Heroism, arrogance... and the RH Bill

Whew! 
========================================================================== 
by PAM 


The past couple of days, the country saw two contrasting pictures: one, which is of a hero of a boy in the person of 13-year old Cris Valdez who won the International Children's Peace Prize, and the other, a picture of an arrogant man, in the person of Antonio Trillanes IV, who framed his self-important sneer in a powerful Senate seat and supposed Palace favorable connection (according to him, anyway).

***
Ah, what a proud national moment!

Cris Valdez, or "Kesz", is a true national hero.  He grew up amidst poverty, in a place where garbage scavenging was the way of life, and yet, he brought joy and hope to many, many impoverished children in the Philippines... and incredible pride to the whole nation.  He started as a pupil in the 2009 CNN Hero Efren Penaflorida's "pushcart classroom", and later became a volunteer himself.  Through his "Championing Community Children" charity, he shared with other children whatever little he had, which was almost nothing materially, but a lot in the form of education, new
Cris Valdez... Pinoy Pride.direction, and hope for a brighter future.  He is a wonderful example to us, adults, showing that, really, all of us are capable of making a difference in this world if we keep our eyes - and hearts - focused on unselfish goals, and forget about flattering ourselves with personal glory.  

Congratulations, Kesz!  Thank you for making us proud, and for being a shining example of heroism, a beacon of hope, and an inspiring compassion-in-action.     

This boy makes me think once more of the RH Bill, and why I am opposed to it - in its original version... and I hope those who favor it think harder, too.  This is a boy who has nothing - I mean, nothing - just a generous heart.  This is a boy whose life is the very definition of economic poverty... and yet, because of his values - Filipino values, to be clear - he is being a positive force that drives the wheel of hope towards better future for this country.  Through his generosity, he is sharing this good news of hope to other children who are also engulfed in poverty and hardship.  

So, really, in this population dispute, is it the current number that is actually problematic or is it the erosion of values?  And just what is the RH Bill addressing, the supposed problematic number or the erosion of Filipino values?  And which one can solve the other... will the problematic number be erased by rekindling and reinforcing our Filipino values, or, can the reduce-the-number-by-all-means reinforce our values?  And which possible scenario will lead us to a better future... and our children to a more joyful life?  Really now... please!

I would love to talk about this more.  Later....     
   
***
My goodness, Sen. Trillanes!

Aaaargh, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV!

Why, oh, why... why do you have to be such a... such a... 1, 2, 3... 10... such a funny senatorial clown?  You make most of the nation laugh to bitter tears!  You're a soldier... you're supposed to behave like a gentleman. Hmm... no, you are supposed to be a gentleman, sir! *sigh* 

So, yeah, after those national feel-good 'Robredo days' and the emergence of Robredo-like brilliant young leaders and public servants who embody the Filipino values - hardworking, respectful, honest, family-oriented, God-fearing, compassionate, and of positive behavior,
JPE vs. Trillanes. Show down... the sewage.
(Photo: Lyn Rillon/Inquirer)especially during stressful times - we see a picture of the exact opposite in the person of Sen. Trillanes. He provoked the Senate President, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, into 'crossing verbal swords' with him... on the 'hallowed floor' of the Philippine Senate, no less - for the whole nation/world to see. JPE, of course, plunged into the provocative political quicksand. *sigh*  It was like a national backpedaling from the pleasantly glorious sunny days of integrity-in-public-service of the past few weeks to the nauseatingly shameless politicking-for-personal-gain. And we thought that that sort of politicking had been tossed and buried with the distant past as government officials and public servants set out to follow the Robredo example.  Sen. Trillanes had to ruin our 'national good governance groove' with his Senate take over plot against the incumbent Senate President... and whatever good intentions he had (if there was any... at all) were lost in that stormy misconduct avalanche.  And then, when his own arrogance-powered plot blew up violently to backfire on his own self-important sneer, he resorted to a low-class tasteless response and walked out like a frustratingly hard-headed brat, and then took to the press the next day to inflict more damage - not just to Enrile, himself, and the Senate, but also to the good guys at the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Palace... but most importantly, to the nation!  Boy, talk about eroding values!  *sigh* 

So, just what exactly was all that 'oust-Enrile plot' about, Sen. Trillanes?  I hope that this is not about giving in to 'persuasive external forces' to weaken the anti-RH Bill hard line? I hope that this is not another straying off from 'daang matuwid'. You guys can't help yourselves, can you?  *sigh*  

***    

Saturday Photo

by PAM

Cozy...

