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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Sexual Morality 2
By Antonio C. Abaya Written April 17, 2007 For the Standard Today, April 19 issue This is a sequel to my previous article Sexual Morality 1. In it I had written that �in this urbanized and industrialized milieu, the sexual morality of feudal, medieval Europe is readily abandoned by common consent, a decision made easier by the availability of the condom and the pill to prevent unwanted pregnancies, no matter what senile old men in their ivory towers think.� As if to lend credence to that statement, the polling organization Pulse Asia reports that a recent survey conducted by them, from Feb 28 to March 5, revealed that 89 percent of 1,800 adult respondents wanted the government to pay for family planning measures including medication, intra-uterine devices, condoms, ligation and vasectomies. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 14) �According to the survey, 76 percent said candidates in mid-term elections next month should address family planning concerns, with 75 percent pledging to support those willing to fund such measures. �. �The Pulse Asia survey asked how important it was for a candidate in this year�s election to include family planning in his/her plan of action, and found that 74 percent of respondents in Metro Manila said it was �important�. The rest of Luzon � some 83 percent � also said it was important, as did 72 percent in Mindanao and 71 percent in the Visayas. �Seventy seven percent in class D, 75 percent in class E, and 73 percent in classes ABC also said it was important for a candidate to include the issue in his/her platform. �Meanwhile, 74 percent in Metro Manila, 79 percent in the rest of Luzon, 73 percent in Mindanao and 67 percent in the Visayas said that candidates who are in favor of allocating a budget for family planning �should be supported��.� Etc etc etc. So there is ample statistical proof that an overwhelming majority of adult Filipinos now support the idea of family planning, including the use of artificial methods of birth control. The question is why Philippine media, both print and electronic, have not bothered to press the senatorial candidates on this point. Are Philippine media afraid of the Roman Catholic bishops? Or are they afraid that the candidates are afraid of the bishops and want to let sleeping dogs lie? If that is so, they - both media and candidates - have short memories. In 1992, the Protestant Fidel Ramos won the presidency � though some still claim his people through fraud against the runner-up, Miriam � despite the concerns of the Catholic bishops that he would press for family planning through artificial methods of birth control, if he were elected president.. Which proved to be the case.. In 1995, Ramos� Health Secretary Juan Flavier � who was/is a Roman Catholic, but married to a Protestant wife � ran for senator on a specific platform of supporting birth control, including artificial methods. The Catholic bishops waged a campaign against him. But Flavier still won convincingly. He came out sixth in a field of more than 50, if I recall correctly. So the media�s and the current candidates� fear of the Roman Catholic bishops� power on the issue of birth control is over-blown and exaggerated. The Roman Catholic bishops are a paper tiger, at least on this issue. On a personal note, I would like to mention that my dear friend Nandy Pacheco invited me to join his Ang Kapatiran Party even before the presidential elections in May 2004 and perhaps to run for senator in this year�s elections. But I declined. I declined, not because I doubted the sincerity and good intensions of Nandy and his group, but because I could not on principle agree to support their platform which is explicitly based �on the social teachings of the Church�, including a �Pro Life� orientation that rejects any and all artificial methods of birth control . So, good luck to Martin and Zosimo and Adrian and Nandy, but we are on opposite sides of the contraception divide. That the Roman Catholic Church is explicitly against any artificial methods of birth control is consistent with the past positions of previous popes and especially with the present Benedict XVI, who is as conservative as they come. But there is a price for this obstinacy. Church attendance � even in traditionally Catholic countries like Italy , France and Spain � is alarmingly low. Dozens of Catholic (and Protestant) churches in Europe are being closed or turned into museums, restaurants or warehouses, because parishioners have stopped coming. Vocations for the priesthood have all but dried up, except in Ireland . Most hurting of all, Roman Catholic couples by the hundreds of millions, - including in Ireland - feel free to use artificial methods of birth control despite the admonitions of those �senile old men in their ivory towers.� This has become a case of hundreds of millions of the faithful being out of step with their supposed spiritual mentors numbering only in their hundreds of thousands, if that many. . In my reply to Jose Maria Alcasid, I cited the predominantly Roman Catholic countries where the population growth rates are below zero, zero or almost zero, empirical proof that hundreds of millions of the faithful are daily disobeying the teachings of the Church on birth control: Hungary (negative 0.34%); Lithuania (negative 0.22); Croatia (negative. 0.19); Italy (negative 0.17); Czech Republic (negative 0.16); Slovenia (negative 0.13); Austria (negative 0.10); Poland (flat zero); Belgium (0.01) Spain (0.03); Slovakia (0.12); Portugal (0.22); France (0.28); Cuba (0.47), Ireland (0.66) (The Philippines 1.95)... The picture is not much different in countries with large Roman Catholic minorities: Germany (negative 0.24); United Kingdom (0.06); Switzerland (0.12); the Netherlands (0.22); Canada (0.30); Australia (0.46); USA (0.59); and New Zealand (0.62). (All data from the 2007 World Almanac and Book of Facts). These numbers are also proof of my contention that in urbanized and industrialized society, the sexual morality of traditional Christianity, derived from the social and economic conditions in feudal and pastoral Europe , no longer resonates.. �City apartments are too small for large families. Urban dwellers cannot grow their own food, so they have to take part in the money economy in order to survive. But to earn money, one has first to get an education and acquire a marketable skill, thus pushing the marrying age to 25, 30, 35, in environments suffused with sexual stimuli. In addition, bearing and rearing children in the city is expensive and time-consuming, and frequent childbirths prevent women from pursuing their own careers and /or developing their own personalities.