Kiko's Sketches & Kicks

Confucian Jen as a Paradigm of Intersubjectivity

2009-09-01T20:30:00.005+08:00

This article was originally published in The Thomasian Philosopher, Vol. 9, 1991, pp. 17-27. I have been searching for the Filipino equivalent -- not necessarily translation -- of Concucius' Jen and one relevantly comes to mind, something that we Pinoys have apparently lost but are currently passionately longing for: Delicadeza.

Prolegomenon

“Cognitio certa per causas – certain knowledge through causes” [1] -- this maxim emphasizes the most important role assumed by the causes of reality in the formation of knowledge. This, in effect, has been made the famous definition of philosophy by Aristotle. As such, this has been considered the reason why philosophy in the West is traditionally considered a science, in fact, a science par excellence. Accordingly, true knowledge is the knowledge through causes and philosophy purports to disclose the ultimate causes.

In China, however, philosophy is not thought to be a science but an art.[2] It is the supreme art of realizing one’s life to the highest degree. In Chinese philosophy, it is not the causes of reality that are sought but the relations that reality bears to our life. It is the function of Chinese philosophy to establish these relations and discern the most suitable responses to them. Hence, philosophy becomes indispensable for the success of life, and conversely, it is the success of life that gives meaning to philosophy. This, in effect, makes Chinese philosophy appear so strikingly pragmatic and action-oriented. This emphasis on action has given Chinese philosophy a moral quality in all its dimensions. It is in this light that the tenets of Confucian philosophy is better understood and appreciated.

Greek philosophy, as disclosed by Aristotle, began with wonder. Chinese philosophy, on the other hand, did not begin with wonder but with concern or anxiety.[3] The Chinese way of thinking, as opposed to the Greeks, is practical, concrete and perceptual; they are not stargazers.[4] This is not only the typical expression of Chinese philosophy but also the general expression of the Chinese people themselves. They are the kind of people who would agree with Kierkegaard who rejected speculative philosophy that builds a conceptual palace which is doomed not to be lived in. The Chinese mentality of practicality also shuns empty speculation in philosophy – empty speculation in the sense that philosophical conceptualization is unrelated to the everyday life of man – and attempts to go beyond intellectualism, logicism and sheer verbalism. The “practically-minded” Chinese would therefore agree with Merleau-Ponty who says that “the world is not what I think but what I live through,” in association with others, and the world as man perceives and lives it, preceded the conceptualization of it.[5]

The Chinese mentality of practicality is by all means embodied in Confucianism. There can be little doubt that it was Confucius who opened China to the primacy of reflection, to the silent penetration of phenomena and to the philosophy of man. The Master’s thought is centered on man, for it is man who is the object of his interest. To know man, to love him, was his constant refrain. There is but a single thing that can disturb tranquility: not to know man.[6]

A truly practical-humanistic philosophy, Confucianism focuses its attention to man and what he does. Its radical premise is that the root of man is man himself. This means that Confucianism begins and ends in man. It is primarily concerned with man-as-the-actor” rather than man-as-the-thinker, with the everyday world of the people as they live it, and in terms of normative ethics, with how they ought to live. In its radical sphere, it gets at the roots of things, the everyday action of man living with other men in society. The basic premise of this radical philosophy is the primacy of praxis over theoria, and it is based on the idea that man is ultimately judged according to what he does, rather than what he thinks.

In this sense, the practical humanism of Confucian philosophy is embodied in a virtue which as Mencius clearly stated, is the “distinguishing characteristic of man,”[7] and which Confucius himself considered as the “all pervading unity”[8] of his philosophy.

This virtue expresses the idea that the truly and uniquely human quality of man (humanity) is intersubjectivity (sociality). Man is human by virtue of his sociality, and his existence is social existence. By way of action, man exists in the world in relation to others.

As it is the way of everyday action and sociality in one, this virtue likewise entails morality. As Jaspers succinctly puts it, it is “humanity and morality in one.”[9] In truth, this virtue sums up and is the pillar of the practical humanism of Confucius. It is, for Confucius, the primary existential index of human reality.

This same virtue will be the main problem to be tackled and discussed by the author in this work.

Its name: JEN.

The notion of Jen in Confucianism

Historico-physiognomic conspectus

The term Jen had rarely been used in Chinese literature before Confucius. It first existed in the oracle of records, in the inscriptions on bronze ritual vessels, in the documents preserved by the Book of Documents, and others prior to Confucius. The meaning of this word, however, was limited to kindness.[10] It was exclusively regarded as an aristocratic virtue, i.e., as the kindness shown by a superior to an inferior.[11] Likewise, the term Jen is also found in the sections of pre-Confucian Book of History. While the introduction of this word in this work followed its original occurrence in the Lun Yu, or Analects, it represents a pre-Confucian concept in the Book of History.

This term has been translated as ‘Goodness’ (Waley), ‘Human-heartedness,’ ‘Man-to-man-ness’ (E.R. Hughes), ‘Love,’ (Bodde), ‘Benevolent Love’ (H.H. Dubs), ‘Magnanimity,’ ‘Benevolence,’ ‘Perfect Virtue’ (J. Legge), ‘Compassion,’ ‘True Manhood,’ (Lin Yu Tang), ‘Moral Character,’ (Ku Hu Ming), ‘Virtue’ (Creel) and ‘Humanity’ (Chan Wing Tsit).[12] As it is manifestly obvious, a uniform translation of this word would be impossible to arrive at considering the many varied ways of interpreting it, hence, falling short of the rich essence of Jen. Yet while these translations may not seem to be entirely satisfactory, the whole list together would afford us to see the kaleidoscopic notions it contains. Truly, all these renderings are attempts at capturing the central and normative focus of this philosophy.

Scholars in the past have offered different explanations of Jen on the force of its etymological consideration. Hsieh Lian-tso (1050-1103) of the Sung period, leads those who believed that Jen meant ‘seeds of man.’ This is based on the interpretation that the word Jen is written in two components, the symbol for ‘man’ on the left and a symbol for ‘seeds’ on the right. Hence, putting them together would mean ‘essence of man.’[13] This conclusion is derived from the analogy of the seeds inside the stones of peaches and apricots which are called t’ao-jen and hsin-jen respectively.[14] Hsieh is of the opinion that Jen as the essence of man and the seeds of peaches and apricots could not be separated from love when discussed as an ethical concept. For him, Jen was the principle, and love was its application.[15]

On the other hand, Cheng Hsuan (127-200 AD) of the Han period, represents those who believed that Jen meant “the correct relationship between two persons.” It is based on the interpretation that Jen is a compound ideogram taken from the character ‘jen’ which means ‘man’ and ‘erh’ which mean ‘two’ or ‘second’ in the Chinese numerical system. He upholds that it takes two persons for Jen to be experienced. A solitary person, sitting alone in his study, with his eyes closed, may have a virtuous logic in his mind but can hardly be said to be measuring up to the sage’s standards of Jen.[16]

The Shuo Wen defines it as “to love each other or the benevolence that must link man with his neighbor” as represented by the character ‘erh’ which connotes plurality, mutuality and reciprocity.[17] Similarly, Mencius defines it thus:

Jen (reverential love) is jen (man: the Chinese word for man is also pronounced as jen) Taken them together is JenJen (i.e., signifying the intersubjective relations proper among men.)[18]

Boodberg, expressing concern with the phonological analysis of related words in ancient Chinese pronunciation, traced the root meaning of Jen in “softness” and “weakness” which implies pliability.[19] His claims were later substantiated by the vast lore of Chinese and Japanese scholarships in the past years. Fang Yin Hsien likewise identified the original meaning of Jen in terms of two semiotic foci found in the concept.[20] These are: 1. that Jen is a conceptualization of a tender aspect of human feelings, i.e., love, and 2. that Jen is an altruistic concern for others, and thus a mature manifestation of humanity.[21]

Essentially, there is no conflict between the theory upheld by Hsieh Lian-tso and the theory upheld by Cheng Hsuan or that of Boodberg or Fang Yin Hsien. Indeed, a man has to be kind of heart to be able to love other persons. Man needs one or more persons to manifest his love, such as helping this other person or those other persons up and get ahead.

The holistic meaning of the word Jen can be best understood when Confucius entered the hypnotic realm of Chinese philosophy. His advent gave an entirely new concept out of this word by assigning to it many new meanings, sometimes as a collective name for all virtues, sometimes as the most elementary among the virtues and sometimes, as the highest among the virtues.[22] It seems that Confucius has employed it for the same reason that St. Paul used ‘agape’ instead of ‘eros’ for ‘love’.

But what does the word Jen really mean in the Confucian sense? It is clearly indicated by the texts that the disciples repeatedly asked the Master about this particular virtue while he gave them more than one answer. In some cases, he simply indicated that certain virtue or act is Jen; in other cases, he took the negative approach by stating that a certain act is not Jen. The overall impression we would gather is that Confucius emphasized how to practice Jen and become virtuous rather than explain what Jen really is. His was a pronounced emphasis on the how rather than on the what, a stress on the method and approach rather than on the definition or description, an accentuation on the quomodo sit rather than on the an sit.

Using Jen as a collective of all virtues, he said,

A gentleman never violates Jen even for a short while during a meal, or when he is in a haste to go somewhere, or when he is in the midst of some dangerous situation (such as being pursued by an enemy or a ferocious beast).[23]

This implies that the gentleman should remain virtuous whatever the circumstance.

Using Jen as an elementary virtue, he once told Fan Ch’ih: “Jen is to love all men.”[24] On another occasion, he also said: “A beautiful neighborhood is a neighborhood with some Jen men in it.”[25] Again, on a similar occasion, he asked: “Is Jen so far away? Jen comes to me whenever I want to have it.”[26] Using Jen as the highest of all virtues, he said: “The strong-willed scholars and Jen-minded men will not seek life at the expense of Jen, but rather sacrifice their lives to preserve Jen.”[27]

Again in another occasion, he said: “Jen is more essential to man than fire and water. I have seen a man die from stepping into fire and water, but I have never seen a man die from stepping into Jen.”[28] Jen as the highest of all virtues is claimed to be the doctrine of martyrdom of Confucius.[29]

There are as many as fifty-nine variations of the definition of Jen. Varied as they are, or they may have different applications depending on who is practicing it and when it is being practiced, there is no contradiction among them.[30]

Indeed, Jen is a very important and inexhaustible subject. It is the most talked-about topic in the Confucian philosophy. This is proven when a conference was held in Shantung in 1962 in honor of the 2440^th anniversary of Confucius’ death. Here, a disagreement among scholars concerning the interpretations of the word Jen emerged. Fung Yu-lan, a delegate to the conference, placed emphasis upon the “class-transcending” character of Jen as a universal virtue which Confucius has also defined as ai-jen (love men). Chao Chi-pin on the other hand, insisted that the word Jen in the Lun Yu or the Analects, refers only to one social class: the slave-owning aristocrats. He asserted that Confucius limited the meaning of love (Jen) to the upper classes, excluding from its realm the “people” (min) who were only fit to be “ruled from above.” Yang Jung-Kuo, probably the best known critic of Confucius today, attacked the Confucian Jen by attacking Confucius himself, evidently committing an ad hominem fallacy. He charged Confucius as a political reactionary who supported the status quo against the rising land-owning feudal classes as well as mercantile interests, a social parasite who “ate without tilling the soil, dressed without weaving, playing with his lips and tongue and making arbitrary standards of right and wrong.”[31]

Here, we must comment that this anti-Confucius campaign itself manifests two contradictions: a tendency toward political and intellectual anarchism through indiscriminate attacks on the principles of authority and of continuity with the past; and another, toward a more rigid form of ideological control.

Truly, the importance and relevance of Jen will always be a focus of concern among philosophical circles. It appears in the Lun Yu 105 times and is discussed 59 times. Confucius put the greatest emphasis on it because he considered it as the virtue to accompany a person all his life. Hence, a person has to rely on it all the time for whatever he thinks, whatever he does, or whatever he says.

Jen as a locus in Confucianism

B.1. Jen: a practical humanism

He who lives by Jen, loves man; he knows man.[32]

He who lives by Jen has but one anxiety in his heart: not to know man.[33]

These statements of Confucius may well serve as the compendium of everything he stood for in relation to Jen and intersubjectivity. It is clear enough from this stand that what he had in mind was not a man with empty speculations – empty speculations in the sense that philosophical conceptualization is unrelated to the everyday life of man – not with a man concerned only with himself, but a man concerned with others, a man with reference to man, a subject before a subject, a being in confrontation with another being; never a-man-as-such but always a-man-in-relation-to.

Bearing witness to the authentic grandeur of man, Confucius’ Jen takes its position directly before life. Existential, yet traditional, and more than any other, aware of the “bite of the real,” it realized the enormity of the problem of human existence – always beset by inevitable limits of time, space, contingency, encounters, friction and situations that involved not only oneself but others. Its emphasis is on man’s dedication to everyday life and ordinary action. Its radical premise is that the root of man is man himself. Its concern begins and ends in man. Indeed, it is noteworthy to mention that unlike Heidegger, Confucius saw fundamental ontology as an end in itself in his philosophical analysis rather than a basic means to disclose the hiddenness of Being.[34]

The basic premise of this radical philosophy is the primacy of praxis over theoria. It shuns what Kierkegarrd called the “chimera of abstraction” in favor of a concrete analysis of human experience as man lives it. Knowledge is the beginning of action, and action, the consummation of knowledge. It stands on the fact that whether one wants to accept it or not, man is involved in mankind and lives everyday life in relation to others. He is not and cannot be the prisoner of his own self, or for that matter, of the crowd. He is not enclosed in his subjectivity and secluded from the world. Man in isolation is not only a fiction but also an infraction of being human. Man is open to the world, and as Merleau-Ponty sees it, man as an intentional being is nothing but “a network of relationships.” Man exists and he knows himself in the world, never apart from it. The other is his “twin” and the “flesh of his flesh.” The self and the other are like interlocking gears.[35]

As a thorough-going practical humanism, Confucius’ Jen affirms this-worldly life. Without even getting involved in metaphysical speculations, it sets forth clear and concrete rule of conduct capable of application in daily life. It is made clear by the fact that Confucius never formulated a theory of the universe and did not bother about the theory of knowledge which to him was only a means towards the end of moral cultivation. When he was asked about the spirits of the dead, Confucius answered: “While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve the spirit?”[36] Concerning death, he queried: “While you do not know life, how can you know about death?”[37]

The practicalism of Confucius’ Jen even extends itself in the use of language. Hermeneutics plays a most important role in the relationship between the theoria and praxis. Spoken words have their practical imports as a prelude to the performance of action. For Confucius’ Jen, words have a performatory function. Every word contains an implication which constitutes the essence of the class of things to which the word is applied. A notable demonstration of this is his words:

Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men.[38] When the superior man is heard to speak, his language is firm and decided.[39] The virtuous will be sure to speak correctly, but those whose speech is good may not always be virtuous.[40]

Confucius likewise suggested that:

The first thing the ruler (of Wei) had to do in administering the government is to rectify names, for if names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language is not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success.[41]

This principle of Confucius has been called the principle of Cheng Ming or the Rectification of Names. We may conclude that, unlike Wittgenstein who was obsessed with the bewitchment of language in its philosophical analysis, Confucius saw the importance of ordinary language in its performatory value. The finality of words is achieved in the performance of action, and thus, the actual performance of action is higher than the words themselves.[42]

B.2. Jen: A principle of reciprocity

Do to others what you would have them do to you.[43] Treat others the way you would have them treat you: this sums up the law and the prophets.[44]

As a quality that is above all social, Confucius’ Jen expresses a reality that is much more complex than goodness, humanism, compassion and benevolence. According to Confucius:

He who lives by Jen, if he wishes to establish himself, establishes others … if he wishes to lift himself up, he uplifts others.[45]

Jen signifies the proper intersubjective relations among men, the inner reality of man as situated in society. It is associated with both loyalty – loyalty to one’s own heart and conscience – and reciprocity in respect of and in consideration for others.[46]

This is the positive aspect of the practice of Jen which Confucius called Chung or “conscientiousness to others” which means, “Do unto others what you wish yourself.” The negative aspect which Confucius called Shu or “altruism” is rightly put by Confucius himself: “Do not do to others what you do not wish yourself.”[47]

As a whole, the practice is called the principle of Chung and Shu which is the way to practice Jen.[48] The virtue of Jen is not realized if one performs Chung but not the Shu or if one performs the Shu but not the Chung. This principle works in two directions which should be in constant interplay. Indeed, Confucius has rightly enunciated the Golden Rule.