Yep, he's a 'piece of work'!  But he usually tries to be independent... and can be cutely inventive, too, whenever he does.  For instance, when he can't get anyone to switch on his little electric fan for him or sit with him under the cool shade of the mango tree outside on scorchingly hot days, he'd usually just lounge on the cool floor by the window, cozy up among the curtains like a real 'diva dog' and stay happy and contented like that... until bath time!    

***

Aaaww, Andy!

Finally, A MAJOR!!! ============================================================================
by PAM 

And no tears, too. 

Spotlight on Andy Murray, the new "King of Queens"... sweet!
(Photo: Clive  Brunskill/Getty Images)

And so, it goes... Andy Murray, the "perennial #4", always in the semis, sometimes in the final, always the one who came close, and not quite taking the biggest prize. Well, not tonight in Queens. Tonight, he had the audacity to appoint himself as "the one". He barked himself into gritty fighting mode from one point to the next, got the New York crowd on his side, eyeballed Lady Luck... she blinked, gave him a smile, and Andy quickly snatched the winner's cup from Novak Djokovic. No catastrophic hiccups this time, no emotional blinking.  Aw, relief! 

September 10, 2012... a date to remember, the day Andy Murray finally won his first Major Title at the US Open, becoming the first British man to win a Grand Slam since Fred Perry did in 1936 in Wimbledon.  The dream is finally realized... at the most glorious time in Men's tennis no less, when four of the most talented and ferocious court warriors share the name of greatness - equally now!  The Australian Open "quadrant" held by Djokovic, the French Open by Rafa Nadal, Wimbledon by Roger Federer, and now, the US Open by Andy Murray... all the finals of those Majors were played between any two of the four, plus the 2012 Olympics final.  Yeah, Andy is definitely one of the "Big Four" now... and he has the silverware to show for it, too - and it ain't flat, it holds water!  

The Djokovic-Murray US Open final was a championship match peppered with drama, which lasted just a few minutes less than five hours under extreme conditions in the cavernous Arthur Ashe arena. Two of the toughest "iron men" of tennis measured each other up, the Serbian with blazing eyes stretching his bronze body to near plasticity, the Briton howling wolfishly to scare off whatever defeat demons left lurking in the corners of his mind. Murray brought the "big house" down when, in the fifth set at 4-2, he broke Djokovic on the latter's serve and stared the exciting chance to serve up the championship point to Djoker.  And the Briton triumphed emphatically, 7-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2, to the delight of the New York crowd. 

Congratulations, Andy! Tennis fans cheer for you... it's been a loooong journey, but you found your way - through all the winding roads of heartaches and disappointments. If only for that, your victory is the sweetest, not just for you but for us, tennis fans, too. It's your time... and it's the right time. Awww-woooo! 

***

Happy birthday, Mama Mary!

by PAM

Queen of the most holy Rosary... pray for us!

I remember when my siblings and I were growing up... our parents would interrupt our cozy televiewing marathon ("The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries", "Charlie's Angels", "Remington Steele",  "Murder, She Wrote", etc....), switching the TV off, and gathering us around the altar to pray the Rosary.  And we would sigh heavily, roll our eyes, wring our hands in silent protest, and approach the altar with heavy feet.  We would recite the Rosary mechanically, our minds figuring out who was the mystery killer that the Hardy Boys should be running after.  And after the last "amen"... we raced in front of the TV breathlessly, leaving our mother to blow the candle lights out!  But we got better as we grew older, of course, and recited the Rosary with more conviction as we began to understand the words with our hearts.  

