. Yes, nicotine and coke (the cola!) are weapons of mass destruction for our choppers!

According to Mimi, the carbonic acid from the soda weakens our teeth because it dissolves calcium. This makes it easier for bacteria to take up residence in our teeth. And they (the bacteria) will hole up in there until kingdom come unless you visit your dentist regularly. And I can’t even freakin remember the last time I paid a visit to a denstist.

But Grandmother! What big teeth you have," said Little Red Riding Hood. (Photo from Andrew Skolnick)

So there I was, cavities, tartar, halitosis and all, strapped to the dentist chair for 3 hours for my dental prophylaxis. Yes, it took that long because of all the dirt lodged in my teeth for the past hundred years. Man, it was like being sent down to hell to pay Lucifer a visit!

All I remember was that scritching sound when the dentist tried to rasp off all the tartars from my teeth. Scritch, scritch! Squeak, squeak! It’s like someone is drilling holes in my gums. I tried to escape from the clutches of the MAD dentist but she shoved me back to the chair and slapped me three times to make me unconscious. When I came back to life, the witch was not finished yet! And I could see that she was enjoying it! She was smiling the whole time. The bitch must be a dentist from Auschwitz!

She then barked at me to rinse off all that gross and foul things from my mouth. gargle gargle gargle. rinse rinse rinse. I almost spit all those junk to her face. That biatch! Hehehe.

Finally, after three torturous hours she led me away from the death chamber and handed me the bill. She then looked at me and gave her sweetest smile and told me to be back after a week so she can work on my lower teeth and have them fixed. Jesus Christ! I don’t think I’ll be back in that hellhole. But then this could be my only chance to pick up a date. Oh well.

respect the rights of migrant workers

2006-05-01T20:33:00.000+08:00

In the last few weeks, we witnessed the bravery and determination of millions of migrant workers in the United States. In an unprecedented move, migrant workers and human rights advocates joined hands and marched in cities across America to oppose H.R. 4437, the immigration bill passed in the US House of Representatives in December 2005.

Last night, I was watching Fox News Channel (the most biased news organization ever!) and again tens of thousands of migrant workers marched in 26 cities all over the US to protest HR 4437. They walked out from work and schools. They were also able to paralyze businesses across America. Most of the protestors are Hispanics i.e., Mexicans, Guatemalan, El Salvadoran, etc. More than 60% of the 11 million undocumented workers in the US are Mexicans.

Meanwhile, in another part of the world the government of South Korea continues its crackdown against undocumented migrant workers resulting in one more death; this time of a young Indonesian worker. Two years ago, Malaysia's program to deport 'illegal workers' resulted in countless human rights violations such as the abuse of women migrant workers as well as illegal detention in squalid conditions.

Indeed, Labor Day 2006 arrives with a new hope and new threats to the millions of migrant workers worldwide. On one hand, there is a new found strength amidst difficult conditions; while on the other hand, there exist daunting challenges that continue to bring misery to the migrant workers and their families.

I salute the workers in America and support their call for a fair and just immigration reform. The American authorities should respect the rights of the migrant workers and recognize their contributions to its economy and society. America will not be as powerful as it is today if not for the millions of migrants who toiled in its farms and factories.

I also commend the 25 million migrant workers across Asia for their courage and steadfastness despite the appalling and terrible conditions they are living in. In exchange for a better future for their families, they endure hardships and abuses inflicted on them. It is now time that we provide migrant workers with the legal protection accorded other regular workers. As the UN High Commission for Human Rights said: "The right of the migrant workers which require protection include the whole gamut of human rights including civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights in particular and their rights as workers, right as women as a specific group (reproductive rights and right to be free from gender-based discrimination and violence)."

Governments around the world must cease from mounting crackdowns and arbitrary expulsion. Articles 22 and 56 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families address the issue of expulsion and arbitrary expulsion. Paragraph 1 of article 22 expressly prohibits measures of collective expulsion. An expulsion decision must be taken by the competent authority in accordance with law (art. 22, para. 2) and only for reasons defined in the national legislation of the State of employment (art. 56, para. 1). Paragraph 4 of article 22 requires that, except where a final decision has been pronounced by a judicial authority, "the person concerned shall have the right to submit the reason he or she should not be expelled and to have his or her case reviewed by the competent authority, unless compelling reasons of national security required otherwise".

For migrant workers all over, life is a constant struggle. Today, migrant workers may be in bondage but the time will come when they will escape from the clutches of repression and exploitation.

Is murder now a public policy?

2006-04-19T13:27:00.000+08:00

Pandayan condemns the murder of one of our members in Negros Occidental, Rico Adeva, who was killed in front of his wife. It is unfortunate that Rico, an organizer of the Task Force Mapalad, became another statistic in the on-going campaign of summary executions against activists around the country.

It is no secret that violence related to agrarian reform has been happening in rural communities in Negros and around the country. Rico’s death looks like another incident of muzzling the efforts of agrarian reform advocates to distribute land to the powerless and hungry Filipino farmers. This demonstrates the failure of the government to act decisively on the issue of agrarian reform. It is a testament to its pathetic implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Moreover, this cowardly act of killing a defenseless NGO worker and agrarian reform activist also highlights the inefficiency of the Arroyo government to deal with people instigating these attacks against progressive elements of our society. It shows that her administration is really no different from Marcos’ repressive and brutal regime. It is getting to be really difficult for NGO workers and activists to continue their work under this climate of fear.

We ask the president: is the practice of murder now a public policy? If President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo truly values the sanctity of human life she should now put the brakes to these senseless killings. The culture of impunity must stop now.

Pandayan calls on the Filipino people and the international community to break their silence on the Arroyo administration’s grotesque human rights record. We must act now before it is too late. Public apathy will only encourages more killings.

Finally, Pandayan salutes Rico Adeva. We will continue his work in upholding the rights of the millions of Filipino peasants nationwide. We pledge to continue to pursue the ideals of freedom, democracy and justice.

Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas (PANDAYAN)
Room 207, Center for Community Services Building,
Social Development Complex, Ateneo de Manila University,
Loyola Heights, Quezon City

mabuhay ka rico!

2006-04-18T03:40:00.000+08:00

At 12:25 yesterday afternoon I was suddenly awaken by the loud ringing of my mobile phone. I picked up the damned phone and asked grumblingly who the caller was. It was Elaine. What happened next was a blur. I only recalled snippets of our conversation, all I know was i kept on cursing.

me: natutulog ako!
elaine: kaya ako tumawag kasi....ano...may pinatay na pandayan sa negros
me: huh?! tangina! bakit?
elaine: TFM organizer...si rico.
me: tangina talaga

I'm not sure if i've met Rico. I tried to recall the names and faces of kahanays from the regions but I can not remember him. Elaine said Rico was a new kahanay. She said Rico, who was a peasant organizer in Negros, was shot in front of his wife. He also left behind three of four small children. Tangina talaga nila. I felt anger swelling within me. Yes, I did not know Rico personally but he was a kahanay. He was just doing his job so that the farmers can own the lands they have been working on for generations. Wala siyang kalaban-laban.

According to Nante, Rico's buddy in TFM, the men who shot Rico were hired guns. The police authorities are now eyeing the landowners as suspects. Two years ago, a 60-year old woman farmer from Negros, an agrarian reform beneficiary from the same area, was also gunned down. Is murder a public policy now? Are we back to the dark days of the Marcos dictatorship when thousands of activists and human rights workers were hunted down and killed? Parang hindi nangyari ang EDSA.

So far, 30 activists have been killed since last year. Sino naman ang susunod? Are we going to let this government to continue to trample on our rights? When will the majority of Filipinos realize that enough is enough?

"First they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I was not a Jew.

First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak out because I was not a Communist.

First they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."
- Pastor Niemoller

brokeback to the future

2006-04-10T13:36:00.000+08:00

I was reading the weekend edition of Business World and found this article about this fake movie trailer made by college kids from the comedy troupe of Emerson College, Chocolate Cake City. This video parodies Ang Lee's groundbreaking movie, Brokeback Mountain, and took clips from Back to the Future series.

The trailer wants us to believe that Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc were lovers. Harharhar. I can't help but laugh my head off. It's the BEST joke about Brokeback Mountain.

For ipod version go to this link. Other hosts for the Brokeback to the Future trailer are:
1. Google
2. IFILM

food trip

2006-03-24T14:34:00.000+08:00

One thing I like about working in a non-profit organization is the travel opportunities i.e., we get to be invited to far-flung places in the country and attend seminars or conferences abroad. Last week, for our company R&R my officemates and I decided to embark on a culinary journey in Laguna.

First stop is Villa Escudero in San Pablo City. For 885 pesos you'd get to enjoy riding the carabao cart and hear Pinoy kundimans; ogle at the antique life-size santos in the Escudero family museum; rafting at Lake Labasin; and most of all gorge on Pinoy food at the Labasin Falls!

riding 'sexy', the carabao

stuffing myself with inihaw na tilapia, pork bar-b-q, kalderetang baka, itlog na maalat, pancit canton until i passed out. yes, hang me for i'm guilty of gluttony

marker for the dam and power plant

one of the first hydroelectric power plants in the country

After an afternoon stroll around Villa Escudero, we proceeded to the town of Liliw, which is famous for tsinelas! But we did not go there to stockpile on flipflops, we were after native delicacies such as espasol, broas, apas and otap.

