Danton Remoto 2010

REMOTO CONTROL

2012-01-30T00:53:00.001+08:00

Pinoy Parazzi
January 25, 2012

A REVERED name both in the academe and in politics, isa na ring ganap na radio commentator si Danton Remoto via his evening program aptly titled Remoto Control on Radyo Singko 92.3 News FM.

Spicing up the 9:30 p.m. block from Mondays to Fridays, the former English and Literature professor at the Ateneo de Manila University (where he taught for 22 years) promises na ang naturang programa “ay para sa mga misis na nag-aabang sa asawang pauwi ng bahay, o sa mga sekyong nakatalaga sa building, o sa mga yaya na nagpaplantsa ng damit ng kanilang mga amo, o sa mga karaniwang Pinoy na uhaw sa mga napapanahong impormasyon sa ating kapaligiran.”

Within Danton’s program are segments like Sulyap sa Nakaraan, Kalabit sa Balita (a fearless, no-holds-barred editorial), Super Sounds, a portion dedicated to the Pinoys who have excelled in their fields of endeavour and a compilation of ages-old Filipino legends and myths.

Currently the News5 Research head and host of Tayuan Mo at Panindigan, sa mundo ng kabadingan ay si Danton lang naman ang malakas na puwersa sa likod ng Ladlad Party List na nagtataguyod sa mga karapatan ng LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) kung saan ang official spokesperson nito is also a revered name in all facets of the entertainment/political spectrum (TV hosting, artist management, consultancy, public relations, events management, ooohhh, name it!), walang iba kundi si Boy Abunda.

May radio program na

2012-01-29T23:53:00.001+08:00

from Tempo newspaper
January 29, 2012

May radio program na si Danton Remoto, isa sa mga nirerespetong pangalan sa akademiya at pulitika. Si Danton ang head ng NEWS5 Research at host ng talk show na “Tayuan Mo At Panindigan” sa all-news channel na “Aksyon TV” ng TV5.

Mapapakinggan si Remoto sa “ Remoto Control" sa Radyo Singko, 92.3 News FM, 9:30 to 10:15 pm pagkatapos ng “Sakto kay Paolo at Cherie” nina Paolo Bediones at Cherie Mercado. Hitik sa impormasyon ang radio program ni Danton para sa mga misis,yaya, security guards, sa mga gustong mag- OFW’s at mga taong gustong matuto sa pamamagitan ng non-formal education. May usapan din tungkol sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, alamat, myth at iba pang urban legend ng mga Pinoy, komentaryo sa maiinit na isyu sa bansa, atbpa.

Nagturo rin si Danton ng English at Literature for 22 years sa Ateneo University. Siya ang nagtatag ng Ladlad Party List na tumataguyod sa mga karapatan ng lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT).

PH gets barely passing score in media assessment

2011-12-13T18:43:00.001+08:00

PH gets barely passing score in media assessment
13-Dec-11, 3:54 PM | Nonoy Espina, InterAksyon.com

The Philippine assessment, presented to journalists and journalism schools on Tuesday, is the fourth undertaken under the Asian Media Barometer, a project by Friedrich Eibert Stiftung and partners in participating countries that involves a series of “self-assessment exercise(s) based on criteria derived from international standards of media freedom.”

The first three countries to undertake the assessment are India and Pakistan -- both in 2009 -- and Thailand last year.

The 104-page Philippine report is the result of a two-day panel discussion in early October in Tagaytay to which 10 experts -- five each from media and civil society -- were invited to assess the media situation in the country based on 45 predetermined indicators, in turn clustered into four sectors, that they were asked to grade anonymously on a scale of 1 to 5, with five being the best possible score.

Overall, the Philippines got what Malou Mangahas, executive director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, the FES’s project partner, called the “barely passing score” of 2.6, which was the average of the sector scores that follow:

1) Freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, is effectively protected and promoted -- 3.7

2) The media landscape, including new media, is characterized by diversity, independence, and sustainability -- 2.8

3) Broadcasting regulation is transparent and independent; the state broadcaster is transformed into a truly public broadcaster -- 1.3

4) The media practice high levels of professional standards -- 2.6

The report said that “the media landscape in the Philippines is characterized by diversity, freedom, an active stock of journalists and citizens, and an executive and legislature slow on media reforms.”

The report noted that media ownership in the country “remains largely under the control of interest groups vested with both economic and political interests,” a situation worsened by the lack of anti-trust legislation pertaining to media and “a growing and worrying tendency of politicians acquiring stakes in (local) media outlets,” particularly community radio, which “usually serve on communities of interests and not small geographical communities.”

Despite this, “the media (themselves) do hardly any explicatory or analytical reporting on these trends and the emerging media monopolies.”

The report also noted that although reporters and editors “zealously guard and assert their freedom and resist all attempts by state authorities to restrict their trade … self-regulation by professional and industry associations has always lacked vigor and constancy.”

Melinda Quintos-De Jesus of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, one of the participants in the October panel discussion, noted reluctance among media owners and managements “to discuss how ratings and revenues impact on content.”

“Indeed, self-criticism of media by media remains scant and thus ineffectual, even as competition for sales, revenues, and audience share drives most editorial decisions of most gatekeepers,” the report said.

It also said conditions within the media industry have led to “a subculture of corruption where some journalists take bribes to perform their professional function.”

Among these problems, the report said, are low salaries and the lack of skills and training; the “deteriorating quality of graduates coming out of journalism schools;” the fact that television anchors “make more money than their education warrants” but small community newspapers “can’t pay living wages for their reporters of correspondents:” and “poor unionization” of the media workforce that “leaves journalists in small cities and rural areas exposed to the whims of the publishers.”

Rowena Paraan, secretary general of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said the economic welfare of journalists and the ownership patterns in media “are very important” because of their “implications not just on welfare but on press freedom and the free flow of information.”

News 5 head of research Danton Remoto, who also participated in the October exercise, said the media are often at a disadvantage in the hiring of the best new talents because of the higher compensation invariably offered by public relations firms or even call centers.

The report also noted that “not all the voices of ethnic, religious, and social groups are reflected fairly in the media coverage.”

De Jesus stressed the need for “the little opinions, the small communities (to) be given equal hearing as Malacanang.”

And while parity in gender has been achieved in newsrooms, the “fair representation of women’s voices” is still sorely lacking.

As for government, the report said it has made no effort “to help increase the regional distribution of newspapers nor is there a coordinated strategy with the aim of supporting a diverse media landscape.” It cited the downgrading of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology to a mere bureau of the Department of Science and Technology despite the growing prominence of new media.

While acknowledging that President Benigno Aquino III has not been accused of using his power over advertising placements -- as some of his predecessors have done -- to influence reportage, “he has also told advertisers that they should support only ‘responsible media organizations.'”

It also noted that, because journalists operate “in a culture of impunity and in one of the most dangerous countries” to practice the profession, the Philippine media also “reflect the constraints of fear and a growing concentration of ownership in their journalistic practice.”

“Within this context, the courage of many journalists is as remarkable as the lack of self-criticism of the media remains deplorable,” it added.

The Asian Media Barometer, adapted from the African Media Barometer first undertaken in 2005, stemmed from the lack of a regional charter on freedom of expression for the region and is supposed to be a tool to lobby for media reforms.

The organizers aim to update the barometer every two to three years because, as Mangahas said, “this is an ever changing picture.”

Fr. Bernas: Contraceptive devices are not 'anti-life'

2011-09-27T00:36:00.000+08:00

Fr. Bernas: Contraceptive devices are not 'anti-life'
CANDICE MONTENEGRO, GMA News
09/26/2011 | 01:50 PM

Influential Jesuit priest and constitutional lawyer Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ said that family planning as proposed in the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill is not necessarily "anti-life", putting him at odds with conservative Catholics who oppose the bill.

In a column published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Monday, Bernas sought to clarify what being "anti-life" precisely means, for the term has been used "in the most pejorative way" in current RH bill debates.

"It is used in the sense of being against existing life. Murder, in other words," he said.

However, he said that in the currently toxic debate on contraceptives, "anti-life" could be construed to include people who do not want to add more human life to an already crowded population. He cited for example a married couple who decide to abstain from acts that bring about life, and a man who chooses a celibate life because he feels he can accomplish things without the burden of raising children.

"I would not categorize such a person as being anti-life," Bernas said. "People like him love life so much that they take it upon themselves to contribute in some other ways to the improvement of the quality of life of those who are already born."

His column was shared widely on social media, and was met mostly with approval by supporters of the RH bill.

Bernas, known for his liberal stance on the RH bill, has called the Catholic Church hierarchy "irresponsible" in the past for saying that those who support the RH bill are committing a sin. "I have never held that the RH bill is perfect. But if we have to have an RH law, I intend to contribute to its improvement as much as I can," he has said.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are separately deliberating on the RH bill.

'Before fertilization, there is no life'

He also said it is important to know where life actually begins, as it will finally put to rest the debate on whether artificial contraceptives are abortifacients or not. "Before life begins is beyond the reach of anti-life action," he said.

Bernas, a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, said the 1987 Constitution recognizes that life begins "from conception," that is, upon fertilization.

"Before fertilization, there is no life," he said. "This is also the view of the Philippine Medical Society, and this is the view of John Paul II."

"What this means is... the use of contraceptive devices that only prevent fertilization is not anti-life in the sense of being an act of murder," he added. "Abortion, in the sense of expulsion of the fertilized ovum at any time after fertilization is anti-life, and is an act of murder."

He also said that calling contraception devices as abortive devices is "loose talk," as these devices were not scientifically identified by the government's Food and Drug Administration as abortifacient drugs.

CBCP: Contraceptive devices destroy already existing life

However, Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, maintains that the RH bill is "anti-life" and artificial contraceptives are abortifacients.

In a text message to GMA News Online, Castro said most pills and contraceptive devices prevent the implantation of the fertilized ovum, which in effect destroys an already existing life.

The disagreement between Bernas and the CBCP shows that even among priests there is much room for argument on one of the great social debates of our time. Bernas' stature challenges the moral ground of conservatives who oppose the RH bill using church doctrine.

Among those who posted a link to Bernas' column on Facebook was Fr. Eliseo Mercado, a respected Catholic priest in Cotabato City, who commented, "I share the same view as Fr. Bernas..."

Fr. Castro of the CBCP argued that the CBCP's stand on the RH bill does not alienate other religions' views on the controversial measure.

"On the contrary, because the RH bill, when it becomes a law, imposes artificial contraception and the contraceptive mentality on all - Catholics and non-Catholics alike - we are against its legislation," he said. "No need to legislate, contraceptives are already available and legal in the country. Why legislate?"

Meanwhile, Bernas said in his column that as a priest of the Catholic Church, he is not approving of artificial contraception, and he accepts the teachings of the Catholic Church, which only promotes natural forms of contraception.

However, he stressed that not all citizens of the Philippines are Catholics, and many do not consider artificial contraception anti-life or immoral.

"The teaching of my Church is that I must respect the belief of other religions even if I do not agree with them. That is how Catholics and non-Catholics can live together in harmony," he said. — RSJ/HS, GMA News

'I'm not using Ladlad'

2011-09-05T18:06:00.001+08:00

DIRECT LINE By Boy Abunda (The Philippine Star) Updated September 02, 2011 12:00 AM

A certain Mr. Pedroche wrote a letter to another broadsheet some months ago rebuking me on two major points. That I should not be talking on behalf, but to the LGBT Community that if one works hard he can be successful. And that my active participation in Ladlad is just in preparation for abundant politics suggesting that I am preparing for a political career using the fledgling partylist. Here is my answer to Mr. Pedroche en toto.
Dear Mr. Pedroche,
To say that where I am working (ABS-CBN) and where I went to school (Ateneo) are the very proofs that I was not discriminated is an uninformed statement. And to conclude that since I was accepted by the two institutions disqualifies me from talking on behalf of the LGBT Community is a lousy assessment.
Please indulge me on the following.
• I can do both — talk to and on behalf of Ladlad and the LGBT community because I have a voice and a life story that most of them are able to relate to.
• I wasn’t raped but I was bullied.
• I wasn’t physically harmed but I was maligned, insulted because I was gay.
• Thank you for acknowledging the hard work that brought me to this little space I stand on today. But it was hell to get to where I am.
• Early on in my life, I fought discrimination even against relatives and friends who said that I would be better off as a club dancer than a lawyer. (God, I would have been a ferocious club dancer!)
• Mr. Pedroche, I don’t take offense at your letter because admittedly your voice represents a sector of society that shares your opinion. This is an opportunity for us to beg you to look at our fight for equal rights beyond Boy Abunda because I am not the face of the LGBT Community. But does that disqualify me from taking the cudgels and speaking on its behalf?
Would anyone have cared if I did this 30 years ago when I was poor, voiceless, weak and negligible?
OK, let’s call a spade a spade. Make it a pink spade if you may.
• I am not and will not be a nominee of Ladlad partylist in 2013.
I said that if and when I would be interested to get into politics, I will do it in 2016 without using Ladlad and run perhaps for governor in Eastern Samar where I can serve my province which is the fourth poorest in the country.
But your tacit imputation that ultimately it is abundant politics that is my end goal is a political bias of your cynical mind.
But you know what Mr. Pedroche, abundant politics can mean politics of empowerment. If I can tweak it to mean a style of politics that inspires and empowers, then you would have contributed an important phrase to our fight for equal rights.
• Do I have to be stabbed 72 times? Do I have to be deprived of employment?
• Do I have to be bullied in a public transport? Do I have to be stoned to death to raise my voice in protest against violence and discrimination?
• Will I just sit back and watch LGBT people die or being abused, discriminated and violated, anyway I work for the biggest network and at some point I went to the Ateneo?
• No. Mr. Pedroche, I choose to get involved. Also because after the landmark decision of the Supreme Court to accredit Ladlad as a party list, we cannot afford to lose in 2013 otherwise we go back to zero.
• Yes, I will continue to talk to the LGBT community and share with them my story.
Mr. Pedroche, thank you for not being homophobic; your letter is valid, respectful even. I hear you out and here’s hoping that you too hear me out.
And since you say that we need love and not congressional seats, I say that we need both and for us to do this is to keep on engaging people in dialogues and debates about LGBT rights and human rights, despite the odds.
Life sometimes is funny Mr. Pedroche. You may just find it in your heart to love us and vote for Ladlad in 2013.

The 9/11 attacks as a literary watershed

2011-09-05T11:31:00.001+08:00

The 9/11 attacks as a literary watershed
04-Sep-11, 10:00 AM | Myriam Chaplain-Riou, Agence France-Presse

PARIS - Ten years on, the dust from the twin towers hasn't finished settling on the literary world and continues to feed a growing body of fiction exploring the moral and physical loss the attacks left behind.

Initially, few writers dared get too close to the horror that the entire world was able to imagine after watching the World Trade Center go down live on television.

The first one to choose hyperrealism and attempt a description of the fateful moment itself -- the planes crashing, the fire, the panic, people jumping off the towers -- was Frederic Beigbeder.

In "Windows on the World" (2003), the French author said he wanted to "tell what could not be told".

"The only way to know what happened in that restaurant on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center's North tower on 11 September 2001 between 8:30 and 10:29 am... was to invent it," he explained at the time.

Many of the world's greatest living authors have since tackled the post 9/11 trauma and written in an effort to comprehend the scope of the tragedy and its place in history.

"September 11 entrained a moral crash, planetwide... let's not suggest that our experience of that event, that development, has been frictionlessly absorbed and filed away. It has not," Britain's Martin Amis wrote in 2007.

"September 11 continues, it goes on, with all its mystery, its instability, and its terrible dynamism," said Amis, who wrote "The Second Plane", a collection of essays and short stories on the attacks.

Don DeLillo, who made his mark on literature with epic, panoramic novels on American society, was no less influenced by the 9/11 watershed.

As early as November 2001, he reflected on how writers would deal with the horror of the attacks in an essay for Harper's, "In the Ruins of the Future."

"There is something empty in the sky," he wrote. "The writer tries to give memory, tenderness and meaning to all that howling space."

"People running for their lives are part of the story that is left to us," DeLillo said. Eventually, he wrote Falling Man (2008), about a survivor's daily life, his relations with his estranged wife, his new love interest.

A recurring character in the novel is a performance artist who suspends himself in business attire from high buildings in the pose of the man falling headfirst from the flaming North Tower in a famous photograph by Richard Drew.

The same year, John Updike wrote "Terrorist", a book which was to be his penultimate and explores Islamic fundamentalists' motivations in a first-person account by an American-born Muslim teenager who embraces jihad.

Another US literary giant, Philip Roth, wrote "Exit Ghost" in 2007, in which his alter ego narrator Nathan Zuckerman is revived one last time and moves back to New York after agreeing to a house swap with a couple who "don't wish to be snuffed out in the name of Allah".

In 2006, Jay McInerney published "The Good Life", in which a group of friends who had dinner together on 10 September 2011 are plunged into the horror of the attacks the next day.

Many writers gradually moved away from the contention that the scale of the attacks, the depth of the trauma and the scope of the consequences were too big for any fiction to be relevant.

Paul Auster, who saw the World Trade Centre collapse in an avalanche of dust and smoke from his balcony, made his contribution to the literary monument growing in place of the fallen towers in 2008 with "Man in the Dark".

In Auster's scenario, the attacks never happened but civil war rages.

US author Jonathan Franzen, who incidentally published "Corrections" -- his immensely successful protrayal of America -- on the week of the attacks, delivered a somber fresco of the following decade with "Freedom" last year.

The best-selling saga of the Berglund family doesn't deal with 9/11 directly but the attacks and their fallout are the backdrop for a society where family, relations, morality are all collapsing.

Questions for the heterosexual

2011-07-24T15:00:00.003+08:00

Danton Remoto: Questions for the heterosexual
20-Jul-11, 5:42 PM
www.interaksyon.com
Online news portal of TV5

Years ago I attended a seminar on gender issues organized by an international NGO. Some young journalists comprised the core of the participants. Well and good, I told myself, because the cliché holds true that, perhaps, hope lies among them.

I still remember my legendary debates with the macho editors who used to splash photos of near-naked “prostitutes” (call them sex workers) and of raped housemaids on the front pages of the newspaper I used to work for. During one of the editorial meetings held every day, the fiercest among them, who looked like a bulldog, barked at me: “What are you complaining about? Their faces are shown on the evening news. Why can’t we show those pages on our front pages?”

Since Bulldog must have forgotten his class on Ethics in Journalism, I reminded him that a newspaper is a public record. Surely, nobody tapes the evening news and runs them again for his delectation, right? But the newspaper is there for posterity, bound in volumes and collected in archives in the form of microfilms. Now they are scanned or converted into pdfs and collected in CD format. The split-second image on TV fades easily. The one in print stays there, and can be passed on from one person to another.

That’s the problem, I told myself, leaning back on my fake-leather office chair, when you have editors – the gatekeepers of the news—who only put stories of women above the fold when they have been raped, their places of work raided, or they wrestle gleefully in the mud, for work. The object of the male gaze has not changed.

During the same meeting, the director Nick Deocampo showed his film The Sex Warriors, a brave and beautiful film about a transgender who works in Japan. Now that I am reminded of it, I remember Noel Cabangon asking me last Sunday, during the break for the PETA play Caregivers that the Ladlad Party List sponsored, “What is the difference between a transgender and transsexual?”

“Well,” I began, “a transsexual is somebody who wears the customary attire of the opposite sex (female), but that’s just that. He does not identify with the opposite sex; his sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) is still male. On the other hand, a transgender feels that he is born in the wrong gender; thus, this mistake has to be corrected. He feels female in mind, heart, and body; thus, the need, nay, the ache, to have a sexual-reassignment surgery to finally come into full being as a member of the right sex. In the Philippines, the pioneering group is Society of Transsexual Women in the Philippines (STRAP), and they call themselves, with their breasts thrust up proudly, if I may say so, “transPinay.” Bemz Benedito, the present chairperson of Ladlad Party List, and the one to whom all media queries on Ladlad should be directed, is an out and proud “transPinay.” Last month, Bemz had chest pains and was rushed to the emergency room of St. Lukes’ Hospital where a female doctor said, “Sir, just relax and deep breathily, Sir.” The effervescent Bemz could not help it and said,” Doktora, please grant me this and call me Miss, especially now that I might be on the brink of death.” Yes, even near the cliff-edge, our transPinay activists are still daring and do everything with dash and élan.

But back to the brave and beautiful film of Nick. It deals with transgender Filipinas doing sex work in Japan to keep their families alive in the Philippines. The things we do for our families, Nick seems to imply, who can only accept us – gays and bisexuals and trans – only if we are their piggy banks, their central banks, their ATM machines that don’t go blink any time of day or night.

Nick’s films also deals with the slippages of language. “There are many names for us here,” Nick said in his usual flamboyant manner, then he ticked them off: “agi, bayot, bakla, badaf, bading, baklesha, sirena, verde ang dugo...“ and we’ve only just begun. Nick said his list contained at least 100 names for gays, with each word and every nuance carrying the complexity of Philippine gay life.

Before I left the meeting, I photocopied a query called "Do You Need Treatment?" that one of my female friends in the meeting got from an old copy of the New Internationalist. Since it might help our straight friends see us in another light, I’m reprinting it in full. Listen.

“Gay people get asked some pretty strange questions. Often, this is because their interrogators have a narrow, strictly heterosexual view of what is ‘normal.’ The New Internationalist turns the tables and asks heterosexual people some strange questions, too.

“1. What do you think is the cause of your heterosexuality?

2. When did you first realize you might be heterosexual?

3. Have you told your parents? What do they think of it?

4. Are there others like you in your family?

5. Would you say you had an inadequate mother or father figure?

6. Don’t you think your heterosexuality might be a phase you are going through?

7. Are you afraid of members of your own sex?

8. Isn’t it possible that what you need is a good gay lover?

9. What do you actually do in bed?

10. You put what where?

11. But how can people of the opposite sex really please each other when there are such vast emotional and biological differences among them?

12. Although society gives considerable support to the institution of marriage, the divorce rate is spiraling. Why are there so few stable relationships among heterosexuals?

13. Is it because heterosexuals are promiscuous?

14. There seem to be very few happy heterosexuals. Have you considered aversion therapy?

15. Why do you feel compelled to seduce others into your sexual activities?

16. Why do you insist on making such a public spectacle of your heterosexuality?

17. More than 90 percent of child molesters are thought to be heterosexuals. Would you feel comfortable entrusting your children‘s education to heterosexual teachers?

18. Why do people like you emphasize the heterosexual qualities of famous people such as film stars? Is it because you need to validate your own condition?

19. Penetrative sex is most common among heterosexual couples. Aren’t you worried about the risk of getting the HIV virus that leads to AIDS?

20. If everybody were heterosexual like you, what would happen to the world’s population? Don’t you think it is unreasonable and irresponsible of you to insist on sleeping with people of the opposite sex?”

If you’re asked questions like these – and I’m often asked, as I’m sure many lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Filipinas are asked—how would you feel? Ano ang mase-say mo, manash?

(Comments can be sent to danton_ph@yahoo.com)

US military ready to repeal ban on gays

2011-07-22T14:22:00.002+08:00

US military ready to repeal ban on gays
www.gmanews.tv
07/22/2011 | 08:58 AM

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon will announce on Friday that the U.S. military is ready to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces, the last major hurdle to formally ending the policy, U.S. officials said on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

President Barack Obama last year signed a landmark law to allow for the repeal of the nearly 18-year-old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that forced gays to keep their sexual orientation secret in order to serve in the military.

But Pentagon leaders first needed to certify that military readiness would not suffer as a result -- something that will now be done by new U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Admiral Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military officer, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Once the Pentagon has signed off, Obama can certify the repeal -- fulfilling a 2008 campaign promise to end a policy that saw more than 13,000 men and women expelled from the military because of their sexual orientation.

There is then a 60-day waiting period before the law is finally scrapped.

Ending the policy, enacted under then-President Bill Clinton in 1993, has been a top priority of gay rights activists, along with advancing same-sex marriage rights.

Critics of repeal within the Pentagon had long argued it was too risky to pursue the change at a time when the military was stretched by the wars in Iraq in Afghanistan.

But a Pentagon study unveiled last year predicted that scrapping the policy would have little impact, and repeal won support from Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

U.S. courts also intervened, with a California district court judge last year finding that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy violated the U.S. constitution.

The Obama administration managed to keep the policy partly in effect through court appeals in order to give the Defense Department time to prepare for repeal. Last week, a federal appeals court blocked the Pentagon from investigating or discharging anyone under the policy. — Reuters

Reflections of a gay seminarian

2011-07-16T14:03:00.004+08:00

COMMENTARY: Reflections of a gay seminarian
09-Jul-11, 2:15 PM | Danton Remoto
www.interaksyon.com
Online news portal of TV 5
Photo from www.priscasvoice.com

The vilification of same-sex couples who had gone through commitment ceremonies a week ago led some bishops to make callous statements like “kadiri” and such. This is what we get for falling in love with whom we choose to love? This led me to dig into my email files. I found a letter sent to me by a seminarian a few years ago. He is gay and has found peace with his sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Let me quote excerpts from his email.

"Let me commend you for being a sober voice in the discourse on gay rights in the country," he starts. [Thank you, ahem]. "However, let me chastise you also for your statement on national TV that some priests know nothing about love. Well, let me tell you that priests also know and have experienced loving and being loved. There are honest and sensible priests around, unlike the ones that you see parroting things they know nothing about.”

I was talking about non-platonic love, the kind that goes beyond sisterhood and brotherhood. Yes, the one that involves the body electric. So our seminarian is implying that some priests have also gone beyond platonic love? Hmmm, we enter deeper and more interesting waters here.

He also sums up the stand of the Catholic Church: “Homosexuality is a sin contra naturam, a sin against nature. The classic reference is Genesis 19:1-19, the story of Sodom which, according to classical interpretation, shows an exclusive concern for the sin of homosexuality. However, I find the interpretation too narrow. It seems to compartmentalize and even manipulate the Holy Scripture.”

I begin to cheer for this young man who has made peace with himself, with the fact that he is gay but would still like to continue with his vocation as a priest. How many priests are as brave and honest as him? How many go on and become priests, and when they’re already there, throw mud at gay men who openly live the lives they want to lead? These are closeted priests who see mirrors around them, so they throw rocks to shatter the mirrors, not knowing that the shards still reflect their true selves.

Our gay seminarian has visited gay bars and interviewed male sex workers, but he has never touched them. If Earl K. Wilkinson’s controversial book published ten years ago is correct, there are even pedophiles in the priesthood. But when caught, en flagrante delicto, the higher orders just transfer them to other parishes, as if stink can be hidden if the garbage bin is thrown in another corner of the country.

Our gay seminarian is railing against the hypocrisy that is regnant in the priesthood. “Some priests have allowed themselves to become part of the system, while others break the cycle, and in the process, become more real themselves. Perhaps, if they are able to face the problems of sexuality in our time, all of us must move away from a procreational view of sexuality to a more personal and relational one. I feel it’s the trivialization of the personal encounter that’s the central problem for gays and straights alike. Many have adopted a consumerist attitude to sex – the encouragement of cheap and disposable sex, to the detriment of a deep personal encounter that leads to growth. This is the heart of the problem.”

Is our gay seminarian pushing for celibacy? I will not go there. But our astute seminarian does train his guns elsewhere. “And the Church seems to miss the point. Christians and other people have fallen into the sexist mistake of reducing a person to the sexual act alone. Contrary to the existing myths about homosexuality, gays are not 'sexaholics!' Gays are not phallus-centered. It’s about time that the Church take a look at the truth that gays are discovering in themselves and help it to emerge and flourish. Besides, the Church does not have a monopoly of the truth. And finally, as you said when you sued the Commission on Elections in the Supreme Court for calling Ladlad ‘immoral’ and ‘abnormal,’ refusing its accreditation – the Church and the State are separate entities, and there is no State religion in the Philippines.”

Please allow me to reprint the statement of Ladlad, the party list I founded on September 1, 2003, which is now being run by a new breed of leaders. I am now just a member of this lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organization, which CNN has called “the only LGBT political party in the world”—again, another first for this country. The statement against the bigotry in the Catholic Church follows.

“Freedom of expression and freedom of religion are not manifestations of mental illness or criminality. These are basic human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that not even the Roman Catholic Church can deny.

“The celebration of same-sex weddings speaks of the love of two persons, and this is not an issue for the Roman Catholic Church to interfere in. It is also not a Roman Catholic Church issue to criticize or question the authority of religious leaders of the Metropolitan Community Church, which do not belong to its denomination.

“While Ladlad is nonsectarian, we are calling for respect, respect that Jesus Christ advocated and which is the basis of Christianity, respect for different forms of expression and diverse views. Let us not resort to name-calling, when the issue is simple: Do LGBTs in the Philippines have human rights? If the answer is “yes,” then there should be no attacks on them based on their expressions of love and exercise of freedom of religion, especially since they are not violating any law or impinging on the rights of others.

“We condemn in the strongest sense the unfair, discriminatory, arrogant and condescending statements of Bishop Teodoro Bacani and others in the Roman Catholic church. The bishops have propagated once again hatred, bias, prejudice and fear toward LGBT Filipinos. We urge them to step back, as we draw the line between their hypocrisy and our rights. We also urge the Roman Catholic Church to clear their names from various scandals before training their guns at us. [The statement refers to the Pajeros that seven bishops allegedly received from the past regime].

We only ask for equal rights and nothing more. But we will accept nothing less.”

(Comments can be emailed to danton_ph@yahoo.com)

LGBT hate crimes on the rise

2011-07-04T13:00:00.001+08:00

By Yvonne Chua, VERA Files

Television director Ricky Rivero thought he was having a nightmare. He woke up morning of June 13 and Ivan Ruiz was on top of him, stabbing him continuously.

They struggled with each other, and when Rivero got the chance to grab Ruiz's wrist, he pinned him down the bed. The rage coming from Ruiz slowly subsided.

Rivero got the chance to overpower Ruiz and drove himself to the hospital. He survived despite the 17 stab wounds he sustained.

In an interview with TV host Boy Abunda two weeks after the incident, Rivero recalled that Ruiz, an acquaintance with whom he had casual sex relations, was full of rage and his eyes were full of anger when he was stabbing him.

Asked if he considers it a "hate crime", Rivero said he can't be sure but considering what transpired, it seems it's "leaning towards... yes, it's a hate crime."

Hate crimes generally refer to criminal acts that are seen to have been motivated by bias against persons belonging to a certain social group, usually defined by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or political affiliation.

Rivero is not the only one among those labelled as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) who experienced this kind of brutal crime;others were not as lucky.

Days before Rivero's stabbing incident, the Metropolitan Community Church sponsored LGBT Flores de Mayo parade in Quezon City just ended, it was attended by members of different LGBT organizations including VJ Montefalco. It was the last time Montefalco was seen.

Last June 29, the Quezon City police found his body along EDSA, Kamuning MRT station with two stab wounds on his heart.

A study made by Marlon Lacsamana and Reighben Labilles of Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch showed the alarming rise of LGBT deaths from suspected hate crimes, which totalled 160 from 1996 to June 30, 2011. A total of 38 cases were recorded in the first six months of 2011 alone. Last year, there were 29 reported cases. The study was based on online data, e-mails sent to Lacsamana and Labilles by friends of the slain victims, and news reports.

Lacsamana, a Library Science graduate, began his study on LGBT-related killings after two of his close friends (Winton Lou Ynion and Vincent Jan Rubio) were brutally killed. For this study, he teamed up with Labilles, a graduate of Political Science.

Lacsamana and Labilles then started a group in Facebook called Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch, now with more than 350 members. The online group aims to monitor all LGBT-related crimes and post the information in the group's wall. (Those who have any information on LGBT hate crimes may send the details to: philippinelgbthatecrimewatch@gmail.com.)

In an event sponsored by the UP Pride team last July 1, Labilles cited the following examples of hate crimes:

• A gay was suffocated using a plastic bag, strangled with an iron wire and was poked in the eye by an ice pick.

• A gay's body was left in a cemetery, and the dogs fed on it.

• A transgender's body was left on a bridge. Her head was smashed and her brains splattered everywhere.

• A lesbian in Davao was shot on the face as she walked out of a grocery store. • A gay was wrapped in a packaging tape then shot several times.

• A gay was found in his condominium, burned while his hands and feet were tied in nylon cords.

• The most number of stab wounds found on a slain victim's body was 79. "We're not making up these stories; these were what really happened to some of the victims.", Labilles said.

Labilles laments the absence of an anti-Hate Crime law in the cPhilippines."Prejudice, bias, or hate towards any minority group such as LGBT Filipinos is not at all considered when investigating crimes," he observed.

Rep. Teddy Casino of Bayan Muna, author of House Bill 1483, or the Anti-Discrimination Bill on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Providing Penalties, announced last June 26 that he would pioneer a House probe on the growing numbers of hate crimes in the country.

(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for "true.")

Ladlad condemns the bigotry of the Catholic Church

2011-07-01T12:13:00.003+08:00

Ladlad Party List Statement:

Freedom of expression and freedom of religion are not manifestations of mental illness nor criminality. These are basic human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that not even the Roman Catholic Church can deny.

The celebration of same-sex weddings speaks of the love of two persons, and this is not an issue for the Roman Catholic Church to interfere in. It is also not a Roman Catholic Church issue to criticize or question the authority of religious leaders of the Metropolitan Community Church, which do not belong to its denomination.

While Ladlad is nonsectarian, we are calling for respect; respect that Christ advocated and which is the basis of Christianity, respect for different forms of expression and diverse views. Let us not resort to name-calling, when the issue is simple: Do LGBTs in the Philippines have human rights? If the answer is yes, then there should be no attacks on them based on their expressions of love and exercise of freedom of religion, especially since they are not violating any law or impinging on the rights of others.

We condemn in the strongest sense the unfair, discriminatory, arrogant and condescending statements of Bishop Teodoro Bacani and others in the Roman Catholic church. The bishops have propagated once again–hatred, bias, prejudice and fear toward LGBT Filipinos. We urge them to step back, as we draw the line between their hypocrisy and our rights. We also urge the Roman Catholic Church to clear their names from various scandals before training their guns at us.

We only ask for equal rights and nothing more. But we will accept nothing less.

