Monday, December 31, 2007
Greatest Moments of 2007
In a few hours, I will be bidding goodbye to year 2007. This is definitely the most memorable year of my life (so far). With so many memories, I'd like to relive the top moments of the year in this list of my personal great hits of 2007.
ASLA, ANI, and COMELECI welcomed 2007 by accepting two responsibilities from the two organizations that are closest to my heart - Ateneo Student Leaders Assembly and Ateneo COMELEC. In the former, I was elected to be the new President of the organization and the program director of the congress while for the latter, I was appointed to be part of the Board of Commissioners as the one in charge of the logistics of the electoral process. The Sanggunian General Elections last February and the Freshman Elections definitely posed many challenges. The two-party system was re-born as the Commission decided on its continuance. The General Elections was wrapped in controversy especially pertaining to the alleged mudslinging from both parties. The elections climaxed to the proclamation that ABSTAIN won for the position of Finance Officer. This issue was continued well-beyond elections as narrated in this post. The issue lived on and marked by many as the failure of the student body. But there are many memorable moments as Commissioner - elections preparations, the Miting de Avances, the endless counting nights (I'm still the infallible counting machine!), and of course the bond I formed with my co-commissioners and the assocs. Amidst all the challenges that the COMELEC will face, my trust in the current Board of Commissioners made my decision of resigning from the commission a lot easier.
At first I thought COMELEC work was hard but later, I found out that being at the helm of ASLA proves to be an ever tougher job. Losing our ties with Sanggunian, this was a year of uncertainty for us. But amidst all the financial obstacles and the momentary loss of able, warm bodies, we were able to form a new batch of ASLAns who are more than willing to create ripples of change as servant-leaders in their own communities. I've certainly lost much sleep because of ASLA. But all the effort is worth it. More important than our primary objective of forming student leaders, I see more and more the value of the ASLA community. ASLA is my family inside Ateneo and I know that this group of people will carry me through the forthcoming challenging months.
During the ANI School "Year", I was tasked to be the Head of the best subject in Alay ni Ignacio, Enrichment. This is particularly memorable because of the moments I spent with the new ANI volunteers and seeing my old students again. Not being able to teach was a sad thought gtom the outset. But being Department Head opened up the possibility of being able to affect more people through my department. I surely miss my 3I babies.
Dev Studies in My Heart
This year was my first year in Development Studies. Shifting late in my college life posed several challenges and required a lot of courage and discernment on my part. But I am certainly rewarded with a new home and a new lease in life. Saying that I enjoy DS is a definite understatement. Finally, I have found my academic passion. DS 101 (Lelandm you're the man!), DS 102 (Tolosa is a god!), DS 112, and PolSci 100 (Rene Raymond Raneses is the best!) are the highlights of my college curriculum. Of course, my passion for the academics goes beyond mere grades. My drive to learn comes from the fact that all passion and no knowledge would only end up in a life lived our in vain. I formed a firm conviction that my life should be meant for the betterment of others (thanks Sir Tats) and keeping my mind sharp as a tac is a must if I want to make the correct analysis and the right prescription (I <3 DS101).
Being in the company of people who share your vision of a better society is also incredible. I feel so blessed to be with my "blockmates". Well, I love being with DS people - blockmates, batchmates, INTACT-mates (with Eco-H peeps who I also love!), and new-found DS 122 friendly friends. These people are fun to be with and it's great to hear their DS stories and their beliefs in life. Truly, birds of the same feather have the same course (hehehe!).
Election Fever
This year, I was not able to go to the beach or to a resort. During summer, two things occupied my time - Michel Foucault and the Senatorial elections. As part of my advocacy for democracy, I joined the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting as a poll-watcher. I was also a volunteer during the Barangay elections and got a piece of some bad-mouthing action. This year, I became a first-time voter and it truly feels good to exercise my right to vote (Democracy does not end there!). The exciting part was the pre-election jitters. For the good part of summer, I was into drafting my Magic 12. It was a learning process for me. Finding who the worthy public servants is definitely a hard task. In the end, I was only able to select 11 senators. I also supported the "quixotic" Ang Kapatiran who in the later months contacted me, asking some aid in their youth component.
South Cotabato, Hepatitis, and Jolly
After summer semester, I went to South Cotabato to help in the Ayala ELSA program for high school students. It was a great learning experience in preparation for the ASLA congress. For the first time, I saw the team behind the Ayala Young Leaders Congress at work. They were very helpful, very friendly, and very fun to be with. As a bonus, I saw the greatness of Apo Sir Monch! But two unexpected things made the whole experience more memorable - getting Hepatitis and meeting Jolly. Before I left Manila, I had a slight fever. Before the day of departure, my fever subsided. But during my stay in Cotabato, I begin to feel quite sick. I had no apetite to eat and I was having stomach aches. I was very hungry but can only eat two tablespoons without having the feeling of vomiting. Most of the time, I skip meals and slept the hunger away. All the time, I had to act normal especially in front of the participants. I acted so normally that there was this "guy" who got linked to me - Jolly. It's a long, funny story but the ending is funnier - texting me "I miss you", "I love you po", and "jejeje".
More Gay Love - The Most Traumatizing Experience of My Life
Spare me the agony of reliving that moment. Read the narration here!
Rubik's Cube Addiction
A few years ago, I was obsessed with playing the yoyo. This year, I was obsessed with the Rubik's cube. Ever since I was able to get my hands on an original Rubik's cube, there was no turning back. I was finally able to beat the 1-minute mark. Then, I joined the Rubik's cube speed challenge and lost. Amidst losing in my first competition, I continue to speedcube. Now, I am averaging at around 30 seconds. It's an excellent stress-reliever and chicks love it!
In the Company of Jesuits
My childhood dream is to be a priest. So last July, I went to the Jesuit vocation seminar to help me discern. It was a very enlightening session. For some time, I visited the Arvisu House for mass and dinner every Wednesday. Up-to-date, I am in contact with the Jesuit brothers, eagerly wanting to help me discern for my vocation. Slowly, I'm beginning to realize where my heart really is.
Immersion - Manabayucan, Tarlac
My stay with the Aetas of Manabayucan is definitely one that made a very deep impression in me. It was a surreal experience for me. It was my first time to live with indigenous people and I learned a lot from them (not simply about them). I learned about their way of living and how life is outside the metropoles of our nation. Most especially, I learned about myself in the process. My days and nights with my family in the mountain made me realize how important DS should be in our modern age. These days, I'm certainly missing them. I wish to go back to the mountains next year.
Sumilao Farmers
Ang Buhay niya ay bukid, kaulayaw bawat saglit
Munti niyang panagarap, dito na lang nalibing
Kailan pa ba makikita ang lupang minana
Ay maari na ring tawaging kanya
Bawat butil na pinagyaman ay pait ng kawalan
Sa gitna ng kahirapan may uring nakinabang
Kailan pa ba makikita ang lupang minana
Ay maari na ring tawaging kanya
Lalaya rin ang lupa at mga magsasaka
Tutulungan sila ng mga manggagawa
Babawiin ang lupang ninakaw ng iilan
At ang bunga ng lupa'y bayan ang aani
Never in my life have I been so attached to people who I've meet for such a short time. The issue made me choose a side and even defy my parents. The campaign made me an advocate for land, something that was beyond a city boy like me. The people made my heart melt and showed me that the choices I made this year are blessed by God. The fight for land is far from over. Next year, the campaign should be made louder and fiercer. September draws near. The day of reckoning for CARP is dawning upon us. The oppressed needs to be empowered. Now, they are no longer nameless to me. They are carved inside my heart.
The Greatest Moment(s) - Life Choices
The year 2007 is a year of making decisions. I decided to be a COMELEC commissioner. I decided to be ASLA's head. I decided to go to Cotabato. I decided to make DS my passion. I decided to go through ORSEM as Cov Courts head even with my liver aching from hepatitis. I decided to join a rubik's cube competition even if I know I'll lose. I decided to be with the Sumilao farmers. I decided that the Society of Jesus is not (yet) for me. I decided that I want to be the president of the Philippines. I decided to resign from COMELEC to run for Sanggunian. I decided to love the people I love.
Pagsi said that a person's life can only be measured by the choices he make. May the life choices I made this year put a smile on the face of the Almighty Father, to whom I dedicate this beautiful year, and all the years of my life.
Year 2008, here I come!
@ 
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Yuletide Musings
Why do people always say that they no longer feel Christmas? Most say that Christmas is for children. I strongly disagree. Christmas is for everyone because the son of God was born for everyone. This is a fact that people tend to forget. There is Christmas not because man discovered that pine trees remain green all-year round, nor is it because Santa Clause came to town. There is Christmas whether it snows or not, or even if Rudolph doesn't have a shiny nose. Christmas is Christmas even if there's no noche buena or even gifts from lolo and lola.
Christmas has often been equated to these mere manifestations. I say that Christmas is beyond all these. Bro. Javie Alpasa of SLB reminded me of a vital truth about Christmas. During the SLB Christmas party for the Sumilao farmers (while they were still in DAR), he reminded us that the first Christmas was not celebrated in a home with a Christmas tree filled with lights and with gifts beneath it. The first Christmas was celebrated in a manger, not with the whole clan but with animals. The first Christmas had no feast, no carols, and no partying.
The whole Christmas story (as pointed out by a Jesuit priest) was not wrought solely out of joy, but also of fear and anxiety. We always think of Christmas as a happy time, a season of merriment. But the first Christmas was enveloped with uncertainty, fear, and worry - from the sudden appearances of angels to the shame of Joseph. King Herod's greed and the continuous fleeing of the Holy Family complete the picture. The first Christmas happened amidst troubling times. For many of my friends (to some extent, myself as well), Christmas has lost it's meaning and magic because things aren't going as they should be - parents fighting, no gifts received, frustrating fight for land.
As I grow older, I begin to realize that as Christmas loses its magic, it begins to become more and more like the first Christmas. Thus, as I look at Christmas without the eyes of a child, I begin to see and feel the spirituality of Christmas. Its spirituality comes from the fact that God lived with us amidst the turbulence of our world, of our life. He came to our world to be with us, to share our pains, our joys, our problems, and our trials. He was born to teach, to die, to resurrect, to save. He is one that whispers in our ears - Be not afraid.
Last December 26, 2007, San Miguel Foods Inc. released a full-page ad in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Their claim is that the land is theirs and that by January 2008, their piggery will be operational. They claim that these are all for national development. Bullocks! Genuine development should never be at the expense of people. There is more to development than employment and income. The Sumilao farmers have their right to the land of their forefathers. They have the right to justice. The conversion order was not met and therefore it should be revoked. This is not an emotional appeal but an appeal to reason and to justice.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
My Wishlist this Christmas
Some of these are a bit ambitious. This also applies for my birthday.
- New laptop (Macbook Pro or Lenovo T61)
- New cellphone (Nokia 1112 or 1200)
- Watch (plastic strap, simple, long-lasting, goes with anything)
- Rubik's cube (4x4 or 5x5, Eastsheen or Rubik's would do)
- Rubik's cube keychain (the Toys 'R Us kind, not the tsangge type)
- Shirt that has a Rubik's cube design (Medium size)
- Shoes (Puma El Rey - white, not the leathery type<, New Balance running shoes, Vans Slip On but not the skull design, the marijuana design, or the classic square designs) - size 10
- Slippers (Tribu, not Havaianas)
- School bag (nice and unique, backpack would be nice)
- Pedometer
- Wireless slideshow presented (the smaller, the better; with laser pointer)
- Sony digital voice recorder (model: ICD-U70)
- a Guyfawkes Mask (V for Vendetta)
- Digital scanner
- 2 GB Flashdrive
- A V for Vendetta movie poster (not printed, original only)
- IRock Bench perfume
- 144 hectares for the Sumilao farmers
- A good campaign plan
Real-world Marxism
Yesterday I joined the Sumilao farmers as they blocked the two main gates of the DAR Central office in QC Circle. It was my first time to join in such a type of mobilization/program. It was memorable in the sense that it showed me many truths about our society today.
First, it was a real life lesson on how people can develop thick skins. It was around 8:00AM when the farmers started blocking the gates after a speech by Rep. Riza Hontiveros. We were having sit-down strike to protest the status quo order issued Wednesday by DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman. While we were seated in front of the gates, the government employees started coming in. It should be noted that these employees arrived late in their offices since the government establishments should open at 8:00AM. The first wave of employees went over the farmers, passing them by as if they were just mere obstacles towards their destination. It was a strong image for me seeing Ate Molly lowering her head while a female employee steps over her. It was really as if these employees do not care about the plea of the farmers. They seem to be resigned to accept that their office is nothing but an instrument of the ruling upper class.
Another powerful image were the security officers who went out of the gate demanding us to get out of their way and stop blocking the gates. I was initially afraid because they were carrying sticks and started threatening us if we continued to defy their command. Many security guards went out of the gates to intimidate the farmers. Rep. Hontiveros negotiated with the security officers asking them to respect the rights of the farmers to demand for their land. As this negotiation went on, one farmer after the other shouted their pleas towards a deaf and unwavering office. They were clearly disappointed and angry at the sluggish and unfavorable turn of events. When Kuya Romil was talking I was again feeling fear since I know he was very angry and there was a great chance that he might hit one of the guards who are standing next to him. It's a good thing that he was able to control himself. Our conversation later that night revealed to me that he almost lost control of himself.
There were other groups who were there to express their support for the Sumilao farmers. There were also leaders of workers' alliances who talked. I was listening to them very intently. Their words are those of hope for a society ruled by the working class and the peasantry. There were references to the ruling classes and landowners who continually oppress. They kept on talking about the social project of empowering the peasantry and proletariat. Listening to them made me remember how the Marxist tradition remains true and relevant for many sectors in the country. Marxism is therefore not one that I just read in books and talk about in class, I actually met people who are striving for such a social project.
Being with the farmers is very difficult on my part. There is much sense of grief and anger within me. They really do not deserve the series of events that are happening in their lives. It's about time that people realize that the peasantry are not just figments of the imagination - remnants of a rural past but must be re-imagined as a facet of reality that many turn their deaf ears and blind eyes to.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Sumilao March DAR to Malacanang Friday 7AM
They need their land. They need our support. I don't want them to spend Christmas here. Please, be with them. They are our brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers. This is for justice. This is for our nation. This is for all of us.
----
May God aid me in my discernments - that I may choose to serve others first before myself.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Sumilao sa Puso Ko
Ateneo also supports Sumilao folk
Sobra na talagang napapalapit ang puso ko sa kanila. Hindi ko matititiis na patuloy silang pagkakaitan ng lupa. Mabubuting tao silang lahat. Nakasama ko sila at mga kaibigan ko sila. Ayaw kong binibiktima sila ng inhustisya.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Theirstory
Last weekend, I walked with the farmers from Sumilao. We arrived in Cabuyao, Laguna to meet the farmers who are already resting after a good morning's worth of walking. They were staying the plaza beside the church. The plaza had areas that are shaded - this was where we stayed.
It's really hard for me to describe the experience. We stayed with the farmers for three days and two nights. We walked with them from Cabuyao to San Pedro. We chanted with them. We ate with them, sans utensils. We befriended some of them. We slept with them on cold, hard floors of the covered court of San Pedro and plaza of Cabuyao. Aya taught them how to speak some Japanese words and phrases. We got to know the people who have been bereft of their land. We got to know the people whom we have been supporting for some time now.
It was an incredible experience and I cannot truly narrate the things that happened during the weekend. The experience rivals that of my immersion in Manabayucan. But I found this experience more intimate and closer to my heart.
It's a sad reality that these farmers, these friends of mine, had to endure all those that they've gone through. For many, their life stories are marked with bitter experiences of having no land to till, while some are scarred by bitter words from neighbors who ostracize them.
My experience reminded me that modernization does not benefit everyone. There are still those whose lives are tied to their lands. We here in the metropolis forget those people. We tend to forget that not everyone is living a comfortable life like us.
In that weekend, I was reminded of the people often forgotten. I was reminded of their story. But what struck me the most is that their story is also part of my history. That history is created by theirstoy and mystory.
I hope and pray that they do get their 144 hectares of land. I also pray for those who are continually seeking for justice. I pray for those who are marginalized for the sake of progress. I pray most especially for us - the people who choose the modern convenience that suffocates and oppresses.
This was when we joined them
Notice of coverage! 144
Pangandaman! Manindigan!
Returning from the weekend with the farmers, I was met with a tragic news. Joey Carlos (I-AB Eco-H), an Intact student of mine, died yesterday morning. He and his high school friends were going to Manila from Baguio when the car lost control and turn over several times. The others are injured while some are undergoing operations.
Please pray for his soul. He will be missed.