What a terrible day to end

These are some of the images taken during the hostage-taking of some Chinese tourists in Manila by a disgruntled former police officer who happened to be awarded the Ten Outstanding Policemen in the Philippines a few years back. Seven of the Chinese were killed.

All pictures were grabbed from Guardian.

The star: Rolando Mendoza posing for the camera. No snipers dare take his moment.

The sniper: Thinking of landing in a bold movie role, sheds his shirt while posing for a kill.

O mag-Jollibee muna kayo! May kape ba? Stalling. Stalling. And more stalling.

It did end this way for the star and some seven other Chinese over 12 hours later.

The unbearable trauma of the victims. 

The Hongkong government made a press conference minutes after the end of the drama. No Noynoy Aquino, the President of the Republic of the Philippines was seen or heard, not until past 12 midnight, technically a day after the incident.

It was Isko Moreno, a vice mayor of Manila, who spoke for the Philippines on CNN. Great!

My dinner was halted with the hostage crisis

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Update: It took Noynoy Aquino a day after (technically, since it was already past 12 midnight when he released his statement) which is sadly only a review of the events that happened. As if we do not know. Wow. Galing mo Noy. Here is his statement.)
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Just as I am having iftar with friends, the TV was abuzz with the impending end of the hostage crisis that happened since 12 hours ago. Everyone stopped chewing and started cheering.

We were actually sharing jokes about it, as the usual reaction among the majority of Filipinos is to make fun out of a critical situation, even if people are dead. Blame our culture.

The jokes mainly focused on the police force who could be seen as if they badly needed training on hostage situations. With them axing with futility the windows and the door of the bus taken by one of their own (the hostage taker being a former police officer), the whole nation cheered.  Not because we wanted the hostages out but we cheered on how the police was doing it wrong. On TV!

This reminds me of this picture during a raid (I am not sure though) in Manila. Whoever took this, please acknowledge and share to us why this police is aiming his finger like a kid at war. What a sad picture of our police force.

We now have a different meaning of SWAT: Sorry We Aren't Trained; Sorry Wala Akong Training; Samtang Walang Alarma Tagay.

Meanwhile, the Hongkong Security Board has issued an advisory to their citizens not to travel to the country and that those who are already in are advised to return home.

No advisory from the President of the Republic of the Philippines assuring Filipinos that his people are in command. Nada. The latest I heard, his spokesman said they will issue a statement later in the evening. It is almost midnight and we heard nothing.

Congrats Noynoy!

(The hostage taker, former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, awarded Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines, was dismissed early in January this year but was carrying firearms [presumably his] during the crisis. Why?)

A nude police sniper? Only in the Philippines! (Photo: Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

The floods helped Manila clean up

I saw this article in Inquirer.net and I believe, is worth a reprint here. 

For so long, Manila and its suburbs have not done their share of cleaning up. The government agencies were inutile enough to dismiss this as a problem and focused instead on corruption, a not so alien job with our government agencies and also with the corrupted and corrupt people of the Philippines. The typhoon Ondoy became history and so was (is?) the tragedy that surrounded Manila.

Not so long time ago, the Supreme Court ordered government agencies to cleanup Manila Bay, an obvious choice because everybody could see it. But until now, they still pass the buck, blaming everyone but not everybody on who was not cleaning up and instead showed us how much paper work they already have done.

So nature did its share of cleaning up. The harsh way.

We have the most beautiful malls and dirtiest esteros

by Thelma Sioson San Juan

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Inquirer.net

ALYA CUT out the "hello" on the phone and instead sobbed straight into my ear. I could hear more sobbing than words. I finally did make out what she was trying to say: Our friend Joseph, who lives in San Juan, had to swim out of his house when the water rose up to its second story. Seeing the water rising to his knees, he decided to swim out with his loved one and only housemate—Princess, a dachshund.

They had been swimming away from his house, he doing the backstroke so Princess could perch on his chest, when the current grew stronger. He flipped to swim free style, with Princess still swimming alongside him, but they were being sucked towards the river. Joseph was able to grip a steel pole.

Glancing beside him, he saw Princess already way beyond his reach and being spun into the current towards the river.

That was what Alya was sobbing about—Princess’ death and Joseph’s near-death.

Turned out, that tragedy—no matter that we love Joseph and Princess—was not, by any measure, unique last weekend. There were far, far worse.

Metro Manila and the outlying provinces were one big tragedy. A tragedy waiting to happen.

While “Ondoy” dumped the highest rainfall in decades, still, what happened was a man-made disaster.

The past decades we’ve been building the most beautiful malls, gated subdivisions and high-rises—amid the dirtiest esteros and unkempt neighborhoods. In fact, Metro Manila is at its filthiest.

Cities have been overrun with squatters, many of these settlements in esteros—coddled by city mayors who could use their vote.

The mountains, from the north to the south, have been shaved of trees. Environment advocates have to fight tooth and nail to protect the trees, even right in the urban landscape, like Katipunan Ave. (It is ironic coincidence “Ondoy” struck as environment and waste recycling activist Odette Alcantara was being laid to rest.)

And the rivers—the Pasig River stinks. Peer down on Manila Bay and you see plastic bags, food wrappers and all kinds of debris floating.

When disaster strikes, as it did this week, you could count the government’s rubber boats with your 10 fingers. People using toy floaters to save people—this tragic sight is in a country where billions of pesos go into the pork barrel of politicians and government officials, and that’s not even counting what’s in the coffers of local officials.