� For senile old men in ivory towers, it may be comforting and reassuring to believe that the certitudes that they grew up with will never change, even though the rest of the battalion is now marching to a different beat. But it is like insisting that the world is flat, centuries after Sebastian del Cano circumnavigated the globe. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in www.acabaya.blogspot.com. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Sexual Morality 2� More Reactions to �God�s Chosen Doormat� Dear Antonio, A very good article which hits the nail right on the head, I will be saving it and using it as a reference source Yours faithfully, Mad Doug Adam, (by email), April 21, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony Abaya: Your articles on birth control only confirm what I have personally suspected, that the Catholic Church is a drag on Philippine progress. It is very hard to progress as a people, when we do not have population control. My "gut feeling" is that the Church will lose their control over the life and mind of Catholics. I must confess I am what could be termed "a non practicing Catholic." The last time I went to confession was 45 years ago when we married. After immigration, we continued to attend a Catholic church in Lincoln , Nebraska . Occasionally, we went to church in Florida where we currently reside. We stopped attending. For one, we really did not feel comfortable in church. The demands of our young children were more compelling than attending church. Weekends were time to catch up on the laundry, grocery, take the children for their activities, horse riding, snow sledding, etc. In Florida , the children were old enough to be involved in such activities as folk dancing. One good reason why we joined a Bayanihan club. My wife and continue to pray, ....when we are happy, troubled, or when relatives and friends ask for prayers. In the back of my mind, the reason is the Roman Church wants control over our minds, and our pocket books. Ten per cent church contribution is strictly imposed. Both of us have to work to give our children a decent chance. .My wife and I succeeded. Our oldest, is a successful graphic artist. Our daughter is a financial planner. Two Catholic priests have had trouble with the law. One spent parish monies on his college-age children in the Philippines . He served a year in jail, now he is on parole. The other had a "housekeeper" at home, who was suspected to be his wife. The second priest was removed; he moved to another diocese and is still serving as a priest, On his weekends, he comes back to our area to fish. His house and housekeeper are still here, so I heard. Maximo Fabella, (by email), Florida , April 21, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I believe that we should (achieve and) maintain ZPG or zero population growth. That means each couple should have a maximum of two children, enough to replace them. I am pro-life too and that means children should be properly planned and taken care of well. What we need to work on is the way we parent our children so that they can grow to be righteous and remain so no matter how you expose them to a negative or unrighteous environment. There are devices for family planning that does not mean "killing" the unborn or the unfertilized ovum. How can you kill "somebody" who isn�t there yet. These are those that prevent maturation of the ovum or prevent the meeting of the sperm and the ovum. Population control should start on the "cariton" family, If you walk early in the morning in front of Philippine General Hospital, you will be surprised by the number of children that come out of a "cariton". Then you wonder how they do it in that cariton. There are about 4-5 children, even more, who come out of it and these are children who might never be given the chance to go to school and be productive members of our society. Each of them will have bad parenting and will work/beg for their parents. And each of them will bear 4-5 children of their own who will have the same parenting they had. I am a Catholic but I oftentimes suspect that the reason why it becomes a sin not to reproduce is for the world to have more extremely poor people. The more they are, the more donations will pour in. But it should be realized that serious member of the religious organization believe in tithing, no matter how many poor people they are. So the clergy must now think that the less poor people they should care for, the more they can use the tithes in spreading the word of God. Oh well, it�s the singer, not the song, that's out of tune Pura Flor Isleta, (by email), April 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Kudos on your article Sexual Morality 2. It is one of the most rational articles I�ve read in a long time. Jesse, [email protected], April 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello Tony! Do you ever get the feeling that ours is a Government of God, whose policies are dictated by the Roman Catholic Church? The term "Government of God" is actually the title of an American-authored book aimed against the Ayatollahs who control Iran and which discussed the hardships Iranian citizens have been facing because of these clerics. I don't know much about Iran but I'm betting that its citizens are much better off than we are. Even American propagandists are not trumpeting poverty, hunger, garbage or injustices in that country. Sure it�s far from being a paradise but hey you don't have wackoos there shooting school children by the dozens. If there's one entity that is to be blamed for much of our miseries as a country, it is the local Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and its sanctimonious leaders. The RCC has run this country since its conquest by the Spaniards in the 1500s. Its doctrines and utterances by its leaders, some of which are flawed and considered obsolete in many RCC countries, are considered as gospel truth by this country's elected leaders and very few politicians ever dare cross swords with this entity. Under the RCC, we have a Government of God, and under this government, we have this paradise called the Philippines . Herminigildo Gutierrez, (by email), April 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony - Hurray for you in Sexual Morality 1 and 2. Another approach to the problem would be to encourage the Church to campaign energetically in favor of legitimate fatherhood wherein the father must assume responsibility for supporting his offspring as well as the mother. This could reduce the growth of population within a religious context which, I presume, could be supported by the Church. Kenneth C. Wright, (by email), Ayala Alabang, April 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww According to latest UN study which I quote below: "A draft report for the UN's AIDS agency has found that even when people use condoms consistently, the