Young campaigns

Exactly a week ago, the campaign period of candidates running for national positions in this year's election came into full swing. Just as expected the streets are now colorfully posted with faces of people who promise to bring light to our country. Even our TV and radio sets are blaring with campaign jingles.

For a first time voter like me, I am excited to vote the set of people whom I think would make policies and laws that would make the Philippines progress. There is that thrill of finding my name outside the precincts and using the PCOS machine for the first time. However, there is that part of me that craves for more information as to whose name I will shade on the ballots when the month of May comes.

Given the airtime granted by the COMELEC, their ads do not give voters a clear picture of what they really want to convey. Some candidates opt for music videos but they don't really present what are their platforms and plans for the Philippines. Even jingles and posters do not help that much. It is kind of alarming how one person could be placed in position because of his fame but we do not really know what they are capable of.

Same goes with university student council elections. With the May 2013 election in fever, it seems like the universities are models of a mini Philippines also into the election fever. And because the youth of today are techie, campaigns are blasted on the internet and on social media sites.

A person's Facebook newsfeed could be so colorfully filled with battling colors of each other's respective party. Degrading statuses are made, photos of insults are up and videos of credibility are posted for the world to see. Yet at the end of the day, it is all about choice.

It is a choice when we want to look at the campaign materials placed before us. Would you rather open your Facebook account and be bombarded by such messages or read a good book instead? The problem with today's youth is they think that the world is all about how you look online and how other people think about this. There is a big real world out there that needs attention, too.

It is choice when we campaign for a person or a party. The power of whose picture you would share on your wall is yours and not somebody else's, unless you were hacked by some powerful creature. As you who own the social media account should know who are campaigning for and why you are doing so. If we are to be deep on this, friendship does not really count. I have known stories of close friends who literally separate during campaign and election times. It also does not help if we campaign based on credentials that are out of the picture, say winning a quiz bowl or a singing contest perhaps.

Lastly, it is choice when we place our votes. Where you pen lands on that sheet of paper is still your will and your power to place whoever deserves to be in position. With our capability to vote, we know who are real leaders and leaders who are just there for recognition.

With the election fever going on for both the bureaucracy and student governments, I wish all the candidates the best of luck. But above all, we must remember that no great position is needed if we want to be leaders in our own rights so we could serve our people. Titles and recognitions do not define who you are as a person.

**Published on The Freeman Newspaper on February 19, 2013

The leadership imperative

All my life I wanted to become a leader  the person who led people to achieve a specific goal, whether in school, in an organization or the community. By all means the goal was clear and good but the purpose was not. The motive was not right, the heart not in sync. Yet I still strived to be one. Since then I believed I was born to become a student leader.

But when I was placed in a group of 80 other student leaders from all over the Philippines, my ego shrank to the smallest it could possibly be. Most of my batchmates in the congress organized by the Ayalas were presidents of an organization composed of presidents and so forth. I felt like being in the wrong place.

But every little detail in life has its purpose. Attending the said congress proved what Jaime Augustus Zobel De Ayala said that, “There is no certain leader. They come in all shapes and sizes, literally.”

Then the concept of leadership changed within a week full of stories, outdoor challenges, sharing and my own reflections. It was about them, not me. It was about what they can do to help, not my glory. My role was to lead, not command. To set an example, to be excellent.

Then a flame inside of me sparked. I was burning for the heritage of our own cultural identity. I wanted more to know who we are as Filipinos and what we can do. It dawned on me that the road to knowing thyself is more than difficult to undertake, painful in a sense. Our country’s history rooted on the grounds of foreign colonization wiped out our identity as a people that reality has made it clear - our ethnic tribes are now facing extinction.

I became agitated at the fact that soldiers die day after day after four years of struggling inside the military academy. Great leaders and servants spare their lives for the country fighting for peace when there must have been some other way.

But what are we doing as a people? Nothing I presume. We move forward as a nation leaving behind our colorful yesterday. Our lives go on as if there is no problem but young people like me are reasonably disturbed. We are moved at the fact that there is so much to do to bring back the prime of the Philippines. To be head on with today’s technology and erasing our past does not pay forward to who we are today.

