The Enigma that is the Philippines and its Duterte

The Enigma that is the Philippines and its Duterte

The two elements appear as whistling passed each other.  

Unable to establish a scenario of basic meeting of minds 

necessary in any conversation between adults.

 

What ensued in the face-off was befuddlement and frustration.  

All on the part of the entity collectively called the people, 

but individually divided into the electorate, 

the politicians and everybody in between.  

Why so?  Because as best as any sane person could commiserate, 

Duterte appears to be nothing but giddy with all the attention.  

Not a bit terrified by possible outcomes. 

Nor unnerved by all the hostile questions directed at him.

One wonders why. 

But in reality, the situation may be quite easy to unravel.

From the detached purview of any serious, earnest, and impartial observer, 

The Dutertes reside in their own levels of maturation and comprehension.  

Juxtaposed and judged in the prism of accepted norms of civilized society,

the family appear fiddling with the enshrined norms of logic and ethics.  

They trademark their own unique lifestyle, 

residing inside their own cocoon of beyond-the-norm  existence.  

This explains the inability to curb uncouth and vulgar language and acts, 

manifested either publicly or privately, both in informal or formal settings.  

And all this cursorily dismissed by ardent loyalists as simply, joke lang. 

And this said  punctuated  by subtle smirks.

But did the Dutertes change over time?  A definite NO.  

One recalls that they have always been like this from day one, 

no show of attempts to hide coarse behavior and attitudes.  

Still they enjoy great popular patronage all via democratic means, 

allowing them to sit as incumbent in the public realm.

  

Who gets the blame then?

Easy to ascribe under this brand of democracy 

the country so vocally honors and adores.

All fingers point inward.

But what are the possibilities that for Duterte 

all this is one protracted scene of a situation comedy.

Recalling younger years, where there those likened  to him 

in behavior, personality, and values?  

 

I can think of the early Jesuit mentors we had.  

They too appeared to have lived in worlds of their own.  

Very strict in commitment to obedience.  

Uncompromising in the many principles taught by them.  

Unapologetic in espousing difficult virtues and values.   

Unrelenting in their dogged pursuit to impart righteousness, 

regardless of the tenderness of our ages. 

With them one got what one saw.

Public demeanor as models of propriety, meekness, and conciliation. 

How diametrically different they were from this leader in question.

Their lessons anchored on time-tested sources, like Scriptures, 

the countless books from ancient learned philosophers, 

the many autobiographical tomes of countless men of old 

who excelled in their varied  fields of endeavor. 

And many more.

 

 

Beauty Skin Deep

 Beauty Skin Deep

Once, temporal beauty shone in splendor.

In sheen-like quality on her countenance.

But unrelenting age came and took it away.

Now unsightly traces of lines and furrows

litter the self-same icon of munificent beauty.

The ravages of time cannot be stowed away.

Unbidden they ooze into our very pores.

A constant reminder of forthcoming eternity.

Heads bowed we acknowledge and accept.

For surely come it will in the fullness of time.

Caution on Public Criticism

 

While clearly human actions are visible to us, 

And thus subject to our discriminating eyes,

Remember it is God alone that can discern

Hidden intentions and desires of the actor,

Unless unequivocally declared in public.

Good faith on the motives is to be assumed

To be fair and equitable in our judgments.

To rashly ascribe unkind and shallow motives 

Would no doubt clearly be unfair and unjust.

Thus best to exercise circumspection in such.

 

In another vein, the better part of discretion

Dutifully dictates to those hurt or concerned

To stay quiet about the misunderstandings

Unless keeping in quiet solitude it leads to

Much graver scandal or unnecessary offense.

Our Apostolate Amid The Frailty of Man

 My daily devotionals brought me to the Gospel of St. John, Chapter14, Verse17:

"If thou wilt know the truth, believe in Me." (Christ said.)

Deep down, we all seek peace and truth.  But how do we know where to find peace and seek the truth?  Christ always demands, to get those things from Him.  Not from men, but Him alone, for He is Truth.

Yes, because men can be mistaken or misinformed, or worse have ill-intent or inclined to spread untruth.

