A Walk for a Cause

               Marching from Quezon Hall to Batasan, joining a mob and witnessing a whole SONA were all new experiences for me. Seeing several people fight for their right and people uniting for a common cause gave me a rational idea of why we stand or why we hold these mass demonstrations.

            On the way to Batasan, we were accompanied by several members of CNS who at the same time gave us a background about the current situation of our country.  This also helped me to understand more as to why our government continues to oppress more and more people.

            As we arrive at the Batasan, we met different kinds of people who were fighting for their rights and they were there to explain themselves as to they were doing such. We held small discussions where the speakers were farmers and workers whose demands and pleas were not even heard by our government.

            Having experienced these things, it gave me a better understanding about the current situation of the people in our country. And it will always strike that there is always a need to stand and walk to fight for the greater good of the majority.

Inverting the Injustice Triangle

                We live in a democratic country where everyone is given rights and that everyone has a chance to rule. But sometimes, this is not the case.  As one can see the economic status and the ruling class of our country, one can infer that our system of government is unjust.

                Before we proceed to the march to SONA, we have a small conference with the Center for National Studies about the different levels of living and their political standing in the country. These levels are the Magsasaka which consist 75% of the population of the country, the Manggagawa which consist 15% of the population, the Petiburgis which consist 8% of the population, the National burgis which consist of 1% of the population and the PML & MBK which consist of 1% of the population. What’s more problematic about these are that the 75% of our population, the magsasaka, are the ones who are at the bottom of the political standing while the PML and MBK, which only consist of 1% of our population, are at the top of the political standing in our country.

                This triangle above should be change.  Since the majority of the population is at the bottom of the triangle, this means that fewer privileges are given to the majority of our nation.

                  

Night Before the Major Strike

September 22, 2011—I attended the vigil at the Palma Hall steps. I went out past seven in the evening.  When I reached the venue, a band was already playing English song. It was followed by another band which played instruments without voice accompaniment. The next band played Tagalog songs with original lyrics. The artists had related the lyrics of the song to the theme of the occasion (UP Strike against budget cut).  After their performance, a little mob suddenly emerged from the entrance of the Palma Hall. They were holding placards while shouting out their wants and complaints.

One thing I liked in the vigil night was how the two emcees managed the event. I enjoyed their onstage conversations and their reading of love notes.    They were funny all throughout.

Before I went to the vigil, I was expecting lots of discussion about the status of budget cut but it turned out to be a gig. Although there were more performances, the essence of UP’s fight against the budget cut was still present.

Why UP Basketball Team Always Loses

The probable reason why UP basketball team always lose in UAAP is budget shortage. The UP budget cuts have worsened the dilemma. The annual UP budget which was already not enough in the past years are still deducted resulting to lesser budget allocations in the university. The budget given to sports department is not enough to sustain the needs of the varsity players.  The gym is not appropriate for the players to train at because they still need to fit their schedules to avoid time conflict with other gym users. The privileges given to the players are also not enough compared to other schools.  Some schools even provide housing intended only for players. This always put the players in good condition which affects their performance.

Another reason is that the players are not always excused in their academic endeavours. The players cannot not do their training and review in the same level of priority. The one which is more prioritized often (if not always) yield the best results.

These are just some of the reasons why UP fails to win. If these are not taken into account, it would be hard for the UP basketball team to rank high in the UAAP.

A Response on “What is Poverty”

Jo Goodwin Parker,

          Poverty exists everywhere, yet many are not experienced enough to understand such situation. Your essay has been a timely wakeup call for everybody, not only to the well-to-do people whom you intend to relay your message.

          As I read your essay, I ask myself if there are other cases of poverty worse than yours and I come to think that you are more fortunate than other people I know. You live in a cheap and dilapidated house while others live in street sides, bridges, cemeteries and other places dangerous to live in. You have your cold water to wash yourselves while others don’t have. They do not wash their clothes nor even take a bath. You have education until junior high school while others never held a pen. Their ignorance on many matters makes them evidently poorer than you.

          If you only had the guts to go against your mother’s ridiculous decision, and by all means pursued your study, you will not be in the world you live now. No dirt. No stink. No bitter past. No asking for financial help. No black future. Nevertheless, the present is always the most important. In behalf of the poor people, you were able to speak out heartily and meaningfully. With that, we were able to ‘understand’ the lives of people like you.

Mad About Language

                In August 2008, Beijing, China was getting ready for the most festive and the most awaited event of the year, the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Preparations had been set and most of the Chinese people were trying to do their best to contribute to this event. This event would attract millions of people around the world and probably a great chance for the Chinese people to show their culture to the world.

          But there was one problem. The Chinese official expected many foreigners, either participants or spectators, would come to visit their country for the said event. This would mean that the language that would often be used in the event would be the universal language – English, the language that Chinese people find difficult to understand and communicate with.

                 This language barrier became the main hindrance of the Chinese in helping their country to show-off to the world their rich culture.  The reason behind this language barrier is the idealism of Chinese people called Sino centrism. Sino centrism is the nationalistic view of the Chinese that they only give importance to their culture and disregards other nations’ culture. It is in this view that the Chinese believe that they are superior compared to other nationality. Because of this, the Chinese doesn’t give importance to other languages and only focus on their own.  

Blame the Knife

          It was dark. It was bizarre. I was not at home. Standing at the expanse of the unknown, I could hear heavy footsteps executing the Doppler Effect. I was overwhelmed upon thinking my loneliness won't last. I was wrong. 

       As a strange silhouette drew nearer, I could make out the knife in his right hand. Strange knife. The odd looking knife's blade was shaped as though it were a curved snake desperate to attack. Even from afar, I can visualize the intricate ancient symbols embossed on the knife's handle. The selfish moon shed minimal light to the knife enough to strike it back to my lost eyes. I saw a staring eye at the very tip of the knife. It pronounced every excruciating pain I might endure in this encounter. As the man stepped nearer, the sharpness of the knife's edge gradually erased every bit of happiness. All of a sudden, it made me choke in terror. 

         Then, blackness came. I felt the the the knife's point land on my chest. The knife's point felt like tons of distresses landing on me at once. As the knife went deeper, the knife's blade felt like bombs which then exploded after I released my unheard screams. All ended here. It was sad. Every mark of my existence vanished while the damned knife pursues others. 

Stalking: Do it Modernly

The internet is a nice place to be in. You can do a lot of stuff you like by just a click of a button. All you need is a computer, a laptop or even a cellphone and a media for connecting to the internet whether through routers or wi-fi. With these you can easily access different websites that may sought your interest; whether it is gamming, online reading, watching videos/movies, blogging or social interaction the internet is your friend.

            But people tend to over generalize the phrase, “the internet is your friend”. People overuse the power of internet, because it is easy in accessing it plus we are free to use it. We tend to choose gamming rather than hanging out with our friends. Open a website and read the passages you need rather than go to a library and barrow 1000 paged encyclopedia. Copy or download pirated films/movies rather than buying expensive original blu-ray tapes. Adding several friends in our social networks but in reality we have no idea who they are.

            I for once, having an account on a social network called facebook, thought myself a question, “Are all my friends in the internet are my friends?”.  To give myself an answer I check my friends list to whether I know all these so called friends. Then after 3 minutes, I stumbled upon on an unfamiliar face. By checking her profile, I confirmed that I didn’t know her and to my surprise we don’t have any mutual friend or so.

          In the past years, I don’t add or accept people who are unfamiliar or probably have less than 40 mutual friends. But having a friend whose face is unfamiliar and no mutual friend keeps me thinking about her. Who is she? How do we end up as friends?

            To answer my questions, I know I must do something. And this calls for an online stalking.

          (Depiction of a stalker. The ski mask isn’t necessary.)

            First, who is she? Studying on her profile picture (no other ideas please), she has features which many people may consider her as beautiful. Studying further with her other picture, she seems to have a jolly personality, always happy and smiling in every photo. She has teeth covered with braces that go perfectly with her smile.  What adds up more to her beauty is her perfect complexion. Her skin, as I seen from her photos, is the fairest I have ever seen. With a nice smile and snow like complexion, I’ve got a hunch that she is not a Filipino.

            Searching further about her, I finally know who she is.  My hunch was right. She is an Indonesian and currently living in Jakarta. That’s all I can share, other information are not much important.

           So anyway, that leaves me to the last question, “How do we end up as friends?”. This question is hard to be given an answer. The fact that we don’t have any mutual friends and we live at two different countries makes it more even difficult. It takes more than stalking to answer it. So I’ll leave the question for now unanswered.

The internet has many uses for the curious people. It gives answer to our problem but sometimes it gives us problems. Whether we search for answers in the internet or stalking somebody for no appropriate reason just remember to use it right.

What I Ought Not to Be

              "Who really am I?"..This might be one of the trickiest questions. We are all unsure of who really we are and it takes much self evaluation just to answer such question.

              I'm that kind of a person who credits privacy; but for goodness' sake, i can relate few words about myself.
              My social life is not that complex. I’m somewhat intimidated whenever I’m with others’ company. I sometimes feel that I’m out of place though I try to orient myself in such situation. My weak communication skill has made me not to speak much. That makes me silent most of the time.
              I’m not a studious person. My laziness always overpowers my necessity to study. I seldom participate in class discussions because I don’t have much idea to share. Also, my timidity adds to this dilemma.
              I don’t think a class instructor has ever become familiar with me because I don’t have the guts to stand out during classes. In our English class, I don’t dare to recite for I’m afraid of committing grammatical errors in speaking the English language. With that, I always wish i were good in English speaking.
             These things are just a part of me. Nevertheless, these constitute much of the other side of my being. I always wanted to overcome my shortcomings which I’ve just stated in order to bring whatever best there is in me. 

Placards of Problematic Issues

                If you are planning to visit the Vargas museum you would probably see this scene before you enter the museum:

If you’re thinking that these are directional signs, well you might as well think again. These what you “think” directional signs are actually works of UP students expressing their ideas about some issues in a form of art. These signs or placards displayed outside the Vargas museum depict the stories of our nation in a different perspective. Each has a significant story that lead the viewer of these placards to question the political issues in our country. Now with problematic issues rising from left and right there is no way to combat these things but to express their existence to the public. And one way to express them is by using arts as a medium as shown above.

                Here are some placards that may attract your attention:

Shows the conflict between Presdent Aquino’s plans and the Rights of our native Filipinos

The representation of people who wants to change the country; the message they want to spread.

How we are secretly controlled by other nations.

Begging peace for our country is like saying it to other nation’s ass.

 And the injustice of freedom of speech.