May Isang Matalinong Obispo

2011-06-30T17:15:00.000+08:00

May Isang Matalinong Obispo

Ni J.I.E. TEODORO

OO, mayroon, taga-Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines o CBCP, at ang ngalan niya ay si Msgr. Pedro Quitorio. Sa pangalan pa lang niya, nanginginig na ako sa takot. After all, huwag nating kalimutan, si San Pedro ang may hawak ng susi papasok sa tarangkahan ng langit. Kung wala ang pangalan mo sa kaniyang libro, good luck sa ‘yo, doon ka na sa impiyerno. Kung susundan kasi natin ang argumento ni Quitorio, kung bading ka (at gusto mo pang magpakasal, que horror!), wala ka sa listahan ng kaniyang tokayo.
Ganito kasi iyon. Sa News To Go ng GMANEWS TV kaninang umaga (27 Hunyo 2011), masayang ibinalita nina Howie Severino at Kara David na ligal na ang pagpapakasal ng parehong babae at parehong lalaki sa New York. Inaprubahan ang batas na ito ng kanilang Senado noong isang araw at nagdiwang ang maraming mga bading at lesbyana sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng mundo lalo na siyempre sa di natutulog na lungsod ng New York. Pang-anim na estado na ito ng Estados Unidos ng Amerika na mayroong ligal na karapatan ang mga homoseksuwal na magpakasal.
Para sa espiritu ng balanseng pamamahayag, nag-interbyu sina Howie mula sa magkasalungat na partido kapag kabadingan ang pag-uusap dito sa bansa. Ang una ay si Quitorio nga ng CBCP, at ang pangalawa ay si Rev. Ceejay Agbayani ng Metropolitan Community Church, ang simbahang Kristiyano na kumakalinga sa mga bading at lesbyana.
Siyempre alam na natin na diring-diri sa ideya ng homosexual marriage ang CBCP. Noong buhay pa si Cardinal Sin at tinanong siya tungkol dito, Hesus Maria Joseph! lang ang kaniyang sagot. Tingnan mo, naghihintay na lamang ang mga parokyano ng Manila Cathedral ng milagro sa ngalan niya para mag-beatify na ito ng Santo Papa at sakaling maging santo rin. Hesus Maria Joseph to the max din ang reaksiyon ko habang sumasabit ang aking mga kilay sa tuktok ng kampanaryo na sinabayan ko ng pagkukurus dala tambling at isplit mula Manila Cathedral patungong Fort Santiago.
Siyempre sabi ni Quitorio hindi puwede ang homosexual marriage dahil sa ating saligang batas ay iligal ito, at hindi rin naaayon sa “law of nature” na “man at woman” lang dapat ang maaaring ikasal. At hindi raw magbabago ito kailanman.
Ganun?As in like that! Hindi ko alam kung saan nanggaling na kuweba si Quitorio. Pakiramdam ko pumasok siya sa yungib na iyon dalawang siglo bago nagrebolusyon ang Katipunan at nang lumabas siya ay ika-150th na kaarawan na ni Jose Rizal. Baka hindi pa niya nabalitaan na 2005 pa naging ligal ang homosexual marriage sa España. Baka nakalimutan lang ng marunong na obispo na mga Kastila ang nagdala sa ating arkipelago ng relihiyon ng CBCP. Ang España umusad na, tayo nasa panahon pa rin ng kolonyalismong Kastila.
Kaya naihi ako sa saya nang makita ko ang kapatid na Carlos Celdran na nakabihis Rizal with an overcoat, na nagtaas ng plakard na ang nakalagay “Damaso” habang nagmimisa ang mga obispo sa Manila Cathedral ilang buwan pa lamang ang nakalilipas. Kung sino si Damaso, I’m sure kilala siya ni Quitorio. Humarap lang siya sa salamin at makakausap na niya ito.
Tumambling ako sa sagot ni Quitorio nang tinanong siya ni Howie (si Papa Howie na kung binata lang siya at liligawan niya ako at yayaing magpakasal ay mag-o-oo agad ako!) kung ang hindi pagpayag ba ng simbahang Katoliko sa pagpapakasal ng mga bading ay isang uri ba ito ng diskriminasyon. Sagot ng obispo, hindi raw ito diskriminasyon dahil iligal nga ang pagpapakasal ng parehong lalaki at parehong babae. Aniya pa, ibig sabihin dini-discriminate din ba natin ang mga kidnapper kung hindi natin sila papayagang mangidnap dahil labag ito sa ating batas?
Yes, ikinumpara ng butihing obispo ang pagpapakasal ng mga bading sa krimen ng pangingidnap! Kung saan ang koneksiyon at lohika, kayo na ang maghanap sa loob ng sutana o ng gamit na brip ng mga pari. O baka talaga ganito kasama ang paningin ng mga taga-CBCP sa mga bading at lesbyana? Ka-level ng mga kidnaper! Heinous crime na pala ngayon ang pagiging bading at lesbyana sa ating bansa. Salamat, bishop. Hindi naming alam ‘yan.
Pagkarinig ng sagot na ito, parang nakita kong ngumiwi nang kaunti si Howie pero di ako sure. Dumiretso na lamang siya sa sumunod na katanungan.
Sabi pa ni Quitorio, “wala sa kultura” ang pagpapakasal ng mga bading at lesbyana na siguro kasama na rin ang homoseksuwalidad mismo. Anong kultura ba ang tinutukoy niya? Siguro naman hindi ang kulturang Filipino. Pero sa tono ng pananalita niya, mukhang kulturang atin ang tinutukoy niya. Naku, bishop, delikadong statement ‘yan. Tiyak di pinag-isipan.
Kunsabagay, siguro limitado lamang talaga ang mga babasahin na nakapapasok sa huklubang kuweba, este, sa bakuran ng CBCP kung saan nananahan ang kaluluwa ni Padre Damaso. Kaya bilang isang mabuting kristiyano, specifically Katoliko, ako na lamang ang magbabahagi kay Quitorio ng isang nabasa ko noong nakaraang taon sa Malay, ang internasyonal na jornal sa Filipino ng ipinagmamalaki kong Alma Mater, ang De La Salle University-Manila, isang Katolikong unibersidad na nagdiwang ng sentenaryo nito kamakailan lamang. Sa Setyembre 2010 isyu ng nasabing jornal, may artikulo ang iskolar ng literatura at manunulat na taga-University of the Philippines-Los Baños na si Emmanuel B. Dumlao na pinamagatang “Berinarew: Pagsasanib ng Aral at Aliw.”
Pinag-aralan ni Dumlao ang mga konsepto ng moralidad ng mga Teduray, mga katutubong matatagpuan sa Maguindanao, sa pamamagitan ng isa sa tatlo nilang mga epiko, ang Berinarew. Ang isa sa mga nakatutuwang nadiskube ni Dumalao ay wala palang bakla o lesbyana sa mga Teduray. Ups, mukhang tama si Quitorio. But wait a minute, baby! Walang bakla o lesbyana sa kanila dahil kung kung lalaki at nagkagusto ka sa kapuwa mo lalaki at gusto mong maging babae, go ahead baby, magpakababae ka. Gayundin sa babae. Kung may type kang babae at gusto mong maging lalaki, go ahead baby, magpakalalaki ka! Vongga di vah?

Paliwanag ni Dumlao: Gaya ng pagkilala sa bakla, agi, bayot sa iba’t ibang dako ng Filipinas, wala ring problema sa mga Teduray ang usapin ng sexual o gender preference. Mayroon silang tinatawag na “mentefuwaley libun” at “mantefuwaley lagey” na ang ibig sabihin ay “lalaking naging babae” at “babaeng naging lalaki.” Ang ganitong pagpapalit ng kasarian para sa isang Teduray ay kasing-natural lamang ng pag-aasawa. Hindi pekpek o titi ang batayan nila ng sekswalidad kundi ang kilos ng isang indibidwal. Ibig sabihin, magiging babae ang isang lalaki kung kikilos at magdadamit siya bilang babae. (Dumlao 56)
Dagdag pa niya, “Para sa mga Teduray, ang isang lalaking nagpalit ng kasarian ay ‘mentefuwaley libun,’ hindi siya bakla, hindi siya bisexual. Siya ay babae, ‘mentefuwaley libun’ o lalaking naging babae (56).” Sana hindi atakehin sa puso ang Santo Papa kapag mabasa niya ito.
Maaaring sabihin ni Quitorio (at ng iba pang mga kontrabida) na ‘yun nga, nandoon pa rin ang konsepto ng kasal sa pagitan lamang ng babae at lalaki. Sa Teduray, kailangang maging babae muna ang isang bading upang puwedeng magpakasal sa lalaki. Pero sigurado ako na kahit hiramin ko pa ang napakamahal na gown ni Regine Velasquez at magpapakasal ako kay Piolo Pascual (let’s say, next week! Bwahaha. At assuming na hindi kokontrahin ni KC Concepcion o kaya magmamakaawa sa akin ang idolo kong si Sharon Cuneta na ibalato ko na lamang sa anak niya si Piolo), hindi pa rin papayag si Quitorio. Hindi kasi talaga ito puwede sa kuweba, este, sa CBCP nila.
Nanggigigil talaga ako sa homophobia at kakitiran ng isipan ng mga pari at obispo ng simbahang Katoliko. Masyado nilang isinasabuhay hindi ang mga salita ni Hesus kundi ang kanilang “Catholic Hypocrisy.” Akala mo walang mga paring nangunguflang sa mga madilim na sinehan. Akala mo walang mga paring naninilip ng mga titi sa CR ng mga mall. Akala mo walang naghahadahan sa loob ng mga seminaryo. Akala mo walang mga paring sapilitang hinahada ang mga kawawang sakristan na kadalasan ay mga anak-mahirap! May isa nga akong kilala na malditang pari, hinahada ang mga guwardiya sa mga paaralan nila saan man siya madestino bilang administrador. Iniskandalo pa nga siya minsan dahil nakukulangan na ang guwardiya sa ibinibigay niyang pera.
May teorya akong ganito, may tatlong rason lamang kung bakit nagiging pari ang mga lalaki sa Filipinas. Una, upang takasan ang kahirapan ng buhay. Marami kasing mayayamang deboto na dahil hindi na alam ang gagawin sa limpak-limapak nilang salapi ay willing magbigay ng iskolarship sa mahihirap na batang gusto kunwaring magpari. Indulhensiya rin kasi ito. Lalo na ang mga angkan ng mga politiko na marami ang ninakaw sa kaban ng gobyerno o ang negosyo ng pamilya ay lumaki dahil sa pandaraya at di pagbabayad ng hustong suweldo at benepisyo sa kanilang mga manggagawa. Kaya may mga paring may ibinabahay na babae at nagkakaroon ng mga anak. Mayroon ding nangungupit ng pera ng parokya o ng konggregasyon para patayuan ng bahay ang mga magulang at kapatid. Ganito kapag walang totoong bokasyon ang nagpapari.
Pangalawa, mga maykaya ang angkan subalit hindi masyadong matalino at hindi uubra kung maging abogado o doktor sila. Kaya maraming pari na kahit nag-apat na taon sa pag-aaral ng pilosopiya wala pa ring kakayahan mag-isip at walang lohika ang mga pinagdadakdak. At pangatlo, bading na gustong itago ang kanilang pagkabading. Kaya maraming pari at obispo ang galit sa mga bading kasi nakikita nila ang kanilang sarili sa mga bading na ito. Ang tawag dito ng mga lola kong sina J. Neil C. Garcia at Danton Remoto, “internalized homophobia,” na mas delikado kaysa “plain homophobia” lamang na siyempre peligroso pa rin sa mga katulad namin. Kadalasan, kumbinasyon pa ‘yan ng una at pangatlo, at ng pangalawa at pangatlo.
Palaging kasama sa ipinagdadasal ko kapag nagsisimba ako ay sana magising na at maging matapang ang mga bading na pari at obispo na baguhin ang pananaw ng simbahan tungkol homoseksuwalidad. Sana sila na ang makipaglaban sa loob ng CBCP hanggang sa banal na estado ng Vatican. Wake up and fight for us, sisters!
Gusto kong malaman ng mga katulad ni Quitorio na mas magiging masaya sana ako sa pagdasal at pagdalo ng misa sa loob ng simbahan kung alam kong tanggap na tanggap ako nang kinagisnan at minamahal kong relihiyon na minana ko pa sa aking mga magulang.’ Yun lang.
Sa interbyu naman na Howie kay Rev. Ceejay Agbayani na siyang administrative pastor ng MMC, ipinagdiinan nitong huli ang pagkakaroon ng “freedom of religion” sa ating bansa na ginagarantiyahan ng ating Konstitusyon. Kaya hindi puwedeng sabihin ng isang obispo na iligal ang “kasal” na ginagawa nila dahil hindi ito pinapayagan ng estado. Ang kasalan sa MMC ay bahagi ng mga relihiyosong ritwal at may karapatan ang MMC na gawin ito.
Aminado naman si Ceejay na walang marriage license ang mga kasalan sa kanilang simbahan. Aniya, “holy union” ito at hindi “holy matrimony.” Sa ritwal na ito, humihingi lamang ng basbas ang nagmamahalang parehong lalaki o parehong babae mula sa Diyos. Pagpapakita lamang daw ito na tunay at dalisay ang pagmamahalang ito.
Nagtanong naman si Kara David kung ano ang masasabi ni Ceejay sa ilang mga paniniwalang ang mga bading ang dahilan ng pagkalat ng sakit na AIDS. Stereotyping ito, sabi ni Ceejay. Hindi raw naman sa mga bading nagsimula ang AIDS. Pero siyempre, katotohanan din na marami ngang mga bading ang may AIDS sa ngayon. Kaya makabubuti raw ang homosexual marriage para ma-encourage ang mga bading at lesbyana na maging tapat sa kanilang partner sa buhay. Ang pagpapakasal, bagamat hindi garantiya, ay makakapagpatibay ng katapatan.
Ang MCC ay isang relihiyong Protestante na itinatag para magkaroon ng simbahan ang mga bading at lesbyana na itinatatwa ng ibang mga kristiyanong simbahan, lalo na ng simbahang Katoliko.
Masayang-masaya siyempre si Ceejay sa pagsasabatas ng homosexual marriage sa New York.
Nang tinanong siya ni Howie kung kailan kaya magkakaroon ng ligal na homosexual marriage sa Filipinas, masaya at tumatawa siyang sumagot ng, “Kung hindi mamayang hapon, baka next week!” Oo nga naman. Why not, coconut? Ayon nga sa mga natutunan ko mula sa mga madre noong nasa elementarya pa lamang ako sa Assumption sa Antique, “With God, nothing is impossible.” Tumpak! Korak! Plak!
Oh, by the way high way run way whatever way… Si Ceejay pala ang tinutukoy ko sa pamagat ng sanaysay na ito na matalinong obispo. Joke lang po iyong nasa unang talata, if I may stress the obvious. Grrr!

[27 Hunyo 2011
Lungsod Pasig]

Simbahang nagkakasal sa mga bakla at lesbyana

2011-06-29T23:19:00.000+08:00

Simbahang nagkakasal sa mga bakla at lesbiyana06/29/2011 | 12:06 PM
www.gmanews.tv

Sa New York, maituturing na tagumpay ng mga lesbian, gay, bisexual at transgender, o LGBT, ang pagkakaroon ng same-sex marriage doon. Pero sa Pilipinas, wala mang batas na kumikilala sa pag-iisang dibdib ng same sex couples, may simbahan na nagkakasal sa kanila - ang Metropolitan Community Church. Si Rev. Ceejay Agbayani ang administrative pastor nito. Nakapanayam siya nina Kara David at Howie Severino sa News To Go.

HOWIE SEVERINO: Anong relihiyon ninyo?

REV. AGBAYANI: We're an ecumenical Protestant Christian denomination that caters to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

KARA DAVID: Ang Protestant church ba ay kumikilala sa same-sex marriage?

REV. AGBAYANI: Hindi ho lahat ng Protestante. Actually ang isa pong katangian ng Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), we minister to the LGBT community. Sa Pilipinas, kami lang.

KARA: Pero 'yung church ninyo hindi naman para lang sa LGBT?

REV. AGBAYANI: Hindi naman po. Sa ibang bansa, sa MCC sa Canada malaking church 'yon kaya wala na 'yung ganoong exclusivity ng LGBT.

KARA: Okay. At ang kaibahan ninyo sa ibang mga churches ay kayo ay nagkakasal.

REV. AGBAYANI: Since 1968 ho nagkakasal na kami...

KARA: Ng lalaki sa lalaki, ng babae sa babae?

REV. AGBAYANI: Oo. Ang unang kinasal ni Rev. Rey Perry ay mga lesbian noong 1969. Kasi bago lang naman ang MCC, 1968 lang kami at produkto kami ng pagsasara ng mga simbahan sa amin. apagka ikaw ay nag-out, 'yun nga 'yung founder namin nag-out siya Baptist Penticostal 'yun noong nag-out siya. Tinanggal siya kasi nga bakla siya.

HOWIE: Anong reaction ninyo doon sa pagpasa ng batas sa New York legalizing same sex marriages?

REV. AGBAYANI: Kami ay tuwang-tuwa kasi ang Stonewall (riots) ay naganap sa New York at 'yung pride month na ginagawa namin ay dahil sa Stonewall noong June 1969.

HOWIE: Paki paliwanag lang kung ano 'yung Stonewall.

REV. AGBAYANI: Ang Stonewall Riot po ay ito 'yung pag-aaklas ng mga bading, mga transexual sa isang bar na binu-bully ng mga pulis, hinuhuli sila doon sa New York.

HOWIE: 1969. So historic landmark sa kasaysayan ng lesbian at gay...

REV. AGBAYANI: After a year, 1970 nagkaroon ng isang martiya and since then ang June ay tinatawag na Pride month and specifically June 26.

HOWIE: So New York pala significant sa kasaysayan ng mga gay at lesbian.

KARA: Tapos ngayon naging legal na ang same-sex marriage so this is a major victory for...

REV. AGBAYANI: Actually pang-sampu o pangweleven na estado na nagkakaroon ng same-sex marriage sa Estados Unidos. Marami naman pong same-sex marriage sa ibang bansa. Ang Espanya mayroong magandang batas patungkol sa same-sex kung saan nanggaling ang ating Katolisismo.

KARA: Kanina kausap lang ni Howie si Msgr. Pedro Quitorio ng CBCP at sinasabi niya na labag sa batas ng Pilipinas ang magkasal ng lalaki sa lalaki at babae sa babae. Lumalabag daw kayo sa batas.

REV. AGBAYANI: Ike-clear lang po natin ang difference between Holy Union at saka Holy Matrimony. Ang matrimony po talaga, mayroon talagang legal entity. Ang Holy Union ay isang sakramento o rituwal ng Metropolitan churches. Ito po ay rituwal namin.

KARA: Okay. Sinabi kanina ni Msgr. Quitorio na ito’y laru-laro lang.

REV. AGBAYANI: Hindi naman po.

KARA: Kasi hindi naman daw ito legal. So, laru-laro lang daw ito. At hindi naman daw binigyan ng karapatan 'yung solemnizing officer na mag-solemnize ng mga kasal.

REV. AGBAYANI: Hindi naman po matatawag na illegal 'to dahil the Constitution provides the freedom of religion at kasama po ito sa rituwal namin. Kaya hindi naman po puwedeng sabihin na hindi kami puwede, e marami naman pong ibang klase ng pagpapakasal, 'di ba po? Hindi naman puwedeng masabi na illegal ito.

HOWIE: So ano naman ang mga rights and privileges ng mga partner dito sa same-sex marriages sa ilalim ng simbahan niyo?

REV. AGBAYANI: Ang rituwal po talaga ay ginagawa para sa dalawang tao na nagmamahalan after the wedding counseling and they finally decide na mag-asawa at hindi naman ipinagdadamot dapat ng simbahan ang pagpapakasal dahil ito naman po ay kagustuhan ng dalawang taong nagmamahalan.

KARA: Pero walang marriage certificate?

REV. AGBAYANI: 'Yun nga lang po, kaya nga po ang MCC ay advocate for same-sex marrige dahil ang kasal po ay isang inherent right ng lahat ng tao na nagmamahalan, wala dapat pagtatangi sa mga LGBT.

KARA: Okay. Pastor papaano po 'yung mga nagpapakasal po duon sa simbahan ninyo ang tanong siyempre ng mga tao, bakit pa ako magpapakasal e hindi naman ito legal in the sense na wala naman akong papel na panghahawakan, so bakit pa ako magpapakasal?

REV. AGBAYANI: 'Yun nga po ang nakakatuwa kasi kahit hindi po legal pa sa Pilipinas pero nagpapakasal. Iyon lang po ang patunay na talagang may mga tao na nagmamahalan at gusto talaga nilang ma-bless sa simbahan at mabasbasan sa simbahan para doon sa kanilang pagmamahalan. Meron man itong legal entity o wala gusto talaga ng tao ay makasal sila sa simbahan at mabasbasan sila.

HOWIE: Paano naman naiiba itong same-sex wedding sa simbahan ninyo sa karaniwang kasal? May mga singsing? Naka-wedding gown din ba 'yung bride?

REV. AGBAYANI: Depende po kung gaano kabongga 'yung couple. ‘Yung iba naman po na simple ay singsing at unity candle. Pero 'yung iba lahat po ng elements nandoon from the aras, veil and cord, lahat po.

KARA: Hindi ba kayo nadi-discriminate?

REV. AGBAYANI: Malaki ho ang diskriminasyon sa simbahan dito sa Pilipinas, lalo na't both the Catholic and the Protestant ganoon pa din ang pagtatangi sa amin. Pero hindi naman po kami titigil sa ginagawa namin dahil sa palagay po ng simbahan ng kalakhan ng mananampalataya, e ito 'yung tawag na magbubukas sa mga LGBT. Saan pa sila pupunta kung ang simbahan nila ay sinasarhan sila.

HOWIE: May naranasan na ba kayong harassment or threats?

REV. AGBAYANI: Mayroon na po.

KARA: Katulad ng?

REV. AGBAYANI: Noong ako'y maordenahan noong 2008 at 'yung isang Protestanteng simbahan ay pinayagan naman kami doon ako maordenahan. Pero nang malaman nila na karamihan ng mga miyembro ko ay mga bakla, the following day hindi na kami pinapunta doon.

HOWIE: Bakit kailangan ng sariling simbahan ang mga bakla?

REV. AGBAYANI: Magandang tanong po. Produkto po kasi kami ng... reaksyon po ng mga pagtatangi katulad ng mga Black churches na ginagamit ang bibliya na white supremacy tapos kaya sila nai-isolate kaya nagkaroon ng black churches not because sila ay ganoon na, kasi produkto sila ng pagtatangi kaya nagsasama-sama sila. Ganoon din po, ang naging produkto namin ang MCC, pagtatangi sa amin kaya nabuo ang isang Metropolitan Community Church.

KARA: May ilang nagsasabi na, nagbabala actually na 'yung homosexual relationships ay pinagmumulan ng paglaganap daw ng sexually transmitted infections, HIV AIDS.

REV. AGBAYANI: ‘Yan po ay napaka stereotyping at hindi naman po masasabi natin na sa amin nanggaling 'yung mga sakit dahil kahit sa mga heterosexual mayroong ganoon. Huwag naman po sana nating i-associate na ang kabaklaan ang synonymous sa STD o HIV, stereotyping po 'yun at kung aalamin 'nyo naman po ang history ay hindi naman po talaga nanggaling sa amin 'yan. Kaya nga po kami we're in favor of same-sex marriages hindi dahil dun kundi para po with the same morality na nangyayari po sa ating mga magulang e ganoon din po ang morality dapat one-man-man, kaya dapat ang bakla ay hindi lang rampa nang rampa, dapat ito ay mayroon ka nang kinakasama. Kaya po kami ay pavor talaga sa same sex marriage with the same morality po ng ating mga magulang.

HOWIE: Kailan kaya magiging legal ang same-sex marriage sa ating bansa?

REV. AGBAYANI: Kung hindi po ngayon baka po sa isang linggo...

KARA: Pinagdadasal ninyo siguro?

REV. AGBAYANI: Yes, sana po. As soon as possible.

Gayer than laughter, am I

2011-06-22T15:33:00.002+08:00

Gayer than laughter, am I
Circles
By MELO ESGUERRA
June 22, 2011,Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines -- I usually decline invitations to events that coincide with my birthday. But I decided to move my celebration to a later time to attend a reception hosted by the US Embassy in Manila at the Ambassador’s Residence to celebrate the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month.

When US President Barack Obama proclaimed the month of June as the LGBT Pride Month, the US Embassy in the Philippines, which incidentally has a very strong gay group (under the leadership of my good friend Michael Pignatello), initiated this empowering activity which paid tribute to members of the LGBT community. Present at the party were LADLAD Party List founder Danton Remoto, Boy Abunda (the senior party adviser for LADLAD), and other LGBT supporters from the business community, NGOs, and politics.

US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. presented a very strong message that night and I would like to share with my loyal readers the entire copy of his speech, which inspired me to strengthen my support for the community:

Magandang gabi sa inyong lahat!

I am gay.

I am gay.

I am gay.

Three little words.

Six letters.

Three syllables.

It is not a phrase that trips the tongue. It is not a phrase that should take lifetimes to utter.

But my friends, these are some of the hardest words in the English language—in any language—for many of our friends, colleagues, and family members.

And this should not stand.

Our loved ones, our friends and our colleagues fear expressing their sexuality, condemned instead to a lifetime of anxiety and repression.

This should not be.

They are our brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers. Aunts and uncles. Sons. Daughters.

These are not nameless, faceless members of a foreign or forgotten race. They are our families and our friends. And they are scared to be who they are.

They fear expressing their sexuality. They cannot tell their own loved ones who they really are. And I regret that there are those even in our Embassy community who fear coming out and expressing their true selves.

Why? Because instead of expressing our love for all human beings, we choose instead to ostracize and exclude.

This will not continue.

Tonight, coming here together in this house for the first time, we are breaking new ground. It should give us pause to reflect how LGBT persons across the world, in every country, from every culture, are breaking new ground every day, and breaking courageously through the barriers that hold them back. As Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “To have courage for whatever comes in life -- everything lies in that.”

Yet even with courage, many of us still struggle to overcome prejudices driven by factors no human can control: the color of our skin, the expression of our gender, and the nature of our sexuality. While these prejudices are very real to us, many in the world can never understand.

And the reaction by that world to those struggling with such prejudice is both disappointing and disheartening: “You are imagining things,” they say. “It’s not as bad as you say it is, and if it is, it’s not my fault.”

That one’s core being can be such an affront to others is one of the greatest tragedies of humankind.

It is a tragedy not only because of the pain and suffering it causes, but because it prevents people from doing, being, and becoming their best. Sa diskriminasyon, maraming likas na galing at talino ang nasasayang.

Discrimination based on difference, whether it’s age, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion, is wrong. It deprives society of some of its most creative and productive members; it demoralizes communities. It shatters families.

It is not acceptable, and it should not be tolerated. The ambitious spirit of the Philippines’ LGBT community will no doubt carry it over these and other challenges. Americans know from centuries of experience that the march against discrimination and prejudice is long and difficult, and sometimes it feels never-ending.

But we also know that every step forward makes life a little better here and now -- and most certainly for future generations who will look back and marvel at the sacrifices and advances you all made, wondering at how you managed to accomplish so much.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am not tonight asking you to leave shouting that you are gay; I am not asking you to endanger yourselves in the face of other peoples’ hatred and blindness. But I am asking you leave this place on this night with one thought and one goal: to protect and love someone. Love is what matters; gender is not important.

In his Gay Pride Month proclamation, President Obama called upon Americans to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate our great diversity. Those are goals worthy of all people, everywhere, and I hope all of you here tonight will join me in their pursuit.

We are all different, but we must embrace and respect our differences. We must come together through the very emotion that makes us human: love.

Bakla ako.

Tomboy ako.

Bakla kayo.

Tomboy kayo.

Pero lahat tayo ay tao.

Maraming salamat po.

And immediately after his speech the ambassador himself, to my biggest surprise, asked me to join him onstage and lead everyone to sing a happy birthday song for me. Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, for not only for making my birthday unforgettable, but importantly for inspiring other leaders to show their love and support for the LGBT community.

Ricky, handang tulungan ng Ladlad

2011-06-17T12:12:00.002+08:00

Ricky, handang tulungan ng Ladlad
Ni Gorgy Rula
Abante

PORMAL na in-announce ng Ladlad partylist na tinanggap na ni Boy Abunda ang matagal nilang alok na maging Senior Party Adviser.

Kasama ni Kuya Boy na humarap sa press kahapon ang Ladlad chairperson na si Bemz Benedito para ipahayag ang pagiging aktibo ni Kuya Boy sa naturang samahan.

Matagal nang sumusuporta si Kuya Boy sa naturang grupo pero ngayon lamang siya nagsalita at ipinahayag ang kanyang partisipasyon sa ipinaglalaban ng Ladlad para sa 2013 Elections ay magkaroon na ito ng puwang sa Kongreso, na ang target nila ay makakuha ng tatlong seats.

Ayon kay Kuya Boy, “Alam n’yo naman lahat kung ano ang laban nitong Ladlad na nangyari sa Comelec hanggang sa nakarating sa Korte Suprema, at ang prosesong ‘yun.
“Pagkatapos matalo ng Ladlad nu’ng nakaraang eleksyon, hindi na kami papayag. Kaya ngayon, hinihikayat na namin ang lahat ng aming mga miyembro.

“We are assessing, we are revisiting our list, we are encouraging LGBT (lesbian, gays, bisexual, transgender) people in and out of the closet na sana kayo’y makisalamuha, makiisa sa ating movement para sa 2013.”

Nilinaw ni Kuya Boy na wala siyang intensyong maging bahagi sa mga nominado para sa partylist.
Mas pinili niyang maging strategist para sa kampanya nito.

“Hindi po ako interesado. I will be more effective as part of the campaign team. I will be more effective as one of the strategists of Ladlad.

“Hindi po ako interesado para tumakbo sa Kongreso sa pamamagitan ng Ladlad partylist.

“Kung ako’y tatakbo sa pulitika, hindi po sa 2013. Hindi po ako nagsasara. Sa 2016, at ito’y maaring pagka-gobernador sa Eastern Samar.

“Hindi ko po kailangan ang partylist para pumasok sa mundo ng pulitika,” deretsahan niyang pahayag.

Sa presscon pa ring ‘yun ay ipinakilala ng Ladlad ang ilang nabiktima ng human rights violation dahil sa sila ay nasa miyembro ng third sex.

Humingi ito ng tulong sa Ladlad para ipaglaban ang kanilang karapatan bilang tao hindi dahil sila ay bading.

Kaya ipinaglalaban nila, kasama si Kuya Boy, na maging bahagi ng Kongreso ang Ladlad dahil kailangang merong boses ang mga kapatirang nasa LGBT na naagrabyado ang kanilang karapatang pantao.

Sabi pa ni Kuya Boy, “Hindi kami humihingi ng special treatment, kundi equal privileges.”

Aware ang lahat na maraming mga bading ang nabiktima ng krimen, kaya naungkat ang kaso ni Ricky Rivero na gusto ring tulungan ng Ladlad kung kinakailangan niya ito.

Nagpadala raw sila ng bulaklak kay Ricky para iparating ang kanilang suporta sa kung ano mang gusto nitong ipaglaban kaugnay sa kanyang kaso.

“Meron kasing pananaw na sinasabing kapag bakla, parati na lang bumubuwelta du’n sa debate na kasi, eh kasi ganyan.

“Wala hong may karapatang pumaslang, pumatay lalung-lalo na sa ating mga kasamahan na sabihin na natin naghahanap ng kaibigan, naghahanap ng pagmamahal.

“Hindi namin sinasabi that we will condone what is wrong, pero wala hong may karapatang manakit.

Si Ricky ho ay naging biktima ng labimpitong saksak, at hindi ho kami uupo na ngayon at manonood na lang.

“Ito ho ay may kinalaman sa pagiging bakla. Dapat tumigil na ho ito.

“Dapat tumigil na ho ang mga patayan, pamamaslang, pang-aalipusta, diskriminasyon na base po sa sexual orientation at gender identity.

“Suportado ho namin si Ricky dito,” patuloy ni Kuya Boy.

Sa ngayon ay hinihintay lang daw nila na kausapin sila ni Ricky kung kinakailangan nito ng tulong.

Boy Abunda named Ladlad senior adviser; vows to help party list win 3 congressional seats in 2013

2011-06-17T12:01:00.005+08:00

Boy Abunda named Ladlad senior adviser; vows to help party list win 3 congressional seats in 2013 By JOJO P. PANALIGAN
June 16, 2011, 7:57pm

Boy Abunda got "hurt" for Ladlad when it failed to secure Comelec accreditation in 2010.

MANILA, Philippines — TV host and manager Boy Abunda has accepted the offer to be the senior adviser of the Ladlad Partylist.

Abunda considers getting the position “one of the most important chapters” in his life. He aims to not just be an active member of the group, but an aggressive one.

“I’ve always been supportive of Ladlad in my own way but now is the time--this is the time--to step up my participation,” he told Bulletin Entertainment and other members of media on June 16.

He admitted getting “hurt” for Ladlad when it failed to secure Comelec accreditation in 2010. He vows to not let that happen again in 2013.

“Di na kami papayag,” was his stern declaration.

He nipped in the bud talks that he accepted Ladlad’s offer because he wants to generate support for his rumored plan to run for congress or some other national position in the next election.

“I am not interested in legislative,” Boy said. “If ever I run for office--if ever--it will be for governor of Eastern Samar and not on 2013 but 2016.”

Abunda is adamant that he won’t run for any other post, least of all under the Ladlad Partylist, that he tells people to “NOT vote for Ladlad” if he changes his tune.

“I believe I can best help them by going around and disseminating information about Ladlad and the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community,” Abunda said.

During the media huddle, Ladlad unveiled their new logo and slogan. Some people also shared how they experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation.

The famed TV host added that joining Ladlad will be his “legacy.” Abunda aims to help Ladlad win three seats in the 2013 elections.

According to a release, Ladlad is sponsoring one night of the play “CareDivas” at PETA Theater; the first of a series that the pink party list plans to offer the public.

“We wanted a show that would cater not just for the LGBT community but to heterosexuals as well,” Abunda was quoted as saying.

An open audition was also announced for singers and dancers who will be part of “Glee for Ladlad” or “GLAD,” the party’s volunteer entertainment group

Abunda joins Ladlad as adviser

2011-06-17T10:56:00.001+08:00

Abunda joins Ladlad as adviser
By Mike Frialde (The Philippine Star) Updated June 17, 2011 12:00 AM

TV host Boy Abunda, senior political adviser of Ladlad for the 2013 midterm elections, and Bemz Benedito, Ladlad party-list chair, unveil the new logo of Ladlad during a press conference in Makati City yesterday. JOEY MENDOZA
| Zoom MANILA, Philippines - Television host Boy Abunda yesterday accepted the invitation of Ladlad, an organization of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals, to become its senior political adviser for the 2013 midterm elections.

In a press conference yesterday in Makati City, Abunda said he would use his position to ensure that Ladlad gets three seats in the House of Representatives as a recognized party-list group.

Abunda said that in accepting the offer to be Ladlad’s senior political adviser, he is not seeking nomination for the 2013 elections. He added that although he has been supporting Ladlad since its inception in 2004, it is only now that he has accepted the offer to become its political adviser.

“I will be more effective as a member of the campaign team. This is the right time. I would not have been effective in 2004,” he said.

Abunda, however, said that although he is declining to be Ladlad’s first nominee in the next elections, he is keeping his political options open, in fact eyeing the gubernatorial seat of Eastern Samar in the 2016 elections.

Ladlad had been allowed by the Supreme Court to participate in the May 10 party-list elections, but it lost. Abunda said Ladlad will select its nominees in a convention to be held next year.

Ladlad chair Bemz Benedito said Abunda’s decision to join the group as senior political adviser would boost its chances in the next party-list elections.

Abunda said Ladlad would aggressively call for the support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the country, one of the concerns being the issue of consolidating members. Ladlad has 50,000 and aims to double its ranks.

U.S. Presidential Proclamation--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month

2011-06-10T16:24:00.003+08:00

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release May 31, 2011 Presidential Proclamation--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month
-------
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

The story of America's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union. It is a story about the struggle to realize the great American promise that all people can live with dignity and fairness under the law. Each June, we commemorate the courageous individuals who have fought to achieve this promise for LGBT Americans, and we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Since taking office, my Administration has made significant progress towards achieving equality for LGBT Americans. Last December, I was proud to sign the repeal of the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. With this repeal, gay and lesbian Americans will be able to serve openly in our Armed Forces for the first time in our Nation's history. Our national security will be strengthened and the heroic contributions these Americans make to our military, and have made throughout our history, will be fully recognized.

