Why Don’t You Cook Sand?!

.My father wanted his steamed rice soft. I liked mine bottom-burnt. My mother, to pamper her only son, succumbed to my desire: A chance my dad waited to display his histrionic locution. 

He would scoop a handful of the rice, raise it four inches, then loosen his grip. As the grain clanged on, he recited his useless mantra: Why don’t you just cook sand?!

I witnessed my father how he had been least prioritized. One time his volcano grumbling on his chest erupted. He asked my mother point blank… “Who do you love more… Your children or me?”. 

Inay gasped. “That’s the most stupid question I’ve ever heard!”, her voice cracked. 

“It’s your children!. Your flesh… we’re talking here!”. 

Stunned, my father wanted to back out. But trapped already. He spewed more explosives. 

“If there’s anyone – he stabbed his finger on his chest – invest your love in me. Children would go away, and you’d only have me to care for you. 

That sudden outburst of immature indignation shocked my mother. She allowed her tears gushed across her cheeks. 

“You just don’t understand…”. 

That expression stuck with me. An enigma…? It waited for connection. 

I am least-prioritized, too. Yes. But with sophistication. 

My wife seemed myopic in some obvious things I might need. For our children she sees beneath the surface. She’s so intuitive. 

On occasions, I thought, I am inheritor of hand-me-downs. When she buys socks, mitts, or Winter boots, mine would wait for a sale. If I have my boots in Spring, my wife would say – since I survived the Winter, I might as well save it for next year. My children get theirs on time. She doesn’t worry if those are expensive ones. 

I complained. And she answered: You’re an adult. You can manage. Your children can’t. 

I like to put justice into this. But I avoid my father’s style of hasty approach, lest I would appear immature.

I remembered reading “Love Signs” by Linda Goodman. I learned from her book.  

My wife has three “M’s,” as her priorities. Marriage, Money, and Motherhood. She already dispensed the ‘Marriage part’. That’s me. Money came next. She had a career. Now, she culminates on “Motherhood”. Then it clicked! And I recalled my mother’s appeal to my father, “You just don’t Understand”.

That’s it. That’s the mystery. The Motherhood thing! 

In a lovey-dovey mood one evening, I teased her of her overzealous nurturing of our kids. I placate her, she could be the next Mother Teresa. 

In a serious, troubled tone, I asked her. “Am I side by side with my children in her heart?”. She looked at me, rolled her eyes on the ceiling. And she laughed! I am ashamed. 

She became quiet and explained. That sublime feeling of Motherhood, where I grasp in my palm the destinies of my son and daughters – explains why I exist. The joy I am needed: where I fulfill the grand scheme of things at their dependency stage. 

Now, I know what’s behind my mother’s “You don’t understand”. I am sorry for my father that my mother was not as articulate as my wife. 

A Buried Story Revives By Conspiracy Theory

Conspiracy theories that sprouted around the 5G networks technology bordered on idiocy. 

Conspiracists theorized that the spread of the virus from Wuhan had links to the 5G towers. Truth is, the 5G infrastructure in Wuhan are still incomplete. They claimed, too, that waves leaked by 5Gs antenna weakened the human immune system.    

WHO (the World Health Organization) hammered that viruses do not hover around radio waves or mobile networks. The pandemic rolled out in many countries which don’t have yet the 5G technology.  

The Philippines, for example, with still under used 4Gs because of inadequate tower transmission, huge onslaughts of the coronavirus kicked in. Official tally shows.   

What made these theories click then?

There should be a villain. Someone or something to endure the blame. When distress becomes a trend, people appealed on the anti-hero sentiments. 

The 5G provoked irrational fear. That’s the fruit of a technological breakthrough. People are uncertain. They perceived it as invasive. 

As people suspect the 5G’s, this is further fueled by the influencers and celebrities who relay and reinforce this message of fear. 

Conspiracists concocted that 5G can be the “Internet of Everything.” Nothing can escape from monitoring, capturing; and recording. Be it a conversation, scenes or images. This is superb for surveillance and spying. 

A buried story I kept triggered.  