And this includes all men, including those held as responsible and truthful, or held reverently by people because of their position or office.

Men are still men!  And thus, still flawed.

Thus, even with the Papacy, we say the Pope is infallible only when he teaches matters of faith and morals, and ex cathedra;  but he is not impeccable, and thus could be wrong in other matters.  

Maybe like putting trust, confidence, or support in people who are purportedly upright and righteous.  In matters like those, his judgment is just as good as any, any person who has studied certain matters and has acquired expertise in such matters.  And admittedly, our reality has proved this to be so and true.

Thus, it is incumbent upon each one of us to search for truth in all places, even in unlikely places, since during these times, truth has become harder to discover and discern.

We cannot anymore be satisfied with getting our dose of truth from our familiar and comfortable places, but to stretch our search beyond that.  And to get tired and dirty searching for it.

And as familiarly intoned, get out of your comfort zones!

 But we of course know that truth is one and indivisible. There are no sides to truth, but there are other sides other than truth.

  As we can see, all this contributes to the confusion, dread, and fears that we witness in the world today. Adding the many dreadful manifestations that we somehow find commonality with everybody else in the world today.

In the early days of our Church, the devout exercises of our Faith to pursue our personal sanctification were considered more than sufficient and we then expected God to do the rest. Thus, in the Church there was a proliferation of monasteries, religious orders, and other institutions promoting monastic life. All geared at very ascetic practices to purify the soul.

But in imitation of Christ, we are also tasked with apostolic duties, to preach the gospels and spread the truth to all. More than just a passive exercise of our Faith, we need to actively pursue this apostolate.

The search for truth is simply a leg of our journey. Having acquired it, there is the need to spread it to the rest of the world. We cannot stand idly by when we see untruth spread like wildfire in the world.

If we are privileged to have learned it, it behooves then for us to pass it around.

The Paris Olympic Games

 

Agonizingly being reminded of the raucous ceremonies and the various games of the current  Olympic games In Paris.   One may sense that maybe it is about time to revisit and restudy the traditionally noble purposes of the Games.  Because even the typically celebratory opening ceremonies have come under heavy fire from many sources.

The Games were supposed to promote inspiration and emulation  but may now be instead rearing the ugly heads of division and derision.  And sadly this attitude prevails even among the medal winners, and not just among the many losers who are all going home empty-handed. 

 

Now it appears that getting medals other than gold is actually losing, most especially if the competitors are "expected" to grab the highest trophy.

What happened to giving air and venue to man's passionate drives for excellence and the innate nobility of fair competition that formed part of the ethos of the Games?  That one's mere membership and participation are honors enough to value throughout one's life, earning the time-honored title of Olympian?

Now, one has to always land at the top of the heap to maintain fame and status.  Once you get older and thus made less perfect, out goes all the laurels. And worse, the next phase for the participants leads them to the money trails, for which  many are off and running in pursuit.  It even starts with the melt value of the medals themselves.

We appear to have lost our collective marbles as a species.

. 

So instead of the traditional mandate to: "Let the games begin", let us instead utter: 

Let us try something else.  This is getting boring. And crass.

And on another note.  This time the awarding of medals for the winners.

 It is customary to witness the gold medal recipient to immediately bite into it, ostensibly to seek affirmation that the medal is indeed made of the precious metal.

No such luck, and but we cannot say that it has been so  over all those years.  Though we can surmise that the medals are most probably made of the same stuff as they were years ago.  Just realized there may be written standards set even on the metal composition and weight of Olympic medals.

Anyway as it stands, this is what we witnessed  from the last Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics medals that were handed out to exultant winners. This data we gathered because the Japanese authorities made particular attention to the creation of their medals.

From some rough estimates made by me here are the lowdowns.

.

The three medals, gold, silver, and bronze weigh from 450grams to maybe 556grams, or about half a kilo on average, with gold weighing the most.  

The gold medal is essentially made of silver with maybe 6 grams of gold, good enough to be used for plating.  The silver medal true to its name is made up of pure silver.  And bronze of brass and zinc, so not much intrinsic value.  Based on this and the prevailing prices of precious metals, a gold medal might now command a price of a thousand dollars, selling the gold and silver content in it, and silver maybe about a little above 500 dollars.  Never mind the bronze medal.

Getting any idea where this is going?

The revered and time-seasoned Olympic Games idolized by the world have always been about excellence in sport and symbolism.  Rank the best performers with their shown performances in competition and award them medals for their sterling  accomplishments, the ranking and composition of the medals clearly symbolism for us to revere and behold.  Nothing denoting the awarding of financial awards to winners.

How things have changed though the Games have steadfastly remained the same.  Immediately upon winning financial windfalls are factored in like these too could compete in another contest, this time in value and size. 

Winning athletes are expected to start following the money trails, in hot pursuit of their "just rewards".  The world would appear disappointed if the winners lose out in this other contest.

And we fear that the world is more concerned and interested in this other contest.

Nature and Desires

 Nature and Desires

Many of us do get it. 

That the holy books do say this.  

Your earthy life is so very short.  

Do not waste a minute of it.

Question is can we plumb what it means.

They do add to statements like the above. 

They do continue to say and admonish.

Unreasoning nature wants more. 

A lot more than what is necessary.

 

To become the master of our destiny, 

we rid ourselves of all inordinate desires.  

Learn to live with less and more for eternity.

Remembering desires are not just things

 but include all the pleasant allures life offers.

Depression

 DEPRESSION

 The insidious malady called depression came to mind, 

when  two very noted personalities we read were said to be suffering from it.  

One  a very young world-renowned lady athlete,  

while the other a former president of the Philippines in his 60's.  

The latter had since passed on.

Over the years we had heard so much about this condition 

But kept a safe distance of the topic paying only nodding attention. 

But now we are told that the world has seen its prevalence. 

And with large numbers in agony, we give it its due attention

 It is a very real, consumptive, and debilitating ailment.

 

Worse, it could also be career-ending and life-threatening.  

Necessitating professionals specialized in such conditions.

We had  nonchalantly associated depression with loneliness, or melancholy. 

Not giving it the gravity that it deserved.

 Now medical professionals labor and toil to do something.  

Many of us also went through such forlorn periods of feeling very low, 

at times we did not even want to get out of our beds to face the world.

I remember my own episodes when I was still single and unemployed.  

But somehow we out-grew it though not that the condition has deserted us for life, 

but somehow we have been able to lessen not only its gravity but its frequency.  

Somehow also we learned to tackle with it, each in our own ways.  

Maybe the resolution being  when we turned to a higher power 

and lodged the providence of our health and safety in that kind of faith.

Still as mere mortals with very limited knowledge and understanding 

of such an insidious and almost invisible enemy, 

We surrender our ignorance and abide our trust on others.

To those educated as  better equipped.

We should resolve to continue our own searches for truths about it. 

And thus they ought not be stifled, neglected, or even dismissed by others.  

We can only be better persons if we are curious about its ramifications.

In the midst of all this, may it also be incumbent that as a species, 

we duly acknowledge that we  have changed a lot, 

occasioned by a civilization that has gotten more and more complicated.

Worsened by our having to live in very close quarters with so diverse peoples

 with very diverse ideas.

It could be likened to what is happening in the US since the last several years. 

And happening to younger and more educated people. 

They are angrier, more and more intolerant, and very hateful. 

And appearing quite ill-equipped to handle challenges in daily life. 

Thus, we see this erupting in violence and other forms of miscreant behavior.

A Little Backgrounder: Historic Vista Hermosa

 

A Little Backgrounder:  Historic Vista Hermosa

On this historic site atop the first Carmen Hill crest.

It was in the mid-60's.  And the place was as pristine and untouched as an unutilized place could get.  It was owned by a first cousin, Engr. Edgardo N. Marfori.  Truant kids around the area would wander thereabouts picking up wild fruits like guavas during idle and hot summer days.  As forgettable a place as any during those idyllic days of the city.  But one redeeming factor was the spectacular view of the city on its crest.  The old poblacion shone in great light and glory from that vantage point.  None like it in the city.

But the Christmas holidays were approaching, days when the lazy city would get festive and lively.  Organizations woke up from slumber and started preparations for the coming holidays.

I was president of the Commerce fraternity and Ms. Rose Chan was president of the sorority of XU.  Bro. Paulino Santos was adviser.  We wanted some thing novel and startling for our festivities, especially for the dance and program as culmination for the celebrations.  Good idea.  But where?  So it could be really novel and a first.

That lonely undeveloped hilltop came to our collective minds.  Once decided we realized the monumental task involved.  At least monumental during that time.  There was no road going to the top, though we knew a jeep could negotiate it with 4-wheel drive if necessary.  No electricity.  No structure of any kind.  It was literally in the jungle!

Getting my cousin to say yes for the use of the place was no problem.  Bro. Santos was a close friend of wife Nang Lili.  But the other issues were challenging to say the least.

But somehow all sticky challenges were met and overtaken. Bro Santos with the help of school resources was able to bring a generator for our lights, and many wooden pallets as dance floor and stage.  Prior trips to the top with jeeps and trucks established the paths for vehicles on their ascent.  

And our members had a most memorable time during that happy festive night. It was a First, indeed.

Inspired no doubt by our very positive feedbacks, It was not long afterward that my cousin broached his idea of creating a hotel on this historic hilltop.  The first of its kind!  It became Vista Hermosa Hotel.  

And no doubt, the view was beautiful!  But It had since then been converted into the Pryce Plaza Hotel which has to his day been shuttered.

What Civilization Brings to Man

 What Civilization Brings to Man

Many fault civilization and the civilized living it brings as a bane to the lot of humanity.  In this vein many gush with justified awe at the crude and coarse living of many in the poverty-stricken places in the world.

It is not uncommon for fresh eyes witnessing new experiences for the first time to regard them with prideful wonderment and appreciation. 

And be generous in their plaudits.

However in the fullness of time and after seeing, or witnessing, or even living the life that exudes from these same dreary experiences, their stark and maybe drab realities will undoubtedly peep out to bring the viewer back to earth.

And a more realistic and more reasonable assessment of life in the midst of such coarse and crude environment will no doubt be discovered. 

Allowing one to repaint the whole canvas with righteous colors.

With colors true enough for one to accept that living in more modern, more orderly, and hygienic surroundings would redound better to the population.

That is what civilization brings to the table for humanity. 

In spite of the fact that yes, order and efficiency may appear too predictable and thus boring, and yes, be also less radiant in local colors. 

But we know that modernization is for the good of all humanity

A Tribute To Jogging

 A Tribute To Jogging

The image of a man in jog does not necessarily imply ease.

One sees and many likely conclude, look how easily he does it.

But in reality it is likely never that facile, from one who does it.

One starts with constricted breaths and leaden feet.

And indeed after a few rounds, the body responds .

With wakened feet responding to quickened cadence.

Breaths kick in with more depth, inducing a bit of euphoria.

And then just as quickly the end of the exercise nears.

The now-heated body pours out profuse sweating to cool.

Feet feeling rubbery, disposing one to quicken pace.

As one heroic attempt to shorten the agony of the run.

One digs deeper for stray breaths, lumbering to the end.

The winding-down process then begins in earnest.

One's pulse starts to slow as the body again responds.

A few minutes later, one lets out a huge sigh of relief.

And one moves on to the chores of the day.

The physical regimen set aside for the moment.

To be initiated again the following day.

We Call It Life, But Is It?

We live and we call it life.  But is it?

Oh, yes, many call it a blessing.

A gift so precious, it is the most valued.

What lengths man would pursue for it.

But then we continue to ask for answers.

Why is it so full of deaths and afflictions?

Such a repository of snares, enemies, and ills?

So many calamities, miseries, and enemies.

And even whilst the first of those are still with us,

Others crowd in to harass  our benighted living.

And no doubt we heap blame on the world.

Not really knowing why we are so attached to it.

Unable to detach from such strong bonds.

