 |
 |
| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| �Stray Dogs�
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on May 14, 2008 For the Standard Today, May 15 issue Zahed is about nine years old. His sister, Gol-ghotai, is about seven. Together they wander around the scruffy streets of Kabul , trying to survive. They scavenge the garbage dump, along with other children, looking for something that they can eat or sell. They pick up odd pieces of wood and tree branches that they sell to sidewalk eateries In one of their forays into the garbage dump, they rescue a stray dog � a Shih Tzu - from being burned to death by a bunch of ruffians. Hence, the title. So why are they not at home watching television with their mother, or going to school? Well, for one thing, this is Kabul , and it has not been prettified to look like a suburb of Dearborn , Michigan , which has the highest concentration of Muslims in the US . And ,of course, in the Afghanistan of the Taliban, girls and women were not allowed to go to school. For another, their mother is in jail. Five years earlier, their father, a Taliban or Quranic scholar, disappeared and they presume that he has died. Without any marketable skill or education, their mother had chosen to remarry rather than spend the rest of her life begging on the streets.. But the father was not dead. When he returns and finds out that his wife has remarried, he has her thrown in jail. Apparently in Afghanistan , that is normal. This is the oppressive environment in which Zahed and Gol-ghotai have to navigate as they struggle to survive. They had one consolation. Everyday before nightfall, they knock at the gate of their mother�s jail and are let in as �night prisoners� there to spend the night with her in her cell. But when the new governor rescinds that privilege, Zahed and Gol-ghotai � and their stray dog - are on their own, even at night. The main part of the storyline has Zahed and Gol-ghotai, on advice of another street smart ruffian, trying to steal something so that they will be arrested and thrown in jail, with their mother. They try to steal the shopping bag of a burqa-ed woman. But instead of reporting them to the police, she takes pity on them and gives them food. They steal a cow�s head from a butcher�s shop and throw it into a dogfight ring, for the dogs to eat, expecting that the dogfight organizers will turn them over to the police. But Zahed is merely beaten and chased away.. Another ruffian tells them to watch �a boring film� in a Kabul theatre, which they do. It is the Italian film �The Bicycle Thief,,� by Vittorio de Sica, following which Zahed tries to steal a bicycle. But�..I will not give away how that scheme works out. . This is not a tear jerker, although under an insensitive director, it could have degenerated into one. In the hands of Iranian director Marziyeh Meshkini, it is a poignant urban tale of uncorrupted innocence that shines with the luminescence of great art. The children who play the roles of Zahed and Gol-ghotai are probably non-professional actors, but they, especially the girl, with their ragged clothes and matted hair, convey with unsentimental conviction the harsh reality of their world.. Even the stray Shih-Tzu seems to know what is expected of it. Watching Stray Dogs, I am amazed that in the midst of such grinding poverty and unrelieved squalor in Kabul , in the midst of a society seemingly desensitized by such harsh physical and social cruelty, someone was able to create a jewel of a film that has resonance for the rest of the world . Conversely, I continue to ask why Filipino filmmakers seem unable to transcend Captain Barbell and Darna and other such immature and inconsequential garbage.. I tried to get more information about the film and its director from amazon.com, but as of yesterday Stray Dogs had not yet been entered into its cavernous website. So I googled Marziyeh Meshkini. I found out that she is the wife of Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, whose Kandahar I also have in my DVD collection. Stray Dogs is just the second film by Ms.. Meshkini. Her first film The Day I Became a Woman (2000) was met with worldwide acclaim. It won prizes at film festivals in Italy , Canada ( Toronto ), South Korea ( Pusan ), France ( Nantes ) and Belgium , and was praised in the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune as well as in the European and Asian press.. The Day is made up of three independent episodes. In the first episode, a girl named Hava wakes up and notices that she has become a woman because she is now nine years old and playing in the streets with the boys is considered a sin from that day on. Stray Dogs, which won a prize in the Venice Film Festival of 2004, was filmed mostly in Afghanistan . Its storyline was inspired by a visit that the director had made in a Kabul prison where she saw children who stayed with their mothers-inmates overnight and then were let out into the streets during the day to fend for themselves. The dialogue is in Dori, which is also known as Afghan Farsi, Farsi being the dominant language in nearby Iran , Ms. Meshkini�s homeland. Iranian directors seem to have a special sensitivity to the special universe of children. I have about a dozen Iranian films in my collection, four of them about children, which can be considered minor classics. In Majid Majdi�s Children of Heaven (1998), a boy loses the rubber sneakers of his sister. To avoid the ire of his father, he tries all kinds of ruses. In The Color of Paradise, also by Majdi, a blind boy, home for summer vacation from an institution, discovers that his hard-up widower-father plans to disown him so that he can marry a wealthy woman. In Ebrahim Foruzesh�s The Jar (1996), children in a remote desert school look for ways to repair their cracked water container. In Jafa Panahi�s celebrated The White Balloon, a girl convinces her mother to give her money to buy another goldfish to celebrate New Year, but she loses the banknote along the way.. You can learn more about Iranian films in www.makhmalbaf.com and in www.firouzanfilms.com. Now that I know how to get in touch with her, I will send Ms. Meshkini US$25, which is more or less what her film would cost at amazon.com, compared to the P60 that I paid for it to Emin, my favorite Muslim vendor. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot..com. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Stray Dogs� More Reactions to :Federal Role Models� Mr Abaya --- I was fascinated by your "Stray Dogs" because I've been asked by the BBC World Service to contribute to their book club program to be aired on May 27th. Being a longtime listener to this radio service, I responded to their request to send in queries to authors whom they interview each week. This week it's "Kite Runner" author Khaled Hosseini, whose book became a best-seller and was made into a lovely film. In the hands of a Hollywood director, one would expect not to be very authentic, but I was impressed by the movie which I found faithful to the book. It received some good review but didn't become a blockbuster --- probably because most filmgoers find Middle East films depressing and prefer escapist Hollywood movies. The BBC producer said they received many responses from around the world from folks who loved the book and wanted to give their comments to Mr Hosseini, but that they didn't get any from Asia --- which was why they picked me, living as I do in Hong Kong . Your write-up about the female director of "Stray Dogs" is fascinating, especially to find that she's the wife of the director of " Kandahar ," a DVD I have and must watch again as I don't recall finding it outstanding on the first viewing. "The White Balloon" which you mention was one I'd been impressed with some years ago. All this makes one wonder how many more Middle Eastern women there are whose talents will remain forever wasted because of the never-ending misogyny of their stupid oppressive patriarchy. Isabel Escoda, (by email), Hong Kong , May 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Thank you for that teaser. I will look for it in my friendly neighborhood buccaneer's lair. Other than Stray Dogs, what other new DVDs have you got worth buying ? BTW, I want your honest opinion regarding DVDs from amazon.com (25 US Dollars), vs DVDs from your friendly neighborhood Muslim trader (60 Pesos). Is the difference really that significant other than the liner notes, bad printing, and wrong spellings ? Sincerely, Auggie Surtida, (by email), Tigbauan, Iloilo , May 16, 2008 (Long before the buccaneers went into the pirating business, I was already buying VHSs, then DVDs, from amazon.com. I bought about 1,300 DVDs from them. Jeff Bezos, CEO of amazon, actually wrote me a letter thanking me for my patronage and sending me free-of-charge a copy of the then recently released �Braveheart.� At that time, amazon retailed DVDs at from $8.95 to $14.95, and the exchange rate was about $1-to-P26. (Many, perhaps most, of the DVDs that I have bought from Emin and other buccaneers are DVDs of the less successful works � to complete my discography � of such directors as Ingmar Bergman, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Vittorio de Sica, Roberto Rosellini, Francois Truffaut, Eric Rohmer, Michelangelo Antonioni, Sergei Eisenstein, Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu, Volker Schlondorff, Werner Herzog, Rainer Maria Fassbinder, John Ford, Orson Welles, Oliver Stone, Robert Altman, Charlie Chaplin, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodovar, Luis Bunuel, James Ivory, David Lean, Lawrence Olivier, Stanley Kubrick, Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, and many others�.which I would not have ordered from amazon at amazon prices. Once in a while, I chance upon a jewel like �Stray Dogs� which I�d never even read about in amazon.com. or anywhere else. (In my website www.tapatt.org, which archives my articles from 2002 to the present, I included short descriptions of about 300 films that I consider �The Best Films Ever Made�. Unfortunately, www.tapatt.org has been blocked, since May 11, by person or persons unknown. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I also love art films and indie movies. I used to eagerly await Eiga Sai CineEuropa even if I need to fall in line. I pity the Philippine movie industry. They blame almost everybody for its current state, never acknowledging that creative minds are now almost empty. So many movies still count on the kilig factor, same predictable story. Actors and actresses who're cute and fair skinned yet don't really know how to act. I'm tired of seeing those movie trailers. I watch a Pinoy movie at least once during the MMFF but only those that deserve my time and money and not just the usual cheap flicks. Tito Basa, (by email), May 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir Tony, This piece is outstanding . I posted my view below a few lines from your article. You wrote: Watching Stray Dogs, I am amazed that in the midst of such grinding poverty and unrelieved squalor