Forget Me Not!

“Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: Will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we were gone and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?”

Beautiful isn’t it? That’s the opening line for Troy.

Dear ______, fellow ______, let me tell you a story about someone who I need to get to know even more. A story about someone who I don’t even know how to begin with.

This is my opening line. Listen up...

9/21. Two numbers that marked its significance in our history. The month and the day when one nation received its most significant accomplishment yet.

No, that’s not its Independence Day. It’s my birthday. I was born on a Monday, yes! It also is the exact same date when Martial Law was declared in the country.

But who am I, you may ask.

To be honest, I have no idea. I don’t know.

All I know is that, I am scared. I am scared to know who I really am. I also am scared of not knowing what I may be.

Recently, I found myself contemplating on how to give my life meaning. How to live my life with a purpose. There must be something, you know. Have you ever had that kind of feeling? Have you ever had those kinds of thoughts? Do you sometimes just stare blankly into the ceiling and look for answers?

I have been living away from home for a total of almost 10 years now. I used to go home once in every year until this pandemic happened. The past couple of years have been really challenging. And so here I am, stuck!

What am I doing about it? Nothing. First of all, I live in a nation where English is not the primary language. They don’t read English. They don’t speak English. Even if I want to do volunteer work - to contribute, to make a difference, I’d be deemed useless. Again, I ask myself - Who am I? This is not who I am. This is not what I am supposed to be.

So many questions, right? And by surprise, another question seem to have found me an answer - What can I do? What can I do?!

And just like that, here I am sharing with you a project that was created out of all this mess. It’s a platform where people of all ages from all walks of life can participate. I founded a small and simple club I proudly call “Halo-Halo Open Mic Lab” - It’s an online performance platform that’s accessible to anyone who has the passion, the talent, and the skill to showcase what they can do, share what they know, and tell the community who  they are in the process. It’s a safe place where they can sing their hearts out, dance like no one’s watching, read a story they’ve been longing to introduce, and perform like it’s the last day of their lives without any judgement. It’s a place where we communicate, connect, and feel alive despite the distance. More importantly, learn. Most important of all, believe! So far we have accumulated a total of 20 active participants from Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Once again, I ask. Will our names echo across the centuries? Maybe not.

Will strangers hear our names long after we were gone? Probably not.

Will strangers wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved? Perhaps not ever.

But, we can not let ourselves forget about us. We need to remember who we are. We need to know what we are made of. I made myself know and realize what I can do. I made myself remember, ME! I created an opportunity despite the difficulty.

 

I am success. I am a failure. I am a dreamer. I also am my own reality. 

That’s my story and I continue to be a work in progress.

 

Everyone, My name is ____, born in the _____, raised around the world. Thank you very much for listening and I’m glad to be a part of today’s session. Back to you, ______ Cherry!

The Philippines Within A Thousand Years

Here's a speech that was delivered by yours truly back in 2000. It's been such a long time already and I can surprisingly still remember the piece. It took me some time though. Thought of sharing it with you.

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More than a thousand years ago, Dr. Jose Rizal wrote an essay in which he asked, what would become of the Philippines within a century. In this particular essay, he argued for the urgent necessity of basic reforms such as the institution of a free press in the Philippines and its representation in the Spanish Cortes, that is, if Spain wanted to preserve the Philippines as a loyal colony. Still, with the penetrating insight of a social analyst, Rizal more than just hinted at the independence that the Filipinos would eventually seek. It was just a matter of time and a questiom whether the separation between Spain and the Philippines would be marked with gratitude and love, or, hatred and resentment.

That question of course, would be answered less than a decade after the essay "Filipinas Dentro de Cien Años" was published in "La Solidaridad." Now, with our freedom having been finally won and our friendly relations with Spain having been restored, we ask, as Rizal once did, if not with the same insight, at least with the same urgency "What have we, as a nation gained and learned in the past century?" "What can we look forward to in the coming years, in the advent of the new millenium?"

It will perhaps be remarked that it is only with a certain kind of hubris that we can ever dare to consider the fate of  a nation in a thousand years when our puny lives barely last for a century. Pundits might even say that this exercise is laughable for a nation that sorely lacks the foresight to even plan for a decade. But we dare to consider such criticism by stressing that the import of this exercise lies not so much in our ability to foretell the future. Its value lies in providing us the opportunity to take stock of our readiness (or unreadiness) not only to face, but to rise up to the challenges posed for us by the rapid and revolutionary changes brought forth by the new millenium.

Moreover, is it not the case that the hubris of dreaming and planning for the future might very well be a necessary stage in the participation of people as well as individuals? The ability to anticipate and prepare for the future indicates a capacity to rise and break free from the captivity of needs, situations, and concerns. But when this rising to meet the needs turn into a fantastical flight of fancy, we have to open our eyes in the actual possibilities opened up by the present and held by the past. For the possibilities of the future and the realities of the present are ultimately grounded in the conditions of the past. There is indeed a lot of wisdom to be gained in that tired old truism, "Look forward to the future, be aware of the present, remember the past."

Remember the past? Why let ourselves be bogged down by the grievous errors of the past? Why let ourselves be mesmerized by the ---- accomplishments of the past? Why such a fixation for the past? Is this not ultimately counter-productive? Let bygones be bygones. A pre-occupation with the past only prevents us from as they say, "pole-vaulting" into the future.

Here, it is important that we recognize the distinction between a paralyzing fixation with the past and a productive, insightful remembrance of the past. It is the latter kind of relationship with the past that we advocate. Within this light, history is not seen as a barren collection of fossilized facts and details. Rather, it becomes a living conversation between the past, present, and future. Likewise, we become aware of the momentousness of our consciousness as historical beings. For why would we even raise the question of the significance of the next millenium if we had not some vague notion of our being borne by the tide of history?

Sadly, it is precisely this healthy sense of history that we seem to painfully lack as a nation. It has been noted again and again that we as people are characterized by the complacent forgetting of the past as if it were a heavy baggage that must be left behind in order to move forward. The fixation with progress, with the "high-tech" with the future becomes as it were the dynamo that grinds and dissolves into pieces whatever is tied up with the backward and unenlightened past.

We need to develop critical minds that do not seem to accept the bipolar opposition between the love and appreciation of the past and the future. It is a sophisticated mind after all that appreciates the beauty and truth of a paradoxical reality. A reality in which we cannot simply divorce the present and the future from the past.

What lessons then can we learn from our experience as a nation these past one hundred years - lessons which hopefully will enable us to face up to the challenges of the new millenium?

A lot has been said about the tremendous talent and capacity of the individual Filipino to do whatever it is to which he/she sets his/her mind. Just imagine the feats accomplished when those Filipinos combined their individual talents and skills to a collective effort. Yes! Who would have thought that these Filipinos would have the gall to declare their independence? Who would have thought that they would be able to come up with a constitution? Who would have thought that - almost a century later - they would be able to come up with a relatively bloodless revolution?

It is when it becomes clear in our minds that we stand and fall, live and die as one nation, that we are able to relish and experience our most glorious moments. If only we can hold this in our minds and not forget. If only we can hold this in our hearts and not forget.

From the very beginning of our history as a nation, we have always been an amalgam of many divers cultures. Whatever unity we have gained, it has not been and will not be, through an erasure and forgetting of differences. If only we can keep this in our hearts and minds and not forget.

In the face of the current dissatisfaction and disillusionment not only with our leaders but with the very institution of government, not only with the government but with the very fabric of our society, it would be a real eye-opener to realize that we can never remain as fence-sitters. We have to be vigilant and active. That is, if we sincerely desire the welfare of our society. If only we can keep this in our hearts and minds and not forget.

Amidst the arrogant proclamation of demagogues about their final solutions and shrill cries of prophets of doom about the futility of it all, it would be refreshing to humbly acknowledge that our work for freedom, justice, and peace never ends. And in all this, never to lose hope in molding a better nation and bringing forth a better world. If only we can keep this in our hearts and minds and not forget.

If only we can hold, keep, treasure all these things in our hearts and minds and not forget.

We may well be on a good and exciting journey, not only towards the new millenium, but also towards our maturation as a nation.

Good Governance: Our Right, Our Responsibility

For years my head has been struggling to answer one question…Why are the people in our country so fragmented?…Like, why are there so many factions in the government? In the military? In business? In communities? In the studentry?…That there is what we call the "right wing" and then there is the "left wing?" In the university where I came from, we call them ‘tibak’; ‘aktibista’; or worst ‘NPA wanna be’s.’

And for years, I have been listening modestly and patiently on what they have been saying… 10 percent comment about capitalism, 10 percent comment about equality, 25 percent comment about social strata and a humongous 55 percent comment about Good Governance. They say that our country lacks it. That our country should have it!

But what I forgot to ask them is "What is good governance in the first place?" Does it mean that if our country would have this, it would belong to the first world? That if our country could acquire this, then there would be economic stability? If our country can have good governance, does this mean that we can have a fair share on the issue of WTO? Or should we even use the word GOOD and GOVERNANCE in one sentence?

A couple of years ago, issues have been heaping up in our country, workers demand for the P125 across-the-board increase which was not really met, issues about Indigenous Community Militarization, which again killed dozens of Aetas, Manobos and Hanunuo since our indigenous brothers did not agree with the conversion of their tribes’ land into militarized areas, a series of Oil price hikes and then a few rollbacks which just like the previously stated events all ended in favor of lobbying groups. If you will take a look at all of these issues, they have a common ground…they are all government concerns.

The Philippine Government has been claiming all along that it is democratic…that we are very lucky since it is one of the freest countries in the world…that our government was made by the people, for the people…that our government system is IDEAL. Come to think of it, ideal is synonymous to perfect and since grade four my often quoted motto is NOBODY is PERFECT. In this context, I could safely assume that the Philippine Government has been lying all along, that its claim about idealism is a lie.

I am 18 years old. I am a student. I value education. I try to be an asset to my country. But I can only do so much. While most of my peers value signature items and gossips about their latest varsity crushes, I prefer to sit down and ask questions about my country. If government officials have been claiming that ours is an ideal form and I find out that it has been lying all along…what should I do?

To be honest, I do not know. Perhaps the answer would be to demand good governance from each citizen. But the problem is that the youth, like me, lack influence in formulating public policies. Our exclusion is caused by both external and internal barriers. The external barriers have to do with a ‘culture of apprehension’; reflective of the generation gap that tends to breed a sense of mistrust and misunderstanding between adults and youth. It is also reflected in the government and other decision-making bodies that do not bother to involve young people in policy development. Instead, young people are generally treated as the "next generation" and "leaders of tomorrow." The internal barriers relate specifically to youth, who often fail to see themselves as actors in decision-making processes. This is partly the result of never being taught that they have a role to play in making policy decisions, and partly a result of youth organizations lacking the necessary skills and strategic thinking to make inroads into policy circles. This brings me to the query. Does it have something to do with budget cutting on educational funds every time there is a national emergency? Why does it have to be the educational funds?

I remember when Nelson Mandela delivered his speech in the African Youth Convention. He firmly stated that a time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices - submit or fight. And as of this moment I believe that there is nothing left for the youths of today to do but to fight and demand for good governance. It is our right and it is our responsibility.

Involving us young people in policy-making is important. It provides opportunities to build skills and learn from experiences that will serve us well throughout our lives. It will help us combat cynicism about politics and politicians, It will give us a first-hand understanding on how decision-making processes function. It will strengthen the civil society - will demonstrate the value of the public sector and of public service. At the same time, it will give us the chance to participate in the development of communities – in social, economic, cultural, and political terms. Lastly, it will help us disprove the multitude of negative stereotypes about youth that continue to exist.

Asking questions does not mean one is practicing treason. Demanding for an answer will not make one commit sedition. I call these two involvement. The youth is not a ‘next generation’ scenario, we are happening today, this very minute and we are assets longing to be tapped by our country. We should not be afraid of growing slowly, we must be afraid only of standing still…Of doing nothing for the country that has been our shelter, our protection, our home.

Good governance is not a gift. The youth like us have the right to Demand for it...Work for it…and Assume Responsibility for it. Who so neglects learning in his youth, loses the past and is dead for the future! 



Speech Delivered in 2004 by: mrlvtubid (brasil tubid)
Community Chest Foundation
Oration Contest
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

..Kris, Kissa and Feminism..