failure rate for protection against HIV is an estimated 10 percent, making them a larger risk than portrayed by many advocate groups. The report, which looked at two decades of scientific literature on condoms, is likely to fuel the debate that pits proponents of abstinence, who say that the Bush administration should abandon or sharply reduce condom promotion, against health specialists, who say that condoms play an integral part in preventing the spread of AIDS." ( Boston Globe 06.22.03; John Donnelly) Similar other studies made by other NGOs have similar findings. These reports also conclude that the only ultimate 100% solution is safe and responsible sex practices with only one sex partner . This means that the use of artificial methods such as condoms do not necessarily constitute a scientific and fool-proof solution to the problem of HIV and population control. This is the main reason why HIV has spread like wildfire in Africa and India , where people relied heavily of the false hopes artificial birth control proponents while maintaining loose morals. The end result is the exacerbation of HIV and over population in the said areas which constitutes the front lines of the war against HIV and overpopulation. On the other hand, the Catholic Church advocates Natural Family Planning methods which is scientifically proven to be better prevention rates and involves safe. The other dimension in the NFP approach is to lead a responsible and moral lifestyle. The above studies are UN sanctioned and cannot be simply the works of " senile old men in their ivory towers" Ike Eslao, (by email), April 23, 2007 MY REPLY. But you�re being mentally dishonest here. You quoted the United Nations AIDS agency that �the failure rate for protection against HIV is an estimated 10 percent.� Two paragraphs later, you concluded that �condoms do not necessarily constitute a scientific and fool-proof solution to the problems of HIV and population control.� You added the last three words to make it appear that the UN AIDS agency was advising against the use of condoms for population control, when, based on the quote that you yourself had chosen, it really did not. .. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, On the issues of high population growth and artificial methods of birth control... The Catholic Church bears an enormous part of the blame for the uncontrolled/unbridled population growth phenomenon in the country. (To those who are Roman Catholics, please forgive me if I offend your religious sensibilities.) I think that the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines has adopted a fatalistic view of humanity, in which man is supposedly just going to bear the consequences of his actions (of procreating sans protection). Yet, the Church has done little, if anyhing, to help feed the thousands of homeless, dirt poor, and downtrodden people. And Catholic bishops are very hypocritical. By denouncing those who do not subscribe to Church teaching and refusing to grant the population other means to protect themselves from unplanned/unwanted pregnancies, the Church has allowed poor Filipinos to lose their dignity to the level of dogs and other animals which procreate and whose litter end up lost, hungry, and dead. Millions of Catholics all over the world do not believe it is wrong to prevent an unwanted pregnancy by protecting oneself much in the same way that it is not wrong to prevent cancer by removing suspicious lesions on the body. Is man just going to say, "well, God wanted me to have cancer and I am surrendered to it"? A married couple should be able to plan the size of their family using artificial birth control measures and still maintain their dignity of being allowed to procreate. Because of its relatively high failure rate, the natural or rhythm method of family planning advocated by the Catholic Church has been mocked by critics as the �Vatican Roulette�. We are seeing the horrible consequences of this fallible Catholic teaching in the Philippines today. In the final analysis, family planning is the exercise of the freedom of conscience of the married couple, as responsible parents, according to their aspirations for a better quality of life for themselves and their children. And that decision should be theirs, and NOT the celibate clergy/theologians of the Church who do not have experience in marriage and child bearing. Misael C. Balayan, (by email), Mililani , Hawaii , May 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �God�s Chosen Doormat� (April 10, 2007) Tony Abaya: Your column reminds me of CLARO RECTO, Renato Constantino, Teodoro Agoncillo, Jose Diokno.....mentally challenging articles. It seems fewer and fewer columnists write to challenge. Or maybe, I do not read enough Filipino columnists. A few more names come to mind, Pura Santillan Castrence , Carmen Guerrero Nakpil. The other columns are what we call, "patakbuhin� : Max Fabella, (by email), Florida , April 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I suggest that given all these wonderful ideas for the good of the country, why can't we have an hour with the President so that we can address all of these, just like during the time of President Magsaysay wherein he allotted time to mingle with the masses? I suggest that we must first make an example of our corrupt leaders first. We must bring them to justice, even if it means all of them go to jail, so be it. The reason why everybody in the Philippines practices corruption is that no one is ever convicted, especially those with connections and those in power. I also have no qualms about the death penalty. If excessive punishment for sins against the country is the only way to push this country forward, I'm all for it. Edward Felix Donato, (by email), April 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony: GMA has proposed a change in the Constitution since her reelection but the problem she is so mataray that she cannot get the cooperation of the Senate. Unless she has got the guts of cheating again in the elections and not let not even one opposition senator to be elected. But making sure that not one opposition senatorial candidate wins the election does not guarantee that she would be able to amend the Constitution, although knowing how mataray she is, she might just attempt doing that. Aside from courting another coup d'tat, the elected Senators may join the defeated opposition and create trouble for her. One thing the new senators may not go along with her plan to abolish the Senate. I guess it will be the job of her successor to amend the Constitution. GMA lacks diplomacy in dealing with the rebellious Senate. One thing I like with GMA is that she is officially liquidating the NPAs which is the right thing to do. It is high time that the NPAs realize that whether human rights would be respected in our country