Mustache as Name

By Juan L. Mercado

“THE BEGINNING of  wisdom is  to call  all things by their  right  names,” a Chinese  proverb   teaches. Widsom  has never been one of  ex-president Joseph Estrada’s strengths   But he insists  on  being called by  what he  claims is his  right name.

“My name is  not   bigote ( mustache),” the bearded Estrada told  the Inquirer. “It is Erap.  People call me Erap.”

That outburst came after fugitive and ex-cop  Cezar  Mancao  pinpointed  Bigote  as the “mastermind” in the Cavite  rubout of  publicist Salvador “Bubby”  Dacer and his driver.

The two were  kidnapped by 22   Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force men President Estrada  then was  reeling   from the BMW stock resources scandal. Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito. were strangled and their bodies burned. Investigators  itch  to ask Mancao if the documents burned  dealt with the BMW scam.

“Jose Velarde” was not his name either, Erap insisted – at least through part of his  tumultuous .impeachment.   He didn’t know  “Jose Velarde” from  Adam.  Authorities searched  for  a  phantom“Jose Velarde” who had a very down-to earth  Equitable Bank book. It’s contents  caroomed from an initial one peso deposit to over P3.2 billion in less than a year.

That account belonged to his good friend Jaime Dichavez, Erap claimed. Dichavez skipped town before a subpoena reached him. He didn’t leave forwarding address.In a February 2002 hospital-detention suite interview, Erap told ABS-CBN’s Pia Hontiveros, out of the blue, that  he signed as “Jose Velarde”.  That included signing a half-a-billlion loan guarantee – No, no, no. Not for Erap but  for his crony William Gatchalian.

Was this THE Jose Velarde  everyone futilely  searched   for, since impeachment erupted  into  People Power Two?, many asked then.  The  Anti Graft court’s decision convicting Erap for plunder,found: Estrada and Jose Velarde were one and the same persons.”

“The   beginning  of  wisdom is  to call  all things by their  right  names”? The mustached brother of Marx comedians Moe and Harpo once cracked. “No.  Groucho is not my real name. I’m just breaking it in for a friend.” So, is Estrada doing  a Groucho now in the  Dacerp-Corbito  rub out? Surely,  Erap is not doing this for a  phantom  Bigote? Greater love than this no man has than he lay down his name for a friend.

A name, the dictionary tells us, is “a word or phrase that constitutes the distinctive designation of a person or thing”. It’s in the applications where the screw-up begins.

“William Saunders” and “Jane Ryan” were aliases that appeared on Swiss bank papers. Esda I crowds stumbled across the papers littering Malacanang floors, after the Marcoses scrambled aboard Chinook escape choppers.

It was not illegal, in 1986, to have pseudos on bank books. But the Marcoses never admitted to a Groucho caper. The desposits were so large, they couldn’t be explained away. The $35 million  the Marcoses stashed with embattled Merrill Lynch, Inquirer reported this week remained intact. Imee and Bongbong Marcos are ferreting  the  dicator’s loot  stashed with former  cronies like Lucio Tan.

Filipino maxims on names are linked to integrity, notes the authority on our proverbs: UP professor emeritus Damiana Eugenio.

“Can we go to market with our once respected name?, Aklanons ask. “A good name is better than wealth,” Ilocanos and Boholanos say while Masbatenos counsel: “Take care of your good name for the sake of your children.”

The Philippines is a country “where exoticism rule the world of names,” Matthew Sutherland wrote  in the Observer: from “doorbell” like : Bing-Bong, Ding-Dong to “repeating names”: Len-Len or Jing-Jing. “They’re refined by using the “squared” symbol, as in Len2 or Mai2.”

Do randomly inserted letter ‘h’ give a touch of class to an otherwise average name”: like Jhun, Lhenn, Ghemma, and Jhimmy”. Or how about  ”A Rhose By Any Other Name” . That’s  a spin off from Shakespeare’s 1595 tragedy : “Romeo and Juliet.”

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet fretted over Romeo’s family name. They belonged to the feuding Montague and Capulet families. These were the  Veronese version of our own feuding political dynasties. “Is she a Capulet?, a bewildered Romeo asks. “My life is my foe’s debt.”

Many bicker over names of places where one resides : upscale subdivision or crummy squatter areas “We go to gain a patch of ground / That hath no profit in it but the name,” Hamlet groused. But then he lived in a castle, albeit spooky.

The major faiths share a deep reverence for Divinity’s name. Muslims have 95 other names for Allah. Jews  would not address God directly. In “God Of A Hundred Names” say Barbara Greene and Victor Gollancz collate into a book  the  prayers of various faiths — including the Christian affectionate  address: “Our Father”.

Names have a function more than just accidental applications. Adam, Genesis tells us, named all creatures. He “called his wife Eve because she was mother of all the living.” John  The Baptist’s name was chosen before his birth.

