Thank You Tita Cory

This morning as I was watching the live telecast of the funeral of President Corazon, I already prepared a reflection for this occasion, but after seeing the people and tears and hearing the messages, the eulogies of the closest people to President Cory, I realized that my written article never came close to fathom the great and gracious heart this woman had. Listening to Fr. Arevalo in his voice clearly drawing back tears while he recounts and fond memories with Pres. Cory, also listening to Cris crying over the loss of her very loving mother, or listening to Mel, Pres. Cory’s security detail share the generosity and the humility this woman possessed, always giving importance even to the lowly of people, with the hinidi kita malilimutan song, I can’t help it but be moved into tears. I think most of us here, those who watched, those who felt the grief, shed tears of sorrow because we felt that feeling loss and that senses of absolute separation form a loved one- having in mind that we can never have another one like her. As if our own mothers or our own grandmothers has gone ahead. And i think that is one effect Cory has in all of us, that image of a mother, a mother to our nation. Painful as it is, but true, it is only during her death, her very recent death that I began to intentionally retrace my past lessons in Philippine history, reconnect that past to what is now and try to see the life of this gracious women in yellow through the eyes of a generation who never knew what it is like to regain freedom. And as part of this generation, the death of President Cory made me see not just what we have lost but what we have also gained. And this is Hope. This hope manifested by 3 realities of the President, even in her time of death is her legacy for me.

First, the adoration brought about by multitudes of people, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, came together in her wake and the outpouring of pasasalamat and love made me see that indeed it is possible to have a modern Filipino president that is loved, that is respected, that is honoured, that can inspire, that can move people contrary to what we have been accustomed to in our recent memory. She understood clearly that the highest pinnacle of democracy is the peaceful transition of power which she readily surrendered to her elected successor. She was allergic to power and remained a symbol of humility and a strong radiant moral force of democracy till the end of her days. It had been done before that we can have this kind of president and it can happen in the future. And we thank President Cory for making us believe that it is possible.

Second, The strong and unwavering faith defined her character and her leadership throughout her life. This is one great legacy she will leave to the Filipino people. She made it true that having the most powerful position does not mean that you have compromise your personal faith and values for the sake of expediency. From what I have seen in her last SONA in youtube, and to countless articles in the internet, she admitted that she made mistakes, but those where honest mistakes and she readily told the people about it. She was afraid to lie because of her faith, she was did not to surrender during the coup attempts because she knows that her commitment to God is to preserve democracy for the Filipino people. She stood as a great God fearing leader and because of her, we can believe again that a true measure of heroic leadership is the depth of faith one has for God manifested by her deeds.

Third, People Power, this extraordinary manifestation of democracy is the gift of the Filipino to the world and this was made possible by the leadership of President Cory. This event culminated a long boiling dissent against a dictatorship that has suppressed freedom for so many years but this culmination did not explode into an arms struggle, instead this culmination turned out to be a miracle, the first of its kind, that radical change is possible without blood and bullets. This made me reconnect to my present state. In my volunteer work in KKP, I have realized that I enjoy the freedom to critically think, the freedom to organize, the freedom to protest because of the courage and the sacrifice of this past generation. I believe more that idea of social change without violent struggle because it worked before and this was made true to countless other people power revolts around the world inspired by our very own. Now, our generation are the inheritors of that legacy of people power. Let us live the spirit of it by reclaiming our nation’s destiny once more in this upcoming elections and maybe through this, we can carry on the legacy of people to the next generation. And we thank President Cory for embracing a call she knew she never wanted but accepted it fully because of her love for freedom and the Filipino people.
Let her legacy remain in our hearts, that burning idea of integrity, faith, and sacrifice and may it bear good fruits for the future generations. Mabuhay ka Tita Cory!

and all will just fall into its proper place

Exiting the Church, my mind my set for a delicious baby back ribs dinner at Bigby’s. Out of nowhere, my mother told me that they have to get something from the house. Moments later, I noticed something peculiar about my mother. She keeps on texting (which is not so usual since she rarely brings out her phone in the streets). Then my brother seems in a bit of a hurry. All of these things I dismiss as nothing more than part of the birthday rush. Arriving at home, I noticed a bit of a mess in our kitchen. My father then led me to the corridor leading to our living room after I freshened up. In that moment, there is already that growing feeling of “they are up to something”. In an instant, as I turned in sight of the living room, a jolt came rushing at the top of my spine. This is an elaborate conspiracy! Employing my parents and my relatives! There they are, my closest friends sitting in my living room! And turning at my right, I saw the dining table adorned with scrumptious looking food. And the crowning piece of lechon at the center. Within a few seconds, I tried to gather my senses, came to them one by one and awkwardly shook their hands. I felt stupid doing that but that was the only thing I can think of doing in that very unexpected situation! I began to walk back and forth trying to grasp this brewing conspiracy and the sense of excitement grew with it. People began to come to the house. And finally around 7pm, I was told to hide somewhere, a sort of “re-surprise” procedure since I came in too early as I was told. I hid in the CR for quite awhile. I was then asked to close my eyes, my heart started to beat faster and when I was asked to open it with a resounding yell . . . To my complete and utter surprise, to the most unexpected and surprising air – Fr. Jett with Ma’am Lily stood inside my house! And that historic night began.

