blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

The Eraserheads mean much to my generation since they became a big hit after emerging from the alternatative music scene of UP Diliman in the late 1980s. For those who graduated from college at that time, things were very uncertain. Gringo had his failed coup against Cory. The betrayal of EDSA 1986 was in full force (recall that the college students were at the barricades) The half-a-day brownouts were the rage. Jobseekers had very little opportunities. There were no call centers. There were no cell phones(where you can text to express your rage via text jokes) and there was only one library in the country (it was located in Makati) where you can send email in the just emerging Internet. The Eraserheads encapsulated all these angsts in their songs sans the political colour (But one of the last songs before the breakup "Para sa Masa" had that typical UP Diliman angst and political commentary). That would a years later be done by another band from UP Diliman, "Yano" T...

Browsing through Powerbooks' sale, I found a copy of "Quarens, Searching, Paghahanap" edited by Jovino G Miroy and Ma Liza Ruth A Ocampo. Reading through the first pages, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there exist Pinoy medievalists! They have an organization called Philippinarum Studii Medioevalis Societas . I once thought that medieval studies are pursued mostly in European universities and a dwindling number of American ones that have classics departments. In the Philippines, I know not of any classics department in any college or university. Anyway, I had my first brush with the classics when I was reading for the doctorate in marine biology in Australia. You may ask "Why read classics when doing a quintessentially modern science like marine biology" I have to answer that my dissertation was on systematics and biogeography and many of the original marine species descriptions of molluscs were in Latin. I had to learn Latin! Fortunately, there was a ...

These birds once identified the sports teams and their ideals. Some still survive like Ateneo's Blue Eagle ( a stuffed real one is supposed to be in the university's Biology museum) and are in no danger of extirpation no matter how many Green Archers try to shoot it down. Some unfortunately are extinct or endangered three of them are in UP. Here is a list of birds that are gone and are extinct or in the process of being one. The UP has to institute conservation measures, ASAP! 1) University of the Philippines parrot ( Parrotus garrulous tibak ) In the 1960s my uncles and aunts (who were studying at UP went to the UAAP games with the UP Parrot on their jackets and notebooks). The parrot became endangered in the 1970s and probably went extinct right after the EDSA revolution. It was last spotted being sold at the Miranda and Sons bookstore at the Dilimall a.k.a Shopping Center in the late 1980s. I tried to Google for an image and couldn't find any. Perhaps President Roman can...

Professor Caesar Saloma, Dean of the University of the Philippines science college has this to say in an Inquirer video interview about the need for more PhDs to kick start the Philippines' development This page requires a higher version browser While Prof Saloma specifically deals with physics, what he says actually applies to all the sciences in the country. There has been tremendous improvement when the Philippine science establishment began planning for improved graduate training in the sciences. Ateneo de Manila's president, Father Ben Nebres, who is a mathematician narrated in his lecture for the UP's centennial celebrations how they did it for math more than 30 years ago. Father Nebres noted the need for networks of scientists. But while the effort to produce PhDs is quite successful, we still have problems. If you look at the roster of our practicing science PhDs, we have specialists in many fields but these fields have only one specialist each. For science to prog...

After Cuban jin Angel Valodia Matos gave a roundhouse kick to the head of the Swedish referee of his match, Taekwondo's prospects of being retained in the Olympics became dimmer. The world's blurbs and YouTube has carried the infamous incident whose image is iconic of being a poor sport. Matos and his coach have been banned from international competition for life. A series of bad refereeing and scoring decisions dating back from the Athens games have clouded the sport's reputation. Even our own Tshomlee Go may have been cheated of a two pointer during his match. The blurbs report that Taekwondo barely survived being taken off the Olympic calendar for London by 1 vote. With this incident it may have a harder time to get into the 2016 Olympics. Taekwondo faces stiff competition from sports that want to be included such as cricket, rugby, golf and karate. Also Wushu, China's national sport is lobbying strongly to be included. As for Wushu, we have a chance to get real gold...

If you have the time to look beyond the usual Hollywood dishes, Metrowalk can spring DVD surprises for viewing on Gloria's three day weekends. I found a copy of the award winning 2005 German film "Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage " that features the story of the Scholl siblings Hans and Sophie who founded the resistance movement White Rose . The White Rose distributed thousands of anti-Nazi mimeographed leaflets in Bavaria and other parts of Germany. The Scholls were arrested on 18 February 1943 when Sophie Scholl caught by the Munich university porter scattering the leaflets in Munich University hall. After a spurious show trial by the Nazi "people's" court presided by Roland Friesler , the Scholls were convicted of treason and executed on 22 February. The film is based on trial depositions and transcripts that were held in East Germany. After German reunification these were made public. The actors played their roles magnificently. Noted German actress Juli...

First of all allow me to congratulate our Olympians in Beijing. Athletics: Marestella Torres and Henry Dagmil Boxing: Harry Tanamor Diving: Sheila Mae Perez and Rexel Ryan Fabriga Swimming: Daniel Cockley, Ryan Paolo Arabejo, Miguel Molina, James Walsh and Joan Christel Simms Weightlifting: Hidilyn Diaz Shooting: Eric Ang Archer: Mark Javier Taekwondo:Toni Rivero and Tshomlee Go For doing their best, the Philippines deserves to congratulate them. They represent really what sports mean. It really means doing your best this time and better the next, the medals are only incidentals. (BTW, I also have to congratulate our Wushu artist Willy Wang who bagged the gold! Wushu is a special event and not a demonstration sport at the Olympics. Since China is now a superpower, Wushu can be an Olympic sport in 2020!) Perhaps who really deserve the bokya are the heads of our sports associations. They have failed to get their act together everytime the Olympics come about. My sister was a national ath...

I was digging through my lolo's Rizaliana, Quezoniana and UPiana when I came across a copy of a convocation lecture given by Professor Harley Harris Bartlett of the University of Michigan. Bartlett was a noted botanist and scholar of Southeast Asia. He was invited by the University of the Philippines to reasssess the status of the UP and Philippine higher education. The lecture entitled "The Status of the University of the Philioppines and of Higher Education in the Philippines" was given on the occassion of the first year anniversary of the Republic of the Philippines. The context of the speech was in the post war devastation faced by the UP and higher education. Bartlett asks the questions: Has the UP gained? or lost ground? Bartlett's important points include: The UP is essential to the Republic. If the university fails, then the Republic fails in part. The University exists to provide leaders for the nation. The future of a democracy rests on a large part on an eq...

Being a denizen of Kyusi, in honour of the man who gave my city its name and for being the most colourful prez the Philippines ever had, I have the pleasure to post Manuel L Quezon's Code of Ethics on his birthday. Let us profit from the wisdom of the Kastila. 1. Have Faith in the Divine Providence that guides the destinies of men and nations. 2. Love your country for it is the home of your people, the seat of your affection and the source of your happiness and well-being. It's defense is your primary duty. Be ready to sacrifice and die for it if necessary. 3. Respect the Constitution which is the expression of your sovereign will. The government is your government. It has been established for your safety and welfare. Obey the laws and see that they are observed by all and that public officials comply with their duties. 4. Pay your taxes willingly and promptly. Citizenship implies not only rights but obligations. 5. Safeguard the purity of suffrage and abide by the decisions of...

My father was the man who took me to see the first Star Wars movie (it was I think June 22, 1977, Star Wars fan can correct me is if I am wrong, I think it was at the first few screenings) at the old Circle theatre on Timog Avenue Quezon City. My mother wasn't inclined to see a "war movie" so it became a father and son bonding moment. The rest of Asia had to wait a year after.But according to the Inquirer , Japan is the most Star Wars mad country on earth. I wouldn't be surprised, many aspects of the Star Wars universe has its inspiration from Japanese culture. Darth Vader's helmet is obviously a sort of kabuto and those light sabres are nothing but shinai. I think watching the "Wars" is the reason why I took to kendo when I was a boy. I had Luke Skywalker fantasies that later would be doused when the Empire Struck Back. When I learned that Darth was Luke's dad, I know that fantasy was silly. Dad was no Darth Vader. By then I had spent time in Japan...

Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ for the unexpected. This is something to brighten up any Pinoy parent's day. Somewhere in our troubled world, all is well and good. There is a Catholic school that doesn't charge tuition! Amazingly according to the parish priest, Father Haney "The collection plate on Sunday helps pay for the school". More amazingly The priest also says ""There is no required payments. There are no hidden payments. It just comes from the generosity of the people of the parish." Best of all the good padre doesn't beg for cash. He just gives a financial accounting and position of the school to the parish. How does the parish do it? The churchgoers answer "1 Corinthians 16:2" The lessons of this small parish school should be lernt by our bishops and priests who find politics a their vocation and not following Christ as well as the secular state, whose ministers find stealing money as the highest vocation. Heaven will be on ear...

The Overseas Workers Welfare Admistration (OWWA) is reportedly considering requiring departing domestic worker OFWs psychiatric tests. The Inquirer reports that different migrant rights organizations are opposing the move. Obviously this is discriminatory. Why not require mandatory tests for nurses, engineers and computer programmers and other so called professionals? Shouldn't doctors and nurses be psychiatrically tested? After all that makes for good program material in Crime Scene Investigation or Discovery Channel's "The Most Evil"? Dr Harold Shipman is the world's worst physician-serial killer. And Austrian nurses were implicated in a killing spree in a hospital. The proposed directive presupposes that a person's pyschiatric disposition is the root of the problem. As the migrant organizations have put it, there are many aggravating factors that can push a person "over the edge", language, culture and of course the reality of being away from home...

The word coño is Pinoy slang for an Anglophone, sometimes Hispanophone person who studies in an "exclusive school", chauffered, and lives in a gated community. Among residents and businesses on Katipunan Road, Quezon City, they cause a periodic,thrice a day horrendous traffic snarl! Coño is not the word that best describes the traffic snarl of kilometres long magnitude. In Spain people use "coñazo" which translates to "extreme annoyance". The literal meaning is "what a giant cunt!" Anyway the reason for the snarl is due to the inordinate number of cars (many of them ferrying one student each) that try to enter the few gates of Ateneo and Miriam universities. This has irked MMDA 's chairman Bayani Fernando for years. He has tried his signature U turns, but that failed. He tried to uproot the trees on traffic islands on the road (so that more road space is available to motorists). He was blocked by "coño" environmentalists. Bayani th...

An Indian shooter bagged his nation's first individual Olympic gold in Beijing. I thought that India had been winning golds ever since it first competed in 1900. The Indian teams then were composed of Indo-British athletes. India has won a team gold in field hockey but this is the first time that an Indian won an individual gold. India is a huge country with a billion people. It is surprising that for such a big nation, it has won quite a few medals. This should give us Pinoys hope. If we try long enough, we will get that gold. I hope our Taekwondo jins, Toni Rivero and Tshomlee Go get twin golds and of course boxer Harry Tanamor gets that gold too. Arianne Cerdena bagged our first Olympic "gold" in Bowling in Seoul 1988. Bowling wasn't in the Olympic calendar and was a demonstration sport. But a gold is a gold by any other name. I recall jumping for joy in 1988 when we saw on TV her splendid last frame. We wept when the Sun and Stars were raised and Lupang Hinirang ...

All Catholic catechisms state that a deacon is 1) a man in Holy Orders, 2) consecrated to the ministry of service, 3) may lead and conduct services except the Mass and hearing confessions. He can solemnize weddings and conduct funerals and is the cleric that proclaims the Gospel at Mass 4) may have a wife. There are two kinds of deacons, the transitional one and the permanent one. The transitional deacon is in a sort of probationary training for the priesthood. Later on he will be ordained as a priest. The permanent ones will remain deacons for the rest of their lives. All the deacons I know are permanent ones and one is married. Deacon Jody in Baton Rouge is a lawyer with a flourishing practice. He is married and with two grown-up kids. Deacon Paul in Australia is unmarried and is involved with university and crisis ministries. If a deacon is ordained as an unmarried man, he is vowed to celibacy. If a deacon is ordained as a married man, he is vowed to matrimony. Perhaps nothing shows...

Jordan, Guimaras - The hotel I am now has Solar Sports (which we don't have on SkyCable in Kyusi) which they get from Satellite TV. Back from a grueling field work day, we watched the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics . The ceremony not only was an important didactic tool for teaching the Party's version of Chinese history, but displayed the Middle Kingdom's technological savvy with that giant scroll on the Bird's Nest stadium's tarp. One thing is sure. This Olympics not only marked China's coming out party but belatedly inaugurated the Asian century. We have heard that this 21st century is Asia's but it was hard to believe that it really is until now. While Superpower Lame Duck Prez Dubya was on the reviewing stand, he didn't get as much airtime as backstage Russian Prez and now PM Vladimir Putin got when Russian athletes marched by. It was probably because as the Russians paraded along the track, their tanks paraded into Georgia ! Bush and Putin...

Mike Tan wrote something about a little known church in the Philippines. The Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP) is the Anglican Church in the Philippines. The Episcopalians ("Piskies" is a term of endearment) run one of the best hospitals in the country (St Luke's), the best weaving school (Easter's in Baguio), a college now a university with a good track record (Trinity),and the oldest international school (Brent). For a church with just about 200K members, the ECP has influenced education and ecumenism far beyond its size. Its reason for existence in the Philippines is the key. The first bishop in the Philippines, Charles Henry Brent declared that the church won't build an "altar over another altar".This was during an unecumenical time. When the Americans came, Protestant missionaries divided the country for their mission to preach "the true Christian religion" to a country that is majority Catholic Christian. Brent gave the Philippine...

The University of the Philippines was ranked 398 in the latest 2007 Times Higher Education survey (THES) of top 500 universities worldwide. Across Katipunan Road, the Ateneo de Manila came at 451. De La Salle and University of Santo Tomas once part of the 500 have dropped out of the list. The UP website has this article about taking the survey results seriously. Ateneo's administrators have this to say and explain in detail how the rankings are made. The UP and De La Salle have opted out of the surveys. The THES apparently used the 2006 data. Both Ateneo and UP have said that the surveys do not really reflect the contribution of the university to Philippine society. Unfortunately, the surveys cannot be ignored. In the globalized world economy, higher education is more of a commodity than ever. The THES could change market preference for universities. That's why overseas universities take these surveys quite seriously. One Aussie university even had a press release on its ranki...

This is the ultimate test for the scientistic Richard Dawkins. The Telegraph's religious affairs blogger Damian Thompson reports that in the UK, Turkish anti-Darwinists (presumbably Muslims) have been " funding a huge campaign to import bogus "altases of Creation" into European schools." The Telegraph has reported on Dawkins' attack on Islamic fundamentalism. After years of attacking US Christian fundamentalists, Dawkins had finally done the politically incorrect thing. (Bashing Christians is politically correct in the EU!). In my opinion, this is a welcome development. As Thompson put it "Don't get me wrong: Christian Creationism is bogus science and deplorable. But Islamic Creationism is bogus science that it's "culturally inappropriate" to criticise. Which is more dangerous, do you think? " It exposes the double standard liberals have. Here in the Philippines, the establishment isn't immune from this! The Don of Regensburg...

Talk about historical trivia and a glaring Wikipedia error. President Manuel Quezon once considered the possibility of the Philippines joining the Commonwealth of Nations. Quezon was apparently disconcerted by how the Americans were planning for the Philippines' political future. So he dropped hints with a ranking British expat. The Americans got wind of this and the slippery Quezon denied everything. Ambeth Ocampo had this to say "In 1933, Quezon was preoccupied with rumors that the United States was finally leaving. He then expressed the view to a British resident in the Philippines, Lt. Col. Frank Hodsoll, that since Britain treated her colonies better than Spain and the U.S., he was 'prepared to go to London and in the name of fourteen million inhabitants of the islands ask for admission to the British Commonwealth of nations." MLQ thought of Handing RP Over to England. Bonifacio's Bolo. Ambeth Ocampo. Anvil Publishing Inc. 1997. page 57 Later on Quezon's ...