My Administration has also taken steps to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans in Federal housing programs and to give LGBT Americans the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital. We have made clear through executive branch nondiscrimination policies that discrimination on the basis of gender identity in the Federal workplace will not be tolerated. I have continued to nominate and appoint highly qualified, openly LGBT individuals to executive branch and judicial positions. Because we recognize that LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration stands with advocates of equality around the world in leading the fight against pernicious laws targeting LGBT persons and malicious attempts to exclude LGBT organizations from full participation in the international system. We led a global campaign to ensure "sexual orientation" was included in the United Nations resolution on extrajudicial execution -- the only United Nations resolution that specifically mentions LGBT people -- to send the unequivocal message that no matter where it occurs, state-sanctioned killing of gays and lesbians is indefensible. No one should be harmed because of who they are or who they love, and my Administration has mobilized unprecedented public commitments from countries around the world to join in the fight against hate and homophobia.

At home, we are working to address and eliminate violence against LGBT individuals through our enforcement and implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We are also working to reduce the threat of bullying against young people, including LGBT youth. My Administration is actively engaged with educators and community leaders across America to reduce violence and discrimination in schools. To help dispel the myth that bullying is a harmless or inevitable part of growing up, the First Lady and I hosted the first White House Conference on Bullying Prevention in March. Many senior Administration officials have also joined me in reaching out to LGBT youth who have been bullied by recording "It Gets Better" video messages to assure them they are not alone.

This month also marks the 30th anniversary of the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has had a profound impact on the LGBT community. Though we have made strides in combating this devastating disease, more work remains to be done, and I am committed to expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Last year, I announced the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. This strategy focuses on combinations of evidence-based approaches to decrease new HIV infections in high risk communities, improve care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce health disparities. My Administration also increased domestic HIV/AIDS funding to support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and HIV prevention, and to invest in HIV/AIDS-related research. However, government cannot take on this disease alone. This landmark anniversary is an opportunity for the LGBT community and allies to recommit to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and continuing the fight against this deadly pandemic.

Every generation of Americans has brought our Nation closer to fulfilling its promise of equality. While progress has taken time, our achievements in advancing the rights of LGBT Americans remind us that history is on our side, and that the American people will never stop striving toward liberty and justice for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2011 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

'Human Soul' exhibit goes to Cebu City

2011-06-10T15:39:00.005+08:00

Ms. Bemz Benedito, the chairperson of LADLAD Party List, gives a voice to the transgender experience in the Philippines

June 5, 2011, Cebu City – “Human Soul”, a multi-media exhibit on gays and transgender Filipinos, will be launched today in Cebu City. It aims to raise the awareness and consciousness of the community on the discrimination of gay and transgender Filipinos.

An initiative of Health Action Information Network (HAIN) and The Library Foundation (TLF) Share Collective Inc., the exhibit is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The multi-media exhibit showcases the works of journalist Sebastien Farcis and photographer Romain Rivierre, both French citizens. The launch will be held at the Cebu City Hall Lobby and will be open for public viewing until June 10. It will then move to the Alliance Francaise de Cebu at QC Pavilion along Gorordo Avenue from June 13-18.

The exhibit features seven transgender individuals, one gay man, and four people living with HIV who share their feelings, journey, experiences, fears and hopes through stories they themselves told. Their stories will give us an insight on how we can help address the issue of stigma and discrimination.

Initially, the creators of this exhibit intended to feature the Philippines as a country that is friendly and sensitive to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT). “Our first angle actually was about the Philippines being a safe and friendly environment for gays and lesbians, but when we conducted our interviews, we were surprised by how gays are still being maligned for being different and being denied opportunities,” Farcis said. This situation and continued apathy to fight the discrimination makes it more difficult for people living with HIV.

Mr. Renaud Meyer, the UNDP Country Director, said that “homophobia is considered one of the main obstacles in implementing HIV prevention strategies. At least 5-10% of HIV infections worldwide are estimated to occur through sex between men. In the Philippines, four out of sixreported cases of HIV each day are through same-sex transmission. Yet men who have sex with men continue to face discrimination from health-care workers, other service providers, employers and the police. Discrimination leads men who have sex with men from top avoid disclosing their sexual orientation, or reporting for HIV services. It is therefore is important that people become aware on the stigma thrown against homosexuals.”

Mr. Jerson See, the president of Cebu Plus Association Inc., an organization providing treatment, care and support to people living with HIV, said that “no one has the guts to put a face on HIV and AIDS here in Cebu because of stigma and discrimination.” Furthermore, he said that “it is the mentality of other people here that unless you see a person living with HIV and AIDS, you don’t believe that it exists.” Dr. Ilya Tac-an of the Cebu City Social Hygiene Clinic, said that for April 2011 alone, “Cebu City has a reported 29 persons living with HIV and 11of them are men having sex with men.” Current data in the Philippines show an increasing trend of HIV transmission among men having sex with men.

The exhibit was first launched in Manila at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on the eve of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). On May 17, 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) had officially removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. This landmark decision is considered by many LGBT people as a historic step toward considering freedom of sexual orientation and sexual identity as a fundamental basic human right.

Currently, the Provincial Board of Cebu is debating an Anti-Discrimination Ordinance that prohibits employers from imposing a criterion for hiring, promotion or dismissal on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity of workers. Efforts are still ongoing to lobby for an Anti-Discrimination Ordinance in Cebu City.

CebuPlus is the local organizer of the Human Soul Exhibit. Other local Organizations involved include Bisdak Pride, Cebu City Multisectoral AIDS Council, C.O.L.O.R.S., LADLAD Party List, SEMGAB, and the Tonette Lopez Project. The exhibit will also go to Davao City, where a local ordinance criminalizing discrimination against LGBTs has already been filed. The traveling exhibit will also be held in schools and places hospitable to the LGBT community. It is part of the Government of the Philippines and the UNDP’s three-year Programme “Promoting Leadership and Mitigating the Negative Impacts of HIV and AIDS on Human Development” funded by the UNDP Philippines, UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Center, UNAIDS and the Australian government.

The political will to fight HIV-AIDS

2011-06-10T15:27:00.003+08:00

The HIV/AIDS picture in the country is dismal -- five Filipinos get infected with HIV every day, and three Filipinos die from full-blown AIDS every week. Along with Bangladesh, we are the only Asian country where HIV/AIDS infections are growing. It has been on the downtrend in the rest of the world -- except n seven countries, the rest being in Africa.

Because of these, several lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations and allied groups have banded together to write an open letter to President Noynoy Aquino to serve as a wake-up call to this issue. I am giving space to their open letter, entitled "Dear Pnoy: Where is the political will to fight HIV and AIDS?"

"This week, the United Nations will gather more than forty heads of state and ministers in a High Level Meeting that would plot the next phase of the struggle to eliminate HIV and AIDS. The High Level Meeting marks the 30th year since the discovery of AIDS, and while there is cause for optimism due to a global decline in new infections and HIV-related deaths, the next roadmap cannot be premised on complacency or a backslide in political commitments. Now, more than ever, global leaders should commit more and scale up their actions to eliminate the epidemic and put an end to this protracted and costly fight.

"The Philippines has crucial stakes in this international effort. After all, it is one of only seven countries worldwide that is experiencing an alarming rise in HIV infection. It is likewise heavily reliant on foreign aid in its HIV and AIDS response, thus the outcome of the UN High Level Meeting would have implications on the country’s HIV and AIDS programs and services.

"Despite these important considerations, the Philippines scaled down its participation in the High Level Meeting. Where other countries chose to send their heads of state and high-ranking ministers who can commit to fight and lobby for a more effective global plan on HIV and AIDS, President Noynoy Aquino and his political alter egos, especially Health Secretary Enrique Ona, decided to skip the High Level Meeting. Also telling was the last- minute approval of the inclusion of civil-society organization (CSO) representation in the national delegation.

"This reflects a pattern of indifference and lack of political will on the part of the government on an issue that merits immediate action. The Aquino administration is clearly ignoring the gravity of the situation: the country is sitting on an HIV time bomb, and yet the government refuses to do anything.

"The spike in new infections should be enough to wake the government from its complacency: HIV may not have reached the general population yet, but it is moving towards that direction. Based on the targets that were set five years ago, the country has failed to stop HIV infection among Filipino men who have sex with men and transgenders from reaching epidemic level. Data shows that OFWs are no longer the drivers of the epidemic, but HIV infection is still rising among Filipino migrant workers. In the last two years, the Philippines has also seen a marked increase in infections among people who inject drugs. The National Capital Region (NCR) and other urban centers, especially Cebu, Davao, Batangas, and Baguio, are likewise breaching past epidemic targets that the country has actually committed to prevent.

"The DOH has warned that a 500% increase in HIV infection is likely to happen under the Aquino administration. This alarming increase is the message: inaction is no longer an option.

"The steps that the government should take to reverse the trend and prevent the explosion of an HIV epidemic are crystal-clear: it must increase support for programmes and services, especially evidence-based preventive interventions such as safer-sex education, condom use, and harm reduction; it must ensure sustainable HIV and STI treatment, care and support for Filipinos living with HIV; it must protect and promote the human rights of people living with HIV and of populations and communities that are vulnerable to the virus, especially men who have sex with men, transgenders, people who inject drugs, and sex workers; it must address the climate of stigma that is attached to the HIV epidemic, which has made it more difficult for effective HIV services to reach the affected populations and communities; and, it must scale up its political commitment to stop HIV and AIDS.

"We believe that the HIV epidemic in the Philippines can still be halted and reversed. But that cannot happen without the government rallying its political will and its resources behind the fight to eliminate HIV and AIDS.

Signed:

Action for Health Initiatives (ACHIEVE), Inc.
LADLAD Party List
National Federation of Filipino Living with HIV and AIDS (NaFFWA)
Pinoy Plus Association
Positive Action Foundation Philippines, Inc. (PAFPI)
S.H.I.N.E. SOCCSKSARGEN, Inc.
TLF SHARE Collective
Youth AIDS Filipinas Alliance, Inc. (YAFA)

Rich woman, poor woman

2011-02-27T13:50:00.003+08:00

Rich Woman, Poor Woman
By Danton Remoto
www.abs-cbnnews.com
Posted at 02/26/2011 1:14 AM | Updated as of 02/26/2011 7:22 PM

I was in high school when the great Armida Siguion Reyna portrayed the role of a lifetime – the wealthy woman who was the tormentor of the atsay (housemaid) played by, who else, but by the iconic Nora Aunor. Tita Midz was in her element, kicking the housemaid down the stairs and then using the atsay’s face to wipe the floor clean.

It was only a fortnight ago when I was surfing from channel to channel when I saw Gretchen Barretto playing a rich woman who attends a party. Loud and calling attention to herself (the role, not the actress), she brandished a piece of jewelry for all her similarly wealthy friends to ohhh and ahhh after.

Between these two poles – a time-frame of 30 years – lies our stereotypes of the rich, and the way movies and television portray them. All to a person, the rich are seen as ruthless, corrupt and number-one violators of human rights, whether in the hacienda, the factory, or the mansion in the gated village. Aside from being loud and boisterous, they are portrayed as crass members of the nouveaux riche (new rich).

And what are the stereotypes of the poor? They are always seen as short, dark-skinned and clumsy whether with their kitchen or bedside manners. Those inclined to sociology or cultural studies will go on a limb and see this as a throwback to the colonial regime, when the Spanish and the mestizos (the ancestors of today’s rich Filipinos) humiliated servants and flogged the indios who couldn’t pay their taxes.

But we are now in the 21st century, and what has changed in the landscape of class relations?

Well, the few rich Spanish mestizos are still there, but now the rich Chinoys (Chinese Filipinos) now outnumber them all. Just look at the society pages, especially the spread every Sunday. Not only do they monopolize the retail trade, as they have done for centuries, they are now into condominiums and property development – into land! Land used to be the main source of wealth of the Spanish mestizos, but now it has been parceled into small spaces for condominiums that cater to the new middle class.

And who are these new middle classes? The OFWs, for one. I have only seen a few films dealing with the OFWs that showed the complexity of their experience. Melodrama aside, I am sure the talented Filipino filmmakers can do something more? Dubai, Milan, Caregiver and In My Life are good starting points, but they’re so few. Where are the rest?

A new job in a new land with decent salaries is enough to open the eyes of Filipinos abroad to the possibility of hope. With two jobs, or even three, they save and slave for hours not to make ends meet, for now they do, but to earn enough for the small business back home, or the new vehicle for Totoy, or why not, that condo at Rockwell!

I am amused no end by stories of their new neighbors coming from my friends who live in the enclaves of the rich. In this ritzy cluster of condominiums, every Sunday the swimming pool is filled with tenants and visiting relatives of OFWs who have bought not one, but even two, units there. In their sandos and long shorts, they gleefully jump into the blue, sparkling waters, seemingly thumbing their noses at the old and not-so-old rich in their midst.

Or this family that bought a medium-sized house in a gated village, which forthwith proceeded to paint the bamboo paneling of the walls a hot pink. Like the former MMDA hotshot Bayani Fernando, they must have thought pink is the color of good health, as in the pink of health!

Or in humid Currimao, Ilocos Norte, where I stayed at Dr. Joven Cuanang’s lovely Sitio Remedios, my jaws dropped when I saw Mediterranean villas in the middle of rice fields! Who owns these yellow-painted villas, and why amidst the rice stalks? Well, they are owned by Ilocanas who now live in Italy and have saved enough to demolish the nipa hut and build a mansion with colors enough to stun the sun.

The OFW dream is the great equalizer, the phenomenon that will level the playing field in a country where the senoras use the faces of their housemaids to clean the floor, and where the so-called rich blabber about the size and hue of their Mikimoto pearls.

Let me end with a true story I got from the head of PR and advertising of a big agency in Kuala Lumpur. I was a research scholar there five years ago, and one of my Malaysian friends asked me if I knew __________ (name of Filipino actress). Not personally, I said, why do you ask?

It turned out that our actress landed a plum modeling job in KL to endorse a shampoo or soap, I don’t remember now. Upon arriving at the beautiful KL airport, she was dismayed to find out that she would only take a Toyota Altis from the airport to the hotel.

“Where’s my service BMW? Or my Benz?” she asked, her eyes widening, and said she would never set foot inside the “mere” Altis, even if it was new.

I just told my friend, “Well, perhaps, she thought she was still playing the role of a rich woman in the Philippines, stereotype and all. Or maybe,” I added, I’m sure with a wicked gleam in my eye, “she’s just showing you how nouveaux riche she really is.”

Comments are welcome at danton_ph@yahoo.com

The passages of love

2011-02-14T13:27:00.002+08:00

By Danton Remoto
Lodestar
Philippine Star
February 14, 2011

It’s Valentine’s Day and I know many singles who like to mingle, and they’re now frantically looking for a partner they can display on D-Day. Some of them ask me what gifts would turn on their potential lovers. Junk chocolates and roses, I tell them wryly, and give a book to your object of affection.

I recommend The Spirit of Loving for this most ilusyonada of days. The book is a compilation of reflections on love and relationships by writers, psycho-therapists, and spiritual teachers. Emily Hilburn Sell edited this book, which comes from the imprint of Shambala, which has a long backlist of lovely spiritual titles.

I like this book because it isn’t a silly compendium of words that you could find in a typical greeting card. It has philosophers like Plato and Martin Buber, novelists like Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf, even writers who were once called pornographers, like Anais Nin, D.H. Lawrence, and James Joyce.

And it has the great poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who sets the tone for the collection with these words: “For one human being to love another human being, that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.”

For love, indeed, is not just a welter of feelings, or a rush of desire. When the fires have cooled down and only the embers remain, what then? There should be a deep attachment to the other, while at the same time an expansion of the self. There should be deeper intimacy, but beyond all these, there should be spiritual growth between the lovers.

Listen to Plato: “Love seems to me . . . A divinity the most beautiful and the best of all, and the author to all others of the excellencies with which his own nature is endowed. Nor can I restrain the poetic enthusiasm which takes possession of my discourse, and bids me declare that Love is the divinity who creates peace among men and calm upon the sea, the windless silence of storms, repose and sleep in sadness, and fills our vacant hearts with overflowing sympathy. He gathers us together in such social meetings as we now delight to celebrate, our guardian and our guide in dances, and sacrifices, and feast.”

From solitude to the soul — this seems to be the direction that love takes. When you love another person, one world ends, and another one begins. “Driven by the forces of love,” writes the Jesuit philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “the fragments of the world seek each other so that the world may come into being.” Or as an early Greek myth puts it: “Eros, the god of love, emerged to create the earth. Before, all was silent, bare, and motionless. Now all was life, joy, and motion.”

But face it: love isn’t easy. As M. Scott Peck wrote in the now-iconic book The Road Less Travelled: “Love is not effortless. On the contrary, love is effortful.” When you are in love, you seem to have been trapped in a moist pit of melancholy. All your days begin and end with thoughts of the beloved. You only spin around the galaxy of him or her whom you love. The Dominican scholar Meister Eckhart said: “And so, too, I speak of love: he who is held by it is held by the strongest of bonds, yet the stress is pleasant. Moreover, he can sweetly bear all that happens to him. When one has found this bond, he looks for no other.”

Yes, but how does one survive the valleys and hills of relationships? One way is to look at love the way the Zen practitioners would: as a moment to be savored to its fullest. If you have loved once, you have loved forever. As Rollo May said: “To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive — to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before.”

I know some people whose eyebrows would rise three inches up their Botoxed foreheads when I begin talking about love and intimacy in non-sexual terms. Well, let me confound them further by saying that I believe in the mystic’s view that “the divine is the only satisfying lover, the only true soul mate.”

But who said that soul mates can’t have fun, too? Havelock Ellis puts it best for me: “Lovers in their play — when they have been liberated from the traditions that bound them to the trivial or the gross conception of play in love — are thus moving amongst the highest human activities, like of the body and the soul. They are passing to each other the sacramental chalice of that wine which imparts the deepest form of joy that men and women know. They are subtly weaving the invisible cord that bind husband and wife (or lovers) to each other together more truly and more firmly than the priest of any church. And in the end — as may or may not be — they attain the climax of free and complete union, then their human play has become one with that divine play of creation in which old poets fabled that, out of the dust of the ground and in his own image, some God of Chaos created man.”

In short, he parallels lovers’ glorious climax to the divine creation of the first man. Hmmmm. Let me end these passages of love with brief words from Rilke like the quick, clear strokes of calligraphy: “Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect, and touch, and greet each other.”

The 200 M check: the smoking gun in Garcia plunder case

2011-01-27T00:09:00.001+08:00

By Ellen Tordesillas
Tuesday, January 25. 2011
Malaya Business Insight

If the general public was appalled by the plea bargain agreement struck by Maj. Gen. (ret.) Carlos Garcia and the Office of the Ombudsman , one can just imagine how it was with Heidi Mendoza, the government auditor who was the lone prosecution witness who gave documentary evidence in the plunder case against the former military comptroller.

Mendoza, who withstood all kinds of pressure while she was investigating the Garcia plunder case, said it was so painful to hear and read government prosecutors say that the reason they had to accept Garcia’s offer for plea bargain was because the evidence was weak.

She said that’s what everybody was telling her and her team when they were conducting their investigation. Garcia was a smart guy, there was no paper trail in the more than P300 million that he was accused of filching from government funds.

But God works in mysterious ways. Over the weekend, in an interview with some members of media, Mendoza relates that moment when she found the P200 million check signed by Garcia amidst a pile of documents in the storage room of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

How that P200 million, part of the fund from the United Nations for the Filipino peacekeepers, was funneled into Garcia’s personal accounts is a tale of connivance not only among government officials but also with the bank officials. There are even talks of romantic liaisons.

The fake accounts, the irregular transactions could not have been done without the cooperation of high officials of the bank. In the case of the P200 million, it was the United Coconut Planters Bank, where government is represented by the Presidential Commission on Good Government.

The AFP Inter-agency Transfer Fund, for which this check was intended, does not exist, according to state auditors who probed the plunder case of ex-military comptroller Carlos Garcia. VERA Files
In the intervention filed by the Office of the Solicitor General to the plea bargain, it mentioned the name of Edith Bondoc, assistant vice president and branch head of UCPB, Alfaro branch where the mysterious transactions were conducted.

Bondoc, who we understand is now in Las Vegas and married to a former member of the Presidential Security Group during the time of President Cory Aquino, is not included in the plunder suit nor was she ever called to testify in the case.

Mendoza has a long list of frustrating incidents on the Garcia case. One of those was the withdrawal of authorization by her former boss, then COA Chairman Guillermo Carague. She was earlier warned that five of her bosses were under the pay of Garcia.

Media and the public also had been remiss. Mendoza recalled that the many times that she was at the witness stand at the Sandiganbayan hearings, “Not one of the media was there, not one of the so-called concerned citizens can be found, not one anti-corruption civil society was there to monitor the case.”

Shocked by the prospect of Garcia (he is now out on bail) getting away with plunder of money intended for soldiers, who lay down their lives for the country, civil society groups have pledged to support Mendoza.

Last week Mendoza resigned from her job. Asked why is she doing this, she recites the letter of the late Sen. Jose Diokno , from his prison cell, to his son Jose Manuel (Cel) Diokno :

Why be honest, when it pays to be dishonest?
Why fight for others when they won’t fight for you?
The answer, I think lies in what life means to you.
If life means having a good time, money, fame, power, security, then you don’t need principles;
All you need are techniques.
On the other hand, if happiness counts more than a good time,
Respect more than fame,
Right more than power and peace of soul more than security;
If death doesn’t end life but transforms it, then you must be true to yourself and to God and love the truth and justice and freedom - THAT ARE GOD’s OTHER NAMES

UN cites Pinoys for outstanding online volunteerism

2011-01-23T17:15:00.001+08:00

UN cites Pinoys for outstanding online volunteerism
01/22/2011 | 04:45 PM
www.gmanews.tv

A Filipino graphic artist and a medical technologist are among the winners of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program’s “Online Volunteering Award 2010," the Philippine Mission to the UN disclosed over the weekend.

Professor Edwin Cuenco and Edith Marie Garingalao were cited for their outstanding contributions to peace and development, and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through the internet.

"The Germany based UNV said Cuenco provided pro bono graphic design services to various NGOs, including the Association Against Women Export (AAWE)," the Mission said in a news release on its website.

Cuenco, an award-winning graphic designer who teaches graphic design at the Arkansas Tech University, developed promotional materials that “strengthened AAWE’s capacities to advocate against human trafficking and contributed to raising funds for the organization’s women empowerment projects in Edo State, Nigeria."

His volunteer work focused on MDG goal 3, which is to promote gender equality and empower women.

“Online volunteering completely changed my life... I volunteer online because it is my civic and moral duty. I have learned that if we do not help each other nothing will ever be sustainable," Cuence said in the release.

“This makes me feel good as I do remember growing up in poor and indigent surroundings. Since then I swore that I would give back in any way I could. As I enjoy my online volunteer experience, I plan to keep on helping to the extent that I am able for my entire life," he added.

On the other hand, Garingalao, a medical technology professional, was part of the Kitega Community Center (KCC) team which identified possible health service models and assessed their relevance for Kitega, a small rural town in Uganda.

The teams’ contributions focused on MDGs 4 to 6, which are to reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; and combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

“I was in Uganda in 2002 and saw first-hand how the people there tend to cope especially in terms of health issues. When this project was offered, I thought it would be great to share what I know to help the people and also learn from their traditional understanding of such issues." Garingalao said.

A jury of experts in volunteerism and development cooperation, including UNV representatives from country offices and headquarters, chose the winners based on their commitment and contributions, the results of their collaboration, and their impact on the activities of the non-profit development organizations they supported.

Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Libran Cabactulan said the recent recognition demonstrated the ability of Filipinos to contribute to development beyond the Philippines through their experience, expertise and knowledge of information and communications technology.

He said the passion and creativity of Filipinos can be tapped to help move many development organizations – both within and outside the Philippines - towards accomplishing their goals and, consequently, in achieving MDGs.

In a statement, UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri emphasized volunteers’ important role in achieving the MDGs.

“We can meet the goals, but only if we complement essential government action with the engagement of millions of people through volunteer action," she said.

The Mission noted that, every year, more than 9,000 online volunteers engage in non-profit development organization work through the UNV Online Volunteering service, which has entered its 10th year. — TJD/JA, GMANews.TV

Philippine poetry in an unlikely place

2011-01-19T17:22:00.002+08:00

Philippine poetry in an unlikely place
CARMELA G. LAPEÑA, GMANews.TV
01/18/2011 | 11:19 AM

Share Although the Philippine International Arts Festival is scheduled for February, the first month of the year has already been filled with events for the artistically inclined.

On January 8 at the Greenbelt 5 Gallery, Palanca Hall of Famer Alfred "Krip" Yuson led a star-studded poetry reading featuring Ed Maranan, Enchong Dee, Cesare Syjuco, Maxine Syjuco, Trix Syjuco, Myrza Sison, Danton Remoto, Enrico Subido Juaniyo Arcellana, Reggie Belmonte, Leandro Leviste, Raymond Ang, Ronald Regis, Audrey Carpio, and Igan D' Bayan. Also featured were Karen Davila and Derek Ramsay, who as it turns out has been writing poetry since he was a child.

The event was en grande, as Krip Yuson (GMANews.TV editor-at-large) had warned me. And why not, since it was a celebration of the Philippine Star's 25th anniversary. But attending a poetry reading in the middle of a mall had a certain dissonance to it. My feelings on a mall as a venue for poetry reading were similar to my qualms with mass being celebrated amid shops. If Jesus drove the market away from the church, why are they bringing the church to the market?

Poetry, like holy mass, is sacred. There's a reason that poetry is a less popular genre as compared to fiction, which a lot more people prefer. Of course, even more people would choose non-fiction - thus the largely successful self-help section. There isn't much science to it, it's as simple as poetry is delicate - every pause is important, no punctuation mark is accidental. Poetry needs to be heard. It deserves undivided attention, and that may be why it's seen as inaccessible. I wonder though, if it's such a good idea to put a poetry reading in the middle of a crowded place, where the echo is such that much of the poems being read disappear in the din.

On the other hand, as I arrived, Karen Davila was telling a reporter that "it's a noble cause, mainstreaming Filipino poetry." I agree, just as Instituto Cervantes' "Berso sa Metro" is an admirable project with the same noble cause. The difference, however, is that poetry reading is a performance while the poems of "Berso sa Metro" are static and can be read at will, on the commuter's own time, whether or not there is noise around.

Perhaps it's also a case of being used to poetry readings held in bars and cafes, like the PIAF NCCA Poetry Night at Tomato Bomb in Quezon City, where poets from four poetry groups converged. Regulars of Joel Toledo's Happy Mondays (now a nomad group since Magnet Cafe closed last year), Open Spoken, Bigkas Pilipinas and Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA) all trooped to the event, which featured performances by Johnoy Danao and Diwa De Leon as well as the staple poetry reading.

Young actor Enchong Dee read works by Eman Lacaba and Eric Gamalinda.
There's also a steady noise level at bars and cafes, but unlike a mall, most of the people present attend intentionally, and are a bit more respectful of whoever holds the microphone. In Greenbelt 5, you could hardly tell between the guests and those who just happened to pass by.

That could be both good and bad; after all, if a spark was lit in someone who just happened to pass by, then the event did, indeed, bring poetry to the masses. That is, if the masses can be found among the Saturday afternoon clientele of Greenbelt 5.

Curiously enough, a table set up by the event's main sponsor National Bookstore offered a selection of poetry books, though none were local.

Some people in the audience were evidently drawn not by the prospect of poetry, but by the opportunity to see famous personalities up close. Still, there were those who seemed to be sincerely savoring the words, nodding and clapping in appreciation. Danton Remoto's performance of his own love poems was very popular, despite or perhaps because of their PG-13 nature, as was Maxine Syjuco's performance of her own poems from her book "A Secret Life," although it may have been the distractingly dazzling whiteness of her skin and her outfit.

Davila read works by National Artist Edith Tiempo, while Ramsay read the poem "Don't Stand at My Grave and Weep" from the MMFF wallflower "Rosario." Star athlete Enchong Dee read works by Eman Lacaba and Eric Gamalinda, and Summit Media's Myrza Sison, herself a Palanca awardee for her fiction, read poetry by her sister, Andrea Sison. Regina Belmonta read work by half-Filipino Aimee Nezhukumataphil, and Raymond Ang read Mikael Co's "As Courage to Camus."

Trix Syjuco had all eyes on her as she performed a piece from a dark period in her life. The audience seemed to be enthralled, if not by the poetry, by the free doughnuts and coffee. All in all it was indeed a grand event, and a pleasant diversion for the mall-going crowd.

The poetry reading with Krip Yuson is the first in a series of literary events presented by The Star and National Book Store. On January 22 at NBS Glorietta 5, Jessica Zafra and the Star's top writers discuss favorite books. On January 29 at NBS Edsa Shangri-La Plaza, Jose “Butch" Dalisay talks on “The Writing Profession: How Writers Can Improve their Craft and Earn a Living." - GMANews.TV

Photos by JB Eudela

A poetry reading unlike any other

2011-01-19T12:49:00.003+08:00

Photo by Joey Samson

BY Krip Yuson
Philippine Star
17 January 2011

It was a reading like no other I’ve experienced. For one, it took place at the very heart of a posh shopping mall, the activity center called the Gallery on the second floor of Greenbelt 5 in Makati.

The celebration of The Philippine STAR’s 25th anniversary this year came off with a bang with the first of a full month’s series of literary activities involving the Lifestyle section’s writer-editors and regular contributing columnists — as conceived and spearheaded by Lifestyle Editor Millet Mananquil.

For January, the focus will be on Literature, with National Book store as a partner. The first Saturday was given over to a grand Poetry Reading, the conduct of which I was tasked to oversee, as well as emcee.

Millet and I initially came up with a roster of readers that numbered a full dozen — headed by full-fledged poets who also served as Star columnists: Juaniyo Arcellana, Ed Maranan, and Danton Remoto. Also asked to participate in the breakout activity were fiction writer Myrza Sison and young columnists Audrey Carpio, Raymond Ang, Regina Belmonte, Enrico Subido and Leandro Leviste.

Trix Syjuco: Superb performance Millet also invited guest and celebrity readers — a move that turned out to guarantee an even more lively and entertaining program.

The “reinforcements” all proved scintillating, especially since each one was a proven entertainer. I asked everyone to stick to poems by Filipino poets, if not their own, whether in English or Filipino. And that we avoid any angst-ridden verse, since we were just starting out the year, thus should ideally entertain the audience by way of sharing poems of good cheer and hope, or prideful ones of family and country. Oh, love poems would be acceptable, as long as they didn’t end in lugubrious fashion.

Some of the readers asked for a selection of poems they could pick from; others chose what they were familiar with — of Philippine poetry.

Raymond Ang, my former A-plus student in an Ateneo fiction class, former Guidon editor, and now assistant editor of the STAR’s Supreme section, broke the ice by reading the works of his fellow Ateneans, both Palanca prizewinning poets: Mikael Co’s “As Courage, to Camus” and Mookie Katigbak’s “Pop Music.”

Karen Davila: Beauty and brains Next to take the mic was the statuesque, glamorous Myrza Sison, editorial director of Summit Media and editor-in-chief of the websites Spot.ph and Femalenetwork.com. She read a poem by her sister Skakira Andrea Sison, a Poetry fellow at the1999 UP National Writers Workshop in Davao. Myrza herself was a Fiction fellow at the 2004 National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete. In 2006 she won a Palanca 2nd Prize for the Short Story.

I next called on the Young Star columnist Leandro Leviste, who had just returned from Myanmar with his mother Sen. Loren Legarda. Of the poems I e-mailed him, he chose to read “Stone, Papyrus, Clay” by my former student Johanna Carissa Fernandez. Lean said its environmentalist theme appealed to him.

Then the first of the guest readers, meaning non-Star writers, was called to the mic. And what a sight to behold was Maxine Syjuco, all in white and short shorts. The young poet and ever-enthralling multi-media visual artist read from her own first book of poetry, A Secret Life. For some secret reason, I had to call on my buddy, the incomparable writer and visual artist Igan D’Bayan, to do the honors in introducing Maxine.

Champion swimmer and heartthrob entertainer Enchong Dee followed, eliciting squeals from young fans who had surged close to the stage. Enchong chose to read translations into Filipino of poems by Emmanuel Lacaba and Eric Gamalinda.

Another attractive young writer, Regina Belmonte, did an excellent rendition of a sea poem by the distinguished Fil-Am poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil, titlled “Coco Cay.” Its closing lines read: “Tiny red seahorses glide in/ & out of the coral shrubs./ I want one to curl/ its ribbed tail around/ my finger, a mermaid’s ring./ The next time I press my hand/ on my lover, he would feel/ the gallop. The cavalry is here./ Every neigh & wild whip of hair.”

Also a fine pop singer and budding photographer, the 23-year-old Regina writes a STAR column while also serving as the assistant beauty editor of Cosmopolitan Philippines.

STAR fixture, national desk editor, columnist, poet and author Juaniyo Arcellana read two of his own takes on the urban quotidian, celebrating the distinct virtues of the districts Quiapo and Sta. Ana. We announced that our compadre Juaning has a third book coming out soon.

Enchong Dee: Making a splash with words Next up was the winsome and willowy Audrey Carpio, who has been writing for the STAR since 1999 and is an assistant editor of the YStyle section. She chose to read a poem each by the UST poets Ramil Digal Gulle and the recently departed, much-lamented Ophelia A. Dimalanta.

Danton Remoto had everyone in titters over his first poem, and may have shocked a couple of grandmothers in the audience with his second. But trust the former Ateneo literature professor to get away with scandalous verse, what with his A-plus charm.

Treat after treat regaled the audience, with the flow quickening with outstanding performances that presented fresh aspects of the spoken word.

My TV talk show co-host (on GNN Channel’s arts & culture program Illuminati) Trix Syjuco pulled off a performance that had everyone craning necks to see what she’d do next, until she melted into and past the crowd.

A page poet in her own right, Trix creates complex multi-media works where she is all of writer, conceptualist, director, performer/actress, video editor, sound and installation artist. She recently represented Luzon and Metro Manila in the 2010 Visayas Biennale hosted by Cebu City, with her works also soon to be remounted in Bacolod City.

A fitting follow-up was Enrico Subido’s rap number, which drew such hearty cheers and applause, such has rap become a mainstay of pop culture. When Enrico, a four-time Palanca first-prize winner for the Kabataan Essay, oh-so-politely asked by e-mail if he could rap instead of read poetry, I said “Of course, that’s even better ’cuz you recite it.”

Cerebral chic: Reggie Belmonte and Myrza Sison The last five readers shared tons of gravitas. Palanca-prize record holder Ed Maranan, also a Star columnist, got back to Manila that very day, after his flight back from a Batanes sojourn had been canceled the previous day. Of course he read his own poetry. And we can trust this traveler and place reveler to come up with poems on the Ivatans soon.

Television broadcast anchor and icon Karen Davila, whom we briefly introduced as a beauty-and-brains exemplar, selected a lyric poem by UP Centennial poetry winner Marte Abueg for her first number. Her second, fattening my own heart, was National Artist for Literature Edith L. Tiempo’s classic poem “Bonsai.” Seeing the words scrolling up on a Plasma screen, I made sure to take photos to send to Mom Edith in Montemar, Sibulan.

Cesare A.X. Syjuco made it in time from attendance at Baby Orosa’s book launch at Instituto Cervantes. The acclaimed multi-media artist, musician, poet and art critic rendered two pieces, one while accompanying himself with a harmonica, from his soon-to-be-released 15-track CD album and book set of his avant-garde poetry and music titled “A Sudden Rush of Genius.”

The penultimate reader was a surprise participant. She had only meant to be a stage mom in accompanying her son Lean to the event. But she couldn’t say no to her good friend Millet when pressed into service. And that’s how Sen. Loren Legarda wound up joining us on stage.

Loren’s last-minute choice of poem proved astute: “Sestina” by Simeon Dumdum, Jr., which we had shared in this space recently as part of the poet’s keynote address at the PEN Conference held in Cebu City last month. It is dedicated to Mom Edith, and is also the culminating poem in Judge “Jun” Dumdum’s new book, “If I Write You This Poem, Will You Make It Fly?” (a book of birds and verse forms).

Last but not least, as they say, showbiz superstar Derek Ramsay was warmly welcomed by the crowd as soon as he was intro-ed by Millet. Derek acknowledged that he wrote poems while in high school (heard him whisper to a friend before he went up the stage that they were love poems), and proceeded to read the poem featured in the film Rosario by director Albert Martinez.

By 5 p.m. the most spontaneous, variegated, warmest, and best-received poetry reading I’ve joined in years came to pass. But there were photo ops a-plenty, and signing sessions with literary and showbiz groupies. Thanks to Krispy Kreme and Starbucks for their support, and to Miguel Ramos of National Book Store who set off the memorable reading with his opening remarks and intro to this monster of ceremonies, whose heart grew even fatter upon hearing of a remark from an oldtimer of a St. Scho English teacher —how she and her colleagues had enjoyed it to the full, and that there should be more of such literary events shared with an appreciative public.

From the 19th century to the LRT

2011-01-12T17:59:00.002+08:00

BOOK REVIEW
Writing Athwart: Adelina Gurrea’s Life and Works
By Beatriz Alvarez Tardio
Ateneo de Manila University Press

If you take the LRT-1 and LRT-2 trains, you will see the walls abloom with images and words from Spanish poems with Filipino translations, a pet project of Instituto Cervantes. Taking off from Poetry in the Tube of the London trains, this project has proved so successful that our National Book Development Board has done Tulaan 1 and 2as well, focusing on Filipino poets this time.

But one poet on the wall can claim both distinctions -- Spanish and Filipino poet -- with aplomb. She is Adelina Gurrea, represented in the gallery of Spanish poetry with a short, lyrical poem. But who was she, and why is she not even a footnote in our literary history?

This gap in her life and writing is filled by Beatriz Alvarez Tardio, who has just published Writing Athwart: Adelina Gurrea’s Life and Works, with a companion volume in Spanish titled La Escritura Entrecruzada de Adelina Gurrea. Funding for research and publication came from the Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation and the Ministry of Culture of the Spanish Government.

Like a detective looping together clues from many threads and gaps, Señorita Tardio has put together an important and charming account of the life and works of our forgotten writer. Maria Adelaida Gurrea Monasterio, better known as Adelina, was born on Sept. 27, 1896 in her family’s hacienda in La Carlota, Negros Occidental. Of Spanish and mestizo origins, she nevertheless retained a love for her land of birth, even when the family later returned to Spain in 1921 because her mother wanted to live in her own country. Then and now, the loyal daughter had to live with the mother, and so Adelina uprooted herself to be with her family.

She went to school at Santa Escolastica School in Manila, learnt English there, but continued to speak Spanish most of her life. With her playmates and her yaya she spoke Ilonggo. On the surface, the education is Western, but beneath that, she would later write vivid stories collected in Cuentos de Juana, memories of nights filled with magical stories from her yaya.

Thus, she was a Pinay even in Madrid. As Señorita Tardio puts it: "Adelina Guerra never ceased identifying herself as a Filipina, always longing for the land where she grew up and to which she dedicated most of her writings. The return to the Philippines, which she had left as a young girl, was postponed again and again. Through her prologues and poems, she expressed her desire to come back and be reintegrated in the place she called her native land. However, she could not leave Spain for many years. Hence, her nostalgia was so intense and her memories of her native land were so vivid."

Think of her as a woman of the last century who was of mixed race, a Creole, who wrote poems but had to use a male pseudonym "in order to avoid the prejudice against women," whose domains were then the kitchen and the sewing machine.

The early poems, of course, are redolent of traditional Spanish poetry, mawkish and sentimental. But in 1922 she began to write in a more vigorous tone, influenced by the rise of modernism in Europe and Anglo-American education in the Philippines. Her poem "The Impossible" reads like this: "I could, / Seeing myself in your eyes, / Make a song in poetry/ Or a photograph,/ A clear reality, / And it would be amiss. / But art is an obsessive dream;/ It seeks the intangible/ With desires of blue..."

And near the end of her life, she wrote a poem called "Twilight Path," which is included in her last collection called Mas senderos, She was about 70 years old when she wrote the poem, and you could almost hear the bells tolling in this brief but beautiful elegy.

"The pebble-less pathway/ Runs across the green country./ On this road my steps now stray;/ I am no longer on the true journey./ The brambles smothered/ The route of my white, winged horses;/ Hard flint gathered/ Beneath my weary courses./ Tomorrow: paths,/ Solitude in the streets,/ The end of the day,/ My wheels and the rocky ground,/ On which my feeble steps/ Dissipate into nothingness."

If the poems of Adelina Gurrea are such delicate constructions, her stories and essays are made of another stuff. The stories are sly and mischievous, the essays prescient.

The dedication in Juana’s Tales prove that she never forgot her native land. It goes this way: "To the memory of my father, who was a great lover of books as well as of his native land, I dedicate this book written with the scents of our country’s folklore."

The native land is Negros Occidental, with its stories of goblins and evil spirits, but used as mere props to convey insights into the country’s political, economic and especially social problems.

Obviously autobiographical, Juana is based on the woman who took care of the author and her brothers while they were growing up in La Carlota.

"Juana is an old woman, though not very old, of dark complexion, flat nose, small eyes and big mouth. The mere passage of time has blackened her teeth because of the betel chewing. As to her personality, Juana is daring and brave. Because of this as well as of her size, she has been given the nickname of Baltimore, after the huge battleship of the United States. She knows how to speak Spanish because she had serving the houses of the Spaniards for many years..."

Of such stuff are our childhood made, filled with stories that amused us, made us wonder and gape, and would never leave us, even if we have left behind La Carlota to go to our own Madrid, or London, or New York.

These are tales of marvelous beings culled from the popular culture and folklore of the country. This is the same source of delights for writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who was asked once about the origins of his amazing fiction. "My fiction? They came from the tales my grandmother told me when I was young. And the front pages of Colombian newspapers." Thus, magical realism, or la maravelloso real.

The marvelous real in Gurrea’s fiction include the tamao, the aswang, the kind but mischievous elf, the tic-tic, and the bagat, who can assume many different faces and forms, like some people running for public office in the forthcoming elections.

Gurrea is a shrewd observer of colonial politics, as shown in the way she describes Juana in the introduction: "Like any Filipino, she would listen to the commands and the detailed directions given to her with a gesture of complacency, as though she were to accomplish them meticulously, and later she would do whatever she felt like doing."

Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, the doyenne of Philippine history, has the same insight into our native leaders who served the Spanish officials. She said our grandfathers pretended to listen, smiled and nodded their heads as the Kastilas slashed the air with their sharp words. In the end, the Filipinos served -- but they did not follow.

And Señorita Tardio concurs with this observation. "This is another important aspect of Juana’s Tales. On a tranquil and even magical sea of events, lurks Adelina’s solid criticism of the colonial system. Her subtle criticism, like the Philippine silence, speaks of the sufferings by describing them as though in hushed tones. Such disposition formed her choice of the Malayan story and the times before the natives had to obey another man. In her introduction to Juana, Adelina says: ’In the moment for explanations, she would deliver her spiel in Visaya. Though sometimes, she was given a reply beyond pure words. Those were the things of colonization."

And in the story "Bad Luck," Jacinto is a native orphan who is a loyal and brave servant to the Guiztegui family, where he grows up. While serving as courier of the ransom money for the hostaged Guiztegui children, he fails to reach the place in time. The police attacks the hideout, and the bandits are forced to kill all the children.

Gurrea’s hand is firm in her introduction to this tale: "For the men to be productive, their discipline was tough, cruel, colonial, there. That is how the period and the customs were. The men were whipped, they were punished for the smallest reason. The natives endured such situation as something hopeless, though concealing inside a ferment that any morning would wake up the effervescence of rebelliousness."

And her essays? They were speeches delivered in Madrid and Manila, with the later ones marked by the scars of war and disappointment with American rule. She was unhappy with the state of the country when the Americans "gave" it independence while it was in ruins mostly caused by American bombs, without massive foreign assistance (like the Marshall Plan for Japan) and wracked by internal conflicts.

Her solutions: education starting with the very young, bilingual teaching (now being done), state support for education (still lacking), love of country (yet to happen). These solutions reverberate even now, 30 years after our Filipina-Española writer had left the shores of both the Philippines and Spain.

Fires

2011-01-08T20:18:00.005+08:00

This is the second and the last poem I read in today's reading. I hope the children in the crowd covered their ears with their hands. Thanks to my friend Karen Davila of ABS-CBN fpr this photo, which she put in her Twitter account. Other twitter messages called my poems "naughty" and "sexy. az in." Hmmmm. I just woke up the afternoon crowd because I didn't want them to think that poems always need to be serious. Or boring. ;-)

Fires

I don't know what it is about your fingers
that caress my skin with a touch
like breath warm and urgent in the lobes
of my ears.

I don't know what it is about your lips
that kiss my nose, my face, and nuzzle
my neck, awakening the pores of my skin,
leaving them humming.

I don't know what it is about your tongue
that slides sinuously down my body, waking up
nipples from their deep sleep, making the navel
pout with envy as your lips reach the silk of my thighs.

I don't know what it is about your voice
that begins as a whisper into my ear, turning
into grunts of delight as I light fires under your skin,
blossoming into moans as your mouth opens and your eyes close,

As I trace your jawline with my fingers and tell you how much
I love you.

My Five-Year-Old Nephew Talks to Me

2011-01-08T20:12:00.003+08:00

One of the poems I read at today's Philippine STAR and National Bookstore poetry readings. I wrote a draft of this poem ten years ago but lost it. This morning, it all came back to me the moment I woke up from my sleep, and wrote it down for today's reading.

My Five-Year-Old Nephew Talks to Me

Uncle, uncle, what happened to you?
Why do you have a smile as sticky as glue?

Then sometimes, my uncle, your smile is gone
Like the parts of my toy gun that came undone.

Some days you pass like a breeze in the house,
your feet floating above the cat and the mouse.

Then sometimes your face darkens like a cloud,
you are so silent, and your door is locked.

But one morning you went home with marks
on your neck -- small, red marks

That made my eyes widen
and so I asked Yaya Mirren

To spray Baygon in your room
so the mosquito that made your neck bloom

Into this red and sorry sight
will no longer bite you -- ferociously -- at night.

STAR, NBS present poetry reading session

2011-01-08T20:04:00.001+08:00

STAR, National Book Store present poetry reading session today
By Millet M. Mananquil (The Philippine Star) Updated January 08, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine STAR launches its 25th year celebration today by focusing on the power and luster of the written word. Well, make that the spoken word.

For today, a poetry reading session will be presented by The Philippine STAR Lifestyle Section and National Book Store at Greenbelt 5’s second floor Gallery at 3 p.m., led by literary icon and word wizard Alfred “Krip” Yuson.

Joining him in an afternoon that will mix divine magic with sublime charm are Karen Davila, Derek Ramsay, Enchong Dee, Cesare Syjuco, Maxine Syjuco, Trix Syjuco, Myrza Sison, Juaniyo Arcellana, Reggie Belmonte, Leandro Leviste, Raymond Ang, Ronald Regis, Audrey Carpio, Enrico Subido, Danton Remoto and, last but not least, the venerable Ed Maranan – stalwarts all, in literature and media. Starbucks and Krispy Kreme will provide hot brew and sweet potence.

Described as “a passive-aggressive beerhouse rhetoricean extraordinaire,” Krip Yuson has authored 24 (and counting) books including novels, poetry, fiction, essays, children’s stories, plays, biographies and coffee table publications. This Palanca Hall of Famer is a founding member of the Manila Critics Circle, served as chairman of the Writers Union of the Philippines and teaches poetry and fiction at Ateneo University where he held the Henry Lee Irwin Professorial Chair.

“When Krip writes about life and literature, topics that for the man deserve a shot or 10 of his fave super malt whiskey from Scotland or Japan, he does so with equal parts candor and mordant humor. He is the baddest wizard of them all,” says artist-writer-provocateur Igan D’Bayan.

Karen Davila is Philippine television’s award-winning beauty and brains, while Derek Ramsay is Philippine cinema’s award-winning brawn and brains.

ABS-CBN newscaster Davila will broadcast an interpretation of works by National Artist Edith Tiempo. Swatch endorser Ramsay – who has been an avid poet even as a child – will recapture the Filipino indio’s valor in the face of oppression by reciting the poem “Don’t Stand at My Grave and Weep” from Rosario, the movie directed by Albert Martinez based on a true story by Manny V. Pangilinan, which made moviegoers weep.

Hot, hot actor Enchong Dee, who has reaped 500 medals in swimming as De La Salle University’s celebrated athlete and the country’s pride in international Olympics, shows how he can make a splash with words as well. Enchong will interpret works by poet, guerrilla warrior and martyr Eman Lacaba and award-winning poet-fictionist-essayist Eric Gamalinda.

The Greenbelt 5 audience will be in for a rare treat as the legendary multi-media icon Cesare A.X. Syjuco and his extremely talented daughters Maxine and Trix render performances showcasing a family’s phenomenal genius as artists, poets and musicians.

Runway mannequin-turned-lifestyle journalist Myrza Sison will match the sharpness of her stilettos with poetry coutured by her sister Shakira Andrea Sison. Myrza, the only fashion model who is also a Palanca awardee in fiction, is editorial director of Summit Media and editor in chief of websites Spot.ph and Femalenetwork.com.

Juaniyo Arcellana, desk editor of STAR, is also an essayist, poet and fictionist. He will recite his own works entitled “Dialogue in Dog Minor” and “Plaza Calderon.”

Reggie Belmonte, Young Star’s beauteous editor at large, is also assistant beauty editor of Cosmopolitan Philippines. This rocker takes a break from polishing her nails with black lace and other such creative and edgy stuff by rendering an interpretation of a poem by Aimee Nezhukumataphil, a poet whose mother is Filipino and whose father is American Indian.

Leandro Leviste, a prodigy who loves writing about international politics and history more than anything else, comes fresh from his trip to Myanmar with his mother, Sen. Loren Legarda, for a visit with newly freed prisoner, democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi. Leviste has just been accepted at Harvard University

Raymond Ang, assistant editor of Supreme, says he is at that point in the Buffy finale when Dawn asks the Slayer: “What now?” A recent graduate of Ateneo University where he was editor in chief of the 81-year-old student paper The Guidon, Raymond adds that he currently spends time contemplating life plans in the limbo that is “finding yourself.” Raymond will read “As Courage to Camus,” a poem by Mikael Co about learning to live with yourself.

Ronald Regis, one of the 10 winners of the 2010 Philippine STAR Lifestyle Journalism Awards, is a hip rocker, a full-time professional poker player and standup comedian. He will recite his own creation, a poem which finally breaks his long self-imposed silence.

Audrey Carpio, assistant editor of The STAR’s Ystyle, will read Ophelia Dimalanta’s “Finder Loser” and Ramil Gulle’s “Poetry.” After a stint in New York where she studied at Columbia University under the guy who wrote the book-turned-movie Blow starring Johnny Depp, she ended up working for an advertising award show. Before she completely lost her soul, she decided to come back home to become an editor at Metro Magazine and return to STAR where she started writing in 1999.

Enrico Subido, who at 25 is a four-time Palanca awardee, will do a rap number written by himself, matching the cadence of his words with the beat of his guitar. Will Enrico also dance? If no one stops him.

Danton Remoto, an Ateneo University teacher for 20 years, is now communications officer at the United Nations Development Programme. Renowned as a gay rights activist, Danton will recite a poem straight from his pen and heart.

Ed Maranan is a poet, essayist, fictionist, playwright, author of children’s books and translator who has reaped too many literary awards to mention here. He taught political science at UP before serving as press attaché of the Philippine embassy in London. He is flying from stormy Batanes today to whip up a poetic storm in Greenbelt 5.

Today’s poetry reading is the first in a series of literary events presented by The STAR and National Book Store (NBS) this January. On Jan. 15 at NBS Rockwell Power Plant is a lecture-discussion by F. Sionil Jose on “Filipino Writers Today: How Relevant Are They” with STAR editor in chief Isaac Belmonte and executive editor Amy Pamintuan leading the panelists. On Jan. 22 at NBS Glorietta 5, Jessica Zafra discusses Favorite Books along with the STAR’s top writers. On Jan. 29 at NBS Edsa Shangri-La Plaza, Jose “Butch” Dalisay talks on “The Writing Profession: How Writers Can Improve their Craft and Earn a Living.”

Love and EDSA

2011-01-06T17:55:00.005+08:00

I am working at UNDP Philippines again, and go to work via EDSA every day. The traffic I had learnt to take in stride. I sleep, or spend my commuting time reading the billboards.

One small, black-and-white billboard had Maricar Reyes talking about diamonds. Beautiful and wide-eyed, below her face runs the test: "Because I take love seriously."

A few hundred meters away is the big, black-and-white billboard of Hayden Kho. No longer naked but covered in expensive, white winter wear, Hayden is promoting his perfume made in Paris.

When a female friend sent me the alleged sex video of Maricar and Hayden, I only watched it for a few minutes. The couple was making love, not having sex. I could not bear to pry into the privacy of two lovers sensuously kissing each other's faces and lips and bodies. They were fully naked, but it was not porn. It was erotica.

Her billboard upheld the importance of being seriously in love.

His billboard said a stink can be pushed at bay by a spritz of perfume.

Their images are done in black and white because it is classic, and they wear white because it is prim and pure. Whether their respective enterprises prosper I do not know. But they certainly know how to evoke the power of colors, of words, of images -- especially on an avenue choked black by diesel fumes.

Film review of Rosario: Love's many faces

2010-12-29T14:55:00.004+08:00

Film Review: Rosario
Love's many faces
By Danton Remoto (The Philippine Star) Updated December 29, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (1)

MANILA, Philippines - I remember those days when one went to the Metro Manila Film Festival to see the likes of Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Marilou Diaz Abaya, Celso Ad. Castillo, and Mike de Leon compete for the December prizes with their amazing films.

It’s in this spirit that I went to watch the film fest on its first day, and I chose Rosario, the first film offering of CineMabuhay and Studio 5. I was not disappointed.

Duty and love are the twin poles that Rosario (Jennylyn Mercado) had to contend with in 1920s Philippines. Back from studies in New York and stuck in a tobacco hacienda in Isabela, she meets her match in the bright but poor Vicente (Yul Servo), the administrator of their vast estate.

Duty and love are also the twin poles confronting Vicente, who was sent to school by Rosario’s parents. Bright thought he may be, he will always be at the bidding of Rosario’s feudal father (Philip Salvador). The mansion and the opulent dinner, the hectare upon hectare of land are shown. Subtly, these vast wealth is possible because it sits on the backs of the poor, the ragged farm workers — and their children and children’s children — who will be servants of the landowners.

While having dinner with American administrators, the feisty Vicente recites a Spanish poem about a parakeet, this beautiful bird, in its golden cage. The Americans walk out of the dinner table, and Rosario’s estimation of Vicente grows. He lends her a book of poems in Spanish, and in turn she lends him a book of poems in English. Then she asks him, “What is your favorite poem?”

He answers, The Road Not Taken. This now-classic poem by Robert Frost, this poem about taking “the road less travelled by” seals their fates.

For schooled in New York (it must be a music school, but we are not told) and wizened to the ways of the modern world, would Rosario choose a rich but weak man? Would she really settle down to the boring and cloistered life in the vast estate?

But their love is doomed, Vicente is tortured, Rosario is sent to the nunnery. She flees, elopes with Vicente and they leave behind the hacienda, to live in the new world.

It’s a world of work, where people sit behind desks from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in an insurance company called Shimon & Schuster Insurance Company (complete with the S & S publishing logo in NY) to receive their just wages and not some entitlement from the harvest of the land. It’s a world of work where women are equal to men, in both their lives, their loves, their lusts.

However, the hardworking Vicente falls ill to the sickness of the times — tuberculosis — and Rosario is seduced by her cousin’s boyfriend (Dennis Trillo). What I love about this film, among others, is the camera. Carlo Mendoza's cinematography shows the candle-like fingers of Rosario caressing the back of her ailing husband while giving him a bath. The camera later shows the car of Dennis stuck in the rain, steaming and steaming. He is wet from the rain, his shirt is unbuttoned, and inside the closed car sits Rosario, torn again between duty and lust.

Sent into destierro (exile) in Hong Kong by the court after they were convicted of adultery, Rosario and Vicente suffer. Because this film is framed by the narration of Rosario’s son, Jesus (Dolphy), the life in Hong Kong is just told. They must have suffered, but how? A shot or two showing us what they did for a living would have convinced us that an insurance salesman and a disinherited woman did indeed suffer in HK.

From hacienda to entresuelo is the distance that Rosario’s life travels. Upon returning to the Philippines, they wander from town to town, in a subtle allusion to the pariahs of society who have to shuttle from place to place, unwanted. They settle in lowlife Manila, with the grasping landlord played with wicked glee by Ricky Davao and his sensitive and kind nephew, Carding (Sid Lucero).

Music binds this film together like a thread. Rosario plays on the piano, painfully showing a refined and sensitive woman like a beautiful bird caged by her fate. Rosario’s daughter and namesake (played by Empress Schuck) is renamed Soledad, and in her solitude the daughter plays Lizst’s Lebenstraum in a concert. If life, indeed, is a dream, Rosario must have surmised, watching her daughter play with such intensity and fire, then why am I caught in this nightmare?

Life is the enemy, the film seems to say, and in the end Rosario had to choose between another love and a life alone. What is the punishment for the sins of lust and love?

Aside from the cinematography and the music, the production design by Joey Luna is faithful to the era — from gramophone to mansion to the office in Binondo. Director Alberto P. Martinez stitched the film together in an almost seamless way.

The ensemble acting is very good: Dolphy, Yul Servo, Chanda Romero, and Dennis Trillo stand out. Jennylyn Mercado has a face perfect for the role, and acquits herself well in her role. Her last scene with Carding (Sid Lucero) alone is worth the price of admission. Look at the eyes of love, the bright and expectant eyes of Carding, the slight movement like a tick in his right jaw, before Rosario turns away, and the blade of sadness descends.

2010-12-23T13:33:00.002+08:00

December 22, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Person:

Clara Rita “Claire” A. Padilla, JD
Executive Director
EnGendeRights, Inc.
Telefax: (+632) 3762578
Mobile Landline: (+632) 6645696
Mobile: (+63)918-2182682
Email: engenderights@pldtdsl.net;
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Website: www.engenderights.org

Blog: http://clararitapadilla.blogspot.com

Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders Won Vote
in the UN General Assembly Resolution Protecting Against
Extrajudicial Executions Based on Sexual Orientation

Manila , December 21, 2010 – Yesterday, Tuesday, December 22, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trangenders (LGBTs) won the inclusion of a provision in a resolution on extrajudicial executions protecting them from extrajudicial executions based on sexual orientation at the United Nations General Assembly.

“This a very important resolution for LGBTs especially since there are countless extrajudicial executions made on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It is the only UN resolution to ever include an explicit reference to sexual orientation,” said Atty. Clara Rita Padilla, Executive Director of EnGendeRights.

Ninety-three States voted to include the reference to sexual orientation, 55 rejected the inclusion and 27 states abstained, including the Philippines.

Atty. Padilla added, “Despite our efforts in lobbying with the Philippine government, it is unfortunate that the Philippines ab stained in supporting the inclusion of such provision. I am personally dismayed. With the Philippines ’ ab stention, it is as if the Philippine government is making a pronouncement that it is fine for anyone to execute on the basis on one’s sexual orientation. Instead of ab staining, the Philippine government should have clearly supported the provision thereby sending a strong message that no extrajudicial executions should be done including on the basis of one’s sexual orientation. The Philippines should uphold universal human rights where all rights apply to everyone including if one is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The Philippine government also failed in its obligation to uphold equal protection of the rights of LGBTs. In this important resolution, the Philippine government failed to stand up for the rights of LGBTs not just in the Philippines but around the world.”

“The abstention of the Philippines is a step backwards from its previous support when it voted to include sexual orientation in the EJE resolution at UN GA in 2008. In the past years, there have been numerous reports of gay men being murdered in the Philippines without clear investigations and active prosecution being conducted leading to the perpetuation of the gay murders with impunity. The Philippines must perform its obligation to prevent, investigate and prosecute all killings including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,” Atty. Padilla concluded.

***

Copy furnished through email:
Amb. Lesbie B. Gatan
Asec. for UNIO
Dept. of Foreign Affairs, Philippines

Amb. Libran N. Cabactulan
Ambassador and Permanent Representative, New York
Philippine Mission, Geneva

Office of the Executive Secretary

Office of the Presidential Management Staff

Presidential Human Rights Committee

Office of the Press Secretary

Philippine Commission on Women

ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights – Philippine Representative

Commission on Human Rights

Response to TOFIL

2010-12-23T13:08:00.003+08:00

Dr. Isagani Cruz of the Manila Critics Circle is one of my good friends. Congratulations, Gani, for winning the TOFIL. I am reprinting his wise words on how writers shaped -- and gave a habitatin and a name -- to our country. Then and now, our writers are public intellectuals who never shirked from their roles as voices and commentators in our quotidian lives.

***

Response to TOFIL
MINI CRITIQUE By Isagani Cruz (The Philippine Star) Updated December 23, 2010 12:00

Here are excerpts from the response I prepared for the awarding ceremonies last Dec. 9 of The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL), which had the theme “Of Hopes and Heroes” (I have translated the Filipino portions into English):

Thank you very much for the great honor you gifted me with this Christmas season. I cannot possibly repay your kindness.

Please allow me to use my three minutes of fame to appeal for outstanding writing and outstanding reading.

You gave the TOFIL to Dionisio Salazar in 1994 for “Drama and Literature” and to Crispin Maslog in 1995 and Florangel Braid in 2007 for “Literature and Journalism.” You have always attached literature to another field. This is the first TOFIL you awarded solely for literature.

Although I am happy that I am the first awardee solely for literature, I am unhappy that this is apparently the first time you have acknowledged that there are many writers that have contributed to national development.

Why do I mention this? Because literature united and will unite the Philippines.

The Philippines is a country created by writers. The first natives to imagine the Philippines as a separate and free country – the first true Filipinos – were writers. The poet and novelist Jose Rizal, the poet Andres Bonifacio, the poet Marcelo del Pilar, the novelist Pedro Paterno, the essayist Apolinario Mabini – these were all writers, wrestling with words, using words as weapons against oppression, using their imagination instead of, or in addition to, their hands. They shaped our past. They shaped the present we are living in now. They are still shaping our own future.

They were our original heroes. They gave us hope, hope that we could be free from foreign domination, from our own weaknesses, from our own tendencies to be corrupt and to be greedy and to think only of ourselves and our families. They placed country above self and family. They showed us, through the example of their own lives and through their writings, what it means to be Filipino.

They were not the last Filipino writers to be heroes. Epifanio de los Santos was a poet. Claro M. Recto was a playwright. Diosdado Macapagal was a poet. Ninoy Aquino was a poet. And since the NDF is seriously talking peace, I should mention that Jose Ma. Sison is an internationally awarded poet. There are so many writers that have played major roles in the history of our country.

But there would not be heroic writers without heroic readers. Had they not read the writings of Rizal, Bonifacio, and our other heroes, Filipinos would not have fought against Spain, America, and Japan. Had they not taken to heart what our heroes wrote, they would not have stoked the fires of nationalism and revolution.

It is true that times have changed. We can no longer live by ourselves in the world. We can no longer treat foreigners and foreign countries as enemies. Media, television, and the Internet now rule the world, no longer books, poems, plays, stories, novels, and essays.

This is the reason I stand here before you tonight.

To read today is an act of heroism, an act of hope. It is an act of heroism because it means going against the tide. It is an act of hope because it means going for sustained thinking, rather than the compartmentalized, short-lived thrills that we get from reading a newspaper or a blog or a post in Facebook. It means sitting down and talking, not with flesh-and-blood persons around us or online, but with authors long dead but who used to be as flesh-and-blood as we are, who had all kinds of things to say about what it really means to be human.

Let me quote from my favorite Filipino poet, Balagtas, who wrote about people experiencing too much joy, just as I am experiencing tonight: “Dito naniuala ang batà cong loob / na sa mundo,i, ualang catoua-áng lubós, / sa minsang ligaya,i, talì nang casunód, / macapitóng lumbáy ó hangang matapos.

There is a natural law called regression towards the mean or the law of averages or “weather-weather.” Balagtas says that I should not be too happy tonight, although of course I have great reason to be. Similarly, the Bible, which is the greatest work of literature, says that “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

What I am trying to say is that this award makes me proud, yes, but it also humbles me, because I now have to live up to its name.

This award inspires me to continue ensuring that our authors furnish the public with words of wisdom and beauty, that readers inside and outside our country view us for what we really are – a race with remarkable literary achievements second to none in the world.

Since we cannot have good writers if we do not have good readers, my Christmas message to you is this: Give a Filipino book for Christmas.

My suggestion for your New Year’s resolution is this: Read a Filipino book.

Thank you, JCI Senate and Insular Life, for having chosen me for this award. Thank you for encouraging good writing and good reading.

Thank you to my family, my mentors, my students, my fellow writers, my readers, and my friends inside and outside of Facebook.

Pope's clarification reveals significance of condom statement

2010-11-25T16:06:00.000+08:00

For Immediate Release
23 November 2010
Media Contact:
David J. Nolan
+1 202 986 6093

Pope's Clarification Reveals Significance
of Condom Statement

Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement on the most recent news from the Vatican on condom use.

"The Vatican's acknowledgement that Pope Benedict's acceptance of condom use to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections relates to everybody shows how significant the pope's comments are.

"This morning, the Vatican's spokesperson, Rev. Federico Lombardi, said:

I personally asked the pope if there was a serious, important problem in the choice of the masculine over the feminine. He told me no. The problem is this ... It's the first step of taking responsibility, of taking into consideration the risk of the life of another with whom you have a relationship. This is if you're a woman, a man, or a transsexual. We're at the same point.

"Conservatives, who immediately raced into action to deny the significance of the pope's statement - after the text of the interview was published on Saturday - are left clutching at straws. Their attempts to contain condom use to male prostitutes are shown up for what they were - a sham. They have long sought to make the case that church teachings on these issues are unchanging and unchangeable. One can only hope that they will embrace this new position and advocate for condom use whenever necessary.

"Some people have criticized the glacial pace at which the Catholic hierarchy moves. Certainly, this acceptance of condom use is more than two decades too late. But it has now happened, and organizations that have been hesitant to provide condoms to those living with HIV and AIDS must move immediately to put this new teaching into action.

"The first step on any journey is always the hardest, but it is also the most important one because without it change is impossible."

UNAIDS welcomes Pope's statement on condoms

2010-11-24T18:18:00.003+08:00

PRESS STATEMENT

GENEVA, 20 November 2010—UNAIDS welcomes the reported statement of Pope Benedict XVI calling for “a humane way of living sexuality” and that the use of condoms are justified “in the intention of reducing the risk of HIV infection”.

“This is a significant and positive step forward taken by the Vatican today,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “This move recognizes that responsible sexual behaviour and the use of condoms have important roles in HIV prevention.”

UNAIDS has worked closely with the Vatican. In 2009, Mr Sidibé held far-reaching discussions with Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski on HIV prevention issues, including the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, protecting young people and reducing sexual violence against women and girls. “This will help accelerate the HIV prevention revolution, in promoting evidence-informed and human rights-based approaches to achieve universal access goals towards HIV prevention, treatment, care and support,” said Mr Sidibé. “Together we can build a world with zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.”

With more than 7,000 new HIV infections each day, UNAIDS advocates the use of a combination HIV prevention approach that utilizes all proven methods for HIV prevention including use of male and female condoms, choosing to have sex later, having fewer multiple partners, male circumcision, reducing stigma and discrimination, and the removal of punitive laws. The male latex condom is the single, most efficient, available technology to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

After May 10, 2010

2010-10-29T13:03:00.000+08:00

By Danton Remoto
Remote Control
www.abs-cbnnews.com
29 October 2010

After May 10,2010, when Ang Ladlad Party List ran on sheer adrenalin and campaigned for only three weeks –when the other party lists campaigned for three months – and lost, I quietly returned to part-time teaching. But let me tell you the odyssey of finding a part-time teaching job.

In all humility, I took the grammar and writing test in a State University so I could teach part-time in its Department of English and Comparative Literature. But after a month and no word came from its esteemed chairperson, I called her up and asked about my chances.

“Well, you passed the grammar and writing test!” she enthused, for which I thanked her. “But we don’t have a slot for you as a teacher.”

“I’m only applying for a part-time teaching position,” I said.

“Yes, we have no slots for full-time teachers.”

I repeated my answer and she repeated hers. Now, I do not know why some state universities have English Department chairpersons with nothing between their ears except dry wax.

Next, I sent my CV to a Catholic college where my cousin taught. My cousin said the dean, who was a priest, was so happy about my application for part-time teaching. But the chairperson sat on my papers.

“But why?” I asked my cousin.

“Because the good chairman thought that one day, you’ll take over his job.”

“But I only want to teach part-time!” I said.

“Not in his insecure mind.”

Next, I sent my CV to another Catholic university, one of whose top officials was a friend of mine. You see, in all my applications, I never went to the top honchos, although I knew some of them well. I sent my CV, took grammar and writing tests, and would have wanted to attend interview panels and give teaching demonstrations.

This time, the chairperson wanted me to teach, but the Vice-Rector did not, “because he said that your media exposure in Ang Ladlad might prove detrimental to the teaching pedadogy in the university.”

I wanted to laugh, the way I laughed when I received the decision of Comelec Commissioner Ferrer (Eucharistic Minister of the Church), Commissioner Yusuph (Imam from Marawi City), and Commissioner Tagle (Director of the Christian Family Movement, Cubao chapter) calling me “Immoral” and “abnormal” for having the balls to found an LGBT party in a conservative and Catholic country.

This university is afraid of media publicity? Well, it is doing its darnedest best to attract media attention for its 400th year or something celebration. I could have helped them with the publicity for free.

Next, I sent my CV to a school in what Alma Moreno once called on TV “the University of Belt.” The chairperson was so glad I was applying, and so was the dean. But the daughter of the owner miffed, and sulked, and pouted, and mightily proclaimed, amidst lightning and thunder: “No, he cannot join our faculty. He did not campaign for Mar Roxas. Instead, he campaigned for that peasant Jojo Binay.”

My laughter when I heard this one reached all the way to the zig and the zag of Kennon Road. I was sending a CV which was called “a strong CV” when I applied for a teaching post at Rutgers University in the US (I got it), and here comes Lady Dementia telling my friend that I cannot join their university simply because I campaigned for a peasant and not a blue-blood like them?

I did not know that people – especially the greedy elite – take their politics so seriously in this country. I resigned from my cushy job in an international development organization when I filed the Ang Ladlad papers in October of 2009 and when the party lost, I just wanted to return to teaching. But Lady Dementia could not be appeased, sitting in her perfumed chamber in her university run like a corporation, with millions of pesos in net profits.

I’m the one who should have taken all this personally, because I was being vilified in public when myold and sick parents were both dying and we shielded them from this terrible news that was in all media 24/7. I’m the one who should have taken this personally, because I was rating high in the real senatorial surveys, only to be junked by the political parties because 1) I questioned their stand on land reform and the fake sincerity of the people in their elitist party, and I am not a landowner; 2) the other senatorial candidates are “scared” of me in the 2016 elections (their words, not mine); 3) they offered me PHP 30 million and I just smiled at them because that was too small, mere coins, for a national senatorial campaign; 4) I did not want GMA to raise my hands in public, and since I am 5’11” that would be very hard for her to do.

