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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| �Weep like a Woman�
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on January 21, 2008 For the Standard Today, January 22, 2008 By the year 1482, the Moorish caliphate in the Iberian Peninsula (what is now Spain and Portugal ) had shrunk to a small perimeter around the city of Granada in southeastern Spain . At its zenith, the Muslim armies from North Africa that had invaded the Iberian Peninsula in the years 711 to 718 AD, had conquered most of what are now Spain and Portugal, and had sallied forth into France, where they were finally defeated and driven back by Christian armies led by Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours in the year 732. AD. The Muslim occupation of Spain and Portugal lasted for several centuries leaving an indelible imprint on Iberian culture and civilization. To this day, many modern Europeans sniff that �Africa begins at the Pyrenees .� But by the end of the first millennium (1000 AD), incessant quarrels and fighting among Muslim chieftains � a common enough phenomenon that persists to the 21st century � allowed the Christian kingdoms to fight back and recover lost ground. By the year 1482, the Christians had re-conquered the kingdoms of Toledo , Sevilla and Cordoba .. In the year 1492, when the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus � Cristobal Colon � was sent by the Spanish king on his epochal voyage to the Americas , the Christian kingdoms of Aragon and Castille, reunited by the marriage of their sovereigns, Ferdinand and Isabella, fielded their combined armies and defeated the quarreling Muslims in Granada . The last Muslim caliph in Iberia , Boabdil, was sent weeping into exile back to North Africa . Legend has it that his aged mother bitterly reproached him: �Weep like a woman for the city you would not defend like a man1� Seven years ago, on a scale not quite as grandiose as the events that unfolded in Iberia in 1492, a pretentious rajah � historically the inheritor of the Muslim outpost of Maynilad � also gave up his throne on the banks of the Pasig River as a band of unarmed street demonstrators noisily descended on his Alhambra. His son, the Datu Jinggoy, was weeping openly, and Rajah Erap was teary-eyed, as they and their entourage boarded a motor launch to the rear of their Alhambra that would take them to the relative safety of not quite North Africa, but their scruffy ancestral fiefdom of San Juan . History did not record Erap�s aged mother saying anything quotable during the Teary Escape, but she could just as justifiably have uttered the same humiliating lines hurled at Boabdil in 1492: �Weep like a woman for the city you would not defend like a man.� Whatever happened to Filipino Machismo so often personified � or so I am told � by Erap in his Tagalog movies? Why did he not stand his ground and defend his Alhambra to the death? What was he so afraid of from an undisciplined but unarmed mob? He had his heavily armed Presidential Security Group janissaries, backed up by armored personnel carriers, who would have sent the unarmed mob scurrying for cover with a few shots fired in the air. They may have stopped being under the command of Erap after AFP Chief-of-staff Gen. Angelo Reyes had �withdrawn his support,� but surely Erap�s magic would still have worked wonders with the masa of whom the soldiers were a part... By ignominiously fleeing from the seat of power, Erap gave the Supreme Court the excuse to concoct what only Filipino lawyers could have invented, namely that he had �constructively resigned� from the presidency, thus justifying swearing in his vice-president, Gloria Arroyo, as the new president. Barely five months later, in May 2001, another unarmed mob descended on Erap�s former Alhambra , egged on by the likes of Juan Ponce Enrile and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, this time seeking the �constructive resignation� of Gloria. But unlike the easily frightened Rajah Erap, the steely-nerved Gloria, who has all the intimidating persona of a Girl Scout selling cookies, stood her ground and, in effect, stared the mob eyeball-to-eyeball until they blinked. By hastily abandoning the seat of power without a fight in January 2001, Erap showed himself to be a coward, the exact opposite of the two-fisted Macho Man he liked to portray in his movies and, no doubt, his personal fantasies. Of course, Rajah Erap was following in the footsteps of another Filipino Macho Man, Rajah Ferdinand, who famously but falsely promoted himself as the Most Decorated Filipino Soldier in World War II, with most of his medals awarded to himself decades after the War, when he was already senator��who also abandoned the seat of power without a fight in February 1986. Erap says Jan. 20 2001 was the �death of democracy in the Philippines .� That would have been convincing had he stood his ground and fought heroically to the death. Instead, he �weeps like a woman for the city he was not man enough to defend.� ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Weep like a Woman� More Reactions to �Son of ChaCha� More Reactions to �On Bio-fuels and Glorietta� More Reactions to �GMA�s Successes� On Press Freedom A Simple Man�s View Destabilization Acts of GMA Mr Abaya, Bravo. You hit it right at the button. Maybe that is one episode in Erap's long and colorful life that he wants to forget by all means. So, let's give him a break and let's all get along. Dan Pena, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww BRAVOOO!! Enjoyed this one! Alexander Po, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Your historical lesson is nice to read, but I cannot agree with your comparing it with FM and Erap. Sure, both could maybe have been able to start fighting by commanding their Security Guards, but what would have been the result? A big blaming about a bloodshed when firing in an (not really) unarmed mob. Same than about the Mendiola massacre. And with still very little chances to stay, because both presidents have been abandoned by their military commanders who have seen a chance for becoming more promoted by helping an successor. Ramos, angry that Ver has been back as chief after he was cleared, became even president, Reyes got any promotion and post he wanted, even after retirement age. But as the most important matter, big Sin was behind both oustings, and how do you fight the Church in the super-Catholic Philippines ? As proven now, Sin and the bishops did not even follow the order of the Pope, not really a good example of a honest Catholic leadership. It is only Gloria Arroyo who probably would not think twice to let fire even on unarmed protesters for to stay in power, no matter with or without the Church. Remember, protesting is now already equal to destabilization, a heinous crime. It's only the problem how strong is a "strong republic" if just a handful unarmed protesters can destabilize it? [email protected], Germany , Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Erap's flight response may appear cowardly to you but he has a saying "weather, weather lang iyan." I don't think, we will see the end of it. Just like in the movies---there is Part II or Part Three. What I dread is the vicious cycle of political vendetta especially coming from those who lack the foresight and the moral and intellectual fortitude to be leaders. When it comes to this sort of matter, the Philippines has no scarcity. I admire your metaphor. Unfortunately, the level of our political discourse is not Promethean but Epimethean. Efren Padilla, (by email), Hayward , CA , Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Highly enlightening and entertaining. Had never thought of EDSA 2 in that context. For the record, I think the only woman that really intimated the hell out of "Erap" was President. GMA Best regards, Rico O. Gloton, (by email), Guam, Marianas Islands , Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww At first I thought of printing for distribution to people without computer, your "Weep like a woman" article. It's full of historical facts and I am thankful to be thus informed. But to keep on insulting Erap and even as far back as Ferdinand Marcos for their decision to vacate the seat of power, is akin to a "Bully" who keep on hitting his "Victim" even when he is down and out. I didn't support Erap's ways especially when he was at the helm of power, but let's leave him a little of his humanity. Knowing all the facts that lead to his vacating Malacanang, I would consider all those who plotted the removal of a duly elected President of the Republic, the JUDAS ISCARIOTs, the kind of people who should never be trusted "ever again" in any form. I never voted for Erap and I certainly do not owe him anything. Perhaps we should ask ourselves - Is it posible that both Marcos and Estrada didn't want our people to kill each other over the greed for power and corruption? Are we better of today than during Marcos' and Estrada's time? The survey by International observers show that we are worst today than during their tenures. Is GMA a better president, a better administrator, a better leader as compared to her predecesors? Despite the question of her legitimacy? I hope you can juistify. What we need is a little understanding as Christian-Filipinos. Let's go forward. No more Cha-cha please! Jose Regino, (by email), Zamboanga City , Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: WOW, BRAVO! Our erstwhile Renaissance Man has transformed himself into a lunatic-comedic prince of a writer sending this fan into spasmodic frenzy, howling like a crazy hyena.! Equipped with barbs and a glistening sharp dagger piercing (his poisonous pen) the animated Rajah Erap into a mere fool. I am howling, Mr. Renaissance Man! How deceptive and creative, Tony. Starting this piece by historically staging an El Cid scenario with familiar settings in Spain I have visited. You completely fooled us, my friend. You sharp comedic barbs simply threw me off helter-skelter. And I love it I have been reading that Rajah Erap will rob for the presidency in 2010 with Cory Aquino's endorsement so the Rajah could finish his term? Excuse me? Is Aquino crazy or what? Thank you, Tony, for an excellent, belly-busting article. You couldn't have done it any better. Cheers, Oscar Apostol, (by email), Roseville , CA ,.Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I cracked up upon reading your article. Please keep it coming. The historical background plus your wit in comparing Erap's reign is in itself an "Eraption" joke. Thanks for sending. Alfonso, [email protected]), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr Abaya, I thought that Marcos left the country before 1986, can you verify this for me or am I just confused. Very good article. Thanks, Mario Samoy, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 (Rajah Ferdinand left the Malacanang grounds with Datu Danding and their families on board two USAF helicopters on February 24, 1986 for Clark Air Base, where they boarded a USAF transport plane for Hawaii . ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Oh my, that's a new twist... weep like a woman they did and no amount of macho stance will they ever have a chance at grabbing the cookie out of little girlie scout tiny little iron hand yet so proud and mighty. This Edsa 2 is really a joke and the people just got suckered once again as unwitting pawns in a power grab; thus even La Gloria dare not celebrate it's 7 year itch errr anniversary. Is it the fear of rekindling the love-hate relationship she has with the other side of the trapoistic divide and their zombie-like followers? Not that La Gloria�s dogs errr followers are different but they sure know how to enjoy it while it lasts or make it last as in..... FOREVER. Political Jaywalker, [email protected], Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, A fine piece of literature! It is very enjoyable to read. . Cesar Sarino, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr Abaya, This is a short but good piece. I was drawn to it by the title, because, curiously, although I am a woman, I don't weep like one. :) 'Mataas ang luha', as the old ones used to put it. Anyway, I, and I guess many others, envy Boabdil's aged mother for her bitter reproach, which has passed to us, here in the second millenium. Let us thank the bystander with keen hearing who captured the moment and wasted no time in transmitting Boabdil's humiliation for generations to come. As for Erap, I don't think I need to add anymore to your succint words about him. Ethel, [email protected], Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony: Excellent journalistic piece! Keep it up. Gil Santos, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear sir, Sorry, your piece is not so impressive this time. The circumstances were just too different. Your were citing a past incident that pitted muslim against christian, a foreign invading force vs native iberians. The one involving erap involved Filipinos only, and predominantly christians. I would say, quite irrelevant. Vincent Omictin, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Any President would rather die to protect his bank account than defend the constitution. After all, by preserving one's wealth he could buy that seat he left behind along the banks of Pasig . Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City , Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony -- Excellent. and thanks for refreshing our fading memories on the superb quote: Weep like a woman over a city you could not defend as a man. Johnny Mercado, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Sir Tony, I Salute you Mr. Antonio C. Abaya for this piece. WONDERFUL.!!!! Emilio Z. Vagas, (by email), Upper Bicutan Taguig City , Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Yes, Tony, these are very good lessons in LEADERSHIP. Borrowing from John Maxwells leadership bible.. -If your leadership doesn�t work at home, don�t export it -Trouble comes when leaders spend more time trying to keep their job rather than to do their job. -Leaders must hear from God before they speak for God -God selects leaders based on their heart, not just from their head and hands. -Human promotion does not equal divine empowerment. Ang Kapatiran Party says "those who are afraid to die are not fit to serve" (Nandy's quotables) God bless our country!! Eric Manalang, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 Ang Kapatiran Party wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, "Weep like a Woman" is a really great piece. I have enjoyed reading your articles these past few years, but I find this one --so simply written-- exceptional. Tonypet (Araneta), (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Manong Tony, A very nice essay indeed. The chemist in you show in many of your articles. More power and God bless. Jerry Quibilan, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, This is with reference to the two forwards that I received during the height of the holiday season. One friend sent me a copy of your article on Nationalism and another sent me commentaries on "Divine Intervention". I would like to offer my own comment on Nationalism which would explain the downtrend of our economy over the years. In a speech before the PHILCONSA group, labor advocate and former Undersecretary of Labor, Amado Gat Inciong, said that it was during the fifties when my father the late Dr. Salvador Araneta, then Secretary of Economic Coordination, led other nationalists