Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Outrage

I was bloghopping the other day and I came across Mrs S, M.D.'s post about an incident involving an arrogant local politician. Curious, I clicked on the link which led me to Bambee de la Paz's blog.

I felt pure outrage after reading the blog (Paraphrasing Bambee's post would do injustice to the story. I highly recommend that you read it for yourself). What is it with these "bigwigs" who think that everyone else should bow before them?

Sure, the unheard-of-but-now-infamous mayor (Hindi ba kita kilala? Hindi. Ako, hindi mo ko kilala? Hindi rin? O, pareho lang tayo. Now STFU!) may not have been the one to initiate the physical altercation. But come on! The mayor and his goons against two men - one past his physical prime, the other an adolescent kid? As a "public servant," the mayor should have taken the high road;but I guess that is asking too much from him.

This should not be left unresolved, for the sake of the de la Pazes and the rest of all of us "small people." Criminal sanctions should be meted to this small-town mayor and his cohorts. A pipe dream? Let's hope not.

As for the mayor's father, he should resign from his cabinet post; sense of propriety dictates so. Or is propriety among our "public servants" a misnomer?


Photo: Todd H. Page, Flickr, Creative Commons

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Abogago

You know how in the Philippines, we make fun of the abogado and call him abogago? I had nothing to do yesterday, so I searched the web for the term. Several interesting hits came up. 
There is abogago.blogspot.com. It has not been updated for a long time, but it has some interesting posts. There is also an abogago.multiply.com - a personal site of a Bedan (from what I gather). 

But the most interesting site I found is this:


If you take a closer look, you'll see this:

If this law clinic were operating in the Philippines, it would closed down a long time ago.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Badjao in the City

Badjao.

The first time I encountered the term was during my elementary years. Our teacher asked us to bring used clothes, toys and books to donate to Badjaos, Maranaos, Tausugs and other indigenous tribe members. The word was soon locked away deep in the recesses of my mind. I was more concerned with touching ball and prikidam back then. I would encounter the term in the next few years only sporadically, usually in history classes.

Badjaos, according to Wikipedia, are an indigenous ethnic group of Malaysia and the southern Philippines. According to ThinkQuest:
The Badjaos are oppressed tribe. They are referred to as palao or lumaan (God forsaken) by the Tausugs. Badjaos developed an inferiority attitude towards the Tausugs and the Samals who always look down on them. Originally, they used to live on the land but the constant pressure on their safety by the other Muslim tribes forced them to seek the sea. They eventually found that the sea afforded them greater avenues of escape in the event of attack.
The Badjao was a faceless countryman until about four weeks ago.

I was riding a jeepney to school when two kids - a girl about eight years old and holding a homemade drum; the other, a boy about five years old; both of them shabby-looking - suddenly rode the jeep. The driver announced gleefully to his designated barker, "O, ayan na ang mga Badjao!"

I didn't need to take his word for it. The kids handed out envelopes with a handwritten message which reads: Kami po ay mga Badjao. After making sure that each passenger had a crumpled white envelope, the girl sat on the jeep's footboard and proceeded to beat on her drums and sing lyrics I couldn't understand. The boy squatted in the middle of the jeep and swayed his hands to the beat. After the song, they retrieved the envelopes, almost all heavy with coins.

But as the weeks passed, the novelty wore off. Fewer passengers put anything in the Badjaos' envelopes. Some passengers even ignored them altogether. The drivers' fascination of these nameless kids turned to irritation. I remember one driver yelling at one Badjao crossing the street, "Tumabi ka dyan Badjao! Sasagasaan kita!" Whether he meant it as a joke or not, I couldn't tell.

Things came to a head this morning. Two Badjao kids rode the jeep that I was on. Before they even proceeded to hand out the envelopes, the driver shouted, "Baba! Baba!"

The kids did as they were told. But before the jeep could accelerate, the two kids screamed invectives at the driver - cuss words that would make Mar Roxas proud.

The Badjaos are not faceless to me anymore. Sadly, in a span of a few short weeks, they have become as jaded as any ManileƱo could ever be.