Surprises are really hard to orchestrate, you have to think of so many scenarios, you have to gain the allegiance of so many conspirators, and you have to keep them from sending any signal that might spill the beans. So many things to consider, so many risks to manage and these things is what I am so deeply grateful about - the great effort (inviting people, coordinating people, convincing the university president to come) that these people employed just to make this peculiar day special. This effort by the people who headed it and supported it, one common denominator fuelled this effort, I believe and this is LOVE. Throughout the night, this idea oscillated around my head. I kept on asking my myself “What did I ever do to you to deserve such effort, attention, and love”. Sounds corny and overrated but It really bothered me. The whole event made me rethink, revaluate and reflect on myself, on others, on how I deal with people, how I “value” people and especially on the idea of grace. This entire chunks of questions surfaced and It took me quite I while to put all of these things together. The 3 things that I can extract from this day is gratitude, friendship and a renewed sense of hope.

For ALL the PEOPLE and the things that have shaped me, in bitterness or in sweetness I thank Thee for it. These 20 years of life is a priceless gift and I can’t expound more that deep sense of gratitude in my heart. I think it is best to pose a question for this. “If God is SO generous to me, why can’t I be generous to Him?” This event made me trace the threads of my life once more and view its elaborate interconnections and fusions from the top – seeing an unfinished, a forming tapestry.

I am the aggregate, the collection of all the people I’ve connected for the past 20 years. I am who I am today because of these people – friends and family that have revealed to me that unyielding love that makes my life worth living.

Lastly, it is a renewed sense of hope – an invigorated sense of mission in life. This celebration also acts as a confirmation of where God is leading me. The outpouring of love and community affirmed the direction I am taking, the people I am with, the values I strive to live by, the dreams I try to achieve, and the voices I try to hear. And it seems like everything is prepared for and is being unfolded every single day. And I guess this is what ma’am Lily said about the magical mysteries of life. Things just come in, and you don’t need to make clear sense of it, you just accept it as it is – a grace, an unmerited favour from above that leads you to a destiny you never imagined before – and all will just fall into its proper place.

THANK ALLLLL THE PEOPLE WHO GRACED THE EVENT! ALLLLL OF YOU! THANK YOU!!!! AMDG

Feeling Lost, Gone and Aimless?

It was like a blessing from online when this person asked me some advice in how to re-direct his life. I gave him some generic advice and he added to me that it would be better if I blog about it because he has been following my past blogs. This gave me a jolt of energy; someone has actually been following my posts and has got some insights from it. Now flowing from this, I would like to share a few thoughts about life directions. I believe this topic is quite important for us college students because we are now approaching the door steps of the real world. And in my personal story, I also have a little trouble about life directions in terms of “specific” life careers but for the sake of focus, I will touch on “direction” with in college life.

It is quite typical for all of us college students to reach a certain plateau or hiatus in our drive. This is very normal. That feeling of boringness, the feeling of lingering meaninglessness of the things we routinely do, that feeling of detachment, that feeling of “a head floating”; that zombie like-state that you just wish the day or the entire school year will instantly come to an end. Again, this is very normal. The cases that we should try to be cautious about and aware off is the coping mechanisms we do that might lead us to a nose dive such as habit of ditching classes, habitual drinking, drugs, and so forth. And when we reach a certain saturation point, it is very difficult to climb out from the pit. In all of these realities, there is only one truth I can think of: The greatest human being who can save us in this pit of hell is no other than our very selves. You have to make it a point to brush off the dust in our shoulders and declare to the whole world that I am back in the game! I am not a loser! And by God’s grace, I can give justice to my own creation by being the best of who I am! Enough with the excuses, enough with the habits, enough with the slack, it is time to liberate my true self from the clutches of sloth and greed. Summoning your personal energies to declare these words and by the fullness of your faith then you can slowly accumulate and regain power. Then this is where the momentum starts, it is where the energy starts to build up and by your own resounding personal declaration, you have unlocked the full power of your possibilities and slowly defeating the enemy within.