in Kabul , in the midst of a society seemingly desensitized by such harsh physical and social cruelty, someone was able to create a jewel of a film that has resonance for the rest of the world . Conversely, I continue to ask why Filipino filmmakers seem unable to transcend Captain Barbell and Darna and other such immature and inconsequential garbage(ACA) Perhaps many of us Filipinos are incapable of appreciating moral values spawning, awe-inspiring and magnificent local and international films . Most of us have grown up to the �bida-kontrabida, matinee idol love-struck pairings and fantasy themed movies. Filipino film makers continue to produce such immature and inconsequential garbage maybe because of the huge masa following. Again, just an opinion. Allan Buyayo, (by email), Rosario , Cavite , May 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tocayo I salute and truly, I must tell you, I marvel and am awed at the variety of interests, thoughts and attention you have. Yes, I did speed read and - some paragraphs - just "glanced" at the words" Stray Dogs! I remember I. P. Soliongco, he was a patient - friend of mine, although several years older than me. He used the word 'MONGREL" in describing some crooked poitician many years ago! You are familiar with his writings - maybe?! Tony Oposa, MD, (by email), May 16, 2008 Former president, Philippine College of Surgeons wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Quoting you.. Conversely, I continue to ask why Filipino filmmakers seem unable to transcend Captain Barbell and Darna and other such immature and inconsequential garbage.. My answer, Tocayo, is that we Filipinos have not grown up and even our so called law makes tend to be childish, superficial, and with a rare sense of sick value system and horrible of humor [i.e. NgoNgo...bakla...etc. as our major characters in movies]. (Sigh). Tony Joaquin, (by email), Daly City , CA , May 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you, Mr. Abaya. I will certainly look for Stray Dogs. Peace, Hernan Hormillosa, (by email), May 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, The story, Stray Dog is very touching. It shows poverty is real worst in evry part of the world. specially in places where political leaders does not want to settle their differences peacefully. I just wander why this happen, both in the Christian and the Muslim world. Here in Valenzuela, members of the Satanist cult, are better off, if not very rich. Atheist, who detached themselves from God managed to play life with more effectively. Maybe they know nobody will help them, so they strive strongly to live. Somebody said, Protestant countries are better well-off compared with Catholic countries. Both of them worship the same God, maybe Protestant prays harder than Catholics. They said, US and British colonies with Protestantism as their religion, the country and their colonized territories have the same standard of living almost like their previous colonizer, while d those colonized by Spain are usually poor and in deep poverty! Rodolfo Cada, (By email), Valenzuela City , May 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, It isn't just transcending Darna or Captain Barbell or even Enteng Kabesote, that's our problem. At least those are homegrown characters, even if they are molded on Western comic book prototypes. It's the dearth of creativity and originality that is really afflicting our entertainment industry. Take, for example, our TV programs. They are full of imported soap operas that are brought in from South Korea , Taiwan or Latin America . We seem to be either too lazy or too dull to conceive of our own telenovelas. And then there are the silly game shows that closely copy, or are actually licensed by, U.S. productions and the "reality" shows that are pale copies of American programs. Of course, there are no tyrants where there are no slaves. So part of the blame must go to the Filipino public which isn't discriminating enough to know that it's being fed garbage. Perhaps the state of our entertainment industry reflects the sad conditions of our country at large. The leaders of the industry rely on safe, timeworn methods to sell their rubbish, while the public continues to eat it up. Isn't that like the song and dance we get from our political leaders? In the meantime, our neighbors like South Korea , Taiwan and Hong Kong continue to progress significantly in the entertainment industry. These countries were nowhere near the Philippines some years ago. Filipinos were known as the natural entertainers. Today, these countries are respected worldwide, technically and artistically, and their entertainment industries are booming. Very truly yours, Juan Deiparine, (by email), Toril, Davao City , May 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Thanks for sharing the poignant story of 'Stray Dogs' in your column. It was very moving, with the harsh realities of life in Kabul , especially for the children. It seems so surreal. I have read the history of the great Mughal dynasty that ruled Pakistan and India for several centuries and it is sad to see how the capital of Afghanistan has severely deteriorated since the time of its glorious past. How tragic! Best regards. Rick Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa , Laguna, May 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thanks for the info, Keep the good works. Mele, [email protected], May 16, 2008. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I would love to see this movie. Like you, I too am wishing Filipino filmmakers would tackle such storylines. but, unfortunately, they ram Darna and Dyesebel down our sensibilities. Hence, i have long ceased watching local films, since Brocka and Bernal passed away. The last local movie I saw, which is one of the best I've seen, was Rizal, by Diaz-Abaya (if I'm not mistaken). Evelina Galang, (by email), May 17, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Your piece on "Stray Dogs" was powerful, so I shared it with my email group and Pete Lacaba responded. Thought you'd be interested Angie Collas-Dean, (by email), Eugene , Oregon , May 17, 2008 In a message dated 5/16/2008 3:01:38 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: I remember being in a panel discussion many, many years ago, and someone in the colegiala and co�o crowd complained that the movie industry kept making all those baduy and bomba films for the bakya crowd. So I asked, "How many of you went to see Sister Sister Stella L?" This was soon after Sister Stella L. was wiped out at the box office by (if memory serves) Babangon Ako at Dudurugin Kita (the movie, not the recent TV remake). I think at least one hand was raised. Mike de Leon's Sister Stella L., now considered a classic, was produced by "Mother" Lily Monteverde's Regal Films. It starred a movie queen, Vilma Santos, and got rave reviews from the critics--but the people who kept complaining about the Filipino movie industry's commercial orientation couldn't be bothered to see it. So should we be surprised that a businesswoman like "Mother" Lily, who needs to rake back in the pesos that she shells out in order to stay in business, went back to doing mushy potboilers immediately after Sister Stella L.? Today, at least one mall, Robinsons Galleria, has devoted one of its theaters to the showing of indie films, so it isn't just small theaters outside the malls, like in UP, that's showing excellent indie films. But how many of us go to Galleria's Indie Sine? Kung kikita ang indie films doon, baka lahat ng Robinsons malls ay meron na ring kanya-kanyang Indie Sine. I am glad that Tony Abaya has alerted us to an Iranian film we should watch for, but I wonder if he has seen or reviewed Auraeus Solito's Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros or Jeffrey Jeturian's Kubrador, which have also won awards and acclaim in various international film festivals? When Dante Mendoza's Serbis comes back from Cannes, where it is currently showing, and where it is, in the filmfest's 50 years, only the third Filipino film to be shown in competition (after Jaguar and Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim), how many of us will go see it? One reason why many Filipino film makers are unable, or donlt want, to come up with such films mentioned here is because mainstream theaters and big movie-making outfits are controlled by a cartel who want the all-too-predictable tear jerkers, feel-good-mushy, and mindless action films to be the staple so that they can rake in the pesos. No denying that there are many good, if not excellent, independent films here that have made their mark not only in terms of content and cast, but also social relevance. But most of them are shown on a limited basis and in small theaters outside the malls, like in UP. Thus, the audience too is limited, and the masa who should be the ones seeing these films are unable to do so because they are continously fed the crap that Viva, Regal, et al come up with, all of which is promoted on the local TV channels. Pete Lacaba (I�ve read the reviews of all the films that you mentioned, Pete, but it is never mentioned where one can buy the DVD copies, and I am sure there are. I have not been inside a movie house in about 20 years, and I have no desire to go back. I have gotten used to watching films on my giant TV, in the comfort and privacy of my library. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Probably there is too much life imitating art on the streets of the Philippines . The networks are wise to feed the weary populace with telefantasia. It is somewhat free - kids can watch even through the windows of their neighbors with TVs. Praise the powers of a conspiring universe, the Senate telenovela bombed out eventually. Are we expecting more JLo's to come to the scene in the near future? Felix Zamar, (by email), May 24, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Federal Role Models� (May 08, 2008) Dear Sir Tony and Unitarians, I find this debate regarding unitary vs federal very healthy. I hope the debates and arguments keep up. What I am beginning to see based on some writings of Sir Tony, et al, is a fundamental difference re: what should the Philippines should be like (as what Paul Ricoeur would say, "a perspective in this prospective society"). I feel the Philippine Islands need not be one unitary state: I propose three/four "republics"-Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao . Each republic will be governed by a governor. There are only a few things a republic may not do: Make treatise with other nations, have their own currency, have their own military-such will be handled by the President of the Republic of the Philippine Islands. Land reform, natural resources, road networks, criminal and civil justice system, will be left to the republics (there will be federal and provincial crimes). I also want that only 30% of the income of each republic be remitted to the national government. The 70% is left to the republics (regions). Sir Tony is right: federalism will not necessarily be the solution