“Our name is legion,” screamed the spirits in the Gerasene cave dweller, in response to the demand  by  One whose name, Luke writes, was chosen before his birth. And the night before He died, he was to pray for others: “Protect them with the Name you gave to me.”

 

Water Conservation Tips

By M.V. Asuncion

Water Conservation Tips … Hindi pa Abril ngunit matindi na ang nararamdaman nating init. Marahil ay ito na ang isa sa epekto ng tinatawag na “climate change” na dulot ng global warming. Kaugnay nito, nararapat lamang na lahat tayo ay magkaisa upang maibsan ang dulot na epekto ng tag-init. Isa na rito ay ang pagtitipid sa paggamit ng tubig.

Narito ang ilang tips .

· Sa paghuhugas ng pinggan, gumamit ng palangganang maliit kung saan pagbabalanlawan ang pinagsabunang mga baso, pinggan, atbp. Huwag itapon ang pinagbanlawang tubig sapagkat maaari pa itong i-recycle na pambuhos sa toilet bowl at panglinis ng banyo.

· Maaari ding gumamit ka lamang ng isang baso sa isang araw, hindi yung palit-palit ng baso sa kada inom mo ng tubig.

· Maging pamilyar ka sa iyong water bill at sa kontador ng tubig upang madali para sa iyoang pag-monitor ng inyong water consumption at kung mayroon ding leaks.

· Ituro sa mga bata kung paano ang wastong pagsara sa gripo. Turuan din sila sa paraan ng pagtitipid ng tubig ang kahalagahaan nito.

· Para sa mga gumagamit ng showers, bilisan ang pagligo. Try to keep it in 5 minutes. Mas matagal ka sa paliligo, mas maaksaya sa tubig. Mag-switch sa ultra low-flow showerhead. Malaki ang matitipid nito sa tubig. Gumagamit ng 12-20 gallons ng tubig kada 5-minute shower.

· Kung may flush ang toilets, maglagay ng plastic bottle na may lamang tubig o buhangin sa loob ng toilet tank upang makabawas sa tubig sa kada flush ng toilet.

· Patayin ang gripo habang nagsisipilyo at nagsasabon ng kamay.

· Gumamit ng balde o timba sa paglilinis ng sasakyan – kotse, motor o tricycle.

· Huwag itapon sa drain o diretso sa lupa ang motor oil, pintura, pesticide, insecticide, at iba pang lason sapagkat maaari nitong ma-pollute ang underground water resources.

· I-recycle ang tubig na ginamit sa panglaba o washing machine. Maaari pang magamit ang recycled water sa pandilig halaman, panglinis ng banyo, at pang-mop sa sahig.

Ilang facts sa water usage: ang average daily water consumption ng isang tao = 40-70 gallons. Toilet flushing – 5 gallons used; Shower (water running) – 7 gallons/minute; washing/laundry machine – 40-60 gallons; dish washing by hand – 20 gallons tap running.

Ang pagtitipid sa tubig ay tulad din ng iba pa nating kaugalian - mas madalas gawin, mas nagiging natural na aksyon na lamang. Nakasalalay sa ating lahat ang tipirin ang pinakamahalagang yaman ng mundong ito.

Maging water-wise! Saan ka man magpunta, i-praktis ang iyong water-consciousness. What works at home, works at the office!

 

Press Freedom

By Geraldford P. Ticke

UNDERSCORING A story is one way a writer or a reporter, for this matter, entices readers to dig deeper in to the content rather than merely reading the title and then turning the pages of the papers. And one way to do this is to quote anonymous sources aside from the regular personalities who give details of certain breakers, especially controversial events that unfold by the minute. This is however an escape for some reporters to setup one-sided reports that often makes minor events blown up to draw unproportional attention.

It is not once that we’ve read items where Lady Justice’s hammer came crushing down, handling verdicts to individuals and/or organizations allegedly in the middle of something illegal through the inks and the tube. And while finger-pointing between our government and political leaders come swinging, the real culprits freely watch along the sidelines, laughing out loud at how they were able to make a mockery of the system.

Now the powers that come with the pen that a reporter holds have been overtaken by another tool – the Internet. Just recently, the Palawan Times webblog were flooded with anonymous comments, some of them even appearing that the comments came from the Paper itself. These commentors who use blatant and derogatory remarks yet hide behind the furtive curtains of the net are nothing but cowards who just want to employ press freedom for their own satisfaction at the expense of other people’s credibility and integrity. Sad to say for those who were able to go at it the first time around, these kinds of reactions have no place in the pages of our papers and the web as our editor has manifested.