So where did I end up teaching? At the Ateneo de Manil University, where I taught for 22 before I retired, the only university whose faculty are not insecure about the chaos and color of my CV.

And now, I am back working for an international development organization, quietly working to spur progress in the land, especially in the poorest places.

Places where Vice-Rectors and Daughters of university owners and Deans and Chairpersons have never reached, stuck as they are not in the groves, but the graves, of academe.

Ang Ladlad says 'no' to separate rest rooms

2010-09-11T12:42:00.001+08:00

Danton Remoto
Remote Control

Ang Ladlad says ‘no’ to separate restrooms

I am back after a short absence, since I have retired from teaching and now working for an international development organization. I would like to publicize Ang Ladlad’s stand on separate toilets, an ordinance filed by a Provincial Board Member in Cebu.

Cebu Provincial Board Member, Arleigh Sitoy, recently filed an ordinance requiring business establishments in the province to designate a separate restroom exclusively for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTs). The ordinance's explanatory note says, "Separate restroom is the solution to end the confusion of what public restroom should a member of the LGBT avail for them to feel safe, comfortable and convenient wherein there are only male and female comfort rooms."

While Ang Ladlad lauds and appreciates the intent of Mr. Sitoy to address the needs and concerns of LGBTs, its members, especially from the Cebu chapter, have expressed strong reservations about this ordinance. Ang Ladlad believes that a separate restroom for LGBTs perpetuates our already marginalized existence.

Jubelle Toledo, one of Ladlad's focal points in Cebu City, stresses that, "requiring all establishments to put up a separate facility means that LGBTs are being treated differently and this could isolate or marginalize us even more. It is also another form of discrimination." Toledo was also puzzled where Mr. Sitoy got the idea that LGBTs in Cebu are confused on what restroom to use.

Ms. Bemz Benedito, the Chairperson of Ang Ladlad, further explains, "I am a transgender woman and so I use the female restroom. LGBTs get confused on what restroom to use when other people start calling their attention on this matter." She added, "We think that Provincial Board Member Sitoy has good intentions, but this proposed ordinance could potentially alienate and isolate LGBT Filipinos from the rest of society. However, we do need more public officials like him who are sympathetic to the cause."

Atty. Germaine Leonin, the Vice-Vhairperson of Ang Ladlad, suggests that the local legislators should conduct consultation meetings with their LGBT constituents to know what issues and concerns they face and what responses need to be done.

"I am appealing to Mr. Sitoy to talk to the local LGBT community instead, and ask them about their concerns and address those issues through proper legislation," Leonin stressed. "Why not pass a local version of the Anti-discrimination Bill?" she asked.

Ang Ladlad Partylist is a national organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Filipinos, which has members all over the country as well as abroad.

Comments can be sent to danton_ph@yahoo.com. This column is the author’s own opinion and does not represent that of GTZ, German Technical Cooperation, where he works as the Communications Manager.

Laying down the baseline

2010-07-26T18:49:00.002+08:00

Editorial
Malaya
26 July 2010

PRESIDENT Aquino’s State of the Nation Address is expected to focus on the problems inherited from the previous administration, especially the anomalies pulled off in the last months of Gloria Arroyo’s nine years of misrule. That kind of stock-taking is an absolute necessity so Aquino can lay down the baseline from which to build on in the next six years.

Aquino’s team, however, has been on the job less than two months. The time might be enough to uncover the more egregious last-minute fast breaks, but it would take much longer to determine the depth and breadth of corruption that attended the unlamented Arroyo administration. And we are not talking yet of the failed programs and policies which must be discarded if Aquino is to redeem his promise of a brighter future for the nation.

But first things first. The people should not entertain overly high expectations from the new administration. An administration does not assume office with a blank sheet. The challenges are daunting. About 70 percent of the P1.541 billion budget for 2010 has been spent. Revenue collections remain in the doldrums, triggering fears that the deficit could hit a record P325 billion this year.

The overall economic outlook, nonetheless, is improving. After the first quarter’s strong 7 percent growth, the economy is seen hitting a growth of 6 percent for the full year. Growth, however, is seen tapering in 2011 and it’s anybody’s guess what the prospects would be after that.

In the days of Arroyo, we used to regularly warn that promises made in the State of the Nation Address should be taken with a bucket of salt. It was easy to conjure dreams of prosperity. The reality test, we used to say, was the budget proposal which the administration must submit within 30 days of the opening of Congress. In all the nine years under Gloria, the bright picture painted was not supported by the funding programmed for the coming year. This was already on the assumption a good portion of the money would not be skimmed.

The Aquino team does not have the luxury of time to minutely scrutinize the budget proposal drafted by the previous administration. His instructions to adopt zero-based budgeting, for example, cannot be complied with by the line departments within the 30-day period prescribed by the Constitution.

We should not expect a detailed program in Aquino’s first SONA. It is not in his character to spout glowing statistical targets and we would be disappointed if he started talking technocratese. He promised good governance. It is by this covenant that we should bind him.

Rivers run through it

2010-07-23T19:58:00.001+08:00

Rivers run through it - REMOTE CONTROL | DANTON REMOTO
REMOTE CONTROL | DANTON REMOTO
Posted at 07/23/2010 7:17 PM | Updated as of 07/23/2010 7:18 PM
www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ilustrado means the enlightened ones, the indios during the dying days of the Spanish regime who could afford a European education. And in the true tradition of all colonials, they soaked up the education, filtered it, and then used it as a weapon against their colonial masters. They were the seeds that later bore fruit in the Philippine revolution of 1896.

The modern ilustrado is the subject matter, point of departure, and even the writer of this whirligig of a novel. Winner of the Palanca Grand Prize for the Novel and the estimable Man Asian Literary Prize for the Asian Novel of the Year, this much-awaited book generally lives up to the raft of accolades and reviews it has received.

Full disclosure: the author, Miguel Syjuco, was my former student at the Ateneo de Manila University. I still remember well his hair dyed blue, his clipped and laconic words, his elliptical stories about love and life among the bored and the rich. I am even listed in the acknowledgement section, and thus I will try to maintain full journalistic objectivity.

The novel begins with a physical body and ends with a non-physical one. The corpse of Crispin Salvador is fished from the Hudson River. Obviously a take-off from National Artist for Literature Jose Garcia Villa, the hermit of Greenwich Village, who had a love-hate relationship with the Philippines. But unlike Villa who stopped publishing in 1958, this professor of literature and eccentric writer is supposed to have finished The Bridges Abalze (TBA), a novel that will restore him to the front ranks of Philippine writing. But alas, he is gone. So his student and remaining friend, named Miguel, goes back to Manila to, as they say, put the pieces of the puzzle together.

The missing novel is supposed to expose the horrendous crimes of the elite, the greedy ones who are responsible for the narcoleptic state of the country. Back in Manila, the capital of chaos, Miguel tries to tie the strings together by talking to Salvador’s few friends and his many, many enemies. He sifts through poems, interviews, novels, polemics and memoirs.

Thus, the novel Ilustrado begins to run on several tracks along with the other books of Crispin Salvador (Manila Noir, The Enlightened, Autoplagiarist, Kaputol Trilogy), the biography-in-progress, Crispin Salvador: Eight Lives Lived by Miguel Syjuco, blog entries, and jokes, some of them salacious and scandalous.

The result is a novel that has at least three dimensions of reality, all going on at the same time: an angry and dizzying excoriation of how the Philippines ended up in this sinkhole.

Of course, this novel is not for everybody. I’ve met people — literate ones — who asked me, “What did you teach him that made him write like this?” Well, I would answer, I just taught him how to write sentences. The postmodernism he got from his teachers at Columbia.

But there is nothing wrong with postmodernism -- with its spirit of play and its self-consciousness -- especially if applied to a halo-halo, upside-down, horizontal-vertical culture and history like the Philippines’s.

Ilustrado is a brilliant performance, all right, but what remains with me are the small moments between lovers, between family members.
There is the lover’s quarrel between the narrator and Madison, his American girlfriend. “That was one of the lovers’ things Madison and I did, our own affectation of Atlantic academia: we referenced fictional characters as they were people we to learn from…

“It’s because for people who live in the mind, real people are blurred, not fully-fleshed out, compared to characters who come alive when read on the printed page.

There is the fleeting memory of his parents, a short sketch that is vividly drawn: “Both my parents dancing a waltz at a wedding in the garden of an ancestral home somewhere on this island, Dad whispering something in her ear, Mom pulling him close and laughing as the crowd behind them watched — this is how I best like to remember my parents.”

There is the quarrel between the narrator and his rich grandfather called Grapes, who sent him to Columbia and put him up in an expensive condominium. The old man is disappointed because his grandson is just an editorial assistant at a NY magazine.

“Grapes placed his seven-day pillbox in front of him, opened it to Tuesday, and began talking out tablets and capsules and arranging them on the tabletop. They looked like candies. He hadn’t even glanced at me since I walked in. Granma sat in the corner, looking at her hands. Grapes sighed. It was a brutal, crushing sigh. Like Acolus, the windwarden from Greek mythology, blowing down all too easily every wall I’d constructed within myself to contain my confidence and pride in the new life I’d just begun….”

The old man wants him to write “nice stories” and avoid stories about corruption. In fact, he wants his grandson to become a politician himself! Who would take over the, uh, mantle of leadership?
The lunacies of the rich are not spared. And what makes Syjuco different from you and me is that he writes about the milieu from the perspective of an insider. His strong suits are crisp dialogue and broad characterization. Here is an excerpt from a matron: “The poor girl died [in exile], while bicycling in Monaco. I’m convinced her hard life was because she was never baptized.”

Or the same matron who funds one of the cottage industry projects for the poor: “Weaving, that’s what they do. Remind me to give you one of the loincloths they make. They’re wonderful as table runners…”

Or the young, drug-addled set known by you and me, children of the famous and the rich, staples of the society pages: asleep by day and alive by night, like the social-climbing zombies that they are. Syjuco only has the harshest words for them.

Or the tiger — king of the jungle — who is terrified of the fried bacon Grapes threw at him for breakfast. And the Boy Bastos jokes that would make your neighborhood thugs hoot with laughter fired by liquor.

Or the merciless satire of the mad denizens of Philippine Literature. Good God thank you I was once this guy’s teacher, I was spared from his pen dripping with acid

Ilustrado begins with a cliffhanger at the Hudson River and ends with one at the Pasig River. Between these two rivers lies one of the best contemporary novels a Filipino has written. Glistening with style and wit and leavened by humor, this novel kicks open the door of global fiction for Filipino writers. We may do well to follow in his enlightened footsteps.

Snapshots of a Life

2010-07-14T20:01:00.000+08:00

BY Danton Remoto
Remote Control
www.abs-cbnnews.com

(Excerpts from a novel)

The Magic Box

I was four years old, sleeping soundly on my parents’ big bed. One morning, my mother woke me up, brought me to the bathroom where she washed my face, and made me rinse my mouth. When we returned to their room, she said. “This is the day I told you about. The man with the magic black box will arrive.”

And so she proceeded to dress me up. She pulled my new white, short-sleeved polo shirt from its plastic bag, and shook it in the morning air. Against my skin the shirt was crisp and clean. Mama made me wear my new khaki shorts. She buttoned up my shirt, and then knotted a green tie under my stiff collar.

“Now, you look so formal already,” she said. “When the man stands before his magic black box and disappears under the strip of black cloth, you should give him your widest smile.” Still groggy from sleep, I just nodded lazily.

Whiteness, there was whiteness everywhere! The walls and ceilings of our house with its French windows. The bark of the pine trees in the yard painted white, as Brigadier General Bautista, the commander of the base, ordered. And then, when we stepped out of the house, the whitest of sky, whiter than the paper Mama would give me, along with a big box of crayons. From this box, I would take out the crayons one by one, memorizing their colors, their shades and tones. Mauve. Aquamarine. Jade green. Ahhh, rainbows.

The man inside the van had hair stiff as a toothbrush. He was also as big as a cabinet. He asked me to sit down on a wicker chair in the middle of the van. Behind me, a curtain in pale green. Mama was just outside, I kept on telling myself, so there’s nothing to fear. The man then lumbered over to where the magic black box stood.

“Okay, son, ready?” he asked.

I just nodded, noticing the cracks on his pair of brown shoes.

Then his head disappeared under the black cloth. “Smile, son,” he said.
I smiled as he began to count. Ready, one, two, three. But at the count of three, I stopped smiling. I just looked at him straight, behind that magic black box, then tilted my head slightly to the right, as if listening to a voice only I could hear.

Now as I look at that first posed shot (thin hair, oblong head, the most piercing eyes), I still find myself listening to a voice coming as if from afar. But in vain I would wait, it would never arrive, and then there would only be the sudden explosion of light.

The Piano

A month after they were married, Papa bought Mama a piano. It was an upright piano, its body darker than wine, which Padre Pelagio had put up for sale because he planned to buy a new Yamaha organ for the chapel.

Papa borrowed money from the savings and loan association in the air base, added his savings from a year’s stay in Colorado as a military scholar, then one day brought Mama over to the chapel.

“But we have no choir practice today,” Mama protested loudly.

“I think Father Pelagio wants to tell you something,” Papa answered.

Mama must have smirked (that petulant smirk I also have), put on her Cat woman sunglasses with its frame studded with rhinestones, threw a sheer red bandanna over her permed hair, then sat beside Papa in our jeep.

Dust trailed the jeep. It was summer, and the heat blew right into the very pores of your skin. The leaves fell, the houses snored in their siesta, the sun was an intense eye in the sky. It blinked when Papa’s jeep stopped before the chapel and Padre Pelagio, his belly round like a watermelon, waddled out of the rectory.

“Good afternoon, Father,” Mama said, kissing the hand of the priest.

“O ano, are you here to get it na?” the priest asked.

“Get what?”

Papa smiled smugly (the way all those smug Hollywood lead actors must have smiled), then led Mama inside the chapel.

“This,” Papa said, touching ivory keys with the color of moth wings, “is my gift to you.”

Seven years later, I would sit before this piano, required to practice three times a day by my teacher, who also happened to be my mother.

“But it’s summer!” I wanted to protest. The dragonflies were hovering over the stream, their bodies the color of amber and fire. Our homemade kites were waiting to be flown in the clear, blue sky. The fruit trees were waiting in the orchard — mangoes, guavas, aratiles, duhat — the fruits ripened by the sun, waiting for our young and greedy hands.

But I had to stay at home and play the piano. Sometimes, I would just sit in my room and sulk. But my sulking Papa would not let pass, so he would make me sit before the piano. Then, he would install himself on the perezosa, the lazy chair beside the piano, and listen.

He would ask me to play Sarung Banggi, a love song from the Bicol Region where he and my mother were born.

Sarung banggi
Sa higdaan
nakadangog ako
hinuni ning sarong gamgam
Sa luba ko, katurugan,
bako kundi simong boses
iyo palan.

Dagos ako hangon
Si sakuyang mata iminuklat.
Kadtong kadikloman ako
ay nangalagkalag.
Kasu ihiling ko si sakuyang
mata sa itaas,
simong lawog nahiling
ko maliwanag.

Kadtong kadikloman kan
mahiling taka.
Namundo kong puso talos
na nag-ogma.
Minsan di nahaloy idtong napagmasdan
sagkod noarin pa man dai ko
malilingawan.

(One night
as I lay in bed
I suddenly heard
The singing of a bird.
I thought it was a dream
But it was your voice
I heard.

I then rose at once
And opened my eyes wide.
In that darkness I looked around
And when I raised my eyes,
I saw your face very clearly.

In that darkness when I saw you,
My sad heart found happiness
At once.
Though I saw your image
onlybriefly,
I will never forget
That night
Forever.

But when I looked at my father, he was already asleep. Perhaps it must be the heat. Or my bad playing. Or the song itself, carrying him on its wings, back to a past when he was still young, looking for the images of love on a night washed by the milky light of the moon.

The Man on the Moon

Like somebody with a Ph.D., Papa was explaining to my grandmother and I how the Apollo 11 would fly to the moon.

From blast-off at Cape Canaveral to the rocket’s head splitting from its tail to the actual landing on the moon—he explained all this with verve. First, he slipped his right arm in his brown imitation-leather slippers, tracing a trajectory. Then, slipper and hand separated, like molting skin. Soon, only the slippers were left, standing for the rocket landing on the cold, windless landscape of the moon.

That night we watched in our new colored TV. A blur of images. The Stars and Stripes. Then, the astronauts in their white, bloated uniforms, looking like aliens. The rocket blasting off, hurtling in space like a bright comet, and then many hours later, the moon: full of craters deeper and wider than anything I had ever seen. After the Apollo 11 had landed on the moon, the three astronauts free-floating in space (A small step for man, a giant leap for mankind). Men on the moon, my father said, the greatest country in the world staking its claim on a territory millions of miles away from home.

Years later, my grandmother would bring me to Manila in one of her summer vacations. Nora Aunor — the short, brown actress whose rise to fame defied the colonial notions of beauty in the country, she whose eyes spoke a language of their own — has a new film called Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo (Once a Moth). Complete title: Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo Ang Lumaban sa Lawin (Once A Moth Fought A Hawk).

In the film, Nora plays a nurse, Corazon, whose ambition was to go to the United States and work there. She lived near Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City. But one day, her younger brother was shot by an American soldier on the periphery of the base fence, mistaking the young boy for a “a wild pig.”

Another image: Corazon’s grandfather (played by the magnificent Pedro Faustino) was already alive during the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896-98, and later, the Filipino-American War from 1898-1904. As a young boy of 10, he wore calzoncillos, like long johns that reached down to the knees. Inside the sewn edges of his calzoncillos was a piece of paper folded many times over. It would contain, in code, the enemy positions, the number of the men, the tactics of the revolutionaries, whom the Americans called bandidos (bandits). When Corazon’s grandfather saw the Americans landing on the moon, he asked, “Kanila na rin ba ang buwan? (Do they now own even the moon?)”

That night, after a heavy dinner of shrimp sinigang, I went out to the backyard. Everything was silent, as if the night itself was holding its breath. Beyond the acacia leaves, the moon rose clear across the Zambales mountains.

While helping her set the table, our housemaid Ludy had told me that there was already a naked man on the moon even before the men of Apollo 11 came. She said he looked like the man in the five-centavo coin.

So tonight, I took out the coin I had stolen from Papa, and in the light of the moon I looked for the naked man. Curly hair, a face well chiseled, broad shoulders. His buttocks were firm and his legs, long and powerful. He was bending down, his body frozen in an arc. On his right hand he held a hammer, pounding something on the anvil in front of him. He was trying to make an object from ore, a shape from all that rawness. Like a god. Patiently he bent down, waiting to be blasted by something like lightning, or by a flash of revelation.

I squinted at the night sky, as if I had the Superman’s X-ray vision, or the eyes of Lee Majors, the six million-dollar man. But try as I might, beyond the trees and the mountains I saw no man on the moon. There was only a lighted disk suspended in the air many, many miles away, alone, beautiful, and pure.

Who's who in Noynoy's rise to the presidency

2010-06-29T19:21:00.004+08:00

This comprehensive article by a crack team of reporters from GMA 7 captures well the people around and behind the rise of Noynoy Aquino to the presidency. And it correctly includes ANG LADLAD Party List as one of the groups that supported Noynoy. Let it be said that in its first political endorsement, ANG LADLAD correctly read the temper of the times, and endorsed Benigno Aquino III for President and Jejomar Binay for Vice-President. Both guys, as we know now, won. Watch us make our moves in the 2013 elections.

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Who's who in Noynoy's rise to the presidency
06/23/2010 | 06:24 PM
www.gmanews.tv

A ragtag army of volunteers - many veterans from the glorious fights against Marcos, Erap and Arroyo, but perhaps millions more electrified by the emotional days of Cory Aquino's wake and funeral - delivered the presidency to Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III with their tireless campaigning.

Now with Noynoy at the cusp of assuming power, the action around the president-elect has become the game of the generals.

This was not how it was supposed to be. Aquino's running mate Mar Roxas was expected to be his clear second in command as vice president, waiting for his turn in 2016.

Instead, the feisty Jejomar Binay - nicknamed Rambotito in another era - emerged as the surprise vice president-elect, bringing along his own loyalists, people power credentials, and presidential ambitions.

Binay and Aquino share a light moment in August 2009. Both weren't candidates yet at the time. Less than a year later, they would win the two highest elective posts in the land.

Roxas and Binay's candidacies famously divided the Aquino camp during the campaign, with some of the president-elect's own relatives reportedly supporting Binay.

Since Aquino's and Binay's proclamations, the fissures have only occasionally bubbled to the surface, a sign perhaps of Aquino's growing command. Or simply the calm before the storm. Roxas after all still heads the Liberal Party, Aquino's party, which formulated his platform and will be represented in the new administration through some key appointees. Roxas is also expected to assume a key Cabinet post next year when the ban on appointments of 2010 candidates expires.

On the other hand, Binay may not bear being a spare tire for long without his own political fiefdom. He was reported to have declined several positions offered by Aquino that were presumably not to the vice president-elect's liking, or considered below Binay's stature.

How the rivalry between Binay and Roxas plays out in the months and years to come will be a main test of the new government's teamwork.

Yet their factions are not the only circles around Aquino, all of them angling for influence and key posts, and banking on their roles in the ragtag army's victory. Our infographic above displays the constellation of personalities around Noynoy. It was based on interviews with campaign volunteers and party members, and cross-checked with other insiders, none of whom agreed to speak on the record.

Some in his inner circle, like his sisters, the President-elect has known for most of his life. Others gained his trust only during the campaign. More than a few are remnants from the old Cory crowd that was politicized by the assassination of Aquino's father, Ninoy Aquino, in 1983.

The main nerve center of the Noy-Mar campaign was the "executive committee," or the exe-com, composed of insiders and trusted loyalists, or so the members thought. More than a few will occupy key posts in the incoming administration.

Among the exe-com members were Noynoy's sister Pinky Abellada, his cousin Rapa Lopa, long-time friend and adviser Jojo Ochoa, campaign manager Butch Abad and his daughter and Noynoy's Senate chief of staff Julia Abad, Hyatt 10 stalwarts Cesar Purisima and Dinky Soliman, Cory veterans Margie and Popoy Juico, and Liberal party leaders Jun Abaya, Erin Tañada, Chito Gascon, and Mar Roxas himself.

The group met on most Mondays in Parc House along EDSA in Quezon City.

Noynoy's first cousin Maria Montelibano replaced ad agency doyenne Yoly Ong as communications head and had already attended several exe-com meetings when the other members got wind of rumors that she was secretly supporting a Noy-Bi tandem, injecting political intrigue into the heart of Noynoy's campaign.

The Abads, Purisima, Soliman and Ochoa have all been assured official positions in the Aquino administration.

Like any political enterprise, the Aquino camp is not one big happy family. His own well-known clan on both sides have had bitter disagreements. Ninoy's sibling Lupita Kashiwahara, for instance, was a fixture in President Gloria Arroyo's Malacanang when both Noynoy and his mother Cory called for Arroyo to resign.

Noynoy and his mother's siblings Peping and Pedro apparently don't see eye to eye on what to do with Hacienda Luisita, the most contentious issue thrown at Aquino during his campaign..

If Noynoy learned anything from observing his mother in power, it should be the pitfalls of factionalism, which almost brought Cory Aquino's government down.

All in the Family

Viel Dee, Pinky Abellada, and Ballsy Cruz flash the "Laban" sign minutes before their brother, Benigno Aquino III, is proclaimed President. AP file photo
Aquino's sisters Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Pinky Aquino-Abellada, Viel Aquino-Dee, and Kris Aquino-Yap all actively campaigned for Aquino.

Ballsy — who was their late mother Cory's chief of staff — and Pinky, the two elder sisters, were more active in behind-the-scenes campaign organizing. They were in charge of finances, and screened individuals who expressed intentions to help Noynoy's campaign.

Kris, the celebrity sister, has been helping spruce up Noynoy's sartorial image with the help of stylist Liz Uy, and giving her brother the ill-advised idea to float talk-show pal Boy Abunda's name for a key position.

Noynoy cannot appoint any of his sisters to any government post because of the constitutional ban on appointing relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity. But he continues to consult them, particularly Ballsy and Pinky, regarding his official decisions. The four sisters are also increasingly visible in public through their charity work.

Some of Noynoy's cousins were also active in the campaign. His second cousin Tony Boy Cojuangco was listed as having donated a whopping 100 million pesos to the campaign kitty.

Even though business tycoon Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr. did not openly express his support for any candidate during the May polls (his supposed favorite nephew, Noynoy's cousin Gilberto Teodoro Jr., also ran for president), his daughter Lisa Cojuangco-Cruz joined campaign sorties for the Noynoy-Mar tandem.

Former actress Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, daughter of Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. and Margarita "Tingting" Cojuangco, hosted some of the bigger events like the Liberal Party miting de avance in Quezon City. Another cousin, Maria Montelibano — who headed Radio-TV Malacañang when Cory Aquino was president — was one of the leading figures in the media affairs bureau of Noynoy's campaign; she is now co-chair of the inaugural committee.

Both Mikee and Maria, however, were reportedly among those who supported Binay instead of Mar.

To counter rumors that he secretly supported Binay, Peping has insisted in various media interviews that he campaigned for Mar. But he also said some of the people who helped Aquino in the campaign, whom he refused to name, are just jockeying for government posts.

Balay vs Samar

Some members of the Hyatt 10, former government officials under the Arroyo administration who quit at the height of the "Hello Garci" scandal in June 2005, played active roles in Aquino's campaign. A few are set to return to the Cabinet.

Former education secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad was overall campaign manager; he is reported to be on the verge of being named budget chief. Abad is also a Liberal Party stalwart. With wife Dina a newly elected congresswoman from Batanes and daughter Julia the rumored incoming head of the Presidential Management Staff, the Abads have become one of the more formidable families in the new administration.

Former trade and finance secretary Cesar Purisima, who contributed P10 million to Aquino's campaign kitty, is part of the transition team that is paving the way for the turnover of Cabinet portfolio positions. He is said to be returning to his finance post.

The first two future appointees that Aquino confirmed were former social welfare secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman and former peace adviser Teresita Deles, both members of the Hyatt 10 and the civil society group Black and White Movement. Both will be returning to their old positions.

Former Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Guillermo Parayno Jr. is rumored to have been appointed chief of the Bureau of Customs, a post he once held during the Ramos administration.

Liberal Party bets Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas join Quezon City Rep. Sonny Belmonte and Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada at an LP caucus.
Roxas himself is almost certain to get a Cabinet post after the one-year ban on the appointment of defeated candidates. No less than Noynoy gave that assurance.

Roxas, members of the Hyatt 10, and groups like the Aquino-Roxas Bantay Balota group hold office at a Roxas-owned property in Cubao called Balay, giving rise to the tagging of their faction as the "Balay group."

Meanwhile, the supposedly pro-Binay group composed of Montelibano and PiNoy Lawyers — a group of lawyers who volunteered to be Aquino's legal watchdog — hold office at an old house on Samar Avenue in Quezon City, which is why they've been tagged the "Samar group."

Sen. Chiz Escudero and incoming Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa face the media after meeting with President-elect Noynoy Aquino in his Times Street home.

Senator Francis Escudero, the only prominent politician to have openly campaigned for Noynoy and Binay, is considered part of the Samar group.

Escudero's involvement in the Aquino campaign caused a breakout of tension in the Aquino camp. Escudero initially intended to run for president, but he backed out of the race reportedly due to insufficient support from his political financiers. After he withdrew, Escudero lent his Senate staff to his friend Noynoy; they had served together in the House of Representatives and both won in the May 2007 senatorial elections.

Escudero's staff was in charge of handling the media, which did not sit well with the camp of Roxas, especially when Binay started to catch up with Roxas's ratings. Roxas and Escudero are also prospective rivals in the 2016 presidential elections. In the middle of the campaign, Escudero's staff were removed from the media bureau, but negative reactions from reporters prompted the campaign handlers to bring them back the next day.

The Noynoy Aquino for President Movement, the Council on Philippine Affairs headed by Pastor Boy Saycon, and gay rights group "Ang Ladlad" also reportedly campaigned for "NoyBi."

Behind the Scenes

Members of both camps continue to be involved in the planning of Noynoy's incoming administration, although pro-Roxas forces appear to be more active in transition preparations.

Another person in charge is lawyer Pacquito "Jojo" Ochoa Jr., who is being groomed to be Noynoy's executive secretary. He has said in an interview that he is presenting Noynoy with the road map to the presidency, which includes inauguration details and possible Cabinet appointees (at least three for each post).

Noynoy appears to have complete trust in Ochoa — the son of a former Pulilan, Bulacan mayor who was a friend of Ninoy — as Ochoa had served as Noynoy's legal counsel since he entered politics in 1998.

Ochoa, who was Quezon City administrator for nine years, has said that he plans to keep a low profile "so the real boss gets to be in the limelight." Unless it's absolutely necessary for him to speak up, all questions about the incoming president would be answered by lawyer Edwin Lacierda, who will move on to become presidential spokesman after his stint as Aquino's campaign spokesman.

Noynoy's platforms for various sectors are hinged on the views of his party. Many of his plans are mapped out by the LP think-tank National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS), which counts among its policy analysts defeated LP senatorial aspirant Neric Acosta (who is rumored to be slated for environment secretary after the one-year ban), and professors Mario Taguiwalo and Dina Abad, wife of Butch.

Political commentator Manuel L. Quezon III, who is serving as Noynoy's inaugural spokesperson and is in charge of explaining inaugural rites and protocols, is a member of the Board of Trustees of NIPS.

Aquino presents to the media Col. Ramon Dizon, his choice as head of the Presidential Security Group. GMANews.TV file photo
Noynoy is currently staying at his home on Times Street, Quezon City, where he holds meetings with his inner circle, other rumored Cabinet appointees, supporters, and visiting dignitaries. Throughout the campaign, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Jose Angel Honrado oversaw Noynoy's security detail.

Honrado, who is also a distant cousin of Noynoy, served in the Presidential Security Group during the presidency of the late Corazon Aquino.

Another former PSG member during Mrs. Aquino's time, Col. Ramon Dizon, has been named the incoming PSG commander once Noynoy assumes the presidency on June 30. — Jam L. Sisante, RSJ/HS, GMANews.TV

'Letter to a Young Teacher'

2010-06-26T14:15:00.003+08:00

BY Danton Remoto | Remote Control
Posted at 06/25/2010 10:50 PM | Updated as of 06/25/2010 10:50 PM
www.abs-cbnnews.com

This is the title of Fr. Joseph V. Landy’s small and sensible book for those who want to teach. The Jesuit teacher lives up to the subtitle of this book — The Art of Being Interesting — by giving us a book filled with pearls to be cast in the classroom.

The nine chapters are concise and written in a tone almost conversational, as if a wise, old man is giving a pep talk to a young person during College Placement Day. It is also freighted with honesty.

“Why teach? Many answers are possible, but one spells death to a career in the classroom. If your overriding motive is money, go elsewhere.” How true, how true. When we hold our college reunions, my college classmates at Ateneo would tell me how youthful I still looked, with a full head of black hair and hardly discernible lines on my face. I would cackle with laughter and tell them that, indeed, God is fair. “I may look young, but I hitched a ride coming here. But you? You came here in your Benzes or SUVs!”

So why should one live a life of genteel poverty and teach? Fr. Landy says a good teacher has a “touch of the actor, perhaps even the ham actor,” in them. They like to perform. Or they have the sense of mission similar to that found in doctors and nurses. Or you remember your confused days as a young person, and want to help those navigating the maze themselves. Or you just loved school when you were a student, and found this world can be for you, even after college.

Be that as it may, it is not a profession free from boredom. You and I and our friends who taught know that you have to prepare for a class. That is not so bad, because that is necessary. But the endless checking of papers! No sooner had you checked the quizzes than the group reports come in; and your green or red ink has just dried on them when you have to check the midterm exams, or the book review! And sometimes, as the good Jesuit Father intuits, you also have to arm yourself with the “inevitable misunderstanding with students and clashes with school authorities. Weathering such storms is part of the teaching profession.”
How, then, to stay alive in the classroom and not be like a parrot reading notes from the yellowed papers you have kept with you in the last 1,000 years?

Fr. Landy, who like all Jesuits have a solid training in Greek and Latin, quotes a line from old Latin: “Nemo dat quod non habet, meaning you can’t give to others what you don’t have yourself. Interest passes from person to person the way electricity passes through a wire.”

This means you should constantly update yourself on the subject you teach. Just because you have a college degree, or a master’s degree or a PhD, you should not just shut the door and consider yourself the fountain of wisdom on your subject. No, Sir, you just can’t wing it. Having a syllabus is fine, but you have to enrich it with contexts, subtexts, stories, why, even jokes and humorous tales about the subject you teach.

Some teachers could be like the magical bird of the forest in Ibong Adarna. You attend their classes and you fall asleep with the droppings from their dead tree of knowledge. “Because their own interest in their subject has expired. They have lost their appetite for it and no longer believe in its value. They have stopped reading about it, talking about it, caring about it. Once their students sense that a teacher is scraping bottom, is no longer growing in curiosity and knowledge about the subject of instruction, their attention level sinks too. Stale bread is uninteresting bread.”

If memory is the mother of all writing, then preparation is at the heart of all teaching. Fr. Landy says a teacher should re-read the text a day before. One should never come to the classroom cold. But preparation is not just an intellectual enterprise. Sure, Aristotle defined a person as a “rational animal,” since our reasoning ability separates us from the buffalo and the bee. But the major challenge one faces in the classroom is not intellectual but psychological.

You have to catch the attention of the students — especially in this Age of Farmville. Luckily, there is a whole archive of materials on pedagogy, and Fr. Landy gives us the gist.
One, it is not what one is teaching that captures the attention of the students, it is the way it is taught. The five psychological factors of attention-getting include activity, reality, the vital, humor and novelty.

Activity means the teacher should not be like the Sphinx solid before the desk. The teacher should move. What I do the moment I walk in is to make sure the classroom is comfortable. I turn on all electric fans, open all windows, and make sure the lights are on. These are part of what my venerable teacher, Fr. Joseph A. Galdon, SJ, called classroom management. Then I call the students by their first names for attendance, and later sit on the desk, a gesture that, I am happy to note, Fr. Landy also likes to do.

Write on the blackboard, point to what you’ve written, walk around the classroom. Activity also hums in the classroom when the students are involved in the learning process, in what we now call student-centered learning. Lectures are still good, but not all the time. Ask questions from the students, in true Socratic fashion. Call the students who nod from time to time. Or better yet, teach the students to ask questions from their classmates, with you acting as a moderator, like in a talk show.

But ever the priest, Fr. Landy adds: “Your method of questioning should always be Platonic in the sense that like him, your manner should be gentle, never sharp and imperious. Martinets may make good marine instructors but not good teachers of the young. In my experience, the most successful teachers had a classroom manner that was relaxed and conversational.”

Reality means bringing the colorful world outside school right into the classroom. Bring a map, a globe, a stack of postcards or photographs. Lug along a chart, a slide show, a Power Point Presentation. Imitate the characters in the fiction you teach — their voices, their facial expressions, and why not, even their very clothes if you have them at home. In my Poetry classes, I ask the students to go to the Ateneo Art Gallery — which has an excellent collection of Modern Philippine Art — and ask the students to describe the images in a painting. And in my Fiction classes, I ask them to go to the same gallery and retell the story found in a painting.

The Vital means emphasizing the importance of the course. In my History class, my late teacher Fr. Leonard stressed the strategic value of the blitzkrieg during World War II, a quality which one can use in life after college. Or the ability to ask difficult questions — to others and more importantly, to one’s self.

Humor, of course, is the tonic that makes a teacher sparkle. The great teacher Gilbert Highet said that “I consider a day’s teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh.” The atmosphere in the classroom should be friendly, not threatening, and easygoing. If your teachers are Nazis, you fear them, but did you ever learn anything at all, except to make fun of them behind their backs?

