Random Thoughts

March 2, 2008
Sunday

On Malaysia

Today I woke up to the sound of church bells ringing. It took a few seconds to register in my half-awake brain that I wasn’t back home but in a “very Muslim” country. It brought me to a start, the way Malaysia is both so conservative as regards its own beliefs and traditions ---and flexible at the same time, as to the existence of other faiths.


Dawn breaks in downtown Kuala Lumpur (as seen from my room window)

This kind of religious tolerance is the stuff of dreams for so many other countries in the world. It amazes me that such a racially and religiously-diverse country (already a nightmarish situation for some)—is in fact, socially and economically sound.

After having celebrated only its 50th year as a nation last year, it is enviable indeed—-how far Malaysia has come in this short span of time. Within 50 years, Malaysia has succeeded not only in building the tallest twin towers in the world but more importantly-- provided free education and healthcare insurance to all its citizens. It was able to provide to its people all the much--coveted basic human needs that my own country, until now, has never achieved. Over a hundred years of nationhood and yet the Philippines continues to lag behind Malaysia, especially in terms of providing the most basic social services to its people.

It is this fact I think, from which the contentment and peace in Malaysia springs. Its government has not failed its people.

Politics takes a back seat here. It is not the same as the noisy, volatile, chaotic, betrayal-ridden, patron-beholden politics in the Philippines. Politically-charged passion and anger in this country is almost a non-occurrence. And yet democracy is alive and kicking. Malaysians are pretty much able to do whatever they want and live their life the way they please.

Their discovery of oil must have done wonders to their economy I suppose. But of course, there are also other important factors that could have contributed to its thriving economy. I may not have the chance to discover them all. I am just thankful that I got this chance to visit this country. Very nice people here (except some rude people in the street).

On Vietnam

It must be really something to live in a country that your not-too distant ascendants fought tooth and nail for, and even died for. Such is the case of Vietnam. Being so close to two spunky Vietnamese girls these past few weeks have given me a revelation about this country, an awareness that I otherwise would never have discovered.


the beautiful Hanh and brilliant Cham

Imagine a communist country where radios play Britney Spears songs? Knowing Cham and Hanh has destroyed all my misconceptions about Vietnam. In my growing alternate point of view, I could see how this country is communist in name only. Not in spirit.

Vietnamese people even have divorce for goodness sakes. Look at so-called democratic Philippines! Vietnamese people can do almost anything that Filipinos are allowed to do. Imagine that. And there I was, thinking all along that Vietnam must be one very restrictive, somber, intimidating place to live.

They take care of their own. I saw that so obviously in the case of Cham and Hanh. These girls have a forty US dollar daily stipend from their government. At the rate we’re going in the Philippines—this is SO not possible.

After all the bloodshed, all the mortal sacrifices, the pain and misery of war— Vietnam has come out on its own—proud and sure of itself as a nation and as a people. This is a country that once defeated a superpower. This is a country that went to hell and back to defend its right to self-determination. This is a country that achieved the impossible with very limited means.

Time and again I ask the two, if ever offered a job outside of Vietnam, would they accept? And the answer is a consistent resounding no. Their happiness and pride as Vietnamese is so apparent, you could almost share their joy. In my country, you ask the Filipinos the same question and you know what their answer would be-- and not only that, to leave the Philippines is actually their ultimate dream! But you couldn’t fault them with it too. How tragic.

SHAME

The international community is abuzz about Thaksin Shinawatra’s first ever journey back to Thailand after having been deposed as prime minister in a 2006 coup.


Who is this man, that even the most powerful countries in the world would make his homecoming top story? BBC covered his dramatic homecoming extensively, and so did CNN. After having been in exile for 17 months where he also had the chance, of all things—to own one of Britain’s top football teams-- the billionaire businessman was finally hauled directly to court, to face long-overdue graft charges.

This only shows how Thailand occupies a very prominent spot in the sphere of international relations.

In contrast, the escalating protests and corruption scandal now rocking the Arroyo administration has so far, failed to elicit even the slightest attention from the world’s top news organizations. Right now, even in my own little international circle of friends, nobody just seems to be interested. Everybody knows who Shinawat is. But Arroyo?

The tragic thing is that, in spite of all the disgrace and defeat surrounding Thailand’s former PM, he’s still considered a person of great significance. In our case, in spite of all the disgrace and dirt surrounding Gloria, foreigners just don’t give a damn and oh wait-- what do you know?! So do Filipinos themselves! Masuwerte talaga ang lola mo!

What have we done as a people, to become invisible in the eyes of the world? Why has this nation become a major laughing stock? Why are Filipinos apparently not being taken as seriously as their Asian neighbors, and not being respected the same way?

Was it the two, three, or perhaps even four so-called “people powers” where not even a single official spent a day in prison after having been found guilty by the highest court? Was it the hasty pardon, unconditional at that-- granted to a former president-convict, justified brazenly not on the national interest but rather, on the political survival and convenience of one? Or is it the fourteen soldiers, then young and innocent-- who’ve spent their entire lives in jail for an assassination they knew nothing about? Or is it the three-thousand-strong who leave the country’s shores each day, opting to live or work in foreign shores rather than their own?

The questions never stop.

But worst of all is the shame. Shame-- coming from a country that just could not govern itself, much less with integrity and honesty. Shame, being borne of a people with chronic short-term memory loss. Shame for being part of a country that has no self-respect. Shame, coming from a nation with a repetitious history of dishonest leaders and failed institutions. A country that never learns.

And now what do we have to contend with? Who do we have to live with? Who is this person whom we allowed, through inaction and neglect, to pursue an unprecedented, incredible greed for power at our expense? Who is this person who now pompously assumes the right to make crucial decisions solely at her own whim? Who is this person who commands mercenaries and thugs-in-uniform, and entire bureaucracies to do her bidding however immoral and unjust-- to conceal the truth by all means?

We have to act now before we lose everything…

AN ORDINARY MAN

When your own lawyer has abandoned you and the public attorney thinks you're not "indigent" enough to warrant his services, where do you go? When your wife, son or daughter could not be discharged from the hospital because you couldn't afford to pay the bill, where do you go? When your house will soon be demolished and nobody cares, to whom will you run to?

In a country of 87 million, with about a half of that struggling to make ends meet

I recently read this very interesting comment from a reader in the PDI responding to columnist Conrado De Quiros somewhat derogatory and snide remark about Pinoys trying their best at learning English only to become nurses or blue-skilled workers abroad.
Apparently the reader Michael, was offended at De Quiros' seemingly shallow and frivolous opinion not only as to why Pinoys continue to leave the country in droves, but of OFWs as a whole. And he certainly made his point in the most furious, bristling manner but in effect, eloquently overshadowing whatever De Quiros had to say about the matter.

He emphasized that Pinoys leave, not just for the sake of leaving or earning more--but primarily because deep within is a bottomless discontent at how their own country is being run, and how the system remains as rotten as ever. It is appalling to note how he and millions of others have already lost even the faintest shred of hope for their own nation, but he said this does not warrant the ridicule or mockery or judgment of any other person (like De Quiros).

His other compatriots continue to tell him it's not worth staying here because any person who succeeds in government "are ALL corrupt" and that he and other self-examining and self-respecting Filipinos are all "sick and tired" of propaganda being "shoved down their throats." Michael argues that they should be respected for whatever choices they make because essentially, it concerns the right to self-determination--their right to chart the direction of their lives according to their own terms, without the complications and obstacles inherent in a morally-delinquent, unstable government and a deeply-polarized country.

THE MANILA TIMES SPECIAL REPORT: POOR CHILDREN,BLACK CHRISTMAS

* wrote this special report not knowing it would become yesterday's banner story/ headline at the Manila Times...

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Black, Bitter Christmas for 6M Poor Pinoy kids
11.5 million Filipino children are poorest of the poor


THE government says some 11.5 million of the almost 33 million Filipino children live below the poverty line. They are the poorest of the poor. Marianet Amper, tormented by her family’s extreme poverty, killed herself last November.

Most likely, 6 million of the 11.5 million poor children are having a black and bitter Christmas season, like Marianet. They don’t have the bright Christmas enjoyed by the children of well-off and rich families.

They never hear the soft voice of hope and empowerment that one is supposed to hear from the story of the birth of the Christ Child. All they hear are the sounds of hunger, conflict and despair.

The other 5.5 very poor children are probably adequately lifted from desperation by the poverty alleviation programs of the government, the churches and the private organizations.

Street infant

Hope Andres (not her real name) has never believed in Santa Claus. She makes a living by begging from commuters inside passenger jeepneys with her infant daughter. She is only 14 years old. When asked who the father of her baby is, she declines to answer. But she told this reporter that if she would ever ask for a gift, she would want her baby to be finally out of the streets.

In a nation that values the youth as an invaluable asset, current data show that unlike any other sector of the population, Filipino children continue to suffer from hunger, abuse and oppression like never before.

The 2007 data published by the National Statistical Coordination Board showed that Filipino children still account for the largest number of the poor population.

Around 11.5 million of the almost 33 million Filipino children live below the poverty line. Hope is one of them. She is one of the country’s estimated 1.5 million street children.

Figures from the latest NSO Family Income and Expenditure Survey also present a more vivid profile. Around 20 percent have no access to safe drinking water, almost a third live in homes that have no electricity, and around 40 percent of Filipino households with children aged 13 to 16, are not able to send them to school.

As the entire country celebrates Christmas, it is but fitting to listen to the voices of some of them, for a deeper understanding of this season’s significance.

“I wish I can be free…”

This may seem to be a complicated Christmas wish for a 13-year-old but such is the ultimate yearning of Benjie Garcia, (not his real name) a ward of the Molave Youth Home in Quezon City.

Benjie is second in a brood of six children, and currently under the safekeeping of the Quezon City Social Services Department’s “Task Force Diversion” after having been caught shoplifting at a grocery store.

In between sobs, Benjie recalls how he was manhandled by the barangay tanod who caught him. “He hit me and my friend several times. . . He also put handcuffs on us and I knew that he was not allowed to do that.”

Benjie said he stopped going to school when he was in third grade and could hardly read or write. He only sees his parents during weekends. His mother works as a “stay-in” canteen worker and his dad, a stonemason, lives within a construction site to cut daily transportation expenses.

The rest of his siblings are taken care of by his eldest brother, 17, also an out of school youth.

Benjie still believes, however, that once he gets out, his family would once again, spend Christmas together. “Sana makalaya na po ako para makapiling ko na pamilya ko, puro mabait po silang lahat, ako lang po ang naging gago. [I wish to be set free so I could be with my family. They have all been very good to me and I am the only one who ended up bad.]”

“I’d like to go back to school…”

“My wish is to go back to school again.” This was uttered by Abby Solis, [not her real name], 13, another ward of Molave Youth Home in Quezon City. Abby is facing charges of Qualified Theft after allegedly stealing her employer’s clothes.

Last June, Abby traveled all alone from Negros Occidental to Manila to be with her mother who worked as a househelper here. After being with her for a short while, her mother decided to go home to the province and Abby took her place.

If given the chance to speak to Santa Claus, Abby said she would ask him for a cell phone. “My family does not yet know that I am here [in Molave]. I would like to hear my parents’ voice so much.” She said tearfully.

Case studies consistently show that poverty is the root cause of “survival offending” among Children-in-Conflict-with-the-Law or CICL. Such is the process of committing a violation or offense while in the process of carrying out one’s livelihood or in the act of survival. Poverty is one of the factors invariably linked to children’s vulnerability to commit various crimes.

“I’m so exhausted. . .”

Hector is 16 and works as an all-around errand boy in a sing-along-bar in Santiago City, Isabela. He works almost 20 hours a day for a P50 daily wage.

“I do not get to keep my salary because my employer gives it to my parents every Friday.” His parents travel once a week from nearby town Alicia to get his meager salary. He is the sole breadwinner for a family of 9, being second in a brood of 7 children.

His voice breaking, he tells this reporter that he could hardly find the strength to go on. “I sleep very late because the bar closes at around 2 a.m. I get back to work very early the following morning.”

When asked what he would wish for Christmas, he said he wishes for another job that wasn’t as hard.

Present statistics show that more than three and a half million Filipino children from all over the country, aged 5 to 17 work under often-grueling conditions, in spite of legislation outlawing child labor.

Statistics from the NSCB also show that as of 2002, around 30 percent of the Philippines 84.5 million population earn only around P38 a day. Fifteen percent of this figure are composed of families whose children work for a living.

-30-

Anatomy of plagiarized work

Recently, I was browsing through some websites and blogs linked to this blog, (why or how they registered a link with my blog--my low-tech brain would rather not ask) when I came across this website purportedly owned by a veteran media personality. Intrigued why and how come, my blog was linked to hers-- I sneaked a peak. Lo and behold, I saw some very familiar phrases, and never not even once, did she mention my blog!

I would rather not mention the name here, because it just so happens I was born with a soft heart for the elderly. But the point I'm driving at here is that--plagiarism is a reality, so beware, and make all the necessary steps to protect your work(i.e. apply for copyright), as soon as you get the chance.

To illustrate, here’s an excerpt from a post I made last May ’07 pertaining to poor healthcare conditions:

“There are thousands, perhaps even millions of Filipinos in the country trapped in similarly hopeless situations.”

Here’s what she wrote re: Mariannet Amper:

“There must be hundreds, even thousands, of young girls and boys...all over the country who are trapped in similar hopeless situations.”

* note that the idea is different, but the sentence construction is almost the same.


Here’s what I wrote on the death of Mariannet Amper:

“Apparently…this girl was...sensitive and introspective that she was able to chronicle her family's suffering in a diary.”

And here’s what she wrote:

“Mariannet...has an introspective frame of mind and...unusual sensitive personality.”

Lastly I wrote:

”Mariannet, innocent and young as she was, put a human face to another disquieting news item today, where...11 million Filipinos live on less than a dollar a day.”

Her version:

“Mariannet’s suicide put a human face...to the never-ending issues of poverty, where allegedly 11 million Filipinos consider themselves hungry.”

Now, doesn’t something like this ruin your day (and your appetite for blogging!)?!!!

Rage

They glide through halls of polished stone,
dine in fully-carpeted lounges,
mingle in mansions plying vintage wine.
Their words reverberate throughout the land
examined, analyzed and revered by fools.
At night they thrive
In marble habitats and exotic gardens.

In their Armani-inspired suits
They reek petrified nicotine,
clandestine deals and mindless
affairs, souls newly-soaped, soaked
In a hotel tub of hastily-concealed sins,
As they flaunt their greed and shameless
Indulgence, wandering shriveled fingers
fondle gentle young women
too naive to scream.

In their vanity, they argue pompously
About matters of state, exchanging
Insults, opportunistic ideas,
superficial comments in between.
Always on the look out for that, which
could send them away to rot for good or
earn them a moment of glory.

So they delude themselves, believing
They have every right to be where they are--
Patriots meriting utmost respect.
When in truth they are just flies
clinging to the honey pot of power
in a ravaged land.

They feign honor and wisdom
And pretentiously hoard to themselves
the monopoly of truth
Casting their verdict both upon
The guilty and the innocent.
Simply because compared to their love
for power, everything is simply expendable.

They ride their SUVs
While children brave treacherous highways
For a handful of coins,
Stomachs churning blood.

They ride their SUVs
While emaciated farmers cling to their last breath
like withered weeds, waiting for the
emancipation that would never come.

They ride their SUVs
While entire families cram inside
Plywood walls ‘neath sagging concrete
Along muck-colored creeks with nary a trace of life
Just flotsam of garbage and never-ending
Stink.

So they ride their SUVs.

by Wyanah, August 2007, all rights reserved.

* photo courtesy of mindfully.org