really depends on who is sitting in Malaca�ang. If we have a mataray President like GMA, the extra-judicial killing of the NPAs will be a policy of the President. Marcos, Aquino, Ramos and Estrada did not go to the extent of officially liquidating the NPAs. GMA was the first one who attempted it. I just do not know whether the NPAs would retaliate by assassinating her after her term is over, which is a possibility. Did they not publicly assassinate Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. because the NPA court pronounced the death penalty on him? For as long as Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. was in jail or abroad, the NPAs did not touch him, but when he entered the Philippines , the NPAs sent Galman to shoot him right away. This is one of the reasons why the courts have never acquitted Estrada nor the Marcoses because if they do, the NPAs will take over and assassinate Estrada and the Marcoses. The Aquino-Galman murder case is difficult to solve. It is a likely possibility that the NPAs paid General Custodio to allow Galman inside the airport so that he could shoot Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. Also, it is a likelihood that Marcos paid the Agrava Commission so that they will say the military, and not the NPAs, killed Senator Benigno Aquino Jr.. This was a clever tactic of the late President Marcos so that it would be easy for him to shake the Aquino Administration with coups. Very truly yours, Ramon A. del Gallego, (by email), April 24, 2007 MY REPLY. So? What is your point? What has this got to do with �God�s Chosen Doormat?� wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony: Hydrogen cars are too expensive to run due to the high cost of energy in separating hydrogen from water. Besides, you have to burn great quantities of fossil fuel just to acquire the electrical energy needed to electrolyze water to obtain hydrogen from it. While it is true that hydrogen when burned in the air does not produce carbon dioxide, you have to burn fossil fuels just to obtain the electrical energy to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen. Very truly yours, Ramon A. del Gallego, (by email), April 24, 2007 MY REPLY. You did not read, or you chose to ignore, my next sentence: �I have also suggested that fuel cells should get their hydrogen, not from methane or natural gas (which still generate carbon dioxide when burned) but from the electrolysis of ordinary water, using electricity produced by wind turbines or solar panels.� Since I made these suggestions in High on Hydrogen (Jan. 23, 2007) and Doomsday Scenario (Nov. 07, 2006), I have read of at least two experimental houses � one in New Jersey, the other on an island in Puget Sound, Washington State � where hydrogen is extracted by electrolysis of ordinary water, using electricity generated by wind or solar power. The hydrogen is then fed into fuel cells to energize the entire house and its appliances, as well as the owners� motor vehicles. Of course, the cost is still prohibitive but, as is usually the case with new technology, when perfected unit costs go down with economies of scale as the system is mass-produced. So your nay-saying is out-dated. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony: You said, "I have also suggested that we should dismantle all political dynasties, even if it takes a revolutionary government to do it, since incumbent politicians will never agree to dismantle their dynasties." We have had four revolutionary governments since the turn of the century. 1. The first was when the Japanese military defeated the USAFFEE (you mean USAFFE. ACA) and installed a Japanese sponsored Philippine Republic. (That was not a revolutionary government. It was a puppet government installed by foreign conquerors, not by revolution. Similar to the Quisling government in Norway and the Vichy government in France , installed by the victorious Germans in the 1940s. ACA) 2. The second was when Marcos declared martial law and ruled by decree ushering the period of Martial Law regime. (That was not a revolutionary government either. The existing civil government merely declared martial law, similar to the civil government under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declaring emergency rule in India in the 1980s. ACA) 3. The third was when Cory Aquino put up her People's Power government and changed the 1971 Constitution to the present 1987 Constitution. (Now THAT was a revolutionary government � from Feb. 25 1986 to mid-September 1987 � even though it did not result in anything revolutionary. ACA) (You failed to mention the revolutionary government under President Emilio Aguinaldo. It was installed in March 1897 but was not able to do much governing after the outbreak of the Philippine-American War in 1899, because it was always on the run, until Aguinaldo was captured by the Americans in March 1901. ACA) 4. The fourth was when GMA assumed the presidency when the People's Power II decided to remove President Estrada without due process although an impeachment complaint was on-going in the Philippine Senate. (That was not a revolutionary government either. Estrada was removed by a military coup window-dressed as a People Power uprising. Gloria Arroyo NEVER assumed revolutionary powers. As constitutional vice-president, she merely stepped up to the presidency � which had been declared vacant by the Supreme Court - and served out the remaining term of Estrada, to June 2004. ACA) The Martial Law regime was instituted by Marcos to "change society." In furtherance of that objective, Marcos founded the New Society Movement, or the "Kilusan Bagong Lipunan." When Cory was allowed by the Nationalista Party to put up a revolutionary government, she promised that she would do better than Marcos. GMA was catapulted to power on the strength of the People Power revolt II. She promised to eradicate graft and corruption once and for all in the country. (Cory Aquino was not �allowed by the Nacionalista � not Nationalista � Party to put up a revolutionary government.� She was the presidential candidate of the Unido coalition in the snap elections of February 1986, was declared the winner and was sworn in as president by a revolutionary process, which did not need any approval from the Nacionalista Party, represented by her vice-president, Doy Laurel. ACA). Off course, all of these promises of reform were all hallow (you mean hollow. ACA) promises. Marcos could not create any new society neither did Cory give better governance than Marcos. Graft and corruption remains rampant as ever in spite of GMA promise to eradicate it in the revolutionary government of People's Power II. (There was no �revolutionary government of People�s Power II.