Anti Planking Bill, Seriously?

QC representative Winnie Castelo has filed an Anti-Planking bill. He said he was urge by his parental conscience after seeing some students planking in those busy streets last Monday during the height of the transport strike.

“Parents and teachers have reason to be alarmed if these similar protest actions will have as a scheme and scene otherwise warm and living bodies laid down across street highways as though they were offerings to the gods,” Castelo said in the explanatory note of House Bill 5316.

“The parent in me tells me that this precedent in the case of the this massive transport strike where militant street protesters who are students of various schools have to lie down or serve as ‘planks’ across the road to disrupt what should be normal traffic could just be very dangerous in the future. Life and limb are pretty much at risks here were unbelieving bus drivers or law enforcement authorities might just ram through these warm and living bodies rolled out on highways”, Castelo added.

To be honest, I first heard the word planking from Vice Ganda and it was used to describe what the show contestants was doing on stage. At first I thought is was appropriate to say that is has the same meaning as tumbling. But, when I heard about this law, I eventually seek the help of my friend ( well, our friend really!) Google and look for the meaning of the word. And found its meaning as follows:

Planking (noun) - throwing or setting down clumsily or casually ; to lay horizontally across any object or the ground with their arms by their sides, aiming to occur in daring situations or a brotherly display of core-strength.

Yes, I agree to what the good representative was trying to point out. Putting myself in the shoes of the moms of those students, maybe I will even thank him for thinking about the welfare of my child. But bringing in some bill like this to our congress is like a joke. I am not saying that it will not do any good to our country because I believe that in its very little way it could. What I am emphasizing is that our country needs bills more than this one. Perhaps, bills that would alleviate the status of the education system of our country or a bill that would perhaps bring in more opportunities to people living in the province so they don't have to go to Manila just to find a job, and yes not even a decent job at that!

Happy 4th of July

A few years ago, 4th of July was celebrated all throughout the Philippines with a blast. Yes, it was originally celebrated as Independence Day until August 4, 1964 when historians urged that it be changed to June 12, 1898. looking back at our history, some may agree that it was indeed the correct date of our independence. The Spaniards never recognized that we are free from them when our flag was raised in Kawit, Cavite. They even transferred us as their colony to the Americans via the Treaty of Paris. To be honest, my mind has been bugged by our so called Independence even when I was just a kid. During my elementary grades, we were thought about how we won our freedom when the Katipuneros waved our flag to the tune of Marcha Filipina Magdalo (which later became Marcha Nacional Filipina). I was also taught then that July 4th is the Filipino-American Friendship Day. Is the United States really an ally of our country? Oh, this could perhaps launched a debate, but I will leave it up to your opinion. Personally, I have gained some blogging friends over the last week thru an online community called Voiceboks. Most of them are based in the US, so I could personally say that I have allies in the United States! (LOL!) Right now, I will just content myself in greeting Happy 4th of July day to everyone, whatever your opinions maybe. Anyway, everybody deserves a happy day not just on this day but everyday.

Osama Bin Laden Now a History

The death of Osama Bin Laden is all over the news. Even non-Americans are exalted about the event. Well, who could ever forget the tragedy that was 9/11. The thousands of victims who suffered an untimely death, just because one terrorist leader wants to send a signal that they should be frightened. Bin Laden's terrorist group the AlQaeda is said to be funding countless terrorist groups all over the world. They were also linked to a local terrorists group, the Abu Sayyaf. It is said that the Al Qaeda was funding the Abu Sayyaf. If there was something that we could thank for the death of Bin Laden, it would be that we get to see a peaceful world, at least for sometime. Why do I say for sometime? Let us take the fact that only Bin Laden is dead, he still have his followers. And let us hope that the followers will now have their spirits crushed that they would not think about a counter attack soon.

On Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili Scandal

The Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili scandal is all over the news today. I was flipping on national channels last night and they are actually the current rave. The media seems to ride on the scandal. As a lady, I cannot help but take on the side of Ms. Halili. I hate it when a lady is being put into a shameful situation. Hubby said that it looks like she knows about the filming of the vid, but still she does not know that it will be shown publicly. Even the lawmakers seem to ride on the fame (err, shame) that the vids are making. Why does it have to be that they need individuals from the film industry to come in front and say that their rights were violated before they would react? Matagal ng maraming sex scandal ng mga hindi kilalang tao na binebenta sa kalsada pero dahil hindi sila kilala ayos lang sa mga mambabatas? Oh,I just wish they would open their eyes to the realities of our world. The more they talk about the videos they higher the number the searches over the internet for them are. Even my six year old son is starting to ask about the video. The news are all on primetime and a lot of kids are actually watching the news with their parents. Hence, a lot of kids are actually hearing them talk about this kind of things. Sa inis ko, nilipat ko na lang ang TV sa ibang channel.

