Ang Malupit na Kwento ng Bedol-bedol Gang!
Mag-ingat at baka kayo na ang susunod na mabiktima ng bedol-bedol gang...Kapag nabiktima, ipagbigay alam kay Mar, at bibigyan nya kayo ng abugado...dahil mahalaga ang boto nyo, ay ang bawat Pilipino pala.
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I included myself voluntarily to the millions of Catholics who flocked the churches today to get our temples marked with ashes to both symbolically and hopefully genuinely turn our backs away from the old ways of a sinful life. It is somewhat a turning back away from the “dark side” and tread the new life of righteousness. Speaking for myself, this is the most difficult part of living I thought.
Today, we also celebrate and commemorate the historic and pivotal EDSA Revolution 1 that toppled the long rule of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. It was a collective reawakening of the patriotic blood of Filipinos to shun away the man living all his life and making this nation also live on the dark side of greed. What a coincidence for these two celebrations to fall on the same day. If Cardinal Sin is still alive, he has surely lots of words to share about today’s celebrations.
People Power Buried into Ashes
The latest SWS survey indicates that almost 11 million Filipinos are jobless and reading beyond the number, it will certainly mean more than 11 millions Filipinos are presently experiencing the pangs of poverty and hunger. And this number is being lashed out by the wards of GMA as inaccurate and baseless; that the government has the more accurate and official number about this sensitive issue. This is nothing more than Judases denying they betrayed their Lord for some 30 silver coins.
With his staggering number of Pinoys who are jobless and certainly living under the dark clouds of poverty, today’s celebration of the first day of Lent will seem to be nothing like a ritual where the congregations lining up for their own share of ashes are just but mere parochial spectators. The pastor once again echoed that today and the whole Lenten season all of us are to abstain from eating meat, and fast at least one meal every Friday, abstain from our usual indulgence, and give alms to the poor and of course pray. These admonitions are nothing but empty doctrines except for the last two. For how can the average Pinoy which is basically the foundation of the Philippine Catholic Church even abstain from eating meat and splurging into indulgent life and fast at least a meal every Friday if everyday is already a heavy cross of abstinence and fasting. Millions of Pinoys are living on the Calvary of hunger thus, the whole year is a Lenten season for the masses, while the select few Judases are splurging their lives living la vida loca on millions, even billions of stolen silver coins. Maybe, there is a need for the Church to change the teachings on abstinence and fasting. Maybe fasting and abstinence should only be preached to government officials and business executives lest they be excommunicated.
Many Pinoys are filling up the pews of Churches, mostly not for thanksgiving but for desperation in these trying times. Ash Wednesday is a reminder of the poverty of many of us, not solely of the soul but more basic is the poverty of the body. The Church cannot preach anymore to the aithful telling them to tame the body for the soul to be cleansed, for the bodies of each and every poor Filipino man, woman and child is nothing but a corpus automatically responding to its instinct due to poverty, hunger and illiteracy and not to some metaphysical belief systems even metanarratives. And while preaching the tenets of Gospel truths from the pulpit, a number of our bishops succumb to being under the jurisdictions of the Diocese of Malacañang. Stop the preaching therefore to empty stomachs and burry all the corrupt officials of the government and private sectors who are sucking up the very blood of this nation into the pit of ashes. King David was not cherished as the greatest king by Israel because of his power or his intelligent governance, but by his great example of humility and repentance to God for all his failings, stubbornness and greed. This Ash Wednesday is a literal reflection of the poverty of the Filipino people robbed of their basic dignity by some Pharisees and teacher of the law.
All of us are called to repentance but it is of greater insult to the spirit of charity and a greater sin for those who have more already in life to rob from the poor the very last centavo they have.
The spirit therefore of EDSA Revolution is one of the lampposts of the past that give light and hope to the present and even the future. The collective strength of people to rise up from the ashes of undignified life and nation is a manifestation that the Filipino people can still renew this nation falling into the brink of total moral decay.
However, GMA in almost 8 years in office has bastardized our sense of nation and put out this valiant light by implementing her holiday economics and boldly making this nation believe EDSA 1 is nothing but the past. Because of her holiday economics, our collective cultural consciousness of being rooted to a solid foundation of our identity as a nation through EDSA 1 and the many more triumphs of those who have courageously gone ahead of us are now nothing but days to cheer of and cool ourselves into the air-conditioned alleys of malls and fastfoods. The present generation has become impaired and lost their connectedness to this profound source of inspiration and binding force, and EDSA and many other monumental celebrations has been reborn as nothing but historical footnotes to some old, dusty and error-filled DepEd textbooks.