Clearly, the environment and infrastructure have been suffering from sheer neglect.

Indeed, the unimpeded degradation of the environment is matched only by unconscionable corruption and greed of government. It’s bad governance that’s been our real disaster.

The nouveau riche sprucing up the house with opulent furniture and decor, but never bothering to clean up the house and unclog the toilet—that’s our “disaster lifestyle.”

Photos from deputy-dog.com (and you think your garbage is overflowing?)

The Professional Heckler Survives

Personal: I Survived! This street in Makati City used to be submerged in chest-deep floodwaters. I had to wade through it before three men pushing a tryke-kuliglig hybrid vehicle offered me a 300-peso(!) ride to our house at the end of the road. Two monoblock chairs were placed on the sidecar so i could stand on them. I had to raise my hands (a la-Pacquiao holding his WBC belt) to protect my bag with laptop. Para akong santong ipinaparada sa binagyong fluvial procession! Kulang na lang may magsabit sa ‘kin ng dried everlasting. It was Bocaue Pagoda tragedy meets MMFF Parade of Stars meets Manny Pacquiao victory motorcade! Insane!

(No! That was not The Heckler on the trike. Photo from Facebook by Kathy Zablan)

Nature Strikes Back

“Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.”

Photos from Facebook: Jade Tamboon, Blacksuperchad Maglonzo, Julz Ilano, Wenzzo Pancho, Ryan Ramirez, Savann Oeurm, Atom Araullo, Rafa Dinglasan, Kathy Zablan and other unknown sources.

Minsan

Minsan sa may Kalayaan tayo'y nagkatagpuan
May mga sariling gimik at kaya-kanyang hangad sa buhay
Sa ilalim ng iisang bubong
Mga sekretong ibinubulong
Kahit na anong mangyari
Kahit na saan ka man patungo

Ngunit ngayon kay bilis maglaho ng kahapon
Sana'y huwag kalimutan ang ating mga pinagsamahan
At kung sakaling gipitin ay laging iisipin
Na minsan tayo ay naging
Tunay na magkaibigan
Minsan ay parang wala nang bukas sa buhay natin
Inuman sa magdamag na para bang tayo'y mauubusan
Sa ilalim ng bilog na buwan
Mga tiyan nati'y walang laman
Ngunit kahit na walang pera
Ang bawat gabi'y anong saya

Minsan ay hindi ko na alam ang nangyayari
Kahit na anong gawin
Lahat ng bagay ay merong hangganan
Dahil ngayon tayo ay nilimot ng kahapon
Di na mapipilitang buhayin ang ating pinagsamahan
Ngunit kung sakaling mapadaan baka
Ikaw ay aking tawagan
Dahil minsan tayo ay naging
Tunay na magkaibigan...

[Eraserheads will be having another reunion concert this March 2009! and I am hoping the group will savor once again the friendship they used to have. How about a group hug? ]

A Bisaya in Manila

Being a Bisaya in Manila is one of the most embarrassing situations most Visayans would agree. Especially when the Tagalogs would make fun of our strong accent. Don’t mind Cesar Montano even if he insists he is a Boholano. He was raised in Manila.

I don’t know why most Tagalogs would make fun of our accent if the case is only to communicate.

Language sometimes is not just a barrier but a case of double jeopardy. Take the Tagalog being taught in the classrooms in our elementary years as an example. Our books taught us to use paaralan, kwaderno, datapwat, palikuran, etc., actually nonexistent terms in conversational Tagalog used only by some in the most remote of places if not only in books. The Tagalogs do not use those terms. That makes us Bisaya a laughingstock.

I could not remember my teacher correcting me when I say Nasaan po ang ating palikuran? She gave me an excellent grade for that.

Not to mention of course the way the Bisaya pronounced the e as i or vice versa! Listen to a Bisaya say the word Manila. Most would say Pupunta pu ako sa Manela. I just don’t know why. Ask Annabelle Rama. She’s adept to that. Jusko day!

And the Tagalogs laughed.

To Manila I Go!

My former office called me up to inform me that they will be bringing me with them (as if I am a dog) to the Asean Tourism Investment Forum in Manila (at least a decent dog). Being a polite kid that I am, I declined at first but our officer in-charge begged. My heart literally melted away. Damn women!

Freebies included: free roundtrip ferry ride from Cebu to Tagbilaran, free airfare from Tagbilaran to Manila and back, free hotel accommodation and presumably free food during my stay.

Payback time: I have to design their display panels for the show (with a fee, thanks God!) and set them up (the panels not my former officemates) during ingress of the show and of course, pack up on egress. This further means that I have to carry these materials to and from Manila. Whew!

Well- got nothing to do on those days. My work is on ingress and egress only. So during the middle period (middle ages? hahahaha) I will be gallivanting the Mall of Asia and perhaps Makati.

Hmmmm.

That Filipino Mentality

I was tasked to help in the design of the booths and other materials for Region 7 during the International Food Exhibition Philippines at the Mall of Asia in Manila on May 16-18. Details here.

I have done my share of designing posters and flyers after the photo shoots in their areas. However, I could not finish them all without the assistance of the concerned companies. Several meetings have been done and they were always reminded to submit simple requirements like company logo and company contact details. Just like that. But up to this moment, only a few submitted their requirements despite the notice that I won't be doing them if they could not submit soonest. Those who submitted gave me a very low resolution of their logos, to my frustration.

I am sure next week everyone will vie on who is going to be entertained first. Whew!

Talaga ang Pinoy.