Gen. Garcia's Plea Bargaining Agreement: My personal note...

Our Professor in Problem Areas in Legal Ethics required us to write about our opinion regarding the controversial Plea Bargaining Agreement entered into by Gen. Garcia and the government through the Ombudsman and the Office of Special Prosecutor. At first, i dont want to write because i might be subjective. But, for compliance purposes i have to. :) 

Well, corruption in our country is normal nowadays... Despite all campaigns against it, no one can fully eradicate it... As what i teach to my students, if we dont want corruption, practice it in our own lives. Many people sees corruption conclusively on the part of the government. That is wrong. In our own small acts, we may corruption. Like in students, asking money for a project that never exists... employees using the resources of their office... and many more... 

Therefore, erasing corruption in our nation is a collective act, it's not all about people in the government but all of us, citizens of our country... Yes, it may sound flowery, but at least by doing so we may move others to act against it... So, hereunder is my opinion submitted to Atty. Edith Santos:

Corruption is the main problem in our nation. Though it’s not new to us, efforts are still in process to lessen if not completely eradicate that epidemic culture. The shout out of the new administration is to kill corruption to renew public trust for us to achieve wide development. 

Recently, our government was caught in a situation where its defenders also involved not only in a cheap corruption but in tons of corruption which entails billions of pesos. Such was dubbed as “Military Corruption” that led to a surprising suicide committed by one of its prominent leaders.

That evolves from a legal issue about plea bargaining agreement entered into by the Ombudsman and Gen. Garcia. Accordingly, plea bargaining is an agreement in a criminal case where the prosecutor offers the defendant to the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser offense with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence. 

Gen. Garcia, who was in charge of disbursement of military funds when he held the post of AFP comptroller, is by far the highest-ranked military official undergoing trial by the anti-graft court for the crime of plunder, or graft and corruption on a massive scale. 

He walked free after entering a plea bargaining agreement with the Office of the Ombudsman by pleading not guilty to charges of plunder and violation of Sec. 4-A of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) and guilty to the charges of direct bribery and Section 4-B of the AMLA before the Sandiganbayan's Second Division. 

Legally speaking, plea bargaining is a legal remedy available to accused. For practical purposes, an accused would have it executed to escape from a bigger punishment though entails guilt on his part. However, existing rules must be applied thereof. In the case of Gen. Garcia, plea bargaining was entered into without the consent of the aggrieved party. Since the case involves public money, the aggrieved party, which in this case the state must be rightfully represented by the President. Hence, consent of the President or even its alter ego in the military should at least be informed for it to give his comment, suggestions, and recommendation or outright approval or disapproval. 

I believe that in this special case of corruption, the plea bargaining entered into by the parties herein is illegal in view of the foregoing statement. Speaking outside the legal arena, the plea bargaining in this special case must be disregarded. Again, the crime committed involves public money which essentially involves also public trust imposed upon Gen. Garcia. Though he plead guilty of the lesser crime, we know, and it is evident based on the on-going investigation that Gen. Garcia and the rest of the gang committed such betrayal of trust and destroyed the image of our supposed to be defenders. The congress should therefore revisit the rules related to plea bargaining and set exceptions taking into consideration the public interest superior to the rights given to the accused. Thus, public welfare should always be protected though it may prejudice one’s rights who confirmed the charged against him. 

(Feb.24, 2011, 3:30 am @ bhok's residence)

 

 

Salute to the Chief!

Lord Baden-Powell

 Today we celebrate the 154th birth anniversary of Lord Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell.

Known simply as BP, is the founder of the world acknowledged Boy Scout Movement. Without him, there will be no scouting which i am proudly part of. I am sure he is very happy now in heaven seeing the organization he founded is spreading through out the globe. For him, scouting is not only more on camping, hiking, swimming and  the like, scouting was formed for the holistic development of scouts through learning by doing. That's what my Scoutmaster, Sir Ernie Albea thought to us. I really love hearing Sir Albea talking about the history of Scouting especially on the story of BP which Sir Albea effectively conveyed to us. Sir Albea's efficient teachings about BP inspired one of my co-scouts, Romnick Nealiga to use "BP" as nickname of his youngest brother. That is how we value scouting in our lives, my sincerest gratitude to my Scoutmaster Sir Albea, who really touched our lives by inculcating to us the essence of scouting in  our own private lives. Special mention is also given to Mam Ezperanza Ramos-Starks who served as our equalizer during our senior scouting days, thanks Lady Starks.

