Why Stop at the RH Bill?!

For the longest time, I had a notion that human life starts upon fertilization. I guess it is not the case anymore since the debate, contention and opposition against it has never been this strong.

I have always been a sucker for “happily-ever-after” kind of stuff that marriage is supposed to seal and usher in for lovebirds; but I guess I was just too cheesy and idealistic that the reality is that PH is the only remaining country not to have Divorce Law in place.

Life has become too complicated that we need to re-assess, re-evaluate and craft dynamic, progressive and open-minded legislation (and solutions) to guarantee utmost freedom to enjoy the best that life has to offer.

With this, I propose that we become bold enough to make do without boundaries, throw away inhibitions, be damned with constraints and be as free-spirited and free-minded as we can be - enjoy life to the hilt!

1) Since we are on it, let’s declare that life starts upon successful delivery of a newborn. At any point prior to this, it would be the mother’s choice if she wants that lifeless mass to be nipped in the bud. It’s her body, her career, her libido and her life, so make it her choice. We’re pro-choice anyway.

What’s the advantage? - No need for funding for contraceptive and educational materials - keep in mind, our funds are spread too thin already. And tax the Church, their schools’ tuition fees are as outrageous as the parcels of land they own and business interests they hold.

2) Rephrase the marriage vows because they have become too outdated, idealistic and “too unconditional.” Put a Divorce Law in place that would be readily accessible to couples who want to “opt out” once they feel that “it is cramping their style” or if their union has become “something they rather do without” - no questions asked. But make financial support agreements for the sake of any eventual and surviving offspring a requisite - accidents like reproduction can still happen, you know - better to be safe and practical. We are rational beings first and foremost.

3) As an alternative to item 2, we could rather just scrap the concept of marriage as it is! Doing so, no one will be bound to anyone. No need for the divorce bill at all! And the burden we refer to as children will be kept at a minimum because keep in mind, they can be terminated anytime before they get delivered. For the lucky (or unlucky) ones that get delivered at all - financial support agreements are in place so that takes care of it.

4) Given above, no need to keep an intact “family” during these adventurous and free spirited times. Family is too boring, and it keeps us from achieving our goals, especially in our careers. And children grow old anyway whether a family is intact or not, so what’s the difference? Why bother? No more husbands, no more wives - everyone’s fair game. How exciting can that be?!

5) Outlaw religion. A lot of free thinking sectors cannot fathom how in this day and age there are still those who “keep the faith” and recognize that God exists. God and religion is too foolish because it runs contrary to man’s natural tendencies. It robs man of life’s pleasures! Laws should govern man, not God, not faith, not beliefs. Go worship Hayden Kho or Steve Jobs instead.

Man is first and foremost, an animal. Let us not fight our nature, but instead live on our instincts and desires. No to children messing up our lives and draining our resources, no to married life, no to family life, no to spiritual life.

Man is an animal; so let’s make this so-called society of ours what befits of animals - a jungle.

25th Anniversary of EDSA People Power

I have nothing against Sen. Bongbong Marcos honoring and paying homage to his old man and my fraternity brother, ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He is being a son more than being a sound and reasonable Filipino.

But he should not go to the extent of virtually rewriting Philippine history in doing so.

He is claiming that we could be like Singapore right now had the late strongman not been ousted. His father held on to power for 2 decades; the opportunity to be like the city state of Singapore was realistically there, until his regime got enamored with power and money.

I am one with him in rallying everyone not dwell on the past and instead start moving forward. But we can’t realistically learn from the sins of the past if we allow certain quarters to deny, justify and even paint a completely opposite picture of what really transpired.

Ferdinand Marcos’ administration was punctuated by cronyism, corruption, senseless use of foreign debt, and the disappearance and murder of those opposing it.

That was our reality. Let’s not allow people like Sen. Bongbong Marcos to blur that fact. Moving forward as a nation entails acknowledging responsibility and shouldering culpability (which they haven’t).

We ought to learn from history, not rewrite it accordingly.

Kung ano ang puno, siyang bunga.

Much has been written about my son, na galing sa nakaw ang mga suot, di na lang kami nagsasalita.

- Ex-AFP Comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia

Minsan ka na nga lang magsalita, “I’d like to invoke my right against self incrimination” lang naman pinagsasasabi mo. Wala kang kwenta.

The context of his son’s lavish lifestyle, funded by the People of the Philippines, can be accessed here.

Ang kakapal ng mukha niyo.

Torture, Torture, That Is Sick.

To make everything clear before anything else, I don’t intend to glorify, much less justify the ghastly scene caught in that torture video leaked to the media (oh and if the point is not yet driven home emphatically by now - for the record, it was an exclusive by ABS CBN).

Such barbaric and inhuman act simply has no place in a civilized and dignified society we live in.

Or is it a civilized and dignified society that we actually live in to begin with?

Just taking a step back one bit and thinking out loud here. What if we make the context closer to home than Asuncion area. Living in more upscale areas may provide a false hope of security; that one is not subject to the harm and terror at the hands of these criminals, so why bother giving it a thought?

