Finding meaning in Christmas

It was only this year that more than half of the Christmas messages I got reminded all of us of the reason behind the season (cool talaga ng phrase na toh haha). I felt happy that despite the intense consumerism that seems to possess people during this season (myself included), we did not forget why we were exchanging gifts or giving (for my part, receiving) aguinaldo.

I had a lot of fun yesterday because it was a different Christmas. We had Lucky Me pancit canton for Noche Buena because floods (patalong global warming + gravitational pull of the moon) kept us from going to our grandparents' place for the traditional Christmas dinner. It was fun to be spending a lot more time with the immediate family but sad at the same time because my 80+ years old grandparents were all alone (I'm not sure if they minded, but these events are the few ones when our entire family is present). I got a lot of aguinaldo and reached the target I set this year (yes, I combine the Christmas "bonus" and my savings the whole year). Everything else that happened was just great.

However, all that joy got me thinking: is this really how we remember the birth of our Lord? We count our money, open our presents, eat a lot of food. Is it really just a celebration? It felt to me lacking. It is good to celebrate just as the shepherds and the wise men did when they reached the manger where the Savior was born.

I guess it is easy enough to find the meaning of Christmas on the day itself. I feel that the challenge is to find its meaning on the days that come after because Jesus the baby did not come to the earth one night and left the next. He stayed with us, growing and getting ready for His ministry. I feel we should do the same. We've allowed Christ to enter our hearts yesterday once more. Our task now is to keep Him alive in us until we are called to Him at the end of our days. That I feel, is the true meaning of Christmas.

The True Spirit of Christmas

I got this from today's editorial at the Inquirer:

"The vigorous Catholicism of writers like G. K. Chesterton and our own Horacio de la Costa [yes, yung may statue pa hehe] taught many to see (and to welcome) the upside-down quality in the Christian faith: It is a religion of reversal, where the last shall be first and the poor inherit the earth. And where the object of pilgrimage becomes a pilgrim himself, a fellow transient. He is one of us; He is God-with-us."

It is my hope that as we celebrate tonight and tomorrow, we may never forget why we are celebrating at all - that 2 millenia ago, the object of our journey in life came to us that He may be one of us, God-with-us, that He might deliver His ultimate gift: our salvation.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Something to remember 16

"because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
- Luke 1:78-79

This is a very wonderful prophesy by Zechariah, who, once upon a time, was made mute when he refused to believe in the power of God. It comes from a man who saw God's hand working in his life first hand. And now, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, he proclaims God's hand at work for all mankind.

The generosity of God cannot be undone and truly He gives the best gifts we could ever receive. Tomorrow, we are reminded of the most wonderful gift He gave mankind past, present and future - the daybreak that will shine on those who sit in darkness: Jesus Christ.

Fighting with Hope

Keeping up with my yearly tradition, I am currently having another Lord of the Rings marathon. To enrich the experience, I decided to use the extended versions (a total of 12 hours for the three movies) as material for this year's marathon hehe.

The Lord of the Rings is such an appealing literary work because like most classics, its message remains relevant today. I think the whole point of all the battles, quests and victories that span 12 hours of the movies and three novels is summarized in this short anecdote delivered by Sam near the end of the second movie:

Sam: "It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo; the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how can the end be happy, how can the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened. But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow, even darkness must pass; a new day will come and when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were too small to understand why. I think Mr. Frodo I do understand. I know now folk in those stories had lots of chances to turn back only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something..."

Frodo:
"What are we holding on to Sam?"

Sam: "That there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for..."

Everyone in the fellowship had their own roles to play but I think the most beautiful one is that of Sam. Even if he perhaps killed the least number of orcs, his role was vital to the quest. He kept hope alive in the moments when darkness seemed to be the only thing they were getting themselves into.

And today, that message of hope remains. Though our battles are not against orcs or balrogs or the monsters of old, we are at war with the Saurons within us, keeping us from living the life we ought to live - a life of love, holiness and righteousness. We are at war with the Mordor of this world, covering society in the darkness of injustice and oppression. These are the wars we must fight even in the face of insurmountable obstacles. And in the end, we know the darkness will pass because we are holding on to the Source of Light and Goodness Himself.

Hope is one of the best gifts God gives us especially this Christmas season because it lends us the strength to keep on fighting for God.

Something to remember 15

3 days before Christmas - that pivotal moment in history that revealed to us that we have a God that has not forsaken us to sin and that He is a God of promises that are fulfilled.

We are called to be witnesses to His promise - for the people of Israel before, the first coming of the Emmanuel; for us today, the second coming of the Messiah.

What does it mean to be a witness to God's promises?
We must strive to follow the example of John the Baptist, the greatest of those born of women, and Mary, pure from the moment of conception.

Like John, let us acknowledge and rejoice in the presence of our God wherever we may be (for John, even in the womb of his mother).
Like Mary, let us say yes to God in every possible way (for Mary, her sweet yes that turned her from virgin daugther to virgin mother of God).
Like John, let us prepare the way for His coming by taking part in building His kingdom on earth (for John, it was by baptizing the people and living a holy life).
Like Mary, let us recognize God's hand in our lives and reflect on the gradual fulfillment of His promises in our hearts.
Like Mary and John, let us always remain hopeful of the fulfillment of God's promises in our lives.
Like Mary and John, let us be willing to go the distance to be faithful to God's promises even if it means suffering (for Mary, the suffering of a mother seeing her own Son hurt and killed) and death (for John, by beheading).

There is a wonderful song about a man who was witness to the promises of God and was filled with joy and final fulfillment upon seeing it before his eyes. It was Simeon, when Jesus was presented in the temple and the title of the song is Simeon's Canticle (music by Manoling Francisco, S.J.) based on Luke 2:29-32. It's part of the Hangad Christmas album I bought yesterday. I long for the day that his words may be mine as well:

Lord, let your servant go in peace
For Your Word has been fulfilled

My own eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared for all men

Lord, let your servant go in peace

Truly the best Christmas carols are the ones that proclaim the true spirit of Christmas - that of love overflowing from the coming of the source of love Himself into the world.

Tuned In

My first youth camp as a facilitator was more than I had wanted it to be.

Before the camp, I had only wanted a break from the monotony of my current life. I wanted to experience again the high of thinking of nothing else but serving God because our routines often distract us from that vision.

True to the name of the camp, God allowed me to tune in to Him once more. The first semester was a time of confusion for me. I felt there was something missing in my relationship with God and I was confused and frustrated and insecure. But during the camp, He reminded me that I should not bother myself too much with the details of life because I need only depend on Him completely and everything will turn out His way - the best way. The experience of serving Him just showed me His overwhelming and overflowing love.

After the camp, He kept me tuned in. He opened my consciousness to His surprises and now I see Him working in my life more clearly than ever before.

My birthday this year was just extra special because of His surprises. My second semester may still be filled with frustration but now I am better equipped to handle them.

God always has a way of surprising us. We need only tune in to Him and every moment of our lives will be a surprise from Him.

Something to remember 14

"but he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me."
- 2 Corinthians 12:9

Rejoice in our weaknesses and imperfections because it is through these that we can easily see how God works in our lives. We should be grateful when we are at the highest points of our lives but we must be even grateful in the lowest points, in our frustrations and unfulfilled desires because it is in these moments that we depend on God more completely. Everything has a reason and the comforts of our lives are easy enough to rationalize. We need to ask for the grace to see God even in our weaknesses, insecurities and frustrations.

Something to remember 13

Commitment is difficult and seemingly impossible in this age.

Is it possible to commit yourself to something without knowing the entirety of what you need to do and what you will face in doing it?

Is it possible to commit your entire life to the Lord and His mission for you?

Yes. Mary, the Mother of God, did just that with this single statement:

"Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
- Luke 1:38

How?

Not by her own power, but only through the grace of God.

"for nothing will be impossible with God." - Luke 1:37

We need only say yes, and God will do the rest.

Distrust

It's always such a fruitful experience to meet people like Sir Vlad who seem to draw out insights you wouldn't think about on your own.

My meeting him and talking to him about my current adventures in Ateneo made me realize how rich a source of insight my Sanggu experience is in understanding how the government works in the Philippines.

The cool thing about the Sanggunian and its place in the Ateneo community is very much like that of the Philippine government in the country. The structure of the Sanggunian is very much the same as in the real government, only the positions have different names. The Sanggunian, like the national government, functions because of the taxes of the people (in our case, the student activities fund paid as part of the tuition). There so many more parallelisms but they are not the focus of this entry.