to our problems, but I am neither claiming a Utopia if we become federal republic. But what I like about the federal system of government is that it will put more money in the hands of the regional or provincial government making each region chart their own destiny. The Republic of Negros , for example, if money (taxes) will be left to the provinces, rather than remitted to the national government, will make local government accountable to their constituencies. Residents of the provinces will develop a more regional/provincial consciousness once they realize that they have a stake with their own money. I believe we should encourage the priniciple: MY REGION FIRST BEFORE THE NATIONAL. I believe this type of thinking is healthy. Sir Tony brings out a very important point: why aren't our congresspersons talking? My guess is, since federalism is just in its infancy, many congresspersons have not made a stand yet regarding changing from a unitary to a federal. Moreover, there may be some federalists congersspersons who may agree with Sir Tony that, "it-is-not-the-approriate-time". Also some congresspersons may be against federalism. But precisely, federalism is an advocacy group at the point, not yet a strong movement. But I do hope that it will be a movement that will catch on. What they call, reach a "critical mass". But I did talk to some of our congresspersons here in Negros , and they also believe that in principle, the Philippine Islands should be a federal country. About language: a language will grow if it is also taught at school. However, because there is a national language policy, our local languages are not taught in school, instead, a Tagalog based language called Filipino (kinda weird of you ask me) is the one PRESCRIBED as the national language. Are you also aware, Sir, that there is a National Law prohibiting the singing of the national language in Cebuano? Hmm, yes, we have congresspersons, maybe they forgot there is such a law. About movie industry: the moment more money is in the hands of the local government, the local arts council will be spearheading more regional based arts. As it is, there are low budget theater plays in the ilonggo/hiligaynon language every now and then. And frankly, if our local movie industry is to collapse because of the pirated DVDs, maybe that is a good thing, as it may force actors to go to theater, and theater is a higher form of art than film (well, at least that is my view of art). About political dynasties: since it was the locals who voted for their own respective dynastic families, I believe we should respect it. I have no problem with political dynasties. Personally, I prefer a aristocratic democracy. I prefer voting for the old political families than political upstarts. But that's just me. So if the Makati residents want a Binay dynasty, by all means, they should have it. If we in Negros want a Montelibano, Lacson, Locsin, Maranon dynasty, I believe that the country should respect that. At the end of the day though, our understanding of culture and forms of government cannot be solely on a rational basis. The emotions will play a role in it too because it is through emotions (feelings) that create our own value systems. While you did not seem to suffer from "differences of culture", many of us in the federalist movement feel that one way or another we have been "slighted." Remember the movie, Sakal Sakali (or something like that). "Dapat Tagalog, para Pinoy!" was the response against teaching the kid Cebuano. For me, since values are felt and understood in the level of feelings/emotions, then the Federal movement will also be emotionally driven as well as rationally driven. All forms of advocacies and movements do have that component of emotions. Rizal would not have done what he did if he treated the whole problem of the Philippines like a syllogism or mathematical problem. We did what he felt was right because he saw a value(s) on what he was doing, and it was the emotions (passion) that led him on. Was he complete rationally? Not always m sure. Thank you again for your comments. Again, it made me think...(which is a good thing, at least)... Philip Ortiz, (by email), May 17, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Greetings: In my opinion, federalism is more than just the money. It is a recognition that we have a diverse culture and that are unity is based on our diversity, not in our uniformity. Sir Tony has not experienced a "cultural difference" and so did de Quiros (pdi). But there are a number of people who have, including yours truly. But even if we are to speak of money, I believe that each province/region should be responsible for their own growth. We need not rely on Manila . Sir Tony stated that de-centralization or more power to the local governments. Maybe, maybe not. But I wonder? Is it not possible that in Negros Occidental, choose to teach Ilonggo/Hiligaynon rather than Manila based Tagalog? Is not possible that we have our own Department of Education independent of Metro Manila? (So it all boils down to resentment at the dominance of Tagalog? Don�t the examples of China , Indonesia , France , Spain , India , Italy , Germany , etc mean anything to you? Why don�t you set up an Ilonggo film industry and see how many people will watch your films nationwide. Tagalog movies have no trouble finding an audience, even in Ilonggo- or Cebuano-speaking provinces. ACA) Is it not possible too that we here in Negros can import/export directly to another country without having to pass Manila ? Is it not possible that we here in Negros can decide on our own whether foreigners can own land or not? Ok, we may have congresspersons, but congresspersons are only made to think within a box, within a constitution. I am thinking outside the box, beyond the constitution. Regarding mini states, I am satisfied with just 4 major states: Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao . Since i live in Negros, I wouldn't mind having the capital in Cebu City . Anyway, how we divide the Philippine Islands is another subject. I am pushing for federalism because it emphasizes a consciousness that growth should be left to the provinces. regardless whether they have competent politicans or not. Philip Ortiz, (by email), May 18, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, By your article on Federalism you have encourage more people to state their beliefs, their sentiments. And many of them are quite articulate in their propositions, like: Nestor Baylan, Bert Celera, Marlowe Camello, Jennifer Potenciano, et al. By this alone you have began the "Revolution" (not the shooting kind, yet) of Ideas which is quite healthy. This also means that wherever we chose to make our homes--in this devastated country or as emigrants--we still care what is happening to this nation-state that many have died for, are suffering for. Someday soon our people will find a way to get rid of the flies that feed on our people's carcass. We do get involved in many different ways and sometimes we don't even know we are. You, my friend, as the people's advocates, have become "The Leader" people were seeking all this time. For as long as you are advocating people's rights, people's dreams--we will not lose our hope for this Homeland to the 90million souls out there. God bless and regards. Jose I. Regino, (by email), Zamboanga City , May 19, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I used to be an advocate of federalism, but after reading you I have changed my mind. There are indeed factors that would impede the establishment of a successful federal Philippine republic. Our clannish (tayo tayo) culture, multilingual state, and perforated geography are factors for secession. There was already a move by the Mindanao Independence Movement that communicated with the United Nations Secretary General asking for a referendum for the people of Mindanao to choose independence or remain with the Republic of the Philippines . I am reminded of the referendum in Sabah where the Sabahans opted to remain with Malaysia . Again, when I was and still advocating for a revolutionary transition to a new constitutional order after a cleansing of the dirt of our present political system in a timeline of three years, Duterte and JPE reacted that they would establish their own states respectively in Davao and Cagayan Valley . I also remember when then Speaker de Venecia called that he agreed with me that Congress should be abolished and in its place a Parliament would be established. I reiterated my idea of a cleansing period before transiting to a parliamentary system and not the same people sitting immediately as members of parliament. Fortunato U. Abat, (Maj. Gen., Ret.), by email), May 19, 2008 Former Defense Secretary, former Ambassador to China. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya: Mr. Faelnar said that Senator Nene Pimentel did in fact make a power point presentation on May 9, 2008 about his advocacy of Federalism for the Philippines . However, your response is that his presentation cannot be accommodated in this space. Now, I am disappointed and dismayed by your response Mr. Abaya. You let your audience believe including myself that Sen. Pimentel has not responded and articulated his position vis a vis to yours, not necessarily point by point. In this electronics age, anything written can be presented in any form. Let the senator's views be presented here, even in installment if it is long. Fair is fair!! I am presently neutral on this issue, I'd like to hear both sides. Please present Mr. Pimentel's strong views and arguements for Federalism and allow us to compare with yours. Any excuse not to will only diminish your position. Thank you. Martin Celemin, (by email), Las Vegas , Nevada , May 19, 2008 (Mr. Faelnar did not say that Sen. Pimentel�s power point presentation of May 9 was in response to my article/s on federalism. Otherwise his staff would have included it in their almost daily email-press releases to me. The fact that print and broadcast media have not even mentioned it on or after May 9 shows that they have chosen to ignore it for reasons of their own. Anyone who wants a copy of this presentation may send his/her request to [email protected]. As far as I am concerned, Sen. Pimentel�s views are adequately represented by Manuel G. Faelanr and Philip Ortiz whose opinions are aired in toto in these Reactions. Our space in blogspot is limited by the server to 17-18 email pages per post, so we really have no room for long-winded dissertations. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I totally agree with you that we don't need federalism to improve or progress. In fact it will only worsen matters because, as you pointed out, it will only add another layer to our government structure which will be an additional financial burden. Furthermore, it will only create more mini-warlords in our country. Obviously the problem is not in the system but in the people - both the rulers and the governed. If we have good government officials, our country will progress regardless of the system. Even if we presently do not have good officials, if the governed, the people, will be vigilant and assert their right to remove our present corrupt officials and intelligently choose betters officials to replace our most corrupt government in our history, then we can still progress. More power to you. We need writers like you to enlighten our people so they will not be misled by greedy and ambitious politicians. We have to punish our guilty officials starting with GMA. We should not blame our government system. Otherwise, many would believe that corruption, lies, stealing, intimidation, etc. pays. Jose Jacinto/Renato Castillo, (by email), May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I agree you that federalism is not the form of government for us. Demography, geography, multi-dialects, our culture of tayo tayo and kanya kanya could balkanize us if we adopt a federal form of government. I was advocating federalism before, but now I change my mind after reading your comment on Pimentel's federal proposal. But we need a change to GMA's governance that is graft-ridden, unrestrainedly corrupt, and abusive to the detriment of the national interest and wellbeing of the people. I am thinking of a business-like corporation form of government where you have a board of directors constituted by a representative from each of the 12 regions, ARMM and the Cordillera with CJ Puno as Chairman/CEO with the cabinet as corporation officers headed by a non-political person as President/COO. This revolutionary transition government shall institute the necessary reforms to arrest the downtrend of the national situation; create an independent court of inquiry to facilitate the inquiries against GMA, her legitimacy, manner of governance, and other issues imputed against her; suspend government personnel involved in the issues until cleared; create a constitutional commission with the Governors of Philconsa providing the core of constitutionalists to draft a new constitution for ratification of the people in preparation for the establishment of a new constitutional order in 2010. To insure that the major actors of this revolutionary caretaker government will not perpetuate themselves in position, they shall inhibit themselves from running in the first national election of the new constitutional government to be held in 2010. Fortunato U. Abat, (by email), May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Copy furnished by Jose Leonidas) Mga Kapatid, No real strength can emerge from the union of parts if these parts do not carry their individual strengths. Synergy, with its strength-magnifying effect, has to come from the dynamic and harmonious combination ("syn-") of individual energies brought into a healthy teamwork. The way the local government code has been implemented, Manila has kept its powers and the purse and devolved the responsibilities to the LGUs (and allowed the latter to collect their own taxes from the same citizenry already overburdened by national taxes for debt payment, military spending, and mega projects). The republic of the Philippines has not implemented the spirit of its own republic act called "the local government code." The local communities and their LGUs have not been allowed to fully strengthen themselves as intended by the law, while Manila , or even the palace in it, has jealously guarded its role in deciding so many things important in governance. The DILG has been observed to be frequently dictating on the LGUs to do what that palace wants done. The spirit of federalism cannot be served well, if at all, thru an action by the central government dividing up the country. Essentially, the process of federating should come from the localities (ultimately from the neighborhoods and most ultimately from the families) who should have understood and desired beforehand the process of voluntarily clustering for synergy where the resultant entity (state and government) would be our collectively-owned and collectively-controlled instrument for advancing and promoting the federating communities' common and collective interests. If the action starts from "above," the powerful politicians of the "above" will keep right on lording it over everybody else, and the local communities will be weaker and more vulnerable to dictation, to subjugation and to exploitation by national and foreign elite power-holders. Real federalization has to be, sine qua non, a thoroughgoing movement from the grassroots and from nowhere else! This is especially true in the Philippines in whose history the development of voluntary clustering of communities was aborted about half a millennium ago by forcible royal-colonial centralization only to be followed by division (into encomiendas), further division (provinces created and endlessly divided) and later subdivision and further subdivision, all decided and implemented "from above." Even the most well-meaning of our senators cannot (or can no longer) speak in direct representation of local constituencies or communities as such. I believe the senators would have a more effective process had they resolved, instead, to start a determined and thoroughgoing grassroots education campaign For at least the majority of the citizens to realize and fully assert THE PEOPLE'S INALIENABLE RIGHT TO SELF-GOVERNANCE (with elected officials mandated to FAITHFULLY do the people's bidding instead of turning the people into mere passively-suffering followers and voters). I am almost sure the majority of the 11 senators who back Sen. Pimentel's resolution have nothing like this in mind. Instead of having members of Congress (as a Con Ass) ask themselves how they would best HERD the people, they and all servant-leaders of this country should pose this question to the people (and assist in clarifying all the issues and all the options): How are we going to best GOVERN OURSELVES? If the national lawmakers alone debate and decide this matter, relegating the sovereign body politic only to voting "yes" or "no" in a plebiscite, what's to prevent the majority of these lawmakers from adopting some acceptable or at least legally-defensible version of "elected (or comelected) monarchy" and use public opinion manipulation and comelec magic to get it ratified? Legislating federalization from the center runs against the very essence of federalization! Ed Aurelio 'Dng' Reyes, (by email), May 11, 2008 Lead founder and secretary-general, Pamayanang SanibLakas ng Pilipinas wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished by Jose Leonidas) Hi T.I., Of course, your opinion must be respected. I for one has been waiting for somebody to take the challenge of Abaya. I did some cursory verification, but I may have stumbled basically on the same sources from where he drew the "facts" that he used for his article. Thus, at my end, I can only draw the conclusion that he did research on it, unlike the proponents of "Federalism" who merely presented "assumptions". And perhaps, you are the one who has the "facts" for contesting the "facts" cited by Abaya in his article. How about taking it piece by piece, and show exactly where "Abaya did not do his research well"? I truly want to know what are the "errors" in Abaya's article. JMCN (For your information, what you derisively call �facts� I researched mostly in my head, with some statistics and dates from Wikipedia and the �2008 World Almanac and Book of Facts.� I�m glad to know that your �facts� coincide with mine. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Decentralization, A Way Out Failure to launch or being in a bottleneck implies that we�re stuck somewhere. It�s not anything just like that. We are in a quicksand. We did not stagnate for the last 25 years. We kept on sinking down and down. In the race among Asian nations we miserably fell behind because we move slowly, backwards. EQ, the original brand, was still well-off; he could afford a golden bowl without having to steal. It all started when, irked by haughty American meddlers, RM ordered them to speak in Tagalog; he was killed in a mysterious plane crash. Buy Filipino, CPG urged; foreigners bought by the millions, Filipinas mostly. DM devalued the peso; her daughter brought it down to its lowest value. He adopted a floating rate; she simply made it float away through globalization. FM promised that we shall be great again; he made us regret again. We complained of galunggong day in and day out; Cory cured our nausea by placing it beyond our reach. FVR drew illusions of a tiger economy; now we are being eaten up by one who had long been sleeping. ERAP is truly for the mahihirap; he started making us all as his beloved. GMA simply continued the process at a more frenzied pace. She promised more food on our table; now she squanders billions under the pretext of trying to put back some rice on our plates. If it�s any consolation though she made us No.1, in corruption; and MLQ got his wish, a government run like hell by us. The downward trend cannot be stopped by limiting our debt payments, but by limiting our debts. This is not a question of semantics but of strategy. We are not reneging from our commitments. It�s just that we have to live within our means. If we have a debt cap we would be forced to look into our resources at hand. How could the government provide basic services if the taxes it collects are used to pay debts? We prioritize debt servicing only because we are allowed to borrow as much as we can. More money flows in as loans than the amount we lose via amortization, so we inevitably sink deeper and deeper into indebtedness. If we had a debt cap the CTE-NBN deal would not have been possible. PCIJ would not have reported that 7 out of 10 ODA projects reviewed failed to deliver because probably there would be no such rich fodder for graft and corruption. Maybe because of limited number and amount, every proposal could be scrutinized and guarded more carefully. Viewed from this point, Congress must take a break from travels abroad and from Gloria-praising or -bashing and pass a debt cap that would prevent GMA and her successors from doing what she has been doing. Who knows that by trying to live within our means we could be more conscious of our civic duties and begin to be less corrupt and less prolific? Having less money for importation, maybe then we can start producing more rice and more goods for our own use, at least. We understand Congress� reluctance to a debt cap. It would mean lesser money to go around. How could it fund development projects without incurring debts? How could the government finance its bloated bureaucracy and voracious lawmakers? It could. All that is needed is for them to involve the people through the local government units. We are a nation of talents and resources just waiting to be tapped. We have existing systems and structure. We need only strengthen them. For this we do not need to amend the Constitution. We only have to go for a stronger local autonomy. Eustaquio Joven, (by email), May 19, 2008 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected]. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |