Pictures of St. Rita de Cascia Church in Philam Homes

This is my first time inside this church.

I didn't know they had a beautiful church here in Philamlife Homes.

Buti na lang may Waze, I confused the West Triangle church with this one kundi naligaw lola mo and ended up attended another wedding!

A Black Bloody Sunday in Patiacan Elementary School

Teachers are often the unsung heroes of our society as they toil quietly day-to-day giving life lessons and teaching academic skills to our students. Peace is one of the concepts teachers want their students to learn but this has been hindered by real life experiences which show how complex it is to achieve peace – even in one’s own surroundings.

On October 16, 2017, a Sunday, at around 3PM, the Math teachers of Patiacan Elementary School, which is located in a far-flung area where the borders of three provinces meet – Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province and Abra – were giving review lessons to their students, in preparation for the Math Festival of their district, Quirino, Ilocos Sur.

Simultaneously, the school’s basketball team was also practicing in preparation for the Inter-Barangay League, so they invited the soldiers of the army detachment in their barangay to train the youth players, which the soldiers willingly did. So the scenario was, the youth basketball team was playing basketball outside with the Army soldiers, while the Math teachers were reviewing their students in the classroom.
That’s when tragedy struck.

Unidentified armed men suddenly descended on the school launched an attack. One army soldier was shot dead, one was severely wounded and one civilian was slightly injured by a shrapnel. The soldiers did not fight back because they knew that the school was considered a peace zone – where no fighting is allowed.

The teachers quietly signalled their students not to make any noise and they remained in hiding inside the classrooms, while they listened to the gunfire outside. Obviously, they were afraid and fearful that the unknown attackers would know that they were there and train the guns on them, unarmed teachers, students and some civilians who ran for cover.

The trauma and the impact that incident was immense and up to now, the students and teachers remember that day with fear and dread, knowing how they barely escaped death. It was a good thing, that their teachers, were quick in thinking on what to do and did not panic when the incident occurred.

The next day, the policemen from the poblacion came to the school to investigate what happened. They had an inkling it could be the NPA who attacked the school but that conclusion could not be confirmed.

The students and the teachers feel sad for the soldier who died and the one soldier and one civilian who were wounded. It is unconscionable how such violence can happen in a peace zone like a school.

To the unknown perpetrators of that attack, your actions are unacceptable because the consequences of what you did, especially if teachers and schoolchildren were killed, will be blood in your hands, and your organization or whoever you are – will have to live with that embedded in your consciences forever.

In solidarity with our community, we, the teachers and pupils of Patiacan Elementary School condemn the cowardly act and wish that it should never happen again.

The Reality of Pagpag Hits So Much Close to Home

I experienced something sad and shocking last night and I wish the government redirected its attention to this more pressing problem rather than attacking other people's faith and religion, which is just a pointless exercise.

I was in a mall in central Manila, I came out from watching a movie and was surprised to see the mall stores and restos still open around 10 in the evening. So I decided to have one more meal before heading home, which is like another 40 minutes away.

So I went to this popular fastfood and since the only food left was their bestseller chicken, I decided to order that, although I don't ever eat it.

Anyway, I quietly finished my meal in about 15 minutes and I was just observing the mall and the stores as they were closing one by one.

Suddenly, this boy, about 10 years old, skinny, wearing a loose blue shirt comes near me and asks for something which I couldn't hear properly.

When he noticed that my reaction time was a bit slow, he picked up the first leftover chicken, bones and all, from my plate and rushed outside. Just as quickly, his shyer friend, who was the same size and look as him, took the other leftover chicken.

Chicken that I just ate - that barely had any more meat in them!

How's that for a lesson on Hunger 101. I felt like I was in Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist novel and a kid says to me, "More soup please, I am hungry!"

Then I remembered that TV episode on pagpag, leftover food which is still cooked again and eaten by hungry families.

It's real and it's happening right now. Hungry children scouring for leftover food just to assuage their hunger at 10PM, which is way past dinner time for most people.

Taking Pride in the Filipino Language

I wonder how my students can pass the UPCAT when they don't even know what mangangalakal is or sinamantala or kamangmangan.

Nevertheless, we do have an Araw ng Wika (not a Linggo or Buwan), actually, it was more of Oras ng Wika, so the kids were asked to make a poster related to the geographical regions of the Philippines.

Unfortunately, Filipino is just a third language here, as more emphasis is given to English and Mandarin. And their AP, which is my counterpart subject, is taught in English.

Yes, they do speak Tagalog, but their knowledge of deeper Filipino words such as those you find in Fili or Noli is a bit wanting.

It's a pity that in our society, to be considered upper class, or educated, you'd have to speak in English. The Italians don't. Have you ever heard Giorgio Armani or Miuccia Prada conduct an interview in English? I haven't. Their attitude is, "Go hire an interpreter and speak to me in Italian."

I wish we had that pride as well for Filipino.

Kian's Shooting Hits Close to Home

I am writing this because the killing of Kian delos Santos has hit close to my line of work.

I am an adviser this year and these are my adorable S4 students.

They are just 2 years younger than Kian and I think this picture was taken the same day that poor boy was shot as he was begging for his life.

Unbeknownst to us, as we were enjoying this groupie (we all had to wear flowery shirts that day), that one of their contemporaries will never be able to achieve his dreams.

If God wielded his magic wand and placed Kian here in this picture, he would not have died that day.

Unfortunately for Kian, his house did not have high walls to prevent the intrusion of policemen.

He did not live in a condo where intruding police would have to contend with the condo security and the condo association, before making any moves.

He did not live in a gated community where the neighborhood association would have demanded the proper papers before any arrests are made.

Kian did not have wealthy parents who can give him a relatively sheltered life, with a chauffeur on call, to whisk him to and from school.

If someone accused him of being a drug dealer, a drug runner, a drug user, or a drug whatever, he cannot use the line, "I will sue you for libel, see you in court!" to frighten his accusers.

And people who are born on the wrong side of the tracks, whether here or in America, usually gets the wrong side of the stick and God only knows if they ever will get justice for the wrong done to them.

I say, just spare the poor drug users. Send them to rehab or send the small fry pushers to jail.

Just concentrate on the bigger fish, the mayors, generals, the top brass, who allow this drug trade to flourish. I'm sure the public has no sympathy for scum like them.

Our Condolences To Our Brave Soldiers who Died in Marawi

While we are enjoying the relative comfort of our homes, our soldiers are out there fighting to defend our freedoms and our comfortable way of life.

The soldiers whose pictures appear below have paid the ultimate price so that we can continue to live in peace.

In this anniversary of our 119th year of independence, we offer our deepest condolences to their families and we thank them for their bravery.

God bless them and their families.

Being A Dutertard Yet Not Supporting Marcos' Burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

I had to explain to my co-teacher kanina through a Venn diagram that a Duterte supporter can also oppose the burial of Marcos sa Libingan ng mga Bayani, and also have the deepest respect for Cory and Ninoy Aquino, for the sacrifices they made for this country.

Politics makes strange bedfellows and ordinary citizens like us always have to make concessions for the politicians we vote.

So, yes, I'm a Dutertard but I will continue to remind young people of the sacrifices many young people during Martial Law had to undergo just so fellow Dutertards like Mocha Uson can write and speak freely without fear of death or torture.

So a little respect naman for martial law victims. For now, that's the most we can give them.

Hidilyn Diaz Paves the Way for Filipinas in Sports

Mabuhay ka Hidilyn Diaz! You make us all proud!

I think now our hopes of finally getting an Olympic gold can become a reality since from my observation, Olympic weightlifting in both the men and women's categories, especially in the lower weight classes are dominated by our ASEAN neighbors.

So there's really no reason why we cannot win our share of golds as well.

At least now, Hidilyn has paved the way for the Filipina in sports and I'm sure maraming kabataang babae ang maeengganyong sumunod sa mga yapak niya!

Marcos Was Not A Hero

I can now really confirm that the Martial Law years were not taught anymore soon as I left high school.

I was talking with my co-teachers, most of them in their 20s and early 30s and they see nothing wrong with burying Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Hayyy, how sad! Maybe we need a movie like 'Heneral Luna' to bring these young people back to their senses!

I also rarely join rallies but this one, I think that event on Sunday is worth attending.  I really cringe at the thought that the former President will be buried along with the other heroes in the Libingan ng mga Bayani - for the simple reason that he was not a hero of this country.  He was a plunderer, a murderer, a dictator, a person who made a whole generation of Filipinos suffer so much.

By allowing this burial, this sends a very wrong message to our youth that it's ok to bastardize our country and still be rewarded for it!

Disturbed By the Relentless Mob Mentality

It was quite unfortunate that the tragic shooting of a biker in a road rage incident has also led to the leveling of false accusations against an innocent person.

When the news came out about the conduction sticker of the alleged killer, social media understandably immediately picked it up and it spread quite quickly.  

I admit I too wanted to share the picture of the car with the conduction sticker but something held me back. Common sense dictated to me that if this guy was the real killer, you think he'd still keep a picture of his car in his social media account?  I don't think so.  A common reaction would be for him to hide any traces of his car in his social media accounts, right?

So I was right then!  Nelson Punzalan definitely was not the guy who shot the poor biker.  I just hope he can recover quickly from this traumatic experience and use this experience to tell people about the dangers of mob mentality.

However, I am also glad that the police already have a positive identification of the REAL killer.  I really hope they catch him soon because I have a feeling he might get desperate and hurt another set of people and use them as a human shield.  Desperate people sometimes do not think straight!

What If They Make A Mistake?

The speedy way that today's law enforcement has been taking care of the country's drug problem has given me some uneasiness, mainly because most of the victims are just shot down or is presumably shot down because they resisted arrest or attacked the arresting officers.

This way of dealing with the country's drug problem has been endorsed by no less than our country's president, a man I also voted last elections, with the hope that he can get things moving in our society - and he does get us moving!

Summary executions of drug fiends and drug lords are something polite society only wishes and never talks about in public. Now that the reality is here, it is a bit jarring to hear the number of deaths that happen everyday.   

Just killing the drug pusher or the drug addict circumvents the the long and often circuitous route that justice takes in this country

When Criminals Have Human Rights

Of course, they have human rights! They are people too! But since our justice system in this country takes so long to resolve cases, the public usually won’t mind a swifter resolution of justice, when they just allow the police to rub out the suspects, instead of giving the suspects the chance to redeem themselves in court. It has happened several times before, and it happened once again last week, when suspected carnapping gang members were summarily wiped out, instead of being hauled into court so they could defend themselves.

On one side, I’m glad the execution of justice was swift. That they had to pay for their lives is a question, since it was found out later in the autopsies that they may not have fought back. But the world will be a much better place without them terrorizing the car-riding public. As for them losing their chance to change, if they were kept alive? Well, you live by the sword, you die by the sword. They made their choices to engage in a dangerous and illegal activity, death as a consequence was just many of the options to go out. And that’s how they deservedly went out.

On the other hand, this way of summary dispatching of suspects may not work if the people involved are just innocent passersby, people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It has happened before and it could’ve happened here as well. That’s why police operations like this have to be planned carefully and away from where the public can be used by the suspects as human shields.

Too bad this young gang had to go out this way but they were on a roll the past two weekends, getting cars, here and there, so the police had to act swiftly before it got out of hand. In the end, even if they also have human rights, I think the rights of law-abiding citizens should weigh more in the end, and if justice had to be dealt quickly – then so be it. The truth is, when bullets coming from a desperate criminal are whizzing past your face, it would be your life to give if you don’t offer any resistance or offense.

Handling Du30's Barrage of Colorful and Vulgar Language

My friends and I were listening to Duterte's speech in the car last night, during the thanksgiving party in Davao, just so they can count how many P.I's he was going to say.

I only managed to catch the last five minutes of it, yet OMG - I have seen some of the world's best and most vulgar stand-up comedians and boy, they pale in comparison to our president! Even our own Vice Ganda pales so much in comparison in terms of the vulgarity of the choice of words!

I think it's even harder for us, Bisaya to listen to him since we understand it, and when it's spoken to you in your first language,it's like you were whiplashed!

I swear while I was listening to him, I was like, did he just say that? Did someone record this speech so I can listen to it again? Was that the word, blank and blank and blank used one after another?

Of course, you'd have to listen to how DU30 uses the words in context, but still, the imagery that he comes up with, just to stress a point, is something I haven't heard anyone use in my lifetime - especially from someone in authority - like your boss or your Dad or your Lolo.

There's no one quite like him.

Colorful is not even sufficient to describe it! I had to translate what he said to my friends, I translated it in English and even in English, it does sound a bit icky, sa Bisaya pa!

The reporters handling the Malacanang beat better have stomachs of steel! The pagmumura, I think, I can handle.

But the overtly sexual imagery, and the use of female and male genitalia in a very colorful context is something I have to get used to.