We blame it for its addictive vanity and deceit.

Unable to fathom the real reason why.

When in all honesty the problem is us.

Hollywood and Bust

Once upon a time, we trooped in droves to darkened movie theaters and expectantly turned to Hollywood for entertainment and artistry.  These creations eventually latched on to us to become treasured ageless classics artfully depicting  people and events  worthy to aspire for and emulate.  

And to this day, we hearken back by repeatedly watching them in the darkened comforts of our homes coming from the newfangled devices we have acquired.  And re-living the missed thrills and emotions evoked from them.

Now what do we get as almost daily fare for our entertainment from Hollywood?  

Movies that feed on our eternal childhood fantasies, as immortalized in the comic books of the past, now made even more escapist and unreal as quickly as evolving technologies could churn them out.  CGI gone wild and beyond!  The new blockbusters are simply “adaptations” of comic book heroes of our youth and beyond, as scary and unreal as they can be made to act and look.

Where are the countless creative minds of the past?

Are we now forever shunted to our childhood daydreams, like mature adults refusing to grow up and face our gruesome realities?  Escapism lived to the utmost?

Or is Hollywood simply turning on the money machine via surefire  blockbusters?

And the crowding viewers do not disappoint.

                                     0000000000000000

As a kid, I was an avid consumer and collector of comic books of superheroes, lapping up any and all items where their images were emblazoned. I devoured  anything and everything my little grubby hands could reach, though admittedly there were not too many of those items around. But to this day I fancy myself as possessing as much trivia about them as the next guy, or next kid.

I even resorted to drawing them on paper and collecting those, too.

But we understood there was always going to be a point of satiation. And indeed, we woke up one day, and found our interests having shifted to other more mundane things.

That is our usual expectation of life. Moving on to things that matter more.

Hollywood, please take note. It is not always about the money.

Ever wondered why they are called comic books? And not fictional books, fantasy books, or even, dime books? Maybe, because somebody is laughing all the way to the bank?

Seriously, because at some point, most or all of them were part of the “funny pages” of the typical newspaper.

Now it is serious business.

The Walls Within

There are many walls in our lives.  

We see walls in our houses, separating different uses of living spaces.  

We see walls in the houses of our neighbors, isolating their privacy from the public.

We see walls most everywhere, all designed to separate, to keep apart, to protect.

But we can declare that these are walls that do not separate us in alienation and estrangement from the rest of humanity.

But there are walls that do. These are the walls in our minds.  The walls that we willingly or unwittingly build  that put us at odds with the rest of the world. The walls that tend to alienate and make us indifferent of others.

Many believe that solitude is akin to creating walls. But this is not necessarily so.  For many solitude opens to a greater and kinder world, devoid of constricting walls.  Like walls of indifference, hostility, enmity, discrimination, and yes, arrogance. 

Many ardently believe that in solitude one is most attuned to the rest of the world. We are most aligned to our humanity when we do live in the world, but not to be of this world.

Those walls we need to break.  The walls within.

A FRESH MORNING REFLECTION

Nobody, not even God, begrudges a reasonable desire to  freshen our lagging spirit with a change in scenery.   We are simply cautioned against their too free use for it is easy for them to lead one astray

What is needed more for our own good is really a renewal of good intentions and noble motives for serving higher causes.

What is the lasting good for continually seeking new sights?  Doesn’t that pursuit simply distract us from our nobler purposes?

Desire only enough to improve the quality of our lasting good works and our lives.

Worthy thoughts to have as we wake up each morning of the rest of our lives.

This reflection is about something more direct and straight forward.

The temporal nature of man is a big burden he carries all his life, seeping into the very marrows of his existence.

Thus when he begins to address his impending mortality, he initiates the process of accepting and preparing for it. One then finds in most instances that man continues to cater to this fleeting nature with the plans and resolutions he makes.

Thus he is wont to declare, that because he is close to the end of the road, he needs to take life easy, enjoy new sights and experiences, take leisurely trips, bond more with friends and relations, etc. A common thread in all this is that they all partake of the temporal nature of man.

