Tap Water

When was the last time you drank water straight from the taps?  That may be decades ago or maybe never if you have lived most of your life in the city.  Water, which is a major component of the human body, is a very important resource.  Reader’s Digest recently had an issue whose main theme is the status of water in Asia and it’s so relevant today even the latest 007 movie “Quantum of Solace,” made mention.

 

I’m am not 100% sure, but I believe there’s no place here in the Philippines where you can safely drink directly from a water tap.  That’s why inside city dwellings, large blue containers with water bought from a water purifying station or those portable purifying contraptions connected to water taps are common.  Rural areas like provinces have also adopted this trend and in just a few years, water refilling/purifying stations have sprung up.  I don’t know, but there might be a conspiracy from lawmakers and businessmen as bottled water turned up to be a very profitable business.  Recent news in Manila indicates water borne diseases due to poor management of water distribution systems and a few years back, I think it was “hepatitis” (due to the drinking water system) that shamed a respected university.  

 

So, what is the government doing?  We’ll for starters, it assigned Prospero Pichay as Water Czar, which is obviously payback for his support for PGMA.  I don’t expect too much from him since he’s a politician whose type is common in our government who won’t lift a finger unless somebody complains or maybe even if some would complain.  He may be the Pichay that won’t “prosper” with tap water. 

 

Enough with my ramblings… here is an interesting e-mail I received from my sister months ago…

 

Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 11:15 AM

 

Hello everyone,

 

Na-feature sa news yung homeroom teacher ni Enki ngayong 2nd grade.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7386177&version=1&locale=EN-US

 

This is a class project for one of their "units of inquiry" under the International Baccalaureate Program - "Water is a finite resource."  The class footage is Enki's current class (sabi ni enki nakita niya ang kamay niya hahaha!) but the kids interviewed are from last year's second grade class.  I'm excited to see what Enki's batch might do.

 

Napanood ko ang complete video documentation for the school, maganda talaga ang pag-tackle nila sa topic ng water, dahil tayo, nakaka-relate sa reality na ito, pero karamihan sa mga bata dito, wala sa immediate consciousness nila since it is so cheap and readily available here in the US, especially with bottled water being the staple here - hardly anyone drinks from the tap anymore.

 

There were a lot of activities and workshops leading up to the grand project.  Although the video clip mentions mostly their fund-raising efforts, the focus of the curricular unit was on internalizing the message and letting their beliefs and convictions about water as a resource manifest in their actions - from simple things like being judicious in how much to open a faucet, to directly contributing to a water installation project in Columbia.  And that's where I think the school is doing an extra good job - by training the kids early on to live what they learn.  In an affluent society (I know, Nanay, this term is debatable but humor me na lang, I mean "materially abundant") like in the US, it is easy to be generous because people have too much and they know it.  Thus there are so many charities here, and so many charitable people.  So you see the news clip focusing more on the fund-raising project, which was indeed a wonderful gift from the children.  But for me, the more important worth of the whole endeavor was the attitude developed in the kids.  It is far more challenging to be compassionate.  I believe this is something that has to be nourished from a very young age.  Generosity is just one of its corollaries, but not the end-all.  Generosity borne out of pity and self-abundance is still a good deed, but also a dead-end.  What the world needs is more empathy and compassion, then humanity would have a fighting chance.  I imagine not all the kids "got it".  But I'm sure a majority of them did.  That's where the hope of the future lies.  Amyendahin natin si JPRizal -  ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan kung pinalaki silang may malasakit sa kapwa.  Compassion=malasakit (literally, "pseudo-aching", looking at the etymology, it actually seems closer to the meaning of empathy) while pity=awa, right? Magkaiba di ba?

 

Nagsimula ito na kwento lang ng isang over-zealous nanay, ngayon nagmukha nang blog entry. My rambling has lead to some good sentences, perhaps I will turn this into an essay/article some day.  Kuyang, i-guest mo ako minsan sa blog mo hehe.

 

aniway

chemist by profession, socio-anthropologist at heart

Pilipinas Basketbol: The Future

There have been two developments in the local basketball scene for the past week. One is the appointment of Yeng Guiao as the PBA backed national team head coach and the desperate radical move to improve our brand of basketball… the introduction of Serbian coach Rajko Toroman.

Who is Rajko Toroman?

Toroman is Serbian and he coaches professional basketball. His recent exploit was coaching Iran to its first ever victory in the Fiba Asia Championships (held every two years) last year 2007, which earned them a spot at the recent summer Olympics. Philippines won the Fiba Asia Championships 5 times in 1960 (first tournament), ’63, ’67, 1973 and lastly 1985 and is second to China with the most wins with 14. Iran’s best finish prior to winning the tournament was at 4th place back in 1993. In 2005, Iran finished 6th and in two years time under the helm of Toroman have finally sealed the deal. Philippines finished 9th in 2007… will Toroman’s formula for success work for us?

Bullheaded Yeng Guiao

Yeng Guiao is undoubtedly one of the best homegrown coaches around. Physicality in defense is what I remember of his style. He’s simply discipline personified like when he asked his boys to shave their heads years ago if they wouldn’t shape up. Come to think of it, he never grown some hair since then which is kind of sinister or simply… because he liked it. We all know that a decent defense would translate to offense and his mettle would surely be tested when it comes to international play.

Philippine Basketball would surely benefit from these two good coaches if… they can work together. But early on, there’s already a problem brewing since Yeng Guiao was appointed head coach and Toroman’s appointment is not yet clear. Yeng Guiao as reported has demanded an explanation or clarification on Toroman’s appointment from SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas). From the way I see it, Yeng Guiao is an achiever on his own and is more effective when he’s calling the shots. His appointment at this time however is ill advised since he’s too busy trying to boot out Gov. Ed Panlilio from the helm of Pampanga. Hmmm and I sense a pattern here… he might also try to boot out Toroman in the guise of being patriotic!

Bullheaded Guiao or Toroman (forgive the pun)… let’s wait what happens.

Weekend Commuter Chronicles 002: Halleluiah!!!

It didn’t rain for last weekends commute to Manila but surprisingly, the crooked policy of the crooked V changed! I don’t know if it’s official and I’m not sure if it’s back to normal for good but they started leaving the air conditioning or maybe just the blower on while on stopover in Pampanga. I didn’t bother to talk to the conductor because they might realize they just forgot to turn off the air conditioning on my trip to Manila. But on my return trip, they really left the air conditioning on or again… maybe just the blower.

It’s a welcome development even if it’s just the blower as the weather last weekend was the usual hot humid tropical Philippines. With the price of diesel going down plus the expected 5 pesos rollback in September (if the worldwide price continues to drop), I expect the crooked V to permanently revert to its original operating procedures. And maybe, even a rollback on the ride fee!

It’s weekend again, should I still wish for the rain to come?

Weekend Commuter Chronicles 001

In another and most probably my last chat with a bus conductor who they themselves cannot voice out their frustration with the crooked V (Victory Liner).  I learned that there are two types of air conditioning system being used by the crooked V buses.  One is the old system wherein buses have a separate engine for the air conditioning.  The reason for such a system I assume is so that the bus main engine can deliver all of its horses in moving the bus.  Two engines running at the same time result to high consumption of fuel and such is found mostly on old buses.  The other system is dubbed as the “direct drive” air conditioning system.  As the name implies, the bus engine gets to run the air conditioning system much like the ones found in cars.  Supposed to be, this is a more wasteful system but only at the start of the engine.  Due to advancements of engines (diesel), they are now the preferred choice resulting to lower fuel consumption.  The new crooked V buses use this system, buses made by Hyundai. 

 

So how did my last two weekends commute turned out?  It was OK… comfortable.  Unfortunately the crooked V hasn’t budge and the crooked policy is still on.  Thank the Almighty for the rain that made the ride cool and comfortable. 

 

This coming Saturday… Rain! Rain! Don’t go away!… come this weekend and not some other day!

Victory Liner: Health Risk!

It’s been a month since I started spending weekends in Manila.  Bus fare going from Iba, Zambales to Manila is now at 330 pesos, a very high price compared to bus fares three months before. Did the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) approve the increase?  But taking public transports is still the choice over using ones car especially with the current fuel prices.  Victory Liner is the only bus company plying the Zambales route.  It’s been that way since I was a kid even in the days when my parents went to college in Manila.  It’s a virtual monopoly practiced by owners of transport companies that have intermarried to form a cartel like organization that selects areas to operate avoiding competition.

 

I used to brag to my friends that compared to other bus companies whose service I’ve tried, Victory Liner is way better.  But lately, due to rising fuel prices, the quality of service have gone from better to worst.  First time I rode the bus last month; I noticed that they tend to turn off the air conditioning at a stop over in Pampanga.  According to the driver, it’s a new company policy and if we have issues we should complain to their supervisor.  It’s a good idea since turning off the air conditioning and at the same time the engine saves a lot of fuel and reduces carbon monoxide emissions… hence, save the planet!  When they restart the air conditioning system of the bus though, the rest of the journey to Manila is considerably hot.  The other times I rode the bus, luckily it was raining and it somehow helped in keeping the temperature cool inside the bus.  On a recent trip on my home from Manila, I immediately talked to the conductor as the bus left the terminal.  I asked him if the air conditioning system could get any more cooler because I suspect that they are only allowed to set the air conditioning system at a specified level.  He said that “it’s company policy” and they can’t do anything about it and of course you do not argue with the people that’s supposed to move you from one place to another.  Take your complaint to the bus company!  A co-passenger who overheard my little chat with the conductor agreed with my observation and relayed his dismay at the so called “company policy.”  He said, usually buses starts their air conditioning system way before the departure time at the terminal to cool the insides of the bus.  Unfortunately now, they just open the air conditioning when the bus is about to leave.  Imagine the combined temperature of human bodies that would occupy the bus, he added.  If the normal body temperature is at 36.8 °C ± 0.7 °C, multiply that with the number of passengers plus the inside temperature of the bus… that’s a lot of heat!  My co-passenger talked with the supervisor at the stop over in Pampanga and was given the number of Victory Liner’s “customer care” and according to the supervisor; Victory Liner already received a lot of complaints. 

 

Obviously it’s not only us passengers who gets to suffer from a “hot” air-conditioned bus, even the drivers and conductors.  All I do is sit, they get to drive and walk up and down the aisle to attend to passengers.  I don’t get to spend much energy compared to them hence I produce less heat.  Although I believe I have recurring colds every weekend, I pity Victory Liners front line soldiers.  They get to do their jobs, but the owner doesn’t care about their health.  Sooner or later, all of them would get sick paralyzing operations and the company’s income. 

I hope the company policy gets changed before Saturday, as I’d be going to Manila again. 

 

At 330 pesos a ride, I hope I’d get the soothing cool service I paid for.

 

 

Oh my gas!

Saturday last week, the price of diesel went up by 3 pesos, considered the highest price hike to date.  Come Monday, a rollback was announced amounting to 1.50 pesos.  Why is that when there’s a fuel price increase, oil companies uses the same rate?  Do they get their oil from the same supplier?  Do they buy it at the same time?

 

In our town, we have all the major oil companies, Shell, Caltex and Petron.  At a neighboring town, there’s Flying V who was first to jump on the 1% bio-diesel blend.  Geographically between two big players is an “un-branded” fossil fuel reseller whom according to an associate buys its fuel from the big oil companies mentioned above.  Whoever gives the lowest wholesale price, that’s where the un-branded reseller buys its fuel.  As a result, he gets to sell or compete with the big oil companies at a lower price.  I noticed Petron does not care to lower it’s price to compete with the un-branded reseller and even Caltex since geographically, they are far from the un-branded reseller.  Shell on the other hand is just a few feet away, and to compete with the unbranded reseller, sells their product at the same price with the un-branded reseller.  This way worked for Shell, as one gasoline attendant would say, they lowered their price at par with the unbranded reseller to get more customers.  They believe that by offering the same price, consumers would prefer Shell to the unbranded reseller.   As a result, we enjoy a lower or sometimes the same price for diesel with those from Metro Manila, which should not be the case since the cost of transport of fuel is factored on the selling price at the pumps.

 

Rising oil prices is a global phenomenon.  My friend who resides in Germany told me 2 months ago that the price of diesel there is 90 pesos per liter.  Knowing that, do you think we are lucky that the price of diesel hasn’t broken the 60-peso price?  Even if we look at it as a global crisis, do you think our government can’t do anything about it?  Are the militant people wrong in staging rallies in front of big oil companies demanding for cheaper fuel?

 

The Arroyo administration can do something about it.  So it pleaded with Petron for a rollback and it did with 1.5 pesos.  The answer to skyrocketing oil prices is as of the moment Petron.  The government has a considerable stake on Petron (40%) but sadly, instead of increasing its shares and taking full control of Petron, the government is opting to sell it’s remaining shares to turn it into funds for infrastructure that we all know majority of it would not really materialize!  Screw deregulation!  What would happen if the government takes over Petron? When I say, “take over,” not the hostile one but the legit corporate buying of shares that the government can exercise.  The government can now freely adjust fuel prices that should be lower than the other big players are setting on us.  Thus will result in lowering of fuel prices that is reasonable to all stakeholders just like what happened when Petron lowered their prices by 1.5 pesos, the other oil companies followed suit.

 

Come to think of it, the unbranded fuel reseller looking rag-tagged with surplus pump machines has done a better job in exercising competition than the big fat government who has the means but tries to do the moronic thing.  With this, I really think Sec. Angelo Reyes should resign.  It’s okay with me if he makes a fool of himself, but being in government and as retired military personnel, he gives the men in uniform a bad precedent.

The picture above is from my friend Vhlad

 

Check out his flickr account!

 

 

Earth Browser!

We all know the popular Google programs available through the net for free.  Everybody knows Google Earth and on its release I bet your first use of the program is to locate your whereabouts.  Google Earth is one revolutionary product whose predecessors were previously available only for select people. 

 

A few months ago I received an e-mail regarding Earth Browser.  At first I thought it’s a clone of Google Earth so I ignored it.  Then I chance it upon a second time and checked it out (http://www.earthbrowser.com/).

 

Installation

Earth Browser was developed using Adobe Air so it’s an Internet application used as a desktop application (a desktop application connected to the Internet).  Why the term ‘air?”  Applications made on Adobe Air create an illusion that they float on your screen and is perceived to be the cause of death of all Internet browsers.  In installing Earth Browser, by clicking the “install now” option on the Earth Browser homepage previously mentioned, it would first install Adobe Air if you don’t have it.  When I installed using this method, I encountered an error with Adobe Air.  So I decided to visit the Adobe Air homepage (http://www.adobe.com/products/air/) and installed it first (separately). 

 

First Impression

It looks like Google Earth at first but when you try to zoom, you won’t be able to see that much detailed topography as the maximum zoom view is only up to 45km from the earth’s surface.  If you want to view those detailed maps like in Google Earth luckily you don’t have to open your Google Earth anymore.  Inside Earth Browser, there’s an icon that let’s you access Google Maps. 

 

Strengths

Real-time display of weather patterns is what caught my attention.  Earth Browser can display the weather condition for a particular area like or shall I say even our little town.  Click a particular area with a “yellow dot” and it shows the week’s weather forecast.  Let’s say the recent typhoon “Frank” that hit the country.  Using Google Earth and by clicking or enabling the “weather” option, one would get to see the swirling mass of a typhoon over the country.  However, it does not plot the probable path of the typhoon and that’s where the Earth Browser comes in, which can plot the 4 possible path points.

 

Though we all know that there’s no such thing as an accurate weather forecast and even an accurate prediction of a typhoon’s path like what the typhoon Frank just demonstrated.  But it’s good to know that Earth Browser’s weather forecast comes from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

 

I think ABS-CBN is already getting its weather forecast from Earth Browser as one time, I was watching the evening news and their forecast was exactly the same.

 

The Earth Browser 3.0.4 is the current version and can be tried as a demo.  Certain functionalities I guess are available for a fee of 29.95 USD (with two years free upgrade and support). 

30 USD plus an Internet connection?  I guess that’s not too much for a company like Sulpicio Lines.

Earth Browser

Google Earth

SCTX Myth

SCTX stands for Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway, a new addition to long high-speed stretch of roads aim at improving trade and commerce in the Philippines. It was primarily built to connect two former US military installations now export processing zones, Subic and Clark. On paper, Subic to Clark section would take 40 minutes and from Clark to Tarlac, only 25 minutes. For the mean time, there are three out seven interchanges that are ready for public use. For a Zambaleño to reach Manila, two interchanges are available, the Dinalupihan-Hermosa Bataan Interchange (1^st interchange from Subic) and the Clark Logistics Interchange (5^th interchange). The Clark Logistics Interchange is the one that connects with NLEX (Northern Luzon Expressway).

Last week, I got the chance to experience the 47 km Subic to Clark Logistics Interchange stretch that would in paper take me to Manila sooner than usual. Like the NLEX, everybody would enjoy the quality of the road especially the dragster community. BMW might place an ad “Another road worthy for a BMW” as they did with NLEX (replace “another” with “a”) when it opened years ago. Some would probably say it’s like driving interstate roads in the US but the way it had punched through hills, reminds me of inter-city roads of South Korea. There are some portions whose surface is noticeably rough, probably just 1% of the whole stretch.

Going to Manila from Zambales according to a friend who’s on the wheel, using the SCTX is a wise choice but he said if one would decide to use the Clark Logistics exit, it is more costly! Since it’s going to be my first time on the expressway, I get to decide which route to take (har har har!). After five minutes of driving, doing 80 to 90 kilometers per hour, I can’t sense vibration brought by the road the same thing I noticed when I first tried NLEX. It’s a lot better than traveling through the usual route using the Dinalupihan-Bataan and Sta. Cruz-Pampanga route. What amazed me most was the view from both sides of the road. One gets to enjoy the mountain ranges and plains of Central Luzon that are surprisingly green, maybe due to the early rainy season. Years of heavy logging (illegal) had made its mark though… similar to the mountain ranges of Zambales. For the next 10 minutes, it was starting to get a bit boring… Then I remember what a friend said to me regarding long stretches of road, one could use his/her knee to do the steering. But my friend wasn’t that adventurous to even try.

So we plied the long road for 43 minutes with the average speed of 90 kph and exited using the Clark Logistics Interchange costing us about 112 pesos (class 1 vehicle). That’s 2.38 pesos per kilometer. We were off to NLEX and it took us 9 kilometers (I’m a little bit not sure on the 9 km) to reach the Dau Toll Gate then exited in Balintawak. And since we came from Dau, we paid a toll of 180 pesos. Total distance traveled before reaching NLEX is therefore 47 plus 9 km, 56 km. Total toll fees from SCTX and NLEX, 112 plus 180 pesos, 292 pesos.

To compare the toll fees and the distance traveled, we decided to use my friend’s “economical route.” We used the NLEX San Fernando Toll Gate for our return trip then used the Dinalupihan-Bataan Interchange of SCTX. This time we just paid 130 pesos for NLEX and 24 pesos for SCTX which amounted to 154 pesos. The 138-peso difference for us using a diesel powered vehicle translates to extra 3 liters of fuel using the 45 peso to a liter rate for diesel. In terms of distance, this time we only traveled 45 km as opposed to the 56 km using the whole stretch of SCTX. Average speed however was down to 65 to 80 kph and there are usual stop and go’s due to the usual traffic.

After using the two routes, I finally realized my friend’s argument. The SCTX is no doubt the choice of road if a person would be coming from Zambales and Clark or Tarlac is his/her destination. But considering the price of fuel and toll fees nowadays, going to and from Manila using the Dinalupihan Bataan Interchange is the more economical way. That is considering the following assumptions:

 Since I don’t have a digital gauge to measure actual mileage, I just assumed that the fuel used in traveling the Subic to Clark stretch averaging above 80 kph is basically the same using the usual route plus the Dinalupihan Bataan Interchange of SCTX with it’s usual traffic.

 In terms of tire wear, the SCTX would present a bit of advantage. But if one would be driving fast say above 100 kph, I think it is the same as taking the not so smooth roads of Pampanga traveling below 80 kph and of course… the way a person drives.

A word of caution though, during the rainy season, portions of Dinalupihan-Bataan is prone to flooding.

The SCTX is one (or the “only”) of the good news that is hard to come by in our country nowadays and I believe first timers would really try the whole 47 km of SCTX as we did. Travel to and from Manila may further improve once the other interchanges are complete.

Photos of SCTX… click here!

Downloading movies from the Internet

Residing on a small town that was able to produce a President of the Republic of the Philippines, watching movies on the big screen is no longer a practice.  There used to be two movie houses in the 80’s and 90’s, one in our town and the other on the neighboring town.  Movie houses in the countryside usually have this double feature format that means you get to watch two movies for a fee.  One Filipino movie usually of the action or comedy genre and one foreign film with a Chinese martial arts theme (notably the Kung-Fu Kids series) or an American B-movie are what usually shown.  With no air conditioning, air circulation inside is done by two large industrial fans and anyone you came across after watching knows where you’ve been by the way you stink… courtesy of the fascist smoking movie goers.  The other movie house, the one on another town, is modern at that time for it can play movies by using the Betamax and VHS formats and also because you won’t smell funky after watching.  Since it can play movies out of cassettes, they had a much wider selection of movies but catered to a select audience that might have a hand in ballooning our countries population to 80 billion.

A lot has changed since the 80’s and 90’s. The movie houses have closed prompting people to look for other sources of entertainment fix.  Cheap DVD players have popped up courtesy of merchants down south with a price tag a tenth of the branded ones which for the good of everybody prompted OEMs to lower their prices. Usually not at par with branded ones when it comes to durability, one can practically watch a movie all over again and depending on how many times you’ve played it, the cost incurred (discounting electricity) in buying one disc is negligible.  Piracy has taken a new form and definition and with the help of advancements in technology has found its double-edged ally.

The Philippines is a hotbed of pirated materials, name it… I’m sure we have it.  From audio, software, movies etc. For a couple of years, we were stricken off from the US watch list but unfortunately, were back this year singling out the notorious Quiapo area.

How do you solve a problem like piracy?  There are raids as seen on the evening news but mostly in the Manila area.  But even with the raids, I bet one can still purchase pirated materials in Manila… even in malls.  Pirated materials have widened its reach ironically because of the raids in the cities.  When things gets hot, pirates move to provinces where the arm of the law is not for upholding the law but for receiving cash in exchange for protection.  Sometimes I suspect that they simply don’t care and worst, they insist it’s not their jurisdiction, as the Optical Media Board (OMB) must handle the raids.

The local art scene is aching from piracy.  A Filipino music artist can only dream of a platinum album award and are now limited to gold album awards.  Similarly, a Filipino movie perceived to be less than a blockbuster turns out to be a flop.  The difference, compared with American artists, is that even if there’s such a thing as piracy, their artists’ still ends up millionaires (in US$).  The only screwed party is the producer who by the way still makes millions.

There were reports that pirated materials are money-making machineries of terrorist organizations.  The only way to not contribute to such organizations is to buy the original material.  But if you don’t have the money and as there is always another way, downloading movies (started with MP3’s and now even software downloads are available) using the Torrent technology from the Internet is the way to go.  But downloading movies via the Internet without shaving a few bucks is still a form of piracy on a legal standpoint.  It may take away the guilt feeling of aiding terrorists with their dastardly acts but somehow one is indirectly aiding their cause and movie executives are not happy with it.

So comes the question… Who started piracy in the first place?  According to an article published by Wired Magazine (Issue of March 2004), it’s the people who built Hollywood.  In order to avoid paying Thomas Alva Edison for royalties from using his motion picture technology, they moved to the west coast and the rest is history.

Bad karma? As Austin Powers would say… Maybe.

As for me, a movie aficionado by the age of 6, I only get to watch movies on the big screen whenever I go to Manila.  On a recent trip, I enjoyed watching Iron Man in full THX glory (190 pesos at Greenbelt – 4.5 US$).  I enjoyed it so much that I might…  armed with the cheapest and slowest broadband connection… download it from the net as soon as it’s available.

Permits and Mahogany

January for businesses of all scale in the Philippines is the time for the yearly renewal of business permits… in other words, time for the government to get some juice out of trying to get by Filipinos.  This year I took charge in renewing related permits for our small business and in the course of my expedition… learned something new.

I started out my day’s business with the community tax certificate or commonly known as “cedula.”  So… I went to the Barangay Hall where I belong and unluckily they don’t have any cedula to issue which is ironic because the day before… they were reminding people in our barangay to get our necessary permits.  Having wasted some spit-sized fuel for that journey, I decided to go to the Municipal Hall.  To my surprise it’s already computerized… wow… what an improvement!  With my computer printed cedula on hand… I went to the barangay hall that covers the location of our business.  And what I witnessed there is what this blog is all about.

When I arrived, there was this couple whom I recognized since they live not that far from our store and for the fact that the guy is a usual customer.  So I chatted with the guy and I started to get nosy… just to kill time while waiting for the barangay hall officer.

“What’s your business here?”  I asked.

He answered that they are about to get married and they have to get some certificate. 

“Certificate for what?” I asked again.

“Certificate that we’ve planted some trees” he replied.

“What is that for? Is that a requirement nowadays before getting married?” I inquired.

Turns out, there’s this law that requires couples to plant trees and they must obtain a certification from the barangay they belong that they did.

“So… did you plant some trees?” I asked again for the nth time.

He answered. “No (with a mischievous smile)…”

I almost blurted out my signature laugh but luckily I noticed that the barangay officer is just around the corner.  

The barangay officer sits down and after some pleasantries asked the couple… “Did you plant some trees?”

The couple answered as if they’re singing a duet… “Opo (Yes sir)!”

“So what kind of trees did you plant?” He probed.

For that question I thought the barangay officer have hit the jackpot!  But then again the couple replied….

“Mahogany po!”

I almost laughed but then again… controlled myself causing myself a gas build up.  I thought the officer almost cornered these guys… but man they’re good and they practically covered any possible question to be thrown at them.  So in short, they got their certificate… eventually to pro-create without following a simple environmentally related law.

I was disappointed with the officer for not probing deeply and myself for not spilling the truth (because I’m not a rat).  I was thinking that maybe the next move for the officer is to ask for some proof like a picture.  Hmmmm a picture… what if they took a picture of some other tree they saw down the road?  Whoever thought of the said law have good intentions but like any other laws of the land, implementation is always an issue.

I guess I’ll just have to plant additional trees in case it’s my time to tie the knot.  Come to think of it… this is probably one law that the poor and the rich are on an even playing field.  But that’s not too comforting… di ba?

Trillanes: Withdrawal of Support!

It’s not that I want to start the New Year on a feisty mood but in connection with my first blog entry for this year, to be specific, regarding Trillanes. I think it’s a good idea to let him know (especially those who are pissed) our version of “withdrawal of support.”

I was browsing the net last night when I stumbled upon his official website, http://www.trillanes.org/magdalo/. What caught my attention was his online poll and gladly obliged!

Vote “No!”

Winners and Losers of 2007

2007 has drawn to a close. Everybody’s talking about year-ender specials… most of the time, last year’s newsmakers. Every year, magazines publish their own version of who’s the man/person of the year, athlete of the year and so on… I thought of making my own after visiting my favorite gaming website ign.com and it’s the “Winners and Losers of 2007!” Let’s start with Philippine politics.

Loser: Senator Antonio Trillanes IV

He started the year as a loser being detained for a failed mutiny in Oakwood and then come election time turned into a winner having won a seat in the senate with 10,999,999 votes, unfortunately… plus… mine. In a surprising twist before the year ends, he reverted to being the pitiful loser that he is by staging another fart sounding siege at the Manila Peninsula.

So why did I vote for the mutinous soldier? Take note… I am doing this not in defense of my action. I voted for the guy because I am… like what he’s trying to project, an idealist. After the failed Oakwood Mutiny that he led, a research paper he wrote circulated the Internet. After reading most of it, I kind of pictured that he is a man that is against corruption and is only after the welfare of all Filipinos specifically that welfare of his brothers in arms. In his paper, he discussed how high ranking officials in the military get away with ghost shipments of supplies, stealing of fuel later exchanged for cash and others. He even analyzed tactical failures of the military in capturing the Abu Sayyaf bandits when they have them cornered at one of the Mindanao islands suspecting the higher ranks are in cahoots with the terrorist group.

“With great powers comes great responsibility.” He should have watched Spiderman while in detention by the military. He’s a senator now and rebellious acts should no longer be in his repertoire. He should have studied more carefully the country’s last 20 years’ history. You will never topple a government on your own. Not even Enrile, Ramos and Honasan combined can do what the people did way back in ’86 although they usually claim they were the architects of “People Power.”

Come next elections, I believe the Filipino people have or should have learned their lesson, no more freaks coming from the Philippine Military Academy. And to think a friend of mine failed to enter the said institution because he’s “flat footed.”

In the end, he’s just a tamed down defective clone of another senator… Gringo Honasan. But unlike Mr. Honasan, he surrenders at the sight of tear gas and complains like a sissy when allegedly manhandled (during his arrest in the Manila Peninsula) by an upper class man, Director Gerry Barias. Isn’t hazing in the PMA or shall we say terrorizing of new recruits just a common thing?


Winner: Father Ed Panlilio

Pampanga is a province that I always have to cross before I get to Manila. Notably of the province is the poor condition of roads and bridges (which can be used as launch ramps!) but that is understandable since the province was ravaged by the Pinatubo eruption in 1991. In the last elections, the real battle for the highest post for the province is between the younger incumbent Lapid and the wife of alleged jueteng lord, Pineda. The alleged president of the Philippines was torn in choosing her bet between the two gubernatorial candidates. Then came an outsider to the political world… a priest, willing to challenge the much known candidates volunteering as the alternative! The priest that I am referring to happens to have a non-communicable skin disease making some portion of his face whiter and is fondly called “Among Ed.”

Winning the gubernatorial post was no great feat as some would say. If only the younger Lapid and Pineda pitied just one candidate, they could have won and would still control Pampanga. But both have their own agendas and ambition so instead of the usual “choose the lesser evil,” miraculously… the Kampangans was blessed with someone righteous.

Reforms were evident in his first few months. One remarkable improvement was the collections from quarrying. The amount collected in a few months under his watch equaled the younger Lapid’s collection… in years.

But there’s a snag in his administration. A grand display of what is known as “crab mentality.” His second in command, the Vice Governor and at the same time coach of a popular basketball team and some municipal officers are not in tune and rather decided to be thorns towards the province prosperity… the ugly side of democracy.

Kapampangans with Among Ed are already winners but if they let the smaller crabs do their thing… they’ll definitely end up as losers!

Among Ed for President? Why not?

More on Among ED… click here!