in building 1,500 industries. This was quite a surge of economic growth because it happened almost overnight. Gat Inciong in that speech decried the loss of the said industries due to the World Bank, IMF and World Trade Organization conditions as well as American imperialist policies. Gat Inciong recognized the problem stemmed from the lack of nationalism that had permeated our society, citing further that our "so called entrepreneurs had reduced themselves into junior partners of corporate America ." To some the word �nationalism� is a bad word; to others nationalism is dead but there are still those who have this great passion to uphold our country's sovereignty. Filipinos should be able to determine that we be given equal rights as those accorded powerful nations, so that we may enjoy our birthright as heirs of heroes such as Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. The last being very evident as seen by the response to your column. You have a diverse group of readers who have concrete opinions on the issues that must be addressed if we are to become a great nation. A reader, Jojie Umali of Riyadh , Saudi Arabia (Nov. 29, 2007) saw Bonifacio as the model of leadership needed in the country today. Mr. Umali also mentioned the idea of Bayanicracy introduced by my father. I wish to commend Mr. Umali for remembering my father since Bayanicracy was the form of democracy that he envisioned. My father introduced his Bayanikasan Constitution in the late 60s for the then upcoming Constitutional Convention of 1971. The core of Bayanicracy was to make each one of us act like heroes or Bayani for our country or Bayan. My father's vision included the democratization of wealth, participatory democracy, the diffusion of power of the president as well as congress, more power to be given to the auditor general and power sharing. Governance, not by a junta but by a triumvirate of power: the President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly. It was by no means close to the kind of Federal Government that Gloria Arroyo is drumming up. Before closing may I suggest that you give details in your column on specifics on the new rules of the game as dictated by World Bank, IMF and World Trade Organization. May I further suggest that you interview Dr. Nicanor Perlas on the issue of food and chemicals, how they affect our farmers and yes, we the consumers and the nation. With best wishes, Maria Lina A. Santiago , (by email), Jan. 24, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You contrast Erap's "weepy" reaction to the mob that called for his ouster with that of the "steely-eyed" Gloria, (I wrote �steely-nerved,� not �steely-eyed� ACA) without mentioning the people who died in a hail of gunfire from Gloria's prostituted military. But, of course, why should those people's deaths matter? They were just the "riff raff" anyway, as Gloria's Catholic-schooled allies would describe them. What Erap did and why may be debated for many years to come, but one thing is certain: bloodshed was avoided. You even blame Erap for the derisively termed "constructive resignation" dreamt up by an irresponsible and dishonest Supreme Court. Has it ever ocurred to you that the Chief Justice need not have sworn in Gloria as president? (Swearing in of a new president is required by the Constitution. ACA) What they did, they did to protect their own jobs, as Gloria had reportedly threatened to abolish the Supreme Court. (The Supreme Court cannot be abolished by anyone, not even by the President. ACA) Erap may be many things, but a coward? If he were so, why didn't he flee the country? (Because he was promised a return to power by PNP Gen. Panfilo Lacson �in five days.� But Lacson himself was stripped of his police command by the military generals who �withdrew their support� from Erap. ACA) By staying he risked a lot, perhaps even his own life. Right there, you can see why, if clean and honest elections were held tomorrow, Erap will win hands down. Alex Menez, (by email), Jan. 29, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Son of ChaCha� (Jan. 10, 2008) DearTony, At the rate ABS-CBN is giving the full support to Noli de Castro in his media sorties plus GMA�s approval and support with his housing program projects, Noli�s chances of being in the forefront among the presidentiables is not far fetched. In addition, if the genuine opposition doest not closed rank to come out with a single candidate, Noli�s mass-based following, like Erap, will be a big factor for the administration coalition parties to back him up. But again, if GMA and Mike Arroyo have a different agenda by supporting a KAMPI candidate, we will be facing a divided administration candidates which the opposition would like to see. JDV/FVR is most likely to break-away with GMA since the First Couple has heir own agenda. On the other hand, your prediction that the scenario will be GMA will push for a parliamentary elections thru ConAss is a little bit off-tangent since the past skirmish in Congress and even hurdles with the Supreme Court proved them it is doomed for failure, simply because the heart and mind of the people are against such political animal. There is no way, a