Walang Bigas si Juan

Rice Shortage.

This two words has been bugging the local news for the past weeks now. And honestly I find it boring to watch, you know why? Because it has no excitement at all. I enjoyed the news last january-march especially the Lozada Expose on the NBN-ZTE Deal Scandal and the Inter-Faith Prayer Rally in Makati which I thought would put an end to the corrupt and bogus regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. But it didnt. People once again wasted the opportunity all because of one reason. Who will take over? I remember during a Symposium at the University of St. La Salle here in Bacolod that invited then Congressman now Senator Chiz Escudero, former DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman and former presidential candidate and evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva.

A very old lawyer but a former top caliber in the law courts here in Negros and a respected lawyer nationwide, Atty. Arsenio Acuña. He answered that question saying "out of 84 million Filipinos, don't tell me their is no one more worthy and capable to run the country?"
And I agree with him, a wrong or evil done should not be tolerated just because there is a lack of alternative. Actually their are a lot of alternatives.

Now, going back to the Rice shortage, is there really a rice shortage in the country? or too much exported high quality rice in the Philippines? We have the best rice in the world but sadly it is exported to other countries for profit and what is left for "Juan" to eat is the lowest quality rice that goes by the name "NFA" that is packed with all the chemicals and smells so bad too. Very unhealthy to eat. But does the poor have a choice? Of course not, they choose to buy this cheap rice or die of hunger. And yet in Malacañang almost everyday there is a feast for the countries leaders and government officials allied with GMA.

Once again sad too say, we, the common tao is victimized by corruption. Unless corruption and the corrupt will be wiped out in the government, Juan dela Cruz will never achieve freedom and emancipation from poverty, hunger, homelessness, etc.

Let us continue to do what should be done and continue to fight for what should be fought.

REMOVE GMA AND HER COHORTS IN GOVERNMENT!

REPLACE IT WITH A RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT CENTERED ON GOD AND THE FILIPINO PEOPLE!!!

Summer Heat...

Last friday, I finally finished all my final exams at the CAS Office. I took it there since I am not yet allowed to go up the stairs due to my recent appendectomy. I would like to extend my thanks to Dr. Chula Maalat for her consideration to my request and also my uncle, Mr. Roberto Llantada for informing Dr. Maalat of my condition.

Now, summer break is officially open. And i wonder, what would i do for the summer? Well, for sure no more rallies except for another unexpected scandal to take place in our government. By the way next week we will be moving to a new house, all things are already packed as of now. We are all ready to move!

Oh, we also had a blast for one week since my younger cousins from Manila arrived. They are Lorenzo and Enrique together with their parents Tito Butch and Tita Carla Escober. I love you guys! See you next summer!

Going back to the NBN-ZTE Scandal, I hope that our crusade for truth and GMA's removal would not stop amidst the Summer Heat. Let us make this heat more hotter for truth, justice and change. Let us show the world that we can make a difference if all of us would do something towards national righteousness ans transformation. May GOD bless the Philippines! Bangon Pilipinas!

Im also quite excited because by June I will officially be a 3rd year Political Science student of USLS. Another challenge to face and another fun to enjoy. All I can say, Bring it on! Animo La Salle!

Bloggers unite! Shout for truth with the nation’s youth!

If you want the truth and want an accountable government, and if you want the President to resign for the sake of the country, please post the visual below on your blog (with the blog post title as above) and join the youth-led communal action on March 14, 2:00 pm at Liwasang Bonifacio.

The event is led by Youth Act Now!, the newly-formed youth alliance for truth and accountability.