What I want to focus on is how do you make a government work effectively and efficiently? Is corruption really the major problem faced internally by the current administration? From my experience in the Sanggunian, I don't think so. The Sanggunian officers, at the very least, are not corrupt (yes, Gadfly will agree as well), precisely because we have a very tight auditing office and the system will simply not allow it. Are the Sanggunian officers incompetent? I don't think so either because most of us are very active and successful in other places like student organizations, outside organizations, non-government organizations and other types of groups. Is it a problem of structure? Maybe but to me I think there is a deeper problem.

I guess my experience in the Sanggunian tells me that corruption is not the only problem and perhaps not even the biggest. I feel that the problem is what corruption breeds - distrust. It is when the people lose confidence in their leaders that authority is crippled. No matter how great a leader is in so many aspects, the people will not see it because of the cataract of distrust placed there by corruption. I feel it is a problem not only of the leaders but of the people as well. It practically cuts off the ties of between leader and people.

I have no idea where the distrust (or perhaps indifference is a better term) toward the Sanggunian comes from. I came into the institution without knowing that this was the situation. But what I do know is that it is a problem that has to be mutually solved by the officers and their consituents. No matter how hard the officers work, if the people refuse to see that, then nothing will come out of it. The people have the responsibility to be vigilant of those they elected because no one else will. If they remain distrustful to the point of indifference, then nothing good will happen for the entire community. I would rather see angry and revolting constituents - at least they know something's wrong and they want to do something about it.

In the context of the national government, this is, I believe, is more applicable. Despite the strength of the macro-economic indicators, the infrastructure projects and other achievements of this administration, a single wrongdoing not even of the highest official erases all of these in the eyes of the people. The greatest weapon against an institution is distrust. This is why terrorism and corruption are powerful. They make people lose trust in the institutions that are supposed to combat both. Although technically the government has not lost the war on terrorism or corruption, both are gradually winning the hearts and minds of people. Both are cultivating the destructive seeds of fear and distrust. Not agreeing to the leaders of the government is one thing. Distrusting the capacity of government to serve the people is another.

The signs of how distrustful the people have become are very obvious. The Human Security Act, the Cybereducation project, the JPEPA. All these are lightning rod issues that are not difficult to resolve if the people trust the government (and if the government is deserving of the trust i.e. they are doing the right thing).

If the government wants genuine progress in our nation, it has to realize that trust is an integral part of it and that it must take concrete steps to win back the trust of the people. I know the Sanggunian is doing just that.

Something to remember 12

The cross is one of the most important icons of our faith because it represents the kingship of Jesus on earth. He has two thrones: one on the right hand of the Father, another on the cross.

It is on the cross that He conquered the world - not by force as we humans are so prone to do but by eternal and unconditional love. It is on the cross that He carried the weight of sins past, present and future and claimed a kingdom for Himself in the most unlikely way. He freed us from the bondage of sin on the cross, that we may no longer be slaves to sin and become citizens in the Kingdom of God.

This is why the sign of the cross is important at the beginning and end of the prayer. It is not merely a convenient way of opening and closing a prayer. It is a declaration of the kingship of Jesus in our lives. Nothing can be more beautiful than that.

The Root of Apathy

Apathy is defined as the state of indifference - without enthusiasm, emotion or motivation. Apathy is such a buzz word especially in the realm of politics and society, whether it is on the school or even the national level. Many people today seem to not care about what the issue over Erap's trial is about or what is controversial about the National Broadband Network deal. A lot of adults point at the youth as being apathetic but, in fact, a huge number of people - regardless of age, gender, and even social class - are guilty of this as well. In a time when vigilance has become a necessity to ensure our rights are respected and our interests served, apathy is becoming a dominant sentiment in our society today.

I would like to believe that I am a bit of a notch above those who are apathetic to the concerns of society. Knowing is a whole lot different from caring since the latter involves action which I sometimes fail to actually carry out. But I always want to look at the bigger picture and try to search for the truth as much as a 17-year-old student can in this age of unlimited internet access and 24-hour news coverage. The main motivation for me is that I know I will be affected, in one way or another, by what the Senate hearings are about, how big the budget deficit is, or what the verdict of the Supreme Court is on an issue (nevermind the notion of seeing history-in-the-making first hand hehehe). A minority (fortunately a significant minority) see politics and the concern of the greater society as something worth looking in to.

Our capitalist society today is based on the principle that each person is selfish. As Adam Smith puts it in his theory of the invisible hand, in an ideal market economy, every selfish act of a selfish entity in an economy will contribute to the greater good of society. This is why competition and free trade are advocated in capitalism. Though I do not agree with this assumption, this structure of society assumes that every man is selfish - he will not do anything unless it is for his own benefit. I believe this is a big part of the whole root of apathy - that every man thinks only of himself.

I have had quite a number of experiences that have shown me this dark side of humanity. When the school calls for a relief goods drive for victims of a typhoon, very few answer the call. The reasons are varied but perhaps the most frustrating one is that a Starbucks frappuchino is far more important than one day's worth of food for a family. Why should I sacrifice my comfort for people I do not even know?

This selfishness of man is not, of course, the sole cause of apathy. This paradigm still holds even if you look at the instances in our history when people actually went beyond apathy. The Philippine Revolution of the 1890s. The war effort during World War II. EDSA I. EDSA II. All these examples show that the Filipinos can actually stop apathy no matter what the motivations are. Some are altruistic, others selfish,but all contributed to the success of movements that brought social change to our nation. In a more localized setting, the notion of Ateneans being apathetic is somewhat proven wrong by the sheer amount of criticism the implementation of a dress code has received in the past weeks. Again, some of the motivations are noble in the defense of the rights of students while others are more selfish in the pursuit of personal interests to keep their wardrobe and still wear slippers. Selfishness, in all these instances, can actually work to stop apathy but only if man sees the use of caring for his own betterment.

It is when selfishness is combined with another cause that it most likely will translate into apathy. Man is inevitably short-sighted. Despite our tremendous capacity to use our mental faculties to think beyond the abilities of any other creature, we simply cannot pierce through the veil of the future. We think more in terms of today and very seldom of tomorrow. We enjoy today because, as the saying goes, there may not be tomorrow. The same short-sightedness can cause apathy when we are unable to perceive how something could affect our lives in the long run. Most of the big changes in the history of humanity did not come in just one blow. The same is true with politics and the concerns of society. A new law like the Human Security Act passed today may suddenly or gradually change our way of life and we wouldn't even know it because of our apathy. Responsible voting in an election may not translate into food for the table tomorrow but we often fail to see that it could very well affect how much we earn in the coming years.

Looking even deeper into the complicated causes of apathy, it can be observed that selfishness and short-sightedness assume that we have the capacity to think about the bigger picture. However, in our country, not everyone has that luxury. I agree that since our nation is predominantly poor, the bigger cause of apathy is that a larger part of our nation simply cannot think beyond what they have to eat for dinner. What happens is that the minority of those who can shape how society would benefit them and not the poor who are robbed of their opportunity to not be apathetic because of the stigma of poverty. Poverty is a problem that can be solved by government policies, political will and social change. Following the assumptions of selfishness and short-sightedness, the higher classes will not initiate these changes for the poor. The poor cannot push these themselves because their poverty has kept them focused on trying to survive day after day. A big number of our people are deprived of the education that would have allowed them to understand how politics and society work and how they can push for change. An even bigger number simply have to worry about more immediate matters such as food and rents over education. Political apathy and economic degeneration is a chicken-and-egg situation - one cannot clearly discern which came first. Does the economy worsen because people do not care? Or are people too poor already to care anyway?

Apathy, like any other human behavior, is too complex to be understood completely. But the bigger matter is not understanding its causes but acting on it. The fact of the matter is that most of the problems in our society today can be solved if people were actually not apathetic. Corruption can be mitigated with vigilance. Poverty can be fought by a combination of altruistic volunteerism in the short run and revolutionary social change in the long run. Our society and government are structured so that the people get what they deserve - if people are not responsible, society and government will not work for them.

The many events in the past and the things that are happening now has led me to believe that indeed the root of apathy is selfishness, short-sightedness and ignorance. Perhaps this is an incomplete picture but what is clear is that the only answer to this is to show the apathetic that by stopping indifference, we can actually make a difference in this selfish, short-sighted and ignorant world.

I spoke too soon

What Marvel Hero would you be? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Professor X Superhuman mental powers: Professor X ordinarily possesses vast psionic powers, including telepathy; the ability to induce in others mental illusions, temporary mental or physical paralysis, and loss of specific memories or total amnesia; the projection of "mental bolts" to stun or render a person unconscious; astral projection; and the ability to sense other superhuman mutants within a small radius Professor X 85% DareDevil 60% Spider-Man 35% Blade 35% The Hulk 25% Wolverine 25%

Okay, I spoke too soon. Haha. Of course, over all these guys, Charles is the nerdiest type which suits me just fine. Haha.

