How a president who cheated, and whose fraud is subsequently uncovered, can nevertheless preserve her principality and govern

A candidate cheated, some people sardonically aver, doesn't deserve to hold public office in the first place--for how can he be expected to safeguard the public interest when he was incompetent in guarding even his own interest at the polls? Reasonable enough, I think, but nonetheless does not make the cheater any more legitimate. And there lies the president's predicament.

But fortunately for the president, the present crisis is merely a predicament, not the kind of stuff that can unmake her. It is a predicament though of the highest degree, one that I imagine would require the sagacity of Machiavelli to successfully traverse (and Manolo Quezon has some relevant excerpts from Machiavelli for President Arroyo ).

President Arroyo is presently doing well managing this most significant challenge to her presidency. Her deafening silence, which most commentators criticize, is in fact the most astute thing she can possibly do right now. Like any guilty client advised by a competent lawyer, President Arroyo has wisely taken a vow of silence. She can only damage herself further by opening her mouth. Omerta is also highly advisable for the rest of the cabinet, save a few inane meaningless statements from her spokesperson just to keep journalists from rumbling.

What can Arroyo do to preserve her presidency?

1) Being a political leader means her vow of silence is unsustainable in the long run. She would have to speak sooner or later (although preferably later). But before she do so, it is wise to survey first the extent of dirt the opposition has on her, on her husband, on Iggy Arroyo and on her son. It is essential that her comments on the matter be the final say, that there would be no further reveation, no further transcripts and audio mp3s to be downloaded in the PCIJ blog. The public, once fatigued by all these revelations, would all be too glad to forget about the matter.

2) The picture that appeared on the Inquirer--President Arroyo flanked by politicians bearing the letters PEACE and UNITY on their shirts--while cute and heartwarming for the president is nonetheless in the grand scheme of public relations quite useless. Estrada had the same protestations of undying fealty from the governors and look where he is now--stinking and getting fat in Tanay. The picture that President Arroyo needs now is one with lots of white robes in the background; robes accented by red belts preferred but not required. The President may have a problem asking bishops to meet her and have a photo taken of them now, but she can still try. She can also pay the ailing Cardinal Sin a visit. A picture at Cardinal Sin's bedside would be fine. Or confess her sins to Archbishop Rosales and get the latter's support in exchange (remember Michael Corleone and his successful corporate takeover after his confession?) .

3) To fire or not to fire Mikey, that's the question. It is easier to see your husband executed than your son pilloried. Queen Elizabeth I was infinitely wise to boycott the delivery room. If Mikey Arroyo is to resign, President Arroyo will appear weak. Garcillano is now out, but Garcillano, no matter how influential a powerbroker during the elections, is merely a government bureaucrat. Mikey Arroyo is different. If he resigns, the opposition would only be emboldened to demand the head that they really want: President Arroyo's.

In the game of chess, in order to trap the Queen, her enemies need to first engage her in combat. How? By first removing the pawns and lower personalities that cover her. Put yourself in the place of the opposition for a while. With damning tapes that detail how the president cheated in the elections, why would there still be a need for you to air out revelations about jueteng which at best only obliquely point to the president? To take out the men that prop the Queen. With the Arroyo men immobilized by the jueteng allegations, the tapes and the transcript should take care of President Arroyo. That's the master plan.

It was wise for Mikey Arroyo to take a leave. Iggy Arroyo should also do the same. Take a leave, but not resign. To not resign is crucial in order for President Arroyo to maintain an image of strength for the presidency.

4) Now with regard to rumored coups: The reason why there are always these rumors is because the Philippine government has historically dealt with coup plotters too kindly. The proper thing to do with any soldier who has been involved in a coup is to throw him out of the military/police permanently, banished from public life forever, BUT not jailed, because that would be an injustice and Heaven may hear the soldier's cry. General Douglas MacArthur knew the importance of handling miscreant soldiers. In postwar Japan, the Japanese military that prosecuted the world war was heavily purged, almost decimated after MacArthur done all his firing of its personnel. Trying those soldiers as war criminals would have been divisive; simply defrocking them as soldiers neutralized them. (Akio Morita, the man who transformed Sony into a global company, was one of those soldiers jobless after the war, fired by the "heavy-handed" MacArthur.)

In the Philippines, soldiers who plot coups are reinstated and are allowed to get even higher positions. Look at Admiral Tirso Danga, the man suspected of wiretapping President Arroyo. Had Corazon Aquino dealt with him properly in 1989, he would not be here in 2005 using his public power as ISAFP chief satiating his voyeuristic inclinations with the phone.

4) President Arroyo can also deal the Luli trump card to remind the civil society, which may grow restive, how infinitetely more desirable her administration is compared to the pretenders to her throne. The soft-spoken, decent Luli Arroyo can do a lot of damage control, cleaning the mess left by her inept brother. More importantly, with Luli on her side, President Arroyo can spin the machismo culture in Filipino society on its head. For this is a crucial and politically useful prejudice in Philippine society: While we all too readily believe the evil ways of our men, we at the same vehemently preserve the myth of the virtue of our women.

Had President Arroyo only governed well, scandals like these she could have brushed aside easily. But her popularity was at its all-time low even before these scandals were injected. There was no stock popularity to draw from. Thaksin Shinawatra survived corruption scandals some years ago because the Supreme Court simply was not prepared to pit itself against the immense popularity of the prime minister for fear it may disintegrate in the clash. A calculating populist politician, loved by the masses, can deflect all kinds of criticism with the same ease a Jedi deflects gun blasts with his lightsaber (e.g. Erdogan of Turkey who made a stunning political comeback after being constitutionally banned to ever hold public office again).

Now that she has been shown to be a fraud, nothing more than a conspiring queen who usurped the power of an elected King, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo must look for another base on which to found the legitimacy of her reign: good governance. In the confused world of Third World democratic politics, it is not only election results that bestow legitimacy. Performance too; just ask General Pervez Musharaf of Pakistan.

Volunteer work for CINEMANILA

If you want to meet interesting people, see award-winning foreign films and get your adrenaline pumping from working at a crazy festival pace, volunteer for the 7th Cinemanila International Film Festival, to be held this year from August 4-16. We are looking for bright and mature individuals who don't require a lot of hand-holding to join this year's team.

Interns are responsible for a wide range of clerical/administrative assisting duties, in addition to a bit of fact checking, online research, and occasional writing. Because we are a relatively small organization, interns have the opportunity to get to know all of our staff, and to really see how a film festival is put together. You will also get the chance to meet filmmakers from all over Asia and Europe and see Cinemanila movies for free. We can offer students at any stage of their college experience academic credit for their internship. We also accept recent graduates.

Qualifications: Writing, editing, research, interviewing and phone skills relevant. Basic computer proficiency important. Internships are available in the following departments: Marketing, Film Traffic, Guest Services, Theater Coordination, Promotions and Publicity, Editorial, Creative, Photography and Administration.

Requirements: To apply, please send your resume with a cover letter specifying which department you are interested in working as an intern/volunteer. PLEASE SEND ALL RESUMES DIRECTLY to miff@cinemanila.com.ph or cinemanila@hotmail.com.

NOTES: This internship may qualify for academic credit. Please check with your school. This is a non-paying internship. Small stipends are available under certain circumstances and for published work. Inquire for details (through email only, no phone calls please).

Invitation to a Book Discussion

Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
June 11, 3 PM
Datelines Bookshop
Marikina Shoe Expo Complex
Cubao, Quezon City

Discussion Questions:
Exactly what are the things that fell apart? How, when and why did those things fall part?

What caused Okonkwos downfall? In what ways did his downfall mirror that of the demise of his village? In hindsight was the fall of Mbanta and Umuofia inevitable? Could Okonkwos fall have been averted?

As the major identity conflict develops between the British/Christians versus the 'Traditional' Ibo, how does each side view the other? How do these views contribute to how each side treats the other? With which side do you sympathize ?

The last paragraph related how the District Commissioner was going to title his work The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Niger ? What is the significance of this ending?

Things Fall Apart, a novel about how one man confronted the English colonial powers and was ignominiously defeated, was nevertheless written by Achebe in English. Is this appropriate?

Currently reading:

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Web prowl

Find out what songs were inspired by literary works here. For people in love with lists, here's another: Time Magazine's 100 best films. If you want a Star Wars wallpaper for your desktop, some fine ones can be found here. Join Cuke Skywalker, Obi Wan Cannoli, Princess Lettuce, and other lovable (and hilarious) organic characters in their epic supermarket battle against Lord Tader and his pesticide-covered, genetically modified cohorts in the Store Wars. The Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh relates how he fell in love with books and world literature in The Testimony of my Grandfather's Bookcase.

From Medea by Euripides:

When love descends on man in brash excess
Hot past all limits
Nothing of glory nor good will come of it
Though if love's queen in gentleness approach,
Moderate, restrained,
No goddess is so full of starry charm.

Israeli aggie scholarships for Mindanao graduates

The Arava International Center for Agricultural Training (AICAT) of the Israel government is looking for as many as 25 agriculture-related graduates from Mindanao who will qualify for an 11-month Work-Study Program in Arava, Israel.

Backed by the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture of Israel, the AICAT has been introducing representatives from developing countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet (Tibetans who live in India) and the Philippines to modern agricultural methods for the past decade. Its Work-Study program, which benefited the first batch of 18 participants from Mindanao in August last year, will take effect for an entire agricultural season, from September 2005 to August 2006.

With "learning by doing" as its guiding theme, the program involves on-the-job training, which uses sophisticated agricultural technologies with Arava farmers and field trips to agricultural spots such as farms, irrigation equipment factories, agricultural products processing facilities and historical sites such as Jerusalem, Nazareth and the Galilee, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea.

To qualify, interested parties should be graduates of any agricultural course, not more than 35 years old, and preferably employed in any of the prestigious companies in Mindanao. Interested parties may send their Letter of Intent and resumé, not later than June 2, to Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, Chairperson, Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), 4F SSS Building, J.P. Laurel Avenue, Davao City.

For more information, they may also contact Ms. Carla Mae Zamora of the MEDCo Secretariat at (082)221-1345 or (082) 221-7060 (telefax).

