By JOEL GUINTO
INQUIRER.net

What should patriotism sound like?

Singer Martin Nievera did not sing “Lupang Hinirang” to the tune of a march, as called for by law. Does that make him less of a Filipino?

Artistic license is no excuse to violate the law, according to critics. But more than just words set to music, wasn’t the national anthem intended to unite a nation?

Other artists who failed to sing the national anthem correctly in past Pacquiao fights—Geneva Cruz (she wore a terno, did that make up for it?), Jennifer Bautista (she sang off key in the end, is she more culpable than Nievera?).

Christian Bautista forgot the words during a mall show. Shouldn’t he be in jail by now? Or will a spanking by his elementary school teachers do?

Nievera can’t speak straight Filipino, even if he has been in Philippine show business since the 1908s. How can he be expected to sing “Lupang Hinirang” correctly? But that’s a different story.

By Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan

1. We are strategically located at the heart of East Asia.

Northeast Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) and Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos) combined makes East Asia. We are only at most four hours away from every major city in East Asia. If the Philippines were a real estate venture in a commercial area, ours is a location to die for. We can be the shipping and air transport hub of East Asia. We can be the top tourist destination of the region. We can be the cultural center of the region for performing arts.

2. We are No. 1 in aquamarine resources worldwide.

“We have the most diverse aquamarine ecosystem in the entire world which, if managed properly, will feed not only our hungry people but will be a source of huge revenue coming from a world in dire need of aquamarine resources such as fish, seaweed, and other similar products. We can be the seafood basket and aquamarine resource center of the world, the aquamarine resource powerhouse of the world.

3. We have a huge tourism industry potential.

Our people are by nature extremely friendly and hospitable. We only have some 3 million tourist visits every year, while our neighbors are doing 4 or 5 times more with 12 to 15 million tourist visits annually. It has been said that other countries in the ASEAN are doing so much more with so little in terms of natural wonders and beautiful sites while we are doing so little with so much. With the right infrastructure such as highways and airports and seaports in place, we can be the number one tourist destination in ASEAN if not Asia.

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HAVE you seen the latest TV advertisement where celebrities like Ely Buendia, Angel Locsin, Lito Alvarez, Maxene Magalona, Chris Tiu, Susan Fernandez, Fr. Martin de Jesus, Mark Nicdao, Ramon Bautista, Fr. Martin de Jesus, Charice Pempengco, Edu Manzano, Arnel Pineda and Efren Penaflorida are saying, “Ako Mismo”?

The TV advertisement posed a challenge to everyone: “Ano ang gagawin mo para sa kinabukasan ng bayang ito?” Then all the celebrities said they were committing to help move this country forward, as they declared, “Ako Mismo.”

Towards the end of the advertisement, they were shown wearing dog-tags with the national colors and the words “Ako Mismo.” According to akomismo.org, the dog tag symbolized courage, but among the military it was used to identify soldiers during the war.

The movement’s website further said that “Ako Mismo is a movement where you can show your patriotism and compassion, and make these traits infectious. It’s about action that eradicates hopelessness in every Filipino.”

The movement encouraged people to initiate change within themselves by writing their commitments.

Last time I checked, the total number of pledges on the movement’s website is 20,944.

“In AKO MISMO, you get to choose the cause you wish to pursue. No cause is too small as long as it is a noble one. All we ask is that you make a pledge to do it,” it said.

This movement was launched amid the upcoming 2010 elections. Would apathy still reign in today’s youth? Or is it time to make a stand and act towards change and development?

CALIFORNIA, USA — People showed up to protest government spending, bailouts, taxes, and the economic crisis in the United States.

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THE cold breeze blowing through the Dianara Viewpoint in Banaue did not bother the three mumbakis (medicine men). They started chanting their prayers to the gods Monday night, and they drank tapuy and chewed betel nut and leaf until Tuesday morning. This ritual, which they called “Alim,” is a form of thanksgiving and a request for blessings especially during planting and harvest season. I witnessed this recently, as they performed this ritual from nine in the evening to eight the next morning.

“Hindi namin inaalam dahil yun na ang itinuro sa amin ng mga ninuno namin. Hindi pwedeng bawasan ang oras, di rin pwedeng dagdagan. [We did not ask (our ancestors) why they’re spending a long time doing the ritual. This kind of ritual was what they taught us. We cannot change it],” said Jack Yadang, 58 years old and the youngest among the three mumbakis.

Part of the ritual is this ritual is the offering of palay, chicken, tobacco, lime, wine and pig. The slaughter of the pig is the culmination of the ritual, said Yadang.

“Habang kinakatay, ino-offer namin kay Likdum. [We offered the pig to Likdum while it was being slaughtered],” Yadang said.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) launched a book on legal philosophy, featuring contemporary Filipino thinkers.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the book “Grow in Grace and Govern in Wisdom” is a compilation of readings and articles of “great Filipino thinkers” together with classical philosophers, such as Plato.

“I want our Filipino students to read about the local indigenous Filipino philosophers who have great intentions for our country, who love our country and have shown noble acts of patriotism,” said Sarmiento.

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UPDATE: Nursing Board topnotcher Jovie Ann Decoyna, a graduate of Baguio Central University, urges her peers to take the initiative amid the financial crisis that has affected job opportunities even for nurses.

She got a rating of 89 percent. She is one of over 88,000 examinees that took the Nursing Licensure Exams in November 2008.

“We should take the initiative to look for the job rather than being idle. It is our responsibility to uplift nursing as a field,” she says.

+++

THE results are out.

Here’s the story from our breaking news:

At least 39,455 or 44.51% out of 88,649 examinees that took the November 2008 Nursing Board have passed, the Professional Regulatory Commission has announced.

Jovie Ann Alawas Decoyna of the Baguio Central University topped the board, with 89 percent, the PRC said.

The Nursing Regulatory Board (NRB) is headed by Carmencita Abaquin. Members of the NRB include Yolanda Arugay, Betty Merritt, Leonila Faire, Perla Po, Marco Antonio Sto.Tomas, and Amelia Rosales.

By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Family, friends, and former colleagues of the late Senator Blas Ople gathered for a mass at the Libingan ng mga Bayani [Heroes’ Cemetery] in celebration of his 82nd birthday.

Ople served for nearly two decades and created the overseas employment program in the early 70’s, and then the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, and the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration, with the last earning for him the distinction of being the “father of overseas employment.”

Continuing the legacy of her father, Susan Ople, president of Blas F. Ople Policy Center, is helping overseas Filipino workers by strengthening the programs designed by the government for them.

“He is a mentoring type of father and we grew up knowing the country first,” said Ople as she described what her father was like.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

Last December, blogger Mike Garcia posted on Multiply an entry about a retired janitor from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

People then re-posted the story in their own blogs, while some forwarded it to various mailing lists.

This story eventually got the attention of the Filipino cyberspace community, in particular the university’s alumni.

Meliton Zamora or “Mang Mel” has been the university’s janitor for four decades. But after he retired, he was informed that he would only get about 90 centavos as retirement pay for 171 days.

He also revealed that he has been guarantor for several UP student loans.

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By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

WHAT is it like being a bangkero or a boatman dealing with local and foreign tourist everyday?

Alter Larawan has been a local bangkero for six years. Everyday, he wakes up early to prepare his boat. Like fisherman who gets up early to catch more fish, Larawan is driven by the need to “catch” tourists wanting to do some island hopping in Bohol.

Larawan does not earn much from this job. So he admitted that he would rather go back to construction work and earn more.

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