� ACA) In fact, Estrada has never been convicted of the crime of plunder which the Senate tried him for and the People Power mob removed him without due process, although the case has been dragging on for almost 6 years.(The trial is finished; the verdict is expected in three months. ACA) After more than 30 years (actually, only 18 months, under Cory. ACA) of experience in actual revolutionary governments, do you still believe that a revolutionary government can turn things around in our country? (Yes, depending on who leads and make up that revolutionary government. ACA) Have you chosen to be deliberately blind to the facts of history? (No. 18 months are too short to make a judgment on �revolution.� ACA) I think the problem in our country is that the people have deliberately chosen to be naive even on the most simple and obvious facts. Who is to be blamed except the people them selves. Shakespeare once said, "The fault dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in our selves!" Before we think of changing other people, why don't we first change our selves? Every Filipino could do something about changing his country when he makes the first step in changing himself. (You can start by getting your facts right first before jumping to conclusions. ACA) Very truly yours, Ramon A. del Gallego, (by email), April 24, 2007 MY REPLY. In your original reaction to God�s Chosen Doormat, you criticized me for pointing out the deficiencies of this country and wrote that �it is time that you should be offering more constructive solutions to the problems that you are bemoaning of, rather than continually harping on these problems by blaming others which you yourself cannot even present a viable solution. Why don�t you present constructive ideas instead of giving a long list of excuses why something cannot be done�� But when I listed down at least 26 �constructive ideas and solutions� that I have offered in my column � on political and electoral reforms, transport and traffic management, energy and environmental issues, waste management, mass housing and cooperatives, infrastructure, job opportunities, export-oriented economy, tourism, counter-insurgency, government communications, relations with the Muslim, etc � you did not have the gentlemanly good manners to acknowledge it and admit that you had made a mistake. Instead you proceeded to critique, erroneously, two of those ideas (above). What�s your problem? wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: I would suggest that Ramon A. del Gallego take the time and effort to carefully read and digest the long litany of "constructive solutions" which you so patiently listed in your reply to him. If he is fair-minded enough to conclude that these indeed are the constructive solutions he has been expecting from you, I would suggest further that he take the trouble and the expense of printing enough copies and sending these to all top officials in the Executive, the Legislative and Judicial branches of the Philippine government, as well as to all Governors, City and Municipal Mayors and to all officers of government-owned or -controlled Corporations. Who knows--several of those who get their copies might realize how constructive those suggestions are and take the necessary steps to translate them into actual policies and programs! The nation and the Filipino people stand to benefit immensely from such an outcome--in my considered view "a consummation devoutly to be wished." Mariano Patalinjug, (by email), Yonkers , NY , April 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Carry on. You are so brave. At least you are telling the truth. Best regards. Michelle Picart, (by email), April 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww My belated reaction: "The greatest among you shall be your servant." While I am not saying that we as a people are the greatest, nor accepting that we are THE people chosen by God, I suppose being some of God's chosen people does not mean being on a bed of roses, or ruling the world. On the contrary, it may mean humility, hardships, and sacrifices. Just a thought. Mar Tecson, (by email), San Miguel, Bulacan, April 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You are so pathetic in this piece. Maybe you need a new set of eyepiece. I do not exactly like what is happening to our country but, I, nay many, do not share this kind of trashing one can speak of his country and his people. At the very least, you should be thankful of what is going on in the Philippines , otherwise you will not have an outlet to throw your trash. Looking at oneself in the mirror usually helps the person to have a better view of things. Why don't you try? Who knows it might help you too. Arnel Serrano, (by email), California , April 14, 2007 MY REPLY. One insult deserves another. Why don�t you follow your own advice and look at yourself in the mirror and see if you espy God�s Chosen People in it. Who knows it might help you, too.. Oh, this is so funny! Check out the location of this latter day "Rizal"! California! How easy is it to slip on the rose-coloured glasses when you can buy them with greenbucks? Hey, Arnel, pull your head in, mate! because Cebu , Philippines was everything Tony said it was (when I was there), and I have a wife and three Anaks to bring up! Perry Gamsby, (by email), Sydney , Australia , April 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww In your reaction to Dr Alcasid's rejoinder, you said: "(For the people in those predominantly Catholic countries, the use of artificial methods of birth control IS morally right, and who are you to tell them it is morally wrong? ACA)" Anybody with defectively formed conscience (Catholic or otherwise) can tell you that murder is morally right. So even if majority tells you that artificial birth control is morally right TO THEM, that does not necessarily mean they are being honest about it. This is one of the fallacies of moral relativism. (It is a common ploy when arguing against �moral relativism� to cite the case of murder. If everyone says murder is right, does that make murder right? Of course not, and not because those �senile old men in ivory towers� said it is not right, after reading the entrails of pigeons or whatever. (Morality is derived by common agreement in society on what is beneficial or not beneficial to that society, often embellished with myths and elaborate rituals to impress the ignorant. No society considers murder beneficial to itself, because it is not to its advantage that its members kill each other. Hence, murder is considered immoral. (Some societies allow cannibalism, but only against members of rival societies, not among their own kind, because it is beneficial to them that their enemies are decimated, and in such a dramatic fashion, and not beneficial to them that their members eat each other, except in rare cases of extreme famine ACA) It's just as bad as saying I have my own North to follow. To be