Archive for the ‘Philippine Culture’ Category

I know perhaps some of you have already known and notice that the famous hit song of Filipino folk artist Freddie Aguilar “Anak” (Child) conveys wrong message regarding relationship between parents and their children which can be deceitful and misleading to those unsuspecting listeners which they will thought that the song’s message is utterly right and correct whereas the message it conveys definitely fall short of the reality happening between parents and children.

For the song itself promotes domestic tyranny and violence against children by their parents making the parents not liable or responsible to the waywardness of their children but rather put all the entire blame and mistake on the frailness of a child and wash the hands of the parents from their own responsibility and accountability as a parent and guide of their children making the parents infallibly authoritative or an “almighty god” that is not capable of making mistakes.

In particular lyrics of the song, “..Anak, bakit ka nagka ganian?..(child, why have you become like that?)”;the parents hypocritically and blindly ask their child why their child has become wayward on his/her way, as if the parents has nothing to do why their “beloved”(ironically depicted on the song) has gone astray.

For if the parent doesn’t have any mistake and shortcoming to the way they nurture and rear their child and if their child is “beloved”, how come their child act differently from something they have sown to their child as their guide or how come their child has gone astray?

Nope, it is not the environment, it is not the friends or the modern culture a child is exposed with, rather it is the parents’ way and methods of parenting and guiding their child. Parenting is not playing “blame games” .But this usually most parents does when they find their child somewhat astray or stubborn and rebellious. For if they filled their child with overflowing love and affection, will the child not reciprocate the same?

Where in the world that when a farmer planted or sown an apple seeds yet it grows into a mango tree? An apple seed will not become a mango tree!; rather what one sown, so also one will reap!

Thus, there is no one to blame for the waywardness of a child but to his/her parents themselves who leads the child to the wayward direction and molds and creates the child to be rebellious, unloving, disrespectful, etc. It is the kind of parenting is the bottom-line. But the song “Anak”(Child) have miss this point and reality. Actually, it is the parents in the song who should ask forgiveness to their child and not the child who ask forgiveness for the irresponsible parenthood one’s parent parent one to be.

But to say in a song that parents are infallible guides and the wayward attitude of a child is to be blame to the child itself, to others and to elsewhere, is definitely an ignorant assessment of reality in the society.

For parenting is not playing “god’ and “master” over children rather it is becoming a “guide”, a “council”, and a “bestfriend” or as “mother-father(parents)” in their journey in their own chosen way of lives.

But unfortunately, some parents even of course in the Philippines become abusive on their rights over their children and loves to play “god” or “master”; Much even more whenever they heard the song “Anak”(Child) which fattened their authoritative Ego. Thus, attracting and promoting more domestic violence and domestic tyranny. For it creates a thought-virus or a bad Philippine meme to whomever it hears the song if one is ignorant of the reality in the society.

The song should be ban.

Fostering as we all knew it is not similar to adopting a child but it is just a momentary parental care for children that have been neglected or unable to parent by their biological parents. But I am thinking, is fostering could help lessen street children in the streets and could minimize hunger and malnutrition due to poverty as well as juvenile delinquency due to poor parental guidance by their biological parents and financial poverty as well?

For fostering a child until the child could already make life on his or her own could somehow eliminate street children begging for money and food in the streets in the Philippines, as well as could minimize juvenile crimes and poverty rates. For as long as the foster child could already find a decent work, he or she could help eventually also his or her financially poor biological parents and siblings from the poverty they are in thus minimizing poverty rate in the Philippines; I think so.

For comparative study revealed that foster care is even much better than Institutional care like the “Bahay Ampunan” in the Philippines run mostly by Catholic nuns, for it serves a much better child nurturance which the foster child could enjoy and felt a “sense of family” and belongingness in a family unlike “Bahay Ampunan” that cannot really give every child in it a sense of family and sometimes experiencing a substandard attention, care, guidance and support. Moreover, foster care is not costly compare to “Bahay Ampunan” which sometimes only resort to donations just to foster children. Actually, the Parenting Foundation of the Philippines, Inc.(PFP) is promoting foster care or is engaging on foster care and boast that they have already placed a thousand children on foster care but how come there are still a lot of children in the streets of the Philippines especially on cities that are left on hunger and malnutrition and recently on juvenile criminal activities as reported on the news lately? What children is Parenting Foundation of the Philippines, Inc.(PFP) fostering with?