ChaCha will occur if GMA does not want a peoples� uprising or civil war even if the AFP is behind her. We, OFWs, will oppose it in the strongest terms even using a protracted urban revolutionary tactics which will involve all sectors of society. I didn�t say armed struggle but civil disobediences and the paralization of all commercial activities in the main cities of the country to drum up our opposition to such event. Just like the failed Congressional coup in Dec. 2006 to push for a ChaCha election, I predict their second attempt will again be a failure since it will be met by a very strong opposition from the broad ranks among the people which will involve the men in uniform this time. GMA maybe winning with her economic gains but politically she is a lame duck and just playing her advantage to the hilt to buy time, power and strategic maneuvers. But the people cannot be fooled all the time, will not be allowed to be fooled all the time and will be tired of her gimmicks and the law of the average says she will meet her karma at the proper time at the end of 2010. My five cents of opinion. Jojie Umali, (by email), Riyadh , Saudi Arabia , Jan 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww These battery of whining letters seemed endless to me. Is there a soul who can execute a plan turning negativity into a productive strategy that'll uplift your group's reading comfort. Provide us solutions rather than utilizing all these lines to aggravate ourselves. Whining about how bad our country's stewards is just a another form of "hostage" to our beloved nation. Let's revered the words of John F Kennedy, won't we? Thanks, MD of GA, [email protected], Jan. 22, 2008 (May I suggest that you counter this alleged negativity by giving positive ideas of your own? And don�t forget to attach your full name to your ideas. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Ay! Tony!!! Power corrupts, really! Subas Herrero, (by email), Jan. 24, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �On Bio-fuels and Glorietta� (Jan. 15, 2008) Tony: This is in response to electrical engineer Tan about electrical as the ignition source of the Glorietta gas explosion. As I mentioned before in response to your previous articles, gas tanks should not be stored in basements or confined spaces. Gas leakage from the pipe joints or connections of these tanks can cause a gas build-up. A simple innocent-looking non-explosion proof electrical fan or machinery can create a spark to cause the gas explosion. We have to assume that the electrical fan(s) or machinery were installed properly in accordance with appropriate code and industry practice, however, the basement with the leaking gas made the environment unsafe. This was a case of "an accident waiting to happen." Investigators should be looking on the "root cause" (improper location of gas tanks) rather than the apparent cause of the accident. Rudy Hermosa, (by email), Boston MA , Jan. 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Goodness me. Here we go again, shooting ourselves in the foot, this time over bio-fuels. Congressman Golez, among others, are now questioning the validity of bio-fuels to the Philippines , a country that imports 100 percent of its fuels. Certainly, there are valid points against bio-fuel production from certain feedstocks. The EU quotes the destruction of thousands of hectares of rain forest in order to produce palm oil. Well, show me the thousands of hectares available for destruction in the Philippines . Take a look, - they have already gone, leaving land that is useless for anything other than reforestation. Take a drive through Zamabales. For over 100 kms. A few hectares of r iceland until the base of the previously forested hills. These hills currently are host to scrub, yet could be covered with oil-producing jatropha. If they could grow food, they would be dong so now. This picture is repeated throughout the Philippines . Thousands of unproductive hectares that could be used for producing bio-diesel from a bush that is a native to the Philippines . Not only will millions of dollars be saved from the purchase of imported oil, but, more importantly, jatropha plantation being labor intensive, thousands of jobs are created in the countryside, a major contribution to alleviating poverty. If Indonesia and Malaysia are destroying ran forest to produce palm oil, that is their problem. In the Philippines , we destroyed ours decades ago, and left it worthless. This is our opportunity to put it, and the people who exist on it, to work. Leave Europe�s problems in Europe . Leave the USA �s problems to them. Let us not politicize bio-fuel to the detriment of thousands of Filipinos. The humble tuba-tuba will turn useless land into productive plantations, bring in millions of Euros as foreign investment and provide a quality life to thousands. If Congressman Golez cannot see that, I will be happy to put my three years research and show him a plantation now thriving on previously barren land.. Alan C. Atkins, (by email), Paranaque City , Jan. 