“Come, take up your flag and follow me”

By Willy E. Arcilla

In answer to the clarion call of the country's Church officials for “communal action” and the public clamor for a new brand of people power amidst the unfolding ZTE bribery and corruption scandal, the social-realist painter Joey Velasco, whose famous work “Hapag ng Pag-Asa” moved millions in the country and around the world, has responded with his newest creation entitled, “Take Up Your Flag”. The oil-on-canvass painting depicts Jesus Christ, who is no longer dead on the cross nor meek as a lamb as usually projected, but grim-faced and defiant. Jesus has taken up the role as the country's paramount leader, to symbolize the need for a reunification -- not a separation -- of religious beliefs and temporal affairs. It is a message to all our leaders in government, the church and civil society to live a “unity-of-life” in communion with Jesus Christ and in consonance with his teachings -- as real-life disciples, and not merely nominal Sunday churchgoers.

Jesus Christ is boldly depicted raising a tattered Philippine flag, a poignant symbolism of the countless upheavals the country has been through – from the Cry of Pugad Lawin in 1896 to the volley of musketry in Bagumbayan in 1898; from the Fall of Bataan to the infamous Death March in 1942, from the anguish of 1983 to the euphoria of 1986, and then again in 2001. But now, after all the time consumed and the energy spent, we find ourselves once again caught in a turbulent maelstrom. Many already show signs of frustration and weariness, hopelessness and despair as a tattered nation. So Velasco has decided the only real way to move forward is if we anoint Jesus our paramount leader.

Velasco shares his thoughts and feelings, “The face of Jesus beckons; the eyes challenge us; the tough stance tells us there is no way to lose. We will definitely win this war. And the battle cry is love. He is offering his life in the frontlines of the battlefield. His Eucharistic action of life giving is extended to social action. Hence, it is a call to action”.

What makes Velasco's painting even more gripping is Jesus has not only picked up the tattered flag – which in fact resembles many flags around the country – faded and torn – but He has inverted the flag showing the red band atop the blue, declaring that the nation is in a state of war. Jesus seems to rally His people for the final conflict in the saga of the Filipino nation. Jesus is urging all Filipinos to join an uprising He will personally lead – not only against graft and corruption – but against all forms of human wrongdoing – yet not through violent means, but by pursuing the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, reinforced by the human virtues of courage and confidence, infused with the supernatural virtues of faith, hope and charity, powered by prayer and brought to life in action and leadership by example. Jesus issues a “call to arms” in the war of the good over the evil. Indeed, amidst all the seemingly intractable challenges and crises that continue to bedevil the country, we must all agree that our nation is not at peacetime. Our nation is at war.

We continue to fight the massive and protracted war against graft and corruption; against the vicious cycle of poverty and destitution; hunger and malnutrition; landlessness and homelessness; poor health and high mortality; the war against illiteracy and inferior education; the war against unemployment and underemployment; labor exploitation and low productivity; the war against the lack of opportunities causing the Filipino diaspora; against selfish gratification and ostentatious hedonism; the war against a widening rich-poor gap and undue concentration of wealth; the war against alcoholism and illegal gambling; drug abuse and prostitution; and all forms of crime and violence; the war against pride and hubris; greed and avarice; the war against colonial mentality and crab mentality; the war against nominal Christianity and religious intolerance vs. our Muslim brothers; the war against all physical and armed conflict – extrajudicial killings and communist insurgency, terrorist attacks and secession; abuses by the armed forces and abuses against the armed forces; the war against marital infidelity and broken families; against indecency and immorality; lust and licentiousness; the war against apathy and indifference; negativism and pessimism; the war against treachery and hypocrisy; the war against “Bahala Na” fatalism, “Pwede na” mediocrity and “Pasensiya Na” excuses; the war against excessive politics and an obsession over intrigues; the war against bureaucratic red tape in government and a culture of privilege among oligarchs, the war against a lack of competitiveness and inertia to change in the face of an increasingly competitive global market; and the war against environmental degradation and climate change – indeed, this is an all-out war we need to wage against all forms of evil in the country and across multiple fronts -- not only in government but in civil society, at work and at home, not only against the evil in others but more so, the evil within ourselves.

Velasco muses, “These were the same issues before the Shepherd was slaughtered; before He died a poor man's death. Before the cross became a religious icon, it was, in His time, a punishment for slaves and rebels. 'Take up your cross,' spoken before Jesus died on the cross and before it took on a religious meaning, in the ears of Jesus' listeners, meant 'commit yourself to those principles and actions which will bring you to the cross.' For Jesus, taking up the cross meant committing Himself to liberating His people, especially the poor over the authorities, tradition and laws, and the corrupt state of His time”.

Even after 110 years of independence, our country remains in disunity, not only from a culture of regionalism imbibed over more than 400 years of western colonization, but what is more insidious is the deep division between the forces of good against evil. Yet history also shows how Filipinos have galvanized themselves as one nation in times of adversity to put up a valiant fight against common enemies, such as the revolt of the first 8 provinces against Spain, and the whole country against the Japanese occupation; our victory against the tyranny of a despot in 1986 and the immorality of a drunkard in 2001. This must be the inspiration for Jesus Christ to call upon all Filipinos to fight the final battle against all enemies of the common good so we may enjoy true and lasting freedom.

“Thus for the followers of Jesus, 'take up your cross,' means to stretch out one's arm and to 'take up the flag,' and to commit oneself in word and deed to protest the cheating and lying, to put a stop to the extrajudicial killings of activists, journalists, and members of pro-poor movements, to bring justice to the victims and their families”, adds Velasco.

To dramatize this declaration of war and remind ourselves of the need to remain vigilant at all times, Joey Velasco seems to recapture a dramatic moment in our nation's history when Andres Bonifacio, founder of the “Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-kagalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan” led the Filipino revolutionaries to tear up the Spanish cedula in the Cry of Balintawak. Our nation may not be at war in the traditional definition of armed conflict, but it can be argued that we are engaged in a war no less daunting or real because the outcome of this war will dictate whether we can win the true freedom we cherish from all human oppression on earth – material and spiritual. Velasco is hopeful his latest painting can motivate each province, city, town, municipality and barangay; each diocese and each parish; each factory and each office; each school and each family to follow Jesus Christ and invert the Philippine flag to display and keep the red band on top until such time that we achieve our common mission of defeating all forces of evil and oppression. Then and only then can we achieve real victory for prosperity and peace. Then and only then can we deserve to fly the Philippine flag with the blue atop the red.

There is no doubt in Velasco's heart this is a war we can win because it is our destiny – but only if we fight this war together as one people -- in the name of God and Country -- to transform what has been a “nation run like hell by Filipinos” to a “nation run like heaven by Filipinos”. We will win this war because we will follow our one true and only leader, Jesus Christ, so that filled by God the Holy Spirit, we may all renew the face of our nation, and ultimately fulfill our God-given mission; help renew the face of the earth.

Velasco says, “Jesus calls to each and every Filipino today, “Come, take up your flag, and follow me usque ad staturam Christi.” (until we reach the stature of Christ).”

The author is a business graduate from the UP and an industrial economist from the UA&P-CRC. He has a 25 year career in various roles in Corporate Planning, Marketing, Sales, and General Management across Asia-Pacific, and a recipient of the Agora Award for Marketing Excellence. He is now President of Business Mentors, Inc., a newly-formed management consultancy firm and Regional Director of ZMG Ward Howell, Inc.

Clamor for Truth, Justice, Accountability and Beyond

Once again the present government led by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is tainted with a new scandal namely the "ZTE-NBN Scandal" that involves the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and the 130 Million kickback from the project that is supposed to go to the pocket of former COMELEC chairman Benjamin Abalos, which obviously he denies.

The Filipino people was informed of this latest anomaly and corruption in the government thru the whistle blower Mr. Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada, who is one of the consultants for the project. He was allegedly abducted upon his arrival in the Philippines from Hong Kong then went to the De La Salle Brother's Residence in La Salle Greenhills where he made a press conference to expose this unimaginable corruption and wickedness in the present government.

For the past weeks that Filipino people all over the country have joined hands to air their clamor for truth and justice. They are urging Sec. Romulo Neri to come out in the open and expose all that he knows of the anomalies in the project. It is his duty to the Filipino people because we have all the right to know.

The clamor has reached its peek, because different sectors of society have joined the call for truth, namely the different universities in the country, Makati Business Club, Catholic Bishops, and the Jesus is Lord Movement of Bro. Eddie Villanueva. Last February 29, 2008 a very massive crowd went to Ayala Avenue in Makati for an Inter-Faith Prayer Rally which gathered a crowd of 75, 000. This is so far the biggest protest action since the scandal was exposed.

I believe that rally was just a spark for a much bigger and mammoth rally in the days or weeks to come to call for GMA's removal from office. Because the people are sick and tired of all this corruptions in government that has been there since time in memorial.

I appeal to all of you, never to go weary with the clamor for truth and justice.

And lastly, if you ask me who will replace GMA. My answer is: Remove GMA, Noli de Castro and the speaker of the house from office and let Chief Justice Reynato Puno lead the country for awhile and call for snap elections after 60 days.

And let us elect and rally behind two righteous personalities who are not "TRAPOS" yet has the capacity to lead this nation towards transformation. Let us support BRO. EDDIE VILLANUEVA for President and AMONG ED PANLILIO for Vice-President.

What do you think?

MY STREET FROM APATHY TO PATRIOTISM

By Andoni Llantada Valencia

Many people often times ask me why I love the Philippines so much. They ask, “Is there really a cause for loving your country?” Why do you hold on to old dreams that change will still come and is achievable to our beloved country? When obviously looking at the situation of our government, politics, issue on social justice and the current plight of our people shows there is no hope for change or reform?

I always answer them with a big “YES”. Why? Because I believe that change will come if we ourselves would change from apathy towards genuine and radical patriotism. It is human nature not to react unless you are really the one affected. You cannot see the injustice unless you experience it. You cannot feel hunger unless you do not have food. You cannot see the importance of a home unless you experience not having one. And finally you cannot see the importance of patriotism unless you realize the need to do so.

The turning point in my life why I’m like this, from an apathetic, happy go lucky Filipino youth towards a conscientious and patriotic youth came when I had the opportunity to support a man who made a difference in this degenerating nation. He is Bro. Eddie Villanueva who ran last 2004 presidential elections under the Bangon Pilipinas Party. He offered us genuine change thru righteous leadership in government. He advocated that change is achievable if the principles of truth, justice and righteousness are instituted in the Philippine society. He was willing to fight the goliaths under a rotten and bankrupt political system for the sake of God and the future of the Filipino people. Some even say that Bro. Eddie’s cause was like a “suntok sa buwan”. But nevertheless I was deeply inspired by the life of this man from a former political radical activist and Marxist communist during Martial Law, fighting against social injustice and rallied people under the cause of the National Democratic Revolution. Taught economics and finance in PUP and later on as he questioned the legitimacy of the path that he was all along walking on fighting a Godless cause to establish a just and humane society. It led him to the Holy Scriptures. He began to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and started a movement from fifteen college students now about a membership of seven million here in the Philippines and abroad which is now called the Jesus Is Lord Church.

Since 2004 up to now, I have always embraced and advocated the same cause. National change and righteousness is possible if we ourselves turn away from apathy and start opening our eyes to the truth. And the truth is people are hungry, people have no homes, children do not have education, people are dying because of poor health services, the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer, the trend that justice is only for the rich, oppression and exploitation are rampant since time in memoriam. Corruption, immorality, bribery and political instability brought about by the illegitimacy of the current president and her unconscientious allies in government.