And by the way, we should be more worried because our country already have its 1st confirmed AH1N1 patient.

Pataas ng Pataas ng Pataas

Kanina lang ako nagbyaheng ulit papuntang opisina kasi di pwedeng maghatid si Hubby dahil kailangang mag aral ni Baby para sa test sa eskwela bukas. Nagulat ako sa sobrang taas ng pamasahe sa ngayon. Parang kelan lang, 1.50 ang minimum na pamasahe sa mga jeepneys tapos ngayon 8.50 na pala. Okay, siguro nga ay sobrang tagal na ang panahong sinasabi ko kasi 15 years na nga pala akong nakakagraduate from high school, at high school ako noong 1.50 ang pamasahe sa jeep. Naisip ko lang dati pag may bente pesos ako sa bulsa, malayo na ang mararating ko, may meryenda pa ako. Ngayon kaya magkano na ang baon ng mga high school students? Grade 1 pa lang kasi ang anak ko eh kaya nagkakasya pa sya sa sandwiches and biscuits na pinapabaon namin. At saka mas gusto ko yung ganito na pinababaunan ko sya ng pagkain, alam ko na kung ano ang kinakain nya, di pa sya lumalaki na sanay na may hawak na pera. Ang hirap na talaga ng buhay, wala ng mura ngayon kundi ang mura ng kapitbahay mo na galit na galit dahil sa patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin.

Kung noong mga nakakaraang buwan na ang NFA rice ay nabibiling disiotso pesos isang kilo, madami pa ring magugutom, paano na ngayong tumaas na rin sya at naging bente singko pesos na kada kilo. Dumadami lalo ang batang nasa kalye at naghahanap buhay, dumadami rin ang nasisiraan ng bait dahil sa gutom. Ano na lang kaya ang kahihinatnan nang Pinoy at ng Pilipinas pagkaraan ng sampung taon? Dati, ang bukambibig ko noong nasa kolehiyo ako, di ko iiwan ang 'Pinas kasi alam ko kaya pa nitong tumayo sa lugmok na kinalalagyan nya. Nagsisimula kasi noong ituring tiger economy ang ekonomiya ng bansa na nasa pamamahala ni Tabako. Ngayon, nagsisimula na rin akong mag isip na mangibang bayan para sa kinabukasan ng anak ko, ng pamilya namin. Pabulok na kasi nang pabulok ang sistema sa 'Pinas kahit sa pinakamaliit na sangay ng gobyerno me korupsyong nagaganap, kahit sa kabataang barangay nauso na rin ang bilihan ng boto. Haynaku, pano pinakikialaman na rin ng malalaking pulitiko.

Mag aanim na taon pa lang ang anak ko sa Agosto, at ayokong ito ang maging mukha ng Pilipinas na kalakihan nya. Pero, ano ang magagawa ng isang inang katulad ko kung nag iisa lang ako. Kung sana lang lahat ng ina ay magtutulong tulong alam ko may natitira pang hibla nang buhay ang 'Pinas at nasa palad ito ng kabataang nasa pangangalaga ng kanilang mga magulang.

A learning from long ago

We are about to move to another house in a few days from now. As part of the moving, there was a lot of cleaning and gathering of things that we should bring to the new house. This is why I stumbled into this old poem that I wrote on my diary in high school. As I read each line of this poem, it came to my mind that the reason why I wrote this in that diary long ago was because my mom and I were on some sort of misunderstanding. I, being the hard-headed teen I was then, would like to somehow give this poem to her as a part of my mother's day gift but I never had the courage. reading the poem now gives me more insights on being a mom and how I should handle all my little Jian's mischievousness at times. I'm writing this down right now, so as to share the lovely verses that was written by Kahlil Gibran.

On Children
An excerpt from "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said,
"Speak to us of Children".And he said:

Your children are not your children,

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but are not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them,

but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your chilren

as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and

He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far

Let your bending in th earcher's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

So he loves also the bow that is stable.

As I was growing I have always been given rules to follow. I grew up in house that kids are not given the chance to speak their mind out. My parents,having been bought by their disciplinarian parents, have always believed that in raising a child one has to be stiff and should always imposed punishment for broken rules. Yes, napapalo po ako nun dahil sa katigasan ng ulo ko. I have always been in some sort of argument with my Mama, especially during my teenaged years. I have always been the kind who would always stood for what I believed is right even if it means that I will be alone in my beliefs and would have to contest that of my parents understanding. Blame it on my Papa who, during my elementary days, made me realized that in order for others to respect you as a person you have to be true to what you have promised. Now that I am mother to a very smart boy, I begin to understanding the feelings of my Mama then while we are growing up. I am actually, at times. sounding like her. I guess I should have to be reminded as well that children are born with their own mind. The reason why they have to be with us is because they need our guidance as their parents.