It wasn't until I entered Freshman year in High School (roughly equivalent to Middle School in the US) when I finally had a good grasp of what the Rosary was all about, really, and started praying it with heightened conviction.  My "volunteer" Religion Teacher (I went to a Public High School) made me imagine something that created a vivid image that never faded in my memory.  She said, "imagine that with every 'hail, Mary' that you utter with all your heart and being, a fragrant rose in full bloom comes out of your mouth... and cherubim would come to catch it.  The cherubim then fly cheerfully to put the rose on Mama Mary's head, putting a smile on her lips each time.  By the time you finished saying the Rosary, you would've completed a beautiful and fragrant crown of roses on Mama Mary's head.  And because our Lord Jesus loves His mother, He would be very delighted to see your gift to His beloved mother... and He would be pleased of you."    

'Til this day, when I pray the Rosary, that vivid picture comes alive... such a beautiful, peaceful, heart-warming picture -  a true joy!

Mystical rose... pray for us!

*** 

Saturday photo

Trekkie, Trekker Day!  Hooray! 
====================================================================
by PAM

"To boldly go where no man has ever gone before...."

Just dropping by real quick to say, happy 46th Launching Anniv to the Starfleet/Starship USS Enterprise!  Geekiness lives on, and on, and on... and on!

Alright,  "beam me up, Scotty!"  

Later....

***
Photo credit:  Thanks, Google!

***

QOTD

QOTD #7:  On education and success
==================================================================
by PAM

"Education was the gateway to opportunity for me.... it is the gateway to a middle-class life.... no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school. No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don’t have the money.  No company should have to look for workers in China because they couldn’t find any with the right skills here at home.  

"Government has a role in this. But teachers must inspire; principals must lead; parents must instill a thirst for learning, and students, you’ve got to do the work....

"We insist on personal responsibility and we celebrate individual initiative. We’re not entitled to success. We have to earn it."

            - Pres. Barack Obama
                  from his Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech
                  at the Democratic National Convention
                  Charlotte, NC
                  September 6, 2012

It doesn't necessarily have to be the United States or China, or Pres. Barack Obama, this applies everywhere... and to everyone.

***

Dang, Citizen Bill!

"Hillary's guy" haven't lost his touch... he just got better!
========================================================================
by PAM

He brought the house down - as usual!  Only this time, he was so much better than ever before... and I didn't think that was possible at all!

Former United States President, Bill Clinton, formally nominated the current President, Barack Obama, for re-election in the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.  And, man, was he AWESOME!  He has always been a charismatic leader and exceptionally good orator, but I
Bill Clinton: "What works in the real world
is cooperation." (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)don't think I've seen him give such an incredibly eloquent, engaging, heavy-punching and humorous speech ever before. Ah, talk about wine getting better with age!  Bill Clinton made a case for Mr. Obama's re-election in a way that no one - not even Mr. Obama himself, I think - could ever do.  His speech was well-written, brilliantly structured to send an irresistible message about Obama's inclusive policies and essentially "Middle Class First" Programs while assuring the world that "America is your friend" through his foreign policies. This as he leads the US to a long and hard road to recovery after eight years of war and gut-churning excesses at Wall Street that brought their economy (and the world's economy with it) to its knees four years ago under the watch of the Republicans.  Without sounding like offering an excuse for Pres. Obama's failure to make good his promises from four years ago, Mr. Clinton delivered the message so effectively that it electrified the Democrats - worldwide, I suppose - and maybe brought an approving smile to the "undecided" voters' lips. My attention was glued to the TV screen - in awe - the whole time.  It's a good thing that he didn't talk about abortion though.   

I specifically liked how he emphasized "advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics, because discrimination, poverty and ignorance restrict growth, while investments in education, infrastructure and scientific and technological research increase it, creating good jobs and new wealth for all of us" just because they were some of the things that I appreciated in the State of the Nation Address of our own President, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, in July.

