A Radical's Nut

Today (Nov. 26), said Mrs. Arroyo, is a national day of mourning for at least 57 people – including women, human rights lawyers, and members of media – brutally massacred in a town called Ampatuan in Maguindanao province.

Indeed, we should mourn. Not only for those killed in the mass slaughter of unarmed civilians that is unprecedented in the world’s recent history, at a time when democracy supposedly reigns, in a country that prides itself as a beacon of democracy.

We should mourn the death of the rule of law and justice, the demise of decency and accountability in government that Malacañang has repeatedly and blatantly massacred with impunity.

We should mourn the decay of our society where the police and military could not touch mass murdering warlords because their Commander-in-Chief has political debts to pay, including electoral victories clinched through fraud and terrorism waged by mass murdering warlords.

We should indeed mourn when the police and military, without fear of retribution, kill, massacre, torture, abduct activists, lawyers, teachers, farmers, workers, priests, bishops, local government officials, government employees, women, children, students, human rights defenders, environmentalists, and anyone that the presidential mafia tags as its enemy.

We should indeed mourn when the butchers who carry out these killings are promoted as generals and become makers of laws in a country where the law only applies to those without power, to the poor and oppressed, to those not in the mafia’s good graces.

We mourn, and we rage.

We rage.

We rage against the impunity, the human rights atrocities, the cover-up, the fraud, the political patronage, the corruption, the injustice.

We rage until we get justice for those killed by the Arroyo regime, and the Palparans, and the Ampatuans.

We rage.

Photo from Chris Farina/Top Rank

Magtutuloy-tuloy ba ang pamamakyaw ni Manny ng titulo at titirising parang kuto si Miguel?

Sabi ng isang artikulo, malayo na ang narating ni Manny Pacquiao mula sa mala-Palito nitong hairstyle at ‘syanong hip-hop na porma. Sukatan na nga raw ng mga baklang fashionista ang minsang ipinakilala sa ring ng isang salbaheng Kanong anawser bilang boksingerong galing sa bundok ng General Santos. Hinintay ko noong umatungal si Manny pero hindi.

Pero tiyak kong bukas uungol si Miguel Cotto sa mga malupit na bigwas ni Manny. Knockout ang prediksyon ni Freddie Roach. Siya ang bet ng mga sugalero sa Vegas at basagulero sa kanto. Siya rin daw ang bet ni Hillary Clinton. Hindi handang mabigo ang milyun-milyong Pinoy sa buong mundo. Nakataya nang buong-buo pati pamato ng ating pambansang kaligayahan sa Pambansang Kamao bukas.

Sa pre-fight press conference, idineklara ni Manny in English na ang duwelo niya kay Cotto ang most important fight ng kanyang karera sa boksing. Target ni Manny na sungkitin ang ika-pitong titulo sa pitong magkakaibang weight division na hindi pa nagagawa sa kasaysayan.

Dapat na ngang mangatog ang tuhod ni Cotto. Most important fight din ni Manny, sabi niya noon, ang mga pinagwagian niyang laban kina Morales, Marquez, Barrera, dela Hoya, at Hatton. Ito na ang MOST most important fight – sa ngayon, bago syempre ang inaasahan at mas pinananabikan niyang bakbakan sa aroganteng si Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Anuman ang mangyari, nakaukit na sa kasaysayan bilang dakilang boksingero si Pacquiao – ang kasalukuyang Pound for Pound King ng bibliya ng boksing na Ring Magazine, isa sa mga pinakamaimpluwensyang tao sa daigdig ayon sa Time Magazine, at isa sa mga pinakamayamang atleta sabi ng Forbes Magazine. Iba na nga ang tingin ni Manny, iba na ang kanyang ngiti.

Hihintong sandali ang mundo ng mga Pinoy bukas. Putul-putol na paghinto para sa mga walang pang-peyperbyu at magtitiyaga sa kilo-kilometrong komersyal ng beer, baterya ng kotse, pain reliever, pulitiko.

At agad na iikot muli hanggang sa susunod na laban.

Affected number of families, by area, as monitored and compiled by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – National Capital Region (Bayan-NCR)

Manila Area, Caloocan Area:
Dam Site 452 families
Dagat Dagatan500 families
Hapiland 450 families
Bagong Silang 500 families
Parola 520 families
Basco 600 families
Dapo Ilang Ilang 2,325 families

Valenzuela Area:
Kahilom 250 families
Marulas 150 families
Banana 300 families
Malinta 150 families

Quezon City Area, Marikina Area:
Payatas 2,000 families
Tumana and Malanday 1,000 families
Bagong Silangan 1,000 families (29 dead 109 missing)
Tatalon 1,000 families

Malabon Area:
Frisco 1,000 families
Tonsuyan 500 families
Damayang Lagi 800 families
Panghulo 500 families
Brgy. Old Balara 1,500 families
Catmon 500 families (3 dead San Jose, Daanghari 300 families 20 missing)
San Roque NBBS 300 families
Brgy. Bagong Bayan 100 families
NBBN Tanza 400 famlies
Brgy. Pansol 300 families
Daang Tubo 50 families

Pasig Area:
Quirino 500 families
Maybunga, Floodway 1,500 families
Project 4 450 families
Sta. Lucia Eastbank 569 famlies
Brgy. E. Rodriguez 400 families
Westbank Floodway 700 famlies
Kalawaan 500 families

Muntinlupa Area, Taguig Area:
Sucat Creek and Lawa 1,785 famlies
Tipas 30,000 families
Buli 120 families
Bagong Bayan 3,000 families
Cupang 1600 families
West Bicutan 2,000 families
Alabang 200 families
Putatan 1,650 families
Poblacion 450 families
Tunasan Sukatville 120 families
Advan BWLU 250 families

Image from nypost.com

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde described the P960,000-dinner of the Arroyo entourage at the posh Le Cirque restaurant in New York as “simple”, even “forgettable”.

But consider these figures:

In Metro Manila, the estimated cost of food as of June 2009 is P9,114 per month for an entire family.

Thus, with P960,000, around 105 families in Metro Manila could have enjoyed a fairly decent three square meals a day for one month.

Spent for one day, it could have fed 3,160 families.

Spent for one dinner (as Arroyo and company did at Le Cirque), it could have fed 9,480 families.

An ordinary family has five members, so just go figure how many mouths that “simple, forgettable” dinner could have satisfied.

According to the June 2009 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), there are about 7.2 million Filipino families nationwide that are “food-poor”. That’s around 36 million poor people.

The same survey also reported that 6.1 million families (or around 31 million Filipinos) are on the borderline of food poverty.

Does Remonde still remember John Paul Mahinay?

Mahinay was the 11-month old baby from a poor family in General Santos City who died of severe malnutrition and hunger-related disease on September 19, 2005.

And the Le Cirque dinner was simple and forgettable?

To say that the Le Cirque dinner was lavish is a gross understatement. For millions of Filipinos who go to bed hungry every night, it was revolting, scandalous, immoral.

Basahin ang artikulong ito para sa mga sirkunstansya ng kontrobersya.

Carlo J. Caparas with her patron, Mrs. Gloria Arroyo (photo from the pep.ph)

Hindi naman daw sa pagbubuhat ng sariling bangko, pero ani Carlo J. Caparas, “napag-uusapan” lamang ngayon ang gawad Pambansang Alagad ng Sining (National Artist) dahil sa kanya. “I just want to point out the truth. The past winners are not well known. Di nila mapalutang ang award na ito,” ayon kay Caparas.

Kinalimutan niyang ang tinaguriang Hari ng kanyang daigdig ng sining – ang namayapang si Fernando Poe Jr. – ay isang National Artist. Pinag-usapan din ito noong 2006 pero kabaligtaran ng kontrobersya ngayon. Bilang protesta sa pandaraya ni Gng. Gloria Arroyo sa halalang 2004 laban kay FPJ, hindi personal na tinanggap ng pamilyang Poe ang parangal sa Malacañang. Ngayon, hindi makapaghintay si Caparas na tanggapin ang parangal mula sa kanyang padron sa Palasyo sa kabila ng mga batikos ng “dagdag-bawas”.

Sa kanyang pagkalango sa parangal, naibulalas ni Caparas na marahil “people are making a big fuss about this… because it’s the first time for a National Artist to have such a long title”. Itinanghal ni Gng. Arroyo si Caparas bilang National Artist for Film and Visual Arts.

Mahabang titulo nga, katulad ng titulo ng kanyang mga pelikulang tungkol sa krimen: “The Untold Story – Vizconde Massacre – God Have Mercy on Us”; “The Marita Gonzaga Rape-Slay: In God We Trust”; “Kuratong Baleleng (Wilson Sorronda: Leader Kuratong Baleleng Solid Group)”; at iba pa.

Hindi kaya ang kanyang titulo bilang National Artist for Film and Visual Arts ay tungkol din sa krimen laban sa sining?

Nabulag sa kanyang kapalaluan si Caparas at pumalyang makita ang isyu kung bakit tinutuligsa ang pagkakapili sa kanya, gayundin kay Cecile Guidote Alvarez, bilang mga National Artists. Ani Caparas, hindi katulad ng ibang tinataguriang National Artists, nakapagbigay sya ng trabaho sa daan-daang Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mga gawa sa telebisyon, pelikula, at komiks. Sikat din daw ang kanyang mga obra, katulad ng Maggie dela Riva Story na pinanood diumano ng 40% ng populasyon ng Metro Manila nang ipalabas ito noong 1994. Samantalang ang kanyang mga kritiko ay hindi man lamang kilala ng masa.

Kung ganito ang pamantayan upang maging National Artist, dapat bang maging pambansang alagad ng sining si John Loyd Cruz o si Sarah Geronimo bilang mga bida sa pelikulang “You Changed My Life”? Kung tumpak ang mga tala, ito diumano ang highest grossing Filipino film of all-time matapos tumabo sa takilya ng P230.44 milyon. Dapat din bang parangalan bilang pambansang alagad ng sining si Mother Lily Monteverde na hindi lamang daan-daan kundi libu-libo ang nabigyan ng trabaho lalo na noong panahon ng kanyang mga pelikulang “pito-pito” sa ilalim ng Regal Films at sa gitna ng rumaragasang krisis pampinansya sa Asya noong huling bahagi ng 1990s?

Sapat bang tinangkilik ng masa ang isang pelikula upang maging tunay na pambansang alagad ng sining ang lumikha nito? Hindi ba’t ang sining ay dapat nagmumula at nagsisilbi sa masa, katulad ng mga pelikula ni Lino Brocka o ng mga malikhaing sulatin nina Amado V. Hernandez at Bienvenido Lumbera?

Habang abala si Caparas sa pagtatanggol sa maanomalya niyang pagkakahirang bilang National Artist at pagdidirehe ng bagong pelikula ni Manny Pacquiao, isang “necrological service for the National Artist award” ang pinangunahan ngayong araw (Agosto 7) ng komunidad ng mga alagad ng sining at manggagawang pang-kultura na may malalim na pagpapahalaga sa sining at katarungan.