Finally, I have mustered enough courage to start something that can put my foot inside my mouth big time.  These pages will now serve as my canvas, my journal, my battle zone, my soul.  In these pages, I shall try to put down in writing what I've been feeling about this world, about my country, my family, my friends, my enemies, other countries, their problems, my problems, everything! 

Why did I start this thing?

Why give myself additional stress?

Maybe the reason is that I've always been voicing my concerns about this and that on my wife.  She patiently listened to my tirades, played devil's advocate over sensitive issues, fanned the embers I brought out or squashed the egg before it hatched into a monster.  So, why not put down for the record my thoughts on various subjects I felt strongly about?  Hopefully, others will join in and give their side.  Like the logo above says, in the end, what was inherently right in the first place will turn out to be right.  All the cliché lines like Truth shall prevail or Justice is Blind will actually be realities and will become the norm.

But maybe the real spark came from the TV program I was watching a few minutes ago.  It was a documentary about Filipino gangs in the US.  There was this video of a Cambodian gang member shooting the leader of the Chinese gang.  He was already running for cover underneath the pool table, but the Cambodian wasn't satisfied that his quarry was already wounded and hid.  He followed him and shot three more times at point blank range.  He didn't want to just win the fight.  The enemy had to die.

And it all started because one group felt that the stare of the other group was irritating.

Senseless.

Totally, utterly, stupidly senseless.

If you've seen my bio, I wrote that I'm a nobody.  I'm an anonymous human being whose name will never be mentioned in any history book.  No newspaper has prepared an obit about me in the event of my death.  My death will only be missed by relatives and close friends, and these will not be more than a hundred at the least nor more than five hundred in number in my most optimistic estimate.  Five hundred in billions.  Less than a speck.  An electron.

But this one electron does have a charge.  And I must share that charge in the hope that it will attract another electron, which will attract another electron, and will attract another, and another, and another.  

It is okay to be forgotten in the scheme of things, so long as the scheme of things is the right one.

Spent the first two hours of my morning fuming inside a cab on my way to work.  I can understand that there will always be a traffic jam, but to encounter it at 6:30a.m. is a bit too much to stomach.

I really hate it when drivers use up any space that their vehicle can fit in and then force their way back into the correct lane when they reach the choke point, thus creating a NEW choke point which is at their point of entry!  Three times I thought I will be stuck because of a stupid accident caused by those idiots in front of my cab.

Then, there are these traffic enforcers in blue who practice what I call as "ubusan ng lahi" traffic calls, where they'll stop one section to let the other pass FOR THE NEXT 15 MINUTES!  (Maybe it's more like 10 minutes but it sure feels longer!)  Don't they realize that it's better to let traffic move at a steady rate rather than let it pile up?  But we can't let them disappear from intersections even if those intersections have traffic lights that work as it's common practice for drivers to just-go-forward-even-if-they-can't-go-forward-anymore and end up blocking the intersection to the point that NO ONE can pass.  It's like the spurned lover who kills the girl simply because "If I can't have her, nobody can!"

It has been written about numerous times, talked about constantly, and debated upon consistently, but I still must state it for the record:

LET'S ALL FOLLOW PROPER DRIVING ETIQUETTE, PLEASE!

Finally got my car back two days ago after a long time in the shop.  After spending quite a bit on the repair of the motor, radiator, and other small items, the only things left to do are the rubber strip around the rear right window and the side mirrors.  These items were destroyed and stolen respectively in the same area, in the same street, in front of the same house.  The side mirrors had been stolen thrice already in front of that house.

I remember the first time the mirrors were stolen.  I was so pissed off by the boldness and quickness of the theft.  Then the next feeling I had was more anger as in order to have it replaced with mirrors I can afford at that time, I had to go to this place where they sell these stolen mirrors! 

The environmental ad on cable TV came to mind.  "When the buying stops, the killing will too." 

They were talking about animals like sharks, tigers, turtles, etc.  They could easily have been talking about the buying of stolen items like cell phones, side mirrors, cars, etc.

I really believe that ad.  If people will stop buying these items, then there will be no demand for the items, thus ending the need to supply these items through theft.  It's very simple, right?  So, I bought a brand new pair of side mirrors after saving enough for them, only to be stolen again in that same place, in broad daylight.

I bought another pair, this time from a surplus shop, and again, stolen.  Now, I can't find any of the mirrors as they're out of stock.  People are telling me to buy from the fencers. 