I was just recovering from the 'man, that Paul Ryan charisma has serious wattage, it actually convinces' thing, and the 'hey, Mitt is human, too' dramatic revelation in the Republican National Convention last week.  Those got me seriously
Obama + Clinton, 44 + 42... "Arithmetic!"
(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)'scared'. Oh, boy, Americans aren't letting those Wall Street vultures take us to another free-falling economic ride, are they???  But the Democrats came back punching - with their biggest and most dazzling superstar no less.  If there had been doubts as to whether or not Mr. Obama can win the election in November against the gathering momentum of the Romney-Ryan campaign... well, it looks like Citizen Bill might have just won it for him right there!  I think it might just be 'game over' for Mitt Romney. Too bad for Paul Ryan.

Former President Clinton's leadership was one of my inspirations in pursuing the dream to obtain Fulbright Scholarship about ten years ago or so... to learn the positive things about the American Higher Education System and the American "can-do" attitude and bring them home to hopefully help complement ours in the Philippines, and keep moving forward.  I was fortunate to attend Cornell University in Ithaca, New York for five years.  His wife, Sec. Hillary Clinton, of the Department of State now was the New York State Senator then, and she visited Cornell a few times while I was there to look at progress in research at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that would help the New York Agriculture sector. It was a most wonderful experience, of course.  Then again, it's probably the people I met - in Cornell and in Fulbright (and the US Department of Agriculture and Department of State) - who became very good friends that made the experience wonderful more than anything else.

***
In the local politics front...

I had a tough day yesterday and I woke up late today.  But I woke up to Karen Davila's interview of the newly appointed Department of Transportation and
Sec. Jun Abaya and Karen Davila at "Headstart".
(Photo: Karen Davila)Communications (DOTC) Secretary, who is also the elected Representative of Cavite, Sec. Joseph Emilio Abaya.  It did give me a good "Headstart" that I even found the time to drop by here and talk a little bit - to the cyberspace.  Sec. Abaya is a University of the Philippines Applied Physics guy who obtained his M.S. in Electrical Engineering in Cornell, which I know for a fact to be a very tough Program, among many other outstanding academic achievements.  I think the Basic Science and Engineering training is very useful for systematic, disciplined, problem solving-savvy and low-profile sort of leadership.  Just look at the late Sec. Jesse Robredo whose basic training was Engineering - he made problem solving in governance looked so easy.  While he has yet to obtain the nod of the Commission on Appointments, I think Sec. Abaya will do a great job at the DOTC because he has a very good track record in his relatively short career in public service and politics... but more than that, he has good things in mind that he wants to accomplish for the country's better future.  Looks like we have another young and brilliant, less-talk-more-positive-action guy in the Aquino administration - excellent!

Good luck, Sec. Abaya!

***  
Wait... tennis and football!

Oh, and I enjoyed Maria Sharapova and Marion Bartoli's quarter-final match at the 2012 US Open!  Maria dug herself out of a deep hole where the gritty
Maria Shhhh... (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)Frenchwoman pushed her in in the first set and first half of the second set... and the stylish Russian screamed herself out the hole - emerging as the winner in a three-set battle of wits and wills, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.  Maria's consistently steel determination to win is so awesome!  Win or lose, you know for sure that she always puts up a good fight.  Respect.  Never mind how loud she plays (boy, she's loud!) - ear plugs help, ya know.

Aw, wait... did Roger Federer just crashed in four sets against Tomas Berdych in their QF match??  Dang, I was just going to write about his Olympics Silver medal, Cincinnati triumph and nice form getting into the US Open (eons ago, of course)!  What can I say...  besides 'I am a grown up with grown up concerns who blogs during free time' that is?  Oh, well....

