Voter registration

Voter registration finally closed last night at midnight. Many missed the deadline and are once more deprived of their right to choose the country's next leaders.

This past week, I heard calls from citizens to extend voter registration. There were also complaints about a lack of system in the registration process and the time it takes for each voter to be registered.

Voter registration began in December 2008 and is set to end last 31 October 2009. In the week of October 26-31, old and new voters rushed to registration centers put up by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). Long lines formed and impatience heightened.

This was not the case when I went to register sometime in September, during a holiday weekday. When me and my son (both first time voters) got to the registration center at the Pateros Municipal Hall, we are the only clients they have. We filled up forms, presented our IDs, had our photo, finger print, and signatures recorded, and received our claiming stub for our voter's ID. It took us almost 30 minutes and a leisurely pace at that.

As we are about to leave, another father and son tandem came in. It was a slow day. And I believe the days were even slower before that.

Television channels were peppered with advertisements from COMELEC urging everyone to register and yet we took our time and many of us waited for the last minute.

I heard one first time voter said: "this is disappointing. how can I be registered if the process is slow and that they do not have a proper system implemented?"

To be fair, she may have just turned of legal age on the week of the deadline. But if she was of legal age way before that, it is indeed disappointing. Disappointing that she took too long to decide when to register.

Another person in the line was asked why he only went to register now, he replied: "I had work to do." Is there no work to do on the day he decided to fall in line to register?

We Filipinos generally wait until the last minute before we act and just blame someone else for our failures. When will we ever learn that the "last minute" is always crowded?

We all know that 5:00pm is the start of the rush hours and that the streets and public transports are crowded so we either leave earlier or later. We wait in the office to allow the volume to lighten or go out somewhere to while away the time.

Why can't we apply that to other activities like registering to vote? Why can't we go to register earlier? COMELEC centers are open on Saturdays and Holidays. Is it because we have picnics planned during those times? Or is it because we do not value our right to vote?

It is easier to blame somebody else than to remind ourselves what we should do.

One's self is always our toughest opponent.

I used to say that the reason why I did not register to vote is so that I will not be part of the blame for voting someone into position.

Now my reason for registering is that my vote may be a "swing vote" that will have my candidate elected.

Since my candidate decided not to run anymore, what is left for me is to exercise my obligation to cast my choice for our next leaders.

Door-to-door delivery

Some young guys in our area got the idea of using a banca to transport residents and guests in our flooded subdivision.



The heavy rains brought by typhoon Ondoy over the weekend inundated Metro Manila including are floodable residence in Pateros.



Some friends of my son got the idea of ferrying people from the "banks" near the highway to their residences. This included guests to came to visit their friends and relatives not knowing the place is flooded.





I'll bet FedEx and LBC can't beat that!

Pinoy against the foreigners

Filipinos and Americans (or maybe Europeans) have greatly differ in their observance of traffic signs.

Crossing the road on my way home, I usually use the pedestrian lanes because it is for pedestrians. In there, a person should feel safe from speed maniacs. Drivers are expected to give way to pedestrians (within a reasonable time) when they cross the street using the pedestrian crossing. And one Caucasian driving a silver Toyota observed this. He stopped, waited for us to cross before proceeding. If it were a fellow Pinoy (most but not all), you, the pedestrian, would have waited for him, the driver of an expensive car, to pass before crossing.

For educated drivers who practice what they have learned, a pedestrian crossing tells him/her to give people ample time to cross the street before proceeding. For some educated drivers who forget their lessons after they get their licenses and most self-educated driver, a pedestrian lane represents an obstacle where you need to align your wheels between the white lines and cross it without letting your tires touch the paint.

This event reminds me of a joke about how Filipinos and foreign tourists view the traffic light.

For foreigners, green means go, yellow means slow down, and red means stop.

For Pinoys, green means go, yellow means go faster, and red means go for it!

My green eyed wife

I met her about less than seven years ago. What caught my attention is her smile and simple tastes. She has a jolly predisposition and there is an aura of childishness in her. That's why she never looks her age.

As soft-spoken and as simple as she is, she carries within herself a jealous bull. Even more fierce than the Incredible Hulk!

Maybe it's our age gap? Or probably my ethnicity -- Ilonggos are inherently sweet, loving, and caring. Or is it my presumed "good looks" that makes her think that I am a lady's man? Or maybe my way with girls (huh!? do I even have one?).

One time I had my hair cut too close we refer to it as semi-kalbo (semi bald). I told her that that cut seem to attract attention from girls. I said that they either think I look good or I look hideous. Our son told us that the almost-bald-cut releases my animalistic side that girls seem to like. He added a roar with matching clawing gesture. I never got to have that haircut again.

She get's conscious when I receive messages from female friends or co-workers late in the evening. She even reprimands by usual sweet "hellow" when I pick up the phone. She didn't even like my "halu."

Once she told me that if she can have me miniaturized, she'll keep me in her pocket. I felt like living in a traditional society where men, instead of women, are hidden from the public once they are attached! Now I know how it is like for the women in that kind society. I have nothing against it, of course (the traditions, I mean). Here is a photo shoot we had showing just that!



We discuss these issues and have settled some concerns. There may be more. Some even got out of hand. And I do not want a repeat of any of those.

The Crow

Early Tuesday morning at the Baguio Teachers' Camp while doing some "breathing exercises" in the balcony of the cottage we are using, I heard bird noises. The bird noises did not bother me at all.

After a while, I came to realize that the bird noises sounded familiar. As familiar as the common bird sounds in my favorite animes: Naruto Shippuuden and Bleach. The sound of crows.

I found the crows in some trees on the slope below the balcony. There were about seven of them.

When I was about to get a picture of the crows perched on the trees, they seem to have sensed my phone camera that they all flew away.



The next thought that came to mind is the movie "The Crow" where presence of crows signal a nearing death. The movie suggests that crows come to accompany souls to their destinations.

Could it be a bad omen? Hmmm... I just don't know.

Girls love basketball?

This afternoon, we visited the Sisters of Mary Girlstown in Silang, Cavite where my boss was guest to the mass birthday celebration for "Fr. Al's children."

One thing my colleagues noticed was the presence of numerous basketball courts in an all girls school.





There are about 16 courts in all. Eight are on the open area and another eight in the covered gym (where the photo was taken from).

The school is managed by the order of the Sisters of Mary. The girls who study here are in their high school and they stay within the large compound.

Funding come from donations all over the globe. There are several branches of the school around the country one of which is in Sta. Mesa, Manila and another in Cebu.

The event that day is a celebration funded by the alumni for their schoolmates. Many of those who finished in this school are successful professionals here and abroad. Most, if not all (I am not sure), of the faculty are graduates of the Sisters of Mary System.

The 19th batch of the Silang campus graduated in December last year. That's right, their classes end in December

I met one of our former UPROTC Ranger Company cadets there. He is an alumnus of the all male branch a few kilometers away. He is now based in Laguna

It's a two way street

You walk along the curb wide enough for two people. You meet chance upon two people going the opposite direction. Do they give way or do they assume you will step aside?

Only a handful will be courteous enough to walk behind his/her companion so you will not bump into each other.

Most of them will squeeze in with their companions and give you half of "your share of the path."

Some will totally ignore you hoping you will step aside. And if you do bump into them, a few others will get upset as if they own the streets.

If you are someone popular, these "most, some and few" will gladly step aside with a smile hoping to be recognised and earn the bragging rights of meeting somebody important.

This is the reality in my country. Almost everybody only care about those who they can benefit from.

They care for those who are famous. They care for those who can contribute to their recognition. They care for those who can give them back something bigger than their own.

So what do I do? I bump on to those inconsiderate (beep!). Pain is such a good teacher. More pain leads to a clearer perception on things.

Paalam Tita Cory

It's been a long journey for a symbol of democracy, service, and unselfishness.

Paalam Tita Cory.

May you rest in peace.

Tight security at Makati malls

Just this morning I went with my family to hear mass at the Greenbelt chapel. On entering Greenbelt 3, our bags and waists were checked by security guards. Maybe not my wife's waist because there was only one male guard at the entrance.

After that, we went to eat at the National Sports Grill. After lunch, we parted ways - me doing some office work at Seattle's Best Cafe in Glorietta and my wife and son window shopping for a new ballcap and belt at Landmark. I caught up with them at Landmark a couple of hours later.

Before entering Landmark, I was checked by a male guard running his handheld metal detector over my bag and feeling the small of my back. One could actually conceal a weapon tucked in the pants waist covered by a back held close to your belly.

After buying a pail and a belt, we went looking for light colored trousers for my Monday uniform. Having found none in Landmark, we crossed the enclosed bridge to Glorietta then to SM Makati. We were checked before entering Glorietta and then again at the doors of SM Makati by different sets of guard.

All in all, from entering Greenbelt 3 to crossing to Landmark to transferring to SM Makati, we were checked frice (as one funny email went when referring to a fourth instance)!

I can understand the transition from Greenbelt to Landmark since the overhead walkway traversing Greenbelt and Landmark is also used by people coming from the heart of Makati.

But the transfer from Landmark to Glorietta to SM Makati via elevated enclosed bridges is much different. There is no way I can see someone using that bridge without being checked at the ground floor entances. So why the multiple inspections?

One reason might be that they want to visually assure each shopper or passerby that they are safe.

Or the managers of one mall do not trust the security arrangements of the other that they want to make sure that people from adjoining malls are not carrying any deadly weapon.

Whichever of the two reasons they may have is beyond my knowledge. What do you think?

Remembering Tita Cory

I was born at the height of the Martial Law in the Philippines. During the snap elections held in the early 80's, I was rooting for the then President Ferdinand Marcos. Being young that I was, I always took the side of the incumbent. I never knew about the martial law atrocities then. My consciousness revolved within my town and school.

During the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, I stayed at home not know what is happening around the country. I did not even notice that there already was a change in leadership.

My television viewing was limited to cartoons, the occasional television series showing women in bikinis, and good old Filipino movies. I got to read about Tita Cory's presidency in my grandfather's (God, rest his soul) monthly supply of Free Press.

I got to know more about Marcos in one edition of Playboy I stole from a hidden bookshelf.

Tita Cory's term faced many coup attempts mostly led by a former ally, the aide of then Minister of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile, Col. Gringo Honasan. I even saw a picture of Noynoy brandishing a submachine gun while escorting his mother. Kris was far from my recognition that time until she came out in one of the Hong Kong action films I watched when I was in high school.

In one occasion, I heard about rumors that during one coup d'etat, President Aquino hid underneath her bed. This was denied by the President. She even showed her presidential bed to the media. She raised the bed sheet showing the solid block of wood underneath as opposed to the usual construct of beds raised from the floor by four legs.

I think I heard or read her say "how can I get under the bed?"

After her term ended, Tita Cory quietly turned over the position to her successor Fidel V. Ramos.

In my memory, she remained unattached from the government until Erap was elected president and controversies about the new head of state came out.

In all those years, Tita Cory remained as a beacon for democracy among Filipinos.

Yellow has remained a color associated with the people's will.

With her joining our Maker, she will be able to watch over here beloved countrymen beside God.

Our condolences to her family and our prayers that she receive everlasting peace.

She did her part.

We still have to do ours.

For dreams stronger than death.

Flooding in Pateros

Three hours of sporadic rains inundated the streets of Sto. Rosario Subdivision in Pateros. This even if a nearby creek two streets over is deeper than a regular man.







And it is still raining up to now

Pantherhouse PG-13

Saw this photo while doing some research on the web.

WARNING: Parental Guidance needed



It's one hell of a creative shot that was part of the entries on this site.

Visit the homepage of the site here.

Interview

I hope GMA News does not mind me embedding this on my blog. :)


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

I was interviewed by Ms. Mariz Umali this afternoon on safety of food kids eat in school.

Nobody else took the interview. And I was the unfortunate candidate.

Life's choices

It is said that our destinies have already been written. Others argue that our destiny depends on our choices.

Both, I believe, are true.

Imagine our destinies to be highways that start from one point and lead to different places. The point of origin is our birth. The end points are our possible fates. Our decisions are changes in the routes that we take.

From that time until were are able to make small decisions for ourselves, like to eat the cookie or not, our paths are influenced by those around us. If represented by a highway, these are paths that follow the shape of the land -- winding roads, zigzagging roads, and those that follow the river.

Later on, we begin to make bigger decisions based on how we are influenced by our parents. And a parent's influence to its child is strong. This can be represented by forks on the road that split the journey based on land masses and bodies of water.

As we grow older, the decisions we make become more complicated and can be compared to streets with growing number of intersections.


And so it is written...