I can't.

Though my efforts will not make a dent at all in the scheme of things, since I'm just one in thousands of victims, the thought that I will give in to these thieves makes my stomach turn over. 

Now that I have this forum, maybe somebody who reads this will follow suit, and even spread the word.

Hopefully, there will be enough of us around to actually cause the stealing to stop. . .

16 October 2003

I just read an article written by Efren Cruz, a a professor of Strategic Management at the De La 
Salle University Graduate School of Business, asking the Filipinos to buy Philippine products.  This is in support of Raul Concepcion's advertisement saying, "Now is the time for everyone to rally behind the country and the economy.  Buying local is not just simply an act of nationalism It is an act of survival."  

I haven't gotten permission to post it here in full, but I guess I can react to it.

I fully agree with his points, as he stated that if we do not support Philippine made products, our economy will suffer to the point of social unrest.  The consequences could prove fatal to most of the population struggling to survive.  As an example, he asked the question, "Why buy Colgate toothpaste which is made in Thailand, when we can buy Hapee or Close Up which are manufactured here?  If Colgate wants us to buy their product, then they should re-open their factory here and hire Filipino workers."

For my part, I don't believe that Philippine products are inferior in quality to the rest of the world.  I remember years ago, I was in London, and needed to buy a new pair of rubber shoes for the one month tour of Europe we had planned.  I went around the shops, and saw to my dismay that I couldn't afford the name brands like Adidas and Puma popular at that time.  Then, I chanced upon running shoes that were beautiful and very much affordable.  I discovered by looking at the tag, that it was made in the Philippines.

Another time, my mother was in the States, and she bought for me a nice bag that has lasted for over 5 years now.  She was shocked to find out from me that the bag was made in the Philippines!

We have Arab friends who come here for business, but make it a point to go to the mall to buy dresses, shirts, and pants as part of their itinerary as they were cheap but of good quality.

These are just my personal experiences.  I'm sure each citizen has their own story to share.  We have proven to the world that we can produce people and materials that are world class.  Many foreigners know this fact and do buy our products.  Now is the time that we, the Filipinos, buy our own products as well.  Maybe, if we work as one, we can bring about the economic change that our government can't seem to achieve.  Maybe we should stop waiting for our incompetent leaders to do something about our economy. 

In the long run, we, the people, are the government, and we can cure the problems this country is facing.

21 October 2003

A friend of mine took a look inside this site at my suggestion, and she was wondering what my intentions were about the site.

"Are you interested in just saying what the ills are or are you interested in drawing attention to the ills of the world in the hope that awareness can cause a reversal?"

She said it might be the latter, and I looked back at all that's been written and she's right.  My whole intention in putting up a site like this is to cause change.  And this change is towards the positive, that's why "In the end, right will be right."

Truth should be revealed and accepted.  Good should triumph over evil.  Wrongdoers will be punished.  Heroes will be emulated.  Peace shall prevail.

Cliché lines, true.  But there's no better way to express how I personally feel about this world.  I love this world.  I love my country.  I love all peoples, but can't help but be exasperated with many who only think of themselves, of their lifetime, of their own gain.

So, following her suggestion, I've removed all "darkness" in this site, so that you, my reader, will feel the way I do.  That there is hope in this confusing world we live in.  That if we all take the little steps necessary in the right direction, then the journey of our lives will be filled with happiness and peace.

Thank you, MC, for keeping everything in perspective for me.  I owe you.

7 November 2003

Just included a speech given by Dr. Josette Biyo entitled The Power of the Human Spirit.  Wonderful and inspiring, it reminded me of my experiences during my stint with a Folk Dance Group touring European countries back in 1990.  

We were in Belgium, and the dimmer control board (used to control the lights for a show) the venue provided me with was an early version of the Strand portable DMX control board.  That was the first time I saw that kind of equipment, and I had not used anything like it before.

There I was, sitting in front of this fancy looking console with lots of buttons and faders.  The Belgian crew was beside me, waiting for me to do something.  Our bus driver was there, too, acting as my interpreter, and he asked me if I've used that control board before.  I said, "Nope, we don't have this in the Philippines yet."  

After about five minutes of looking at the board, I asked the technician four questions about which buttons to press while programming and editing, thanked him, and proceeded to program the board.  It was very basic and luckily the board was very much user-friendly.