Though i haven't finished yet his book "Scouting for Boys" (1908), his passion to train the youth in surviving and moral development are evident in his writings. I dream to go and to camp with my fellow scouts and with my scoutmaster in "Brownsea Island" where he had a camp with 22 young boys. If that will happen, i will ask Sir Albea to dress like him with... :) 

In his last message, BP wrote:

"I have had a most happy life and I want each one of you to have a happy life too. I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness does not come from being rich, nor merely being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence. One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so you can enjoy life when you are a man. Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one. But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best. 'Be Prepared' in this way, to live happy and to die happy — stick to your Scout Promise always — even after you have ceased to be a boy — and God help you to do it."

That message really inspires me...  lesson that we can share to others... use this to touch other people so that they may realize that happiness cannot be enjoyed alone... If only scouting ideals are truly observed by our leaders, perhaps, our country will achieve the road of progress as envisioned by Rizal. 

BP while conducting an inspection to young scouts

In 1939, he and his wife moved to a cottage he had commissioned in Nyeri, Kenya, near Mount Kenya, where he had previously been to recuperate. The small one-room house, which he named Paxtu, was located on the grounds of the Outspan Hotel, owned by Eric Sherbrooke Walker, Baden-Powell's first private secretary and one of the first Scout inspectors. Walker also owned the Treetops Hotel, approx 17 km out in the Aberdare Mountains, often visited by Baden-Powell and people of the Happy Valley set. The Paxtu cottage is integrated into the Outspan Hotel buildings and serves as a small Scouting museum.

Baden-Powell died on 8 January 1941 and is buried in Nyeri, in St. Peter's Cemetery His gravestone bears a circle with a dot in the centre , which is the trail sign for "Going home", or "I have gone home". When his wife Olave died, her ashes were sent to Kenya and interred beside her husband. Kenya has declared Baden-Powell's grave a national monument.

So, to all Scouts! Let's honor our founder today by doing good deeds and thank our scoutmaster for the learnings and wisdom they imparted to us! Happy BP day!

PNoy's Speech on the International Assembly and Conference on Rizal

Hereunder is the speech of no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines addressing the delegates-brother knights from all over the world: 

Presidential Speech
February 17, 2010
Centennial Hall, Manila Hotel
Philippines

Magandang gabi po. Maupo ho tayo lahat. Maupo ho tayo muna. 

Mayor Alfredo Lim, Dr. Pablo Trillana III, Justice Justo Torres Jr., Mr. Lamberto Nangkil, Mr. Rogelio Quiambao, Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., Don Emilio Yap, Former Senator Joey Lina, members of the Supreme Council and the Council of Elders, local and foreign members of the Order of the Knights of Rizal, fellow workers in government, honored guests, mga minamahal ko pong kababayan:

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

Jose Rizal was a Renaissance man. He was a writer, a doctor, a scientist, a teacher and a linguist. Had he chosen to live the life of a rich illustrado without a care in the world, he could have done so comfortably. And yet, our national hero could not ignore what was happening to his beloved Philippines, suffering under the yoke of a colonial power that had oppressed and exploited his people. So he turned his back on a quiet, uneventful life and instead dedicated himself to writing the wrongs he saw around him.

I suppose it would belabor the point for me to tell you that what Rizal identified as the cancers of this society have not been fully healed. A quick look at our country will make us realize -- there are many of us who remain hungry, uneducated, homeless and deprived of access to basic human rights. After so many revolutions, against so many different tyrants, we are led to question: Have we truly achieved freedom? Is this what our national hero envisioned? But perhaps the more important question is: Are we, as Knights of Rizal and as citizens of this country, doing what we can do to address these problems the way our national hero once did?

