Bonus Round

"Joms we're getting older basta decente lang hitsura, its more important to have a guy who will love you and who will treat you fairly. I think its too much to ask the Lord for much more."

- a text message yesterday morning, Dr. Magsasaka

---

No one among the encantos heeded my call last night. A sign.

When I went to Malate and entered the sweaty, smoky dance floor of Chelu, a lot of stares greeted me. Instead of staring back and breaking my five-minute game, I played safe and held my ground. An omen.

A few minutes before 1 in the morning, I saw my favorite couple in Malate. Seeing them after so many months left a smile on my face. I was overjoyed. Barely a few seconds after exchanging pleasantries, my mobile phone vibrated. It was the prospect confirming my presence. A predicament.

Flying to Timog, we decided to have a drink at Quatro.

So many stories were exchanged last night. We both had fun and it never ended in bed.

He got home safe, I got home safe. We parted ways ten minutes before sunrise and he even called just to make sure I was alright.

Woke up this afternoon with a hang-over.

The best one I had lately.

If we end up as friends, I would gain a consultant for my half brother.

If this goes well and our friendship turns into something more romantic, I will end up having a doctor for a partner.

Last Full Show

Heartland of Ermita, 11 pm

---

I was about to go to sleep this evening when I got a text message from you.

"I'm drinking again. shucks..."

Surrendering the night to rest, you suddenly awakened my senses. We met in an online forum last week. Like El Tigre, you used to hang out in the fitness threads on that website. One morning, I found you wandering in the non-straight threads and your sudden change of color encouraged me to send you a private message.

The pleasant message exchanges lead to deeper conversations until one evening we traded numbers. There is now mutual companionship between us and if this friendship breaks all norms of online relationships, it may spill over and bloom into a romantic engagement.

Maybe this chance led me to get up, take a shower and make an excuse to leave home after your proposal to have a drink - if and ever your conference ends early tonight.

"Last time daw this meeting ended at 3am fyi. Nyahahahaha!"

"Ayos lang pag naging drunken master ka at natuto ka ng sleeping fairy technique, ako aakay sayo. Wahahahaha!" I replied.

I do not know what's gotten into me, but once again, I'm placing all hopes that you're worth the chase. This is what's sad about being single. Every person you meet, every being who fits your ideal suddenly becomes your prospect. I guess now, our friendship borders between worlds and now that you have opened the doors for a more direct contact,

I don't know how our story will gonna end.

Truth be told: If ever we never get to meet tonight, I have two fall-back options to retreat to. As I waited for confirmation that you're still open for a meet-up I sent beacons to some encantos to cover me when things fail. If they decide not to answer my plea, Malate will become my port of call.

I do not know how things will end tonight,

but I do hope that by tomorrow morning, I will wake up knowing a promising future will greet me as I start my day again.

A New Hope

BED, Malate 2 AM

"My friend likes you." A guy wearing a body-fitting white polo approached my "new" friend. New friend was a good dancer. I first caught his attention while he was arching his slim body on the ledge earlier. He was fair-looking, skin head, and slightly older than me. Our introductions were pleasant and certainty had foretold that we would become exclusive dance couple for the night.

"I'm with someone. Sorry."

I saw him pointing his finger at me, while I, was having a friendly banter with another blogger friend whom I just met for the first time last night. The guy in white polo walked a few steps backward, embarrassed, and apologizing for his upfront behavior. I didn't see who my rival was.

Apparently he was buffer and better-looking than me.

Fate did the rest.

To cut the story short. I was invited to stay at his apartment. I was introduced to his housemates, who eagerly welcomed my arrival. The premature attachment was sealed soon after by a consummate intimacy in his room. I left his place like I was already part of his family.

Effective at 9 am today. I am formally declaring a cessation of hostilities against me, and against those who wishes to cross my line. The G4M account, which survived a week will be permanently deleted and I am officially attaching myself to him, who might become the third. The painful process of trusting again and getting to know a new person has begun. I hope that he is the one I've been waiting and praying after enduring a roller-coaster ride of singlehood for six months

This time, I will give love a chance and let it bear fruits like what I foresaw in all those precious moments our hands held one another.

Kaleidoscope World

My earliest recollection of an Independence Day Military Parade at the Quirino Grandstand was of President Aquino leaving the podium after a very rousing Araw ng Kalayaan speech. As she was being flocked by dignitaries and government officials, the huge black speakers flanking the stage boomed with a familiar ethnic flute and tribal drum opening of a song by a very popular rapper. The crowds who have gathered across the parade grounds suddenly broke into loud cheers upon hearing the first few beats. In those days, the song was an anthem known to everyone. The rap song was in number one for the past three months and there were no signs of it being overtaken in the airwaves.

The artist was a sensation. He was in his early twenties, and yet the rap songs he played appealed to the young ones and adults alike. The kids (including me) would rap it in the streets, (where we would thump our feet and wave our small hands imitating the rappers signature finger-pointing movements); the teenagers would copy his trademark flat top haircut (including the peace sign etched on the scalp of their heads); and the adults would wear his baggy batik pajamas and monochrome camiso shirt (which by all standards were a very disastrous fashion choice. Andrew E and Michael V. were better off with their less baduy get-ups).