The Chinese word for Chung is made up of the components “middle” and “heart.” With one’s heart in the very center, neither to the left nor to the right, one will be able to achieve Chung which is faithfulness to one’s self, to one’s own nature and to the humanity that is one. Only then can one be faithful to one’s fellowmen as shown in the virtue of Shu. This word means “as one’s heart,” that is, to do to others as your heart prompts or urges you. It is “fellow feeling” or consideration for the feeling of others. Above all, Shu is altruism, to cherish the other’s heart as if it were one’s own.

This principle was known among some of the later Confucianists as the “principle of applying a measuring square.” That is to say, it is a principle by which one uses oneself as a standard to regulate one’s conduct.[49] It is best exemplified in a very illuminating passage in the Ta-hsueh or the Great Learning which explains in detail how to practice this principle:

What you do not like about the person above you, do not do it to the person below you; what you do not like about the person below you, do not do it to the person above you. What you do not like about the person before you, do not do it to the person after you; what you do not like about the person after you, do not do it to the person before you. What you do not like about the person on your right, do not do it to the person on your left; what you do not like about the person on your left, do not do it to the person on your right.[50]

Similarly, in the Doctrine of the Mean, it is said:

What you do not like done to you, do not do to others. Serve your father as you would require your son to serve you. Serve your ruler as you would require your subordinate to serve you. Serve your elder brother as you would require your younger brother to serve you. Set the example in behaving to your friends as you would require them to behave to you.

The illustration given in the Ta-hsueh gives the negative aspect of the principle of Chung and Shu; that in the Doctrine of the Mean emphasizes the positive aspect. In both cases, the “measuring square” for determining conduct is one’s self and not in other things.

The principle of Chung and Shu is at the same time the principle of Jen, so that the practice of Chung and Shu means the practice of Jen.[51] This implies the carrying out of one’s duties and responsibilities in society. Hence, Jen becomes the alpha and the omega of one’s moral life.

Everyone has within himself the “measuring square” for conduct and can use it anytime. The simplicity of this method may perhaps help us understand Confucius better when he said: “Is Jen indeed far off? I crave for Jen and lo! Jen is at hand.”[52]

Likewise, be way of showing the importance of Jen in the philosophy of Confucius, he summarizes to us in this passage in the Lun Yu:

The master said: ‘Shen (the personal name of Tseng Tzu, one of his disciples), all my teachings are linked together by one principle.’ ‘Quite so,’ replied Tseng Tzu. When the master had left the room, the disciples asked: ‘What did he mean?’ Tseng Tzu replied: ‘our Master’s teaching consists of the principle of Chung and Shu, and that is all.’[53]

A return to Jen

“Return to Confucianism!”

These were the words pronounced in the old K’ung family mansion in Qufu during the 2467^th anniversary of Confucius’ death. This very same exhortation was later on echoed in the Tiananmen Square by the tongues of the revolutionary students – student-idealists who were seeking political reforms and the disestablishment of Chinese communism, the same students who were brutally massacred on that fateful 4^th day of June, 1989.

The trend of Confucianism in general and of Jen in particular has since then reasserted and magnified its influence in the philosophical circles. Confucianism became a knight armored with its Jen proclaiming its victory in the philosophical battlefields.

Truly, Confucian teachings have been adopted, developed and sometimes even distorted over the centuries. They were used to justify tyranny, suppress revolution and oppose progressive movements of all kinds. Its disestablishment as an ethical system has brought a total spiritual vacuum and a social disequilibrium in the Chinese way of life. An attempt was made to replace it with a new alternative, the still evolving Maoist ethic, which however, lacks complete structuring and comes to the people not from below but from above. For a time, the insoluble problems regarding the historical Confucius, his authentic message and the development of centuries of tradition have been set aside or considered irrelevant. We are presented no longer with arguments but with foregone conclusions. The anti-Confucius campaign has put an end to real discussion and debate.

Yet these attacks on Confucianism have itself become a reason for the resurrection of its spirit. It has become a stimulus to greater understanding of a heritage that has become a target of attack in its native land. Confucianism once more began to dominate philosophical circles and started to relive its former influence. Today, studies of Confucius’ ideas and their influence on Chinese culture are giving the Master more honors and recognitions. The merits in Confucian values, based on the centrality of human dignity, mutual concern, moral responsibilities and an openness to the transcendent, have been emphasized.

In fine, these values invite us to a new and meaningful study of the Classics, with the help of modern scientific scholarship, logic and hermeneutics. This work has become necessary to distinguish timeless values from time-bound ones and the relevant from the obsolete. Thus Dame History had only shown that for Confucianism to survive and be of use to modern man, it had to become young again as in the days of its first gestation when it was only “one of a hundred schools.”

Indeed, it has been shown that Confucianism, made politically humble and powerless, will eventually survive and become transformed, not as an ideology but as an ethical and philosophical influence both in China and outside. It may need to die but only to live again as a new synthesis to serve a new age, an age which is in dire need of the revival of its spirit.

Return to Jen!

[1] Cf., Aristotle, Metaphysics, trans. Richard Hope (New York: The University of Michigan Press, 1960), Bk. I, Ch. 2.

[2] Cf., Fang Yu-lan, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1952), I.2.

[3] Cf., Hajime Nakamura, “China,” Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples, ed. Philip P. Weiner (Honolulu: East and West Center Press, 1964), 175-294.

[4] D.T. Suzuki, Zen and Japanese Culture (New York: Pantheon Books, 1959), 3. Suzuki further states that the “Oriental people are sometimes said to be deficient in the power of philosophical thinking and analytical preciseness. Perhaps they are, but they have a richer store of the experience of reality itself, which refuses to be so sharply defined that ‘yes’ can never be ‘no,’ and ‘no,’ ‘yes’” (Suzuki, 236).

[5] Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenolgy of Perception, trans. Collin Smith (New York: The Humanities Press, 1962), xvi-xvii.

[6] Cf., Lun Yu, XII:22: “He who lives by Jen loves men; he knows men.” Also Lun Yu, I:16: “He who live by Jen has but one anxiety in his heart: not to know man.”

[7] Works of Mencius, VII, II:17.

[8] Lun Yu, XVI: 15.1: “The Master said: ‘Shan, my doctrine is that of an all pervading unity.’ The disciple Tsang replied, ‘Yes’.”

[9] Karl Jaspers, The Great Philosophers, trans. Ralph Manheim (New York: Narcoust Brace Jovanovich, 1966), 49.

[10] Cf., Wing-tsit Chan, “Chinese and Western Interpretations of Jen (Humanity),” Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 2 (1975), 107-109.

[11] Julia Ching, Confucianism and Christianity: A Comparative Study (Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1977), 93.

[12] Lin Shu Hsien, “A Philosophic Analysis of the Confucian Approach to Ethics,” Philosophy East and West, 31 (1982), 50.

[13] Chang Ch’i-yun, Confucianism: A Modern Interpretation (China: Hwa Kang Press, China Academy, 1980), 2-3.

[14] Chang Ch’i-yun, 75.

[15] Chang Ch’i-yun, 75.

[16] Cheng K’ang-Ch’eng, as quoted by Yuan Yuan, in Biographies of the Ch’ing Confucianists, IV, 2164.

[17] Leon Weiger, S.J., Chinese Characters, tans. L. Davrout, S.J., Reprin ed. (New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1967), 28.

[18] As quoted by Paul K.K. Tong in “Understanding Confucianism,” International Philosophical Quarterly, 9 (1969), 527.

[19] Cf., Peter Boodberg, “The Semasiology of Some Primary Confucian Concepts,” Philosophy East and West, 2 (1951), 317-332.

[20] Cf., Fang Ying Hsien, “Yuan-Jen Lun-Tzu Shishu Chi K’ung Tzu Sh’ih-Tai Kuan-nien Chih Yen-Pien,” Ta-lu Tsu-chi 52 (1976), 22-34.

[21] Tu Wei Ming, “Jen as a Living Metaphor in the Confucian Analects,” Philosophy East and West, 31 (1981), 48.

[22] Chang Chi Yun, 73.

[23] Lun Yu, V:5.3.

[24] Lun Yu, XI:22.

[25] Lun Yu, IV:1.

[26] Lun Yu: VII:30.

[27] Lun Yu: XV:8.

[28] Lun Yu: XV:3-4.

[29] For a comprehensive discussion on the doctrine of martyrdom of Confucius, see Ching, 87.

[30] Chang Ch’i-Yun, 74.

[31] See A Report in Che-hsueh Yen-chiu, I (1963), 54-57. See also, Julia Ching, “Confucianism: A Critical Re-assessment of the Heritage,” International Philosophical Quarterly, 15, No. 1 (March 1975) 3-33.

[32] Lun Yu, XII: 22.

[33] Lun Yu, I:16.

[34] Hwa Yol Jung, “Confucianism and Existentialism: Intersubjectivity as the Way of Man,” Philosophical and Phenomenological Research, 30, (1969), 191.

[35] See Merleau-Ponty, xii-xxi.

[36] Lun Yu, XI: 11.

[37] Lun Yu, XI: 11.

[38] Lun Yu, XX: 2.3.

[39] Lun Yu, XIX: 9.

[40] Lun Yu, XV: 5.

[41] Lun Yu, XIII: 3.2.5.

[42] Hwa Yol Jung, 193.

[43] Lk., 6:31.

[44] Matt. 7:12.

[45] Lun Yu, VI: 28.2.

[46] Cf., Ching, 94.

[47] Lun Yu, XV: 23.

[48] Fang Yu-lan, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy (New York: Macmillan Co., 1948), 43.

[49] Fang Yu-lan, 44.

[50] Ta-hsueh, Ch. 10 of Tseng Ts’an’s commentary.

[51] Fang Yu-lan, 44.

[52] Lun Yu, VII: 30.

[53] Lun Yu, IV: 15.

Oplan Balikbayan

2009-08-22T21:08:00.003+08:00

Hinintay... dumating.
"Eto na."

Agawan, unahan.
"Ako na! Ako na!"

Sabik, nagmadali.
"Pusila! Pusila!"

"Op!" ... Katahimikan...
"Ya" ... "Bang!!!"

Ayos na! Patay na!

Tita Cory: A hero, a saint

2009-08-02T12:34:00.003+08:00

Cory was a hero. She was confronted with choices to do right and she chose to do them, not because of convenience, or vengeance, or power, but simply because they were right. She saw the depths by which power could be abused and yet she wielded it with humility and sincerity even while she was accused of reluctance. Beyond the presidency, she led more through the shining example of her own life. She needed no position in government – she happily and peacefully handed over power to a freely elected successor -- and yet she continued to exert “power and influence” mainly because she was looked up to and was respected by the people for her convictions, for her sincerity, for her abiding faith in the goodness of the Filipino.

More than being a hero, however, she was also a saint. Saints can do wrong, too, and are definitely not faultless but their lives always exemplify, in almost dramatic ways, the triumph of good against evil. Cory showed us that we are actually all called for holiness and that we can all be saints. Almost all through her life, she led a life of holiness, of sacrifices for the good of the many even at her and her own family’s expense. She walked with us, suffered with us, experienced our own pains and strived to show us how to rise above suffering if not to completely vanquish it -- all through the path of holiness, of deep and unwavering faith in God and of complete obedience to the Holy Mother Church. And for which she was rightly called the Joan of Arc of the Philippines. With her, we collectively realized we are all capable of making miracles – we witnessed the miracle of Edsa and with her death, we are now witnessing the unfolding of another miracle – the miracle of being united once more.

In light of past and especially recent events in our country, political as well as religious, we definitely need someone whose life exemplifies the kind of life that Cory lived. Present in our times, right in our midst, among sinners that make us all. We definitely need someone whose life-example can help us turn our ways from darkness to light, from sinfulness to holiness, from defeat to glory, from death to life.

I humbly submit therefore that moves to officially make Cory a national hero commence. More than that, I humbly submit that moves to request the Church to study the possible beatification of Cory be made, too.

Lessons along the road (aka, Roadside photography)

2009-06-11T16:08:00.019+08:00

I took my kids on a ride around the metro the past couple of days. Our mission: to document anything that captures our attention by taking photos of the same. We focused our sights on anything that we see along the roads of Manila. Our main objective: to capture a historical moment and store it in a flashdrive for a possible learning experience or for future reference.

It became one memorable lesson in photography. It turned out as a review of the socio-political situation of the country. It became a chance to learn more about ... Life.

We had lots of fun. We had great bonding time. We found a lot of lessons, a lot of life, a lot of ourselves, just along the road.

Herewith are a few of the photos we took:

Smoke belching

Stairways to dreamland

Chickening out

Lipat bahay

Sniff the cokeFlags, plates, signages and trapos

Baiting the red light

Putooo!

Six scandals; Six videos, anyone?

2009-05-25T15:45:00.003+08:00

Yes, it’s a pun and definitely not Bisaya-ish (and I hope the Bisayas wouldn’t mind). For the past days, we’ve been bombarded with – what else -- scandals. And videos. Of the sexual kind, of the celebrity kind. Of the really dirty kind. You all know what these scandals are and you all have found yourselves -- ano pa nga ba – scandalized.

Hereunder are six of these scandals:

6. Whatchayoucallit? Video-by-Hayden-Cam-of-Hurricane-Katrina-in-Action-Exposed? GMA network calls it the Hayden Cam Scandal; entries in Youtube call it the Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili Sex Video Scandal; some call it the Hayden Kho Sex Video Series; still others call it the Hayden Kho Sex Video Diary. What can one say? It’s the current talk of the nation, from the night owls of the metropolis to the crickets of the boondocks. The Senate, with actor Ramon “Bong” Revilla at the lead cast, is “acting” on it; The Department Store of Justice, with the flamboyant Raul Gonzales at the helm, is onto what they do best – explore and utilize injustice; the NBI, the PRC, women’s groups like Gabriela, even Malacanang, are on it, too. On top of that, the media networks and share-ware media in the cyberspace, blogs included, are on it like vultures circling over a corpse. And now, this blog … Ouch.

Who hasn’t seen the video/s? DVD copies are enjoying brisk sales with our politicians no less as the first takers. Senator Revilla says he’d seen three videos among what he claims he knows to be more than forty. Even Press Secretary Cerge Remonde has flaunted that he and his staff have seen the video and were even entertained – repeat: ENTERTAINED -- by it. Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III proclaimed he watched it for “educational reasons” (Anyone knows the educational background of Sec. Bello?). The Optical and Media Board has called on the people to stop patronizing the pirates and to refrain from buying the video and threatened to arrest and hail to court those who would. Will they start with Senator Revilla, Remonde and Bello? Meanwhile, congressmen are said to secretly envy Hayden Kho for the latter's sexual exploits. And the nation awaits with bated breath the next installments in the video series – those of Vicky Belo and who knows who else (it may be someone you very well know). Get ready to be shocked, and if you aren’t numb yet, to be really scandalized to the bones.

5. H1N1 virus, also known as Swine flu, reaching the Philippine shores as silently as Silent Night. The day after its arrival was announced, the news appeared only at the left ear of the country’s leading daily, meriting a very short report. Why? Well, because everyone was sooo stuck with the Belo-Boy-Toy-with-the-Hayden-Cam issue which not surprisingly drowned other issues of national concern and monopolized the headlines for several days.

4. Former President Joseph “Erap” “Estrada” Ejercito insists that he can run for president again. Brandishing a study made by his team of legal perverts – one is actually tempted to say they are the legal equivalents of one Hayden Kho – the actor-turned-president-turned-convicted-plunderer and later on pardoned by the Philippine’s most unpopular and allegedly most corrupt president proclaims himself a presidentiable for 2010.

