The Unwavering Spirit of the Filipino Volunteer

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Natural disasters, no matter how devastating they can be, can never break a determined spirit.

Typhoon Pablo left our affected countrymen devastated. Their lives have been permanently damaged with their spirits seemingly broken. With a total of 344,030 families directly struck by the destructive power of typhoon Pablo, hundreds of lives have been lost and more have been declared missing and are yet to be found. Clearly, this disaster is one of the most devastating natural calamities in recent history.

Though the number of affected is disturbing, the aforementioned is only a portion of a bigger story. Typhoon Pablo and the damage that it has done is simply unfathomable.

It has been several days since typhoon Pablo left the Philippines. The destruction has ended. The restlessness brought by turbulent times have finally ceased. However, the tranquility that has emerged after Pablo's departure has left us with a clearer picture. We can now see the uncertain future that our countrymen have to face in their lives hereafter.

After a period of sheer devastation comes a period of rebuilding.

The Philippine Red Cross, through the leadership of Chairman Richard J. Gordon led the relief efforts aimed at alleviating the lives of the Filipinos struck by typhoon Pablo. The Philippine Red Cross, along with its staff and volunteers have worked endlessly to provide humanitarian assistance to those who are in dire need. It is without question that these individuals are determined in being of service to their fellow countrymen.

In the affected places such as Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley, it is important to give credit to the volunteers who have worked continuously and passionately for they themselves are victims of typhoon Pablo. They too have lost their homes, livelihood and loved ones. Yet, in their intense desire to serve and push forward the humanitarian cause, they have chosen to set aside their own well-being to be of service to their fellow men. Evidently, it should go without saying that these people are the embodiment of volunteerism. That their actions are clear manifestations of the indomitable spirit of the Filipino. That even though they have gone through terrible experiences, they chose to display the resiliency that is distinctly attributed to the Filipino.

The Philippine Red Cross, along with its staff and volunteers, through the leadership of Chairman Richard J. Gordon, have displayed the unwavering spirit of the Filipino volunteer.

As we face tremendous hardship, let us be united in uplifting the lives of our countrymen as rebuild ourselves in preparation for a brighter future.

To donate, visit www.redcross.com.ph

May 1, 2011

Exactly a year ago, I had a vision of what my life was to become. Marching with thousands of people, chanting the very things which they clamored for, I slowly lost what it was that defined myself. I lost what I identified as my strongest driving force. At that day, May 1, 2011, I lost my ambition.

The heat of the unforgiving Sun punished me as I took every step. However, I was driven to continue marching on. For at that moment, I had with me the very force which I once knew as the key to my eventual success. However, during that day, I refused to stand out in the crowd. I chose to be among them. I chose to be one of them. We were individuals counting ourselves as members of a single, united and cohesive body clamoring for their basic needs. We were all after the breaking of the chains that bound us so heavily.

I was born that day. May 1, 2011.

As weeks and months went on, I changed and developed as a different kind of leader. No longer did I act based on personal agenda. Finally, after years of pursuing my own personal development, I learned to set myself aside and actually pursued for the common good. As an effect, I greatly embraced the belief system and learned to draw the sharpest line. Slowly I was able to see the world in a different light. In my new perspective of things, I saw and understood everyday phenomena through the lenses of budding revolutionary. As a leader, I became much more. I was me. Yet, I wouldn’t be me if I did not embrace the collective and the beliefs of the revolution. I knew in my heart what it meant when we say, “Pagsilbihan ang Sambayanan.”

As the first half of my term took its course, it wasn’t the smoothest of journeys. Problems with people and efficiency emerged. Slowly I was beginning to doubt the effectiveness of our leadership methods. I lost time for myself and at times, I’ve learned to disregard myself. Everything we did was for the people. We serve the people.

As I became tired and unhappy, I flirted with the idea of quitting and finally letting go. Though I have convinced myself fully that I was to commit to my new vision and belief system, there was a small part of me that begged to disagree. Right before the very moment that I was about to forward my letter of resignation, someone and something happened.

Things ran smoothly after. I have grown to love and bask under the light of my new found inspiration. However, like every drug that brings elation, I have become accustomed to the regular doses of my new addiction. For months I was able to do what I had to with joy and happiness. Only to be brought down at the most crucial moment. In one fell swoop, I lost the very foundation that once held me. Caught in the darkness of my own abyss, I decided to extinguish the small flame that brought light in darkness. I wanted to completely turn around and let go.

