Turning thirty

Every year, on January 9, thousands of devotees flock to Quiapo Church for the Feast of the Black Nazarene. The Black Nazarene, a dark, life-size statue of Jesus Christ carrying the cross, was carved by an Aztec and brought to the Philippines by a priest in 1606. Legend has it that the statue, its blackness as unfathomable and sorrowful as faith itself, is miraculous. It survived the fires that ravaged Quiapo Church, World War II, and earthquakes that shook Luzon in 1645 and 1863. During the feast, the statue is put on a carriage and, pulled by its guardians, paraded in the streets surrounding the church.

Holding the rope that pulls the carriage gives you luck, perhaps earning you a chance to win the lotto. Touching the statue itself means you’re saved.

Every year, on January 9, thousands of devotees flock to Quiapo Church in a febrile gathering, a collective dervish that could crush a devotee to death. The feast claims at least one life every year and wounds dozens. Faith and death. Desperation and death.

The ex side of singlehood

In dealing with former lovers, what rules apply?

No regrets

What is celebrated with the passing of a year, other than the possibility of a new chance, is the resilience of memory. We look forward to a new year with a vow to remember the previous ones, the past mistakes and victories and the unusual joy in committing them.

We celebrate a new year with a toast for the previous ones: there are no regrets. The scary thing about adulthood is that we must own up to our own mistakes, our flaws. Strangely, that’s also the liberating part of it. A life without any error is a life spent without love. What we are passionate about is bound to push us to make mistakes, the moral lesson of chasing our dreams. A poet said that a shard of glass thrown into the ocean would certainly come out changed, its clear and shiny skin smoothened and dulled by the rough edges of the sand: a piece of glass becoming the ocean itself.

2007 wasn’t such a bad year. Here’s to the remembrance of a year of deep frustrations that taught us in Akbayan the miraculous art of climbing higher. Here’s to a cat that stayed with us for just a year, who was fiercely sovereign but endured lessons on how to speak in Portuguese and how enunciate English verbs that start with the letter E. Here’s to Here’s to the great love that has eluded (some of) us, may we catch it finally this year. And here to 2007, the year I finally learned how to say no (and no, actually, means no), even to a movement that has always been the source of my passion. The sky didn’t collapse, there are no regrets.

May the new year be as meaningful.

Sumilao farmers

The Federation of Philippine Industries epitomizes the greed and materialism that the corporate world is unfortunately known for. When FPI made its statement on the Sumilao farmers, it demolished years of corporate social responsibility – and public relations work – that have been used by the private sector to show that big corporations are entities that uphold social values like compassion and solidarity.

FPI cautioned the government and the public against using emotion to resolve the Sumilao issue. It called for the rule of law in settling the decade-old land dispute. In a unsurprisingly heartless stance, it warned that a decision in favor of the farmers would be bad for the Philippine economy.

Curfew in Manila

A strange and ominous calm prevails in Manila tonight.

The Philippine National Police has already issued the guidelines for the curfew, which I have posted below. I watched the press conference of PNP Chief Avelino Cruz earlier, and he announced that the curfew is only for tonight but they would assess the need to extend on a day-to-day basis. He also said that they need to impose the curfew for follow up security operations.

Razon announced that a document was found in Manila Peninsula with details on the plans of the Magdalo soldiers and the groups that allegedly orchestrated the standoff in Makati City today. He also said that arrests would be made over the night.

I have never experienced a curfew in the past, and I must admit that the chilling effect is there. I wan’t born yet when Martial law was declared in the country, but the strange, ominous calm tonight is disturbing. The curfew, the arrest of journalists, the so-called discovery of a document containing details of the coup plot, and the insinuation by the police that the protest rallies tomorrow – an annual commemoration of Andres Bonifacio, a hero of Filipino workers – are probably linked to the mutiny that took place today, all of these seem to set the stage for another crackdown against anti-GMA forces.

I don’t know what Trillanes and his cohorts were thinking today. I have never been a fan of his or of military adventurism. But a perspective must be established on what took place in Makati City today – the political crisis is still festering. We can all choose to ignore it and dismiss the way GMA and other politicians are abusing their authority to amass wealth and ensure their political survival. We can all pretend that she did not commit electoral fraud, that neither GMA nor FG Mike Arroyo has anything to do with the NBN controversy. We can all declare that the military truly has nothing to do with extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

But today has shown us the real status quo. GMA accuses Magdalo of violating the rule of law when the problems that fuel military adventurism is her policy of politicizing the armed forces to ensure her survival. The status quo is instability due to the subservience of supposedly independent institutions like the House of Representatives to an abusive executive. What Trillanes did today was condemnable and could not be rationalized, but it was a jolting reminder nonetheless that the problems that we have is also a product of our own collective lethargy.

General Rule: The curfew shall cover all persons residing, visiting, working or traveling to and from NCR, Region 3 and Region 4A.Exceptions: The following are exempted but must establish identity thru ID cards:1. Those who are transporting goods and services;2. Passengers of airlines whether domestic and/or international taking late or early flights;3. Emergency cases;4. Drivers of public utility vehicles like taxis, buses, and jeepneys;5. Doctors and other medical/health care practitioners who are on actual duty;6. PNP and AFP personnel in actual performance of duties;7. Emergency responders such as firemen, paramedics, etc.;8. Nightshift workers such as those in call centers;9. Legitimate media people;10. Provincial bus passengers and commuters coming to the said areas; and,11. Members of the diplomatic corpsDisposition of Violators1. Violators shall be brought to the nearest police station/district for booking/ processing.2. Violators shall be released only after 5 a.m. unless they are under investigation for other offenses.3. They shall be made to undergo medical examination prior to release unless waived by them in writing.Mechanics/ General Guidelines1. Checkpoints shall be established in all entry/ exit points of provinces, towns, and cities of above-mentioned areas.2. The rights of every citizen except for free travel shall be religiously observed.3. Permit to carry firearms outside the residence is suspended for the duration of the curfew.4. The conduct of searches, seizures, and arrests in checkpoints shall be done with civility and courtesy with due respect to innocent passersby, commuters, or bystanders.5. Checkpoints shall exhibit legible and clear signs and must be established in properly lighted areas to show transparency in the conduct of searches.6. Enforcement officers manning the checkpoints shall be in proper uniform at all times with the identification cards and nameplates on.7. Personnel manning checkpoints shall always be led by an officer with the rank of police inspector at least.8. Checkpoint personnel shall not mulct, extort, or harass drivers, passengers, traders, etc.Police commanders/ directors shall explain to their police personnel the proper implementation of the curfew and conduct of checkpoint.

A nation of boxers

The big news today – the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that five out of six Filipino boxers competing in the World Boxing Cup in Mexico won. Hurray. Here’s what this really mean:

• The 2010 senatorial race has begun. Consequently, with the inclusion of Manny Pacquiao, the administration’s slate is already half-full. John O. disagrees, says he sees it as half-empty. Not to be outwitted, he rushed to the Elorde Boxing Gym to enroll.

Crab stories

THIS IS AN OLD JOKE. TO KILL PUBIC lice and crabs, all you need is a bottle of gin and a fistful of sand. Just pour gin on the pubic area, to be followed a few minutes later by a liberal scattering of sand. Hopefully the unwanted parasites would get scandalously drunk and ‘stone’ each other to death. If that doesn’t work, if they end up becoming rabid AA members instead, resort to the so-called Pilar Pilapil recipe for treating crabs.

Exed!

 

Counter-productive, homophobic, manipulative, and pathetic. These are just some of the reactions I get about ex-gays. I’ve met some of them during congressional hearings and media guestings, and while I admit that sometimes I get irritated by their preposterous claims, the single most important question that keeps propping up every time the issue is discussed is this: is it really possible to swing from one side of the sexual fence to the other permanently?

Same-sex marriage

I am not a big fan of same-sex marriage. Unless it’s Jericho Rosales or Piolo Pascual asking for my hand, I’m not really that eager to tie the knot.

Shameless, pretty shameless

Today is the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), a global campaign that commemorates the World Health Organization declaration that homosexuality is not a disease. For this year’s IDAHO, the New York-based Human Rights Watch included Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Chair of the House Committee on Human Rights, in its ‘Hall of Shame.’

The guy deserves it. I just hope that the next House leadership would realize that he doesn’t have the credibility to head the House Committee on Human Rights.