For the love of my country. :)

I love the Philippines is a phrase that seems a little too cliché nowadays. Everywhere I turn, I could always see three stars and a sun being donned by so many people -- accessories, shirts, caps, bags... you name it; but when we look around us, we could see vandalized walls, homeless people lying on the streets begging for food, corruption, killings, and bad governance making the headlines of the nation's leading. So are we Filipinos guilty of hypocrisy? I hope not.


When I was a bit younger, I took pride in being a third-generation Chinese immigrant by virtue of my mother. I also loved the idea that my father is of mixed descent. Somehow, I did not pay attention to the fact that I was born and raised as a Filipino. I could not care less about the things going on. I did not realize that somehow, I owe my sense of being to this hallowed land in which God has chosen to place me. I did not think that being a Filipino was a blessing and that no matter what I do, my birth certificate will always say that I am a Filipino.

It was later on in life that I wondered whatever possessed me to think that having a mixed background would be an advantage. It's not as if I'm gonna be able to go to China for free or have unlimited plates of Tapas in Spain. Being a Filipino is an imprint that we could never remove without a scar like a tattoo or draining all your blood and finding someone of the same blood type who is French or Spanish. No matter how much we rely on cosmetic surgery, we could never deny that we were born Filipino.


Much of my pride in being a Filipino lies in the fact that I know my history (maybe not as well as before) and that there are a lot of things that I could be truly proud of. My favorite moment in Philippine history would be the People Power Revolution. I love the fact that it was such a peaceful, bloodless revolution. I love the fact that it has inspired several movements around the world. I love the fact that the Philippines will never be the same since that momentous event in history. I love the fact that whatever the legacy of Edsa was is still engraved in the hearts of every Filipino. But at a certain point, I started doubting the importance of such an event.

Before Cory Aquino died in August, Edsa seemed like a thing of the past -- that people have spat on the sacrifices made by those who lined up. Or maybe those who lined up along Edsa grew tired of the same old politics which caused the revolution in the first place. I am no political expert and I will never claim to be one despite taking my masters in a program of the political science department, but I found that somehow the popularity of Edsa waned maybe because people thought that no matter how many times they rallied against the forces of evil in the government, it doesn't change the fact that corruption exists in the system. They are tired of waiting for the messianic figure who makes promises and breaks them eventually. But just as we thought that hoping for the reversal of our fate started to dwindle, the loss of the symbol of democracy has reawaken the dormant spirit of Edsa in our hearts. We started to believe again. Now that our 'people power saint' has gone to meet her creator, we knew that we could only affect change if we worked together.

As a result, scripts made by playwrights have been torn and history books are being rewritten. We have summoned the scion of the heroes of our democracy to lead us, and in what seems to be an unprecedented feat in the recent history of Philippine politics, a long-time presidentiable gave up his chances at the presidency (or at least delayed it for another six years). I thought, maybe for the first time since 1986, we will have a president by the people, and not just anyone who had his or her eyes on the position for a very long time only to advance his or her own political agenda. Noynoy Aquino may have never thought that after his mother's death, he would be called upon to lead our land. As I see it, the country needs an inspirational leader over an experienced one. Why?

Let me paint you a picture.

Estrada and Arroyo have dashed the hopes of so many people. In my perspective, it caused  a weak sense of national identity. We do not want to be identified as Filipinos simply because those who are in Malacanang broker only their personal interests. Policies are being pushed not only because they're needed but also because it will make them more potent, and in effect, will have positive reviews. They are not selfless at all. Just look at how Malacanang intervenes or reacts to any election-related news. For me, they should not even reserve the right to 1) challenge the opposition because they are not in the running for the presidency anymore and 2) bash the competition because they themselves only have a few (if there are still any) good points left. And besides, with all the wealth they've gathered for themselves vis-a-vis the growing incidence of poverty hounding the country, who wouldn't have such low morale?

That's why my vote is for Noynoy (as president) and Mar (as vice). I do not believe that we need leaders who have such a long list of credentials. I do not want to elect leaders who are only going to steal from the people. Our country needs a morale booster -- an honest leader who can push for policies without having to be recognized too much. We need a humble leader who could reach out to the masses and be the broker of their interest. We need a selfless leader who could fight for our democracy and will not change a constitution that is actually working. Above all, we need a leader who believes in God and will apply his faith in all the things that he will do for this country, just as the La Sallian prayer goes, "I will continue, o my God, to do all my actions for the love of You."

I wouldn't even care about volunteering. I've already started. And yeah, it was fun. Here are the pics from the etonAPOtalaga PiNoy Power concert last Monday, September 21, 2009. :)

yellow ribbons :D

Gomez sisters Kat and Clar. :)

Jenn Lazo was present too. (she's Noynoy's political communications assistant)

Met Bam Aquino too. Starstruck moment, believe me. :)

Aquino grandchildren, Jonty and Jiggy :)

New found friends: Liya, Margaux, Georg and Aaron :)

and to wrap up the night of celebrating freedom and love for the country:



and yes, the song's still stuck on my head up to this day, but in a good way. It's a simple reminder that we should not let anyone seize the freedom that we have achieved and are continuing to achieve as a nation and also to love our country because it is a blessing in itself from God that we could proudly call ourselves Filipinos. Let us dream for our country. Let us dream for a brighter future and put a stake on it. :)

Blogs from the Past Series #8

Amidst the tide of yellow and black (tribute to Cory)

 Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 7:36pm

Amidst the tide of yellow and black, we celebrate the life and legacy of a person who gave herself to the Philippines as a sacrifice to free its people from the bondage of dictatorship and injustice.

Amidst the tide of yellow and black, we mourn for the person who mothered our land during the most trying moments of its history.

Amidst the tide of yellow and black, we commemorate the person who served as our model of faith and unyielding love.

Amidst the tide of yellow and black, we express our utmost gratitude to the icon who served as the nation's ceaseless hope.

Amidst the tide of yellow and black, we carry on the fire and passion of a woman who despite several adversities stood still and led this nation.

Amidst the tide of yellow and black, we stand strong as a nation, knowing that this is now a battle we must fight.

A battle which Corazon C. Aquino started twenty six years ago. a battle for true freedom, a battle to rebuild this nation.

We now dream of an ideal nation, one which Corazon Aquino wished to see.

And now that she has left us here to carry on, we must not cease.

Let us not spit on her sacrifice.

Let us be brave.

Let us stand strong.

Let us be Filipinos.

Filipinos who are worth LIVING FOR.

---

Over the past few days, I was watching several tributes being aired on tv. I was truly inspired by the way Cory Aquino defied the odds and rewrote books. Tomorrow, I hope to be part of her historical funeral. But my one true hope is that when she is laid to rest, her legacy will live on in each Filipino, for we wouldn't have been free if it weren't for people like her who sacrificed herself for the good of all.

Truly, God gave Cory Aquino as a gift to this nation. And just like every special gift, we must put value in whatever she has done for the country and to the world. Her unwavering faith and courage must always be remembered and enlivened by each person who calls him or herself a Filipino.

Blogs from the Past Series #7

At 26: A Tribute to Ninoy

 Friday, August 21, 2009 at 2:43pm 

I was born to witness freedom and democracy in this country. I have not endured a major political upheaval against a tyrant who seized power for two decades and hoarded wealth in the government. I have not seen people being arrested in the middle of the night because they broke curfew. I have not heard of gunshots being randomly fired in the streets by forces of the military.

Whatever happened 26 years ago, to my young mind, is a momentous event that forever changed the history of the Philippines. I would never be able to comprehend the emotions running through the veins of each Filipino who had to suffer through the dictatorship of Ferdinand V. Marcos. I was never there to see how some Filipinos would go out on the streets with nothing but their rosaries, their hopes and dreams for their country, and a heart filled with courage to fight for this nation's freedom. No, I would never fully understand how hard life was during the time when the most basic of rights were being violated.

When I was a kid, I did not know what the importance of this man whose name is printed on the 500-peso bills issued by the Central Bank was. I did not think how great a sacrifice his life was for the Filipino. But whatever the impetus for my sheer passion to serve and sacrifice for this country is now, I would probably attribute a major part of it to what happened in the tarmac of what was then known as the Manila International Airport. From that point on, I believe that Filipinos have learned to value their nationality. Ninoy Aquino definitely made that event his last major personal statement to the Filipino people -- that we are truly worth dying for.

I do believe that no one would dare die the way Ninoy did for the country. Despite the implications that certain people in government (and even particular citizens) spit on the sacrifice that Ninoy Aquino has made for this country. While we have a constitution that allows us democratic rights that have been robbed of my elders back in the day, we do not maximize them so that we could make this nation better. We let the government officials run this country their way-- tolerating graft and corrupt practices, rallying without contributing to the solution for the problems we face, relying on people to step up before we do small things that could make big differences. We fail to realize the importance of our being Filipino, which is in itself, a blessing from God. We only take pride in the victories, and fall to shame when we are faced with adversities as a people. We choose to be apathetic because we think that these matters do not concern us. We choose to sit on the sidelines and wait to hero-worship someone without realizing that we could be our own heroes.

While we have the option to sit comfortably in our couch at home and care less about the plight of our country, we should remember that we owe it to people such as Ninoy and Cory who have dedicated their lives so that we could enjoy the freedom that they and the millions who lined up along Edsa have fought for.

In commemorating Ninoy Aquino's 26th death anniversary, let us continue fighting for freedom and praying for the change of heart of our leaders -- that they serve with pure hearts. And we, as citizens of this country, should do small things that could affect change: those that could pull our country out of its plight. While it is an act of martyrdom to die for this country, it would only serve our country's best interest if we live lives worthy of being Filipinos. We say: Ipagpapatuloy natin ang laban. But I hope that we don't wait too long because the hero lives in us. This country could boast of so many heroes from the hispanic times up until the contemporary era, and I believe that the same blood runs in this generation of Filipinos. Let's step up for this country and make it great again!

Blogs from the Past Series #1

Partially Free.
Posted by Carmel Puertollano on Jan 18, '08 7:06 AM for everyone

As the political situation has worsened and the moral ascendancy of our "leaders" has become questionable, the country was relegated to "partially free".

Why wouldn't it be?

The government has freed a criminal who hasn't served his time, the sheer volume of corruption charges has inflated, the number of political killings has risen, and what course of action does the government take? They shrug it all off and act as if nothing is happening. They only prefer to look at the good side of things but that doesn't change the fact that people are suffering and that their rights are being violated. They only care about themselves and their reputation but they do not realize that their followers aren't at all content. If they ever try to act as if they care, it doesn't really manifest (or I'm just apathetic). In extreme cases, it's as if they drugged people and make them blindly follow. With a government such as ours, they only care for what they can reap from their relationship with the greater powers, like the US.
My litelec professor told me yesterday that I should be in the government because I'm more of a dove rather than a hawk. A statement I found, well, hard to take in. I know for one that I'm not the most diplomatic person in the world, nor have I ever attempted to do so. There are just things that I find unacceptable like Catholics (like my family), who discriminate against other religions. I guess that's why I never was firm with my beliefs -- I find my background leaning towards unhealthy fundamentalism which results into various misconceptions about religions that breed chaos (and that is why the Philippines is so damn f-ed up). What I'm trying to say is, we have to see things in different perspectives and that we should learn to respect how they are. We can't always expect them to do some things out of the goodness of their hearts all the time, nor can we expect them to believe in what we believe.

People have convictions that they fight for, and that's something we can never change about human nature. We can never have things go our way.