isa

Kagandahan ng Pag-iisa

Di nakikita ng matang puno ng imahe ng mundong ito ang mga katangian ng Kabilang Buhay.

Di nasisilayan ng matang puno ng katangian ng Kabilang Buhay ang Kagandahan ng Banal na Pag-iisa.

-Sheikh Ansari (1006-1088)- Kashf al-Asrar

Bukas ang simula ng Ramadan, ang panahon kung kailan ako nagbibigay pasasalamat sa mga kaibigan kong Muslim: ang mga kapwa kong manunulat na sina Samira at Peach; ang kaklase kong si Aquil; at ang kaibigan kong taga-Brunei na si Istiq.

Si Istiq ang nag-imbita sa amin ni Ting na siya namang taga-Malaysia (katabi ko sa larawan) na dalawin ang mosking Niujie ng Beijing: pagkatapos naming hugasan ang aming mga paa, pinayagan kaming makapasok at magdasal sa sari-sarili naming Diyos.

Malamang ngayong Ramadan din lalabas ang hatol ng Kataastaasang Hukuman tungkol sa kasunduang dapat sanang pipirmahan ng Pamahalaan at ng MILF. Mahalagang maisulong ang prosesong pangkapayapaan upang patuloy na umunlad ang ating bayan: sa kaso ng MILF, pangunahing hakbang ang pagtuklas kung sino at ilang mga taga-Mindanao ang kinakatawan nito.

Sa panahon ngayon, kasaganahan ang aanihin ng mga bansang may koneksyon sa lalong malaking pamilihan: ito ang dahilan ng kasaganahan ng mga estado ng U.S., mga miyembro ng E.U., at maging ng Singapore, na kung ihahambing sa ating lupain ay mas maunlad bagamat kay liit at kulang sa likas na yaman.

Mahirap nang makamit ang koneksyong ito ng mga bansang napapaligiran ng dagat; lalo pang tumitindi ang hamon kapag may kaguluhang nangyayari sa loob ng teritoryo nito. Bagkus tulad ng pagkakaibigan ng dalawang tao, napapadali ang relasyon ng mga bansa kapag kapwa silang payapa't may tiwala sa isa't isa.

Sa aking paglalakbay, natuklasan kong ang bawat bansa'y mayroong brand o tatak sa isipan ng mga taong nakakarinig sa pangalan nito. Wasto man o hindi, ang mga pananaw na bumubuo sa tatak ng isang bansa ay naka-aapekto sa pagtitiwala ng mga kalapit-bayan at sa desisyon nilang makipagkalakal sa mga naninirahan dito.

Ang magagandang aspeto ng tatak Pilipino ay ang ating talino, magandang pagtanggap sa panauhin, at kaaya-ayang mga baybay-dagat; ang kumakaila namang mga katangian nito ay ang laganap na kahirapan, suhulan sa ilang opisina ng pamahalaan, at kawalan ng kapayapaan. Ang pagtamo ng kapayapaan sa Mindanao ay isang malaking hakbang upang sumagana ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino, Muslim man o hindi. Maiaangat nito ang reputasyon ng pangalang Pilipino sa pandaigdigang pamilihan.

Higit pa sa kahalagahan ng pagkakaroon ng Pilipinas ng marangal na pangalan ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na yaong mga nakatira sa Mindanao. Dahil dito, sana'y maiwasto ang anumang pagkukulang ng naantalang proseso't kasunduan, masangguni ng mga partido ang mga pamayanang maaapektuhan, at maisulong ang kapayapaan at pagkakaisang nakabatay sa katiwasayan at paggalang sa karapatang pantao.

Matagal na ang tunggaliang ito- ngunit sa kabutihang palad umiikli ang mga daang kailangan pa nating tahakin.


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Salamat kay Ryan Cayabyab sa kantang "Kyrie" mula sa album na Misa.

american beauty

A couple of months ago, I received virtual hugs from Julie, my schoolmate back in Middle School. I might have been taken aback had I gotten them from someone else, but surprisingly it felt nice to get those from her.

In the '80s, she gave me this picture with the following dedication:

:) 10-17-88

TO VOLTAIRE,

You are one of the sweetest people in the world. I value our friendship a lot. Hope we remain friends for a long time. Please don't ever forget me.

Your friend alwayz, :)
Julie Nelson '91 :)

P.S. Sorry about the ugly picture! :)

When she arrived in ISM, I hadn't been to the States yet and I thought she embodied what an American was: shiny, confident, and white. I remember she burst into the scene like a tornado, dating a succession of guys and leaving a trail of broken hearts in her wake. Ironically, she was extremely conscious of her looks and we became friends because I could articulate what I'm sure the other guys wanted to say: "You look beautiful!" We were also both fans of Menudo. She gave me a brown, plastic scapular and told me to have it blessed by a priest and wear it, which I did until the string broke- for me it was a sign of friendship, as much as a religious object.



Later on, I found out that Julie, who spoke with a warm, Southern drawl, wasn't purely Caucasian: Asian blood (Vietnamese? Filipino?) flowed through her veins.

If Barack Obama wins the elections in the US, young Filipinos today would have a better idea of the diverse races that have shaped that country- and hopefully a better image of what people of color like ours can accomplish anywhere.

jacket

Baguio Arts Festival, 1999 (photo by Anna Hidalgo)













Office of Justice Mendoza, 2002










LRC-KsK, 2003

Eurasia 2

The above verses are by Maningning Miclat (1972-2000), a Filipino painter and poet who spoke and wrote in Chinese, Filipino, and English; we went to university together. Thanks to New Minstrels for the song "Ikaw, Ako, Tayo Magkakapatid."

Eurasia 1

I was kayaking with Gerald in the Gulf of Tonkin when I received a text message from the National Book Development Board (NBDB) announcing the launch of Tulaan sa Tren (Poetry in the Metro).

I'm in Vietnam for ASEFUAN's AGM and would be able to fly back to Manila in time for its launch this Saturday at 1 PM in the LRT Santolan station. It was around a year ago when I went to the AGM in Madrid and noticed how subway trains had posters containing excerpts of Spanish literary works that mention the city. Since I had no money to bring home, I decided that this idea would be my pasalubong or take-home gift to my hometown of Metropolitan Manila, a way for me to share the spirit of Europe to the greatest city that today bridges East and West.

Upon returning, I enlisted the help of Andrea Flores, Executive Director of NBDB, and Deo Custodio, who was then with Congress. Deo helped arrange a meeting between Andrea and LRTA Administrator Mel Robles, who supported the idea. I didn't hear from the NBDB nor the LRTA again about the project until this week's AGM, which surprised me and made me happy. Starting next week, when I ride the train to go to work, I would remember the friends I made in Madrid. Of course, "Tulaan sa Tren" now has a life of its own and is uniquely Manileno. Aside from the NBDB and the LRTA, the project is supported by Optical Media Board Chairman Edu Manzano and National Artist Virgilio Almario (Rio Alma). Below is a poster featuring my poet-ancestor Jose Corazon de Jesus (Huseng Batute). Hmm, I wonder what I'll bring home from Indochina...

Thanks to David Frogier de Ponlevoy for the top photo.