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Too much talk about jathropa is proving disadvantageous to the promotion of bio-fuels which in a peak oil and climate changing world have become a necessity. because if we talk of jathropa alone, we cannot meet the bio-fuel feedstock demand by 2009 and even in 2015, even if plant all our farmlands with jathropa. There are many other sources of bio-fuel that would make us meet our bio-fuel blend targets as provided for in the Bio-Fuels Act. Jathropa compared to other crops have relatively low bio-fuel recoverable, compared to other crops. Why don't we explore them, like malunggay (moringa) whose oil is not just good bio-fuel feedstock but also an edible oil. And many more, we have coconut, even certain species of algae which can contain 60 times more bio-fuel than jathropa. I do not have anything against jathropa as long as it is not planted as a mono-crop but as an intercrop to other high value crops like mango or high value vegetables. This way we make use of jathropa as bio-fuel feedstock and as a service plant for soil conservation. And as long as we do not hinge the renewable energy, alternative fuel targets to it. May i also comment that most of those who are commenting on bio-fuels are just doing so from the comfort of their desks surfing the net. Reality on the ground is that we need to reforest vast tracks of land denuded either by legal and illegal logging with the correct mix of planting the trees for reforestation, carbon sequestration, food and bio-fuel feedstock along with other bio-fuel plants should be studied and pursued. Several studies even those made by the DA have suggested that jathropa be used as an inter-crop and not as a mono-crop. By all means we should stop converting prime agricultural lands planted with basic agri crops such as rice or corn into jathropa. Doing so is not just destructive to our food security but stupid from the farmer's point of view. Bency Ellorin, (by email), Cagayan de Oro City, Jan. 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, What I can say is that:: 1. With regards to the Glorietta Blast: Gas or bomb explosion or whatever, the Ayalas had suffered a lot with that Glorietta blast. They got plenty of money to do and buy anything they want except security on their constructed edifice, and competent people to do the job. Finding the truth is just like looking who masterminded the job to kill Ninoy, and thats how thing goes here in our country. Truth like a commodity can be bought with money. 2. With regards to Jathropa, the following are given: We have hundreds of thousands of lands suitable for jathropa progpagation, composed of, idle and forest denuded lands. IPs, farmers, and NGOs are waiting for the tuba-tuba seeds promised by Philippine Forest Corporation (with the 500M money from PNOC) are now gone. For this inventories availabe at the DA, agri lands will not be touched. Source, DA We, Filipinos had the character to do the lots of talking, procarastinate, and to things only at the last minute. If we have to start, we Filipinos should stop talking, and altogether start it now, before it is too late and suffer the consequences. Rodolfo Cada, (by email), Jan. 22, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Just an input and a question. On biofuels: we had a seminar in Vietnam late November last year about alternative energy and the speaker presented a shopping list of alternative energy sources, from practical and cheap to sophisticated and expensive. To make the story short, now we have a project about collecting all those used cooking oil from the factory kitchens (a factory would employ from 1000 up to 10,000 workers, and in the factory where we had the seminar, they have more than 60,000 workers in more than 10 facilities inside the industrial compound). Usually, the factories have fried fish or meat for workers' lunch, so there's a lot of used cooking oil there. The oil will pass through a filter and a digester just to clean it. After the process it will be used to fire the genset or a heavy diesel engine vehicles like forklift. It is not advisable for modern diesel engine cars though it can be used. Then there was a demo using a fresh, unused cooking oil, put in the forklift diesel tank and voila! The forklift was working without dark smoke coming out of the muffler. Using the fresh oil was only for demo purposes because a liter of that fresh cooking oil costs twice as much as the diesel in Vietnam , it is just to show that cooking oil can work as fuel. Anyway, we have also proved that already here in the Philippines . During power failure, we do not use candles or emergency re-chargeable lights. Instead we use used cooking oil (with salt in a glass and a cotton) to make a lamp. What about the used cooking oil from our fast food chains here? Are they also cleaning it? I heard some are reprocessing it but not for fuel but as a lower grade cooking oil to sell to some small store again which of course have some health concerns. About the Glorietta blast: I was working in a gas company before and we had a fire accident. The office building was burnt to ashes. There where about 5 LPG cylinders displayed in the office at the costumer reception area. During the fire, those cylinders exploded one after the other, not all at the same time, as the fire was raging for about 30 minutes already and the temperature inside the building was scorchingly hot. I would say that all cylinders were under the same temperature condition but they didn't exploded all at the same time, there was an interval of about 3 minutes each. In the Glorietta basement, the 50-kg LPG cylinders are usually installed in a manifold. It could be highly improbable that all the cylinders will explode all at the same or just in two instances. The LPG cylinders in our office did not explode all at the same time because of the different physical condition of the tank, some are old some are new. I hope the authorities or the court will arrive at the most convincing cause of explosion, beyond reasonable doubt. Edilberto Anit, (by email), Jan. 22, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: Seriously considering the opinion of these scientists, it is clear that there are negative trade-offs involved in biofuels. My concern is that President Arroyo and her experts are bent on pursuing a program to go into biofuels on a large scale, probably in the hope that this will reduce by a significant degree the country's long dependence on fossil fuels. Hydrogen is the way to go. Even as these lines are written, there are now prototypes of motor vehicles using hydrogen undergoing road tests in the U.S. , Japan , and Europe . I have very high hopes that sooner rather than later the world will be able finally to free itself of dependence on fossil fuels and go into an energy source, hydrogen, which is clean. Mariano Patalinjug, (by email), Yonkers , NY , Jan. 22, 2008 (I have been promoting hydrogen fuel cells since I was shown a demonstration of it in Irvine , California , in 1995. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony. Your last two articles, while concluding on different subjects, both included references to energy production, either with bio-fuels or nuclear power. Many are the political tragedies that have plagued the Philippines but the enormous impact of failing to provide sustainable, non-polluting energy production has repercussions that have not been fully measured. Why not revisit nuclear power? France and Japan are leading the world in this area providing clear and proven examples of the correct way to proceed. I've looked at the objections, one of which is nuclear waste. Modern nuclear power technology has reached the point where the typical family's nuclear waste production over a 20 year period occupies the same space as a roll of coins. All the nuclear waste produced over the last 40 years by France is safely contained in a relatively small area. Granted, politicalization of the issue has prevented France from finding a permanent repository, but this is not the fault of the technology. Another objection is earthquakes. Japan has earthquakes, and very large ones at that. Japanese, and most other, nuclear plants are designed to withstand earthquakes, and in the event of major earth movement, to shut down safely In 1995, the closest nuclear power plants 110 km north of Kobe, were unaffected by the severe Kobe-Osaka earthquake, but in 2004, 2005 and 2007 Japanese reactors shut down automatically due to ground acceleration exceeding their trip settings. In 1999, three nuclear reactors shut down automatically during the Taiwan earthquake, and were restarted two days later. It's time stop the emotional bickering about nuclear power and look at the scientific facts. We desperately need to stop burning fossil fuels that pollute our environment and switch to clean, inexpensive, nuclear power. Tim Forman, (by email), Seattle-Tacoma , WA , Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �GMAs Successes� (Jan. 17, 2008) Tony, You are right that bureaucrats do not sit on papers for years for no reason and that there was pressure from environmentalists. The biggest problem was that there was "The Enemy Within," the EMB-DENR in the person of then EMB Director Ganapin. He and then DENR Secretary Factoran thought that they were doing the environment a big favor by delaying the operations of the Calaca and Masinloc power plants. As with many misguided so-called 'environmentalists,' they have no idea of the more deleterious effects of a power crisis, such as the operations of thousands of generators for factories, office buildings and homes, and the adverse effects on the economy that eventually negatively impacts on the environment. Regards. Rick Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa , Laguna, Jan. 28, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww On Press Freedom With regards to the issues raised by the media practitioners against the DOJ directive limiting their (media's) access during emergencies, I hate to say this, but the government side will have a better chance of winning with their arguments. Why did I say that? Because, reviewing the US Supreme Court decisions similar to this issue, here are some of the landmark opinions: In Zemel v. Rusk and Pell v. Procunier , in which the Court held that �the right to speak and publish DOES NOT CARRY THE UNRESTRAINED RIGHT to gather information.