'The only way is up'

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

CONGRATULATIONS TO the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (AIDFI) and the villages in Negros Occidental where the ram pump was introduced and changed the lives of so many people in need of clean and continuous water supply.

AIDFI won first prize in this year’s BBC World Challenge, a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grassroots level. Now on its sixth year, World Challenge, its sponsors say, is about championing and rewarding projects and businesses which really make a difference. The sponsors are BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell.

Last year Filipino kariton “street teacher” Efren Penaflorida was honored as a CNN hero, and now a Philippine entry won in the BBC challenge. These two giant global media networks now have the Philippines in their rosters of grassroots greats.

AIDFI’s ram pump was among 800 nominees from all over the world. From the 800 nominees 12 finalists and three winners were picked. The two runners-up were Peru and Guatemala. The Philippine entry received a $20,000 grant and the two other winners got $10,000 each.

The sponsors are pleased to say that this year’s 12 finalists again “raised the bar for sustainable enterprises that are putting something back into their communities. They are all boosting livelihoods and improving living standards without wrecking the environment.” The competition showcased finalists from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas and provided inspiration. Viewers were urged to choose one from the 12 finalists as their favorite.

As far as I’m concerned, the 12 finalists are all winners. You can view short video clips about the finalists by logging on to http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/. AIDFI’s Philippine entry is named “The only way is up” and is described thus:

“It’s baffling how some inventions fail to achieve a tipping point. The hydraulic ram pump—which has been around for a couple of centuries—falls into this category. AIDFI is determined to see the ram pump finally come into its own. Using the power of a river’s flow to literally push water uphill without any other energy input, it’s proving to be a boon for poor villagers living in mountainous regions.

“The ram pump can save both hours of back-breaking work carrying water and cash where expensive water pumps are replaced. AIDFI has introduced the ram pump to over 170 upland villages, and has plans to spread the benefits far and wide among poor communities.”

Two days ago the Inquirer had a front page story (“Prize-winning pump improve farmers’ lives”) on AIDFI’s winning entry written by Carla P. Gomez of the Inquirer Visayas Bureau. She interviewed residents of Tara village in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, where the Tara Hydraulic Pump System is in place. Tara is not the only place with AIDFI-installed ram pumps. AIDFI has installed some 170 pumps in many places.

I have known about the ram pump technology for many years but I have yet to see one in operation. Just before writing this piece, I ransacked my files to look for an article on ram pumps given to me by Dr. Juan Flavier many years ago. It was published in the Rural Reconstruction Review and it had instructions on how to construct it. Flavier, former health secretary and later, a senator, used to be the head of the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR). The ram pump was one of the so-called “approtech” that IIRR was trying to popularize in water-strapped communities.

The article written by IIRR volunteer James I. Stein said that a ram pump was installed in Batas, a village in Silang, Cavite. I wonder if it is still in operation.

The ram, Stein wrote, is a low-cost, low-maintenance, simple, continuous pump that is powered only by the force of the falling water that supplies it. All it needs to function is a source of water flowing at the rate of at least two gallons per minute and at least three feet of vertical fall from the water source to the ram. The ram converts the falling water—stream, river or any existing gravity flow system—into hydraulic energy which can then pump a part of that water up a vertical distance.

The ram Stein described has only two moving parts: the impulse valve and the delivery check valve, and is easy to maintain. Maintenance may consist of replacing the rubber valves three or four times a year and cleaning out the ram body twice a year. The ram can be assembled by villagers and only needs some grilling and welding. And since it uses no electricity or gas to pump water 24 hours a day, it costs almost nothing to operate.

The good news is that one can find designs with instructions on the Internet. And with AIDFI resurrecting the age-old technology and making it work (and now winning recognition), there should be no reason for upland communities to suffer. People no longer have to walk up and down rugged trails to fetch water from springs down below. Farmers need not be so dependent on rainfall. But, and there’s the but, communities need good, innovative leaders to get things going.

Correction: In my Nov. 18 column piece (“Books not bombs”) I greeted Muslims a happy Eid’l Adha, the feast of sacrifice. I said that Jews, Christians and Muslims consider Abraham a great prophet and fountainhead and that Eid’l Adha celebrates Abraham’s sacrifice of his and Sarah’s only son Isaac (as the Bible says). An incensed Muslim reader corrected me and said that Muslims believe it was not Isaac but Ishmael, Abraham’s older son with Hagar.

Taal: A Marian heritage site like no other

Philippine Daily Inquirer/FEATURES/Lifestyle/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

NO OTHER town in Batangas is like Taal. Walking down its streets is like walking down through history.