According to Parenting Foundation of the Philippines, Inc.(PFP) the age range they tolerate fostering is from an infant into teens and they works with two types of foster families, namely, the regular families and the volunteer families wherein some are not wealthy families but only middle-class.

“We have foster families from the lower middle-income bracket who are willing to become substitute families for these children”

But if indeed, this is true, how come still great number of streetchildren lingers on the city streets begging for money and food?

However, there are also pitfalls on implementing foster parenting like (1)fake foster parents that will only use the child in their secret criminal activities like child trafficking; (2)if the foster parents already love too much their foster child they will resort into adopting the child in conflict with the interest and consent of the real or biological parents of the foster child which of course could create psychological problem on the child;(3) foster child wouldn’t like to be foster care despite of the financial poverty his or her biological parents is going through;(4) and vice-versa, the biological parents wouldn’t like their children to be foster by a complete stranger despite they suffer on poverty.

Foster parenting is indeed very good but the Parenting Foundation of the Philippines, Inc.(PFP) should also be wary about the danger it could bring to the foster children even though the foster carers submitted a convincing qualifications to be entrusted the child to be foster. For there are reports of international child syndicate or even local child syndicate that use and abuse foster care program to get children for their child trafficking activities.
Thus, sometimes it makes sense that the number of hungry street children in the Philippines is still large.

Amidst of the political profligacy happening in the Philippines which only leads the entire Filipino race into a vindictive and licentious culture, creeping preternatural phenomena take place which some Filipinos would not bother to think about but too much preoccupation of feasting on political witch-hunting against a former leader of their country have made their psychic minds stupor about the omens in regards to what is happening now in the Philippines, as the consequences of their profligacy on political hypocrisy rather than polarizing the spiritual future of their race; for they themselves devour one another.

These preternatural events are the back to back crimes and suicides that have distinctive similar themes that reflect a perturbed race aside from political crises and human rights violation which happens since the reign of late former Philippine president Corazon Aquino.
Here are the latest back to back events which I noticed that has the same theme.

1. The Ramgen Revilla murder back to back with Ricky Pempengco’s murder. Both murdered victims are family members of a famous celebrity in the Philippines, Senator and actor Ramon Bong Revilla and the young international singing sensation Charice Pempengco , respectively. Both murders are caused by a fight on something; both were stabbed.

2. Back to Back Suicides. Earlier before the back to back murder of Ramgen Revilla and Ricky Pempengco is the back to back suicide incidents of two broken hearted or depressed Filipino men who jump their way to death on a commercial establishment on the upper story of the commercial building.

First, act October 20,2011,an anonymous guy jump on his suicide death on the mall of Robinson at Imus Cavite, then days after ,the 20 year old grandson of former vice-President of the Philippines Teofisto Guingona Jr., jump his way into his suicide death from the open-viewing deck of SkyLounge bar and restaurant establishment. The young man was said to be broken hearted and depressed and could not bear at his young age the pain incurred by depression, thus he commit suicide by jumping from the open deck of SkyLounge to end the misery he is experiencing during those moments.

Both are male; both are said to be depressed and broken-hearted and both jump to suicide death from an upper story of a commercial establishment, both suicidal incident were not made sensational in the media.

3. Back To Back Shooting Incidents inside a Mall. Who can forget the back to back shooting events on two SM malls perpetrated by crimes of love. Both suspect are somewhat erstwhile partner that wants their former partner together with them in death. Both successfully enter a gun secretly from the security officers on the entrance of the mall. The straight erstwhile couple on SM North Edsa are said to be from Pampanga while the gay erstwhile couple where in SM Pampanga where the shooting incident happens. Both fatalities are male ones. Both happen inside the SM Malls.

4. The Back To Back Carjacking incidents. There are many carjacking incidents but who can forget the almost same theme of Emerson Lozano-Venson Evangelista carjacking murder case were both are killed by gunshot and burned.

What I listed above are just handful cases of a back to back crimes that happens recently in the Philippines there are crimes and incidents in the past which have a similar back to back theme, like the back to back bus tragedies, family massacres, back to back rape cases, back to back road accidents, back to back ambushes and salvage, etc. But no one dares to care to explain why such crimes or incidents happens in two or is it just mere coincidence or omens what the Philippines will be become for the next forthcoming years? Signs that the Philippines is not headed to a bright future but omens to more darker Philippines, like what is currently happening now in the Philippines, most especially the political system of it, but are majority of Filipinos care for their race or just want to destroy themselves asunder?

So far, this city in the Philippines is the first to recognize gay rights within their city and create a rights desk for the gays, transgender, lesbians, and bisexuals city within their Anti-Discrimination Ordinance compare to other cities in the Philippines that still promotes discrimination among their gays transgender,lesbians and bisexual constituents – Angeles City, Pampanga.

Angeles city Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan has ordered the creation of “Gay Rights Desk” that will link to Angeles City Multi-Sectoral Consultative Council (ACMCC) wherein the gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender will also have privileges to experience the services and promotions that promote their welfare and rights in the society like to those class of people that has been discriminated unjustly in the society. According to Mayor Pamintuan, he wants his city or he wants Angeles city to be a kind of city in the Philippines that is sensitive to equal rights and welfare of all types of people in the society and that values equality and human rights.

“I want Angeles City to be the most sensitive city and local government in the Philippines to gender equality and gay rights!…… Here in Angeles, one’s right is everyone’s right. Consider Angeles City as a hallowed ground insofar as respecting and advancing the rights and welfare of all citizens are concerned,” – he said.

Consequently, spokesperson of the Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (ProGay), Goya Candelario commend and praised Mayor Pamintuan for his sensitivity among the LGBT community within his city and for recognizing the LGBT community as part of a society that contributes to the progress of a community or society.

“…our way of recognizing the role and potentials of the gay sector in the development and progress of our city.” –Mayor Pamintuan.

Perhaps why the women then in the Philippine society is forbidden to work at night on public, it is also because of the protection and preservation of its sex and not about to discriminate them unjustly as “weaker sex” or the Philippine labor law then have male chauvinist tendencies. It is also the welfare of the women that is being in great concern then, since yes admit or not women are weak physically due to they have lower testosterone hormones that men have.

Articles 130 and 131 of the Labor Code of the Philippines that forbids women to work at night except only to a woman whose work are managerial and technical should not be deem as an insult to women’s capabilities for that is not what this bills originally intended why these articles forbids women to work at night at a stated time range. Perhaps, laws like this are made in compliance to the zeitgeist of the times then.

But since, times have changed greatly and human consciousness have evolved into more higher level of awareness and knowledge, women in the Philippine society today are already allowed to work at night with full protection of the labor law of the Philippines through creating a law that repeals articles 130 and 131 of the Labor Code of the Philippines, that is the creation of Republic Act 10151 which allows women in the Philippines to work at night just like men, except only for pregnant women and nursing mothers but only if they can’t do the job.

The need for more effective and efficient workforce on the work place have force the creation of the concept of gender equality and neutrality at work since if one discriminate workers because of sexual orientation only, one loses the chances to find an effective and efficient worker to do the job at the workplace especially at night if all workers are alpha males and since women today have already their own capacity to depend themselves from the attacks and assaults of stranger along the way as well as have equal mental capacity with men.

The new law now focuses on the general health of any employed Filipino citizen whether male or female and no more gender focus. The implementation of this new labor law in the Philippines is a way to give at ease the employers on Call Center and BPO jobs to hire women employees in their business without the need to apply for an exception for the articles 130 and 131 of the Labor code of the Philippines and so that Filipinas could work at the call center business if they do really have the qualifications and competence and fit for the job without the hassles of being in conflict with the said former labor laws.

Filipina today have the full right to express themselves and participate in the Philippine society just like Filipinos or Philippine males compare to other countries that still have the laws that diminish the rights of a woman. The women in the Philippines are blessed with to have their rights accepted and respected. For aside from Republic Act 10151,the implementation of RH Bill will also empower the women in the Philippine society if the Reproductive Health Bill will be implemented just like the Republic Act 10151.

However, on the negative side, women who work at night today just like men are exposed to a lot of danger along the dark road of the night either going to work at night or going home from the work and victimized by a bad elements in the society lurking at the dead of the night. For though women today have all the rights to work at night, they are more susceptible to be victimized by a crime called Rape; actually, there are already a lot of Rape cases documented.

Suicide as we all know are brought by a very depressed suicidal person who could no longer bear the problems one has. Problems vary from person to person and how one could cope or how one face it.

But lately, the Filipinos seems to break the previous reports that Filipinos are happy people that do not surrender to life’s challenging problems but face every problems and adversities with a cheerful happy heart. “Tinatawan lang ang problema” (Filipinos just laugh at the problems)

For Lately, the Philippine has been plague with suicide cases and what is more disturbing is some of these suicides were done on public places just what happened lately on two consecutive suicide incidents on SM Malls perpetrated by a couple who suppose to love each other but end up killing the beloved one on open public. Moreover, infidelity and depression seems to be the two reasons why one wanted to kill the beloved as well as oneself from the two consecutive incidents at SM Malls.

However, not only the depression brought by a wayward love-partner cause a Filipino to commit suicide and killing the beloved one but also depression brought by a loss of job and nagger mother[?].Reports said that a lay off policeman shoot his own mother before shooting himself on a public place just only because he loses his job and was scolded by his own mother. Then similar news followed after one another.

But most recently is the suicide incident, this time around at Robinson Mall last October 20,011 at Robinson Mall Imus Cavite branch. The report says that the suicide victim jumps from the 4th Floor of the mall at around 1 pm with no yet accurate reason why he commits suicide. The angle being seen is depression brought by love life again because the suicidal victim is said to be a gay man because he wears female clothing.

Actually, these suicidal incidents is not something new in the Philippines but only become a recent sensational issue because the place of suicidal death is on public places where everyone could see, for there are many suicidal cases out there perpetrated by very depressed Filipinos which were not reported on mainstream media. For the mainstream media are just bias and selective in their reports.

Truly, the survey reports that Filipinos are very happy people and problems in life could not bring them down is definitely not true but somehow deceitful in its essence just only to allure foreign tourist people to visit the Philippines and to project hypocritically to the world that Filipinos are one of the most beautiful races in the world.

On Gays and Non-Gays

Hate Crimes? They are crimes motivated by a just mere bias motivated hatred and disgust toward either single person or a group of people. Hate crimes in the Philippines sometimes hide in the guise of crimes so-called “Summary execution” just only to show to the public that the helpless dead victim[s] was or were bad people deserving to die in the hands of an indignant vigilantes, which is indeed unfair to the dead victim[s].Moreover, these killings were not investigated by the Philippine government itself, as if the government have connivance to these “hate crimes” and have unjust and unfair conclusive judgment that the dead victim[s] might just be “bad person”;thus, dismissing lightly to probe it and do a detailed investigation regarding the crimes.

These hate crimes is most prevalent among the lesbian and gay community in the Philippines where gays are the main victims of such unjust criminal act and the government do nothing about it, for the hypocrite religious sector of the society (largely, Christianity and Islam) have preconditioned the mindset of the people that gays and lesbians are evil and sinful people that needs not to be respected and treated fairly as human because “God says so” which consequently the foolish government do nothing about it for the government subscribe too to this evil religious propaganda against the third sex.
According to a report, only this year, there are already 28 cases of hate crimes against LGBT Filipinos but the government is not doing anything about it because of the religious stigma cast against LGBT community by the hypocrite religious sector of the society. Since 1996, according to LGBT Hate Crime Watch there are already 103 cases of hate crimes that resulted to gruesome deaths and the number still continue growing.

“The brutalities done to the murdered LGBT Filipinos are also suggestive that they were victims of hate crime. Thirty-six of the victims were stabbed multiple times. Twenty of them died of gunshots. Six were tortured before they were killed. Others were raped, or killed with a blunt object, or suffocated, or dismembered, or burned alive,”

Such example of these heinous hate crimes against LGBT Filipinos is the case of the trial judge of Laog City Philippines who was found lying in a pool of his own blood with his head almost decapitated with semen found on his anus. Another example is the University of the East gay professor Winton Lou Ynion was stabbed 40 times by an unknown homophobic assailant.

Admit or not, it is the religious sectors in the Philippines (not only in the Philippines) that shapes the mindset of the society and that influence the government’s own constitution though there is a concept that church and state should be separated. For government officials make an oath on a religious book or scripture like the Bible and Koran during their oath-taking ceremony before they seat on a government office they are voted for by the people to seat. Moreover, what about the prayers to God before starting an event, a ceremony, a session, a class, breakfast or any meal; the state and the church beliefs are united here. The concept that Church and State should be separated is not actually in effect; it is just a mere deceitful cover-up to hide the reality on the society and to brainwash unsuspecting mass.

Hate crimes were really indeed brought by a respective religious orientation on how one will perceive and treat other people in the society. Actually, the Bible of Christianity is filled with racism that teaches to hate non-Jewish nation as well a great Hatred and fury against one single being the Christians and Muslims alike called “Satan”. That is just a tip of the iceberg of the hate crimes promotes and advocates by the respective “gods” of these two major world religions.

If organized religions in the world like Christianity and Islam are really religion that promotes peace and love for humanity, why history is filled with religious wars headed by Christianity and Islam? Sadly, up to this time, these two major religions continue to infest the mindsets of the people to act this and that because as their favorite excuse, ”God says so..” and “..It is written…”
Thus, gays and lesbians are continually zapped of their rights and even treated inhumanly primarily on countries predominantly dominated by the two major world religions I mentioned, like in the Philippines.
Furthermore, even on non-gays and lesbians, hate crimes is also perpetrated by one’s own subscribe religion. The Killings of the members of opposing religious cults in the Philippines is one example of it wherein they accused one another as “satanic cults” that needs to be eliminated.

Actually, even personal religious beliefs causes hate crimes, such an example of a simple braggart man was killed brutally by vigilantes only because the man is just loudly boastful and the man’s braggart attitude was perceived to be evil that needs to be silence without being fair and just consideration why the man is acting that way.
It seems killing brutally a person or a group of person without fair and just consideration is considered “good” than a mere loud boasting in the society, for the government in the Philippines as if it nodded an approval to this hate crimes by not acting immediately to it and dismiss the dead victims to be a victims of “summary execution” with a public connotation that the dead victim might be a bad/evil person why the dead victim is killed through that kind of execution.

PNoy’s Anti-Poor Program?

Despite the Aquino administration effort to beautify its Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Program on the public that its implementation will benefit many Filipinos especially the poor ones, its main agenda stinks and smells selfish increasement of wealth of the capitalists in the Philippines whether Rich Filipino Businessmen or Rich Foreign Investors, rather than benefiting the poor sectors in the Philippines, financially, among those organizations who support and advocates the welfare of the poor in the Philippines especially the Urban Poor Resource Center of the Philippines, Inc. (UPRCP).And moreover, these pro-poor organizations tagged PNoy’s Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) programs as an “anti-poor” and “pro-capitalist” program that will just wipe out the urban poor sector within and outside Metro Manila.

According to Urban Poor Resource Center of the Philippines, Inc.(UPRCP),at least 360,000 poor families will face eviction and will experience dark future under Aquino administration once PNoy’s Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) programs will be implemented and this is already happening on the continuous demolition jobs happening on poor areas in the Philippines. PNoy’s Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) programs as well as PNoy’s other economic policies, according to pro-poor organization favors NOT the poor sector in the Philippines but rather PNoy’s economic policies are inclined more to give favor and help Big Businesses, Landlords and foreign capitalists in the Philippines instead.

This is obviously not new since the Aquino family is an Oligarch that seeks to protect selfishly their own family owned businesses and properties and wealth in the Philippines yet hypocritically showing to the public eye that they are pro-poor.

The poor sector of the Philippines have always been duped by a lying politicians when they covet for a government seat in the Philippine government during election times by promising and showing they are pro-poor. And the poor sector in the Philippines never learns because some poor were not inclined to gain knowledge and wisdom to depend and protect themselves from being exploited by the rich ones and knowledgeable ones whether a traditional politician or a traditionally religious person or group, but just satisfied to have bread and water on their table.

Some traditional politicians uses sweet promises and cold cash to allure the poor sectors to vote and support them on their selfish pursuit, while traditional rich religious people uses religion and god and the fear of hell to allure the poor sector to donate their money.

This is how the poor sector in the Philippine has always been exploited by those who have authority, power, wealth and knowledge in the Philippines.

Young Criminals?

How do you raise a child to become a future criminal? Yes,it is understandable that nurturing and raising a child to become responsible and good adult individual is really hard for parents since a child have his or her own thinking and that will not always follow their parent’s commands,lest if the parents become strict and imposed corporal punishment for disobedience,children will only become rebellious in their character and eventually become future criminals instead a responsible good adult though the parents have good intention in disciplining them.But the way of disciplining and raising them is wrong if parents have strict parenthood style though the parent’s intention is right.Thus,their children become young criminals.

Just like what was reported by the US Embassy in Manila regarding a “juvenile gangs” that victimizes American tourists and warn American tourists (actually,not only Americans but all foreign tourists in the Philippines) to watch out for these “juvenile pickpocket gangs”.
According to US Embassy,these juvenile gangs were composed of Pinoy street children ages from 6 to 12 years old accompanied by an elderly man that appears to be homeless and nomads and asking and demanding money from tourists they have spotted.

If the tourist refused,they aggressively stalk or follow the tourist and suddenly swarm attack the tourist and stealing valuable personal items from the victim like wallets,cash,cellular phones,wristwatch,jewelry,etc.

But fortunately there has been no death cases from the said juvenile attacks.However,the US Embassy warn tourists who visit the Philippines to be wary on themselves and on these street children when they are on the public places in the Philippines.

However,despite of this criminal-like acts of these street children,it is understandable why they do such acts.it is because they lack basic necessities and needs and in order to procure quickly these urgent needs they resort to stealing and such criminal activities like I mention above. It is a sad reality which the government of the Philippines could not solve despite of the hypocritical boasting of the president of the Philippines on the statistics that poverty in the Philippines have drop; and the percentage of those who are hungry in the Philippines diminish.
So what must do regarding such activities especially on those destitute populace in the Philippines,for poverty statistics could not solve it but just a mere hogwash to allure foreign investors to invest in the Philippines?

The solution in my opinion is to reduce the population or population management in the country.For less crowded place means less poverty and less poverty means less crimes.

Nestled in the Philippines

After 100 years of successful doing business in the Philippines, Nestle Philippines promise to spend more 100 years in the Philippines or even more than 100 years serving the Filipinos with their delicious and nutritious products; and as proof of their promise Nestle Philippines have invested Php.4.8 billion pesos to erect a coffee creamer manufacturing facility in Tanaun Batangas that will make it as one of the most important manufacturing sites of Nestle in the world.

It is Nestle way of giving back to the Filipinos who all the way supported their products and become their way of life for about 100 years. Nestle have been in the Philippines since 1911 selling not only their products to the Filipinos but also helping the Filipinos in nation-building by providing the Filipinos good health by their products. Their products have become part of every Filipinos’ house for 100 years and still counting and will be for another 100 years or more.

Thus also though Nestle is not an original homegrown business company in the Philippines, Nestle Philippines have become like a true homegrown Filipino business company because of its 100 years closeness to the lives of Filipinos then and now.

Recently, they celebrated their 100 years and by showing how Nestle Philippines have become grafted into Filipino culture, Nestle have created a 100 minute Film anthology entitled “Sine Kasambuhay Film Anthology” as their tribute of gratitude for Filipinos with various film genre and is now currently showing over selected Philippine theatres in the Philippines. The film anthology will only last up this month of July.