Photo: girlpixieshoot, Flickr, Creative Commons

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Getting a Break

Here's a Sunday picker-upper from the Inquirer:

NAGA CITY, Philippines—Just like Juliette Binoche’s character in the movie “Chocolat,” Marian Gabrielle Bordado, 23, is bound to stir up her hometown with homegrown confections—premium chocolates with pili nuts instead of almond and macadamia.

Two years after graduating from college, Bordado is now earning as much as P60,000 a month during peak season. Thanks to her chocolate business, which all started as a requirement to pass her entrepreneurship course at the Ateneo de Naga University.

It just goes to show that anyone a little innovation and guts can go a long way.

Hopefully, in a month or two I (we) can have a big break too.


Photo: Daniel Haran, Flickr, Creative Commons

Friday, December 19, 2008

Hoping to Hope

From an Inquirer report: a survey reveals that nearly seven in ten Filipinos believe the country is not hopeless while five of 10 say they would not migrate to another country even if they had an opportunity.
With all the shenanigans of our public servants, it is easy for anyone to be filled with despair. It is a good thing that Filipinos have not given up.
Photo: silent shot, Flicker, Creative Commons

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Iraq War and Bush's Cat-Like Reflexes




Here is a parody of the throwing incident:

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Senate as Watchdogs

The Senate resolution rejecting the lower house's move to unilaterally convene Con-Ass, signed by all 23 senators, is a welcome development.
At least we know (at face value) where the Senate stands on the matter. That's one more body standing in the way of a constitutional revision before 2010.


Photo: Jeremy Burgin, Flickr, Creative Commons

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Riding the G.O.A.T.

Manny Pacquiao's drubbing of Oscar dela Hoya is an ego-booster for Filipinos. It shows that Pinoys can excel in a field given that everything is equal. His fight last Sunday was a respite from the everyday problems encountered by the average Juan. By bringing joy to the people, Pacman can be considered a hero in his own right.
Having said that, what is it with senator Migz Zubiri? ABS-CBN says in its report:
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri filed a proposed Senate resolution Monday commending the victorious Manny Pacquiao by declaring the fighter as the "Greatest Filipino Boxer of Our Time."

Zubiri said he hopes that proposed Senate Resolution No. 792 would be approved by Tuesday in time for Pacquiao’s expected arrival in Manila the next day.

Zubiri said the resolution will serve as the Senate’s “gift” to Pacquiao for his magnificent win over 10-time world boxing champion Oscar de la Hoya, whom the Filipino fighter defeated in eight rounds.
I have a few questions regarding the good senator's proposal.
First, do we really need a senate resolution for that? Isn't it the job of sports analysts to annoint which boxer is the greatest of all time?
Second, doesn't Zubiri have anything better to do in the senate? You know, like drafting meaningful laws and stuff like that?
Third, I'm not saying at all that Zubiri is an opportunist, but is the senator just riding Manny's jock to gain free publicity?
Photo: Mclaire2, Flickr, Creative Commons

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Manny Pacquiao - Oscar dela Hoya Fight Result



Show your support.
Post a shoutout for Manny.


Manny Pacquiao dominates Oscar dela Hoya to force the latter to quit before the start of the 9th round.

Kinakain ko na ang sinabi ko nung huli. But no matter. I'm ecstatic over Pacman's win right now. He is really something. Oscar dela Hoya is no pushover, but Pacman toyed around with dela Hoya the whole fight. And it just goes to show Pacquiao's greatness.

Thanks to TeamPilipinas.info for the video streaming. I don't have P550 to burn to watch the match in the cinemas, and I was ready to listen over the radio to know the result quickly (Watching it over free tv is, and never was, an option. Too frustrating to watch. Too many commercials). Luckily, I found your site. Salamat.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Waiting for the Dream Match

Everyone I know will be watching the Manny Pacquiao-Oscar dela Hoya match tomorrow.

I personally think that dela Hoya will win. He's just too big for Manny. I really hope I'm proven wrong.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Erebus Garden

Shameless plug: Please visit Erebus Garden (http://erebusgarden.blogspot.com), my girlfriend's blog.

I believe she will be discussing matters of transcendental importance, like body parts and male chauvunism, to name a few.

For her second post, she asks a burning question: "Has boob size become the defining factor of women's beauty?" A compelling read.
Custom Search