For supper we chose Kusina Salud. It is located in Barangay Santa Cruz in San Pablo City. This quaint little restaurant is actually the country home of renowned designer, Patis Tesoro. The ground floor is the restaurant while the upper floor is where Patis and her son stay. During our visit Patis was entertaining some Spanish-speaking people.

Must order food at Kusina Salud: sinigang na isda sa miso, binagoongang baboy, pako salad and the sinful leche flan!

If you're not sure what to order just ask the chef, Paul Poblador, Patis' son-in-law. He's quite friendly.

entrance to the rustic and charming Kusina Salud

a visit to Kusina Salud is a reminder of a long gone era.

a painting of youthful sabungeros will greet you
at the reception area of the restaurant

remember your lola's TV set?

Asian-inspired decors

it's like eating at your country cousins' home

beh buti nga

2006-03-22T19:20:00.000+08:00

I was channel surfing last night, when I chanced upon the George Bush-Helen Thomas exchange during the presidential press conference at the White House. It was clear that Dubya was verbally clobbered by Thomas. She was relentless in her attack against Bush who was obviously upset with how things turned up. It was supposed to be HIS show. He was there to convince the American people and the world that he knows what he is doing in Iraq and he is IN CONTROL. To the millions of viewers last night, it was clear that three years after the invasion Bush is still not sure why he went to war.

For those who missed it, Helen Thomas 'outed' Bush and showed the whole world he did not know that Iraq and Afghanistan are two different countries. Nagmukha syang tanga.

Here is the exchange:

DUBYA: Excuse me, excuse me. No President wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We -- when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.
Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq -- hold on for a second --

HELEN THOMAS: They didn't do anything to you, or to our country.
DUBYA: Look -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained --

HELEN THOMAS: I'm talking about Iraq --

DUBYA: Helen, excuse me. That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.

I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences -

the war in Iraq in numbers

2006-03-21T16:49:00.000+08:00

Three years ago yesterday, under the pretext of the 'War on Terrorism,' the United States invaded Iraq. Since that fateful day in March 2003:

More than 2,300 American soldiers were killed.
Close to 36,000 Iraqi women, men and children were also killed.
Hundreds of billions of dollars were spent. This humungous amount of money could have been spent to:

build 2,242,728 housing units for the poor people of Africa and Asia
fund global anti-hunger efforts for 10 years
fund world-wide AIDS programs for 24 years
ensure that every child in the world was given basic immunizations for 83 years.

I think now is time for the United States to withdraw from Iraq and let the Iraqi people manage their own affairs.

Free Iraq.
Stop the War.

Source: BBC and National Priorities Project

ka-WOMEN-an

2006-03-17T14:30:00.000+08:00

Did you know that:

It is estimated that one-fourth of women worldwide are physically battered.
In India, 6,200 dowry deaths were reported in 1994 - or an average of 17 married women were killed daily for failure to make dowry payments to the husband's family.
85 million to 114 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation worldwide; each year an estimated 2 million more girls suffer the practice in Africa, Asia or as immigrants or refugees in Europe and North America.
Each year, 1/2 million women die from pregnancy complications and 100,000 from unsafe abortions.
From 1/5 to 1/2 of women worldwide experience domestic violence during marriage.
In several countries, testing for genetic defects is used to determine the sex of an unborn child for the purpose of aborting females only.
Women represent 2/3 of the more than one billion illiterate adults who have no access to basic education. The majority live in rural areas.
On average, by age 18, girls receive 4.4 years less education than boys.

These are some of the depressing facts about the world's women. It is time that we do our share to alleviate the plight of our mothers, grandmoms, aunts, sisters, and wives. Women's issues are not only about women; they affect all of us. Let us give them the love, dignity and respect they deserve. We should not be obstacles for their advancement.

Happy Women's Month tune, pau, kareen, risa, hazel, yohwee, detski, daglens, corinna, daphne, elaine, kitte, amor, teenax, odette, jane, bem, che, anie, leya, tatcee, angging, mai at sa buong kawomenan!

Statistics from Women of the World and Worldwide Status of Women.

mean girls in kimono

2006-03-15T15:34:00.000+08:00

I bought a pirate DVD copy of Rob Marshall's screen version of Memoirs of a Geisha last January 2006 in Bali for 10,000 rupiahs or approximately 50 pesos. Due to heavy workload, frequent night prowls with Mr. Steady Lang, and the quick turn of events in the political scene i was not able to watch the DVD until last week.

So on friday night i bought me two mc chicken sandwiches and a big bottle of pop cola and loaded the copy of Memoirs of a Geisha in my player. Thirty minutes into the film, i was suddenly reminded of that Lindsey Lohan monster hit in 2004, Mean Girls. Memoirs was a waste of a good material. Yes, it was visually stunning; the Geisha dance left me breathless. However, much of the film focused on the cat fights between Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang) and Hatsumomo (Gong Li).

Rob Marshall was not able to recreate into the big screen the magical and mysterious world of the geishas. I don't know if this is the right term but Marshall 'americanized' the film. Although I did not live in the depression-era Japan I am sure that the Japanese during that period did not talk or bahave that way. The cat fights were outrageous. Where was the subtlety and discretion?

Although Gong Li's performance was enchanting her character in the movie was reduced to a bumbling, jealous old fart. In Arthur Golden's book, Hatsumomo is a more savvy and formidable opponent. Zhang and Michelle Yeoh's talents were completely wasted in this film. I wonder why Zhang was even nominated? Dancing in a 12-inch platform shoes dressed in tight-fit kimono perhaps merit a nomination. If that is the case then the Academy should have given the Oscar for Best Actress to Charlize Theron for her ridiculous look in Aeon Flux (hey i liked the cartoon but the movie was beyond awful)!

If you're seriously into the culture of geishas then ignore the movie and grab a copy of Golden's book. However, if you like exotic chinky-eyed girls pawing at each other then go watch Marshall's Memoirs. Good luck. Happy purring.

free risa

2006-03-08T15:33:00.000+08:00

(My chairperson, Risa Hontiveros. Photo from www.inq7.net)

Today’s arrest of our Chairperson, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel demonstrates the continuing harassment leveled against progressive legislators and individuals by the immoral and illegal administration of Mrs. Arroyo. The arrest is an evidence of unrelenting attacks against the democratic ideals of the Filipino people with or without Proclamation 1017. Mrs. Arroyo has simply no respect for our freedom and human rights.

We are also appalled by the barbaric way that the authorities manhandled Risa. According to our leaders, Risa was dragged, pulled and shoved by policewomen in civilian clothes. It is unfortunate that this uncivilized action was adopted against Risa by the policewomen on the celebration of the International Women’s Day. However, we cannot blame them. We know that they are just implementing the orders of the number one violator of human rights in the country, Gloria Arroyo.

There is no doubt that repressive measures will intensify but the Filipino people will not be cowed. We can feel the anger rising among us. It is brewing. History has shown that repression begets revolt. And we will, soon.

Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas
Room 203, Center for Community Services,
Social Development Complex, Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights, Quezon City

word cloud

2006-03-07T15:10:00.000+08:00

i saw this entry from tasha's shoe collection and liked the word cloud. it turned out that she discovered it from abaniko's blog. word cloud summarizes what i have been writing in this blog for the past few months.

so thanks to tasha and abaniko. oh, to get your own word cloud go to this site.

yo! motherbaker

2006-03-06T17:08:00.000+08:00

it was friday night and i had nothing better to do except to vegetate in front of the boob tube. i planned to watch a marathon of old 'friends' episodes. i needed something to keep me from throwing bombs at Malacañang to drive out the evil sorceress living there.

in just two minutes of watching the wacky world of 'friends' i was in another universe---one where gloria and her lying and cheating gang do not exist. i was rolling on the floor laughing my head off when suddenly mr. steady lang texted me and invited me to join him at the opening of mikee's exhibit at the farflung gallery in cubao. it was supposed to open last february 24 but then gloria had a vow of messing up our lives and issued the infamous PP 1017 so mikee decided to move the launch/opening on march 3.

mr. steady lang and i agreed to meet at the coffee beanery in gateway mall at 830 pm. he arrived late, as usual. in all the years i have known mr. steady lang he never arrived on time. never. we extracted ourselves from the caffeine zombies and walked nervously towards marikina shoe expo where farflung gallery is located.

mr. steady lang: ang dilim pala dito.
twistedman: oo nga. parang di friday.
mr. steady lang: we're just a few meters away from gateway and it looks like we're in a different part of the city.
twistedman: mukhang anytime merong haharang sa 'yo para magsabi ng holdap.

then, a furry thing came out of nowhere and leapt onto the pavement in front of us. we froze in our tracks and yelped. it stared at us. we stared back. sixty seconds later the cat nonchalantly crept behind the wheel of a parked car. we exhaled, stared at each other and chorused: "you're a wuss."

we arrived at the farflung gallery five minutes later and went straight to the bar. we drown ourselves with pints of beer and never uttered a single word to each other for the rest of the night. by the stroke of midnight i dashed out of the gallery and passed out into oblivion. i never had the chance to see up close mikee's works. they said the collection was good. if you have the time go check out "my mother is a baker,' a collection of watercolor paintings at the farflung gallery, marikina shoe expo, cubao, quezon city.

protest action for the rich

2006-03-02T18:31:00.000+08:00

For all you 'sosi' activists out there, enteng of e-mandirigma and black and white fame has just devised a great way to show your disgust against PP 1017 of Gloria Arroyo: flash mob/protest at Starbucks.

why starbucks? why not figaro, which is pinoy-owned? why not jollibee? dodo said they asked the same questions to enteng and here are his replies:
1) ang pakay ng ganitong uring alternatibong pagkilos ay mahikayat ang mga middle class na di pa gaanong kumikilos, lalo na sa mga rally; at
2) mas kakaunti ang starbucks outlets kaya't sana'y mas maiipon ang mga tao at mapapansin, kaysa kumalat sa napakaraming jollibee (na mungkahi ngiba) o mcdo.

oh well. for those who are interested to join the flash protest tomorrow, 3 March 2006 please read the details below:

Designated time and place of flash protest for March 3:
Any Starbucks Cafe, 6 to 7 PM

Plan of action:

1) Wear black.
2) You and your friends proceed to any Starbucks Cafe near you anytime between 6 to 7 pm.
3) Buy a drink. Each person should queue up at the counter, instead of just one ordering for the group.
4) After getting your drink, take a seat or just stand up outside the cafe and hang out for about 30 mins.
5) When your group decides it's time to leave, someone should give the cue and everybody should do the "thumbs down" sign.
6) Disperse as peacefully as you came in

Suggested preparations:

1) Invite as many friends, or officemates, as you can
2) If you're an employer or a manager, invite all your subordinates to join you. Offer to "treat" them, if you can afford it.
3) Agree to meet in a place (not Starbucks), or if you're from the same office, arrange for carpooling
4) From the meeting place, proceed to Starbucks as a group. This will have more impact than just agreeing to meet at Starbucks individually
5) If you're staying in a city where there is no Starbucks, any other "cafe" or restaurant will do.

Forward this message to as many friends, relatives, colleagues, and egroups. I've also included below a brief description of the Black Friday Protest Movement, so those receiving your forwarded mail and hearing this for the first time will understand what we're trying to accomplish. Let's paint Starbucks BLACK on Friday.

From: Enteng Romano

--------------------------------------------------------------------

BLACK FRIDAY - A NEW FORM OF PROTEST

The Black Friday Protest Movement was launched by eLagda on March 1 to give professionals, students, businessmen, and other sectors a venue to express their protest against the continuing and escalating acts of repression of the GMA administration as manifested in its series of proclamations - CPR, EO 464, and PP 1017 - all designed to curtail basic rights and oppress the people.

Patterned after the flash mob concept, the Black Friday Protest calls on people to gather at a designated time and place every Friday wearing a black attire as a symbol of protest. There will be no programs or speeches. Instead, people will be given specific instructions on what to do, and the whole exercise should last about 30 minutes at most.

It's safe, non-confrontational, and within the bounds of the law, even under a repressive one like PP 1017. The mere "flash" gathering of the people is the expression of protest.

Where will people get instructions?

Details of the Black Friday Protest action for the week will be published at its blogsite - www.BlackFridayProtest.blogspot.com every Wednesday evening. Those who would like to receive instructions directly can also subscribe to the movement's bulletin service by sending a blank email to BlackFridayProtest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

which wolfgang song are you

2006-03-01T19:21:00.000+08:00

TwistedMan is Meckam! Thanks for this quiz Yowee.
Which Wolfgang song best fits you?

we will prevail!

2006-03-01T15:30:00.000+08:00

It is highly ironic that while we, Filipinos, marked the 20-year anniversary of freedom from the Marcos dictatorship we suddenly found ourselves living under the shadow of the state of emergency, this time imposed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

I believe that the emergency rule will just give rise to increased human rights violations, leading to more violence, as evident from our experience more than 30 years ago. It is not only illegal; it is farcical as well. Why did Mrs. Arroyo put the country under the state of emergency when she, herself, believed that the ‘crisis’ is under control. We know that the real reason for the declaration of Presidential Proclamation 1017 is to keep herself glued in the seat of power. She is an illegal president and she has no right to govern us in any other circumstance.

I am also suspicious of certain provisions in PP 1017 aimed at muzzling our constitutional right to free speech and other civil liberties. The raid on the offices of the Daily Tribune and her lieutenant’s recent pronouncements seeking to censor broadcast media sent chills down our collective spines. These actions bring back painful memories of the Marcos brutal regime. It is a paradox that 20 years on, the Filipinos' cherished freedoms are again being taken away.

She must immediately revoke PP 1017. She may believe that she has effectively silenced us through PP1017 thus ensuring her continued stay in power but in truth she only accelerated her downfall. The people will not be cowed by PP1017, we will prevail. (In Photo from Akbayan.)

dg on PP 1017

2006-02-28T16:50:00.000+08:00

Sea of banners during Laban ng Masa's mobilization last 24 February 2006. Organizations include Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas, Bisig, Akbayan, and Partido ng Manggawa among others.

AKBAYAN is inviting everyone to a discussion-forum on the controversial and illegal Presidential Proclamation 1017 of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It is happening on 01 March 2006, 6:00 pm at the Silungan of the University of the Philippines' Balay Kalinaw. See you there.

martsa na!

2006-02-23T18:23:00.000+08:00

Invited ang lahat na sumama sa kilos-protesta bukas sa Quezon Memorial Circle. Isa pang hirit para sa pagpapatalsik kay Gloria. Tama na ang lokohan! Husto na ang kasinungalingan! Tigilan na ang paglilinlang. Layas, Gloria! Kita-kits, ika-walo ng umaga sa Circle.

top 5 things to avoid this day

2006-02-14T14:02:00.000+08:00

(I guess Bin Laden is not a big fan of VD. Photo from Guillemette.)

singles of the world, unite!

i know, today is the most dreaded day for singletons all over the planet. it's the day when we might find ourselves asking the following questions:

why am i alone?
am i fugly?
do i smell?
is my halitosis the reason why i am single?
is it morally okay if i buy myself a date tonight?
is rustom padilla of celebrity PBB really gay? or im just as stupid as Dubya?
is GMA evil?

the last two questions are important. if you answer yes to both questions then you have an 85% chance that you can grab a date tonight. why 85%? la lang. hahaha.

anyways, to help you survive this day i've made this list of things to avoid today. you may use and forward this list to your friends or add to it.

top five things to avoid:

don't go to the mall and that includes tiangges. malls are temples of commercialism and today is just a tool of the capitalists to earn more buck. hey, it is isn't about love and romance! it's about the big bucks, you fools!
avoid going out with married friends or friends who have dates.
don't watch romantic, sappy films even celebrity PBB. why PBB? because you might fall in love with keanna's boobies or christian's abs. if you do you'd be heartbroken and would probably end up dead in a few days. why? coz their famous and you're not, and you have a 0% chance of hooking up with them unless you look like heath ledger which in that case means you are probably hitched already.
don't think that it's VD today. ignore and pretend that it is an ordinary day. involve yourself completely in any activity that has nothing to do with VD. what kind of activities? there's reading horror and murder stories. if reading is not your cup of tea then try biking the whole day, or counting how many times you fart a day, or try tasting your own booger. hahaha.
avoid going out. sleep the whole day. oh but file a leave of absence first or else you might find yourself with no lovelife and no work. being jobless is worse than being loveless. trust me.

mall-like airport and the flight from hell

2006-01-31T15:52:00.000+08:00

Mall or Airport? Well, i must say both. Changi Airport is one awesome airport. It's huge. It's gleaming. And it's packed with people from all corners of the globe. There's this group of Texans who were completely astounded by Changi's size that they were reduced to saying "Man, this is fucking big."

Like Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta International Airport, the international airport in Bali is Asian-inspired in its design and architecture. The first thing you will hear upon arrival is the enchanting Balinese classical music being played throughout the whole terminal. It's like setting foot in a Hindu temple. Very relaxing.

On board Merpati Airlines from Denpasar to Dili in East Timor. The plane was ancient and rusty. It was clearly showing its age. The tray in front of my seat was broken, I requested to be transferred to another seat. Boy, I have never been so scared in my entire life. When the flight crew started to demonstrate the safety features of the aircraft I watched and listened carefully. I checked the life vest, the oxygen mask and scolded a teenaged girl when she attempted to open her mobile phone! Barely-stifled screams ripped out of my throat when we encountered air pockets. I even made the sign of the cross twenty times during the first 30 minutes of the flight! Looking around, I noticed fear and anxiety in the faces of my co-passengers. Even the flight attendants themselves seemed to be not too happy being in that airplane. I decided to get hold of myself and ordered several glasses of wine. Fifteen minutes before the plane landed the fear was gone and I was smiling like a fool. Obviously, I was again happily stewed! Hehehe.

East Timor trip

2006-01-25T12:01:00.000+08:00

23 January 2006

Manila to Bali via Singapore

Our flight from Manila to Singapore was uneventful. Nothing creepy happened. As usual, Singapore Airlines lived up to its reputation as one of the world’s best airlines. The flight service was excellent although the crew was too cheerful. Their smiles were so sunshiny I almost got blinded. I even tried to restrain myself from touching their faces so I could find out if they were real!

The inflight food was average. You have a choice of honey-glazed chicken with mashed potatoes and fruit salad or Escabeche! Yes, the pinoy escabeche. I tried the chicken and washed it down with three glasses of red wine. Midway to our flight I was pretty smashed! It is a good thing to get drunk when you’re flying especially if the one sitting next to you smells like a dead rat!

We have a two-hour layover at the Changi Airport. Now, this is some airport! It’s like a mall, a ritzy big freaking mall. There are shops and restaurants everywhere. You can get anything you want here if you have tons of money. Last year I bought my copy of Nobody Knows and The Kite Runner in TimeLinks Asia.

In our connecting flight to Bali, I was mistaken for an Indonesian. The guy next to me kept on yakking in Bahasa until I said shove it! He looked at me, blinked and then he shut his trap. Hehehe. We arrived in Bali at around 10 pm. From the airport it was 30 minutes to All Seasons Hotel, our home for the night. The next day we would fly to the newest democracy in the planet, East Timor. I threw my things on the floor and jumped into bed. Sixty seconds later I lost consciousness.

24 January 2006

Bali to Dili in East Timor

I woke up in this paradise island called Bali at around 6:30 in the morning. My room is about 60 dollars a night with free breakfast. Not bad considering the hotel room rates in the Bali guidebook that Singapore Airlines gave to us starts from 120 dollars. I had a view of the pool and a veranda plus a king-sized bed. The only thing that worries me is that my hotel is located in the area favored by bomb-throwing loonies. In October last year scores of people were killed in a terror attack here. That was the second bombing in just three years. Bali, though, is still a westerners’ playground. I haven’t seen so much white people in my entire life! They’re everywhere, parang kabute!

bad, bad Bush

2006-01-19T13:41:00.000+08:00

Bush: Man or Chimp?
(Photo from Why We Hate Bush?)

2005 was arguably the year human rights took a severe beating all over the world. And there is only one guy to blame, George 'Dubya' Bush. His policies in the US and overseas completely trashed the concept of respecting human rights.

The motto of the year seemed to be: "If America, the bastion of democracy, can beat the crap out of the prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, then why the hell can't we."

According to a report from Human Rights Watch," evidence showed that abusive interrogation cannot be reduced to the misdeeds of a few low-ranking soldiers, but was a conscious policy choice by senior U.S. government officials. The policy has hampered Washington’s ability to cajole or pressure other states into respecting international law."

Let us count the number of times the US pooh-poohed human rights:
1. the torture in Abu Ghraib
2. the abusive interrogation in Guantanamo facility
3. the so called 'CIA Flights'
4. the illegal wiretapping including electronic surveillance of its own citizens

The list goes on and on. However, the US is not alone in accumulating points in human rights abuses department. The same Human Rights Watch report went on to enumerate abuses in other parts of the globe: the ethnic cleansing in Darfur; repression in Burma, Tibet, Turkmenistan, Vietnam and Syria; and the massive, politically motivated evictions of informal settlers in Harare in Zimbabwe. However, the New York based human rights watchdog failed to include the situations in Thailand and in the Philippines.

For some time now, media practitioners in Thailand have been under severe government restriction. They are victims of harrassment, courtesy of Thaksin 'The Sore Loser' Shinawatra. Journalists, editors and activists agreed that the trend in the Buddhist kingdom leans towards less press freedom. Just ask Supinya Klangnarong, the poster girl for the Thai government's repression against the media. A writer and freedom of speech activist, Supinya has been sued for libel by Shin Corporation, which is owned by Thaksin's family. According to the Thai Press Council, the number of criminal defamation suits filed against journalists had more than doubled compared to the number filed in 2004.

Here in the Philippines, goons and politicians (aren't they the same?) do not file criminal charges against the media; they just shoot them in the head or bury them alive. Sometimes they accuse the media of harboring terrorists which gives them license to haul them off to jail. No lawsuits, no hassles. Just plain political thuggery. Isn't that much simpler?

Then we have calibrated pre-emptive response, GMA's own little version of Bush's pre-emptive strike. Suddenly, no more maximum tolerance for the pesky rallyists. If the authorities are not busy bashing the heads of the activists into pieces then they are 'cannonizing' them with water. Last year, the police really had a field day beating the hell out of the protesters.

In 2005, human rights was the sacrificial lamb in the altars of power-hungry despots and Dubya's war on terrorism. I hope this year will be better for human rights. Sana.

Stop the war in Iraq

2006-01-17T17:06:00.000+08:00

Before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 I was working with the Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics as Content Manager of its website and e-bulletin. The e-bulletin, OnlineWomen, has more than 3000 subscribers from all over the world most of whom are Women in Politics (WIP) advocates, academics and researchers.

At the height of the debate in the UN Security Council over actions to be taken against Iraq I included a War in Iraq Q & A in the OnlineWomen bulletin. I forgot who authored this Q & A but I recall that it was also featured in Conrado De Quiros' column in the Inquirer. It became one of the most popular and controversial items in the e-bulletin.

Take the War in Iraq Q & A

Q: What percentage of the world's population does the United States have?
A: Six percent

Q: What percentage of the world's wealth does the United States have?
A: 50 percent

Q: Which country has the largest oil reserves?
A: Saudi Arabia

Q: Which country has the second largest oil reserves?
A: Iraq

Q: How much is spent on military budgets a year worldwide?
A: 900+ billion dollars

Q: How much of this is spent by the United States?
A: 50 percent

Q: What percent of US military spending would ensure the essentials of life to everyone in the world, according to the United Nations?
A: 10 percent (that's about 40 billion dollars, the amount of funding initially requested to fund the US retaliatory attack on Afghanistan).

Q: How many people have died in wars since World War II?
A: 86 million

Q: How long has Iraq had chemical and biological weapons?
A: Since the early 1980s.

Q: Did Iraq develop these chemical and biological weapons on its own?
A: No, the materials and technology were supplied by the US government, along with Britain and private corporations.

Q: Did the US government condemn the Iraqi use of gas warfare against Iran?
A: No

Q: How many people did Saddam Hussein kill using gas in the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988?
A: 5,000

Q: How many Western countries condemned this action at the time?
A: 0

Q: How many gallons of Agent Orange did America use in Vietnam?
A: 17 million.

Q: Are there any proven links between Iraq and Sept. 11 terrorist attack?
A: No

Q: What is the estimated number of civilian casualties in the Gulf War?
A: 35,000

Q: How many casualties did the Iraqi military inflict on the Western forces during the Gulf War?
A: 0

Q: How many retreating Iraqi soldiers were buried alive by US tanks with ploughs mounted on the front?
A: 6,000

Q: How many tons of depleted uranium were left in Iraq and Kuwait after the Gulf War?
A: 40 tons

Q: What according to the UN was the increase in cancer rates in Iraq between 1991 and 1994?
A: 700 percent

Q: How much of Iraq's military capacity did America claim it had destroyed in 1991?
A: 80 percent

Q: Is there any proof that Iraq plans to use its weapons for anything other than deterrence and self-defense?
A: No

Q: Does Iraq present more of a threat to world peace now than 10 years ago?
A: No

Q: How many civilian deaths has the Pentagon predicted in the event of an attack on Iraq in 2002/3?
A: 10,000

Q: What percentage of these will be children?
A: Over 50 percent

Q: How many years has the US engaged in air strikes on Iraq?
A: 11 years

Q: Were the United States and the United Kingdom at war with Iraq between December 1998 and September 1999?
A: No

Q: How many pounds of explosives were dropped on Iraq between December 1998 and September 1999?
A: 20 million

Q: How many years ago was UN Resolution 661 introduced, imposing strict sanctions on Iraq's imports and exports?
A: 12 years

Q: What was the child death rate in Iraq in 1989 (per 1,000 births)?
A: 38

Q: What was the estimated child death rate in Iraq in 1999 (per 1,000 births)?
A: 131 (that's an increase of 345 percent)

Q: How many Iraqis are estimated to have died by October 1999 as a result of UN sanctions?
A: 1.5 million

Q: How many Iraqi children are estimated to have died due to sanctions since 1997?
A: 750,000

Q: Did Saddam order the inspectors out of Iraq?
A: No

Q: How many inspections were there in November and December 1998?
A: 300

Q: How many of these inspections had problems?
A: 5

Q: Were the weapons inspectors allowed entry to the Ba'ath Party HQ?
A: Yes

Q: Who said that by December 1998, "Iraq had in fact, been disarmed to a level unprecedented in modern history."
A: Scott Ritter, UNSCOM chief

Q: In 1998 how much of Iraq's post-1991 capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction did the UN weapons inspectors claim to have discovered and dismantled?
A: 90 percent

Q: Is Iraq willing to allow the weapons inspectors back in?
A: Yes

Q: How many UN resolutions did Israel violate by 1992?
A: Over 65

Q: How many UN resolutions on Israel did America veto between 1972 and 1990?
A: 30+

Q: How many countries are known to have nuclear weapons?
A: 8

Q: How many nuclear warheads has Iraq got?
A: 0

Q: How many nuclear warheads has the United States got?
A: Over 10,000

Q: Which is the only country to use nuclear weapons?
A: The United States

Q: How many nuclear warheads does Israel have?
A: Over 400

Q: Who said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"?
A: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Three years after the invasion there is still no sign of weapons of mass destruction as alleged by Bush and his cohorts (Cheney, Rice, and his puppets in Congress). Documents revealed that Saddam Hussein, who is undeniably a tyrant, has no connections to Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda only made its presence in Iraq after the invasion where it has recruited frustrated and patriotic Iraqis. Clearly, the American people and the whole civilized world were tricked into this war by this Bible-wielding, cowboy hat-wearing Texan. Today, scores of people are being killed in Iraq everyday. The coutry is in utter chaos. Various tribes and religious groups are killing each other. Sunnis vs. the Shiites. Iraqis vs. the occupying forces. The worst part is, there seems to be no end in sight. It is time that the US withdraw its forces from Iraq.