I remember how popular he was in those days. His song evoked a sense of pride and unity. "Mga Kababayan Ko," its lyrics include instructions on how to live a quiet and orderly life. It was played almost side by side with the National Anthem, and in every places around the country. Noontime variety shows even had contests where amateur rappers would imitate his rap style. Other local artists would change their music themes to catch up with the nationalist sentiments that abound. At a time when foreign pop music was threatening to overthrow the OPM songs, he was the lead vocalist of the struggle to keep the Pinoy artists on top of the music charts.

His sheer genius and artistic spirit allowed the ever-alienating OPMs to be absorbed by the minds of the new-generation masa, and be appreciated by a nation reclaiming its lost identity. He was also among the first artists to have his own music video rolled on MTV. The song on the music video was Kaleidoscope World, and though the details of the video were now forgotten in my head, the song defined my high-school life.

Though his stellar prominence may not be as shining as those of other local bands which benefited from his advocacy, he remains an icon looked up and respected by those who came after him. He held his presence steady - allowing the smooth transition from the Manila Sounds of the 80's to the entry of the first wave of Pinoy Alternative Rock Bands which include Eraserheads, Parokya ni Edgar, Rivermaya and Wolfgang of the mid-90's.

How unfortunate that after many years of being at the helm, he would fade into obscurity in the modern Philippine Music Scene.

His untimely death this afternoon changed all that. For once, he was remembered and in his passing, the rap songs and ballads he performed through the years once again plays in the airwaves of my memory.

---

When the news broke out this afternoon, it felt like a huge part of me was taken away. Now I know why.

Remembering the Master Rapper Francis Durango Magalona (4 Oct 1964 - 6 Mar 2009)

Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world

photocredits

Si Mister Palengke

“Putang ina ang pinaggagawa mo Gloria sa bayan! Patayin ang Gloria forever chacha na ito.“

Kung nasa tamang pag-iisip lang ako nitong mga nakaraang araw, hindi ko papalampasin ang mga kaganapang ito.

Marami ang nagulat, at marami ang na-upset sa pagiging "unstatesman" daw ng ating butihing Senador. Ngunit kung ako ang iyong tatanungin,

Namutawi lang sa kanyang bibig ang sinisigaw ng puso ng bawat Pilipino.

Come January, I will troop to COMELEC to register. It would be my first time to vote. Tumakbo man siya bilang Pangulo ng Pilipinas o hindi,

nasa kanya na ang aking boto.

Disturbia

Ano kaya ang naging pakiramdam ni mama noong nakatunog siya na mayroong namamagitan sa aming dalawa ni Phanks?

Na-depress kaya siya kasi hindi ako straight?

Nalungkot kaya siya dahil iba ako sa maraming lalaki na kilala niya?

Na-disturb kaya siya kasi obvious naman na may nangyayari sa kwarto ko kapag nag-oovernight si ex?

How was she able to cope up with the truths? I have no idea.

But one thing is for sure, she tried to be as supportive as a mother could be in my relationship. Hindi man ako "out" sa pamilya pero lubusan niyang tinanggap ang aking buddy.

Sana sa susunod na darating ay ganun rin siya.

At sana ang susunod na darating ay hindi lang si Darkstar ang kasundo: Higit sana si Pulsar at si Mugen.

Napalaking pag-unawa ang inextend ng nanay ko sa aking naging relasyon noon...



[muni-muni]



Kung tama ang basa ko ngayon.

Kung obvious yung nabasa ko kanina.

Hindi man ako masaya sa aking nadiskubre subalit kailangan ko rin ibalik ang pabor, ang pagmamahal at pag-unawa na iginawad niya sa akin.

And for once, tanggapin ang maaring katotohanan

at intindihin ang magiging kasiyahan niya.

---

Faded pictures on the wall (It's like they talkin' to me)
Disconnectin' all your calls (The phone don't even ring)
I gotta get out
Or figure this shit out
It's too close for comfort (Ooh ooh)

- Rihanna, Disturbia

Nay A Time Of Plenty

JOMANIA BRACES AS THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECESSION BEGINS

"Expect dire straits ahead," Finance Minister Solviky warns the public.


Mugen City - After months of categorically denying the existence of a looming financial crisis, the Jomanian Finance Minister has finally admitted today that the empire is in dire need "to strap up" its remaining financial resources.

"The Recession is severely affecting the flow of money into our treasury," the teary-eyed Solviky laments in front of TV cameras "With half of our monthly national budget going to paying the empire's credit debts, we are slowly sinking and its effects maybe felt by the general populace very soon."

"We at the government are working hard to keep the economy stable, but with external conditions threatening to thwart our attempts to keep the empire afloat, our task is daunting," the minister explains. "Therefore, we call on the citizens to help us address the looming financial crisis. We need to cut losses by asking everyone to save money and to spend only for essential expenses."

Asked to elaborate on what are essential expenses, the Finance Minister mumbled for a few seconds and then proceeded to explain that his ministry "is still drawing up a list of expenses to avoid until the crisis is over."

"Upon our consultation with the emperor, we will reveal to the public the programs that the government will still support."

