Sa inyo, mga anak... Sa aking pagtanda, unawain mo sana ako at pagpasensyahan. Kapag dala ng kalabuan ng mata ay makabasag ako ng pinggan o makatapon ng sabaw sa hapag-kainan, huwag mo sana akong kagalitan. Maramdamin ang matatanda. Naaawa ako sa sarili ko tuwing sisigawan mo ako.
Kapag mahina na ang tenga ko at hindi ko maintindihan ang sinasabi mo, huwag mo naman sana akong sabihan ng "binge!" at pakiulit o pakisulat na lang ang sinabi mo. Pasensya na, anak. Matanda na talaga ako.
Kapag mahina na tuhod ko, pagtiyagaan mo sana akong tulungang makatayo, tulad ng pag-aalalay ko sa iyo noong nag-aaral ka pa lang lumakad.
Pagpasensyahan mo sana ako kung ako man ay nagiging makulit at paulit-ulit na parang sirang plaka. Basta pakinggan mo na lang ako. Huwag mo sana akong pagtawanan o pagsawaang pakinggan. Natatandaan mo ba, anak, noong bata ka pa? kapag me gusto la,paulit- ulit mong sinasabi, maghapon kang mangungulit hangga't hindi mo nakuk! uha ang gusto mo. Pinagtiyagaan ko ang kakulitan mo.
Pagpasensyahan mo na rin sana ang aking amoy. Amoy matanda, amoy lupa. Huwag mo sana akong piliting maligo. Mahina na ang katawan ko. Madaling magkasakit kapag nalamigan. Huwag mo sana akong pandirihan. Natatandaan mo noong bata ka pa? Pinagtiyagaan kitang habulin sa ilalim ng kama kapag ayaw mong maligo.
Pagpasensyahan mo sana kung madalas, ako'y masungit, dala na marahil ito ng katandaan. Pagtanda mo, maiintindihan mo rin.
Kapag may konti kang panahon, kuwentuhan naman tayo, kahit sandali lang. inip na ako sa bahay, maghapong nag-iisa. Walang kausap. Alam kong busy ka sa trabaho at pag-aaral, pero nais kong malaman mo na sabik na sabik na akong makakuwentuhan ka, kahit alam kong hindi ka interesado sa mga kuwento ko. Natatandaan mo ba, anak, noong bata ka pa? Pinagtiyagaan kong pakinggan at intindihin ang pautal-utal mong kuwento tungkol sa kahit ano.
At kapag dumating ang sandali na ako'! y magka kasakit at maratay sa banig ng karamdaman, huwag mo sana akong pagsawaang alagaan. Pagpasensyahan mo na sana kung ako man ay maihi o madumi sa higaan. Sa mga huling sandali ng aking buhay, pagtiyagaan mo sana akong alagaan tulad noong pinagtiyagaan kitang linisan, hugasan, at bihisan noong bata ka pa. Tutal hindi na naman ako magtatagal.Kapag dumating ang sandali ng aking pagpanaw, hawakan mo sana ang aking kamay at bigyan mo ako ng lakas ng loob na harapin ang kamatayan.
At huwag kang mag-alala, kapag kaharap ko na ang Diyos na lumikha, ibubulong ko sa kanya na pagpalain ka Niya at bantayan... dahil naging mapagmahal ka sa iyong mga mgulang ...
-Written by Rev. Fr. Ariel F. Robles CWL Spiritual Director St. Augustine Parish Baliuag, Bulacan - Edited by Dory Aracena
You take a bath using a tabo which you call Caltex,
Your bathroom has at least one lugod (some has one for every family member),
Your nanay used to make you drink Mirinda or Royal Tru Orange when you have a fever, which is supposed to make you feel better,
Sinamak is a staple in your dining table (the best Ilonggo invention if you ask me, was even banned on airplanes long before 911),
Your toyo is patis and your patis is toyo,
You use atsuete for your adobo and pinamalhan (pinaksiw),
Your daily meal will likely include laswa, kbl (kadyos, baboy, langka), ginat-an nga tambo with tugabang and okra, ginat-an nga munggo, linutik, apan-apan, etc.
