Calculated Risks

I find it easy to understand why a lot of people would prefer the first movie than this one, and let me start with that:

(1) The supposed-to-be funny scenes between the ice-cream-truck duo (turned green and red cars) were not funny in a lot of scenes. They were actually more dragging especially towards the point when the final battle was happening.

(2) Megan Fox was all cleavage and butt.

(3) I didn't get the point of the piece of the Spark. If Sam would have gotten the encrypted message when he touched it, wasn't he HOLDING the Spark for 15 minutes-worth of scenes in the first movie? I think I have to see the movie again to understand it better.

(4) The Destroyer was built up in the trailer as something that the Autobots would have a really hard time destroying. But it didn't turn out that way.

(5) Weren't the Autobots supposed to "sense" the presence of Decepticons? In the very first scene for the Destroyer, Ironhide said, "He's here, I smell him." But why didn't Bumblebee sense that the girl who rode in his passenger seat with Sam (the "cheating on me" song scene) was actually a Decepticon?

(6) The underdeveloped roles of (a) the representative of the president who was thrown off the plane through a parachute; (b) the roommate; and (c) the new Autobots who just appeared in a few sequences only to be butchered by Megatron and his boys in Egypt. Getting an emsemble whose members have had characters in cartoon series (or comics) should be done in caution. Remember how Xmen 3 ruined it all for us.

(7) What happened to the little Decepticon who humped Megan Fox on her leg? Plus, the octopus-like Decepticon who hacked into the satellite wasn't the Fallen right? So what happened to him, still stuck to the satellite?

But there were some aspects I didn't expect, but were interesting to me:

(1) The return of John Turturro (not sure of the spelling).

(2) The casting of the Willy Wonka dwarf which was actually funny.

(3) The foul language. Black people language too. It was weird at first, but then so what.

(4) Sam's mom getting high.

(5) Sam getting that nasty painful wound on the neck towards the end. Ewww. But cool.

(6) The pirate Decepticon-turned-Autobot-by-choice. My brother and I call him "Lolo airplane". I hope they would've developed him more.

(7) The return of some of the original cast of the soldiers in the first movie. I liked it that way. There is a follow-through of the relationship built with the humans.

But with all its ups and downs, I still liked the movie, primarily because I am firm with what I was expecting prior to watching it. The presumption is, if you didn't like the movie, you must have expected something that the movie wasn't able to deliver. Do the critiques actually know what they are looking for?

My expectations were simple:

(1) The return of Megatron. I would not be happy with a Transformers movie without my favorite Megatron (partly because he's fierce and mean, partly because he's stupid that he never killed Star Scream when he should have had a feeling that Star Scream would eventually betray him sooner or later, and partly because Megatron is voiced by Hugo Weaving).

(2) Kick-ass fight scenes. Finally I saw Optimus fight that kind of fight -- before he "died" and upon resurrection. And Bumblebee with the putting-on-his-face-mask fight scene was actually good too. And all of those are thanks to the visual effects.

(3) The representation of the movie of how Transformers fans conceptualized the cartoon series when they were younger -- I always had the impression that Transformers is representing a parental presence in the life journey of its (child/adolescent) protagonists. The Autobots experienced life (and death of their planet) already, and they are guiding and working with humans so we won't make the same mistakes. What stands out is the relationship of Optimus to practically everyone who has ever watched Transformers prior to the movie. Optimus is the father figure in the absence of a good paternal influence in children's consciousness.

The movie resonated that kind of relationship, only that Sam now is not a kid as he was in the first movie, but a boy-turning-college-with-a-hot-girlfriend. That's cool by me. I don't even consider the storyline mushy. It's just the way Transformers had aligned itself with the consciousness of its audience.

(4) I expected to be entertained. To say wow at certain points, to feel antagonized because the characters are compromised, to laugh at the right moments. And I am contented with the level in which I got those. I paid to be entertained by my childhood robots. I don't expect them to present me with Hegel and Kant. But if the movie would do that, then it's a bonus (just like how the Dark Knight was an experience in itself). But I don't expect every movie to be that way. And the expectation of just being entertained for the moment allows me not to over-intellectuallize an experience that I want to be untarnished by the hegemony of artistic paradigms.

So for those who haven't watched it, I'm sorry to have spoiled some stuff. But go watch it still. It was worth my 160 bucks, popcorn, and Chai Tea Latte from Coffee Bean.

Tatot's 9-1030 TTh class is conducted in the same room where my 1030-12 class is. And on the first day of classes, I saw a familiar quote written on his board. I don't remember the quote exactly, but it somehow says,

Pag-ibig ang pinakamalakas at pinakamalalim na pwersa sa mundo.

And right there and then, I remembered the reading on beauty, liberation theology, and my immersion while in his class. I wanted to cry.

The academic side of me is demystifying almost everything in my life. From institutional dynamics and adjustments, to interactional politics and dramaturgies, up to the multitide of connections of the agency to structure. There are more theories for me to learn, but somehow now, I have a decent grasp of the main discourses in the field.

While Charles Wright Mills and Peter Berger would say that's a good thing because of the consciousness it brings, it leaves me at the center of the discourse most of the time. And when theories are occupying various nodes in the circle, my mind is, again, at the center. Open-minded and understanding, sure. But it's not always a good thing for my sanity.

The theories are depriving me the chance to experience something magical. The frameworks are stealing the depth of experience because I would know where a phenomenon comes from before it even ends. I suppose I'm looking for something that I cannot explain, something I cannot even try to explain moreso. I am looking for an experience that will leave me in awe once again.

And it struck me, that note of Tatot in his board, because when I was reading the article on beauty for the first time some three years ago, I found myself crying in the then-Dela Costa smokers pocket garden. Beauty captivates. Beauty empowers. Beauty is the first step in recognizing that God is here... Simply because we cannot explain by experience what beauty really is.

Of course there are theories on beauty. There is the gender politics theory on beauty. There is the Critical Theory on beauty and art. There is beauty as construction, and/or projection of the ideal. Post-modernist theory, too. And what not. But right now, I really don't care.

And then, there is love. I do not know where to begin describing the strands of paradigmatic clusters discussing love. It's easy to analyze love from a distance. But when immersed in love, it's almost always, unexplainable.

Could the books seriously tell me what it means when I look into my fiance's eyes in the morning and feel that I am living my life? Could the theories tell me what it means to be around when my family needs me? Could the paradigms really organize how an embrace feels?

I don't think so. Or maybe they could, combined with the hormones and body secretions that psychologists use when explaining love. But they all fall short on capturing the depth and immensity of the experience.

Immensity. I like that word. Saying the word alone takes my breath away.

And so I am here, understanding and synthesizing discourses, but yearning for the "more" that I am looking for. I want an experience so deep and great that I'll end up sobbing in tears. I crave for an encounter with something so beautiful, so similar to love, that it is almost divine.

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/how-to-make-it-in-the-afterlife/

June 23, 2009, 10:00 pm

How to Make It in the Afterlife

By Simon Critchley

I am writing from Athens, doing what might loosely be described as 1cwork, 1d with some rather bad news. Just when you thought it couldn 19t get any worse 14 you 19ve lost your job, your retirement portfolio has been exfoliated, Bernie Madoff has made off with your money, your pet cat Jeoffrey has left you for a neighbor and economic recession has become psychological depression 14 you discover the awful truth: you 19re going to die.

Somehow, it was always expected, always certain, along with taxes. You 19d even smiled weakly at that old dictum. Now and then you had heard time 19s winged chariot drawing near, but had put it down to street noise and returned to your daily round of labor, leisure and slumber. Now, stripped of the usual diversions and evasions of life, the realization begins to dawn: no matter how healthily you eat, how much you deny your sedentary desires in the name of fitness, no matter how many sacrifices you make to the great God of longevity, you are going to die. Sooner or later, you are going to become worm food 14 unless, of course, you choose cremation.

What, then, might be the relation between happiness and death? This topic has come up a couple of times in Happy Days, most palpably in Tim Kreider 19s 1cReprieve. 1d As is so often the case, the ancient Greeks, had a powerful thought, which to us seems counterintuitive: 1cCall no man happy until he is dead. 1d What is the meaning of this remark, often attributed to Solon, but different versions of which can be found in Aeschylus and Herodotus?

The idea here is that one can only be sure that one 19s life is happy when it has come to an end. No matter how nobly one might have lived, however much courage one had shown in battle, however diligently one had served as a public citizen or privately as a paterfamilias in the rather patriarchal structure of ancient Greek family life, there was still the risk that life could end badly. One could die ignominiously or even worse in a cowardly or ludicrous manner: Heraclitus suffocated in cow dung; Xenocrates died after tripping over a bronze utensil in the night; Chrysippus died laughing after seeing an old woman feed figs to an ass. For the ancient Greeks, a life lived well was a life rounded off, consummated even, in a noble or appropriate death.

This means that happiness does not consist in whatever you might be feeling 14 after death, of course, you might not be feeling much at all 14 but in what others feel about you. It consists more precisely in the stories that can be told about you after your death. This is what the Greeks called 1cglory, 1d and it expresses a very different understanding of immortality than is common amongst us. One lives on only through the stories, accounts and anecdotes that are told about one. It is in this that happiness consists.

This has a very peculiar consequence for societies like the United States, so singlemindedly devoted to the pursuit of happiness. We assume that the question of happiness is a question of my happiness or, more properly, of my relation to my happiness. But why? Why doesn 19t it make much better sense to live in such a way 14 to act kindly, fairly, courageously, decently 14 in such a way that happiness is something that others might ascribe to you after you are gone?

Having recently written a book on how philosophers die, and being a philosophy teacher myself (and yes, I too will die at some point. I am quite sure of it), I am often asked the question, 1dDo you believe in the afterlife? 1d After mumbling something stupid on a few occasions, I have now learned to reply, 1cYes, of course I believe in the afterlife. I believe in the life of those that come after, those we love, who are few in number, and those we don 19t even know, who are obviously many more, a great many in fact. 1d People rarely seem impressed by this answer.

But why should we assume that the question of the afterlife must always be answered with reference to me? Isn 19t that just a teensy bit selfish? What is so important about my afterlife? Why can 19t I believe in the afterlife of others without believing in my own?

A skeptic might object that I am simply dodging the question. Of course, they might say, the question of the afterlife is about your afterlife. So, does it go on or not, this series of disconnected events that we call existence?

The only really philosophical reply I can give is, 1cI don 19t know. 1d

After he had been condemned to death on the trumped up charges of corrupting the youth of Athens and failing to revere the local gods, Socrates began to ruminate on the afterlife before an audience of his judges.

He said that death is one of two possibilities. Either it is a long dreamless sleep and really rather pleasant, or it is a passage to another place, namely Hades, and there we 19ll be able to hang out with Homer, Hesiod and rest of the Greek heroes, which sounds great. Socrates 19 point is that we do not know whether death is the end or some sort of continuation. He concludes by saying only God knows the answer to this question. Of course, this makes it a little tricky if you don 19t, like me, have the good fortune to believe in God.

---

Simon Critchley is chair of philosophy at the New School for Social Research and the author of several books, including his most recent, 1cThe Book of Dead Philosophers. 1d

For those who have been following this blog, please be informed that I have been currently using my Multiply account more often.

That explains why the last entry in this blog is dated April 2009.

You may check out my Multiply account at: scarredempress.multiply.com

Thanks very much!

~Czarina Medina

I have always liked watching and collecting films about historical characters - the latest addition being The Duchess that stars Keira Knightly and Ralph Fiennes. But what interested me is not exactly the film (even if the film is wonderful) - but one of the insights in the Special Features.

The producer talked to Amanda Foreman, the biographer of Georgiana the Duchess. She had a collection of letters of Georgiana in her own handwriting which she showed in that DVD part. For those who are familiar with the film, it would be known that Georgiana lived with the fact that her husband, William the Duke of Devonshire, had an affair with her best friend, Elizabeth Forster, whom later on became the duchess after Georgiana's death. As Foreman showed the letters, she said that the real biographer of Georgiana's life is Elizabeth, as she crossed out and tore out some of the letters and pages of the journal that Georgiana left. What was left are accounts of Georgiana expressing her innocence, her love for Elizabeth, her neediness, her desperation. Perhaps nothing of her writings that berated Elizabeth's relationship with the Duke was left.

And so the remaining letters and pages are all that's left to base the contemporary understanding of the person of Georgiana.

And I realized two things:

First, how wonderful it is to have the internet in our time, where no one can cross out or delete pages as long as the home server/page exists. No one can just pick and choose the words that we write about ourselves. No one can censor our autobiographies. And even if the blogosphere is now plagued with everything mundane, we can never tell which of the random stories online will matter in a century's time. The good news is, if one of the blogs would gain significance in the future, there is better probability that autobiographical entries can be relied upon. [To think that the internet was formally introduced to the public in just the early 1990s -- look at where it has taken us now in terms of personal documentation.]

And second, when Foreman was going through Georgiana's letters, she was analyzing, so to speak, how the Duchess' character changed from being a married teenager to an emotional but strong woman of her time. Foreman derived these insights from the way the Duchess talked about her daily activities, her feelings about receiving random but important guests, her sentiments about her drug use and being bulimic, among others. I realized, don't these kind of things/topics comprise the usual blogs of everyone (except maybe the bulimia part)? We usually don't want to read them because of their triviality and often lack of insight, but somehow, somewhere, they reflect a person or an era's zeitgeist.

How would the future generations "read" the online journals of the people of our generation? How would they judge our values? How are they to represent us in their films (or whatever visual form of narrative they would have by that time)? How would they tell our story?

And on a personal note, I don't know how much of a personal account I am writing. I don't write about myself a lot. I don't share the things I do, except for pictures I upload I suppose. I usually react on something else. I usually tell the story of something I find interesting. But I seldom talk about myself. If ever my children's children would read my blogs and my journals, what would they say about my character? My worldview would be a give-away, but would there be enough documentation of the person who is me?

But then of course. there are stories that any blogger would want to keep circulating within a small group of friends, while there are some stories that a blogger would want to share to anyone who would stumble upon his/her page. The documents that historians hold were personal entries of the figures themselves - letters to family members, correspondences to friends, personal diaries - and were not meant for public consumption. It is only when their character became of historical significance that their stories were unearthed to be examined and analyzed to reveal the layers of a person to be immortalized in time.

So the question to me now is, how much are we to document about our lives? To what extent do we share our lives and to what level of audience do we immediately share it to? Georgiana loved to see herself being in the center of attention and the topic of 18th century tabloids -- do we want that too? How much of our stories do we give away?

Foreman cited a particular letter of Georgiana to her son Hart which she wrote in her own blood. Foreman said she wrote it during her exile, when she was unsure of what future awaits her - so she had to express how much she meant the contents of her letter, thus using her own blood as ink. As we document the chapters of our autobiographies online, how do we write them in our own blood?

I admire those who have the courage to share the trivial things happening to them. I think these are the people who attribute importance to their seemingly mundane experience, and hope that sometime somewhere, the little stories that they document would be of significance and read once more. I admire those who are ready to expose their littlest of thoughts to the world. I admire those who are ready to play the politics of memory.

This will be published in the ABSCBN Interactive/Youth website, together with other MORE SUBSTANTIVE articles from Starfish Magazine. The article originally appears in the February 2009 issue of Starfish.

 

Naisip ko lang kasi, totoo naman. Summer na. It's time to post this one. :)

 

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Limang Nakakawindang na Bloopers ng mga Babae Kapag Summer

By Scarred Empress

Oo, February pa lang pero summer vacation na ang mindset ng marami sa atin. Kasi naman, ang haba nung Christmas break pero parang kulang pa rin (o masyado lang tayong nasiyahan na matagal na wala gaanong ginagawa). So papatulan ko na ang feeling na ito at pag-uusapan natin ngayon ang mga true-to-life bloopers ng mga babae kapag summer na nasaksihan ko (at patuloy  pa ring nasasaksihan).

1. Nagpapahid ng sunblock sa mukha tapos maghihilamos

Sister, hindi facial wash ang sunblock. Hindi iyon nilalagay sa mukha tapos hihilamusan mo pagkatapos. Ang mas malala pa dito, may ilang kababaihang naglalagay ng sunblock habang nasa tubig na sila. Maygad. Ang sunblock ay nilalagay sa mukha at katawan mga 10-15 minutes bago lumusong sa tubig. Kailangan na-absorb na ito ng balat mo bago ka pa maglangoy at magtampisaw. At true enough, ang mga babaeng nakita kong nag-facial wash ng kanilang mga sunblock ay natapos mag-swimming with the color na iniiwasan nila. Moral lesson learned: Basahin ang “directions for use” ng sunblock (at siguraduhing hindi pa ito expired).

2. Magsusuot ng kakapiranggot na bikini tapos manginginig sa lamig ng tubig

Gets ko naman kung bakit kailangang magsuot ng kapirasong tela kapag mag-swi-swimming. Maaring maganda lang talaga ang katawan mo at proud kang ipakita ito. Pwedeng rin namang feeling maganda lang ang katawan. Pero, hindi ko na mabilang ang mga pagkakataong nakakita ako ng mga babaeng nakasuot ng skimpy bikinis habang nanginginig ang mga baba at nangangatog ang katawan sa lamig habang nag-swi-swimming. Nakakawala ng poise yon. Timing kasi yan. Kung gusto mong mainit-init ang tubig, sa hapon ka mag-swimming (dahil mas mabilis mag-adjust ng temperature ang lupa kaysa sa tubig, kaya pag hapon, ang temperature ng tubig ay hang-over pa ng tanghali – o yan, may scientific explanation). O kung alam mo namang malamig talaga ang tubig, aba naman, eh di magbalot ka ng mas maraming tela sa katawan.

3. Magsusuot ng kakapiranggot na bikini tapos mahihiyang rumampa

Unless forcibly pinasuot lang ang bikini, walang dahilan na mahiya ang mga babaeng rumampa sa dalampasigan kung ang pinili nilang isuot ay bikini na kaluluwa na lamang ang tinatago. Dahil sa maraming pagkakataon, kailangan pang i-cheer ng mga kaibigan ang ganitong babae para lamang ipakita sa lahat ang bikini nila at katawan. We can all assume ikaw ang pumili ng bikini mo, hija. Kaya kung sexy man ito, itodo mo na. Rumampa ka at wag nang pahirapan pa ang iyong mga kaibigang para lamang maglakad ka at maglangoy kasama nila. Besides, confidence and attitude lang yan. Hold your head up high, suck your stomach in para mas sexy, at kantahin sa isipan ang “Sexy Back” ni Justin Timberlake habang naglalakad sa dalampasigan. May beat at tempo yung “Sexy Back”. It will help para maging sexy ang paglalakad mo.

4. Magbibilad sa araw nang naka-long sleeves

Ito, wala akong kahit na anong explanation para sa bloopers na ganito. Summer equals matinding sikat ng araw. Kung magbibilad ka (a.k.a. sunbathing), magsunblock na lang para di gaanong mangitim, at maging tama ang kulay ng tan na gusto mo. Pero may mga babae akong nakikita sa beach na nakalong sleeves. At hindi lang basta tapis sa bikini ha, as in long sleeves. Eh di kung ganon lang pala, sa cottage na lang sila. Magtago sa init ng araw at wag na lang mag-aksaya ng panahong naka-pose sa ilalim ng araw.

5. Mag-swi-swimming kasama ng mga kaibigan pero mag-e-emo sa isang tabi

Maraming maraming taong ganito (babae man o lalaki). Pupunta sila sa beach o resort kasama ng family or friends pero may dala silang iPod at earphones at mag-e-emo lamang sa isang tabi. Hindi makikisamang maglaro, hindi sasabay magswimming, pero in fairness sasalo kapag kainan na. Tandaan natin, ang mga summer get-aways ay panahon ng pamilya at magkakaibigang magpahinga mula sa trabaho at eskwela at mag-bonding. Kaya kung e-emo-emo ka lang sa isang tabi, sana hindi ka na lang sumama. Bawas pa yun sa number of people para sa transpo at pagkain. Kung may problema ka man o kung hindi ka lang talaga outgoing, mag-effort ka man lang maki-bonding. Don’t block away every person na kasama mo. O yun nga, gaya ng nasabi ko, magpaiwan ka na lang at mag-emo at mainip sa bahay mo. Moral lesson learned: HAVE FUN!

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First published as one of the articles in “The Reef” section in Starfish Magazine Back to Basics, Volume 3 Issue 4 & Special Issue (February 2009).

Starfish Magazine is the First Youth Empowerment Magazine in the country, organized and managed by the Ayala Young Leaders Alumni. For more information, log on to www.starfishmagazine.com, or www.ayalayoungleaders.org. You can forward you inquiries to starfishmagazine@gmail.com or (02)752-1065.

I don't usually rant on blogs unless whatever I am mad about has some social significance. And this one has. So at 3:22AM, the ranting starts.

With the Atenean community, I express my condolences to the family of Amiel Alcantara, the Grade 4 kid who was killed in an accident inside the Ateneo campus. There is a semblance of justice to have the driver jailed for a couple of days. She is still pressed with charges. And perhaps the most difficult punishment she will have to bear is the fact that she knows how it would feel to have her own Grade 4 kid killed in an accident - especially with the gross negligence. Guilt will never set her free, until the time she is granted forgiveness by those she has so gravely offended.

But that is NOT what I am mad about. It's how some news shows are dealing with the story.

There is one particular report about the Amiel incident that really offended me, not because I am Atenean, but because it's just plain crazy. The other night, Joey Villarama delivered a report on how the death of Amiel translates into the issue of the traffic inside Ateneo. He mentioned how effective the blog (that Amiel's parents started, he said) is on surfacing the issue of traffic. It has received hundreds of responses, he said. And even the president of Ateneo replied. He even interviewed a woman (who I found out is a teacher in High School) who said that Ateneo traffic has been an issue for a long time, and that, if I may quote, "the outsiders *laughs*, the people from outside say that we are causing traffic in the area". I do not think I misread the laugh, but it was a laugh that reflected how the "we" are different from "them". I think she realized that too late into the comment.

Okay, and not okay.

Okay that yes the traffic issue is something we have to fix. But not okay that the report was not made with objectivity. It did not say how the University Physical Plant is limiting the issue of car stickers in Ateneo to control the traffic. It did not interview Miralao (if he's still UPP Officer) about how students are encouraged to car pool in order to minimize the vehicle density in the campus. In the report, it felt like the University is turning a blind eye on the traffic for all these years. Mentioning the president's reply in the blog is misleading -- it insinuates that only because of the death of Amiel that traffic became an issue.

Okay that we are called to how, possibly, matapobre and elitist some Ateneans could get. One person in the family, one vehicle. I know a couple of people like this. Even brothers and sisters cannot come up with their own carpool. It's not about getting the status of having one's own car. It's thinking ahead, being practical. And still students rant all the time how far the parking spaces are... Fact is, UPP places parking lots far from the main campus areas to avoid accidents, and so the traffic won't mess up with your study enviroment. Imagine if the walkways in between the then-SocSci-now-CommDept and Library are filled with traffic. Can you seriously study in those areas with the sounds and smell of cars piling up...

And definitely not okay that that particular report equated the child's life with traffic. The greater issue is gross negligence. And of a parent for that matter. I don't know if the report was desperately trying to "increase the levels" or "deepen" of the issue, but it was a cheap shot. If I were Amiel's family I'd be offended. The child's life isn't about the traffic. It's about how irresponsible drivers could really be, even inside a campus.

I, for one, had been a victim of a vehicular accident inside Ateneo when I was a freshman. I came from debate training (around 8PM) and was crossing the University Road (near Gate3 exit) when a speeding jeepney swept me off the pedestrian lane. I lost consciousness. The next thing I remember was 'waking' up on top of the jeepney's hood, with the broken glasses of the lights and other ornaments of jeepney all over me. Apparently, the jeepney was a high school service vehicle, and that night, the driver was quite drunk.

Ateneo handled me well that night. Took me to a hospital (where I learned antics on a wheelchair). From what I know, that jeepney lost its license to operate for Ateneo, and the driver banned from Ateneo for life. The guards asked me if I were to pursue a case against the driver, but no. I just asked him to pay for all the medical bills, the medicine, the set of bandages, and a can of Sprite while I was in the hospital.

I am alive and I'm happy about it. And I am witness to the successful adjustments inside the campus to fix the traffic (and the unsuccessful attempt of MMDA to fix the traffic outside *laugh* you know, like outside. Blah.) But the point is, the issue isn't necessarily the traffic. It's the gross negligence. It's the disregard to safety of students by drivers.

And the question now is how to filter out the bad fruits. How to keep these kinds of drivers off the campus.

It's not the traffic. It's a corollary concern, but it's definitely not the issue we have to focus our attention to.

Cheap shot TV Patrol. Very bad.

Hailed as a centerpiece program for economic and social development, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) remains a potent and powerful promise that however, is yet to be completely fulfilled in the Philippine democratic system. The CARP was supposed to pave the way for the country’s aspirations for sustainable economic development and industrialization by infusing fresh capital, infrastructure and lasting peace into agricultural areas. Twenty years after it was first enacted into law, the Program once again faces an impending end to its funding allocation in the national budget with the expiration of Republic Act 6657 in 2008 – this despite the fact that CARP is far from complete with 1.3 Million hectares of the most productive private agricultural lands still not having been covered as of 2006. The program has also been riddled with major policy reversals and implementation issues which threaten the program’s future and undermine many of its gains.

Some sectors call for a review of the Program before it is extended or allocated more funds – but this is a position that Akbayan and its partners in the agrarian reform community cannot support. First, agrarian reform is a Constitutional mandate that cannot end with the lapse of the implementing law. Ending the implementation of the CARP without completing the acquisition and distribution of lands covered by the program will result in the anomalous situation where persons still own big landholdings in excess of what the Constitution deems equitable. Moreover, this is unacceptable to farmers’ and peoples’ organizations, who unequivocally demand not only to extend funding allocation for CARP, but also to accelerate the completion of land acquisition and distribution and to reform the program by squarely address policy and implementation issues that have long hindered the program’s goals of social justice and national economic development.

Working within this framework and towards these objectives, a broad coalition of agrarian reform groups and farmer organizations, over the course of one year, met and consulted with each other to discuss, study and draft a “unity bill” which incorporated necessary amendments to the current implementing law based on current data gathered from implementing agencies (including the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council, and the Land Bank of the Philippines) and twenty years worth of experience, both negative and positive, of farmer-beneficiaries and agrarian reform communities across the country. This unity bill finds expression in House Bill 1257, filed by Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel in the 14^th Congress on July 24, 2007.

In sum, HB 1257 calls for the following:

(1) Sufficient funding for an accelerated Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD) to be completed within a seven-year target period and continuous support service delivery even after LAD completion, with such funding to be appropriated automatically as 3.8% of the GAA;

(2) Strengthened credit and support services (including collateral-free loans and capability-building projects) to farmer-beneficiaries;

(3) Resolution of implementation problems, such as issues on retention limits, standing crops and installation of farmer-beneficiaries;

(4) Categorical declaration that CLOAs and other titles issued under any agrarian reform program shall be indefeasible one year from registration to avoid the delaying tactics by landowners;

(5) Direct and physical distribution of all agricultural lands, as opposed to non-distributive schemes that do not help the farmer-beneficiaries’ economic and social conditions;

(6) Equating “installation” to the actual, physical, peaceful and continuous possession of awarded land, with the government ensuring security and success;

(7) Establishment of an implementation structure for the program’s completion, including DAR’s reorganization, strengthening of its Adjudication Board, creation of inter-agency committees on support services and oversight;

(8) Recognition of women as program beneficiaries and mandating gender-responsive support services; and

(9) Recognition of the rights of all other qualified beneficiaries, and their legal standing in cases involving their land.

 

See this article and download the CARPER bill at:

http://www.akbayan.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=222:carp-extension-with-reforms-hb-1257&catid=15:bills&Itemid=100

From http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=29&aid=6447

 

ALAY KAY AMIEL

Sa Maikling sandali na ikaw ay nakasama

Banaag ka ng araw sa kay siglang umaga

May ngiti sa labi, may ningning ang mata

Laging nagsasabing, kaibigan ka

       at pag-asa

Sa maikling sandali na ikaw ay nakasama

Banayad kang ulan hatid ay pag sinta

Palaging matulingin kapag may problema

At kung may pasanin, makikihati ka.

Sa maikling sandali na ikaw ay nakasama

Matibay kang bato, matapang at kasangga

Buo ang kalooban, maaasahan twina

Palagiang matatag kahit may mumunting pangamba

Sa maikling sandali na ikaw ay nakasama

Palaging matapat at hindi nanghuhusga

Pantay kung maglaro, tama kung magpasya

Hindi nanlalamang, may dignidad twina

At ngayong ang sangangdaan ay iyong nasapit na

Nais naming magpasalamat at ikaw ay nakasama

Ang iyong kasiglahan, pagkamatulungin

katatagan at pagkalinga

Ay aming iingatan sa puso at alaala

 

Fredo T Laureles

Scoutmaster

27 Pebrero 2009

Altria Must Pay $8 Million in Florida Smoker's Death

This is very embarrassing. I am typing this as I am watching the news. And I feel shameful of how the World Bank investigation is going.

Instead of taking the World Bank report on corruption as a means to evaluate our systems and castigate the corrupt, the oh-so-brilliant senators Defensor Santiago, Enrile, and Pimentel are pointing their fingers on the World Bank itself for:

(1)    The process of the research

(2)    The non-dissemination of the World Bank report

(3)    The “squatters” status of the World Bank in the Philippines for not having a government-approved office in the Philippines.

What the hell are you doing? Filipinos have the habit of questioning the source of authority, but this has gone too far. They might be forgetting how much we owe the international community. They might be forgetting how careful the World Bank is on its research (there are internal politics in the World Bank, I know, but this is not the time to talk about that when there is a more pressing point it is trying to make through the report). They might be forgetting the repercussions of this hearing on our democracy.

But these senators are definitely not forgetting who they are protecting in government.

Mike Arroyo can play golf but cannot go to the hearing? And Mike Arroyo says in an interview that, “They want to kill me [by going to the hearing]. I don’t want to die yet.” Excuse us, Mr. Arroyo. You might be the only one who wants to prolong your corrupt life… And maybe your wife as well.

The World Bank Philippines-Director said in another interview that the World Bank does not want to create further divide. They are conducting these studies, with very thorough research processes, in order to ensure that the money (of the international community) that they disburse fall into the right hands.

And I swear we can all tell them that that money isn’t going anywhere good.

Defensor-Santiago didn’t give Biazon a chance to ask questions, and according to the news, Biazon left. I have no idea what he was supposed to ask. Lacson also reacted, because he said in the news report, we should be looking into the corruption issue instead of giving the blame to the World Bank.

Good point on this Lacson. You have plus points on me for 2010. I will watch you further.

Shame on those other senators. Shame on the Ombudsman. Shame on the Senate for its performance in this hearing. Shame.

Norms are always about control – disciplining actions (and even thoughts) for a kind of social management. But for the phenomenon of showing off, I can't seem to figure out the norms that really govern it.

 

From kindergarten to secondary education, norms emphasize moral education and discipline. And throughout these years, children are taught to keep their heads low when receiving praises, divert attention to less conspicuous matters when others are talking about their achievements. We learned when we were younger to just smile shyly when being complimented, and reply with a “thank you” spoken, again, shyly. “Let others speak about the good things you do; let others notice what you do best. You don’t have to emphasize them because that’s simply arrogance.” That’s what they say.

 

But as the years pass, when children enter college, turn into adults (hopefully), and enter the real dog-eat-dog world. And in the real world, seldom will individuals find other individuals who will compliment them for their achievements, especially when there’s competition involved. The space for maneuvering then is limited within the bounds of hard work, with the hopes that someday, somehow, somebody will notice one’s performance as an achievement. So far, in this level, showing off is still a taboo.

 

And yet we all know that people cannot function well without a healthy dose of taps on the back. The subjective side of labor requires compliments to boost up the morale of a person. But aside from the morale factor, every person seeks for prestige. In a study we used in my UP class (of which exact year of General Social Science Survey I do not recall), Filipinos rank “prestige” higher than “money” in terms of what influences their happiness. One of the sources of prestige is taking credit for one’s achievements.  

 

So how does one take credit for one’s achievements? Is it by going back to that norm of just waiting for someone to notice one’s hard work? But we did establish that competition is always a factor in the adult world, thus one cannot readily count on other people acknowledging one’s hard work as an achievement. There is micro-politics involved in the workplace, in social networks. So what do people do? They grab credit. They show off.

 

And showing off is recommended by success books and guidelines for achievement. I cannot count the times women’s magazines’ “How to” columns saying that there should be a healthy level of showing off and grabbing credit that one should do so he/she could step up in the workplace. Showing off in a “specific, strategic way” is discussed in the rules of power, and imbedded within the strategies of war. So in this sense, when one has to climb up the social ladder (regardless of whether he/she deserves it or not), showing off is no longer a taboo.

 

I see it all the time in status messages online. I view blogs and photo albums of anything, everything related to one’s achievements. I see the personal quest for prestige projected into the virtual public sphere. We all do this once or twice (for others maybe more). And true enough, when we see these “achievement posts” as I call them, it is only polite to say congratulations. (I am not discounting the fact that genuine friends truly mean the compliments. Genuine relationships can happen and/or maintained online.)

 

So as a sociologist I am at a temporary loss. What really is the social dynamics of the showing off phenomenon?  Which is the norm? Is there a shift happening from the values of the moral education and discipline people receive in their formative years, to a legitimized norm accepting showing off as a means for achievement? Is it a form of “kaplastikan” when we expect people to tone down, when we ourselves show off to imply we are “good too”? Or is it a reflection of how compliments are rarely given to people, such that people have to need it, and feel insecure about other’s openly expressed achievements? Is showing off a direct correlation of “inggit” and credit grabbing? Is it really a reflection of how much people don't care about the unspoken hard work and achievements of others?

 

It’s reasonable to say all of the above, or it’s a case-to-case basis. But that doesn’t really push the paradox of showing off to another analytical level. There should be some social study of this somewhere.

 

Oh well.

Some questions I must ponder on, and must write so as not to be forgotten...

(1) Observing a few trends, those who succeed are those who have less personal responsibilities to start with. It seems the capacity to succeed is greatly influenced by the ability to focus on one's goals alone, to suffer the burden of saying no even to the most personal calls. Isn't it unfair? Those who can fly are those who are light.

But then again, those carrying heavy burdens, when they actually fly, aren't they applauded more, admired more? But how to begin flying is a burden that doubles their load. So how do they really begin flying?

(2) The positive and enthusiastic are those who could make time for what is considered irrelevant. But in this time and age, when options for the irrelevant are much more than the relevant, which is one to choose? How is one to choose? And how is one to draw the line between the relevant and not?

(3) When a life chapter is about to end and another to begin, the pressure builds. The chapter ending must have a tone exciting enough to build the preceding chapter. Is it a matter of plot? Is it the character build-up? Is it the promise of something better, or the threat of something much worse? It is excitement or fear? Or is there a difference between the two?

There are only thoughts, but no answers. At least none yet.

Minsan minsan lang ako magsusulat ng ganitong entry. Walang matindihang insight o analysis. Pero this has to be documented for the sake of its worth to me.

Sa taxi, dalawa lang ang ginagawa ko pag mag-isa ako: matulog, o shamelessly sing my heart out with the songs played sa radio. At pag kumakanta ako, wala namang driver na nagrereklamo. Pero tonight, iba... Next level ang experience.

8AM something pa lang nasa Makati na ako for a training seminar at AIM. Then mga 530PM pumunta ako sa office namin sa Ayala para makibalita at magmeeting nang konti. At konti na lang ang pera ko. Inabonohan pa ni Ate Honey ang pantaxi ko. Hinatid ako ni Marlon, kasamahan ko din sa Ayala Young Leaders, sa labas ng opisina para maghintay ng taxi. At I swear. 40 minutes na ang nakalipas pero wala pa ring taxi na nagsasakay sa akin.

Halos 9PM na nang may skrongkrang na taxi na nagsakay sa akin. Pero wala na akong pakialam sa itsura ng taxi dahil pagod na pagod na ako. Marami akong dalang gamit at ang tagal ko nang naghihintay. So nung sinabi kong, "Katipunan po Kuya" at pumayag yung driver, go na ako agad.

Nag-EDSA kami ng daan ni Kuya. Traffic. Tapat ng Rockwell, pinatugtog sa radio yung "Sana'y pag-ibig na lang ang isipin, ng bawat isa sa mundo...." So syempre, kanta naman akong magaling. And a few moments later, kumakanta na rin si Kuya Driver. Give na give din. Nakahanap ako ng katapat ko.

After non, nag-"Hawak Kamay" na kanta, so kanta na naman kami. Althroughout I swear hindi kami nag-uusap. No conversation at all. Pero kumakanta kami na walang pakialam sa traffic sa labas. Swabe ang byahe, at birit kung birit ang kanta namin.

Tuloy tuloy lang ang kantahan namin. Tapat ng SM Megamall, nag-"Boys do fall in love". Nung una kumakanta lang ako, pero nakita ko si Kuya, umiindak na. I swear sumasayaw sayaw sya. So sayaw na rin ako di ba. Tumatawa na rin kami nang konti pero walang conversation. Tuloy lang ang kantahan.

Nang malapit na kami sa may White Plains para lumiko, nag-iba ng kanta ang radio. Nag-"Power of Love" ni Celine Dion. Syempre kanta ako ng verse 1. Tumahimik si Kuya nang konti. Akala ko titigil na sya. BUT NO. Nung nag-chorus na.....

"Coz I'm your laaaaadeeeeeee!!!! And you are my man!!!" Birit kung birit si Kuya. Hindi naka-falsetto. Promise humahaba yung leeg nya at humihigpit ang hawak nya sa manibela habang inaabot nya ang high notes ng kanta. At kanta lang sya nang kanta. Pag chorus tumitigil ako sa pagkanta at pinapanood lang sya. Sa puntong ito wala na syang inhibitions whatsoever. High notes kung high notes.

Pagdating sa Refrain, nasa stoplight kami. At nagkataong, "The feeeling that I caaaant gooo ooonnn... Is lightyears awaaaaaay..." May facial expression na si Kuya. Performance level. The best ever.

Ang nag-iisang sinabi ko sa kanya ay, "Kuya u-u-turn po tayo." Pero tuloy pa rin kami ng kanta. Patapos na yung Power of Love nung tumigil ang taxi sa harap ng condo. And promise, hindi ko naramdaman ang traffic, nawala ang pagod ng araw ko. At nung nagbayad ako, dinagdagan ko nang magandang tip ang bigay ko kay Kuya. "Salamat po Kuya" sabi ko.

At first time sa buong byahe na tumingin sya talaga sa akin. "Salamat din" sabi nya. Presencing na kung presencing ala-Martin Buber reading ng Philo102. Pero hindi ko talaga mapaliwanag. Masaya ako. At ramdam ko experience din para kay Kuya ang aming kantahan.

Hindi ko na tinanong kay Kuya ang pangalan nya. Kasi baka ma-conscious sya at mawala ang lightness of heart galing sa byahe namin. Pero hanggang ngayon, hindi ako makaget over. The best si Kuya. Sa six years ko dito sa Manila ngayon lang ako naka-meet ng taxi driver na ganon.

This is for Kuya, and for that conversation in song(s). Iba ka Kuya. Saludo ako sa yo.

I won't even argue about the technicalities of film-making and storytelling, because in both aspects, the movie really sucked. But there are particulars in the movie that engages its audience, and evokes some sense of identification, which I believe goes beyond Twilight being just a hot pick on popular culture.

And I say, we could not curse Meyer's vampire world just because the Twilight movie was bad.

(1) The Inevitable Comparison with Anne Rice: I watched Twilight with my best friend on its first day of showing, and I listened to the audio book version which I downloaded in an mp3 streaming website. And having done both, it is extremely difficult not to compare Meyer's vampire legends with The Vampire Chronicles.

Anne Rice paid much attention to developing the depth of her characters, focusing on the "How did he become a vampire", and "What makes this vampire unique in its character texture". In the process, the thematic darkness of the entire Anne Rice vampire world is established. Personally it's difficult to get away from this dark world, and Anne Rice surely has an advantage for being the most established vampire writer of our time. For literary buffs, Anne Rice would be the better option. Nothing could match the depth of Anne Rice's vampire world.

Stephanie Meyer deviated from the Chronicles legends on the following accounts (or maybe more, these only what I could think of right now):

(a) The glittering, sparkling skin. Chronicles vampires cannot expose themselves to the sun at all. You could remember young Kirsten Dunst being transformed into dust from the movie version of Interview with a Vampire. But Meyer's vampires could, only except for direct sunlight which makes the vampires' skin glitter. It's quite cute and funny (but extremely annoying when the movie placed special effects and "glittering sounds" while Edward's skin sparkled).

(b) Non-sleep. Edward Cullen doesn't sleep (which made the hospital scene where we was pretending to sleep really funny). But the Chronicles vampires have to get their own coffins where they rest during the day.

(c) Capacity to procreate. This one confuses me, and I am highly interested with how Meyer came up with this part of her vampire legend. In Book 4 of Meyer's series, Edward and Bella make love which results to Bella getting pregnant. But how could that be if technically, bodies of vampires are already dead, and only their souls are immortal? The Chronicles vampires, although highly sensual and homo-erotic, cannot have sex and therefore cannot procreate.

(d) The Vampire Rule: In the Chronicles, you are not allowed to kill another vampire (especially your Maker) lest you be cursed and punished by other vampires. Meyer's vampires could kill each other - the dismembering then burning ceremony. The only rule in their vampire world is that they all have to protect each other's identity, meaning, 'thou shalt not expose another vampire's identity to mortals'.

But what does Meyer offer that Rice doesn't? Meyer presents a vampire identity that could "live", have a life - something that all of Rice's characters are doomed from having forever. That is why Lestat made such noise in Queen of the Damned because he exposed himself and taunted all the other vampires to expose themselves too. Lestat grabbed an opportunity to be 'somebody' in the mortal world which is a vampire taboo. Meyer gives more hope to her vampires - to love and be loved, to find a family who loves and protects you, to have outdoor activities (i.e. family baseball) without being cursed by your fellow vampires. In this sense, Meyer's vampires are more human - they have the ability to risk more and enjoy more compared to Rice's vampires.

Perhaps this is why for this generation, it is lighter to the heart to consider Meyer's vampires as goth icons. Their world is not as gloomy as the Chronicles, albeit with personal and clannish challenges that still have to be faced.

(2) Reference to Love Stories: Meyer's vampire world derives its plot elements from some of the most classic love plots- and the experience of love itself. This makes Meyer's vampire world attractive to its audience, since love is the most engaging theme of all.

Some of the romance plot elements used by Meyer are:

(a) The girl from a broken family - therefore searching for love, finding someone to take care of her (which is mentioned in the novel that Bella is not used to expressing emotions and receiving emotions from anyone).

(b) The boy who finds the girl who stands out, and then protecting her til the end (like a Prince Charming turned undead) - the stories that use this technique are too many to count.

(c) The supportive family of a "different" love choice (versus the Romeo and Juliet kind of family feud)

(d) The discovery of another world through the lover - think "A Whole New World" and "Part of your World".

All of these are cliche. Those who abhor anything cliche would frown at the seemingly shallow narrative of the Meyer series. But when I was at the moviehouse, whenever the lines like "You are like my personal brand of heroine (or something like that)" or "I lack the strength to keep away from you (or something like that again)" gets delivered, the audiences swoon. And I think, come on, if someone says those lines to you, you'd probably get swept off your feet too. So the cliche works. The plot elements are still effective. They might be overused, but weaving them together in a modern-day story with a vampire element does make the difference enough to establish Meyer's world in contemporary fiction.

In the end, even if the movie really sucked, it is still worth watching - precisely because you'd find a part of you that would identify to the love story - whether that's a good thing or not.

(And besides, the vampires were hot - especially Dr. Cullen. I think the audience didn't expect him to be THAT hot. Everybody, including me, swooned when he first appeared on screen. But that's just the girly me.)

Please get in touch with me if you have stock photos of Siquijor.. :)

Thanks very very very much!! :D

Hello!
 
Starfish "MORE THAN THE USUAL" August issue is now out in selected National Bookstores and Powerbooks outlets! The cover is attached in this email. :)

 
Now, we are once again sending out our call for proposals for those interested to share their articles in Starfish. Please see the following list of our sections so you could find a perfect space for your article ideas.
 
(1) COVER STORY: "Leadership in Unexplored Fields"
The December issue will have the theme, "Leadership in Unexplored Fields". We are looking for stories of people who are dedicating their time and efforts to fields who only a few take. We are thinking along the lines of: food photography, diving teaching, cleaning local waters, extreme sports, music, arts, cab driving, and anything else on the edges. Think, has there been a lot of articles written about that person in his/her field of involvement? The less previous exposure, the better. But also remember, the article should focus more on the experience, not merely a description of the organization/work.
 
(2) NEWS
Any activity that contributes to youth leadership and nation-building, we're on. We publish stories based on the significance of the news to our readers, and the impact of the activity to inspire our readers.
 
(3) UNDERCURRENT
Feature stories fall under this section. Sky's the limit.
 
(4) YOUTH FORUM
The 2010 elections are coming near, and there are so many political issues that the youth must have a say on. If you have thoughts you could translate to powerful insights, go write one!
 
(5) FISH.NET
Part of our commitment is to help our readers find organizations where they could volunteer/be part of, and advocacies that they could adopt personally. This is the section for articles on organizations and advocacies.
 
(6) THE REEF
Some say this is the "most fun" section of Starfish, but we'd rather say it is the lightest. :p Already in the list are our resident "How to" column, and book review. Do you have anything else in mind? Let us know!
 
---------------
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
The proposal should be a 2-5 sentence summary of the article you want to write. Let us know what the main insight is, or what the activity/organization is doing, and what angle you would take in writing the article. It should not be formal. We just need an idea of what you are preparing for us so we could organize the contributions as early as possible. :)
 
Deadline for the proposals is on October 27, Monday. Please forward to czarinamedina@gmail.com.
 
The rest of the article specifications and deadlines would be emailed to you once you submit your article proposal. :)
 
We hope to get your emails soon! Have a blessed day ahead!!!
 
Lovelots,
The Starfish Team
 

--
MARCIA CZARINA CORAZON M. MEDINA
Lecturer, Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University
Consultant, Youth Leadership and Development Unit, Ayala Foundation Inc.
Editor-in-Chief, Starfish Magazine, Ayala Young Leaders
Ayala Young Leaders Alumna, 2006
czarinamedina@gmail.com

Last night was definitely not the first time. And I don't think it would stop soon.

I went to bed at 2AM to force myself to sleep, because I had an appointment at 730AM.

3AM: I was still awake. But it was still alright. 3AM is my normal sleeping time. 4AM... 5AM. I still could not sleep. I kept myself in one comfortable position in lying down with hopes that sleep would come to me soon. 6AM...7AM. No more. I gave up. I got up and prepared for the day.

For all those hours, I was just lying down. Unable to sleep but terribly sleepy. I have no idea what's keeping me from sleeping.

The feeling is unexplainable. There is a part of me that wants to sleep. I could not even get up; I feel dizzy. But more of me is restless. There is something that cannot be pacified. And I very much do not know why.

And when I am at that state, when I sleep, I am never really asleep. And when I am awake, I am not really awake. It's a state of being here-and-there, some degree of liminality. It resembles the feeling of being ecstaticly drunk, without the jeer and cheer of actually being one.

When I am 'asleep', I dream of the things that will happen the next day. Perhaps I am thinking too much of the things I need to do. But when I wake up, oftentimes I am in a period of de ja vu... I dream about what people will do, what people will wear. It is accurate sometimes; but a little different most of the time.

In that liminal state, I smell real scents. I feel the heat of the sun. When I dream of rain I could sense the dripping of the water. But none of them is real. I know it is not real. But as I wake up and start the day "awake", I wonder if I am trapped in another liminal dream, or if it is as real as the people around me experience them.

As I said, this insomniac liminal experience is not the first time. And I am afraid it will happen over and over again.

In the midst of all the goofiness of the past two weeks I have not had much sleep, something came up and saved me.

I saw my mom's entry about me for my birthday (and I don't understand why I didn't see this entry earlier). She also had a blog about my brother. I saw this at firstperson.multiply.com. She has more very interesting writings there.

My mom taught me pretty much everytime I know. I was homeschooled in Singapore for a while, and she made the most out of the time to teach me practically everything.

I remember spending afternoons learning how to dance and move gracefully (and maybe my mom hates it that I don't make time for dancing anymore).

I remember her giving me a 4/20 score for lousy essays I wrote that she would check (but when I compare my essays with my classmates later on, theirs are so much more lousier).

I remember her buying me Edith Hamilton's Mythology book when I was in grade 1 (and yes I finished it). She would buy me almost any book I wished for when I was younger. And I am trying to do that for my brother now.

I remember coaching me with every contest I joined. And the legend remains in Region 4 how my mom and I never, ever, lost any competition. My brother is living up to the legend now. I guess the magic is not me or my brother. It's simply my mom.

It's not mothers day. It's not even her birthday. It's Marian month, I suppose. But whatever the occasion is, it's never bad to tell my mom how much I love her. I know once in my life I made her very much frustrated about me - all because I didn't listen to her. And in as much as I am an advocate of independent choices, such choices do not come from a vacuum. The wisdom of mothers does not come from what they tell you point-blank. I learned to read between the lines and understand that my mom's choices for me are always made out of love.

Thanks Ma for this entry. I won't let you down.

Fom Jun Dalandan

dateSat, Oct 4, 2008 at 6:21 PM
subjectBlue Eagles Bonfire Incident
mailed-byalumni.ateneo.net

Three days ago, photos of wooden planks bearing the names of the DLSU Green Archers stuffed together with those to be used for the Victory bonfire last Tuesday, 30 September were circulated on the Internet.  To set the record straight, Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ sent a letter of apology to Bro. Armin Luistro, FSC of De La Salle University last Thursday, 2 October 2008.  The second letter is from Mr. Jessie Paredes, HS'54, AB'58.

-- The Office of University Development & Alumni Relations

 

 

###############################################
  Letter of Fr. Nebres, SJ to Bro. Luistro, FSC
###############################################

2 October 2008

BROTHER ARMIN LUISTRO, FSC
President
De la Salle University System
2401 Taft Avenue
Manila

Re: Ateneo Bonfire

Dear Bro. Armin,

I would like to extend my deepest apology to you and to the La Sallian community for what some alumnus or student did at the Ateneo Bonfire, namely, write the names of the La Salle players on the wood.  Unfortunately, none of us saw it ahead of time, because the wood pile was covered by a tarp against the rain until the time came to light it.

Despite our rivalries in sports, we are both committed to Christian values and what was done is certainly a violation of values we share.

Once again, my deepest apologies to you and to the La Sallian community.  We are trying to find out who is responsible for the act.

Sincerely yours,

BIENVENIDO F. NEBRES, SJ
President

 

 

#####################################
  Letter of Mr. Paredes to Fr. Nebres
#####################################

3 October 2008

Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ
President
Ateneo de Manila University

Dear Fr. Nebres,

I write this letter for two reasons.  The first one is to own up to producing the materials with the names of the Green Archers and placing them prominently in the woodpile before the bonfire for all to see.

Secondly, I sincerely apologize to you for the queasy situation you are in as a result of the backlash it created.

While the nature of this letter is a personal apology to you, please feel free to extend it to parties you may deem fit to receive it.

Sincerely,

Jesse Paredes
HS'54, AB'58