Remember what the Scriptural admonition for death is? Remember the incident about the man who wanted salvation and so asked Christ what he needed to do with his life knowing it would be taken away from him at an undetermined time?  The answer was curt and succinct. Live your life like you would live the last day of your life.

Implying that the inevitability and urgency require that one focuses on spiritual matters that lead to eternal salvation.

Our late father was one person who was gifted with unique insights into the higher purposes of man. Thus, years prior to his passing he had tried as much as he could to shed himself of the trappings and frailties of this life. Devoting instead his efforts to things that transcended this temporal existence.

But he was also a frustrated man. Having wished and worked so much for more of life, he felt that fortune and ease had escaped him.

The lesson left behind for us to learn is the delicate balance we need to put between spiritual matters and the  alluring things that this life dangles before and offers us. As man, we need to steadily straddle between the two. Except that after this life, only the other remains.

This will be a constant struggle throughout our entire lives.

Observing The World About Us

During bouts of sleeplessness or idle times, one scans through social media groups to pass the time.

And invariably one inherits the feelings of helplessness and depression.

For what we read are mostly a litany of the things that are observed as being wrong, most everywhere our heads are turned.

Do we need to be constantly and incessantly reminded?

Do we really need to know all the wrinkles we can observe in and around our surroundings?

Isn’t it sufficient especially after all these times to keep those in mind and accept them as there?

But then start unobtrusively doing whatever little things we may be able to do both individually and collectively.

In our lifetime and beyond, most of these things observed will still be with us.

There is nothing humanly possible to remove all of them.

As one problem is resolved, another one pops up. Life is meant to be like this.

So judge rather the efforts expended than the problems solved.

There is no going around that.

Much like we are admonished, lighting that solitary candle rather than loudly cursing the darkness may be more cleansing.

KEEPING THE MALLS OF CAGAYAN DE ORO DRY

Re our own insular issue of how to keep the LKKS area and environs dry, we simply need to heed nature, and keep away from the paths it has chosen.

Growing up in the 50’s we had more respect for nature and its ways then.  The old Lapasan road from its intersection with Corrales Avenue all the way to the Camp Alagar intersection had always been elevated in relation to the land on both sides.  The trade school campus, now MUST, was traversed by Bitan-ag Creek, and a little bridge allowed the creek to pass through the highway.  And the lazy creek meandered all the way to Camama-an I believe.

And we had expected or took for granted that even without rain when the tide was high, water would fill the areas around the trade school and into the other side of the road which was largely and definitely low-lying and marshy.  Some coconut trees co-existed with other plant life like tangkong and kumpay.  Owners pretty much left the areas alone treating them like estuaries on occasions.

And humans co-existed with the lay of the land that nature gave, adapted their living and nary a word of complaint was muttered from their lips.

And with the patience of Job, everybody waited for either the tide to recede or the rain to abate.  And like clockwork, the waters squatting on land simply returned from whence they came.  And everybody was contented. People harvested the tangkong and fed their horses with the kumpay which flourished.

But after many years, and after the topography and landscape have been inexorably changed by humans, now we encounter a multiple of problems.   And public officials, businessmen, and young folks cannot understand why or worse, cannot even begin to resolve the issues.  Of course, many stop-gap measures are cranked out from the government mill.  To no avail.

Unless we want to do battle with formidable nature, I believe the solution is simple.  Keep away from its path.  Thus, decongest the areas affected. And that most likely include also the smallish poblacion area the city has, which now feels too big for its britches.

Somber Thoughts On A New Year

 Somber Thoughts On A New Year

Lingering hope gives impetus to continue with life.

It proffers clarity of vision to see through hazy veil

that shrouds our real purposes here on this earth.

That lowly man is here only as itinerant traveler,

preordained to begin his real life in the spirit

devoid of the constrictive trappings of the flesh.

Still, while the mind and spirit share a clear 

and unstinting grasp of our real goals in life,

keeping this frame of mind is mostly difficult.

And calamitous lapses in judgment are typical,

making it necessary to be always reminded 

of guiding principles that should rule daily living