Novelty means varying your teaching strategies, bringing or doing something new each time. And voice — ahh, that is the prime apparatus of an excellent teacher. “Living voices, not libraries, are the most indispensable transmitters of learning.. I have always described the ways in which a public speaker should avoid monotone as the three P’s — Pace, Power and Pitch.”

Short pauses are like silences in a conversation — just enough time to let an important idea sink in. The power of one’s voice should reach the person in the last row. Vary also the loudness of your voice, like a theater actor using his voice like an accordion of ideas.
In his Postscript, Fr. Landy said that “those who taught us in college we remember mostly for what they did for our minds. But those who taught us in primary and secondary schools made their mark on our characters, our ways of thinking about life, our ambitions, our immortal souls.”

That is why I teach part-time even now that I am between 40 and death. I am writing books and preparing for a career in the public realm, but still I find time to teach. There is nothing like that eureka moment when the students’ eyes widen because of the arrival of an insight, blooming like light in their minds

* * *

No room for Church meddling

2010-06-20T23:15:00.001+08:00

Editorial
Malaya
June 21, 2010

‘Our officials should keep their piety private. In exchange, the people would let their hypocrisy pass unnoticed.’

THE Catholic hierarchs earlier said they would not accept the invitation of the education department to review the sex education subjects that will be pilot-tested this year. Now, the word is some representatives of the Church would be meeting with educators after all, but this would only be to reiterate its position that sex education is not the business of the schools and should be left exclusively to parents.

If that’s the Church’s stand, the education department might as well declare that its officials are prepared to humor the Church representatives but are determined to implement the order come what may.

Gloria Arroyo herself issued the order for education officials to dialog with Church representatives. She is exiting on June 30, to be succeeded by Noynoy Aquino who has a more enlightened appreciation of the need to address reproductive health. The officials can dribble the ball during the transition.

We have not seen an administration more servile than Gloria’s to the Church. To reciprocate Gloria’s servility, we have not seen the Church more forgiving of a sitting administration’s legal and moral trespasses.

"Sama sama na sila," as the saying goes, with the coming into power of President-elect Noynoy Aquino.

We recognize, of course, the Church’s right to express its stand on any moral issue. Bishops, priests and the laity are after all citizens with a constitutionally guaranteed right to the exercise of free speech.

But the separation of the Church and State, according to the Constitution, should be inviolable. This means, in the Philippine context, not only for the government not to listen to any religious groups but to turn a deaf ear to all of them. The principle of Church-State separation is a reaction to the Church’s – basically through the friars – meddling in governance which reached its peak during the Spanish colonial rule.

(The constitutional principle is meant to stop Church meddling. It is sets a far higher wall on Church-State separation than the "no-establishment" clause in the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," the US Constitution says. This is universally interpreted as, at the maximum, a prohibition against favoring any religious group and, at the minimum, a ban against the setting up of any state religion.)

Our officials should keep their piety private. If they did, we the citizens, in exchange, would let their hypocrisy pass unnoticed.

Bright, Catholic -- and gay

2010-06-14T11:42:00.003+08:00

BY Danton Remoto
Lodestar
Art and Culture section
The Philippine STAR
June 14, 2010

Raymond “Bong” Alikpala seemed like the perfect guy any girl would love to bring home to mother. He is a blue-blooded Atenean from grade school to law school, an honor student and student council leader. He is also a practicing Catholic; cheerful, bright, and personable.

But for many years he hid a secret in the innermost chamber of himself — his homosexuality. After almost four decades in the closet, he has finally come out and written what may be a most controversial book, God Loves Bakla: My Life in the Closet.

Published by the author himself in Cambodia where he now works as a lawyer, the book’s Philippine edition was launched by Ang Ladlad Party List a fortnight ago. In reportorial mode, Alikpala begins his narrative this way.

“I am a gay man, a homosexual. I engage in sexual relations with the same sex. I have paid other men to have sex with me. I have never had sex with a woman. I have a husband.”

The words come out staccato-like, unblinking. The prose is like fizz from a soda bottle that had long been covered.

After a closeted life in Manila, being an over-achiever and super-competitive in everything he did, Alikpala took his Master of Laws at the National University of Singapore. Then he returned to Manila and began training as a priest at the Jesuit Novitiate in Novaliches, but was asked to leave after 16 months. Days of depression made him feel like a boat without anchor: in a stroke of irony, he would later go to Cambodia and work with asylum seekers and refugees — people without moorings, like him — at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. And at the age of 42, he began writing this book.

In 21 chapters, Alikpala sketches for us the brief history of a life. But unlike Western coming-out books that rage and rage against the light, this one is very Filipino in the sense that it is, eventually, anchored on family and God. He acknowledges love and devotion for his hardworking parents, who sent him to a good and expensive Catholic school; to his circle of friends, most of them male, with whom he (tried to) have a platonic relationship as comrades-in-arms.

His teachers at the Ateneo are also mentioned, described in terms more sweet than bitter: Dulaang Sibol, Prayer Days for Coeds, generally liberal advice dispensed by his Jesuit mentors.

“Fr. Joel’s initial advice was to try to be at peace with myself, to learn to accept myself as I was. He told me to pray for the grace of peace and self-understanding. In later sessions he would tell me that I was too preoccupied with my own self, and he encouraged me to join student activities which were others-oriented, which could draw me out of myself and place my problems in perspective. He said that I should learn to accept my homosexuality peacefully, and then learn to go beyond it, to transcend it, because it did not have to limit or define who I was.”

And so our young and confused gay man in the closet began doing apostolate work for an urban poor community in Commonwealth, Quezon City. Later, he would throw himself headlong into the student council, leading protests against the Marcos Government in the mid-1980s. But still, at the heart of it lies a life of contradiction: because unable to accept one’s self, one abandons the inner core and offers one’s self to the altar of community and country. But when there is a black hole inside one’s self, what then can one offer, except hollow words and acts of charity?

With confusion hounding him like a shadow, Alikpala graduates, takes up law, and becomes involved with human-rights cases. He teaches at Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, cuts his legal teeth with the law office of the legendary Senator Rene V. Saguisag. Already 30 years old, but still lost. The photograph at the end of Chapter 11 captures it perfectly: a man with an umbrella on a rainy day, carrying a cane as he walks on the slippery street.

And as with the case of many Filipinos who lived abroad, his stint there freed him in a way. He received an ASEAN Scholarship to take the Master of Laws at NUS.

“Living abroad for the first time, I was able to move and behave in a way unencumbered by past frustrations, embarrassments, and failures. I felt liberated, for once, to be myself, and not to have to be the dutiful son, diligent student, model Atenean, and hardworking attorney. I felt young, carefree, and irresponsible. I still remained closeted all my life in Singapore, and yet the feeling of being a student all over again made me happier, friendlier, more fun to be with, more happy-go-lucky. And this happier Raymond, the backpacker Raymond traipsing with them across Malaysia and Indonesia, was who my European friends got to know and grew to cherish.”

It’s like the Chinese poem of a beautiful parrot suddenly freed from the golden cage of home. And again, in a life of ironies, only to find another golden cage in the Jesuit Novitiate, where he stayed for 16 months and was finally expelled by the Father Provincial for a homosexual act. Set adrift and gripped by depression, he later found solace in work as a lawyer for refugees in Cambodia under the Jesuit Refugee Service.

There he met an 87-year-old priest, Fr. Pierre Ceyrac, who counseled him: “Umbra lux Dei, [he said], drawing with his finger a sundial on the cabinet door. He illustrated how the shadow on the sundial told us the time, and that without the shadow the sundial would be useless. ‘The shadows are the light of God.’ he translated. It was the shadows in our lives through which God revealed Himself to us. . . .”

After the metaphysical, it was time for the physical — and out of the closet at last. Alikpala was en route to attend summer school at Oxford when he had a stopover at Bangkok and a friend brought him to Silom area, to have “massage for men by men.” Suffice it to say that he had finally tasted the forbidden fruit in an atmosphere that was free from Catholic guilt.

The coming-out part of the book is written in prose that is shorter and more crisp, as if the liberated Raymond is taking a jaunty walk in the park. He has found his own voice, own friends, and finally a lover — Robert from Saigon.

“Robert and I were married on 14 June 2008. It was not a legal ceremony; neither Philippine nor Vietnamese civil laws recognize same-sex marriages. It has been the fashion to call this a ‘commitment ceremony,’ but for Robert and me, ours is a real marriage — we have made our own vows before God, promising to love each other, for better or for worse, until the end of our days.”

And where did they get married? In Angkor Wat, the ancient ruins in Cambodia. This is also the place where the character played by Tony Leung in the film In the Mood for Love finds a crack in the wall. And there in the ageless ruins, he confesses his most secret love for the already-married character played by Maggie Cheung.

* * *

God Loves Bakla sells for P400. Copies are available at Achieve office, 162 Sct. Fuentebella Ext., Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City (426-6147). Or you can deposit P490 to Ang Ladlad BPI savings account 1993077425, inform me at danton_ph@yahoo.com and we will send your copy by courier.

2016

2010-06-12T22:06:00.011+08:00

If you think 2016 is still too far away, then think again.

My pink crystal ball sees the following combinations for President and Vice-President in 2016. And I'm telling you these guys are beginning to lay the ground work. As I told the emissary of a presidentiable who talked to me in July 2009 and who invited me to join their senatorial slate, you don't prepare for a presidential election a year before the election. You prepare for it a day AFTER the previous election. Thus, the campaign for the next Presidential and VP elections started on May 11, 2010.

Combinations are as follows, in random order:

1. Jinggoy Estrada - Bongbong Marcos (Partido ng Masang Pilipino and Kilusang Bagong Lipunan)

Both families have been friends for ages; the alliance is sealed tighter than any glue could seal it. Jinggoy has his father's 20 percent following, and Bongbong has his billions...

2. Mar Roxas II - Kiko Pangilinan (Liberal Party)

A decent and charming team, but will the masses -- who constitute 80 percent of the voters -- bite?

3. Manny Villar - Alan Peter Cayetano (Nacionalista Party)

Tingnan natin if Villar's wealth and Alan's motormouth can do the trick -- this time.

4. Jojo Binay - Koko Pimentel (PDP-Laban)

Binay would be 74 by this time and Koko was 12th in the 2007 elections, but it's worth a try.

5. I am sure Chiz Escudero will run but he has no funds and no political party and no VP candidate yet in sight. But he is not a wunderkid for nothing.

Remember, before Cory died and Noynoy ran, I wrote in this blog that Erap would win the 2010 elections, in spite of Villar's fabulous wealth. And he almost did, if Cory did not die and if Noynoy did not run...

My choices for 2016?

I am keeping my bets close to my chest. For now.

Mr. Aquino will expand and reform CCT programs

2010-06-10T23:31:00.000+08:00

Mr. Aquino will expand and reform CCT programs
The Manila Times
Thursday, 10 June 2010 00:00

YESTERDAY’s press conference immediately after the proclamation of President-elect Noynoy Aquino was a demonstration of his mastery of the national condition.

All his answers—in perfect English and sometimes Tagalog—were impressively those of a person who knows how our country fares in the key departments of life.

One of the questions touched on poverty. Responding, he spoke of the Arroyo administration’s successful CCT (conditional cash transfers) program. Cash is given to the very poor—by the Social Welfare department. But DSWD does not touch the money. Recipients go to the Land Bank.

These are dole outs to the “targeted absolutely poor”—families who need cash so they can have food on their table and some of their basic necessities for survival.

There are conditions to being included in the program. The family must fulfill the basic duties of going to a health clinic for treatment. Toddlers and kids below six must go to the daycare center. And each qualified household’s children of school age must be enrolled. Not only that, the children must have at least 85-percent attendance record. Failing these conditions, the family loses its monthly cash gift from the state.

Through this method, millions of children between 6 and 14 years of age cease to be out of school youth or dropouts. They get some basic education.

Yesterday, President-elect Aquino promised something The Times has been campaigning for: That his new administration will not stop but actually improve and expand the CCT program. All the needy will be helped to surmount their crippling poverty and no child, no matter how poor, is left without an elementary and high school education.

There are now (as of May 2010) 1,015,542 household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program with the result that 1,739,353 children aged 6 to 14 years old are now enrolled in and attending the neighborhood elementary and high schools.

Yes, he said yesterday. The CCT will even be expanded (which means millions more dropouts will be brought back to school) so that instead of covering only 38 percent of all families that should be in the program, 100 percent would be. Mr. Aquino actually knew the percentage figure! This means no poor child would be left behind by his or her cohort. No poor Filipino child will go unschooled.

He also promised to reform the CCT program. It will become less politicised. (“Babawasan lang ang pamumulitika.”)

Wonderful! God bless you, Mr. President-elect.

Having millions of dropouts equals ever-poor Philippines

In 2006 to 2007, primary school enrolment was down to 83 percent from 90 percent five years earlier. For secondary education, participation rate was a mere 59 percent of our youth—and this figure was steady over five years.

The education secretary then put the 2007 to 2008 participation rate at 85 percent. This early, the National Economic and Development Authority has said we won’t make our Millennium Development Goal of universal participation by 2015. But present Education Secretary Mona Valisno is confident it can be met—with unstinting support from incoming president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd.

There have been improvements, the 2007 to 2008 the dropout rate was 16.7 percent. In 2008 to 2009, the Arroyo administration claims, it has been reduced to 9 percent. This is owed to the various Education for All (EFA) programs, the 4Ps Program (conditional cash transfer for poorest families discussed above), the MISOSA (Modified In-School and Off-School Approach to allow children to study at home while employed as parents’ farm help) and other alternative schooling system. These are parts of the DepED’s Drop-Out Reduction Program (DORP).

But much more must be done.

In poorest regions, a quarter of children are out of school
In the poorest regions, such as in Western Visayas, 25 percent of children ages 6 to 11 are out of school while in the National Capital Region, the participation rate is 92.9 percent.

The number of young people aged 12-15 who are not in high school is 41.4 percent of that population group.

Many pupils don’t even get to Grade 2
For every 100 pupils who enter Grade 1, only 86 will continue till Grade 2. Over the last 30 years, this has been the highest dropout rate (14 percent) in the basic school cycle.

By Grade 4, only 76 will still be in school. By Grade 6, only 67 of the original 100 would still be enrolled—and only 65 will finish elementary school.

Our neighbors have left us far behind
Of the 65 children who graduate from Grade 6, only 58 will move on to high school. And of the 58 who enter high school, only 42 will graduate.

This completion rate of 42 percent is too low for the middle-income country we’re supposed to be. Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia—which started at the same level, or lower, in the 1950s—have left our country far behind.

Inequality starts at ‘play’ school
The children of Filipino parents who could afford the expense go through 14 to 15 years of basic education, starting with “play” and “prep” school. The great majority get only 10 years: six of elementary and four of high school.

We’re one of only three countries among 155 Unesco-member states with a 10-year pre-university education system. The others are Djibouti and Angola. Even Laos and Mongolia have elected the 12-year basic system: seven of elementary and five of high school.

We also spend far less on our schoolchildren than comparable neighbor states do. Thailand spends six times more; Malaysia 10 times more, on every schoolchild. Singapore spends 13 times more.

As long as millions of Filipino kids are unschooled and grow up to be adults bereft of basic education, our country will continue to be doomed to deepening poverty.

Tickled pink

2010-06-10T22:36:00.001+08:00

Tickled pink
By Büm D. Tenorio, Jr. (The Philippine Star) Updated June 10, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - They all came garbed in different colors but the mood of the night was definitely pink. After all, for the first time, the US Embassy hosted the Gay Pride Month celebration in Manila to show respect for the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) community in the Philippines and to recognize their contributions to their culture and society.

No less than US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. topbilled the celebration. Thomas, who said he was disheartened to hear tales of woe and injustice committed against the LGBT community, was candid and warm as he delivered his speech that momentous night.

“Discrimination is a waste of talent,” he told more than a hundred of LGBT members gathered at the cozy Makati residence of Richard Nelson, the counselor for public affairs of the US Embassy.

Nelson, who was very comfortable hosting the party, said US President Barack Obama proclaimed June as LGBT Pride Month in the US. Obama, in a statement distributed at the event, said: “We must give committed gay couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. We must protect the rights of LGBT families by securing their adoption rights, ending employment discrimination, and ensuring Federal employees receive equal benefits.”

The occasion was maintained at a convivial level throughout the night. At the end of Thomas’ speech, the gracious ambassador even said: “I was too nervous to ask Boy Abunda for his autograph.” TV personality and STAR columnist Boy Abunda, one of the prominent figures who graced the affair, broke into laughter. So did the rest of the LGBT community of journalists, writers, TV reporters, publicists, fashion designers, chefs, lawyers, professors among other professionals.

Many straight men and women were also seen enjoying the party sans the dreaded homophobia.

Abunda was recently the subject of discriminatory remarks when his name was mentioned by President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as possible Secretary of the Department of Tourism.

“I really find it very offensive when people say that I am just a TV host and not a lawyer or a doctor, therefore I am not capable of running a public office,” Abunda told The STAR.

Ang Ladlad party-list founder and STAR columnist Danton Remoto was also “happy and gay” to be at the momentous occasion. He said, “The first black American President has declared June as the LGBT Pride Month and the Manila embassy hosted this reception for us. We are no longer in the closet. We are now in the center of the room.”

Nelson’s Filipina wife, Pinky Sabinosa-Nelson, was just too delighted to welcome members of the LGBT community to their residence as she led guests to the buffet table that consisted of sumptuous Filipino fare including fresh lumpia in pink wrapper and pink rice. Pink is the international color of the LGBT community.

(E-mail the author at bumbaki@yahoo.com)

Homophobia and the case of Boy Abunda

2010-06-08T11:44:00.000+08:00

Homophobia and the case of Boy Abunda
REMOTE CONTROL | DANTON REMOTO
Posted at 06/08/2010 12:17 AM | Updated as of 06/08/2010 12:17 AM
www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ang Ladlad -- the national organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Filipinos -- wants to express its alarm over the quality of the debate and discourse regarding Mr. Boy Abunda and the alleged offer for him to become Secretary of the Department of Tourism.

Mr. Abunda -- who is a close friend and ally of the Philippine LGBT movement -- does not deserve the vilification being done to him in print, online and in conversations going on around town. President-apparent Benigno C. Aquino III allegedly wanted Mr. Abunda to be the DOT Secretary to help market the Philippines and its luxuriant tourism potentials to a global audience.

Obviously, some people whose eyes are dead-set on the position have begun to orchestrate a vile and malicious campaign against Mr. Abunda. They questioned his academic preparation, his training and even his job, calling him a "mere entertainer. " This, Mr. Abunda has ignored, letting them slide like water down his back. But when the attacks became personal -- that he is a "mere homosexual," "that where is the Philippines going -- from republican to democratic to pederasyon ng mga bading" -- it is time for Ang Ladlad to make a clear and strong statement.

Thus, in the month of June -- the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month -- Ang Ladlad would like to serve notice that debates and discourse on a person's qualifications for any job in government should be focused on the professional and not the personal. One's sexual orientation and sexual identity have nothing to do with one's qualifications for the job at hand. Those who stoop down to this level are obviously threatened by Mr. Abunda's appointment.

He has said he is inclined to decline the appointment, and pointedly added that those who want the job can now sleep better. Thus, it is time for the gay-bashing to stop -- now, and in the future, if and when Boy Abunda would have changed his mind and accept an appointment as the first openly gay member of an Aquino Cabinet.

And we are certain that the incoming Aquino administration will give no space to homophobia in its governance standing on the strong legs of change and national renewal.

This statement was signed by our new Chairperson, Ms Bemz Benedito, and myself as the Chairman Emeritus.

Mayor Binay makes history

2010-06-07T21:48:00.003+08:00

Photo by Robert Dilan

Mayor Binay makes history:
Win or lose, VP race one for the books
BY VERA FILES
June 7, 2010

Whatever the final outcome of the tightly contested vice presidential race, Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati City has made history by being the first local official to be possibly catapulted to a top national position, just a breath away from the presidency. Unlike another former mayor, Joseph Estrada, Binay bypassed Congress in his quest for a top post.

But Binay’s journey from being a far third at the start of the campaign to becoming the frontrunner in the national canvassing does not surprise fellow mayors and other local executives who say that he prepared for it long ago. The Makati mayor made smart use of vast resources and backed these up with an underground operation that included an in-your-face infiltration of a rival political organization.

The latest count by the Senate and House of Representatives acting as National Board of Canvassers shows the Liberal Party’s Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd with a commanding lead of 5.5 million over former President Joseph Estrada of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).

But the vice presidential race is still too close to call with the PMP’s Binay posting 14,084,879 votes against the 13,440,127 votes of the Liberal’s Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd.

Binay leads by 644,752 with some 1.4 million votes still to be canvassed.

This cliffhanger finale to the 2010 elections was unthinkable at the start of the campaign period when Aquino and Roxas topped the December 2009 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) with 40-percent respondents’ approval. Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nacionalista Party was a distant second with 32 percent, and Binay trailed far behind with 10 percent.

But interviews by VERA Files reveal Binay is now merely reaping the rewards of a nationwide network laid out nearly two decades ago when he launched a sister-city program linking Makati with other local governments.

Spreading the wealth
With a P12-billion annual budget, Binay’s Makati could afford to be generous. Since the early 1990s, Makati has forged sisterhood ties with more than 200 municipalities and cities all over the country, advising them on public management, subsidizing computerization training of municipal government employees, providing computer equipment, giving scholarships to poor students from the provinces in Makati City schools and making available the city’s modern medical facilities.

Binay is also known to be quick in giving at least P50 million in financial assistance to a sister municipality in need, such as in times of calamity.

In his visit to Catbalogan, Samar, in March 2009, Binay told reporters that Makati’s sisterhood program had nothing to do with his announced plan to run for president. “Aside from extending assistance and goodwill to other cities and municipalities, the sisterhood is also a good way for LGUs [local government units] to exchange ideas and best practices on governance,” he said.

Binay had initially aimed for the presidency, refusing invitations from the Liberal party to join its senatorial ticket, saying that his expertise is as an executive and not as a legislator. He only slid down to the vice presidency when Estrada decided to run for president.

The Makati mayor gained valuable exposure to the masses in provincial sorties with the popular Estrada. Sources knowledgeable about the Estrada campaign said Binay underwrote the bulk of the PMP campaign expenses.

Mayors, Boy Scouts and fraternity
Binay solidified his linkages with local governments with his friendship with 78 other city mayors who compose the League of Cities of the Philippines. This is best shown in Metro Manila’s results where the winning team was Aquino-Binay.

The SWS exit poll showed Binay’s support cutting across party lines. Majority of supporters of Nacionalista’s Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr., Lakas-Kampi CMD’s Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro and other presidential candidates had him as vice president.

A source close to one of the Metro Manila mayors said Binay campaigned only for himself with his fellow city mayors, telling them he understood their commitment to another presidential candidate. Estrada showed his displeasure by leaving blank the slot for vice president in his ballot, which was captured on camera on May 10.

Another national organization that Binay cultivated through the years was the Boys Scouts of the Philippines and its allied fraternity, the Alpha Phi Omega.

People made fun of the diminutive mayor looking like an overage boy in his Boy Scout uniform. But what many didn’t realize was that whenever Binay donned those khaki shorts, he was re-affirming his ties with the 3.5 million members of the organization and establishing a connection with their parents and other family members.

Binay’s masterstroke
While Binay’s low-key building of national networks would make a good study of effective campaign strategy, his masterstroke was the infiltration of Aquino’s campaign organization.

“There’s no way that Mar [Roxas] could have won with the betrayal from within their campaign organization,” a veteran journalist remarked, sharing his conversation with Aquino’s campaign manager Florencio “Butch” Abad, who was concerned about the activities of the Noynoy Aquino for President Movement.

The movement is headed by Ed Roces, son of the late Joaquin “Chino” Roces, founder and publisher of The Manila Times who was responsible for convincing the late Corazon “Cory” Aquino to challenge Ferdinand Marcos for the presidency in 1986.

Abad, the journalist source said, was disturbed that the movement was campaigning for a Noynoy-Binay ticket from its campaign headquarters in Parc House Building along EDSA, just two floors above the Liberal Party office.

It was not only the movement that was campaigning for a Noy-Bi ticket among Aquino’s supporters. There were the “Yellow Force” reportedly headed by Mikee Cojuangco Jaworski, daughter of Aquino’s brother Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, the gay organization Ang Ladlad, the People’s Patriotic Movement, and Council for Philippine Affairs (COPA).

Friends of the council leader Pastor “Boy” Saycon speak of a roomful of Noy-Bi materials when visiting his Makati office. The council includes Peping Cojuangco and his wife, Margarita, and Philippine Star columnist Billy Esposo.

Other Aquino relatives campaigning for Noy-Bi were Jose Maria “Boy” Montelibano and his wife Maria, who headed Radio TV Malacañang in the Cory Aquino administration and was active in Noynoy’s presidential campaign.

Major blunder
Boy Montelibano, in his column in Inquirer online, said that Roxas has only himself to blame for his defeat: “It [a Binay victory] has caused allegedly well-bred people to cross lines of decency and engage in gutter behavior in blaming others for what cannot be but a serious error of the core of Mar Roxas’s campaign. For a candidate to lose a lead of over 30 percent in three months without realizing it until the last moment is a classic case of political ineptness. The inept, therefore, has to point the blame on others, a usual human tendency.”

Campaign strategist Malou Tiquia of Publicis, who helped Roxas’s senatorial campaign in 2004, has a similar observation, although put in gentler terms. “Mar was too complacent. This is not the Mar of 2004 who was well-prepared with a good message, an organized ground troop and an air war with a storyline strategy.”

“My reading of him was he was too burned-out after sliding down to number two, and my sense was he was banking on the ‘sacrifice’ to get the home run,” Tiquia added. Roxas, who had been nurturing his own presidential ambition for years, gave way so that Noynoy could become Liberal standard-bearer, amid public clamor in the weeks after Cory’s death in August.

Tiquia noted that Roxas’s ads did not “embrace” Aquino’s anti-corruption theme and that he was not able to communicate what a vice president can do. “He was more of Mr. Palengke than a partner of Noy,” she said.

Since sliding down to vice president, Roxas had consistently maintained a commanding lead against his then closest rival, Legarda, until polls showed Binay catching up in April.

And then there was Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero who withdrew from the presidential race in November 2009 and then announced he would be supporting Binay for vice president. Escudero and Binay worked together as part of Fernando Poe Jr.’s presidential campaign in 2004. Escudero did not immediately announce whom he was supporting for president.

Enter Escudero
In February, when Aquino’s rating was declining and Villar was catching up with him, Aquino revamped his campaign organization and brought in Escudero, whose team handled media operations. They are believed responsible for the exposés against Villar that paved the way for an Aquino surge.

In April, Escudero, while managing the Aquino campaign’s media operations, came out with TV ads endorsing Binay for vice president. The next surveys after the endorsement had Binay slightly ahead of Roxas.

Tiquia does not credit Binay’s surge to Escuderos’ endorsement. “Binay was already on the rise when it came out,” she said. “What it perhaps did was to raise the ante. The timing of the endorsement created that kick to the end game.”

University of the Philippines political science Professor Miriam Coronel Ferrer agreed with Tiquia. “The vaunted appeal of ‘NoyBi’ is a myth. Let’s not give too much credit to Chiz Escudero, Ang Ladlad, and the faction of the Coryistas who supported Binay,” she said.

Ferrer did an analysis of votes based on figures from the electronic data maps prepared by Cybersoft GeoInfomatics for the Philippine Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting. The running tallies were computed from about 90 percent of election returns.

“Aquino and Roxas dominated all other tandems in terms of sheer number of votes,” said Ferrer. “NoyBi is leading in eight or majority of the regions, but contrary to what most people think, Binay benefited primarily from being Estrada’s running mate and only in a small way from the NoyBi vote configuration.”

Ferrer pointed out that Aquino and Roxas led the race in Western and Central Visayas and the Caraga regions, while Estrada and Binay prevailed in Cagayan Valley, Northern Mindanao, Davao and Socsargen Region.

“Assuming all Erap supporters also voted for Binay, about 8.7 million of his votes can be accounted for. But he has about five million more votes than Erap,” she said.

Ferrer said the gap between the votes of Teodoro and his running mate, Eduardo Manzano, was a possible source for about 2.9 million votes for Binay. “A secondary source is the 1.2 million more people who voted for Villar but not for Loren,” she said.

“Binay should thank Gibo’s and Villar’s supporters instead,” Ferrer said.

What makes this year’s intrigue-ridden vice presidential race interesting, however, goes beyond the results of this election. It could be a preview of the 2016 presidential contest.

Ellen Tordesillas and and YouthVotePhilippines

Editor’s note: VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look into current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”

Dropouts 'our immense and invisible failure'

2010-06-06T13:16:00.001+08:00

BY JUAN T. GATBONTON EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
6 June 2010
The Manila Times

The school crisis is on us once again. Everyone’s agitated about crowded classrooms; the lack of teachers; not enough textbooks. All tough problems, certainly, but not even the key ones. The more intractable problem we don’t talk about: it concerns the children who never even get to school—or who drop out before they’ve received enough formal learning to function in a modern society.

Out of every 100 Filipino children of the right age, roughly 10 never enter a classroom at all. And out of every 100 children who do, 14 drop out before they reach Grade 2. (In early 2009 Pulse Asia reported 26 percent of all Filipinos having no formal education or no more than an elementary education.)

Almost unavoidably, these children will grow up to join the ranks of our hard-core poor.

In 2009-10 the primary-school participation rate was 86.5 percent. For high school, it was 65.8 percent.

The Jesuit educator Bienvenido Nebres calls our inability to provide adequate elementary education to the great majority of our people “our immense and largely invisible failure.”

Our shameful neglect
And it’s true we’ve shamefully neglected providing the universal basic education to which government is committed—by both the 1987 Charter and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (Unesco) “Education for All” framework.

What is worse is that even our policymakers don’t seem to realize the enormity of that policy failure.

This early, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has said it is unlikely the Philippines would meet its Millennium Development Goal of universal school participation by 2015.

Falling out of school
To compound this problem, children who do enter school begin to drop out early. In the poorest regions, parents still tend to pull their children out of school at the planting and harvest seasons.

For every 100 pupils who enter Grade 1, only 86 will go on to Grade 2. For the last 30 years, says the Philippine Development Report, the highest dropout rate in the basic school cycle has occurred this early.

By Grade 4, only 76 of the original 100 will still be in school. By Grade 6, only 67 would still be enrolled—and only 65 will graduate from elementary school.

Of the 65 who finish grade school, only 58 will move on to high school. And of the 58 who enter high school, only 42 will graduate.

The figures cited above are national averages. In the Western Visayas, 25 percent of children ages 6 to 11 are out of school. (In the National Capital Region, the participation rate is 92.9 percent.) The young people ages 12 to 15 who are not in high school make up 41.4 percent of that population group.

This completion rate of 42 percent is far too low for the middle-income country we’re supposed to be. Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia—which started at the same level, or lower, in the 1950s—have all left our country far behind.

One reason is that government spends far less on our school children than comparable neighboring states do. Thailand spends six times more, and Malaysia 10 times more, on every schoolchild. Singapore spends 13 times more.

Generational poverty
As elsewhere, our poorest families are those whose heads have the barest formal education—or none at all. And these family heads pass down their poverty to their children and grandchildren.

Parents who drop out of school raise children who drop out in turn, and children who drop out raise grandchildren who drop out too.

Despite our enduring myth of the dropout who makes good, only 3 percent of farmers’ children ever become modern professionals, according to the sociologist Gelia Castillo.

Inequality starts early
Among us social inequality starts early. The children of parents who could afford the expense receive 14 to 15 years of basic education—starting with “play” and then “prep” school. But the great majority gets only 10 years: six of elementary and four of high school.

We’re one of only three countries among 155 Unesco-member states with a 10-year pre-university education system. The other two are Djibouti and Angola, both in Africa. Even Laos and Mongolia have elected the 12-year basic system: seven of elementary and five of high school.)

Since the correlation between the lack of schooling and the degree of poverty is so strong, ensuring that no child is left out of school should be a key objective of any anti-poverty program.

The cycle of generational poverty we should break by ensuring the children of the very poor stay in school.

Mexico shows how
What are we to do? We can learn from what other nations at roughly our stage of economic growth and with roughly our level of income-inequality are doing.

There are two stages in basic schooling during which children are most likely to drop out. We’ve noted that 14 out of every 100 Filipino children leave school just after finishing Grade 1. The second is middle high school, when the child in a poor family becomes old enough to start working, or to help around the farm.

Since 1997, Mexico has been managing an anti-dropout program that has been adopted by some 30 countries—including Brazil, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Both China and New York City are observing the program—New York desirous of adapting it for its ethnic and migrant ghettoes.

Wages-for-learning
One Mexican family in four receives an average $150 monthly stipend—provided it keeps its children in school and presents them for regular health checks.

To keep young children in school, Mexico offers them free school meals. More recently, it has also started giving pupils small amounts of cereals and other basic foods to take home—the quantity pegged to the number of days they’re in school.

For older potential dropouts, Mexico has “wages for learning” schemes. Older children are “paid” to stay in school, in amounts approximating what they would earn as “start-up” workers with no skills.

Program managers claim that as much as 97 percent of all Oportunidades funds go directly to beneficiaries. Bimonthly payments to enrolled families are made via bank ATMs.

The program costs Mexico $3.8 billion yearly, but it has had a tremendous impact on school attendance, especially by girls, and on poverty incidence as a whole.

In Brazil, Bolsa Familia—also a conditional-cash-transfer scheme—benefits 11 million poor families.

Our food-for-school program
Since November 2005, the Social Welfare and Education Departments have apparently been trying out a
“Food-for-School Program.” It gives every food-poor family in selected areas of the archipelago a kilo of rice for every a day that it has a child attending either a day-care, pre-school center or a Grade 1 class in a public school.

The program has apparently been encouraging enough for the Arroyo Administration to agree to finance it on a larger scale.

The World Bank notes that as much as 40 percent of program funds go astray. Nevertheless, it has encouraged government and assisted it to venture on a full-scale CCTs program—as the tool for eradicating hard-core Filipino poverty. The Bank estimates that three million families qualify for conditional cash transfers.

Government can afford the expense
The World Bank also says there’s no need to increase public indebtedness to raise the money for a serious CCTs program large enough to begin easing mass poverty. Government can simply rechannel high-cost, wrongheaded and easily subverted schemes such as the National Food Authority’s rice subsidies.

Realignment of the education budget will also help. Right now government is dissipating its money for public education in a mistaken—and futile—effort to do more than it can. Too large a portion goes to maintaining state universities and colleges.

The NEDA think tank, PIDS, notes that not just money but governance issues hamper the modernization of public education. Frequent changes in political leadership of the education department compounds the problems inherent in its “highly centralized structure.”

Where innovative principals have been empowered to reach out to their surrounding communities and engage them in school affairs, specific districts have done well.

What local governments can do
Local governments too can make a difference. They may have neither the money nor the administrative capability to carry out social programs of the magnitude of the Mexican CCTs concept, but they can make a start—without waiting for a laggard and often-confused Manila to make a move.

Among the provinces with the greatest poverty incidence, Negros Occidental apparently has set up a fairly large school-feeding program. As for the quality of governance systems in the education sector, Albay, Benguet, Biliran and Camarines Sur are apparently outstanding.

In these provinces, more intensive collection of provincial and municipal taxes (such as the real-estate levy)—with the promise that the proceeds would be earmarked for CCTs programs—might speed up local CCTs programs attacking the dropout problem where it is most acute.