� "Newsmen have no constitutional right of access to the scenes of crime or disaster when the general public is excluded." (Branzburg v. Hayes) Also, conventional wisdom dictates that there's no such thing as absolute rights. Did I say pinabibili lang ako ng suka ng nanay ko, where can I apply as a news reporter? Thank you, John Dee, (by email), Jan. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww These bunch of "spoiled brats" of journalists belonging to a giant ABS CBN Television claim, that their arrest in the aftermath of Manila Peninsula siege was illegal and it violated their rights to free speech, free press and right to information. If these "spoiled brats" want to be in the middle of a war zone, then let them be! My advice to our law enforcers is simple: Allow these bunch of "spoiled brats" to continue covering such events -- most especially where their lives are in danger, and let them suffer the consequence of being shot, killed, maimed, etc. Let them be victims of their own stupidity. Bernard Pacheco, (by email), Jan. 25, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww A Simple Man�s View Hello Tony: I've been following these emails and your column as well. I am not an economist nor an expert in anything. I live In Tuguegarao, Cagayan and I have a simplistic opinion which I gathered over the years. There's so much talk about GDP and other highfalluting terms and figures. But what I observe is quite basic. Poverty seems to be an occurrence only in Mega Manila and other highly urbanized cities only. I've been around a bit and out in the farm areas, I almost never witness "poverty" in the economist's sense. People in the fields (farmers mostly) and their families eat well, are happy and have almost no real problems. I gather that this is the case because they don't "want". It's when they start to "want" that they flock to the cities in search for a "better life". Then they get stuck there with no jobs and live in such abhorrable conditions. I have gathered that having failed in their quest in the city, they are too embarrassed to go back to their provinces for fear that they would be ridiculed behind their backs. To this humble citizen, no "Miracle Worker" president can ever solve the economy for real, no matter what. The people have to solve their own problems by realizing that they have to retreat from their defeat in the city and just go back to the provinces where they will never go hungry. Tony Ubago, (by email), Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Jan. 28, 2008 (But, realistically, how do you convince the four million squatters in Metro Manila to go back to their provinces? ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww GMA�s Acts of Destabilization GMA is wont to violating the Constitution and the Rule of Law if only to reward loyalty and cushion her survival regardless of the destabilizing effects of her unwarranted actions. The unlawful appointments of sub-cabinet officers and bureau directors in the civilian bureaucracy destabilizes the professionalization of the civil service. And so with the unconstitutional extension of Chief of Staff Esperon beyond his retirement age which destabilizes efforts toward military professionalism. Certainly, any successor to the position of Chief of Staff will strive to outdo the accomplishments of his predecessor. The only basis for a Chief of Staff to be extended beyond his retirement age and even beyond his term of office of three years is when Congress declares a state of war or national emergency. And so in the military and police establishments, rumblings and plottings, especially among the middle leadership and the rank and file, continue not only because of slow or lack of action on the report of the Davide and Feliciano Commissions and the Mayuga report on the military participation in the fraudulent election of 2004, but also the unwarranted violations of the Constitution and the Rule of Law affecting the uniformed services. Having learned lessons from EDSA 1 and 2, GMA will never tolerate military adventurism or accede to constitutional processes that will cause her downfall because she knows she will pay for the wrongs she has done against the people and the nation. The lifting of 1017 was cosmetic because the vindictive spirit had been felt even before it was proclaimed and continued after it was lifted. The war against those that GMA fantasizes as her enemies is intensified. But the vengeance to forcibly expel the leaders of plots will not solve the national outrage against her because among the soldiers and the people will grow another head. Yes, 1017 is out but repression against fantasized enemies continues. Long-term stability will happen only when the national problem causing the destabilization of the nation is removed. And since she is the problem, there is nothing more for GMA to discern but to be morally courageous and patriotic enough to step down for the good of the country and people. I firmly believe that before a cha-cha is effected a caretaker government should be set up to clean the dirt of our trapo system and provide a timelined transition to ferry the people from a dysfunctional governance to a new constitutional order. Fortunato Abat, (by email), Jan. 30, 2008 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |