apocalypse not

Bryan Singer returns with “X-Men: Apocalypse,” and to say the least, it is good. I watched it on premier night, and now I could finally sum up the experience with this: I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed Zack Snyder’s “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Yeah, give me the boos. The thing is, after the superb “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” this latest installment of mutant mayhem has unfortunately not sustained the momentum. We are in the 80’s, and we have Apocalypse as the main antagonist, and yet they do not feel weighty, insane and engaging enough. Hello! That’s Apocalypse we are talking about, one of the craziest foes in the Marvelverse! And yet his character falls flat and boring in this film. He even looks small next to Olivia Munn’s Psylocke (who was a perfect but another under-used choice, honestly). Oscar Isaac was a waste of talent. And on the opposite side of waste is the overexposure of Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique. It is hard to dim the limelight for an A-list actress like J-Law, especially in a big blockbuster ensemble movie, but her presence and protest rally-like speeches in the story seems forced. She makes me wish for the darker, unpredictable Mystique of Rebecca Romijn instead. What truly stand out in this film are the younger mutants. The normally bland Cyclops is played by Tye Sheridan with so much attitude. Sophie Turner of “Game of Thrones” fame is surprisingly fit for Jean Grey. Evan Peters’ Quicksilver and Kodi Smit-McPhee’s Nightcrawler provide the humor in the right places (but let’s just forget the latter’s hair please). And we finally see Storm, played by Alexandra Shipp, who showcases her powers that closely resemble their portrayal in the comics and animated series. After assessing the previous X-Men films up to the recent one, I realize what makes this “X-Men: Apocalypse” not apocalyptic enough. Its plot is almost the same as those that come before it. Here’s an egocentric baddie, here’s a united team. Familiar, right? It’s because we have seen it all before. P.S. I also expected a lot of fireworks from Lana Condor’s Jubilee, but, oh well.

[ photo borrowed from this site ]

on mother's day

In times like this, when the seas are rough and the waves keep rocking your boat, you need to keep calm and trust on your anchor. And for several years, this woman remains to be my reliable anchor. Happy Mother's Day, Ma! No words can define my love for you, not just on this day but always. All the time.

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Today is Mother's Day. I know, it is another capitalist concept embraced by many. But it is good to remind ourselves that we celebrate the strength, love, and wisdom shared to us by our mothers. Outside our homes, the closest we could get to another mother is our teachers, from pre-school to tertiary education. I am lucky enough that I have a mother who is also a public high school teacher. Whether these teachers are men or women, they are still our mothers in the sense that they nurture us with the knowledge we need to face the realities of the world. But as I face the strange reality of this country today, some questions come into mind: How much knowledge and wisdom did our teacher-mothers actually instill in their children today and in the past? Have they taught these children the history that shapes the present? Have they taught these children to be critical and not be swayed by lies and fabricated stories? Have they shared the reality as it is? For all the teachers in this lifetime who have prepared me to this day, especially on this day before the elections, I am so much thankful. Your guidance, truthfulness, and courage to teach the truth and reality are an inspiration. To the rest of the teachers out there, persist, be honest, and teach well. Don't fail the future generation. It is the bravest job in the world.

along the trail of change (or delusion)

Make sure that change will definitely arrive ha, at hindi lang puro coming? Or else someone's going to Duterte you. Good luck, Philippines!
Link: Change Better Be Coming

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Very fightening, indeed.

“It is frighteningly stark how so many Filipinos misunderstand what the role of the media is. We've been flooded with demands to comment on this, comment on that, what do you think about what so-and-so said, etc., as if the primary role of a newsroom is to judge something. Agencies have editorial pieces, sure. But for readers to outright demand a reaction from us on whatever issue is up their ass at the moment is so indicative of how they see media as simply a tool to justify their own biases. I know this may sound really trite and redundant at this point, but I just had to say it. So many Filipinos have no respect for knowledge. They just want to shout at something, to laugh at something, to set something before them and judge it blamelessly to their heart's content. It is so selfish. It is so, so childish. We lack education, sure. But even before that, what needs to be addressed is the infinite, gaping hole that is our conscience.” – Marguerite Alcazaren De Leon

