By Lester Cavestany, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

FILIPINO patriots went for a swim Monday morning, the 21st of April, to cool down and relax in the crystal clear waters of Manila Bay. Well, not exactly! They dived into the swim-at-your-own-risk waters of Manila Bay to protest against the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). Pro-JPEPA senators will be feeling the heat from Filipinos who believe that the government has once again outdone itself when it comes to pimping our motherland to other countries.

According to the swimmers who braved the waters of Manila Bay, the treaty will allow large and high-tech Japanese fishing vessels to sweep our waters and get all the fish they want. But the government says that we don’t have to worry about any shortage in fish supply. Keep in mind that this is the same government who’s also telling us not to worry about the shortage in rice supply. So I guess it’s okay for Japan to catch all the fish they want because our government says it’s alright.

Greenpeace has also protested against JPEPA saying that it will allow Japan to ship toxic waste to the Philippines. “It’s okay,” the Philippine government says, “we don’t have to revise the treaty because ‘notes’ have already been exchanged between Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and Japan Foreign Minister Taro Aso.” They now have a “gentleman’s agreement” that toxic waste will not be dumped in our country. I would like to believe the foreign ministers and I am sure they are men of their words. But the thing is, I can’t forget what happened in August 1999 when toxic waste from Japan was found in 92 (yes, 92!) 40-foot container vans. They were marked as recyclables but they contained used diapers, used syringes, incinerator ash, radioactive waste, and other disgusting things we should never speak of again.

If you still insist that it’s okay to be the trash can of a rich country because they will help our economy by providing jobs and by allowing our exports to enter their country with no tax, then you may join the ranks of our Politicos In Mama Pilipina, PIMPs for short! Join them as they try to convince the nation that JPEPA is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Join them as they say: “Let’s take in all of Japan’s toxic waste and let’s give all our fish to Japan so that they will give us jobs and economic aid.”

O Inang Bayan, patawarin mo po kami.

Also posted in www.lestercavestany.com

By Lester Cavestany, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

IT would always be the same crooks, the same money interests who would take fullest advantage of democracy or any kind of government in the Philippines, while the poor and the brave would always lose out. The batters change in the game of Philippine politics, but the baseball team remains the same and the game remains fixed.

– Ninoy Aquino[1]

As we celebrate the 22nd8th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, it would be good to look back on the wisdom of the man who inspired us to unite as a people and to defend our country against a corrupt government. We are more aware of Ninoy’s oft-quoted, “The Filipino is worth dying for,” but I chose the one above because it is more suitable to our present times.

To fight again another day

After two weeks of excitement about Jun Lozada’s testimony, the opposition has yet to come up with more witnesses and more evidence that will prove the corruption in the Arroyo administration. Even after the show of support that the public has done to encourage more people to come out and testify, no new witness or evidence has appeared.

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IF your answer is yes to one or more of the following questions, then this article is for you:

1. Were you affected by the Malu Fernandez controversy?
2. Do you know anyone who is an overseas Filipino worker? (OFW)
3. Do you have a relative who is an OFW?
4. Do you believe that many Filipinos are working abroad because of the lack of opportunities here in the Philippines?
5. Do you believe that OFWs help the Philippine economy?
6. Do you believe that the present administration is corrupt and there has to be some changes?
7. Are you an OFW, or an ex-OFW, or are you planning to become an OFW?

If you said yes to any of these, read on…

Perhaps you’ve heard of the controversial memorandum (1) of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) regarding the Guidelines on the Direct Hiring of Filipino Workers. Please allow me to explain to you why OFWs need your support against this memorandum. We really need your help! Please forward our plea for help to as many people as possible.

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By Willy E. Arcilla, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

THE AWARENESS and popularity of Canadian-based Fr. Fernando Suarez has been soaring in recent weeks as increasingly more Filipino faithful and Christians worldwide attend and bear witness to his healing ministry at which the disabled walk, the visually-impaired see, the deaf hear and the mute speak. There are patients with cancer and other diseases who are cured. Yet, despite a cult following that seems to rival local celebrities, Father Suarez remains admirably humble, insisting that “I am not a healer” amid persistent labels as the “healing priest” or “miracle priest.” Raising his voice somewhat to emphasize the point and ensure that all can hear clearly, “it is not me who heals, but our Lord Jesus Christ, and He uses me merely as an instrument for His grace.” He draws an analogy to Christ’s healing power with “water passing through one’s hands.”