3. A Navy Lieutenant exposes military officials of pocketing millions in RP-US Balikatan exercises and gets sued and hunted in return. Navy Lt. Nancy Gadian, accused retired Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, chief of Western Mindanao Command, of pocketing over P40 M in funds intended for RP-US Balikatan exercises in 2007 and soon finds herself sued for insubordination and lavish spending in the ESB. She receives death threats and is now in hiding.

2. Former Senate President and current presidentiable Manny Villar being investigated no less than by his peers in the Senate for the P200-million insertion in 2008 budget. Villar and his apologists claim that the insertion was scrutinized and approved by the Senate in the plenary. It was approved in the Bicameral Conference, too. Finally, the Bicam report was sent back to the Senate and was signed by most of the senators, the other presidentiables including, and was thereby approved and ratified. Now, the other presidentiables, in an obvious effort to bamboozle Villar’s chances at the presidency, are complaining it is illegal.

1. Our own mortal tendency towards scandals. Why are we naturally so inclined towards news about human folly? Why are we naturally so inclined towards scandals, especially of the sexual kind? Humans that we are, that fact still is most of the times, just scandalous.

Now, as mentioned, we’ve been seeing videos that have scandalized us lately. But why scan cyberspace for vandals, for those who cause scandals? Scandals are best left on their own and their perpetrators to suffer for their own misdeeds. Why not promote ordinary things done extraordinarily, simple accomplishments achieved heroically, some larger-than-life achievements? Why not some videos that uplift our collective spirit, our nationalistic spirit for that matter? Why not some videos that inspire, that make us wanting to do good, that awaken our virtues and heroic tendencies? There are a lot to be sure. And so I dare ask:

Anyone?

Bonsais for sale

2009-04-21T21:59:00.007+08:00

I am disposing some of my bonsais. Check here and let me know of your interest. Drop me an email at balangaw98@yahoo.com.

Statement of Solidarity for Mother Earth

2009-04-13T21:44:00.007+08:00

On the occasion of the coming International Earth Day, I am reprinting herewith a Statement of Solidarity I penned for Balangaw, the official publication of Responsible Stewards of the Earth, Inc. RSE, Inc. was an environmental group I co-founded way back in 1997 in Bicol. It pursued the mission of being true to its name: to spread the gospel of true and responsible stewardship of the earth. The organization was, however, very unfortunately infiltrated by traditional politicians. We decided to fold tent because of that (a sad story and a very sad experience but a very good eye-opener for me, especially on how this cursed species called traditional politicians devilishly boombazzle almost every well-meaning project that manages to break ground in this part of the globe).

The facts mentioned in the Statement were based on data available in 1997. They may most probably be worse today as evidenced by the fact that we find the earth today no better, in fact objectively worse, than in 1997. The call, however, remains and indeed becomes more pressing by the day:

Unite to save our mother earth!

Statement of Solidarity

International Earth Day

April 22

“And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.”

- Genesis 2:15

With the advent of the industrial, scientific, cultural and technological revolutions, the cravings of man for a more sophisticated and luxurious life has become so intense that he soon forgets his responsibilities, and the need to maintain a balance between his desires and his resources, as well as the effects of his mundane explorations. Amid the gigantic tumult of a changing environment, amid the bedlam and furor of voices, amid the thundering throes and agony of the oppressed and the victims of poverty, man is undoubtedly digging his own grave, as he continuously permits the ruts and quagmires of an ecological imbalance, the irresponsible stewardship of the natural resources, and the improper utilization of the wealth and wonders of a vast world.

To date, deforestation alone is occurring in a massive scale, happening largely among the 3,000 mile-wide belt of tropical forest which stretches around the world. No amount of reforestation to date, can keep up deforestation. It is proceeding at a calculated rate of 50 acres per minute – over 72,000 acres every day – more than 25 million acres every year! It is estimated that by the year 2,000, the world will be consuming an estimated 300 million cubic meters of hardwood. Only one third of the existing forest will be left.

In the Philippines, much closer to our homes, out the original 30 million hectares of trees, only 900,000 hectares of virgin dipterocarp forest remain. At the present rate of cutting, this could disappear within 7 to 12 years.

Lately, the government’s attempts to lift the ban on export of lumber in compliance with the demands and pressure of the IMF only emphasized the zero commitment of the administration to environmental protection and further displayed how the government plays the role of an accomplice to the rape of our forests and to the murder of our nation. FAO records show that over the last 25 years, we sold over 101.6 million cubic meters of prime logs abroad, subsidizing developed countries with cheap timber.

Other environmental concerns in our country are equally alarming. 17% of over 5 million hectares of arable land has been badly degraded. Over 70% of our coral reefs are ravaged, mostly through blastfishing, poison and sedimentation. Between 1920 and 1988, Philippine mangroves, one of the most productive and biologically diverse wetlands, were stripped by over 462,000 hectares. Only 38,000 hectares remain today, leaving our coastal zones ecologically brittle. Half of our endemic forest flora, with irreplaceable genetic building blocks, is now gone, with the actual figure probably higher. The same is true of our wildlife.

The call, the challenge, indeed the demand, is very clear: the consolidation of man’s efforts and potentials to counteract the rising tide of the present ecological maladies in order to save the world, humankind, and to prepare ourselves for the years to come.

We, therefore, heeding the call of the Almighty Creator to become His responsible stewards of the earth, and through our demonstrated efforts and dedication, do solemnly pledge to:

Encourage every individual who believes in the Almighty Creator to live – in thoughts, in words and in deeds – as responsible stewards of the earth;
Help preserve nature by personally initiating and actively participating in environmental protection and development activities;
Contribute our share in saving wildlife, wildlands and the natural environment, whether in our homes and front yards or at the national level;
Be ever vigilant never to give up the future well-being of our children and of the generations-to-come for destructive technological and scientific practices today that are marginal at best and ephemeral at worst;
Never to allow a species’ extinction or decimation as a result of greed, ignorance, political ambitions, or just poor judgment.

Signed:

Kiko Gacias; Bishop Jesus Y. Varela, DD
Roni Gile; Msgr. Francisco P. Monje
Melchor Baliatan
Dines Gile; Plus: Hundreds of other signatories

Chili: The Bicolano Aphrodisiac?

2009-04-04T19:01:00.008+08:00

The rains were torrentious, the winds howling wild. The local radio station had announced just a few hours ago typhoon signal number three in the whole of Bicol region. The roof of the small house was leaking, ready to be blown by the winds. The household furnitures were now all wet, the posts about to surrender to the strength of the maelstrom pounding on their very foundation. Each howl produced by the angry wind battering the different parts of the house very clearly stressed the warning that the house would crumble in any moment.

Suddenly, the man of the household came out clutching several large sticks in his hands. He ran towards his backyard garden, unmindful of everything, braving threats and dangers unto himself. He reached a small plant and quickly removed the fallen branches that were now threatening to crush it. He planted the sticks around the plant. He glanced at his house and watched as it slowly crumbled to the ground. He smiled. His favorite plant, his most important possession in life, was safe.

His chili was alive.

The aforementioned story is a classic Bicolano tale narrating the Bicolano’s preference for his chili over all his other possessions. Bicol has been notorious, since time immemorial, for hosting the strongest typhoons known to man and the tale of the Bicolano securing first and foremost his chili plant from the storm’s anger has been legendary. It has become a cliché. The Bicolano would prioritize the safety of his chili plant before his house, before his other possessions, or even before himself.

Such is his love for his chili. Greater love no man has than this Bicolano who braves threats of death for his favorite plant: the chili.

Common Names of Chili

While the Bicolano refers to chili only as lada, pasitis, or rimorimo, chili has been known in the Philippines under different names. For most dialects in the Philippines, it is simply referred to as sili. Other common names include but are not limited to:

Tagalog: Siling labuyo; Pasitis; Pasiti; Siling bundok; Siling palay
Bisaya: Katumbal; Kitikot; Siling kolikot
Ilokano: Silit diyablo
Ifugao: Paktin
English: Bird pepper; Bird’s eye chili; African chilies; Cayenne; Chili pepper; Red pepper; Chili; Spanish pepper
Spanish: Chile picante

The Chili Plant

The chili or sili plant is erect, branched, half-woody, and 0.8 to 1.5 meters in height. The leaves are oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3 to 10 centimeters long, and pointed at the tip. The flowers are solitary or occur several in each axil, and are stalked, pale green or yellowish-green, and 8 to 9 millimeters in diameter. The fruit is commonly red when ripe, oblong-lanceolate, and 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long. The seeds are numerous and discoid.

History of Chili

It is widely and commonly held that chilies originated in Mexico and were already being cultivated there as early as 3,500 BC. In the early 1500’s AD, the Spaniards and the Portuguese took them to India and Southeast Asia where, largely owing to the tropical climate in these places, these plants flourished. The early colonizers, ironically in search of spices, found that it was easy to take with them dried seeds of chili in their travels and that chilies thrived in hot climates. They grew at a wide range of altitudes, with rainfall between 600-1250 mm. Thus, the chili was rapidly adapted in many parts of India, Indonesia, Philippines and other tropical Asian countries. The locals then easily took to the spice and soon, their national cuisines were heavily influenced by the “heat” generated by the fruit.

How to measure the “hotness” of chili

Chilies contain capsaicin which irritates the skin in your mouth and throat. Capsaicin has no smell or flavor but it is what provides the “heat quotient” for the specific chili. It is primarily located in the pith that connects the seeds to the pod, not in the seeds itself as is frequently mentioned. The “hotness” of a chili is measured in Scoville units (typically used in the west) which, simply put, is a scale that dilutes capsaicin in sugared water until the “heat” can no longer be detected. The longer it takes to dilute the heat, the higher the score. To give you a range, sweet bell peppers are rated zero while the Habanero, at some time considered as the world’s hottest pepper, is rated at 100,000-300,000 Scoville units.

Classifications of Chili

Chili or Sili belongs to the genus Capsicum of which there are at least four known major species. These are:

1. Capsicum frustescens
2. Capsicum annuum
3. Capsicum fastigiatum
4. Capsicum minimum

The Bikolano lada or pasitis has been commonly referred to in Tagalog as siling labuyo. This, as Bicolano chili connoisseurs would attest, is both wrong and correct. It is wrong in the sense that the Bicolano lada or pasitis is adjudged as hotter than the Tagalog siling labuyo; and it is correct in the sense that the Bicolano lada or pasitis and the Tagalog siling labuyo both have almost the same appearance.

To elaborate, it is important to note that currently, there are two different varieties of siling labuyo available in the Philippine market. The most popular and the one most easily available has bright red color, and is pointed and longer. This is, as far as Bicol chili connoisseurs are concerned, actually an imposter whose seeds have come down from Taiwan or elsewhere in the past 15 years or so. Because they are so easy to cultivate, and so nice to look at, they have fastly taken over the older, more “real” siling labuyo. Identified with the scientific name Capsicum frustescens, they are currently the favorite of traders and merchants because they have a longer shelf life, almost triple than the “real” siling labuyo’s. While the siling labuyo would only keep fresh for a couple of days before going totally wrinkled, Taiwan chili would still look fresh even after three weeks. But this variety generally has less heat than the “real” one. At right is a photo of said Taiwan chili.

The chilis at the left are the basic siling labuyo also known as siling bilog. They come in varying stages of ripeness from green to red and sometimes white or yellow. Their heat quotient varies from time to time and from area to area. This definitely is hotter than the Taiwan chili. The green ones are often too painful although said pain is ironically said to be addictive, thus the need to add more and more chili once you get the bug.

For many years, people assumed that siling labuyo was of the Capsicum frustescens species or a relative of the famous Tabasco chili. However, recently, other experts seem to agree it is a member of the hotter variety of Capsicum annuum species, probably of the grossum variety.

The Bicolano lada or pasitis looks almost like the siling labuyo although with a slight difference. It is smaller in size, has smaller leaves and has tougher skin. Its fruit does not turn yellow but brown prior to getting fully ripe and becoming bright red. But one thing is certain: perhaps owing to the quality of soil in the region, the Bicolano lada or pasitis is definitely much hotter than the basic siling labuyo.

Many years back, our own siling labuyo apparently made it into the Guiness Book of World Records as the hottest chili in the world. It’s no longer so. At about 80,000 to 100,000 Scoville units, siling labuyo is at the lower end of the range for the Naga Jolokia or Bhut Jolokia, now considered as the hottest chili in the world. Today, second to the Naga Jolokia or Bhut Jolokia is the Dorset Naga and Red Savina Habanero ranks third. Red Savina Habanero was formerly crowned as the hottest chili in 1994 and it held that record until it was dethroned by Naga Jolokia or Bhut Jolokia in September 2006. Taiwan chili which many Filipinos now also erroneously refer to as siling labuyo, ranks seventh. The rank of original siling labuyo, much less of the Bicolano lada or pasitis is yet unknown.

The importance and uses of chili

For the Bicolano, the chili is indispensable both on his table and in his medicine cabinet. For him, there are at least two functions of chili – nutritional and folkloric.

1. Nutritional uses:

1. The fruit has a very sharp taste and is extensively used as a popular condiment. It is mixed with or made into pickles and is a principal ingredient in Bicolano dishes.
2. The leaves are very extensively used as vegetable. They have a very pleasant, somewhat piquant flavor. They are an excellent source of calcium, iron, phosphorous and vitamins A and B. It contains an active ingredient, capsaicin, 0.14 per cent; and capsaicin, 0.15 - 0.5 per cent; starch, 0.89 - 1.4 percent; pentosans, 8.57 percent; and pectin; 2.33 percent.

2. Folkloric and medicinal uses:

When eaten fresh, chili is an excellent promoter of ligaments. The bruised berries are employed as powerful rubefacients, being preferred to sinapisms in sore throats. They are also given, with the best results, as a gargle. Chili vinegar (made by pouring hot vinegar upon the fruit) is an excellent stomachic. Chilies are employed, in combination with cinchona, in intermittent and lethargic affections, and also in atonic gout, dyspepsia accompanied with flatulence, tympanitis, and paralysis.

Warm fomentation of both leaves and fruit is applied for rheumatic pains. The leaves of some varieties are used as a dressing for wounds and sores. A strong infusion of the fruit of the hotter kinds is applied as a lotion for ringworm of the scalp.

Chilies are used in native practice in typhus intermittent fevers and dropsy; also in gout, dyspepsia, and cholera. Externally, they are used as a rubefacient and internally, as a stomachic.

For arthritis and rheumatism, crush fruit, mix with oil and apply on affected part. For dyspepsia and flatulence, eat the fruit as condiment or drink an infusion as a stimulant and antispasmodic. (Infusion preparation: 3-10 grains every 2 hours to a cup of boiling water) For toothache, press the juice of the pepper into the tooth cavity. For scalp ringworm, apply as lotion a strong infusion of fruit.

For several years now, contests have been held in Legaspi City on eating the most pieces of chili. Said contests are usually held during the yearly celebration of Ibalong festival. The person who gets to eat the most number of chili is proclaimed the Sili King or Queen. And it is quite interesting to note that the number of pieces of chili consumed by the contestants progressively gets higher every year. It started from 300 and it now reaches 600 pieces.

Lada or pasitis as the Bicolano aphrodisiac

Chili is believed to be wholesome for persons of phlegmatic temperament, being considered stimulating. For the Bicolano in particular, it is widely believed to be a stimulant – yup, a sexual stimulant.

There is no definitive study yet made on the effects of lada or pasitis on the Bicolano’s sexuality. And yet, if data from the National Statistics Office and the Department of Health are anything to go by, it would be easy to conjecture on the influence of lada or pasitis on the “hotness” of the Bicolanos/Bicolanas. The Bicolano/Bicolana has been declared and has been holding on the title of the “Sexiest” Filipino for several years now, being the most sexually active among all the Filipinos. For several years now, the Bicolanos have had the highest rate in teenage pregnancy, premarital sex, and very sadly, also in rape and abortion. This is no good news most certainly and this is very unfortunately the downside of this phenomenon called lada or pasitis.

But would you be interested to know the upside of it? Well, it may sound like hubris but there’s only one way to find out:

Marry a Bicolano/Bicolana and you’ll soon find out on bed.

Melody in "F"

2009-03-31T16:43:00.004+08:00

Feeling footloose and frisky, a feather-brained fellow forced his fond father to fork over the farthings. He flew far to foreign fields and frittered his fortune, feasting fabulously with faithless friends.

Finally facing famine and fleeced by his fellows-in-folly, he found himself a feed flinger in a farmyard. Fairly famishing, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from the fodder fragments. "Fooey, my father's flunkies fare fat fancier," the frazzled fugitive fumed feverishly, finally frankly facing facts.

Frustrated with failure and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father's feet, he floundered forlornly, "Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor..." But the faithful father forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a fabulous feast.

The fugitive's fault-finding frater frowned on the flickle forgiveness of former folderol. His fury flashed -- but fussing was futile. The farsighted father figured "Such filial fidelity is fine but what forbids fervent festivity -- for the fugitive is found! Unfurl the flags, with fanfares flaring, let fun and frolic freely flow. Former failure is forgotten, folly forsaken. Forgiveness forms the foundation for future fortitude."

Forged and fabricated from Luke 15:11-32

Parot Mo!

2009-03-18T22:15:00.005+08:00

Observe how a Bicolano or Bicolana verbally expresses his/her disgust or aggression towards another person, whether or not to a fellow Bicolano/Bicolana, and you would most probably hear him/her cuss “Parot mo!” or “Lusi mo!”

“Parot mo” is literally translated as “your smegma!” “Lusi mo!” would refer to the male organ’s foreskin that forms as head-covering to his penis and actually helps secrete smegma.

The bugging questions: Why would the Bicolano or Bicolana particularly use this sexual image as an expletive? What role does the smegma have in the Bicolano psyche that it would merit particular mention in an expression of disgust?

Smegma unmasked

Smegma, from the Greek smēchein (to clean), is a combination of exfoliated (shed) epithelial cells, transudated skin oils, and moisture. In males, smegma helps keep the glans moist and facilitates sexual intercourse by acting as a lubricant.

Both males and females produce smegma. In males, smegma is produced and accumulates under the foreskin; in females, it collects around the clitoris and in the folds of the labia minora.

The physical and medical benefits of smegma

Strictly speaking, smegma helps clean and lubricate the genitals in all healthy animals, humans included. Thomas J. Ritter, MD, co-author of "Say No to Circumcision" underscored the importance of smegma when he said:

“Smegma is probably the most misunderstood, most unjustifiably maligned substance in nature. Smegma is clean, not dirty, and is beneficial and necessary. It moisturizes the glans and keeps it smooth, soft, and supple. Its antibacterial and antiviral properties keep the penis clean and healthy. All mammals produce smegma.”

And perhaps the boldest statement ever made about smegma thus far:

“The animal kingdom would probably cease to exist without smegma.” (“Where Is My Foreskin? The Case Against Circumcision,” by Paul M. Fleiss, MD, Mothering, Winter 1977).

Is smegma indeed useful? Modern medical profession is one in saying that yes, it certainly is. It lubricates the cavity between the foreskin of the penis and the glans, thus allowing smooth movement between them during intercourse. During an erection, the glans increases in size. The foreskin, on the other hand does not change its dimensions. It is yielding enough and thin enough to accept the enlarged glans. Furthermore, the foreskin is pressed backward during intercourse, and on subsidence of erection returns to its normal position. These movements are not entirely passive but are aided by the relaxation of the muscle fibers within the foreskin.

Now, could these movements be comfortably performed if the surfaces between glans and foreskin were dry and harsh? Unfortunately, they could not. There would be difficulty, delay and need for manipulation. Nature has therefore provided a “natural ointment,” -- smegma -- to ensure easy lubrication and protect this delicate region of the male genital organ.

Scientists have found that smegma contains 26.6% fats and 13.3% proteins, which are judged to be consistent with necrotic epithelial debris. Newly produced smegma has a smooth, moist texture and is thought to be rich in squalene and contains prostatic and seminal secretions, desquamated epithelial cells, and the mucin content of the urethal glands. Some state that it contains anti-bacterial enzymes such as lysozyme and hormones such as androsterone. Furthermore, it is found that the incidence of smegma increases from 1% among 6-7 year olds to 8% among 16-17 year olds or an overall incidence of 5%.

The Bicolano concept of smegma

But the Bicolano or Bicolana certainly does not refer to the positive physical uses and medical importance of smegma when he/she uses the word to address a person. In the context of the Bicolano culture, there are only two possibilities that could explain the word’s special inclusion in the Bicolano expletives:

1. It subtly implies that the person addressed to is being addressed to as uncircumcised;
2. Or, it subtly implies that the person addressed to is being addressed to as someone who negates to wash or clean his or her genitals.

In both cases thus, the person being addressed to is addressed to as someone who is “paroton” – literally translated as “full of smegma.” That, in the Bicolano culture and psyche, is one of the most debasing things one could be accused of. It is the highest form of insult one could be labeled with.

In its fresh state, smegma is a wholesome and functional lubricant. But, it should be borne in mind that if it is allowed to accumulate in the foreskin cavity, it becomes changed into an unpleasant, unhealthy, and bad-smelling substance. In addition, foreign material may gain access to the smegma deposit in the form of dirt, dust or sand, and urine and semen. Also, infrequent washing may allow colonization of the preputal space by pathogenic bacteria. Such compact masses of smegma can lead to chronic disease, and even prepare the way for cancerous changes.

The circumcised versus the uncircumcised

Which brings us to the issue of, or the debate between, the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

The circumcised, for the Bicolano/Bicolana, indeed, for the Filipinos in general, is adjudged as definitely much cleaner, more hygienic and healthier than the uncircumcised. The most obvious reason: he is not Paroton or “full of smegma.” He is thus less likely to have smegma accumulation, inflammation, phimosis or adhesions than those who are not circumcised.

This is particularly the image that the Bicolano or Bicolana has at the back of his/her mind when he/she utters the words "parot mo!" or “Paroton ka!” A Paroton means an uncircumcised male; a Paroton is unpleasant and is bad-smelling. More than that, a Paroton, mainly because he is uncircumcised, is an incomplete man, “does not belong with US who are circumcised” and is therefore an outcast. He is a shame to the male specie and deserves to be ostracized, to be banished to the smelly land of the Parotons.

There is currently a growing clamor especially among medical practitioners in America and Europe against the practice of circumcision. As early as 1971 for instance, the American Academy of Pediatrics had declared, “there is no valid medical reasons whatsoever for circumcision.” The negative consequences of circumcision are currently especially magnified and given more weight which contributed to the rapid decline of circumcision in America and Europe. A few years ago, the US government reported that the intact rate for 2003 had already climbed to 60%. It would be safe to assume that in all probability, that percentage may have had climbed higher as of this writing.

To which the Bicolano provides an answer which can be considered as not only most poignant, literal and graphic but also replete with tremendous hermeneutico-sociologic undertones:

“Mga paroton kamo!”

1st World Airsoft Challenge

2009-02-22T16:22:00.004+08:00

My team, Hammerheads (check our website here), is organizing the first ever world airsoft challenge on November 27-30, 2009 at Clark Freeport Zone in cooperation with Clark Development Corporation and the Philippine Department of Tourism.

Dubbed Rapier 01: World Airsoft Challenge, the event is expected to draw delegates from airsoft aficionados around the world. As of date, delegates from South Korea, Hongkong, Japan, Taiwan, United Kingdom and U.S.A. have already signified their attendance.

Visit our video promotion at popularairsoft.com where my son Kirk appears as one of the models while his dad waited for hours for the photo-op to finish, carrying all the gears, guns and ammos including Kirk’s hydration which was filled with 4 liters of iced tea. Both photo and video were taken at Missile Silo, our team’s mout site at Taguig.

Some lessons in airsoft

2009-02-19T20:30:00.003+08:00

Words I always tell my kids before a game in airsoft:

1. Remember that you are joining a war. Be prepared for one. Gear up for the worst. Be sure that your guns are firing, that your mags are loaded, and that you are adequately protected.
2. Start with the end: your mission/objective. Visualize your game plan, create a mental picture of how you will work on and fulfill it. Anticipate deviations and be ready to deal with them.
3. Teamwork is essential. Coordinate your moves with your comrades. Be ready to cover for them, to sacrifice if you must.
4. Patience pays. As in any game, war is a game mostly of wits and not of brawl.
5. Above all, remember that as in life, it is a game. Never forget to have fun.

Ratratan 2008

2009-01-01T16:15:00.006+08:00

Photos are taken during the Ratratan 2008 held on December 13, 2008 at Kampo Kalesa Kape at Santa Rosa, Laguna. More photos and videos at www.popularairsoft.com. Also at our squad's site here.

Cory: I am ... sorry

2008-12-24T16:46:00.008+08:00

I was at Podium on that momentous event. And hearing the words addressed to the Convicted-Plunderer no less than by the Icon-of-Democracy herself, I wished I were at a different place.

I’ve just had a business meeting with one of my suppliers from Holland at Dome Restaurant at the ground floor of Podium. I was at the escalator on way to the second floor to meet my son who was already dining at Banana Leaf. As I reached the second floor and was about to step out of the escalator, I was jolted by the very uncomfortable situation I suddenly found myself in. A throng of people swarmed before me, dozens of cameras clicked and flashed, and I noticed public figures like Senator Ernesto Maceda, former Ambassador to the U.N. Lauro Baja and Senator Franklin Drilon offering handshakes.

Were those offers of handshake for me? Have I suddenly become a celebrity?

I made my one-million-dollar-smile ready for the appreciating crowd and cameras, put extra effort to come up with a twinkle in my eyes, and secretly wiped my hands on the sides of my pants, ready to return and acknowledge the offers of hand. You could hear my thoughts aloud like you’re in a THX moviehouse: Yes, I was a celebrity!

Now there was one last thing to do: I looked around – half of it to confirm that the much undeserved attention was indeed for me and the other half to recognize and show appreciation for the same attention that I was suddenly being showered with.

And then I saw him. Just at my back, one step below me at the escalator was a man dressed in a black suit, his hair meticulously prepped with pompadour – the ousted president, the Convicted-Plunderer himself.

The event turned out to be the launching of Jose de Venetia’s book written by Brett Decker titled “Global Filipino: The Authorized Biography of Jose de Venecia, Jr., the Visionary Five-Time Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines” -- a rather lengthy title for a biography of a relatively short man and which as Erap himself complained, was as kilometric and as nakakasakit ng ulo as JDV’s speeches. It was a star-studded event. I immediately recognized Tita Cory in red dress, Gina de Venecia also in red dress, Sen. Ernesto Maceda, Former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, Cong. Ronaldo Zamora, Former Sen. Francisco Tatad and former Ambassador to U.N. Lauro Baja. Of course, the subject of the biography, JDV himself, was the picture of a most gracious host dutifully announcing the presence of his guests before the throng of crowd.

“Kiko!” a familiar voice yelled. The voice was from a lawyer-friend, a neighbor in my condominium community. He was, like the other heavyweight guests, in a dark suit.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m one of Erap’s lawyers,” he proudly declared. “Come, join us,” he said.

And so, I found myself listening to politicians’ speeches, got to elbow and pressed hands with some of them, even got to make beso-beso with one of the missus… and felt tremendously sorry for the nation after.

My take on Tita Cory’s mea culpa:

I can understand she regrets the fact that it was GMA who succeeded Erap but I can never agree with her that we should regret Edsa Dos, too. I can agree that GMA is more corrupt than Erap but that doesn’t mean Erap wasn’t corrupt either. In fact, we see GMA as more corrupt now only because GMA is already on her eighth year as president; Erap only had three years. None of these to mean Erap didn't deserve to be ousted. On the other hand, all of these to mean GMA deserves to be ousted, too. A more corrupt president does not exculpate the sins of another corrupt president.

Did Erap do wrong things to this country? Yes. Did he use the presidency for his personal interests and vices -- the midnight Cabinet, ‘jueteng,’ womanizing, mansions? Yes. Did he deserve to be ousted in Edsa Dos? Definitely yes!

Is GMA corrupt, too? By all accounts, yes. Is she using the presidency for her personal interests – NBN-ZTE deal, Fertilizer scam, Hello Garci, bribery of public officials, attempt on the life of Jun Lozada, etc.? Yes. But does that mean we should now regret Edsa Dos, that we ousted Erap?

Hell, no! That only means we should oust GMA, too! Edsa Dos and ousting Erap was the right thing to do. And so we did. Ousting GMA is now the right thing to do, too. And so we should!

Now let me share with you what I felt during the launching of JDV’s book itself. I was watching JDV and Erap, former bitter presidential rivals, lock arms, almost like lovers. Former Vice-President Tito Guingona who snowballed the impeachment against Erap through his “I accuse” speech was in a jovial banter with Erap himself. Senator Ernesto Maceda was lovey-dovey with former Senator Francisco Tatad. And of course, on top of these, Tita Cory, one of the leaders of Edsa Dos that ousted Erap, was making beso-beso with Erap himself.

My God, I prayed, these people are playing with my country, turning it into a circus for the amusement of the elite. God help the Philippines!

The Gacias Clan Blog

2008-12-01T22:06:00.002+08:00

I am starting a blog for the Gacias Clan. Visit gaciasclan.blogspot.com.

On Jesus' prayer in the name of Jesus

2008-11-19T12:36:00.004+08:00

"Bless the President so she will have forbearance, good health, the tolerance to lead this nation up to 2010, and perhaps, who knows, even beyond," thus prayed Press Secretary Jesus Dureza.

O Christ Jesus, if You can’t listen to me, please DON’T listen to Your tokayo, too. He was just being humorous as he openly admits. Just listen to the hearts of all the Filipinos. Let his president NOT extend a millisecond more in Malacanang. Amen.

On Philosophical Pessimism

2008-11-19T12:21:00.002+08:00

“Man’s life is limited to one hundred years. Night takes up half of these; one half of the remainder is absorbed by infancy and old age; the rest is passed in the midst of the sicknesses, separations and adversities which accompany life, in serving others and giving oneself up to similar occupations. Where is one to find happiness in a life that is like the foam that the agitation of the waves produces in the sea?”

These words, taken from the verses of Bhartrihari, somehow capsulizes what philosophical pessimism speaks of: life is suffering and happiness is but a dream. As Voltaire, this favorite of fortune and nature, said: “ I have been experiencing it for eighty years. I do not know of anything to do except resign myself to it, and remember that flies are born to be eaten up by the spider and men to be eaten up by grief.”

It can be said therefore that pessimism is nothing but the pathetic confirmation of the evil of this world, a desperate cry of anguish of the tortured soul.

But there definitely is dignity in the face of suffering. And this dignity lies in the acceptance of the absurdity of the sisiphusian task – a confidence in the face of the absurd end to an absurd existence. This implies that humanity will fulfill its destiny not by its own simple disappearance, but by a complete surrender of individuality to the cosmic process, so that this process can reach its aim which is the freeing of the world. It is only by a complete submission to life and its suffering, and not by a cowardly renunciation and surrender, that one will be able to contribute to the cosmic process.

But this ignores and fails to mention that there can be a higher dignity beyond man’s desperate heroic act in the face of absurdity, that there can be something nobler than the acceptance of suffering. What can be nobler than the acceptance of suffering? This we believe is succinctly expressed by the Stoics when they proclaimed that our real happiness consists in virtue and that the realization of this happiness is beyond human strength. Also, Plato, who admitted that terrestrial existence is essentially imperfect and the pleasures of this world sheer absences of pain nonetheless admitted the World of Ideas which we can reach by our own efforts, enlightened by Reason. In the same manner, Christianity which at all times preaches the “vanity” of terrestrial joys, likewise speaks of heaven and of the eternal beatitude which is in heaven reserved for man.

Moreover, we observe that the contention that the essence of life is suffering is contrary to experience. This is because in spite of the unquestionable miseries which are inherent to terrestrial life, the majority of mortals decidedly prefer existence to non-existence. Nature does not recommend pessimism.

The fear of death, a senseless, irrational but for man more dreadful than all suffering, is only the counterpart of the will to live.

Bury me

2008-11-17T21:01:00.003+08:00

BURY ME

Wilt thou letteth me see thee before I die
and kisseth thee before I fly?
Though the fee is worth so high
doubteth I thou wilt cry.