The footie boys are on an International break... and Cristiano Ronaldo is apparently 'sad' at Real Madrid, and it isn't about the money, mind you (according to him, anyway)...and that Lionel Messi couldn't be bothered to comment! :)  And Barça's "pale assassin", who tied the knot last summer, showed both Crissy and Messi who was boss - he won the 2012 UEFA Best European Player award!  So, is that why Crissy is sad?  Aw!  Congratulations, Andrés Iniesta!  Better late than never.

***    

Saturday photo

"All you need is now...."
===================================================================
by PAM

A diamond in the mind... now was the future.

"Return to now"....  

Sometimes we think too far ahead.  We feel overly anxious to see what lies ahead.  We try to imagine over and over again the many different possibilities.  Will it be good?  Bad?  Will it make us happy?  Will it make us cry?  Too many questions... paralyzing us from moving forward and taking the needed action. We spend too much time wondering, speculating, wishing the future wouldn't be as lamentable as the past... and we miss much of what goes on around us - now.  When the future finally comes, we are perplexed by it - happy or sad - simply because we didn't experience now and, therefore, cannot find the connection between the future right in front of us and "the now" just slipping behind us.  We didn't do enough to make sure that the future will be as how we wished it to be - "now".  It's too late when we finally realized that, indeed, to be all set for the future, all we need is now.

***
Something old, something new... now

I made time to drop by the record store a couple of days back... and I finally got a copy of "All you need is now" - Duran Duran's 2011 album.  Yeah, I know, some fan I am!  Well, I was busy... and had no life!  Anyway, missing an important US Open match just to get the album was an atonement for missing their "Diamond in the Mind Tour" last summer in the US and their Pre-Olympic performance at the Hyde Park in London.  As for the album... no, they haven't lost their touch as far as I'm concerned.  John Taylor's bass playing is still as awesome as ever, and it is beautifully complemented (and vice versa) by Roger Taylor on the drums to make a clean, "just right" rhythm.  The subtlety of Nick Rhodes's signature electronic inputs were tastefully done, not a misplaced "shriek" anywhere... and Simon Le Bon sounds fantastic - better than ever before.  Yeah, the "Wild Boys" of the old "Second British Invasion" days transformed Duran Duran's older sound a few notches toward laid-back... but not lazy - a welcome transformation for the now transformed old fans... like myself.  Did I just say "old"?  Oh, well....    

***

Random nostalgia...

...music, please!
==========================================================================
by PAM


I was halfway through writing a "real post" here when "Perfect Day" came on on the Asian Food Channel.  The episode was shot in Öland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea.  All of a sudden, I miss Sweden, the kind people, especially my research adviser, who made me feel at home all throughout my stay... and the beautiful and serene Nordic countryside!  And I miss my Spanish friends, too, with whom I went on Scandinavian tour in the Summer of 2000 while on a break from Lund University... we all loved Öland!  Well, we loved the Scandinavian countryside, actually. :)  With its pristine waters, clean air, blue skies, thick but amazingly very "welcoming" forests, wildlife and fresh food everywhere, it gave us a relaxing break from the busy "urban jungles" that were Manila and Madrid... and a much needed respite from the demands of academic work in Lund.

Okay... while we're at it, let's just complete this quick nostalgic journey with one of the biggest pop hits in Sweden between 1999 and 2000...

..."Save tonight" by the Swedish artist, Eagle Eye Cherry.  Aaw, it still sounds good after all these years! :)

And, as for the "real post", which incidentally is (finally) about tennis (and Roger Federer), football (and FC Barcelona), and "shifting of gears" - professionally... uhm, I think it can wait.  Later....

***
Video credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

Sec. Jesse Robredo, a bud of hope...

...in the blossoming of good governance in the Philippines. ============================================================================= 
by PAM 



The vigil that started in the afternoon of Saturday came to a close this morning.  Sec. Mar Roxas of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) greeted us with a sad news on our breakfast table today... and we faced the day with heavy hearts.

*** 
A sad day.

I join the nation in grieving the untimely demise of Sec. Jesse M. Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). He was 54 years old.  

The late DILG Secretary was on board a small plane, which crashed off the shore of the province of Masbate.  He was on his way to spend the weekend with his family in his hometown, Naga City, from a speaking engagement on behalf of Pres. Noynoy Aquino in Cebu City last Saturday afternoon.  About an hour after take off, the pilot of the plane, Capt. Jessup Bahinting, was requesting for an emergency landing in Masbate after an engine trouble became apparent. Later, Sec. Robredo's aide-de-camp, Senior Inspector June Paolo Abrazado, who escaped from the crashed plane and was rescued by local
"National loss" looming... at the Taskforce Kalihim
Command Post in Masbate.
(Photo: AP/Malacanang Photo Bureau)fishermen, was guiding rescuers in the crash scene, hoping to save Sec. Robredo, Bahinting and his Nepalese co-pilot, Kshitiz Chand.   

At about 5:00 PM, I had trouble following the news from a stunned-looking Pinky Webb and Alvin Elchico on ANC, who were visibly doing their best to compose themselves and absorb the shocking news from a field reporter in Masbate.  That was the start of a painful three-day vigil that started with sheer confusion, developed into incredulous ambivalence, progressed to a resolute and faithful hope for positive outcome, calmed to faithful acceptance of worst-case scenario as hope for positive outcome dwindled with time, and culminated to a sad feeling of loss - on a national scale. 

P-Noy himself led the search and rescue operations in Masbate, which brought together so many people, including private individuals who volunteered their services.  Meanwhile, people in different places organized prayer vigils to help propel the rescue efforts on the ground. This morning, at around 8:15 AM, Sec. Roxas confirmed that rescuers positively identified one of the trapped body in the sunken plane, some 180 ft. below the water surface, as Sec. Robredo's.  And that turned the day into a day of "national mourning"... no presidential decree needed.   

***
But it is a day teeming with hope, too.

The outpouring of support for the rescue efforts and the towering waves of prayers from so many Filipinos from different walks of life in the hope that Sec. Robredo and his companions would escape the mishap alive was indeed remarkable.  I was thinking that perhaps the crisis that we faced as a nation during the Luzon flooding just two weeks ago gave us a sense of community and "oneness"... and we were just facing yet another mega challenge with the same sense of community and oneness, armed as usual with the familiar weapon that is always guaranteed to deliver us from outright tragedy: prayer.  I was only half correct.  

Yes, we are slowly but surely developing a true sense of community and
Sec. Robredo: Good governance, integrity, humility.
(Photo: Jonas Cabiles Soltes/Phil. Inquirer
/Phil. Red Cross) oneness as a nation... yes, we were once again using our favorite weapon against mega challenges... and, as it turned out, most of us are silent admirers of that wonderful man who was Sec. Robredo. And why not when the "oneness" is the fruit of his silent perseverance - avoiding the limelight and working down to the grassroots... less talk, more action.      

With Sec. Robredo being a low-profile leader in a high-profile position, the spontaneous outpouring of love when it was first announced that his life was in danger can be considered “unexpected”... almost surprising. And what a joyful surprise, it was! It seems to confirm one thing: Filipinos - rich and/or poor - can still recognize a good, honest and honourable leader... one who exemplifies good governance and governing with integrity, and that Filipinos gravitate toward such a leader.  What a wonderful news, indeed!  And, it came on the day of the 29th death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino, who reiterated until the day he was assasinated that "the Filipino is worth dying for"... that can't just be a coincidence.  Providence, perhaps?

If Sec. Robredo could see how his demise made Filipinos realize and appreciate that, after all the layers and layers of corruption in the government that engulfed and suffocated us for so long, they - we - have this wonderful thing in common, then he'd know that his sacrifices weren't in vain... that all his life's work, founded on integrity in governance, was indeed a wonderful legacy that we will cherish, and hopefully live by, starting today. We can only hope that, despite their loss, his family is comforted by this realization.

Indeed, there is hope for this country - our country.  

Thank you, Sec. Robredo!  Rest in peace.

***