fair, moral teachings of Judeo-Christian civilizations relied heavily on Aristotelian precepts that says in a nutshell: You cannot violate Natural Laws without incurring consequences. Artificial contraception is morally wrong from the stand point of Natural Laws (And Natural Laws are understood only by senile old men in ivory towers? Natural Law was once claimed to have mandated that lending money with interest was immoral. The �incurred consequence� was that the Jews became established in banking in Medieval Europe . Centuries later, other senile old men in ivory towers decided that lending money with interest was not immoral after all, and avidly went into banking themselves. Isn�t that a case of moral relativism? ACA) By the same token you are also not in a position to tell anybody not to espouse his moral stand, especially one that is based on fully recognized ethical studies dating back to Pre-Christian period. Ike Eslao, (by email), April 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony� I read with interest your exchange below with one Ramon A del Gallego. I have grouped your comments by areas of concern, and have written some of my thoughts (as well as vignettes of what I deem to be my own effort toward accomplishing a common aspiration). Your suggestions are reproduced in italics. 1. ELECTORAL PROCESS I suggested that we should have a run-off or second round in our multi-candidate presidential elections, so that the winner always has the support of more than 50% of the electorate. (a) I have also suggested that convicted felons and coup plotters be disqualified from running for public office. (b) I have also suggested that all political ads be banned from radio and TV, to even the playing field for rich and poor candidates alike. Instead government-owned Ch. 9 and Ch 13 and their radio networks should be taken over by a constitutional body during every election campaign period, which will schedule programming with FREE airtime for all registered candidates and parties. � I have also proposed that we should not have another election until the entire process has been completely computerized (with paper trail for verification in cases of disputes) to make fraud harder to commit.. I have also suggested that we should dismantle all political dynasties, even if it takes a revolutionary government to do it, since incumbent politicians will never agree to dismantle their dynasties.(d) I have also suggested that an electronic voters� ID card be the basis for an electronic national ID card, to weed out multiple registrants and at the same time systematize government functions such as the issuance of driver�s licenses, passports, police and NBI clearances, gun permits, as well as private sector checks related to bank loans and connections to power, water, cable TV, telephone and internet service providers. (e) MY COMMENTS: Fellow dreamer Guillermo G Cunanan has addressed much of these in a written brief he submitted to me for consideration at an appropriate forum. I�m inclined to convene such a forum together with you sometime. Your suggestions, which I marked (a) to (e) I find acceptable. In fact in several sessions these were somehow touched when we discussed similar issues in the Strategic Studies Group, and I supposed so long as an individual not affected, these are 100% acceptable. We did not get a consensus on the �No El� of Gen Fortunato Abat, which I think is a good idea. But I must clarify that here we must be circumspect and clear as to the objectives. Congress had its own version, which was totally self-serving. 2. ENERGY SECURITY I have also suggested that the Philippines follow the example of Iceland and declare a deliberate official policy to wean ourselves from the present carbon economy and move towards a hydrogen economy, including the use of hydrogen fuel cells, as demonstrated to me in Los Angeles . I have also suggested that fuel cells should get their hydrogen, not from methane or natural gas (which still generate carbon dioxide when burned) but from the electrolysis of ordinary water, using electricity produced by wind turbines or solar panels. MY COMMENT: These are interesting possibilities. I have commented many times on the possible use of deuterium energy. The tremendous faith I have in it came from viewing a large expo on it at the British Museum of Science in London while I was a student at the RNC Greenwich in 1975. It was clear to me then that we see an environmentally clean fuel, one gallon of which can make a car encircle the globe many times � and the tremendous effect it can have in the standard of living of all humanity. Not to mention that the Philippine deep is going to be one of the two major sources of the heavy water. The fact that it has not been on line leaves me to conclude that the oil companies and OPEC have somehow gotten the technology out of the way for the meantime. What happened to that and all the other ideas you mentioned, and more would be the subject of a future discussion forum likewise, as Energy security is one of our primary concerns. 3. WASTE MANAGEMENT I have also suggested that Metro Manila �s daily 6,200 tons of solid waste be buried in sanitary landfills and the methane gas produced by the decomposition of organic matter be collected and used to generate electricity, as was shown to me in Australia . MY COMMENT: You hit a sensitive nerve. I wish we could immediately do just that. However, we must address the sensitive issue of waste disposal in more practical terms, as not everything may be used for energy generation. This is once and for all solving the problem of landfill requirements, which because of the NIMBY (�Not In My Back Yard�) syndrome local populations (who would not?) and even LGUs often oppose. The solution to my mind is the creation of a large island reclamation project either on the Cavite or Bulacan side (or both), much after what has been done in Tokyo Bay and in Copenhagen . Collection points can be established along the shoreline of Bulacan, Metro Manila , Cavite , Pasig River and Laguna de Bay, thus finally ending the controversial land fill problem ashore. I have seen a modern transfer station in Hong Kong (although theirs is not an island reclamation), looking just like a small port and having no noxious fumes or odor. The government should take the lead here. 4. TRANSPORT REFORM I have also suggested that, to reduce road congestion and air (especially diesel exhaust) pollution in Metro Manila, our chaotic jeepney-buses public transport system (?) be scrapped and replaced with an electric tram network inter-connected with the LRT-MRT trunk lines, as in most European cities. MY COMMENT: Our first attempt to take care of the public land transport system in Metro Manila in a major way was the creation of the MMTC. But even martial law did not ensure its perpetuity. In the