But then again, we will always use our roads, pass by areas teeming with these hoodlums to go about our daily lives. What if we’re actually dealing with chronic, serial criminals here who have absolutely no regard for the law, makes a mockery of the ideals of a justice system whose aim is to reform and rehabilitate more than to punish?

They point their paltiks or balisongs at their victims, get their stuff, subject them to anguish and may be a life time of trauma. Worse would be some sexual abuse here, non fatal stab wound there or if they feel like it, or if they are too drunk or too drugged to think about it, install a gripo on the side of the abdomen or bore a bullet hole on their heads. Every day these morons play their role to the fullest. On a bad day they may get caught,spend a night or two in a cell, get out as fast as you can say “torture” then off they go to the streets again, on the prowl, waiting to grab on to their next meal ticket.

What if these misguided souls (by choice and occupation) happen to chance upon your parents, siblings, sons and daughters, etc.? What if one of your family members is the unwilling recipient of their next thrust of the knife or their bullet?

These criminals have rights; but so does the citizenry and the state. Why should the rest of the population live in constant fear and terror at the hands of these hooligans? That they should be given a chance to reform and mend their ways - at the expense of what? Your wife’s and child’s lives? Your parents’? Yours?

Lack of education is not an excuse to not understand the words: “Masamang magnakaw.” And a grumbling stomach is not a justification either. Try working, no matter how menial, stupid.

But in the same breath, torture is still not justified despite the repeated heinous offenses of the culprits.

In a way, by consciously living a life of crime without a tinge of regard to life and limb of their fellowmen, and no remorse for their past acts, these monsters have effectively signed up this kind of fate - just not through this cruel and graphic manner I guess. But the fact remains, deep inside in each one of us, there’s this thought that actually longs for all evil elements to just be eliminated or contained. The only uproar here is in the manner manifested to us by which the lawbreaker was eliminated or contained.

Articles on summarily executed individuals are just daily fare in the tabloids; paperwork related to these cases just pile up in the CHR. Ivan Padilla will just end up to be a statistic. Harrowing ordeals of inmates and detainees are for everyone to listen to and get a glimpse of when visiting the national penitentiary. Being confined within those walls for a significant part of one’s life by the way is still torture, albeit not of the physically brutal kind.

These are not media scoop material though. And we are partly oblivious to them.

At the end of the day, I think the prevailing subconscious sentiment is: just get these thugs as far away from us as possible. And don’t make it messy in doing so. It’s not primarily because these hardened criminals can still be considered human beings.

It’s because the rest of us still are.

End of the Franz Pumaren era in DLSU basketball

I know there are a lot of other underlying factors in landing a head coaching job in the big league apart from win - loss records.

That is why, even how unfathomable, it is a fact that a Ryan Gregorio can get and hold on to a head coaching job in the pros while a Franz Pumaren has never been given a crack at head coaching in the big league.

Ilonggos launch cause for sainthood of Filipino nun

Akala mo trapo, lumalabas ang totoo…

“Willie is very qualified (to run for senator). I don’t see any problem with Willie. That’s the one thing that he should think about.” - Manny Villar

If that’s the case, the problem lies with Sen. Villar. We know very well the country is in such dire straits because of ridiculously unqualified but highly popular personalities pretending they know something about legislation.

With a great majority of the electorate remaining ever so gullible and ignorant, the last thing we need are irresponsible politicians like Sen. Villar who actually fan such flames of foolisness in the guise of political dynamism and maturity.

Willie, very qualified to be a senator? Trapo indeed.
(T’RAntadong POlitiko, gagawin at sasabihin lahat para manalo.)

Teodoro-Puno ‘team to beat’ in 2010—Puno (Hanep ang fighting spirit.)

My take on the presidentiables…

Why I’m having a hard time deciding who to vote for in the 2010 presidential election:

Noynoy Aquino:      Victim of circumstance; and Kris Aquino.
Manny Villar:          Akala mo trapo… tama ang akala mo. 
Noli De Castro:       Just not up to, and for, it.
Chiz Escudero:       All talk.
Loren Legarda:       Political prostitute.
Erap Estrada:         Tutang ina naman.
Gibo Teodoro:        Bata ni GMA.   
Bayani Fernando:    Nahihibang; at bata ni GMA.

From today until May, I’ll be gauging Nonoy, Villar and Gibo on how they address pressing issues. But if my impressions stay, I may just have to frustratingly leave the vote for president blank once again.

Ang magnanakaw, galit sa kapwa magnanakaw.

“If this person does not stop telling lies about my father, I will tell the whole truth about the person of Senator Lacson.” - Jinggoy

Point is, only if Lacson tells more “lies” that Jinggoy would be prompted to speak of Lacson’s evils. So the Estradas were abetting Lacson’s acts by keeping their mouths shut all this time?

Come to think of it…

I have observed that on some instances, the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor share something in common - they lack simple courtesy.

There’s a grinch in each and everyone of us.

It’s annoying how some people tend to prioritize doing something so insignificant just to spite other people when all the while, there are other more significant concerns that need to be addressed.