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Such powerful message for all the people out there, especially for the young ones who believe that Martial Law is the golden age of this country. Do not hold on to that lie. I've met kids and college students who insist that the Marcos years are the best years the Philippines ever had. Do not hold on to that misconception. Instead, those years were filled with torture, rape, murder, all forms of violations. Never forget the horrors of the past. Never bring those horrors to the present. It is never too late to change your mind.
Link: Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang


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“Basta _______ pa rin kami! Solid! All the way!”

Getting a response like that no matter how much facts and figures are presented only confirms my assumption that the majority of this country have a lot of growing up to do. The word "basta" simply negates reason and logic. It is the word that captures the very character of a classic stubborn man who refuses to learn and to be learned. In cases like this, there is no point in having a constructive and healthy discussion. Because when the word “basta” comes into play, you must know that the formulation of ideas has ceased to exist and the obvious is easily ignored. Basta.

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Now let me tell you about Cognitive Dissonance, which is what many Filipinos here and abroad are experiencing. Read this explanation by Frantz Fanon:

“Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief.”

In other words, you believe the lies instead of the truth.

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If you are responsible enough as living, breathing human being, know the trail of death Duterte leaves behind. A trail that continues to make a mark in our lives today and in the future. Stop this blindness. I still believe there’s power in knowledge.
Link: Tough Justice: On the Trail of Philippine Death Squads

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Irresponsibility has consequences, has real human costs.

“My girlfriend was on the way to see me. She struck up a conversation with her taxi driver about the coming elections. After expressing an opinion on a certain candidate, she was told ‘Sana marape ka para malaman mo kung gaano ka kailangan si Duterte.’ When we met up, I had to hold her and assure her everything was OK while she cried. To anyone still entertaining voting for him, realize his mouth has real human cost.” – Rami Hourani

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One thing I know for sure, at least I've never used as a source something from a Mocha Girl or Senyora Santibañez. Yuck.

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Plagiarism is a crime diba? If you remember, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto presented a speech, with most of its parts copied from many speeches from different writers without permission. So will he put himself in this prison island? Abangan.
Link: Sotto wants prison island for drug offenders

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Oh well. Mahirap ng maniwala sa isang taong lantaran at hambog sa kanyang pagkasinungaling. He said he won’t run for president. He ran. He said he doesn’t have those BPI accounts. He did have such accounts. This man’s got no integrity, which is ironic, because he claims to be for the poor. He is actually fooling the poor.
Link: Duterte assures he won’t declare Martial Law

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Be a good sport, not a sore loser.

“The assumption seems to be that Duterte's defeat can only be possible if other candidates cheat. We presume him to be invincible, due to survey results that consistently put him in the lead.

But election surveys--as helpful as they are--never claim to be predictive. They can help us make educated guesses, but no further. Recall that in the 2010 Vice Presidential race, Mar Roxas was long and far ahead of his opponents. In the run-up to the elections (as of 19 April 2010), 39% of SWS respondents were in favor of him. At far second was Jejomar Binay, who lagged by 14 sorry points at 25%. Sure and certain victory was foreseen for Roxas. 

Then Binay stunned us all by winning. In the end, he cornered nearly 42% of the votes, with Roxas second at close to 40%. 

Let's zoom back to the present. In the last few weeks, numerous accounts of electoral fraud--specifically overseas--have surfaced. The story usually goes like this: "I voted for Duterte-Cayetano here in Siberia, but when the receipt came out, it showed that I voted for Mar-Leni. P@#%@ niyo LP, grabe pandaraya niyo!"

Many of these stories have already been discredited, and the COMELEC has vowed to file charges against those who make false claims on polling fraud. Altogether, however, it looks like the electorate--particularly the pro-Duterte bloc--are being conditioned to believe that if Duterte loses, it's because Mar cheated him of the Presidency.

This is of course a preemptive move, but it's also a move that eagerly courts civil unrest. Because while many Duterte supporters are possessed of reason, a vast majority of them have shown extreme savagery towards those who criticize or oppose their beloved candidate. Should Duterte lose, it's not difficult to imagine their displeasure to manifest in discourse--or worse, action--of the same viciousness.

This isn't a doomsday pronouncement. It's only a possibility we must be mindful of. After all, the electoral exercise is, among many things, a frank acknowledgment of the breadth of possibility. This is why we troop to the polling booths in hopes that our candidate will pull through, never mind what the surveys say. In exercising our right to vote, we honor the fact of possibility offered to us by our democracy.

Anything can happen on May 9. Virtually anything can. Duterte might indeed win. Grace Poe might win as earlier surveys indicated and make her family and supporters proud. Roxas might win by the skin of his teeth and bring a sigh of relief to his supporters. Binay might blindside us again, the way he did in 2010. Miriam might redeem herself this time around and pull a surprise win on us. For crying out loud, Seneres might roll back the tombstone and say, Yo, I'm back, and I win.

If you are witness or victim to electoral fraud, by god, please report it. But we must keep in mind too that none of our candidates are owed victory, regardless of our passions, regardless of our faith in their fitness for the Presidency.

Update: A friend alerted me to the results of the SWS survey closest to the May 10 election in 2010. There, Binay and Roxas sat even at 37%. Again, however: anything can happen.” – Peachy Paderna

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So, where's your Bible now?

“Pansin ko lang kapag kabaklaan ang usapan, ambibilis mag-quote ng Bible, pero pag patayan ang usapan, nakalimutan bigla ang 10 Commandments?” – Shakira Sison

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That political video which featured kids was hard to watch. Using children? Seriously? But I think it was harder for the supporters of the candidate who was at the center of the video's attention. Because, whether anyone liked it or not, there was a sharp truth in the video that pierced and struck them hard. It cannot be denied; it hits home. The truth hurts. Reality bites. And this is the painful reality we could possibly be facing in the next six years. So think and think hard. For everyone’s sake.

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The hypocrisy of the Filipino people is becoming sharper and clearer as the Election Day approaches. It’s funny to witness people insanely reacting towards an ad that featured children and saying it’s a dirty move. Talaga lang ha. So what about murder? Bigotry? Rape? Misogyny? The complete lack of respect to due process? Aren’t those things dirtier? Think. * Plunderer (noun). Someone who steals things from a place, such as a city or town especially by force. Well, birds of the same feather flock together. No wonder Digong wants to release her when he wins.

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Many of us Filipinos aren’t feeling it at the moment, but the Philippine Peso's worth continues to drop. A bad, bad sign for our economy. The reason? Duterte’s lead in the elections race with his vague economic plans and threats to kill criminals without due process. These were enough to give possible foreign investors second thoughts and the cold feet. Aside from these, he openly joked about his penis and promised to pardon himself for mass murder charges in a conference of top business leaders. Whuuut. Now, can you see the unsettling future we're putting ourselves in with a Duterte win? Think.

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If change is indeed coming, sige nga, I dare you to post online all the “wilwig” or pay money that you’ve received from all the running local and national candidates this election season. Let’s see if we've all changed for the better.

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Walang masama kung magbago ka man ng desisyon. Ang masama ay yung mananatili kang bulag sa katotohanan, at pinaninindigan mo pa rin ang kasinungalingan at kagaguhan.

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I am really starting to believe that the Philippines is but a little corner in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Macondo. The naive and stubborn majority, the gnawing heat, the sudden days of rain, the outworldly politics. The parallelism between fiction and our reality is close to perfection. If only I can close all of this shut like a book.

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I’ll borrow this message from a friend whose name I won’t disclose because this person has been subject to bullying and harassment by rabid, unsound supporters of Duterte. The guy didn't win the elections yet, but his loyalists are now so self-entitled to inflict pain and threats to other people. So is this your idea of good citizenry and governance? Wake up and grow up, people. Think.

“Duterte is a lazy choice. No one man can solve the problem. Discipline comes from ourselves. It takes everyone to build a nation. Killing should not be an option. Let’s build a nation founded on respect and dignity. Let’s make democracy work.”

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Most Filipinos love to play the Christian card. In this country, religion has always been the go-to remedy for all situations. It is no secret that the majority of Filipinos just love to brandish their being Christian on any issue. This was very apparent when same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S. last year, and when boxer Manny Pacquaio likened the union of LGBT couples to something worse than animals. Many Filipinos condemned the legality of that marriage and many Filipinos defended Pacquiao. All because they are “good Christians.” With a capital C. May paquote-quote pa sila ng Bible verses. It is against the Holy Scripture, they said. It is very wrong! Fast forward to the election period, and these Filipinos are introduced to a man like Rodrigo Duterte. All of a sudden, things changed. Suddenly, it is okay to be a womanizer and a sexist. Suddenly, it is okay to bully. It is okay to influence and encourage people to be cyberbullies. It is okay to break laws. It is okay to be a bad influence. It is okay to be a bigot. It is okay to insult the LGBT community. It is okay to make jokes about rape. It is okay to curse. It is okay to exaggerate stories and make lies. It is okay to have no integrity and consistency. It is okay to be a mass murderer. It is okay to kill. Despite their insistence of being "Christians" and “good catholics,” suddenly, many Filipinos refuse to see these flaws. Suddenly, many Filipinos disregard the sins I thought they are so against to because, you know, they are supposed to be “good Christians.” So what happened this time? Does this only affirm that most Filipinos are irrationally desperate and selective of their beliefs from the very start? Who is biased now? I am no saint, good heavens! I’ve been to church only once this month. It’s just that when I see hypocrisy in full view, with so much pride in high-definition, the irony makes me really, really sick. If only there’s a word much worse and uglier than hypocrite…

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Today in How To Get Away With Murder. Move over, Viola Davis.
Link: Duterte vows to pardon himself for murder

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It’s hard to make sense out of this kind of evil to lead the vice presidentiables. I pray the citizens of this nation wake up and stop this impending horror. A vote for Marcos is an insult to the people who work hard for years to break the chains of tyranny. Please, stop him.
Link: Marcos still leads vice presidential race – Pulse Asia

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If there’s one thing Duterte is good at, it’s that he says what the masa (desperately) wants to hear. “I will do this. I cannot allow that. I will kill them.” But, more than ever, the most important question to ask to yourself is this: Are his means and methods to do them practical, right, and ultimately, efficient (which is different from effective)? Think.

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On the question, how to ensure good health and living for a community in far-flung areas? City and barangay health centers should have capable and pro-active workers (hindi puro naka-upo at chika lang sa clinic), a routinely updated and replenished stock of medicines, an effective information drive, and zero payment for the under-privileged. I agree with Santiago, Poe, and Roxas.

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In a debate, Duterte didn’t ask Miriam Defensor-Santiago any questions. Of course he won’t. That’s expected. He’s afraid to get an answer and a rebuttal from the much sharper, much logical Santiago.

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Binay, when asked by Roxas in a debate about the charges filed against him, seems to say, “Since I will and cannot answer you honestly, let’s discuss something else, okay?” Talk about segue!

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Important question:

“It’s incredible how pro-Duterte supporters defend their idol to the death, even when he says the vilest, more horrible things. Context daw, research more daw, words vs. actions daw. And yet when it’s about another candidate, all these things are thrown out the window. What to do when the blind choose to remain blind?” – Michelle Tan

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This is what arrogance sounds like. For a man who keeps honking his “political will” like some sort of agimat, he sure is driving away our current and possible foreign investors. You know what happens if that happens? If we cut off our international ties? Economic decline, mga ma'am ug mga ser. Let’s get poorer. Let’s remove the possibility of jobs for our unemployed men and women. Let’s have these unemployed men and women resort to the extremes like, you know, drug-dealing? And I thought Duterte supporters hate drug so much. Sigh.
Link: Duterte tells US, Australia: Sever our ties if I become president