After the show, our bus driver came to me and said, "You know, the crew was very surprised that you used the control yourself.  They've had it for only 6 months and are still studying how to use it, and here you are, seeing the board for the first time and using it like an expert!  They said you must be lying when you said it was your first time to use this."

From that day on, Luc, the bus driver, became my good friend and even allowed me to sit in front with him in the bus.

My point is, most Westerners tend to have this superior attitude towards Asians in general, unless you're from Japan or maybe China.  If you're Filipino, then you're either a Domestic Helper or Waiter.  No wonder those Belgians were so surprised that I can learn to do something in a matter of minutes.  Personally, I didn't think what I was doing that time was a marvel, as it was basic computer tinkering, and luckily, we've had an XT computer for about 2 years before that incident.  So, I've been exposed to the nuances of computer logic, and that must have given me an edge.

Dr. Biyo's speech is really not just for Filipinos, as what she was talking about can apply to all peoples who are taken for granted by people bigger, richer, or stronger than they are.

13 November 2003

Last Saturday, November 8, at about 2 a.m., a retired Air Force Captain, Panfilo Villaruel, with his assistant took control of the NAIA airport's control tower.  At around 3 a.m., a SWAT team stormed the control tower and killed the two men.  What was different about this particular event was that Captain Villaruel was in the middle of a radio interview which was being heard live.  At the moment of attack, gunfire was heard over the radio, and the last two sentences heard from Captain Villaruel were, "We're ready to surrender!" and "They're killing us!"

More than two hours later, they were confirmed dead, and more hours later, it was confirmed by the family and through autopsy that Captain Villaruel was shot 12 times, two were fatal shots to the head, while the other guy was shot four times.

This morning, the Senate committee investigating the incident concurred that the responding team used too much force.

Does it really need a Senate confirmation to state the obvious?  Ironically, this government foolishness was one of the reasons why Villaruel did what he did.  He felt that the country is in a hopeless state.

After all that's been happening lately, I tend to agree, but not to the point of hopelessness.  So long as there are people who will be willing to fight for what is right, there will always be hope.

I do not condone what Capt. Villaruel did.  I still believe that passive resistance or non-violent protest will always be better than armed action.  What irks me is the country's use of excessive force.  My wife and I had started to watch Reality TV since it was first introduced in our cable company's list of channels.  Since we've always lived in the Philippines, we got to see real footage of how the police in the US and other parts of the world handled different crime situations.  And what is common?  The right of the criminal to be arrested or subdued with the LEAST force.  The first priority had always been to capture the criminal ALIVE and let him face the justice system.

Here, it has happened too often that the police would just shoot the criminal then just explain later on why they had to do it.  In the case of Capt. Villaruel, how can they (the law enforcers) explain why the command to storm the tower came only an hour after the tower was taken?  I've seen footages of hostage situations wherein it took many hours and sometimes a day before any forceful action was taken.

Why weren't negotiations done?  Why weren't all peaceful solutions to the problem tried first before storming the tower?  Why didn't they exhaust all possibilities to make the two men SURRENDER?

I saw on the news one of the officers in charge of security.  He stated that to prolong the situation was only going to cause havoc in the airport.  It seems that Villaruel said that he was giving the police until 8 a.m. to talk to him.  They cannot allow Villaruel to disrupt the operations of the airport that long.  So, the order to use force was issued.

It's really a very sad ending.  The man who died was an educated man.  He had principles that he wanted to uphold.  His means were wrong, but he did not deserve that kind of death.

I now go back to what started this site in the first place.  Violence in any form should be avoided at all costs, no matter what the reasons were for its use.  Captain Villaruel had something to say to us.  What it was in detail, we'll never know, for he chose to say what he wanted to say through the threat of violence and so he died a violent death.  The end should have been different, for in an ideal world, he should have been given all the chances to surrender and be arrested alive.  But in an ideal world, then Capt. Villaruel wouldn't have resorted to threatening to blow up the tower and endangering innocent passengers in the airplanes flying overhead. 

It's the start of a leap year, and like the U.S., the Philippines is now in an election year.  I do wonder with apprehension who our next president will be.  Personally, I don't have a candidate in mind as all of the people running for the position are not worth spit.  That is totally my own opinion, and if I'm proven wrong, then it will mean that the Philippines do have a chance in improving its poor state.

It's practically choosing the least of all evils.  Who among them will do the least damage?

How I hate politics.  

8 February 2004

Last night, we celebrated Silverde at the La Salle Greenhills open field.  It was batch 1979's Silver Jubillee, and I am proud to be in that batch.

The celebration proved to be the new standard for later hosts to follow, as our batch came up with a rehearsed, well-planned show, complete with a huge stage, hundreds of lights, two video screens and four cameras to record the event.  We had stars mostly from ABS-CBN as our batchmate, Randy Santiago is from that company.  Most of the talents were from LSGH's different batches, and the whole show was conceptualized and directed by our Batchmate Rowell Santiago, a renowned TV and Concert director of the Philippines.

Through all the laughter, songs, banter, drinking, and shouting, one part of the program hit me in a deep way.  It was the moment when we remembered those of Batch 79 who are now with the Lord.  Two of them were classmates and the total number was 6.  The disturbing fact about it was that all 6 died from traumatic circumstances.

Two died from vehicular accidents, two were killed for unknown reasons (both murders are still unsolved), one died from drug overdose, one died from a diving accident

Young souls.  Our loss is God's gain.

Bombit Garcia, Makoy Mabanta, Dennis Novenario, Louie Prieto, Junie Lebron, and Andek Mabanta.

ANIMO LA SALLE!!!

5 May 2004

Early this morning, at around 2:21 a.m., my wife and I stayed outside in the street to watch her first Lunar Eclipse.  This'll be my second, as I was able to witness one when I was a kid.

I remember that first time like it was only yesterday.  I was in our garden where I placed a mat on the ground and with my binoculars, waited for that grand event.  I watched the whole event occur full of wonder, excitement and awe.

I still felt that magic this time around.  To see the moon slowly disappear beneath the earth's shadow made me think hard about our lives in this world.  My wife then asked me, "At this point in time, what else is there that man can do?"

I answered, "Prolonging life, curing all diseases, and living in another planet."

Then we stayed silent, lost in our own thoughts.  I started thinking how it happened that among all the species in the world, it was man that developed thinking as we know it today.  How different will the world be today if it was another species that dominated the world.  Would the world be better off?  Remember that line in Matrix?  "Humans are like viruses."  Instead of adapting to the world, we make the world adapt to us, in the process, slowly killing off the very host that we depend on for sustenance.

I read somewhere that Mars used to have an atmosphere, but that somehow, Mars lost its magnetic field, and the atmosphere slowly seeped back into the universe.  Some scientists say the earth is also on the way to losing its magnetic field, or at the least, there would be a sudden shift of poles.  Is this another one of those doomsday lines like the infamous Y2K disaster that never was?  Or like the Age of Aquarius tale where the world will collapse when the planets lined up?

The attitude of most people is, "Well, if it's going to happen, it's not going to happen in my lifetime, so why bother worrying about it?"

They have the same attitude about the effects of global warming, the extinction of certain species, the dwindling resources of Mother Earth.

During my college days, we were fighting against Martial Law.  "Kung Hindi Ngayon, Kailan?  Kung Hindi Tayo, Sino?" was the battlecry back then.  "If not now, when?  If not us, who?"

It is already late in the game to start doing something about the problem with Mother Earth, so to leave things for the children of tomorrow to solve is a crime.

12 May 2004

Last 9th of May, they showed a delayed telecast of the Marquez-Pacquiao Featherweight Championship fight, but because of work, I was not able to see it.  My wife was good enough to tape the broadcast and I just watched it a few minutes ago.

Of course, I already knew the outcome of the match as it was the talk of the town that day.  No one could believe Pacquiao lost.  They must have cheated him.  How can a fighter who was knocked down three times in the first round still get a draw?

Well, after watching the fight for myself, I must agree with the verdict of the judges.  There's a slight possibility that Pacquiao may have won, but being the challenger, he must do more than was necessary to win against the champion.  

Marquez, on the other hand, brushed off the three knockdowns and scored many points by counterpunching with accuracy and power.

What's the whole point of this entry?

Well, a few months back, I read an article in the newspapers where the trainer of Pacquiao was complaining that because of Pacquiao's new passion for billiards, he hadn't started training yet.  I can't remember exactly the month I read this, but it was late last year.  

After seeing the fight, I saw how over confident Pacquiao was in the fight.  Unlike Marquez who was all business and out for blood, Pacquiao was hamming it up, playing to the crowd, and trying to play Mr. Nice Guy to an uncaring Marquez by trying repeatedly to touch gloves after a Marquez low blow or accidental head butt.

Marquez had the heart of a champion that day, and Pacquiao thought it would be a walk in the park.

That's the difference between a winner and a non-winner. . .

Ever get the feeling that you've been spreading yourself too thin?  Ever been accused of being a Jack of all trades but master of none?

I'm getting pretty close to being guilty of that.  I never really thought that I'll ever be a victim of there not being enough time to do all of the things you want to do.  Heck, you don't even have the time to do all of the things you NEED to do!  

What about those things that you can't do no matter how you try?

To be frustrated over life's struggles would be more destructive than anything.  How many times have we been told to just get back up on the saddle and keep on riding?  

But,  we do keep on living our lives, sometimes grumbling, other times feeling sorry for ourselves.  Moments of laughter and happiness are cherished, tears wiped off and anger brushed aside.  I have had moments in the silence of the night where I try to imagine how warm death's embrace could be.  What better way to escape this life's miserable state than by cheating your way out of it?

Someone once said that only cowards use death to escape problems.  Different from those who face death to defend another one's life or country.  If this is true, why do we kill the horse that can't stand up anymore?  We say it's to "end it's misery" but isn't it that's also true for those who've reached the end of their string?  Why can't we allow those poor souls to "put an end to their misery?"

Yet, what about people like Christopher Reeve?  Up to the end, he fought to have a normal life.

But, he had the financial resources to help him along.  What about the middle class Filipino?  What'll happen to him if he can't move his arms and legs?  

We're talking about the average "Juan dela Cruz" of the world.  The John Smiths, the Ivans, the Chans.  Normal, everyday people living out their lives anonymously.  People who are decent, hard working, and honest.  No one will go out of their way to help these people if anything happens to them.  No one would care.  They're just like a lottery bettor:  least likely to win.

What can be done?

Death should not be an option, but how else do you "end the misery?"

28 November 2004

From last month's entry, one might say that I was ready to throw in the towel, that I've given up on life and it's peculiarities.  

Maybe.

Then again, writing about it made sure that that will not be an option.  To end it all would have been defeatist and I wouldn't want to be remembered for that.  I really didn't know why I wrote that entry that night.  Probably just because Chris Reeve just died, and I couldn't help but think how lucky he was that he was American and had the money to boot.  I just couldn't help but think about how I would have fared if the same happened to me.  I don't have the money, that's for sure, and my government doesn't have the means to help me either.

What could I have done?

Is courage and a strong will to survive enough to fend off the doom awaiting all living things?

Two nights ago, my high school class was able to contact the last classmate still unaccounted for, and we had a get-together for him.  We waited until almost everyone who were to arrive that night was already present before we let our guest of honor deliver his "what-happened-to-me-the-last-25-years" monologue.  

Turned out that even while we were still in high school, he already had a drinking problem.  In his own words when he wrote me back via email, "those were the craziest days of my life, man... the struggle of an alcoholic (that's me) versus that of a 'gentleman drinker' (that's you) who got drunk..."

He went through medical school drunk every day and night, relying solely on the huge allowance his sister sent him every month from the States.  When he's had too much to drink, he'd take some drugs like shabu and start drinking again.

4 years ago, his sister came home and he was forcibly taken to a rehab center.  For three months, he was there and he came out a new man.  Up to now, he's sober, and has started his own rehab clinic in Cebu, as, in his words, "it takes one to cure one."  His sister still sends him a minimal amount every month, but he has not touched the money for the last 4 years.  

What struck me most during the story telling time was when he was asked if he had kids.  His answer was, "Of course not!  I didn't want kids, man!  I was fucking up my life so why will I have someone to fuck up too?"

Through his drunken haziness, some moral light still shone.

29 December 2004

In a couple of days, it'll be New Year's eve, and 2004 will be officially over.  I received a lot of blessings this year, a lot to be thankful for, but the few bad events that I had still took their toll and up to now I'm still reeling as I try to recover.

The saying that one bad apple will make the rest in the basket just as rotten proved to be so true.  All the good memories of 2004 became dim events in the glare of the financial crises we experienced, the cancer and other illnesses that some of my family got, and then the natural calamities that struck the Philippines and other Asian countries.  When they talk about 2004, those would be the foremost stories that would be remembered and discussed.  Never mind that one of the artists of the movie The Incredibles was a Filipina.  It doesn't matter that the designer of the wedding dress of Britney Spears was also a Filipina.  Maybe once in a while people will be reminded about the glory of Manny Pacquiao, but the topic will quickly change to the huge number of people who lost their lives in the Tsunami catastrophe.  Images of mud covered cadavers and women and children torn away from safety by rampaging waters will haunt our minds more than the faces or bodies of the ladies who joined the Miss Earth pageant.

While thinking about all these, a thought snuck inside my numb mind.  How can God allow such evil things to happen?

I tried to cast aside that thought, feeling some guilt for even doubting His goodness.  But then I thought, was that the right question to ask?  Whether He allowed the evil things to happen?  Or is it more correct to ask, did God make those things happen?

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying God is evil for doing evil things.  It's just that some of the warnings from those involved in apparitions of the Virgin Mary are of exactly those natural disasters happening one after the other until the world as we know it ends, and judgment day will arrive.  At the same time, there's the hope that the end will not happen IF we repent and go back to God.  They all say that there will be warnings, bad tidings to remind the people that He is up there in full control and telling us to shape up or ship out.  The bible talked about some of God's deeds in Egypt so that they'll allow the Jews to leave.  Maybe it is safe to assume that God will do whatever it takes to save us.

And this includes the taking of thousands of innocent lives.  How can we be sure that those He took away were the rotten eggs?  Can children be so bad that they have to be punished with death?  Should they be used as examples or warnings so that the rest of us will repent?

Very illogical, but who ever said that God was logical?  He is good, loving, omnipresent.  Logical?

Right now, I honestly do not know where this writing is going to.  I have no conclusion to make, except that because of such disasters, people DO wake up and listen to the lesson.  Another cliché:  The burnt hand is the best teacher.  I really do believe that there's a good reason why bad things are happening.  Remember the stories of some of the people who worked in the Twin Tower that because of one thing or another, they were not able to make it to work on time and thus was spared from the tragedy.  

For the year 2005, people need something or someone to give them the hope that things WILL get better.  For me, that would be God, as deep down in my soul, I know that His plan is only for our own good.  Guess I'm the "half-filled" kind of person.  I always try to see the brighter side of things.  I know that something good will come out of all the hardships and trials that we are experiencing now.

Again, I have changed the layout of the site.  For someone who's been lacking in adding new to the site, changing the look seems to be the only thing I can do at the moment.  I know some of my friends will cringe at the thought that I'm fiddling with the physical instead of treating the content, but is there such a thing as writer's block when it comes to opinion writing?

Is it possible not to have an opinion about anything at any given time?

Most probably I'm just plain lazy.

Or there were so many things that I wanted to talk about but got overwhelmed as soon as I sat down to write them.

Whatever the reason, all I can do is just apologize for no updates.  But as to the physical look of the site, I veered away from frames before because of the fact that not all browsers back then could handle frames.  But by this time, I'm sure there's not a single browser that can't open frames, so why not go back to doing it?  It's easier to manage things this way.

Welcome to the new Justice in Mind and hope you come back for my latest thoughts.

12 February 2005

Now I'm really getting fed up with our government.  No, correct that.  I'm getting fed up with all our POLITICIANS!!!  All they do is talk.  Back biting each other and just trying to look good on camera instead of truly unifying and fixing our more than battered economy.

What do I care about how President Arroyo appointed her cabinet members?  What do I care that ex-president Estrada has slight pneumonia?  What do I care that one congresswoman does not know how to argue? 

I can just imagine how we look and sound like in the eyes of other nations.  I cringe at the thought that these morons were elected by their fellow countrymen.  Just makes us all look like idiots for putting them in office.

Who's the real fool?  The one in the office or the one who put him there?

Now is the time that we should all pull together and as one nation do our best to help ourselves.  No other country will do this for us.  We should all realize this and start now before it's too late.

I'm watching a TV show right now about a British guy name Dylan Wilk who sold his company worth over 550 million Pesos to come to the Philippines and be involved with Gawad Kalinga.  It's an NGO that builds homes for the poor, then creating a community for those homes, then move on to schools and livelihood projects for that new community.

His final act was to sell his BMW worth 3 million Pesos to build 60 homes!  He called it the BMW village, and I saw how lovely the place was and how happy the people there were. 

"There's something special about Filipinos.  One is your concept of Bayanihan.  We don't even have an English word for that.  Our culture is based on conquest and wars, and that's what we were doing while you people were building the Rice Terraces," said Dylan.

He also added, "You people are too hard on yourselves.  Remember you've been slaves for over 400 years then under various regimes since.  You're a nation about to be born right now.  You're like a piece of gold that's been kicked around for centuries.  Look at the gold now and it won't look like gold.  Instead you'll see mud.  But it's still gold and you only need to clean off the mud. . ."

I'm so glad that I'll be part of this Gawad Kalinga.  After seeing this good-hearted Brit shower his love for my countrymen, my only thought is will I be able to even do a sixth of what he's done?

God bless Dylan.

God bless all people who believe that right is right, and willing to prove it.

 4 July 2005

I received an email chain letter, and often I discard such chain letters and let it end with me.  This one is no different as I had no intention whatsoever to forward it to anyone.  But, as always, if it's worth reading, then I'll post it here for anyone to read.

Personally, I think prayers do work, as I've done it myself countless times and more often than not was rewarded with a favorable response.

But I have something to say about the situation of the country right now.

Filipinos will be nothing but assholes if they think that toppling GMA from the presidency will help the country.  I didn't vote for her, and personally didn't like her, but since she already won, even if it was by cheating (I wouldn't even dwell into that), then it is our duty as a citizen to respect her office and help any way we can.  That's the only way a government can work!

If I were the president, and the opposition just kept on hounding me day in and day out, I would tell the people to stop all this nonsense and get on with the real work.  No matter who is voted into the office of the President, there will always be an opposition, so if we keep on listening to the opposition and believe every little word they said, nothing will get done.

We will become nothing but a country of people milling around talking about the state of the nation and doing nothing about it.  Just keep on talking and talking and talking.  Doing nothing but discuss what ifs.  Always starting a sentence with "If I were president, I'll. . ."

Well, there's only one president in every country, and we should do our best to live our lives into helping that president until the term ends, then be wiser and choose a better one next election.

19 July 2005

I happened to chance upon a website with beautifully done java scripts that were simple and fast to load with dial up modem that I just had to study it in detail and inspired me to work on my site for the third time.

So, welcome all to the new look of With Justice in Mind, complete with piercing eyes on the logo!

Regarding the Philippine scene, all are quiet right now.  The opposition must really be trying to think of something to make their move legitimate enough that the country will accept someone else other than the inept vice president as the new president when GMA steps down.

As for me, I've changed my mind after a lot of thought and prayers.  I must admit that GMA did something really wrong, something that a president of a country should never do, so she must resign the position.

Of course, I really hate the idea of having the vice president take over, but that's the most legal thing to do, and I must accept that.  I'm just hoping that should the country slip further down the road to destruction because of the new president, may it teach the Filipino people to vote for the right person, not to vote for the most popular person.

I received through email this chain letter that I'd like to share to everyone.  I think it says most of what I truly feel.

One call we often hear today, when people ask President Arroyo to resign, is the call to make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the country.

Now that is a call that we can endorse. No, not the call for the President to resign, but the call for everyone, not just her, to make sacrifices for the good of the nation.

* Loren Legarda: you are challenging the legitimacy of Vice President de Castro. If and when the President does resign, de Castro will ascend to the Presidency. That is the constitutional process. Your continuing proclamation of his illegitimacy can become destabilizing. Can you make the sacrifice of withdrawing your suit and just allowing him to sit as President?

* The 10 Cabinet members who resigned: many of you are known for integrity.  Let your record speak for itself. Can you make the sacrifice of just shutting up now and not defending yourselves, for this contributes to further instability?

* Frank Drilon: your salivating for the Vice Presidency leaves a bad taste in the mouth. You manifested extreme hypocrisy and political opportunism in extolling GMA to high heavens and then stabbing her in the back, within the space of one week. Can you make the sacrifice of stopping all moves, including those of your Liberal Party cohorts, of political maneuvering?

* All traditional politicians: kayo ang tunay na salot ng bayan. Can you make the sacrifice of resigning your posts and fading into complete oblivion?

* Activist bishops and clergy of the Catholic Church: we appreciate your concern for the good of our people, but we do not appreciate your being at the forefront of political activism. Can you make the sacrifice of sticking to your pastoral duties of ministering to the spiritual needs of the flock and leave the political posturing to the lay people?

* Brother Eddie Villanueva: God has blessed you by giving you a big flock to take care of. That is your calling. While many disagree with your entry into politics, we leave that between you and God. But what is difficult to take is your insistence, and that of your apologists, that you won the Presidential elections. For goodness sake, you were number five! If you were cheated, it was not only GMA who did so but Fernando Poe and the others as well. Can you make the sacrifice of leaving partisan politics entirely and focusing on the Father's business?

* Imee Marcos, Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito: is it not enough that your parents plundered the nation and you were part of that, and now you have not only kept all your loot but are also back in power? Can you make the sacrifice of removing yourselves from the limelight? In reality, you are a major reason why the middle forces are not responding positively to the call to a change in government.

* Nene Pimentel: Make the ultimate sacrifice to SHUT UP! old man. You have ruined your integrity. You have shown the real you, a bitter old man of politics who never achieved what you have always dreamed of.

* Activists: Isn't it enough that you are being tolerated despite the fact that you have never contributed any tax for this country? despite the fact that your existence is based on fault-finding? despite the fact that the "bourgeoisie" that you are so against are the very people who support your existence?

* Big business: many of you really just care about having a positive environment where your businesses will thrive. Can you make the sacrifice of some of your profits to give more to the poor?

* The poor: we understand that, sapagkat kayo ay kapit sa patalim, you allow yourselves to be exploited and brought to rallies of unscrupulous politicians. Can you make the sacrifice of a few pesos, of bearing with your hunger, and not allow yourselves to be
exploited, so that you maintain your dignity and you help sow the seed for true liberation and well-being, in God's time?

* Cory Aquino: Isn't it enough that you have become President of this country and you will go down in history as the one who gave the Filipinos hope after the Marcos dictatorship? Isn't Kris, your daughter, enough for you to handle? How can you have the heart to call for supreme sacrifice when you cannot even manage to call for the same sacrifice from your daughter who has never given this country something to be proud of? On the contrary, she is the epitome of bratness and low morals.

ALL OF YOU,  STOP BEING HYPOCRITES!

05 August 2005

I caught on the news last night this story about a woman who was run down by a DUI some 20 years ago.  Because of her injuries, she became comatose.  Her family accepted her fate, and for the next 20 years, she was asleep, living the life of a person in a coma.

Then, just recently, the father was at work and got a call.  On the other end of the line, he heard a high-pitched voice, saying in a slurred but still understandable way, "Daddy, I love you!"

Their child woke up!  Despite what the doctors said, she did wake up from her coma, and though she has no use of her limbs, and needs braces to hold up her head which her still fragile and weak neck cannot support, she is up and about, and very much alert and responsive.

But that's not the end of the miracles.  What surprised everyone was the fact that despite being in a coma for the past 20 years, she was aware of most current events that happened in the world!  She knew about 9/11, the Iraq war, and, take note of this as this really tickled me, she knew the songs in Grease!!!  She was in a coma when the John Travolta-Olivia Newton John movie was shot and shown!

Doctors didn't have an explanation as to how she was able to wake up after all this time.  Now that she's awake, they're saying that she will never be able to use her legs again, but might be partially able to have some use of her arms and hands.

They were wrong about her not waking up again, so how can they be sure that they're right now?

This got me into thinking.  We are totally in the dark regarding certain things about life, like what happens when we die, or what a comatose patient really feels.  Doctors all had hypotheses and conjectures based on their research, but unless they actually experienced the phenomenon, they will never be sure if they're right or wrong.  And if they do experience it, like dying, they won't be able to tell us, right?

But this case of the girl (I'm sorry, but I wasn't able to get her name) really proved my personal belief about people in a coma.  That they are trapped in their own world, but still existing in ours.  That's why she knew all that happened while she was in a coma.  That's why it's so important that we all take care and respect life, no matter what that life's condition might be.

I hope that with this revelation, the husband of that Schiavo woman feels the guilt when he opted to end her life.  I hope he realizes how evil his actions were, and that he now knows that she knew exactly what he was planning to do.  He may have been able to use the law to his advantage, but that didn't make him right.

The law is supposed to protect the lives of the innocent and punish the wrong-doers.  I wonder how true that is today?

The man who ran over the girl while driving under the influence, wasn't just guilty of being drunk while driving when he ran over her.  He compounded it with a third sin.  He ran away after the accident!  Imagine that!  He was also a hit-and-run felon!

So while the innocent victim lay in a coma for 20 years, what happened to the offender?

He got jailed for 6 months.

God, I really pray hard that You'll make sure that in the end, right will be right.