A Myopic Fallacy

If the Malacañang waits for lauds and commends for the recent survey stating that our country is "an island of calm", they should lose all hopes on it.

The full page advertisements which displays the "high-rated reviews" of the Philippines amid the global crisis are nothing but myopia. As the Malacañang would know, the global recession affects the entire world, thus excusing no one--- even the Philippines. The problem is, the administration seems to content itself from a mere optical illusion of "economic stability"in medias res--- which is definitely a short-sightedness.

While celebrating these short-term "glory" increases hope, the government must take the necessary actions in order to halt the coming obstacles. However, as the effects of the meltdown slowly gnaws upon our "stable economy", law-makers and the cabinet seem to continue their never ending corruptions. As multi-national and international companies cut their costs, the government boosts the budget, not for the consumers expenditure powers but, for them to buy their positions for re-elections by expanding their pork barrels into suspicious amounts.

The labor department reports that 15000 OFWs have lost their jobs and projects an increasing trend with these numbers in the succeeding months. With these, thousands of Filipino families will suffer from unemployment. Moreover, the resting stone of the Malacañang's alleged "economic stability"--- that is, foreign remittances--- will eventually decrease simultaneous with the recession. Therefore, we will suffer the consequences of the government's propaganda of false hopes.

If the president thinks that Obama will "nourish [our] starved bodies and feed [our] hungry minds", she must recognize that the America is still suffering the greater impact of the recession. His projected number of jobs to produce in the next few years are only restricted, of course, for the Americans. In fact, Obama is not insane enough to work hand-in-hand with the Philippines, whose global fame deeply relies on the government's big time corruption, just to survive the scourges of the crisis. Therefore, as much as Obama envisions to rebuild Americ, Ms. Arroyo should try to do something good for our country right now in order to, at least, balance out her worst deeds during her administration.

Ms. Arroyo should stop social climbing in international fora.

The Evolution of Thinkers

A couple of minutes ago, I was reading Discover Magazine (December 2008 issue) cover article entitled 50 Best Brains in Science. I was amazed by the veterans who influenced the academe, who researched the unexplored realms of science and universe and who challenged all odds to enable us to fully understand the mechanisms of life. However, I was most amazed by the featured scientist who are "20 under 40". While most of them had acquired their Ph.D's early, some of them are still students!

Looking at the pictures of these young and veteran thinkers made me ponder if these people really have those names included in the list. The people reflected on the pictures are young, plain and simply like an ordinary persons. I had expected to see lens-aided persons whose get-up is in the geeky fashion. However, I had seen the complete contradictory of this. I was simply astounded by the fact that geeks undergo evolutionary trends that enable them to conform to the "taste" of the time.

It is, therefore, possible for an ordinary person to be as great as these persons. Forget about the Einstein hairs, the lenses and the unquantifiable number of facial blemishes for all of us can be intellectuals. Now, I was left pondering if who am I in these coming years....Hmmmmm...we'll see.

We can do it!

A few minutes ago, I was listening to Obama's Inaugural Address and how he is eloquent enough to silence everybody and to let them lend their ears. As I was watching the video in awe, I was left to wonder why is the Philippines failed to produce such persons, like Obama, who are dignified and simply magnificent.

The Philippines, in fact, has produced hundreds, if not thousands, of intellectuals. However, none as the nation has ever witnessed that a person stand on a podium as a president who can speak a dignified, eloquent rhetoric. There is nothing wrong with the people: There is something wrong in the system.

Barack Obama, and as well as the other president of the United States, is a concrete definition of democracy. That is majority.

For decades, our country has been voting simply the plurality for presidency. It was impossible for us to attain the majority because of our system of choosing the right one. In fact, the candidates for presidency are neither fully transparent nor qualified enough to hold the seat in which the country's prosperity will depend for the next six years. We have been witnessing a serious of failures which cover our mediocre successes. For decades, we haven't achieved a milestone in democracy because we are simply not educated and blind for truth. Our country is poor: in health care, in education, in economy. Thus, we are simply poor in everything.

Of how many times we failed, we tried to stand up again but never recovered because corrupt persons are leading us. We have not produced a great leader: a leader with a powerful discernment and a just judgement. America is a democracy like us and they have established a majestic name in earth. I know we can do it. If they procure change, we also can. We can all do this in 2010. God Bless the Philippines!

Why beat the boy?

Last Saturday, I was riding a bus going to our home in Bulacan. Unknowingly, there was this boy, who I think is a little older than me, sitting on the bus's aisle. Then it came to a time that this boy started to ask for money from me, claiming that his wallet was lost. As much as I would want to give him money, I couldn't because I didn't bring extra money. So, he started to ask a few passengers.

My seatmate, a guy, became irritated to him that he cursed to the boy and threated him to kick his ass out of the bus. Same is true to the other passengers with whom he asked money. Then suddenly, the conductor approached him and let him stay to the bus and promised that will drop him off in his destination. Seemingly, the boy quieted on the aisle.

I really don't know what happened next, but after several minutes, there is this old man who started to slap the boy's head with his slippers. The old man hurled curses and insults to the boy saying that he is "makulit" and whatsoever. I felt nothing but sympathy to the teary-eyed boy who started to speak of what it seems to be on a dialect. As much as I pity the boy, I felt a anger towards the guy and I blurted "Stop it, nakakawa na nga yung bata ginaganyan nyo pa. Kung wala kayong pera, wag nyo nalang panisinin. (Stop it! If you cannot give alms, then the least you can do is to not give him attention.)"

I could not feel any regrets from what I had done. How could he do such thing like that to the boy? Why not say no?

I started to ponder if these people are really Filipinos, with whom I grew up with. Is this the state of our morality? Are we still the Filipinos to whom the world sees as people with high regards to brotherhood, sympathy and hospitality?

I know that the world is suffering from crisis and the people are getting a hard time to earn. Yet nonetheless, this must not excuse us from staying away from our traditional values. It is not enough for the man to justify his actions by saying he doesn't have money and the boy is making kulit to him. As I will repeat, he is of the same set of people, specifically Filipinos, with whom I boxed Ms. Borres on-- discriminative, abusive, and leeches to the society.

The Philippines doesn't need you!

On Ms. Borres' note

Last night, I have a short chatting session with my friend about this girl form my school who blogged about her experiences in an immersion trip up in the mountains where Aetas lived. Her blog contains explicit, discriminative notes about the natives lifestyle. Since I find this notes very offensive I would not post her blog here.

The primary reason of the immersion program offered by the university in which me and Ms. Borres go is that in relation to the school’s vision. Moreover, it is also used to expose the students in to the realms of the poors which will consequentially develop a full awareness of what is happening our country. Unfortunately, Ms. Borres seems like she sticks to the stereotypical icon of the university student.

My claim about this is that she shouldn’t have said those things– even if it was meant only for her friends to see her humours. She is studying in one of the country’s top universities and yet she didn’t realized that there are things that is more proper to say than to write. I will not condone her friend’s treachery but nonetheless, she must’ve known that writing, especially in blogs, needs special care about the choice of words. I respect her freedom of speech but she shouldn’t have used and/or abused it like the way she have done to criticize the Aetas’ way of life.

I pity my her because she haven’t seen the real objective of the immersion program. I understand that she grew up in a well-to-do upbringing but nonetheless she is a Filipino herself. I suggest that she must go take every courses she had taken from our university in order to understand the graveness of her commentaries. After all, the Philippines doesn’t need persons like her– discriminative, abusive and a leech in the society.

Persons like her are the primary reason why our country does not develop.

Goodnight, Benjamin!

Those were the last words of Daisy (Cate Blanchett) in the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). I can't help myself but cry while her soul departs her body during the hurricane. I believe that her unconditional love towards Benjamin (Brad Pitt) was finally rewarded through death, in which she can spend the eternity with him-- forever.
More often than not, we always see movies that projects the "conquering" of death through love-- of how the lovers successfully fulfilled their solemnly sworn "Till death do us part". However, by emphasizing the peculiar case of Benjamin Button's growing younger, the movie gave a new meaning in immortalizing love beyond the limits of life and death by elimination of the bias of age.
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same title, the story tackles the journey of Benjamin Button on growing in reverse: that is, from an arthritis-bed-ridden old "baby" up to his juvenile "dawn of life". Benjamin's conflict was highlighted by the love story between him and Daisy. The story progresses by emphasizing friendship, family, difficulties of long-distance relationship, fidelity and faith, and life and death. As Benjamin himself narrates every minute of his life through his diary, the story goes on with revealing points of clarification and of understanding in Daisy's and as well as Caroline's (their child with whom Daisy hid the truth that Benjamin was her father) characters.
After many years of living their separate lives as a ballet dancer and a sailor, Daisy and Benjamin finally settled as a couple once they meet at the exact same age. Realizing that the succeeding years they will separate in terms of aging, Benjamin becomes afraid of tearing Daisy's heart apart because of his condition. After their daughter celebrated her first birthday, Benjamin secretly left the mother-and-daughter pair "secretly" late at night in order to liberate Daisy from him while leaving her a chance to find "a father for their child".
Years passed, Benjamin traveled while Daisy became a private baller instructor and had his new husband. Benjamin revisited Daisy on her ballet studio with the same age as their daughter. Afterwards, they made love with each other for the last time before Benjamin become a little boy.
Years passed and a call from the home for the aged was sent to Daisy regarding about a boy who suffered from dementia and does not remember who he is. Later, it was revealed that the boy itself was Benjamin and Daisy took charge on caring for him not as a wife, but now, as a mother. Sooner, Benjamin "grew up" into a small little boy and died looking directly to Old Daisy's eyes.
It is sad of how life cheats unto the life of everyone, of how it suppresses the life of a true-lover. However, in the constant scourges brought forth by life, there is love that gives color and calmness to it. Daisy's condition was so hard that she had still love Benjamin for the rest of his life even though his memories deteriorated. Both of them were given justice and thus given eternity to spend with each other. Daisy and Benjamin just danced their own real-life pas de deux and thus were given aces after their final bow.
Heart-warming, touching and inspiring, the movie gives light to how people are differentiated in living life yet nevertheless bounded by a force that will enable them to live harmoniously and that force was LOVE.