EXHIBIT X: Typhoons Pedring and Quiel

I am in the middle of a raging storm. Overhead the wind is howling like a terribly grieving madman while on land the rain is beating mercilessly on any object that is exposed to the elements.

As I seek refuge on a narrow awning of a friend's totally drenched kitchen, I watch as boxes and household implements of all kinds and sizes get blown like dust on a gust. Many ipil, g. melina and mahogany trees that have stood proud and tall along the national highway a day before are now reduced into heaps of waste and highway obstruction. And even though I am getting wet, I have to stay on this very spot for my own safety; toward the east and south of my friend's kitchen, I can see GI sheets and various debris go airborne breaking glass windows and destroying the shrubbery and small structures built for pets and livestock...

So reads a part of an entry in my journal dated September 27, 2011. I was in Lamut, Ifugao.

It has been days ago since typhoons Pedring and Quiel pummeled my province and the greater areas of the Cordilleras, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon. In less than a week's gap, these two typhoons ravaged this part of the country leaving 55 people dead, more than a hundred barangays submerged in water, billions of pesos worth of damages in the agriculture sector, 72 collapsed or damaged bridges, and massive electricity and communication services disruption.

Of course the list above does not yet include the aggregate cost of opportunities and value-added lost, the burden on additional health-care expenditure to the already max-strained government budget for health, the yet again diminished capacities of many poor families in the rural and highly populated towns, the strains set on local government units (LGUs) as they try to attend to the physiological and shelter needs of their respective constituents (read: relief goods and evacuation centers), the sky-rocketing prices of foods and commodities especially in the affected areas, and many more.

Typhoons Pedring and Quiel painted a rather grim picture not only on the local but even on the national arena. Residents of many provinces in the Northern Luzon area, whose damaged bridges disconnected them to the commercial or business centers, were on a panic buying mode for fuel and basic commodities never minding the additional cost as long as they would have a supply of their own (a liter of gasoline in the fringes of Ifugao and Mountain Province was at P85 from the original P57). On the other hand, residents of Metro Manila and other regions in Luzon buy their vegetables at an additional 150% – 300% of the prices prior to Pedring (a head of cabbage that I used to buy at P10 now bears a tag price of P30). Meanwhile, the big macroeconomic question is “What consequences will we expect of the country's rice and corn supply when the two typhoons eradicated the promise of a bountiful harvest?”

To have one member of your household die due to the typhoon is a very sad experience. But to be unable to bury your now decomposing dead because your community and the neighboring towns are submerged on hip-high water is a tragedy that is being borne year after year by some unfortunate residents of (pasintabi po) Calumpit, Bulacan and Apalit, Pampanga and some towns of Nueva Ecija, the Ilocos Region and Central Mindanao. There's the problem too that comes to the residents in those areas whenever they feel the number one and number two calls of nature. Not everybody has a toilet at the second or third level of his or her house. Hence, the sight of a floating yellow submarine seems to be as common as ejecting that thing out of the body. Of course there are shy people out there who try to somehow conceal the evidence by dumping their respective night soil on colored plastic bags. Yet these plastic bags are seen floating here, there and everywhere. Consequently, we now start to worry about water-borne diseases aside from the dreaded leptospirosis. But why worry much about the possibility of getting sick (that’s only a possibility!) when the people there are worrying more about obtaining enough drinking water, ready-to-eat foods, clean clothes and water for hygiene purposes?

On my way back to Manila last October 03, I watched as the bus I rode on sped along thousands of hectares of damaged rice and corn fields and rural communities. What used to be a wide expanse of green turned into shallow ponds of gray or light brown. I saw partially damaged houses made of concrete and GI sheets while nipa huts stood roofless and windowless. And as I witnessed more destruction along the way, my reverie delved on the plights of debt-ridden farmers struggling with adversities. And now, this. Ah, what a misery!

The calamity brought about by Pedring and Quiel is yet another call for the Filipino nation to seriously take to heart the threat of climate change. This particular picture is not an isolated case. It happened a few months back when strong rains and clogged water ways caused the sudden inundation of Cebu and Davao and Cotabato. It happened two years ago when typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng flooded Metro Manila, Laguna and Northern Luzon. It happened a couple of years ago when Harurot and Yoyong took away the lives of our loved ones including our houses, livestocks and near-harvests. It happened almost five or six years ago when the strong rains caused too much flash floods and landslides in Aurora and Quezon Provinces. It happened more than a decade ago in Ormoc City. In Antipolo. In Albay. In Camarines Sur. In many places.