mid-70s I often listened to the woos of its erstwhile General Manager, Jose V Mendoza, as behest instructions were received from FM himself in slowly allowing the return of independent bus companies for what reason I could not fathom. Now we are back to square one. My family was a pioneer in the jeepney business, starting in 1947. I was privileged to see some of the originators of the business who were resigned American soldiers who, conversant on the operation of the California jitneys (which I also personally saw and experienced during a visit with a Daly City family in 1958), introduced the concept here. My family knew then that the jeepney was not to be a permanent system as even Meralco had revived its buses in 1947; thus after operating for 15 years we readily acceded to the Public Service Commission pronouncement that they would be phased out, in 1962. I guess what happened in the subsequent scenarios, including the entry of the newly organized Pasang Masda and the other predecessors of the many TODAs, was more understandable than the demise of the MMTC in the mid-70s, which was pure cronyism and centralized favoritism. I have also suggested that to reduce air (especially diesel exhaust) pollution in Baguio City �s downtown and add to that city�s charms, a modest cable car network, similar to the one in San Francisco , be installed. MY COMMENT: Wonderful idea. If we can not have that, then force the issue by strict regulation. I have seen over the years this worsening, and again this is the result of the laissez faire nature of our transportation systems. Where in the world do you have transport systems in which the platform owners call the shots, rather than the regulator? LGU and LTFRB must set limits. There are just too many jeepneys and tricycles on the road even during hours they are not needed. I have also suggested that a subway be built under the existing PNR right-of-way from Caloocan to Muntinlupa, for a high-speed commuter rail line that will run from 5:00 am to 1:00 am the next day, and for the transport of containers from Port Area to a container yard in FTI in Taguig during the slack hours from 1:00 to 5:00 am, to remove road-hogging container rigs from the metro streets. MY COMMENT: You hit again a sensitive nerve. In 1996 Mr Kamawaki, a Japanese transport proponent with Korean partners, proposed a subway network that would redo existing residential areas or construct townships in several places, starting with a �phase 1� from Novaliches to North Harbor. This would eventually be extended all the way to Dasmari�as, Cavite . He was not getting anywhere with DOTC so he was brought to me by Mr Miguel Ramos, who tried to convince me to help, seeing that it would help decongest and modernize North Harbor . Unfortunately DOTC did not see the viability of the proposal, and I think they were somewhat concerned that the LRTs and MRTs that were being constructed would not benefit from the competition. Relatively, one Australian proponent also had the idea of an underground railway for cargo traffic, connecting North and South Harbors through a rail system under Roxas Boulevard that would interconnect with the airport, and to link with the PNR eventually near the FTI in Taguig. I was likewise thrilled by this prospect, but again it did not bear fruit. The idea of a container yard was actually oprationalized by the ICTSI, using two prime movers they imported for the purpose. This required the joint cooperation of the PPA, which I headed, and the PNR, then under Atty Jose B Dado, who was very proactive. It operated starting 1997 for 3-4 years between the MICT and their ICT at Cabuyao, Laguna at a loss because it was difficult to operate due to the condition of the tracks and lack of volume. I commented that it was a Filipino first, after I saw that the squatters in the RR right of way were conveniently using it as a garbage disposal system, given its very slow speed. ICTSI Chairman Ricky Razon told me during one of our visits that they were spending a couple of million pesos a year for the garbage disposal work at both ends. Incidentally, one enterprising businessman, my friend Hermie Esguerra, proposed to privatize the cargo operation of the PNR to Bicol. The PNR GM, Joe Sarasola was willing and enthusiastic about it, and I was invited by him to join the visit of Esguerra to Bicol twice, using the GM�s special car. That�s when I saw first hand the problems of PNR, which I will not enumerate here. I still think something like that intention, which was not approved by the PNR board for some reason I cannot fathom, should be pursued. 5. OTHERS Years before Gawad Kalinga, in the program of government that Presidential Candidate Miriam Defensor-Santiago requested me in 1992 to draft for her, I proposed, and she accepted, that student volunteers be organized into production brigades to build housing for the poorest of the poor, and that the housing beneficiaries be organized into manufacturing co-operatives that will fabricate items for which there is a real demand and need, starting with, but not limited to, the components that go into housing. MY COMMENT: This is something that should be pursued through a dedicated agency such as the NHA, better backed by the President and/or the NHUDCC Secretary. I may well have been overtaken by events, as I sense that they are already involved. I have also suggested that Roxas Blvd, from Luneta to the Cavite border, be made into a non-stop freeway by building at most three new interchanges (at Pedro Gil, President Quirino, and MIA Road), and this non-stop Roxas Blvd-Coastal Road be connected by a major interchange near the Chinese Temple to C-5, which should also be made non-stop all the way to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. MY COMMENT: While the completion and/or continuation of C-3, C-5 and C-6 are planned, I must admit that DPWH seems inept enough in that they have a backlog in payment of arrears in the expropriation of private property to the tune of more than P30B if I recall correctly from the DPWQH explanation in the last budget hearing. On the Cavite side, the long-range plan for a Central Boulevard (since renamed to DM Boulevard) to extend to Rosario, Cavite has been approved while the extension of the coastal road appears to be ongoing in spite of the desire of the Tollway operator to continue with the existing, in view of the tremendous profits being raked in. I�m glad Cong Joseph Abaya and his dad have insisted upon it and apparently won in behalf of Cavite�os suffering the gridlocks in Aguinaldo Highway . I also convinced in 1996 the proponent of the elevated Tollway over PNR, San Jose Builders, to extend their proposal to North Bay Boulevard (but the economic crisis of 1997 did them in) and I tried to convince the Japanese proponent (as well as the LRTA) of LRT2 to go all the way to North Harbor, using the PNR ROW to the port, which ICTSI restored for their Inland Container Depot project in Cabuyao. This latter spur line is again idle. Our 1995 design of the North Harbor domestic passenger terminal included an LRT link. In my only one-on-one with President Arroyo, in September 2001, I suggested � and repeated that suggestion several times in my column � that, to generate employment opportunities, especially in the rural areas, each municipality of a certain minimum population size should have a one-hectare manufacturing zone, on the reasoning that one hectare of agricultural land, planted to rice or corn, cannot sustain even only one family, but that one hectare of land, if converted into a manufacturing zone, can sustain several hundred families. MY COMMENT: Good idea. We might also include legislation for a permanent farm site in each municipality that will never be used for anything else, just like in Japan . (Your population projections help justify this). When I started writing a column in 1987, I pressed the point that the key to the success of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore was the export of manufactured goods, and that this success formula was being replicated by Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, but not by the Philippines. MY COMMENT: I have been echoing the same concern. We are very weak in addressing this matter; even the Constitution is part of the problem, as we discussed during a Senate hearing last year on the amendment of the BCDA charter to make our ecozones competitive. I have also suggested in a meeting with President Ramos in 1995 that the tourism marketing efforts of the Philippines were pathetically inadequate compared to those of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, etc and I wrote in 2001 or 2002 that the �Wow! Philippines � TV ad should be withdrawn as a waste of money since it was poorly conceived and was not likely to entice tourists to come. MY COMMENT: You may be correct quality-wise but I would not criticize the ad program of DOT for foreign tourism because Malaysia, Thailand, India and other competitors for the same tourism market niche have tremendous budgets for the purpose. I think we should go much, much even beyond ads; we need to invest, even to the point of providing borrowed peso-denominated tourism infrastructure, which is sorely wanting in this country. Last weekend, I went to Legazpi to accompany an Australian friend; we had to suffer 3 hours of the hot and humid terminal because it has not been rehabilitated from the January 2007 typhoon. But that is minor compared to the lack of adequate tourism facilities in what I consider the �future playground of Asia�, Northern Palawan , including an international airport that has already been master planned by JICA. Tourism income can beat the income from OFWs, given a few years. I have also suggested that, to defeat our Communist insurgency, we should adopt the legal and constitutional methods used by Malaysia and Singapore to defeat their Communist insurgencies, without the need to kill anyone. MY COMMENT: AMEN. Amen. I have also suggested that, assuming the government is credible (as it was when I made the suggestion in 1987), it should have a one-hour program everyday, carried simultaneously by all radio and TV stations, without exception, during which the public will directly hear/see what the government is doing for them, and the public can speak directly to the government and air their requests and grievances, without the intervention of commercial media, which often have their own selfish agendas to push. MY COMMENT: Good idea, but we need to sell real accomplishment. As it is many public service agencies are inept and unresponsive; no amount of good PR for that. I have also suggested, when GMA foolishly sent 51 Filipino policemen to Iraq as a gesture of support for Bush�s Coalition of the Willing, that the best way to help the Iraqi people was to send shipments of Philippine-made medicines and drugs to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society to help civilian victims of the war, especially the poor, innocent children. I wrote that if this gesture were repeated for other civilian victims of other wars (Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan) as well as victims of natural disasters (earthquakes in Pakistan and Iran, tsunami in Indonesia, famine in Sudan), the Philippines would earn the goodwill of the members of the Organization of Islamic Conference, who would then be in the proper frame of mind to help us solve our own problems with our Muslim community. Islam is especially sensitive to gestures of charity. MY COMMENT: We had a commitment to GWB, which committed to help modernize the AFP and provide more funds (which nevertheless are not enough). But your ideas here are apt, and must be pursued. Carlos �Chuck� Agustin, (by email), April 24, 2007 President, National Defense College of the Philippines MY REPLY. Thank you for your comments, Chuck. The following are additional suggestions which I have made in my column, but which I was not able to recall in time for my original reply to Gallego. Using your format, I have put them in italics: I have also suggested that the AFP develop or acquire from abroad pilot-less aircraft or drones to help in patrols against smuggling, illegal logging, poaching by foreign fishing vessels, as well as in locating and pinpointing the training camps of rebels and terrorists. I have also suggested that the AFP develop or acquire from abroad a fleet of amphibious vehicles (with Styrofoam-filled rafts in tow) that can be used for rescue, medevac, resupply and military operations during floods. I have also suggested (in 1988) that the government prepare and publish a topographical map of the country, showing the low-lying areas that will be vulnerable to rising sea levels as a result of Global Warming. I have also suggested that the international success of Filipino boxers and billiards players be used to promote nationwide searches for new young talents in these sports through nationwide competitions for 16 to 19 year olds. Because these two sports have large followings in the lower-income sectors, such a search would give disadvantaged youth an outlet for their energies and help in character-formation by teaching the values of hard work, self-discipline and a striving for excellence. I have also suggested that, to discourage political turn-coats, politicians who change parties are automatically disqualified from running for any office in the next elections. I have also suggested that all political parties must have specific programs of government to which they must adhere, at the risk of losing their Comelec accreditation if they abandon or stray away from that program. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |