Losing Relationships

I empathize with anyone who is in pain and I truly understand what you are going through as of the moment. The best of us have undergone this situation one time or another in our lives. Just recently, I have been subjected to such an event. Not by my choice, mind you. Moreover, like all the others before it, it was not a pleasurable episode.

It is painful to put a strain on or even lose any kind of relationship especially when you have already invested considerable time, energy, and emotion into it. However, reality bites that sometimes, things just do not work the way we envisioned them to be. Nevertheless, should we wallow in sorrow and retreat ourselves into the darker recesses of our inner being when everything crumbles? My answer is an unequivocal, yes. In that particular time frame, one has all the right to be. For in our lonesome and in our darkness, we learn to look at ourselves from within and from another angle amidst the emptiness surrounding us.

At this stage, each of us has our own threshold of how long we stay on this level. The sooner we realize that we deserve something better than what we have in our temporary predicament, the sooner we emerge from the darkness like the mythical phoenix, reborn from the ashes of the past, and with the flames burning bright towards a better future.

"Move on", two words we commonly say, and hear people say when one chapter ends and another is on the wings. However, allow me to augment that, personally, "moving on" in itself is an inaccurate description of what we should do. For when we say move on, it simply illustrates the physical and mental state from one point to another. I say inaccurate, since saying "moving on" is an incomplete phrase. It simply says we move, but it does not say "where to." For we can say move on up, move on down, move on sideways, move on forward, or, even move on backwards.

I say my friend, make your move a more positive one, and state with conviction, "There is no other way for me to go but to move on forward. I am done being down, so along with that I will also move on up. Hello world, I am back!"

So keep on believing that there is someone out there we truly deserve to be with, and someone who deserves us. Also learn to say a silent prayer of thanks, that we live another day as the Creator intended for us. Thanking Him for the opportunity that we exist not because we need it, but we exist for the simple reason that someone out there needs us. We exist not just as an object of their affection, but also as their guiding light, and their angel on our short stay here on earth.

Note: Picture taken from the web.

Cha-Cha 2008

Two years ago, the incumbent set of government people put out it’s “grand deception” as the Supreme Court called it, the Cha-Cha or Charter Change. They needed to convene a Con-Con (Constitutional Convention) or a Con-Ass (Constituent Assembly). For various reasons and interests, the prime would be to alleviate the country of its sorry plight it is in now. Now for Cha-Cha 2008, another reason being given out is to ensure a long lasting peace in Mindanao.

I, for one am for change. Positive change that is. In my personal opinion, any form of Cha-Cha, Tango, Tinikling, Singkil or Pandanggo will not help since the intention is truly shady. It doesn’t matter to me how many Con-Con’s or Con-Asses they convene unless they say or truly divulge HOW a change in the bible of the land will help millions of starving Filipinos when the same characters will remain at play. It was really not a shocker for me that most of today’s (8/13/2008) Philippine broadsheets came out with screaming headlines “Systems go for Cha-Cha.” Come on, we’ve been through that already with the freedom constitution and what change has it provided us with?

Well we did have more freedom to express our views not present before. That’s positive. But aside from that, came also a new set of problems we haven’t had experience in dealing with before, not even during the time of the Spaniards. The people in general have been under some form of Pontio Pilatos glorifying themselves as a blessing to the people. Some of them truly are but most are just that, media hogs. Sad to say that even some of our Barangay Captain’s set themselves as demi-gods in their area of responsibility. As I’ve said in the past entries, we had a chance during EDSA 1 and we squandered it. It may have been the opportunity we were waiting for but the reality is, we didn’t know how to use it properly. We were all bent on revenge and getting all that was lost, real or concocted. We lost the real gist of what must be done to rehabilitate not only the coffers of the land but also instilling positive changes in the minds of our youth for this new found freedom we have. Again I stress that these are my personal views. And if you, dear readers, are not happy with the way I think, please feel free to go somewhere else because there are more coming.

Unless we learn from our mistakes in the past from the history of our country, we most likely will fail in this pending smoke and mirrors game plan behind this new attempt. They are saying it will effect change citing this and that but how? Can they not do it if they truly mean it in the present set-up? What’s stopping them? We always hear these words during election period and that’s a given. Have any of those lofty ideals surfaced? You be the judge. Are you securely employed? Are your streets and community safe? Can you look at your Honorable straight in the face and say “you are doing a miserable job” and not be sued or worse just vanish on the face of this earth? If you are legally in any form of trade, are you content with the way things are run when you get to renew your business licenses and permits? If you buy any form of item from a store, can you return it for a refund if you are not satisfied with the product? Can indigent people really rely on the government for lasting assistance instead of dole outs to help them get back on their feet? Are you silently wishing to have your relatives and work here instead of abroad away from the clan? If you are an honest taxpayer, are your taxes being handled correctly and used accordingly? Cha-Cha “daw” can help. HOW? And why now?

