US warship visit/Our World-Tuesday

We have nothing but gray skies and bland sunsets since the monsoon season arrived.  I played around with textures and overlays to transform my boring photos. 

These were taken from the Manila Ocean Park overlooking the Port of Manila in mid-August.  The ship is USS Milius, a US Navy Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer, docked at the Port of Manila for a 4-day routine port call.  

I wondered if this was United States' show of support to the Philippines amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). While the Communist Party of the Philippines criticized this visit as another "arrogant display of contempt of Philippine sovereignty."

Be prepared.  It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. 

~ Elizabeth Ann Nolan

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

Rizal Park by day [My World-Tuesday]

Last month, I showed you  Luneta by Night.  I went back to see Luneta (or Rizal Park) at daylight on August 21st, two days before the ill-fated hostage crisis just across the Rizal monument on August 23rd.  I wanted to post these photos right after the tragic event but it was too painful and humiliating.  

The dismissed police officer who hijacked the tourist bus full of Hong Kong tourists probably thought of the symbolism of this park to our history when he asked the bus driver to stop at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park.  Or he was just crazy and desperate and the open grounds of the park was convenient for his evil plan.

This place was once called Bagumbayan, a marshy land facing the beach which is now Roxas Boulevard.  Bagumbayan Park gracefully hosted flirtations among the Manila elite as well as witnessed the deaths of its disloyal citizenry with indifference. For 74 years, the Spanish used this park as an execution ground for "rebels and mutineers". Between 1823 and 1897,  158 patriots and martyrs were felled on the square by Spanish infantrymen, including the 3 priests, Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora.  Jose Rizal was executed here by firing squad on 1896, and it is said that the blood they shed served as a "spiritual fertilizer which invigorated the Filipino people's yearning for liberty". (Source:  National Parks Development Committee)

It was the Americans who set the motions of building a memorial to honor Dr. Rizal.  The bronze figure is the work of Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling.  It was completed in 1913 and thereafter, Rizal's bones from the Paco Cemetery, where he was secretly buried right after his execution, were transferred to this monument.  Inscribed on Rizal monument:   

"I want to show to those who deprive people the right to love of country, that when we know how to sacrifice ourselves for our duties and convictions, death does not matter if one dies for those one loves – for his country and for others dear to him." 

The Rizal Diorama (or the Light & Sound Tableau on the Life and Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal) was one of the highlights of my last visit to the park.  More about the diorama here.

There is a motorized train for those who are not fond of walking.  It's a 48-hectare park, if you're determined to walk, wear comfortable shoes.

There are a lot to see and experience here.  This the entrance to the Chinese Garden.  There is also a Japanese Garden, the National Historical Institute, National Library, Planetarium, Central Lagoon, Orchidarium (it was under renovation), Butterfly Pavilion, National Museum, a chess plaza, and a lot more.  There are concerts and performances at the open-air auditorium.

Ordinary folks with their families on a picnic, couples (young and old), students, vendors, tourists, photographers, joggers, Tai-Chi practitioners are the people one usually sees at Luneta.   It's an oasis in the middle of an urban jungle.

Sleep in the shadows of nothingness

Redeemer of an enslaved land---

Don't weep in the mystery of the tomb

Nor grieve the momentary triumph of the Spaniard;

For if the bullet ravaged your skull

Your idea vanquished an empire!

~ Cecilio Apostol, Filipino poet,

on Rizal's 2nd death anniversary, 1898

Rizal Park, Kilometer 0

Manila,  Philippines

This post is linked to My World-Tuesday

The Rizal Diorama [My World-Tuesday]

As promised in my last week's Luneta post, I returned to the park on Saturday afternoon to see the Rizal Diorama.  The Rizal Diorama is the actual location of his execution on December 30, 1896.  It is located on the north side of the Rizal monument, in a small enclosed section of the park. 

The area is protected by a  stone wall, a moat with a stone bridge.  The small bridge leads to a black marble wall where Rizal's poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" is engraved.
 