*****

The soon-to-be-signed baseline bill recently approved by Congress, made Palawan officials squirm. The baseline excluded the Municipality of Kalayaan and other islands in the Kalayaan Islands Group being claimed by the Philippines outside the territorial baselines and will soon become a “regime of islands” of the country, thanks to the opposition of other claimant countries in the Spratlys, particularly China.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile asking for “battleships and squadrons” to fight for the country’s claims to Scarborough Shoal in the Spratly Islands and the Kalayaan Island Group only shows how a third world country such as ours bows its head to the mighty ones.

The two representatives (Alvarez and Mitra) of the province in the House battled it out during the bicam deliberations but as Mitra said, they were outnumbered when voting came.

Keeping in mind the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas provisions, maybe our government officials should look at American State Hawaii or Guam, for this matter. Kalayaan, just like Hawaii, is a municipality of Palawan having established a municipal government since Marcos’ proclamation. The only difference is, America is a super power and the Philippines is

 

Walking Wounded

By Juan L. Mercado

(ON THE second week of Lent, this column by Fr. Ron Rolheieser OMI may speak to all of us who, he says, are walking wounded – JLM)

At the heart of our faith lies the deep truth that we are unconditionally loved by God. We believe that God looks down on our lives and says: You are my beloved child, in you I take delight!

We do not doubt that truth of that. We just find it impossible to believe.

Some years ago, at a workshop, a woman came up to me during the break and articulated this in these words: “God loves me unconditionally. I know that’s true, but how can I make myself believe it? I simply can’t!”

She could have been speaking for half of the human race. We know we are loved by God. We can say the words. But how do we make ourselves believe that?
Why? Why is that so difficult to believe?
For many reasons, though mostly because (unless we are extraordinarily blessed) we rarely, if ever, experience unconditional love.

Mostly, we experience love with conditions, even from those closest to us: Our parents love us better when we do not mess up. Our teachers love us better when we behave and perform well. Our churches love us better when we do not sin.

Friends love us better when we are successful and not needy. The world loves us better when we are attractive. Our spouses love us better when we do not disappoint them. Mostly, in this world, we have to measure up in some way to be loved.
Moreover, many of us too have been wounded by supposed expressions of love. These were not love at all but were instead expressions of self-serving manipulation, exploitation, or even positive abuse.

Beyond even this, all of us have been cursed and shamed in our enthusiasm by the countless times someone, either through words or through a hateful or judgmental glace, in effect said to us: Who do you think you are?

We wither under that and become the walking wounded, unable to believe that we are loved and loveable. So, even when we know that God loves us, how can we make ourselves believe it?

At one level, we do believe it. Deep down, below our wounded parts, the child of God that still inhabits the recesses of our soul knows that it is made in God’s image and likeness and is special, beautiful, and loveable. That is why we so easily become angry and enraged whenever someone violates our dignity or puts us down.

But how do we make ourselves believe that we are unconditionally loved in a way that would make us less insecure in our attitude and our actions? How do we live in a surer confidence that we are unconditionally loved so as to let that radiate in the way we treat others and ourselves?
There are no easy answers.

For a wounded soul, like for a wounded body, there are no magic wands for quick easy healings. Biblically, however, there is an image that, while confusing on the surface, addresses this: When God gives Joshua instructions on how to move into the Promised Land he tells him that, once there, he must “kill” everything there, all the men, women, children, and even the animals.

Taken literally, this text is horrible and speaks about everything that God is not. But this is not a literal text but an archetypal one. It is an image, a metaphor. I suspect that someone in an Alcoholics Anonymous program will more easily get its message:

Killing all inhabitants of Canaan means precisely giving away all the bottles in your liquor cabinet – the scotch, the bourbon, the wine, the cognac, the gin, the beer, the vodka — everything else that’s there. You can’t take the Promised Land and still keep a few “Canaanites” on the side or you will soon lose the Promised Land.

That image also tells us what we must do to enter our true self-image, the deep truth that we are unconditionally loved by God.

In great mythical literature we see that, usually, before the great wedding where the young prince and the young princess are to be married so as to live happily ever after, there first has to be an execution: the wicked older brothers and the wicked step-sisters have to be killed off. Why? Because they would eventually come and spoil the wedding.

Who are those wicked older brothers and wicked step-sisters? They are not different people from the young prince or princess getting married. They are their older incarnations.

They are also inside of us. They are the inner voices from our past that can, at any given moment, ruin our wedding or our self-image by dragging in our past humiliations and saying: “Who do you think you are? Do you really think that you can marry a prince or princess? Do you really think that you’re loveable? We know you, we know your past, so don’t delude yourself! “

To actually believe that we are unconditionally loved, we first have to kill a few “Canaanites” juanlmercado@gmail.com

 

Short Pants, Long Pants

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

HE, HE, he. This is not about fashion. This is actually about the serious business of priestly formation needed for the clergy to be mature and effective in carrying out their—our, me included—evangelizing mission.