GMA boasted confidently that EDSA is a source of the democracy we enjoy today, an inspiration we offered the whole world; EDSA II was tolerated by the world and another EDSA would be condemned by the world. In short, she insulted our intelligence and sense of nationhood when she said that EDSA III is not anymore acceptable in a 21st century free world. With these insults, she did not give the proper respect to the spirit of EDSA and to the thousand faceless souls who stood up against the dictator for us to enjoy the freedom that we have today. She has certainly lost her mind and her sanity! She has lost her moral compass and indebtedness to the nation and EDSA. The world does not measure a revolution as acceptable or not solely on how many times it was mounted. The world always accepts peaceful revolutions when nations topple corrupt and illegitimate governments. She has totally forgotten that her present position is a result of power that is in EDSA.
The spirit of EDSA is now buried into the ashes of anonymity in the illegitimate presidency of GMA. She deliberately buried for she is afraid that what has put her to power will also take away from her the power she is enjoying; afraid of the day of reckoning. Ash Wednesday is therefore indeed a day of mourning of the Filipino nation with the endless litany of corruption and scandals that has hounded us (NBN-ZTE Deal, Macapagal Avenue Road Scam, Election Automation Scam, IMPSA Deal, Fertilizer Fund Scam, Bribery Scandal, Euro-Generals Scam, WB Road Project Scam, Jose Pidal Scam, and many more).
What we need is to go back to our rootedness as a nation; the sacrifices of unsung and faceless heroes who fought down to their last breath for the survival of our land against the tyranny of the powerful and corrupt some. With all the scandals and corruption our nation is presently chained with, this renewal of rediscovering the sacrifices of our heroes for this nation they loved so dear should become our new battle cry for personal and societal transformation come the day of reckoning. There is a genuine hope embedded inside the spirit of EDSA and many other triumphs of our nation against tyranny; that from ashes of our mourning and sacrifices, we will all rise and resurrect triumphantly as one upright Filipino nation.
Tindera: Sir bili na kayo ng kurtina!
Erap: Sige, bibili ako para sa computer ko.
Tindera: Bakit po sa computer?
Erap: May “Windows” kasi ang computer ko, eh.
Har har har har naman tong joke na to! Windows pa ang gamit eh may Vista na. Har har har!
Ang Hearsay ni Archbishop Cruz
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He is not only pound-for-pound king of the world wearing those Cleto Reyes gloves that has sent many best fighters to kiss the canvass but now a man wearing that round hat with tassel and colorful toga, following up the very footsteps achieved by select boxing greats Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Mike Tyson. He now belongs to the elite athletes conferred with Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa) because the supreme athletic ability he has shown in the sport of boxing and most of all because of the unsung charitable works he has done which has not really been covered by glitz and glamour compared to that he has gotten inside the four corners of the boxing ring.
And I think when the Pacman clash with Ricky Hatton on May 2, Michael Buffer will maybe have a new line on calling Manny. "In the red corner, wearing a white trunks with flaming trims, Dr. Manny 'The Pacman' Pacquiao".
He can now be called Dr. Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao. Southwestern University of Cebu conferred this doctorate degree last February 18, 2009 after achieving great success comparable to none in Asia by winning titles to four weight divisions and winning three of his battles on three weight divisions with two of these as title fights last year 2008. More than the showing of Pacman’s boxing prowess inside the ring earning him millions of dollars (the only Filipino I think to achieve such monetary reward) is his deep generosity to his fellow Filipinos not only in the Philippines but around the world. His works of service and charity to victims of typhoons and his advocacy to establishing and pushing for the research for the cure of cancer which is one the primary cause of mortality in the country are only some of his silent acts of kindness beyond his being a famous boxer. 
During his blossoming career, Pacman’s bisaya English is ridiculed by many. Despite his great success in the world of boxing, many of his fellow kababayans especially those in the upper class still looks at the pound-for-pound king as nothing but powerful fists with no intellect. In a country obsessed with educational achievement as the measure of success and dignity, Pacquiao did not waver and proved to the world that he is a well-rounded person by going back to school and trying to finish his college degree at Notre Dame University. Now, with his doctorate degree (honoris causa) he has nothing to worry about and nothing to be ashamed of. He has nothing to prove to people for he has proven already so many great things through his great deeds.