The time for us to get ourselves educated and act on climate change is long past due. Acting on climate change is not the sole responsibility of the government. We as private individuals and citizens of this country must do our part, too, for the government alone is not responsible for this rather lack of preparedness and awareness among the general populace. The challenge for the government is not only to pass and really enforce laws on environmental protection; it also has to educate us about climate change and disaster risk reduction and control. On the other hand, we as individuals should also gather our acts and start to love and protect our environment. But this alone is not enough. We must start a revolution of the mind. We must start changing the distorted ways by which we view ourselves, our environment, our society and our government. The era of apathy and selfish convenience must end.

Now is the time for the Filipino nation to act in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Not only for the sake of our present lives or properties or environment but more so for that of the future generation's. This much we owe to them. This much, at least.

Now is the time to act. As one body. As one nation.


Mira-Nila Homes, Quezon City
October 08, 2011

THE POWER PARADOX

“We shall defeat the enemy by wielding tools of justice, social reform and equitable governance leading to better life.” (President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III)


In his Socratic dialogue Republic, Plato philosophized that the personal experiences of individual citizens can be analogous to what the State and its players as a whole go through. His parable of the four men in a cave somewhat says that some of us decide to simply believe and deem as real whatever that is being presented unto us. Some of us dare to question the credibility or state of reality of what we see or hear but rather stick to the status quo due to comfort or the fear of the unknown. Then there are some of us who, upon reflecting on things, reject the impositions of the immediate environment yet we still get lost in transition (or translation???) either due to comfort, misguided conformity or blatant surrender. On the other hand, there are some of us who, upon reflecting on things, reject the environmentally imposed illusions, struggle in the search of more truth and meaning and eventually get out of that cave of blind submission, ignorance and damnation, among others.

Upon watching the live coverage of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III (PNoy), my mind could not help but recall that particular steam of Plato's philosophical mind. One part of my mind thought that Plato was sporting his intellectual arrogance as manifested by his rather negative description of three-fourths of the population in that parable of his. However, another part of me admired his genius for predicting a general reality among people two millenia ahead of his time.

To make Plato's point closer to the heart, we need not look far enough for the case of the Philippines is good enough an example. In one way or another, our history as a modern nation projects a picture of us embodying the Jung-ian persona of either of the four cavemen notwithstanding our own personal ideologies, values and narratives.

Let me elucidate.

The 30th of June 2010 is deemed as another milestone in the pages of Philippine modern history for it marked the swearing in of PNoy as the 15th president of the Republic. After almost a decade of having the uneasy feeling among the general public of the certainty that something wrong is going on but the public cannot pinpoint exactly which is it, it is therefore quite understandable as to why the Filipino nation stood vigilant in guarding the results of its exercise of its Constitutional freedom of suffrage during the past May 2010 elections. Corollary to that, it is of lesser wonder as to why a great percentage of the Filipino voters anticipated with expectation, if not excitement, the inaugural speech and the first and second SONA of PNoy.

1. In the eyes of skeptics and Filipinos who have resigned to the seemingly insurmountable social malady that has incessantly haunted the nation since time immemorial, the May 2010 elections and its aftermath are only but a tiny segment of a cyclic if not down-spiraling socio-econo-political pattern that this country is accursed with. The promises of change toward a better life and for no reconciliation without justice being served as uttered by PNoy are only but a rhetoric spoken yet again to appease the figurative thirst for blood (read: vengeance from past injustices and misdeeds) of the dominant majority.
2. On the other hand, there exists the fatalist minds of some of our pillars who think and profess that just as the initial euphoria of hope for a better Philippines is being felt now in PNoy's administration, it is actually nothing new for this feeling has swooped the country too during the early months of Cory Aquino's. So was it felt during the early years of Fidel Ramos'. And the early stage of Joseph Estrada's government. And even that of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's. In short, they are kind of saying that the Philippines is a doomed nation.
3. Now, we have some packs of people who dream for a better Philippines according to their own combinations of economic, political, cultural, religious and social standards or orientation. Their brilliant ideas and other steams of their minds can be summed up in two currencies: ideal and perfect. Ideal policies. Perfect states. However, there is this gaping hole in those two currencies they hold. First off, there can be NO ideal policy but only an optimum one*. Secondly, a perfect state or society is technically unattainable. The society is composed of many people with varying interests, concerns, needs and wants. The bottomline is, in the quest for ideal policies or perfect states, some of tend to go counterflow that we alienate or unite with others who are seeking for better national well-being albeit through a different avenue. Some of us see things only according to our own definition of what is black and what is white. And if in case we feel tired of our own struggle toward our desired state, heaven just knows what some of us do...or decide not to do.
4. Finally, there are some of us who, not being content with what we are seeing or hearing or experiencing, challenge or defy the status quo in our quest for better lives. Either for us as individuals and as collective citizens of one country. Or for our children and the next generation. We are aware of the obstacles, difficulties and the dangers that lie ahead but still we stick to our noble goal. If our own lives were at stake, so be it if it would mean a better chance for our children to lead a more meaningful life. A life of dignity.