Illuminati

Which member of the Marvel Illuminati are you? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Mr. Fantastic You are Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic. As leader of the Fantastic Four, you are a veteran of the superhero community. You are a brilliant scientist and provide a unique analytical perspective to the Illuminati that's backed up by years of expirience. Family is very important to you, and you don't fight unless it's absolutely neccicary. Mr. Fantastic 71% Black Panter 68% Iron Man 57% Dr. Strange 54% Prof. Xavier 54% Black Bolt 46% Namor 32% Cool quiz! hahaha. I would have wanted to be Charles Xavier, but fine, Mr. Fantastic is great as well. I find it funny that I've been reading a lot of Marvel stuff these past few weeks via marvel.com (they have free digital comics and an encyclopedia of almost every marvel character in the marvel universe). I've learned a lot more about the "dark sides" of these guys by reading actual comics as compared to just watching the animated series or the movies. I find Marvel great because they give a human side (both good and bad) to these superhuman guys. Weighing between Xavier and Mr. Fantastic based on their dark sides, I'd like Mr. Fantastic more but Xavier's power is still something great to have.

Something to remember 11

My life is an instant,
An hour which passes by;
My life is a moment
Which I have no power to stay.
You know, O my God,
That to love You here on earth -
I have only today.

- Prayer of St. Therese of Liseux

Something to remember 10

"How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?" - John 5:44

The world today measures us in so many ways
Grades. Proficiency in sports. Awards. Positions. ...

that we tend to forget what measure is most important in our lives:
How much do you love the God who is your purpose, your destination and your guide in life?

Something to remember 9

"If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you."
- John 15:19

How can the world show its hate for you?
It hates the faithful - those whom it has labeled irrational for believing in a God who cannot be comprehended by the human mind.
It hates the righteous - those whom it sees as stupid for following the rules when no one can catch you break them.
It hates the generous - those whom it cannot understand because everything in the world has a price.
It hates the hopeful - those whom it marked as extreme optimists who deny the realities of the world.

Remain faithful, righteous, generous and hopeful. Remain in love with God. Because you do not belong to the world but rather you belong to God.

Dry Spell

Drought

Unable to materialize ideas

Too little time

Frustrated with so many things

Can't fix them

Storm without rain

All in the mind

My first GK build

It's so great to be an Atenean. We have more holidays than the average university. But I guess the best thing about it is how these holidays are spent. July 31 was the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola and we chose to spend it at GK Blue Eagle Village at Payatas Trese. It was my first ever GK build so I was filled with excitement because I would get to experience something that has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to do more for our nation by giving more of themselves to the poor.

However, to be brutally honest, I felt very disappointed in the first part of the day. All we did was to form a human chain that will bring cement from the drop off point (the place that trucks could reach) to the build site (where the road is too narrow to accommodate vehicles). I understand the significance of the activity since it would have taken loads of labor hours to transfer the needed cement to the other side. However, I did not feel the inspiration I was looking for. It seemed pointless. I felt that if we just taught Math or English to the kids in the area, it would have benefitted the community more since it seems not a lot of their kids go to school (too many kids were around and it was a weekday).

The second part of the day was even more depressing. We continued work on transferring the cement and haha now I know what factory workers in the Industrial Age felt when they did monotonous assembly line work. It was so unfulfilling. Seeing your work steadily coming to form is really pushes you to work – to see what the final outcome will be. But I was in the middle of the chain and you simply couldn’t gauge how much cement you’ve already brought to the site. Would it have been enough to build a house? These were questions popping up in my head while I was passing bucket after bucket of cement to my team mates. I was thinking about a lot of things that time. I was trying to find some significance to what I was doing. Earlier in the day, I had prayed that God be with me in this work, that I will offer everything I will do that day to Him. But what kind of work was I doing? It didn’t seem important and significant. I didn’t feel it was nation building at all.

The biggest disappointment that I got from the experience was that there were a lot of able-bodied men just sitting around there talking to friends, sitting around, doing practically nothing. GK was supposed to give people the chance to work for the type of community they deserve. Why weren’t they working with us? I would have understood if they were working – I’m sure they needed to work to feed their families. But they were just chilling out while some students were giving time and effort to build better homes for them. This wasn’t the GK I had thought it was.

But God is so great, He didn’t want me to leave the place without actually understanding what I had done that day and what GK really stood for.

One of the members of the homeowners’ association in the Blue Eagle Village offered her home for us to rest for lunch and in the afternoon. It was a two-storey house with a floor area equal to an average classroom. They had a TV, a sewing machine, a rice cooker, a washing machine, two electric fans, a bathroom inside the house (meaning they had running water and proper drainage) and a marble countertop. But to me, the best characteristic of their house is that it smelled clean and almost insect-free. I saw one rat but our house has rats as well. The slum areas I’ve been to always have the distinct smell of garbage and with it, an army of mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches. You could easily tell that they were far from abject poverty. You could tell they were doing well enough to eat three times a day, send the kids to public schools and watch the daily telenovelas at night.

We had a chance to talk to her a little about her family. Our nanay is already 50 years old, I’m guessing married for more than 30 years already because she has a 30 year old (not sure), 25+ year old and an 18 year old. They were originally from Pampanga but her husband worked as a taxi driver here in Quezon City. Of course, it was impractical to be travelling back and forth from Pampanga to the Metro so it was inevitable that they would search for a more permanent home here. They already had relatives in Payatas Trece so that was the place to go. But nanay decided to delay their migration to Metro Manila because she wanted her children to grow up in the province and hopefully be inculcated with provincial values. She felt that there was a higher tendency for children brought up in the city to be exposed to vices so she really made it a point for them to grow up the way she thought was best in Pampanga.
They eventually decided to set-up a home in Payatas Trece (a slum area for informal settlers) and she tells us that the first months they were here, they really had to go to the Payatas dumpsite to look for materials for their house. They started out with the traditional squatter home made of discarded cardboards for walls and rusty metal panels for a roof. But at the very least, they had a livelihood with the husband working as a taxi driver and nanay working part time as a laundry woman. They were able to send to of their children to college but unfortunately were not able to finish. They’re trying really hard to have their last child graduate with a nursing degree even if the husband is nearing retirement age.

You could tell they were really an industrious family – working really hard for long-term goals. They were able to save enough and borrow enough to build a house. She told us it cost a total of around Php 200,000 (explains the marble countertop and working drainage system). Her neighbors thought they were actually rich but she explained they had to borrow money to have it built and had to work doubly hard to pay for it.

She seems to really believe in Gawad Kalinga for her to support it despite the fact that the house that will be built for them would cost less than what they had invested for their current home plus the stress of having to live somewhere else first while it was being constructed. She explains there are still problems confronting full implementation of the proposed GK village because not everyone in the area thought it was just too good to be true. She told us that GK provides for free the construction materials and the family needed only to find at least two people who were knowledgeable in building houses. The volunteers coming from the Ateneo Alumni Association and Ateneo students would not necessitate hiring too many laborers for the house and she says that on the average, each house only requires a month for construction (our house took 11 months to finish!). And well, she corrected my earlier assumption that people here didn’t work to build their own community. They had regular laborers from the community itself who leads the construction of the houses. And perhaps the biggest help GK gave to the community was that they pushed for a collective buying of the entire Payatas Trece property so that their homes would be secure from demolitions of informal settling communities.

This was the part that showed me what GK really stood for. Here was a family who had strived so hard to work for their own betterment and succeeded to a certain degree. But they were very willing to give up what they had worked for just for the idea of a better community, a Payatas Trece that had clean and concrete housing that was secure from the threat of demolitions. GK is not really so much about building houses but rather building communities. It was not about how much cement we had brought to the build site or how much time we had spent working on the houses. Though having clean, spacious and sturdy housing is a part of it, a community-building is more about uniting the people within it with an idea that they could all work together for themselves. The volunteers were there to help them out, to lend a hand in their community building. And how was this nation building? If communities could be built with an idea of progress through communal effort, a nation could be built with that same idea. You have people from all social classes, hailing from different backgrounds and areas of expertise working on the same level to help build communities. This was what GK was about. And this was what I did that day. By being part of that human chain, by passing buckets of cement, we were one step at a time building a better community in the area of Payatas Trece and in a small way building a better nation for them and for ourselves. For me, it is in this solidarity that GK inspires this spirit of nation building.

