==> the TREE and the FRUIT

This is going to be a short post which is so not me right *tongue-in-cheek*  I have been sick(literally) these last 3 days and the last thing I need is to unnecessarily stress myself by thinking about the MARCOSes, AGAIN! But today being a historic day and a certain “JUNIOR” voting the way he did… I dunno… I find the NEED TO RANT SOMEWHERE… not because i'm boiling mad at the guy BUT to give some people some food-for-thought...  so that by May2013,  mag-isipisip muna tayo bago isulat ang kung kani-kaninong pangalan sa balota ninyo.

BONGBONG MARCOS VOTES TO ACQUIT CORONA... why am i not surprised by this? THE FRUIT DOES NOT FALL FAR FROM THE TREE is indeed TRUE!!! More often than not, kung hindi man eksaktong kopya, marami pa ring pagkakapareho sa paniniwala, paguugali, at pagdedesisyon.

You'd think JUNIOR was the guardian of our Bill of Rights if you believe everything that he said in his speech to explain his vote... hmmm,  first off,  lay off the legal gobbledygook talk and all that bullsh*t JUNIOR when youre not even a lawyer and worse, almost all your life,  you and your family benefited in the biggest possible way during a time in the history of this country when your father robbed its entire population of ALL OUR RIGHTS! ngayon, feeling mo ikaw ang magbabantay ng karapatan namin???  wa na,  hindi bagay sayo ang role na yan Dayunior,  hayaan mo na lang kay Joker(na hindi funny) at kay Miriam na isang self- confessed "loose canon"ang role na yan... pwede?

i was hoping the guy would simply go with the flow and join the bandwagon. By the time he casted his vote, the prosecution was ahead, so I would understand if he voted with the winning side, HE IS A POLITICIAN AFTER ALL and with an infamous pedigree to boot. Had he done that, i'd give him the benefit of the doubt as far as his character and intentions were concerned. BUTTT, of course, the SON is sooo PROUD of his FATHER, the late DICTATOR, that there's no way will he support GOOD GOVERNANCE IN THIS COUNTRY… out-of-character diba? Welll, clearly ! haaay, what saddens me is the fact that the majority of the voting population in this country today NEVER KNEW MARTIAL RULE IN THE PHILIPPINES. And because of that, A MARCOS IS NOW SITTING PROUDLY IN THE SENATE !!!

a few days ago, a close relative while reading a newspaper article about the impeachment proceedings told me and I quote… “loko yang si bongbong mukhang kampi kay Corona, bakit ko ba naiboto yan, hindi ko na yan ulit iboboto”. This relative is 50+ years old and so it follows that HE knows what happened to this country 40 yrs ago, HE HAS NO EXCUSE! i've said this before and i'll say it again... THOSE WHO DON'T LEARN FROM THE LESSONS OF HISTORY ARE DESTINED TO REPEAT IT. and because of that,  nakakalungkot man isipin,  i wouldnt be surprised if one day,  baka si "JUNIOR" eh maging Mr President!   Dear God in heaven,  i sincerely hope and pray i'm no longer around when that happens.

==> DANGEROUS WATERS Part 2

Its been awhile since I last wrote anything here. You did’nt see me writing about important national issues like the impeachment of the Supreme Court Chief Justice, the daily brownouts in Mindanao, the coming together of the “trapos” in support of Binay’s super mega early presidential bid and so on. BUT, when it comes to Philippine sovereignty, I find I cant completely ignore it for long. Quarrels within the same modest house seems petty to me now compared to when its people from the next door mansion who wants to eject you from your own home.

So when did I write the first part of this again???   I just checked, and I wrote “Dangerous Waters Part 1”  not even one year ago and China and The Philippines are at it again!!!   The bone of contention between China and the Philippines this time is not Reed Bank(Recto Bank) but somewhere even closer to Luzon,  in Zambales to be precise… the Scarborough Shoal.  The Philippine military found 3 chinese vessels in the area and onboard are different species of marine life that are considered endangered under Philippine laws.  When they were about to arrest these Chinese fishermen,  2 chinese military vessels came and prevented their arrest.  That’s how this latest crisis started.  Well,  its bound to happen,  actually,  it’s inevitable.   Based on previous exploration since the 1970’s granted by the Philippine government*at that time China was completely silent about the whole thing*  that area holds some natural gas deposits.  So really,  its the insatiable appetite for natural resources of the giant bully versus the poor weakling who couldn’t do anything but raise a holler. 

And now the very thing that I wrote in the first part,  the one I dread the most,  will happen before the end of this month… Juan de la Cruz begging for Uncle Sam’s help AGAIN!!!    the “drama queen” part of me wants to literally shed a tear at the thought that after ALL THIS TIME,  we are still attached to Uncle Sam’s apron strings*nakakalungkot pero may magagawa ba tayo?* So much for Pinoy Pride when we threw them out in the 80’s *i was all for it then*  only to realize now that Cory Aquino was right all along… that letting them go at a time when our military is still weak is NOT A GOOD IDEA.  I cant imagine China doing this to us if the US still maintains a military base here, can you ?  Now i dont think i cant blame people when they say we shouldnt have thrown out the American bases... it may not be NOBLE but PRIDE cannot guarantee our national security.   Sad  but True.

Don’t get me wrong I fully support the idea of us going to the US of A for help,  really,  do we have a choice???  When youre being bullied by an economic and military superpower,  you go and find an even bigger economic and military super power and hide behind her back.  as of today,  only the US is bigger than China on both score so,  even if it’s a sad thought… I’M ALL FOR IT.  meanwhile,   the “natural” enemies of the US in the Philippines,  the militants… the Reds a.k.a.  BayanMuna, AnakPawis and others, as far as THIS ISSUE IS CONCERNED,  are getting more and more ridiculous and irritating everyday.   In light of the current ongoing military exercises in the country,  The Balikatan,  just a few days ago these militants stormed the US Embassy demanding that they get out of the Philippines and for our government to revoke the VFA(Visiting Forces Agreement).  it may be a legitimate issue BUT IS IT THE RIGHT TIME TO DO THAT???   can’t we just help each other here FOR NOW instead of blocking our government’s efforts to solve this military standoff with an outsider? Is that too much to ask from you people?  don’t you think that again,  FOR NOW,  it’s better to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don’t know right?

Some sectors are saying that going to the United States for help is not the answer to this problem in the long term, and that the proper forum for this is the United Nations.  OH YES,  I COMPLETELY AGREE!  But what do we do in the meantime when there are Chinese and Filipino vessels dangerously staring at each other RIGHT NOW in that area and our every effort to engage China by suggesting to them that we take this to ITLOS(International Tribunal on the Laws of the Seas) IS BEING IGNORED!  Should we continue to be made to look like a fool by this bully while it continues to ORDER US TO GET OUT OF THERE?  what do we do in the meantime while Chinese and Filipino hackers are currently in a battle in cyberspace  defacing and trying to crash each other’s websites???  *at least dun tingin ko patas ang laban*  The legal route is long and tedious while the situation out there could turn volatile at any time, so please don’t comdemn your own government if she wants to know NOW who’s got her back in any eventuality.

I will no longer write about the legalitities of our claim to these areas of dispute  ‘coz I already wrote about that and about EEZ and UNCLOS in “Dangerous Waters Part 1” so I’m not gonna go there,  besides that’s best left to the courts and hello,  I’M NOT A LAWYER^^  What I want to see now is for Filipinos to come together and show their strong support behind the government in its effort to find a solution to this problem and not add to it, ‘coz that is really sooo frustrating.  Sometimes,  I ask myself why am I sooo affected by national issues…  it could be pretty stressful you know*nakakapagod din ha!*  But what can I do,  it is like a disease,  even if you don’t want it,  when it enters your system you have no choice but to endure it and deal with it.  what’s worse is that I don’t think it can be cured.  I wonder who gave me this bug.   When did I even catch it?   it has only one symptom …before you know it,  something  becomes the “object” of your concern or affection.  The disease is called NATIONALISM or PATRIOTISM and the object of my concern and affection is  the PHILIPPINES.  Please don’t hate me for saying this BUT,  I hope it is a highly contagious disease so that every individual on this planet with a drop of Filipino blood in their body will be infected by this.  Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

==> FAIR JUSTICE . or ? ==>(updated)

2:30pm

AGAIN, I initially didn’t want to add my two cents worth in the brouhaha that is the “Arroyo Airport Drama”, kumita na yan nung isang gabi, at ang taas pa ng ratings! but what can i do when it's right there, in my face, invading my small screen, whether i like it or not! A few of you may think… wala ka namang puso, may sakit na nga yung tao… hello, she’s sick? O sige na nga, im not disputing that, my question is... HOW SERIOUSLY ILL and why go ahead with what the script says knowing they will be stopped by the immigration officers at the airport? sino ba director nyang dramang yan?(who's directing that drama?) If that was my own mother or my spouse and i hear on TV that she will be prevented from leaving the country by the Secretary of Justice AND knowing that a pack of wolves and vultures… este, mediamen and "uzis" will be waiting at the airport, would I still bring her there and subject her to that kind of stress, humiliation and bodily harm? OF COURSE NOT!!! If it was an absolute emergency and it was a life or death situation, maybe, BUT Mrs Arroyo COULD STILL WALK and could clearly talk for chrissakes! ano bang klaseng anak at asawa meron ang taong ito at hinayaan nilang mangyari yon sa kanilang ina at asawa? and they were all there to witness everything. o baka naman si Jose Miguel senior ang direktor, si junior ang assistant director at willing participant si mommy sa mga eksena sa airport! im sorry, pasensya na, i generally dont want to judge people BUT by subjecting me and the entire archipelago with THAT poorly directed drama, they have opened THEMSELVES to public judgment! The Arroyos clearly wanted to play the underdog on primetime TV but im afraid only a few bought her acting.
i think this is the dilema confronting the administration. They want to file the cases against the Arroyos and they want an airtight case. But of course, its not that easy. OBSTRUCT AND DELAY is the game. We have to understand that before Mrs Arroyo left Malacanan, she appointed her loyal henchmen in key positions in government because she knows that there are people just waiting for her to loose her “presidential immunity” to file cases after cases against her… “Mr. Cheap Justice” no less, the most famous of her midnight appointees and “Merci the Ombudsman” are appointed in their position for a reason… need I say more??? its not easy to get rid of these two, there's no way but through an impeachment, unless they resign of course, which we all know they will never willingly do. It took Pnoy more or less a year to get rid of one but the other is still there to make things difficult for him. Unfortunately for this government, Mr Arroyo himself is a lawyer and he and his wife Mrs Arroyo along with their apologists are not exactly a bunch of dimwits… they know how to manipulate the law and make it work for them and more importantly, “they know how to cover their tracks!” it will take forever, if it happens at all, before any case against them could proceed and prosper under the present circumstances, just like what happened in the case of another former president who is also a brilliant lawyer and a first class thief named “Ferdie”.

Now if you were Pnoy and you are faced with a co-equal branch of government dominated by Mrs Arroyo’s appointees led by “Mr Cheap Justice”, would you continue to be the nice guy and follow what the law says at all times considering that the final arbiter of all cases is the Supreme Court? OR, would you opt to make a "Herculean" decision and defy what the law says, in the process risking a constitutional crisis to deliver on a promise you made to your "bosses", the Filipino People, that you will make the Arroyos take responsibility for their sins? You bet its a tough question. it is a tough decision to make. sorry Pnoy, nobody said your job is going to be easy *Orz right? ^^* here's another kicker, barring "miraculous" events like his resignation or impeachment, Mr. Cheap Justice will still be in office even after Pnoy has finished his term. sorry Noy, that's democracy for you *Orz* this might be the reason why the president and the justice secretary are pretending to be ignorant of the law and undermining the Supreme Court... two words are probably haunting and taunting them night and day... the ARROYOs and IMPUNITY.

Pnoy and Sec. de Lima knows that the Right to Travel by the Arroyos are inherent in our constitution. They may not publicly admit it today but THEY KNOW. Every lawyer and law student in this country knows, most politically astute personality knows, some if not most man-on-the-street knows… heck, even I know! Why then you may ask do they STILL insist on defying the Supreme Court??? Maybe, just maybe, this phrase that was uttered by FPJ’s daughter recently is also at the core of their brains… “hindi lahat ng legal ay makatarungan” (not everything that is legal is just and fair).

And because the government still stubbornly refuses to allow the Arroyos to leave the country(i dont entirely blame them), i can already imagine what the next line in the script would be in case the Supreme Court succeeds in enforcing the law with a little help from the Philippine National Police... as soon as the Arroyos reach Spain, they would ask for political asylum and their line would be, "Political Persecution by the Aquino government! We will never have a fair trial while Aquino is in power in the Philippines". wanna bet? and why Spain you may ask... recent history people. Spain is an uber "nice" former colonizer of this country that she(Spain) has accepted with open arms the convicted rapist and murderer of the Chiong Sisters of Cebu, Paco Larranaga, who happens to hold a dual citizenship(his father is a Spaniard, his mother a Filipino). He was transferred a few years ago from his Cebu jail and is now serving the rest of his sentence in Madrid. i'll let you people take a guess under whose administration this prisoner transfer happened. clue: this president is a she and she's just a little over 3feet tall with a Nora Aunor mole on her face^^ hehe just joking ^^ back to topic, what could prevent these "nice" people from Spain from according the same "niceties" and hospitality to the Arroyos whose language then can speak and whose roots and relatives are still in that country? nagtatanong lang po.
correct me if im wrong but i understand that in the majority decision there is a line/phrase written... "right to life"... by that do they mean, Mrs. Arroyo's life? whattttttt? anak ng !?#@!!! is there a pair of hands in Mrs Arroyo's throat squeezing life out of her!?! is her life in serious danger from someone? who the h*ll is threatening her life??? "right to life"... ano naman ang kinalaman ng linyang yan sa issue na to(what has that line got to do in this case?) isnt that line more often than not used by anti-abortion activists? if you have to use that line my dear magistrates of The Supreme Court of The Republic of the Philippines, at least make sure that her condition is a life or death situation that cannot be cured in this country!!! calm down *deep breaths*
o sige, papaawat na ko. Just one question to our honorable justices of the Supreme Court... Why was the decision to issue a TRO therefore allow the Arroyos to travel, SO SWIFTLY DECIDED BY YOUR COURTS??? Tons of cases are pending and rotting in your courts and yet you deemed this particular case urgent enough to render a decision immediately without even hearing the arguments of the other party, who just happens to be the government representing THE FILIPINO PEOPLE! You do understand why I’m asking this question right? this is the same question being asked by the ordinary Filipino who cant even get his/her case rolling at the Municipal Trial Court. Dont you think IT’S A FAIR ENOUGH QUESTION TO ASK?

UPDATE
7:30pm

Well, what do you know, the government has finally found a legal basis to keep Mrs Arroyo in the country(FOR NOW) and Mr. Cheap Justice cannot do anything about it (again, FOR NOW)^^ a warrant of arrest has been issued today for Gloria and the case is for Electoral Sabotage. Unfortunately for Gloria, in the Philippines, Electoral Sabotage is one of the few criminal cases where bail is never recommended. Her camp of course cried foul, saying the government railroded this case to stop her from leaving the country. folk's, that's a no-brainer, we all know that! Didnt they hear one of the Comelec comissioners admit that the possible plight/flight of Gloria was considered in deciding this case. i didnt hear them complain when the SC railroded the TRO in their favor ^^ now Pnoy is playing the good guy and ordering his men and women to treat the former president with respect and to allow a hospital or house arrest for her. If there's one thing i've learned from this whole exercise, it is the power of the presidency. the 3 branches of government may be co-equal on paper but in reality, The Executive branch rules! Ordinary people wonder why some very rich men and women are willing to sell their souls for a crack at the presidency. On more than one occasion i would hear this comment from people, "mayaman na gusto pang mag presidente". I now realize that the attraction is not the money, its power that they are lusting after. They use the "kurakot" money to stay in power. Power in the wrong hands is extremely dangerous... discernment of the highest level is a must before choosing the person we want to occupy the Office of the President... meanwhile, check out the place where our former "acting" president will be detained and tell me if Justice is Fair...

*credit to the uploader "pinaswatcher4*

==> desperately seeking VISAs

Im sorry people but its that time again. This blog after all is originally intended as a venue to host my rants and occasional bellyaching and im afraid im about to do THAT again.^^ The mere exercise of gathering my thoughts about this subject is already giving me a throbbing headache. If you have to go through the things that we from the third world are made to go through, wouldnt you just want to pull your hair from frustration upon reflecting on how stressful and financially painful to your pocket a suppose to be simple thing like a visa application could get *Orz* Anybody whose civil status is Single, Female, a citizen of a poor country and had once upon-a-time experienced applying for a tourist visa, you know exactly what im talking about. It is a task not for the faint-hearted. Each country has different visa requirements and procedures for application, others more strict than some but generally, the same amount of paperwork is required. Now, if youre fortunate enough to be born a citizen of a rich country, in all probability, you wouldn’t have any idea what we who had the misfortune of being born in a third world country go through just to visit and be allowed entry to your precious land. You only have to go online and buy that ticket to wherever and that’s it. Welll… let me enlighten anybody out there who’s interested, first with the basic requirements for a tourist visa:

1. The Application Form. What could be so difficult with filling-up an application form? If youre a senior citizen who’s not tech savy, it would be a major drag. Some countries like the USA and now the UK require an Online Application. I know a lot of old people who doesn’t even know how to use an ATM machine, I don’t have to look far, my own mother doesn’t use a cellphone or a computer. im not a very "techie" person, in fact im somewhat IT challenged or a "PC-tard" if you may and to tell you honestly, my last online visa application took almost 3 freaking hours to get done !*Orz*

2. The Photo. Strictly 45mm x 35mm with light background. Don’t make the mistake of posing in what you think is your better angle or put a smile in your face in an attempt to show a happy/friendly nature to nail that visa. THAT WONT WORK! Look straight to the camera, pull your hair back from your eyes and sport a poker face expression and that’s it!

3. The Passport. Your current passport and ALL your previous(expired) passport. You will be judged by the number of visas(old and new, used and unused) and immigration stamp on your passports. If you’re submitting your first passport and the pages are empty, YOUR APPLICATION IS IN BIG TROUBLE, unless there is divine intervention, prepare to be denied!

4. The Income and Employment. The latest copy of your ITR. If youre employed… a certificate of employment that states your position in the company, how long you have been with the company, Leave of Absence approved by employer, and, how much is your gross income . Sometimes, they even ask for pay slips. If youre self-employed… a Bureau of Internal Revenue registration, a Dept. of Trade and Industry or Securities and Exchange Commision registration, a Business Permit to Operate(Mayor’s permit), ALL ORIGINAL COPIES.

5. The Money. I sooo understand the logic that if youre a tourist, you need to prove that you can afford to travel. Im sooo ok with that. BUT, when a bank asks you to sign a waiver when you request a Bank Certification of your Bank Accounts for visa application purposes, why do I get this feeling that my rights are being violated somehow, somewhere. OK, so I did sign those waivers and let them trample all over my rights ‘coz im a desperate single woman from a poor country in need of a visa * Orz ^^ * so the following are what you need from your bank:

• Bank Certification of ALL YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS that specifies, the Total Balance, the Average Daily Balance and When the Account was Opened.

>>> if all you have saved in the bank is $1000/$2000 or its equivalent in your own currency, just stay at home and sleep it off. you have a better chance of getting to your intended destination in your dreams than in actual fact.

>>> now if somebody from your country of destination is financing your trip. you have to be reeeally close to this somebody. WHY? because now, the burden of proof that you can afford this trip is now transferred to him/her. for short, this somebody needs to prepare practically all the paperwork that is being asked of you and more. his/her citizenship, income and employment, proof of residence and residency, etc.

• Time Deposit Certificates and Bank Passbooks

• At least, 3 to 6 months Bank Statements, those that are mailed to you by your bank. *So you better start hoarding those spam mail, you’ll never know, you might need it someday ^^ *

6. The Flight Itinerary. Confirmed roundtrip flight booking certificate from an airline. you better make sure those confirmation holds the entire time those embassies are processing your visa, they do check.

7. The Accomodation. Hotel Booking and confirmed reservation. some embassies requires hotel vouchers believe it or not!


So that’s the basic requirements, and if you still have the energy and feels those stated above are not enough to secure you that visa approval, now here’s the additional requirements and more paper work for you. To all intents and purposes it means, YOU ALSO HAVE TO SUBMIT the following if you have them:

1. A Birth/Marriage Certificate from/or aunthenticated by The National Statistics Office. if youre a single woman travelling alone, more often than not, youre instantly suspected to be going to their country to hook and catch one of their nationals with the intent to marry. duh. *Orz ...what an overactive imagination and hello... delusional wishful thinking*

2. A daily schedule of activies.

3. Vehicle Registrations. Yes, they want the Original Copy of your Car/s Registration/s.

4. Land Title/s. Originals ONLY, no certified copies please.

5. International Credit Cards with 3-6 months of credit card statements.

and before i forget, they have a new thing now, biometrics! in the old days, they are satisfied with your thumb mark, and then years after, they want electronic prints of your index finger. NOW, they will get the prints of ALL your fingers and take a photo of you using what i suspect is a state-of-the-art camera that takes more than your image. what's scary about this is, what if your prints end up in the wrong hands... in the wrong place like let's say, a crime scene... yeah, im watching too much CSI ^^ it is a joke but it is possible, highly improbable but still possible ~~ actually, there are still possiblities for this particular requirement to evolve and progress. i suggest they ask for toe prints next... prints from our bare feet... elbow prints... knee prints... armpit prints... b*tt prints... ^^ WAAA, im getting hysterical, stop me please ^^

You'd think THAT’S IT they'll be happy with that, you better think again. If youre applying for a Schengen Visa(European Visa), aside from all the requirements stated above, you would also need to submit a Travel Insurance Policy from an Insurance Company accredited by the Schengen States and with very specific provisions clearly stated in the policy, one of which is that, it should have 2.5 million pesos insurance coverage valid on ALL Schengen States. YES, with no guarantees that you will be issued a visa, these European countries some of whom incidentally are currently way over their heads with debt troubles, waiting to be bailed out by the European Union, are demanding that you get yourselves a travel insurance policy!!! Of ALL the requirements, nothing tops this as THE MOST RIDICULOUS!!! I wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow IF they want this AFTER a visa is approved, BUT, for crying out loud, what am I suppose to do with a travel insurance valid in all Schengen States IF my application is denied? Get a refund? And how long would that take and how much will be refunded? *Orz :(* A few years ago, after you have been told that your Schengen Visa application is approved, they will not put that visa on your passport unless a paid roundtrip ticket and a travel insurance policy is submitted. That is still the requirement for the tickets which already as far as im concerned is enough to raise my eyebrow by 1 or 2 millimeter, but the travel insurance requirement became completely unreasonable that my eyebrows shot through the roof! As if all those is not enough to bother and torture us, depending on which Schengen State you’re lodging your application, they will charge you 30+ pesos per minute when you call to ask for an appointment time and date to submit your application and more often than not, you’ll find yourself talking to a freakin’ machine that takes forever to give instructions and sometimes even hanging up even before they could give you a freakin’ date! The whole process of getting an appointment date and the actual visa processing will take more than a month, so in the meantime, while these embassies judge you, yahoo… you can look forward to a whole month of mental torment, worries and anxiousness .*Orz >:(*

It seems that it is not enough for them to know that once you set foot in their country, you start spending money on their country. Why do I get the feeling that they are milking us dry and that the whole process of visa issuance to them has now become a business, a money-making machine. Visa processing fees are non-refundable and the price ranges from, reasonably fair, exorbitant, to obscene amounts ^^ if some countries can charge reasonable fees why cant others follow suit or a least the gap shouldn’t be that great right??? To think that the largest economy in the world charges the most is… nvm *Orz ^^ * I think now is the right time to pay tribute to a country that has become a personal favorite of mine. The only country that I know so far(at least until 2008 that is, im not sure now) that do not charge a single cent for visa processing… youre the best JAPAN! ^^ *clap, clap and a 90 degree bow*

I KNOW, I KNOW… that the reason why they have become these strict is because of the transgressions by some of our own countrymen. The operative word in the last sentence ladies and gentlemen is, SOME. So may I ask, why punish the entire population because of the wrongdoings of a few??? AND puhleez, the poor does not have the monopoly as far as violations on visa restrictions are concerned. am i right or what!Relax, I do not plan to include in this post the plight of foreign nationals who violate their visa retrictions ‘coz that deserves another entry in this blog, so im not gonna go there right now. All im hoping for from these countries is a semblance of reason. Do not make it impossible for us to visit by making impractical demands that seems to encourage us to give up without even trying. Anyhoo, let me end this post on a happy note by sharing some good news… I have recently allowed myself to be judged again and im happy to say that I have passed their scrutiny and they have found me to be good enough and worthy enough to visit their country *pop the champagne and light the fireworks* HA!… whatever ^^

==> MY CHURCH and MY STATE ==> updated on 12july2011

A little background… the president have always said even before he was elected into power that he would support the passage of the RH Bill(Reproductive Health Bill) in an effort to curb the population explosion in the country. In essence what it says is, the state will provide and make available all safe and acceptable means of birth control to its citizens(in particular the marginalized and the poor) and that includes condoms, birth control pills and I think even tubal ligation and vasectomy IF they choose to have it. as a result of this stand by Pnoy, he has been targeted by the sharp tongues and redicule of some Catholic Church leaders. They took turns taking potshots at him, some were even calling for his excommunication. meanwhile, a scandal broke out only this week, when PCSO(Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office) released a report by COA(Commission on Audit) stating that some Bishops and some diocese of the Catholic Church received millions of pesos in donations from the administration of Gloria Arroyo using PCSO funds *is there no end to the litany of wrongdoings by this shameless woman?* anyway, what scandalized the nation is apparently, some of these donations were directly solicited by some bishops to buy 4X4 SUV vehicles for “the diocese” but in reality, for their personal use. This very same bishops who only a few years ago, when practically the entire nation was calling for the resignation of the very same Gloria Arroyo, refused to heed that call inspite the very serious allegations hurled against her of breaking the laws of God and man. What makes matters worse is that PSCO money is Public Funds and under the law that governs it, it cannot be used or cannot be given to any religious denomination… Cory Aquino has long been a staunch supporter and loyal follower of the church and its teachings and her judgement calls were more often than not supported by the church specially during the leadership of Cardinal Sin. Unfortunately for her, a few years ago, at the height of the “hello Garci” scandal and believing that there are serious legitimacy issues raised against the sitting president, Cory called for the resignation of GMA and many were puzzled why her call was not supported by the CBCP(Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines). As a result, she was vilified by some quarters, calling her stand irresponsible and baseless. Sadly, years after her death, its now clear why the CBCP left her in the lurch at that crucial time in our country’s history.

Recent events have put my beloved church in the spotlight and something tugged at my heartstrings urging me to write about this unwanted attention being focused on the church. No, not to add to the bashing it has already been subjected to BUT to urge the church to do a self-reflection to save the institution. I feel that sweeping the controversial issues under the rug is a great disservice to an institution I so love. That for the church not to address them in the most appropriate manner is putting its moral authority over its flock at risk as it may ultimately make our church useless and immaterial in the future. *heaven forbid I hope it never happens* im constantly reminded by visions of those grand yet empty churches in Europe and I cringe at the thought of that happening here.

They say that the money or the vehicles was for apostolic work and social services, not bribe. a toyota grandia, a mitsubishi montero, an izuzu crosswind to be used for social services??? People, were not a bunch of dummies here and dumb is an adjective that im sure is NOT a description we would associate with our church leaders. We do not need an IQ of a genius to know that there is something wrong here, somewhere. And for one of them to say, “why are we being singled out?” is, is, is… OH My God, and I mean OMG, is that suppose to be their defence??? To translate that in the vernacular, it is even more clear that the act is morally objectionable at the very least : “bakit kami lang???” It is an admission of guilt! They clearly know it is wrong and yet the call of and for worldly pleasures got the better of them. they are insinuating that they are being singled out because of the catholic church’s strong opposition to the administrations call for the passage of the verry controversial RH Bill. For the sake of argument, granting that it is true, does that make what they did right??? my dear bishops of the catholic church, the issue here is not about the RH Bill, as far as that is concerned my position is, let the people decide for themselves if they want to use artificial contraceptives or not, that is between them and their God. the state is not forcing them to use it, they are just making it available for them. the issue here is the acceptance and solicitation of public funds for personal use by some of your members. The very same people who are suppose to be the guardian of our morals... that is the issue!!!

the catholic church has a long history here and abroad for covering up misdeeds of members of the church hierarchy. I say, enough of that!!! I call and demand that those who consider themselves responsible and righteous leaders of our church to once and for all show us your strong leadership anchored on morally strong grounds and foundation. Acknowledge the wrongdoings of some of your members and apologize for it. there's no shame in admitting youre wrong and rectifying your mistakes. I for one do not expect my church leaders to be saints BUT I would most definitely expect them to clearly define what is right from wrong. For them not to say anything, skirt the issue and make irresponsible and preposterous statements is the same as condoning the wrong acts. Who do we expect to teach us on issues about morality but our church, the very institution responsible in guiding our values according to the teachings of Jesus Christ himself.

I have long been holding my horses, trying my very best not to write about my church despite all these controversies it had gotten itself embroiled into. I have a tendency to loose myself when im writing and I was afraid that I might write something disrespectful as I address this issue in writing. As the institution that taught me about God and his teachings, I have always held MY Church in high regard despite knowing its not a perfect institution. To me whatever its imperfection lies to a large extent on a few members of its leadership and not on the church itself. What makes my faith in my church strong is because I look at beyond the personalities involved. The Catholic church cannot be defined by a few bad eggs in the hierarchy. In my heart I know that there are more incorruptible, upright and humble unnamed individuals within the catholic church who do their apostolic work discreetly and yet effectively and we may have not heard of them only because they “do not want to let the right hand know what the left hand is doing”, which is just the way I like good deeds to be done. There’s no way that im just going to sit here in silence while a few that belongs to the tribe of “Padre Damaso” further disgrace themselves and drag down the entire Catholic Church with them.

==> UPDATE
12july2011

halleluja, thank you dear bishops for seeing the light :D i knew that my faith in my church is not misplaced and that discerning and upright members of the CBCP will prevail against the misguided and confused members of your organization. in their pastoral letter entitled "A Time of Pain, A Time of Grace"(very aptly titled if i may say so myself :p), let me share with you some parts of that letter and please excuse those side comments in italic and in parenthesis,those comments are MINE...sorry i couldnt help myself i just have to butt in :p anyway, as i was saying...

...here are some interesting parts of their pastoral letter... our bishops said, “… We are sorry for the pain and sadness that these events have brought upon you,” ... “We assure you that the bishops concerned are ready to accept responsibility for their action and to face the consequences if it would be proven unlawful, anomalous, and unconstitutional". The bishops admitted the issue “deeply wounded” the Church causing confusion among the Catholics “because of the apparent inconsistency of our actions with our pastoral preaching.” (exactly! again, i couldnt agree with that statement enough :p)

...here's an intriguing part of that pastoral letter... “Some members of the Church believe in the innocence of the bishops involved in the issue, while others do not(hurray!!! whoever you are :p). There is no doubt that everywhere in the Church there is great sorrow,” (hmmm, i would have loved to be in that CBCP meeting to observe the proceedings, my imagination is running riot at the thought of how they expressed their thoughts on this issue. were voices raised??? was anybody reprimanded??? who's sincerely apologetic and who remained defiant??? i can only speculate, speculate and speculate , chismosa much! :p)

...and my favorite part of the pastoral letter... “We express again our deep sorrow for the pain that the recent events have brought to you our beloved people. The good Lord knows our love for you.”

well done! although... i suggest to the members of the prelate who may be sympathetic to those who are right smack in the middle of this scandal, to please for crying out loud, refrain from issuing comments that could undermine the goodwill created by this pastoral letter. i could STILL hear some of them making excuses for their embattled colleagues. while i understand that you may not want to leave them in the lurch by publicly denouncing their actions, it doesnt serve them and OUR CHURCH well if you continue your role as their apologists. i have always believed that A SINCERE APOLOGY OFFERS NO EXCUSES!!!

==> DANGEROUS WATERS Part 1

" WHAT IS OURS IS OURS AND WHAT IS DISPUTED CAN BE SHARED”

Albert del Rosario
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary
23June2011

A brief information before I get started… There is such a thing called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). it is an international agreement that defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources. This includes the so called Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). These extend from the edge of the territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles from the baseline. Within this area, the coastal nation has sole exploitation rights over all natural resources.

Where do I begin to explain the history of this conflict? I don’t think I want to go on the details of the claims of each country involved, that’s too long and im not in the mood for a history lesson right now. actually, im not going to be Miss know-it-all here and pretend to know the "hows" and "whys" and "wheres" of each claimant country, because i dont know all their issues. Besides, as far as the Philippines is concerned, this latest controversy has nothing to do with THE SPRATLY(Kalayaan Islands)issue! *that last sentence will be explained in the next paragraph* I am writing about this because one of the two parties involved in this hostilities is none other than the Philippines and the other party is …oh just a country called, People’s Republic of China. Yes Juan de la Cruz, it’s the Philippines versus China! They claim that the whole of The South China Sea has been theirs as per historical records. HUWATTT??? THEY OWN THAT ENTIRE BODY OF WATER AND EVERYTHING ON IT??? Hehe…that’s a first! In that case, since the entire eastern Philippines is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and no country has claimed ownership of that body of water yet, instead of claiming the 200 nautical mile Philippine Sea, why don’t we just claim the entire Pacific Ocean as ours and change its name to Philippine Ocean? ^^ kidding aside, even Vietnamese maps I believe refer to this body of water as East Sea. Its actually the early European explorers that gave the name South China Sea to differentiate it from other bodies of water in that area.

What started this latest irritant is the harassment made by some Chinese patrol vessels over at Reed Bank where a seismic and geological survey is underway in preparation for gas and oil exploration in the area. They threatened to ram a Philippine sanctioned vessel. They claim that Reed Bank is Chinese territory because it is part of Spratly Islands which they claim in whole. Reed Bank is just 80 nautical miles off Palawan so it is clearly within OUR 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone(EEZ). Now, if there is such a thing as UNCLOS and EEZs, Philippine ownership of Reed Bank shouldn’t even be an issue right? If only people adhere to the rule of law or international law we wouldn’t be having this military skirmishes between nations right? Well, in Utopia maybe, where everybody lives in harmony, BUT, in the real world there are rogue states and there are plain honest-to-goodness bullies who loves to throw their weight around to the detriment of lightweights such as us *sob, sob* Incidentally, the permit/contract for gas exploration was granted to a British company only recently because under Gloria Arroyo’s term, she included Reed Bank in a Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) with China in 2004. Gloria, yes, our notorious former president, practically gave China the excuse to lay claim to an area that up until then was never a disputed area. Clearly, Gloria sold us to the Chinese in exchange for a few billion dollars worth of loans that very likely ended up in her pocket anyway AND just as clear is that, this belated claim by the Chinese stem from their interest in Reed Bank’s perceived gas and oil reserves. Hello, just because they are an emerging superpower it does not follow that we have to toe the line when you say so and agree to evrything that you say. Hello again, this is the Philippines and we are the oldest democracy in this part of the world! We may not have a perfect democracy but by god I will take it anytime over what they have there! Who’s with me, Am I right or what?

Since its common knowledge here and in the international community that we have a non-existent navy, oh ok were being too harsh on ourselves, let me rephrase that… a practically non-existent navy, ^^ so for David(the Philippines), engaging Goliath(China) militarily is out of the question. BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT, initially, we can utilize what this nation has in abundance… our gift of gab, also otherwise known as, a big and loud mouth that can articulate in the universal language so the whole civilized world can understand. So to Juan, Pedro and Kulas out there who ALWAYS has an opinion and a solution on just about anything, instead of harping at each other, why not focus your attention on external aggressors for once. Im happy to note… that is just what we did ^^ We raised a holler and called attention to what is happening here and we played the "underdog" card to the hilt... in the process exposed the giant and its expansionist tendencies/ambitions. And as if to further display our wit, because we have no military arsenal to display, in its official statements, the Philippine government now calls Reed Bank --->Recto Bank and The South China Sea as West Philippine Sea. WHY NOT chocnut!!! After the initial exchanges of loud accusations and diplomatic protests, everybody is now in agreement that its time to tone down the rhetorics because in all honesty we cannot afford to go into war, period, and, China for its part do not need to further tarnish its image in the world stage, hence, its toned down pronouncements lately. Now is the time to call in the experts of international diplomacy to calm ruffled feathers and pacify hurt pride.

There may be nothing but posturing in the West Philippine Sea for now but those are pretty dangerous waters out there and you better believe it. In response to China’s announcement that its largest maritime patrol ship will be dispatched in the area enroute to Singapore, the Philippine navy is sending its biggest warship for patrol operations in the same area. I just hope nobody aboard those ships decide to play with firecrackers, otherwise, Pnoy would have no choice but to call Uncle Sam and beg for help, again. what a sad thought :(

==> WILLS, KATE & JP2

Ok, just an update. By this time, I have seen the “Event”. The SHOW is over and I must say, i have to hand it to the British royal family, nobody does this kind of a show better than the House of Windsor. A fabulous production … nicely choreographed, everything was on-que. All the participants were dressed to the nines including those handsomely dressed people(royals from other countries) playing extras. I understand that the cost of the whole production is about 20 million pounds and guess who paid for it??? I saw some parts of the broadcast live and I mean from the time William and Harry arrived at Westminster Abbey up to the time Kate walked up to the altar to meet William. Saw the all-important balcony kiss on a news clip and never saw the actual “I dos”. i just have to mention that Prince Harry should have brushed and groomed his hair in place for the ceremony and his brother the groom, Prince Willliam is missing some hair …waaa…sorry, cant help it, I did notice the bald spot and the receding hairline. And of course the star of the show, The Wedding Gown... ooops, i mean, The Bride, Kate Middleton. Not as fresh and innocent looking as the late Diana …well, she was I think a nineteen year old virgin when she married Charles BUT Kate looked regal even if a bit too thin, possibly from lack of sleep with all the excitement. Her dress was a cleanly cut and very simple lace number, just a tiny winnie bit similar and reminiscent but nothing of the fabulousness of the classic wedding gown worn by another commoner who married a prince, Princess Grace of Monaco...pls compare the 2 looks and judge for yourself…
there are just a couple of things... just maybe 1 or 2 things ...ok maybe a few more, that have managed to entertain me. i was awed, amused, shocked, floored, etc. AWED by the understated elegance of the Queen, the bride's mom, the Dutch Princess...
i was quite AMUSED that Prince Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall looks like they are of the same age as the Queen. but in all fairness to the both of them, Charles looks happy and relaxed, and Camilla wore something age appropriate and fit for her body type...
there were too many things happening in her look to begin with but that's the least of my problem with the whole get-up, what SHOCKED me was to see a picture of a big no-no in fashion from the British Prime Minister's wife ...the VPL(the Visible Panty Line)...
and of course, what FLOORED me was this woman who seems to have taken a dip from a pool of royal blue paint and the "thing" on the head of Fergie's daughter, what the...

i dunno about you but I'VE HAD ENOUGH of that wedding, since the local and foreign media has been bombarding us here with the same images over and over and over again for the last 3 days. having said that, here's the latest complaint from YOUR RESIDENT GROUCH, i have been scouring all the channels on TV to look for a coverage of the Beatification of a Great Pope. i understand that there is a live telecast of the actual thing later this afternoon but considering the airtime they gave a certain wedding for how many days, couldnt they have given a fraction of that coverage to a man with a great contribution to mankind? a video documentary about his life would have been an excellent example to emulate for our young people specially in this country of 90+million people, at least 80% of which consider themselves Catholics... haay... wrong sense of priorities and values dominates this world ...unfortunately.