In relation to this, where does each of us belong whenever we talk about national well-being? Which among the four categories do we belong to whenever we speak in terms of social awareness and responsibility, political consciousness and participation, participative governance, government policies, poverty alleviation and human and national development? Do we even care to think about it before we harshly criticize the government for perceived and felt market and government failures? Do we even know what we talk about whenever we speak words concerning the present state and possible future of our Nation?

Remembering the words of Dr. Jocelyn Cuaresma of UP-NCPAG, she said that there are many forms of government policy statements but the most overt of all is the President's SONA. I respect whatever point of view I hear or read pertaining to the current administration and its policies. But as a student of public administration, I think it is only but fair for us to do some litmus tests before we utter words of support/praise or criticism.

I am not new to listening to SONA hence my initial prediction that the PNoy's second SONA would yet again be filled with more self-righteous politicking, self-aggrandizement, half-sincere promises and other be-it-as-may campaign. However, as I watched the live coverage and read the transcript of PNoy's second SONA, I was unexpectedly overwhelmed by the kick and boost in my morale as a citizen of the Philippines. He seemed to be talking directly to me and that he sounded sincere enough with whatever report and policy statements he was uttering. The general message of his speech is very clear: a) that he means business when he has chosen to make “change” as his political slogan and platform; b) that the period of greed, mediocrity and complacency is over; c) that his administration is working to deliver whatever promises he has made so with his dream for a better Philippines; and d) that there can be no real change if not all sectors of the whole Philippine society genuinely strive for and participate in this PNoy administration-led revolution of the mind and values and practices. Not only did I feel like trusting my government once again; I also felt like bursting into tears as I endured the tug in my conscience for somewhat loosing hope for a better Philippines.

Peeking through PNoy's second SONA vis-a-vis his inauguration speech revolving on “change toward the better”, I say that his drive against rampant corruption in the government [and even in the private sector] is laudable enough. In other words, he walked his talk and people were inspired to talk because of his walk. For indeed, any government cannot perform satisfactorily in the eyes of observers and stakeholders (hence the many forms of intermingling financial, economic, political, social, security and/or psycho-emotional backlashes) if that government is tainted with doubt and scandals and controversies. The tenacity of the government (as being reported to the public by the media) in uncovering past mistakes and eventually suing allegedly erring people may qualify his administration's vow for a clean government as sincere enough. However, the efforts that he and his administration put on reviewing contracts both approved and still-to-be-approved and the implementation of the zero-based budgeting scheme in all government offices lend enough credence to the seriousness of PNoy's drive to steer the government and the country toward his perceived matuwid na landas in hopefully getting out of this very dark and slimy cave that we have found our country in. As a result thereof, PNoy, being the one occupying the highest seat of the Philippine government, has effectively waged a war against corruption in the government. I believe that he is a force to be reckoned with because he has successfully gained for himself a moral ascendancy and authority over his people. And that is no common feat among leaders...for gaining moral ascendancy and authority over one's subordinates is quite a rare occurrence in today's modern political arena. People look up to their leaders and follow after their leads almost all the time.

There are so many numbers that PNoy has mentioned in his SONA 2011. All of the statistics, the promises for more progress and the accompanying stern warnings that he mentioned only remind me of Nichollo Machiavelli's teaching that “If you cannot be loved and feared at the same time by your constituents, then better be feared than to be loved but not feared...” I somehow see a grain of truth and wisdom in these words of Machiavelli. What are positive statistics and realistic promises, indeed, if there were no threat of punishment for people who will try to tee us off to the marshlands after those tremendous efforts of the present administration to get us back to the fairway? Yes, my inner-self felt reinvigorated and proud by my President's political will and performance in his first year in office. Yes, I am clinging to this glimmer of hope for a positive revolution of the mindsets and systems not only amongst people in the bureaucracy but also among those in other sectors of our society. Yes, I believe that the masses now have a better confidence on the governmental systems, organizations and policies. That after all and despite PNoy's silence on his economic agenda for the country, there will be a genuine jump-starting not only of the Philippine politics or economics but even on our identity as a Filipino nation regardless of our religious and cultural divergences. It is not only me who is hoping for these; a 71% of legal-aged Filipinos share my hopes and trust in the government too.

In pondering over the string of various post-EDSA administrations that ran our country, Max Weber's classic work on bureaucracy teased my mind. Weber enumerated, described, praised and criticized the three sources of power of our leaders (to wit: charisma, traditional and rational-bureaucratic). He predicted too that the people would eventually tire of their leaders hence the changes of leaders from one with charisma to another privileged with very good pedigree, then to one blessed with rationality. And the circle repeats itself. Just as what the parchment curtains of our nation's post-EDSA narrative seem to portray.