The tagline of GK is Bawat Pilpino, Bayani. Heroism is about sacrificing yourself for a noble and just cause. Gawad Kalinga is exactly that type of cause. As students, we were sacrificing a little of our time and effort to help out in this great cause of nation building. The family we talked to would have to sacrifice a decade’s worth of hard work for this cause. I find true inspiration in this idea of great sacrifice for a great cause, more for the benefit of others. To be honest, it has inspired me more to give more of myself to this cause. The great thing about this cause of nation building is that it is not limited to building houses. We have been blessed with our own strengths and own unique skills. It is by using these can we give a more unique and significant contribution to building this nation.
So in the next build, I’m sure to come with a renewed sense of purpose. God showed me in this first GK build showed me first hand what this purpose was. God, in the next builds, will allow me to do more for that purpose, to give more of myself to build a community, to build a nation.

Something to remember 9

"What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" - Mark 8:36

I heard this way back during the Mass celebrated in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I found it amazing that this one line caused St. Francis Xavier to realign his priorities and set it on God. He was a very promising young man, as Fr. Ben described him, handsome, intelligent, athletic. He could have succeeded in whatever field he chose to engage in but in the end, he chose the path to God.

The pursuits of this world are very very distracting. Our short-sightedness often lures us to ways that lead to pits and dead ends. I pray God will grant us the grace to overcome such distractions and to fix our eyes on Him alone, to set our sights on the Giver and Source of everlasting life.

Superpower

Got this from Clar.

Your Superpower Should Be Manipulating Fire

You are intense, internally driven, and passionate. Your emotions are unpredictable - and they often get the better of you. Both radiant and terrifying, people are drawn to you. At your most powerful, you feel like the world belongs to you. Why you would be a good superhero: You are obsessive enough to give it your all Your biggest problem as a superhero: Your moodiness would make it difficult to control your powers

What Should Your Superpower Be?

It's somewhat true but I hope to work on my biggest problem because lately, it's been showing more and more often. I used to pride myself with being professional and not succumbing to moodiness. But I guess adolescence does affect everyone. I know I am more passionate about things I believe in and well passion often affects the emotions more than any other aspect of the person.

And one more thing. I don't like my power - manipulating fire because I feel it is too dependent on the amount of oxygen present in the system. Sad naman I can't use my powers siguro in outer space or in oxygen-deprived atmospheres :(

Choice

The past movies I've seen that had maximum media exposure but really very little new to offer but amazing special effects all seem to have the same theme or subtheme. "Everything is a choice." To be specific, the movies are "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer", "Spiderman 3" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".

In Fantastic Four, this theme is clearly depicted in the Silver Surfer who was to serve Galactus as his herald in exchange for the survival of his planet. He later realized, after Sue Storm gave up her life to save him, that what she was saying was true: that indeed he can choose to fight the planet-eating being and that he could choose to save Earth. He did and seemingly repelled the doom facing the planet.

In Spiderman 3, this is shown in the internal struggle of Spiderman with Venom, the symbiotic alien lifeform that seemed to amplify the darkness in his being. While on one level he was trying to keep his identity and trying to save New York, on another he was struggling with problems with his lover, his best friend and other human concerns. In the end, he decides he wishes to detach himself from Venom and in the end defeated the villians with help from his best friend.

In Harry Potter, the plot focused on Harry himself although in the book it had a lot of subplots. This theme is clearly seen in the last part where he had to battle Voldemort in his own consciousness to keep his identity. Dumbledore says it very clearly: It is the choices we make that make us who we are.

I really have no problems with this theme because I personally believe it as well. God gave us two gifts that clearly defines our humanity: intellect and free will. I do not believe in the idea of suppressing choice because it is simply impossible. If God Himself has decided to respect the free will of His creatures, what can we do to subject others to our will? Every event in our lives is a choice. Sometimes, we feel that we have no choice not because we really don't have it but we are afraid to face to consequences of our choice. A slave, even if he is supposed to be bound to the will of his master, can easily choose to rebel. Even if he does not succeed, clearly, it is his choice whether or not to serve his master. Every choice has a consequence just as every action has a reaction. Sometimes, it is this consequence that keep us from believing that we have a choice. We often choose to chain ourselves but it is our choice to make.

The great thing about these three movies is that they depict the power of choice in its most extreme form. In Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer overcomes the fear of losing his own planet and decides to save Earth and eventually succeeds. In Spiderman 3, Spiderman chooses to do the right thing and saves the day in the end. In Harry Potter, Harry decides to not succumb to the power of Voldemort. Even in seemingly insurmountable odds, choice prevails.

An additional theme is, if you choose to side with what is good and right, you will eventually but surely succeed. Heroes are called heroes because in the eyes of others they did the right thing. And again this theme holds true in real life. The good and right is always the winning side. If we choose to side with it, success is inevitable. Every choice has a consequence and oftentimes, it seems goodness is rewarded by injustice and sacrifice. But again just as in all the movies. choosing to be heroic is choosing to be victorious.

Vindication of my choice haha.

You scored as Biology/Chemistry/Geology, You should strongly consider majoring (or minoring) in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, or related majors (e.g., Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, Genetics, Marine Biology, Zoology). It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didnt think you would--it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it. Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests. Please post your results in your myspace/blog/journal. Biology/Chemistry/Geology 100% PoliticalScience/Philosophy 94% Religion/Theology 88% History/Anthropology/LiberalArts 88% Education/Counseling 75% HR/BusinessManagement 75% English/Journalism/Comm 75% Nursing/AthleticTraining/Health 69% Accounting/Finance/Marketing 69% Psychology/Sociology 69% Physics/Engineering/Computer 69% French/Spanish/OtherLanguage 56% Mathematics/Statistics 56% Visual&PerformingArts 31% WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU? created with QuizFarm.com

But this quiz is not very helpful if you're not really decided on what you want in life. I mean questions like are you good in math will obviously direct what major is right for you. Sometimes (in my experience) what you're really good at is not exactly the best course for you and vice versa haha.

Something to remember 8

"But the Pharisees said, "He drives out demons by the prince of demons." - Matthew 9:34

The Pharisees were some of the most well educated people in Israel during the time of Jesus. And yet they seem to have been ignorant of the fact when a miracle of God was being performed before their eyes. This reminds us that knowledge of the world must not keep us from truly knowing God. Sometimes, the more we know, the more closed we are to God's surprises - events and experiences beyond human comprehension and explanation. Seek knowledge of God and the knowledge of the world will follow. Be open to God's surprises and let God take the wheel.

Because it comes only once in a millenium...

Eto na ang tamang time to pay tribute to the best batch the world has ever and will ever see - BATCH 2007! (planned to post this on the actual 07/07/07 day but due to unforeseen circumstances duh di ko nagawa haha)

This "topic" is one of the most difficult to organize because of the sheer volume of the memories, lessons, victories and defeats I had in Pisay. I've been meaning to write a tribute for the past few months but there was something keeping me from doing it. More than laziness, it's like once you pay tribute to something, the experience is over and you're just looking at it in retrospect. But I realized no, this is just the beginning, because the Pisay 07 experience will last a lifetime.

So let me start with Emerald, my first year section. I found my lifelong barkada here and for that I am really thankful. I didn't really have a lot of REAL friends before but when I came to Emerald, people had this very welcoming atmosphere and we had so much in common. Kung wala ang Eme, siguro di ako makakasurvive ng Pisay. Maraming nangyari nun internally na siguro di ko pinapansin pero ngayon narealize ko na hindi lang puro gimik ang natutunan ko sa Eme. Most of the best experiences I've had in the past four years I've shared with these guys. Nandito ang best friends ko, ang soulmate ko lahat. At dito ko nasimulang marealize na marami pang bagay na mas mahalaga sa academics - like friendships. And for all of that and more, maraming maraming salamat.

Kung sa Emerald ko nahanap ang lifelong friends ko, sa Champaca ko nameet most of the best people makikilala ko ever in my life. Kumpleto sa Champaca more than the nerds kumpleto talaga. May leaders, may athletes, may math wizards, may science geeks, may mga loveteams, may ... basta lahat ng facets ng batch natin nasama sa Champaca. At the best part is kahit na gaano kadiverse ang section na toh, united pa rin at talagang nattranslate into quantitative victories. Sa Champaca ko nakita ang full potential kapag lahat ng tao sa batch nagtutulong-tulong to achieve a goal. Sa Champaca ang most active egroup ko haha. Sa Champaca one moment naguusap kayo tungkol sa Geom, the next Magic cards na. Grabe talaga. Best section ever pa rin ang Champaca. Champaca Forever talaga :D

Di tulad sa Champaca na collective as a section ang usually na pagtingin, sa Beryllium, dapat pala individuals ang tinitignan. Nung una parang di ko nagustuhan ang Be kasi di ako sanay. Nasanay ako sa Champaca, masyado. Pero buti na lang sa middle of the year mas naenjoy ko na ang Be. Mas marami akong nakilala sa Batch natin at mas nakita ko ang mga tao not as mere classmates but as individual friends - ung hindi lang friends dahil magclassmate lang kayo o magkagroup kayo. Pero talagang kaibigan. Dito ko nakilala ang mga taong di ko akalaing magiging kaibigan ko pala. Surprises ang nakuha ko sa Be at lahat yun pleasant at astig.

Sa Graviton, haha nasanay na rin ako sa Be. Mas ginusto kong personal ang level ng pakikipagkilala over section. At sa panahon ding ito mas naging focused ako sa buong batch over sa section lang. Kung sa Be andami kong nakilala na di ko akalaing makikilala ko, sa Grav mas dumoble pa yun. Sa Graviton talaga mas halo-halo lahat, lahat ng pedeng characteristic na maipangdedescribe mo sa batch natin, mahahanap mo sa Graviton. astig ang Grav dahil sa mga taong kasama nun. at minsan nagsisisi ako kasi parang kulang pa yung panahon na nagugol ko sa Grav.

Ang isa sa mga pinakamalaking bahagi ng buhay ko sa Pisay ay ang Batch Council. Sobrang dami kong natutunan sa tatlong taon ko dito, hindi kakasya sa blog siguro kung ililista ko (figuratively haha). Pero what it made me sure of was my passion for service through organized leadership. Lahat naman sa batch natin leaders in their own way at palagay ko lang dito ko nahanap ung niche. That passion was there long before Pisay but it consumed me all the more nung nasa Pisay na. I believe God started that fire in me at I thank Him kasi through the confidence of my batchmates, hindi namatay yung fire na yun.

Salamat din sa AstroSoc. More than the overnight stargazings at fun races and stuff, ang saya saya to be serving a really really big group (bigger than the batch). Ang cool kasi noong bata pa lang ako dream ko nang maging astronomer at kahit papaano I got a chance to get closer to that dream through AstroSoc.

Salamat sa Journ. Kasi marami akong natutunan (na hindi related sa Journ) haha na magagamit ko sa buhay ko. Grabe. I met the best people in Journ, people na di ko inexpect na magiging kaibigan ko at natrain ako to REALLY cram haha, stay up late, and a lot more. haha. Ito ang isa sa mga funnest experiences ko sa Pisay at talagang hindi ko pa rin pinagsisisihan na nagJourn ako sa kabila ng lahat ng hirap at pagod.

Salamat sa SCA at sa YFC kasi isa kayo sa naging tulay para mas makilala ko pa si God. Ang ironic pero kahit nasa secular school ako, nahanap ko si God sa Pisay through all the experiences and all the people I've met and everything that has happened in my life in the past four years. SCA at YFC helped me grow more in the faith at appreciate more ang pagiging isang Catholic at Christian. Marami rin akong nahanap ditong mga kaibigan na sure na forever ko magiging kaibigan kasi ang nagbobond sa amin ay ang pagmamahal ni God. Ang cool talaga ni God kasi nilagay Niya ako sa isang secular school para mas maappreciate ko pa lalo ang ginagawa Niya para sa akin.

Salamat sa mga nakakasama ko sa mga contests at iba pang activities. Noon iniisip ko, grabe ang gagagaling ng mga batchmates ko asa pa akong mapanglalaban ako. Pero galing ni God kasi kahit papaano He pushed me to strive for excellence at well yun natupad naman ang pangarap kong dalin ang pangalan ng Pisay sa mga competitions. I had my share of defeats and victories but everything was part of God's plan at lahat ng yun nagcontribute to make me the person I am today.

At finally super thank you sa buong BATCH 2007 kasi ang astig astig talaga. But the biggest thank you goes to GOD kasi Siya ang nagplano na malagay tayo sa iisang batch. Sabi ng ibang tao fishing ako, sabi ng iba humble pero kung may maipagmamalaki ako, yun ay ang fact na 07 ako. Ibang klase kasi sa 07. United not only by our experiences but our love of God. Ang bait ng lahat ng tao sa batch, matalino lahat, magaling lahat. Sabi ng ibang tao idealistic daw ako masyado to the point na naive na. Pero dahil yun sa batch na toh kasi pinakita nito sa akin na posible pala na lahat ng tao magwowork for a common and noble goal. Blessing talaga na lahat tayo gumraduate at feeling ko plan na yun talaga ni God para ipakita sa mundo how great His plan is nung pinagsama-sama Niya tayo. Grabe talaga. grabe. grabe. grabe. Our batch is what should give others hope for our nation. Kasi tayo na yung inaantay nila. I really believe our batch will make a difference in this world at it's only a matter of time before it happens. Kaya sana walang limutan, kasi marami pa tayong gagawin. Tong four years na toh simula pa lang yan. Marami pang parating.

Sabi nila 07/07/07 ang araw natin, araw ng 07. pero I say lahat ng araw, araw natin. 07/07/07 comes only once a millenium, a fleeting moment in the eternity of time. Pero palagay ko all of us sa batch 2007 are destined to leave a lasting mark of greatness in this world.

BATCH 2007 mahal ko kayong lahat. :D

Something to remember 7

"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." - Luke 9:58

Each human being is the temple of the Holy Spirit, an abode for God. There are times, however, when we choose to close the door and not let Him in. What an injustice it is to not be allowed to enter your own house.

If Mcdo is open 24/7 for us, shouldn't we all the more do the same for the Almighty God?

Climate Change

It's been four weeks since the start of our college life and I'm beginning to to realize I'm really not a student of Pisay anymore. Can you imagine how dense I am? I've been attending classes, activities and stuff all this time and the realization that "Hey, I'm not a Pisay student anymore" came just a few days/hours/minutes back (I'm actually not sure).

Sadly, the confusion in my life right now, what many call the adjustment stage is taking its toll on this blog. I attended a time management seminar (courtesy of the Chem Department for all freshmen Chem majors) and if there was one thing it made me realize, is that I can plan things but I can never completely follow it. And it's really a bad thing.

My parents often tell me sobra na yang computer (gaming) mo ah! or sobra na yang dvd (actually house/smallville) mo ah!. The tendency of most adolescents of course is to deny such claims and tell them e tapos na akong mag-aral e. This fortunately happens only in the weekends and I really mean it (usually) when I say I'm done. The time management seminar made me realize I've been wasting my time.

I started playing computer games when I was six or seven years old. I think the first games I played were Mario and then Dune, Starcraft, Command and Conquer etc etc. I've played so many games (PC, Sega, PS) and it's more than the number of books I've actually read in my life. So I grew up with the paradigm that my life wasn't complete without playing games.

The seminar was great because the speaker delivered it with such a compelling argument. This is roughly what he said, The time you waste doing those unimportant and not urgent things could have been spent doing more important things, studying, catching up with friends and most importantly serving others and God. And it hit me.

Every weekend, I'll set a schedule for myself and specifically give time for playing. Because
of the nature of games I play (usually long strategy games), I tend to not follow the schedule and eat up more of my study time. It doesn't affect my studies because I make it a point to finish everything I need to do before the weekend ends (even if I have to sleep late). But the sad part is I neglect some of the other important stuff that I could have done. I could have had a chat with a batchmate, watched an episode of pokemon with my little brother, read a book due at the end of the sem, prayed a lot more, read an extra chapter in the Bible, all those important stuff. This also includes not being able to write a blog entry. This is really important to me because it helps me analyze the stuff I think about and I really get something out of it.

So I must confess that the reason it was all cloudless here for the past four weeks is because I've been playing a lot and the assignments had began pouring. The last game I played was Disciples II. I've finished it before but it's so fulfilling to finish it at a higher difficulty level but it takes twice the time to finish. I have to deal with finishing a mission for that game and prepare prelabs and postlabs and other stuff at the same time.

I had a wonderful conversation with a friend which gave me a powerful image by which I could see my problem with gaming. It helped me reexamine what I thought was just harmless. It's like a chain that keeps me from reaching my full potential and ultimately showing my love for God. When I thought about it, I play games because I want to enjoy, to unwind, to satisfy myself. God had very little part in the equation being "I need to unwind so I could be a better Christian" which is just stupid. There is only true delight in the Lord and basically the fun I get from gaming is artificial, temporary and all together pointless.

So my resolution is to quit gaming at least for this sem. And you'll be seeing more clouds here every weekend because the time I've freed from not gaming will be spent in my other neglected but important activities.

Hopefully God will grant me the strength to break this chain completely. I hope you help me in this task by praying for me.

The Ateneo Way

I've been exposed to Atenean culture for the past three days and so far, I'm not regretting my decision. Sometimes, I still think about what my life could have been if I chose UP Diliman, Manila or La Salle. These thoughts are processed unconsciously whenever I hear about experiences of my friends in those schools. It seemed a week ago that I may have been missing a lot. But a few days into my new life as part of the Ateneo, I'd tell them that as well.

Many people ask me why I chose Ateneo. My parents would often jokingly answer that question with "mas mahal kasi tuition dun e, para mas sulit ang scholarship :p", because I'm not sure I've explained my decision well enough to them. It's really complicated and no single reason is strong enough to stand alone.

I'll start with the wrong reasons people often use to explain this. No, I am not from Ateneo Grade School. No, my brother is not from Ateneo Grade School. No, my parents did not graduate from the Ateneo. It seems Ateneo, or college in general, is seen as a family tradition, with the choice of school as hereditary. Though I plan to "aggresively persuade" my children to study in Pisay, I will still give them a choice, just as my parents have always given me a choice.

No, I was not forced by my parents, because on the contrary, my mom had some other school in mind for me while my dad remained neutral about the matter. It's a great feeling to be trusted with one of the most important decisions of anyone's life.

No, I did not go to Ateneo because we're rich. ANLABO NITO. The only reason Ateneo was in the choices was because I got a scholarship. Thus, this proves that I do not fit in the usual perceived social class of people in the Ateneo.

I originally did not want to have to decide something as important as this. But as many have pointed out and I've been made to realize myself, God gave me the power to choose, unlike most who were forced to one school or one course because there were no other options. It was a blessing in many ways but perhaps the most important is that it was training on trusting yourself when you know that God Himself trusts you to make the decision. It's both empowering and assuring. The implication is that whatever I choose, God would be with me. :D

I did not really imagine myself enrolling in Chemistry/ Material Science Engineering prior to the Ateneo Junior Summer Seminar. I must admit that it was one of the biggest influences on why I chose Ateneo. As someone pointed out, I could have simply fallen into a marketing trick, showing the best of what it has to offer but hiding its worse features. But still stand by this statement: Ateneo is so much like Pisay.

Other considerations I had included the versatility of the course, employment opportunities and an opportunity for holistic development and leadership training. One thing that I really wanted was Catholic education. Though I must admit, I grew in my faith during the time I was away from the rigid religion class, I feel now I am ready to appreciate what I will be taught in theology classes. Though as people say, I could continue to grow in my faith even without theology, I believe a combination of service and study would allow me to see God in a wider perspective. As Jason pointed out in one conversation today, we choose something because we think we will find happiness there. As I have pointed out in earlier posts, true happiness is that which springs from an eternal meaning, which is God. I am extremely confident I will find more of God at the Ateneo (building upon what I found out about Him in Pisay). Not that I would not find Him in any other place but connected to what I said earlier, choosing this school is in fact trusting that He would be with me wherever I choose. This is the choice I made and I'm sure I will know more about Him in this newest journey of my life.

So that's the basic explanation. Haha. I tried an objective approach to this by making a list of categories and giving points per category. It wasn't really helpful because at one time, the scores for the two choices, Intarmed and Chem/MSE, were tied!

The three days at the Ateneo has given me a very surprising impression. Haha. It seems Ateneo has one stark difference with Pisay: it is not people-based! I have yet to understand the inner workings of the Atenean society but so far, this has been my impression. The most compelling evidence is that Ateneo seems to have translated in actual rules and written guidelines many of what may seem to be unwritten traditions in the university setting. Imagine having a Magna Carta of Student Rights and a whole talk on how to relate to teachers. Plus the fact that there will be one whole class on Ateneo Culture for the rest of the sem! Grabe. I suppose this is why most graduates of the Ateneo share a common impression of the whole experience. This is very different from what I hear from UP graduates who seem to have a different story to tell about their experience. Learning about UP culture is more of based on experience unlike the rigid structure of learning the Ateneo cutlure.

But come to think of it, Ateneo is people-based in a strange way. From my observations, it seems the people-based system has been deliberately encoded in the rule-based structure of the Ateneo. This is most evident in the way the enrollment and the Orsem have been mostly handled (efficiently!) by the students. The student organizations at the Ateneo seem to have a certain degree of autonomy but always within the minimum framework set by the school. This freedom seems to be enough to allow for the development of ingenuity, ability to adapt and innovation.

And I have to applaud the efficiency of the way they do things at the Ateneo. I know in real life this will rarely happen, but at least I have experienced what government should aim to achieve.

I am really looking forward to the five years I will spend at the Ateneo. :D

God's instant messenger

I'd like to think that's how He listens to our prayers. He has this super fast dsl connection that defies the laws of physics by beating even the speed of light. This connection passes through all matter (energy na rin para sa mga physics nerds dyan haha) and reaches all His creation. He's sitting in front of His super fast computer waiting for any one of His billions of children to send Him an instant message through prayer.com or something.

Ang labo. haha. But lately, God has been answering questions I never thought I'd ask so quickly and I'm just so overwhelmed. The correct way to look at it is I've been checking my messenger more often and I've turned up my speaker volume a little higher so I could hear His buzz tones better.

God is great :D

Troubling questions

What makes work good and honorable?


Do the means justify the end?


Is ignorance an excuse?



Is real effort and honest intentions enough?


Is a creator guilty is his creation is used for the wrong causes?



Is he guilty if he creates and knows that it will be used that way?


Can the benefits cover the wrongs?



Do honest and kind intentions transform this guilt into motivation?



Can I find God in my work?

The People-based Theory

I've always wondered why the Philippine Science High School, despite being a government institution, retains its reputation as the premier high school of the country.

Government institutions - hospitals, schools, police and fire stations included - have always been seen as inefficient and sometimes even ineffective in delivering the services expected of them. There are many reasons cited to explain this very dismal evaluation of government services. Lack of funding, corruption and incompetence are some of the most often cited. But why does it seem that Pisay has acquired an immunity to this contagious inefficiency spreading in the government?

I've often observed that there is an excess of freedom and discretion in Pisay. Its structure is basically having a person in-charge and everything under him is under his discretion. Apparently, there are so few rules in Pisay that a fine line now exists between guidelines and actual rules (the former being recommendations only) as pointed out by a member of the faculty (ayaw ko na ireveal haha). As another teacher has observed, most of the rules we have in Pisay are responses to actual events and not products of foresight (as I think they should be).

This unstructured structure, no matter how messy it looks, seems to be the magic that makes Pisay the way it is. One way of viewing it is lack of governing rules. The other more positive perception is a people-based structure. The people that run the system are the most important parts. There is immense trust accorded to the people that make it work.

One fine example to prove how people-based Pisay is is Ms. Serrano. I considered her a pillar of the system, someone who would spend her best and last years serving the institution. She's been in Pisay so long, she had acquired the experience necessary to respond to new challenges facing the school. Her move to leave Pisay was a depressing surprise. I will no longer delve into the reasons why she left, but I must say that the most of the really few solid regulations Pisay has are ineffective in the perspective of doing good for the community. During our graduation practices, some of the teachers would comment "si Ma'am Serrano may alam nito e". I believe she left Pisay without effectively sharing the wisdom she acquired from her years of service to her successors. Opinion ko lang naman yun :D

One bad experience I had with this people-based phenomenon was during our short and yet strenuous stint as the members of the Student Alliance Electoral Board. Ma'am Samala had just left for New Zealand and there was no one left in Pisay who knew the nitty-gritty of running an election. We had two veteran SA officers but because none of the things that happened in this election happened during their SA years, we had no idea how it is supposed to be handled. Of course, the SA has its Election Code and Constitution. To our dismay, it did very little to help us resolve the issues. The SA has been in violation of its own code and constitution for almost half a decade already and haha it was during our watch that Pisay uncovered its defects. It seems the SA has always relied on the unwritten traditions followed by the previous administration and had not bothered to look into the paperwork. The SA was people-based and it somehow compromised one of the functions of the system. At the end of the experience, we had to make the Election Code less discretionary and more rigid (as it should really be).

It seems Pisay being people-based arises from the lack of solid rules to govern aspects of the Pisay community. It is the natural and spontaneous response of individuals who are where they are because of their ability to adapt and ingenuity.

This underlines that the people is what makes Pisay great - the heterogeneous mix of faculty, staff, administration, alumni, parents and students. The science curriculum, the intense academic load, the better-than-the-usual government facilities, the amazing activities, the intimidating name of Philippine Science High School - all simply provide the framework by which this mix of people work and interact for the good of themselves, the people around them and society in general. This system echoes the invisible hand theory of Adam Smith. The lack of rules allow people's actions to shape almost exclusively the course of the community. It is this freedom that enables growth and development at the personal and community levels. This acts as a catalyst for the students to become scientists - to acquire the necessary skills of critical thinking, individual confidence and competence, inquisitiveness and ingenuity. These are the most important lessons Pisay imparts on its students and the funny thing about it is it comes partly from being a people-based system.

The people-based system also ensures that this tradition of excellence lives on. Only the best and the brightest and the most courageous breed of students, teachers, staff and parents are attracted to be part of the system. It's a cycle that will always go in favor of Pisay.

However, it is still necessary to safeguard what little rigidity there is in the structure because these have set the ground rules for the continued evolution of Pisay. Simple rules on haircut and ID go a long way in subconsciously instilling discipline in a very fluid environment like Pisay. The community must remain conscious of when a people-based system is beneficial to it our not. Absolute power corrupts absolutely as they say and people are so prone to corruption. There must always be a balance. Fortunately, in Pisay, it seems it has found its balance.

This theory may also explain why the University of the Philippines remains the top university of the country despite being a state university. The relative autonomy UP has with respect to other state universities may account for this. It is note-worthy that the PSHS has an obvious affinity with UP with a big percentage of its graduates coming into the university and the UP President being part of the PSHS Board of Trustees.

Looking at a more macroscopic view, the people-based system seems to be more of a curse than a blessing for the government. I find it odd however that there is no lack of laws and rules to govern the country and yet the people-based system persists. I guess it's in the ethos of the people already to view the government by the people who lead them not by the institutions themselves. I'm not sure of my terms but I think the politics in the country is too patriarchal and messianic as well (Ma'am Doplon has a wonderful article on this: http://crazyadventure.wordpress.com/2007/05/30/messiah-politics). Our leaders have packaged our national institutions as extensions of themselves. That is why the MRT is not a project of the DOTC but the president and low-cost housing Mike Defensor and not the NHA. And this is also why criticizing the president as a person using the office for her personal gain is tantamount to destabilization of the entire government.

The people-based system is another reason why the Philippines is not ready for the parliamentary system. In that form of government, the leader of the nation can change overnight. The institutions must first be reformed to make them independent and self-sustaining that they do not need a prime minister or president to make them run properly.

The premise in Pisay is that good people run the system. In the national scene however, it seems the bad eggs are far more influential than the good ones. They have taken the people-based system and twisted it to their advantage. There is simply too much discretion in the national positions and this has been used often for the benefit of the leaders and not the people.

Being a democracy, I guess, has partly turned us into a people-based society. I really like democracy because a true one empowers the people. I believe we are in a true democracy and that we are simply getting what we deserve.

In conclusion, the real fuel that keeps the flame of Pisay burning is that people that run it. In the national perspective, as Sir Martin has said, it is the people that build a nation. The destiny of our nation is really in all our hands.

Something to remember 6

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
the courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Something to remember 5

Seek not to focus on rationalizing God and applying reason to Him. It is impossible not because God is fundamentally irrational (quite the opposite) but rather, our ability to understand and rationalize has its limits. We cannot place the infinity of God in the finite confines of our perception.

Seek rather a more personal understanding of God. Narrow the search and look for what is important. Love, hope and believe in Him. It's all that matters.

Happiness

It's funny how I proved to myself partially the last paragraph of my previous post. Happiness is founded on and not separate from meaning. Our trip to Subic from May 24-27 was both meaningful and full of happiness in the superlative degree.

For pictures, check out my multiply: http://robroque.multiply.com

More than all the extraordinary things we did during the whole trip, it was I guess the company that made all the difference. I doubt it that if I was given a free European tour for myself only, I'd have nearly a quarter of the fun I got out of this trip. I spent most of my summer at home but now that it's about to end, I realize I've been blessed with meaningful and fun trips - Naga for ILC, Laguna with the family and Subic with my friends.

It turned out meaningful for me because it was a chance to rekindle old friendships that Pisay has inevitably pushed a bit down the priority list. But perhaps the most peculiar thing I got from the trip was that it was a learning experience for me. It taught me so many things in so many different aspects of my life. I prayed at the start of the trip that it'd get something lasting out of it. God is so great, I got more than I asked for.

On the more mundane aspects of life, I got to learn new card games like speed, egyptian and 100 and even got to develop our very own game, acceleration (3-deck speed with 6 players). I also was exposed to new and exciting group games like mafia and killers. I finally got to watch Rent and the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the Return of the King.

I experienced a lot of new stuff like riding in a banana boat, playing frisbee on the beach, exploring Ed's vast resort and go-karting after a downpour (I'll try not to do this again - clothes get so drenched and dirty). For the first time, I rode on a car driven by someone almost my age (and now I'm excited to start driving as well). It was also the first time that I rode a car that had flat tires twice (at Pisay and near the Shell gasoline station near SM). It was really a blessing that the tires were damaged at that exact moment in that exact place. I don't like to imagine what could have happened if the tires burst in the middle of our trip across NLEX with the car running at 100 km/h.

I was reminded of how blessed I was to be with these people and generally in Pisay for the past four years. I wouldn't have found people like them - intellectuals who talk about science, politics, religion and other important topics over a meal - who I am comfortable to be with. Pisay has allowed my personality to blossom and develop and not be hindered by shame or shyness because I was in a place where I really truly belonged. It saddens me a bit that we're all about to part ways physically but I still hope that the friendships we've sown and tended to will survive the tests of distance and time.

I got a lot more realizations and lessons. Some of them were related to teaching in Pisay and some life questions I rarely ask myself; others were about living in a whole new environment and being possessive of friends; some regarding the beliefs in other faiths, exorcisms and wandering spirits.

It's amazing that although physically, all I brought home were pictures and sea shells, I feel I came home with a lot of ideas, new knowledge and different paradigms by which I could view the world.

It's also a welcome respite to finally be talking about things we don't usually talk about because we had more "important" and pressing matters to attend to. This summer comes only every after a step in the educational ladder. This transition from high school to college allows us to focus no longer on the academics of the past high school or look to much into the future dynamics of college life. Perhaps this freedom from the burden of academic requirements allowed us to be more open about the aspects of our lives we rarely share to other people. This freedom allowed us to focus on the really more important things.

Hahaha. I even brought home three "homeworks" that I will think about and research on. One is about the people-based theory that Sir Mardan and I developed in our conversation. I will be talking more about this in my next post. The two others were from my conversations with Pito. I will not delve into the second but of the third, I realized that sometimes I have only a vague idea of why things are in our faith. I do them sincerely and believe in them as acts of faith but I'm surprised that I don't know by heart the theological explanations regarding them despite the inquisitive and critical thinking training we received in Pisay. It reminded me of the importance of seeking God in everything - in the spiritual, physical and even the mental realms of life.

The joy I got out of the trip was beyond the momentary ecstasy of riding a banana boat at high speeds or trying out the slide or playing an intense acceleration game. It was beyond the immediate satisfaction of travelling to new places and experiencing new things. It was founded on meaning - on the fact that I brought home so much of the things that change very little and that I was with friends I will be with till I can't recognize anyone anymore and with my God.

Fragile

Watching movies like "28 Weeks Later" or “Spiderman-3” and even series like “Heroes” and “Smallville” reminds me of how fragile human civilization is. The achievements we've done, the mistakes we've committed, the order we've set, all are insignificant in the universal order of things. We are truly but a speck in the infinity of space at a moment in eternal time.

In all those movies, change is indeed constant. Change has defined history and has made it interesting and exciting.

The dawn of men came when the dominant reptiles were wiped out by a single meteor (or fine, maybe not) or by a global winter or something. Hahaha. Point is they were dragged to extinction and the funny thing is we didn’t have to do anything about it.

Tyrants easily changed the course of their nations’ history as much as they changed the world’s. Qin Shihuangdi forged the Chinese Empire. Caesar laid the foundations for the Roman Empire. Xerxes, the Pharaohs, Alexander, Napoleon, and even Hitler all shaped history by instituting change. They used war, conquest and ambition as tools for history to remember them. They immortalized themselves by making sure the changes they made remained.

Other changes involved entire civilizations that impacted the history of the world. South America might be different today if the Aztec, Incan and Mayan civilizations were not destroyed. The collapse of the Roman Empire that had stood for centuries ushered in a new era in history. The fall of the fascist German state and the Russian communist system defined the world as it is today.