Declared a heritage town by the National Historical Commission, Taal offers many come-ons.

There is the basilica of Saint Martin of Tours, known to be the biggest in Southeast Asia; the Spanish-era structures and homes of great Filipinos; the lake and its active volcano; the exquisite calado embroidery on piña and jusi that has become world-famous.

Choose from an array of heritage museum-homes, among them the homes of Marcella Agoncillo (she sewed the first Philippine flag), Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio (the forgotten heroine of the revolution), the Apacible and Goco homes and the grand mansion of Leon Agoncillo.

Huge basilica

The imposing Basilica of St. Martin of Tours is Taal’s centerpiece. Declared a national shrine in 1974, its façade bears a resemblance to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Its tabernacle is made of silver and is said to be the only one of its kind in the Philippines.

The original structure was built in 1575, in the place now known as San Nicolas. In 1754 the basilica was destroyed by the Taal volcano eruption.

Rebuilding of the current structure took nine years (1856-1865) under parish priest Fray Marcos Anton and Spanish architect Luciano Oliver.

Intricate designs, many in chiaroscuro style, adorn the church ceilings and walls. Painted images of the four evangelists (Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) occupy the lower portion of the dome. Sts. Peter and Paul have special places on the ground level. The basilica has been undergoing a vigorous clean-up and restoration in preparation for this month’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Rare maliputo

Delightful are Taal’s culinary offerings—bulalo, suman, panocha nilupak, tapa, adobong dilaw, tawilis from the lake and, most of all, the rare and expensive freshwater fish maliputo found only in the Pansipit River.

In the market you find both the wet and the dry, the latter housing the rows of shops showcasing Taal’s expertise in calado embroidery and beading. If you’re fond of bladed weapons, take home a balisong (fan knife) or two.

But the gentle drawing force, the Taaleños will tell you, is the Virgin of Caysasay herself. The rough Marian statue, barely a foot tall, has had a spiritual influence on the life of the town and its neighbors. Unbelievers might dismiss the devotion as idolatry, but believers would argue that it is not the weather-beaten piece of wood that is being venerated but the great woman it represents.

The Virgin is a rich kayumanggi (brown), overwhelmed by a conical robe that goes up to her neck. Long artificial hair has been placed over her head. She is adorned with a gold crown with precious stones.

The story of the Virgin of Caysasay is the stuff many Marian stories are made of, as fascinating as that of Mexico’s famous Lady of Guadalupe.

Fished from Pansipit River

One day in 1603, the story goes, a fisherman named Juan Maningkad cast his net into the Pansipit River and found among his catch a piece of flotsam carved in the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The prior of Taal, Fray Juan de Bautista, took this as an auspicious sign, a divine favor worthy of a religious celebration.

After Maningkad found the image, the prior of Taal gave it to Maria Espiritu, the widow of a judge, for safekeeping. Soon the woman noticed the strange disappearance and reappearance of the statue. A priest named Fray de Montoya decided to have the statue transferred to the church, but the strange occurrence continued until the statue completely disappeared one day.

A few days later, two other Marias—Maria Baguhin and Maria Talain—claimed they knew where the image could be found. They said they were gathering firewood in a place seven kilometers from the town when they stopped to drink from a well. They saw the image reflected on the water and when they looked up, there was the wooden image on a branch of a sampaga tree. Perched on a branch beside it was a casay-casay bird. (Thus the name Our Lady of Caysasay.)

The women eventually persuaded the priest to check out the place. The image was found and brought back to the church. Again the statue disappeared. Again it was found in the same place.

The people took this to mean as the Virgin’s desire for a permanent abode. (Augustinian friars ran the churches in many places at that time, and were noted for their building prowess.) A temporary chapel was built until a permanent structure made of corals and marble was erected.

Santa Lucia’s well

An arch made of corals was built over the well whose water had reflected the Virgin’s image. The arch with bas relief designs, known as Santa Lucia’s miraculous well, still stands there today, a short distance from the church. It is not clear how the place got to be named after the saint of lights.

The Virgin of Caysasay’s canonical coronation was held on Dec. 8, 1954, with Pope Pius XII’s representative Fernando Cardinal Quiroga y Palacio present. The devotion to Our Lady of Caysasay marks its 407th anniversary this year.

Replicas of the original statue are in both the small Immaculate Conception Church in Labac, the image’s original home, and the huge basilica of St. Martin of Tours. The original is kept in Labac and brought out on special days.

Transferring the image from the village church in Labac to the basilica (since its completion in 1857) and returning it on certain days to its village home used to be a custom. Taaleños recall the controversy that erupted in the 1950s when Bishop Rufino Santos (later the first Filipino cardinal) proposed that the Virgin be permanently enshrined in Labac.