Obviously, we have for a national leader somebody with a legendary pedigree. Only after his ascension to office that the Filipino nation noticed his rationality with his stubborn sense of right and wrong. And his style of running the government based on what he perceives as right or wrong makes sense. Only after he delivered his second SONA that I found him very charismatic enough I started doing away with pirated CDs and DVDs. And I felt good and more empowered. Because he empowered the people into standing for what is right. Because he has courageously pointed out to the Filipino nation another form of cancer that is seeping into the very fabric of our nationhood – that cancer of being selfish and deeply individualistic and crab-like.

Randy David, in a 2001 Philippine Daily Inquirer article pertaining to then President Joseph Estrada, has mentioned Pareto's theory that the icons or very strong preferences of people actually represent the silent personal aspirations of the same people about themselves. Following Pareto's line of thinking and given the overwhelming support (81% of total votes) that PNoy has received during the 2010 presidential election, then perhaps it is safe to conclude that a great majority of the Filipino nation has not given up on and for our country. Despite the odds, the Filipino nation has not totally sunk into the swamp of apathy and lawlessness and corruption.

We live in a democratic country wherein we have a direct say of who we want our top leaders to be. We are the ones who have the power to choose the kind of life we want for our country. Our leaders may have a direct influence over the course of our national well-being, but we as a collective citizens of this country have a voice strong enough to let our leaders know what we want them to do for us. Our responsibility for the Motherland does not end only at the precincts or in the streets or in the broad media. We also have to do our part in ensuring that the government we choose to run the country have the means to finance whatever project it deems vital toward our quest for national development. We ought to support the government in the same manner that we have to be vigilant in safeguarding our interest as a nation from them greedy and self-serving officials and business people. Let us do our own parts. We are the ones carving our own destiny.

As I ponder further on PNoy's plea for us to join him in his campaign for a better Philippines by doing away with “utak wang-wang” and individualism and other forms of social malady, my reverie goes back to Plato and his parable of the four cavemen. Then my heart silently prayed to the Almighty for Him to help us completely renew our mindsets as strive hard to inch our way toward that glimmer of light emanating outside of this cave that we are in..



________________

* It is a common belief among scholars of public administration and governance that there is no such a thing as an ideal policy. An ideal policy is said to be perfect and advantageous to all. However, policies were made because of the existence of conflicting interests among people. One policy may be of advantage to one party while being disadvantageous to the other, and vice versa. What exists, according to the scholars, is an optimum policy – a policy that may be disadvantageous to some but advantageous to the greater majority.

MAID TO SERVE

A few hours ago, my brother Orville made an inquiry through his Facebook account on whether or not the world would be a better place if half of the important posts in government and the corporate world were to be run by women while half of the households were to be run by men. (Click here to view the thread.) I did not answer his query; rather I gave him another hypothetical scenario by pointing out that Filipina maids are all over the world running the households of commoners and the rich, the powerful and the famous. What would happen if ever ALL the Filipina maids all over the world decided and actually carried out a simultaneous one- or two-day strike?

I did not mean that query as a pun to the Filipina maids. I am in no position to do so because I am only but a very humble person with no university diploma or even a centavo of bank savings. In fact, I am one of the many supporters and sympathizers to the plight of and tolls being extracted on the millions of Philippine citizens who are forced to leave the country in search for greener pastures.

Anyway, I think that somewhere along the course of the discussion, I have committed something wrong. Hence the Almighty taught me a lesson by causing a Filipino friend of mine to ask me to do her laundry! I am not her maid, for crying out out, yet the way she asked me to do that household chore for her was quite demeaning to me. "So what do you intend to do today? Ah, you can do my laundry though. It would be a great honor for me [for you to wash my clothes]." I was very surprised to receive from her such a command sugar-coated as a request. It was at around 5am just today; I was about to go to sleep while she just woke up and was preparing to leave for work. Obviously, those statements were not to be mistaken for a joke for that was no time for one!

In my horrified state, I simply told her that I am not her maid but I can definitely try to help her in re-stacking her laundromat-cleaned laundry. Then the cruel joke of the situation hit me: I have used the maids as a base for a hypothetical scenario; now it seems that I am being taken or viewed by my own friend as her personal assistant slash maid-in-waiting.

Ahh, karma really strikes fast.

Looking Back With Jubilation, Sharing With Grateful Hearts

Speech penned for Judge Ester Piscoso-Flor which she delivered during the 2010 NVGCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya


The honorable Guest Speaker, my esteemed co-alumni of our beloved alma mater, visitors, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant morning to all of you.

For quite some time now, it has been the tradition of the NVGHS Alumni Association to gather us every five years for a grand alumni homecoming in celebration of the good life that has been bestowed upon us by the Almighty. We have gone through a lot. We have had our own shares of joy and pain, of jubilation and frustration, of convenience and hardship, of the coming of a new life and the passing of another one. Even before we've left the portals of our beloved alma mater, we have started to witness the various facets of life and have endured many trials that have dealt us some almost fatal blows. But lo and behold, here we are gathered in this place – so much alive and still kicking hard.

“Life is NOT a bed of roses,” or so people say. Do you believe in that cliché? A few years ago, I firmly believed in it. I viewed life as a nasty game wherein only the fit and strong will survive. But after reflecting on everything that transpired in my life, I came up to the conclusion that life is beautiful and is very much comparable to a bed of roses. The crimson color of the petals is very much pleasing to the eyes, especially against the backdrop of the lush greens. However, the rose bushes are filled with thorns too. It is therefore up to us whether to appreciate the beautiful contrast of colors or to make a fuss over the intermingling of those painfully biting thorns. In essence, the beauty or ugliness of life is dependent upon our own dispositions in and perceptions of life as a whole.*

That reverie can also be analogous to us as collective members of our alumni association. We belong to the same organization, to one body... at ang sakit ng kalingkingan ay sakit ng buong katawan. We are gathered here as one. We are acting as one toward the attainment of our organization's goals and objectives. We have gone through a lot, but we rather magnify the true, the good and the beautiful. Nevertheless, we have also learned our lessons from past mistakes. And we shall not stop striving for excellence until the not-so-bad becomes good, the good becomes better and the better becomes best. We shall continue to strive and make our association become meaningful and vital to to the life of every member. Because we are one. We sink, we swim; we rise, we fall; we dream, we face our fate together.**

All of us have dreams. We all dream for greater successes. We all dream for the good life. But we are aware that in this dog-eat-dog world, the courageous and well-prepared visionaries dominate the chance of making it to the summit. However, victory and success are not exclusively for people who dream big and spend big-time. Victory and Success open their doors, too, to people like you and me, people who endeavor to leave a lasting mark – a legacy – on even the most minute aspect of our respective lives. Victory and success are sweet, but nothing is sweeter than to witness the human soul triumph over the many adversities of life.***

That is why we are gathered here now – to celebrate the big and small triumphs in the lives of the graduates of our beloved alma mater.

Let us then start the celebration for the sweet life we have had for the past years so with that of 2011 and beyond. Indeed, life is very sweet and so much worth celebrating.

Thank you.

____________________________

* Culled from my essay "On My Window"
** Quoted from Morgan Freeman's 1989 movie "Lean on Me"
*** Culled from my essay "Second Quarter Storm"

Twisted

Oh, what a nasty game Fate plays on me;
In my effort to save one thing of value,
Three other valuables flew out of my window. :'c

Mira-Nila Homes
January 04, 2011

ON MY WINDOW

“The greatest pleasures in life are for free.”
-Introduction to Charlie’s Angels I


A few days ago, my burning elephant-sized body got rocked by a bout of incessant heavy coughing. Under the spell of cough with lots of tears coming out of my eyes, mucus dripping from my nose, and sticky phlegm coming out through my mouth (na kulang na lang ay may earwax ding tumatalsik palabas ng aking tenga), I got alarmed on the possibility that I acquired the dreaded Influenza A(H1N1) virus. If ever I indeed contracted that virus strain, would I die of this sickness? It has been more than a week now since I have started to cough like hell’s brunt. Fortunately, and to my great relief, the fever, headache and LBM have subsided.

Yes, I feel sick and weak now. The act of eating a decent meal alone is torture to my mushy stomach as witnessed by my toilet bowl and sink. Moreover, my room is a complete mess with all of these papers, water bottles, dirty clothing, grocery items and food wrappers scattered all around me. I actually took some pictures of the big trash box (which is my room, asa ka pa), but I would not post them over my Friendster account. Hah, why should I? Doing so is nothing different from me gathering my mucus-filled hankies and urine-drenched undies and raising them over a flagpole. (Now, that’s so gross of me.)

Where was I? Ah, I was actually talking about my sudden-death-thanks-to-H1N1 reverie. Actually, I have lots of things to say, but how would I put my thoughts into written words? Let’s see. Isa-isahin natin pag-dissect sa thoughts ko para mas systematic.

Honestly speaking, I am so frustrated for being sick and tied to my bed. I am not used to being immobilized or to just counting the days pass by without accomplishing anything for myself. Of course I could have finished reading my piled up readings here, but my uncooperative mind refused to admit the academic knowledge presented by those dead (and not dead) white and brown men’s brilliant minds. I was literally talking out loud to myself and cursing the virus strain that chose to make my body its habitat. But then, I held myself in check and decided to look at the brighter side of my current health situation. I reprimanded myself for taking things sans humor since I-do-not-know-when. Indeed, it has been a time now since I have reflected over things; hence my current immobilization may be one of God’s ways to make me sit down for a moment to ponder over the meaning of life and the purpose of my existence. I’ve ended up asking myself, “If ever I am going to die prematurely, am I going to cross over to the afterlife feeling contented and satisfied for having lived my life to the fullest? In the first place, can I convincingly tell myself that, so far, I have lived my life to its fullest?” I think the answer to the aforementioned questions is a big NO.

Let me elucidate.

Life is a matter of decisions. Before, I’ve been thinking that there’s no point in living “life” because life is full of pains and sufferings and frustrations anyway. I used to perceive life as a nasty theatrics of the Creator to egotistically demonstrate His power to make or to break, and it was so unfortunate of me to belong to the group of people whom He wanted to break over and over again. I used to pity myself, to sulk in a corner, and to lick my wounds. I used to think that people eventually die so there was no point at all in prolonging life when prolonging it would be tantamount to prolonging agony. No wonder, therefore, that my life sucked in the past few years…because I have subliminally decided that life sucks. To cut the story short, I rebelled against myself; I rebelled against my family and society; and I rebelled against God.

In the course of my silent rebellion against God, I turned my back on the religious faith through which my mother raised me. I rejected the idea of the existence of a Divine Creator and of his lordship over my life. In the course of my rebellion against my puritan family, I have broken my family’s (especially my mom’s) heart by bumming around instead of concentrating on my studies in that premier university they have sent me to study at. In my anger to and rebellion against some people in my immediate society in the province, many times have I been tempted to give the go-signal to some people (or to do things myself) so as to physically harm those people who offended my family or to inflict damage on their possessions. In the course of my rebellion against and frustrations over my life, I indulged on nasty vices so as to hasten my demise -- my indirect attempt to put an end to my role in the so-called stage of my life’s play. I deliberately compromised myself and my life because I found no meaning to it. Call me self-destructive, an idiot or anything unsavory; I am not going to contest your claim…because in retrospection, I cannot help but castigate myself for being such a bumbling idiot.

“Life is not a bed of roses,” or so people say. Do you believe in that cliché? Prior to writing this, I firmly believed in it because I’d usually underscore on the imperfections of life. But after reflecting on everything that has transpired in my life, I have come to the conclusion that life is beautiful and is indeed comparable to a bed of roses. The crimson color of the petals is very much pleasing to the eyes especially against the backdrop of lush greens. However, the rose bushes are filled with thorns too. It is therefore up to us whether to appreciate the beautiful contrast of colors or to make a fuss over the intermingling of those painfully biting thorns. In essence, the beauty or ugliness of life is dependent upon our own dispositions in and perceptions of life as a whole.

For now, I can say with confidence and conviction that my life does not suck, thanks to this eye-opening segment. As such, I thank the Almighty for sustaining me throughout my misadventures even though I have turned my back on Him a few years back. I thank God for giving me a loving and supportive family whose actions are motivated by what they (family members) perceive is good for me. I thank Him for making me feel indignant and angry over the not-so-funny-actions-and-inactions (read my lips: perceived injustices) that have been committed against my family and for placing me in the company of mentoring people in the province because I have learned a lot of practical and street-smart lessons out of those abrasive situations. I thank my Creator for giving me this second chance to believe in Him and to submit to His lordship once again, if only to give peace to my soul. In short, I am mighty grateful for this chance to make amends with my past mistakes, with my hurts and with my frustrations.

Thinking retrospectively, I find humor on how God uses circumstances to mold me into a better person. Take my academics as an example. Before, I became an agnostic then an atheist because of too much philosophizing, thanks a lot to my Philosophy and other general education (GE) subjects. Moreover, I flunked three times in Sociology and I feel so ashamed of and to myself for always failing in that GE. (Sorry, guys, but I really find Sociology to be very unappealing to my rather selective-learning kind of a psyche.) However, it is through my Sociology subject that I have found my purpose in life and my drive to go on with my advocacies (Hello there, Philippine Contemporary Social Issues!). Furthermore, it is through my philosophizing and in my weaknesses that I have had an encounter with the mystery (and I mean MYSTERY!) of a Supreme Being’s existence. Call it a divine encounter or anything, but that is it.

I am sorry for elucidating too much on my what-if-I-suddenly-die reverie. Did I bore you? My point lang naman is to let you, guys, know that I, Beverly A. Ballitoc, a long-playing student of UPD, have decided to give a positive spin to my relatively dull life. I have found my purpose in life and I am going to work hard in order to attain the destiny that my Creator has in mind when He has formed me. Whereas before I have been painting a gloomy atmosphere in the canvas of my life, I have presently decided to add brighter colors to it in order to spruce up the picture. Whereas before I have been stressing so much on the negative and sad events in the stage of my life’s play, I think it is about time for me to give more emphasis to the little favors and blessings that God has bestowed (and is going to bestow) upon me. It is not yet too late for me to make amends, to enjoy life, and to inch my way toward the maximization of the potentials granted to me from above.

Carpe diem and Exelsior: these words are going to be my motto in life. And if ever I am indeed going to die prematurely without attaining the peak of my personhood or without delivering on the promises I have made to myself and to some people who are dear to me, then let this “reflection paper” be my testimony and manifesto. Hey, I am not being morbid here (because I know I still have a long life to live) neither am I preaching to you (because I am no preacher, let alone a saint); I simply want to make an example out of myself to people out there who want to go into some [mis]adventures so they may think twice before jumping out of their respective fishbowls. And to those young people reading this who have not yet decided to give a better meaning to their respective life, let me just tell you that I have gone through a lot of towers and trenches yet I have found no real satisfaction and security. At the end of the day, I have decided to say enough of my [spiritual mis]adventurism (read it: PRIDE) and I-do-not-care attitude in life. I have decide to find my way back -- no matter how long, humbling or laborious it may be -- to that fishbowl where I truly belong.

All of us have dreams. We all dream of greater successes. We all dream of the good life. But we must be aware that in this dog-eat-dog world, the courageous and well-prepared visionaries dominate the chance of making it to the summit. However, victory and success are not exclusively for people who dream big and spend big-time. Victory and Success open their doors, too, to people like you and me, people who endeavor to leave a lasting mark – a legacy – on even the most minute aspect of our respective life. Victory and Success are sweet, but nothing is sweeter than to witness the human soul triumph over the many adversities of life. Everything is but a matter of mindset. Everything is but a matter of disposal. Therefore, let us go for a revolution of the mind. Let us go for changes…And let’s start with ourselves!

I cannot change the sorry state of my country and those of my marginalized countrymen, but I can change the sorry state of my own life. Life is a matter of decisions and is comparable to a bed of roses. The beauty or ugliness of our respective life is dependent upon our own dispositions. I have decided to dwell on the little blessings and pleasures I have and will have in the future. I have decided to give substance and purpose to my life. And even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for my God is with me (Psalm 23:4).

I have made the first step toward making my existence a beautiful and meaningful one. I have made the first step toward enjoying my life. And I feel good.

Indeed, the greatest pleasures in life are for free.




Sikatuna Village, QC
July 29, 2009

UNDER THE STATE OF GRACE: Snapshots of a Cavewoman's Life in the Mega-City

I do not know what evil I have done in the past to merit this life I am living now. For starters, my scalp is already bleeding because of the itch and irritation caused by these stupid head lice that have decided to carve a niche out of my head. I do not know how I acquired these parasites neither can I point to any possible culprit of this plague that has befallen me. Then there goes my laptop that crashed just recently. I had to say adieu to ALL of my files including my finished and unfinished projects and compositions that had cost me sleepless nights and buckets of sweat, blood and tears just so to get produced. And yes, I am back to being a long-playing miserable student in a rather miserable city that I so loathe to live in.

[Just for the record, I am presently based in a miserable concrete jungle because I study in a not miserable university that has had the miserable fate of sustaining a large slash in budget as a consequence of that miserable state-abandonment-of-education policy of the string of miserable administrations that, at one point or another, run my not totally miserable country. Please do not get me wrong; I am thankful to the Almighty for causing me to be born a Filipino. And being a Filipino with a high sense of nationalism, I am not ashamed to proclaim to the world that my nation's capital city is Manila. Pero naman, there is a big difference between being proud of your nation's capital city and that of actually living there with all the stress and pressure that come with the package. If I were to make my choice without thinking of the long-term consequences, I would choose to stay in Ifugao to proverbially plant camote, play with my nephews and take care of the very micro-enterprise that a friend and I started just recently.]

You must be thinking of how pathetic and backward I am for favoring countryside living over urban life, right? I have to concede that you have a point there. To that of me being pathetic and backward, that is. I will tell you why. But first, let me tell you something about my present life.

Due to some twisted humor of fate, my once worst enemy has become my Filipino best friend. As a show of goodwill and to ease my longing for my countryside connection, she and her mom offered me last November to stay with her in one of their houses somewhere among the gated neighborhoods of Tandang Sora. To cut the story short, it was my friendship with this person that paved the way for me to live in an upscale neighborhood without the need to pay those exorbitant rents. Of course, I am aware and have submitted to the idea that with that privilege comes a set of standards that I have to adapt to and comply with. Pero goodness gracious naman, di ko akalain that my resolve and not-so-probinsyana disposition would be put to test immediately after I said I do to those rigid expectations and standards.


Ang Probinsyana, Bow!

Last November 20, one of my best friend's avid suitors visited her. Since she is an insomniac and since she would be taking the UP Law Aptitude Examination (LAE) the following morning, we decided to get drunk with (beep!) Beer just so she could sleep early. I was depressed that time and obviously I would not be paying for the drinks, kaya aba, sige naman sa walang hiyang katatagay etong maglulupang si Beverly. Libre, eh. Besides, we were home kaya okay lang. Ang siste, I did not anticipate that Mr. Suitor intended to do some fighting with my friend. I could have stayed and acted as a spectator to the live show but my sense of decency dictated me to leave and give them the privacy of the moment.

Despite the fact that I was almost drunk that time, Mr Suitor was very kind enough to lend me the key of his big bike so that I would not get bored outside. I was excited, of course, because that would be the first time for me to drive such a bike. Only that I could not get the engine started with the power button and electronic ignition. I tried to locate the kick start but I found none. For ten minutes, I refused to give up the search. Then I heard the sound of a whistle and the thuds of combat boots. I did not care. Because all I wanted was to start the engine and ride that beast. Then I heard it, that abrasive yell of the security guard who was rushing to my direction. He was about to handcuff me when the thought hit me and I had to explain immediately that I was not hot-wiring the bike sabay pakita ng susi. The guard understood naman and apologized for the mistake. I got infuriated, of course. I may have the charms of a gargoyle, pero sino ba naman ang hindi maaasar kapag napagkamalan kang carnapper, di ba? Don't worry, I did not lash out at him because I understood naman that he was just doing his job. I simply nodded and sat by the sidewalk na lang since I could not start the bike anyway.

It took me about fifteen minutes to pacify myself. All the while, I was there talking over the phone with my sister while sitting beside the bike that was parked across the street. Tapos bigla ako nakaramdam ng matinding pagkawiwi. I ran to the house so as to relieve myself only to find out that I locked the door pala without taking my key when I went out. I wanted to knock and ask my friend to open the door but I was ashamed to disturb my friend and Mr Suitor whom I presumed must in the middle of a very hot fight by then. I could have relieved myself in the lawn or backyard but our grumpy and napakataray neighbors were outside literally counting their money. Aside from the fact that the lawn and backyard were brightly lit and kitang-kita kung may tao doon o wala, I embraced, too, the principle of not shitting on my own backyard for whatever merit or practicality there is to it. I decided to cast away my pride and ask my neighbor to make me use her toilet but the thought of being turned down and very probable pa na makatanggap ako ng pagtataray caused my feet to refuse to walk. Sabay napatingin ako dun sa motorsiklo and realized that the street was empty and not brightly lit I could relieve myself there. Pero Diyos mio naman, the guard house is just 50 meters away from that spot at may mangilan-ilang cars pa namang pumapasok sa subdivision. Moreover at kahit pa sabihin natin na super nawiwiwi na ako, I find it as very distasteful and disrespectful na hindi nga ako magwiwiwi sa backyard ko pero magwiwiwi naman ako sa frontyard ng iba. Then there was the option of me na pasimpleng tatayo sa isang corner in the backyard and pee on my pants. The thing is, I would die of humiliation when my friend and Mr Suitor would see me all peed up because I have to pass in front of them to go get a change of pants upstairs. Grabeng lakas mangantiyaw lang naman ng kaibigan ko at nataon namang madali rin akong mapikon na tao. Pero shiiitttt, grabeng nawiwiwi na ako that I was having goosebumps that time na talaga.

Please do not ask me of what I chose among the above-stated options. Suffice it to say that my conscience haunted me even in my sleep that fateful night. Bad dreams. Bad dreams. Ahaay...


As a Whole

I have just come out from a two-week depression. I was so down way back then I thought I was living in the deepest and darkest recesses of my life. I felt like giving in to all the blows I had sustained in such a very short period of time. Many times I caught myself glancing at my empty coffee mug while giving out a sigh of resignation. However I am a stubborn person hence I have refused to give up my fight.

Now that I am back to my normal mood and disposition, the adage of a silver lining on the darkest clouds has been more meaningful to me. I may have acquired these stupid parasites that now dwell on my head but at least I have a small amount in my pocket naman to buy that medicine to totally annihilate them and the itch and irritation that they make me suffer. I may have lost all of my files but at least I have this brain and the hands given to me by the Almighty to redo my projects and compositions. Yes, I have lost all the videos and photos but the memories will linger and my friends and family will always be there for me naman. I may be back as a student in this city that causes me so much stress [and strain] but at least I am given the chance and big favor (by God, by my family and by the Filipino taxpayers) to finish my [mis]adventures in the academic stage of my life's humble play. Though I have been mistaken for a carnapper and even though the call of nature has made a clown out of me, having my Filipino best friend beside me and having a good shelter to live in are big reasons for me to be grateful to the Providence. I may be having big problems in other areas of my life but at least I am breathing and I can still make amends... with God, with the people I love, with myself.

“The real tragedy in life is not death itself but the absence of a purpose in living.” I do not know where I have read it, but I can attest to the validity and logic of this nugget of wisdom. Life is still sweet. Yeah, life is sweet.


Post Script
There was no fighting naman pala that took place between my friend and Mr Suitor. If only I was not that very considerate, ahaay...