The key element of sustaining this momentum is having a support group (good friends) or a mentor who you trust and look up to. Find one and I believe there are plenty in this world ( i recommend Jesuit priests and brothers). Share your thoughts to that person, your struggles and ambitions; he/she can aid you in processing these experiences and making sense of them in the context of your own life. Their energies and “positivism” is contagious! 2nd is the practice I keep on repeating in all my posts, the consciousness examen. This is the bedrock of my life. Always allocate time to review the day, the response and feelings you had. By doing so, you have a constant self-evaluation tool that will check if you really lived up to your declaration and are you really winning the war against your “old self” in a daily basis? By having this constantly, it will not be difficult to chart progress. Third is Know what you want and what is important to you– the hardest part. This is the basis of your decisions in college so early on we should try to invest time in knowing what we want and what we need. And i guess God provides that answer in our daily experiences of consolations and desolations. Through the examination of consciousness, we can pin point exactly the moments of joy and sadness, excitement and boringness, intense interest and complete indifference not just of a single day but of a single year or even a span of years if we keep on listening. Linking it all together produces the tapestry of God’s will in your life. Again and again, listen to your heart for that is where God is. And all things will just fall into place.

In the end, these are just anecdotes from my own experience. Again, I am not speaking as an expert. The fundamental truth to this besides the one I stated at the start is that God has a unique plan for each and everyone us – vocation. That can be found in the intersection of your deepest desires and the world’s greatest needs. And this saying I truly believe, without this, what I have written is meaningless. How do we know our desires? By turning away from self-destructive habits, declaring war against our old self, build support circles and constantly examen ourselves in prayer (where desires, values comes out).

AMDG

from VIRUS to SELF-ESTEEM

I am not writing this as a psychology expert, I am writing this as a college student who, for almost 20 years, has been appropriating my own understanding of this very crucial subject of our growing generation – self esteem. Once you look it up in the web, instantly it shows to you that self esteem deals about your worth, your value, and your happiness as a human being. Now, this subject has become a primal concern to all of us young people who are discovering his or her place in the greater scheme of things. This has become the growing subject we college student should try to reflect upon and act upon BUT really this concern has not been given so much attention in our conversations and discussions and this my friends is the pervasive case of LOW self-esteem. This has inflicted so many souls, paralyzing them from the inside out and this is that faceless ill invading our young generation. In my own story, there are so many times, so many instances that this concern has surfaced. Faced with doubts, frustrations, anxieties and hopelessness, I have grappled with it for quite some time and after all of those struggles, I have realized that there is a singular most important ingredient that tames this monster. It is a hardened process of self-awareness that can only be achieved when one gains the ability to listen to oneself. And in my understanding, that is why countless of our brothers and sisters are suffering from this ill because our ability to listen has been eroding slowly. Our ability to connect our past to our present is deteriorating, our ability to transcend is being clouded by so many forms of ideologies competing for our loyalty. Our technology has given its toll. We silence our internal rumble with earphones; we substitute presence with being online; we consider text messaging as the foundation of relationships. So it is not surprising that we are suffering a loss sense of worth and value because we as a generation has pegged our worth on externalities – our grades, our clothes, our technologies, our money.

So here lies the challenge. Let us reconnect with our hearts and ourselves intimately by allowing time for us to tune in to the movements of our hearts. Nurture that habit of examining ourselves in a daily basis, writing it down in our journals and offering it all to God – nurture your faith. Also, it is a good idea to share your feelings with very close friends because this gives us a sense of community that does not only enjoy over movies, beer and malling, but with raw expression of the human soul. By doing so, a sense of love develops, a sense of appreciation develops and that case of self-esteem fades into noting.

Things We can Do these historical TEN DAYS.

Now, the jubilation has faded and the reality has revealed itself. Some may agree, some may don’t but for me, ten days of disconnection from school’s routine gives us a sense of random and spontaneous space and time to do it. We can think of so many things to do aside from homework (if miraculously your teacher gave you one because s/he knew that classes will be suspended beforehand.) and at a certain point, we may get lost. This is my effort to at least give some few tips about making this opportunity of momentary pause to its fullest.

1. This is the perfect time for you to register to Vote! XU is the only school in the city suspended, so maybe you don’t have much competition in COMELEC.
2. Have a new haircut. I know I do.
3. Go home and Visit your high school friends. It is good to reconnect with the old and sturdy roots.
4. If you have clear books or note books, you can start labelling them. At least this helps you keep your files organized.
5. Play a sport, this can keep us fit and healthy – a great counter to the temptation of becoming a couch potato in these 10 days.
6. Read a book/study – this only works with most people, not all. I’ll be reading Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals.
7. DOTA! CALL OF DUTY 4! I’m just learning DOTA, Call of Duty – memorized the game!
8. DVD Marathon – it is good to revisit old habits during the summer days,
9. Evaluate Your Priorities and Yourself. This is the best time to evaluate your habits and perceptive regarding school and other essential life factors because you are given the rare chance to be detached and de-burdened. Make good use of it.
10. For the student organizers, it is a good time to re-evaluate the direction of your

organization and set proper adjustments.

But as we dive into the randomness of this 10 days, let us always put into mind the primary reason why we have this in the first place - because of the virus. So exert an extra-effort about our health and if you feel the symptoms, immediately contact the proper authorities.

Behind the A(H1N1) News Break!

3:09pm, I finished posting my latest blog about the confirmed case of A(H1N1) in XUHS in SacDev office. An hour later, I noticed a student came inside the office to ask for a classroom reservation permit for a certain day. After some corrections with my post and not minding their transaction, I overheard a program officer saying that it might be useless to reserve this day because the “School” might be closed for ten days. Upon hearing this, it made my hair stand and made me stand as well. That feeling of stunned excitement consumed me because it seems impossible to suspend classes in the middle otf exams and GA’s and ten days of no classes is not a joke – not an absolute source of celebration. Aside from this, in an instant, it made me think that the virus is already inside the campus, lurking and invading. Having that oozing thirst for more information, I asked the program officer to clarify the mumble and got a very clear answer. “The school administration has decided to suspend classes starting tomorrow. It will resume on July 27 because of a confirmed case in XU College. Let us just wait for the memo to be released this 5pm.” Then it dawned to me that aside from the great feeling of academic liberation, I felt the burden of the student orgs who has tirelessly planned for events within that span of time that needs to be postponed. With the go signal of the program officer, I typed a facebook shout out and elicited several responses within seconds and went from council to council preaching the good/bad news and the preparations it entails (like no one can enter XU so do not leave any materials). To no surprise, the news was welcomed with jubilation. I even got a free mask in the ACES office and wore it the whole evening as a statement to the student body not to take this lightly. It was still around 4:15 when the CONUS, UNITASS Presidents and I started to spread the news – pretty much ahead of the official paper release. I could even see the eyes and murmurs of student upon seeing me with the mask. I didn’t hesitate to inform them that the virus is here. The amazing thing about this event aside from the virus is how quick information can spread. How XU culture is highly respective to "no class" information and how a distinct XU social dynamics facilitate the information’s circulation. You can see a wildfire burning in the Stc Lobby. Again, be safe and be healthy. Use your TEN days of a relatively liberated academic life wisely.

A(H1N1) in XUHS. Be Vigilant

It is confirmed, there is a case of A(H1N1) in Xavier University High School prompting the school administration to suspend classes for ten days. There are still no detailed accounts on the immediate contacts of the victim but we are all called in the entire Xavier University Community to be highly cautious of our sanitation and health. The news that we’ve been hearing from the capital and from other islands has finally hit town. As I could recount this morning, the headlines declared that the epidemic is now unstoppable. It has become global and the battle fronts have shifted from the laboratories to Barangay households to individuals and this demands personal action. Even though the virus is not deadly (3 cases of death in the Philippines so far), we still need to be highly vigilant by doing our share in preventing its further multiplication. Here are things we can to guard ourselves and guard the community against this unseen enemy.

1. In case you sneeze, Don’t cover it with your hands. Use the joint of your arms. At least in this manner, the germs are confined in that area only. It can’t be transmitted around through the things you touch.

2. Always apply alcohol/sanitizers and wash your hands properly in a regular basis. (especially before you eat and after you sneeze)

3. Take in multivitamins, vegetables, and fruits.

4. In the most extreme cases, wear a mask. Medically, it is not a deadly virus but the psychological price of having one gives the burden of this disease. Student organization especially the College of Nursing Student Council and the School Clinic have already rolled out information sheets (even at the Start of the class).

Now, we have to take the information seriously. So be safe and be healthy always.

A post to help you manage your time

Prelims are around the corner and you might not even know it, it is already midterms! This high alert scenario induced me to write this simple advice about one skill we all need in college – Time Management. I know a few notions and techniques about the art and science of it which I hope to share with you!

In almost four years of being in college, I have come to realize that the bedrock skill in any time management effort is Prioritizing. All else springs from this. You should prioritize. The accessory knowledge of this is understanding 2 very essential things: what is important and what is urgent. Important things are those that deal with values, missions, vision, relationships, principles (e.g. education, family, and friends). Urgent are things that require immediate attention or action (e.g. answering phones, replying to messages, harvesting your farm in farmsville). Here is the challenge. Work on Important things AND not urgent things because it is here where you can easily manage your engagements. This is where planning, prevention and relationship building happens. Imagine when you both work on important and urgent things, this is where crisis occurs like cramming for a project (both important and urgent). When you are working on urgent but not important things, this is where relationship breaks and values deteriorate.

Stemming from the Important and not urgent quadrant are the three basic steps in managing your time. First is having a term calendar (a handy planner) where you plot important dates such as deadlines of projects, exams, debuts, etc. Second, breakdown your term calendar into weekly plans, medium sized tasks with deadlines. These acts as the building blocks you’re building day by day to accomplish the seemingly gigantic cathedral of a major homework (for example in a term paper project, allocate the days where you need to finish the certain parts of the whole term paper). Ideally, you can review this every Saturday to check if the tasks are still on track. Third is to develop a daily to-do-list. This is essential and I am personally a religious follower of this practice. From the medium sized tasks you plotted for the week, develop a detailed set of doable daily tasks. In this process you get to fully monitor your progress and bit by bit accomplish the important big things.

Now, there are a couple of things you need to put into mind in a daily basis that complements your to-do-list. These are. . . Learn to say No/Delegate; this is an art of human relation, set deadlines; helps you have a time frame, jot down notes; don’t depend on memory too much, it is advisable to have a separate notebook for this, take advantage of natural cycles; know your high energy points and low energy points in a day and accomplish difficult tasks in your high energy point, Reward yourself; always have a break to enjoy yourself. These are the things I put into mind to have a sense of control of time but at the end, time management is really a misnomer, it is actually life management in its essence. So try to review your habits and routines. Identify time wasters (too much facebook, surfing), procrastinating moments and unhealthy habits that steal your time. It is not too late to change them for you to become more effective and efficient. Remember, the very reason why we manage our time is because it can never be regained - so use it wisely.

Make or Break Generation

It does not take a genius to know that we are being bombarded daily by a multitude of pressures that strain us. I just came from a talk given to the SK chairpersons of the City about stress in the context of youth and I find it appropriate to share it with you in the most digestible manner. I started with the idea that our brain capacity and size are the same now than 50 years ago. But in this present time, our brains, our reality operates in a global environment where in there is exponential technological advancement and tremendous changes in lifestyle. The best example is the seemingly short popular life span of cell phone models, the 140 letters that “tweets” our existence, the instant coffee and food, the social sites and video blogs. Everything is fast and instant compared to the snail mail and ritualistic practices of before. Most are user generated and highly accessible. Now, we are managing too many information streams at the same time. What does that mean? Our generation can either break down ( e.g. stretched too thin, pressured to much that the human value of face-to face communication will degenerate) or can be more empowered because of these changes. I think the key to this is knowing the complex entities that apply pressure in our daily life and transforming it into productive means. It is knowing and transforming. Instantly I can identify the main pressure entities that may have existed a century ago but its intensity and impact is greater due to technology now. These are economic; the pressure to be ahead, peers; the pressure to fit in, family; the pressure to follow, studies; the pressure to succeed. All of these things bombard us every single minute of our lives but I don’t see it as any enemy to wage war with. It is reality that needs to be understood, embraced and managed. Now, let us look back in ourselves and see if we have become robotic slaves by these pressures and changes or have we gain that higher consciousness to be above and control these things and transform them into good fruits. This is OUR generation.

Go Go Facebook Power!

I’ve observed that every time I press internet explorer or Mozilla, the address my instinct dictates to my hand is http://www.facebook.com/. It is more than fitting to say that the relatively old concept of social network has evolved into a new integrated era virtue of the facebook phenomena. Gone was the age of Friendster in the Philippines, now facebook has come to town. A sleeker classy look with a multitude of applications, this social website has truly transformed how I see the internet. Imagine, in just one platform millions of people can poke and request stuff with each other and this is very powerful. The instant possible friend search and the status bar combine the power of twitter and evaporated the need to search and search old friends who might be in the same network. For example, I got connected to my nursery friends who are mostly in the US now. More than this, facebook has become a portal of revolutions and ideas. Just look at the causes and the fan pages, ideas and the public mood is being incubated. This socio-political dimension of facebook is another source of appeal. The instant communication of ideas, opinions and updates has generally transformed how I manage streams of relevant information about people and nations. I can share great news clippings in my status bar, I can share videos and personally paste them in my intended target via “tagging”, and I can request my friends to answer some questions such as one I posted a month ago about their average internet use time which generated more than 50 responses in a matter of minutes. In this simple instant way, I hope to continue and push a conversation on certain issues and concerns online making it a potent tool to sharpen awareness and critical thinking 24-7. I even heard some professors are holding facebook classes. What a feat!? So far from just as a simple social website, this has become a new form of internet within an internet, a world within a world and with this new frontier, I should bear in mind the responsibilities it carries with it.

Neda Agha Soltan Iranian girl shot dead on Tehran street

I am looking more closely at the election fall out in Iran not because it is politically interesting but because of what I’ve seen in YouTube of the last moments of Neda. For the information of those who don’t know, this video captures the last moment of a 26 year old Iranian woman who shot in the chest during a street fight and it has already reach global prominence . The crappy cell phone video captured her last moments before a stream of blood oozed out from her nose and mouth. Enough with the brutal image, the core of this event is it gave a face, a real human face to a complex political crisis far away from home. Even though I can say that fundamentally Iran and the Philippines are world apart in terms of culture and worldviews, but seeing the video of a horrific and tragic death of an innocent woman, that cultural hard line vanished and a common humanity surfaced. By just seeing the video, any person of reason can see that there are “fundamentally unjust” actions that are being perpetrated in Iran. And through the power of the global network, that abstract idea of “fundamentally unjust” actions is given clarity, intimacy, and a singular human story that makes it so raw and real. Another aspect of it is the tender age of Neda. She rose to prominence after her death because she clearly symbolizes the new generation that is asserting their say in the destiny of their nation but was cut short by violence.

So let this struggle abroad also translate into something in our context here. The National Election is fast approaching and it is that time where we can peacefully assert our say in the destiny of our nation without the bullet and the gun.

Justice for NEDA and may her soul rest in peace!

Happy 59th Charter Day Cagayan de Oro City!

This day, our humble city celebrates its 59th year as a Chartered City. In this light, I will share a bit about this place I call home – Cagayan de Oro City. For the record, I am somehow blessed at the same time cursed to live near the very heart of the city (Divisoria). I have lived in the Neri ancestral house since I was born and this gave me a unique view of the city in its finest and darkest moments. But in all of the sights and sounds and the soar and noise of my city, I can share 3 good things about my city!

This is city has a great balanced mix of urban and rural living. Cagayan de Oro boasts as one of the fastest growing cities in the country. The province it is in, Misamis Oriental also possesses a running economic dynamo – growing more than the national GNP in 2008. With this economic statistics comes rapid urban development centered in the city proper. I am now seeing hotels and commercial buildings sprouting around which is redefining the city skyline, particular in the Limketkai area where it is now becoming the high-end commercial hot bed of the city. Aside from the standing malls of blue and white, the city is also covered with lush green trees, hills, and mountain ranges which surround it. I can attest with our family’s farm just south of Camamanan. It offers the freshness of the mountain interior yet the city can be seen from afar. Even in the feeling in the air, I can still sense an intimate baryohanon spirit especially in the Divisoira park where young and old alike sit on the benches and talk about anything under the sun.

One of the things I noticed about CdeO is the small streets that we have. I guess this was born out from the Kalesa days. I believe that these small streets and small blocks attributed to an intimate sense of community among the people living in Publacion. This fact maybe one good reason why Kagayanons are said to be “friendly” people. We grew up literally close to each other.

Lastly, the river is one iconic symbol of my city. The river that comes from creeks, streams, small water ways up the mountains collide and collate into one growing flowing body of water. This I believe gave the city its life. (I can’t imagine CdeO not having the river. It could be a very dead place.) Just like the river, the city is a unique combination of north and south, east and west, rural and urban meeting in one point, withstanding the test of time and formed a community where I now call my home.

With this simple sharing, let us do our part in making Cagayan de Oro a shining city at the mouth of a might river ready to step forward and move towards its future.

Social Online Strategy Game

For the strategy minded enthusiasts around, there is a new social network strategy that is hitting the net. The concept is pretty much similar with “Mafia Wars” in facebook but in a grander, global scale. It combines the social networking concept with real time strategy where you start of as a simple citizen and work your way up the social ladder. You get to choose your virtual online country and start of as a simple resident. From a worker you could become business tycoons, war generals, politicians, media moguls and many more. Just have the right connections, focused dedication and long term thinking, you can climb your way to the top. This interesting website can really bolster your long term thinking skills and strategy skills. For the record, I find their political module really interesting. If you reach a certain level of “experience” which is quantified through points, you can join or create a political party and run for office. Once you are in office, you can propose vital legislation that affect the entire population of a virtual Philippines. The down side is it really requires time for one to progress, but I see this a great way to feel what real time progress is all about so our complacent instant gaming compulsion will be neutralized.

