Efren Peñaflorida: Pinoy CNN Hero 2009

“Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.”

“… you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.” – Efren Peñaflorida

Efren Peñaflorida receives the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year 2009 award

You can’t be proud enough! He is not Manny Pacquiao. He is Efren Peñaflorida. He may not be the King of the ring like Manny Pacquiao but he fights with a heart, determination, grit, dignity and love for his Kabayan.

Manny may have fought for the country, as he claimed but, that’s too far to compare to what Efren did. While Manny fights for big money and fame, Efren fights the most devastating of foes, IGNORANCE.

While Manny inspires Pinoy while accomplishing the insurmountable task of winning in the ring where material benefits goes to his pockets, Efren not only inspire,  he educates young people, he pulls and raise them up from the morass.  He helps them to be a better Pinoy with no material benefits in return.

Efren Penaflorida INSPIRES people not to be famous and rich instead he gives our poor kababayans the CHANCE, the HOPE and the LIGHT to help them get  out of darkness called  Ignorance. He EMPOWERS them.

Manny Pacquiao’s legacy may last forever and  boxing history books will be full of it but,  Efren Penaflorida’s legacy is written on the hearts and minds of those poor Pinoy kids he helped.

And heaven knows which legacy is far more important and worthy of great praises.

Mabuhay ka Efren. You are truly and definitely Pinoy!

Read CNN’s full story here and visit Efren Peñaflorida’s Dynamic Teen Company.

Manny Will Lose, Manny Will Win, Big Time!

As the Pacquiao vs Cotto fight night draws near, boxing fans here are all excited. Everyone is anticipating a very explosive fight, and most Pinoys I know, especially the men, are predicting a spectacular knockout by our very own Manny Pacquiao. On the other hand, some of the wives of these men are worried and some are getting anxious as to whether Manny will get past Cotto without being hurt.

The rate at which this fight is being covered and discussed over media and the net with all sorts of entries coming out everyday, be it an analysis and predictions – stupid, logical or whatever, hate, praise or in-between, all the more add to the suspense or interest on the billed ‘Firepower” fight. (Of course, it is very obvious that Pac-Man is THE MAN that draws the most attention.)

The other day, during our lunch, that is typically quiet and short, suddenly became noisy and long when someone tossed the question, “Pac-man Pacquaio or Cotto?“

I was surprised to know that even before these two boxers agreed to fight, most of the people around during our lunch had the winner in their heads already. What’s amazing about this is that their views and how they break the fight are far more believable than most writers or bloggers out there.

Here are some of the predictions (without the in-depth explanations to shorten this post) from my office-mates during that lunch:

• Filipino 1: Pacquiao at 3, KO’s Cotto.
• Filipino 2: Pacquiao at 6, KO’s Cotto.
• Filipino 3: Pacquiao at 9, KO’s Cotto.
• Filipino 4: Pacquiao by decision
• Foreigner 1: Pacquiao knocks out Cotto, any rounds. Could happen fast.
• Foreigner 2: Hard to say, either way, a brutal fight.
• Foreigner 3: Cotto by decision

When almost everyone had given his predictions, there was a quiet guy in the corner who said, “Manny will lose, big time!”

“WHAT?” was the loud chorus line heard from the surprised group of Pinoys and Foreigner Pacman fans.

One foreigner Pac-man fan shot back, “Are you a Filipino? Don’t you believe in your Kabayan? Explain?“

Calmly, that quiet Pinoy in the corner replied, “Damn, that was easy man. Did you not see the  HBO’s 24/7 Pacquaio-Cotto? It was very clear in there that Manny is a loser. The video did not lie. I saw it with my two small eyes. Roach, yes, Roach had enough of him at Baguio training camp (@28:34 mark of the video). Besides, from the start, Manny is a loser and as you can see, Manny has been spending a huge amount of money just to let people know that he is Manny but nobody bites it and instead people are getting mad at him. I am telling you right now, I am very sure that on that day, Manny will lose big time! Manny will be knocked out and that will be it for him. He might even catch eraptospitosis before the actual fight!”

“What are you talking about? Manny is a winner. He has a killer instinct. He is a great fighter. He is famous and he is considered as a hero in your country who unites you;  everything stops when he fights. You are talking shit man,” one guy yelled.

“Ay naku, di pala kayo nakakintindi. In that 24/7 video, there were two moneyed Mannys. Manny the boxer and Manny the trapo. Therefore, what I am telling you right now is that, Manny, the Trapo will lose big time. Manny the Boxer will win big time. Don’t’ you get it?” said the no-longer-quiet guy in the corner.

And that ended the discussion and of course, our lunch.

You,  do you think Manny will win or lose big time?

Blog Action Day: Honestly, what have you done to Mother Nature lately?

“We know this is going to come but we never expected it to happen this  fast and so soon,” my activist friend wrote me.