I think it is high time that we stand and fight for genuine change in the government. Let us demand it! Make noise about it! As Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” and Jesus Christ also said “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. If the message of Christ’s love be put to practice by all Filipinos what a country we could have, when people are helping one another, feeding one another and having love and compassion for people who are anguishing in abject poverty. Let us not think of our different religious beliefs or political persuasions but rather think of our poor brothers and sisters because Jesus Christ himself fed, loved and chose to be with them. As what Bono of U2 put it “God is with us, if we are with them (poor)”. Love for God and country are inseparable. When you learn to love your country, you love the eighty million plus people in your country.

There have been many instances when I get frustrated with how cruel this government is. And tell myself why care about it? When you can’t get anything in return anyway? But every time I step out of the La Salle campus and see street children begging for food or one peso coin just to augment hunger for the day. It really crushes my heart and my idealism keeps getting stronger and stronger and once again my cause and advocacy for change and righteousness comes back to me. Patriotism is already in my system and I thank God for it.

I call on my fellow political science students, members of the La Sallian community and all Filipinos. Let us take on the cudgels for genuine patriotism. If we want to inherit a corrupt and unjust society then don’t do anything but if you wish to see a transformed nation then we must act now because later could mean too late. Join the wagon for truth, justice and righteousness.

As Dr. Jose Rizal once said that we are the hope of the nation but let me also say that we are not only the hope of the nation but we are the nation and we must take over. We should not be only the hope but we should also be of service to our motherland not tomorrow but now because the future of our generation is the one at stake here. We should learn to take risks because we become stronger thru risks. We should de idealistic, incorruptible and principled patriots. We should be radical nation changers and we should be willing to fight and die for it at all cost.

Let us tell our politicians that we will not allow you to fool us anymore as Abraham Lincoln once said “You cannot fool all of the people all the time”. Let us look up and be inspired with people like Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Che Guevara, Martin Luther King, Among Ed Panlilio, Bro. Eddie Villanueva, Tony Meloto and many others. For the lives of these men are stories of great conviction to achieve a cause. The former US Secretary of State, George Marshall once said that “Mahatma Gandhi has become the spokesman for the conscience of mankind; he made humility and simple truth more powerful than empires.

We can change the Philippines if we say with faith we can. We could turn this nation around if we truly learn to love this country and stand for what you believe is right. Influence your fellow youth that your stand on what is right and wrong should be as clear as black and white. Let us value honor, our word is our bond. Let us inspire our entire nation to work as one to do great things. Our love for country should be greater than love for one's self and family, and who shall be willing to march into hell so that the Filipinos may have heaven on this planet. Aristotle said that "The salvation of the community (nation) should be the common business of good citizens." And Edmund Burke added that “Evil triumphs because good men do nothing”.
Allow me to end this with words from Bro. Eddie Villanueva “Buhayin natin ang diwa ng pagmamahal sa bansa, at sa karangalan ng lahing Pilipino, Ibangon ang Pilipinas!”

The future of this country lies in our hands. The question is, are you willing to fight for it?

Tony Meloto - The Man, The Visionary by Perry Diaz

What started as a out-of-school youth intervention program in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City about a decade ago is now a worldwide humanitarian movement of building communities for the poorest of the poor. In an attempt to rehabilitate gang members of Bagong Silang -- a squatter relocation site of more than 100,000 families -- members of the Couples for Christ (CFC) led by Tony Meloto started youth camps for the gang members. Although the program was successful, once the gang members were out of the youth camps, they were back to their old ways. It was evident then that for the youth program to succeed, the program had to be implemented where the youths lived -- in their homes.

In 1999, Tony and his CFC team built a house for a family with troubled children. From this one house, the first Gawad Kalinga community was born. With the financial support of Filipino-Americans from Northern California, this first Gawad Kalinga (GK) community expanded to 2,000 homes in 18 villages in Bagong Silang. Gawad Kalinga has changed the lives of 10,000 people in Bagong Silang. Today, there are 21,759 homes in 1,253 GK villages throughout the Philippines and several other countries including Papua New Guinea, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Behind this phenomenal undertaking is Tony Meloto, a tireless self-made man of 57, who was born poor in Bacolod where some of the richest families in the country live. His father and mother were public school teachers. They lived in a small rented house on the hacienda of a rich relative. Your browser may not support display of this image.