The poem, "Mi Ultimo Adios" (My Last Farewell), was written by Rizal on the eve of his execution as many believed.   The poem was actually untitled, undated and unsigned when Rizal's sisters found the folded paper hidden in a small alcohol stove.  On the afternoon of December 29, 1896, a day before his execution, Rizal was visited by his mother, sisters and two nephews.  When the family was about to leave, Rizal told his sister Trinidad, in English (the Spanish guards didn't understand English), that there was something in the small alcohol stove.   The Rizals reproduced copies of the 14 five-line stanzas and sent them to friends in the country and abroad.  The poem was published in the first issue of La Independencia in 1898 entitled "Ultimo Adios", thus Rizal's poem became popularly known as "Ultimo Adios" or "Mi Ultimo Adios".

Before and after Rizal, many innocent Filipinos have been executed in this area of Bagumbayan (the old name of Luneta) by the Spanish colonizers.  Falsely accused of masterminding the Cavite rebellion, the 3 priests, Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were garroted here in 1872.  In 1897, 13 Filipinos were also executed in Bagumbayan---casualties of Spanish pressure against the revolutionary Katipunan, an anti-Spanish revolutionary society.  Many unsung heroes died in Bagumbayan--patriots from Bicol, Capiz and other parts of the country were brought to Manila and executed in Bagumbayan.  The Spanish version of the "Killing Fields".

Larger-than-life dioramas show Rizal's final days in captivity and his death at the hands of his countrymen.  The Spanish authorities used Filipino, not Spanish, soldiers for his firing squad.  I was awed by the size of these bronze statues--they're about 8-10 feet tall.  It costs about 22 cents to see this diorama; about a dollar to see the light-and-sound  presentation at 7 pm.  I wanted to see the light-and-sound presentation but the gate-keeper said that there were only 6 of us who wanted to see it, they needed at least 15 people.:(

I have read some articles that Rizal's last act of defiance was to face away from his Filipino firing squad.  That is a bit incorrect because his statue here is supposed to represent him spinning away from the firing squad in a last effort to die looking up to the sky, instead of breathing his last facing down.

Some historians wrote that Rizal's last request was to be shot facing his executioners, but the Spaniards refused, citing a Spanish law that seditionists are to be shot in the back.  Legend has it that as bullets hit his back, with superhuman effort, Rizal spun himself so he could die facing the sky.

I sat on the concrete stool and contemplated  at the horrible scene...I almost cried.  I  regret that I never paid much attention to my Rizal classes in school.  His books "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" are obligatory for high school students in the Philippines, and truth be told, I only read those books because I needed to.  I think it's about time I reacquaint myself with the works of Rizal.

The Rizal monument viewed from the stone bridge.

P.S.  Across the Rizal monument, at the Quirino grandstand grounds,  a hostage crisis involving a dismissed police officer and a bus with more than 20 tourists from Hong Kong happened today.  The hostage crisis ended after a 10-hour negotiations, the police assaulted the bus, and the hostage-taker killed by a sniper's bullet earlier this evening.  At least 7 wounded hostages were brought to the hospital.  Aside from the 9 hostages released earlier today, there are no news on others survivors.  A sad day, indeed.

Posted for My World-Tuesday

After "Basyang" [SWF]

The calm after the storm---sky-watching from my window on late Wednesday afternoon after cyclone "Basyang" (international name:  Conson) ripped across Central Luzon and hitting Metro Manila hard.   "Basyang" brought howling winds shortly around midnight of Tuesday until the early hours of Wednesday morning.  My friends and I were texting back and forth until around 2 am, and I wasn't able to sleep until  about 4 am as I listened to roofs creaking, metal sheets crashing down the street, and strong winds pounding the walls of the apartment.  The winds sounded like whistle bombs--it was  quite scary!  I was also worried that the car was crushed by an electrical post.    Fritz seemed to  sense my anxiety as he followed me around the house checking out on windows...he kept me company.  