Election to a higher office was no longer an option for me. I have decided to return to my old life and pursue my own interests and reestablish myself. The bitter taste of humiliation and defeat led me to the realization that perhaps, the road that I once took was not for me. However, I knew deep inside that it deserved another shot. This time, I start clean. I start and end with a new beginning. If I were to stand up again, I knew I had to go through this for one last time. Just so that I can prove to myself that sometimes, though you may feel that you’ve lost everything, there is much to gain in a battle that you risk whatever’s left. And that defeat would mean that you would lose more and leave you nothing.

I took my last dance and brought my mind but not my heart. And as fallen champions ridden by old age fight, I gave the best that I could. I gave the strongest of punches and took the most painful of blows. However, in the end, we all faced a similar tragedy. I gave a good fight and I came up short in the end. I came out as a loser but I was never a defeated man. I just knew at that time that that will no longer be the road that I have to take.

My sudden disappearance was much needed. I needed time to think and reassess my life. Stepping back meant observing what has happened. What was lost and more importantly, what I gained. At the end of it all I had a realization. I was never truly happy. I simply learned to laugh, smile and enjoy life again when I decided to let things go. And now, I laugh, I love, I smile and more importantly, I live.

Today is May 1, 2012. Today is the day that I’ve decided to finally let things go. Today is the day I start living again.

Your Epitaph is Yours to Earn, Your Legacy is Yours to Make. - Levi's

Life is often about the risks that you take in order to achieve an envisioned goal. That in the pursuit of attaining everything that you believe is rightfully yours, you discount the fear of losing everything and gaining nothing. In the process of achieving something, you keep in mind that your life is not based on fate or random circumstance. Rather, it is about the crucial decisions that you make. And as you reach the finality of the journey which you were willing to take, you worry not of the final outcome. For triumph and defeat mean nothing to you. It is the risks that you take, the decisions that you make and what you do or do not do that define you.

Hope is the Driving Force Behind Every Struggle.

"Kaakibat ng dilim ng gabi ang pangako ng bagong umaga."

A friend once told me, "Pare, hindi lahat ng bagay sa mundo ay nililkha ng dios para pasiyahin ka." I answered, "Oo naman. Meron din namang mga bagay na ginawa ng Diyos para pasiyahin ka, pangitiin ka, gawing kumpleto ang pagkatao mo at paasahin ka. Ngunit sa huli, hindi mo makukuha ang gusto mo. Ang sa tingin mo ay kinakailangan mo. Na hindi lahat ng pagwawakas ay nagtatapos sa isang happy ending tulad ng mga pelikula. Kadalasan, ang kabaliktaran ng mga inasam-asam mo ang napapala mo. Na ang mararamdaman mo ay kasing bigat o di kaya ay mas mabigat pa sa kahit anong trahedyang mararanasan mo. Ngunit sa huli, ang mahalaga dito ay natuto kang umasa. At ang mga ito ay nilikha ng Diyos para turuan kang umasa. Sapagkat isa sa mga mahahalagang bagay na matututunan mo dapat sa buhay ay ang magkaroon ng pag-asa."

The thing is, no matter how much effort you put into something, some things are never really yours to begin with. However, though you might face the biggest of obstacles, it is important that you remember whatever it is that you're fighting for. For when everything is telling you that you are bound to fail and that your efforts seem to make no sense, the only thing that would make you hold on is hope. And hope perhaps is the driving force behind every struggle.

That through hope, you can always envision an ending worth striving for. When you meet an undesirable end, it is hope that makes you stand up once again. It is that unexplainable thing that helps you accept and understand your failures and allows you to push on and start again. In a world that is engulfed in darkness and despair, it is hope that makes you dream of a brighter future.

It is the very same thing that makes others shine brighter than the Sun as it flames out against the darkness of the pitch black night.

It is hope that makes someone wait for something for the longest period of time. Even if it takes a lifetime or more.

Hope is the thing that makes helps you live a life worth living in a world worth dying for.

On Additional Expenses and Arbitrary Fees: Tablet PC's for Everyone!

I find it interesting that my alma mater, La Salle Green Hills, will be issuing tablet PC's to students and parents who aren't willing to carry heavy books on a daily basis. It is brought by the fact that students are prone to health risks when they constantly carry heavy loads. Hence the simple logic of having everything needed for academics in an all-in-one gadget. However, cheaper and more efficient alternatives can be pursued. Alternatives which can tackle not just the initial problem but the several other problems as well.