Currently listening to:

Specialist in All Styles by Orchestra Baobab

Other people aren't hell

I was about to go home when a heavy downpour set in. Not wanting to waste time staring at the swarthy rainwater gathering at the gutter, I decided to go to a secondhand bookstore. Skimming the titles of the stacks, I saw a book by the Polish poet Adam Zagajewski. It seemed to be a random collection of his rather disjointed thoughts in prose, moments of poetical insights inspired by daily observations (like a literary blog, if you will).

I'm not a great fan of poetry in general and I've never read any Zagajewski before (I have a copy of his Canvas, but I never read it), but while browsing this book called Another Beauty, I came to read his poem also entitled Another Beauty, which served as the epigrammic introduction for the book , and I was instantly converted:

We find comfort only in
another beauty, in others'
music, in the poetry of others.
Salvation lies with others,
though solitude may taste like
opium. Other people aren't hell
if you glimpse them at dawn, when
their brows are clean, rinsed by dreams.

Salvation lies with others, though solitude may taste like opium. Other people aren't hell if you glimpse them at dawn, when their brows are clean, rinsed by dreams. The importance of social community; to get to the City of God, you must first pass through the City of Man. Come to think of it, Robert Putnam said the same thing in Bowling Alone.

Web prowl

The BBC has an online poll on who's the world's greatest philosopher. Fareed Zakaria writes about the need to not think about China's rise in exaggerated terms--at least not yet. If you want to do some serious reading but are wondering where to start, here are reading guides to the liberal arts (don't miss Harvey Mansfield on political philosophy and John Lukacs on history). With the internet eroding the Communist Party's monopoly of information and making the traditional policy of "nei jin wai song" (cracking down at home while pretending to foreigners to be wide open) unsustainable, China may not survive death by a thousand blogs.

Job opening

Program Development Specialist

Job Summary: Develops proposals, implements and monitors programs and projects in support of the Networks overall strategy

Principal Duties & Accountabilities:

1. Develops and writes project proposals and modules
2. Prepares and writes technical reports required by donors, partners and other organizations
3. Prepares process documentation reports for major VOICE interventions and activities
4. Conceptualizes and implements resource generation strategies
5. Provides technical assistance and support in program/project implementation and management
6. Conducts researches and trainings
7. Performs other related tasks as may be assigned from time to time

Qualifications:
At least a Bachelors Degree
Preferably one year experience in development work
Experience in proposal and technical report-writing
Very good writing and communication skills
Excellent skills in computer operations (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
Must be able to work with minimum supervision

Application Requirements:

Application letter addressed to the Managing Director
Curriculum Vitae
Transcript of Records
ID Picture

Please send your requirements to the VOICE Office: 2/F Benton Hall, UP Diliman, QC or email them at enational@yahoo.com on or before June 10, 2005. For more information, you may contact (632) 9288969 or (0922) 8121924.

BIKE for BURMA protest on May 30

Join the BIKE for BURMA protest on May 30!!!
On 30 May 2003, the military government of Burma organized truck-loads of hired thugs and carried out a premeditated attack on members and supporters of the National League for Democracy, including its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
These juntas paid goons attacked the local population, who came out to welcome Suu Kyi and the accompanying NLD members, using violence and terror, with the intention of causing injuries and death to a large number of innocent and defenseless civilians.

From the women victims who had fallen to the ground, they pulled their blouses and sarongs, and they wrapped the hair around their hands and bumped the faces against the tar road. They rudely and savagely attacked causing fatal injuries. They even looted personal belongings and cash from the victims.

Two years after that bloody massacre, ambush victims still demand justice and prosecution of the perpetrators of the attack. Since then, the military regime has done nothing to shed light on the incident. Up to now, the junta continuously violates the fundamental rights of its people and its poor human rights record is a testimony that it is not sincere to fulfill its promised democratic reforms.

On May 30, 2005, the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) and the Free Burma Coalition Philippines would like to invite you to join the BIKE FOR BURMA protest action.

The bike protest will start at Welcome Rotonda (9:00 am) and will proceed to the Mendiola bridge. We will also demand to the Philippine government and to the international community to support the call to block the Burma's scheduled chairmanship of the Asean in 2006.

For those who are interested to join the Bike for Burma protest please call the IID office at telephone numbers 435-2900 or 911-0205. Look for Gani or Noel. ###

Rock en espanol

For about two weeks now, I've been listening to the music of this Argentinean band called Los Enanitos Verdes. If you are a fan of rock en Espanol, then, chances are, you'll love the songs of Enanitos Verdes. Check the band's Guitarras Blancas, Lamento Boliviano, and Es Por Ti. My personal favorites now are Eterna Soledad and Una Cancion de Despedida.

And while I'm at it, let me recommend my favorite rock band in the whole wide world: Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. You may want to check their song El Matador, the band's triumphant homage to Victor Jara, the Chilean poet whose hands were amputated by police before thousands of horrified onlookers at a packed soccer stadium after General Pinochet took power. (Victor Jara is generally regarded as the first international star of Nueva Cancion, remembered for his line, "The guitar becomes an instrument of struggle, so that it can also shoot like a gun.") Los Fabulosos Cadillacs has many great songs (they're like the Beatles in their prolific output): the infinitely danceable Gitana, the memorable duet with the Cuban salsa superstar Celia Cruz in Vasos Vacios, Algo Contigo, Mal Bicho, Por Ese Palpitar, Demasiada Presion, Carnaval Toda La Vida... Los Fabulos Cadillacs also has a tribute to Che Guevara--a song named Gallo Rojo-- although I haven't heard it yet. It doesn't matter if you don't understand a single Spanish word; the music is so good it transcends language barriers.

The last Star Wars

Time magazine's Richard Corliss (sub needed) called the Revenge of the Sith the best of the three Star Wars prequel movies . Now comes this review on the New York Times saying it's the best Star Wars George Lucas has ever directed. Oh, dear. Must remember to buy a ticket today.

Should we raise the minimum wage ?

The Manila Times quotes Dennis Arroyo, assistant director of NEDA’s National Planning and Policy Staff, as saying any increase in wages will worsen the county’s labor competitiveness. "... [A wage increase] would further worsen our competitiveness, inflation, unemployment and gross domestic product," Arroyo said.

Some quick thoughts on the matter:

A fact sheet from the National Statistical Coordinating Board points out that the present minimum wage for the National Capital Region (NCR) of $5.54 is actually higher than Vietnam ($0.93), China ($0.31 to $1.28), Indonesia ($1.36) and Thailand ($3.36 to $4.25). Any further increase will make Philippine labor more expensive compared to our neighbors of comparable economic development. I buy this argument, alright, but I wonder how can people in Vietnam and China cope on so little? If ever there is a pressing need for legislative inquiry, it is for this one: to know the best practices of the Vietnemese and Chinese on scrimping. In the face of the massive discrepancy between the country's present minimum wage and the living wage (as calculated by the government itself here), I find it cruel to dismiss demands for minimum wage increase by saying there are people more hard up than we are. By the way, did you ever wonder why the onus of productivity is always on labor? What about that other means of production--capital ?

Will increasing the minimum wage cause people to lose jobs? Economic orthodoxes would answer yes. It is natural for businesses to retrench following increased wage costs, right? Wrong (or at the very least not as decisively correct as Arroyo would have us believe). There is a justifiable place for economic agnosticism in the issue of minimum wage and unemployment. In the case of Indonesia, for example, in the early 1990s, the minimum wage was doubled in real terms (tripled in nominal terms) and yet that dramatic wage hike had no effect on over-all employment (See The consequences of doubling the minimum wage: The case of Indonesia. Martin Rama, Industrial & Labor Relations Review, Ithaca: Jul 2001, Vol.54, Iss. 4; pg. 864, 18 pgs). What explains this ? Joseph Stiglitz thinks a mandated wage increase would be expected to raise productivity by almost enough to offset the higher cost of labor, so the status quo ante, prior to the wage increase, is preserved.

So what are we to do? What is my point? Only this: Contrary to what people like Arroyo of NEDA says, economics presents no decisive answer on the issue of the effects of raising the minimum wage. It is not necessarily an economist's nightmare. A moderate minimum wage increase is workable and there is room for maneuver. Too bad though that President Arroyo, a Ph. D. economist, prefers to leave the hard decisions on the regional wage boards instead, the members of which, I presume, know less economics than herself.

Wanted: Mga bagong makata ng LIRA

Para sa taong ito, muling naghahanap ang Linangan saImahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA) ng mga bagong fellow na mapapabilang sa poetry workshop o palihan sa pagtula.

Itinatag noong 1985 ang LIRA ng Pambansang Alagad ngSining para sa Panitikan Virgilio S. Almario, kilalasa mundo ng panitikan bilang Rio Alma. Ipinagmamalaking LIRA, isang organisasyon ng mga makatang nagsusulatsa wikang Filipino, ang taunang palihang humubog samga premyadong makata at manunulat ng ating panahon.

Kabilang sa 20-taong tradisyon ng kahusayan ng LIRAang kanilang miyembrong sina: Roberto T. Añonuevo atRomulo P. Baquiran, Jr., mga makatang Oragon atprolipikong awtor; Rebecca T. Añonuevo, premyadongmakata, kritiko at guro sa Miriam College; Vim Nadera,performance artist at kasalukuyang direktor ng UPInstitute of Creative Writing; Nicolas Pichay, abogadoat awardee ng Centennial Literary Prize; Ariel Dim. Borlongan, mamamahayag at naging Makata ng Taon;Michael Coroza, guro sa Ateneo de Manila University at pabliser; at si Edgar Samar, kasalukuyang pangulo ng LIRA na nagtuturo rin sa ADMU at manunulat ng mga akdang pambata.

Ang palihan o workshop para sa taong ito ay binubuo ngmga lecture ng mga respetadong makata at manunulat,pagsuri at pagbasa ng mga tula. Isa sa mga paksangtatalakayin ay ang mayamang tradisyon ng panulaangFilipino. Ang palihan ay gaganapin mula Hunyo hanggangHulyo 2005, tuwing Sabado at Linggo sa CAL New Building, UP Diliman.

Para sa lahat ng interesado, maaaring magpasa nglimang tula at resumé na may retrato sa LIRA c/o UPInstitute of Creative Writing, 2/F College of Arts andLetters, UP Diliman, Quezon City o sa hulingiyama@yahoo.com. Ang huling araw ng pagpapasa ay sa Mayo 27, 2005. Parasa karagdagang impormasyon, i-text si Bebang sa0919-3175708.

Currently reading:

Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Woodring Stover

Job opening

The Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) is looking for a BURMA PROGRAM AND MANILA LIAISON OFFICE COORDINATOR who will be based in its Manila Liaison office in Quezon City, Philippines.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, you will be primarily responsible for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of campaigns, lobby activities, internships and exchanges on Burma. You will concurrently manage IIDs Manila Liaison office.

Duties and responsibilities:
- Develop, lead and manage IIDs campaigns and lobby initiatives on Burma
- Effectively and efficiently monitor and evaluate the program, manage its resources and maintain its partnerships
- Coordinate the internship and exchange program on Burma
- Prepare program project proposals and reports
- Represent the Executive Director / IID in official functions in Manila
- Supervise the staff of the Burma program and the Manila Liaison office
- Implement Manila activities of other IID programs
- Liaise with IIDs Manila-based Board members and partners

Person Specification:

Essentia
l- At least 5 years experience in campaign and advocacy work with a national, regional or international NGO
- Experience in managing a campaign or advocacy program, including planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation- Familiar with current Burma issues as well as other IID concerns
- Experience in personnel management
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent network-building skills
- Highly motivated, initiative, resourceful and flexible
- Can work effectively with a team- Willing to travel abroad
- Computer literate

Desirable
- Advance studies in any social science or related field
- Knowledge in ASEAN regional socio-political situation specifically on Burma issues, and other global concerns especially that affect peoples of the South
- Experience in liaising with media
- Competitive writing skills

Submit application and comprehensive resume or curriculum vitae to:
The Executive Director
Initiatives for International Dialogue
27 Galaxy Street, GSIS Heights
Matina, Davao City,Philippines

Fax: (63)(82) 2992052E-mail: admin@iidnet.org

DEADLINE: MAY 31, 2005

For information about IID, visit www.iidnet.org.

From Nick Joaquin's Woman Who Had Two Navels:

--But they were corrupt, Father!
--They were human, my child. And if we were to reject all worldly authority for that reason, we would have to reject everything: marriage and government and society; the family, the state and the church. We would have to abolish the world.

DEMISTIFYING DE SOTO

A Roundtable Discussion on Hernando de Soto’s Model of Development and Its Impact on Philippine Economic Policies

13 May 2005
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
SEAMEO INNOTECH, Commonwealth Ave., Quezon City

Background:

Hernando de Soto, a Peruvian economist whose ideas made him a global celebrity, is now the subject of both praise and criticism, from the left and from the right. For the left, de Soto has formulated the most seemingly practical ideas for reducing global poverty. For the right, de Soto offers the most compelling way to market capitalism to the poor. At last year’s
annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, former United States President Bill Clinton publicly declared that de Soto is “probably the world’s most important living economist.” He also has the backing of international financial institutions, foremost of which is the World Bank.

Various governments have started to adopt his model of development. For instance, in Thailand, the current “assets capitalization program” is aimed at the transformation of all land assets into fully transferable units, through privatization of tenure or land titling. The very basis of this program is de Soto’s Mystery of Capital.

The Philippine government has also tapped de Soto as an economic adviser. Believed to be a man with a “bag of economic tricks,” more and more Filipinos, ordinary and technocrats alike, are putting their faith in his development model. However, many policy analysts, civil society organizations and even the basic sectors are posing challenges and questions to de Soto’s framework. Most of them are still grappling with the meaning of his development model, more so, how his economic proposals would be beneficial to the country.

This forum aims to understand the essence of de Soto’s model of development and how it will redound to the government’s policies and programs. Also, the forum intends to address the following questions:

- How did the government adopt the tenets of de Soto’s model of poverty reduction (if the government did adopt de Soto’s tenets)? How have these translated to policies and programs?
- What are the implications of this model to the on-going agrarian reform program of the government and to farmers’ struggle for genuine land reform, in general?
- What are the economic proposals of de Soto for the Philippines? Would this be beneficial to the country’s development?

Main Speakers:

Dr. Leonardo A. Lanzona, Jr.
Associate Professor of Economics, Ateneo de Manila University
“Overview of Hernando de Soto’s Development Model and Policy Implications”

Panel of Reactors:

Ms. Au Regalado, MODE
Ka Romy Rubion, Makabayan-Pilipinas (to be confirmed)
DAMPA (to be confirmed)
Task Force Lara (to be confirmed)

Moderator: Mr. Martin Tanchuling, PhilNet-RDI

* For inquiries and confirmation, please contact Mary Ann or RC at 433-0899, 433-3387 or email at mbmanahan@focusweb.org

Invitation to a forum on Burma's forced labor

Malugod po namin kayong inaanyayahang dumalo sa gaganaping Forum/Discussion: Ang Pwersahang Paggawa sa Burma…Laban ng Uring Manggagawa (Isang Takayan) hinggil sa lumalalang sitwasyon ng Pwersahang Paggawa (Forced Labor) sa bansang Burma na gaganapin sa darating na Mayo 07 Sabado 2:00pm sa Shoe Hall ikalawang palapag ng Marikina City Hall.

Ito ay dadaluhan ng iba’t-ibang asosasyon at unyon ng mga manggagawa di lamang sa Marikina kundi sa kalakhang Maynila. Nakatakdang magbigay ng kasalukuyang sitwasyon ng mga manggawa sa Burma si Naing Ko ko, myembro ng National Council of Union of Burma (NCUB) at Federation of Trade Union of Burma (FTUB).

Ang IID at FBC-Phils sa loob ng maraming taon ay kinukundena ang gobyernong militar ng Burma sa patuloy nitong pagbalewala sa karapatan ng sarili nitong mga manggagawa at mamamayan. Ang Burma ay nasa ilalim ng gobyernong junta sa loob na halos ng 43 taon at hanggang sa ngayon, ang paglapastangan sa karapatan ng mga mamayan sa malayang pamamahayag, pagsali sa mga pulitikal na asosayon, midya at karapatan ng mga manggagawa ay patuloy na hindi nabibigyang lunas. Laganap din ang pagsasamantala sa karapatan ng mga kababaihan at ang sinumang magpahayag ng mga lehitimong pagtutol sa patakaran ng gobyerno ay ikinukulong.

Ang patuloy na pagiging manhid ng gobyernong militar sa kabila ng kondemnasyon mula sa international community (ASEAN, UN, ILO) sa kalagayan ng sistema ng pwersahang paggawa sa Burma ay marapat lamang na bigyang pansin ng mga kapwa manggagawa saan mang dako ng daigdig.

Ibayong hirap at pandarahas sa mga construction sites, hindi makatarungang pasweldo at ang pagtatrabaho sa maghapon ng walang karampatang kompensasyon mula sa pamahalaan at sa mga kumpanyang nakikinabang sa diktadurya ng Burma ang ilan lamang sa dinaranas ng mga kapatid nating manggagawa sa nasabing bansa.

Naniniwala kami na ang manggagawang Pilipino ay naglalayon na isulong ang interes at mga karapatan niya bilang uri sa lipunan na nakararanas din ng pang-aabuso sa ibat ibang paraan na idinidikta ng umiiral na sistema sa lipunan. Ang ating maiaambag, gaano man kaliit, sa mga kapatid nating manggagawa sa Burma ay isang malaking tulong.

Lubos kaming umaasa sa inyong partisipasyon sa darating na forum na ito. Mabuhay ang Uring Manggagawa!

Currently reading:

The Woman Who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin

Literature

If you missed reading it yesterday ( I did ), the Inquirer had Don Quixote de la Mancha for its editorial. Salman Rushdie on the trasformational power of literature.

Forum

"KATOTOHANAN SA GITNA NG HIDWAAN:
Searching for Justice and Peace in Sulu"
Spread the word!...

(A Forum/presentation of data & information gathered from the Sulu fact finding mission.)

@ Miriam College Audio-visual Room D
Thursday, April 28, 2:00-5:00

Organized by the MINDANAO PEACEWEAVERS
in coordination with the MINDANAO SOLIDARITY NETWORK,
Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Miriam, CPE COLab and Pax Christi-Miriam College

Currently reading:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Jean Jacques Rousseau at the DENR

Yesterday, I happened to be at the DENR and the full force of the Philippine Left --the rejectionists and the reaffirmists-- was there pouring invectives on Secretary Defensor, who, by the way, never showed up. The crowds I saw were pretty big, needing extra policemen to direct the traffic. As with any fairly large crowd united for a common political purpose, there was this palpable energy in the air, the seeming possibilty --almost always unfounded-- that any moment, through the camaraderie of men, the world could be changed and justice would reign.

The concerns of the crowd were various: the logging in Quezon, the impact of mining to indigenous peoples, the incinerator in Cavite. What greatly affected me though was a speech by a man named Father Ed. He was lamenting the fact that before the Philippine republic was instituted, indigenous peoples were living in idyllic conditions in harmony with nature; the DENR, according to Father Ed, did nothing but to accelerate the degradation of the environment by its careless issuance of permits to destroy. The institution of political society saw the degradation of the environment; the present government is doing nothing but preside the destruction of the earth.

I cannot do justice to Father Ed's hortatory piece, but what deeply affected me was not so much his eloquence (albeit he was eloquent) but the flash of recognition that struck me while pondering his lament. His speech was Jean Jacques Rousseau in the flesh, straight from the pages of The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality ! And in front of Father Ed, hearing his laments on progress, were young people in loincloths holding political banners. I felt it was Jean Jacques Rousseau himself, risen from the dead, to haunt the sophistication of our society. My hands were clasped as if in prayer. It was all I could do, short of appearing deranged, to express my reverence upon meeting a great philosopher.

Notice of hiring lawyer

PBPF is looking for a staff lawyer to provide developmental legal assistance forMindanao communities in the field of environment and governance.Applicants must speak at least basic "Bisaya" and must be deeply motivated topartner with marginalized communities. The work will demand a lot of traveland training.

The position allows private practice for as long as this does notin any way go against the core values of the organization or conflict withexisting schedules.Experience in developmental legal assistance would be a plus factor but the mostimportant requirement is a desire to work with the poor and marginalized toadvance justice issues. In the case of a new lawyer taking this post, a month's internship with like-minded NGOs can be arranged if necessary.

Applicants may send letter of application with ID picture, three identifiedreference persons, attached curriculum vitae and photocopy of transcript toAlice P. Gabuya or Ana Maria G. Balayon.PROJECT OFFICERPBPF is looking for a project officer who will coordinate a Mindanao-wideproject to provide developmental legal assistance for communities in the filedof environment and governance.Applicants must speak at least basic "Bisaya", must be willing to travel, andmust possess a strong motivation to partner with marginalized communities.

Thework will entail arranging trainings and other activities that will meet theneeds of partners; orienting resource persons, conducting visits and filingregular reports.A six to eight week phase-in period will be provided.Applicants may send letter of application with ID picture, three identifiedreference persons, attached curriculum vitae and photocopy of transcript toAlice P. Gabuya or Ana Maria G. Balayon.
Paglilingkod Batas Pangkapatiran Foundation, Inc.493 Gen. Luna Extension, Mt. Apo Street,Davao City, 8000Telefax: (082) 226-2059; 305-6936E-mail: pbpfdvo@mozcom.com

The next sovereign

It is said that just about the only advice Pope John Paul II gave on how to choose the pope to succeed him was this: pick the person who is "most suited to govern the universal church in a fruitful and beneficial way."

One thing working for the candidacy of Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany (who is said said to be the frontrunner) is the fact that, at 78, he is not exactly at the prime of his youth and, if elected pope, would probably serve for a single-digit number of years in contrast to Pope John Paul II's quarter-century reign as the Roman Pontiff. (Click here for an interactive presentation of just how a pope is elected.) In his sermon just before the cardinals convened into a conclave, Cardinal Ratzinger inveighed against moral relativism and issued a call for orthodoxy. He was probably alluding to the many affronts to Catholic orthodoxy that have been gaining momentum these past years --specifically the feverish campaign for same-sex marriages in the West, the call for female priesthood and the socialist temptation of the Catholic doctrine.

The question though is this: are the above issues really the most pressing and historically significant ? I think not. Contraception, for one, is one battle the Church has already lost. Among the laity, there is also no burning desire to see women ordained. Pope John Paull II may also have successfully buried liberation theology in the dust heap of Latin American history. And as for same-sex marriages, it must be recalled that in its early beginnings the Catholic Church battled prevalent homosexuality in the Roman world and it was so magnificently successful in its campaign that by the time the Enlightenment engulfed Europe, the Judeo-Christian tradition has irrevocably supplanted that which was inherited from the Greeks. The Church can do again what it successfully did in the past.

The moral and ethical issues that should preoccupy the clergy and the next papacy should be those of science. Arguably, the scientific discoveries of our time mirror that of the discoveries in the time of Galileo Galilei, who supported the Copernican system and was persecuted by the Church for it. (Pope John Paul has apologized for this moral failing.) What was cosmology then is biotechnology now. It would further the faith if the next pope has great rapport with the scientific community.

Currently reading:

Our Stolen Future by Dumanoski, Myers and Colborn

Web prowl

Download the 16 Best-ever Freeware Utilities for your computer. Open-access academic journals, catalogued according to subjects, are available in this one swell online directory. For those who want to understand the Asian Development Bank, Unpacking the ADB: A Guide to Understanding the Asian Development Bank has been recently released online. In case you don't know yet, the Philippine Center for Investigative journalism has started its own blog, the first institutional blog in the Philippines.

Madame Bovary
Have you read Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert? The InMediasRes reading group will be meeting to discuss the novel tomorrow, Saturday, 3 PM, at the Datelines Bookshop, Marikino Shoe Expo, Cubao. If your Saturday is free, please join us. Here are the discussion questions for tomorrow:

Is Madame Bovary a sentimental fool or simply a romantic idealist longing for a life less ordinary?

What is the cause of her great unhappiness?

How would a Marxist interpret Madame Bovary's predicament?

How do you react to the main characters in the book? Do you admire or detest any of them? Do you find any hateful, laughable or pitiable? Can you locate any heroes or villains, good or bad characters?

We are told at one point in the text that madame Bovary, virtually throughout her years of maturity, has been "waiting for something to happen". Yet much happens-she falls in love, she marries, she has a child, she falls in love again, then again, and this time has an adulterous affair, she nearly commits suicide, and so on. What does it mean to say that she is "waiting for something to happen."

Madame Bovary hoped that she would give birth to a son because she thought a son would at least be free and could fulfill vicariously all her dashed dreams. If Madame Bovary were a man, would it have really made a difference? What are the gender issues in the novel?

Near the end of the book, a character is briefly introduced- Larivière-who seems quite different from all the others and he is immediately withdrawn from the action. What was Flaubert's purpose in introducing him?

Does the novel have a moral?

Online course on reporting commodities opens May 2
The Konrad Adenauer Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University (CFJ) is now accepting applications for a six-week online course on Reporting on Food and Agriculture to be held from 2 May - 11 June 2005.

The course aims to develop skills on writing about farm topics and will tackle a wide range of issues including environmental degradation, genetically modified seeds, trade policies and disaster reportage. Major global commodity exchanges and their influence on the decisions of Asian farmers will also be explored.

Rene Pastor, deputy editor of the commodities desk of Reuters in New York will teach this course. Pastor has covered assignments ranging from coups and earthquakes and has worked in Singapore and Manila before his assignment to the United States. He also covered the attacks on the World Trade Center and the destruction of the commodity exchange there.

Fellowships are available to qualified and deserving journalists who are full-time staff of a news media organization in Asia. Applications must be received by Monday, 25 April 2005. Application forms may be downloaded from http://cfj.ateneo.edu or requested by e-mail at newsroom@admu.edu.ph and submitted by fax at +632 926 3254.
The CFJ may also be contacted by phone at +632 926 3253 or +632 426 6001 (local 5215).

CFJ, a joint project of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and the Ateneo, was founded in June 2000 to promote good journalism in Asia. It carries out its mandate by providing training opportunities primarily to working journalists in the region. Journalists from the Pacific Islands are also welcome to apply. CFJ training programs include the diploma programs in online and broadcast journalism, certificate courses and a degree program leading to the Master of Arts in Journalism.

Job opening
Action for Economic Reforms, a research, policy analysis and advocacy organization working on macroeconomic and governance issues, is in search of Policy Staff.

AER is looking for somebody who possesses the following minimum qualifications:

- has a postgraduate degree or is finishing a postgraduate degree in economics or development economics;

- has the skills and techniques for research and political/economic analysis;

- has good writing skills in English and Filipino;

- has ability to fluently articulate ideas in English and Filipino; and

- has self-initiative and can direct programs and projects.

AER offers a competitive compensation and benefits package.

Those interested should please send resume with covering application letter to aer@aer.ph. Deadline for submission is on 15 April 15, 2005. For more information about Action for Economic Reforms, please visit www.aer.ph.

Currently reading:

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

ANTOLOHIYA HINGGIL SA KILUSANG PAGGAWA
Inaanyayahan ang lahat ng mga manggagawa at mga manunulat na magsumite ng kanilang mga maikling kuwento para sa isang antolohiya hinggil sa Kilusang Paggawa sa Pilipinas, sa partikular, ang pagpupursigi ng Kilusang Mayo Uno at iba pang konektado rito, hinggil sa mga isyu ng manggagawa at sa pakikipagsapalaran, pakikibaka, at tagumpay ng Kilusang Paggawa sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng isang kolektibong pagkilos.

Nais taluntunin ng antolohiyang ito ang kasaysayan ng kilusang paggawa sa Pilipinas (at ang koneksyon nito sa pandaigdigang kilusang paggawa), ang mga isyu ng manggagawa tulad ng kontraktwalisasyon, subkontraktwalisasyon, “rationalization” ng mga ahensiya’t institusyon ng pamahalaan, relasyon ng kapitalista at manggagawa, relasyon ng mga manggagawa, unfair labor practices, sexual harassment sa pagawaan, mga personal (at pulitikal) na testimonya, at ang pagbubudyong ng vanguard class ng isang kolektibong pagkilos upang makamit ang tunay na kalayaan at demokrasya. At marami pang iba.

Itataon ang publikasyong ito sa pagdiriwang ng Araw ng Paggawa sa Mayo 1, 2005. Kung kaya, inaasahan naming maipadadala ninyo ang inyong mga kontribusyong maikling kuwento tungkol sa at/o likha ng manggagawa sa Abril 13 (Miyerkules).

Ipadala sa mangiglap@yahoo.com. Kung may katanungan, magpadala ng email kina Joey Baquiran, Joi Barrios, Roland Tolentino o Mykel Andrada ng Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) ng UP Diliman o di kaya’y magtext sa 0915-4413324.

Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary:

Deep down, all the while, she was waiting for something to happen. Like a sailor in distress, she kept casting desperate glances over the solitary waste of her life, seeking some white sail in the distant mists of the horizon. She had no idea by what wind it would reach her, toward what shore it would bear her, or what kind of craft it would be--tiny boat or towering vessel, laden with heartbreaks or filled to the gunwales with rapture. But every morning when she awoke she hoped that today would be the day; she listened for every sound, gave sudden starts, was surprised when nothing happened; and then, sadder with each succeeding sunset, she longed for tomorrow.

Currently listening to:

OST High Fidelity

Mens sana in corpore sano
If you are to read just one book about maintaining your health, I suggest you read The Okinawa Program by Bradley Wilcox, Craig Wilcox and Makoto Suzuki. The book is a documentation of healthy lifestyle practices in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture. People in Okinawa live longer than anyone in the planet. There are 600 centenarians out of a population of 1.3 million in the prefecture, the highest proportion of centenarians in the world: 39.5 for every 100,000 people. The centenarians studied by the authors in a span of 25 years have verifable birth certificates, and they continue to live active lives.

The longevity of the Okinawans also cannot be attributed to simply superior genes. Okinawans who migrated to the United States and Canada (and changed their lifestyles) do not live quite as long as their friends who remained in the island.It would also be erroneous to say that the centenarians in Okinawa live especially charmed lives. Okinawa is the poorest region in Japan, and during World War II, it lost one citizen in every four.

So what are the people in Okinawa doing right? They eat well, they eat little (again the importance of caloric restriction), they're surrounded by lots of loving family members and they're spiritual.

The Okinawa Program is not just your usual diet book (although it has plenty of recipes at the end). Wilcox is a doctor trained at the Mayo Clinic and a geriatrics fellow at Harvard. The second Wilcox , his brother, is a medical anthropologist. Suzuki is a professor in Okinawa and the principal investigator of the Okinawa Centenarian Study. What I find especially comforting about the book is its copious endnotes. Unlike most health books in the market (most of them espousing pseudo science), THe Okinawa Program is heavily referenced. If you are, for example, in doubt of the specific findings being related to you by the authors, you can go check out the original medical journal articles if you so desire and judge for yourself.

If you're too busy to read the book, or too hard up to get one, here are some of the health tips I learned from the book:

1) Eat lots and lots of tofu. It is extremely nutritious and because of its ridiculously low level of calories, it won't make you fat. It is also low in the Glycemic Index, making it a healthy source of carbohydrates.

2) Buy jasmine tea rather than green tea. Jasmine tea has just about the same flavonoids as green tea, but with the added benfit of lignans. If you're hooked on coffee because of its caffeine, switching to tea is not exactly detrimental to your working energy because tea also has caffeine, albeit only half of that of coffee. But what's wrong with drinking two cups of tea instead of one? You get same amount of caffeine with plenty of antioxidants on the side. A very good bargain.

3)Use canola oil as your cooking oil. It is better than the pricey olive oil because it is lower in saturated fats but higher in monounsaturates, which help reduce your bad cholesterol while at the same time boosting your good cholesterol.

4)Join a club or organization. Interaction with different people will give you more friends and is also good for your personal longevity.

5)Eat legumes, ampalaya, camote.

Currently reading:

The Okinawa Program by Wilcox, Wilcox and Suzuki

Invitation: Madame Bovary on a Saturday
The InMediasRes reading group will meet to discuss

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
April 9, Saturday, 3 p.m
Dateline Bookshop
Marikina Shoe Expo complex (near Araneta Post Office)
Cubao, Quezon City

The full text of the novel is available online.

If you have a discussion question you want to be included, you can e-mail the e-group. Discussion questions, after collation, will be posted later in the e-group, after the Holy Week. To join the egroup, send blank e-mail to inmediasres-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

For those who are having second thoughts about reading Madame Bovary, read Washington Post's Michael Dirda gushing over it here.

Web prowl
Professor Nathan Tarcov on Freedom, Republics, and Peoples in Machiavelli’s Prince (pdf). Newsweek reports how,despite US sanctions, Burma is stumbling along. The Tinig e-zine is again online with a feature on the public humiliation so prevalent among student organizations at the University of the Philippines. From the Harvard Human Rights Journal, Professor Stephen Marks on The Human Right to Development: Between Rhetoric and Reality. Marit Stinus-Remonde says exposure to pesticides must be checked.

Job opening
TechFactors Inc., a multimedia company is in need of the following:

GRAPHIC ARTISTS
- proficient in Adobe In Design CS, Photoshop CS, and Illustrator CS;
- can do illustration;
- knowledge in Basic Flash is an advantage but not a requirement

EDITOR
- IT proficient;
- has experience in writing technical and creative materials;
- with proofreading and editing skills

Application letters should be addressed to:
Dr. Jaime D.L. Caro
President
TechFactors, Inc.
Rm. 403 Tempus Place,
Matalino St., Diliman,
Quezon City
Tel.: (02) 920-0294

Submit your application letter and detailed résumé by e-mail to:

Ms. Joyce R. Cayamanda
jrcayamanda@techfactors.ph

David Michael F. Shinyo
dfshinyo@crest.ph

Currently reading:

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Free screening
From the mailbox:
It was announced during an independent filmmakers' symposium recently held at the up masscomm that pioneering independent filmmaker Jon Red's new film entitled BOSO will be screened for free on APRIL 5, TUESDAY at 5PM at the UP FILM CENTER. Famous for his fiercely independent spirit and comedic flair, BOSO promises to be an erotic black comedy- indie style. invite your friends since this is a rare screening of the UNCUT VERSION - :)

The fall of a fighter
Manny Pacquiao loses to Morales, the LA Times reports, but:

Pacquiao hadn't come halfway around the world to quit. His legions of flag-waving countrymen hadn't made the journey to go home early.

So even though he had fallen behind early on all three judges' scorecards, even though a punch, or perhaps the head butt that preceded it, had split his right eyebrow earlier in that fifth round, even though Morales, a notoriously slow starter, had set a furious pace and employed an aggressive style, Pacquiao fought on.

The unbearable burden of being Grace Padaca
The Economist reports on how Grace Padaca, the crippled governor of Isabela, is having a hard time ruling the province once under the sway of the Dys. “I sometimes cry myself to sleep at night,” Padaca admits to the newsmagazine.

Padaca is facing the problem reformers inevitably face whenever a new order is about to be instituted: resistance from conservative people who have digged in their heels. If the recall election Padaca's opponents are planning fails to materialize, they can always hedge their bet on the next election. A reinforced--and less complacent-- Dy campaign has a good fighting chance of toppling the wobbly Padaca. Because of the opposition from mayors and other officals/bureaucrats in the province, Padaca's administration, I understand, is in a state of, if not disarray, nonachievement. What is a reformer to do in the face of pervasive opposition?

A thing or two can be learned from the experience of that great subversive from Malaysia--Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. A reformer to be effective must appear conservative. It is natural for men to detest change. Lulled by the familiarity of present things, however insufficient they may be, a man would always tend to choose the intimate present rather than the distant and uncertain future.

No Muslim leader (well, except, perhaps Kemal Ataturk) has done more to secularize Muslim society than Dr. Mahathir. He, however, did his best to appear conservative. There is simply no use ruffling too many feathers. Mahathir's anti-semitic speech with the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) as his audience is instructive of this particular useful political tactic.

Malaysia has unequivocally condemned Al-Qaeda's 911 attack and has cooperated fully with the United States's overseas efforts to round up Muslim suspects. Because of this seeming proximity to the United States, murmurs of Mahathir's insufficient Muslim credentials again began to surface (as they habitually did from time to time throughout his career). What did Mahathir do? Host the OIC and, in a speech closely watched by global media, lambast the Jews for trying to rule the world. There was instantaneous thunderous applause from the Muslim gallery. In an instant, Mahathir renewed his ties with the Muslims by saying what many of them could only think about. But was the speech really about the excesses of the Jews? No. It was, close reading of the speech would show, more on highlighting the intellectual laziness of the Muslims versus the fecund imagination and productiveness of the Jews. Had Mahathir simply talked about the historical unproductiveness of the Muslims, he would have been pilloried. But because he lambasted the Jews at the same time that he did scold the Muslims, he got a round of applause. He appeared anti-Semitic in the eyes of the world, yes, but he endeared himself in the hearts of his Muslim constituents at the same time, it bears pointing out, that he was berating their intellectual lassitude.

A reformer to be effective must appear conservative. Padaca should be rounding up the mayors of the province and telling them just how little things are about to change. A first term is for consolidation; real substantive reforms can wait the second term, when the status quo brokers have been lulled to thinking they are being served with just more of the same thing.

Call for papers on Filipino martial arts
Pacific Media Expo [ PMX ], in collaboration with All Things Filipino [ ATF ], is pleased to announce a Call for Papers on Filipino Martial Arts (Kali, Eskrima, Arnis and other disciplines) for our convention at the Long Beach Convention Center over Labor Day Weekend, September 3-5, 2005.

Produced by Paula Angeles and Arnold A. Noche, this is a wonderful opportunity for Filipino martial artists to raise awareness of the rich martial history of the Philippines and to show their skills to a broader audience of thousands. One hour per day will devoted to FMA panels over this three-day period. All topics regarding Filipino martial arts will be considered.

Please send your one-page panel proposals to:

Pacific Media Expo [ PMX ]
Attn: Paula Angeles
914 Westwood Boulevard, Suite 586
Los Angeles, California 90024-2905
martialarts@pacificmediaexpo.com

All Things Filipino [ ATF ]
Attn: Arnold A. Noche
1245 W. Gardena Boulevard, Suite 201
Gardena, California 90247-4825
arnold@ATF1898.com

Deadline is Friday, April 29, 2005.

Feedback from the blogworld
Manuel Quezon III calls Ped Xing a "reliably intelligent" blog.

Brain Drain: Why Doctors Shift to Nursing
Public discussion to focus on patterns of migration of highly skilled and educated professionals in SE Asia
By the AIM Policy Center

The AIM Policy Center, in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the International Office on Migration, will sponsor a videoconference seminar titled Creative Solutions to Brain Drain: Doctors into Nursing and Other Developments at the AIM-World Bank Global Distance Learning Center on March 18, 2005 (Friday), 4:00-6:30 p.m.

The purpose of the seminar is to provide an informed public discussion around a concern on patterns of migration of highly skilled and educated professionals to the US and other western nations.

Specifically, it aims to identify and clarify the extent and scope of the problem of brain drain in Southeast Asia and its effect to the economic activities of the nations, and identify policy options or solutions to address the brain drain in SE Asia and thereby encourage or attract highly skilled and educated professionals to return to their countries of origin.

TENTATIVE PROGRAM

3:30-4:00 PM
Registration

Welcome Remarks
Mr. Klaus Preschle
Country Representative, Konrad Adenauer Foundation

The Doctors to Nurses Phenomenon: A Southeast Asian Perspective
Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan
Former Secretary of Health, Republic of the Philippines

From Brain Drain to Brain Gain: A Proposal for SE Asia
Irena Vojackova-Sollorano
Regional Representative, International Organizations for Migration

Reaction

* Official from the Department of Labor and Employment – POEA/OWWA
* Chairman of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines
* Chairman of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines
* Head of Senate/HOR Committees on Labor and Employment

Open Forum – Distance Learning Centers
Mr. Harvey Reed (Moderator)
International Organization for Migration-Philippines

Synthesis and Closing Remarks
Dr. Federico M. Macaranas
Executive Director, AIM Policy Center and AIM-World Bank Development Resource Center

The event is FREE of charge. For confirmation of attendance, please e-mail Kat your complete details (name, position, company, telephone number, fax, and e-mail address) at mledesma@mail.aim.edu.ph.

Sen. Jamby Madrigal reloaded
Finally seen Sen. Jamby Madrigal in the flesh today during an oversight committee hearing for the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. Civil society members monitoring the implementation of the law vented out their disappointments with the law's lackluster implementation and oftentimes blatant skewing: Mixed waste, for example, is still being collected by garbage collectors and local government units are not interested in putting up sanitary landfills to replace currently existing dumpsites, which are due to be outlawed next year. Sen. Madrigal was seemingly eager to take this up in the future with her favorite cabinet member--Sec. Mike Defensor.

Wanted: LIRA poets
The Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA) is searching anew for this year's batch of fellows who will join its elite circle of poets.

Organized in 1985 by National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario, known in the literary circle as Rio Alma, LIRA takes pride in its stringent and rigorous poetry clinic that has produced award-winning poets and writers.

Among those who are part of LIRA's 20-year tradition of literary excellence are: Oragon poets and prolific authors and editors Roberto T. Añonuevo and Romulo P. Baquiran,Jr.; award-winning poet and Miriam College professor Rebecca T. Añonuevo; performance artist and UP Institute of Creative Writing director Vim Nadera;
Centennial Literary Prize winner and lawyer Nicolas Pichay; journalist and back-to-back Makata ng Taon awardee Ariel Dim. Borlongan; Ateneo professor and publisher Michael Coroza; and LIRA's current president Ateneo professor and children's story writer Edgar Samar.

This year's poetry clinic, as has been done in LIRA's 20-year history, will consist of lectures on Filipino literary tradition as well as those in other countries by
respected poets and and writers, critiquing of the fellows' literary outputs, and poetry readings. This year's clinic will be held from June to July 2005, every Saturdays and Sundays.

Budding poets, young and old, who are willing to hone their craft in Filipino poetry may submit five samples of their works and a resumé with 2x2 picture to LIRA c/o UP Institute of Creative Writing, 2/F College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman,
Quezon City. Deadline for submission of applications is on April 29, 2005. For inquiries, text Bebang at 0919-3175708.

Ending world poverty
The Time cover story on ending poverty, which includes an excerpt from the economist Jeffrey Sachs's new book on the subject, is available here(pdf).

Short story competition
OUR OWN VOICE
Literary Ezine for Filipinos in the Diaspora
www.oovrag.com/~oov

announces

THE IVY TERASAKA SHORT STORY COMPETITION

Ivy Terasaka was an emerging writer. For a short while, she was a familiar face and voice at various Singapore literary events. Ivy set up a website where some of her short stories appear along with a few of her ruminations she shared with family and friends. Her immense satisfaction in being part of her children's growing years is evident in the photographs she included in the site. In late 2003, Ivy discovered Our Own Voice and submitted a short story. We published The Last Time I Saw Nanay posthumously. To honor her dream of being a writer, we name this annual competition in her memory.

Short Stories must be relevant to the Filipino experience in the diaspora.

RULES

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:

Format: Word document FILE attachment
TWO TITLE PAGES - One with the author's name, the other WITHOUT the author's name
Total word count: 3,000 - 5,000 words
Only UNPUBLISHED works will be considered
Email to: our.own.voice@gmail.com
Subject heading: "Ivy Terasaka Short Story Competition."

LIMIT one story per author. Multiple submissions are not allowed.

All submissions will be acknowledged.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 25, 2005

PRIZES

First Prize U.S. $100.00 and A COPY of Our Own Voice Literary / Arts Journal (2003)

Second Prize U.S. $50 and A COPY of Our Own Voice Literary / Arts Journal(2003)

Third Prizes (two) U.S. $25 and A COPY of Our Own Voice Literary / Arts Journal (2003)

ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS will be in the November 2005 issue of Our Own Voice online http://oovrag.com/~oov. The First and Second Prize short stories will be featured in the November 2005 issue; Our Own Voice reserves the option to feature the Third Prize short stories in future online issues.

INELIGIBILITY

Members of THE EDITORIAL STAFF of Our Own Voice are ineligible to enter the competition.

Somerset Maugham in The Summing Up (via Pico Iyer):
Though I have been in love a good many times, I have never experienced the bliss of requited love.... I have most loved people who cared little or nothing for me, and when people have loved me, I have been embarrassed.

The ugly business of beauty
The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel has a nasty story on L'Oreal, on how the biggest cosmetics company in the world is also its most secretive. Among other interesting facts, Der Spiegel points out that while L'Oreal owns many perfume brands (Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren), it doesn't employ a single perfume maker; its perfumes are all contracted out by the likes of Swiss specialist Givaudan, whose shelves are shared by both synthetic perfume essences and toilet cleaners. The article raises the fact that cosmetic products, like those being peddled by L'Oreal at exorbitant prices, are toxic chemical cocktails notwithstanding their claim of making people more beautiful.

This reminded me of an earlier exhaustive survey of cosmetic products done by the Environmental Working Group in which the potential health risks contained by cosmetic products were outlined one by one. If you are remotely concerned about what you apply on your body, you'll be shocked to learn that just about every brand in the market, from Neutrogena to Nivea, has suspicious chemicals in them, including suspected carcinogens. And if you think you are safe with Body Shop, think again. Even that shop which prides itself with promoting community trade use those same chemical ingredients of concern, interspersed, of course, with aloe vera from Africa or shea butter from Ireland!

How does the cosmetic industry get away with the chemicals they put in their products? Because in the United States, where most cosmetic products available locally come from, no health study or pre-market testing is required. According to the government agency that regulates cosmetics in the United States, the FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors, "...a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA."

Did you ever wonder why some old women who have used makeup almost everyday of their lives look awful without makeup, that when compared to other women in their age group they look older? That's probably because the daily application of chemicals in the makeup has wreaked havoc on their faces, a disfigurement that can be ameliorated only by more and more makeup. Perhaps this is all for the better from the perspective of cosmetic industry. The founder of L'Oreal's advice to cosmetic dealers was, after all: "Make people feel ugly." Nothing more useful than making people actually uglier.

Photo contest
The discourse on women, society, and the law is an inexhaustible source of ideas. Women have been regarded with different lenses over the many, many years. The Women's Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense Foundation (WomenLEAD), Inc. will soon give
birth to quadruplet monographs. One will be on prostitution; the second, on pornography; third, abortion and; psychological incapacity and annulment,the last. All will focus on women and the various societal perspectives by which they are viewed.

Each monograph will feature on its cover an award-winning photograph waiting to be discovered through this photo contest.

The Theme:

Women In Focus

The Categories:

1. Women, prostitution, and the legal system
2. Feminism and pornography
3. Abortion, religion, and free expression
4. Psychological incapacity, divorce and annulment

Contest Mechanics:

1. The contest is open to women photo enthusiasts of all ages and all nationalities, amateur and professional.
2. Entries may come in any size. Colored entries and black and white entries are both allowed.
3. Entries must be submitted as JPEG files. Printed copies are also welcome. Each entry must be titled.
4. Computer illustrations are not allowed. Entries must, at present, be properties of the entrants.
5. There is no maximum number of entry per contestant in each category.
6. Entries may be submitted from March 1, 2005 - March 28, 2005. Entrants may send their entries to womenlead@gmail.com. Entries in print may be sent to #45 Mapagkumbaba St., Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, Philippines. Entrants will be notified of the receipt of entries.
7. Entrants are requested to submit their full name, residential address, e-mail address, and telephone numbers along with each entry.
8. Winning entrants will be informed by e-mail and will receive a telephone call from WomenLEAD between March 31, 2005 to April 8, 2005. Reasonable efforts will be made to contact the winner. In the event that the winning entrant cannot be contacted by e-mail or by telephone by April 8, 2005, WomenLEAD, through its contest judges, reserves the right to choose another winner for the category.
9. There will be four (4) prizes to be awarded. One winner for each of the four categories.
10. The winning entry for each of the four categories will be used as the cover for four (4) WomenLEAD publications on the said categories. Winning entries, hence, become property of WomenLEAD, and may no longer be used by the entrant for other purposes. Non-winning entries remain as the entrants' property. Additional permission will be sought from non-winning entrants, should WomenLEAD wish to use their photographs for purposes other than this contest provides.
11. Entries from WomenLEAD employees and their immediate family are not allowed.

At Stake:

Php 5,000.00 and an opportunity to have your photo on a publication cover

Contact Us

For details, e-mail your queries to wlead@pldtdsl.net or womenlead@gmail.com or call (632) 4356823 / 4366738 / 9267893 and look for Ms. Bai Cruz or Ruchell Remolacio.

Womenlead Foundation, Inc. is a feminist legal resource institution committed to advance and protect human rights of women and girl-children. Womenlead is an organization created and led by women. It engages in legal advocacy for women's human rights through legal assistance, strategic case handling, legislative advocacy, research, publications and training and legal education.

Currently reading:

Rubbish: Archaeology of Garbage by William Rathje and Cullen Murphy

Invitation: EMB Briefing for NGOs/POs on POPs* Management

We write to invite you to join a briefing by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) – POPs Project Management Office on the implementation in the Philippines of the Stockholm Convention on POPs, next Monday, 14 March 2005, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm, at the training room, Air Quality Management Training Center,DENR compound.

The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), as co-hub with Pesticide Action Network (PAN-Philippines) for the International POPs Elimination Project (IPEP) in Southeast Asia, has requested for the briefing to update concerned NGOs and POs about the progress of the country's efforts to reduce and eliminate POPs in line with the Stockholm Convention, and to discuss opportunities and procedures for enhancing NGO/PO engagement in the process, consistent with the principles of public involvement. We have proposed the following as agenda for the two-hour briefing:

Status of the Philippine Enabling Activity Project
Status of the draft National Implementation Plan on POPs Management and coordinating mechanism
Enhancing NGO/PO participation in the country strategy and program to reduce and eliminate POPs
Status of the non-combustion demonstration project for the destruction of PCBs
Preparation for the First Conference of Parties (COP1) to the Stockholm Convention

Hope to hear from you by Wednesday if you can make it to the POPs briefing.

Sincerely,

Manny C. Calonzo
Secretariat, GAIA/EcoWaste Coalition
Unit 320, Eagle Court, 26 Matalino St., Quezon City
Phone: 9290376
Fax: 4364733

Currently listening to:

The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary

Entrepreneurs don't like to pay taxes
Yesterday I was at the briefing on the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises(BMBE)Act of 2002 (RA No. 9178) conducted by the DTI's Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development. Briefly, the BMBE law encourages the formation and growth of barangay micro business enterprises by granting them incentives and other benefits. Registered BMBEs with three million or less assets are exempted from income taxes and are not required to abide by minimum wage requirements for its workers.

The discussion became animated when the lecturer started discussing the process of availing the tax exemptions. At one point, the DTI lecturer, exasperated by the sheer insistence of one man in his forties, all but advised the audience to find an accountant that would bring down the business's assets to three million in order to qualify for the exemption. But then again, she was quick to remind, the BIR may find out.

Another was asking what about if his employee asked for a raise. How can he fend off the request? The lecturer said that the BMBE law only provides that the wage should be a consensual agreement between the employer and the employee. The employee should have agreed with the wage rate beforehand. But, said the lecturer: "Sir, you also have to be human."

One lady who sat beside me was there looking for a low-interest loan. A friend, who was operating a animal feed supply enterprise, recommended that she attend the briefing. According to this lady, her friend got a two million loan with very minimal inerest rate.

If you are interested to attend this series of DTI briefings for would-be entrepreneurs, call BSMED-DTI at 897-1693 or e-mail bsmed AT dti DOT gov DOT ph.

Kidnapped
Roger Yu, father of the boy allegedly kidnapped for ransom by former Congressman Dennis Roldan, tells his family's harrowing story in today's Philippine Star. The boy was saved only because on the fourth day of the abduction, a concerned citizen reported the presence of strange men who were fully armed at a newly-rented apartment. Once again, the importance of vigilant neighbors in fighting crime.

What is truly sad about this kidnapping story is not that Roldan or his sidekick, the barangay captain of Kamias, had public service backgrounds--we are, after all, a republic ruled by crooks--but that, Suzette Huang, the one who tipped off Roldan about the boy, was a close friend of the mother, a friend from way back grade school days. In fact, the boy's mother and Huang were so close the former knew of the latter's illicit affair with Roldan. She even dissuaded Huang from continuing the affair, but Huang reportedly only laughed and said, "Saan ka naman makakita ng lalaking guwapo na, mayaman pa at mapagmahal?" Huang was an old-fashioned romantic, and certainly not the first to fall for being one.

2005 MANINGNING MICLAT POETRY AWARD LAUNCHED
The Maningning Miclat Art Foundation announces the launching of the Maningning Miclat Poetry Awards competition for 2005. The competition is open to young poets age 28 and below. Contestants may join any or all of the three language divisions - Filipino, English and Chinese - but can submit only one (1) entry in every division. An entry must consist of at least eight (8) but not more than fifteen (15) poems. Each piece in an entry should be originally written in the language division it belongs and not a translation of a poem in another division.

The Maningning Miclat Poetry Awards is named after the late multiawarded artist, trilingual poet and writer, translator and teacher. Maningning Miclat left behind a book of poetry written in English, Chinese and Filipino, "Voice from the Underworld" (Anvil, 2000), a National Book Award finalist. Miclat was recognized during the International Women's Year held in Beijing as one of the World's top-rated 39 women poets writing in Chinese, having been included in an anthology published in China in 1995.

Equally recognized as an artist, Maningning won the 1992 Art Association of the Philippines grand prize for her abstract painting, "Trouble in Paradise." Last year, some 60 students from 17 universities, colleges, and high schools participated in the 1st Maningning Miclat Painting Competition. Dexter M. Sy of the Far Eastern University took the top prize which included a P28,000.00 check and a glass trophy by sculptor Ramon Orlina. Receiving honorable mention were three other young painters: Vicente H. Estandarte and Lady Diana Mendoza of the University of the Philippines Diliman and Fitzsimon Herrera of the University of the East. The next Maningning Miclat Painting Competition will be held in 2006.

The 1st Maningning Miclat Poetry Award in 3 languages was held in 2003. The grand prize winner in English, Naya S. Valdellon, went on to win the Palanca Awards' top prize the following year. Meanwhile, honorable mention awardee, Angelo Suarez, Jr., won the Struga Bridges Poetry Prize in 2004. The Filipino division's grand prize winner, Joselito delos Reyes and honorable mentions Mayo Uno Martin and Mesandel Arguelles all published their books of poetry last year.

The Maningning Miclat Poetry Award for 2005 will accept entries until April 15, 2005. Contest rules can be secured from MMAFI, c/o DCDC, 2/fl, Mile Long Bldg., Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City or through the following email addresses: acmiclat2004@yahoo.com ; aliww@admu.com.ph ; and kaisa@philonline.com. Please watch out for announcements at the foundation's website : www.maningning.com . The grand prize winners will receive cash awards amounting to P28,000.00 each, and a trophy by sculptor Julie Lluch.

MANINGNING MICLAT
A R T FOUNDATION, I N C.
2nd Floor Mile Long Building
Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village Makati City
Tel. No. 816-7490(1); Fax No. 817-1458
Email: alma_miclat@dcdc.com.ph
aliww@admu.edu.ph
kaisa@philonline.com

Kung ibig mo akong makilala (via Soulfly)
Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo

Kung ibig mo akong makilala,
lampasan mo ang guhit ng mahugis na balat,
ang titig kong dagat—
yumayapos nang mahigpit sa bawat saglit
ng kahapon ko’t bukas.

Kung ibig mo akong makilala
sunduin mo ako sa himlayang dilim
at sa madlang pagsukol ng inunang hilahil,
ibangon ako at saka palayain.

Isang pag-ibig na lipos ng lingap,
tahanang malaya sa pangamba at sumbat
may suhay ng tuwa’t ang kaluwalhatia’y
walang takda—
ialay mo lahat ito sa akin
kung mahal mo ako’t ibig kilalanin.

Kung ibig mo akong kilalanin,
sisirin mo ako hanggang buto,
liparin mo ako hanggang utak,
umilanlang ka hanggang kaluluwa—
hubad ako roon: mula ulo hanggang paa.

Job opening
From my e-mail inbox:
I'm Luis G. Asuncion (High School Librarian) of Diliman Preparatory School... My head librarian asked my help to look for an audio-visual librarian in our school... the institution I am working with wants to organized an audio-visual librarian ASAP... we are looking forward for your cooperation and network to help the institution i am working with... please send your resume to my email address... august_12345ATyahooDOTcom... Thank you...

Currently reading:

Youth by J.M. Coetzee

Michael Jackson grand jury
The supposedly sealed grand jury proceedings that led to the indictment of Michael Jackson on charges of child molestation have been made available online by the Smoking Gun.

Web prowl
The US News and World Report delves into the life of the young Abraham Lincoln, who was recently voted by Americans as their greatest president. From Time magazine, Pankaj Mishra explores the deeper happiness offered by Buddhism. Also from the same newsmagazine, Alan Robles asks why, despite burdens like poverty and pollution, Filipinos tend to be happy. Der Spiegel reports on how Spain,led by its socialist prime minister fetes the novel Don Quixote, four hundred years after its first publication.

Job opening
INFORMATION OFFICER
Bachelors degree graduate, preferably in Mass Communication, Journalism
Excellent writing and editing skills (English and Filipino)
With initial experience in managing publications such as newsletter, periodicals, journals, etc.
Preferably with experience in media networking and conducting media campaigns
Preferably with experience in development work. Sensitive to the interest of marginalized fishers.
Must be computer literate and proficient in MS office programs, Pagemaker and other lay-outing program (website design skill is an advantage)
Team-worker and can perform multiple tasks with minimum supervision

Ipadala ang inyong resume sa:

NGOs for Fisheries Reform
Room 203, 59 C Salvador St.,
Loyola Heights, QC

9270122

Or e-mail ngos4fisheries@yahoo.com on or before February 24, 2005, 5.30pm

Ridiculous
Burmese Prime Minister Soe Win was delivering the usual Burmese junta's platitudes to democracy and human rights during his meeting with President Arroyo yesterday. President Arroyo, on her part, was also delivering the usual platitudes of concern for Aung San Suu Kyi. How predictable (Read the Philippine Star). (Doesn't this remind us of George Bush Senior's toast to Marcos's commitment to democratic principles?)

Anyone who has bothered to look at the record of the Burmese military junta with a sustained interest can tell that Prime Minister Soe Win is simply prevaricating. The Burmese junta has said over and over again in the past that it was democratizating Burma but only to crack down again on the opposition led by the National League for Democracy (NLD). Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed and re-arrested countless of times that she herself must have lost count. Whenever the Burmese junta thinks Aung San Suu Kyi's popularity is fading, it releases her from detention. When crowds begin to flock for her addresses, they arrest her back.

So why does our government choose to believe the military junta represented by Prime Minsiter Soe Win? We are either, one, naively gullible in international relations or, two, do not really believe in the democracy we so ostensibly espouse. Why, even former Malaysian Prime Mister Mahathir Mohamad, no great friend of democracy himself, has of late been stinging in his criticism of the Burmese junta. The much-heralded roadmap to democracy of the Burmese junta and its constituion-writing does no meet the standards laid out by the United Nations.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, probably bothered by the unprecedented display of high-level kaplastikan, filed a Senate resolution seeking to deny Burma chairmanship of the ASEAN next year, right after attending the Malacanang luncheon for PM Soe Win. But the resolution, I think, will not gain traction, because we now have a greater need for Burma: In view of the total log ban hastily pronounced by the Arroyo administration, the local furniture industry needs new forests to denude. The dense foliage of Shan State looks inviting.

Copi's "Eva Peron" Makes Philippine Debut
Alliance Française de Manille presents the Dramatis Personae production of "Eva Peron" – a play by Argentine playwright and cartoonist, Copi. The English translation by Anni Lee Taylor shall be staged at the Carlos P. Romulo Theatre, RCBC Plaza, Makati on Wednesday, March 2 at 8 p.m.

Originally written in French, this politically-charged satire has been played around the world since 1969. Raúl Damonte, better known as Copi, clearly shows his utter disdain for Evita Peron through this cutting-edge, avant garde theatre piece written while he was living in exile in Paris during the Peronian dictatorship.

Dramatis Personae's Lito Casaje directs the first Philippine run of "Eva Peron," featuring seasoned actors, Dingdong Rosales, Daniel Robert Magisa, Alfonso Deza, Gio Respall, and Ms. Linda Lupton. All actors shall be wearing specially designed costumes by Frederick Peralta and jewelry by French designer Muriel Biraghi.

The Alliance Française de Manille is one of the country's most active movers in cultural affairs and exchange. Its language school provides French lessons all year round, using the latest teaching methods and facilities.

"Eva Peron" shall be open to the public at a first-come-first-seated basis. A special staging of the play's Filipino-version, translated by Lito Casaje, shall be held at the Puerto Real garden, Intramuros, Manila later in the month of March. For more details and headcount monitoring, please contact 8957441 / 8957585 or cultural@alliance.ph.

Mendiola protest
I've just arrived from a protest demonstration at Mendiola, denouncing the visit of Burmese Prime Minister Soe Win. All in all, I must say it was a well-attended mobilization, especially considering the fact that it was only on Saturday that we learned Prime Minister Soe Win would be arriving in Manila. In such short notice, the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines was able to assemble a crowd of about seventy to ninety at Mendiola. Congressman Mayong Aguja of AKBAYAN was also with us.The media showed up, including the wire services. It was also nice to meet old friends from Amnesty International.

Currently listening to:

The Best of Hugh Masekela

Forum
The Center for Women's Resources invites you to its ULAT LILA - an annual forum to discuss women and national issues, concerns and situation...

THE GMA PRESIDENCY:
CHARTING THE CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN

March 4, 2005 (Friday)
9:30am - 12 noon
Bulwagang Tandang Sora
CSWCD, UP Diliman
Quezon City

For inquiries and confirmations, please contact Noemi, Libay or Philline @ 926-1956 or 411-2796

No to Burma chairmanship of ASEAN
The Free Burma Coalition-Philippines (FBC) is organizing a demonstration on Monday, 10 am, at the Don Chino Roces Bridge (formerly Mendiola) in Manila to protest the visit of Burmese Prime Minister Soe Win.

Prime Minister Soe Win, who will be arriving in Manila tomorrow night, will meet with President Arroyo on Monday as part of his official round of visits to ASEAN countries after he assumed office as Prime Minister in October 2004. He will be accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Nyan Win and other officials in meeting with President Arroyo.

The FBC Philippines will be calling for the Philippines to upset Burma's scheduled chairmanship of ASEAN next year.

Burmese PM to visit Manila
Gen. Soe Win, the man who replaced ousted Gen Khin Nyunt as Burmese prime minister, is arriving in Manila tommorrow night. Read the Inquirer and the Philippine Star reports.

Interview
The German newsmagazine Spiegel interviews Bill Gates:

SPIEGEL: When one puts the sentence "Bill Gates is the devil" into the Internet search engine Google, one gets thousands of hits. Does this bother you?

Gates: I have never searched for such a sentence. Plus: if you understand the search engine properly, it doesn't mean that you will find exactly this sentence on these pages.

Ligtas Buntis
In a meeting on an altogether different matter, I heard DOH Undersecretary Ethelyn Nieto bewail the many poison letters the DOH has been receiving for their February-March 2005 Ligtas Buntis family planning program. At first, I thought the poison letters were coming from the liberal pro-choice sectors (after all, the DOH is known for its half-hearted and anemic family planning program before); but it turned out the said malicious missives were coming from the conservative pro-life sectors that cannot stomach the "abortionist" Ligtas Buntis program. Nieto was at pains to point out that the Ligtas Buntis is a nationwide campaign for Ligtas sa Pagbubuntis and Ligtas na Pagbubuntis. The DOH is, therefore, not exactly abortionist and Satanist.

I am personally fascinated by the intense conservatism of some people when it comes to family planning. Where were these guys raised? In a galaxy far,far away? I am yet to hear of a friend or an acquaintance espousing these views. Everywhere I see, artificial contaception is being taken up as if it's part and parcel of a married life. Even President Arroyo used artificial contraception (now that she's menopause, she says she should have tried the rhythm method instead--how convenient) without, gathering from her quotations by the press, much soul-searching during the "Satanist" period of her married life.

I myself never really understood the theology backing up the rhythm method. I mean, even if you're not "killing" a zygote there, you still have the intent to frustrate the formation of life. In the ryhthm method, in my opinion, one still sins. If one follows the logic of the pro-lifers to its ultimate conclusion, all contraception methods should be denounced, including the rhythm method. We may fool ourselves with the rhythm method, but we surely are not fooling God.

While our overpopulation is certainly not the root cause of all our miseries, it remains a great burden to our economic growth as the paper Population and Poverty: The Real Score (pdf) by UP economists points out. The government’s target of reducing poverty incidence to 20% or lower by 2010 would not be feasible, according to the economists, given historical growth rates of population and the economy.

If using a condom or an IUD is a sin, we probably will all burn in hell for it (and a couple of other things as well), except perhaps for some self-righteous clergymen who will burn for pederasty instead.

Poetry reading
may TULAAN ang #MAKATA (irc, undernet) sa LIKHA DIWA sa PEBRERO 25 na magsisimula sa ika-pito (7 pm) nang gabi.

ang likha diwa ay matatagpuan sa UP diliman, kalye cp garcia. kung kayo ay maglalakbay sa pamamagitan ng pampublikong sasakyan, bumaba kayo sa philcoa. sabihin nyo lang sa tsuper ng tsubibong may tatlong gulong na dalhin kayo sa likhadiwa sa krus na ligas. kung hindi pa rin nya alam, sabihin nyo sa sarah's ang inyong patutunguhan. alam na nila yun. katabi lang ng arko sa krus na ligas ang likha. dalawampung piso ang bayad. wag magpapaloko.

ang mga tula ay may tatlong kategorya: ingles, filipino, bernakyular. wala tayong tema na sinusunod. ang mga tula nyo ay pwedeng tungkol sa kahit saan.

kung nais nyo naman tumugtog, sabihin nyo agad nang maaga para mailagay kayo sa programa.

paki tawagan o teks na lang ang 09198477472(hanapin si marc) o magpadala ng malupet na liham sa mga_makata@yahoo.com kung may iba pa kayong katanungan. pakiiwan na rin ang inyong pangalan at numero para mahanap namin kayo.

Call for contributions
Announcing the call for contributions to the 1st edition of an Anthology of Essays by Young Moro Writers.

This anthology intends to present the various expressions and experiences of young Moros in a society that grapples with tradition, religion, and change.

Writers must be 45 years old or below. They could be of pure Moro lineage or mixed parentage. Writings are limited to informal essays (no academic papers, please!). Experimental works are also welcome. There is no general theme for the anthology although writers are encouraged to concentrate on one specific topic. For example, one writer has submitted two essays on his struggles being gay in a conservative Maguindanaon society. Writers can submit up to five essays to maximize the chances for selection.

Deadline of the submission is March 15, 2005. For inquiries and submission, email the editor Gutierrez Mangansakan II at morofilm@yahoo.com; text or call 0920-9049336.

New year's resolutions once more
As some of you may have observed, I'be been a lazy blogger for a month now. What is irritating about this blogging downtime is that one of my new year's resolutions last january 1 was precisely to blog more assiduously. Most people's resolves flag, I know, but I was disturbed by my resolve's over-early flagging. So I am taking the Chinese New Year to re-state my Gregorian New Year's resolutions:

1. Live in a more earth-friendly way.
2. Learn tai chi.
3. Invite more friends to join our reading group.
4. Read business books.
5. Enrol in an entrepreneurship workshop/course.
6. Volunteer.
7. Read authors from the South.
8. Learn how to swim well (to increase chance of surviving a tsunami).
9. Give away or lend books needlessly accumulating dust in the shelves.
10. Become a more participative member of the e-groups I subscribe to.
11. Travel more and see new places.
12. Attend workshops.
13. Stop buying dead-tree books I can’t possibly have the time to read.
14. Get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B.
15. Learn how to cook.
16. Learn how to use Adobe InDesign.
17. Expand musical horizon, discover artists, borrow friends’ CDS and rip songs.
18. Watch less TV.
19. Blog everyday.
20. Wake up earlier in the morning.
21. Visit places I’ve never been to: Bahay Tsinoy, Quezon Memorial Circle, National Museum, Manila Zoo...
22. Read the Bible (and not drowse).
23. Forget Virra Mall; Quiapo’s cheaper.
24. Try to limit internet usage.
25. Meet new friends.
26. Do something about my massive knowledge gap in Philippine history.
27. Ask for other people’s lists of favorite books.
28. Stop buying DVD’s/VCd’s; borrow and rip instead.
29. Stop drinking softdrinks.
30. Eat nuts/dried fruits for snacks instead of burgers.
31. Get vegetarian meals from Bodhi.
32. Eat more protein-rich food.