And that exactly what it was few weeks ago and it is still what it is right now in Cordillera and parts of Northern Luzon in the Philippines.

In what was previously confined in every environmentalists, activists and experts’ imagination and graphical presentations, the picture perfect scenarios of the things that are forthcoming, happened exactly the way they are presented, GRIM!

Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng efficiently delivered the GRIM message that caught everyone by surprise, right where it mattered the most, inside the houses and communities of many Pinoys.

GRIM is for helplessness, pains, hardships, agonies, tragedies, destruction and deaths. GRIM is a word to describe the effects of Climate Change which, Mother Nature wants us all to know and understand.

The Principle of Emptiness

Something to think about.

It’s not the objects you keep that stagnates your life but rather the attitude of keeping…

Thank you for your time.

No Time

Sometimes.

What about you?

Leisure by W. H. Davies

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Literally and Figuratively speaking?

Ang sabi ng mga ka tropa ko ng mga tambay, tricycle driver, seaman, bankero, abogado, doctor at pati lamok:

Habang lumalalim ang gabi, lalong sumasarap ang inuman at pulutan.

Well, it really is true, figuratively and literally.

Literally in the sense that the longer you stay and drink, the level of alcohol goes higher. (malabo ba?)

Figuratively,  when one or two of your senses become numb dahil laseeng o lango ka na, even if the liquor and the pulutan are the worst kinds (kahit rubbing alcohol o bulok na daing), you ’still think’ that the alak is the best and the pulutan tastes great,  at lalong sumasarap. (Pag minsan nga, pati poste, nagiging babaeng seksi. di ba kulas? ha ha ha)

And the longer the drinking session becomes, the more it turns out to be fun, loud and noisy, and  more neighbors are being pissed off especially the wives and their pet dogs. Consider yourself lucky if they just ignore you, perhaps your neigboooors accepted you as crazy. But,  on some other times, kapag pumasok na sa kanilang nerves ang iyong kalokohan,  do not be surprised if you have an uninvited guest, Mr. Pulis Patola,  knocking at your door or calling you in front of your gate.

Such is the case for drunk neighboooors and their guests. Such is also the case for “the Glooooria and her gang.’

The only difference is that when Mr. Pulis Patola finds out that  ”the Glooooria and her gang”  are the ones having fun, he would usually join them and later, pag laseeng na rin sya, hina-harrass na ang neigboooorhood na nag re reklamo.

Literally and figuratively speaking!

WTF: Gods Must Be Crazy

If you are not yet tired of following the news in Philippines, you are most likely reading a lot about Con Ass and the political ambitions of the so-called “Pinoy Politicos” in the coming May 2010 elections.

Which, if you are not one of the cohorts and or not within the circle of friends of these so-called “Pinoy Politicos” and if your frame of mind is in order, you are mostly likely to shout, “What the fuck is going on in our country?!”

And why not coconut?

Out of the million Filipinos, only few persons or families have somehow managed to be elected on and on and on. The sad thing is that many good ones are never recognized, most often than not, they were just given a very small chance and then, they just fade away in thin air. And so, choosing between the most evil and the lesser evil to “pwede na” has become the norm for the majority of Pinoys. For some I guess, this is  rather painful but a necessary action; they just have to get on with it. (WTF).

And as the 2010 elections come closer, two fucking (great) familiar Pinoys, the hybrids of the older generation trapos and two among the  many worst political figures that our crazy democracy has ever produced, are intending or are rumored to run for public office, again. Think of it as “reinventing themselves”.

GMA: RUMORED TO BE RUNNING FOR CONGRESS AND MANY MORE:

She is the president of this country for nine years. For her, the strings of controversy and scandal that came up during her rule are not enough because she considers them as nothing but just political trickery of those who opposes her which she consistently denied with the usual answer,  ”show me the poop” (transparency? what kind of animal is that?  forget it!). While many think she is guilty and does not deserve a second in that office, she is lucky enough to hold on there until today.

Having that luck and presumably the thought that fate and some kind of divine intervention brought her there for a purpose, she got the feeling that she must remain there forever at all cost and no matter what. She, without a doubt, still believes that she can still do much (damage I guess) for this crazy country. Her bloated ego belies her small size; it goes beyond the nerve of most people I know in the country they so-called Philippines.

Although the general rule as of now is to stay mum about her plans, the loud noise coming from the p-sycophants who benefited the most from her are loud and clear, “Let’s Gloria on till Congress comes!”

ERAP: NOT CONFIRMING YET BUT HIS ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN HIS JOKES:

After many years of not making a movie, he believes that the May 2010 election is a very good opportunity to re-launch his stalled career as an actor. He finds the role of a president of this crazy country best suited for him as he once portrayed this role before, until the so-called People Power 2 sometime in 2001 terminated his promising career and landed him in number 10 together with Marcos (number 2) on the sphere of the other famous people.

