Category Archives: Current Events

Pula = Katapangan

The theme for this week’s Litratong Pinoy is RED.

Ang tema ngayong linggo para sa Litratong Pinoy ay PULA.

There are so many interpretations for the color red:  love, hatred, blood, bravery and prosperity. It may also symbolize energy, communism, heat and arrogance. Some even say that red is the color of the devil.

Maraming interpretasyon ang kulay pula: pag-ibig, galit, dugo, katapangan at simbolo ng yaman. Maaari din itong maging simbolo ng lakas, Komunismo, init at kahambugan. Sabi pa nga ng ilan, ang pula ay kulay ng demonyo.

For me, red for bravery is what we need right now. We need this not because we have to battle foreign oppressors like our ancestors but to battle the many hardships we are currently experiencing: financial crisis, lack of political trust and just about any daily struggles that should have been easy but tend to be otherwise.

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May Liwanag Nga Ba?

Its Thursday once again. Time for Litratong Pinoy which serves as my “weekly editorial” for this blog.

The theme for this week is LIWANAG meaning light or the absence of darkness.

I thought that this post’s title “May Liwanag Nga Ba” reflects best the global financial crunch that we are experiencing.

People are losing their jobs, their homes, and their bright futures are suddenly dimmed. The financial woes are not stopping.

People are altering their lifestyles to be able to survive with lesser resources and if possible, save some for the rainy days.

People are panicking, withdrawing their investments and bank deposits and putting these in what they think are “safe” places, away from the banks whose integrity they now doubt.

The worst is not in sight and if what the financial analysts say that this is just the beginning of a financial Armageddon, how would we know the answer to “Where do we go from here?”

I hope you have not felt that you have over-extended yourself during these times.

Huwebes na naman, araw ng Litratong Pinoy, ang aking “lingguhang editoryal” sa aking blag.

Ang tema para sa linggong ito ay Liwanag o kawalan ng kadiliman.

Naisipan kong gawin ang titulo ng aking lahok na “May Liwanag Nga Ba?” upang magnilay-nilay sa pandaigdigang krisis sa usapin ng pananalapi at pamamalakad ng kalakal.

Maraming tao ang nawawalan ng trabaho, tirahan at ang kanilang kinabukasan ay tila ba isang madilim na pangitain. Ang problemang pang-pinansiyal ay tila ba wala nang katapusan.

Ang mga tao ay nag-iba ng pamumuhay gamit ang mas kakaunting ari-arian na kung maaari sana ay makapag-ipon para sa kinabukasan.

Naguguluhan ang mga tao. Marami sa kanilang may naitatabing salapi sa bangko ay kinukuha na iyon at inilalagay sa lugar na sa kanilang paniniwala ay ligtas sa mga bangkong ito, ano’t anuman ang mangyari.

Hindi pa yata natin natatanaw ang pinakamatinding dagok. Wika nga ng mga eksperto sa pananalapi, ito ay simula pa lamang ng Armageddon ng Pananalapi. Paano natin sasagutin ang tanong na “Saan tayo patutungo?”

SONA 2008, What I Think Would Work Best

The 8th State of the Nation Address by President Gloria Arroyo was both a look at the past and the future. PGMA compared the goals she has set in 2001 to the goals she has set for 2008.

This is my reaction to your 8th SONA, PGMA:

Complex times, you say, I agree with you. not only complex but compelling and challenging. These complex times could either bring out the worst in us, or the best in us.

We need to build bridges and allies, yes, I agree with you. But we need to choose too, the bridges and alliances we want to do business with.

The figures you gave were impressive. But one thing stuck in my mind. Arthur Yap said in an interview before your SONA that almost one million hectares of farmlands were irrigated. You said in your speech that its 1.5 million hectares. So what is the real figure here?

The money earned by that father from Donsol increased from PhP100/day to PhP1,000/day ever since he got himself involved in the whale shark/dolphin watching industry. Is this a daily earning? Isn’t it that whale watching only happen from June to November? What happens to his earnings during the other months?

The different goals you have set are quite agreeable with me because in a sense, my husband and I try to inculcate these values to our children:

  • self-sufficiency ( I always tell my children to rely on themselves than ask for help from others, because they themselves would be able to help themselves.)
  • self-reliance (Same thoughts as in self-reliance)
  • less dependency on energy (We still depend on energy but we utilize ways to conserve energy.)
  • sacrifices (We have done a lot of sacrifices already. These in fact can’t be quantified as sacrifices but necessary steps for survival.)
  • strategy (We think of ways to be self-reliant, self-sufficient and think of ways to conserve whatever resources we have, in order for our family to survive.)
  • special care for the great hour of need (We try to do these too, for during these times of needs, of difficult times, we are vulnerable to do things that we might regret later on)
  • Leadership which means doing what is necessary however hard. (In the Parenting Seminar I attended last Friday, leadership should happen when the children are aged 2 – 7 years old. We try to be leaders to our children, even as my husband and I commit mistakes, we acknowledge these in front of the children, so they too, should be vigilant in observing how our parenting skills or lack of it, work for them, without them taking advantage of our mistakes.)
  • Responsible parenthood. (This is difficult to do because we tend to commit mistakes but we readily accept these. We work hard for the children)

You acknowledged the farmers, the fisherfolk, the jeepney driver, the teachers and the workers given technical skills to prove their capabilities.

You talked about renewable and alternative energy sources, giving lands to the farmers and developing the irrigation system to yield more crops. The population control should be given concrete steps as to how these should be controlled because I believe, that population, specifically our ballooning population contributes much to the difficulties we are experiencing as a nation.

These are good promises for we await for these things to happen, not for the good of everyone in the now, but for the good of our children’s children.

And now the waiting begins.

But as we wait for tangible results, we start doing what we think is best for our family, work even harder, for no matter how sweet these promises seem, it is still up to us to do what is necessary, for we try to be self-reliant and self-sufficient.

Missing Manhole Covers

It is a common sight to see uncovered manholes and unfortunate event to some, to be sucked fall into an open one, here in the Philippines. This particularly happen here in Mega Manila.

Now this piece of news is interesting. In Philadelphia (you know, the city of brotherly love), people are being sucked into manholes, just like what is happening here.

No, it is not them aliens doing these things but its them again, manholes without covers.

Manhole covers are being stolen to be sold as scrap metals.

And it is not just in Philadelphia that these things happen.

These happen too in New York, Phoenix, Cleveland, Memphis, Miami.

Who knows, there are probably a lot more cities though these haven’t caught some attention yet from the media.

Here is the link to the article.

World Food Expo or WOFEX 2008

The 8th International Exposition on Worldwide Food and Beverage, Technologies and Machineries will happen on August 6-9, 2008 at the World Trade Center, Manila.

There are seminars, workshops and cooking demos that will happen simultaneously. Most of these are free but there are some like the Food Styling with Hands-On seminar, Meat cutting/Cooking techniques, French Baker seminar, “How to Flair” seminar, bar tending seminar, and Conceptualizing and Costing seminar, these have fees ranging from PhP600 – PhP1,000.

All the other activities with featured food products are for free.

Children under 16 are not allowed entry though.

To those who will go to the event, please attend the Floor Safety Maintenance in the Food Service Industry seminar to be given on Thursday, August 7, 2008 at Seminar Room Cleo (C) at 3:00pm. This is going to be sponsored by Global Safe Philippines.

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