2010-06-01T09:44:00.000+08:00

At last, Gibo speaks
DUCKY PAREDES

‘Even when he was betrayed, he had nothing bad to say about those who betrayed him.’

I HAVE not seen Gilbert Teodoro. Jr. – Gibo – since weeks before the elections but I am glad that he talked to Newsbreak where I got the following quotes.

On the reasons for his conceding early, he answered: "Marami, pero natural ’yung betrayal ang pinakamasakit. Pero nangyari ’yan. Ang importante huwag ka magtatanim, you move on. And I am very happy insofar as the results are concerned, Lakas-Kampi-CMD remains, as of this time, the dominant majority party in terms of the number of [local] officials elected, according to the secretary general, Ray Roquero. I am only a member of Lakas-Kampi-CMD. I am a loyal party member. "

Did you speak to anyone before conceding?" I spoke to Nikki (Gibo’s wife) about it and, of course, to our party president, Francis Manglapus."

How about President Arroyo? "No. I spoke to our party president, Francis Manglapus. Then I’m speaking to the country through you."

Do you have any regrets? "Alam mo, kung meron akong ginawa napagsisisihan ko, dahil may nagawa akong mali, siguro I wouldn’t be relieved. But I didn’t do wrong to anybody, I served my country well, I didn’t steal a single peso of Filipino money. I have a record probably that I can hold up to anybody, and I have got a supportive family–the best one: my wife, my son, and my official family, and the volunteers. Who could ask for more?"

What are your long-term plans? "I didn’t fight for a political position for myself, but for an idea. And I have to retain the objectivity to criticize when I feel it is there and to agree when I feel it’s there. Any official political involvement will restrain that because I have my own political interest to protect."

Where did the campaign go wrong? "It’s not for me to point kung saan nagkamali. Right now, the message is: What can we do right for our country? I said my winning or my losing is secondary to the idea I was proposing–the idea of national unity, competence, several ideas that I have: universal participative healthcare, basic education reform, college graduate opportunities for every family, genuine and sustainable agrarian reform, long-term infrastructure programs, continuing cash transfers to open up the 4P program, localized peace processes, strong foreign relations on the basis of national integrity, and what’s best for the Philippines, and several other programs."

Don’t you think there would be a clamor for you to remain in public life? "It all depends. As I said, I am secondary, the principal is the idea."

Are you running for senator in 2013? "Right now, rather than have Senator-whatnot, what I want is constitutional reform. What I want is to see the country go forward. I’m not even gonna participate so it’s not bona fides. We need a constitutional convention as soon as possible to reform the political and economic situation in the country. I think it’s bona fide already, because I’m not in government anymore, I don’t stand to benefit from it anymore."

What advice do you have to those who won? "Do the best that they can do in their own fields. We have an obligation to our country to do the best in our respective fields. And we do the best for ourselves in that sense–fairly, legitimately, within the bounds of the law. We do better for our country."

I always considered Gibo an interesting candidate and a friend worth keeping for life

Newsbreak has the whole story. Gibo should remain a person of interest for us all. Even when he has been betrayed, he has nothing bad to say about those who betrayed him. I know that, eventually, the country will need him again.

***

This is a statement from the Commission on Human Rights Chairperson:

"Whistleblowers are a rare breed of individuals. Many other people would simply choose to turn a blind eye to an anomaly, so as not to jeopardize their careers, their ambitions, their personal security and the safety of their loved ones. Whistleblowers, on the other hand, see graft and corruption, illegal activity and human rights abuses, and despite the huge personal cost involved, choose to make publicthese anomalies for the greater good.

"Whistleblowers and their loved ones must be protected and given safe refuge, as well as the chance to tell their stories. If our society turns a blind eye to their plight and their courage, if our society simply allows the powerful to threaten, intimidate, abduct, injure or worst, kill them, then things will never change. The culture of impunity will prevail, and the morally bankrupt will win.

"Bona fide whistleblowers must be protected, and their dignity respected. The reported incident involving a Comelec Commissioner and two whistleblowers, wherein the former allegedly pointed repeatedly his fingers at the latter and kicked a chair, allegedly provoking a fistfight, must not be countenanced. That incident must be duly investigated. There are legal remedies against false, malicious or libelous claims, if at all, which, however, exclude maltreatment of the whistleblowers. There are proper ways to refute the claims, or counter-act the moves, of whistleblowers other than intimidating or harassing them.

"Given these developments, the CHR will call on the next Congress to prioritize the passage of a Whistleblowers Protection Act." – Lilia de Lima

It is interesting that she takes note of the violent reaction that the Comelec has taken on its whistleblowers. It makes me wonder what secrets are being kept by the present commissioners. I wonder, too, from the stories I am hearing, if those secrets could eventually put them all in jail.

Loving a nation

2010-05-31T17:50:00.002+08:00

BY Danton Remoto
Remote Control
www.abs-cbnnews.com
May 31, 2010

It has its deep roots sunk many, many years ago. For me, it was when we kicked out a homegrown dictator in February of 1986. Millions massed on an avenue that would later spawn malls and mega-malls. But then it was just an avenue that linked the metropolis from north to south, suddenly becoming a symbol for a revolution powered by the people.

It was on the same week that I received a letter from a university in the American Midwest, telling me that I had been accepted into their Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing. The offer was sweet: free tuition and fees, plus a teaching assistantship to tide me over for the next two years. I had been working for two years at the Batasang Pambansa (Interim National Assembly), editing the unimaginable prose of our dear assemblymen.

But to leave meant to leave family and country. Family was okay, since my father had required us to be taught the household chores (cooking, cleaning the house, laundry, pressing the clothes) so that “when you go and study abroad, like what I did, you won’t find life too difficult.” My mother was cool about it, since many of her relatives and their children have crossed the Pacific Ocean, and I would not be wanting for company and counsel over there.

Guess what I did?

I stayed. I stayed, took a Master of Arts in Literature at the Ateneo de Manila University, whose Department of English Chairman – the peerless Fr. Joseph A. Galdon, S.J. – promptly offered me free tuition and fees, plus a job as an Instructor even without a single unit in Education. I stayed because my grandparents were teachers and my parents were teachers and in my bones, I knew that if you want to rebuild a country (almost) in ruins, you have to start with education.

We swam in a sea of yellow and elected a stoic widow into the presidency, but after that, we left her alone. She tried her best, but she is more symbol than substance. Surrounded by people who are not at all as kind-hearted as she was, she was soon fending off one coup d’état after another, one farmer’s strike after another.

We still talked in English, or Taglish, and wore shirts with alligators sewn on the chest and jeans from Levis. All imported, or knocked off and sold in Divisoria or Baclaran. Everyone and his father or mother wanted to leave again, what with the massive brownouts and the general air of despair that gripped the land.

And so when the British Council offered me another graduate-school scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, I left. The BC asked which school should they send my papers to? My friends told me to say Cambridge, or Oxford, or London. But I sent my papers instead to two smaller schools: East Anglia, for its Creative Writing Program, and Stirling, for its Publishing Studies Program. I had begun to read Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, brilliant renderings of timeworn fairy tales, and I wanted to learn from her. But East Anglia’s CW program is full and so my papers were sent to Stirling in Scotland. Why Stirling? Because after the Marcoses fell, there was no publishing industry to speak of, and I wanted help rebuild it.

Halfway through my stay in Scotland, I sent some papers for the Ph.D. program in the United States, to test the waters.

In December 1989, my noisy Brazilian flat mate Carlos knocked on my window at one A.M. He woke me up from my sleep. He said, “There is a war in your country!” I told him to shut up, Carlos, you’re drunk again. He told me to turn on my radio and listen to BBC Radio, and indeed there it was, the clipped accent reporting about a coup d’état in the business heartland of Makati. For a week I listened to the radio and watched the television and talked to my sister on the phone. She was living in New Jersey and I told her I wish the coup would be over soon, because I don’t want to be stranded in Scotland. The coup died down, thanks (or no thanks) to American jet fighter planes that grazed the streets of Makati where the coup plotters and their soldiers were hunkered down.

A month later, I got letters from the American universities, offering me Ph.D. scholarships with all the sweeteners: free tuition and fees, a writing award of $1,000, a teaching assistantship. I did not know what to do. One day, we watched Dead Poets’ Society at Mac Roberts Arts Centre. Robin Williams played a Poetry teacher whose teaching methods are out of the box, and out of this world. He opened doors, windows, and a completely new universe, before the eyes of his students. I will never stand on top of a table to discuss poetry or turn my face to rubber to imitate personas in a poem, but I understood the spirit that animated the character Robin Williams played.

It was no choice. I returned to the country, where my Scottish accent became the students’ butt of jokes. Still we talked in our own kinds of English, or Taglish, and I wore the African vests and fez that I brought home.

Cory’s regime ended and Fidel V. Ramos took over, an administration that restored electricity in our homes, built flyovers in our cities, raised our GNP. Then Erap Estrada took over, with his distinctly nationalist agenda: during his inauguration, he had Mass at Barasoain Church, and was sworn into office at Rizal Park. He wore crisp, cream barongs and spoke his kind of buffalo English. Then he was kicked out of office and an Economics teacher at Ateneo took over, a bookish and studious woman who castigated students who came late to her class.

For nine years she was there, leading us in a rollercoaster ride that gave us 36 quarters of uninterrupted economic growth, which growth never seeped down to the common folk, where it matters most. The protest movement against her peaked in 2005, after she was accused of cheating in the elections. Suddenly there were CDs, songs, shirts, text messages and jokes against her. Love of country was alive again, equated with protests raging against her.

And in August of last year, when people were not sure whether Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would leave the presidency or not, the saint of democracy Cory Aquino died of cancer. Suddenly, a new generation of Filipinos became aware of how it was to have a leader who might be a character straight out of boresville, but hey, as Teddy Boy Locsin said, “she never stole a single centavo from you.”

I’ve long been fascinated by the map of the Philippines – a spray of islands like jewels in the sea – and was happy when it became an icon for this newly-rediscovered love for one’s country. It soon found its way on T-shirts, on jeans, on notebooks. It became the protest icon of people who chose yellow as opposed to green, or orange, or whatever. At the same time, another clothes line was putting paintings of our own national artists on their well-crafted shirts. Others chose excerpts from the dazzling fiction of Nick Joaquin, and had them blazoned on their shirts as well.

And recently, a famous brand cut up lines from our Panatang Makabayan and had them printed on their shirts. Made in China those shirts are, of course, and the models are mestizos, but who cares? If they can foster love of country among this text-crazy, jejemon-writing generation, why not?

The idea of involving the youth in the recent elections – as fostered by a big TV station – is also a smart move. It brought the young back into the loop of nation-building. Their parents are in Dubai or Saudi Arabia, they might be dreaming of leaving someday for that golden country beyond the sea, but right now, at this moment, their synapses are wired to the blazing, body electric of loving a nation.

And if we love this nation – these many islands fractured by geography and history – then I am sure we can rebuild it. Now.

Goodbye Koala Bear, Hello Nico

2010-05-29T20:51:00.001+08:00

Good-bye ‘Koala Bear,’ ‘Hello Nico’

by Rey E. Requejo
Manila Standard Today
May 29, 2010

The Department of Justice will not prioritize election irregularities exposed by an informer better known to the public as “Koala Bear.” Instead, it will look into the so-called “Hello Nico” scandal and supposedly questionable compact flash cards used in the May 10 elections.

Justice Secretary Alberto Agra stressed that the so-called “Koala Bear” controversy will be looked into, but only to verify his role in the elections.

“On the side lang yun just to verify his involvement. That’s not a priority. That will be taken care of by NBI [National Bureau of Investigation],” he said.

“We are doing this for the Comelec. We are still in the election period until June 30 so that NBI, our prosecutors, and PNP are acting as deputies of the Comelec,” Agra added.

The Commission on Elections said it has already identified the person behind the allegations of“Koala Bear.”

“We already know who is behind him. He is a losing candidate,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.

The whistleblower earlier charged that he was part of vote padding and shaving operations during the elections.

Agra said he was confident that the department would conclude by June 15 the investigations into the “Hello Ronnie or Hello Nico” as well as the alleged irregularities in the compact flash cards and precinct count scan (PCOS) machines in connection with the May 10 elections.

According to him, a copy of the CD containing the alleged wiretapped phone conversation between Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno and Comelec Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer had already been turned over to NBI director Nestor Mantaring. Puno and Ferrer have denied that they are the persons in the conversation.

“Once the NBI wraps up the probe, it will submit its report to the DoJ for review. Once the DoJ finds probable cause, the next step is the filing of information in court,” Agra said.

Disqualification case filed against leading party list group

2010-05-28T22:34:00.000+08:00

5/26/2010 | 06:58 PM
Disqualification case filed against leading party list group
KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN, GMANews.TV

A disqualification case has been filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against leading party-list group Ako Bicol Political Party for allegedly failing to represent a marginalized sector.

The group’s disqualification was sought because Ako Bicol is supposedly a "front of wealthy tycoons preying on the regionalistic sentiments" of poor and marginalized Bicolanos, petitioners said in an 18-page motion filed on Wednesday.

Petitioners include Marites Corteza-Lopez, Mae Ann Michelle Villagomez, Michael Malano, Ferdinand Gaite, and Alexander Remollino.

Corteza-Lopez, Villagomez, Malano, Gaite, and Remollino claim to be "advocates" of clean elections. Corteza-Lopez and Villagomez also claim to be Bicolanos.

Gaite is also the president of the Confederation for the Unity, Recognition, and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage), which is a member organization of poll watchdog Kontra Daya.

"If the marginalized and the underrepresented poor will be represented in Congress by the overrepresented rich, would it not add more to their underrepresentation rather than alleviate it?" they said in their petition.

Ako Bicol was created by the "extremely wealthy" family of Elizaldy and Christopher Co, owners of Sunwest Group of Companies, Tektone Corporation, Lo-Tone Corporation, and Hi-Tone Corporation, the petitioners said.

Elizaldy is the chairman of the Ako Bicol Political Party while Christopher is its first nominee.

They added that Rodel Batocabe, the group's second nominee, is the corporate officer of the Embarcadero, a lifestyle hub, commercial, and entertainment center in Legazpi City, Albay.

Its fourth nominee, Ronaldo Ang, is also reportedly the vice president for legal of Sunwest Group of Companies.

"It must be protested to high heavens the fact that Ako Bicol... is feigning to be representing the marginalized and underrepresented sectors. Allowing (the party) to exist as a party under the party-list sytem representation indeed allows the party-list system to be sullied, desecrated, debased, and prostituted by those who are neither marginalized nor underrepresented," said the petitioners.

GMANews.TV tried contacting representatives from Ako Bicol but was unsuccessful.

According to the last tally of party-list votes released by the Comelec, the leading party-list organizations are Ako Bicol with 1,522,986 votes; the Coalition of Associations of Senior Citizens in the Philippies with 1,292,182 votes; and the Buhay Hayaan Yumabong Party-list with 1,249,555 votes.

Under the party list law, those who received at least two percent of the total votes cast for the party-list system shall be entitled to one congressional seat each while those who received more than two percent of the votes shall be entitled to additional seats in proportion to their total number of votes.

However, each party-list organization shall not be awarded more than three seats in Congress.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that 20 percent of the seats in Congress be allotted for the sectoral representatives. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV

Catholic Church hinders growth of public intellectuals in RP -- expert

2010-05-28T20:21:00.000+08:00

Catholic Church hinders growth of public intellectuals in RP --expert
By Purple S. Romero, abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak
Posted at 05/28/2010 5:26 PM | Updated as of 05/28/2010 5:34 PM

MANILA, Philippines--Influential sectors or "veto groups" have stymied public intellectuals in Southeast Asia, an authority on nationalism said on Friday in the forum of Nippon Foundation Fellowships for Asian Public Intellectuals held at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Benedict Anderson, professor emeritus of International Studies in Cornell University, pointed out that public intellectuals are concerned not just with meddling governments, they are also “up against veto groups,” or influential sectors which immediately block policies or ideas that either go against their belief, or question their power.

Public intellectuals are experts in various fields who help shape public discourse and introduce reforms. They are those who frequently appear in the media to comment on newsworthy issues.

In the Philippines, where 81% of the 90-million population are Catholic, the Catholic Church is the “single, most powerful veto group,” Anderson said.

He decried how the Catholic Church has successfully impeded the distribution of contraceptives and curtailed the education of people about reproductive health, thereby also slowing down the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Mary Racelis, professor from the University of the Philippines Department of Anthropology, agreed with Anderson. She said that the Catholic Church continues to shun forms of modern family planning, such as the use of condoms and birth control pills. Talking about abortion is also a big no-no. “You cannot discuss it,” she said. “This is always a struggle.”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has campaigned against the passage of the Reproductive Health Care bill, which would mandate the government to fund and promote the use of contraceptives. After 14 years, the bill reached the plenary in Congress in 2008, but intense lobbying from the Catholic Church and pro-life advocates stalled its enactment into law.

Military power

In Indonesia, Anderson said, the presence of the military continues to intimidate public intellectuals.

The military has weakened press freedom during the time of President Suharto. Indonesia’s armed forces enjoyed considerable power under his regime as they helped him overthrow Suharto’s predecessor, Sukarno, in 1967.

Media practitioners then were warned against producing scathing reports against the military.

While the Indonesian government is now under the helm of civilian rule, research about military, especially their wealth, is still far and between, Anderson lamented.

“There is no single book about the military,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, a law whose implementation lies in the hands of men in uniform has also discouraged the probe of the government and its actions.

Under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows detention without trial, the police and military can arrest and put behind bars people who are suspected of carrying any anti-government activity. The Malaysian government has initially used ISA to stop communist forces in 1948.

Anderson said though, that in reality, ISA is now used to suppress critics of the government.

Infallible monarchy

In Thailand, Anderson said, the “veto group” is the monarchy, which is above public scrutiny.

It has a law, the lese majeste, which prohibits any form of criticism against the king and the royal family. Those who defame the monarchy could be imprisoned for 3-15 years.

Anderson said that lese majeste has the undeniable capacity to censor public intellectuals, even those who are not Thai citizens. He cited the example of Paul Handley, author of the book “The King That Never Smiles,” which assailed Thai King Bhumibol Adulyade as anti-democratic.

The book almost did not see the light of day, Anderson said, as the Thai government allegedly tried to stop its publication by the Yale University. The book was eventually published in 2006.

Anderson said, though, that public intellectuals should not be silenced by veto groups. “The history of public intellectuals is marked by courage,” he said. - abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak

Juana Change: Some Noynoy insiders don't wanna change

2010-05-28T19:58:00.001+08:00

Special Reports
Juana Change: Some Noynoy insiders don’t wanna change
SOPHIA DEDACE, GMANews.TV
05/27/2010 | 05:29 PM

No fictional character has been more identified with the nation’s recent tumultuous politics than Juana Change, the plump and funny firebrand who became a flesh-and-blood avatar for the anti-Arroyo mood among many performing artists.

During Noynoy Aquino’s run for the presidency, the neon-haired activist became a political campaigner, entertaining his large crowds with her brand of comic relief. In the process, she became a symbol for the volunteerism that famously animated the Aquino campaign.

But most recently, she was cited by pro-Aquino columnist Conrado de Quiros as a symbol for the seething discontent of “Yellow Army" volunteers who, in the wake of victory, now feel shunted by the political professionals more identified with the Liberal Party and by the Arroyo administration alumni who were very visible in the Aquino campaign.

Juana Change warns Noynoy Aquino that there are people surrounding him who want business as usual. Image from Paner's Facebook account
Contacted by GMANews.TV, Juana Change – character actress Mae Paner in real life – was indeed seething about the current jockeying for position and influence by traditional politicians.

"I did not invest my blood, sweat and tears para trapo ang ma-appoint. Those surrounding Noynoy, most of them are sipsip," Paner told GMANews.TV over the phone. She, however, declined to identify anyone.

At the height of the campaign season last March, she resigned from the Noynoy camp, saying those running it did not fit the anti-traditional politics she and other artists were advocating.

Breaking into tears, she described the difficulties she encountered while campaigning for Aquino during the Liberal Party's provincial sorties.

"Noong sumama ako sa mga sorties, actually doon lumalabas ang mga problema. Yung mga trapo nag-gigitgitan, yung mga nakadikit kay Noynoy. So na-pressure ako. Ito ba ang pinasok ko? Parang pinagsisilbihan ko ay sandamakmak na trapo," she said.

She bemoans that she, like other volunteers, was eventually ignored and looked down upon -- lending credence to de Quiros’ description of volunteers who were "alienated and ejected like flotsam."

"Para kaming nasa doghouse, naisasantabi, naisasalya," she cried, adding that she never asked for anything in return while the supposed "trapos" got compensation and the credit for the successes in the campaign.

People's campaign

Paner was an anti-Marcos activist and has been in the advertising industry for more than two decades, directing and acting in commercials. She is also part of the Philippine Educational Theater Association or PETA, known for its politically tinged productions.

When whistleblower Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada exposed First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo's alleged involvement in the purportedly graft-tainted National Broadband Network deal in 2008, Paner's sense of nationalism was stirred.

Months later, she and her colleagues formed a group that produced videos parodying ills in Philippine society and politics. As a theater actress, Paner found herself at the forefront as the character "Juana Change."

Her videos became online sensations and she became a fixture at gatherings of civil society groups and major political rallies. Paner and her group did not support a presidential candidate (one of her spiels was titled NOTA, to indicate None of the Above were qualified as presidents), until Sen. Manuel Roxas II passed the torch to Aquino as the Liberal Party's presidential bet.

"We (her group) felt there was a collective intelligence that seemed to be guiding the decision [for Aquino to seek the presidency]. I felt good about Noynoy, like he seemed to be the right choice," she said.

Paner said she agreed to volunteer for Aquino because she thought it was a "people-run" campaign, since it was the people who clamored for him to run for president. It was this amorphous entity referred to as “the people" that provided the campaign with its numbers, energy, and claims to being a movement. But there was never an ideology or set of principles tying volunteers together, aside from vague vows to fight corruption.

When she joined campaign activities, Paner did not like what she saw.

"I was asserting that this should be about the people. Si Noy ang boses ng tao. Pero [sa kampanya], kaming mga creatives, hindi namin ma-take yung mga pinagsasabi nila [sa campaign speeches]," she said.

Even after she stopped gracing Aquino’s rallies, however, she remained a staunch supporter of the presidential front runner.

In his Philippine Daily Inquirer column last May 17, De Quiros wrote about the bitter disagreements between volunteer groups and the Liberal Party, the Hyatt 10 (former Cabinet members of the Arroyo administration), and The Firm ( one of the country's high-profile law firms).

"The people around Noynoy they alienated, pissed off and ejected like flotsam were the volunteer groups," he said.

A day later, he wrote:

"The Noynoy campaign began not with the Liberal Party, the Hyatt 10 and the Firm but with the volunteer groups. It succeeded not because of the Liberal Party, the Hyatt 10 and the Firm but because of the volunteer groups. Noynoy’s government should begin not with the Liberal Party, the Hyatt 10 and the Firm but with the volunteer groups. It should succeed not because of the Liberal Party, the Hyatt 10 and the Firm but because of the volunteer groups."

But insiders in the Noynoy-Mar campaign disagree.

An LP staff member who declined to be named said some volunteer groups were "unruly" and "disorganized," even as he underscored their contributions to the campaign.

Another campaign insider who asked to remain anonymous said volunteers were not really ostracized during campaign activities. "They probably felt they receded into the background during provincial sorties, where local officials make overtures to Noynoy and hog public attention," he said.

Volunteers like Mae Paner aka Juana Change may have given the campaign its foot soldiers and enthusiasm, but some political observers opine that their spontaneity must be harnessed to a disciplined organization for it to have any future influence over policy.

Eleanor Dionisio of the Ateneo Center for Social Policy and Public Affairs took De Quiros to task for invoking "the episodic, uninstitutionalized, voluntaristic politics of EDSA as the democratic ideal."

"But apart from unity against corruption, Noynoy's Yellow Forces are a cacophony of conflicting interests, without any party discipline, just as it was the movement that brought his mother to power," Dioniosio wrote in her letter to the Inquirer which was circulated through Facebook.

Despite the letdown and intrigues creeping into the crowd around Aquino, Juana Change has not lost her optimism and still counts herself as a grunt in the Yellow Army. In a recent statement on her Facebook fan page, she wrote: "Maniwala ka, may mga marangal pa rin sa hanay natin." – With Howie Severino, GMANews.TV

Aftermath: The Future for Ang Ladlad

2010-05-24T19:56:00.001+08:00

I have never shed any tears for this election, just now, after reading this piece written by Ang Ladlad's second nominee, Atty. Germaine Leonin. And it is not just my dream, but the dream belongs to all of us.

The Board of Trustees of Ang Ladlad has also chosen its new set of officers. I am happy to report that I am no longer chairman of Ang Ladlad. A new set of younger leaders will take over from where we have left off.

I am now ready to prepare for my journey for the senatorial elections of 2013. Watch us make our moves ;-)

Aftermath: The Future for Ang Ladlad
By Atty. Germaine Trittle Leonin

By and large, I believe AngLadlad and the Filipino LGBT Community won a great battle in this past elections. While AngLadlad’s real story began in 2006 (when it first applied for partylist accreditation and got denied by COMELEC for failing to show its national membership), it was the last six months prior to the May 10, 2010 elections which proved most significant to its ultimate aspiration of respect and equality for Filipino LGBTs.

AngLadlad had always played by the rules. It relied on clear Constitutional mandates for marginalized sectors and took advantage of the opportunity that the Philippines’ Party List System provided. AngLadlad gathered its LGBT membership from all around the Philippines and documented its relevant activities, as well as the required qualifications of a Party List under the law. However, certain “powers that be” in the COMELEC chose to be more obvious with their biases and homophobia to outrightly deny AngLadlad’s application.

Everyone saw through the blatant injustice being done to AngLadlad, since various “bogus” organizations claiming to represent certain sectors were getting accredited at the snap of a finger by simply forking over a couple of hundred thousand pesos. These supposed sectoral organizations did not even fall within the same category of similarly disadvantaged groups enumerated by the Constitution and the Party List law. I mean, honestly, “sabungeros” or cockfighters and LPG-users as a marginalized sector? Give me a break! And maybe balut-vendors, security guards and tricycle drivers may fall within the contemplation of the economically-marginalized “informal industry or underground economy”, but to have the Presidential sister-in-law and a Presidential son represent such sectors as its intended nominees? Come on! They should have been the first to be disqualified.

But as is our wont, in the LGBT Community, we took everything in stride. We are used to these types of prejudice after all. The only difference is, we are no longer so willing to endure it. AngLadlad challenged the COMELEC and sought the judicious guidance of the Supreme Court in the name of human rights. With the fiasco surrounding COMELEC’s erroneous decision, the everyday discrimination Pinoy LGBTs actually experience in their lives became more real for other people in the straight world. Our own families and friends, or even mere acquaintances came to understand our plight more.

Fortunately, the Highest Court in the land showed incredible progressiveness and upheld our basic rights under the law. Quoting the Solicitor-General’s own Comment to the petition, it practically chastised the COMELEC Commissioners for their gross ignorance of the law. I personally think that, had it not been a critical election year, these as..h..les should have been impeached already!

While we in AngLadlad just grinned and bore it, unbeknownst to us, there were more people supporting us and declaring themselves as our allies. They may not be as vocal since they do not completely understand our struggle, but instinctively, Filipinos knew something was not right and it was not fair to LGBTs. Touted as an underdog, the sympathy generated for AngLadlad ultimately worked in our favor. Apathetic and indifferent LGBTs finally came out in solidarity to speak in behalf of LGBT rights.

But the greater revelation came on election day when we realized our own families and relatives, classmates and workmates all came out to vote for AngLadlad. Just when we thought our parents and siblings would never come to accept or understand us, they came out in full force to make their votes count even with the long queues under the sun, risking heatstroke as they did so. We were so surprised – shocked even! We were so overwhelmed by the support they showed us, most of us were driven to tears.

In my case, my own sisters and very religious mother (who would never challenge Catholic dogma), donated some stickers as AngLadlad campaign materials. My youngest sister and cousin hung AngLadlad tarpaulins at their homes even when they never fully understood my advocacy. As a result, our whole parish in Kamias came to know about AngLadlad so that neighbors were enjoined to vote for us. My mom could have been arrested for electioneering when she continued to campaign on election day within the polling areas!

The total votes we eventually got, albeit lacking to garner us a seat in Congress, was a decent number. Our ranking was considerably dignified compared to other partylists which had greater resources. Given the late release of the SC decision, we had a mere three (count that 3!) weeks to campaign formally. Thus, all five nominees, including Danton himself, were simultaneously deployed around the Philippines to campaign – Bemz to North Luzon, Danton to the Bicol region, Cris in Mindanao proper, Dex in Leyte and Samar, and I was sent to Cebu and Davao. We alternated with press duties – giving various interviews to TV, radio and print media. Meanwhile, we had Edmond, Gelo, Patrick, and Naomi holding the fort in Manila. Malu, Ging and the rest of the lesbians from LEAP, together with Ceejay and MCC-QC pulled off three weekends’ worth of mini-motorcades around the Metro, including an LGBT Flores de Mayo.

Within this very short time, I know many others from the LGBT Community were also working, doing whatever they can do to help out. From Cagayan de Oro (c/o Norms, Louie and the rest of PLUS) to Cebu (c/o Tisha, Jubelle, and Orly), Davao (c/o Pidot and Shielfa) to Laguna (c/o Kearse and Bron), our LGBT networks and friends were hooking us up with local media and providing us whatever exposure is available.

And sorry if I will fail to mention all of you due to memory gap, (I know Marlon went to Dumaguete, Abra and Pangasinan to campaign, as well LIKHAAN within their communities), but I believe this genuine unified effort for AngLadlad galvanized something within the LGBT Advocacy Movement - a great achievement in itself! Besides the true solidarity these different LGBT groups around the country showed us, we were amazed by the support local politicians in the provinces gave us. If people are still wondering whether Abalos was correct in calling us “phantom voters”, the clear visibility we displayed proved this disgraced ex-COMELEC chairman was so wrong about us.

We must remember that we also didn’t have enough financial resources and relied mostly on donations from friends and supporters. We welcomed and are thankful for all the support we got from different people, national and local candidates alike. And while tough choices had to be made, the leadership assured everyone that final decisions were made without losing focus on our main goal – and that is, to do everything it takes to represent Pinoy LGBTs in Congress.

Yet criticisms still abound, differences and misunderstandings will continue long after this election is over. But all I can say is, Filipino LGBTs should know where their loyalties should lie because no one else can do this better than a fellow LGBT. We may all have our political leanings, but after everything is said and done, this option has already been presented to you, that your own marginalized sector should be recognized in the political realm – will you stand by and simply watch when what we are fighting for are your own rights?

This early, there is a clamor for more LGBT groups in different parts of the country for AngLadlad to visit them for proper orientations on the partylist’s goals and plans. There is also an expressed desire to organize themselves better so they can serve as better campaign mechanisms in the future. Well-off LGBTs don’t seem so complacent anymore and entrepreneurs have shown interest in helping out with fundraisings. Our families and friends have become stronger allies and supporters. Already I feel Philippine society has already changed significantly and it gives me goosebumps.

Danton Remoto’s dream for AngLadlad and of greater political participation for Filipino LGBTs will continue. On the eve of the Philippine LGBT Advocacy Movement’s 15th year this June 2010, we celebrate our diversity and remain steadfast in our desire for equality and respect. Mabuhay tayong lahat, mga kapatid!

The politics of pork

2010-05-24T19:02:00.002+08:00

By Liling Magtolis Briones / Boiled Green Bananas
Business Mirror, Sunday, 23 May 2010 20:48

The rallying cry of the Noynoy-for-President campaign was “No to corruption!” It was a campaign line which many Filipinos responded to. Many voted for him on the assumption that he would take concrete steps against corruption. Now that the elections are over, those who voted for him are asking how he can fulfill his campaign promise of “no to corruption” even as he seeks answers to the formidable challenges confronting his administration.

Challenges to the new administration

As the day of Noynoy’s inauguration draws near, the media have been trying to identify the challenges to his administration. Speculations are rife about the composition of his Cabinet, especially his economic team. I myself have been interviewed by the media on what awaits Noynoy’s presidency. The list is long. The rebuilding of government institutions is a difficult challenge. During the past decades, many of the institutions which formed the warp and woof of governance have been steadily eroded and weakened. These include the Legislative branch of government, the Executive, the Judiciary, the government corporate sector and even independent institutions. Worse, the erosion of public trust in these institutions has led to cynical public acceptance and toleration of inefficiency and corruption.

Concerns have been expressed about political stability in the light of the protests, cases filed and complaints about cheating, violence and vote-buying during the last elections. We all know that disturbances in the political system have repercussions on the economy. Foreign investors want a stable environment. More important, citizens want an environment of peace and justice so they can move on with their lives.

Public finance

The most urgent problem facing the new administration is in the arena of public finance. A huge fiscal deficit awaits Noynoy. At the end of the first quarter alone, the deficit already ballooned to over P100 billion. Serious revenue shortfalls were covered by massive borrowing. At the end of the first half of the year, it is expected that deficit levels will be much higher than targeted, since these were spurred by excessive election spending. Because of the huge fiscal deficit which is right now funded by borrowing, the levels of public debt are rising inexorably.

How will Noynoy and his advisers resolve the deficit? Everyone agrees that borrowing will not be a sustainable solution and that increases in revenue will tame the deficit. The issue is: Who will bear the burden of the deficit? As recommended by the International Monetary Fund, should it be the Filipino consumers, many of whom are poor? If this is Noynoy’s answer, then an increase in value-added tax rates will provide the much-needed additional revenue. The issue of equity will surely be raised by a disappointed and enraged public. If he wants to fulfill the constitutional mandate for a progressive system of taxation, then Noynoy will have to rationalize the perks and incentives which are given to the private sector. Noynoy will have to choose between the millions who look to him for relief from poverty and those who probably contributed to his campaign.

Indeed, who will bear the burdens of the Noynoy administration?

The politics of pork

In the public mind, pork barrel is associated with abuse and corruption. When Butch Abad announced that pork barrel would be used as “pressure point” to ensure a pliant Congress, he was announcing a typical tradpol strategy which GMA practiced with impunity. Does the use of the politics of pork make the Liberal Party any different from the GMA, as well as earlier administrations? If the politics of pork and the corruption associated with it will be used as a tool by the Liberal Party, what does it mean for its election slogan of “no to corruption”? Rep. Edcel Lagman has pointed out that the 2010 pork barrel of congressmen cannot be impounded because of Section 67, “Prohibition Against Impoundment of Appropriations” in the Appropriation Act. The veto message of the President actually imposed a conditional veto on this provision. It refers to additional appropriations approved by Congress in lieu of debt service. It must also be determined whether this provision also applies to pork barrel. The best way to determine whether President Arroyo honored the impoundment provision or actually withheld the pork barrel of the opposition in 2010 is to check the records of DBM.

The elections are just over and there are already indications that the promise of genuine reform might be derailed and that the politics of pork is alive and well.

Fil-Am transgender sues Macy's for discrimination

2010-05-23T11:17:00.002+08:00

Fil-Am transgender sues Macy’s for discrimination
Balitang America
Posted at 05/22/2010 1:36 PM | Updated as of 05/22/2010 1:36 PM
www.abs-cbnnews.com

CALIFORNIA - A Filipino American is suing her former employer Macy’s department store for wrongful termination and discrimination.

For close to 3 years, Filipino American Jason “Jazz” Araquel, Jr. was at employee at the Macy’s store in the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, California. Araquel is a pre-operative male to female transgender, which Macy’s management knew when she was hired in 2006.