Tony excelled in his student days. In 1967, in his senior year in high school, he became an American Field Exchange Scholar at the De Anza High School in Richmond, California. Upon his return home he won a scholarship at the Ateneo de Manila. He graduated in 1971with a BA degree in Economics. He worked his way up in the corporate world to become the purchasing manager of a multinational corporation. Eventually he started his own business.
In 1985, Tony and his wife, the former Lyn Dizon, became involved with CFC. It changed their lives forever. By 1995, Tony realized that his calling was to work with the poor. It was no coincidence then that his first work for the poor was in Bagong Silang, which literally means “New Born.” At Bagong Silang, Tony Meloto, the visionary, was born.
As the founder and Executive Director of Gawad Kalinga, Tony's vision of building communities was a ray of hope for the poorest of the poor and an inspiration to all Filipinos -- rich and poor, Christians and Muslims -- to rebuild the country. Indeed, within a decade, what started as a youth camp project for gang members in Bagong Silang, Gawad Kalinga became an international humanitarian movement that attracted people of all colors.
Last May 19, 2007, at the Second Gawad Kalinga Summit held in Burlingame, California, Tony spoke of what Gawad Kalinga is all about: igniting hope in the people; inspiring change in ourselves and in others; and the power of “We.” Hope... Change... We... Three powerful words that have brought people together to accomplish what has never been done before. And this is just the beginning.

Tony spoke of the 300 Spartans who sacrificed their lives fighting the Persian invaders in the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Vastly outnumbered, the 300 Spartans held back the Persians for several days giving the rest of Greece time to prepare for battle against the Persians. And they won. Tony likened the 300 Spartans to the 300 Filipino-American “GK Builders” who have spearheaded the building of GK villages. I am proud to be one of the GK Builders along with the numerous Sacramento Fil-Am donors who made GK Sacramento Village in Fairview, Quezon City a reality. Construction began in April 2006. Today, 27 homes have been built and four are under construction. Upon completion, the village will consist of 50 homes. Your browser may not support display of this image.
Tony spoke of how Gawad Kalinga united the Christians and Muslims in Mindanao. Camp Abubakar in the province of Maguindanao -- which was one of the original training camps of al Qaida -- is now a peaceful Gawad Kalinga community where Christians and Muslims live side by side and helping one another in the true spirit of “bayanihan.”

It is interesting to note that for the third year last April, Gawad Kalinga caretaker teams and beneficiaries from all over Mindanao journeyed together in solidarity with other Christians, Muslims, and the indigenous Lumads to “heal the wounds of the past.” The journey was called “Highway of Peace.” Groups came from different parts of Mindanao -- Butuan, Surigao, Bukidnon, Zamboanga, North Cotabato, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City -- and joined the caravan which converged in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte. Others traveled all the way from the Visayas and Manila.

Last September, 2006, Tony Meloto was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. He was recognized for “inspiring Filipinos to believe with pride that theirs can be a nation without slums.” The Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation, which Meloto heads, also received a Magsaysay Award for “harnessing the faith and generosity of Filipinos the world over to confront poverty in the Philippines and provide every family the dignity of a decent home and neighborhood.” These two awards manifest Tony's vision of transforming the Philippines into a First World country and First Class people.

A friend reminded me the other day of what the late Senator Jose Diokno told the students at Silliman University before Martial Law was declared in 1972: “When it gets dark enough, you will begin to see the stars.” Indeed, the stars of Gawad Kalinga are brightly shining on the Filipino people. An 80-year old man said after being given a Gawad Kalinga home, “I never thought that I would ever see this day in my life. Thanks to Gawad Kalinga.” Yes, indeed.