Whoever the major players are in this latest Zarzuela must come forth and let the real truth and intentions be divulged. For once I wish that they do so. Let’s play with the cards on the table. Let the people truly decide without any form of diabolical scheme behind it or coercion and threats or bribery. We’ve also been through that and it never worked for us, only them.

I am not looking for someone to blame even though my statements may say it. If there is someone to blamed, it is also us. Us because we blindly allow it to happen right in front of our faces and do nothing other than sulk in a corner or just talk without action. We may now openly curse everyone in government even your Barangay Kagawad, but other than that, we remain indifferent. Maybe we became numbed because of the countless promises and half-truths we are served with on a daily basis. Even more during election season and yet we half-wittingly swallowed it and then we silently spit or regurgitate it all later when it bites us back.

Cha-Cha is not an answer. If we bite into this latest form of deception, we might as well, as a people, be labeled Tan-Tan (Tanga-Tanga). All things considered, change is inevitable and we truly need it. But how we go about it will be an entry for the history books. After all, history is written by the victors. Let the victors be the entire Filipino nation.

State of the Nation 2007 (Philippines)

I was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday, Monday, July 23, 2007, due to so much heat, so I opted to stay home and sleep it out. I have mentioned in one of my blogs that I didn't like taking medicines, owing to the belief that I want my body to recover from the illness and reserve the use of artificial medication only when my body truly needs it. So I dozed on and off, only getting up to drink more liquid or go to the toilet. Around 4:00 PM, I turned on the TV, lo and behold, the president was on in a "recycled" red "terno" in front of the joint session of the Senate and Congress. What the....? Oh yes, she was about to deliver another state of the nation address. Her seventh.

As she began her opening spiel, I quickly scanned the channels for other broadcasts only to find the major networks are all glued on her. Why wouldn't they be? She "is" the President after all.

What surprised me was the presence of Congressman Jose de Venecia sitting as Speaker of the House along with Senator Manuel Villar as the Senate President. As it turned out Congressman de Venecia was still hot being voted only a few minutes before the SONA as the Speaker of the House. Interesting. Very interesting. I'm sure we will hear various oinking about this in the next few days.

Setting all pessimism aside, I listened to her speech taking note of the various points she raised about the year that was under her administration and the years about to come. I was impressed by her knowledge of Philippine geography and the development that are underway or have been done. You are right Honorable Senator Chiz Escudero, that was one hell of a geography lesson.

The more I listened, I can't help but feel a slight chill slowly creeping up my spine. Most of what she delivered are a rehash of what she has already delivered a few SONA's back much like the "terno" she was wearing for the occasion. Some are way incredible (but not impossible) one will wonder, where are we going to get the money to finance them?

During her speech she mentioned an airport down south, crediting its construction as financed by an "honorable" of that province. However, she failed to mention it came from the pedestrians taxes. She called it a "pork that gave good cholesterol." Whoa! Even the President acknowledges the use of or lack thereof of the majority of our "honorables pork barrel." Well, I just hope they all follow suit and finance the President's programs for all of our benefit both administration and opposition alike. If they all do this within the next three years, the President's vision will come to fruition, and we will all reap its rewards. After all, isn't the "pork barrel" called the "Countrywide Development Fund?" These funds are given to Senators and Congressmen which are discretionary in nature. Meaning to say, our "honorables" has the option which projects to fund for the "development" of their area of constituency. Each Senator gets P200 million a year (24 X P200,000,000 = P4,800,000,000) while each Congressman gets P70 million (224 X P70,000,000 = P15,680,000,000) or a grand total of P20,480,000,000 in pork alone. "Wala pa yung sweldo nila diyan" P35,000 per month plus P2,000,000 each a month operational expenses of their offices, P760,000 per month foreign travel allowance. Add to that another P1,000,000 per month for committee membership per committee. Goodness, that's a lot of pretty pennies. Just imagine, if all the honorables use this money for it's real purpose, the government will not have to penny pinch other priority projects, raise taxes, or heaven forbid, "borrow" from outside sources. Our soldiers fighting the insurgents in the plains of Luzon or the mountains and jungles of Mindanao will not have to pray that their equipment will not fail them in their time of need. Just think. But unfortunately, most of them just carry their pork and cry "wee wee wee all the way home."

All in all, kudos to the President who says that she is "...always as strong as she can be." Who says that now, based on her vision, ..."she would rather be right than popular." She continuous on saying that, "... Fine, I stand in no ones (political) ambition, but I ask no one to stand in the way of the people's well being." Lofty statements indeed but timely. I just hope that these statements will be heeded by all starting with the President herself and down to the Barangay level. Only then will I truly believe her last statement, "The State of the Nation is Strong."