Things that we usually take for granted

Before anything else,I would like to ask you if you had been in a situation similar to the one below..

Tapos na ang party.Ubos ang maskarat plastic toys tulad ng prediksyon ni Em.Sa wakas ay nagpaalam ang huling grupo ng mga bata at itinaboy ko sa loob ang mga nag e enjoy pang bisita nina Em at Jason para maumpisahan ko na ang pagliligpit.

Gusto akong tulungan ni Evelen pero tinaboy ko na rin syang umuwi. “May pasok ka pa bukas” sabi ko.

At ng bumalik ako sa hardin pagkahatid ko sa mag ina sa tricycle,nakita ko na para pala kaming dinaanan ng lindol.Sinimulan kong ibuhos sa plastic ng basurahan ang mga lamukot na napkin,tirang hotdog,mga piraso ng fried chicken,spaghetti,salad,keso,bacon cake,tasty bread,chiz curls,potato chips at marami pa.Ang lakas mag aksaya ng mga bata,naisip ko.

Kung sabagay mga bata yan mula sa isang pribadong eskwelahan.Mga batang laking subdivision.Hindi mo mahihintay na manghinayang sila sa mga naiwan sa kanya kanyang pinggan.Mga anak sila ng mayayaman.Sanay silang magtapon ng pagkain..

Buo pa tong hotdog na tinusukan lang ng tinidor.Pero naihain na to.Serving plate nga ito pero malamig nang laman,wala nang kakain tapon na.Tunaw na tong ice creram..hindi na maililigtas.Hindi na rin siguro malinis tong tipak na to ng fried chicken,etot nabasa na ng sauce.Tapon na.Tatanggihan na to maski ng aso namin na kanina parin nagpapakabusog.Sa basurahan na lang mailalagay.</p>

Excerpts from Dekada70 – Lualhati Bautista

Pasingtabi kay Mam Lualhati B autista sa paggamit ng isang eksena mula sa kanyang nobela.It just happened that Im an avid reader of her socio-political novels(including Gapo and Bata Bata..).And I thought that in that particular scene..I can give you readers the main concern that I want you to get.And that concern relates to our daily,careless and unconsiderate waste that we do.
Now bact to my question : “Have you been in a particular situation similar to that one?”
Well..I had been.Im guilty.
Naging saksi ako sa maraming mga kaaksayahang nangyayari samin sa loob ng aming bahay.Nandyan yung minsang maraming kanin ang nasasayang dahil napanis kasi masyaong marami ang naisaing ko at kaunti lang ang kumain..At nang minsang ayawan ko ang ulam namin dahil sa hindi ko ito gusto.At marami pang kaso tulad non.

Pero hindi natin alam(O alam na natin..wala lang tayong pakialam!) na habang nandito tayot nagsasayang..may mga taong halos wala ng makain.At kung makikita lang nila ang ating kaaksayahan..sasabihin nila na tanga tayo.Hindi lang tayo tanga..kungdi napakalaking mangmang!

A famine sticken child crawling to a UN nation food camp located a few miles away.The crow is just waiting fort he child to die.So he can eat his lunch(Which is the child)

Now after seeing that graphic image..Are we going to continue things that we had been accustumed on doing?Hindi pa ba sapat ung mga nakikita nating paghihirap sa mundo? Yes the world goes round..And these days napakalala na ng pagwawalang bahala sa mga bagay na ganito.Mas iniintindi na natin ang pagsasarili.Ung tipong : “Wala akong pakialam sa inyo..basta ako maganda buhay ko! Oha may bago akong CP..txt txt lang tau ah? Kelan ba tau magbabakasyon? Ay may pulube..kawawa naman..sus.”

O kaya naman tipong : “Oh anak..anu ba gusto mong ulam? Fried chicken? Pero meron pa ditong galungong kagabi.Ano? Ganun iapon ko na ung ulam kagabi? Sige na nga bumili ka ng ng chicken.”

I dont want to be all preachy aabout these things..Pro someone has to make a stand and spread awareness.Lets bring back the days when people are caring at each others.