If you think that the US should pull out from Iraq now then join activist/actress Susan Sarandon, the award-winning playwright Eve Ensler and thousands of other women from all around the globe in calling the attention of the Bush administration. Sign the women's call for peace. Men are most welcome to sign as well. They hope to gather a minimum of 100,000 signatures by International Women's Day on March 8, 2006, when US and Iraqi women will deliver these signatures to leaders in Washington DC and women around the world will deliver them to US embassies.

Freedom is for everyone.

(Photo from WhyWeHateBush.com)

the country is on a twisted roll and my ass hurts

2006-01-14T11:57:00.000+08:00

i went to the gym this morning. it's only my second day. my legs hurt and so are my arms. i can't even type a word in the freaking keyboard without screaming my head off. bloody hell.

when you're single and in you're thirties you start thinking about firming up those muscles and losing that awful flabs especially if you're a beer-drinking loser like me. so i decided to get my priorities straight. killer bod for the beach or upgrading my pc or learning a new language? i chose to buy me a new body. so, now i'll just paste dodo's summary of dr. habito's presentation on the country's situation:

I would like to share with you the highlights of the presentation of
Dr. Cielito Habito, former Director-General of the National Economic
and Development Authority (NEDA) and now Professor of Economics at the
Ateneo de Manila University, during the Social Development Week forum
organized by CODE-NGO and AF, entitled "The Continuing Political Crisis
and Possible Alternatives: Ano ang Puwede?" last December 12, 2005 at the
AIM Conference Center, Makati City.

Dr. Habito entitled his presentation "Too Early to Party - Or the
Real Score on the Philippine Economy." This is very timely given the
current debate on what the strong peso and stock exchange mean for our
country.

In his presentation, Dr. Habito said that, much to his regret, the
government's pronoucements that the economy is about to take-off is not
backed by important data. He explained that the key variables that
matter most -- prices, jobs, and incomes -- are all moving in the wrong
direction! For example, there is economic growth, but its rate is
progressively slowing down over the last 6 quarters, exports are on a dramatic
slowdown, unemployment and underemployment remain high, and the equity
and forex markets are dominated by fickle foreign funds.

He further explained that the strengthening of the stock market is
mainly due to the excess global liquidity and that we are actually just
riding the regional (Asian) wave of improving stock markets. On the
other hand, the strengthening of the Peso is mainly due to the seasonal
(Christmas) surge in remittances, the slowing down of imports and excess
global liquidity (too much money looking for somewhere to go).

Dr. Habito also pointed out that we’ve been led into a Fiscal Crisis.   
For 2005, tax revenues is projected to reach about P750 billion; but
our debt service bill will reach P646 Billion [P301B (interest) + P345B
(principal)]; that is, 86% of projected revenues.
   
He also said that there are signs that the economic hardship is now
hitting even the middle class. For example, there has been a dramatic
drop in enrollment in private schools, with students moving to public
schools,  6,000 medical doctors are now studying nursing, clearly eyeing
migration, and thousands of our best teachers getting recruited to US
and elsewhere.   

Dr. Habito then explained the effect of the continuing political
crisis on the economy.  What is the lack of credible leadership doing to
us?  He said that because of the crisis of credible leadership,
government decisions are compromised by the overriding concern for political
survival, substantial government resources are going to lobbying against
impeachment (past and future), the lingering uncertainty further
exacerbates slowdown in investment and job creation due to rising interest
rates, and the political impasse halts reform and diverts attention from
good governance.   

Dr. Habito outlined the imperatives given this situation:
 
Safety nets against high inflation and joblessness   
Substantial increase in government revenues   
Debt service side of the equation cannot be ignored; negotiated
debt relief should be explored   
Essential element: credible, inspiring leadership able to win
goodwill, faith and cooperation of taxpayers and creditors
Finally, he also identified some "Simple Things We Can Do":
   
Buy local, buy from your neighborhood   
Ask for a receipt   
Obey traffic rules   
Do something to help a poor family sustainably (adopt a scholar,
build a house ala Gawad Kalinga, etc.)          
Tolerate no wrongdoing (big or small).

some comments on dr. habito's proposal:

on the country's debt. i think we should pressure congress to repeal the automatic appropriations law so we can allocate our resources to social services. we should stop paying our debt for the meantime or explore debt swapping.
increase in revenues. like another e-vat? a big NO here. what we can do is to get serious in our campaign against corruption in the bureacracy. arrest, prosecute and fry the brains of all the big-time thieves in the government and in the private sector such as those actors/tax evaders.
buy local. everytime i go shopping i check the labels of the products. what's the difference between a malaysian-made close up with a philippine-manufactured close up? NOTHING. buy the latter and you save a filipino worker from getting laid off.

teka, di ko na maitaas ang kamay ko. oh crap. happy weekend.

ps. this blog is best viewed with mozilla firefox. fuck you bill.

My Melody

2006-01-11T16:48:00.000+08:00

Tune and TwistedMan in Sharky's

Tune (pronounced as too-ne) is such a sweeeeet girl. Yes, she is. Last week, I was badgering Vince, Paula, Hazel and Tune to join me at the Conspiracy bar to watch Cynthia Alexander. Despite all the pleadings, the millions of email and SMS exchanges it was only Tune who agreed to join me last Saturday. It turned out that she had Cynyhia's first album and she loved it.

We met at around 9 in the evening. I ordered gin tonic while Tune chose San Mig Light. In just 5 minutes she finished her drink! I told her to slow down. Anyway, she looked lovely that night. Hmm. I suspected it was because she went out on a date the night before. Recharged eh?! Hahaha.

First to perform was the great Joey Ayala. In between songs, he spoke about his experience as a musician. However, despite the good performance it seemed that Joey did not really connect with the audience that night. Yun pala, 90% of the audience were Cynthia's fans.

I interviewed Joey in the early 90s (1993 or 1994) when I was still working as a deejay in a provincial FM station somewhere in the South. Jinky, a co-deejay, and I went to Jim Paredes' studio in Abada Street where Joey was recording a song then to do the interview. When we aired that conversation with Joey a few weeks later we received numerous phone calls from very appreciative fans. Someone even sent us bootlegged tapes of Joey's previous albums.

It was already half past ten when Cynthia came up on stage together with members of her band including Razorback's former bassist Louie Talan. The set was great! She performed most of her songs from her new CD, Comet's Tail like Mantra and Heya. The best part of the evening was when she sang my favorite, Motorbykle. That song helped me through some really difficult times. For me, Cynthia's music and words have certain way of soothing my soul and taking me in an emotional plane where I'm left with no choice but to confront myself. Cynthia is my therapist.

To Tune, whose real name is Melody, thanks so much for joining me that night. And to Jojo, thank you as well for sharing that Insomnia and other Lullabyes tape nine years ago.

Speaking with the Angel

2006-01-09T16:20:00.000+08:00

This is an eclectic mix of 12 short stories edited by the British author, Nick Hornby. All the tales are utterly delicious. A powerful collection from some of the hottest contemporary writers including the actor, Colin Firth.

None of the stories from Speaking with the Angel, which is put together by Hornby to raise money for autistic children, will disappoint you. One story tells about a homophobic ghost while another talks about a self-deluded mime artist.

Hornby was introduced to me by my cousin, Aris. He bought a copy of 'About a Boy' while on vacation in Hong Kong in 1999. When he came back he tossed the book to my face and said that it would have me laughing by the first few pages. And it did. Actually, it had me after just a few sentences.

Nick's dry humor grabs one by the balls. Reading him is like having a chitchat with an old chap. He is funny as hell. I love it when his characters spit out those British cuss words like cunt.

Back to the anthology. My favorites are:

NippleJesus (Nick Hornby). Again, Nick's main character, Dave, is someone you can relate to. He is just your average English bloke; a club bouncer forced by circumstance to look for another job when one night a punk tried to jab a six-inch, rusty and sharp 'spiker' at his throat. A family man, Dave decides to look for a better job. He landed a gig at an Art Gallery. There, the poor guy gets to guard a dodgy piece that came to be known as NippleJesus.

Catholic Guilt (Irvine Welsh). A homophobic chap died while on top of his best friend's sister. As a punishment he is condemned by an angel to bugger all his mates in the after life. He has to keep doing it until he enjoys it.

To my twisted soulsister, Kareen, thank you for sharing with me your copy of the 'Speaking with the Angel' book. Finally, tapos ko na basahin. Salamat.

