Tag Archives: Philippines

Freedom

Sunday marks the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.

I was a toddler when that happened in 1971 so I have no first hand experience of this infamous historical event.

People went missing, especially those who blatantly exposed themselves against the abuses of the government. Abuses were done to people who rose up and let their voices heard. Everyone was vulnerable, and hurt and felt betrayed.

Today, its a different world we live in. For me I think there is too much freedom, not that it is bad. It is good, in fact I enjoy the benefits of living in a free country.

My thoughts about having too much freedom is based upon the fact that people take advantage of this freedom by abusing it. It seems to me that the youth today are not as hardworking and as concerned with their future as well as their country’s future.

For me freedom is being able to do what one enjoys most but at the same time recognizing that there are limits to some of the things that can be done, or said.

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My opinion, anyone can voice out theirs as long as these are done in manners that does not hurt others.

Bloggers Meet Dr Vicki Belo

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Saturday after work, hubby and the kids brought me to the Belo Medical Center along T.Morato Street for a bloggers event. The Belo Medical Center is the leader when it comes to re-shaping bodies using mostly non-invasive treatments. Click here to visit their website, BeloMed.

We were first told about the history of the medical center by Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr.

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Some numbers were presented (which I blurred) along with the presentation of their services.

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The beautiful doctor herself, Dr Vicki Belo, personally greeted us and gave a talk about the purpose of having the bloggers invited to their center.

After that, we were told to try some of the treatments that they have there. I opted to try the Power Peel. Click here to read Power Peel.

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That’s me, trying the Power Peel. I know, I could also do some other services but this will have to do for now 🙂

We were also treated to a wonderful dinner at Packo’s Grill.

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It was a wonderful night made more special by seeing blogger friends and meeting new ones 🙂

Good thing I was able to upload these photos in my computer when we got back after the event because we had to reformat my memory stick yesterday.

Blog photos and entries about the event:

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Philippine Traditional Houses

Looking at Philippine traditional houses is one way of knowing the culture of the Filipinos.

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The Ifugaos had houses built near their fields. They have a distinct house design which keeps the rats from climbing into the house.

The “common” houses of those who farm the lands in the countryside usually has a space under the house. They have a space where eating utensils can be washed and dried, and it is usually called a banggera*. Nope, no like the fancy farmhouse sinks with lovely designs but simple bamboo slats where the water spills on to the ground below. The cooking station was downstairs where food was cooked using cut wood and clay pots. We take turns blowing into a metal tube/pipe so that the fire will be kept alive. At least, it was what I remember with my maternal grandparents house and I wish I have photos.

I also remember that my maternal grandparents’ house was like the picture below and more. Under the house where there was a big space, the onions hang on the ropes. Tobacco leaves for drying were hung my by grandfather. And there is a small hammock which we grandchildren take turns to sit on and rock the afternoons away. Sometimes my grandfather would sit on the swing after a hard day’s work at the farm. Or he can be seen rolling white thin paper to make his own cigars from the dry tobacco leaves.

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This space usually has multi-purpose uses.

The Nipa Hut can also be colorful during fiestas, where the signs of festivities like the banderitas** adorn the windows and doors.

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A bahay kudo or nipa hut bedecked with fiesta trimmings and signs of festivities.

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*banggera – kitchen

**banderitas – trimmings

Population Explosion in the Philippines

The Philippines is the world’s 12th most populous country, with a population of over 90 million as of 2008. This is according to this article.

This is not surprising, given the stance of the Catholic Church on birth control method. Click here for the official Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines statement on Contraceptive Mentality.

The way the government seem to agree with the church regarding the issue is also a factor which contributed to the fact that the population boom is escalating and there are really clear actions how to stop the numbers from escalating.

The USAID has been supporting The Philippine Family Program for years and the objectives that they have outlined are agreeable with me. Click here to read the Factsheet.

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The WQ#11 was inspired by the answer of Lovelyn to WQ#10 regarding the Little Girl and I want to know your opinion on this very important and controversial topic of Family Planning Issues and the ballooning population of the country:

Should people heed the call of the Catholic Church to not use artificial means of contraception/reproductive health products and services OR should they go ahead, talk to their doctors and plan for how they want to practice family planning?

My answer:

I believe in the stance of the church that people should not contradict the “fruitfulness of human reproductive capacities given by the Creator and hence are morally wrong”. But on second thought, the church should not pass judgment on people regarding their stance on the use of artificial contraception as morally wrong.

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Are You Lost?

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Nawawala ka ba?

Are you lost?

Ano ang ginagawa mo kapag ikaw ay nawawala?

What do you do when you are lost?

Titingin ka ba sa mapa? Magtatanong? O baka kelangan mo nito:

Are you going to look at your map? Ask someone? Or maybe you need this:

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O sige na nga, seryoso na. Sa gawing Kanluran, diyan nanggaling ang isa sa mga pinakamalaking impluwensiya sa bansang Pilipinas.

Seriously, it is from the west which gave one of the greatest impact and influences to the Philippine culture:

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