Sweet moments with Ms. B

Independence day - July 4, 1946 onwards...

Introduction
So much has been said and told about Philippine history. We can read them from books in school libraries, textbooks, and other major institutions.

From our elementary years through high school then college, and perhaps in graduate school, we keep seeing all over again and again the same names and data that our national hero is a man named Dr. Jose P. Rizal… three priests were beheaded…and another man whose name is after a local fish (Lapu-Lapu) who scared the Spaniards away leaving their superior headless in a tiny village (Mactan) and so on, and so forth.

True, they say, our country has been manipulated to the max (maximum), if I may say. And because of this sour past, we Filipinos did not, in any manner, really felt “free”, not to the max anyhow .I mean, we did not have real “freedom of speech” since. We can only say this much because we need to “sanitize”. Doh! I love the word.

Who am I to say more of the “nots” and “don’ts” and no-nos of our own history? Well, if I have my way, I would say all these:

The Filipino, a product of 300 years of medieval rule and 50 years of Hollywood...
A centrifuge is a machine that spins liquid in a container and displacing all dissolved solids at the bottom, by centrifugal force, and in layers according to their relative weights, forming a tiered homogenous blob.

The “pre-modern” history of Filipinos was far from a centrifuge, by analogy. The forces that molded the Filipino identity were so diverse, if not completely contrasting. Three centuries of complete subjugation and being kept divided (lacking a common language) highly contrasted with 50 years of unbridled liberalism, with a uniting medium, the English language.

The centuries-old passion of the Filipinos to be independent finally broke through with the granting of independence on July 4, 1946. The die was cast: The Philippines run like hell by Filipinos rather than being run like heaven by the Americans. Were we ready for independence then?

Spain can’t go away, America won’t go away
Independence was granted. It was therefore not a matter of right. It was more of a gift. The Filipinos, led by President Manuel Roxas, the first President of the Republic, looked up to the Americans as the two-time-redeemer (from Spain and Japan). The Philippines would later adopt, as a matter of policy, the military and parity “Acts” which would give the Americans their military bases and equal rights for their citizens in the conduct of business.

Yet, no matter how “Americanized” the new system was, the Filipino anima was deeply Spanish. The barrio fiestas in honor of the patroness, the compadres to favor, the layered societal communities, the parochial schools and major universities owned and run by religious orders, and of course, the Spanish family names assigned to the natives.

The Philippines would certainly be run like hell by Filipinos simply because we were not a homogenous people.

Number two in South East Asia
The first few years of the Roxas government was a mess. Economy slid down and there was so much dissatisfaction. The Americans took the opportunity and came up with a “see-I-told-you” approach and started the Aid-program, a minor economic surge. But the countryside did not feel the surge. In the 1940s a brewing unrest came to the fore in a form of a communist movement. A very popular President however, nipped the Huks on the bud; a land reform system was enshrined by President Ramon Magsaysay, calming down the rebellion and ultimately dismantling it.

In the 1950s, in order to bail out the Philippines from a sliding economy, the US came out with a package that was too good to refuse: the military and parity Acts which would be a conduit for American business to prop up the economy. In return, Americans would have the military bases and would give their citizens equal rights in the conduct of business. Economy grew. Historians agree that the Philippines were only second to Japan in Southeast Asia.

But the prestige would be short lived. Martial Law and a new Constitution would totally change the picture.

A Subjugated people, again -(four times over, including the WWII Japanese Occupation)
As if being subjugated by the Spaniards, the Americans and the Japanese were not enough; we are subjugated again, for the 4th time. We have allowed our mangled past to cloud our judgment. We have maintained a central government (Manila) that takes upon itself the rule as the “Big Brother”. The colonial mentality lords over in all levels of our society, even within the family itself, the basic unit of society. Patriarchy, as reflected in the Bible, still pervades, nullifying the fact that marriage and elective positions are born with a partnership contract.

Nothing could reflect this I-Me-Mine mindset better than the Martial Law years. The uncontrolled hunger for power has subjugated us again. The cancer within metastasized, even as the Martial Law players are gone.

Martial Rule was a well-crafted ruse. The Constitution was changed and made to adopt perpetuation of power. It touched the basic human fabric and held everyone at bay. It was so well executed, it lasted for 20 years, plunging the economy down and almost destroying hope among its citizenry. But as the Spanish Rule ended with the death of a nationalist; so did this dark portion of our modern history.

Post Martial Law self-infused subjugation, the present:
The one singular thing we learned from Martial Rule was the rule of law. The country could not move forward unless the rules are changed; thus, the 1987 Constitution. The new order talks of autonomy of local governments. In effect, it said goodbye to imperial Manila. Governmental functions were devolved, jurisdiction were transferred.

Yet even with a better Constitution, we are still reeling from the effects of the past. The Cory government laid out the legislative basis for change. In spite of several coups (momentum from the military), she survived her term as a well-respected transitory president, not only locally, but also in the international circle. The Ramos government took off well enough to be regarded as an omen that finally the Philippines would see the light again. Then came the actor (Joseph Estrada) and his ouster (even as the impeachment trial was not concluded!). The economy, saddled by huge deficit and foreign debt, again took a snail’s pace. This political “after-shock” was too much for the present leader, President Gloria Arroyo, to take her Presidency in stride. A crisis brought about by accusations of election fraud, fueled by the “Garci” tapes, almost brought her down. The crisis still persists, but she seems to hold on.

But why all these violence are on to us? The situation is much easier understood if we empathized a battered child, take a trip into his psyche and see the bigger picture. History is our teacher. History tells us that whether we like it or not, the insult inflicted on our forefathers has stuck in our genes and has governed our behavior as a people. Denial is dangerous and would lead to false hopes and despair.

An afterthought…
We have a crisis at hand. Nurses are leaving our hospitals for abroad, and so are other professionals (teachers as DHs in Hong Kong, etc.). We have elected our “enemies” in Congress and gave them millions for their countryside activities (a good number think that the funds ended up as bullets that kill our soldiers). The business community (especially Chinese) does not feel safe from kidnappers. Drug laboratories operate in the neighborhood of elected officials.

There is an on-going breakdown of civil responsibility. The environment is taking the brunt. We are imploding.

The vital role of History (and historians?)
Human behavior is predictable, in spite of its complexities. Things happen for a reason. History tells us that nothing happens spontaneously. It is a matter of picking out specific events in our past, discover the cause-and-effect episodes, understand the Filipino as a person and as a people and design formulae for peace and progress.

Hypothetically this is doable. History is an ally, a potent one, but only when historians transcend from just telling stories to expressing what it felt like.

The Movie: “The New World”, half fiction and half based on true events but kind of twisted.

Subject of the movie:
“The New World” revolves around human experience during the 1600’s landing/exploration of America, specifically the preset State of Virginia, by British explorers. The storyline touches on basic human traits:

1) the primordial right to protect ones property

2) the nature of man to explore the unknown

3) the capacity of man to love, even someone totally alien to him/her.

The side-subject is nature and man’s respect and mastery over it. Dialogue lines like “I love to feel the grass” (Pocahontas, who spend so much tie roaming the meadows barefoot), scenes like burying a fish beside a tobacco plant to condition the soil (compost) and the use of tree branches to build their native houses instead of cutting down the tree itself (like what the Europeans did).

Storyline: (Category: Tragedy)
On the surface, “The New World” appears to be a romantic tragedy, an off-love triangle that is broken by the decision of the woman who would later die young. However, a historical significance is forwarded. The tragedy is more on the deprivation of the natives of their right to abode, their culture ad value slowly dying out.

The portrayal of events was balanced. There was no slant on the manner and outcome of the battles (superiority of the Europeans with their canons and guns was ably evened out by the strategy of the natives to use body paint to blend with the surroundings and their effective use of the terrain). No bias was felt on the romantic twist when the princess gave up on Capt. Smith, her first love who she thought was dead, for her husband who accepted his fate. On the human survival side, it was a worth the effort to portray the weak and distraught settlers inside the fort, famished from lack of food, only to be “saved” by the once friendly natives who came in, although unwelcome, with meat and other foodstuffs.

Making of the movie:
The movie would ultimately suffer from the brevity and simplicity of the story. In the middle part, dialogue, which was short and far in between, had to be supplemented by dragging sceneries. For lack of twists and turns of the storyline itself, and the need to come up with a 2-hour film, a considerable portion of the movie was purely visual: rivers, mountains, treetops, skyline and, of course, grass. Even the musical score suffered from the drag. It was repetitive and predictable relying on the sound quality of the musical instruments and percussion. There were moments when the background music would totally go: pure silence. Is this the way the Director intended the film to focus on the beauty of nature? Or did the composer just run out of notes to write! These silent episodes did not work. The Director might as well have taken still photos of the scenery, arrange them in sequence, and direct the viewer to walk in a queue to appreciate them and get the message.

Costume was excellent except for one glaring glitch: Pocahontas wore a thin, fine-woven fabric that could not have been available in the 1600’s native America. Well, that’s the movies!
Casting was well decided, the actors responded perfectly. The battle scene was overly gory and violent, one would wonder why there were still so many left standing after the siege of the fort. One can’t feel the before and after, in terms of number of people.

General impression:
“New World” is a brave attempt to make something out of a simple short story. Had it not been for the contrasts (culture difference, the natural country-side in Virginia vis-à-vis the unique architecturally manipulated gardens in Europe, and the facial features of native Americans vis-à-vis the Europeans), had it not been for the superb casting and realistic costumes, the movie would have been one of those so-so high budget films relegated into the archives to join “Water World” and other also-runs.

POCAHONTAS, the animation:
In retrospect, one would easily understand why Pocahontas was a musical. The music (dialogue in musical form) blended well with the flow of the streams, rivers and grass, the curve of the mountains and the riches of the treetops. But more importantly, singing the dialogue consumes time, and time was the enemy of this short story. The brevity and simplicit of the story required the shortest of dialogues.

If the actors in the “New World” were paid by the number of words they spoke, the legendary Christopher Plummer would end up a pauper!

This is the Vatican Museum in Rome, Italy. Perhaps it is a wonderful place, but it is located very far from where i am, right now. I say "perhaps" because i didn't had a first hand experience in this particular place... well, not just yet anyway. I cannot trully describe it fully here. But the thing is, i obviously admire museums.

Since part of my requirement in my master's class is to make a historical concept of any allied subject i'm taking presently, which is "Public history, allow me to share with you what i picked as my historical concept. Within are some of my concerns about Museums. Here goes:

What makes up a Museum?
What does it do to each individual person, in particular and to every humane society in general?
What are the tolls needed to put up one?
What does it entails?
What might be its impact on any society?
What could be done to improve one?
What are the factors, which might affect its downfall and/or success?
What remedies would aid in its advancement?
What type of artifacts would go in or not in one?
What suggestions can be given for its longetivity?

Perhaps these are just some of the questions one can ask in the idea of museums. Museums can be regarded as a rich collection/s of significant items and/or places, things and ideas, whether historical, political and/or religious or even scientific in nature in this living world. It can also be the treasury of special yet forgotten past of anything.

So, anything and everything about Museums amazes me with its purpose and function in any society. And in this context, one can ask more questions like:

how can it be realized?
how may a place or item, or idea or even a thing become a part of a Museum?
how may a place or thing be included the collection?
how can historians or the people involved in its logistics realize its potentialities in society?
how can it be taken seriously then?
how can a society bring out its pure essence and be understood?
how could a person/s relate its past in a museum?
how may one understand its true purpose?
how easily can one be a flop if not unsuccessful?
how can it be done in a place (city or other)?

More of these sets of questionnaires are at hand in various sizes and/or magnitude. If only one can understand its real meaning to a person, perhaps, one can truly fathom its purpose in society –in general and in each person-in particular.

With Tangub City Mayor (Hon. Jennifer W. Tan) and family

A few weeks ago I visited one great city named after a bamboo basket for rice… TANGUB.

I’ve heared all about that name before but I didn’t realize the exact meaning of the word! It only occurred to me when I finally stepped down the cruise liner (Ozamiz 1) and after forty (40) wholesome minutes of bus ride, that I felt its warmth and beauty. Indeed! It is a wonderful city! With all its glory and splendor of a cool and lush flora, no one would ever expect it to be that trendy.

That trip was part of my master’s class assignment but I had great times! With sweet and friendly hosts, no less than the Mayor herself and City officials, we can’t stop being grateful.

Another thing, which made that trip more exciting was the foretold huge WAVES! But that didn’t stop my craving to taste the true Tangub hospitality. And surely enough we had so much fun, not to mention the pleasurable experience of becoming a part of the creation of Tangub City's history-in-the-making. Does this happen more too often than not?

You might want to remember...

1. No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.

2. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they

don't love you with all they have.

3. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

4. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.

5. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with

your smile.

6. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.

7. Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.

8. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that

when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.

9. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

10. There's always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.

11. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.

12. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.

13. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll still land among the stars.

14.Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic!

15. When you were born, everyone around you was smiling and you were crying.

REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

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And to you my dearest friend, i still don't know why it happened , but Thanks! you made me stronger. Oh, i miss you so much! Luv ya!

I miss my mom today. She is the reason why I am here… well, my dad too, of course! This is one special day for me because… it’s … my…birthday! Yes! The very day I was given the gift of life! Thanks Mom!

Personally, I consider birthdays a very special gift. And I cherish it every year, with or without gifts. Thanks so much dear God!

Birthdays are precious, at least for me. I say it ought to be celebrated. Not the way billionaires do, one simple but wholesome meal would suffice, as a way of thanksgiving. What’s important is being grateful for this special day, and I am! Truly!

Thanks to you too! You have made my life more worthwhile!

More fuzz, full-packed ships, boats and bancas, overflowing plane rides, sold out suite rooms, overjoyed resto-bars, better street dancers, new flocks of pilgrim devotees everyday…etc. These and more were the common sites and commotions of the just concluded Sinulog festivities here in the beautiful city of Cebu, which culminated last January 15, 2006, in honor of the Holy Child Señor Sto Niño. As far as can remember during my college years in Spanish class that you address a grown up male individual as Señor while little lads are called: señorito, but in this case, our Sto. Niño is addressed as Señor for the reason that although he is still a child, he is bigger than anything, which explains better why he holds the world in the palm of his hand.

Actually, the whole celebration kicked off at the onset of the Novena, a nine-day prayer, which started last Thursday and culminating nine days later, which should be third Sunday of the first month of every year of the Roman calendar. This year it fell on the fifteenth (15th) of January.

Traditionally, Sinulog is a religious celebration consisting mainly of church activities namely: Novena mass, fluvial or water parade and procession. But the city adapted to it by organizing a Mardi gras (a day of carnival and merrymaking); concert performances by local bands from Cebu mostly from other provinces and locally as well; beauty pageant (Miss Cebu); song festival called-Pop music festival; Sinulog dance contests between graders and high school and many more to highlight the affair as a way of winding up the entire event with a climactic effect. As it was initially a religious undertaking, the local government together with the provincial officials got interested by the charisma and devotion of the pilgrims from all walks of life and traveling from other parts of the world would sweat their tears out just to witness the whole event and be near with the holy child hoping to be in commune with him intimately. So, the city dads thought of integrating within some cultural aspects based on historical facts and formulated a series of activities under their direct supervision and management. Thus the street dancing contests were conceived in early 80’s, which drew attention from the local residents here and most especially our very own Balikbayans abroad. A series of civic events were lined up few days prior to the feast day itself including a beauty pageant in search for Miss Cebu, which was outstandingly popular (at least for me) because she is the little sister of my daughter’s friend and colleague in biology class last year. She is really pretty! With that flawless, slender waist, bright yellow flowing gown…a great smile and a heart of gold with that perfect answer (well, almost) to the 64-dollar question, who would miss giving her that crown!

Also, there were local bands winding up and performing their feat giving it their best shot of music with their new and old compositions while singing their hearts out ‘til they ran out of it (as if they did). Oh, one local band just landed as one of the top performers and guess what- the lead singer (Jay) is my husband’s nephew! I’m referring to the Cueshe’, An all male band whose music perpetuated much on teen’s ears, but I’m into their music too, mind you.

On the other hand, as the city prepares for the big event, more stalls filled with souvenir items were put up by the sidewalks of Abellana School frontal perimeter for easy access of the tourists and/or visitors of their shopping needs. It was indeed a spectacle!

Speaking of visitors and tourists, I saw some local celebrities from the capital city like the Pinoy Big Brother cast, who danced their way to the oval arena of Abellana National high school on top of their float as an entry. And sure enough the crowd grew wilder then; the very talented Ogie Alcasid, who chants like a yellow bird (who just kissed his tweety partner) and whose songs lured every Filipino love mate; and also the energetic husband lawyer of Sharon- Atty. Pangilinan. Of course there were more, just can’t narrate them all here.

In connection to the growing crowd of people who flocked their way here in Cebu, understandably business wise, it grew relatively high. An upsurge of sales reaped through the whole business community. Least not forgotten the mall reapers, or shall I say the pick pockets or the “mandurokots”, the rippers surely earned more than the usual ordinary weekdays. They too had a grand time!

Sinulog, truly is an affair to remember!

Here are some images i took from my mobile phone. Excuse the blur and all, afterall, i was doing it just for fun!