And why not coconut?

He, as he claimed, has an undying love for the masa. He is a tough nut with cracks in the head. When he speaks, most pinoys start cracking their heads too. He, after leaving Malacanang and years of living outside of it and, years without functioning as one, still claims that he is the president of this crazy republic. As everyone knows, he was kicked-out by another nut who convicted him of plunder but later made him an ex-convict because she, the nut who took his place pardoned him.

Supported by another set of p-sycophants, he is now ready to shoot and his eyes are set for another crack in the presidency.

With loud voices, his supporters say, “Weather Weather lang yan, Erap, Erap, here we go again!”

The possibility of these two NUTS being elected, she-nut in the lower house and he-nut in the highest office, is not remote for the simple reason that majority of the Pinoys who will support and who will vote for them are the same people who have been fooled once and who are still willing to be fooled again and many times over. I guess they love history so much. They want it to repeat itself, ASAP.

Thus, this early, I am saying to myself, gods must be really crazy.

But perhaps, the gods are not really crazy. Perhaps, it is only the majority of Pinoys who are damn stupid despite having the free will, the capacity to think and to vote. Perhaps, the gods are no longer  interested in us;  majority of Pinoys forget them, they shifted their affections to their candidates.  Perhaps, the  gods are not watching us anymore;   prior to, during and after elections, the Philippines is transformed into a country of the dumb, the dammed, and the doomed, and the majority of Pinoys simply love elections to the max.

At the end, I just hope that gods will not give up on us. I hope that the gods will not say, ‘What the Fuck! Bring Marcos back to life!’

Damn, mahirap bang intindihin ito!

I am still here

Pearl Jam – Eddie Vedder

This is just another useless blog entry

Yes, it is.  Please do not proceed if you have important things to do. Thank you

It is very cold nowadays. Staying under my comforter is no match. I was thinking that perhaps this is the result of global warming, that perhaps I am already old and therefore, my body is not capable of generating enough heat to warm me up.

Dahil sobra nga ang lamig, noong Sunday night, ako ay nagising in the middle of my sleep. Thinking that I would beat that damn cold night and get my sleep back, I took another blanket and wrapped myself up. But then, it wasn’t as I thought it would be. The sleep did not come by that fast and I was left wrapped like a mummy, wondering what else must I do.

My small brain beeped: “SLEEP FAIL, YOU OLD MAN!“

The Turtle, the Monkeys in the Philippine Senate

The circus, the make-believe monkey you senators and witnesses, the money and the time spent on Jocelyn Joc-joc Bolante are now all wasted, his case is in limbo if not totally gone and in all probability, is now included as part of  the long list of the “never ending stories” authored by some crazy pinoys.

The Philippine Senate, for whatever reason, acted just a bit like Pontius Pilate (just a bit because nobody washed their hands but perhaps some shady crowds heckled them), set free Joc-joc Bolante, one of the most unbelievable persons I have ever seen and heard, the person who effortlessly stood by his words that he did not do anything wrong, that Gloria had nothing to do with whatever he did to the P728 million fertilizer fund, that he did not lie and that everyone in that senate hearing except him and his alalays were all malicious people and liars whose intent was just to malign his clean reputation (or no reputation at all) and that he is the pitiful victim of the unjust Philippine system and society and not the poor people who were deprived of the benefits from the multi-million peso fund.

Not content of being just a bit like Pilate, for whatever kinds of judgment or kindness they may have, the Senate went further, acted again, just a bit like Santa Claus (just a bit because the real Santa is making a list, checking it twice gonna find out who is naughty or not – which the senate failed to find out), Senator Dick Gordon without the usual red uniform and bird beard, sent Bolante off with a wish, “You will have a Merry Christmas,” whatever that means, literally, figuratively or financially.

Of which, it makes me wonder and think that, although Bolante made an expensive monkey out of them, the Senators were happy to reward him of freedom because for all intent and purposes, in aid of legislation or not, personal or otherwise, they learned a lot from Bolante.

That sooner or later if they become one like Bolante (who knows, perhaps they are all like him already), all they need to do is act like Bolante.

After all, in a country where people act like savages and kill each other for a penny or in a simple traffic incident, people who are fast in lynching a small time hold upper, snatcher and robber, people who are more curious about showbiz chismis, people who are stupid enough to elect corrupt politicians again and again, people who don’t mind being robbed face to face by the people they elected, people who don’t mind being sold (his country as well)  in a very cheap price,  Bolante’s style of getting away is a great learning experience for all of them and an added expertise should the need arises.

But then, after what they have done and what they have failed to do,  the bottom line is, who cares? Do You?

And who said that the turtle is smarter than the monkeys? It happened in the fable, but in our country, perhaps onli in da Pilipins, everyone knows it is not surreal but as always,  it is so ludicrously true and real.