blame my gun

(O huwag mo kalabitin ang aking gatilyo)

"The lesson today is how to die..."
Which Strange Little Girl would you be?
You have a strong sense of justice, and believe that ultimately people should pay for their crimes.

Walang kaluluwa

Nakatititig ka na ba sa mga matang "walang kaluluwa"?

Bago ko nakita nang personal si Brig. Gen. Jovito Palparan, ako hindi pa. Kahit ang holdaper na pinagsukuan ko ng aking Nokia 5110 cellphone dati, na namumula ang mga mata habang itunuturo ang patalim sa mga kasamahan ko sa dyip, naaninagan ko ng desperadong kaluluwa. Ang ilang mambabatas nakasinging sambit na ipapasa nila ang pahirap na value-added tax, tantiya ko kahit papaano'y may tilamsik pa rin ng nakokonsensiyang kaluluwa, na ipinapawis na lamang ng kanilang guilty na mga mukha.

Pero nang makatagpo ko ang mga mata ng kasalukuyang kumander ng 8th Infantry Division sa Samar, isinalang kamakailan sa harap ng Commission on Appointments, nakasiguro ako. Walang kaluluwa. Walang desperasyon, walang konsensiya ng karaniwang kontrabida.

Maliit lamang siyang kukuba-kubang mama. Pero mabagsik ang kanyang mukha. May nagsabi sa aking mas nakakatakot pa ang kanyang hitsura kapag sinukluban ng kanyang klasikong beret. Gayunman, nadama ko pa rin ang hilakbot ng bangungot ni Palparan noong mga sandaling iyong pinaliligiran siya ng pulutong ng mga heneral at walang katinag-tinag sa daluhong ng mga karumal-dumal na paratang.

Sa loob ng tatlong buwan ng kanyang pamumuno sa Samar, 199 kaso ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao, 22 dito ang pamamaslang.

Humagulgol si Alex Lagunzad ng Karapatan-Samar, habang inamin ang matinding takot para sa kanyang buhay at sa buhay ng iba pang mga kasamahang hindi pa itinitimbuwang. "Hindi naman ganito dati," kanyang impit na hinagpis. Parang hindi pa rin siya makapaniwala na sa kanilang lugar pinakawalan ni Pangulong Arroyo ang berdugo.

Noong kumander pa lang ng 204th Infantry Brigade si Palaparan ng Mindoro, malamang ikinagalit ni Lagunzad ang pagkamatay nina Eden Marcellana at Eddie Gumanoy, kinondena ang pagdanak ng dugo ng mga aktibista't masa sa pulo, hindi lubos akalaing sila ang susunod na lantarang target ng nagwawalang mga punglo.

Dahil sa presensiya ng mga intel at TV kamera, ayoko sanang magpamalas ng pakikidalamhati ko't poot. Pero sa totoo lang, nakiiyak ako.

Habang binabasa ni Marie Hilao-Enriquez ng Karapatan ang mahabang listahan ng mga biktima ni Palparan, nagte-text lang ang heneral. Minsan, biglang matatawa o may sasabihin sa sarili.

Samantala, ang mga senador at kongresista'y nakatunganga. Pasok sa isang tenga, labas sa kabila, ang babala ni Rep. Satur Ocampo na magiging kunsintidor ang Kongreso ng isang mamamatay-tao kapag itinuloy ang kanyang pagtaas ng ranggo?

Pagkatapos ng pagdinig, tumanggi si Palparan na makipag-usap sa media. Siguro'y dahil inisip niyang mas madidiin siya kung uulitin niya ang nauna nang mga pahayag sa media (katulad ng pangangalandakan na magpapapatay siya ng isang pesante kada linggo). Akala ko'y bukod sa walang kaluluwa, wala na ring utak ang tanging heneral na kinatatakutan maging ng mga alkalde't kongresista.

Mayroon pa rin pala.

posted by: ilangq at 12:41 | link | comments |
political chuvachuva

Sayaw ng katutubo

Ngiti'y imbak ng ninakaw na ginto

sa dulo ng kilos-bahaghari

mo, katutubo.

 

Pinupupog ng halik

ng mahahabaging bubuyog sa bukirin

ang mga hakbang mong maliliit.

Sanghaya'y pinawawalan

ng malalandi mong palad--

hanging yumayapos sa ulirat

tuwing gangsa'y sumisinghal

at abang mga paa'y nagdarabog.

 

Oo, ibinabangon ka mula sa pagkakadukdok

ng iyong pagkunday o paggaya

sa karaniwang kalayaan ng mga ibon.

 

Hatid ang sulak ng ilog

at singaw ng minang pusikit,

bumabalisbis ang kagila-gilalas na poot

mula sa bibig mong nakatikom.

 

Tulad ng dati, isang kawan kayong tanggol

ng langit dito sa lupa ng mga ninuno,

katutubo.

 

- Araw ng Kordilyera 2005

posted by: ilangq at 12:36 | link | comments (2) |
malikhaing pagpanggap

I survived libel (but not the state's wrath)

"We are soft-skinned compared with other countries. Can you not attribute our press freedom as the very cause of killings of those committing libel? People may consider broadcasters' statements as libelous and perhaps, because of their humiliation before the community, they are forced to do it."

- Camarines Sur Rep. Felix Alfelor Jr. on media killings, Philippine Daily Inquirer (12 March 2005)

I think I read the above statement thrice, before finally concluding that Rep. Alfelor Jr. has uttered one of the ugliest and most fantastic justification members of the state have provided for the unprecedented killings of journalists in the country.

The banner news item of the same day reported that Starline Times Recorder publisher Philip Agustin was gunned down while bearing copies of his newspaper that carried the story of missing funds, relief goods, and logs in calamity-stricken Dingalan, Aurora. It seemed like someone performing the sacrosant act of corruption over the graves of thousands wanted the truth buried as well.

Mayor Jaime Elarde, while claiming that he had nothing to do with Agustin's slaying, admitted that he has found Agustin's criticisms against him "libelous" and that he was even preparing to file a case.

Aaaaah, libel. Has the traditional way for politicians to defend themselves against the truth now become the means to defend themselves against murder?

Maybe I should thank my lucky stars that I had braved libel before this burgeoning I-am-shamed-and-so-I-kill-journalists era.

Just yesterday, I was at the Quezon City Clerk of Court in an attempt to refund the P10,000 bail that my father and I, along with several other journalists, shelled out each in the face of an arrest warrant for libel. The case, filed by the powerful Lorenzo family (whose head honcho--Cito--was GMA's Agriculture secretary and job czar until recently), was dismissed last 2003. Mr. Lorenzo probably didn't want rubbed in the fact of his post's shameful "conflict of interest," coming from a family of Del Monte Philippines executives. (The "libelous" article, basically, said that villagers got sick and sometimes died, the land and sea got polluted, because of heavy doses of pesticides used by Lorenzo's nearby banana plantation).

I may have survived libel (My father, barely so, since in order to see his patients he now has to sneak into the village teeming with armed goons and "Dr. Quijano Keep Out" banners). But surviving the more violent forms of the state's wrath, well, that I have yet to see, here in the world's most dangerous place for journalists. I certainly plan to fully exercise my right to press freedom, even as the AFP is hell-bent on pursuing journalists as "enemies of the state." (The military's new book, Trinity of War: Book III, AGAIN puts the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines as a communist front).

If I could offer a singular correction to Rep. Alfelor Jr.'s audacious statement, it would be this: The "people" you were referring to, meaning politicians like you, are not soft-skinned. In fact, you are at the opposite end of the barometer. You are as thick-skinned as genetically-modified carabaos. In all honesty, news reports only confirm what the people already know, sparing you the perceived "humiliation." You should prepare for when the people, incensed, decide to finally skin you alive.

posted by: ilangq at 10:43 | link | comments (1) |
peryodismo

I wish I had a river...

One of the silliest things I enjoyed during the recent Cordillera Day celebration, I remember now, sitting in front of the computer and sweating shamelessly. It was bathing in the great Abra River.

Of course, in reality, the whole of Abra River is a polluted mess. Three huge colored canvasses (strategically placed where you stand in a long queue to get your dinner) told of the river's slow and certain death caused by Lepanto Mining's gold operations in the provinces of Cordillera. Thankfully, the district we were in was quite far from the monster's filthy mouth, so somehow, I felt at ease treating the river as if it were my personal jacuzzi.

I purposely bathed alone in order to better enjoy the clear water's gurgling sounds and the sky's impossible brilliance. I delighted in searching for just the right stone to scrape away all unwanted libag. Looked at the nearby mountains while humming and washing my hair. And finally, I would sink myself and surrender to the river until everything lapses into a cool silence. I would emerge, breathless (fighting the current is no simple task), but feeling like a newborn baby.

It was a great place for washing clothes, too. The rushing waters served as natural washing machines, and huge gray boulders were perfect heating pads.

I remember this now, as our faucet churns out filthy water at a time of tortuous heat such that your body begs for at least two baths a day.

And to modify Joni Mitchell's song: I wish I had a river, I could bathe (away) on...

posted by: ilangq at 11:34 | link | comments |
paglalakbay

Militanteng ice candy, anyone?

MAYO UNO...laging masaya at interesante.

Captive market nga naman...

Kung susumahin, 1/5 na ng kanyang buhay ang ginuguol ng KMU sa pagsusulong ng P125 dagdag-sahod (Gobyerno't kapitalista, bingi-bingihan pa rin).

Obra sa bangketa

...At nabigyan ng bagong kahulugan ang salitang "papet"

Anong tinitingala niyo diyan? Si Darna? (Sayang at 'di nakunan ng aking camera ang fireworks na pinakawalan sa himpapawid)

MABUHAY ANG URING MANGGAGAWA!!!

posted by: ilangq at 17:39 | link | comments |
okasyon

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