We woke up to a quiet Wednesday morning, and to a power outage that stretched up to 27 hours.  Trees across the street were uprooted,  my neighbor's banana trees were wiped out, the cables were in disarray, and our street strewn with debris.   Power in our office building was also cut-off so I opted to stay home and  listened to the news from an old Walkman.

Grim stories were reported the whole day---20 26 38 people have been confirmed dead and there are still missing fishermen.  There were flooding in some areas, people were evacuated, thousands of commuters were stranded, flights were canceled or diverted.  "Basyang" was the 2nd typhoon this year and its ferocity was unexpected.  For the nth time, PAG-ASA, the weather service, failed to give the public the correct information.    It's exasperating that we get an average of 20 typhoons a year but our weather service still has outdated, primitive  equipments.  It's about time the government update PAG-ASA's equipments!  Seriously!

Posted for Sky Watch Friday

LP: Disiplina [discipline]

Isa ako sa mga natutuwa sa "no wang-wang" policy ng bagong presidente.  Nararanasan at nakikita naman natin ang bumper to bumper traffic sa Metro Manila araw-araw---matagal kang naghihintay na umandar ang sinusundan mo, tapos biglang may wang-wang ang nasa likuran.   Hindi naman s'ya ambulansya, bumbero o patrol ng pulis.  Pilit itong sisingit na parang sinasabing, "Hoy, tumabi ka riyan!  Mas importante ako kaysa sa 'yo!  Hari ako,  ako ang may-ari ng kalsada!"  Nakakainit ng ulo, di ba?   Gusto mong maghuramentado at bombahin lahat ng may wang-wang para pantay-pantay tayo.   Kaya sana nga walang takot na maipatutupad ang batas laban sa  wang-wang  at ma-disiplina ang mga mayayabang sa kalsada.

Ang nasa itaas ay ang kalyeng binabagtas ko tuwing umaga papasok sa opisina.  Ang nasa ibaba naman ay kuha sa overpass sa C5-Eastwood noong Sabado ng hapon.  

I am one of those who applauds the "no siren" policy of the new president.  Everyday, we experience and witness the slow-moving traffic in Metro Manila.  Like most civilized people, we would patiently wait for the vehicles ahead of us to move.  Then suddenly a car behind you would rudely overtake, intimidating drivers by using  blinkers and an infernal police siren to flaunt their position and power over ordinary motorists.  At those instances, I would wish I have superpowers to blast those siren-blaring a--holes to Uranus so we would never hear from them again.  I fervently hope traffic enforcers would fearlessly implement the law against sirens and blinkers to discipline those who shamelessly display arrogance on the road.

Above is my usual route to work every morning.  The photo below was taken on Saturday afternoon at the C5-Eastwood overpass.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

Bubbles [Photo Hunt]

"Words are mere bubbles of water, but deeds are drops of gold."

~ Chinese proverb

The new president and vice-president were proclaimed by Congress the other day. People from different sectors are expecting the newly elected leaders to fulfill their promises of reforms and seriously address the issues of corruption that hounded the Arroyo administration. Noynoy Aquino promised "change" while on the campaign trail---I hope he would back it up with actions as soon as he assumes office.

Happy 112th Independence Day, Philippines!

Posted for Photo Hunt

Dark sunset [Sky-Watch Friday]

Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! For the soul is dead that slumbers, and things are not what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art; to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, A Psalm of Life

Justice for the victims of the Ampatuan Massacre!

Join sky-watchers from around the world

Clean [linis] living - Litratong Pinoy

  

Matapos natin masaksihan ang delubyo noong nakaraang Sabado, alam ko, pare-pareho tayong nangangarap ng malinis na kalsada at kapaligiran.  Walang tubig baha, walang putik at basura.  Mapuno at berde ang kapaligiran, malinis ang hangin.

After we have witnessed the catastrophe over the weekend, I know we all dream of clean roads and surroundings.  An environment without flood, mud and garbage.  With  verdant trees and breathable air.

Kung magtutulungan lang sana tayo, hindi naman impossible ang mga ito.  Kailangan lang ng can-do attitude at taos-pusong paniniwala sa ating sariling kakayanan.  H'wag na magturuan, h'wag na umasa sa iba o sa gobierno.  Tayo rin naman ang makikinabang kapag clean living tayo.

All these are possible if we all make a stand and take responsibility.  We need a can-do attitude and sincere belief in ourselves that we can do it.  There is no need to point fingers, let's not rely on other people or the government to do it for us.  After all, it's us  and the young who will reap the benefits of a clean living.

Kailangan pa ba natin ang premyo para itapon ng maayos ang ating mga basura?

Do we need a prize to properly dispose our trash?

Ah, linis din ang kailangan nito!


Posted for Litratong Pinoy

Rest in peace, Tita Cory

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

~ Kahlil Gibran

It has not stopped raining, its as if the heavens are also mourning the death of Cory Aquino. I woke up this morning to the news of her death, and I shed tears for Tita Cory, as she was fondly called by Filipinos. A few days ago, my colleagues and I even talked about her over coffee, about her illness and her legacy, and we knew that death was imminent. But even as her passing was not unexpected, it is still astonishing to know that the icon of our democracy was truly gone, forever.

Tita Cory became the first woman president when I was 21 years old. I didn't understand women's empowerment until Cory ran for president and EDSA Revolution toppled the Marcos dictatorship. Democracy for me at that time was just an idea, a big word I overheard from family debates at the dining table. Even when my brother became an activist and went to the mountains, I couldn't appreciate what he was fighting for. Tita Cory opened my eyes to the possibility of an ordinary person making a difference, and that freedom and peace are inseparable.

Because of her moral leadership, simplicity and sincerity, Tita Cory endeared herself to many Filipinos. She embodied the standards that we should all hope to achieve in our lifetime---privileged but selfless, simple yet strong, unassuming but decisive, prayerful yet practical. Politics did not shape Cory Aquino, her indomitable spirit was inherent long before she became president. I admired her unshakable faith, her grace and love for this country.

It is a sad day for Filipinos who have lost an inspiring person, but I am relieved that death had finally ended her suffering. Rest in peace, Tita Cory.

Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things---with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.

~ Cory Aquino

Photo-Hunter: Books

Books are great gifts---especially for people who love to read. For friends who are not book lovers, I still try once in a while to give them books, hoping they would discover the joy of reading like I did.

More than a week ago, I went to Fully Booked, a bookstore in Bonifacio High Street, to find a book for my friend who was going back to America. I wanted to give him a going-away gift that will remind him of his native country. Good thing the bookstore has a well-stacked Filipiniana section.

Bookstores are one of my favorite places to hang out, my literary destination on weekends. I get a cozy feeling at bookstores, love the smell of books. In my early 20's when I couldn't afford to buy the books that I wanted, I spent many Sunday afternoons at the National Bookstore in Greenbelt to read. The sales clerks became my nodding acquaintances, and they left me alone in a small, hidden corner---sitting on the floor, sipping a Coke and lost in the pages of a novel. It was my idea of a perfect afternoon. Books are one of my dearest and most constant friends---I can't imagine life without them.

Recently, I was dismayed when I read about the Department of Finance' (DoF) brilliant idea of imposing duties and taxes on imported books. In this tough economic times, books usually are the first to be dropped from the list when we're streamlining our expenses. The tax on imported books would simply be passed on to the reading public, and in effect, this move of the DoF would deprive many of us a much-needed soul and brain food. There were debates whether or not the Philippines was in violation of The Florence Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials.

It's funny because for more than 50 years, importation of books and raw materials to be used in book publishing has been duty-free. Until early this year, when a Customs Examiner had a eureka moment and "interpreted" the Florence Agreement, and demanded that duty be paid on a shipment of the best-selling novel, "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer, because it's not educational (i.e. textbooks). Customs appointed themselves as arbiter of what was and wasn't educational.

Opinions were discussed on TV, radio and print media, lawmakers questioned Customs, some initiated a Congressional inquiry, protests and petitions from book-reading citizens flooded the world wide web. Now I know that the Florence Agreement grants all kinds of books tax and duty-free, as long as these do not directly endanger national security, public order, or public morals.

Finally, the President ordered the DoF on May 25th to scrap the taxes imposed on imported books and reading materials. Good decision, Madam President! I hope, in the future, Customs and the DoF would realize that it's not their job to interpret international treaties to suit their goal of additional revenues. And those bright boys & girls at Customs and DoF who believe books (bestsellers, pop lit, and graphic novels) are nothing but leisure reads should go back to kindergarten!

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy.

~Edward P. Morgan

Photos were taken at Fully Booked using my cell phone camera

Posted for Photo-Hunt

Haydengate scandal

A male colleague brought some documents to my desk this afternoon, and casually asked if I have already seen Hayden's newest sex video. I was expecting an Aling Dionisia joke, but instead he opened his cellphone and showed me a video of a naked Ruffa Mae Quinto in bed, with close-up shots of her private parts. Same headboard from Hayden-Katrina video, the room looked intimately familiar (like I've been there! haha). In the video, Ruffa Mae was totally aware of the camera, and she was very relaxed. I was speechless!

I strained my ears and noticed how quiet the office was---even the telephones were silent. I walked around and everybody was monitoring the Senate hearing involving Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr. and Katrina Halili. There was live video streaming of the Senate hearing and it looked like everybody was glued to their computer screens. My colleagues even missed their cigarette break!

The scandal has riveted the public's attention since the first sex videos came out almost two weeks ago. Every night when I come home from work, my mother would update me on the latest development. Instead of her favorite telenovella, Haydengate is now my mother's latest obsession. She wants Dr. Kho castrated, stripped of his medical license (not of his underwear) and exiled from the Philippines forever (he's already been declared persona non grata in Palawan and Bohol). And I don't blame my mom for feeling that way---if you're a woman, or a man with a sister, a daughter, a girlfriend, a wife, a mother, you would be equally disgusted at this good-looking deviant.

But let me just say that the women in Hayden's video collection are not totally blameless. Granted, the young doctor is hot and sexy, and the fact that he is a doctor definitely makes him irresistibly attractive...but what about his character? We all know that he has a girlfriend when he had liaisons with the women in his video collection. And if showbiz insiders are to be believed, the girlfriend allegedly owns the condo he lives in and supports him with a 300K monthly allowance. So basically, he's a kept man who cheats. How could a rational woman expect something honorable from a guy like that? At the Senate hearing this afternoon, Hayden testified that "it was all sex and drugs with Katrina." While Katrina said the doctor charmed and wooed her---she even introduced him to her mother and she was in love with him. Unfortunately, love made her stupid.

What about the rest of Hayden's "victims"? I could only speculate that perhaps his ex-lovers had hoped he would eventually leave his girlfriend, Dr. Belo, and marry one of them, or they didn't care...it was all fun and games, until the sex videos were uploaded in the internet. I can't help but wonder if the women in the sex videos had sexual relations with Hayden in the same manner that Hayden recorded their encounters in bed. He's their trophy lover---and in turn, their sex videos were his trophies, evidence of his conquests, proof of his vanity.

For a change, I hope something tangible would come out from the Senate hearing---like a law with sharp enough teeth to strike fear into the hearts of deviants and perverts. To make them think twice before victimizing unsuspecting women, men and children. Let's all learn a lesson or two from this scandal---number one, be very careful with who you'd like to get naked with; and if you think you're being duped, don't get mad, get even!:D

P.S. I hope the Senators would change their minds and conduct the next hearings behind close doors. The whole drama brings out the voyeur in all of us.