The Metro's great public places

2006-01-09T09:10:00.000+08:00

Urbano dela Cruz launched the Search for the 10 best urban places in Metro Manila. The qualifications are as follows:

must be a publicly accessible place (i.e. - you don't have to pay to get in, or buy anything to get in)

preferably outdoor, or largely outdoor

democratic (not just for the burgis)

must contribute to making life in our metropolis just a little bit better

Go to his blog and share your thoughts. My choices are:

1. Baywalk (Manila)
2. UP Sunken Garden
3. Manila Cathedral
4. Las Pinas Church
5. The Wall (Intramuros)
6. Chinatown
7. Liwasang Bomnifacio
8. Plaza Miranda
9. CCP
10. San Sebastian Church

I like Baywalk for its sunset, the people and the seabreeze. Manila City government did a good job in sprucing up the place a few years back. (Manila Bay photo from Manila Photos.)

Sunken garden for the greens and the sight of young people studying, chatting and doing their own things. It energizes and inspires me to watch the kids who, in a few years time, will rule this country (oh well, some of them anyways).

Manila Cathedral for its architecture, the dome and history. A conquistador's remains were interred there, right?

Las Pinas Church for the bamboo organs and the courtyard.

The Wall, especially those fronting Mapua, Lyceum and Letran. I had great memories of The Wall. It was our tambayan back in college. After classes in Mapua we'd buy a Tanduay lapad and we'd chitchat and drink at The Wall until we're pretty smashed. hehehe. (The Wall Photo from Webster.)

Chinatown for the sights, the sounds and the smell. Love the food there.

Liwasang Bonifacio and Plaza Miranda because these two places symbolize freedom of speech and assembly. I attended countless rallies there!

After a rock concert at the Coconut Palace 15 years ago we decided to spend the night at the CCP's lawn! Libreng tulog. May guard ka pa. Hahaha. Remember our drunken stupor days, Reggie and Orly?

San Sebastian because of its awesome Gothic spires and it is the only steel church in Asia.

So there.

daydream cycle

2006-01-07T13:58:00.000+08:00

I absolutely adore this band. Their music can be described as dream pop or indie pop, ala Cocteau Twins and Sugar Hiccup. Sayang talaga Sugar Hiccup. Remember 1896, Moden De and the incredible Five Years!? Anyways, I've heard Melody del Mundo is in the US and has formed a band. San na sina Czandro and Russel?.

Japs of RiverMaya plays guitar in Daydream Cycle. On vocals is the luscious Kathy Meneses who is also a poet.

I hope more people will like their music to encourage them to release more CDs. Go to this website to hear their music. (Photo from daydream cycle's website.)

Pinoys and noodles

2006-01-04T17:25:00.000+08:00

Have you read the headline the other day saying that the government is subsidizing the cost of rice and noodles for the benefit of the country's poor? Some people might say that it is a great idea; others, however, will just smirk and say that it is just a gimmick, pang-pogi points. Methink that it is an admission the country is in deep shit.

You see, instant noodles is the galunggong of the new millennium. Galunggong, of course, was the indicator of poverty and hunger during the time of Presidentita Cory, that's Kris Aquino's mom for kids below 18 years old. In the 80's everytime the price of galunggong increase there would be a great uproar.

This plan to shoulder part of the cost of instant noodles means that some Filipinos cannot even afford to shell out 5 pesos to buy noodles! This is a tragedy. I remember that SWS had a survey which revealed that close to 15% of Filipinos or about 12 million have nothing to eat for at least a day. That survey was undertaken in 2004.

I think it is about time we do something about it before we turn this country into another Ethiopia where millions starved to death in the 1980s. Will subsidizing the cost of noodles solve this problem of hunger? The answer is a big fat NO. Distributing food coupons will not also do the trick.

What do we do then?

First, the government should abandon its adherence to trade liberalization which has caused serious damages to our industries including agriculture and garments. This policy is the reason why so many businesses closed shops resulting to job loss to millions of workers.

Secondly, let us wipe all politicians off the face of the earth. Instead of focusing on the economy, these idiots are busy plotting against each other. I'm all for the ouster of Tita Glo but it should not be the focus of all our energies. If you are not as articulate and as media-savvy as Chiz then shut the f*ck up and concentrate on your work as a legislator or local chief executive. If you still persist then we have no choice but to blow your brains into bits.

i'm pro-BONO

2005-12-21T14:10:00.000+08:00

This year Time Magazine chose to honor Bono, along with two others as 2005 “Persons of the Year.” Unless you’ve been living under a rock since the 1980s, Bono or Paul David Hewson is the frontman of the biggest rock band in the universe, U2.

According to the magazine, “Bono charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world’s richest countries into forgiving US$40 billion in debt owed by the poorest.” For the past years now Bono is actively involved in campaigning for debt relief for heavily-indebted countries in Africa and Asia. He founded Debt, Aids, Trade for Africa (DATA), a London-based non-profit organization that works to raise awareness about the problems of Africa and seeks to influence wealtheir governments' policies toward it. In 2000, he teamed up with the late Pope John Paul II in calling on the rich countries to cancel Third World debt.

Why debt relief? For countries such as the Philippines, writing off billions of dollars in debt would mean more hospitals or more roads for farmers to transport their produce thereby lessening the cost of basic commodities such as rice. It would also mean more budget allocation to increase the salaries of our teachers and health workers thus abating the exodus of Filipino professionals to other countries to work as hookers, maids and ass-wipers.

At present, the country’s allocation for debt servicing is pegged at 34.4% of the total national budget. That's 310.3 billion pesos! And every year budgetary allocation for debt repayments increases by 21%. That's a lot of money which should be spent on social services i.e., health, education, water, etc. Clearly, debt servicing is a heavy burden for poor and middle income countries already overwhelmed with countless problems i.e., high population rate, famine, drought, floods, etc.

Anyways, I am a big fan of Bono and U2 since the release of War album which for me is their best. Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day were our anthems back in sixth grade. I hope Bono will never tire of churning out good rock and roll and continue to take up the cudgels for the world’s poor. Bono is the man.

ultraelectromagneticpinoysuperband

2005-12-16T12:21:00.001+08:00

My first encounter with pinoy’s Fab Four was in 1993. I wore my hair in a pony tail and was perpetually in black clothes then. No nose ring though and tattoos either. Two radio stations ruled my musical universe that time, NU107 and LA105.9 and it was in the latter that I first heard Toyang. Since then I was hooked. Who among us did not sing our hearts out to Pare Ko, Alapaap, Magasin, Wag Mo Nang Itanong? From ultraelectromagneticpop to circus to cutterpillow the E-heads did not let us down.

They had inspired me to form a band of my own. Since I could not play a decent tune on the guitar I decided to be my band’s own front man. Aside from E-heads we covered GI and the Idiots, Pearl Jam, The Cure and Stone Temple Pilots. We played at school, in seedy bars full of drunken old men who did not give a damn to our music. Their main concern was who among them would get home with the waitress with the big boobies. It was fun though. All the money we earned we spent on booze, San Mig Grande or Beer na Beer.

Then I discovered Joey Ayala, Noel Cabangon, Gary Granada, Jess Santiago, Susan Fernandez-Magno and Inang Laya and met a couple of bubbly girls who introduced me to the ‘isms’. That was in 1994. A few months after, I ran for the student council and won. Thanks to Marlboro! I distributed cigarette sticks which were marked with Vote for Joey as Vice President of the Student Council. In 1995, I packed my bags and worked for a non-government organization helping the urban poor. Ten years later, my passion for E-heads and pinoy rock continues and so is my commitment to contribute sanity to this mad, mad world.

So what is your favorite E-heads song? Mine is Wag Mo Nang Itanong.

(Right photo: Benedik and TwistedMan in previous life)

pearls of shame

2005-12-15T16:26:00.000+08:00

That is an apt description of the south sea pearls made by Jewelmer. They are making money out of the misery of the displaced folks of Pala'wan and Molboc tribes. I wish Angel Aquino, Daphne Oseña and the people of F knew about this. Angel is a good actress and from what I've heard from people who know her she seems to be a nice person as well. If you are a friend of Angel Aquino please tell her to stop endorsing Jewelmer.

If you want to know more about the plight of these indigenous peoples, visit google video where I have uploaded a video documentary.

My Christmas Wish List

2005-12-09T15:38:00.000+08:00

If i have the spare moolah I certainly would...

hop on a plane and go to Greece and visit the Acropolis.

buy and watch Pretty in Pink DVD...perhaps a copy of The Breakfast Club too.

grab a copy of Banana Yoshimoto's new book...read and fell in love with Asleep, Kitchen, NP and Amrita.

gather all my enemies and send their sorry, stupid, lazy asses to Vanuatu where a volcano with a very violent temper is spewing flaming lava!!!

tao muna bago perlas

2005-12-07T15:08:00.000+08:00

I am a volunteer of Task Force Bugsuk, a consortium of greens, browns and other NGOs helping the Molbog and Pala'wan tribes of Palawan. These people are are slowly dying of hunger because Jewelmer International Corporation, maker of south sea pearls and owned by Marcos crony Danding Cojuangco, barred them from fishing in their traditional fishing grounds. This action of Jewelmer resulted to the loss of access by these indigenous peoples to their only source of livelihood.