“Oooooooooh my God!…I really have this feeling like ‘game na kayo!’ well, if that is the case then perhaps we should begin…(in a disoriented manner) like, begin what? Oh my God…like I forgot why I’m here…kidddddddding!. Well since we are all here and the stage is set and we have an audience and everything why don’t you and I conduct a nerve wrecking yet satisfying intellectual intercourse”. Did you know that Merriam Webster defines the word woman as a ‘female servant or attendant’ . You know what’s worst Encarta Dictionary defines woman as a domestic employee. Yessss…I mean I was like shock and everything because I wouldn’t allow people to call me a servant…me? A servant? With my flawless skin and perfectly manicured nails…a servant? Like Nooooooooo!. So then I started to have tour of my book Word Origins and then I found the oddest word foundation, woman came from the English word wifman which means a ‘wife plus a man’ . And I was like “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?”…Of course I have this feeling that my daily dose of anxiety is slowly creeping in, I realized that I should observe one hundred percent feminist outlook…(in an extra proud manner) for I am a woman!, then again I realized what do I mean when I say feminist? Well…(While talking to the audience) Of course a thinker like me knows what it means…feminist means…uhmmmm…it means you always entertain bad thoughts…or was that pessimist?…Oh, oh I know it means your immature or was that childish? (to the audience) now, don’t look at me like I don’t know what I’m talking about…I know what feminism is…in fact if I may declare I am one of them…don’t give that look…I am…believe me I am…what do you mean I don’t look like one…FYI my mother is a feminist…what do you mean she’s a housewife wearing a yellow apron…how dare you!!! You stop it okay…If you don’t stop it…If you don’t stop it…babatuhin kita ng kissa!!! Oh really now…I accept your challenge…I will prove to you and to everybody that I am a feminist! First, I know for a fact that “Women constitute one half of the world’s population, we perform nearly two-thirds of the world’s tasks, and sad to say receives one tenth of the world’s income and worst we own less than one-tenth of the world’s property” , talk about being a loser…but what I don’t understand is that if that would be the case then why are we still referred to as the weaker sex? Hmmmm…actually we hate it! I mean we hate to be addressed in that manner…who wants to be refferred to as somebody weak…like helloooooooooo!!! We hate the concept of categorizing, oh! by the way I let myself use the word categorize because as of this moment majority of the population living in this world refuse to use the word ‘discriminate’, for it is politically incorrect. Perhaps they live in an alternate universe where health cutbacks does not constitute women, a place where politics is not male dominated and a situation where the knight-in-the-shining-armor syndrome is nonexistent. Second, though I am planning to have my breast augmented just like Claudine…Excuse me, I will just augment it…I am not going to fix my breast…my breast is just fine, it just needs a little improvement…I mean I for one can afford it, I have money you know…nevertheless, even though I am planning to have my breast augmented just like Claudine I despise the exploitation of women on television, isn’t bad enough that most men in our country dwell on the fact that women with a fair complexion and big boobs are considered to be beautiful if not attractive, I mean come on…Filipinas are not mestizas…that is one hell of a mistake…Filipinas are ‘morenas’ that is why they need kissa papaya! Notions like that should be corrected from the inside, I mean isn’t that a little bit shallow that you begin to have a false impression of a filipina whom you know since you were a kid. In addition, I also spurn the sight of “almost” naked women in noontime show. They are beings with brains, brains should be use, you use the brain when you begin to educate. Then the question would be…Is there anybody who volunteers to educate them? To tell them that they have the ability to say NO if they feel exploited? That they have an option not to capitalize on their bodies? Third, though sometimes it’s flattering specially if Piolo would be the one to commit the act, We hate it when men sees us as a piece of meat! We are not meat from the sleekiest market in town, in fact sometimes I feel like I’m an armani suit that most men like to wear…it hurts me, why? What do you mean why? You know what, when you sell your brain…it’ll be really, really expensive…you know why? Of course you don’t know why…It has never been used! Well that’s enough, again We hate the very thought that men looks at us as though we are a piece of meat…we are not…believe it or not our existence have a purpose and that is to live in absolute equality. Why do we have to symbolize alcohol, cigarettes and other God forbidden vices? I mean why men model it…they are the primary consumer of the product? Wait! Yes…tito boy! Okei tito boy…bye tito boy! It’s tito boy I have to cut this short…I have an appointment, What? Well I happen to love antiques! So what am I trying to point out? pure and simple. Women are intelligent. That is flat fact. Now don’t begin to ask me for proofs I might give it to you and I need more than 365 and ¼ days to enumerate them. For men like John Nash, Pierre Curie, and John Kennedy a woman’s wisdom has become evident that history even took notice of it. I came here to tell you that women ‘always’ think…like men we also had the opportunity to acquire a ‘brain’ and we intend to use it. And one more thing get rid of the quote ‘behind a great man is a great woman’ We don’t need to be behind any man, we can be beside them or even in front of them. Let us put into argument the long time dispute regarding women empowerment. Women Power is not a theory nor a concept it is an existing truth that needs to be practiced and prime. For years we have been combating Human Rights specially dedicated to women. Let us put a stop to it. Let’s practice it.

Entry: The Opus League Competition
St. Scholastica’s College , 2nd Place

A Vicious Circle of Life

Have you ever wondered why certain things happen apparently without reason or just beyond control? We often hear and read about commodity prices rising, frequent brownouts, and crimes committed at all times. Are they inevitable?

The Philippine media is now telling the world at large that the Philippines is now below the poverty line and this is due to the fact that we Filipinos are ignorant, yes indeed! We are ignorant! If not, how come most filipinos voted for someone who doesn't even know what politics really is? Haven't they thought of this, he was just putting on appearances and resorting to gimmickry just to achieve his long-term goal of joining that million-earning politics world?! and he even had this line "PARA SA MAHIRAP" that is why until now we are all "mahirap." The reason for this kind of ignorance is often attributed to our common problem which seems to have no solution in sight, POVERTY which results to ignorance because of lack of education then back to again -- POVERTY! We call this as a vicious circle. Is this the way our lives should go?

We filipinos are the greatest escape artists, add to that is the fact that we are gullible enough to put our lives in jeopardy. We make use of our freedom the wrong way, put someone in position and when not satisfied, RALLY!!! (welga). Hey what do you think you're doing? You were given the right , the chance, and you blew it!!! And now your one of those people out to rally just adding up to the problems of traffic?! Instead of doing such crazy things, why don't you make use of your time looking for a job and stop pointing fingers on who did or didn't do this and that. While most of us sit back and relax as if nothing's happening, some have thought of leaving the country for that's the only way for them to live normally. They prefer working abroad, but who are we to blame?! They have no education and they are afraid to get out of their current situation because of lack of assistance. Hence , they commit crime.

Crime as a social problem is often attributed to our government's failure of uplifting our educational system.

Now, I think, it is time for our government to get rid of those educational systems wherein only those who have the money can avail! And as for you people, make use of your freedom and right wisely. As part of Michael Jackson's song "if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself then make a change."..8

English Everywhere

during my seventeen-year odyssey which i spent studying, something unexplainable keeps on nagging and knocking at the back of my head. what is so astonishing about education that most of us have to have? and the most intriguing of them all, why does it have to be taught with a language that we're not very much familiar with? english!!! a friend to whom i asked this question answered hastily, "because english is better than tagalog!"

most colleges here in the philippines have subjects that are taught in english. if you have noticed, even the song by F4 (a taiwanese boyband who have just conquered manila), has an english title--Can't Lose You, and even the line leading to the chorus "baby-baby." simply because there are no taiwanese translation for the words. and even if there is, it couldn't be sang as smoothly as we can. true it may seem, but what really are the things that make the two languages differ? let us see.

grammar: english and tagalog have their own sets of rules when it comes to that. thank you very much to my former english teachers who has taught me tough imperfectly, at least i have an idea. english grammar is very complicated, before you could start learning it, it takes a lot of hardwork and perseverance. and! if you are really interested and very determined to learn the language, it would be as easy as eating peanuts. on the other hand, tagalog has its own rules too. since we are filipinos, it would be very easy but the problem is that, we sometimes couldn't express what we want to say and the last option is to say it in english. therefore, we prefer english.

competitiveness: americans have the most number of businesses, companies, and investments here in the philippines. it is so because we filipinos are better speakers and they prefer us to be their employees and workers because of that. and english again, shows even more dominant through the interviews they conduct. so, if you were not trained with the language from the school you've been to, it would be very hard for you. the tagalog language is okay if you're going to work for a filipino employer, but if you want to be more competitive, the english language is the key.

in short, english really is better than tagalog. whether in school, at work, or in any endeavor wherein you have to speak. but if i were you, i wouldn't just rely on the language. no matter how good you are, no matter how fluent, articulate, and how eloquent you are, if you don't know how to handle yourself and you don't have the courage, it's nothing!!!..8