For those who are interested in such a game, register now for free. For a clearer picture about this, I quoted wikipedia’s own description of this cool social and strategy online game. eRepublik is a massively multiple player online, social networking and strategy web browser game developed by eRepublik Labs which launched on October 21, 2008 and is accessible via the Internet for free. The game is set in a mirror world (called the New World) where players, referred to as citizens, join in local and national politics, set economic policy, start businesses and wage wars with other countries.[1] It was developed by Alexis Bonte and George Lemnaru. There are currently 23 members of staff for the website besides the founders.

http://www.erepublik.com/

Ka Rene's message

During the night of our enneagram workshop on Independence Day, the senior KKP volunteers and I had the privilege to visit the wake of agrarian reform activist “Ka Rene” in the Immaculate Concepcion Chapel of Xavier University. Over a span of an hour, I listened to a series of speeches given by several people close to him. There was also a video tribute for him chronicling the highlights of his march and victory for the 144 hectares Sumilao lands. Aside from the feeling of dread and loss over this heroic man, the one thing I wish to share is the simplicity of leadership embodied in his story. He proves to me that great leadership is something polished not just from books, lectures, seminars, workshops, project management and the like. It is safe to assume that this man never attended an enneagram workshop, never got to know his number and appropriate it to himself, never got to know what examination of consciousness is, never got to know what the “theories of development” is. What he had is a vision, born out from his lifetime experience of tilling the land which he marched for more than a thousand kilometers just to own. And from this, it changed everything in his life. This is I believe, how leadership is formed. It is born out of vision from experience – skills and following will just naturally follow. His story validated my personal belief that leadership is trully a way of life. It is not just something for the educated and the people in position; it is a gift and a call for all.

Even though i never got to know him personally, the life he lived is enough for me to know who he trully is. His body may be gone, but as what the Sumilao farmers always cry, the spirit of the struggle for genuine land reform which he embodied will live on! Mabuhay ka “Ka Rene”!

Paghuna-huna bahin sa "Community Organizing"

The new frontier for me to discover is community organizing and will have more of this when we change politics movement. The most interesting part of this job for me is the challenge of convincing ordinary people to come together to work out a common vision. Organizing communities brings out a different sort of power. It is a power that is real and grounded, a power that insists that ordinary people can take charge of the direction of their reality. As what I heard before, ordinary people can create extra-ordinary things. Just give them the correct tools and the right reason to believe.

Rest in Peace Ka Rene

I saw this man on that momentous day when the victorious farmers marched towards their reclaimed land. He scooped down a handful of earth and raised it up chanting the seemingly timeless cry of the Sumilao farmers.

Profile of Renato “Ka Rene” Penas

We will always remember the Walk for Sumilao Land, Walk for Justice
Campaign where 55 farmers from Barangay San Vicente, Sumilao, Bukidnon
walked from Bukidnon to Manila for 2 months with a distance of 1700
kilometers. 10 years before this walk, the Sumilao Farmers likewise staged a
28-day hunger strike in front of DAR Central Office in Quezon City and Cagayan
de Oro City. Ka Rene Penas was one of those farmers who boldly registered
their disgust to the government for inefficient implementation of the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
The enactment of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law was thought to
benefit the small farmers as the law intends to respect their dignity. Though
sad to note, this law is sometimes used for the benefit of the few land owners
and to infringe the rights of the small farmers. Ka Rene Penas shares this
situation. He was, and still is, expose to various injustices happening to small
farmers. This is the very reason why Ka Rene never loses hope that someday
he will have his own farmland and personally till it, so that his family could
have a better life.
Ka Rene is a farmer since birth. As such, he is devoted to uplift the lives of his
fellows. He is known for his land reform advocacy not only in Sumilao,
Bukidnon but across the country. He has been an active member and a leader
to various farmers’ organizations and federations both in the local and national
level. At present, he is one of the Board Members of Mapadayunong
Panaghiusa sa mga Lumad Alang sa Damlag (MAPALAD), Chairperson of
Panaghiusa sa Lalawigang Mag-uuma sa Bukidnon (PALAMBU) and of
Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Magsasaka (PAKISAMA). Likewise, he is serving
for his 2nd term as Barangay Kagawad (Councilor) of Barangay San Vicente,
Sumilao, Bukidnon. He uses these venues and opportunities as a tool
advocating for the respect, protection and fulfillment of the rights of the small
farmers.
The farmers’ organizations and federations mentioned where Ka Rene is a
member, are pushing for the extension and reform of the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program.

Ka Rene is married to Evangeline Penas and a father of 4 children.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Blue Movement

What is the Blue Movement?
It is a student community organizing effort in the block level guided by the following principles:

1. Civic engagement – organizes students around issues and causes through advocacy campaigns and elicits collective action.
2. Student Empowerment – provide tools and channel that enables active participation in student governance, educational quality check on the students’ perspective, and vigilance in the state of our community.
3. Atenean Values – provide materials and discussions that reinforce Atenean culture and values; create a culture of responsibility.

What is the purpose of the movement?

The purpose is to build and develop an informed and active Atenean constituency motivated to engage issues and concerns and intent in transforming the community.

What motivated the inception of the movement?

For so many years, the methods of governance in the student body have been conceived from the bottom down and no structured connection from the constituency. We believe that this resulted to the deepening of apathy, wide disconnect, and relative distrust to the governance system by the student community. The recent years, we have seen a growing gap between the leaders and student body fuelled by a seemingly deteriorating culture of engagement among the students where the passion for Atenean activism has slowly degenerated into a craving for raw entrainment. This is a response to start transforming that drift and organize the student body towards a direction of creative student centered -governance.

What does the movement do?

The movement provides education sessions, , student caucus on issues, leadership and organizing seminars, small campus projects, student mobilization on advocacy campaigns and relevant information.

How can I join?

Ever bona fide students of Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan are welcome to join. Just submit your application form through hand or email (thebluemovement@yahoo.com).

What are the members’ responsibilities?

Recruit other members

Participate in the activities and campaigns of the movement in varying degrees of commitment ,action, and capacities

What is the structure?

4 member students in one block can form a block chapter. Among themselves, they choose their block leader. 4 block leaders of the same year level can form the year level council. Among themselves, they choose their college representative. The college representative will represent the core group.

Minimum backbone number of members: 4 members x 4 blocks x 4 year levels x 7 colleges = 448 members

Change Politics Meeting

This is my first time to fly to Manila alone. I am here in CODE-NGO Headquarters in front of the Ateneo attending a meeting of the regional point-persons of the Change Politics Movement. I am the only one below 20 years old so at least I know how to situate myself. In this meeting, I reported what happened in Cagayan de Oro regarding the initial activities of the movement. Scanning the presence in the room, I saw the need to present a different perceptive from the usual sharing so I filled it in with my report on the youth’s perspective and actions in this part of Mindanao. I reported to them the use of social networking to boost up awareness among the youth in the area. Though not the ultimate organizing weapon, the internet can be used to boost up presence in this movement. Furthermore, I also created an image that we are treating the expansion and implementation of this movement as war; organizing ground troops, mapping out the fronts, scanning the airwaves, and setting up camps. These are all geared up to create a strong presence of the movement in Cagayan de Oro city especially in the youth sector. Now the battle has begun. Join the grand army for change! I will be going to ateneo after the meeting! Amdg!

A FACELESS ILL IN OUR GENERATION

A FACELESS ILL IN OUR GENERATION

We are deeply saddened by the recent suicides of two of our brothers. Though the reasons of the acts are isolated and respectfully confidential, these are signs of a growing faceless ill that is encroaching in the lives of our generation. Depressing and alarming as it is, our entire community should seriously pause in reflection on the trends, actions, and events that may have fuelled and triggered these unfortunate acts.

We call on our formators, counselors, and teachers to give greater emphasis on formation that teaches resiliency in the midst of personal challenges, foster a greater environment of trust and open communication and to be more vigilant in probing students with ill signs and act upon it with utmost personal care and professional guidance.

We call on our fellow students to be more sensitive and loving with one another, building real and rooted relationships that bring out the best in each and everyone. We also call on our fellow students to break the growing wall of isolation and build strong bridges of care and love to those who most need it.

We call on our parents to constantly and caringly communicate with their children and assist them in processing their life experiences.

These unfortunate events are a wake up call for all of us. It is very sad that this faceless ill has to take two young lives for us to realize the urgency of confronting and preventing it from striking again.

We should face this crucial chapter in our lives with deeply rooted faith, a resilient and caring spirit, and unyielding hope for the challenges to come.

We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones affected by this very unfortunate event.

Register to Vote

Amended Schedule of Satellite Registration in the Barangays of Cagayan de Oro City. This will be held in their Barangay Hall respectively.

Pagatpat April 27 – 28
Bayanga April 29-30
Tagpangi May 4-5
Mambuaya May 6-7
Dansolihon May 11-12
Tignapoloan May 13-14
Besigan May 20-21
Tuburan May 25-26
Pigsag-an May 27-28
Tumpagon June 1-2
Macasandig June 8 -10
Indahag June 15-16
Macabalan June 22-24
Puntod June 29 – July 1
Consolacion July 6-7
Barangay 1 -40July 8 – 11
Iponan July 12 – 15
Bulua July 27 – 29
Patag August 3 -5
Carmen August 10 -12
Balulang August 17 -19
Kauswagan August 24 -26
Bonbon August 31 – Sept 2
Bonbon Sept 1 – 2
Bayabas Sept 7 -8
Lumbia Sept 9 -10
Pagalungan Sept 14 – 15
Canitoan Sept 21 - 23