The people of the town center were adamant and afraid to lose the Virgin forever, should Labac become a separate municipality. They were polarized into two camps and the bishop was forced to get out of the way when an irate citizen shouted, “Gapusin ang obispo! (Hogtie the bishop!)” The church official was no match for the Taaleños’ attachment to the Virgin.

Fluvial procession

During the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the original image of Our Lady of Caysasay is taken from the Labac church and brought to the basilica via a fluvial procession on the Pansipit River and brought home again after the two-day celebration (Dec. 8 and 9) .

No longer a castaway and an itinerant, vanishing lady, the Virgin is peacefully enshrined in the hearts of generations of Taaleños and many Filipinos.

For more on Taal, read “The Mysteries of Taal: A Philippine volcano and lake, her sea life and lost towns” by Taal-lover Thomas R. Hargrove (Bookmark, 1991).

10 things that make PH ugly: readers react

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

I GOT interesting e-mail from readers, both Filipinos and non-Filipinos from here and abroad, all of them male, who reacted to last week’s column piece, “10 things that make PH ugly.” One thing I’ve known all along: when you make a list, you are likely going to be swamped with items to add to it.

I GOT interesting e-mail from readers, both Filipinos and non-Filipinos from here and abroad, all of them male, who reacted to last week’s column piece, “10 things that make PH ugly.” One thing I’ve known all along: when you make a list, you are likely going to be swamped with items to add to it.

Last week’s column was a reaction to the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) much-heckled campaign come-on, “Pilipinas, kay ganda” (Philippines, how beautiful) and unoriginal logo that looked similar to Poland’s. I also listed 10 things that I thought made beautiful Philippines not so “kay ganda.”

Well, see what I got. First I must say that the editor in chief pirated one of the letters—a touching one, really—for publication. It came from Ben Fairbank, an Australian who has been working and living here for the last two years. So I am not sharing his letter here. But thank you, Mr. Fairbank, for seeing so much goodness and beauty in this country. You love us, you really love us!

From Jojo dela Cruz in Beijing: “… [A]t the time I read your article I had just finished listing almost the same things: top 10 Boos (ugly) in the PH, as well as my top 10 Wows. In less than five minutes I was able to come up with my top-of-the-mind list. I am an expatriate working for a multinational FMCG company, previously based in Switzerland and now posted in Beijing. Often I would chat with my non-Pinoy friends and it is inevitable that they ask about PH. I often advise them, ‘Don’t stay long in Manila and head immediately to the beaches/islands.’ In the end most would go to Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia if they want to have a Southeast Asian experience. Only after they have covered these countries do they start considering PH. And they say it’s not only because of the spate of bad news, but also because they hear very little positive ‘touristy’ information and advertisements about us. Sad.”

De la Cruz’s top 10 boos: airport (inside and outside), security, traffic, poor public transport, billboards of politicos, floods, corruption, garbage, toilets. His top 10 wows: beaches, diving, swimming with whale sharks, Philippine mangoes, shopping, entertainment, English, island hopping, Spanish quarters (starting with Intramuros), the weather (lots of sun), smiles.

From Dave Bowles: “I am a Brit married to a Filipino, and a permanent resident in beautiful Philippines… I have worked overseas in excess of 40 years around Europe, Asia, the Middle East, India, North and South America, the Arctic Circle and the Far East. Many countries have appealed to me as places to live and retire in, the UAE and Bahrain, wonderful and safe places with friendly people… but I was introduced to the Philippines only in 2003 although I had worked with Filipinos for many years overseas. It was LOVE at first sight (the country, that is!) and that love has not diminished or faded since despite having lost money in a failed business. The reason I love the Philippines? The people!!!!! I have more true friends here than anywhere else in the world, including the UK.

“I agree with your statement that a slogan which is only understood by Filipinos is ridiculous. I thought the cartoon visuals that went with that were very poor and did not display the beauty that is the Philippines, its hospitality and culture…

“You can add ‘blatant corruption’ to your list as well… The first view of the Philippines is rather shabby, the journey through Para?e and Sucat from Naia does rather resemble a slum area… More articles of the same type please. The so-called authorities need to have their cages rattled.”

From Mike Saycon’s list: “opportunistic locals, especially taxi drivers and terminal porters, the countless surge of hookers and transvestites waiting to be sold out in places that expatriates and foreigners frequent, street children who peddle sampaguita, beg for alms or sell their bodies… Please let me qualify that this note is not Philippine-bashing…”

Willy Arcilla of Business Mentors sent an impressive PowerPoint presentation on how to sell Philippine tourism plus a proposed campaign logo and slogan. “‘Wow, Only in the Philippines’ can be a strong tourism slogan because it is simple, memorable, relevant and unique, timeless and universal, local and global. In plain language, it builds upon a successful ‘Wow! Philippines’ campaign, but most of all, it turns the negative into a positive.”

I say, it should be fun making an “only in the Philippines” list. Yes, it is inclusive and all-embracing and it goes well with the old “Wow” (world of wonders). It also put a naughty smile on my face.

From Leo Padilla: “It is only in PH that maps are not available at the airport. Maps at the bookstores are always outdated because of the propensity of politicians to rename streets almost every year. Nobody seems to plan things in PH. Fort Bonifacio—roads leading to it look like they are only afterthoughts. Instead of lining up the roads straight, they go around with nowhere to go… Airport taxis are run by mafias… Naia 3—the road leading to it is again an afterthought. Some bright boy decided to install a rotunda, instead of an overpass/interchange to access Naia 3 and on to Naia 1 and 2. And an idiotic building at the center—what is it for?”

Manny Melgar added eight to my list. One of them: “Embarkation forms—just a few weeks ago President Aquino removed his face from the forms. When I arrived today from Vietnam I was shocked and embarrassed to see the face of Ms. Vicki Belo on the first page. Whose face will be next?”

Too bad there is not enough space for more. I should forward all the e-mail to the DOT.

13 names added on heroes wall

Philippine Daily Inquirer/FEATURES/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

Human rights lawyers, a pastor, teachers and organizers of students, the youth, peasants and communities?13 men in all, two of them, brothers?will be honored on Tuesday and their names engraved on the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog ng Mga Bayani (Monument of Heroes) in Quezon City.
The way they lived and died varied?some were arbitrarily killed or disappeared, while others died of natural causes.
This year?s honorees bring to 193 the names etched on the black granite Wall of Remembrance near the 45-foot bronze monument by renowned sculptor Eduardo Castrillo that depicts a defiant mother holding a fallen son.
The monument, the wall and other structures at the Bantayog complex are dedicated to ?the nation?s modern-day martyrs and heroes who fought against all odds to help regain freedom, peace, justice, truth and democracy in the country.?
Close examination
The Bantayog recognition is conferred only after close examination of a person?s life and manner of death.
The 13 are Roy Lorenzo H. Acebedo (1951-1975), David T. Bueno (1956-1987), William T. Chua (1955-2004), Jesus F. Fernandez (1955-2007), Arthur E. Galace (1942-1993), Eduardo E. Lanzona (1946-1975), Salvador F. Leaño (1921-1986), brothers Alfredo (1947-1973) and Armando L. Mendoza (1949-1975), Alex A. Mirabueno (1951-1988), Modesto C. Sison (1947-1977), Teresito G. Sison (1930-1980) and Rolan Y. Ybañez (1958-1985).
Honor studentt
Acebedo was a student organizer. He was a scholar, honor student majoring in mathematics at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
A student leader and activist, Acebedo was hunted down by the military during the martial law years. He was arrested, heavily tortured and detained for eight months.
He did not return to school after he was released and proceeded to the countryside. He was captured in a military raid.
Witnesses said Acebedo and his comrades were tortured and ordered to dig their graves. His remains have not been recovered.
Bueno, a human rights lawyer, graduated from San Beda College. He defended pro bono political prisoners and the tribal Yapayao farmers.
Based in Ilocos Norte, Bueno denounced military operations and atrocities in the North and organized a human rights organization there.
He took in village people and sent poor children to school. Bueno was assassinated in 1987.
Satirical pieces
Chua, a graduate of Xavier School, De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines, was not only a human rights lawyer. He was also a writer who penned scathing and satirical pieces during the martial law years. He gave his services to striking labor unionists and civil society groups.
Garrulous and funny, Chua was a well-liked person who brought much laughter even in times of danger and while doing serious work. Later, he would help expose graft and corruption in government.
Chua died of natural causes in 2004 and received several posthumous citations from his alma mater and the Chinese-Filipino community.
Youth leader
Fernandez was a youth leader who helped organize massive protest rallies. Working in the underground for several years, he was known for his planning and organizing skills and his work for the poor, justice and peace. He died of natural causes.
Galace was a human rights lawyer who organized fellow human rights advocates in northern Luzon. He defended political detainees and also wrote a column in a provincial paper.
He took up the case of farmers massacred by soldiers in Nueva Vizcaya. He died of diabetes in 1993.
Economics teacher
Lanzona was an economics teacher. He attended Ateneo de Manila University. Although he came from a wealthy family in Davao, Lanzona became passionately involved in the farmers? clamor for land reform.
He helped organize professors in Ateneo de Davao as well as bank employees. He joined the underground and became a hunted man. He was arrested, tortured and executed in 1975.
Leaño was a pastor for the Foursquare Church in San Andres, Romblon, at the time of his death. A poll watcher during the 1986 snap presidential election, he was shot and killed while defending the ballot. His body was stuffed inside a sack and found buried in a shallow grave.
The judge who convicted the murderer was all praises for Leaño?s dedication to duty and nominated him to be among the Bantayog heroes.
Desaparecidos
Brothers Alfredo and Armando Mendoza are considered ?desaparecidos? (disappeared). Their names are inscribed on the Flame of Courage Monument in Baclaran Church grounds for the missing.
Alfredo was a church worker and organizer while Armando was a student and peasant organizer.
Arrested in 1973, Alfredo was detained and later disappeared. Armando was arrested and detained in 1974. His captors said he escaped but his family received reports about him being rearrested and killed. The bodies of Alfredo and Armando have not been found.
Mirabueno was a human rights lawyer active in his home province of Cotabato. He hosted a radio program and rallied listeners to demand for reforms, he denounced corruption in government and illegal loggers.
He was also the provincial chair of the Free Legal Assistance Group. Mirabueno was gunned down in broad daylight.
Modesto Sison was a high school teacher in Davao Oriental and later, a peasant organizer. As a member of the Federation of Free Farmers and the Khi Rho movement, he went deep into the peasant movement. He disappeared in 1977 and has never been found.
Former seminarian
Teresito Sison was a former seminarian and a gifted teacher. He taught in Angeles City and later led a teachers? strike.
Arrested in 1971 when President Ferdinand Marcos suspended the writ of habeas corpus, Sison was detained, tortured and charged with subversion.
The torture he suffered led to physical disability and eventually, kidney failure.
Ybañez was a community organizer. Born in Mindoro Oriental, Ybañez the activist moved around in several places and later settled in Cebu where he became involved in protest rallies.
Although a behind-the-scenes person, Ybañez became a marked man. He was abducted on the same day that Fr. Rudy Romano was seized. Both of them remain missing to this day.
Honors
Honors will be conferred on these 13 individuals starting at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Bantayog Memorial Center. Located at the intersection of EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) and Quezon Avenue, the Bantayog complex now boasts a P16-million building, with a floor area of 1,000-sqm which houses a mini auditorium with 72 seats, symbolic of the year (1972) tyrannical rule was imposed through martial law.
A museum and library-archives are also housed in the building. Bantayog?s facilities could accommodate gatherings for special occasions. (For details please call 4348343 or visit www.bantayogngbayani.net).
Bantayog?s 1.5-hectare property was donated by the government, through Landbank, a year after the Marcos dictatorship was toppled and Corazon Aquino became president in 1986.
Every year names are added to the Wall of Remembrance. The first 65 names were engraved on the black granite wall in 1992. An estimated 10,000 Filipinos are believed to have suffered and died during the Marcos dictatorship that ended in 1986.
Founded after the 1986 People Power Revolution, The Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation Inc. is chaired by Alfonso T. Yuchengco. Former Senate President Jovito R. Salonga is chair emeritus.

10 things that make PH ugly

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism has taken a step back in its promotional campaign in order to do more creative thinking, after its new logo and slogan bloopers received a rain of heckles and even the President’s disapproval. Indeed, how could you sell Philippine tourism with an unoriginal-looking logo and a catchphrase that only Filipinos would understand? As in, “Ano raw?”

But enough with the heckling. The late, unlamented logo that bore close similarity to Poland’s, and the “Pilipinas, kay ganda” (Philippines, how beautiful) that netizens warned could lead to porno sites have both been dumped. A tourism undersecretary admitted to being overeager, took the blame and did the valiant act of resigning.

He didn’t have to resign irrevocably, if you ask me. How many government functionaries who have thoughtlessly or deliberately caused pain and embarrassment to this country have even hinted at resigning?

Now there is a rush of ideas on how best to sell the Philippines to the world through words and images. Many people still like the old “Wow! Philippines” campaign come-on that became popular during the watch of Richard Gordon as tourism secretary. His successor, Ace Durano, did not change it because it must have worked. If ain’t broke, why change it?

But I think the “Wow” has to be clearly spelled out as “world of wonders” which this country is. A sweeping “kay ganda” is not totally correct because of this country’s share of man-made ugliness (more on this later) that is evident as soon as one steps out of the international airport. “World of wonders” is more inclusive and could mean many things that don’t necessarily fall under “beautiful”: sun, sea and sky, music, food, art, nature, hospitality, spiritual healers, state-of-the-art medical facilities, religious sites, historical places, fiestas, etc. Wondrous is more like it. Even our garbage dumps have drawn special types of visitors, the so-called civil society “exposurists” and parachuting journalists. But that is another story.

I liked “Fiesta Islands,” which was the come-on during Mina Gabor’s stint at the DOT. It conjured images of endless merrymaking, azure skies, azure seas and islands gleaming in the sun. It had a mystifying feel and, just now, I remember writing a column piece titled “Islands”. The problem with “Fiesta Islands” is that tourists might not always find fiestas, which are held mostly in the summer, and, because of climate change, they might find flash floods instead.

Tourism websites vie with one another in Cyberspace. The first one I looked up was Poland’s which is highlighting the 200th birth anniversary of composer Frederic Chopin. You can even listen to some études. No, they are not capitalizing on Pope John Paul II’s popularity alone, so we shouldn’t be looking at Manny Pacquiao to do it all.

Spain still has its “Espana” logo done in the style of famous painter Joan Miró. I have a T-shirt with that design. Malaysia still uses “Malaysia, truly Asia” and I liked the song that went with the first version. There is “Incredible India” and “Amazing Thailand.” Iceland (which I dream of visiting) uses the catch words “pure, natural, unspoiled” and Peru (of Machu Picchu fame) uses “Live the legend.” Sikkim promotes itself as “the land of mystic splendor” and the Maldives as the “sunny side of life”. There is “Definitely Dubai” and “Ultimate Italy.” These past weeks, one cable channel has been showing the “Enjoy Jakarta” ad without let-up, and I can’t take it anymore!

With the DOT “kay ganda” catch phrase out of the way, it behooves us to point out what are not “kay ganda”. These are the sights, sounds and smells which could easily be sensed and considered ugly but to which solution could immediately be found, if there is a will. We’re not tackling the more deep-rooted cultural faults and character flaws of Filipinos, but the tangibles that are obvious to the senses and which, come to think of it, may have its roots in our very selves, our attitudes, our selfishness. These are the ones that tourists would right away experience and be repulsed by. I asked around and here are some for starters (you may add your own):

1. Billboards from hell, the scourge of ad tarps—In just less than a decade, the urban landscape has been “uglified” by these gigantic outdoor ads that have defied regulation. Many times they have brought death and injury to people and destruction to property. Who would like to be in a place like that?

2. Garbage, garbage, garbage on the streets, in the creeks, rivers, seas and shorelines—Ugly, smelly and unsanitary, they have been a big cause of pollution, flooding, disease. Year in and year out we blame garbage for our flooding woes but…

3. “Spaghetti” cables—Look up and see snarled power and phone cables looking like cobwebs hanging on the Philippine sky. They’re not only ugly, they’re also dangerous when they became too heavy and fall because of their sheer weight.

4. Sticky matter left behind by spitters and nosepickers—Footbridges, overpasses, sidewalks, churchyards, markets and waiting sheds have lots of these shimmering blobs.

5. Buildings in a state of disrepair or with ugly architecture—Metro Manila has lots of these unsightly neglected structures that should be condemned and demolished. Many cities in the world have that certain look and feel that the design of their buildings, homes and other structures provide. We have not evolved our own look.

6. Potholes galore, bad roads.

7. Dirty toilets.

8. Untrimmed trees, neglected public parks and gardens.

9. Traffic and too many unregulated public vehicles, plus the noise and pollution they make.

10. Extreme poverty—This is not to say that the poor and homeless are ugly. It is poverty that is deathly ugly. Countless Filipinos are mired in it because...

The little paper that roared

Editor's note: For 25 days, we will be telling stories about the Inquirer to mark the paper's 25th anniversary on Dec. 9, 2010. Some are littel stories but impacting oon how we cover unfolding events; some are mark-the-day stories that became talk-of-the-town types, others are turning point stories that have changed the landscape of history, still others, big or small, seize the heart and never let go. But whatever, the Inquirer will tell you the story.

First of the 25-day series
Philippine Daily Inquirer/FEATURES/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
MANILA, Philippines—And so it came to pass that the new kid on the block issued an announcement that sounded like a portent of things to come: “A new event is crying for our attention: possible snap elections. When and if that happens the Philippine Inquirer may respond with a snap daily. This new broadsheet size is in preparation for that eventuality” (Nov. 11-17, 1985).
The weekly tabloid-size Philippine Inquirer was born on Feb. 4, 1985, in response to a need to watch closely the Sandiganbayan trial of the 26 men accused in the assassination of former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. on Aug. 21, 1983. With the trial over except for the verdict, the Inquirer prepared for a “snap eventuality.”

The women in charge: publisher and editor in chief Eugenia D. Apostol and editor Leticia J. Magsanoc.

On Dec. 9, 1985, a Monday, the Philippine Inquirer became the Philippine Daily Inquirer, ISSN 0116-0443, a broadsheet eager to participate in and report daily on the nation’s unfolding history.

That day, fair weather, with light and variable winds, prevailed in Metro Manila. Other parts of the country had fair weather with isolated rain showers.

The first banner headline: “Cory rebuffs Doy demands.” Above it, “I am against communism, says Cory.” Below the fold: “Marcos claims God ordered him to lead Filipinos.”

Above the masthead of the “unmade bed” (referring to how the paper’s layout looked) was the come-on: “A slogan? Help us write one and win a prize.”

Weeks later, “Balanced News, Fearless Views” was chosen from more than 27,000 entries. Proof that people out there were reading the Inquirer and eager to participate in its becoming.

Defining moments

But it was during the days ahead that the rhyming catch phrase would be put to the test. The Feb. 7, 1986, snap election that pitted Ferdinand Marcos against Cory Aquino and its aftermath became defining moments that would create a ground swell of protest and catalyze a powerful people power movement never seen before in the world. The Inquirer was in the midst of it all. But this is getting ahead of the story.

That February of 1986, the Inquirer continued to report on the fraudulent election and the protests in many parts of the country that began to shake the dictatorship in a major way. As the powerful Catholic Church hierarchy breathed down on Marcos and called down on him the wrath of God, it was clear that his days were numbered.

“FM next Duvalier-Cory” the Feb. 20 headline said. Marcos ignored the gathering storm.
In editorial after editorial, in its reports, the Inquirer exposed a regime that was falling apart and yet continued to show brute force.

The Inquirer prominently reported the slaying of former Antique governor and Cory supporter Evelio Javier after the snap election. It was like Ninoy’s assassination all over again, with the bloodied Javier looking like his slain idol at the then Manila International Airport.

The wide spectrum that was the protest movement was not wanting of martyrs, media persons among them.

Major unraveling

The Inquirer reported on governments taking Marcos to task for clinging to power by foul means. His regime was crumbling and his health was failing. Didn’t he see the end was near?

“15 nations snub FM/Won’t attend inaugural” the Feb. 21 headline of a banner story said. As the Inquirer editorial of Feb. 22 stressed, “When diplomats do this openly and in full view, then it is time for Mr. Marcos to consider the meaninglessness of his election victory and the prospects of his country’s being unwelcome in the family of nations while he leads it.”

That night of Feb. 22, the major unraveling began. Military officers and soldiers announced their breakaway from Marcos. A yellow throng of Cory supporters began to surround and protect these men who were once the protector of the enemy.

But Cory’s poll victory would not be jeopardized by this surprising turn of events.
And so the four-day (Feb. 22-25) bloodless People Power Revolution began. The Inquirer headlines were harbingers of more surprising things to come, announcing the beginning of the end.

“Officials quit gov’t” (Feb. 22). “Enrile, Ramos lead ‘revolt’ against FM” (Feb. 23). “I’ll never surrender-Enrile” (Feb. 24). “We won-Enrile; I’m in charge-FM” (Extra edition, Feb. 24). “Cory takes oath?” (Feb. 25), “Her Excellency, Cory!/Takes oath as 7th President” (Extra edition, Feb. 25).

Model for oppressed

The world watched things unfold, tantalized by the Filipinos’ unique way of claiming their freedom.

An Inquirer editorial described the phenomenon: “People all over the world then saw the unbelievable. Filipinos charging at giant tanks with Volkswagens. Nuns and priests meeting armored cars with rosaries and prayers. Little children giving grim soldiers flowers and urging them not to fight for Marcos. People linking arms and blocking tanks, daring them to crush their fellow Filipinos …

“It was a lesson in passive resistance that will be the model for all oppressed people of the world, and it was uniquely Filipino.”

The Inquirer’s part in People Power was not an accidental, incidental one. The people behind the Inquirer in its previous forms and incarnations, working in the shadows and in the light, had done groundwork that inexorably led up to a certain level of preparedness. They had long harkened to the sound of distant drums, and when the time came, they heeded the call to arms.

“It’s all over; Marcos flees!” the Inquirer headline (Feb. 26) screamed.

But not quite over. For the People Power child, this little newspaper that could, the work was not over. The next chapter of its long, colorful and meaningful life had really just begun.

Save Sakineh from death by stoning

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

SENTENCED TO death by stoning is Iranian woman Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani who was accused of committing adultery and other crimes. What a barbaric, messy way to kill a person.

I watched a convicted rapist die by lethal injection more than 10 years ago (after the death penalty was revived and enforced for several years) and I still remember the details. Although everything at the death chamber looked so antiseptic and clinical, I still considered the process brutal and merciless even as I shut off all emotions and concentrated on taking down notes. The next day I could not look at the photo of the convicted man that went with my front-page story.

Death by stoning is merciless and messy. Good thing a man named Jesus had, long ago, made a dramatic, slow-mo, bulls-eye pronouncement on it that stunned and stupefied the stoners of a woman caught in adultery. “Let anyone among you who is without sin cast the first stone.” And to the woman, “Go and sin no more.” Fantastic choice of words and with elocutory value, I must say.

But in this modern society and in some cultures, death by stoning is still a form of punishment. As in the case of Sakineh. A news report last week datelined Tehran said, “Iran said on Wednesday that a woman sentenced to death by stoning was in perfect health and that her case was still being reviewed after Western officials expressed concern her execution was imminent.

“Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast accused Western governments of a ‘shameless’ attempt to pressure Iran over the case by turning it into a human rights issue.”

But it is a human rights issue.

This brings to mind a gripping 1980 British docu-drama, “Death of a Princess,” believed to be based on a true story of Princess Masha’il from the Middle East. The princess and her lover, a commoner, were publicly executed. I remember watching the film on Betamax in the 20th century when DVD and Internet were not yet in our vocabulary.

We’re now in the 21st century and punishment of death by stoning—public, I suppose—is still being meted out.

Sakineh is not a Muslim princess. But because of new media technology, she might be luckier than the princess who was beheaded. There is a petition on the Internet calling for Sakineh’s immediate release. Add your name to the signatories (close to a million) from around the world who are calling for her release. Log on to http://www.avaaz.org/ en/24h_to_save_sakineh/98.php?CLICKTF

Here are excerpts from Amnesty International’s (AI) write-up on Sakineh, “A Life in the Balance.”

“Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two from north-west Iran, has spent years expecting her life to be cruelly ended at any moment. Since 2006 she has faced execution by stoning, the sentence imposed unfairly after she was convicted of “adultery while married.” Her fate remains in the hands of an arbitrary and flawed justice system that has failed her from the start. Her desperate situation has led countless people across the world to take action on her behalf, action met by obfuscatory statements by the Iranian authorities regarding her legal situation. The authorities now appear to be planning to secure her execution for a different alleged offence—murder.

“A woman of humble origins, Sakineh is from Iran’s Azerbaijani minority, many of whom face discrimination. Her mother tongue is Azeri Turkic. She has limited knowledge of Persian, the language used by the interrogators and courts that questioned, tried and convicted her. She initially ‘confessed’ in the absence of any lawyer, but withdrew her ‘confession’ in court…

“Sakineh was detained in 2005 following the murder of her husband Ebrahim Qaderzadeh. Although initially accused of murder, her children did not press charges against her, as is their right… which could have led to her being sentenced to death by hanging…Instead, she was charged and convicted… for her alleged participation in the murder, and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, the maximum sentence. According to a court document seen by AI, this sentence was initially upheld by the Supreme Court. However, according to Javid Houtan Kiyan, her current lawyer, in 2009 a judicial review by the Supreme Court led to the conviction of murder being changed to “complicity” in murder. As a result, he says the sentence was reduced to five years—the maximum sentence for this offence. By late September 2010, this five-year term would either have been served or nearly served.

“Apparently arising out of the investigations into her husband’s murder, in May 2006 Sakineh was convicted of having had ‘illicit relations’ with two men, for which she was flogged 99 times in the presence of her son Sajjad. Despite this, she was later additionally charged with ‘adultery while married’ and on 10 September 2006 was sentenced to death by stoning, the mandatory punishment under Article 83 of the Penal Code.

“She was found guilty by three of the five judges who heard her case. Although she told the court that her ‘confession’ had been forced out of her and was not true. The three judges convicted her on the basis of ‘the knowledge of the judge’, a provision in Iranian law that allows judges to decide on subjective grounds whether or not a defendant is guilty even if there is no clear or conclusive evidence...”

Shadi Sadr, Iranian lawyer, anti-stoning campaigner and women’s rights activist, told AI: “Iran is justly criticized for such acts [stoning] but people shouldn’t forget that many Iranians abhor this practice and are working to end it. It has nothing to do with our culture, but has all to do with an unfair justice system which discriminates against women at many levels.”

Let us help save Sakineh.