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Here’s a true story recounted to me by a friend. This is no joke. Yesterday afternoon, in a boarding house along Gallares Street in Tagbilaran City, a woman was found dead with her body all tied up, stabbed, and covered with her bed's foam. She was, as it turned out, also raped. A crowd was growing outside the house, and beside my friend was a group of young ladies trying to hear more of the incident. Suddenly, two men on a motorcycle stopped in front of them. They just stared at the ladies, and one of the guys said (in the vernacular), “Hoy mga inday. Magingat kayo ha. Nakashorts pa naman kayo at magaganda pa. Baka kayo ang masusunod na ma-rape. Mas-ok sana kung ako nalang mauna.”

It angers me to hear news like this on television. But hearing it happening in my own home province, the anger in me boils on a whole new level. Boholanos, is this how we have become as a people? Where is our decency? Where is our sense of respect? Where is our empathy and common sense? And I thought Tagbilaran is a city of friendship.

This incident only heightens my call for people to reconsider voting for Rodrigo Duterte as president this coming May. Duterte is not fit for president. You see, this is the trouble of having an influential man like Duterte who keeps on spitting out inappropriate words that seem harmless to himself only to take them back when lectured about them. Yes, yes, he says he is sorry (or is he?). Yes, yes, actions speak louder than words. I hear you. But words are as powerful and persuasive as actions.

And if we continue to allow ourselves to have a leader who keeps saying things and taking them back, again and again, because (he reasons) he is always taken out of context, what are we going to believe? What context should we believe? Is it a context that rape is funny? Is this a context that gives those two Boholanos an excuse to jokingly rape a group of women? The elections have not yet begun, but we are now witnessing the consequences of Duterte's actions. Be very scared, people. Be scared not of the president you highly idolize but be scared for your family, your friends, your loved ones. These group of ladies could be anyone close to you. Let’s not get to the point in our lives when we regret the decisions we have made. Don’t make this country sicker than it already is.

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The Philippines has finally reached a point wherein most of its people believe and depend on memes, one-liners, and hearsays instead of facts, news, and books. No wonder it is really difficult to pull ourselves out of this political black hole. ‪

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The funniest but most troubling argument by many Duterte supporters regarding their idol joking about a raped and murdered Australian woman is that Duterte is taken out of context. No, guys. That’s not a valid excuse. You should not joke about rape, especially a raped AND murdered person. Rape is rape. These very acts dehumanize a person. You just cannot take rape into a different context, as if you're saying chocolate can taste like bagoong. No, it can’t. I’ve met kids, teenagers, and even adults today who still joke about rape, and every instance worries me so much. Because every time rape is taken lightly as a joke, the crime becomes trivial, the offense becomes less serious. Instances like Duterte’s “joke” contribute to this country’s ugly rape culture. And recently, although Duterte’s daughter says she is once raped but is not offended by her father's words, she is a different story. Of course she will side her father. But remember, there are millions of rape victims out there, somewhere, still silent and painfully living with the trauma. If you think rape is funny and if rape is your fantasy, please visit the nearest hospital. Consult your psychiatrist. I will pray for you.

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Let’s turn the table and ask this question:

“Someone on Facebook raised a really good question: for the sake of argument, what if the tables were turned and an Australian Prime Minister said, ‘Oh that Filipina who was gang raped by prisoners in an Aussie prison? She was beautiful. I should've been first.’ Now, how pissed do you think would we be?” – Joel Pablo Salud

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Change is coming? O baka naman rape is coming? Rape of values, rape of dignity, rape of intellect, rape of a nation, rape of humanity. As what we all know by now, even if one can easily dismiss Duterte’s recent rape joke (because he kills low-level criminals but praises the likes of Marcos and GMA), nobody can deny that his uncontrollable behavior is really going against his platform’s emphasis on “discipline” and “political will.” Ironic diba? Ugali nga niya di makontrol at madisiplina, bansa pa kaya?

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Think.