As I reconnected to the world after having a weekend getaway with friends, I couldn’t help but be engrossed in a new controversy. It did not carry the usual banter of corruption that has hogged the headlines for the past several weeks. However, it did bring a feeling of stupidity and ineptness that has hounded our reputation as a country. Last Saturday, the Binibining Pilipinas contest had its coronation night with some of the most sought after names in show business and the society pages as its judges and in the audience. During the question and answer portion of the contest, she barely answered the question that was asked of her by one of the judges. And as I tried to sit through and watch the clip of her answer, I cringed in my seat and immediately closed the window on internet browser. I settled in reading a friend’s “transcript” of the incident that was posted on her blog and asked around if it was accurate, which they said it was. I couldn’t believe that in spite of what she said and how she said it, she still managed to win the contest and the right to represent the Philippines at the Miss World competition.


The backlash from her winning the crown was immediate and people were criticizing her left and right. In fact, I even went so far as telling the people I could immediately contact that I’d volunteer right away to be the interpreter just so we could save from further embarrassment should she force to speak in English AGAIN! But as I scoured the message boards, blogs and even youtube for comments, what I found surprising was that there were people who defended her as a choice. Many commented that she was beautiful and that was more than enough for her to win. And there were also those who said that we’ve been sending people who are more than capable in speaking to the pageants and asked where has that brought us. From this sparked a thought that Janina San Miguel may be the anti-thesis (the exact term I want to use escapes me now) to our current society.



It’s no question that we used to be the bastion of English proficiency. The key words being used to. Now, with the different influences not to mention the quality of education, what we have is a convoluted jibber-jabber that masquerades itself as English. Of course, we know better since we’ve been educated in some of the best schools in the Philippines (and by reading and understanding this opinion piece so far points to this fact: that you and I are better educated). But for the lot, they have to contend with mediocrity even if they deserve better because of reasons beyond their capacity. As such, we can argue that we are elitists. Not because of riches, material possessions or social order but simply, because we are educated. The English language has become the mark of elitism because not many can learn the language and much less, learn all its nuances. Not to mention the worlds of thought and knowledge that the English language can open up to one’s mind. Now, it has become a means to an end, a badge of respectability that one can draw a condescending pride from. It is this glaring truth that divides that haves and have not. I cannot help but recall some prophetic and incisive words from Renato Constantino’s essay “Mis-education of the Filipino” that I read in college, “English became the wedge that separated the Filipinos from their past and later was to separate educated Filipinos from the masses of their countrymen.” And as the argument goes, English set the standard and platform for everything that governs our society. And just by simply looking around Metro Manila, I believe it has.



What happened last Saturday and the backlash that ensued is the stark reality of our consciousness. Most of the people may look up to the educated elite but they distrust them so. Following the train of though that I’ve always been hearing, you just have to look at the best and brightest that the country has to offer, they’re either gone or going if not dead. The politicians that we’re said to be the smartest or most capable gave plans and speeches but never made any positive dent on the lives of the ordinary people. Those who showed promise ended up being the ones who took advantage of the people who knew less. And there were those who topped everything, but ended up a simple crook. The educated elite, of which I am a part of, has a lot to make up for. And the disillusionment of the ordinary people towards the educated elite is shown not only in their choice to stand up and defend Janina San Miguel but also pinning their hopes on people that they identify with – Erap. For all his faults and misgivings, no one can still top Erap as the champion of the masses and if that’s any indication of where we are in this country, we have but only to look in the mirror to see why.

After several months of hesitation, I've finally decided to clean out and get rid of a lot of stuff. I'm selling most of these with a heavy heart, but things come to pass and they must go. I've taken a lot of care of my books/cds/packets/what-have-you so you can be guaranteed that I'll be selling them in excellent condition (unless specified otherwise). Some items marked as BN are Brand New books that's been lying on my shelf for quite some time. They've never been read (Don't ask why). If you have any questions, feel free to reply to this post or text me at 0917-5204330. Prices are negotiable.


"The Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason (Paperback) - P150
"Adobe Premiere Pro for Dummies" by Keith Underdahl (Paperback) - P500
"Goodnight Saigon" by Charles Henderson (Hardcover) - P 250
"Dogeaters" by Jessica Hagedorn (Paperback) - P 250
"Essential Japanese Phrasebook" Periplus Phrasebooks (Paperback) - P 150
"The World is Flat: A Brief History fo the 21st Century (2005 Hardcover ed) - P700

"The Bearer of Pax Americana: The Philippine Career of William H. Taft, 1900-1903" (Paperback) - P 150
"Get Rommer" by Michael Asher (Paperback) - P 150
"Napoleon - The Song of Departure" by Max Gallo (Paperback)- P 150
"Smoke and Mirrors" by Neil Gaiman (Paperback) - P 200
"Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles" by Simon Winchester (Paperback) - P 500
"Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History" by Bruce Cumings (Paperback) - P 650

"From Third World to First: The Singapore Story 1965- 2000" by Lee Kuan Yew (Hardcover) - P 600
"All the President's Men" by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (Paperback - BN) - P500
"The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama (Hardcover - BN) - P850
"American Shogun - Macarthur, Hirohito and the American Duel with Japan" (Hardcover - BN) - P 900
"The Good Soldier Svejk" by Jaroslav Hasek (Paperback - BN) - P 500
"Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945" by Tony Judt (Hardcover - BN) - P1000
"America is in the Heart" by Carlos Bulosan (Paperback) - P200
"Mga Gerilya sa Powell Street" by Benjamin Pimentel (Paperback) - P100

"Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science that Changed the Course of WWII" by Jennet Conant (Hardcover) - P200
"Duty: A Father, His Son and the Man who won the War" by Bob Greene (Hardcover) - P 200
"Martyr's Crossing: A Novel" by Amy Wilentz (Hardcover) - P200
"Passion for Islam" by Carlyle Murphy (Hardcover) - P200

"One Man's Bible: A Novel" (Paperback - Worn Cover, Insides are great) - P 300
"Mao Zedong" by Jonathan Spence (Hardcover) - P350
"Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides (Paperback) - P 350
"Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches" selected by Winston S. Churchill - P500

Buy "Deception Point", "Angels and Demons" and "The Da Vince Code" by Dan Brown for P500 (Paperbacks)

"Inventing Japan: From Empire to Economic Miracle" by Ian Buruma (Paperback) - P150
"Separated at Birth: How North Korea became the Evil Twin" by Gordon Cucullu (Hardcover) - P800
"The Decay of the Angel" by Yukio Mishima (Paperback) - P 200
"The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order" by Samuel Huntington (Paperback)- P 800
"Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire" by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri (Hardcover) - P 600
"The Budda, The Gold, and The Myth: How Marcos looted the Central Bank" by Charles C. McDougald (Paperback - Worn Cover) - P 150
"Thirteen Days: A memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis" (Paperback) - Robert F. Kennedy - P300

"Principle of Economics" by Mankiw (Textbook for ECO102) - P150
"Theory and Methods in Political Science 2nd ed." Edited by David Marsh and Gerry Stoker (Paperback - has some highlighter markings) - P600
"Research Methods in Politcs" by Peter Burnham, Karin Gilland, Wyn Grant and Zig Layton-Henry - P600
-> Buy both for P1000

"Vagina Monologues" by Eve Ensler (Hardcover - The V-Day Edition) - P500
"The Elephant Vanishes" by Haruki Murakami (Paperback - BN) - P500
"After the Quake" by Haruki Murakami (Paperback) - P250
"Kinshu: Autumn Brocade" by Teru Miyamoto (Hardcover) - P 500
"Strangers" by Taichi Yamada (Paperback) - P400

"Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller (Paperback)
"Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again" by Frank Miller (Hardcover)
-> Both for P 1000

"War Stories Vol. 1" by Garth Ennis, Chris Westom, John Higgins, Dave Gibbons, David Lloyd (Paperback - Graphic Novel) - P500
"The Watchmen" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (Paperback) P 800
"Pyongyang: A Journey into North Korea" by Guy Delisle (Hardcover) P500
"Gundam Wing: Episode Zero" by Katsuyuki Sumisawa (Paperback Viz) P500

"Gundam Wing: Blind Target" by Akemi Omode/Sakura Asagi (Paperback - VIZ) - P350
"Gundam Wing: Ground Zero" by Reku Fuyunagi (Paperback - Viz) - P350
--> Buy GW: Blind Target and Ground Zero for P500

Berlitz Mandarin Chinese Travel Pack - P 300
Berlitz Japanese Travel Pack - P300
Living Language Ultimate Mandarin Chinese (Beginner - Intermediate; BN) - P3000
Living Language Ultimate Japanese (Beginner - Intermediate; BN) - P3000
Barron's GRE Exam Reviewer 2006 ed - P400
Harrap's Study Aid French Vocabulary - P200
Collin's French Dictionary in Color - P 350
Collin's French Dicionary and Grammar - P500
Berlitz French Grammar Handbook - P350

It came as a shock is an understatement. My sleep was disturbed throughout the night and was forced to wake up at five-thirty in the morning. Knowing my parents would be up, I printed out a map of a place I was going to and asked him if it was familiar to him. And for the next half hour nothing really big happened. Then, it happened. While preparing to have breakfast, I turned on the television in the kitchen and the image of Heath Ledger came to bare. Then the commentary exploded, "Good Morning, this just came in, Hollywood actor Heath Ledger found dead in an apartment in Manhattan". Even if I wouldn't say that I was his biggest fan, it still stopped me in my tracks. There was a vacuum that began to suck everything which, truth be told, was very strange since I never really was an ardent fan of Heath Ledger but I really liked the way he acted. I began searching my mind for memories of the movies he starred in and I recall first seeing him in the movie "10 things I hate about you" and his scene singing the Andy Williams classic "Can't take my eyes off you". Then the television showed clips of Brokeback Mountain and the yet to be released The Dark Knight. Though his bill on Batman Begins will be the highlight of his career, his best performance for me (and this is before watching TDK) was on the movie "Four Feathers". Not really one of his well-known performances but it showed a depth to his acting ability playing Harry Feaversham, a member of well-heeled British family who soon learns that his actions lead him to fall from grace but retrieves his honor by going into the lions den (I don't want to spoil the film). Like Rudolph Valentino and Bruce Lee who died in the prime of their career, he will be remembered as one of the greatest actors that could have been. We'll always remember them from the films they made in their short lives but they will never fall from grace.

An apocryphal account I once read went that during the late eighties Gringo Honasan had three things on his nightstand, a bible, a pistol and a copy of “Coup d’Etat” by Edward Luttwak. Even if this may be true, we all know his track record insofar as coups are concerned – 0. Though he did come close in 1989, he doesn’t get points for effort especially with the numerous civilian and military casualties and destruction of public and private property. And every attempt ever since is pale in comparison, especially the destabilization plot carried out during the day. With the events of earlier today, it’s hard to imagine life without the usual turmoil that has, sadly, become a thread in the fabric of our nation. And I say this with the seeming passiveness in which people treated the news of a potential coup d’etat. It was exciting to some while most were irritated at this futile attempt.

At around eleven thirty in the morning, I was getting ready to go up to Quezon City for a job a friend of mine asked me to help with. Instead of the usual stock market banter I hear once I turn on the television and switch to ANC, I watched as soldiers were walking down a street hounded by the media. At first I thought they were running some B-roll of Magdalo mutineers since the banner had the “Magdalo” headline on it. So I went to the bathroom leaving the television on enough for me to hear while I did my morning ritual to be rudely interrupted in my ceremonies by the haggard reporting of Ces Drilon and Pinky Webb on live television and the confusing commentary by DJ Manotoc and Ricky Carandang, ominous signs that all is not well. Rushing back to the television, I watched as these mutineers brazenly walked out of the court, into the open street stopping traffic left and right and holed up in the Makati Peninsula. All of a sudden, Manila had plunged into chaos and all I did was get up from bed.

( Analysis of the events ahead... Very long read )

At the end of the day, I’m sure we sympathize with the ideals that they were and are still fighting for but the methods they choose to instigate change has much left to be desired. We recognize that twenty-two years since the downfall of a dictatorship, our country is a young democracy and like a twenty-two year old, we have life ahead of us. Certainly, the road will be rough and if we continue to undermine our democratic processes, we’ll only make it harder for us to get to the high road. They say that a government is reflective of its people and if this is true then we have much to account for individually. As a nation, time and time again, we have called on the young and old alike to strengthen our democratic processes and I believe we can only do so by participating in our government. Running for an elected position or joining the government is not the only way we can participate in government. In fact, in our daily lives we can already strengthen our institutions by obeying the laws and paying the correct taxes just to name a few. If you feel that a government official is abusing their authority, report them to the proper authorities and use the full force of the law. We may say nothing is going to happen because of the government’s leadership but I’m certain that many government bureaucrats are fed up with the shenanigans of their fellow public employees that they will be more than happy to get rid of them altogether. And to do this, will take more than a lifetime of effort and patience. The mutineers’ success in politics is a sign that many people may sympathize with what they are fighting for but did not agree with their methods especially with the rise in prices and the stagnation of wages, everyone had a struggle to call their own.

( Some thoughts on the day that was... )

The Inquirer editorial is a highly recommended read.

http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=103875

Reading a lot of newspapers and books has occupied most of my time as of late, not to avoid boredom but more of catching up with things I left undone. It also helps to a certain extent that I've been to a few places, here and there, over the past few weeks in which I've picked up a few important habits that should come in handy. I've often read the local paper, namely the Inquirer and the Star, to keep abreast of the news.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/21/business/western.php

It's amazing to read about the successes of Overseas Filipino Workers and how much they contribute to our economy. One can only speculate as to their true impact since most remittances back to the Philippines are done through informal channels (but by all means not illegal). In this article from the International Herald Tribune, it focuses on the remittance business from a western perspective and highlights how much foreign businesses are taking advantage of this untapped market. Remittance agencies like Western Union have shifted their business model catering towards foreign workers regardless if their stay is legal or otherwise. And in spite of the meager amount many foreign workers send back home, it's yearly total surpasses the budget of many African and South Asian countries. As quoted in the Tribune:

"Little-noticed by the public, seldom studied by scholars, these businesses form the infrastructure of global migration, a force remaking economics, politics and culture across the world. Last year, migrants from poor countries sent home $300 billion, about three times the world's foreign aid budgets combined."

With Financial Service Companies like Western Union significantly benefiting from foreign workers, immigrant groups are surely going to get a huge boost of support from the private sector. - almost an unheard of phenomenon. In the United States alone, there are several million illegal immigrants working jobs that pay minimum wage (based on US standards). But back home, those same wages would allow families to live a new lease on life from the wretched claws of poverty. As such, companies like Western Union who rely on immigrant labor would try as much as possible to help them even if it is to the detriment of the implementation of the law. Aside from that, it undermines credible banking facilities and deprives them of many potential benefits that they could reap. However, taking into consideration the bureaucratic red tape of bank coupled with their strict adherence to illegal immigration policy, it is no wonder why money transfer facilities would be the courier of choice.

On the other hand, legitimate business practices fail to gain ground as they are driven to a halt by third party remittance companies. Not only do we lose on potential revenue from taxes, but also on improving the banking system. We can only improve on a system if it is put into use. By allowing practice to flourish can we spot the deficiencies in the services that banks provide. But the lack of patronage in the banking system for their remittance needs also points to the fact that the banks do not provide adequately for the needs of its potential base. Even as the banking system attempts to provide amply for our new heroes abroad, they will still garner significant competition from third party companies that have already been there and might not compete fairly against the banking system.

(I wrote the preceeding part back in November, I forgot what I was trying to aim for in it so pardon if I rambled on to no point at all - HVL 17 Jan 2008)


And in closing, I'd like to share a bit of trivia I stumbled upon while going through some news articles on the American Music Industry. Reading about the various congressional lobby groups in the United States, I came upon this link on the website of the American Music Conference (http://www.amc-music.org/news/pressreleases/sesame.htm) which was supposed to shore up support for Music Education, amongst the many other causes they advocate. Not just learning about music but the cognitive development of the brain at an early stage in life instigated by music. There's a lot of research put into this (the most popular research involved having a pregnant mother listen to classical music to spur early brain development) not only because of it's scientific merits but in a capitalist system, one must know how to reinvent oneself to become a staple, a need if you will instead of a want. What caught my eye was not the article but the picture.




According to the website, that is NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) President Joe Lamond with who else but Elmo of Sesame Street fame. To my surprise, Elmo testified in front of Congress (the US Congress, kids) asking them to appropriate money (the politically correct term is "Federal Funding") for Research and Exploration (a euphemism for Experimentation, I believe). It was not so much him asking for the money as it was the thought of a puppet TESTIFYING in front a government body for the public record. Further "research" (more of Google-ing) showed that Elmo is the first and only puppet to testify before congress. Funny as it may seem, I wonder how future historians would look back at the public records concerning that congressional panel and think about letting a puppet put on the record, for administrative and historical purposes, "Elmo loves to sing and to dance and to make music with all his friends on Sesame Street". I'm sure they'll be laughing their heads out. Imagine Pong Pagong giving a testimony to the Senate and being subjected to whatever investigation that he is involved in.

Sen. Cayetano - "Sa iyo ba itong bank account na ito?"
Pong Pagong - "Opo"
Sen. Cayetano - "Saan mo nakuha ang pera na nasa account na ito?"
Pong Pagong - "Hindi ko po alam (in a terrified voice)"
Sen. Cayetano - "Hindi ba binigay sa iyo ni Kiko Maching ang pera para pambili ng pagkain!?"
Pong Pagong - "Hindi ko alam! (Breaking Down..)"

Tsktsktsk... We've gone so low.

"Good troops, bad officers. But remember that without them we wouldn't have civilization."

- Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel; "The Desert Fox" referring to Italians

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Martin Luther King

Just had to post this after I read the article earlier. It drives home the point that we lose more with every smuggled vehicle that we allow on our roads.

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Cebu Daily News / News

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view_article.php?article_id=86803
New cars registered 5x more than new cars bought in ‘06

By Jolene Bulambot
Cebu Daily News

Posted date: September 05, 2007


Cebu City, Philippines - For every new car bought from a legitimate car dealer in the country, five other cars are issued new registrations by the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
Questioning the source of these other cars, the Cebu Auto Dealers Association (Cada) is asking the Department of Finance to look into allegations of rampant smuggling of vehicles into the country

Cada wrote Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, saying the smuggling of used and new cars has affected legitimate automotive industries for the past five to nine years.

“Everybody in Cebu knows about this. You can see these smuggled and used vehicles anywhere,” said Jose Manuel Cuenco, president of Cada.

“We hope the government can put a stop to the importation of used vehicles. The Bureau of Customs and the LTO have vital roles in solving this problem,” Cuenco said.

He cited statistics collected by Cada from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and the LTO.

Campi sales records for 2006 showed that 1,686 private cars and 3,374 utility vehicles were sold by legitimate car sellers, or a total of 5,060 vehicles.

In the same year, however, LTO issued new registrations to 3,584 private cars and 21,637 utility vehicles, or a total of 25,221 vehicles – around five times the number of vehicles sold.

Cuenco, general sales manager of Toyota Cebu City Inc., noted that most vehicles that were issued registrations were those of old models or models not sold by legitimate car dealers.

“Moreover, members of our association have been receiving persistent reports of brand new vehicles sold at prices that are way below dealer prices and have been registered in Cebu or its nearby LTO agencies,” Cuenco said in his letter.

“Upon verification of the vehicle details of these brand new units, we have ascertained that these have not been sold by our distributors in the Philippines, which could only mean that the vehicle identification numbers have either been tampered or that they have been illegally imported,” Cuenco added.

Cuenco said Cada hoped that the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Task Force would also look into the problem.

He estimated that the government has loses of around P2.8 billion in potential revenues yearly due to the illegal importation of vehicles.

The government could have collected an average of P100,000 in taxes from the illegally imported vehicles.

Alex Leyson, acting regional director of LTO in Central Visayas, told Cebu Daily News that his office issues new registrations for vehicles as long as all the required papers are in order.

Leyson said LTO was not concerned whether or not the vehicle may have been smuggled in.

“As long as the documents presented to us are all complete... we would issue new registrations. If the car is imported, we require that there must be a certificate of payment, certificate of stock report, insurance and police clearance. They must all be complied with before we issue a new registration,” he said.


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Quote for the day:

A wonderful thing about a book, in contrast to a computer screen, is that you can take it to bed with you.

- Daniel J. Boorstin

"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars."
- Martin Luther King