The Sumilao’s and the campaign for their lost land

Last year around late November, I had a chance to be in a concert for a cause at the MRT Stations moderated by
Rock Ed ; (a non profit,non government organization which aims to spread socio and civic awareness through alternative education.)The show was dubbed as RockEd – Rock The Riles. And its main goal was to spread awareness to the youths on things we used to ignore.And on that night one of the highlights was the case of the Sumilao Farmers.

And after having an in depth look at their situation..I felt disappointed at our current government.The system and lack of justice were the main problem lies. What the Sumilao’s wanted was just a little piece of land which in the first place,rightly belongs to them.

An in depth look about the Sumilao’s :

• Taong 1930, naagaw ng mga mayayamang taga Luzon at Visayas ang kanilang lupang ninuno.
• Pero noong 1995,matapos ang 65 taon.Naging benepisyaryo ang 137 sa kanila ng Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
• Ngunit noong 1996,isang taon mula ng mabigay sa kanila ang lupa.Binawi ito ng Office of the President ang binigay sa kanilang 144 na ektaryang lupain,Sa kadahilanang pagtatayuan daw ng dating may ari ng lupang si Norberto Quisumbing ng 360-room hotel,eskwelahan,plata para sa pag proseso ng mga produktong agrikultural at iba pa .
• Taong 1997,Dahil sa malalang disgusto ng mga magsasaka sa naging pagbawi sa kanilang lupain,napilitang mag hunger strike ang 17 magsasaka ng Sumilao sa tapat ng Department of Agrarian Reform sa Manila at Cagayan De Oro.Umani ito ng malawakang atensyon sa lahat ng sulok ng Pilipinas.At bumisita pa sa kanila ang mga pulitikong tumatakbo sa pagka Presidente at Bise Presidente,kasama si Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.Siguro dahil sa malawakang suporta at simpatya ng mga mamamayan,napilitang ibigay ni Pangulong Ramos ang 100 sa 144 na ektarya ng kanilang lupain.Masaya na sana ang mga Sumilao,subalit.
• Taong 1999,matapos ang dalawang taon,Binawi ng Korte Suprema ang 100 ektaryang lupain at ibalik kay Quisumbing.Nahuli raw sa filling ang DAR ng Motion for reconsideration sa Land Conversion Order ng Malacanang!
• Taong 2004,limang taon ng matapos ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema,kabaligtaran sa inaprubahang plano at labag sa batas,nanatiling tiwangwang ang lupa at walang hotel,iskul o anumang plantang naitayo.
• Ayon sa batas,maaaring kanselahin ang dating desisyon sa pagpapalit gamit(land conversion) kun gsa loob ng limang taon hindi natapos ang pagde develop nito at muli itong ipamahagi sa mga magsasaka.Ngunit dahil walang natupad sa mga plano ni Quisumbing at alam nyang maaring mabawi ang lupa sa kanya..Ibenenta nya ang lupain sa isang mayang korporasyon,ang San Miguel Foods, Inc upang gawing babuyan,isauling paglabag sa batas.
• Noong Nobyembre 2004,gumawa ng petisyon ang mga magsasaka ng Sumilao kay Nasser Pangandaman,ang secretary ng Department of Agrarian Reform,na ipatupad ang batas,kanselahin ang dating conversion order at muling ibalik sa Sumilao ang lupain.

• Ngunit ang konklusyon ukol sa lupain ay naging masalimuot : Hindi inako ni Pangandaman ang pagdedesisyon ukol rito at ipinasa sa Office of the President and pagdesisyon.At noong Oktubre 3,2007,Ibinasura ng Office of the President ang petisyon.

Kung naipatupad lang sana ng maayos ang batas.Kung inalala sana ng gobyerno ang kapakanan ng mga kawawang magsasaka at hindi ang kanilang ambisyon at sariling interes..naging maunlad na dapat ang kabuhayan ng mga Sumilao Farmers.Sapat na para mapagtapos nila ng pag aaral ang kanilang mga anak hanggang kolehiyo.Kung naibigay lang sana ang kanilang lupa,napakalaki sana ng naging pakinabang nito sa ating ekonomiya.Kung mas pinagtuunan ang paglilinang sa Agrikultura imbes sa mga proyektong Industriyal na hindi naman nakamit,sanay isa na rin ang bansang Pilipinas sa mga bansang tulad ng sa Japan,Taiwan at Korea kung saan umunlad ang kanilang bansa nang maipatupad nila ang kanilang repormang panakan.

And at this very moment,were drawing near the conclusion of the Sumilao’s fate on their lost land.Because when June came and there is still no new law for land reform..CARP will be dug into its last resting place and will immortalize the cruelty and greed of those land suckers and most importantly will show,without a shadow of a doubt; that justice is not really fair in this current government,wherein the rich ones has the advantage over the poor.And the least thing the poor people can do is beg,even if they are begging for something that really belongs to them.
And the least thing I can do is write about it.

Yes I do know that its a bit late,but your help and sympathy will be highly appreciated by the Sumilao’s.

What you can do for help? :

• Dont be satisfied by just reading this blog entry.Spread what you have learned here by sharing it with your friends.
• Make your own blog entry concerning the Sumilao Farmers which will help on spreading their current situation.And lastly..
• Sign the online petition at http://sumilaomarch.multiply.com/

Can our conscience take this any longer?

Before I start blogging I would like you to download and watch this presentation.

Download attachment in PowerPoint : HERE

“The photo is the “Pulitzer Prize” winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan Famine.
The picture depicts stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.

The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat him. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who
left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.

Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.”

-Pulitzer 1994,Winning photograph taken by Kevin Carter.

While surfing the net,,It was last week,I forgot the date,,But I clearly remembered that : at that exact hour,,I was just about to end another worthless hour infront of a computer while surfing the net.Probably that time I am watching porn again(I cant help it..seeing Alison Angel pleasuring herself..LOL’d).But then I decided to browse a lively,worth spending forum.And while browsing for topics I saw a new topic.In that thread was a downloadable file in PowerPoint format and after I had DL’d the file.I brought it home to check on it.After Im done with another not so worthy time infront of a pc..I went home to watch the said file.And after watching it…I feel so disgusted,ashamed at my own self.I remembered all the shitty waste I had contributed to the world.I realized that I had become such an APATHIC ASSHOLE all this time.I was careless,immature..I felt that I am still in grade school.

The picture above was just a part of the many graphic images that you’ll see after watching the said file.And to be honest,That really broke my heart.While I am here enjoying the luxury of having a hard working dedicated mother working abroad,I still waste lots and lots of my time in never ending gigs,inuman sessions,watching porns,hanging out on those not so important malls.Yeah,my life seems to revolve on those worthless things which makes me feel so bad of what I had become.

Picture this : While we are still having the pleasure to eat 3 times a day,seven days a week(++the meryada’s and midnight snacks)..It seems that were still not satisfied of what we have.Instead of being thrifty and thanking GOD for these blessings…What we do is brag and ask for more without considering that we are literally throwing/wasting our blessings.And we cant seem to care to say thank you.Damn freakin Apathic middle class and rich kids!.

While were enjoying the luxury to study and afford to buy pleasures in the form of cellphones,IPOD and PSP..On the other side of the planet there are lots and lots and lots of people dying and we cant seem to care.We see those poor people as thrash.Their presence is so irritating behind those “highly industrialized” structures of progression and development. Pwe! Damn all those rich apathic bastards,,Darn all those greedy corrupt people.While all of us are having effin time wasting money,food and most of all our time.There are people graspin for a little money,food and our time.And we still seems to care less.

But why does Apathy so alive right now? A very definite answer would be : because were being sidetracked,blinsided by our own materialistic,self centered interest.Instead of being vigilant we cling like a leech to those greedy people.Instead of being socially aware,the only thing thats keeping us busy are “txt-ting”,playing DOTA,eating nachos.Which is so disturbing for me right now.

I dont care about other people,Who cares if they die in hunger?Who cares if they do because of Poverty? As long as I am still living and having the luxuries most people does not have.I am satisfied,this is my so called LIFE!

Now are you that kind of person eh?
Think again my good friend.
And you should start NOW.

Get involved! Participate. We are the successors of our land in the near future.Make a stand. Kill Apathy!