In a get-together the Pope had with parish priests and the clergy of the diocese of Rome recently, this short-pants-long-pants business came out during the question-and-answer portion.

Pope Benedict is developing this tradition of meeting the clergy for an open discussion of priestly concerns at the start of the Lenten season. Pope John Paul II used to write letters to priests on Holy Thursdays. Pope Benedict seems to go a step further by engaging them in a direct meeting.

In this last get-together, the priest who asked the first question said something to this effect: that when he was still a new priest, he felt confident he was doing very well with his homilies and talks because of his theological training and all that.

According to him, one time a believing and wise woman of his parish jolted him when she asked him when he was going to wear long pants.
She meant when was he going to tackle the real spiritual and moral problems and pastoral issues objectively, that is, going beyond the short pants of theories and motherhood statements.

These were the words used by the priest: “That woman was trying to explain to me that life, the real world, God himself, are greater and more surprising than the concepts we elaborate.

“She was inviting me to listen to the human aspect, to try to understand, to comprehend, without being in a hurry to judge. She was asking me to learn how to enter into relationship with reality, without fears, because reality is inhabited by Christ himself who acts mysteriously in his Spirit.”

It’s actually an observation many parishioners have of their priests, again highlighting the grave need for priests to take good care of our continuing and hopefully deepening formation.

With our complex and complicated world today, we priests should be up to par with the challenges. We have to learn to take things on the chin. We play a very crucial role because we actually are responsible for the care of the most fundamentally determining part of human life—one’s spiritual and moral life.

All the powers we have, all the authority and privileged dignity we receive, are geared for this purpose. Failure in this task simply means misusing or even abusing the entitlements that go with priesthood.

Well, the Pope’s reply was a study in effective and profound response to a difficult query. In summary, the Pope’s answer can be divided into four parts.

One, that priests should not ignore or belittle their theological or theoretical training. This is always important and indispensable.

Two, that this theological framework should be personalized in our own experience of faith and made concrete in our actual dealings with people. It has to be internalized and made to guide us in our affairs.

We priests actually know souls well because outside of what we know in public and externally, we know them interiorly through confession and spiritual direction. There, they bare their heart and mind. They come unmasked.

Three, that the priestly work of evangelization today, though contextualized in current situations, should not lose sight of the simplicity of the Word of God.

Priests are not supposed to focus on the technical side of the problems of the times. These have to be known and studied all right, but priests should focus more on what the Lord says to the man of today.

“We do not propose reflections, we do not propose a philosophy, but rather the simple proclamation of the God who has acted, and who has also acted with me,” he said.

We have to understand these words well. They don’t mean that we don’t do any reflecting, philosophizing and theologizing. They mean that we have to go beyond them, not stuck with them, and really do what is necessary: proclaim the Word of God.

Lastly, the Pope advised that it is important to be really attentive to today’s world and also attentive to the Lord in oneself: “to be a man of this time and at the same time a believer in Christ, who in himself transforms the eternal message into a current message.”

 

It’s Snowing in New York City

By Jay Bolusa

MARCH 3, 2009 – When I woke up Monday morning to go to work, New York was buried in a 10-inch of snow. It was nice and beautiful as always after the snowfall, but today it was deep freeze, wind chill is zero degree and the snow has frozen on the streets, making it very dangerous. If you do not have the proper sole in your shoes or boots, you surely will slide commuting and instead of getting to work, you will end up in the hospital.

But you have no choice… you’ve got to work and at this point, you will think of how it is back home, where there is no snow and there are no frozen streets.

No matter what I say, people back home will never realize the reality of the hazards of snow and frozen streets. They never hear of this from balikbayans. The usual notion is we are earning dollars and that means forty times to fifty times over the peso. They never realize how hard it is for us to earn them and save them. My laptop has not arrived so I have to go here at Kinkos and go on line, hopefully I’ll have the new computer by March 19. It takes a month to get it as it was customized.

So far here are the updates from the Palaweños back here in the east. Bing Sabando is back in circulation and back to work. YP is going home for a week; at least she will have a reprieve from this freezing temperature. Margie Beof Wisotsky is very busy preparing for the Pageant and Grand Ball of the Mrs. Philippines America this March 14 at the Sheraton Newark. She is one of the five finalists. This is the first time that we have a Palaweña vying for this brains and beauty pageant covering the Northeastern States. I really wish her luck. She has a great chance of winning this contest.

I have invited 11 very close friends of mine to attend this ball to show our support for Margie. Her parents are coming all the way from California, and so are her three brothers. It will be a grand reunion for Palaweños. We are still negotiating for other kababayans to attend the affair: Aveline Abiog, Ellen Agbisit Sullivan, Leah Bungalso, Tina Macolor and Edwin, Belle Sabando Sanchez, Juliet Payabyab and Ava Colongon Shaw, and Veronica Escalona and Rico. I hope we can get some more of these Palaweños to give support to Margie. It will really be a pride for Palaweños for Margie to win this Pageant.