The “Internet of Everything” resolves the dilemma I had for my main character.  

I saw this movie “Death Wish” at Baliwag Cine Gloria in 1974, played by Charles Bronson. 

Impressed, I ambition to write a novel based on this movie.

It is a vigilante film. Paul Kersy, the hero revenged for the murder of his wife. He took the law in his hand. 

My leading man, as I envisioned him, is a die hard nationalist and a multi-millionaire. He loves the Philippines so much. He wanted to spare his country from the clutches of the crooks, corrupt and white-collar criminals. Eliminating them by himself in solo flights. And for every nasty guy he disposed, he left the evidence on the scene justifying their fate. 

Proof gathering for my hero is where I got stuck. Even he is a multi-millionaire, there’s no way to produce the evidence to justify the killing.   

Now, “The Internet of Everything” courtesy of 5G technology  postulated by conspiracist is useful to me. 

I am ready now to put the story on paper.   

Hints of Firestorm Coming!

Ignoring China’s built up of its military facilities in the South China Sea, the US in 2019 messaged Duterte to put a tough stand against China.

Duterte said, paraphrasing him. “Your Seventh Fleet is there. You know what’s happening. You’re aware they cannot do that (referring to UNCLOS decisions) Why don’t you. Declare war. Fire the first shot. And we will follow,”. 

President Duterte dodged preserving the Philippines’ national patrimony to Washington, in deference to Beijing. An unpatriotic statements coming from a leader.  

As the world’s current happenings heated, segued by the coronavirus pandemic, the racial tension had engulfed by George Floyd killing, Trump chances of getting elected this November 2020 get nil. Political pundits predicted. 

Despite the US mobilization of its forces across the South China since last year, now, even more aggressive movements and exercises happened. An armada of American navy ships ready of any untoward incident. 

If talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping faltered, and if it derail Trump’s prospect for a second term, he can unleash an opening salvo against China. His chance to bolster his image for the Americans.  

Disturbed, China can retaliate. This means conflagrations. 

Which country could burn? The Philippines is a candidate. Helmed by Duterte with tested blunder for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, this can be the worst disaster ever for the Filipinos.  

Changes are until 2022 election. Yet on June 1, 2020, to sustain his power, the Congress approved the Anti-Terrorism Bill in its final reading. 

Meanwhile, the Senate sits on its second reading. 

If the Senate version of the bill approve before the SONA (State of the Nation’s Address) it can enforce decimation of the opposition party, repeating the mid-term election of 2018. 
Until when the people of the Philippines can endure Duterte’s rule? 

Early Take of Nation’s Leader on Corona Virus

Leaders of most countries faced the impact of Convid-19. It strained their brains balancing the economic downturn and the pandemic.

US President Donald Trump, dilly dallied at first. His businesses suffered a slump. A little later, he yielded to the enormity of the plaque. He laid out the infrastructure to decrease its effect on the Americans.  

German Chancellor Angela Merkel tackled Convid-19 in a calm repose. She didn’t impose curfews. Closures are minimal. When she addressed her constituents, she spoked – minus the blame and the accusations.  Her tone: Direct. Honest. Concerned. Emphatic. Her voice drilled the seriousness of Convid-19. She assured people of the government’s help. 

South Korea, meanwhile, set aside the nation’s economic fall out.  They highlighted their strong public health approach. Disturbed by the lesson learned from the outbreak of (MERS) Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in 2015, they deployed a successful strategy for Convid-19.   

The South Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed the post-MERS reform. They allowed unlicensed tests for Convid-19. By February 26, they tested 46,127 cases. Compared to Japan of only 1846. The US is much lower at 426.

A concerted effort from government public health functionaries documented infected people to the minute and published them to the existing media outlets.

In deference to China, Philippine’s President Duterte dawdled on his decision to impose preventive measures to plug the source of the virus from Wuhan, China. 

He mocked the virus severity, instead.  

Only when death rose in other countries, Dutere rushed to decide on collective quarantine without a well-thought out plan amidst the sliding economy.  