Perhaps it is about time for the institution to review their curriculum and study the required materials need for each subject. Quite frankly, in 10 books, only 60% percent are used regularly. The rest of the materials aren't used by the students. Instead of having the students buy 2 books which contain the subject's coverage, why not search for a book which can cover the whole subject? Also, by reducing the number materials needed, you also reduce the overall weight which is being carried by the student. In addition to that, you lessen the parent's expenses by a few hundreds or thousands giving them more money for other academic expenses such as uniforms, transportation allowance, baon and etc.

Personal lockers are already available by the time the students reach Grade 3. Why not encourage the students to properly utilize their lockers in order for them to lessen their load? Remind them that their lockers are there for their books. Not for their garbage, notices of low scores, violation reports, pornography and etc (something which I admit am guilty of).

Each tablet costs P14,500 per unit. In addition to that, students who will be purchasing the unit will need to pay for the e-books which they will be using for that year. That is if the publishers will be charging for their copyright. Which they surely will. Also, transferring written material into e-format will also cost some money. I am extremely doubtful that the publishing company will be willing to cover the expenses. Hence, extra amount per material will be charged in order to cover the processing expenses. I will not be surprised if an additional P3000 (more or less) will be charged to the students. Obviously, this will cost more than the regular P5000-P6000 which we pay for every year.

An iPad rip-off costs roughly P2500-P4000 per unit. How much do you think it will cost if you buy it from the source (some factory in China most probably) at wholesale? Judging by the picture shown on the article, the tablets which will be issued to the students are very similar. Look, I understand that private schools are a business and consumers are willing to pay extreme amounts of money for an "exclusive" education. But seriously, P14,500 for a generic tablet? I could buy a netbook for that amount. Something which is more functional.

Annually, students and their parents are being charged with arbitrary fees. Besides the extremely expensive tuition fee, misc fees, developmental fees and other fees are being added. Fees which supposedly pay for the school's management, maintenance and operational expenses. Add the tablet pc plus the other expenses attached to it and you greatly increase the amount needed to cover the student's educational cost. Parents will be paying an estimated P100,000+ per child. Lunch money, transportation allowance and other necessary expenses aren't added to the equation.

Though I am not entirely against La Salle Green Hills' new project, I feel that there are alternatives which can be taken in order to create an environment conducive to learning and progress. Don't get me wrong. Mahal ko ang LSGH. Hence my sincere wanting for it to improve and at the same time lessen the Students' and Parents' financial burden.

Ang Mamatay ng Dahil sa Iyo

Dahil sa pamahalaan, buhay na naman ang naging kapalit ng kanyang kakulangan. Tatlong Pilipino ang binitay sa Tsina dahil sa kanilang paglabag sa batas nito. Isa na naman itong pangyayaring dulot ng lantarang pagkawalang bahala ng ating pamahalaan sa isang pangkalahatang perspektibo.

Ngunit ating isipin, hindi lamang ang buhay ng tatlong ito ang napaglaruan. Sa katunayan, sa pangaraw-araw na pangyayari, buhay nating lahat ang napaglalaruan ng mga kakaunting indibidwal na naguusad ng kanilang mga pansariling interes.

Marahil ay dapat nating palakasin ang panawagang ayusin ang mga karapatan ng mga OFW. Hindi tago sa ating lahat na maraming karahasang nangyayari sa mga kababayan nating nagtra-trabaho sa ibang bansa. Mula dito sa Pilipinas hanggang sa mga amo nilang dayuhan. Na ang kanilang ikabubuti at isinasantabi kapalit ng salaping para sa kanila, ay makakatulong sa mga pamilya nilang nandito sa Pilipinas. Ang nangyari sa tatlong binitay sa Tsina ay isang konkretong halimbawa sa kung saan ay hindi binabantayan ng pamahalan ang mga taong lumalabas sa Pilipinas upang manilbihan sa ibang bayan.