My dear friend Juliet Payabyab just came home from a balik-Mindoro sojourn and a four-day visit to Puerto Princesa. All I can hear from here is the beauty and cleanliness of Puerto. She is all praises for Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn. She now saw for herself what she has been hearing about Puerto Princesa. Juliet is very active in the Filipino Community here in New York. She is currently the Chairman of the Philippine Independence day Parade here on June 7, 2009.

Life is still hard. Layoffs of employees still abound here. I guess there is still hope at the end of the tunnel but how far the end is, one never knows. Even in supermarkets you will see that people just buy the basics. Bloomingdales is almost empty on weekdays. I was there this afternoon, and there were only very few shoppers. If there were any, they’re tourists and mostly Europeans.

There are a lot of sales going on — the end of season sale and prices are marked down up to 75 per cent off. I had a grand ball getting those scarves I always wanted to have.

They were marked down from forty dollars to four fifty. How can you beat that price? I’ll just have to keep them for next winter. Well… anyway, I still have two weeks of winter and spring time to use them.

I just got the basic colors so I can use them for the three cold seasons — winter, spring and fall. At least, I have the consolation that it is only three
months in a year when I can’t use them — the summer time, which are July, August and September here.

For Palaweños who cannot attend Margie’s affair, I will surely see them at Carmen Ledesma’s place on March 21, 2009 for the 2nd birthday of Hannah Ledesma Garcia, Ambel’s daughter and Carmen’s apo.
Until next week, ciao and God bless!

 

Good Cop, Bad Cop

By Juan L. Mercado

CONGRESS’ BID to legislate “right to reply” kicked the proverbial hornet’s nest  Filipino balikbayans, theology professors to online editors skewered House Bill 3306 and Senate Bill  2150.

These  bills  shred  liberty of  expression, Inquirer asserted   Philippine Press Institute,  Kapisanan  ng mga  Brodkasters  and other groups protested. So has the Commission on Human Rights.  Compulsory replies, they stress,  is  verboten  “prior restraint.”

Author  Sen. Aquilino  Pimentel dug in. “Show  me  reasoned  arguments for withdrawing  this measure.” This assumes monopoly on reason. And  he dumps burden of proof on the  press.

“Any  prior restraint… must hurdle a high barrier,” Justice Antonio Carpio wrote in his tightly-reasoned  concurring opinion for the National Telecommunications  case ( GR No 168338).  ”Such  prior  restraint  is  presumed unconstitutional. (And) government bears a heavy  burden  of proving   constitutionally of such restraint.”

Thus, authors like Sen. Francisco  Escudero withdrew support. :”We recognize editorial functions  are  privately exercised  prerogatives,” Rep. Juan  Edgardo Angara wrote.

Cebu  Citizens  Press Council  filed a carefully-reasoned  protest  a full year before today’s quagmire.. Anchor “Che-Che” Lazaro fretted  these bills  violated “prior restraint”  in  ABS-CBN’s “Media In Focus” program.  last November. Did anybody  listen?

From  New Mexico,   retired  professor  Antonio  Marquez  cautions: “Be wary of  good-cop-bad-cop drills.  President Arroyo pledged a veto. She’s the good cop. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales backs the bill.  He’s  the bad cop. In the end, all would gag the press — for  political  survival.”

“Test this bill in specific cases.  Some 193 officials ran off with  fertilizer plunder  grants.  Bill  author  Monico  Puentebella  got  P5-mllion. Would  the 192 get equal  space or airtime as Puentebella?”

On  Internet,  ”legislated right of  reply  would be more  preposterous, “ writes Nini   Cabaero, Sun Star’s  online editor.

“A  website  is venue for  online journalism. It’s updated several times a day as news develops.   Or it can be removed at  will”. If  RoR   bills  became law, aggrieved parties – say those zapped  for  ZTE broadband scams or  collusion in World Bank road bids  – can shape web pages, based on their grievances, not the news.

Do  their  replies  stay in the  webpage one minute? Quarter of an hour?  As long as the offending  story  stayed on said page ? “What  is adequate compliance?.”

“News  can break at  anytime,”  Cabaero notes. What if  a major  story  happens, say the  President  steps down?  Web  pages would  be immediately recast. That’s the character of  internet.  Today,  editors have the  prerogative to recast. . Pimental  &  Co.would  muscle aside editors and decide.

“Website journalists are governed by the same principles” imposed on print and tv  journalists,  she wrote  We  ”work in a  continuous 24/7 cycle of news assessment. Articles are uploaded, moved, or deleted”.  Online editors make judgement  calls  based on assessment  of events and  news values. They do not act on whim, certainly not on  chip-on-their-shoulders complaints.