Result: Chaos and confusion. No measure how the public health directives are being followed. Inadequate transparent communication. Disinfection campaign trickled. Supply logistics lacking. These inured the Filipinos to the max. 

“Get out Dut’s! You Miserable Scram!”

Filipinos got amazed at how Digong’s penchant for evil lasted this long. 

Could it be that his style of leadership – a merged of Iron Fist and Kids Gloves coasted him along?

The Iron Fist, he used it for his political adversaries. The Kids Glove for his cronies and minions.

Early in his presidency, Sen. Leila De Lima, his top adversary, sampled her of his Iron Fist strategy to instill fear. He put her in jail. Duterte says – “Don’t mess with me, or I’ll mess with you.” 

Then, through his Solicitor General Jose Calida, on Duterte’s blessing tested the Quo Warranto petition to remove Ma. Lourdes Sereno, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, without being impeached.  

Duterte in most of his speaking engagement bragged of his previous killings to intimidate and sow fear. This inspired his police to do the same in their drug related operations. 

Walden Bello, one of the Board of Directors of the International Forum on Globalization, enunciated this threat through his speech in LawFare. 

For Duterte’s minions and cronies, he goes easy with them.  Government appointees of his are inefficient, corrupt, embezzler. And yet, he slapped them with Kids Gloves. And still get rewarded.

In May 2018, Mocha Uson, the PCCO Assistant Secretary then, posted a video on her blog. Her post detailed the rescue of distressed  OFW in Kuwait by the Philippines’ Diplomats. 

This soured the diplomatic relationships between Kuwait and the 

Philippines. The embassies act violated Kuwait’s sovereignty. It’s a publicity stunt. A fiasco.  

Yet, Dut’s rewarded Mocha Uson a plum position as OWWA’s 

Deputy Administrator. A classic example of Kids Glove treatment. 

The Commission on Audit, on its 2017 report, questioned Wanda Teo, Department of Tourism head of the P60-million for DOT’s ad placement aired on PTV-4, without the transaction report. Ben Tulfo, owner of the media outfit that facilitated the ad is Wanda Teo’s brother. Conflict of interest reeked out. 

Wanda Teo resigned after the news broke out.  The media outfit that received the P60-million promised to return the money. No report of it came out yet.

Resignation.  An easy way out for handling people’s tax money. Cronies and minions jumped with joy. 

That’s how Kids Glove works for Duterte. 

Nothing lasts forever. 

People are becoming restive of Dut’s rule.  

Bizarre Twist of Lunacy

Exposed to Duterte’s crazy antics, Filipinos had better expect bizarre twist of his lunacy. This early, he must lay the ground for his minions to assume power to save his ass.

 

How?

 

On December 6, 2019, he sent his Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to negotiate for the nth time to resume peace negotiation with the Reds in the Netherlands. Aware of the Red’s old and recurring style using negotiations as ruse to fortify and strengthen their rebel activities, Digong, thru Bello should present to the NDF leadership a tacit agenda.

 

“Let’s have a mutual proposition here, and get away from the charade peace talks. I can provide your needs for your  ‘revolution’. In return, laid back from creating mob scenarios instigating chaos reminiscent of your Plaza Miranda bombing of the 70s.”

 

Duterte and the NPA are friends. In Davao, they feed each other’s needs: Sanctuary. The NPA can roam around undisturbed. In exchange, no launching of direct confrontation between them.

 

People’s hatred for Duts multiplied. It’s getting untenable every day. The NPA and the NDF’s dipping to the smoldering firestorm could enhance his downfall. Expected People’s Power 3 predicted!

 

Most Filipino insinuated that sweet flowing of Drug Money attributed to the 7-hours glitch of the 2018 midterm election.  It’s the people’s belief that’s the reason COMELEC’S voters turnout decimated the Otso Diretso.

 

As the power of Drug Money can lure everyone, Duterte’s minions can assure of a landslide victory come the 2020 presidential election.

 

So, to replicate the mishaps of the Otso Diretso, Drug Money must now do a hocus-pocus in the 2020 election.

 

And that’s easy.

 

Two Bureau of Customs Chief; Nicanor Faeldon and Isidro Lapena under their noses had slipped past through Customs, shabu shipment worth multi-billion pesos.

 

It is easy to speculate that the same incident will occur.  Enormous funds to buy out election results are assured. The strategy is repeatable because those previous Customs chiefs just moved to another post.

 

Palm Finger Vs. Fist Bump

In a kids play “Jack n Poy”, palm finger defeats the fist bump.

 

Senator De Lima’s Palm finger logo can clutch and claw Duterte’s fist bump when the US Magnitsky Act descend on Duterte and his clique.

 

But that’s for later, when the turmoil between Iran and the US subsides. Iran bombed the US Military bases in Iraq in retaliation for killing Iran’s General Qassem Soleiman. No American casualties reported. Trump said, “All is good”.

 

Iran didn’t want an all-out war, but they needed to do something bold, quick and symbolic for domestic consumption.

 

When this event calmed, the US Magnitsky Acts on Human Rights will throw its menace on Digong and his tribes.

 

Animosities between Senator De Lima and President Duterte escalated when both of them won in the 2016 Presidential Election.

 

During De Lima’s stint as Commissioner of Human Rights in 2008, she took on the then Davao Mayor Duterte, infamous for his Davao Death Squads; the vigilante, targeting  drug offenders.

From the late 1990 to 2005, the 300 deaths rose to 700, and between 2005 to 2008, it jumped up to 700. That’s severe underestimation. Duterte said, 1700, is the real figure, he boasted.

Duterte realized after his Inauguration as President in 2016, that Senator De Lima had the grind to ax against him.

De Lima spearheaded the Senate Investigation on the surge of killings on Duterte’s war on drugs attributed with human rights violations.

With Duterte’s huge popularity, knowing De Lima to be his tough adversary, he needed De Lima to be out of his way. So he put her in jail.

With much confusion of what to charge De Lima, Digong’s clique settled for “Conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading”.

To prosecute, Digong allies used convicts in Bilibid prison to bolster their claims that De Lima conspired with them dealing drugs.

Now, the Magnitsky Acts tightened the screws. Sanctions for De Lima jailers activated.

Soon, Senator De Lima’s Palm Finger logo clutched and clawed Duterte’s Fist Bump!

Epoch’s Clash and Harmony

Baby Boomers who still lives today had Millennials kids. These two generations that fused in one household created the rift for misreads of their generation’s attributes. Or build harmony if only they absorb the merits of the current era they are today.

 

My household amid these generational divides thrived in harmony. Because we tried not to dwell on its extreme and tolerated the middle road.

 

Myself and Mur are Baby boomers: kids born between 1946-1964. It’s an era that spurred population growth on the aftermath of World-War II. People tire of conflict and hardship.   They consoled themselves making babies.  That’s us, the Baby Boomers.

 

We watched an era of the world’s unprecedented growth and development. Most of us hitched on the opportunities laid before us. Our  lives improved many times over. We nourished the values of education, determination, loyalty, frugality, patience and perseverance. And we wanted these virtues passed on to our Millennial children.

 

These children born between the late 70s, early 20s, ushered in to a new epoch; world created by Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and dot.com companies. They represent different dynamics. Their values inspired by the fast-facing trend of technologies. They rebelled against us, their  parents. They pursued their destinies in a style that we never imagined come into fruition in our helm. .

 

The staggering impact of cell phones and social media swirled the Millennials in a dizzying speed. Their gratification should not be short of an instant. They tuned in to anyone, everywhere all the time. That diminished their patience and perseverance. As everything needs done quick, their perseverance runs short. These run contrary from our virtues. These may cause conflict, irritants and frictions. It soured relationships.

 

Faye,  my daughter, had cracked a software she used for her design projects in Architecture classes. She mentioned I can download that as well for my video making hobby. Slow to catch up with her blazing speed of instructions, my cursor circled on my screen as fireflies not being able to land. Meanwhile, our hollering exchanges rose to fever pitch. The software got installed leaving me slighted as our father-daughter rapport thinned. My snail speed on technology shred her patience. My perseverance endured. That’s harmony.

 

Ferdinand, my eldest son, one day quit his job. His job pays good. His benefits splendid. But he hated it. Millennials put a premium on job they enjoy. Not that much on pay. For us, we cherished our work and stayed long. We followed structural ranking. Far away from those self entitled Millennials. They stayed long in their parent’s house and freeload.  Ferdinand move out when he got married, bought his own house.

 

Most Millennials are college educated, but they racked up with student loans.  Farrah, my youngest daughter, had students loan, too, but since she’s adept at handling money – frugal like us – she paid off her debt quick.

 

One stark difference that Millenials departed from us. All of my kids are lavish tippers. While us are stingy. It’s a puzzle!

 

Blood Runs Thick

My kids are grown up.  All of them turned out to be an art-inclined individuals. They had my genes. Ferdinand, my eldest took my path as a writer. Faye, my eldest daughter had a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, and Master’s degree in Architecture. My youngest, Farrah, had her mom’s brain in math;  got a degree in B. Sc. in Biosystems Engineering. She holds a BA Hons. from the School of Contemporary Dancer from the University of Winnipeg.

 

“Heroic Beginnings,” Ferdinand’s first novel, is a teenage love story based  on his high school days. It’s amazing at an age like that, he came up with a novel 700 pages long, and with so much influence of great literary writer, the likes of  F. Scott Fitzgerald.  His second novel, the “Irispire Portal” published by Amazon, he switched from literary to an urban fantasy adventure genre. It’s a feat that at his young age, he already finished two novels in two different genres.

 

Faye, my eldest, love to paint.  But realized it’s not enough to sustain a living. So, she took a master in Architecture. At least, it’s a wholesome marriage of economic and arts. Well, and good!

 

Since in grade school Farrah’s passion for dancing never wanes. Her mom enrolled her to a dancing lessons in Grade 4. And she never stops dancing since then. But she wanted to make use of her talent, too, in numbers, so she took up an engineering degree. Somehow that engineering degree didn’t perk up her interest. Now, she’s on the prowl of Data Analyst Career.  Her dancing stays.

 

Arts, if it runs in the blood, it streamed out, no matter what! Nothing can plug it.

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s see who gets tired first

Who has the great stamina? The defiant illegal vendors, or Mayor Isko Moreno in cleaning up the streets of Manila?

 

Both the illegal vendors and Isko Moreno possesses the elemental quality for the war to wage on. Mayor Isko Moreno based on his two months showing, is sincere and determined to erase that “Amoy Panghe” image of Manila and bring back its old glory as a prime city of the Philippines.

 

The illegal vendors by their sheer numbers, shrewdness,  armed with indigent appeal continues to thrive and never surrender.

 

History told us during the time of Bayani Fernando as Chairman of Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) illegal vendor won by default. To think Bayani Fernando imposed an iron fist approach of “confiscate and destroy,” the vendors, by their sheer number replaced those caught with new batches.

 

Bong Nebrija, the current MMDA Task Force for Special Operation introduced the style of high visibility enforcers thru (IACT), Intense hide and seek ensued. Cat and mouse chase became familiar, caught in videos. Again, vendors rule. Somehow, at random, people experienced  improvement because of IACT’s vigilance. But then with vendors numbers, combined by their wise guerilla warfare, commuters still get irked of their presence.

 

Mayor Isko Moreno, faced an enormous challenge. Multitude of vendors swamped Manila. The clearing operators, swoop ten of them in Soler,  twenty of them hawked on Divisoria or Carriedo. The Mayor’s team accustomed of the vendors shrewd tactics evading the law,  it becomes a matter of who gets tired first.

 

Now, if the vendors use their indigent appeal, which touches the soft heart of the Mayor, “confiscate and destroy” of Bayani Fernando’s style had no impact on him, although effective  lessening the vendor’s tribe.

 

Out of the box solution may be in order for this monumental problem. With dedication, shrewd management, and Isko Moreno’s adaptability to the  place he was born, this illegal vendor problems, disappear for sure. Let’s see  who gets tired first!