Sino ang mga recruiter ng mga ito? Paano sila nagkaroon ng droga na ayon sa balita, ay kanilang dinala sa Tsina. Paano sila naging mga "drug mule"? Hindi ba't responsibilidad ito ng POEA at ibang sangay ng pamahalaan na may kinalaman sa mga OFW? Na bago pa man makalabas ng Pilipinas ang mga ito, at maski sila ma'y nasa ibang bansa na, ay mabantay ang mga ito? Malinaw sa kasong ito ang matinding kakulangan ng kasalukuyang sistema. Ngayong malinaw na ang mga butas at gusot (na sa aking paniniwala ay dati nang mga problema), ano na ang mga lohikal at rasyonal na hakbang na gagawin upang sulosyonan ang mga suliraning ito?

Higit sa lahat, ano ang dahilan at kinailangan nilang gawin ang mga ito? Bakit pa nila kailangang lumabas ng Pilipinas upang maghanap ng trabaho na magbibigay ng sapat o higit na sahod upang buhayin ang kanilang mga pamilya?

Sabi nila, ang OFW ang bagong bayani. Na sa kanilang pagsisikap at sakripisyo, hindi lamang ang mga pangangailangan ng kanilang pamilya ang kanilang natutustusan. Tinutulungan din nila ang bayan. Ngunit, nababahala ako sa konsepto ng "OFW, bagong bayani". Nababahala sa kadahilanang ang ideyang ito ay nagagamit ng pamahalaan sa mahusay na paraan upang ikondisyon ang mga tao na manilbihan sa ibang bansa. Na kahit ano pa man ang trabaho nila sa mga ito, paguwi nila sa Pilipinas, ay bayani ang turing sa kanila.

Bakit kailangan palakasin ng pamahalaan ng ideyang ito? Bakit kailangan niyang hikayatin ang mga mamayan? Dahil ba sa kakulangan nitong makapagbigay ng trabaho na makakapagbigay ng sapat na suporta para sa mga pamilya ng bawat Pilipino? Tinatanggap na ba ng ating pamahalaan ang kanilang kakulangan, ngunit ginagawan ng solusyon sa maling paraan? Hindi nito ginagamot ang malubhang karamdaman. Kung baga sa malaking sugat, first aid lang ang ginawa. Pagkatapos ay bahala na.

Ang naging sakripisyo ng tatlong Pilipino at ng kanilang mga pamilya ay hindi dapat mapasawalang bahala na lamang. Ang pangyayaring ito ay isang malinaw na halimbawa ng kakulangan ng ating pamahalaan. Isang kakulangan na dapat nitong gampanan. Ngunit, tulad ng mga isyung nangdaan, dahan-dahan itong makakalimutan. Ating palakasin ang panawagang ayusin ang kasalukyang sistema.

Ilang OFW pa ba ang kailangang bitayin? Ilang tao pa ba ang kailangan magdusa, maghirap o kaya'y mamatay dahil sa kakulangan ng pamahalaan? Ang kanila bang mga karanasan ay muling kalilimutan?

No, Mr. President. Fare Hikes Aren't "For the Good of the People."

JUST IN: Due to collective action, the LRT/MRT Fare hike is currently postponed.

How can the Filipino people respect a leader who favors anti-poor policies? Similar to his predecessors, his current activities and decisions are contradictory to his promise of good governance and pro-poor policies. Simply put, he promised to be our "boss".

However, the question is, are we really his "boss"?

It seems as though his decisions have been catered to accommodate the interests of private corporations and  other entities who are interested in maintaining the very oppressive status quo. If this is the case, then it clearly shows that we aren't his "boss".

Effective March 1, 2011, LRT and MRT passengers will have to pay P11 for boarding fee and another P1/kilometer. Also, those who opt to avail of the single journey tickets will have to purchase the P15, P20, P30 tickets depending on their destination.

The LRT/MRT fare hike, alongside other unfavorable decisions are clear indicators that the current administration is completely alienated towards the everyday problems of the Filipino people. It is very worrisome that an administration which presents itself as a pro-people government is pushing for policies and decisions which will make everyday life for the Filipino harder.

It is with utmost sincerity that I ask the administration to let go of its pretentious claims of doing what is "for the common good." It is wrong to claim that the LRT/MRT fair hike is "For the good of the people." Also, I urge the administration to avoid using Rep. Gloria Arroyo's administration as an easy excuse for doing unfavorable decisions. That the logic of inheriting "these problems" and having their backs held against the wall will should never be used.

Mr. President. The Filipino people, 16 million of them, put their faith in you. It is imperative that you uphold their rights and well-being. People in oppressed societies have a boiling point. I suggest that is best that you avoid ours.