The real reason we are gathered here is not just because of an anniversary, not just because of history, but also because of the fact that we must remember and reignite the ideals that our national hero Jose Rizal gave his entire life to. 

Today is a reminder of the tasks that lay ahead of all of us. The Knights of Rizal have done their fair share in this. By encouraging our youth to become new Rizals, to work beyond borders, and to innovate across sectors. Your annual Rizal Youth Leadership program is just one example of the many ways in which you have fulfilled your part in our collective responsibilities as Filipinos. 

But again, today’s celebration tells us that we must not relent -- that as you had formed the honor guard in Rizal’s burial in 1912, you continue to form the honor guard of his memory. 

You are supposed to be the teachers of his ethics, defenders of his patriotism, and living examples of his belief in civic participation. You are knights; complete with ranks and insignia, which are recognized by the Honors Code of the Philippines as official awards of the Republic, and if you hold strong and continue your dedicated work, and if each and every person in this country does the same, then we will forge further onward into being the Philippines that Jose Rizal once dreamed of, that all of us continue to dream of. 

By this I mean: do not waver, do not stray from the straight and righteous path, and know that you are not alone. This is the same commitment I continue to ask of every Filipino I meet, every partner in rebuilding this nation. It is also the same commitment I give for the next five and a half years as a leader, as a citizen of this republic borne out of the sacrifice of so many of our ancestors, among them a doctor from Calamba.

One of the famous anecdotes about Rizal is that when the Spanish doctor took his pulse before his execution, the doctor was surprised to see that he was perfectly calm. This comes from the power of knowing that one is doing the right thing, of having a clear conscience, and we must learn from this. Each and every Filipino must see that the old way of doing things in the darkness of corruption and deceit has been banished by the broad light of day that has shined on this country once more.  

We have returned to the much older, much more classical, and much nobler ideals of our heroes -- the ideals of honesty and transparency, and nationalism. 

The Filipino people can dream again. Finally, we can stay true to and fulfill the responsibilities that our heroes have passed onto our shoulders. 

Finally, under this newfound daylight, we can rebuild this country; we can bequeath to our children a Philippines finally rid of the cancer that has plagued it for centuries, a Philippines that is truly free.

And before I end, may I thank you for the honors you have bestowed upon me today, and I shall endeavor to be worthy of them in the coming days till the end of our lives.

Thank you. Good night.

He delivered the speech so fast yet I understand his message word per word, after this, a round of applause was given and suddenly he sneaked out in the side of the stage going through the back stage disappointing the Regional Commanders for photo opportunity and the dinner prepared for him by Manila Hotel. According to reports (from palace), he has a fever and cancelled all his appointments for this day. On the next day, he was reportedly suffering from fever and flu. True enough, he was vindicated. :)

International Assembly and Conference on Rizal

The Supreme Council during the opening ceremonies

I attended the International Assembly and Conference on Rizal last February 17 and 18 at Manila Hotel hosted by the Supreme Council of the Order of the Knights of Rizal. I was there not because my boss is the Deputy Supreme Commander, but because I belong to the Order, the youngest member (later you will see in the pictures why)... This is not an ordinary affair that i usually go to... In this Assembly, notable speakers like two former chief justices of the Supreme Court, Sir Hilario Davide and Sir Reynato Puno, former Supreme Court Justice Sir Justo Torres, an international known scientist, Nicanor Perlas and no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines, H.E. Sir Noynoy Aquino graced and talked about the superb character of our National Hero and the significance of his heroism today. 

an opportunity with Sir Hilario Davide, JR, KGCR, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

With the Supreme Commander, Sir Pablo S. Trillana III, a very wise man..

The Flicker Boys... Sir Mark, Sir Senen, the big boss (Sir Reghis), Sir Angie, Sir Brian & Sir Paul

with the world recognized scientist, Nicanor Perlas, though i did not vote for him last election, i like him.. :)

My Chapter Commander, Sir Rey Malig who just received then the rank of Knight Grand Officer of Rizal, Congrats Sir Rey... 

I belong to Angeles Chapter, though i live at Mandaluyong City. It so happen that i was knighted in Angeles, Pampanga coinciding to the conferment of Knight Grand Cross of Rizal to my boss, Sir Reghis M. Romero II last July of 2010. 

President Aquino while being conferred by Sir Reghis Romero II, KGCR and Sir Alfredo Lim, KGCR

The assembly was very historic, there we gave the highest honors that the President of the Republic deserved in the Order, the rank of Knight Grand Cross of Rizal was conferred to Pres. Noynoy Aquino. Ngayon pede ko ng sabihin na ka-brod ko ang Presidente, :), kidding aside, i was very happy when he recognized and commended the Rizal Youth Leadership Institute as one of the notable activities that the youth needs at present. I was very proud because I am a product of that Institute in which my boss is the current Chairman. 

Sir Benigno S. Aquino, Jr, KGCR addressing the Assembly 

Sir Reghis giving his Welcome Remarks, unfortunately on the second day his voice was faltering so we just show the video clip of RYLI with Sir Sonny Chico explaining...

Unfortunately, my boss did not deliver his report na because of his voice, instead we just play a video clip of "dakilang lahi" with RYLI pictures as visuals... A concert featuring the wife of Sir Davide, Lady Gigi Davide, Angela Cahoy (a good friend of mine), Sir Rey Mateo, Deputy Supreme Exchequer, and the former Senator and Supreme Commander, Sir Joey Lina. 

My boss being recognized by the Assembly

In a nutshell, it was a big success! Congratulations to the Organizing Committee of this International Assembly and Conference on Rizal headed by Sir Roger Quiambao assisted by my boss Sir Reghis Romero II and Sir Vic Ramos. Also, congratulations to the Order headed by the Supreme Commander Sir Pablo S. Trillana III and the rest of the Council of Elders and Supreme Council.

"Non Omnis Moriar" - hindi lahat sa akin ay papanaw... 

Rizal: The Lover Boy

Many are excited to receive surprises from their sweethearts today, yet some are still waiting and hoping to have a partner this year... Kung nung Christmas may SMP (Samahang Malalamig ang Pasko) ngayon naman may SMV (Samahang Malalamig and Valentines), parang mas tragic ngayon hehehe... Fortunately, i never belong to that prestigious group... hehehe... well, ikaw na in love. hehehe.. Salamat nga pala sa mahal ko ngayon, kahit busy ka.. eh busy din ako. hahaha. joke... iloveyou babe, honey, bebe.. and all hahaha! 

Anyway, my last entry in my blog is about Valentines, the origin of the same and its significance today especially to lovers. While i am browsing the newspaper (PDI), i luckily read something about Rizal which of course caught my attention because im a Rizalist. Napapanahon, dahil and istoryang ito ay tungkol sa mga piling mga kababaihan na nagpatibok ng puso ng ating pambansang bayani. This article was written by Bryan Anthony Paraiso, shrine curator of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, it goes:

Heartbreak marked Rizal’s love life 

By Bryan Anthony C. Paraiso

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 02:45:00 02/14/2011

MANILA, Philippines—Whenever conversations center on national hero Jose Rizal’s manliness, loose tongues wag about his bevy of local and international girlfriends.

Undoubtedly, Rizal was never a boor who would kiss-and-tell on his amorous affairs, now called “casual dating.” Rarely do we find these women mentioned by name in his diaries or letters, and often their identities are concealed in the first letters of their given names and surnames.

What made Rizal “tick” with these women? Was it his good looks? An endearing wit? Perhaps, it was pure animal magnetism, which we refer to as “malakas ang dating” (strong appeal)? Whatever the reason, women were so charmed by Rizal that they yearned for him.

Much of what we know about Rizal’s love affairs has come from secondary sources or worse, the rumor mill. However, some of these women did leave details of their infatuation for the hero, such as Petite Suzanne Jacoby of Brussels, who wrote: “After your departure, I did not take the chocolate. The box is still intact as on the day of your parting.”

And: “Don’t delay too long writing us because I wear out the soles of my shoes for running to the mailbox to see if there is a letter from you … I impatiently await your letter in which you will tell me all that I want to know. The whole family sends their regards with wishes that you return … There will never be any home in which you are so loved as that in Brussels, so, you little bad boy, hurry up and come back …”

A vacillating Rizal

Another young woman who kept a record of her relationship with Rizal was Consuelo Perez Ortiga, whom he met while he was a student in Madrid.

She was the daughter of Pablo Rey Ortiga, a former mayor of Manila and president of Consejo de Filipinas. Her father, intimately called “El Padre Eterno” by the Filipino expatriates, often held informal gatherings for the students in his home.

As a young man who had abruptly left his sweetheart Leonor Rivera for studies abroad, Rizal seemed to have consoled himself through a flirtatious affair with Consuelo. Her diary passages indicate that Rizal seems genuinely attracted to her, yet vacillating if he should pursue his suit.

Smiles can be deceiving

Consuelo writes on Jan. 18, 1883: “Rizal talked with me for a long time, almost the whole night. He told me that I was very talented, that I was very diplomatic, and that he was going to see if he could extract some truth from me within two weeks; that I was mysterious and that I had a veil over my ideas …”

She also says: “Rizal told me that he detested amiable women because when they smiled, men imagined that they did so for something else. As he had told me the night before that I was very amiable, I understood that he meant it and I left him so that he would not make a mistake.

“A man should first study the ground and if he sees that the smile is for everybody he ought not to pay attention to her smiles because in distributing them so freely they lose all their meaning.”

A rival for her love

Whatever reservations hindered Rizal in initially wooing Consuelo were overcome for on Feb. 23, 1883, she narrates: “… Rizal is also in love; he has not declared this but almost, almost. He told me last night that he had a sickness that would not leave him except when traveling and that was only perchance.”

Another suitor, Eduardo de Lete, a compatriot, vied for her attentions as well. Though Consuelo preferred Lete, she was attracted to Rizal and apparently anxious with his intense feelings.

She said: “He also told me and I understood why, that two brothers had killed each other because both played the same card, that is, because both loved the same woman. He said that he had taken notice of one who was very tall for him but in spite of the fact that he had done it to amuse himself, it was useless.

“I listened to him with pleasure because he talks well and I fear that because of that he may think that I’m giving him hope, as it is in reality, but as it happens that I like his conversation, I abandon myself to it and then when he goes away, I’m sorry; he comes and again I do the same thing.”

Consuelo is torn

Aside from Rizal and Lete, Consuelo had to deal with Maximino and Antonio Paterno who regularly visited her. Yet, she was torn in deciding on whom to choose:

“I find myself in a position of not knowing which side to take: Lete on one side, Rizal on the other, on another the two brothers; all attack and I have nothing with which to defend myself except my head, for I don’t see, as I go nowhere, my former admirers, though it would be the same should I see them … In short, sometimes I fear I may lose my mind.”

It is astonishing to read in Consuelo’s diary that Rizal could be frank in his declarations of love, which confirms that he was smitten.

“Last night as in former times, I was talking with Rizal,” she writes. “He said that now if he would make love to a girl, he would do it ‘with the mouth, inasmuch as my heart is dry, as you know.

“Everything is possible. There are women capable of performing miracles. There’s one who has done it, has succeeded to convince me.

“Yes, it’s true, but having found her doesn’t mean that I have her.

“It’s true, it’s already much, and it’s almost halfway…

“This is what I vaguely recall of our conversation; but in the struggle of that soul, in the profound meaning of his words that he articulated one by one, underlining them with the accents of passion that he could ill conceal, there was a moment when I seemed to hear him (presumption of my youth, perhaps!) say: ‘You’re the woman who has performed that miracle, I love you,’ and certainly, or my heart deceives me greatly… certainly it seemed to me that he was at the point of saying it, but he refrained from doing so, not so much for the fear of being repulsed but for not being a traitor to that friend, but I can say without fear of making a mistake that there passed through his imagination all that I wrote and last night he was happy and unfortunate at the same time.”

Unrequited love

Eventually, Rizal gave up on his amorous intentions with Consuelo for he did not want to compete with Lete, and he was still in love with Leonor.

Consuelo, on her part, admitted to Rizal that she could not reciprocate his love, as he had wished.

“Rizal told me the other night that they had written him telling him that his family would be glad if he would return to the Philippines in June. His manner of saying it made me understand that it was like flight … Conversing with me he said that he had not yet understood me, that he didn’t know what I think of him.

“‘As a friend,’ I said to him. ‘Would you want more?’

“‘It’s true that’s enough,’ he replied with a slight irony. Poor Rizal!”

Alone in the end

Despite these events, Lete evidently harbored a grudge against him for in later years he wrote a disparaging satire titled “Five-and-Ten-Cent Redeemers,” which alluded to Rizal, and Rizal, incensed, promptly cut off ties with the propagandist newspaper La Solidaridad.

Though Rizal and Consuelo’s affair ended sadly, fate would soon prove tragic for her.

According to Lete, soon after the formalization of their engagement, she soon lost her humor. It also seems that their marriage did not push through for Lete narrates that years after Consuelo’s father died, her brother Rafael went to the Philippines to fill in a government post but died suddenly.

Lete further recounts: “She was left alone and abandoned in Madrid. A romantic girl deprived of her mother at an early age, possessing an education rare in those times, she saw all her love affairs crumble and all her illusions wither.

“She was very unfortunate, dying alone, sad, and abandoned, a victim of tuberculosis … An excellent and illustrious friend communicated to me this news when I went to Madrid as representative of a very important news agency of London on the occasion of the marriage of King Alfonso XIII in 1906 … May she rest in peace.”

Heartbreak marked Rizal’s love life. Are there any new tragic stories that budding historians could discover from Rizal’s tempestuous romances?

Nakanaks... ang gwapo ni Pepe no?!  

 

A day of Love :)

Color Red... hanging cupids... small and big hearts posted in the wall... roses... chocolates... those are some things that we can see every month of February... Obvious naman diba?! It's Valentines day... This day affirms the quote "Love is in the air"... Sweethearts are very visible in this season everywhere,... Kung saan-saan nakakalat... hehehe... Tomorrow, we will celebrate it na, that's why il write na now since i might not have time tomorrow... 

Valentines day... Where it came from? is it just part of the religion or tradition or just a mere fiction that evolves into an annual event? Well, it is but proper to look into the origin of this celebration. 

Based on history, on February 14 around the year 278 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that Roman men were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families.

To get rid of the problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.

When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Valentine was arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. The sentence was carried out on February 14, on or about the year 270.

Legend also has it that while in jail, St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine."

For his great service, Valentine was named a saint after his death.

In truth, the exact origins and identity of St. Valentine are unclear. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February." One was a priest in Rome, the second one was a bishop of Interamna (now Terni, Italy) and the third St. Valentine was a martyr in the Roman province of Africa.

Legends vary on how the martyr's name became connected with romance. The date of his death may have become mingled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of love. On these occasions, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, and he declared that February 14 be celebrated as St Valentine's Day.

Since then on, February 14 became a date for exchanging love messages, poems and simple gifts such as flowers. 

The most catching poem that i read which is very sweet in this contemporary times is a poem that can be found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784), which reads:

The rose is red, the violet's blue

The honey's sweet, and so are you

Thou are my love and I am thine

I drew thee to my Valentine

The lot was cast and then I drew

And Fortune said it shou'd be you.

So, ilang oras na lang... pag-isipang mabuti ang ihahandog sa inyong mga partner... It may be material things, but what is more sweet is the action that you will do this day. I just hope that everyday is a valentines day so that there will be peace and tranquility in our surroundings that we walk anywhere without any worries in our system...

Happy Valentines Day Folks! Let this day be filled with love...  


(sources: www.history.com & www.wikipedia.com)

City of Mandaluyong's 66th Liberation Day and 17th Year of Cityhood

"There is no place like home." Such statement deals not only with your house as a structure but theoretically also refers to the place where you came from. Luckily i was born in the City of Mandaluyong dubbed as the "Tiger City" in the metropolis. Today, we celebrate the 66th Liberation Day and 17th Year of Cityhood of Mandaluyong. I remember when i was in highschool, February 9 is the most busiest day for all schools except for Christmas and Foundation day. Why?! because, we always join the yearly civic parada which commenced at Gen. Kalentong St. up to Maysilo Circle. And at the end of the parada, a concert of famous bands will follow... Festivities is in the air every time we celebrate this momentous day. 

Though i am a true Mandaleno, i only started to learn the history of Mandaluyong when I am completing my requirements for the merit badge Citizenship in the Community... Allow me to share some of them, the following is the etymology of Mandaluyong as published in Wikipedia:

There are different stories on the origin of the name “Mandaluyong”. One tells of the early days when the place abound with a kind of tree called luyong from which beautiful canes and home furniture were made. Another claimed that the Spaniards named the place Mandaluyong based on the report of what a navigator named Acapulco saw that the rolling hills were frequently lashed at by daluyong (“big waves from the sea”). This seems to give credence to traditional stories before the coming of the Spaniards that giant waves from the sea lashed at the adjoining hills of the vast lowland, referred to as “Salpukan ng Alon”. Father Felix dela Huerta, a Franciscan Historian, observed that the rolling topography of this land resembled giant waves of the sea. Hence, natives replying to the question of strangers as to what the place was called, used to answer Madaluyong, later hispanized by Spanish writers into Mandaluyong by affixing the consonant “n” to the first syllable.

Romantic residents, however, peddled the story of a Maharlika named Luyong who fell in love with Manda, the lovely daughter of a barangay chieftain. The chieftain had no personal liking for Luyong and forbade his daughter’s marriage to him. Luyong overcame the objection of Manda’s father by winning a series of tribal contests which was the custom at the time. The couple settled thereafter in a place which was later called “Mandaluyong” literally named after “Manda” and “Luyong”.

The first story focused on the geographical features of the city, which is very obvious up to now especially in Hagdang Bato Itaas where the Monument of the three heroes (i dont know who) is situated. The second is like any other love stories that parents are the hindrance of the affairs... Well, whatever etymology Mandaluyong has, the name is so perfect for me. Manda represents hope, change and development for me, while luyong characterizes the continuous flow of success and excellence in the city like a great waves that no one can stop.

Mandaluyong is very small. In fact, i can travel into the whole city in just 2 hours... you can walk safely and all the people are smiling... Mandaluyong has a total land area of 1,124.97 hectares. This constitutes 1.77 % of the 636 sq. km. total land area of Metro Manila which is composed of 15 cities and 2 municipalities. The city is composed of 27 barangays, divided into two (2) political districts. The largest is Brgy. Wack-Wack, which comprises a little over one-fourth (294.48 has.) of the city’s total land area. Next is Brgy. Addition Hills, which comprises almost fifteen percent (162 has.), followed by Brgys. Plainview and Highway Hills at about ten percent each, or 115.92 and 105.12 has. respectively. 

As of Census Year 2000, Mandaluyong City has a total population of 278,474, accounting for about 2.8% of the total population of the National Capital Region which is 9,932,560. With an average household size of 4.6, it has a household population of 275,110 which may also be considered as the nighttime population of the city. 

In the absence of published information and studies concerning daytime population in the city, there is a suggestion that having acquired a full level of urbanization, Mandaluyong City follows the trend in Makati City by which daytime population is three (3) to four (4) times its nighttime population. Thus, on the conservative side, daytime population for Mandaluyong City is estimated as (3) (275,110) or 825,318.

Almost everyone in Mandaluyong is Filipino of various ethnic origins. Even so, the languages generally spoken in the households are Tagalog (96.47%), Bicol (0.40%), Bisaya (0.30%), Ilonggo (0.40%), and Ilocano (0.60%). 

About ninety-one percent (91%) of the residents belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and the remaining nine percent (9%) are distributed among religious denominations like the Iglesia ni Kristo (2%), Evangelicals (1.6%), other Protestants (0.42%), Jehovah’s Witness (0.42%), Aglipayan (0.66%) and others (1.7%).

The typical family of Mandaluyong has an average of 4.61 numbers. Of the 59,682 households, 18.82% are headed by women and 81.18% are headed by men. Majority of these households totaling 86.78% are headed by men and women in their prime productive ages between 20 years and 60 years old, while 12-67% have household heads in the elderly age group of 60 years and above. A little over 0.54% of the number of households are headed by the young population 20 years old and below.

A combination of married and widowed individuals accounts for 48.02% of the household population while family members who remain single total 43.46% with female members slightly more than male members at 51.02% and 48.98%, respectively. Others who opted for other forms of family union account for 8.52%. These include individuals that are either divorced, separated, common-law spouses, and those whose marital status are unascertained. (source: www.mandaluyong.gov.ph)

I can blatantly say that the City is governed properly by the City officials headed by Mayor Benhur Abalos and Cong. Boyet Gonzales. I know that they care so much about the welfare of the City. Though sometimes they were victims of bad publicity, i firmly believe in their desire to put Mandaluyong at the helm. 

Sulong Mandaluyong! 

MPNAG Former Scouts Gathering

"Once a Scout Always a Scout." That senior scout slogan binds the former senior scouts of Mataas na Paaralang Neptali A. Gonzales (MPNAG) into one solid, compact and more deeper friendship and brotherhood that lasts even after highschool graduation.

Participants of the MPNAG - Senior Scouts Alumni Association

Former Teachers present in the event

Last Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011 @ MPNAG Conference Room, we had conducted the very first gathering of the newly established MPNAG Senior Scouts Alumni Association. Actually this idea arose last year with my good friend Renz and under the guidance of then Ms. Ramos now Mrs. Starks... Unfortunately, because of prior personal commitments, we defer the creation of this group. Not until, Renz announced in Facebook his plans for the year that caught the attention of Mrs. Starks and started to ask him of our plans for the group... Immediately after that, me and Renz seated in several meetings and discussed our plans... Two Sundays of January, the organizing committee of this gathering met up at the Mandaluyong Council office (special thanks to Ate Cherrie, Ms. Anselmo and Dr. de Guzman for the venue) since i conducted a briefing for the Council's candidates for Eagle Scout.

Batch 2004

This gathering with a call "Ang hindi Pumunta BADING!!!" was attended by atleast 25 former senior scouts of our school from batch 2003 to 2008. There, we opened the event with a prayer led by Pastor Jerome de Paz, 2005, singing of the national anthem in unison (no one in scout salute) and after which we renewed our scouting spirit by reciting the Scout Oath and Law delivered by Michael Billy Ray De Gracia, 2004, who didn't even know how to end the recital.. that portion of the program filled the conference room of so much laughters... Sobrang daming tawa... that even now, i cant help but still laugh when i remember it...

Sir Albea, while giving his
inspirational message

It's me with Rober Casuga as emcee

I seriously listened to the speech of each one of us while introducing themselves and sharing where they are right now... Some already fulfilled their dreams and others are still going there... The room was filled with joy, happiness and laughters... super laugh tlaga... I would like to personally expressed my sincere gratitude to Sir Albea, who molded us in what we are right now and a true father to all of us... To Mrs. Starks, who served as our mother during our high school life and continues to give us wisdom and all... To Mr. Manalo, for sharing his time even he is tired because of the PLTC/CLTC ... To Ms. Abella, for the smile that ease negative vibes in us... To Mrs. Guloy and Mrs. Nachor for the time, patience and concern for us...

Batch 2005 & 2004

Alas, we had established the group... later this week we will meet again and plan for our future activities... I hope that all will cooperate and will share their time and skills for the group... I have so many dreams for this group.. I know that we can do it... just live by the scout oath and law and have faith, respect, patience and love for each other... 

With Mrs. Starks

 Remember what our founder left to us, he said " The real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people, try to leave this world a little better than you've found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in a feeling that at any rate you  have not wasted your time but have done your best" That is the working motto of my life... it's really a fulfillment when you help others in many respects... All of us can help, we might not have material things, but there are still needs that only us can give... That is why, we, the former senior scouts of MPNAG, living with strong morale foundation because of our scouting experience, should live according to learnings that MPNAG gave to us, as a scout...

Indeed, there are so many words to say, but we rather put it in action...

Let's work together brother scouts!