blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

The UP Iloilo College main building is one of the University of the Philippines' heritage buildings. It used to be the Iloilo City Hall until 1949 when the city donated it to the university. It is a fine example of American Neoclassic. Note the classic sculptures on the entrance that support the university seal. The two sculptures representing the Civil Authority were made by Italian sculptor Francisco Monti who was also a professor at the University of Santo Tomas

Unlike Jomari Chan, I have never found love at 30,000 feet. I have found airsickness though! But that is the title of one of Jomari's greatest commercial jingle hits. It is Philippine Airlines' signature song. Do real people meet their lifetime partner on a plane ride? I'm sort of a PAL loyalist. I fly PAL if PAL flies to my destination. My uncle is even more of a determined PAL loyalist. He won't fly on another airline even if it were the last flight on earth. Now with other reputable carries zipping across Philippine and ASEAN skies, my uncle won't even consider flying on the planes with yellow fuselages, old noisy 737s, and airlines with "Spirit"on their corporate identities. On a trip to KL, I flew on Cebu Pacific since it was cheaper than PAL (besides PAL codeshares with Malaysian Air and the flights to KL are operated by Malaysian). My uncle took the PAL flight only to find out he was on Malaysian! I told him Cebu Pacific isn't that bad. The onl...

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo plans to go back to teaching . The blurb quoted Mrs Arroyo's son Mikey. I never had Mrs Arroyo teach me economics (only the indomitable Winnie Monsod). But in the words of Sister Lucy (the nun I helped in teaching science to indigenous Australian kids when I was doing my PhD in Oz) I would say "She would make a good teacher!' Being a prof myself I immediately realised that Mrs Arroyo ran the country as if she were managing a rowdy freshie class. The freshie prof should be able to 1) Throw a bit of temper trantrums some of the time, 2) be imperious , 3) shut up psuedointellectuals and "philosophers" and 4) know what he/she's talking about and come to class prepared. Mrs Arroyo for all her faults was extremely good at this. She would make a good PhD supervisor! As for Mikey, the only way he could shed his "mama's boy" image is to do an act of rebellion that all normal tee...

Tomorrow is Philippine Star founding publisher and columnist Max Soliven's 2nd death anniversary. Babe Romualdez today reports on the activities marking the anniversary. But he says there are "ignoramuses" who question why Soliven should get this honour. I wrote a blog essay on Max Soliven in 2006. I think this answers the question why Max should get the honour. First of all Max was courageous as a writer-journalist and my father, a journalist and writer in his student days, recognised this and trusted him with his opinions of Ferdinand Marcos. This was at the height of the dictator's power. Max can inspire. His talk to us high school journalists in 1984 has remained fresh in my mind 24 years later. What really does it mean to tell the truth? Max's life has answered this. He looked so dapper in a black suit. Max probably realised that this crop of students will play a vital role in the ouster of Mr Marcos two years later. Too bad Max passed away without writing t...

I rarely get to watch movies these days primarily due to the cost of a theatre ticket and that I have no spare time. So I choose the films I watch. But even then I recall the movies I have seen by some memorable lines. Everyone recalls the famous line in Empire Strikes Back and the first Star Wars movie "A New Hope" "The Force be with You" Darth Vader: Luke I am your father. Luke: Noooooooooo! and the most memorable lines in world cinema history "Bond, James Bond" or Clark Gable's Rhett Butler "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" But Pinoy movies have their own memorable lines as immortal as those spoken in Hollywood. The Sharon Cuneta-Cherie Gil exchange in "Bituing walang Ningning" is part of Pinoy pop iconography "You're nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat!” It has been parodied many times like Nora Aunor's climatic lines in Asia's top film of all time "Himala" “Walang himala! Ang him...

As Bonifacio Day nears, we remember the story of what happened to the Katipunan. The Katipunan became irrelevant as a political player when the Magdiwang faction of Andres Bonifacio lost to that of Magdalo Emilio Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo's government eventually became Republica Filipina. Bonifacio was executed in questionable circumstances. One of the casualties of this power play is the National anthem commissioned by Bonifacio in November 1896 perhaps in what is now UP Diliman. Entitled Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan (Honourable Prayer of the Tagalogs) the hymn goes on with these lyrics Mabuhay ‘yang Kalayaan! At Pasulungin ang puri’t kabanalan. Kastila’y mainig ng Katagalugan. At Ngayo’y ipagwagi ang kahusayan. Long live Freedom! Uphold the cause of honor and piety. The Spaniards have been overwhelmed by the Tagalogs. Now fight for order to triumph. (Ambeth Ocampo's translation) The Nakpil anthem had been almost lost to history save for the 1898 centennial celebrations when it...

In my travels, I have checked in in many hotels in the Philippines and overseas. The pleasantries and conversations are routine. It usually goes like this Front desk: Good day sir. Welcome to Hotel_____. How may I help you? Me: I have a reservation. Front desk: Just a minute sir, let me check your reservation. Yes we have it, please fill in these forms. May I see your passport Me: Yes Front desk: How do you wish to settle your bills? By credit card? Me: Credit card is fine. Here it is Front desk: Here is your key to room ____. The lift is on the right. Breakfast is at 6:30 to 9:00. The pool is on the third floor. You have complimentary use of the gym. If you have other concerns, please don't hesitate to call us. Have a pleasant stay. Me: Thank you and good day. But the most memorable front desk conversation was in a business hotel in an Asian city (the reader can guess where). After the usual check in conversation this was followed by Front desk man: Sir, I 'm very sorry that y...

Yesterday the Philippine Veterans Bank branch at the Bahay ng Alumni (Alumni House) of the University of the Philippines in Diliman was robbed. Two security guards were killed and also the roving bank teller as the armoured van transferring cash was riddled with automatic fire. The criminals' getaway van was left abandoned 400 meters away near the Department of Military Science and Tactics. The mayor of Quezon City lbemoanded the policy that unless with authorization from the Chancellor, the Philippine National Police can't enter the campus. By previous agreement, the UP Diliman Police handles all investigation and police work in campus. Sounds good in theory but the campus community especially the students think the campus police is inutile to deal with crime, petty or otherwise. One professor whose faculty office was ransacked during a busy lunch break complained that it took more than one month for the campus police to produce the needed police investigation report. The UP D...

Some wags told me that Chairman Bayani Fernando resembles Chairman Mao. So I imagined it as above.

Today's headline of the "respected" Philippine Daily Inquirer screams precisely that! Black, who? Jack Black? LOL :-) Shameful and tabloidish! Why not "Obama takes White House" instead? Pinoy mainstream media haven't really digested what Obama's rise to power means. True, Obama is black, but there is more to his being black in his ascent to the US Presidency.

Watching the concession speech of Senator McCain and Barack Obama's victory speech, it amazes me that despite the tensions in American society, the 238 year old way of American democracy still works. Barack Obama now enters the stage where all his actions count. He got 338 electoral votes.Only 270 are needed to win. Now the post-mortems have begun. There are the party pooper pundits, who throw cold water by emphasizing the difficulties that Obama will face and very little will be resolved in his first term. Obama to his credit realizes that. He knows that some of his fans will be disappointed. Also the soon to be First Family is being sized up. Obama's kids know that their lives won't be the same again. For the first time in US history, gays were mentioned in a presidential speech. This shows the inclusive direction Obama is going to take. How the Bush-Obama transition period will work out is of interest now. There is growing impatience with Bush. For a Pinoy like me, the c...

Americans are expected to deluge the polling booths on Nov 4. In a society where no one is required to vote (and not voting may be considered a political statement) , the electoral system may not be able to handle the record number of voters. The blurbs report that for some senior citizens,this will be their first time to cast a vote! The rest of the planet is "voting" too. Even in Russia's Siberia people are either for John McCain or Barack Obama. However aside Georgians who are for McCain, many people interviewed are for Obama. Indians are for Obama. Residents of Obama, Japan are for Obama, subarashii! It isn't just Obama's skin colour that matters but for many it is the disaster that George W Bush's leaves as a legacy. As of this moment, Bush has entered history with no victory against the terrorists and a destroyed financial sector. Bush is the president that destroyed the United States of America. For us Pinoys we can't cast a ballot (though wansapana...

Pope Benedict XVI last October 31 addressed the Pontifical Academy of Science which is beginning its commemoration of the 150th year of publication Darwin's "Origin of Species". The Academy is meeting on " Scientific Insight into the Evolution of the Universe and of Life". The Pope builds upon similar addresses and encyclicals of popes Pius XII and John Paul II who declared that there is no conflict between science and the faith even in prickly topics such as biological evolution. Benedict's important insight is expressed in " This genesis was not seen as a creation, but rather a mutation or transformation; it involved a somewhat horizontal interpretation of the origin of the world. A decisive advance in understanding the origin of the cosmos was the consideration of being qua being and the concern of metaphysics with the most basic question of the first or transcendent origin of participated being. In order to develop and evolve, the world must first ...

The Philippine Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of an overweight Philippine Airlines steward. The court ruled on what seems to me as common sense. Being fat may be a safety risk in an aircraft especially in an emergency evacuation. I suppose the court heard expert testimony and measured the width of the aisle and the steward's girth. Let's say the steward's girth takes up > 2/3 of the aisle width, then I foresee a problem. However, if fat flight attendants are a no no, what about fat passengers?

Britain's Wiccans have formally asked their government for an apology and pardon for the judicial murder of witches. The witch burnings happened from the medieval period to the 17th century. When European society became more enlightned starting from the Renaissance, these executions ceased. This would be a judicial hot potato in Britain and the European Union. After all, Wicca is a recognised faith in Britain. If witches are pardoned, then Catholics and other non-conformist Protestants would also demand apology and pardon. Their co-religionists suffered the same "burn at the stake" penalty. While Wiccans will have to prove that they are the real heirs of the medieval witches, Catholics would have an easier time. The legal history of their Church is well established. Britain's Roman Catholic Church can easily sue for damages for burning their saints. Protestants can easily do the same for theirs. These are some things the British establishment have to think about these...