Araquel, who worked in the cosmetics department, was fired in September last year for alleged insubordination and use of foul language. Araquel then filed a lawsuit claiming she was wrongfully terminated, alleging that she was a victim of gender identity discrimination, according to Araquel’s attorney Kelly Chen.

Araquel claims that throughout her employment at Macy’s, she experienced ongoing verbal abuse, being ejected from the women’s restroom, was required to do work assignments not part of her duties, was being held at a stricter standard, and was subjected to constant ridicule from both management and other employees.

She made ongoing complaints to management about being harassed and discriminated in the workplace. Araquel believes her termination was retaliation for those complaints.

“Given the sensitive nature and impact of the decision by any individual to change their sex – physically, psychologically and emotionally – it is abhorrent that Macy’s not only sat by and allowed her to suffer in an environment of humiliation and harassment from other employees, but its management actually contributed to her pain and suffering through its ongoing unfair treatment of her and eventually by her termination,” said Araquel’s attorney Eric Castelblanco. Balitang America

Are young Pinoy gays the new face of AIDS in RP?

2010-05-22T22:33:00.003+08:00

Special Reports

Are young Pinoy gays the new face of AIDS in RP?
JOSEPH HOLANDES UBALDE, GMANews.TV
12/02/2009 | 07:54 PM

It started with a cough that never went away. Then came a sore that never seemed to heal. After days of fervent worrying, Paul (not his real name) decided not to see his regular doctor anymore. He proceeded to have an HIV test.

The 23-year-old call center agent had heard stories about a colleague who always got sick and never seemed to get better. “He contracted the flu one month, then pneumonia several weeks later. It was unusual," Paul said.

Upon the advice of a doctor, the office mate went to a clinic and had his blood screened for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). A week later, the bad news came: he tested positive for the virus.

When Paul found out about his colleague, he knew he needed to be tested immediately. After all, he was the perfect fit for the profile of high-risk individuals for HIV and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS): a young gay man who has multiple partners and has had unprotected, penetrative sex with other men.

Gay rights advocates and AIDS awareness groups have confirmed that young gay men are beginning to represent the new face of HIV/AIDS in the country, with recent figures showing an increasing trend in homosexual transmission.

Since 2007, two-thirds of HIV infections recorded in the country were found among men with homosexual or bisexual relations, according to statistics from the Department of Health (DOH).
This is significantly higher than the overall figure of 43 per cent for homosexual and bisexual transmission since the first HIV case was reported 25 years ago, official data shows.

In the same period, 90 per cent of the cases were sexually transmitted infections, with intravenous drug use accounting for the rest. In 2009, however, all the new cases so far came from sexual contact, majority among young men.

From January to October this year, 86 per cent of the 629 new cases who tested positive for HIV were males. In October alone, 80 new HIV-positive cases were recorded, mostly men aged 25-34 years old who had sex with other males.

“It's impossible not to touch on homosexual concerns when relating to HIV/AIDS programs," said Malu Marin, executive director of the AIDS advocacy group ACHIEVE. “But we approach HIV/AIDS programs in the country holistically," she said.

With new cases of HIV infections rising by one-third this year, the Philippines is one of the countries where a “hidden and growing epidemic" is imminent, the United Nations warned on the occasion of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.

The increasing trend worries Renaud Meyer, UN Development Program country director for the Philippines, who says the government is unlikely to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of stopping the spread of HIV by 2015.

“Instead of reversing and halting it, we see increasing cases," Meyer told GMANews.TV.

“It is important to promote voluntary testing especially among vulnerable and high risk group because when more people get tested, we’ll have a better knowledge on the real situation in the Philippines," Renaud added.

Overall, the DOH has recorded 4, 218 HIV-positive Filipinos from 1984 up to October 2009. A total of 828 Filipinos developed AIDS, and 318 have since died including one this year, according to official records.

Back to the closet

Medical professionals concede that the figures do not reflect the real picture of HIV/AIDS in the country, as there could be many more under-reported cases among individuals who are either scared to take the test or lack awareness about the disease.

Cebu Rep. Nerissa Corazon Soon-Ruiz, chair of the House committee on the Millennium Development Goals, said there are an estimated 11,000 undocumented and unreported HIV and AIDS cases in the country.

A doctor by profession, Ruiz said a bill needs to be passed to amend the existing Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998 to increase the current level of awareness among Filipinos about the problem. The envisioned legislation will also propose appropriate measure to support HIV and AIDS carriers and their families by improving support systems for them.
In 1984 scientists proved that HIV causes AIDS. Anyone can get HIV. The most important thing to know is how you can get the virus.

You can get HIV:

* By having unprotected sex - sex without a condom- with someone who has HIV. The virus can be in an infected person’s blood, semen, or vaginal secretions and can enter your body through tiny cuts or sores in your skin, or in the lining of your vagina, penis, rectum, or mouth.
* By sharing a needle and syringe to inject drugs or sharing drug equipment used
to prepare drugs for injection with someone who has HIV.
* From a blood transfusion or blood clotting factor.

Babies born to women with HIV also can become infected during pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding.

You cannot get HIV:

* By working with or being around someone who has HIV.
* From sweat, spit, tears, clothes, drinking fountains, phones, toilet seats, or through
everyday things like sharing a meal.
* From insect bites or stings.
* From donating blood.
* From a closed-mouth kiss (but there is a very small chance of getting it from open-mouthed or "French" kissing with an infected person because of possible blood contact).

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Testing for HIV is key to slowing down the AIDS epidemic. An HIV test could provide peace of mind to anyone who is at risk from the disease.

The cost of an HIV test would usually range between 300 and 1,500 pesos depending on the clinic.

See list of DOH-accredited centers here.

Dr. Olive Dizon, a medical specialist at HIV/AIDS wing of San Lazaro hospital, the country’s center for infectious and communicable diseases, said Filipinos need to be re-educated about taking HIV tests.

“The stigma is still there," Dizon told GMANews.TV. “But if they won’t get tested they have no other way to find out."

The present law provides free counseling behind closed doors for those who want to take the test. “It is important to have the same doctor for the pre-test and post-test screenings to foster confidence with the patient and also trust," Dr. Dizon said.

Doctors can never reveal their patients’ identities, even to their fellow doctors. Sometimes, Dr. Dizon said she had to tell patients to calm down before taking the test, explaining to them that not all opportunistic infections like TB or herpes are linked to HIV.

“These infections could attack the body when the immune system is down. When a person is stressed or depressed, his immune system is down. Sometimes, it’s just that."

Often, the stigma is borne out of lack of proper information. Nelia Sevidal, executive director of the non-government organization Lunduyan Para sa Pagpapalaganap at Pagtatanggol ng Karapatang Pambata, Inc., said Filipinos have a twisted image of what persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs) look like.

“When Filipinos are told of HIV, most of them get the vision of a skin-and-bone, ghost-like figure of a person," Sevidal told GMANews.TV. In many cases, however, this is a false picture. With regular check-up and medication with antiretroviral drugs, PLHAs can look like any healthy individual, she says.

But fear of ostracism from their family and communities make PLHAs, or sometimes even those just thinking of taking an HIV test, adopt a culture of silence. “For the PLHAs, silence is the only defense against discrimination," says Sevidal.

In a 2007 study, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland found out that people living in countries where infections are widespread may have fewer preconceptions about HIV patients.

According to their survey, there is much greater stigma against HIV/AIDS patients in countries such as Thailand, which is ranked 17th worldwide, than Zimbabwe, which has the fourth highest rate of HIV infection in the world, with approximately one-fourth of all adults infected..

“The findings imply that when people have more accepting attitudes toward HIV/AIDS, they are more likely themselves to get tested and seek treatment, as well as to be supportive of friends and family with the illness," read an article on the Johns Hopskins newsletter.

Don’t be afraid of a little test

Mandatory HIV tests are unlawful in the Philippines. Only Filipino workers bound for the Middle East often get tested as a requirement for employment, along with young urban professionals like Paul who, concerned about their health, can afford to shell out between 300 and 1,500 pesos for the screening.
The first question was the toughest, ‘Do you have sex with other men?’ At that point, I felt it’s not okay to be gay.
– Paul

“Every time I cough, or have some sores on my legs or get herpes in my mouth, I wonder if I have it," said Paul. Six months ago, he finished treatment for tuberculosis, which he thought he might have contracted from the overcrowded MRT train on his way to work.

But after a few months, he had to see a doctor again -- this time, for a wound on his leg that took a long time to heal. When he told a friend about taking an HIV test, he was told he should never be seen at a clinic testing for HIV; by merely appearing in one, he would be announcing to the world that he is gay and he is guilty of contracting the disease.

Ignoring his friend’s advice, Paul decided to take an HIV test at the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.

Established by the Japanese government in 1996, the SACCL is a modern HIV testing center that boasts of up-to-date laboratory facilities. It is designated as the National Reference Laboratory for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the country.

Although the SACCL had one-way mirrors, Paul was still wary of the curious stares he got outside the office. He also felt uneasy about the required pre-test screening.

“The first question was the toughest, ‘Do you have sex with other men?’" Paul confessed. “I was afraid that if I said ‘Yes’ the doctor would look at me differently. It took a while before the word was dragged out of my mouth. At that point, I felt it’s not okay to be gay."

The counseling session took 30 minutes. Both patient and doctor filled out a questionnaire and a recommendation note was given to the SACCL for the test.

The test consisted of taking a blood serum from the patient. Paul had the option not to use his own name to protect his identity.

After a week, the test results came out: “Non-reactive." Paul made sure he read it correctly.

“I was relieved. That was such great news," he said.

His doctor advised him to take another HIV test six months later, as sometimes, HIV antibodies may take time to manifest in the blood.

Paul took the test in October, and he said he will take the second test in May. Until then, he vows to remain celibate. - YA/GMANews.TV

If you want to undergo HIV testing, visit the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory at the San Lazaro Hospital, Quiricada St., Sta. Cruz, Manila. Tel No: 732-3776 to 78 Local 207

Filipino writer sees book as his anti-closet

2010-05-19T00:26:00.002+08:00

Ang Ladlad will sponsor the launching of the Philippine edition of God Loves the Bakla this Sunday, 6-8 pm, at Cafe Adarna, Kalayaan Avenue near Matalino Street, Quezon City. Come one, come all! The most controversial book of the year!

Filipino writer sees book as his anti-closet
Thursday, 13 May 2010 15:00 Douglas Long
The Phom Penh Post
Cambodia

IN March 2000 Pope John Paul II publicly asked God’s forgiveness for the sins of Roman Catholics through the ages. Among the crimes against humanity alluded to by the pope were the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the church’s silence in the midst of the deportation of Jews from Rome by the Nazis.

Also on the laundry list of those victimised by the Catholic Church were ethnic groups, which John Paul II admitted had endured “contempt for their cultures and religious traditions”, and women, who were “all too often humiliated and marginalised”.

There was one notable word, however, that did not pass the pope’s lips in the course of his apology: homosexuals. With this omission, the Catholic Church sent a clear signal that it intended to continue its medieval repression of gay men and lesbians for the foreseeable future.

Of course, such sweeping institutional judgments can and do have severe effects on the lives of individuals, a fact illustrated in excruciating detail in the book God Loves Bakla, published last year by Raymond Alikapa, a gay Filipino lawyer who now lives in Cambodia.

“Bakla” is a word used in the Philippines to refer to a man who behaves in an effeminate manner, and Alikapa’s autobiographical book which he refers to as his ?nti-closet”, reveals what it was like to grow up in a Catholic family and spend the first four decades of his life being led to believe that he was a sinful wretch because of his sexual preferences.

The most fascinating chapter details Alikpala’s entrance into the novitiate with the aim of becoming a Jesuit priest. Ironically, it was during this time that he had his first sexual experience, and the church’s contempt for homosexuals is driven home when a guilt-ridden Alikpala, rather than keep quiet, confesses his “sin” and hopes for mercy.

Instead, he is summarily ejected from the Jesuit order. Such is the life of a homosexual in the Catholic Church: damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Through his decades-long ordeal, Alikpala remains relentlessly, perhaps even naively, optimistic about the power of love to over come all obstacles, and he manages to retain his fervent faith in God despite his eventual rejection of Catholicism based on its archaic views on homosexuality.

Most Asian gays vulnerable to AIDS -- report

2010-05-18T23:46:00.002+08:00

HONG KONG: More than 90 percent of gay men in the Asia-Pacific region don’t have access to HIV prevention and care services, as levels of the disease soar to “alarming levels,” a United Nations report said on Monday.

The study, conducted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), said that discriminatory laws in many countries are exacerbating the “critical situation” with abuse and human-rights violations are commonplace.

“If countries fail to address the legal context of the epidemic, this already critical situation is likely to become worse,” said the report jointly produced with the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health.

Many national HIV policies now accord a priority to men who have sex with men, the report said, “even though the legal environment remains repressive.”

“HIV prevalence has reached alarming levels among men who have sex with men and transgender populations in many countries of Asia and the Pacific,” the report said.

The high-risk group, which includes homosexuals and bisexuals, can potentially account for between 10 and 30 percent of new HIV infections in a typical Asian country, it added.

Nineteen of 48 countries in the Asia Pacific region criminalize male-to-male sex, and these laws “often take on the force of vigilantism, often leading to abuse and human-rights violations,” the study said.

“The effectiveness of the HIV response will depend not just on the sustained scale up of HIV prevention, treatment and care, but on whether the legal and social environment support or hinder programs for those who are most vulnerable,” the UNDP’s Mandeep Dhaliwal said in a statement.

Legislation and law enforcement frequently lag behind national HIV policies, undermining the “reach and effectiveness” of healthcare and prevention programs, the study said.

“This indicates the need for greater coordination between health and justice sectors within government,” it added.

Several countries have ushered in new laws and policies to address the issue with favorable court judgments in countries including Nepal, India, the Philippines and South Korea, the study said.

“However, these are exceptional developments and action is required to improve the legal environment in all countries.”

The report’s release coincides with International Day against Homophobia.
AFP

Gloria's delusion

2010-05-16T23:27:00.001+08:00

Editorial
Malaya
May 16, 2010
Gloria’s delusion

‘Conscience will have nothing to do with the inevitable shift in the loyalty of the erstwhile allies of Gloria.’

RARELY do we agree with Gloria Arroyo’s apple polishers, but this time we are with presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo when he said Noynoy Aquino must be kidding when he said Gloria Arroyo, not Kris Arroyo, should go on self-exile. Noynoy was commenting on a promise of Kris during the campaign that she would leave the country if her presence became a liability to her brother’s presidency.

Our reason, however, is nothing remotely related to Saludo’s claim that Arroyo cannot leave because she has a duty to fulfill her mandate as an incoming Pampanga congressman. Gloria should stay – nay, be prevented from leaving the country – so she could face the charges the incoming administration is readying against her.

Noynoy ran on the platform of anti-corruption. That promise must be redeemed. Gloria and her family must not be allowed to escape the reach of justice by leaving for a foreign refuge where the Philippines does not an extradition treaty.

Gloria calculated badly when she decided to run for her district’s seat in the House. She thought she could continue being a player in the national political scene by becoming Speaker. By becoming the fourth-ranking leader of the land, she thought she could secure virtual immunity from prosecution by threatening Noynoy with impeachment.

At last count, there are about 105 Lakas Kampi congressional candidates who made it. That falls short of the 135 or so votes (partylist representatives included) needed to elect her as Speaker. Worse, it is all but certain that most of these nominal allies of hers will dump her in favor of the new administration’s anointed for the top House post.

Noynoy said a "conscience vote" would carry the day for incoming Quezon City Rep. Sonny Belmonte. That’s nicely phrased, coming from Noynoy who occupied the moral high ground during the campaign. Conscience, however, will have nothing to do with the inevitable shift in the loyalty of the erstwhile allies of Gloria.

Lack of conscience or "utang na loob" is more likely it. The problem with transactional politics is that when one party no longer has the chips to buy the loyalty of the other, the relationship is dissolved.

Noynoy can mouth all the platitudes about bringing back decency and morality to governance, but if he wants to lead effectively, he should master how to push the levers of power. Well-timed and well-aimed nudges at the incoming members of the 15th Congress should strip Gloria of any residual delusion she continues to be a significant term in the political equation.

Or that she would not end up in Bilibid.

How dark horse Binay surged ahead in the VP race

2010-05-12T09:53:00.000+08:00

By David Dizon
www.abs-cbnnews.com
May 12, 2010

MANILA, Philippines - "Under-the-radar" campaigning and a crucial endorsement by Sen. Francis Escudero a month before the polls helped Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay negate the popularity of vice-presidential frontrunners Mar Roxas and Loren Legarda to sprint ahead in the race, a political strategist said Wednesday night.

Campaign strategist Malou Tiquia, who helped steer Roxas to a successful senatorial campaign in 2007, said Binay and his running mate, former President Joseph Estrada, took advantage of their "underdog" status to wage a low-key campaign that helped strengthen their support base for the May election.

"What afforded them the chance to do the sprint was media wasn't paying attention. There wasn't much attention on the two. There were not as many stories about Erap especially the fact that he was convicted of plunder but still allowed to run," Tiquia said in an ANC interview.

The political strategist noted the Makati mayor had initially entertained ideas of running for president early last year before the death of former president Cory Aquino last August launched the presidential bid of her son, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

Plans by the Liberal Party (LP) to form its own slate for the May election blocked opposition parties from forming a coalition. In the end, Binay decided to team up with Estrada for what Tiquia described as a showdown between "the real opposition" and other groups who only fought the administration in the 2007 election.

Tiquia said Estrada and Binay escaped most of the propaganda war being waged by the LP camp of Aquino and the Nacionalista Party of Sen. Manny Villar throughout most of the campaign period. She said even the media failed to focus on corruption allegations against Estrada, who was already convicted of plunder; and Binay, who has served as mayor of Makati for several terms since 1986.
Slow burn

Instead of a full-blown media war at the start of the campaign, Tiquia said the Estrada-Binay tandem took a non-traditional approach by holding off on their spending until a month before the polls.

While other candidates flooded the media with ads to increase awareness and establish trust ratings, the unlikely duo went the traditional route and barnstormed areas where they knew they were weakest.

"It was really stealth. From the start, they played it coy, let's not engage. This was a slow burn but essentially they had a base, which was the opposition. They went to Leyte because they knew they were weak there. They didn't go to Mindanao because they were strong there. They concentrated in the Visayas," Tiquia said.

She added: "The places they visited actually gave them the votes they are getting right now."

She also revealed that Estrada and Binay relied heavily on surveys and even adjusted their campaigns according to what the surveys were telling them.

"These are two people whose campaigns were dictated by internal surveys. They had an internal survey in the first week of April that essentially mirrored the results of the April 22-25 Pulse Asia survey. This was a weekly tracking done for the team. They were conscientious about what the surveys were telling them," she said.

Masterstroke

Tiquia said the low-key campaign eventually paved the way for Binay's masterstroke: a campaign ad by Sen. Escudero endorsing his vice-presidential bid.

Tiquia said that before the Escudero ad came out, Binay was already slowly gaining in the ratings through his carefully placed campaign ads.

"As early as February, he already had an ad talking about his accomplishments. In the 24th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution, he also made an ad claiming his share in the EDSA Revolution. In March, he did the ads on 'Gaganda ang buhay kay Binay' and how he came from an ordinary family," she said.

She added: "[Binay] has been in the public eye since 1986 so that's a lot of time planting seeds and harvesting it at the right time."

A check on Binay's ratings in the recent Social Weather Stations surveys seems to bear this out. The PDP-Laban bet increased his ratings from 10% in December to 37% in May 2-3, just seven days before the official vote.

Tiquia said the end-game strategy employed by Binay and Estrada was not done in the 2004 and 2007 national campaigns.

"This was the Chiz endorsement ad, which was really meant for the end game. It contrasted Binay with the number 1 (which is Mar). Yes, they were below the radar but when they were strong enough, they started attacking number 2 and number 1. In the end, they were overtaking the others," she said.

Failure to adjust

The political strategist also said she was puzzled by how Roxas ran his campaign for the vice-presidential race. She said that instead of a carefully laid out campaign plan from the start until the end of the campaign period, Roxas seemed to rely too much on the goodwill he generated when he slipped down to the VP race and allowed Aquino to become the LP standard-bearer.

"They were blindsided by Binay...Even the way the ads were done was not the way he did it in 2004," she said.

Tiquia said Roxas did not seem to react when he started slipping in the ratings, from a high 40-43% at the start of the campaign.

She said that when the Escudero ad came out, Roxas's camp only came out with ad showing Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin endorsing Roxas. The problem with the ad, Tiquia said, was that Locsin is "known (only) in Metro Manila...and not nationwide."

She said this led to the situation where Binay had statistically tied Roxas in the vice-presidential race a week before the elections.

Will Roxas lose?

According to the last Commission on Elections tally at 4:16 p.m. of May 11, Binay is leading the vice-presidential race with 12,921, 315 votes while Roxas trailed with 12,072,145 votes. Loren Legarda and Bayani Fernando, who have both conceded in the VP race, got 1,607,753 and 899,8444 votes, respectively.

An SWS exit poll, however, said Roxas could still win the race if command votes from the Iglesia ni Cristo religious sect boost the LP bet's votes. The INC earlier endorsed both Aquino and Roxas.

Tiquia said traditionally, the INC endorsement could give an additional 1 million votes for a candidate. She added, however, that the endorsement of Davao Pastor Apollo Quiboloy for Roxas has yet to show if it would translate to more votes.

"There is value to the endorsement of a religious group but whether there is a gain in votes is another thing," she said.

Tiquia dismissed rumors that supporters of Roxas would be able to pad votes for the LP bet by rigging the precinct count optical scan machines being used in the country's first ever nationwide automated polls.

She added that if Roxas does lose, she said the senator could still be an asset to Aquino especially if the latter wins the presidency. She said that as a former trade secretary, Roxas could be part of Aquino's economic team that would "shore up Team Philippines."

"Assuming that he loses, I hope [Roxas] will be active in the party and as an adviser. Wait for the 1-year ban and then wait for an appointment," she said.

Gay political party competes in Phil elections

2010-05-12T09:05:00.001+08:00

Gay political party competes in Philippines elections

For the first time, Ang Ladlad, or "Out of the Closet," vies for three congressional seats set aside for minority groups.
By Nancy-Amelia Collins — Special to GlobalPost

Ang Ladlad, the Philippines' gay political party, participated in national elections this week for the first time. They are vying for three congressional seats allotted to minority groups. If they win, first on their agenda is to re-file the anti-discrimination bill. Here, Filipinos display placards that say "Pass the anti-discrimination bill" during a lesbian and gay parade in Manila, Dec. 8, 2007. (Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)Enlarge Photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' gay political party participated in the country's national elections for the first time this week, seeking to raise the profile of gay rights in this predominantly Roman Catholic country.

“It's like a national coming out!” said Danton Remoto, founder of Ang Ladlad, or "Out of the Closet," as the party is called in English. “I've been getting text messages all day from our members who say their whole family or entire neighborhood voted for Ang Ladlad," he added, shortly after casting his vote.

Representing lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people (LGBT), Remoto has been trying to get Ang Ladlad registered with the commission on elections, or Comelec, since the party's inception seven years ago.

But Comelec has twice denied the organization, which boasts around 25,000 members. The first time Comelec said they didn't have enough members, even though they did. The second time, which was last December, Comelec denied them on the grounds that the organization was “immoral.”

But Remoto, dubbed the “Rainbow Warrior” by the local media, refused to give up. He and other party members took the fight all the way to the Supreme Court and won last month, nevermind it was already two months into the three-month campaign period.

“Comelec turned down our accreditation saying we are espousing immoral doctrines," Remoto said. "What they cited in their legal document is the holy Quran and the holy Bible, which we think violates the separation of church and state in the Philippines — and that is enshrined in our constitution."

Even though the group did not have much money or time to campaign, Ang Ladlad members, including national secretary Bemz Benedito, felt confident they could secure at least one of the three congressional seats available to minority groups.

Benedito, one of five Ang Ladlad nominees vying for a congressional seat, is a transgendered Filipino who works for Ang Ladlad-supporter Senator Loren Legarda, who is also running for vice-president.

The party is running as one of 187 party list groups. These groups represent the marginalized in Philippine society and together comprise one-fifth of congress.

Ang Ladlad has supporters not only among politicians, but also among the Catholic clergy and ordinary Filipinos.

“I think Ang Ladlad should be in congress,” said elementary school teacher Maria Christina Dayao as she went to cast her vote. “Let's face it, gays are discriminated against in our society and its time their voices should be heard.”

Gay political party competes in Phil elections

2010-05-12T09:03:00.001+08:00

Gay political party competes in Philippines elections

For the first time, Ang Ladlad, or "Out of the Closet," vies for three congressional seats set aside for minority groups.
By Nancy-Amelia Collins — Special to GlobalPost
Published: May 11, 2010 06:47 ET
Page 2 of 2

Mike Tan, chairman of the University of the Philippines Diliman's anthropology department said that although people in the Philippines are known for their tolerance of gays, tolerance alone is not enough.

“On one hand there is this superficial tolerance, but we know there's a lot of repression and discrimination in the work place," said Tan. “It's not enough to have tolerance, you need to have the rights of the LGBT community ensured through formal institutions.”

And that's the first thing on Ang Ladlad's agenda if they win.

“The first thing we will do is re-file the anti-discrimination bill," said Remoto. “We will join with other progressive groups to get the numbers. This bill is crucial because it will outlaw discrimination in the work place, in the school, and when applying for licenses to operate a business or practice a profession. It criminalizes any act of discrimination.”

The anti-discrimination bill has been repeatedly filed and repeatedly shot down in congress.

Ang Ladlad's platform includes safeguarding the human rights of all Filipinos, along with setting up legal centers for poverty stricken and aged LBGTs, and supporting small businesses set up by the LGBT community.

When Filipinos went to the polls on Monday to elect a new president, vice president, senators, legislators and local officials, they may have also — just maybe — elected the first openly gay legislator to sit in congress.

On Tuesday, partial and unofficial election results showed Ang Ladlad garnishing enough votes to place them at number 61 out of the 187 party list groups, but Remoto fears that may not be enough. In order to win a congressional seat, Ang Ladlad must get 2 percent of the total vote. Remoto calculates the group is still around 50,000 votes short. Sen. Benigno Aquino III, whose parents fought to topple a dictatorship, looked Tuesday to be headed for a landslide victory in the presidential elections.

"Even if we don't win, it is still a victory to have come this far." Said Remoto. "And this is just the beginning, we are now a political party. If we can't make it in this election, we'll run again in the next election in 2013."

The University of the Philippines' Mike Tan agrees it is an accomplishment for the group to have come this far, considering they had little time to campaign, little money and were up against the formidable Catholic church.

In well publicized remarks last month, Bishop Deogracias Iniguez Jr., the chairman of the public affairs permanent committee of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said lesbians, gays, homosexuals and transgendered people should not be allowed in Congress. He said he would urge the faithful to refrain from voting for the group, whose members he called "abnormal."

“The fact that we, a conservative Catholic country, have a gay political party is progressive. It's ground-breaking." Said Tan." It allows gay and lesbian communities new possibilities. I think it is also very brave and defiant in a way — given the bullying of the Catholic church against Ang Ladlad.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the most recent election results.

Batting for equal rights

2010-05-09T22:59:00.001+08:00

By Bong Austero
Manila Standard Today
Monday, April 26, 2010

Adding color, in so many ways, to the May 2010 elections is the participation of Ang Ladlad—the political party of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. Ang Ladlad is vying for a seat in Congress through the party-list system. The journey was long and challenging.

We think we are more tolerant and accepting of sexual minorities as supposedly exemplified by the few reported cases of violence directed at lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. I stress the word “reported” because in reality, there’s a lot of violence directed at members of the community, they have become almost normal and natural. One has to be utterly blind or deaf not to know that most parents, “macho” fathers in particular, or elder male siblings, tend to subject younger members of their families into various forms of physical violence to force them to “straighten up.” There’s also a lot of abuse—ranging from psychological, verbal, and even emotional—that members of the LGBT community have to contend with on a regular basis. We’re not talking yet about the many other ways in which discrimination against sexual minorities is practiced in the workplace!

The truth is that there’s institutionalized discrimination and oppression directed at members of the community. Just look at the struggle Ang Ladlad had to wage just to win accreditation as party-list.

The group finally got into the ballot for the May 2010 elections—number 89 in the list of those accredited by the Commission on Elections —only after the Supreme Court issued a ruling last April 8 in effect rebuking the Comelec for earlier disqualifying Ang Ladlad for supposedly promoting immorality. The Supreme Court chided the bigoted and homophobic Comelec commissioners for targeting “homosexuals themselves as a class, not because of any particular morally reprehensible act.” The Court ruling was explicit about its disapproval of the way the Comelec denied Ang Ladlad’s registration “on purely moral grounds” which, the Court said, was “a statement of dislike and disapproval of homosexuals” rather than for the promotion of “any substantial public interest.”

The decision penned by Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo validated the marginalization of the LGBT community in the country by noting that “through the years, homosexual conduct, and perhaps homosexuals themselves, have borne the brunt of societal disapproval.” The Court ruled that “it is not difficult to imagine the reasons behind this censure—religious beliefs, convictions about the preservation of marriage, family, and procreation, even dislike or distrust of homosexuals themselves and their perceived lifestyle.” The decision notwithstanding, there are more roadblocks along the way.

I was in Mindanao recently and had the opportunity to interview Crisanto Lopera, Ang Ladlad’s third nominee. Lopera represents Mindanao (he is currently based in General Santos City) in the Ang Ladlad organization. Lopera, who was my schoolmate in college, has spent considerable years working for various non-government organizations and is a fierce advocate of health and human rights issues. In fact, what distinguishes the three nominees of Ang Ladlad is their strong background in development work. In contrast to the nominees of certain party-list groups who use the system merely as a backdoor to Congress, Ang Ladlad’s nominees are members of the community they represent. They have spent decades fighting for and advocating the issues of the community.

Lopera does not fit the stereotype of the typical gay man, caricatured as Pacifica Falayfay in Philippine movies. Lopera fits the physical stereotype of a “macho man.” He insists, however, that there is nothing wrong with gay people who express their sexuality and their personal identities through colorful get-ups. “People shouldn’t be judged solely on what they look like or how they express themselves physically, what is important is how they contribute to society,” he says. He noted that most gay people are breadwinners who suffer under extremely intolerable work conditions—most of them don’t have security of tenure, are not even paid minimum wages, and don’t get state benefits. According to Lopera “many operators of beauty parlors or owners of restaurants and stores who employ gay men do not even pay Social Security System premiums for their employees.” In addition, he notes that many lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders are regularly subjected to various from of degradation and humiliation.

Many people raise an eyebrow to Ang Ladlad’s advocacies questioning the wisdom of providing lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders “special rights.” Lopera clarifies that Ang Ladlad is not fighting for special rights. “Gay rights are human rights and what we are fighting for are equal rights —the right to be treated as decent human beings, the right to have equal access to the same opportunities that other citizens are entitled to,” he said. As a form of analogy, he said that they are not asking that red carpets be rolled out for homosexuals when they cross the street—just that they are not subjected to harassment or ridiculed just because of who or what they are, something which is enjoyed by most everyone else.

He further says that Ang Ladlad is not even pushing for gay marriages to be declared legal. This is not among their current priorities. If they win, they would focus their energies and resources into providing basic legal and economic assistance for members of the community through programs that ensure livelihood and economic empowerment.

People cannot seem to agree on what comprises marginalization and even the chairman of the Commission on Elections seems oblivious to the social context around the concept. If we come to think about it, however, it really is not difficult to grasp the concept of marginalization. We’re all familiar with the concept of “being in the margins,” or being at the border or edge of something—whether it pertains to the margins of a document, or the margins of society. And when we really come to think about it—objectively and rationally—lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people are in the margins of society.

The argument that there are many members of the community that are affluent, or have risen to the pinnacle of the political or economic structures of Philippine society does not hold water because the same argument can be applied to any community. Majority of the members of the LGBT community remain marginalized and have no access even to basic protection supposedly guaranteed by law. “The issue is equal rights,” Lopera insists.

Painting the town pink

2010-05-09T13:06:00.001+08:00

BY ANA SANTOS
The Manila Times
May 8, 2010
The Single Files

I first met Danton Remoto in Bali at an international AIDS conference (ICAAP9) last year. I was attending as a media scholar and he was attending as the Communications Officer for the UNDP (United Nations Development Program).

We sat beside each other in the pressroom while I was reviewing the slides for a presentation. I was going to make about campaigning for safer sex in the Philippines.

One slide in my presentation included a European condom commercial. The commercial had, ehem, distinct sounds of people in the midst of copulating and not knowing that the volume of my computer was turned up rather high, I had inevitably filled the newsroom with sounds of moans and groans. It sent the otherwise busy journalists pounding away at their keyboards, giggling.

Danton, who was beside me, was also laughing. He introduced himself to me as I scrambled to lower the volume and profusely apologize to everyone in the newsroom for disturbing them.

Not that he needed an introduction. I had been to many of the press conferences hosted by the UNDP and other LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) events where Danton was a speaker. I was regaled by his stories of how members of the LGBT community dealt with blatant or otherwise forms of discrimination. (One of my favorites is how a lesbian was suspiciously asked by a prospective employer, “Are you a practicing lesbian?” to which she replied, “No, I’m quite good at it already.”)

Danton and I saw each other again at a post congress party that evening and nearly keeled over laughing as old songs were played and we tried to guess what grade we were in when the song was made popular.

After Bali, we became Facebook friends. I followed Danton as he led the Ang Ladlad party in filing Commission on Elections (Comelec) accreditation—a motion which we all know, was denied as Ang Ladlad was deemed as unfit to run for office. Later, Ang Ladlad was labeled by a Catholic bishop as having an abnormal condition and that voting for them would be insulting to the Christians and the Muslims who have strict views against homosexuality.

These discriminatory and homophobic comments enraged not just the LGBT community, but other advocates of human rights, including the Commission on Human Rights head Leila de Lima who called rightfully called the Comelec decision “retrogressive.”

I would follow Danton’s saga by reading his blog and how he and the supporters of human rights and the LGBT community staged indignation rallies and filed a case in the Supreme Court to overturn the Comelec decision.

In one blog entry, Danton describes the start of one hearing:

Commissioner XXX: How shall I address you, Miss or Madame?

Danton Remoto: You may call me Professor Danton Remoto, or Mr. Danton Remoto.

I was overseas when I got the message from a fellow journalist that the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of Ang Ladlad.

“Wahoo! Let the games begin!” I replied.

The proclamation was a slap to those who had made self-righteous declarations and a huge victory in the fight for equality and recognition for other marginalized communities.

Since then, Danton and Ang Ladlad have been feverishly campaigning and painting the town pink. Danton’s updates on Facebook are filled with short stories about the overwhelming support they have been shown during their sorties.

During a campaign in Pasig, a beautician ran out of the parlor while shampooing a customer to shake Danton’s hand and apologized because his hands were still wet with shampoo.

In Camarines Norte, the Ang Ladlad coordinator raised funds by asking for donations from everyone he knew. In the public market of Daet, a gay man who sold kalamansi and tomatoes fished for a P20 bill from his apron and gave it our coordinator, saying, “Donasyon ko tabi.”

Danton’s wall is filled with pictures of pink motorcades—some posted by friends and supporters—and messages of encouragement and support.

His latest status message read:

“Pink warriors in the LRT [Light Rail Transit] and MRT [Metro Rail Transit], motorcades galore, coco cloth tarps hanging in the highways of Bicol, Central Luzon turning pink and the solid north going for Ang Ladlad party list, number 89 sa balota. Onwards to victory.”

This column is a salute to Ang Ladlad for not cowering to the barefaced insults and the flagrant discrimination; for bravely waging the fight for equal rights and to Danton, for leading it.