When you study history, it’s always defined by the changes that occurred. World War I, World War II, 9/11 – these are the most familiar turning points of history.

There are, of course, the changes that mattered not only in this world but beyond as well. A single bite of an apple brought eternal damnation. A single yet ultimate act of love brought eternal salvation.

From what is shown in the movies, human beings seem to value normality so much that it’s worth dying for. Of course, there are instances when humanity is (hopefully) united in change such as in the fights against AIDS or poverty. But there are battles that we unite against it. In “28 Weeks Later”, the US military fought to control the spread of the Rage virus. In “Spiderman-3”, Spiderman fought the symbiotic alien life form from taking over him. In “Heroes”, they fought to keep a bomb that would change the world from exploding. In “Smallville”, Clark fought to save himself from the scrutiny of the world he is also saving.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting for normalcy, for keeping things the way they are. The problem emerges when we fight for it for the wrong reasons. They say energy companies discretely fight green technologies to retain their monopolies. They say the old rich of this country fight to keep their monopolies of the agricultural lands and of political influence.

Striving and living for success in the standards of the world is futile simply because these standards are artificial. Society today measures success in grades, diplomas, wealth and influence. They are but temporary social constructs. Success in life must not be based on a fragile society’s standards. We’ve managed to build a world for ourselves and we’ve lived in it for so long that we think we can work to keep ourselves in it.

We should therefore strive for success that will never wane and be forgotten, achievements that change cannot tamper with.

The greatest battles are indeed fought within because these are the battles that truly matter. In these conflicts are decided why we are doing anything that we want to do. Is it merely for ourselves, or for the worldly society, or the eternal God that we should be doing it for?

To rephrase my earlier premise, change is constant only in this world. So we must strive for riches that are beyond this world, success in the realm of eternity. And we’ve already been told how to do it and arrangements have been made for us to do it (that’s what the single ultimate act of love did for us). It’s only a matter of if we will do it, if we will defeat the temptations of the world to keep us in its grips.

Contrary to what Linderman said, true happiness is founded on meaning. True happiness is eternal and not subject to change. A meaningless happiness founded on the now will change in the next moment. But happiness built on an eternity of meaning will last even if a bomb goes off and ends the world.

Something to remember 4

Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit,
for Your voice -
in busyness and in boredom,
in certainty and in doubt,
in noise and in silence.
Teach me, Lord, to listen. Amen.

- John Veitri, S.J.

Something to remember 3

God is just so great.

For every disappointment I receive, I get a new blessing in return. It's really more than I deserve, but because God gives them to me, I guess it's really part of His wonderful plan for me.

And because my life is just so full of blessings already, all that He needs to do is remind me of how blessed I really am and of the blessings I may have taken for granted.

It's sad sometimes that I find personal joy in the misery of others because sometimes, it is how my reminders from Him arrive. I would not dare claim I understand why but perhaps its because I can do my share in helping those people, even if I really have no idea what they're going through. Sometimes, comforting words and reassurances go a long way. Prayers go even longer.

God gives us all that we need, and sometimes what we want. If what we want is to allow God's will to happen, then there is no question that we'll get what we want.

The True Story

Or maybe not. But it paints both a grim and hopeful picture of politics in our town and in the Philippines in general.

Apparently, the people who gathered to support Ricky Sandoval were not hauled in by the mayoralty candidate himself. He didn't even file a formal election protest. People say he had accepted his defeat to incumbent Toby Tiangco and was only fighting for the candidacy of his brother, Alvin, who was running for congress.

The sad part about this is that people didn't go there out of principle and support. Heck, not even all of them are voters of Navotas. They say people who went there came from slum areas around Navotas like Tondo, Malabon and other parts of Manila. The protesters who came there in hopes of receiving free food were rallied by groups who wanted to make money out of the situation.

Akala ko masama na ang mga naghahakot na mga pulitiko na pinapangakuaan ng pera ang mga tao. Sa rally na yun, nagpunta ang mga tao dahil wala na silang makain at pinangakuan sila ng mga taong gusto silang pagkakitaan na papakainin sila ng ipaglalaban nilang kandidato.

The good part is that some politicians, although not exactly law-abiding, are compassionate and sensitive enough to know when the fight is over. The Sandoval camp, after sustaining the crowd overnight, dispersed them by paying each Php 300.00. Not exactly vote buying hehehe. In a sense, the good guy is Sandoval.

This is perhaps a snapshot of the answer to the link between economy and politics. Some of the poorest of our people engage in political activities not because they believe in them but because they are the only venues for them to find sustenance.

But looking at the victory of a priest against the wife of an alleged jueteng lord and an incumbent actor whose dad is a senator shows a different side of politics. Poor people can unite to fight for a cause they believe in, not for short term gratification, but for long term progress and change.

I hope we'll see more of the latter case in the future.

Something new in Navotas

This is really historical. It has not happened since 1998.

Yesterday, hundreds of supporters of former Congressman and mayoralty candidate Ricky Sandoval gathered in front of the municipal hall of Navotas claiming that there was massive cheating in the counting of the votes. They accuse the teachers of Navotas of siding with incumbent mayor and re-electionist Toby Tiangco. They also blame the mayor for votes that came from dead people. They've set up tents and a stage in front of the municipal hall and they say they'll stay there holding vigil while canvassing continues inside.

Partial and unofficial tallies show Tiangco and many of his partymates are leading.

Again, Navotas has not seen this much political activity since 1998, when Efren Bautista went against long-time mayor of Navotas, Peping Del Rosario. Efren, a candidate who had lost for two consecutive elections against Peping, was seen as a modern David and Goliath battle. But there was an outpour of support for the underdog as he was a welcome break from the decade-long reign of Del Rosario. I remember my dad joining in the motorcades and watching closely at the canvassing of votes. It was a well known fact that Del Rosario was capable of manipulating the results, so the people of Navotas were extra vigilant.

This chapter of Navotas history ended in both a sad and glorious note. At the end of the whole debacle, Efren Bautista won to the jubilation of many citizens of Navotas. However, the Municipal Hall of the now 100-year old municipality was burned down. A few months after his election, the hope of Navotas died of natural causes. Navotas was in mourning.

This was where then-vice mayor Toby Tiangco came into the picture. He was and remains to be a young and dynamic leader who delivers results for Navotas despite his outspoken political affiliation with the opposition led by Erap and FPJ.

In this year's campaign, I'd say, despite Toby being the incumbent, he was the David in this "proxy war" between the opposition and the administration represented by Sandoval. The number of posters, big tarps and billbords (which are technically beyond 2x3 - the prescribed limit for these stuff), and the rallies speak volumes of the formidable machinery of the incumbent Congressman who presents as his main achievement the Navotas Cityhood Bill.

And I'm not sure about how the rest of Navotas feels, but our family is for Tiangco simply because he's been a good mayor in his 9 year reign. And the best part - I think - is that he rarely boasts of them the way Sandoval does. Months before the actual campaign, he posted on almost every post along M. Naval a billboard with his face and he project he had worked for the area - street construction, school construction etc.

The sad part is the two were once partymates in the local Partido Navoteno. For two elections, they were the most formidable ticket that Navotas has seen in the long time. But because Sandoval's three terms in congress had already ended, the politically logical move is go for the top post. Tiangco was only on his second term as an elected mayor.

But my political views aside, I don't see the logic behind the accusations of the Sandoval camp. I've seen the amount of resources the Sandoval camp poured into the campaign so it would be stupid if the same amount was not allocated for poll watching. They claim the teachers read ballots differently especially in areas they claim to be their strong areas. I understand that poll watchers for any candidate are supposed to make sure the ballots are read right.

With regards to dead people voting, our family has seen that first-hand with my lolo (a long-time suppporter of Tiangco) who had died was still in the list even if my mom had informed the COMELEC about his death in the last election. Even my tito and tita who had already immigrated and have been naturalized as American citizens were still part of the list were still in the official list of voters. But I don't think it is within Tiangco's influence to do it. This is only speculation because I have not seen the proof provided by the Sandoval camp. I'll hold on to my judgement until the PPCRV in Navotas issues an official statement.

The funny thing about the vigil they have there is that they've lighted candles on the municipal grounds and they have entertainment on the stage with dancers and variety songs.

This political demonstration is I think within the rights of those hundreds of supporters. I just hope they came there on their own accord just as it was in the 1998 elections and not just brought there with the promise of compensation. The local police has promised to allow the rally as long as they stay within the grounds and remain peaceful. So far, that has been the case.

I hope this will not end with the municipal hall burning down to ashes.