Meanwhile, the local council of the Municipality of Balabac passed an ordinance that constituted its entire municipal waters as a protected marine eco-region, and parts of Coral Bay surrounding Bugsuk and Pandanan islands as a strict protection zone where all forms of fishing and gathering of marine resources (with the exception of products resulting from authorized pearl culture) are prohibited. The area designated as strict protection zone is the location of the pearl farm project of Jewelmer, which is within the ancestral domain of Pala’wan and Molbog tribes.

This ordinance is now the focus of protest actions by TF Bugsuk and its partners. On December 9, hundreds of people will stage a 'Jericho March' around the provincial capitol of Palawan to ask Governor Joel Reyes to use his oversight powers and urge the Balabac mayor to suspend the implementation of the Balabac Ordinance 1-2005; compel the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to withdraw its approval from the ordinance; and for the NCIP to implement the much-delayed validation survey for its ancestral domain title. The Concerned Artists for the Environment is also holding a Protest Art Exhibition at the Palawan Museum. The exhibit will move to Metro Manila in January 2006.

I urge you to help us by spreading the word that Jewelmer and its cohorts in the municipality of Balabac are 'killing' the people in the southern part of the Philippines. Don't buy their pearls. If your friends, girlfriends, bosses are fond of pearls make sure that they are not from Jewelmer. Below is a situationer prepared by TF Bugsuk.

In 1974, at the height of martial rule, Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, foremost crony of Dictator Ferdinand Marcos, with the government’s military, forced around 500 families in Bugsuk and Pandanan islands in Southern Palawan, to leave their lands and farms, under an unjust land swap agreement. The people were made to sign blank pieces of paper, threatened to accept payments for their standing crops and were made to realize that whether or not they accepted the payments they would still be forced to leave the islands. These families belonged mainly with the Palaw’an and Molbog tribes as well as some long-time Christian settlers.
In the name of various corporations, the Cojuangcos set up a seedling nursery for hybrid coconut trees. Entry in the islands was very much restricted for they were heavily-guarded by military men. Five years later, in 1979, the Cojuangcos partnered with a Frenchman, Jacques Branellec, and set up the Jewelmer International Corporation, which then established a pearl farm on the waters between these islands. Jewelmer soon became one of the world’s largest south sea pearl producers.

However, in its effort to protect its business, Jewelmer deprived the surrounding communities of their rights. The traditional fishing grounds of indigenous and non-indigenous fisherfolk, as well as the usual navigational route to the town proper of Balabac, became prohibited areas; the areas were closely guarded by the military, and later on, by SCAA personnel under supervision of the government’s armed forces. Without fertile farms and fishing grounds, poverty in the surrounding communities worsened, forcing many families to stop sending their children from school.
Emboldened by the enactment of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) and the Fisheries Code, the Palaw’an and Molbog tribes filed an application for a certificate of ancestral domain title (CADT) in February 2001. Together with long-time settlers and subsistence fisherfolk, they organized Sambilog (meaning “one circle”). They also sought the help of the government to hold a dialogue with Jewelmer and the Balabac government, so that they could be allowed to fish in their traditional fishing grounds. However, after the first dialogue in Malacañang Palace in July 2003, Jewelmer refused to sit down again. Instead, their guards became stricter, and harassed and intimidated a number of men who tried to fish in the area.

Later investigations revealed that Jewelmer does not have the required Environmental Compliance Certificate, that the closing of traditional navigational routes is a violation of existing laws, that the Balabac local government leased the marine municipal areas without the required ordinance for such lease, that the lease rental was grossly inappropriate at P15/hectare/year, and that it violated its own lease agreement by not complying with major provisions like delineation of the coastal marine area of Bugsuk and Pandanan, the delineation of boundaries of the pearl culture area and the marking of each corner with a mooring bouy.

The inconsiderate response of the Balabac government was Ordinance No. 1-2005, declaring the entire municipal waters of Balabac as a marine eco-region and specifying that Jewelmer’s concession area is a “strict protection zone” where absolutely no fishing is allowed. This ordinance in unjust and illegal because (i) it did not go through the procedural requirements, such as public consultations with the affected communities, prior to its enactment; (ii) the declaration of the strict protection zone does not conform to existing laws, particularly the SEP Law, the Fisheries Code and the NIPAS law ; (iii) ) it deprives the Pala’wan and Molbog tribes of their right to manage and conserve natural resources within their ancestral domain, and of their right to preserve their culture, traditions and institutions; (iv) it is partial or discriminatory; heavily in favor of big business and marginalizing small fishers; and (v) it violates the principle of sustainable development as it will lead to the destruction of livelihoods of fishing communities and the people’s eventual displacement.
The ordinance first came into attention when the Balabac government passed it to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for review. Sambilog leaders made representations in the province, as well as delivered a petition paper to the Balabac mayor signed by hundreds of Balabac residents. The advocacy was a success at first as the Provincial Board declared that the ordinance was “faulty in form and substance”. Yet, after some superficial amendments were made by Balabac, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved the ordinance.

Knowing that the ordinance meant hunger and slow death to the six fishing villages surrounding the pearl farm, and determined to show their resolve to reclaim their ancestral lands and water, Sambilog staged a weeklong 250-km solidarity march-caravan from Sitio Marihangin of Barangay Bugsuk to Puerto Princesa last October 12-17. Many groups, including local churches, non-government organizations, artists and indigenous groups sympathized with the plight of Sambilog. Hundreds of Palawenos signed the petition to support Sambilog’s cause. Local media fully covered the event.
The Provincial Government is yet to heed the demands two months after the solidarity march and the camp-out at the Provincial Capitol. No concrete response has been given; no definite timeframe defined. Meanwhile, those camping out at the Provincial Capitol have been threatened to be forcibly evicted.
For three decades now, the injustice committed to the Pala’wan and Molbog tribes when they were forced out of their ancestral lands and seas have not been corrected. Jewelmer has secured an exclusive exploitation of the seas in the name of marine conservation, raising an invisible wall that is depriving indigenous peoples and subsistence fisherfolk of access to their traditional fishing grounds and source of livelihood. Such “greenwashing” cannot be tolerated. Sustainable environment protection can never be achieved without protecting the rights of the people.

Die, Thaksin, Die!

2005-12-01T09:54:00.000+08:00

THAILAND IS TAKING the luster out of the Philippine triumphs in the Southeast Asian Games, accusing the host nation of "cheating" and prompting Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to suggest a summit meeting to discuss fair play in sports.

This headline banner story from the Philippine Daily Inquirer absolutely spoiled my day. This is the consequence of having a president who is a big-time cheater. Let us kick Gloria out of office now! She is dragging us all down to hell.

What makes me really angry is the fact that the accuser himself, Thaksin Shinawatra, is a loathsome, human rights violator in his own country. He is hated by Muslim Thais because of his murderous repression of legitimate dissent in the south of that country. His family, who owns the mammoth Shin Corp, is persecuting freedom of speech activist and journalist Supinya Klangnarong. Clearly, Thaksin has no business lecturing us about fair play!

I think we should boycott the Asian Indoor Games in Thailand next month. Grrr. To our athletes, we throw our full support to all of you, with or without medals. And thank you for making Filipinos proud.

the rape of our nation

2005-11-24T11:25:00.000+08:00

I am really upset over the alleged sexual assault by six US servicemen on a young Filipino woman in Subic. Together with the whole nation, I share and feel the anguish being felt by the victim and her family over this tragic incident.

I find this assault a terrible affront to our country’s pride and dignity. The barbaric act of the accused clearly showed a complete lack of respect for the Filipino people’s culture and human rights. When they left the helpless victim on the side of the road, it is almost as if the attackers are boldly challenging us, taunting us.

Rape is a violent and heinous crime. Its perpetrators must immediately be put under the custody of the Philippine government. It is only the only way we can ensure that the suspects will not be unfairly protected by the American government. That is why we strongly denounce efforts of some quarters to transfer the servicemen to Okinawa.

Mrs. Arroyo should assert our sovereignty and defend the diginity of the Filipino people over this injustice. Her seeming indifference and lack of decisive action against the matter is infuriating. She should have ordered the immediate suspension of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) at the very least. Instead her administration’s actions appeared to favor the servicemen. By dismissing this case as an isolated one, authorities showed their ignorance and utter insensitivity to the plight of the victim. Since the time of the US bases and the ratification of the VFA, we have been seeing this abhorrent behavior among US servicemen who treated the whole country as their own personal playground. . It is now the time to put an end to these never-ending abuses against our people. The soldiers must be punished and the VFA should be terminated immediately. No more to American military presence in our country!

The nation will be closely watching this case. If the Arroyo government bungles this one we are sure that the Filipino people will rise up in anger to exact justice and seek retribution. When that time comes Mrs. Arroyo’s government will be history. And that will be a big relief.

2005-10-21T16:53:00.000+08:00

English-Visayan dictionary in Thailand!

2005-10-21T16:52:00.000+08:00

Tuktuk

2005-10-21T16:51:00.000+08:00

Me and the bible-wielding White Guy in Khao San

2005-10-21T16:46:00.000+08:00

Tha Pra Chan

2005-10-21T16:43:00.000+08:00

A Buddhist monk

2005-10-21T16:41:00.001+08:00

Tha Pra Chan

2005-10-21T16:41:00.000+08:00

Sanam Luang

2005-10-21T16:39:00.000+08:00

Is it a bird?

2005-10-21T16:38:00.000+08:00

Facade of the Thai National Museum

2005-10-21T16:37:00.000+08:00

Chinese jars and vases in Jim Thompson's house

2005-10-21T16:36:00.000+08:00

Traditional Thai House

2005-10-21T16:35:00.000+08:00

Twisted

2005-10-21T16:34:00.001+08:00

The ferry

2005-10-21T16:34:00.000+08:00

Thai kids on their way to school via the ferry

2005-10-21T16:33:00.000+08:00

A father and his daughter and their dog. Im in a river ferry

2005-10-21T16:32:00.000+08:00

Chao Praya River

2005-10-21T16:31:00.000+08:00

The Democracy Monument

2005-10-21T16:30:00.000+08:00

Center of the World Mall in BKK

2005-10-21T16:28:00.000+08:00

Bangkok Man

2005-10-21T16:26:00.000+08:00

inside BTS

My twisted Bangkok adventure

2005-10-21T15:49:00.000+08:00

I just wanted to share my Bangkok adventure. I arrived in Asia’s City of Angels on 30 September at around 6:30 pm (7:30 pm Manila time) via Thai Airways. Flight service was okay but there was no personal in-flight movie for economy class passengers! Singapore Airlines service staff was more efficient and had more entertainment options (sumasayaw na flight attendants? Not.). Meanwhile, the Bangkok International Airport is not unlike NAIA. It’s old. During my stay in Bangkok, Mr. Thaksin had a media stunt promoting the new airport which will be operational early next year. Oh by the way, when I went home last Sunday night I noticed some letters of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport don’t have lights. Paging PTA and DOT. You don’t want the tourists to interpret that as a portent of things to expect in our 7,107 islands. If we want to WoW the tourists we should impress them upon arrival right?

On our way to Trang Hotel (It was a story by itself. Horrendous. Ghastly hotel service) I noticed that you could not see much of Bangkok if you're using the elevated highway because the view was blocked by walls! Hmm. I immediately recalled Imelda's way of eliminating eyesores in the 70’s di ba? And I was right! The walls did not cover the whole stretch of the highway eh and somehow if you have a keen eye you’d see the urban poor areas, the old and dilapidated buildings behind the walls. Anyway, a big part of my Bangkok adventure happened during the last two days of my stay.

Traditional Thai Houses

First stop is the house of Jim Thompson, an American architect who volunteered for service in the US Army during World War II and decided later to stay and live in Thailand. Enamored with Thai culture, he dismantled old houses from rural Thai and reconstructed them in a compound in Bangkok and on 1959 he moved in. In 1967, Mr. Thompson disappeared while on a visit to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. The house is now administered by a foundation named after him.

To get there Corinna Lopa and I rode the BTS, Bangkok’s version of MRT. Boy, it was gleaming! And there were no hawkers outside the station and no huge billboards of scantily clads starlets that will derail and spoil the ride. We bought tickets using the vending machine. There were a few people on the train because it was after 10 am.

According to the Thai guide, the houses represented the best in traditional Thai architecture. The teak houses were elevated a full story above ground to avoid flooding during the monsoon season. If you’ve seen Bagong Buwan, these Thai houses look like the Muslim home of the Sultan character played by Ronnie Lazaro. They have high ceilings for good ventilation. It was cool and airy inside.

Most of the furnishings inside are Chinese-influenced especially the jars, vases and bowls. The Thais have a long history of interaction with the Chinese. That’s what I’ve learned when I visited the Thai National Museum. One interesting item in the bedroom of Mr. Jim Thompson is a porcelain orinola. The guide said it was a child’s orinola. However, Thompson is childless and lived alone. My over-imaginative brain started working. Why is there a child’s orinola inside the master’s bedroom? But I kept my mouth shut lest I be dragged away outside the compound.

Jim Thompson’s house is just a hundred meters away from MBK, Siam Center and Central World, three of the most popular shopping malls in Bangkok. Siam Center is near Chulalongkorn University and is teeming with students and fashionistas. Siam Square which is just outside the Center is Bangkok’s answer to the Shinjuku district of Japan. And you’ll be amazed that outside every mall there are Buddhist altars. Even along the sidewalks!

The National Museum: Violence as a showcase of one’s culture

Thailand is a Buddhist society and Buddhism is known for its adherence to a peaceful way of life. Ironically, the impression that you will get when you visit the Thailand’s National Museum, especially the main gallery, is that Thai history is all about wars and conquests. There was even this account in one of the exhibits that goes something like “Cannons are one of the most important contributions of the westerners to Thai society…” What the f@345!

I also noticed that most of the clay figures depicting different periods of Thai history are men. Where are the Gabriela Silangs and Tandang Soras? I think Melody, Paula and Hazel will agree with me that this is not acceptable. Ngapala, Christianity first landed on Thailand in 1511. That’s a full decade ahead of the Philippines. La lang.

I still recommend a visit to the museum if you want to get away from the usual tourist trail. The buildings are impressive especially the carvings on the doors and roofs. The National Museum also has its share of local visitors, mostly art students who visit the various temples and old buildings all over Bangkok to sketch.

Sanam Luang and Wat Po

Across the National Museum is Sanam Luang or the Grand Park or the Royal Field. If you like pigeons, there are hundreds and hundreds of them at the park. Some enterprising Thais are selling plastic sachets of corn bits so you can feed the pigeons till kingdom come and pretend that you’re in a piazza somewhere in Italy or a square in Paris or Rome. Just don’t bring out your coat and your stylish shawls because it is hot and humid.

A few blocks away, about 200 meters are the Grand Palace (home of the Royal Family) and Wat Po, the home of the reclining Buddha. I wasn’t able to visit the Grand Palace because the admission price is 200 baht. Heck, I can buy a decent shirt and a bowl of hot and spicy tom yung goom for that. May sukli pa.

Unlike in the other temples and the National Museum, cameras are allowed inside Wat Po. Shoes, however, are a no-no. The reclining Buddha is mind-boggling. It’s big and beautiful. The compound is dotted with smaller wats or temples and you’ll find numerous Buddhas in different poses.

Pra Chan and Chao Praya River: Savor the smells of old Bangkok

By this time, Corinna and the rest of the SEACA family is now back home and I’m all alone in my quest to find the true Bangkok. Fortunately, just a stone’s throw away from the National Museum is Tha Pra Chan, one of the oldest communities in Bangkok. According to a marker leading to the ferry station in the Chao Praya River, Tha Pra Chan was used to be the palace of Prince Prachak Sillapakhom.

Tha Pra Chan now is a small street near the Grand Palace and the National Museum. What sets it apart from the rest of city are the hawkers. They are everywhere, selling everything and anything from antique coins, old Buddha statuettes, to fruits, noodles, silver jewelry and the ubiquitous wooden penis. Is it (the wooden penis) an anting-anting? I have to ask some Thai friends.

Pra Chan road is enchanting. You’ll get dizzy with all the sounds and smells of Old Bangkok. It is unlike Divisoria and Quiapo in the sense that you have a feeling of security and safety. Just throw away your caution to the wind and enjoy the orderly chaos of Pra Chan.

At the end of the road is the Pra Chan ferry station. From there to Pinklong Bridge the ferry ride is bout five minutes and will cost you 3 bahts. You’ll get a good view of the Chao Praya River and the skyscrapers of Bangkok’s financial district. During the ride you’ll also get the chance to mingle with the ordinary Thai, who are on their way to work and school. I’ve heard that we’ll soon have a ferry system in our very own Pasig River. Tama ba?

Democracy Monument: Testament to the heroism of the Thai people

Thirty-two years ago, thousands of Thai students, workers, men and women converged in the heart of Bangkok near the Old Chinatown and demanded for a return to democracy. Why was it important for me to see this monument? Because it happened on October 14 just two days away from my birthday! O inuman na.

Khao San: The backpacker’s ghetto

Khao San or Chao San is a world-famous street due to its cameo role in Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie “The Beach”. It is about 200 meters of shops, bars and budget hotels. A true backpackers’ haven.

My first encounter with Khao San happened on the 3rd night of my stay in Bangkok. I was suffering from stir-craziness and cabin fever and was itching to get away from the hell-hole that was my hotel room. I tagged along with Maya, Reggie, Tatcee, and Farha (a Malaysian intern in IID). Fortunately, Trang Hotel was just a 35 baht ride to Khao San, about 15-minute walk.

Snapping away some pictures was fun. The people in Khao San just didn’t care. You’ll see all sorts of characters there: from bible-wielding mormons to cross-dressing kathueys. Unshaven hippies and rastafaris with unruly dreadlocks compete with Japanese punks with Mohawk-styled hair grab your attention. You just can not take your eyes off them. I feel old and normal when I was there. Maybe, I’m just really old, normal and boring. Pero I’m a type 4 in enneagram. I’m supposed to be unique, eccentric, MAD. hehehehe

Anyway, a funny thing happened on my second visit to Khao San on the last day of my Bangkok adventure. I was walking along one of the sidewalks listening to Easy FM Bangkok in my N6610i radio (all foreign songs format and the number one song is Christian Bautista’s “The way you look at me”!!!) when a book being sold by one of the hawkers caught my attention. It was an English-Visayan dictionary! Hahahaha.