I'd hate to be a woman now handling the Malacanang beat! Siguro to prep you up, you have to listen to misogynistic black rappers para madesensitive ka sa kabastusan.

And I thought Madonna had a potty mouth na!

Thank You Lord for the Smooth and Safe Voting Experience!

Thank you Lord for the smooth and safe voting experience today in our precinct!

I suggest you vote early because the heat may be unbearable later.

The only unfortunate news is that our neighborhood newspaper vendor could not find her name in the voter's list even though her husband and she always voted together.

I wasn't able to ask though if she went through the biometrics process. She said, "Sayang, konti na lang ng ang boboto kay Miriam, mababawasan pa."

Oh well, I'll just assist her in the next registration of voters c/o BFF Mabel C. Villanueva.

Enjoying Davao's Bounties - Durian, Pomelo and the Marang

A trip to Davao isn't complete without tasting their fruit delicacies, durian and marang.  It took sometime for me to adjust to durian but I liked the marang immensely.  As for the pomelo, I used to eat a lot of that as a kid but since it's a bit pricey here in Manila, so I rarely eat it nowadays.

Fernando Botero Sculpture in Resorts World Manila

It was just my second time at the Resorts World Manila since frankly, it's just tooooooo faaaaaarrrrrrrr and too much effort for QC residents to go to. Tonight alone, it took us 2 1/2 hours to reach it - enough to go to HK or Davao on a flight! Anyway, I was amazed to see this beautiful chocolate sculpture of Fernando Botero at one of the lobbies!! 

A small Botero sculpture costs around 1 million HKD so this one, if it's really authentic, should cost as much as a Serendra apartment. Anyway, even if someone wants to steal this and sell it, it would be hard since it's so huge haha! Didn't know that Andrew Tan and the Megaworld people were Botero fans!!

UPCAT Test Items

Probably the best compliment I got from a UP professor was when my Math adviser in the UP Integrated School, Ms. Flora Cruz told me that she was endorsing two of the items I made for a second year honors algebra quiz to be included in the UPCAT entrance test because she was part of the panel that reviews and revises the exam questions for Math! I was really shocked with what she said but really very happy!! 

 Sadly, I could not confirm this anymore because I never really followed it up with her and asked her what happened. Tragically, I don't even have a copy of the two exam questions. All I remember is it was to compute for the slope but written into a Physics-like situation. And mind you, I wrote the quiz items in Tagalog!! Everything in UPIS, except English, is taught in Tagalog.

Close Encounter with the Philippine Eagle!

OMG! This is probably one of the most amazing pictures ever taken of me! I was pestering my friends to prioritize the Philippine eagle visit for our Davao trip and thank God, we were able to catch the caretaker at the right moment and he gave us a wonderful tour of the place!! This was definitely a goosebumps moment - to be this close to this gloriously beautiful creature!!

My Presidential and VP Choices and the Filipino Masses

My choices for president and VP has, more times than one, not always aligned with the masses.

1992 Miriam - president / Magsaysay Jr. - VP

1998 Lim - president / Orbos - VP

2004 Villanueva - president / Legarda - VP

2010 Villar - president / Binay - VP (the only time it aligned but this was a protest vote because di ko talaga type si Mar. I find him plastic)

But now, OMG, nag-align sya with the masses! And frankly, it took them months to figure it out, kasi for me, when these people announced they were running, these two were already my first choice even if nasa 4th or 5th place pa sila at that time.

I said at that time, it's ok, my choices naman never wins.

But after 5 months or so, thanks to social media, (siguro?), milagro, nag-align!

Mar Roxas and Yolanda: An Epic Fail on His Part

That's why I say Mar Roxas is plastic. These are people who really went to Tacloban and were there. So ALL these people are lying and Mar is telling the truth?

Napansin ko na yan during the first days of Yolanda e. If you watched the news, iba ang slant ng ABS-CBN, iba ang balita ng CNN and BBC.

I was confused nga e. I even wanted to write CNN and BBC and tell them, "Uy, mali kayo, may ginagawa government namin."

By the fifth day, ayun, nag-away na si Anderson and Korina. Dun ko na naintindihan why ABS-CBN's balita was a bit "positive" but CNN and BBC were really dreary.

Wala palang ginawa ang lolo. Papoogi lang. Tapos inaway nya pa si Romualdez over jurisdiction! Nakklk!