Internet’s  unique  character  makes  it possible for websites to dodge  RoR laws,  Cabaero notes.. Posted in one minute, a reply   can  be removed the next. Will it stay only for as long as the source views it?   Or when editors say enough?. We’d see a cat-and-mouse game emerge.. “It could come to that if  the right of reply bill became  law”.

“Media self-regulation is an innovative approach to democracy,” writes  Fr. Aloysius  Cartagenas of Seminario  Mayor de San Carlos in  Cebu. Like a “fourth branch” alongside the legislative, executive and judiciary branches, media  regulates political power by acting as public watchdog and purveyor of information.

This  structure is changing due to “market forces” and burgeoning strength of “civil society”. Media must “ensure a common public sphere where everybody can communicate in dialogue.” In this new role, masters of  press freedom  are no longer the media but the citizens.

Media’s evolving  role is   advocate and animator of the right to communicate.” From simple objective reporters, media become s moderators supporting citizen participation and  working as extensions of democracy…

“In this light, self-regulation, not a state legislative intervention, is the  answer as to how to ensure the proper role of  media… in a democratizing society. “It disturbs  right order to take from the media what they  can accomplish by their own initiative.”

Those who hold reins of power, in governance and in markets,  who opt  not to serve the common good, feel threatened. “That fear, rather than  lack of understanding, appears to be the root to legislate the right to reply.”

Congressmen like Manila’s Bienvenido Abante, meanwhile,  dangle  ”alternatives”. . In exchange for  RoR bills,  Congress could  allow media to draft   implementing  rules..That’s  permitting  the press  to choose the rope to hang itself with.

We could  decriminalize libel,  offers   Speaker Prospero Nograles. That’s   a different  banana. It  can  stand or fall on it’s own merits. But for  RoR, the bottom line is:  Media  has no power or right  to swap a  constitutional shield  for concessions.  If that  privilege is peddled,  the press will  sell, like Faustus,   it’s very soul…

“I  won’t  back down”, Pimentel  snaps  Me Tarzan.  The press  will have no choice but also to stand fast. We’d make the most  unlikely of  Tarzans.

 

Everyone’s Invisible War

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

THIS IS not about the invisible war on women in some poor African country who are raped and systematically subjected to all sorts of atrocities by some monsters in that area, and whose plight goes largely unpublished and ignored by the rest of the world.

This sad thing certainly deserves our utmost attention also. Rather, this is about the invisible war all of us need to wage in ourselves, where the fate of our life is truly determined. Now that we are in the Lenten season, it’s good to be reminded of it.

It’s really not the struggles we have outside us that hold the key to our life. It’s not in our quest for money and fame, our effort to solve our economic, social, political problems, etc. These struggles depend on an inner, mainly invisible one.

The root struggle, the original stem cell of all our struggles in life is inside us, largely hidden. The frontlines are in our mind and heart, in our conscience, where we choose whether we are really with God as we should be or we keep to our own selves, and thus violate the law that governs us.

With God, we have everything. We have the fountain of love, the pattern and purpose of love. He provides us the strength and the power to love, and teaches us the crucial role of sacrifice involved in love.

With ourselves, we have only what we can manage to have. Big or small, what we have will always have a limit. Worse, they are prone to come to us already corrupted and distorted. And we don’t understand the value of sacrifice.

That’s the ultimate and constant choice we make, starting with our thoughts and desires, and then our actions. It’s the choice that expresses the kind of love we have—whether we love God and others, or we just love our own selves with God and others as mere props.

We are meant to love. This is something that we do quite spontaneously. We are drawn to what we think is good for us, and we pursue it using all sorts of means.

And yet we can easily mishandle this basic function that is written deep in our heart, even going beyond what our DNA defines for us. Many reasons and factors can offer some explanation.

Our laziness, for one, often shoots down the usual spontaneous reaction of love and generosity we have when we too are shown with love. Some disordered attachments to things spoil our initial stirrings of self-giving to God and others. There are many others.

These days, many of us are caught in a widening web of self-love, spun by new things that intoxicate us, taking away our proper senses. Many youngsters, for example, are so hooked to the internet they forget even their basic duty to eat and sleep.

Even many of the not-so-young find themselves defenseless before such a barrage of new discoveries and possibilities, good and bad, offered by the internet. Many fail to master the new experience and find their selves succumbing to dormant weaknesses now triggered by internet images.

Everyone has to be reminded of our need to activate our invisible war and wage it without let up. It’s as necessary as our breathing. It’s what makes our spiritual life alive and healthy. Without it, there’s no way but for it to go kaput.

In spite of some impressive external appearances of goodness and vitality of life, without the invisible war the emptiness and death of our interior life will sooner or later show. The inner decay can’t be hidden for long.

To be effective in this invisible war, we need to identify as concretely as possible the subject in which we need to focus our attention and energy. The subjects are endless, but we need to face them one at a time.

We can go into multiple and varied spiritual challenges, but only after we shall have gained some expertise in the basic fronts that we handle singly at first.

It’s good that we have an idea of what armaments we need to wage that war—usually prayers, sacrifices, fasting, etc.—and a time-frame to do it. Lastly, it stands to reason that we avail as much help as possible from others.

We can go to spiritual direction for example. These are our advisers and allies so crucial in waging any battle.

 

Communication for Communion

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

roycimagala@hotmail.com

THAT, IN effect, was the gist of the 10-page speech made by the director of Vatican ’s press office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, before the Spanish bishops’ conference recently. It summarized his vast experience and many insights he gained over so many years of working with the media.

In other words, he was saying that in spite of the many aspects and requirements of media work that need to be integrated as smoothly as possible, one should not forget that the main and underlying interest of the Church in media is to spread the truth, to evangelize and to build up greater communion.

His views certainly deserve to be studied well and learned thoroughly. Everyone in the Church involved in media work, from the parish to the diocesan levels and beyond, would do well to make them a guiding light.

The Church cannot and should not be lagging behind in making use of the tremendously advanced technologies that now greatly escalate media’s reach and scope. With them, a lot can be gained for the good of the Church.

In fact, Fr. Lombardi said that Catholic media should be an ethical model for the secular media by promoting peace, justice and a vision of an integral human development. Yes, dear, it’s about time that those in this task have this clear and deep understanding of their work.

That’s a heavy and dynamic responsibility, requiring constant renewal and creativity, prudence and passion. But as long as those involved have the necessary attitude and continuing training—nothing less than being holy and competent—there’s no question that they can hack it.

If these conditions are met, I believe that not even the worst scenario that the Church can get enmeshed in, as in handling big, screaming scandals involving high ecclesiastics, can undermine the Church’s credibility, her true nature and purpose.

With these conditions, the Church, in spite of her members’ sins and defects, big and small, can still remain radiant and beautiful, ever able to function well in her continuing work for human redemption.

I’d like to highlight some of Fr. Lombardi’s views which I think are relevant to our local Church situation. Among them are the following:

- “We must always try to favor understanding and dialogue between different positions and different people and not accentuate the opposition. We must be able to ‘live’ the tensions with patience, including the price of being criticized.

- “We must always use with determination a respectful, balanced and non-aggressive language towards others, capable of inspiring serenity of judgment and mutual understanding.”

When I read these words, I was reminded of high Churchmen who shamelessly violate this indication. With high-calibered language, they intemperately take partisan positions in political and social issues, pouring sarcasm all over the place and carpet-bombing their opponents with ridicule.

It’s not just a matter of ruffling some people’s feathers that often is unavoidable in expressing opinions. There seems to be a systemic perversity in pulverizing those in the opposite side.

It’s truly a sad spectacle, brutal, ugly and completely unfit for Church officials to do. I remember my mother telling me, no matter how right I may be in my views, I have no right to be ill-mannered in expressing them or in dealing with others. I have always tried to follow that principle.

Fr. Lombardi also said that “the truth must always be told, even in the face of difficult questions. When a question deserves an answer it must be given without waiting.”

Wow! That’s tough. But I agree with it. While discretion is also needed, it should not be an excuse for not doing one’s work punctually and misreading the people’s right to information.

Another aspect of media work that Church personnel should give special attention to is the personal touch they should have when doing business with those in media. They have to avoid being officious, cold, even cavalier in their dealings. They have to learn to be very human, warm and personable.

Even if certain protocol has to be followed, and some steps and systems of communicating have to be pursued, the human need for cordiality and true friendship should never be neglected.

Charity, which generates true communion in the Church, never departs, with God’s grace, from this level, despite our differences.

 

In Memoriam

By Juan L. Mercado

INQUIRER’S HEADLINE was concise: “Corky Trinidad, 69.”  So was Associated Press’ report that followed. “Honolulu Star Bulletin’s award-winning editorial cartoonist, Corky Trinidad died Friday, after 40 years of poking fun at life and politics…

“Born in the Philippines, Trinidad was the first Asian editorial cartoonist to be syndicated in the U.S,” AP added. “He specialized in caricaturing and skewering politicians, most notably Ferdinand Marcos.”

Pancreatic cancer ended another story of how corrupt dictatorships drive the best and the brightest” of a country into nations that “allow them to breathe free.”

Francisco Trinidad, Jr. came from a family of journalists. His parents were broadcaster Francisco “Koko” Trinidad and columnist Lina  Flor. An Ateneo graduate, he joined Philippines Herald, in 1961 as political cartoonist.

International recognition came quickly. Los Angeles Times-Washington Post Syndicate  started publishing his cartoons. Corky created the comic strip: “Nguyen Charlie” during the Vietnam War. He joined the  Star-Bulletin  in 1969.  His cartoons were picked up by diverse papers  from  New York Times to  Politiken in Sweden,  Buenos Aires’ Herald  and Manila Chronicle.

“He  left  the Philippines   because  of  harrassment  by  Ferdinand  Marcos,” recalls  Carl Zimmerman, former  AP chief in  Manila.  Married to a Filipina, Zimmerman   became  Star Bulletin   editorial  writer   ”If Corky  stayed ( until martial law)  he’d  have  wound up in prison.

In  early  70s,  I  wrote  for  Star  Bulletin. When I  passed  by Honolulu,  Corky picked  me up for lunch  with  wife, Hana.  He  asked  about the emerging dictatorship — and home. . “I know how men, in exile, feed on dreams,” Aeschylus wrote.

Zimmerman  was  visiting   Press Foundation of Asia when military agents arresting journalists  scooped me in.  Waving   the photocopied  arrest  warrant, with  Juan Ponce Enrile’s  signature, I said: “Here Carl”.  ”Are  you  a  foreign  journalist?,” the  agitated colonel asked, snatching away the warrant.  ”You’re  not   to  see  this.”

Corky  became  the  first  of  many   journalists  who’d  seek refuge abroad.  Australia opened doors for  columnist-painter Alfredo  Roces and  Amando  Doronila.  Chinese Commercial News’ Rizal Yuyitung  settled in Canada. Brother Quintin  opted for San Francisco.  Manila Times Eddie Monteclaro signed up with Chicago Tribune. I joined  the UN.

Other exiles from  the  Marcos dictatorship  included: Benigno and Corazon Aquino, Raul Manglapus,  Eugenio  Lopez, Jr, Sergio Osmena, Jr  Herherson Alvarez,  human rights lawyer Juan Quijano.  Charito Planas slipped out the backdoor to Sabah, disguised as a nun.

Ambassador Eduardo Quintero  exposed Marcos bribery of constitutional convention delegates. “Persecution drove Quintero to self-exile in the United States where, in December 1984, he died of heart attack at age 84,” Doronila adds. “He was vindicated by the Supreme Court in 1988, four years after his death.”

“By their exiles, you shall know them”. Look  at  what Marcos, Estrada and   Macapagal-Arroyo  tossed up.

Fabian Ver  and Eduardo Cojunagco squeezed into escape helicopter bucket seats. ”   Police officials  Michael  Rey Aquino and  Cesar  Mancao  ran before they could be grilled  about the mastermind in  publicist Salvador “Bobby” Dacer. To  dodge  testifying on kickbacks,  Estrada auditor Yolanda Ricaforte left no forwarding address. Neither did members of  Erap’s  ”midnight cabinet:: Jaime Dichavez,  Dante Tan & Co  Agriculture undersecretary  ”Joc-joc”    Bolante skipped  town to dodge questions  on the fertilizer scam.

Every day, Corky  would  draw  a color cartoon for the front page and a black-and-white one for the editorial page.  And for  40 years, he did that.  Yet, he found  time to teach cartooning at the University of  Hawaii.

“Corky  enchanted  and infuriated  more readers  than anyone else in this newspaper’s history.”, said  Mary Poole, Trinidad’s editor.  “Politicians he skewered were   first in line to acquire the original drawings. That  included  U.S. presidents visting Hawaii.

He  kept  an eye on twists of  Philippine politics. In December 2007, he emailed me his cartoon  on the Magdalo caper at the Penninsula Hotel.   It depicts a handful of soldiers, perched on a mall stand, demanding:  “Gloria  Resign.” Heedless crowds  walk by   ”What’s all that about?,” a woman asks.  A man replies: “Edsa 52.”

Exiles often  sink roots into the country that gave them liberty denied at home. America  became the home of his choice, Corky said  at one ceremony honoring him. . But  he “did not take  any of  citizenship benefits for granted.”.  He  gave  to his adopted country much of  the talents that he brought from the Philippines.

Among other things,  he  trained a new generation of cartoonists.  Cartoonist Jon J. Murakami, for example, met Corky as a fifth grade student.  “Corky really became the face of the Star-Bulletin for many years,” said Zimmerman. “

The paper’s  obit noted:  “Trinidad’s philosophy for young cartoonists was as simple as it was elegant: Take  a  stand”

“Aside from following  basic  aims of informing, instructing and entertaining, the editorial cartoon, first and always, must make a statement,”  Corky  wrote. “It must  BE  a statement…. I have never seen  a great cartoon that sat on a fence…And a few drawing skills help.”

Was  America’s  gain therefore  our loss?  Human lives are  not a zero-sum  game.  A country of migrants,  like  the  Philippines,  must tell  its   sons and daughters: “Bloom wherever you are planted.”