During a healing mass held recently at SM Megamall’s Trade Hall, Father Suarez repeatedly said in his homily, “I feel so embarrassed whenever people reach out to touch my robes,” again emphasizing it is God’s omnipotence that heals both the body and spirit. But despite this self-effacing attitude, he urged all the faithful present “not to feel embarrassed in praying for compassion and healing” for all afflictions — physical or spiritual — for nothing is impossible with God. He explains that the miracles people see or personally experience are demonstrations of God’s love that serve to help strengthen the people’s faith. If the source of all evil in this world is pride, manifested in being self-centered and an egoistic “ownership” of one’s accomplishments, he says the source of all good must lie in being “Christ-centered” and complete abandonment and surrender to God. “If we rely on Jesus, we will not be disappointed based on His promise that He will not fail us if we trust in Him.” However, while he urged all brethren to implore good health and a fullness of life with total confidence as children of God, he also admonished that God wants “holistic healing,” and not just “partial healing,” including the healing of one’s heart and conversion of one’s soul. He went on to pray for the moral illnesses and social injustices that bedevil the country, specifically the graft and corruption plaguing government and the wrenching poverty oppressing millions; for the deepest divisions to be healed and discrimination of all forms banished. In offering a reason for why God does not seem to answer all our supplications, he said perhaps “sometimes, what we ask for may not be good for us.”

In an interview prior to the mass, this writer asked Father Suarez if he can share what God tells him in his personal conversations during private moments of prayer, to which he replied, “God says He loves me, and He is happy with what I do in sharing the gift of healing with all the faithful.” This writer later learned that Father Suarez interacts, touches and prays over each and every person in all of his healing services — regardless of how long it takes or how exhausting it can get.

Before an audience consisting of the sick and the curious, the faithful and the skeptics, captured on digital cameras and video recorders, shown live on closed-circuit TV and later on nationwide TV, Father Suarez performed his individualized healing ministry on thousands, moving constantly and laying his hands on the old and the young, many of whom rose from wheelchairs and spontaneously shared poignant stories, testifying to God’s goodness through Father Suarez.

When this writer asked Father Suarez what he would like to tell the millions of Filipinos who may have desperately wished to attend his healing sessions, but cannot because they are preoccupied with earning a living or do not possess the means, he says reassuringly, “God heals in different ways, so we must all believe in his goodness. While it is God who heals, it is faith that saves.” Fittingly, Father Suarez reminds us of the gospel passages when Jesus brings back to life a grief-stricken father’s only daughter, and a woman suffering from years of debilitating illness touches the hem of His cloak, in which He says “Take courage… your faith has made you well.”

There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
– Victor Hugo

I HAD the wonderful opportunity to meet and speak with Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus. Gigi and Pam of the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam invited me and Michelle to the despedida party of Consul-Gen Baisa and Ms Bel. Secretary Lapus was the guest of honor and luckily, Ambassador del Rosario asked me to join them at their table.

We talked about life, family, careers, and of course, CyberEducation! Here are some of the insights I gained from Secretary Lapus and from my own research about CyberEd:

What is Cyber Education?

I’m sure you’ve heard of open and distance education (a.k.a. distance learning). This is a hot topic in our generation because of the availability of fast-paced information and communications technology (ICT), which includes e-mail, the Internet, multimedia resources, etc.

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THERE has to be at least one of them telling the truth. While JDV III claims that Neri told him about his conversation with the President regarding the so-called offer of Chairman Abalos in order to have the NBN project approved, Neri counters with a completely opposite stance, saying that what JDV III claims is completely untrue. So now, it is left to us: who is telling the truth?

Better yet, what is the truth? This question seems to always escape the minds of many whistleblowers as well as witnesses, left and right. It is like a neverending cycle of a thesis and an antithesis. Whistle blowers tend to claim that they are the ones telling the truth. Does that mean that those people who are supposedly guilty of the accusation are kings and queens of denial?

One can see how easy it is to just say what you want to say and when you want to say it. In any case, the only way for the Senate to make its hearings of the NBN scandal worth one’s time and effort is if the people who are involved in the procedings (i.e. witnesses, whistleblowers, interrogators) truly have one thing in mind: to tell the truth by first stating what is really the truth!

TRILLANES was quick to blame the Palace for the Glorietta 2 Mall blast incident.

Well, at this early stage everyone could be a suspect: the Palace through the military/police operatives, JI terrorists, the Communists, etc. The problem however is that Trillanes himself, like most of the Palace people, is not a credible person to throw such an accusation.

Sorry, but no matter what the cause or justification they may have, I have very little sympathy for people involved in military coups. As I see it they are as reckless and selfish as most Pinoy drivers. They would grab your lane unmindful of the harm it might cause the innocents just as the failed mutinies and coups have caused harm to our economy.

THERE was collective outrage among bloggers with the Malu Fernandez controversy. There was collective outrage among Fil-Ams at the racist statement from “Desperate Housewives.” Today, we are confronted by a much, much more despicable incident but where is the outrage?

The opposition is and will bleed the issue for their selfish motives. The commentators and opinion writers are having a heyday making various spins and interpretations with Fr. Panlilio’s expose. But where is the outrage?

Definitely, it is not only the few who have spoken that received a paper bag with bundles of money. An ABS-CBN video footage showed other politicians carrying similar bags. The rest may deny getting any money but it won’t change the fact that public perception is that they indeed got money. Delicadeza is alien to them. Garapalan is the name of the game. But still, where is the outrage?

Why are we not out in the streets demanding explanations and even making calls for resignation? Why do we go on with our lives as if this suhulan is just a normal incident? Why is there no collective outrage? No, I am not calling for people power. I am merely asking why have we become so meek and numb as a people in spite of the endless political scandals that confront us everyday.

The suhulan did not really come as a surprise. The suprise is when somebody, thanks to Fr. Panlilio, finally came out to expose the incident. (I am quite disappointed with Gov. Grace Padaca when she claimed on the news that she got a Christmas card from the GMA with P50, 000 but never came out to expose this gift giving incident at the time.) Corruption has become a way of life in our country. We know it happens. It is the P500, 000 that Fr. Panlilio showed to media that gave corruption a “face.”

In his column, Jose Ma. Montelibano said, “Nation building is character building.” Precisely. And that is my personal advocacy. Call it character building, value formation, good citizenship. If there is no collective change in our attitude and ways as a people, we will remain unaffected by the corrupt practices we see and hear everywhere. It is not really surprising why there is no collective outrage with regards to this blatant suhulan in Malacañang.

THE ACT of Congressman Benny Abante is more or less the same as the act of the Pampanga governor.

Is it that hard to clarify to the president or whoever distributed the money what it was for? It is pathetic for this lawmaker to suddenly come out of the closet after the scandal broke out. Transparency is the keyword here. Why is it that these mushrooms suddenly sprout only after one individual decides to stand for the right of the people to information? They are all like Pontius Pilate who washed his hands before Christ was crucified. They are only admitting that they received cash because there was a whistleblower and now claim to be innocent when in fact they could have actually done something in the first place.

Please, you politicians know that you are public servants and not servants to your personal interests. This should be a lesson for those who keep silent because they benefited out of such anomalous transactions and suddenly wash their hands and try to appear innocent when it is disclosed.

Sorry, but you are all guilty in the eyes and voice of the people.

Vox populi, vox dei.

RINA JIMENEZ-DAVID has written an exhaustive article detailing how Teri Hatcher’s life will “be hell from now on” considering her character’s comment on the show. I wonder, has the latest season of “Desperate Housewives” even reached the Philippines? But again, that shouldn’t matter. Or should it? Should it really matter to look at the context of the joke before passing judgment? After all, it’s the context that determines whether something is funny or insulting. Take for example the movie “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” which can be seen as insulting, incredibly anti-Semitic, and sexist. But as Sacha Baron Cohen (who happens to be a devout Jew) pointed out, if you look at the context of the jokes and the movie itself, you will soon realize that the jokes are there to poke fun at American society and their prejudices and not against women or Jews.

A lot of comments have been already said about this controversy, but here is what I think the context is about and why I think ABC really didn’t meant to offend anyone. First of all, my mom, just like a lot of Filipinos here in Canada or in the US, is a nurse who was educated in the Philippines. Despite this, I honestly think the comment was taken out of context.

If you actually look at the context of the joke, the comment was supposed to poke fun at the image of the American (not Filipino) medical student who got rejected by all American medical schools — due to low grades or horrible MCAT results for example — so they end up studying overseas. The writers could have chosen any country but decided with the Philippines as an afterthought. I’m sure if they chose any other country, say India or Mexico, not only will this not be a big deal, but I bet most will find it funny. In the US, it is usually thought of that if someone cannot get into an American medical school and they really want to be a doctor, they usually end up studying overseas where admission regulations tend to be not as competitive. It wasn’t about Filipinos (the doctor in the scene was white) but American med students who could not get into a US medical school.

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