MY REMEMBRANCE OF PROCLAMATION 1081

          I was a senior student of political science at the Lyceum of the Philippines in Intramuros when Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos signed Proclamation 1081 placing the entire country under martial law. The date was September 21, 1972. The given reason behind the declaration was the alleged threat of communism which according to intel report was getting more and more strength and starting to gain foothold all over the archipelago. This was coupled with the heightening violent occurrences in Metro Manila perceived to be caused by communists guerillas as well as other leftist groups which were almost always at the forefront of every radical activities in the metropolis particularly in the City of Manila.
           Before martial law was declared I was already a member of an extremely radical group called Kabataang Makabayan (KM). Student activism was already a commonplace allover the different schools in Metro Manila and Lyceum was not an exception. In my case however, I became a student activist not really out of conviction but rather because of association. Nary a student in our university was not a member of any leftist organization because anyone who was not a member of any of those militant student orthodoxy will be subjected to ridicule and will be ostracized endlessly inside and outside the school campus. It was not that I'm unaware of the active militancy of our school when I enrolled in the college of arts and sciences. The kind of highly charged political mindset of the students were clearly manifested when I first set my foot in the school to enroll. I was greeted by broken glass windows of the building which I was told was the result of the recent violent demonstrations by the students against some existing school rules. If it were today, you can imagine the gore picture of an airstrike at a certain place in the middle east. During my first year, I tried not to be involved in student activism but eventually, after a lot of  of relentless persuasions from my classmates and some professors, I joined the radical mainstream.
           Before martial was declared, all the ominous signs were already written on the wall, the most significant of which was the lifting of the "writ of habeas corpus" which ostensibly was already a prelude to the real Mcoy (pun intended). We knew that it was only a matter of time before the fateful event will unfold before us. And so, the dictator did not disappoint us.
           One morning when we woke-up, there was no sound on the radio, no tv telecast, no dailies but only our regular hot pandesal and coffee. It was eerily silent. Rumors and conjectures were already circulating in the streets. Everyone in the neighborhood was already aware of the worse case scenario yet there was no news or confirmation of the fateful political event. We were simply left hanging in the air. Finally before noon, if I remember right, Marcos was on air over radio and television. And with his familiar booming voice he announced Proclamation 1081 which placed the entire Phulippines under martial law. Soon after that, Press Secretary Kit Tatad, also with his own baritone voice, was reciting a litany of "whereas" and "therefore" on radio and television.
           "Life must go on", and so they say. We were back to school soon enough. This time however, everyone was wary and at the same time worried. Wary because martial law means the rule of the military and the suspension of all our civil rights as expressed in our constitution, and worried because we might be one of those identified as political troublemakers  and hauled inside an army truck to be transported to a military camp for incarceration. My fear grew even more when I set my foot near our school premises. On top of the wall of Intramuros, directly facing our school entrance, a 50cal. machine gun was mounted on the tripod manned by military men in complete battle gear. I knew I had seen this scenario before on local movies depicting Japanese occupation of our country in the early 40s. But this was actuality! And it's immensely frightening. As if one false move, I and my co-students will be mowed down to kingdom come in an instant. Fortunately. me and my classmates were inside our classroom without any untoward incident that happened. But much to our horrors and disbelief, 2 of our classmates who were with us during regular student demonstrations at Malacanan, Congress and US Embassy, and singing "Internationale`" with clenched fist at that were wearing military uniforms. They may not be showing their service firearms but we knew for a fact that they were concealed inside their shirts. On that day alone we have witnessed a lot of our colleagues who turned out be members of the military. Only then did we realized that Marcos was able to successfully planted deep penetration agents (DPA) among our ranks.
           Even our faculty had changed. Some of our professors  who used to discuss and propel our class towards radical ideological propensities were nowhere in sight or was heard to have resigned. One professor was missing and soon to be included in the long lists of of "deseparados". Others who opted to stay behind and continue the tasks of educating us, forlorn students, were now more subdued in dealing with subjects relative to delicate topics of Maoism, Marxism, Leninism and other revolutionary communist doctrines. In a word, it was a totally different academic and campus atmosphere.
           One day on the same week, I went to a radio station located in Sta. Cruz, Manila where I was soon to start training as a radio newscaster after having been able to pass the preliminary audition. Sadly to my dismay, the radio station and all its subsidiaries were all padlocked having been perceived to be toxic Marcos antagonist. Well, there went my supposed to be a newscasting career.
           Martial law was a new genre of of cultural, social, and political transformation, and so it was said. We were treated with 12 midnight curfew, so that boozed or not boozed you have to be home before 12 in the evening. I was once picked-up by Metrocom (the military law enforcement agency during that time) while heavily intoxicated with alcohol. It was a little over past midnight. Fortunately I was brought and turned over to a police station in Sta. Ana, Manila. Otherwise I would have been brought in Camp Crame for an overnight stay and a whole day grass cutting penalty inside the military compound. When the Metrocom left, I was instructed by the police officer to leave and run home. And run I did, without looking at my back!
           Who can forget the "Green Revolution" of Imelda? The book "Today's Revolution-Democracy" authored by no less than the dictator himself. Songs that regularly filled the air praising hossanas to martial rule and "The New Society". Who can forget Imelda's "Blue Ladies", the bogus presidential election and many more footprints imprinted in those dark days of martial rule.
           I was lucky to have witnessed that fateful era in our history but likewise not so lucky to have lived in an era where all my basic rights as a citizen were taken away from me by one man.
           This event will forever occupy a permanent niche in my memory.

RH BILL

     When the RH Bill was first introduced and later debated upon on the floor in congress I was a 100% believer on the rationale and merits of the bill since it is perceived to be the logical answer to our exploding population which is believed to be exponentially increasing year after year. Attendant to this problem is the continuing impoverishment and the unabated decline on the cultural, social and moral values of our people which, inevitably, will be handed down to the next generation. And so, inspite of the the vehement resistance of the leaders of the catholic church, groups and individuals against the passage of the bill, survey showed that there was a popular public support snowballing among our people. It is widely believed that despite the resolute stand of the catholic church against the bill it is only a matter of time before the bill is passed into law by the lower and upper chamber of the house. Why, with no less than the president of our country declaring openly his support for this RH Bill, the signs of the inevitable approval are already written on the wall.

      But given all the written and unwritten debates on the pros and cons of the issue and a careful and profound analysis of each and every piece of argument that were presented before, I somehow have felt reservations on favoring the passage of the bill mainly because of some glaring fallacies that were presented by those advocating this highly contentious issue. I am not referring to the biblical and religious premises being questioned by pro RH Bill but on the secular position where they are standing on which involved among other things the government mishandling of our population problem since the very start. It's my belief that to curb our population growth, not only do we need to introduce or activate the artificial method of birth control, or educate them on the importance of having a manageable number of children for sustainable existence, but likewise for the government to provide a no nonsense demographic solutions which until now are absent in the major policy declarations of the present administration. Concentration of population growth tends to buildup more and more to the urban areas whereas there are still plenty of vast spaces in the countryside ready for habitation if only these areas are developed and can offer better opportunities like livelihood, education and better future to the people and their children.

" A Traffic Jam Scene"

     Yesterday I witnessed a monstrous traffic jam along the stretch of Pedro Gil St. in Sta. Ana-Paco bounded areas. The incident happened at around past 11a.m. and became worse around 12 p.m. Because it was almost lunchtime you would expect that temperament was also at its peak. The heat coupled with the eagerness to be home and have lunch were a surefire trigger to have one's blood boil. Tensions were gripping the area as drivers tried very hard, but in vein, to nose out everybody to get free from the traffic mess. I was bound to the direction of Paco area but seeing hopelessness in my attempt to reach my destination I decided just to go back to my place in Sta. Ana. I made a successful U-turn but as I was already positioned to go back a taxicab which was on the counter side of the traffic flow block my way. It was a head to head face off. I did not budge because I was on the right of way and neither did the taxicab in front of me. I felt that the volcano inside me was already about to erupt, but I still kept my cool because my wife was with me. But seeing the cab driver smiling as if nothing serious was happening I began to feel the magma in me now inevitably rising, and fast. I remember what the character in one of my favorite tv program when I was young was saying before he turned into a violent creature, " Sir, please don't make me angry, you will not like me when I'm angry!". I got off the car the car and was already about to confront the driver when he decided to back off. It was either he saw the fire in my eyes or felt compassion to the white-haired old man in front of him that made him changed his mine. And so I was able to escape from the "warzone"
      But what caused the deadly traffic jam that could have led to to a near street bloodbath? Unbelievable but true. A production outfit of one tv giant network was having a taping in the middle of the road! Every motor vehicle was forced to a standstill and every person in the neighborhood was out there in the area to witness the taping and have a glimpse of their favorite stars. So the situation became more chaotic.

      I cannot help but asked myself the following questions: 1) Why did the local/barangay officials issued permit to the production unit considering the time and place of the activities. 2}Why would the executives of this giant tv network allow their production personnel to inconsiderately conduct a taping on such critical time of the day in a very busy thoroughfare at that? Its inconceivable that a giant network who prides itself and the entire media to be one if not the most upright institution in our society would be so callous to to ignore the sentiments of the motorists on that day. Its insane but it is common occurence  in our country.

      Yesterday, the people were clueless. There was no direction. There was not a single traffic enforcer to handle the situation. Discipline was lost. A case of  "to each his own". This traffic situation is just a typical reflection of what our country is - a "headless chicken"

"CHOPSUEY & COCKTAILS" ( My kind of news)

     Congratulations to our very own, Ms. Philippines SHAMSEY SUPSUP, for placing 3rd runner-up in the just concluded Miss UNIVERSE Beauty Pageant held in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Miss SUPSUP who hails from Gen Santos City regaled the pageant's judges with her flawless beauty and brain to land in the top 5 finalists. Shamsey was a magna cum laude graduate from UP and a board topnotcher in architecture. I'm sure a lot of Adam's sons have fallen in love with her by now, me included. But frankly, I'm quite uncomfortable in pronouncing her last name. SUP.....never mind!
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      Party List representatives Teddy Casino and Liza Masa filed plunder charges yesterday against Pampanga representative GMA and her husband on their alleged involvement in the ZTE-NBN corruption issue. Congressman Casino and Madam Liza Masa pwede ba tama na ang pagsawsaw nyo sa issue na yan. Magisip naman kayo ng bagong gimmick para sumikat. Or better yet, just concentrate on your lawmaking function which is why you are voted by the electorate.
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      P-Noy to have one on one session with Obama when he visits the US. Have they agreed on a common subject to discuss? P-Noy is a gunslinger while Obama is a dribbler.
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      "PNP Chief urged to make jueteng campaign his legacy". Ho-hum! At this time, this issue should not be news anymore.
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      When I have my haircut I usually heard a lot of ridiculous stories from my favorite barber, his co-barbers and the usual hangers-on in the barber shop. From politics, to sports, to entertainment and almost every topic which are the latest menu for the week. They are nothing more than tabloid news which one can get from radio and tv news and commentaries. Most of them are all rubbish that's why I altogether ceased to listen to radio and tv news anymore. Their news recipe includes heresy, sensationalism and a lot of commercialism.
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      Again on PNP, new chief PNP Bartolome said "he will rev up the PNP's physical fitness program to help police officers with "beer belly" to slim down". It has been said and promised before general, just do it! The people are already fed up with those pronouncements whenever there is a newly installed PNP chief.
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"LOLONG" the crock; Thick Books; & Exercise

NEWS: The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) calls for the release of "Lolong" believed to be the biggest captive crocodile in the world. The animal rights group maintains that it is better for "Lolong" to be returned to its natural habitat since keeping it inside the cage may endanger the crock's life because of unnecessary stress and overexposure to unnatural and artificial environment. This becomes a very contentious issue since the gov't agency that is entrusted to handle the care of "lolong" asserts that it will be better for the crock to be under their protection rather than returning it to the wild thereby exposing it more to danger posed by humans and poachers. Likewise "lolong" was believed to have already devoured alive 2 humans in its area of habitat that's why returning it to the place where it used to habitate will just pose dangers to humans and the animal itself. PETA however maintains that not even the best care given to "lolong" can replicate the natural environment it is so used to and the beast may just eventually succumbed to stress and die if not immediately returned to its natural habitat. It is also believed that crocodiles may be nearing extinction that's why all necessary measures must be done to preserve them.

Are they really nearing extinction? I don't think so. Why, so called "buwayas" are all over the major streets of Metro Manila prying on helpless drivers and commuters of the metropolis. You can even see them grandstanding in the august hall of congress!

 NEWS: "Sen. Lito Lapid has proposed that the weights of books being carried by students to school be lessened." While some people may raise their eyebrows on this proposal, still a lot of us take cognizance to the logic of this idea. I for one have noticed when I take my granddaughter to school that most of the elementary students are carrying schoolbags so big and seems so heavy that it looks like they are going on a month long vacation. It is believed that carrying many thick books may cause permanent physical injury to the students that's why finding out solutions to this problem must be given priority. Revolutionary shifting to the use of e-books or use of computers and other computer-controlled gadgets seems not only plausible but likewise very necessary. And what's more? This will be very attractive to students to inspire them to study harder. Other countries are pouring more and more of their fiscal budget to education since it is believed that education is the gateway to development and prosperity of the nation. Which is very true.

 Lamentably, our country even slashed the 2012 fiscal budget for education while increasing that of the Conditional Cash Transfer! Pathetic.

 On the issue of HEALTH - Clinical study shows that EXERCISE and weight loss are keys to control mild to moderate hypertension. "Combined exercise, weight loss, and healthy diet regimen is roughly equivalent to what can be achieved by treatment of 1 or 2 anti-hypertensive medications. This is very significant since therapeutic medications predisposed patients to a lot of side effects and drug induced reactions that may even lead to other collateral organ damages. One of the major side effects of anti-hypertensive drugs common to men is Penile Erectile Dysfunction. This condition is proven to be very disheartening to male patients. Though I have not experience this condition before, and hopefully not in the near future, I believe that my being indulged in rigorous exercise helped me maintain my present physical condition with normal BP and consistently ideal lipid profile thus eliminating the risk of abnormal cardiovascular conditions sans medication. And the most encouraging of all, modesty aside, I have maintained my virility, without the aid of sexual enhancement drugs! Hehehe. Let's go guys. Exercise!

Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) & our Educational System

     In order to incentivize poor families in our country, one of the conditionalities stipulated in the CCT program of the gov't is the mandatory sending of children to school by their parents. Perfectly noble intention as it may sound, however I still believe that this CCT program is a condonation of the habit of mendicancy w/c is a common attitude among our people. But to my own perspective, hidden behind this altruism is a sense of purpose of increasing the political stock of the present administration to cover up for what seems to be a misdirected and misprioritized course of gov't policies.
     I still believe that the most proximate cause of our poverty is not corruption but education and the and the lack of it. The poor cannot seem to surface from the pit of poverty that they are trapped in because they are simply clueless and, worst, misguided on what courses of actions they will have to take to be able to survive and give their children much better future.
      It is in this context that I feel that a better educational system has to be recreated and implemented. For no matter how we forced the children to go to school, if the gov't cannot provide better school facilities and more qualified personnel to handle teaching professions, well then, the future of our country will really be bleak. Unless of course every Filipino hits the lotto jackpot!