And maybe that is the biggest take home I can share – to pay forward, to give back. It is a single step to take to take our progress into a higher level. It means so much to give back to a country that has always been yours all your life. It is a nation that has never betrayed you since birth. The Philippines is rich in all ways, it only takes a matter of making the first ripple, the first throw of a starfish back into the sea.

But the ripple is not done alone. No man can carry the world on his shoulders.

In a pool of young leaders catching the same fire as mine, there is so much work to do. But this is the leadership imperative. When we hold hands amidst distance and seas, work together for the better while carefully adapting to the ever changing reality, we can be confident of a better country.

The Philippines needs more great leaders; those with the imperative, those who understand what it means to serve its people and not the other way around.

**Published in the Freeman Newspaper on February 12, 2013

Love and beauty

Say hello to February, the love month. Nowadays we see red decorations everywhere – hearts, cupids, kisses and a lot more all associated with love.

It is said that love makes the world go round. But experts of this occasion mistake love only for an attraction to the one you envision to marry. Single ladies fret this day simply because there is nobody to take them out on a date. Other women who have men in their lives cannot wait for the 14th to arrive.

The history of Valentine’s Day goes way back but we have to admit it has been too commercialized. Same as Christmas, there are a lot of merchandise to buy for your other half. Nobody of course is compelled to but the business industry so demands it.

I believe there is nothing wrong with the commercialization of this occasion, even if there is a downside to every Filipino’s pocket. What I am more concerned of is the woman who stresses herself on her hairdo and outfit for the dinner date.

Similarly as February is well prepared of, women also during try to be the most beautiful this month so their man can be theirs to keep.

As beauty is very abstract, so is a woman. She wears fine clothing yet demands for more. She thinks she is fat when she is already skin and bones. She thinks she’s ugly but really, she is beautiful.

A clear picture of reality distorted just because a magazine cover or a radio advertisement said so.

In fact, this sheer distortion of reality has harmed so many women all over the world. In the United States, young women are suffering from eating disorders just because of their desperation to stay thin. They puke and starve themselves so no extra fat would bulge from their bodies.

The wonder of beauty and how abstract it can be is now destroyed and mutated into some Barbie body fairy tale dream.

I pity every woman who is naturally fair skinned or have a big body build. Not that they are to be pitied at, but their femme is disregarded because the norm says so. They automatically feel unwanted and unloved, enough reason for them to go on a horrible diet and a skin regimen.

Whoever set the norm of beauty into our media must be out of his or her head.

There a lot of women who feel unaccepted and rejected because of how they look. But in reality, every woman is beautiful, every woman deserves a date. There is no need for a diet that would force you to eat what you do not normally eat or to wear skin tight clothes just for curves to come out.

I personally admire the recently crowned Miss UP Cebu Francesca Fernandez who is the irony of beauty pageants. But her irony proved to UP Cebu and to the community as well that beauty pageants are to fight for simply because it uplifts women, especially those who are voiceless.

She admits being insecure of her fellow candidates because of her big body build but she pursued her desire to still be part of the beauty contest. In her audition tape she said, “I want to bring something different to the table.” And she did.

In fact, when she was asked the final question of the role of beauty pageants to state universities like UP Cebu she answered, “It allows me to be who I am and to be free.”

Her winning is a clear manifestation that the stereotype of beauty is now out.


Beauty is about being you and being free. Not being wrapped in a thick cloud of make-up and whopping high heels.


**Published in the Freeman Newspaper on February 5, 2013

Pictures and words

“If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can’t I paint you,” says a classic love song. Truly, a single photograph is that powerful to transcend a million words.

I believe in the power of pictures and the ripple effect it creates. Its messages plucked from still moments transcends to a million translations.

I too, am a fan of photographs. I grew up holding a camera that used film, making sure the film would not be exposed to light or else my shots will all go to waste. I remember the thrill of waiting for my shots to be developed and making the best out of the 24 or 36 shots given. Don’t get me wrong. I love to capture memories, nature’s sceneries and the mere reality of life. Before, big bulky photo albums had hideous hardbound covers. Now we have digital folders and nobody cares what your album cover is.

There are over a hundred avenues for one to share the passion of photography, one of which is instagram. This photo editing application which specializes in highly contrasted and saturated photos was bought by multi-millionaire website Facebook. Since then the application rose to prominence with more than a million users. If you have an iOs or Android powered phone, instagram is within your reach.

I have nothing against the application as I have an account myself but I was irked by one gentleman who got into a motorcycle accident along the high way of Mandaue City. Despite the police hovering over him and his damaged motorcycle, he still had the guts to take out his smartphone and upload a photo of his bleeding knee to the said application.

It made me question the purpose of photo sharing sites. Is it to contribute to the ever growing number of photo artists on the internet? Or is it an avenue of vanity where every action is documented and boasted to the world?

What is a photo for then?

How I wish there is not a stain of vanity but I guess reality has answered my question. My news feed is flooded with head shots of people with the same face yet different angles. For some vanity has taken over photography. Not to condemn everybody’s freedom on the internet but bleeds and wounds must be shared on an appropriate channel, that which is of a personal basis.

In the internet era, the concept of privacy becomes very vague. This is because almost everybody waives their right to privacy by the mere action of uploading a very personal photo on the internet. But once it is out, it is very difficult for one to take it down.

If there are photos worth sharing to the world, these are those that uplift the souls. Not those that depress us even more. Everyday we are faced with images on the news about death, murder, theft and the bad list goes on and on. It wouldn’t hurt to restrain yourself from the vanity monster inside of us when we choose what and what not to upload.

Certainly, the internet tempts us in ways that we do not even notice. It takes advantage of our personal lives so that it may become an avenue for praise or bullying. The biggest challenge now for every netizen is to keep his or herself’s privacy by making the right choices when it comes to photographs.

Much more now that the temporary restraining order of the Cybercrime Law is about to expire, there is a need to be extra careful with not just photos but with words as well. Words that may hurt, may slander or badmouth another may be taken against you.

Now is the time to take precaution with every photo and word.

**Published in The Freeman Newspaper on January 29, 2013

First Hundred Days

The most mind boggling question which racked every Cebuana's mind last Wednesday was Miss Cebu's final question - If you were the third lady president of the Philippines, what would be your agenda in the first one hundred days?

It was probably the most difficult question I have ever heard in the history of beauty pageants.

 As expected, the contestants gave so-so answers such as using social and traditional media for promoting Cebu, seminars for God only knows what and preservation of nature. Somebody answered about the call for women and gender quality. This year's winner answered that she will do feeding programs.

It might have been stage jitters or the women did not really know how to address the country's problems sitting as president for a hundred days or so.

Being the president is a tough job, a duty that needs digestion and processing. Yet If I were thrown the same question, these would have been my answers to solve the problems of our country.

One of my agenda would be to free the political prisoners as soon as I sit in power. These prisoners have been assumed to conspire against the Philippine government when all they ever did was to cry for the freedom of the country and for the rights entitled to them.

Also it would be time to grant farmers the land they deserve.  Haciendas all over the Philippines have not given the farmers the proper share they have worked hard for. The farm price is outrageously far from the price that we pay in the market, much more in supermarkets.

Lastly, within my powers as president I would call for the total ban of guns. If deemed unconstitutional, a stricter gun ban would have to do. Within the realm of looking after the welfare of the Filipinos is to protect them from the possible danger which they may get themselves into.

Do we really need guns to protect ourselves? The mere intent of acquiring a gun means that there is no safety in our society. Instead, why don't we invest on the police and government security for the protection that we are entitled to as citizens?

I bet when our president sat in office he was thrown the same question. But with a lot of problems to solve and chaos to fix in the Philippines, the question of priority would probably rack his brain as well. We cannot blame the top five candidates of this year's Miss Cebu for blurting the answers they gave.

Now we see how difficult it is to be president. With the billions of resources on hand yet a double number of problems that increases day after day, the job of being one is tough. PNoy deserves an occasional pat on his back for placing the Philippines in a clearer direction now.

**Published in The Freeman newspaper on January 22, 2013

Sinulog

Once again the malls are alive as the never-ending beat of the Sinulog is played over and over again. We see foreigners left and right scouting for the best buys in the city. And most of all, we notice the annoying traffic downtown. Because it is once again, time for Sinulog.

The history of Sinulog goes way back. It started when an expedition of Spanish fleets docked in the island of Cebu and introduced their faith to us. The Sto. Niño image is believed to have survived a fire making it miraculous.

In the 1980s, groups and the local government started to organize a grand parade in honor of the Holy Child. Thus began the festival that we keep on attending now. My Sinulog childhood memories have always been fun. I used to watch the street parade atop a corporate building along Jones Avenue while feasting on Cebu’s lechon together with family and friends. There are no vehicles, only have your feet to take you around the city.

I grew up not believing in saints and images of the Catholic faith but I totally respect that yet somehow the yearly event has become a mark for me to celebrate the blessings of Cebu.

Looking at a different perspective, the festival is not all about the image. For me, Sinulog is a time when we, as Cebuanos, remember our culture and tradition.

You see, it is a time where we once again nourish the basic areas of our identity.

Music for one is a good example. The Cebu Popular Music Festival shows that we have preserved our language and our gift of music. Year after year, Cebu’s homegrown composers and arrangers surprise us with their award winning songs which we wish to place on the mainstream radio.

Then there is art. We have been detailed artists ourselves before the coming of the Spaniards, hence the label “Pintados” by the invaders. Carefully painted tattoos, handcrafted jewelry and beautifully sewn costumes of the past still exist today as you wander through the streets of the city. Artists have all genres and styles come to the heart of Cebu to display their pieces all for the world to see.

Of course, we do not miss on celebrating beauty. The Miss Cebu pageant is an avenue for Cebuanas to empower themselves and show what an ordinary woman can do for her hometown.

 And lastly, we see our forefathers’ traits radiate within us as we welcome guests. Our being hospitable and loving to our visitors from other parts of the country and the world is unparalleled. In fact, it is something that we should be proud of.

The upcoming festival makes everyone excited. Some are excited to party, others say it is a time of thanksgiving and worship. I, too, have a different meaning for all this. We may differ in standpoints and views on religion but nothing can change the fact that we are Cebuanos, a people blessed by God with such a culture.

It was Jose Rizal who said that a person who does not remember his past is worse than a stinky fish. But we are very good in keeping our history intact. Our museums downtown are well-preserved and the media is doing very best to promote our local culture. The big festival is a culmination of it all. It is a mark of who we are as Cebuanos, as Filipinos.

**Published in the Freeman Newspaper on January 15, 2012

Maybe, just maybe

The first few days of the New Year saw students going back to school as mandated by the Department of Education. Attendance was, however, dismal. Only a few showed up and most were not eager to go back to school after the holidays.

For us students in the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu, we also returned to class on the 3rd of January but the same feeling of emptiness filled the classrooms. Nobody was in the mood to set off the New Year right.

I wandered the dimly lit hallways of the university searching for somebody whom I could share my sentiment. The students were not just ready to face the reality that the holidays have ended and we had to go back to school. Two weeks with family and friends isn't just enough.

To prove that going back to normal did not sink in everybody's head, I overheard students who were still in holiday mode, giddy with stories from their hometowns. Even social media channels were flooded with pleas from both workers and students to extend the short vacation.

Well, reality is harsh that is why we do not really want to go back to it.

Among the many realities that people, even students like us, have to go back to after the holidays is the issue at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

Since December 17 of last year, the same faces are on the news. We hear the same names mentioned and allegations that are oftentimes below the belt. The two iconic women of the province go as far as tackling the intrigue of guards, policemen, tents, unpaid accounts on food and the push for one's literal removal from office. The issue is too much to handle, too much to take in.

Since then there has been a tight watch on the doors of the Capitol. There is heightened security, suspicion on every intruder and a restless crowd. The norm is disrupted.

All these are happing at a time when Cebu will be celebrating its biggest festival in a few days. Yet somehow amid the chaos, we are hopeful. Deep in our hearts, we want peace in the province.

Maybe it is time to quit bashing on each other's principles. But maybe we should just let them be. Or maybe, just maybe, we have to be brave enough to face the harshness of reality.

**Published in the Freeman newspaper on January 12, 2013