Meanwhile stocks tumbled for the fifth consecutive trading day after the Finance Minister's revelation shook investors' confidence at the resiliency of the Jomanian market. The Hak Ken index drops 400 points before closing at 2.5% lower than yesterday's trading...

---

Paid two credit card bills this afternoon and there's another big one due before the 10th. Phone bill remains unchanged and so is the cable bill. With the threats of Global Recession being reported on CNN everyday, a sister who stopped working and instead, focusing her attention toward her tibak leanings, and with the output at work getting lesser and lesser as the year comes to an end, I cannot help but feel worried.

Will my earnings keep up with the difficult times ahead?

Famous Last Words

"Paalam, Break na tayo."













---

In my three relationships, this is the first time I called the shots.
The battle for emancipation begins.
Patnubayan kami nawa.

The Saga of Three Kings

It is sometimes possible to see the fate of the world when one is aware of what is happening in the present.

---

Russia:

President Dmitry Medvedev also announced plans to begin large-scale production of warships, primarily nuclear-powered submarines armed with cruise missiles.

Medvedev said the need for the modernization was demonstrated by last month's military conflict with Georgia. Russia responded to Georgia's attack on the breakaway region of South Ossetia with overwhelming force and easily crushed the Georgian army, but the brief war highlighted Russia's aging arsenal.

"We must ensure superiority in the air, in carrying out precision strikes at land and sea targets and in the timely deployment of forces," Medvedev told military commanders after military exercises in the southern Orenburg region.

* Russia aims to upgrade nuclear arsenal, CNN

---

China:

The Shenzhou 7 spacecraft, China's third manned mission, blasted off atop a Long March 2F rocket shortly after 9:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) under clear night skies in northwestern China. The spacewalk by one of the astronauts is expected to take place either on Friday or Saturday.

Underscoring the mission's heavy political overtones, Chinese President and Communist Party head Hu Jintao was shown live on state television hailing the astronauts at the launch site near the northwestern town of Jiuquan.

"You will definitely accomplish this glorious and sacred mission. The motherland and the people are looking forward to your triumphant return," Hu told the three, who were dressed in their flight suits and behind glass to avoid germs.

*China launches Three-Man Crew into Space, Time-CNN

--

But as news has unfolded about how Chinese baby formula laced with the industrial chemical melamine has caused the death of four infants and sickened tens of thousands of others, milk consumption has fallen precipitously. Chinese supermarkets have cleared products from their shelves, but the crisis continues to spread beyond the country's borders. Dairy goods laced with tainted Chinese exports have been found in Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. A dozen Asian and African nations have banned Chinese dairy products. The European Union, which prohibits the import of Chinese milk, banned baby foods containing Chinese dairy products and said it will begin testing products such as toffee, chocolate and biscuits that contain 15% Chinese milk powder.

* China's Tainted-Milk Scandal Spreads, Time-CNN

---

The United States of America

"We are in the midst of a serious financial crisis," Bush said. "Our entire economy is in danger."

"I propose that the federal government reduce the risk posed by the troubled assets and supply urgently needed money so banks and other financial institutions can avoid collapse and resume lending."

In recent days lawmakers, economists and administration officials have used the words "crisis," "calamity" and "meltdown" to describe the possible ramifications if no action is taken.

"The market is not functioning properly," Bush said. There is a widespread loss of confidence. America could slip into a financial panic."

* Financial Crisis: President Bush explains big bailout as high stakes debate heat up. CNN

--

Everything is interconnected
and once the balance of power shifts from one hegemony to another,
a new world order sets in place.

Eyewitness

History must have its own way of calling an eyewitness, for in all those sleepless nights I had endured in the past, last night was the most different. Instead of going through an entire nocturnal phase watching cartoons and news, my body surrendered at half past midnight. I was asleep peacefully, only to awakened three hours later by my own body clock.

Surfing the channels, it was my hope that I would get back to sleep after one hour. However, fate must have different plans. With war going on in Georgia and Russia acknowledging the breakaway states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, on the other side of the world, something historic was happening. Today, the Americans made history by officially nominating a black minority to the position of the President of the United States of America.

News anchors and political analysts from CNN have already speculated that the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver will be dramatic. I said, "all right, I'm not an American so why bother to watch the live coverage?" So I changed the channel and tune in to Nickelodeon to watch Invader Zim. Daybreak arrived and still I could not sleep. I went out of the house to cast my gaze at the rising sun, watched the neighbor walk their dog and chatted with another neighbor about the sacrifices being made by working people with challenging work schedules.

Back into my room, I opened the TV once again in hopes that war had broken between Russians and the Americans over Georgia. Instead, what I witnessed was the roll call of delegates from different US States casting their vote for Senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

"We, the united Democrats from the tiny but beautiful state of Delaware," announced the representative at the podium "home of the great philosopher so and so, and senator so and so, and the great general so and so.." his bragging was actually boring "cast 7 votes for the senator from New York, Hillary Clinton and 14 votes for the next great president of the United States, Barack Obama." The audience cheered and applauded after the state had cast their vote.

When the representatives from the State of Illinois were asked to come out and cast their votes, their speaker simply abstained from the voting. I immediately reacted, "WTF, that's the home state of Obama and they abstained from the voting? That's impossible!"

The roll-call of delegates continued until it was New Mexico's turn to cast their vote. For some reasons, their speaker announced that they yield their votes to Illinois so that their speaker would be asked to cast again their combined votes. As the representative from Illinois spoke, the camera panned towards the audience where the brimming Hillary Clinton was shown arriving at the convention. Almost immediately, the Illinois representative yielded the combined votes of their state and those from New Mexico's to the delegate from New York.

At this point, I knew what was about to happen.

As the speaker from New York spoke, Senator Clinton was at his side. After some brief introductions, the podium was given to Clinton who once again urged her party mates and supporters to stand united against the Republican nominee John McCain. "With eyes firmly fixed on the future, and in the spirit of unity with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, let's declare together with one voice right here, right now that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president." Barack Obama's chief rival in the primaries closed the nomination and elected Obama through acclamation.

"Is there a second," asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was also the secretary of the convention.

When the 4,400 delegates composed of Whites, Hispanics, Asians and other minorities overwhelmingly affirmed Obama as their choice with thundering cheers, Nancy Pelosi officially adapted the motion and declared the Black Senator from Illinois the Democrat Presidential Candidate for the US 2008 Elections.

So there, I witnessed history as it unfolded right before my eyes.

Being a faithful student of the past, it was a moment I will remember for all time. I know how Blacks were discriminated, separated and threatened with violence just a few generations ago. I know their struggles, sufferings and the movers - from Martin Luther King to Malcom X who gave up their lives so that equality will be given to them. Who would have thought that in less than fifty years after the civil rights movement exploded, a Black person might actually become the most powerful person in the planet.

As O'Jay's Love Train blasted from the arena speakers, you see people of different color crying among the audience. Their eyes flooded with tears, I cannot help but share the jubilation and triumph they must have felt when Obama was declared the candidate of the Democrat party.

For a moment there, I sincerely wished I was an American.

Because major revolutions only happen once in a generation. A history has been made and much I would like to be part of it, I am not sure if the rest of humanity is ready for such changes. I rooted for an Obama-Clinton ticket but it didn't happen. Now the world is watching, with much enthusiasm and hope for changes in the American government.

The fight now is not between progressives and conservatives, or the good or the bad.

It is a struggle for our collective future.

I just wish that in the future, history will claim that goodness had prevailed in our time.

---

People all over the world (Sisters and brothers)
Join hands (join, come on)
Start a love train (ride this train, y'all), love train (Come on)

- O'Jays, Love Train

photos courtesy of CNN

Olympia

During the Olympic Games a truce or ekecheiria was observed. Three runners known as spondophoroi were sent from Elis to the various participant cities at each set of games to announce the beginning of the truce. During this period armies were forbidden from entering Olympia, wars were suspended and legal disputes and the use of the death penalty were forbidden. The truce was primarily designed to allow athletes and visitors to travel safely to the games, and was for the most part observed, although Thucydides wrote of a situation where the Spartans were forbidden from attending the games and fined 200,000 drachmas for assaulting the city of Lepreum during the period of the ekechiria, claiming that the truce had not yet taken hold

- Wikipedia, Olympics

---

I have vague memories when the Summer Olympics was held in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. All I can recall is that it was held during the day. When the Summer Olympics was held in Barcelona, Spain, San Miguel Campo Carne was the main sponsor of the media coverage here in Manila. I also remember a flamenco dancer performing during the opening ceremony. I haven't seen the games when it was held in Atlanta in 1996. All I know is that it was heavily commercialized and many consider it a flop in Modern Olympic history. I shouted and jumped in front of the TV when the Koreans showed up with a unified flag in Sydney four years later. Thanks to YouTube, I was able to watch the opening ceremony held in Athens four years ago only this evening.

The Olympics is known for its excessive pageantry that showcases the nation who will host the event. It is a source of heavy economic burden for those who decide to undertake its hosting. I once asked my mother if we could one day hold the Olympics here. She only said "not in our lifetime." Now that I am old, I understand what she meant then. Despite these consequences, the Olympics is still an enduring symbol of a dynamic world held together by interlacing five rings that represents unity and diversity. Throughout the years, the Olympics is used for political statements (when countries boycott the games) and it paves the way for social upheavals to happen, such when the host nation showcases its economic supremacy to the world or when the host nation caves in to political pressure and changes to a more democratic form of government.

Tomorrow will be the beginning of another Olympiad, and this time, it is China who will be hosting the largest gathering of nations the world has ever seen. The opening ceremony hasn't begun yet, but from what I've seen in the news these past few days, problems have already made this multi-sport event a publicity nightmare for the Chinese government.

Despite the negative feedback from Beijing, I am set to watch the games tomorrow at 8 pm. With the Greeks gaining critical acclaim for having the best opening ceremonies so far, it will be interesting to find out if the Chinese can match an opening performance worth of their emergence in global affairs.

"Clepydra," 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games opening ceremony. Nagandahan ako sa sounds, costume at saka sa gracefulness ni Eros kaya pinili kong ito ang maging highlight ng aking mga napanood sa YouTube ngayong gabi.

Newsworthy

From Inq7.net

---

MRT train halts at Guadalupe station--official

First Posted 16:36:00 07/15/2008

MANILA, Philippines – One of the trains of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) stopped at the Guadalupe station Tuesday afternoon, according to an MRT official

In a live interview over radio dzMM, Roberto Lastimoso, MRT general manager, said they were still investigating the incident.

---

When a dog bites a man, that, my friend, is not a news. Unless of course it was GMA who was bitten by a rabid dog. But when a man bites a dog, then by all means the story should be put on the front page of a newspaper and chances are, people will read it. The rule I just mentioned was the essence of our Newswriting class back in college. Funny how the guideline still bores deep inside my head even when I am not a practicing reporter.

The rule came to light after stumbling upon a news bulletin I read in the Inquirer website this afternoon. I understand that there are rules applying to economy of words. However, when the story suffers to the point that it becomes too lame for a news space, then it would have been better if the story hadn't been uploaded at all.

For one, MRT trains occasionally suffer from machine breakdown. It is a given fact.

Second, if the train broke down at 3 in the afternoon, where normally there are few passengers riding the trains and the operations would not suffer any major hassles, then what is the point of reporting the news?

The weakness of the bulletin lies in its lack of details. Had something catastrophic resulted to such unexpected stoppage (like someone jumping off the tracks out of sheer frustration of getting to work) then the news will become more interesting. I know, Inquirer updates their bulletins as the news develops. But in this case, it seems like they left the news suspended in mid-air.

In such cases, our professor gave away some creative techniques on how to spice a story.

Seasoned journalists call it Salsal. I'll leave it to your wild imagination to interpret what the slang means.

In Ceasar's Hands

Just as I suspected while eating Fried Chicken and Knorr Crab and Corn Soup for lunch this afternoon.

---

"ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- The hired driver of television reporter Ces Drilon and her crew has claimed to police that a known "military agent" and not members of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group abducted the ABS-CBN team, the Sulu police chief said Thursday.

Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police director, said driver Maramma Hasim, the man hired by Drilon and her team to chauffer for them in Maimbung on the day of their disappearance, claimed that one Juamil "Maming" Biyaw was the "missing link" to knowing who was behind the abduction.

Biyaw, a resident of the village of Sandah in Patikul town, is known in Sulu as a military agent, Kasim said.

Kasim said Hashim, who is now in police custody, claimed Biyaw was with the group Sunday when Drilon, cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, and their guide, Mindanao State University Professor Octavio Dinampong went to Maimbung.

They went missing after an armed group reportedly intercepted them along Kulasi, town of Maimbung while on their way to meet Abu Sayyaf leaders “to cover a special event.”

Quoting Hashim, Kasim said Biyaw ordered the driver to stop somewhere in the village of Labbah at around noon Sunday.

"The passengers, including Madame Ces, thought there was problem with the car,” Kasim quoted Hashim's account.

"All the passengers casually went down from the vehicle and this Biyaw guy invited the four to join him in a walk towards Mount Mabusing (interior of Labbah). So there was no scuffle. Madame Ces and the rest walked casually," Kasim added.

Hashim was reportedly surprised when the five left him on the highway.

"But he waited until 4 p.m. and this Biyaw returned alone instructing the driver to leave the place. The driver, apparently disturbed, followed the orders," Kasim added.

"Because of fear, the driver didn’t even show up readily and he is now in our custody. Right now, we are looking for this Biyaw and we are checking further his background and how close he is with the military as he being reported as an agent," Kasim said.

But Kasim admitted he was "a bit confused" by the different information he has been receiving the past days.

"He (Hashim) gave information that runs counter to what our Maimbung police earlier supplied," he said.

"It was my Maimbung police chief (Inspector Abdulsamad Mañalas) who said that, and I admit it might have been a presumption since the incident took place where Gafur Jumdail's group operates," he said.

But Maimbung Mayor Najib Maldisa said Mañalas had denied giving the identities of the kidnappers prior to confirmation from the ABS-CBN executives.

"It’s a good thing we did some of our homework. That is why I was a bit hesitant in blaming anyone especially if I didn't see them with my own eyes or receive any information direct from these bandits," the mayor said.

But as far as Kasim was concerned, the police are now looking at other groups.

"But I will not say anything at this moment. I just let Hashim's affidavit speak for what is the latest development," he said.

Maldisa, on the other hand, said Biyaw "is closely associated with some Marines in the brigade."

- Driver Claims Military Agent, Not Abus Siezed Drilon Team, INQ.net 7:14 pm

---

Go Figure:

Meralco + Winston Garcia + Malacanang + Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

- Lopez Group of Companies + ABS-CBN

Equals

Kidnapping of Ces Drilon in Sulu.

Just wait till the Lopezes get back in 2010.

I, Planet Earth

A friend once wrote on his G4M profile a revelation told to him by a psychic.

What he had was a regression reading. The psychic told him that in one of his earlier lives, he was a tree residing in a large track of impassable forest. My friend said that after the reading, he finally understood why he felt so close to anything that is green and organic. I am not sure if, after the reading, he found a greater sense of respect to the environment. All I know is that he's now a respected literature professor in Dela Salle University.

Sometimes, I envy what the psychic told him. I, for one, tries to believe in reincarnation. I could simply not accept that my existence is bound only to this present lifetime. I could feel that something deep runs through my veins; I could feel it every time I'm left having an intimate communion with nature.

But this entry is not about reincarnation, or about some wishful thinking that I should also be an old tree in my past life. It's about some more pressing concern, that I should have blogged yesterday. It's about the state of environment and the more I become aware of it, I'm beginning to see the connection between our present social problems and how it's bound to become graver if we ignore the signs that is now showing in front of us.

There is a global food crisis. No matter how my sister or some dimwit tambay I know insist that it's a government propaganda, the truth is that it exists. Let's leave it to the governments to address the problem. But I believe that the root cause of this crisis is not China or India getting more prosperous, or oil prices sharply rising in the world market, but because of the strain we're putting on the environment.

The carbon emissions we release into the atmosphere results to a hotter climate. The relentless slash and burn of our remaining forests aggravates the situation by denying the planet a natural carbon scrubber. Greed and shameless materialism takes over and as a result, we consume more than we should be taking from nature. Nature strikes back, and what we get are more violent storms, deadlier and costlier floods and landslides. And now, what we have is a food crisis.

Let's say hello to the end of humanity.

Time and again, I told myself to sign up with any organization that would let its members plant tree saplings around the city. So far, I haven't secured any contact information yet. A few weeks ago, I promised to blog the cutting of old trees along Katipunan Road to make way for the expansion of the highway. Every time I see those trees amidst the backdrop of construction work makes me feel that we had just put a death sentence not to a log, but to an old, and presumably wise creature that has been standing there long before any of us were ever born.

I feel so ashamed that we've gotten so low all in the name of progress.

Last night on Bandila, it was revealed that Manila is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Our carbon emission is twice the maximum allowed by world standards. It was also revealed on the news program that 90% of our forests has been cut down and that, the greatest polluter today are not the jeepneys but the tricycles that ply our city's secondary routes.

With the government busy addressing the rice problem, I don't see any progress happening soon. GMA may have sweet words to tell the foreign press, but a direct response would still have to take a backseat.

If only the next president would be more sensitive to the real concerns of the planet.

I'm looking for ways to reduce my carbon footprint, so that I could personally contribute to the global effort to stop global warming. So far, I've made very little progress. After the PETA rally last week in Quiapo, where I infamously told someone that I would love to nibble the lettuce covering one of the model's private parts, my diet began to shift from exclusively meat-based dishes to vegetable-based dishes. I know it's great for my body, but also better for the environment.

Still, it takes some real honest effort to make things work.

But everytime I remember how a friend was told that he was once a tree in a sea of forests, I think that in my past life, perhaps I was a tree as well.

Looking at how living things are interconnected, maybe I could even proudly proclaim that I am planet Earth.

Its suffering also spells my own suffering.

Downfall

Napanood ko sa Bandila ngayon lang na pinapatawag pala ng Philippine National Police si Maria Ressa ng ABS-CBN upang magpaliwanag tungkol sa mga video footage na nakuha ng kanilang istasyon sa loob ng Manila Peninsula noong kasagsagan ng Trillanes Crisis. Siyempre, palaban ang Maria Ressa at dahil siya ang isa sa pinaka-mataas na executive ng news and current events division ng nasabing istasyon, ay tiyak nasa likod niya ang buong pamunuan ng ABS-CBN.

Naisip ko lang, sakaling magkaroon ng stand-off involving the media (at magkaisa ang Channel 2 at Channel 7) laban sa gobyerno. Sakaling may magpatawag ng People Power at naging bantayog ng Press Freedom ang buong ABS-CBN compound; the moment makisali ang mga talents sa pamumuno nina Judy Ann Santos, Dolphy, Sarah Geronimo at mga cast ng Pinoy Big Brother - at pati na rin talents ng GMA 7, Tiyak susunod dito ang buong media community.

At dahil nangunguna na nga ang media sa pagtuligsa sa gobyerno, magkakaroon ng lakas ng loob ang opposisyon para sumali sa gulo. Naroon si Estrada, si Aquino... at pati na rin si Ramos. Sunod dito ang mga hakot crowd at sa bandang huli, pati ang mga dedma na middle class, yuppie at estudyante ay makikisali na rin. (Isang pagmamalabis sa kanila ang mawalan ng Telenovela na aabangan sa gabi).

Naisip ko lang na sakaling sumabog ang gulong ito, hindi malayong ito ang maging dahilan ng pagbasak ng Administrasyong Arroyo.

Malay natin, baka si Ces Drilon, Korina Sanchez at Ted Failon pa ang maging bayani ng makabagong pag-aalsa.

Such is the power of the media.

---

At si Trillanes? Hayun, nabubulok sa kulungan. Baliw rin kasi gumawa ng eksena eh.

I Is For Imbyerna

It could have been the most fabulous night of the month.

It's pay-day. The party spots of Malate, Makati and Timog had been anticipating a surge of crowd tonight since last week. Tomorrow is a national holiday, so for those who have regular work days, their weekend off is extended by an extra day. Even Government had its Motorola event, which they had been promoting since last month. Everything was gearing up for a fun, fun Thursday,

Until

Senator Grade Trillanes, together with his "patriotic" thugs entered the scene and messed up our rather boring and rainy afternoon.

---

The sentiments among my colleagues was unanimously against Trillanes. Some called him eksenadora, while others complained that with the rising food prices, who in the right mind would rise up to topple the government like he begs the people to do. "He's a very deranged man," my workstation-mate said. No matter what higher reasons, or moral inclinations he would declare as his defense, the people simply isn't interested to heed his call.

We're all tired of politics.

Even the publicly-vindicated Ex-President Estrada distanced himself from the deviant bunch. If only I could read his mind, he would have thought "weather-weather lang yang mga kudetang yan."

Yeah, even the weather today isn't cooperating either.

---

My dear mother was anxious the whole time. Since my sister was watching a nine-hour film in UP and I was still at work, she kept on asking me to call her only to tell me to go home immediately because the political situation was becoming more and more tense.

"Ma, hindi babagsak ang gobyerno. Busy ang sambayanan sa PBB para makisali diyan," I constantly assured her while I was on my way to my next destination. I even caught glances of the passengers who overheard my conversation nod at my statements. I was right. Six pm came, the Manila Pen, together with the rebel boys inside the place was brought down by a teargas but the government did not fall.

As a people, we're not really the suicidal, deranged types. The mutineers surrendered to avoid bloodshed at the posh Manila Pen.

I thought everything was back to normal. I would have readily claimed that the government scored big time today for handling the stand-off without any significant violence. Despite the journalists being detained together with the mutineers, I guess the overall drama that unfolded today raised their respective station's ratings sky-high. A price they have to pay in order to get attention from the ever hungry and telenovela-crazed people of the Philippines. The public was satisfied with the performance as well. After all, rarely do they witness a breaking news story that had happened this afternoon.

You see, no matter how the opposition attempts to bring down the government, they will never succeed in doing so. They should content themselves lambasting the administration and exposing its rotten carcass in legislative hearings. The 2010 elections is just around the corner. Even Senator Mar Roxas is already being groomed by his party to become their standard bearer in that election.

Taking the cue from former President Fidel Ramos, which I read this morning. Ramos said that he only supports GMA because nobody could ever take her place as the President. I have to agree that in terms of economy, she managed to keep the Republic afloat. That little achievement is enough for her to be able to secure her Presidential Seat until the end of her term.

As I have said, I would have given the president and her men a thumbs up for a job well done. However, just before the celebrations began and a sense of normality descends to everyone, a breaking news was relayed to me not just by night-out companion but my mom as well.

"May curfew daw from 12 am to 5 am mamaya ah," my friend said, still panting from running a long distance just to meet me.

"Tanginang gobyerno yan." I mumbled quietly to myself.

The phone rings shortly after.

It was my mom commanding me to head home immediately.

---

Roy: Nakauwi ka na?

Me: Yap. Ikaw?

Roy: Kanina pa. Hehe.

Me: Imbyerna talaga tong gobyerno.

Roy: Imbyerna kamo si Trillanes.

Magdalo Tea Party (Book Two)

From Inq7.net

---

MANILA, Philippines -- Detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and other officers accused of leading the July 2003 rebellion walked out of their trial Thursday and marched through the streets of Makati calling for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

As of posting time, Trillanes and his comrades are at the Manila Peninsula where they are scheduled to hold a press conference.

The walkout began shortly after the trial resumed after a brief recess. Brigadier General Danilo Lim, who himself is detained and facing coup d’etat charges following an alleged failed coup attempt in February 2006, was pulled away by several soldiers from the witness stand.

Trillanes and Lim said they were calling on the Filipinos to withdraw support from the government because the President has corrupted its institutions.

“We are joining the people… because the President continues to violate the Constitution of the Philippines repeatedly,” Lim told DZMM’s Teleradyo program, adding they were “calling for the removal of an illegitimate President.”

---

Who gives a bullshit. Not me. Not the people who works for a living like me.

Questions Of Integrity

A colleague was terminated yesterday. It had taken effect today, which, unfortunately she only became aware of after the HR called her attention this morning.

Rumors persist that it was because of her habitual tardiness and absences. My other colleagues who shared a row with her said that she would frequently render half-day work resulting to a significant loss in her output. Her absences were a disappointment as well. They said that she's nowhere to be found in times our work was at its most heavy. I haven't tapped the team leaders yet about this recent turn of events. However, her fate had not only shaken the faith of us pioneers of the company,

it had its deepest impact on me.

Despite her infamous reputation for spreading false rumors at the floor, some considered her one of the stalwarts of the company. She may not be likable to many but her ground had always been perceived as strong and unshakable. I personally thought that she won't become a casualty of the ever-changing order being imposed by the company.

But she was purged. It only means that there is a very strong possibility that I might become a casualty as well.

You see, I was suspended last month also because of my habitual tardiness. It was a very humiliating experience especially when you imagine other operators talking about your doom behind your back. I did make some efforts to improve my standing, but I've always felt that it was enough. I am still disappointingly inefficient. This week, my team leader voiced her concern about my absences. Though it still falls within the permissible limit set by the company, the authorities begin to see a pattern, which I am never aware of.

In my defense, I told them that even though I am not in my work station, I still render 8 hours work at home. Of course, it wouldn't matter. An absent is an absent no matter what excuses I tell them.

Which such realities at hand, I don't have any choice but to adopt to the changing policies or suffer the same fate, which my colleague had received yesterday. Before, I thought that my position was secured as long as no one would break my output record in the service account that I am handling. I also thought that the boss was infinitely patient enough to tolerate our delinquencies. Marami kasi ang nakalampas before, so I thought things were still the same.

But it appears that I am very wrong. I should have listened to Mami Athena when, in her motherly wisdom told me that everyone in the company is dispensable - even her and the boss himself. Maybe I should change and follow P-Man's lead, whom despite his ever growing suplado attitude remains my template for a ruthlessly hardworking but uncreative chat operator.

Creativity has its whims, therefore it cannot be trusted.

Today marks the official loss of confidence in my company standing. Even if I do not sense proximal danger, I still feel very vulnerable. My only recourse of action is to push myself to adapt and improve, or I would suffer the same fate like what had befallen my long-time colleague.

Subterranean Bombardment

As of this writing, a bomb exploded at Glorietta 2 in Makati City, sowing fear and confusion deep in the heart of an unsuspecting metropolis.

According to reports, at least four people have died and more than 70 injured. The whole lobby of Glorietta 2, including the sky bridge which I used to pass by whenever me and the ODDERs would watch a movie inside the mall has collapsed and sustained very heavy damage. The entire Glorietta Mall was closed for security reasons, while the rest of Manila is now declared in a state of red alert.

I was in Gilmore when the news exploded. It was splashed on a 22-inch flatscreen Samsung LCD that was being displayed in the lobby of the Gilmore IT Center. Everyone who was in the lobby huddled together in front of the screen as images upon images of a damaged Glorietta 2 was seen above from the Sky Chopper. It was a breaking news indeed and the scene around the IT lobby, with people pointing fingers at the terrorists made the news more apocalyptic.

Elsewhere around the world, Karachi also suffered from a huge bomb explosion being perpetuated by its terrorists. There was a mass rally to welcome the return of a former prime minister and it was greeted by a strewn of mutilated bodies and pools of blood and body parts as the bomb exploded when Benazir Bhutto was leading her political party's early evening march.

Being the opposition, they blamed the government for it. The government of Pervez Musharraf in return blamed the terrorist for the suicide bombing.

Looking at both explosions, it's easy to find a connection; a happy trail which will make us think the reason why such spate of violence happen. In Pakistan, it was very clear that the responsible for the blast were none other but the terrorist. However, it seems like their security forces responded too late to prevent such terror from taking place. In Glorietta, initial reports reveal that it was a gas pipe leakage that triggered the explosion. I would certainly cross my fingers hoping that it was caused by human error and not by a terror organization like Abu Sayaff.

But knowing our cyberpunk-inspired government, they would keep the real score about the mall explosion. They fear that the truth might hurt them more than the image of the country, that claims to have been ridden of terrorist.

What's done is done and for the days and weeks to come, we will feel the effects of the explosion in our daily lives:

more checkpoints along main roads at night;

malls with less people even on balmy weekends;

stock market and peso exchange dipping because of the perception that the country is unsafe to do business.

long and terribly hassle-ful queues at MRT and LRT stations;

days wrapped in fear and anxiety thinking when the "terrorist" would strike next.

But, if there is one entity that will benefit more from this nerve-wrecking explosion, it is not the terrorist organizations or the stupid guy or company that installed the gas works,

it is the Administration.

The effects I mentioned above, may only be a short-term implications from such an explosion. However, the government, being attacked simultaneously from multi-level fronts about issues ranging from ZTE-NBN deal, the congressmen payoffs, the not-so-secret war between GMA and JDV, the different corruption charges slapped at government officials by different pressure groups; what happened in Glorietta this afternoon would provide the GMA administration their much needed reprieve.

It will give them time and space to plan their defense and protect itself from imploding from the different scandals.

As the news develops and more story angles come into light (expect the police to reveal more and more leads as to the cause of the explosion to confuse everyone but themselves), the media's eyes will turn 360 degrees left and right away from the real problem, the real bane of us all.

If I know, such bomb explosion was simply engineered in order for everyone to keep their eyes distracted from the government's previously caught insidious activities.

The Arrival | Big Bird

If not for the papers that I have to finish before the semester ends, I would have trooped to NAIA just to see with my own eyes this fleeting beauty.

Sayang.

I hope that the next time an Airbus lands in the country, I would be counted as one of its passengers.

---

MANILA, Philippines -- Airbus' extra-large A380 jetliner flew into the Philippines on a test flight Thursday to show it can be flown to existing runways in Asia, company officials said.

The A380 flew from Melbourne to the Manila international airport, landing smoothly with room to spare and taxiing to a parking area without a hitch despite its larger size.

- PDI

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In a Philippine Daily Inquirer advertisement last Sunday, PAL announced a turnaround in their profits.

According to the advertisement, they said that the company has been financially rehabilitated. The flag carrier is pose to have an ambitious expansion in the next few years . If this is true, I hope PAL would consider investing in an A380 in the future.