November 1 means eating ibus, suman, suman latik, kalamay-hati, bayi-bayi, valenciana or other native delicacies with glutinous rice and coconut milk,
You call those you love palangga, pangga, langga or ga,
You call your siblings or cousins inday, nonoy or toto...the househelp may call you the same,
You call those who are older than you manang or manong,
You catch the attention of sales attendants by calling them "day" or "to",
Your childhood games include tumba patis, taksi, panagu-ay, balay-balay, ins, tin-tin baka, sikyu, etc.,
You used to be (or still are) scared to go out at night lest you meet the aswang, tik-tik, tayhu, kapre, kama-kama, morto, etc.
You used to listen (or still listens) to Sin-o Ang May Sala, Lain Siya Sa Iban, and Toyang Ermitanya,
Your grandparents read Yuhum magazine,(I actually read Hiligaynon!)
You call a person, thing, place and event "kwan" when you forget it (si kwan, ang kwan, sa kwan),
You used to sleep in an aboy-aboy made of patadyong when you were a baby (probably applies only to us below the poverty line),
You understand that "Particulars Keep Out" sign means outsiders keep out (believe me, this sign may look and sound English but only us Ilonggos use it),
You use words such as "ahay" (expression of pity, grief, empathy), "yuga" (expression of disbelief, surprise), "ambot ah" (to say you don't know, expression of impatience),
You often start your sentence with ti,
You say goodbye by saying "halong". (Thanks! to Connie Ezpeleta Fernandez of the Locsin Clan)
Posted by FreddieFri Mar 3, 2007 -------------- Twilight Zone GLIMPSES Jose Ma. Montelibano
Try as I might to find excitement out there in the early weeks of the senatorial campaign, Filipinos just do not exude enthusiasm or unusual interest. I know that Filipinos have pulled back somewhat from the partisan political bickering of our present leaders, but I did not realize that the withdrawal is as bad as it is. Of course, the campaign will heat up as it nears election day, but it quite boring at the moment.
The opposition must find ways to make the campaign more interesting or face a dangerous trend of reversal. Starting way ahead is not a guarantee that others cannot catch up. Fernando Poe, Jr. started like a rocket ship, so many percentage points ahead of Gloria. It seemed impossible for him to lose, but he did. I myself thought the FPJ camp gave the victory away for various reasons, that his campaign was badly run. His supporters claim that Gloria stole the elections, which may be true, but victory could not have been stolen if it was a landslide in votes and in people's hearts.
Early predictions based on surveys of the more reputable pollsters have the opposition leading 8 to 4. The lead is primarily influenced by an anti-Gloria sentiment that has persisted over the last two years. However, the opposition was not able to remove her, and her presidency has recovered from the threat of instant collapse from that horrible Hello Garci controversy. The strengthening of the economy, even if it just benefits the minority of the population, is enough to generate guarded optimism. Extend this feeling some more and the 8 to 4 lead of the opposition will crack.
It remains the anti-Gloria sentiment that provides the early lead of the opposition. The few personalities that have drawn a rather large portion of the population to be supportive of them, regardless of how people regard Gloria, will win from sheer the goodwill they have already earned. But these are only 4 to 6 individuals. The others are not assured of victory. The anti-Gloria sentiment must be activated by the opposition or their marginal candidates can falter and lose. On the other hand, administration candidates must run a colorful and hopeful campaign to catch up.
At the moment, things will tend to stay the same until the preponderance of TV ads will begin to penetrate the unthinking audience. In that case, quantity will sway the voters. It will stay that way until an outstanding TV ad will find its way to the voters' hearts, and none has managed that so far. That is also one of the reasons why there is little excitement so far. Even the TV ads are relatively boring, unable to catch what lurks in the frustrated Filipino.
I think that the Filipino has realized that the politicians who irritate him with their inanity got there, and stay there, because of he, the voter, allowed it and keeps allowing it. The realization has made the Filipino voter more disinterested today, partly out of revulsion at how low politics has sunk, and partly out of guilt. The realization, however, is not yet deep enough to move the Filipino to action; it is enough, though, to keep him out of the action. That is why the streets are quiet. That is why the opposition must be alert that their lead, born from the anti-Gloria sentiment, that the I-don't-care attitude of the Filipino will not allow administration candidates to catch up.
The administration is the superior force. The opposition cannot defeat a superior force unless the superior force stumbles it shoots itself in the foot. Worse, the administration may shoot itself in the mouth, as what it did in the case of Congressman Allan Peter Cayetano, by making him an underdog before the public's sympathetic eye and an instant leading candidate for the senate. The people are tired of too much politicking, but they are more sensitive to bullying and predisposed to help the underdog.
The administration, too, must be acutely aware of the unexplained killings which most Filipinos by this time attribute to summary executions by the military or their subalterns. These killings have crossed the line, meaning the public is moving away from its erstwhile quiet tolerance of the executions. There is now a sympathetic attitude towards the victims' families, and a natural distaste for violence no matter the provocation. Push the killings some more without changing the perception of the public that the military, and Gloria, know and approve of it and a major political crisis can turn the tide completely against even the leading bets of the administration.
I look at where we are as the twilight zone, the point when day turns to night. This zone is a quiet one, almost reflective. What is sure, though, is that it will soon give in to the darkness no matter how unprepared we may be. Twilight is neither here nor there, but it will inevitably move from here to there. The old is dying, and the new is but still a pregnant wish. The revolution is alive and progressing, but its manifestation is so subtle that few sense the big change that is forming in the womb of national patriotism.
Many see the long queues outside several foreign embassies, a sure evidence that Filipinos are desperate to leave. Few see the handful of Filipinos abroad who have since become citizens of another land take on dual citizenship, encourage their children to visit and reconnect to their motherland. Many hear the criticisms we throw at ourselves. Few listen to the growing mutterings of a lost people expressing sympathy for those they left behind, for the homeland that is quietly resigned to its own disintegration.
Never have I monitored a people so colonized and dependent on foreign masters as Filipinos today. The occupation of the motherland is no more, but freedom is not in the absence of the foreign master but in self-reliance. Freedom is not yet ours. When there is no self-reliance, there is dependence, even mendicancy. I hope I see things clearly, that we are in the twilight of the past and nearing the doorway to a new tomorrow. ***
I . Face and accept the reality of getting old, its consequences and the limitations which growing old brings. Act and behave your age. Quit fooling yourself by trying to look like you were in your youth.
II . Focus on enjoying people, not on indulging in or accumulating material things.
III . Plan to spend whatever you have saved. You deserve to enjoy it and the few healthy years you have left. Travel if you can afford it. Don't leave anything for your children or loved ones to quarrel about. By leaving anything, you may even cause more trouble when you Are gone.
IV . Live in the here and now, not in the yesterdays and tomorrows. It is only today that you can handle. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not even happen
V . Enjoy your grandchildren (if you are blessed with any) but don't be their full time baby sitter. You have no moral obligation to take care of them. Don't have any guilt about refusing to baby sit anyone's kids, including your own grandkids. Your parental obligation is to your children. After you have raised them into responsible adults, your duties of child-rearing and babysitting are finished. Let your children raise their own off-springs.
VI . Accept physical weakness, sickness and other physical pains. It is a part of the aging process. Enjoy whatever your health can allow.
VII . Enjoy what you are and what you have right now. Stop working hard for what you do not have. If you do not have them, it's probably too late.
VIII . Just enjoy your life with your spouse, children, grandchildren and friends. People, who truly love you, love you for yourself, not for what you have. Anyone who loves you for what you have will just give you misery.
IX . Forgive and accept forgiveness. Forgive yourself and others. Enjoy peace of mind and peace of soul.
X . Befriend death. It's a natural part of the life cycle. Don't be afraid of it. Death is the beginning of a new and better life. So, prepare yourself not for death but for a new life.
The elections are over. Claims and counter-claims have been made, some verified, many dismissed. Life moves on, and Philippine society can only learn from the few successes which disguise the many failures. Indeed, Fr. Ed Panlilio's miraculous victory in the gubernatorial race in Pampanga and the magnificent showing of the young politicians newly elected to the Senate are offered as proof that dirty elections can be made to look honest.
The painful truth, however, points to a deepening of political corruption. Money, and mostly money, dictates who will win. And if victory through money is not deemed enough, some resort to bullets. It has become so bad that when over a hundred people die in election-related violence, it can be claimed to be the most peaceful in recent history. A shocked bishop from Bataan, however, and his priests saw enough to decry how money used to buy votes also killed virtue and morality.
The ascendancy of vote buying over the use of goons has been a growing pattern. It reflects the kind of degradation that has overtaken Philippine society in general where the moneyed are concerned, and the kind of poverty that forces at least a third of Filipinos to sell an asset that gains in value once every three years. Many of those in power have become drunk with it and do not hesitate to use it in raw and vulgar exercise of abuse. They are confident that their associates or subordinates will accommodate dirty requests because money will ultimately compensate their loss of decency.
But gold or goons, whichever is being utilized to corrupt our national soul, is the evil that democracy seeks to demolish. True democracy cannot co-exist with massive poverty, nor massive corruption. That is why democracy in the Philippines is but a shadow; you see its form but you cannot touch it.
In a highly material world where democracy has not taken a firm foothold, however, its difficult to be both democratic and developmental. Democracy assumes a high level of social consciousness and an inherent distaste for both corruption and poverty. By its very nature, democracy is an expression of social justice. Individual rights and collective good are priority values of democracy - which immediately sets the Philippines apart as a violator rather than an example of democracy.
In the senatorial race, it became close to impossible to buy votes nationwide. Therefore, vote-buying took a lesser position to popularity. The candidates most popular to the electorate were the ones who won. Those who had money and power were helped by their privileged positions, but did not succeed anyway against the more popular. It is difficult to claim the same if the senatorial candidates ran for their positions in smaller areas and populations where it was possible to buy a dominant number of votes.
It is true that the desire for change, for new faces and new ways, greatly influenced the way many Filipino voters voted. Even in the senate, those who most symbolized change made it even though they were less popular than the front runners and had less money to spend. But changing the materialistic mindset that has devoured Philippine politics will not be easy and will take great labor to do so. That is why Fr.Ed Panlilio's victory was deemed miraculous. Change need not come only from those who promised it the most. Change can also be the initiative of those who have more power and resources, and want to be more popular as well. There is nothing wrong with learning from the lessons that the elections taught, and I am sure there will be many who did not stand for change yet will be wise enough to adjust. At the same time, there will be many who will plan for the next elections by piling up more money so they can buy more votes. After all, money did play a most dominant role at the local level. Most winners in the congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral races did spend a lot to oil their political machinery and the capacity of that machinery to entice votes in exchange for money. Whether it is paying allowances for poll watchers and workers, directly buying votes or paying for favors from election officers, it was money that spelled the difference between winning and losing. The primacy of money in a poor and corrupt country cannot be dismantled without great sacrifice and determination. After all, it is a very materialistic reality, here and everywhere else in the world. Only the most committed to virtue, the most repulsed by the evil of poverty and corruption, can take up the cross, follow the mission of a historical savior, and persevere. This is the only attitude that can dismantle poverty and corruption in the Philippines. Those, therefore, who promised change must be held to their promises even if they did not win. After all, they publicly claimed that that they wanted to help, that they wanted to usher reform, that they were honest and sincere. Deceit and lies are not the exclusive sins of dirty politicians but also those who hanker for the power and money of dirty politicians. I agree with the viewpoint of some who say that change is around the corner, or may actually be here. I, too, witness the surge of good works that many in the private sector are initiating. Corporate social responsibility has many companies becoming more active in helping others, and that helps both reducing poverty and corruption. The youth are also showing that they can easily be attracted to idealism, even heroism, if there are causes and leaders worth their time and attention. Truly, there is hope, just as truly, great labor is required to make that hope a reality. Filipinos today find themselves in a special moment of opportunity. There is a momentum that has been unleashed by the political campaign of recent months and the elections last week. There is inspiration from the victories of candidates who are associated with freshness and goodness. We need only to understand that what we began cannot be allowed to wane, or else it will take so much to stoke the fire again. ***