So long my dearest
my life is cooleth now and weary
blank fate is in my ride
cause the Reaper of Life is nigh.

I remember now the sign of years
seen in naked fears
though troubles seem unfair
still and yet, who would care...?

Wilt thou letteth me cry before I die?
... But saith he:
"Let the dead bury their dead!"

Bushisms

2008-11-06T21:22:00.006+08:00

As Erap was for the Filipinos, George W. Bush is for the Americans. Erap had his “Eraptions,” Bush has his “Bushisms.” Thus, while large corners of the world are still euphoric over the presidential victory of Obama, there will be some people feeling slightly deflated to see Bush step down as US president. Just as there will always be some Filipinos who would feel aggrieved to see the downfall of the movie star who became the most stupid president of the Philippines, as he is often dubbed by the media and civil society groups, there are also some people -- Americans as well as non-Americans -- who feel aggrieved over the nearing exit of Bush.

Just as Erap has provided us with endless amusement as a result of his faux pas or “Eraptions,” Bush, too, has provided us with his “Bushisms.” You say the Filipinos were crazy and deserved what they got for voting Erap into the highest office in the land? Well, the Americans had Bush. And he got to rule the most powerful nation on earth for eight years.

Here are 25 of my favorite Bushisms:

25. "I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House." --George W. Bush, referring to White House chef Cristeta Comerford while meeting with Filipino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Washington, D.C., June 24, 2008

24. "I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., June 26, 2008

23. "Your eminence, you're looking good." --George W. Bush to Pope Benedict XVI, using the title for Catholic cardinals, rather than addressing him as "your holiness," Rome, June 13, 2008

22. "Thank you, your Holiness. Awesome speech." --George W. Bush, to Pope Benedict, Washington, D.C., April 15, 2008

21. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

20. "So long as I'm the president, my measure of success is victory -- and success." --George W. Bush, on Iraq, Washington, D.C., April 17, 2008

19. "Let me start off by saying that in 2000 I said, 'Vote for me. I'm an agent of change.' In 2004, I said, 'I'm not interested in change --I want to continue as president.' Every candidate has got to say 'change.' That's what the American people expect." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., March 5, 2008

18. "This thaw -- took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw." --George W. Bush, on liquidity in the markets, Alexandria, La., Oct. 20, 2008

17. "There's no question about it. Wall Street got drunk -- that's one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras -- it got drunk and now it's got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments." --George W. Bush, speaking at a private fundraiser, Houston, Texas, July 18, 2008

16. "Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people." --George W. Bush, Charlottesville, Va., July 4, 2008

15. "I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands." --George W. Bush, on how he can contribute to the Middle East peace process, Washington, D.C., Jan. 4, 2008

14. “Those who enter the country illegally violate the law." - Nov. 28, 2005

13. "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." - Dec. 19, 2000

12. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness." - Aug. 30, 2000

11. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." - Jan. 3, 2000

10. "I was proud the other day when both Republicans and Democrats stood with me in the Rose Garden to announce their support for a clear statement of purpose: you disarm, or we will." - Oct. 5, 2002

9. "I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein." - May 25, 2004

8. "I understand small business growth. I was one." - Feb. 19, 2000

7. "I just want you to know that when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." - June 18, 2002

6. "There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again." - Sept. 17, 2002

5. "The truth of that matter is, if you listen carefully, Saddam would still be in power if he were the president of the United States, and the world would be a lot better off." - Oct. 8, 2004

4. “I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." - Sept. 29, 2000

3. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Aug. 5, 2004

2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." - Jan. 27, 2000

1. "They misunderestimated me." - Nov. 6, 2000

For more Bushisms, check the Political Humour Website.

My Soul's Days, My Saint's Days

2008-11-05T08:25:00.012+08:00

I have had the rare opportunity of observing All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in a very special way this year. The week leading to these two special days and the days thereafter became my saint’s days and my soul’s days.

All Saints’ Day, since the early days of monasticism, has always been a special day allotted by the Church to commemorate, honor, and emulate the holy lives of all saints. Transcending this tradition, however, is the Church’s admonition that all of us are actually called to be saints. It is therefore more of a challenge, especially in this age of extreme materialism, moral relativism and skepticism, to rise against sinfulness and return to the fold of truth, goodness, and light.

All Souls’ Day, on the other hand, is also a special day especially calendared by the Church for us to remember and pray for our departed brethren. More than remembering our departed loved ones, however, is the challenge for all of us to also remember that we are all endowed with our own souls which we must all cleanse and prepare for our ultimate re-union with our Creator.

November 1 therefore is the day we are all especially challenged to become saints. And November 2 is the day we are all especially challenged to prepare our souls for this same sainthood.

Prayer, especially the Eucharist, is always the best food for the soul. Personally, however, I find a number of balms that somehow caress and rejuvenate a tired and weary soul: nature, art, poetry, music, memories – both good and bad, my bonsais, a couple of hobbies, and most especially, love and my family. These, and the most precious time spent with them, make up my soul’s days. They, too, are my natural path to “sainthood,” if with God’s grace, I may ever attain that final goal.

Indeed, the past days have been my soul’s days and saint’s days.

One week before the two special occasions, I flew to Bicol to renew and re-strengthen my ties with my roots. I visited my ailing Papa and Mama, laughed and reminisced memories with my only brother and only sister, drank and sang with several relatives and friends, laughed with my 101-year-old Lolo and gazed for the first time at the 101-year-old face of romantic love in his eyes and the lady who’s currently the object of his heart. I am just awed at the love that beats inside a 101-year-old body.

After 26 years, I have had the chance to visit and pray at our family mausoleum for only the third time. I guided Edward, a distant cousin, in cleaning the place, lighted candles and took photos of the tombstones thereat for the family tree I have been working on for years. For the first time, too, I visited and prayed at the tombs of some friends whose wasted lives have recently been added to the growing list of victims of extrajudicial killings that now hover above and cast a shadow of death in this seemingly doomed country.

Back in Manila in the last day of October, I suddenly found myself enjoying a traffic-free drive along EDSA. There are only two days in a year when driving around Manila thoroughfares would be considered a pleasure: All Souls’ Day and Good Friday. Both are occasions for prayer and soul-cleansing. Both are great occasions to pray while driving. It is that rarest moment when you feel pleasure while praying.

And so, I decided to extend the pleasure. My family in tow, I maneuvered the car towards one of the nearest retreat forests I knew. Destination: Caylabne Bay Resort.

There are at least four reasons I like Caylabne. One, I love driving along the winding road that leads to the place. There is always something therapeutic, almost mystical, in driving along the winding road that seems to be tenderly hugging the sides of the mountain and gazing at centuries-old trees that seem to beckon at your every turn. Two, it is the only place I know where hawks are still observed swiftly gliding in the blue sky in search for preys. Different species of birds play among the savage branches unperturbed. Personally, the magnificent sight brings happy memories of my early childhood. Three, it is one of the very few places I know that boast both of a lush forest and a beach resort. And four, I adore the Spanish villas built in the place.

Herewith are a few of the photos I took during those days of my soul.

Ah, I wish to echo Sri Chinmoy’s words in his Eternity’s Vision-Reality Song:

Beloved Lord Supreme,
Do You approve of
My self-transcendence song?

"My son, not only do I approve
But it is I who will
Sing in you,
Sing through you
My Eternity's Vision-Reality Song."

Floating Red-Orange Yellow Bells Water Wheels The Guparya Fortress, Water & Rock Serenity 1 Serenity 2 Waterlily Goddess Byabya

Condo Unit for Rent

2008-10-21T21:00:00.006+08:00

Here's a condominium unit I am leasing out. It measures 57.5 square meters, has two bedrooms, two toilets and baths, a kitchen, a loft and a dining and receiving area. The unit is furnished with a sofa, a dining table, one queen-sized and one single-sized beds, an aircon, two stand fans, and other household necessities.

Condominium amenities include a swimming pool, a clubhouse, a three-level underground parking and a 24-hour very strict, no-nonsense security. The building has its own 7/11 outlet, a branch of Allied Bank, ATM machines, a spa center, a KTV, and a restaurant cum bar that features exotic animals that include talking parrots and a twenty-feet-long boa constrictor.

Its best selling point, however, is its location, its accessibility. The condo unit is in Xavierhills Condominium located along corner Gilmore and N. Domingo Streets in Quezon City. It's just a block away from Gilmore LRT Station, Broadway Centrum, Gilmore IT Center, and St. Paul University, Q.C. It's a mere five-minute ride from St. Luke's Hospital, Xavier School, Immaculate Conception Academy, Greenhills Shopping Center and Cubao. Joel Torre's Manukan Grille and Mt. Carmel Church are both at a walking distance. You can have the day's newspaper, your laundry, water, and meals delivered right at your doorstep. Plus, a number of our local celebrities live in the place and you get to elbow with them right in the elevators.

The unit itself is dressed with wooden and antique interiors. My fascination with antiques definitely reveals itself in the unit's setup. A few mementos I gathered from my travels, both in the different parts of the country and abroad, would find their way in said condo unit. There's that old baul I brought from Ilocos, the lampshades from East Germany, the tiny bronze jars from India, the wooden mask from Sagada, the image of St. Joseph and the child Jesus carved from a Molave driftwood, the driftwood narra table from my hometown in Bicol, and yes, the Mona Lisa cross-stitched by my doting Mama before she has had her stroke that left her hands, well, incapable of doing more cross-stiches. And oh, I also have some golf clubs in the unit which any golf aficionado would be free to use. Just ask me to swing with you, buddy, and you'll be surprised I'm so easy to please and am actually so cheap. You might just find yourself spending free board and lodging in my unit for a couple of days. Hehehe.

A catch though: the condo unit is for transients only. You see, I've had a very bad experience renting it out for longer contracts. But you know, it's perfect for your balikbayan friends and relatives. It's perfect for your visiting friends and relatives from the provinces, too. And it would be perfect for those who would come to Manila for conferences or seminars.

My rate: Php 500 per pax per day for four pax and above or Php 2,000 per day for three pax and below.

I hope you'll find it reasonable. And if you don't, well, I always enjoy talking to people who know how to haggle.

Contact me through this blog or drop me a line at balangaw98@yahoo.com.

Other services offered by Theotokos Int'l. Ents.

2008-10-20T12:12:00.003+08:00

Theotokos International Enterprises holds office in Intramuros, Manila. It also has a marketing office located at AF Pasig Cold Storage Plant along Shaw Boulevard Extension, Pasig City.

Other Services

The company, through its subsidiary, Easyway Customs Brokerage, also offers services in the following areas:

Customs brokerage
Trucking
Import-export consultancy
Indentation

The compnay has all the facilities and prides itself with proven and tested expertise in securing the immediate release and delivery of its customers' cargoes. Likewise, the company is geared towards rendering specific service that the client may require to perform, thus giving flesh to the popular slogan “Customer’s satisfaction guaranteed.”

Chicken Products

2008-10-17T11:23:00.000+08:00

Drumstick
Legquarter

Pork Products (Part 2)

2008-10-17T11:18:00.003+08:00

Liver
Loin Ham Ends
Loin Rib Ends
Spareribs

Pork Products (Part 1)

2008-10-17T11:14:00.002+08:00

Bellies
Boneless Picnic
Femur Bones
Ham Bone In
Ham Trimmings

Beef Products (Part 2)

2008-10-16T21:49:00.003+08:00

Striploin
Tenderloin Side
Top Sirloin

Beef Products (Part 1)

2008-10-16T21:09:00.003+08:00

Brisket
Chuckroll
Cuberoll
Flanksteak
Knuckle

Some of the Things I Sell

2008-10-15T10:35:00.008+08:00

I am a true-bloodied magbababoy. Or magkakarne if you prefer. Through Theotokos International Enterprises, the first company I founded, I sell different kinds of meat - beef, pork, chicken, and lamb. I deal with most of the country's leading meat processors, I supply meat to different upscale, mid-scale as well as low-scale restaurateurs, other importers and traders, and wet markets in and around Metro Manila.

I import my stocks from Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, France, Brazil, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Korea.

Two advantages of buying imported meat that most Filipinos still aren't aware of: One, imported meat costs at least 30% less than our local meat; and two, imported meat is of much better quality than our local brands.

Why is imported meat cheaper than our local meat? Because international prices of meat are dictated by free competition. For instance, I am currently selling pork liver from the USA at P50 per kilo. Traders at Farmers market in Cubao are currently selling the same at P105 per kilo.

Why is imported meat of better quality than our local meat? Several factors come into play. Feeds play a most important role. Our local hogs for instance are fed with low-grade feeds if not left-overs from our tables; hogs from my suppliers are pampered with feeds and vitamins which are all scientifically developed and tested. Environment provided for the animals comes next. Our local hogs for instance are mostly raised in backyard environment and endure our tropical heat; hogs from my suppliers live in airconditioned pens. Rearing and slaughtering practices are another important factor. Hogs in our country are for instance slaughtered very inhumanely, with knives slitting through the animals' throats which cause the animals to shriek and thereby contract their muscles; Hogs from my suppliers are slaughtered very humanely, often through electric shock, which even relaxes the muscles of the animals. Now, be aware that contracted muscles of the animal have very negative effects in the taste of the animal's meat. Just imagine, the animal could have died from shrieking, not entirely from loss of blood through the slit in its throat. You died shrieking, shaking, even wildly protesting your death and your being tied in all fours, would you still wonder if your flesh would ever taste good? Also, local hograisers would still market sow meat even after four or five childbirths. Imagine the meat of a lola who has already given birth to dozens of children. How do you think would it taste? Sorry for the analogy but a study I made a couple of years ago showed that the average Filipino eats at least 9 kilograms of sow meat a year. Now, sow meat for my suppliers are not for human consumption. They are made into feeds.

In the meat industry, I've learned a lot about meat science. I shall write about them in due time. Meanwhile, herewith below are some of the meat products I carry and -- in Filipino -- nilalako.

Pili na po kayo!!

Products

The products being imported and traded by the company include but are not limited to the following:

• Pork

o Ham
o Loin
o Belly
o Fat
o Skin on fat
o Skin (Back, Belly & Mixed)
o Liver
o Ear
o Headmask
o Jowl
o Rosary bones
o Back bones
o Femur bones
o Picnic

• Beef

o Tenderloin
o Striploin
o Sirloin
o Rib eye
o Chuck
o Forequarter
o Brisket
o Shank
o Tripe
o Mechanically Deboned Meat
o Trimmings

• Chicken

o Legquarter
o Mechanicaly Deboned Meat

My company

2008-10-13T21:37:00.014+08:00

Now, let's talk about business. And lemme start by introducing to you the first company I founded. Hereunder is a profile of Theotokos International Enterprises, one of my import-export firms. In my next posts, I shall introduce to you, dear friends -- and dear future clients -- the different products I carry and, hmm, sell.

A Humble Beginning

Theotokos International Enterprises is an import-export firm that specializes in the importation and trading of frozen meat products. Founded in June 2002, it carries the seemingly quixotic vision of providing quality and the most affordable food on every Filipino's table.

The discrepancy between the quality and affordability of food that are feeding the Filipino people has long been a painful fact that burdened the Filipinos. The reality that most affordable foods are not quality foods and almost all quality foods are not very affordable stared especially at the faces of the founders of the company like the eyes of the Gorgons. To their mind and according to their faith and principles, quality and affordability should exist like twins in matters as important as food. To bridge the seemingly irreconcilable gap thus, they immediately laid out the foundations of one grandiose dream.

That dream would soon become Theotokos International Enterprises.

From then on, there was no turning back. Armed only with the needed experience, knowledge and a strong passion to succeed, the company, in the spirit of its adopted motto often found posted in many a door, made all the PUSH and PULL that slowly put Theotokos International Enterprises in its rightful place in the Philippine meat industry.

The company proved itself relentless and success-driven. It wouldn’t let one stone unturned that would help in the building of one great edifice that is Theotokos International Enterprises. It boldly stirred itself into the heights and the depths, where its own wits and guts were challenged and where its potentials were brought to their heights.

Today, Theotokos International Enterprises caters to its certified clients that include leading meat processors in the country as well as leading restaurateurs, traders and wholesalers. It continues to grow, to be strong, and to be where one really meets the meat.

Indeed, to PUSH and to PULL.

Vision Statement

A company defined by unrelenting pursuit for excellence, unparalleled service and total commitment in contributing to the nourishment of health and well being of every Filipino family by providing quality and the most affordable meat and meat products for every Filipino family’s table.

Mission Statement

We aim to provide the most affordable and the best quality of meat and meat products for every Filipino family’s table for the purpose of contributing our share in the nourishment of health and well being of each member of the Filipino family.
We aim to provide the best quality in our products and the biggest opportunities for work and business by:

Providing the highest standards in labor;
Promoting a culture of industriousness and diligence, and particularly, Theotokos International Enterprises’ culture of “PUSH and PULL”; and
Offering an unparalleled service.

Our Commitment

We hereby commit to:

Establish, maintain and sustain committed partners in the market.
Invest in and maintain excellent systems in management, marketing and partnerships.
Nurture and sustain the Theotokos International Enterprises’ culture of industriousness and diligence aptly crystallized in its motto often found posted in many a door - PUSH and PULL.
Invest in and maintain superior utilities and machineries.
Nurture and enhance the capabilities and skills of employees through continuing education and trainings.

When Socialism and Capitalism Tie the Knot

2008-10-10T22:08:00.010+08:00

There can be marriage between socialism and capitalism after all. China, since the early '90s, showed it can be done. Today, amid setbacks in grappling the melamine menace, the world slowly comes to grips with the realization that socialism may just be the shot in the arm that capitalism desperately needs.

Herewith is an article bannered today by different media organizations around the world including Einnews, Channel News Asia, Canadian News, Today Online and our own Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Comrades, the current challenge is how to consummate this marriage in the Philippine political landscape. Read on and ponder.

Communist giant may save capitalism

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:53:00 10/10/2008

SYDNEY—A cartoon on the front page of Australia’s national newspaper on Thursday neatly illustrates an irony admitted even by two of America’s staunch allies, Australia and the Philippines—that communist China could save capitalism.

The cartoon shows a Chinese man in a Superman outfit telling exactly that to a bankrupt, cigar-smoking Wall Street tycoon covering his nakedness in a barrel.

“Oh, you’re just loving this, aren’t you,” the fallen high-flyer replies in the cartoon in The Australian.

Amid turmoil in the world financial sector, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted China’s economy would grow at more than 9.0 percent next year while much of the West faced recession.

That’s good news for Australia and also for the Philippines.

“China is now a major influence in the world economy and it’s significant that the IMF doesn’t downgrade its growth prospects,” Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner said.

“So we are well positioned to continue to sell an awful lot of exports to China and we believe that that’s one of the important factors that’s protecting Australia, to some extent, from the influences of the US financial crisis,” Tanner said.

Australia’s own economic boom has been driven for years by China’s insatiable demand for mineral resources, such as iron ore for steelmaking and coal to fire up its industries.

Tanner’s remarks followed those of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who said: “China has a huge impact on the economies of the east Asia region, as well as the global economy.”

“My understanding is that China will continue to drive strong economic growth for its own national purposes, but that’s also good for countries like Australia because China is such a major trading partner of ours,” Rudd added.

The Australian officials’ comments found echo in the Philippines.

RP in good shape

Speaking in Manila, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday said the Philippines had found new export partners mainly for its agricultural produce, helping cushion the impact of the US financial crisis on the Philippine economy.

Ms Arroyo said the leading destination of Philippine exports was now China. Also atop the list is Japan, she said.

“The US is no longer our top export market,” Ms Arroyo said in a speech at the “Agri-Link, Food-Link, and Aqua-Link” exhibition at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Ms Arroyo said any slowdown or even recession in the United States would not be good for the global economy.

“That said, the Philippines appears in relatively good shape,” she said.

Time to broaden markets

Ms Arroyo said the potential exposure of the Philippine banking sector to the asset deflation triggered by the subprime mortgage losses in the United States accounted for less than 1 percent of the total system assets in the Philippines.

“Our banks are well capitalized and the innate conservatism of our bankers is matched by the prudence of our regulators,” she said.

Ms Arroyo said this was the time for agri-business to exploit the financial liquidity of the country’s banking sector to expand its role in its niche markets.

She was particularly elated by the availability of “nonmainstream” products, such as mangosteen and papaya pastes, yogurt, civet coffee, goat’s milk soaps, the “Dory” fish, black tiger prawns, low-fat salad dressings, palm sugar and indigenous plants.

“All of these will appeal to different segments of local and foreign markets,” Ms Arroyo said.

She also said the Middle East could be a top destination for Philippine exports.

Reports from Christian V. Esguerra and AFP

Carrots, Eggs and Coffee

2008-10-09T11:43:00.006+08:00

Here is something my sister Erma, the most incurable optimist I know, emailed to me. Definitely worth sharing with everyone. Read on.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”

”Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

”Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity wilt and become soft and lose strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

My Condominium Woes

2008-10-07T22:32:00.005+08:00

I was in cyberlimbo for the past twelve days at least. For reasons known only to my provider, my internet connection went pfft, this despite my updated payment. At first, starting on the second half of September, connection could not be established in the daytime and would only be available starting at nine in the evening. To say therefore that it deprived me of precious opportunities for my business, plus precious little time of night rest, would be an understatement. About two weeks ago, it completely went dark. Zilch. Zero. Nada.

I frantically dialed my provider’s customer hotline number. It was useless. I dialed their customer service number, their trunk line number, their fax number, even the cellphone number of their collector. All proved inutile. I dialed a hundred times, maybe more, spent more than two hours doing the finger exercise, at first using my pointer, then my thumb, and slowly graduated to my ring finger and pinky finger, until I finally gave the middle finger – yup, the dirty one – and ended up cursing my internet provider.

And cursing my condominium’s developer more.

You see, all this is part of the grand design that my condominium’s developer made. My condominium’s developer, whose owner is now the country’s newest taipan, did a quite splendid job in capturing us, his naïve market, with heavy chains around our necks by promising us that those chains which actually stole our freedom were made of 24 karat gold.

My internet connection is but one of these business tricks that my developer employs. My developer entered into an exclusive contract with this relatively unknown internet provider and imposed the exclusive services of this same internet provider upon the unit-owners. We couldn’t avail of DSL from other internet service providers. The developer would not allow that. At one time, the developer even did not allow wireless connection and only relented when they realized the futility and foolishness of their directive.

The thing with this internet connection is that each connection or subscription is merely one branch of the same tree, one domain distributed among hundreds of users. The service provider advertises that their company offers at least 5 or 10 mbps but they do not provide separate modems for each subscriber. This means that the available 5 or 10 mbps is being shared by the hundreds of subscribers in the condominium. Imagine a six lane highway where all cars are going to a one lane bottleneck. There are over 700 units in my condominium and if only one half of these unit owners will subscribe to an internet connection, it follows that the subscriber only gets 5 or 10 mbps divided by 350 of the original service that the provider is supposed to deliver. If all 350 unit owners would be connected to the internet at the same time, that would mean that each would only be up at a measly 28 kbps. Harang? But wait, there’s more. Callously, the provider charges an amount which is even higher than that of the leading DSL providers. This is because the internet provider is under contract required to give a certain percentage of its profit to, but who else, my developer. Galing no?

Another gisa-sa-sariling-mantika business trick of my developer: the telephone. The developer, despite all our protests, uses the PABX system in our condominium. I have nothing against the PABX system per se, but this system only works best in offices. It is never – again, never – for residential units.

When I first set my foot on this place, there were only two available lines, one PLDT, the other Bayantel. These two lines were distributed through PABX system among the 700 plus units. So, imagine if one would make telebabad and another would connect to the internet via the dial-up route. T’was the worst telephone service in the whole country. It was impossible to make a call and it was impossible to receive one, too. You can do the finger exercise for five hours, ten hours or even for twenty-four hours. The result would be the same: a calloused dirty finger raised against the developer. But wait again, for there’s more. The developer charges an amount which is higher than the charges made by both PLDT and Bayantel! So, suppose the developer pays P700 per month for each of the two lines, and charges each unit owner P800 per month and there are more than 700 units in the condominium. Wow, that is already a whopping P560,000 plus per month income for the developer! And that is only courtesy of two telephone lines at a total monthly capital of P1,400. Great business, right? Galing! Galing talaga! At kami naman, tanga-tanga talaga!

All these of course are illegal and one can always file a complaint at the proper venue but that of course would be hard to sell to say the least. File a case against a taipan? Heller, c’mon, any volunteers?

About three years ago, however, we started to raise fists and voices and began to unfurl red banners. The developer fortunately saw the biblical “Mene Mene Tekel” and reluctantly added more lines. Tinablan din ng hiya. The good news: we now have 45 lines. The bad news: we still use the PABX system.

We have the same problem with cable: the cable provider had an exclusive contract with the developer. Skycable is more unreachable than the sky. Setting up discs or even the late Ernie Baron’s antenna is anathema.

The problems in my condominium community seem endless. We have problems in electricity rate, water rate, association dues, even in real estate taxes for common areas. It is best expressed in Filipino: lahat pinagkakakitaan ng developer habang gisa sa sariling mantika ang mga unit owners.

All these, however, pale compared to the most serious problem that we have ever since the condominium was constructed: fire safety. But that is of course another, well, BIG story.

Meanwhile, we continue to make the developer richer, and with the chains on our neck getting heavier by the day, we continue to play as his captured market and continue to bow to his every whim and caprice. What else can we do beyond organizing the unit owners to consolidate our legitimate gripes into one collective voice? Well, we murmur that sweetest and most therapeutic Filipino expletive:

P___ i____ talaga ang Megaworld na yan!!

Hail to the Drama King!

2008-09-29T21:01:00.003+08:00

Philippine Daily Inquirer's Mr. John Nery writes a feature story on Gibbs Cadiz and bestows on him the title of -- Yehey!!! -- "Drama King."

Congrats, Gibbs!

2008-09-22T21:00:00.005+08:00

Friend and Sano Gibbs Cadiz just won Best Blog-Arts & Culture category in the just-concluded Philippine Blog Awards 2008. Visit his blog and find out why he deserves said award and more. Click here.

Congratulations Gibbs! We're so proud of you!

Erap's Masa

2008-09-22T19:58:00.006+08:00

This piece was written in 1998, just a few days after the presidential elections which catapulted Erap to the Palace-by-the-River. I am reprinting it for the same reasons that moved me to write it a decade ago. Obviously, Erap is still Erap - the Sandiganbayan's verdict finding him guilty of plunder notwithstanding.

THE MASSES: A PEEK INTO ERAP’S LEGIONS

“‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked (the demoniac). ‘My name is Legion,’ he answered,‘for there are many of us.’”

(From the Gerasene Demoniac, Mk. 5:9-10)

The election of Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada to the presidency highlights the emergence of a “new” ruling class -- the masses. Credit – or blame – is being lavished on them. If Corazon “Cory” Aquino was catapulted to the presidency by People Power and Fidel V. Ramos by the anointment and popularity of Cory Aquino (and some say by “Dagdag-bawas”), Erap is brought to the Palace-by-the-River by the “Eraption” of votes courtesy of the masses.

The masses, the legions, the hoi polloi, the masa, the bakya crowd in the GenX jargon, the “herd” according to the father of Existentialism Soren Kierkegaard, and, as many will argue, the Proletariat -- who are they?

In survey-speak, class A and class B are the elite, class C are those from the middle class, class D are the poor, and class E are the very poor or the destitute. In the Social Weather Stations (SWS) exit poll conducted just a few days before the May 11 elections, Erap got 52 percent from among the combined class DE which compose the majority of voters, and 18 percent from the A, B, and C classes. These evidently, are Erap’s masa.

Who are the Erap masa?

1. From the ranks of the poor. The Erap masa, first and foremost, belong to the ranks of the poor -- 52 percent from class DE and 18 percent from class ABC. The SWS national survey of April 1997 revealed that 58 percent of families classified themselves as poor. This is about 7.75 million families. It is further estimated that there are at least 2.3 million families of self-rated poor in class E, 5.2 million families in class D and 250,000 families in the A, B, and C classes.

Erap knew this and in fact exploited this. He seized a populist theme – “Erap para sa mahirap” – and bannered pro-poor slogans like “Kontra sa pagtaas ng presyo!” and “Trabaho para sa Pilipino!” He projected himself and created the illusion of himself as pro-poor and approachable, riding on the image of Pinoy jeepney (“Jeep ni Erap”) to create the image of a “Maka-Pinoy,” employing pro-poor and pro-people rhetoric although he did not offer any concrete program for alleviation of poverty or redistribution of wealth and although his records as Mayor of San Juan and Senator and Vice-President of the republic attest that he foisted the worst anti-people and anti-poor policies on the people.

Erap himself is not from the ranks of the poor. His social background shows he belongs to the elite affluent class. He was an Ateneo dropout and was never a part nor acquainted with the ways of the great unwashed or toiling proletariat

And yet Erap created the illusion that he was from the ranks of the poor and is pro-poor, not only because the poor are numerous but also because of the power of bread and circus over a poor man’s brain. If there is anything that Erap has proved, it is the fact that with a little entertainment, plus a little amount, one can easily seduce a poor man’s sanity. You think Erap will try to alleviate the condition of the masses? That’s like putting them out of trance into the world of reality, much like putting Alice out of wonderland. Erap can bless them instead and wish that their tribe increase.

2. From the ranks of the less educated. Secondly, the Erap masa came from those who had less education. In the SWS January 1998 poll, Erap had only 9 percent of followers from among college graduates while he had 37 percent from among those who were at most elementary school graduates.

Erap again knew this and easily identified himself as their hero. Of course he didn’t have to project himself as an intellectual pygmy to be able to identify himself with the less educated. He simply had to be himself and bring this personal ineptitude to his advantage by supporting the publication of “Erap Jokes.”

But how will Erap solve the problem of education – or the lack of it? “Nemo dat quod non habet,” says a Latin dictum. No one can give what he does not have.

3. From those who have reasons to resent. Thirdly, the Erap masa are those who have been waiting too long to have a larger share of the benefits of economic growth since the late 1960’s up until today. They are the people who were bypassed by the different successive administrations for the sake and in the name of the benefits of development enjoyed by the rich and the middle class. They are the people who have been most greatly victimized by the world-record-holder thievery and self-serving cronyism of the Marcos dictatorship, by the greed of Kamag-anak Incorporated and ineptitude of the Aquino administration, the people who were left behind by the growth-accented economic policy of the Ramos administration, the very people who were neglected in their striving to get past their impoverishment.

Erap exploited this strong undercurrent of resentment by the poor to his own advantage. He captured their disgruntlement and portrayed himself as one who echoed the frustrated aspirations of the underclasses who in turn, perhaps because of their utter desperation, responded to the demagogic appeals of a populist politician molded over the years by the silver screen as the champion of the poor and defender of the underdog. Erap tapped these frustrations even though his themes were ambiguous and were not amplified by concrete programs.

It is in this sense, and only in this sense, that one can advance the theory of a “protest vote” during the May 11 elections. The Erap masa were tired of politicians and politicking, they sought for a messiah. For people whose visions have been blurred by hunger and empty promises of food, for people who could no longer see the divide between reel and real life, Erap, portrayed as the defender of the underdog by the silver screen, was the very clear answer – the knight in shining armor, the modern-day Moses, the Christ. Erap was the answer to their protests, ergo, their votes went to Erap.

4. Mesmerized by the silver screen. Fourthly, the Erap masa are people who were easily hypnotized by the silver screen, people who couldn’t see the divide between reel and real life, who see actors’ roles as an extension of what they are in real life, and what they are in real life as an extension of their roles.

Erap again exploited this and rode on the grand illusion mounted by his movies, capitalizing on the seduction exerted by the silver screen. Image, show biz, popularity -- they are the things that count in our “politics of personality,” they are the things that create the illusion of Erap as the Superman of the Philippines.

Our quotation from the Gerasene Demoniac is relevant in an obvious sense: The Erap masa are possessed by a kind of demon – the evil of illusion. The Erap masa voted for a myth, for an illusion, for a make-believe, for a pale shadow of reality. The immediate need and cure is a kind of exorcism.

How then exorcise the Erap masa?

Erap’s popularity has a lot to do with the “masa’s” dissatisfaction with their own economic lot as well as with their affection for entertainers. He is popular because he exploited the “masa’s” disgruntlement through his own form of circus. Not because he stokes the fires of rebellion among the “masa” - far from it - but because he douses them. A lesson is therefore clear: So long as the divide between the rich and poor remained or grew, so long will the Estradas of the world arise. So long as there are bitter resentments from below, so long will populist leaders arise. In the same manner, so long as we vote a person into public office for being a myth, so long will reforms in our country be an empty myth. Indeed, so long as we think of Philippine politics as one great moviehouse, so long will our leaders not do anything although they may act as though they are doing something. Acting, yes, that will be the word that will best describe our government.

The story of the Gerasene Demoniac proceeded with the demons asking Jesus to “send us to the pigs, let us go into them” (Mk. 5:13). Perhaps there is nothing more apt today than to ask our newly elected – and re-elected – officials: You want to exorcise the Erap masa? Then send the poor the pig.

Or perhaps more succinctly, give them your pork!

I Died the Day I was Born

2008-09-17T21:28:00.008+08:00

Tomorrow is the birthday of someone I hold very dear. He would have been 94 tomorrow had he not died in 1993 of cancer. The fact though that I still clearly remember his birthday reveals the kind of influence he exerted in my life. He inspired me to enter the seminary in 1982; and he must have turned in his grave when I left in 1995.

I'd like to do him homage though with a reprint of a short story I penned in 1993 for Inter Nos, the official publication of the Theological Society of UST. And may he, wherever he may now be, look down kindly on his former protege.

I DIED THE DAY I WAS BORN

It was June 4, my birthday. It was the day that I was expected to report to the seminary. It was the day that I died.

It was a fine sunny day. The sun, up above a sky that was all blue and tremendous, shone brightly as if determined to shed light on everything under the heavens. The bus, of which I was a passenger, was moving swiftly, gently pushing itself against the road. The throbbing engine machine and its unending roar would only make me conscious of the beatings within my breast which would become faster and louder as I came closer to my destination. The thought of what I left behind and what would probably await me would from time to time shake my armchair complacency.

For a moment, I allowed myself to be occupied by isolated flashes of memories. Fr. Mariano, his words – images of him jostled each other in my brain. Soon, I became acutely sensitive to the thoughts which flowed through me. My family, my ambitions, my life in the seminary, the demands of the vocation – all these my mind never missed; all these became more real to me as though I was shook up like a man startled out of his sleep.

Then, all of a sudden, the thought shook me. It reverberated in my mind, disturbed my soul as would an earthquake disturb the earth, and enveloped my whole being. It was haunting as a shepherd’s flute, alarming as a coming danger, fearful as an impending death. And when my mind could no longer contain the thought’s reverberations, it escaped through my tongue and found echo in my voice. Softly and forcefully, I muttered: “Why should I become a priest?”

Again, I remembered Fr. Mariano and his words came rushing through the tympanum of my ears: “Priesthood is becoming a nobody. It is a negation of both being and becoming. Hence, if you want to become somebody, don’t ever become a priest! A priest goes into the bush, the frontiers. He has to die to himself, to his ambitions, his way of thinking. He experiences deprivation, persecution and loneliness. He empties himself, goes out of himself to reach out to others, creates a void within himself for the purpose of assuming another identity. He leaves aside his identity and the prerogatives that go with it and putting on the clothes of a new identity, he follows the way of denial, humility and suffering. He humbles himself as a servant, as a suffering servant, as a dead servant!”

I’m not too clear about the next thing that transpired although I’ve thought about it often. Perhaps the light-and-hurried breakfast and long drive had finally taken their toll. I felt dizzy and my vision seemed to shift out of focus, as if a silhouette glass had been put before my eyes. Everything seemed diffused. Then, I saw Fr. Mariano’s face before me, as if a spook lined by a wafer-thin shimmer of light. A strange tremor shook my body as I tried to fix the apparition before me.

Soon, I found myself looking up into an amazing face, gaunt, heavily lined, set with large brown eyes. The eyes were slightly filmy, the hair thick, the face mottled and somewhat swollen. Fr. Mariano was about seventy years old and at that age, you could say he had a certain something, that extra something that separates the men from the boys and marked him out like a tossing Arab stallion. The man had suffered a lot, you could see that. You also realized he had wrestled death several times and was still alive. Those eyes of his that would oftentimes roll heavenward were twin wounds that mirrored the sufferings that he injured. But he could take pain, livid and excruciating pain.

I have known him since I was a child. Whenever I would retreat to early youth when the present would disturb or repel me like the ugly tummy of a turtle, I would see myself in the company of Fr. Mariano. We would hike to far-flung barrios with his motorcycle and he would say masses to the people and I would be his altar-server. He was my guide when the man in me started to come out of the boy; he was no privy when little hairs began to emerge above my upper lip, the desire for the opposite sex became keener, when muscles began to harden and bulge. He was a father to me, this Fr. Mariano.

Now, as I looked at him, it seemed I was looking directly at the face of death, that I was playing primary witness to a process of existential decomposition. He was sick and was literally glued to his bed. It seemed that the sorrowing earth pulled at his body, at his shoulders that once bore the weights of the world’s affliction. Immediately, I felt my heart ached for him, this poor old man.

“Fr. Mariano,” I called out, my voice sounded strange and muffled in the deadening silence. He looked at me and the deep furrows around his eyes and mouth arched into a warmest and most gentle smile.

“Anak,” he said as he usually addressed me and all those persons close to him. His response, in his usual deep-throated voice seemed to reverberate off the surrounding walls. “Come and sit beside me,” he summoned, glancing at the old wooden chair beside his bed. I followed, wondering why to me his voice sounded like Gabriel’s horn, much like the peeling of the bell.

“How are you doing Father?” I asked.

“Well, as you can see, I’m bedridden, just preparing for my last battle. I guess God has deemed it best for me to hold my last breath on bed.”

I was taken aback. His answer came as a juggernaut that made me feel the nakedness and stupidity of my question. That was not what I meant, I wanted to tell him. Perhaps I asked the wrong and silliest question, perhaps my question was irresponsible but I knew it wasn’t just a question. I knew I only wanted him to feel that I cared for him, for whatever he felt. I wanted to explain myself to him. But his voice had already made me feel like a timid choir boy. I neither had the strength nor the desire to dispute his words.

“I’ve learned that you’re coming back to the seminary,” he finally said after a brief but deafening silence.

“Yes, I am,” I answered, quite relieved of the sick feeling that my question and his response had caused.

“And are you ready to die to yourself, to your dreams and ambitions? Are you ready to die a thousand deaths?”

I knew Fr. Mariano was always unpredictable and would always ask the most unexpected question. But still, his question again caught me off-guard. “What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Anak, he spoke haltingly, then begged off for a while to relieve his throat. Then he went on: “Priesthood is a lonely life. To be a priest is to suffer and die several times. It is to be poor, deprived, needy, impoverished and bedraggled. It is to live on alms, on the love, affection and generosity of the people, to take the ultimate sacrifice – serve God’s people.”

I wanted to react. I wanted to tell him that he’s wrong. The priest after all lives the most comfortable life there is in this world. He does not bear the usual problems of the world. He commands respect from the community. Oftentimes, his word is even considered as the law. I wanted to tell him that priestly life is an easy life. But then it seemed that some undesirable stuffs have been clogged in my throat. I found myself unable to express my thoughts.

“Let me tell you who the priest is,” he continued, his face appearing like a musical instrument, the notes ringing our loud and clear. “The priest is someone who spends so much time, effort and money to be ordained to serve God by serving the people, crystallizing this unconditional commitment through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to his superiors. But to support his physical needs, to be able to eat at least three times a day, he tries to beg for money and what-have-yous from the people he promised to serve who in turn accuse and label him as money-faced, a gold-digger, an opportunist, a person who is identified only with Sunday collections, contributions, stipends – yes, with money.”

I was somewhat shattered. The man was throwing thunderbolt instead of his usual piddling pebble from a slingshot. The measured voice came out as if it were of a politician making a point, a lawyer deftly nailing a quodlibet and a spider spinning an intricate web. His face, it seemed Fr. Mariano’s face in that seemingly split-visage scene remains one of the most eloquent spectacles of the human drama ever captured by my eyes.

Then he went on: “The priest lives alone in a place where he finds himself needy – both materially and emotionally – impecunious, impoverished, bedraggled and living on alms. Sooner or later, he finds himself stricken with loneliness, deprivation and even persecution. He asks himself: “What’s the use of doing this or that when the people don’t really care about what I do or feel? They expect me to produce and deliver, but do they really value the thousand and one things that I have already accomplished? He feels so alone in his anguish. He feels pressured, manipulated, misunderstood and bypassed. But he has to live with all that for he promised to be dead to himself.”

“Uhurm,” I wanted to interrupt. But as in the past, I found myself unable to speak, as if I have been hypnotized to play the role of his captive audience.

“In his moments of loneliness and solitary struggle,” he continued, “he cannot but sometimes wonder what it is like to have a lifetime partner who will share with his emotional, aye, physical needs. He cannot but sometimes wonder what it feels to physically express a particular love and concern to a particular lady, to share his bed with a love one at night. And oftentimes, too, he cannot but wonder what it feels to father a child. Needless to say, the effect of this to his psychological disposition is tremendous. Without the right and proper direction, it can be very harmful and dangerous, both emotionally and psychologically. It can become an unbearable burden, sometimes a psychological torture even. And as you know, many priests have failed or are failing in this.

“And so, as he becomes older, he also sometimes becomes insecure. He sometimes becomes unpredictable and conscious of his security. Sometimes, too, he becomes desirous for some material possessions. But gaining more years and weakened now by years of service to the people, he finds himself being advised to retire. He is then thrown into a home for the aged where he finds himself completely helpless and useless. He settles for a self-service lifestyle until his death. He has to fend for himself and take care of himself even until the time when he could no longer lift a finger.

“Finally, he dies and is buried in a place where his memory is lost and forgotten forever, and where his tomb is not even cleaned or decorated during the All Souls’ Day observance.

“This, Anak, if I may end is the priest.”

And Fr. Mariano spoke no further while I, convinced of the veracity of his words and piqued at having shown some emotion, also lapsed into silence.

The sky was dark, threatening with a heavy downpour when I reached the seminary. I saw the porter busily ushering in the arriving seminarians, completely unmindful of the coming weather disturbance. A large ‘welcome’ sign was posted at the huge and heavy door that led to the inside of the ‘hallowed’ walls of the seminary. I approached the porter, exchanged a few topics, asked for my room key and proceeded inside. And as I closed the heavy door, I also closed my eyes and prayed: “Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum.” Then, I recalled a passage in the novel “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough and softly and slowly recited it to myself:

“…singing among the savage branches, (the thorn bird) impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And dying, it rises above its own agony to outcarol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price… For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain… Or so says the legend.”

The Parable of the Prodigal Son: A Reflection on Luke 15

2008-09-13T12:30:00.005+08:00

My Bible reading for today dwelt on Luke 15, specifically referred to as The Parable of the Prodigal Son. I am currently in the mood to share with you, dear friends, my reflections on said passage.

So to all the men out there, let me sound this stern warning: this will be a man-to-man talk. In Filipino, usapang lalaki. To all the women out there, let me offer this equally admonishing note: it will rest upon you to let this transcend the level of girl’s talk. This is because this piece will talk about men. And a lot about women, too. To the women out there, this will speak about the characteristics that make up your ideal man. To all the men out there, the kind of man you simply wanted to be. To all of us, this will deal with the kind of person we simply wanted to become.

Luke 15, also known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, has already become a very popular biblical story. In fact, we have now also grown so familiar with its message, that is, the forgiving love of the God. But please note that there are only a few characters in the story: the father, the prodigal son, the elder brother, the father’s servants, and the man who hired the prodigal son in his farm. I’d like to focus on these characters, try to examine each one of them and choose from them our own ideal man, our ideal person. In Filipino, ang tipo nating lalaki.

Let’s start with the prodigal son. To say the least, we can say that he is selfish. His selfishness leads him to demand his inheritance in advance of his elder brother in violation of prevailing custom. At the lowest point of his life, still guided by self-interest, he decides to return home.

What about his brother? We can say that the elder brother’s failure to appreciate the return of his prodigal brother is understandable from a certain point of view. His own obedience and loyalty, commendable in itself and never equally applauded, have dulled his appreciation of what family ties mean. Just like the Pharisees, he views the whole situation from the perspective of duties and obligations. He puts emphasis on law and conformity. And because of his exactitude and sense of justice, he also becomes self-righteous. He becomes no different from a rooster who believes his crows effect the rising of the sun, that he is the straw that stirs the drink.

Notice that oftentimes, we act like the elder brother. Perhaps because of our relatively exalted place in society, or perhaps because of false pride and hubris, or perhaps because we always like to think we know better than others, we already oftentimes think righteous enough like the elder brother. But it is precisely our exactitude and sense of justice that would oftentimes hurt our relationship with others. And to the ecclesiastics out there (this is the advantage of owning a blog Reverend Fathers: you’ll have no choice but to allow me to give the sermon), is it not regrettable that for so many people their first impression of the Church is of an organized, exacting and even harsh institution? Too much emphasis on law and conformity has often hurt the Church. Its better side, its Christ side, with real concern for people, does not leave the dominant impression.

What about the father’s servants? The father’s servants constitute the crowd, people who assume anonymous identities. They are passive, noncommittal and merely wait for and follow other people’s orders or examples. Soren Kierkegaard, the father of Existentialism, would call them the “herd.” They are people who could never be like the kites. Kites sail against, not with the winds. These kind of people sail with, not against the winds. Unfortunately, these people also constitute the majority. And who knows, by reflection, we may even find ourselves among their kind. Their role after all is the easiest one. They merely follow and obey and let other people direct their lives.

What about the man who hired the prodigal son in his farm? We can say that he took advantage of and abused the prodigal son, masquerading the situation in terms of a servant-employer relationship. He applies a lower form of quid-pro-quo standard of relationship, manipulates and abuses others. And again, his equivalent for today abounds in our present society. There are the profiteers, people who rejoice and make gains over the mistake and misfortune of others.

What about the father? What can we get from him? Well, let us try to consider this:

Have you ever experienced losing someone? Or at least, being separated from a loved one? It is painful, is it not? Separation is a kind of death. It is the death of the bond that ties the heart to its other half.

Have you ever experienced being betrayed or abandoned by a loved one? It is painful, is it not? Indeed, pain is most intense when caused by someone you love most.

But have you ever experienced forgiving and accepting back someone who has betrayed or abandoned you? How does it feel? Sadly, I believe that because we very seldom do it, we are not even very familiar with the way it feels. Forgiveness, because it opposed to pride, is not something we easily give away. Forgive, and you lose not only your face but also your wings which fly your ego to exalted heights.

The father in the parable, however, has undergone all these. He lost someone, was abandoned by a loved one, and was betrayed by his own son. But the pain of loss and betrayal notwithstanding, he still unconditionally forgave and accepted back his sinful son. This is the reason why the parable should instead be called the Parable of the Prodigal Father. For to refer it to the sinful son only fails to highlight the father as the central figure of the narrative. While the son was prodigal with material things, the father was prodigal with loftier things, with the things that really matter. The son was prodigal with money and material riches; the father was prodigal with his forgiving heart, with his love. The mean-spiritedness and selfishness of the prodigal son is the shadowy background for the bright hues of the father’s love. On the other hand, the exactitude and sense of justice of the older son only serves to accent the absence of parameters in the unquestioning embrace of the father. The prodigal son spent his riches and became poor; the prodigal father spent his own riches, the true riches, and gained more.

There is one person who best exemplifies the kind of love that the father showed in the parable. He died on the cross for his friends. He died for us, for you and for me. “Greater love than this no man has than one who lays down his life for his friends.”

Friends, I have thus tried to show you a number of role models as provided to us by the Parable of the Prodigal Father. Who is our ideal person here? In Filipino, sino ang tipo nating lalaki dito? As an old teevee commercial - yes, I am old enough to remember an old teevee commercial - relevantly asked, Sino and bestfriend natin doon? The prodigal father, the prodigal son, the elder brother, the father’s servants, or the man who hired the prodigal son in his farm?

The choice is yours.

P.S.: By the way, there is still one character in the parable. Which means we have yet another choice of role model in case we cannot decide on the role models we first mentioned, or just in case we find them simply not suited to our taste. And for sure, if we aren’t going to choose the prodigal father as our role model, we will soon find ourselves no different from them.

Friends, they are the PIGS.

Mysterious Shared-Oneness

2008-09-11T21:11:00.002+08:00

MYSTERIOUS SHARED-ONENESS

The beginning and the end of emotions strikes
effecting a movement of an appetite toward
a desired sensible good; from mind to heart
and heart to soul, the beat that sounds
infinitessimaly exceeds the binds of space
and time. Profound and transcending,
the nature and composition of an unfathomable
reality surpass the limits of an
integral substance.

The gravity of the unhampered uniting force
pulls the wandering mind and sleeping heart
of a bewildered creature - awed in
enchantment! Zealot and unexhausted, the
Mystery of Twoness-in-Oneness presents an
inviting abode to the object desired - an
accommodating mysterious space, a conceptual
boundlessness of a rationalizing species.

Then, the creature is moved from a static
departure and is transported to the
height of rapture, placing himself outside
or beside himself - a level beyond
sense perception and volitional control,
a monotonous activity of an omniscient
immensity ... far beyond the grasp of
pure intelligibility.

Co-existent with the essence of the
Necessary Being, the cause of all contingent
beings compells the squalid mundacity
to deviate from a vacuous poise, and
satiates the insufficience of a
perfunctory world.

Existing in the Mystery of Mysteries,
an act bending back on itself
indivisible and eternal
limitless in comprehension and extension
-- come, experience and be a part of the

Mystery of Shared-Oneness...

June 1988

A Sexual Symbol at Edsa Shrine?

2008-09-08T21:47:00.011+08:00

Was at the shrine of Our Lady of Peace, also known as Edsa Shrine, this morning to visit a friend and former classmate at UST Central Seminary. Fr. Nilo Mangussad, Director of Liturgical Music of the Archdiocese of Manila since 1995, is also current Rector of the shrine. He assumed the title formerly held by Fr. Soc Villegas, now bishop of Bataan, some two years ago.

I consider Edsa Shrine very close to my heart not only because of the role it played in the history of our nation (the song “Bayan ko” never fails to bring tears to my eyes) but also because of the role it played in my vita amoris, aptly described by a word popularized mainly by show business -- lovelife kuno. You see, Edsa Shrine also reminds me of my first love. The sacred place had always been my meeting place with her whenever we would go out for a date. (Our relationship did not succeed, however, the religious dimension we tried to commit unto it notwithstanding. Sigh.) But that is of course a different story.

The Shrine itself has numerous features that interest me: its electronic bells, its controversial murals, its wonderful pipe organ, the almost-subwoofer-provided acoustics, and one of its architectural wonders – its intriguing baptismal font.

Some two years ago, Gabby Lagamayo, a former classmate from Our Lady of Penafrancia Minor Seminary, had his child baptized in said Shrine. Several classmates, I included, stood as godfathers. During the rites, however, the ninongs kept themselves busy with whispered hahaha and hikhikhik which easily filled the place and obviously irritated the minister.

Lemme share with you the reason for such hikhikhik and hahaha.

About two weeks after the baptism, Junie Taclan, a friend, now kumpadre and former classmate both in High School at Our Lady of Penafrancia Minor Seminary and in AB-Classical, Bachelorship in Philosophy, and Licentiate in Philosophy at Central Seminary, UST, posted this photo below at the blog of Batch 86 (Find the blog here).

Junie said: Why would this religious structure evoke in one of the ninongs (Jet Hermida, that is) the image of the female anatomy? Is it true that years after leaving the seminary, we never really lost the "seminarian" in us? Or, do we owe it to our priest-formators? Ha ha ha ha ha.

Jet Hermida, likewise a former classmate, followed suit. He posted this close-up photo of the same font below.

Jetski said: Hehehe, more pix of that interesting baptismal font (?) in EDSA Shrine. So whaddya think?

I am posting herewith the reactions, with a few minor modifications, the photos generated among our classmates (the reactions as they appear in the Batch ’86 blog here)

Anonymous said.: bagan puyit! heheheh (Trans.: It looks like a vagina! Hehehe.)

Kit said: i do not know who designed the baptismal font in edsa shrine but he/she must be aware of the symbology of the blade (ancient symbol for masculinity) and the chalice (ancient symbol for femininity). the blade is represented by the triangle and the chalice is represented by the inverted triangle. together, they actually form a hexagram which we now identify as the star of david. incidentally, the blade also represents the male organ and the chalice represents its female equivalent. quite incidentally also, this is mentioned in dan brown's "the da vinci hoax”, er, “code.”

in this case, i do not know why the baptismal font's architect placed the symbol of the chalice on top of the symbol of the blade. was he perhaps thinking of the wheelbarrow position? the woman on top? or, hmmm... well, fill in the blanks. the flowing waters in the font, the font itself looking more like a jacuzzi - they only serve to conjure more images of, well, ano pa nga ba?

i am sure one of the ninongs immediately "smelled" the "heavenly experience" which the hexagram in the baptismal font symbolized. and i venture that he must have had this old filipino adage at the back of his mind: "ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan."

doon po tayo lahat nanggaling. ahh... sana mamayang gabi, or mas okay kung asap, doon tayo lahat paroroon.

goodluck buddies!

Jetski said: hehehe nice kit! nice :-)

Gojie said: hahahaha. duon po ako patungo mamayang gabi pareng kit. chalice on top of the blade.

Gabby said: you people amaze me.

Anonymous said: mas masiram an paroo't parito, lalo na kun minamadali. Masiram man an blade lalo na kun insasaksak. Duwang klase baga an saksak : 1. Saksak na nakamatay 2. Saksak na nakabuhay. Saraksakan na lang kita! Jack the Rapist (Trans.: 'Here and there' tastes better, especially when rushed. The blade tastes good, too, especially when thrusted unto something/someone. There are two kinds of thrusts: 1. deadly 2. life-giving. Let's thrust the thing unto each other! Jack the Rapist)

Junie said: jet, now i know the reason for the name creativejet.

Gojie said: chapel na chapel inmalisyahan pa niyo. manggirabo man kamo!!!! mangisog c lord! hehehe. (Trans.: That’s a chapel so don’t put malice on it!!! The Lord will get mad! Hehehe.)

Gojie said: but hey, it rili reminds me of last night. hahahahaha.

Kit said: gojie: history will show us that the profane has always been present in the sacred. it is also true that the sacred has always been present in the profane. and this is especially true in the church. basilicas and cathedrals especially in europe are full of "artistic manifestations" and symbolisms that make direct references especially to the female genitalia and to the sexual act. the symbol of the chalice is a good starting point. even theology speaks of the church as the bride of christ who is the groom. now, marriage is supposed to be consummated by the sexual act. know that canon law considers non-consummation as a primary ground for nullity and voidance of marriage ab initio. and where is their bedroom where they "consummate" their love? well, it is in the eucharist. the altar therefore is the bed where the chalice (remember that it is the symbol of the female genitalia) is laid (remember the expression "get laid?"). and the chalice of course is the receptacle wherein the blood of christ the groom is eventually poured into.

relative to the symbolism of the chalice, do you know that an egyptologist has surmised that the pyramids are actually symbols of the male genitalia and that they were built to announce to the aliens out there that "hey, may mga boto tabi didi!!" (Trans.: hey, there are penises here!!)

the next time you go to church, try looking for symbols. you'll have fun i'm sure, as creativejet has had real fun in edsa shrine. hehehe.

Junie said: kit, i am beside myself reading your comment. Nabubuang na kuno ako sabi san mga kaurupod ko sa balay. (Trans.: I have gone mad according to members of my household.)

I think you should really write a book. It would be a great disservice to mankind if you don't share these highly amusing, deeply irreverent "theological treatises."

Thanks, Kit. You made my day!

Jetski said: kit, bilibonon ako san paliwanag mo. hehehe. (Trans.: i am awed by your explanation. hehehe.)

Otats said: kit, i really agree with you "that the profane has always been present in the sacred. it is also true that the sacred has always been present in the profane. and this is especially true in the church"...well, and also very much true with some PRIESTS..hehehehe!

Gabby said: jet, you're really creative. you saw something that i didn't. kit, take heed of junie's suggestion.

Kit said: junie: i am sorry for being “irreverent.” i didn’t mean to sound like i despise the church. believe me, i love the church very much and i must say i learned to love her more (notice that because i consider myself man enough, i address the church as “her”) because of these facts.

the church uses a lot of signs and symbols. our faith is explained through them and theology thrives because of them. sacrament for instance is theologically defined as an outward sign. the problem only starts when we begin to understand and trace the history of these signs and symbols.

take for instance another interesting case which is the case of the rite of renewal of water and light during easter. would you believe that this rite is originally a symbol of the sexual act itself? the water symbolizes life or more particularly, the giver of life. the giver of life of course directly alludes to the female genitalia. the candle on the other hand, symbolizes the male organ. notice that during the rite, the candle is dipped into the water. and it is during this rite when new life is born in the church as symbolized by christ’s resurrection. indeed, it is a fact that the church’s teachings on life and new life almost always use the symbolism of the male and female genitalia and the sexual act. very interesting, is it not?

would love to take your challenge, junie. join me in writing a collaborative work. i am sure we can get a lot of fertile ideas from jet. hehehe.

Anonymous said: mhaleeboogeen kau lahhaten batch eighty - SEX ! you better read my theories first. mga manyakeen, when i was born, i brought sexual symbolisms into this world. Heende kau ang original koondee akoo. Hail Hitler ! SIGMUND FREUD

Junie said: kit, I’ll be the last person to believe that you despise the church.

By irreverent, I didn’t mean, of course, that you despise the church. Just the same, I’m sorry for the unintended connotation.

Allow me to give a little explain, though. Beneath the irreverence, I’m sure, lies a deep respect, love even [as you openly declared], for the church. Irreverence and respect for the same object—the church—would seem to defy logic. But a closer examination would show that these traits can reside in one person without necessarily excluding each other, in much the same way that we can marry the idea of the sacred and that of the profane in religious symbols.

Irreverence aside, I truly get a lot of kick from your theological explanations. And I think I’ll take you up on your offer to do a collaboration if, and only if, we include Dante for the illustrations. Our book-in-the-making will surely need a lot of cave illustrations, given its sacred-profane content. And Dante’s the only one qualified for the job, being the most experienced spelunker in our batch. The only problem is he’s very busy right now, exploring three caves (Is it four, Henri? Or, have we lost count already?) in Albay and Sorsogon.

Kit said: thanks a lot, junie. you just put into words what many of us could only observe and awfully declare as “nasa durho na san dila ko yan!” (Trans.: that's already at the tip of my tongue!) sige po, i hope we can start writing soon. dante, i am sure, will provide the best illustrations to those things that have been keeping our “heads” high (shall I say erect?). with his very rich experience in cave explorations, his fresh-from-the-oven fingers will definitely provide masterful strokes in the terrain and every corner of our hitherto unexplored … hmm … subject.

speaking of caves, i must beg to disagree with mr. sigmund freud’s claim that he pioneered sexual projection of phenomena through symbols and/or the sexual interpretation of symbols. the fact is, sexual symbolism has been with us since the beginning of man’s history. remember that the caveman drew symbols in caves. were the symbols he drew never sexual in any way? then why did he draw raging bulls inside the caves? hehe, i am sure dante knows the reason by heart and, well, by his dick (dear dante: my apologies po). the most that mr. freud has introduced therefore is the “freudian approach” in the understanding of our sexuality.

i must agree, however, with tato’s observation about the symbiotic relation between the sacred and the profane as observed among the members of our clergy. not all priests are completely aware of the symbolisms of the rites they perform or they may not always be conscious of the significance of these symbolisms. but imagine a priest who is really aware of the sexual undertones in the rites. hehe, the people would perhaps start to wonder why their minister would seem to be singing handel’s helleluiah seven octaves higher.

Comments and discussions went on beyond the blog. In one of our mini reunions, we talked and gave out more hikhikhik and hahaha and drank and toasted till dawn to our book-in-the-making. Beyond munching on the special sisig and chicharong bulaklak as pulutan, we feasted on the different concepts relative to the theology of sex as well as more sexual symbolisms in different churches.

And it all started with the baptismal font at Edsa Shrine.

The face of Corruption at the Bureau of Customs

2008-09-03T22:03:00.005+08:00

I was driving along Edsa last night and was catching GMA 7’s six o’clock news on the teevee monitor installed in my car. I wouldn’t normally watch teevee or video in the car, especially since driving and watching teevee or video aren’t actually like watching teevee and running on a treadmill. Driving in Manila makes it even worse. But it does sometimes provide a balming effect especially when you’re caught in monstrous Manila traffic.

Mike Enriquez was reporting on the new Marina chief. “What else is new?” I thought, giving way to a red Toyota car who I suppose was suddenly forced to cut through my lane because a blue motorcycle with no side mirrors suddenly sped through his car. Then, a reporter announced:

“Pinuslit na petrolyo na nagkakahalaga ng 150 million ay nasagap ng nagsanib na pwersa ng NBI at Bureau of Customs. Narito ang ating panayam kay _____, ang hepe ng _______ opisina ng Bureau of Customs.”

That caught my attention. “Lemme watch this,” I told myself.

A familiar face appeared at the monitor. “Ito po ay isa na namang katuparan ng ating kampanya laban sa smuggling!” he declared.

That shook me, my right foot at an instant flooring the accelerator and my left foot immediately catching the breaks. I almost hit the rear of the red Toyota car up front.

“The gall of that s___ of a ___!” I muttered at the monitor.

I knew the man. As an importer, I’ve been his victim on countless occasions. He’s the chief of an important department at the Bureau of Customs and he uses his position not only to illegally enrich himself but also to harass importers and Customs brokers. He’s not anti-smuggling, he’s in fact in cahoots with the smugglers. He lives in a mansion, owns at least six luxury cars and travels with his mistresses in a private jet. He’s diabetic, I know of that, and his subordinates have always been puzzled on how he handles orgies with the different professional whores hiding behind the titles “actresses” and "starlets" which he has the habit of demanding as gifts from importers and brokers.

He’s one of the most calloused at the BOC in demanding grease money – or oil money if you prefer, or in this case, petroleum money. People at the BOC call it tara. And if he’s not satisfied with the amount given him, he seizes the cargo, declares it smuggled, poses before the camera, bribes the reporters, deodorizes his name through the media, and demands more money from the owner of the cargo for settlement.

Did the reporter say 150 million? Well, since the cargo has already been seized, the owner of the cargo will have no choice but to settle with Chief and his minions. Consider at least 15% of that amount going to their pockets.

If you want to know what corruption is, this Chief is the man, corruption personified himself.

Still wondering why our country is in the pits?

Republic of Bicol

2008-09-02T12:15:00.007+08:00

In light of the controversial MILF MOA-AD and the subsequent demand of the Lumad people for another "autonomization," I am posting herewith an outline of a book I never got to finish writing. It was first posted in my first homepage in December 2001 (Find it here).

Towards an Autonomous and Independent Republic of Bicol

This treatise treats the prospect of an autonomous and independent republic of Bicol. Employing the successful establishment of the Republic Act 8438 or the Organic Act of Cordillera Autonomy and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao as backdrops, it tackles the process and tasks as well as the possible problems in “autonomization.” The treatise is in toto based on the fact that Bicol region is self-sufficient in terms of resources, both natural and human. It has two gold mines – Paracale and Masbate, two geothermal plants – Tiwi and Bacman, with a possibility of a third – Irosin, which could easily generate dollars in terms of revenues. It has several tourist spots that can be readily developed, industries for export, etc.

And now may I add, we have the MILF MOA-AD and lessons from its historical development as very good models!