My only wish is that he will leave that kind of legacy and not meddle with the murky waters of politics mired with corruption and selfishness of the powerful some. Let the laurel leaves sit on your head filled with dignity till the end Manny.
Pictures from philboxing.com.
Ang tatay ko ay mahilig magbasa ng dyaryo ng Abante at tambak nito sa bahay. Isang nakakatuwang bagay sa aking paghahalungkat ng mga lumang dyaryo na to ay marami akong nakitang mga nakakatuwa, nakakatawa at nakakagulat na mga reaksyon mula sa publiko patungkol sa mga isyung hinaharap ng ating bayan. May tanong na ibinabato ang dyaryo at nagbibigay ng reaksyon ang mga mambabasa.
Kaya simula ngayong araw ay nakatuwaan kong ilagay ang mga samu't-saring reaksyon ng masa sa mga isyung-bayan.
TANONG: Anong masasabi mo sa laplapan to the max nina Dingdong at Marian sa sa TV na mukha na raw porno pero aprub pa rin sa MTRCB?
SAGOT 1: Grabe naman 'yun, sobrang laswa, mahiya naman sila sa mga batang manonood. Kadiri at mukhang pokpok si Marian, dapat sa madaling-araw ninyo na lang 'yan ipalabas! -63909-4765***
As in POKPOK talaga si Marian??? Naku eh di naging mas malupit kung madaling araw yan...
SAGOT 2: Eh, sa talaga namang ganun na yung istorya ng serye nilang semi-bold. Panoorin ninyo munsa kasi at 'wag basta komontra. -63916-9667***
Meron bang semi-bold na pelikula?
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One of my routine when i start the day is to check the latest news and headlines on the newspapers or the internet. And one excruciating part of doing this daily task is to read bad news over and over again, with each news like a dagger stabbing a helpless hostage of a melodrama. The issue on the scarcity of LPG supply is still fresh, the only new thing is that I can now cook without ending myself up full of dust and charcoal over my face. We traded our Gasul tank with a not-so-known LPG brand for some Php 600. Well, than sticking up with using charcoal of which we can consume one sack for only about 6 days (with each sack now skyrocketing to Php220 from Php170 last Christmas). Not really a sign of relief. And it means I am still pissed off with "Angie" Reyes. I cannot simply just get over him.
Upon browsing over Philstar this morning, I smiled for my post about Sec. Reyes having some innate bad luck is echoed by Parañaque solon Roilo Golez. And thanks to him for he reminded me one vital post that Sec. Reyes occupied: Secretary of National Defense, and we all know what misfortunes occurred while he was still there. He has thus built a reputation of having this unlucky charm as a public servant. Can be a good moniker though.
Here is the article:
MANILA, Philippines -- It appears that Secretary Angelo Reyes is the jinx in President Arroyo’s Cabinet, according to opposition Rep. Roilo Golez of Parañaque.
Golez said Reyes attracts misfortunes in any department he heads.
“It seems a dark cloud of misfortunes stalks his Cabinet career. It’s almost like he is a magnet of calamities,” he said.
“Today, everybody knows there is an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) shortage except Secretary Reyes. By his own admission, this LPG shortage is the first time in 36 years. Frankly, I cannot recall whether there was an LPG shortage at all ever in the past. It is indeed Secretary Reyes’ misfortune that this LPG shortage coincided with his watch,” he said.
Golez said when Reyes was secretary of national defense, the Dos Palmas kidnapping and the Magdalo mutiny happened.
“When he was DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) head, there were the jueteng scandal, Bicutan massacre and the Ultra tragedy. When he was transferred to the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), the following environmental disasters struck: Southern Leyte landslide, Mayon’s threatened eruption, resulting in mass evacuation, and the Guimaras oil spill,” he added.
He noted that oil prices shot up to unprecedented levels and the “unprecedented” shortage of LPG occurred during Reyes’ watch as energy secretary.
“I beg Cong. Mark Cojuangco (of Pangasinan) to postpone his proposal to activate the Bataan nuclear plant while Angie is the secretary of energy. Wait for his transfer to another department. A nuclear calamity will be the mother of all calamities,” Golez said.
In January 2001, Reyes, who was then chief of staff of the Armed Forces, led the entire military leadership in deserting then President Estrada amid a corruption scandal and in supporting Vice President Arroyo’s ascension to the presidency.
