Freed(om)

“If the freedom of one man oppresses another, is it then still freedom?”

Here are some of the comments by the people who received my text:

Cheng Abarquez:
“One man’s oppressor is another man’s freedom fighter.”

Her point? Freedom is relative.

Mam Baguilat:
“Freedom comes with responsibility otherwise there will be an abuse of ones freedom.”

I believe that every thing comes with responsibility. Academic freedom goes hand in hand with academic responsibility. And so does other things.

Sir Arcilla:
“Freedom enlarges people’s capacities and power. It is not a zero sum game. Freedom is structural, dapat lahat ay nakikinabang, hindi lang iilan kasi kapag ganun kahit na the oppressed are free to fight dapat ang alipin ay malaya na. History is a continuing struggle for freedom but the fact that it must be gained with the blood of the oppressed means that freedom is not solely individual based. Society, in a given time, defines what freedom is, based on the interest or power of those who benefit from such a definition. It then uses all of its apparatus, armed/non-armed to preserve the discourse.”

Sabi ko relative naman po ang mga bagay-bagay. Ang kalayaan po ba ng oppressed ay nangangahulugan na matatapakan iyong freedom ng mga naghaharing-uri?

“Freedom is always relative. But be careful of falling into an ideological trap. Freedom for the oppressed does not mean less freedom for the oppressor; in the struggle, the oppressed are redefining freedom.”

I am fond of using the theory of relativity mixed with the concept of subjectivity as an excuse for making standards and definitions.(harhar) Most of the time, defining things is a hard task :showing to someone what freedom is is easier than explaining it. In the process of defining freedom, you are already restraining its concept. I haven’t come up with my own definition of freedom yet because Jose Diokno said:

“ For what is freedom when there is no food, or justice when there are no jobs? A starving man does not have much freedom of choice and there is no justice in poverty. Food without freedom, jobs without justice, would be like leaves without a tree. Food and freedom, jobs and justice-these are the key to peace.” -Jose W. Diokno

For now, let’s stop defining things but rather let’s act to redefine things.
Now don’t ask me what freedom is. I’ll just show you what it is. (*wink*)

See the difference

Sabi ni Recto pagkatapos matalo sa eleksyon:
"Honey, I’m home."

Sabi ni Loi ng hindi na muling tumakbo sa posisyon:
"Erap, here I come."

Sabi ni Palatino (KP Nominee)ng di pinalad ang KP na manalo:
"Mga kasama, hinihintay tayo ng masa."

5G

Kung dati-rati 3G lang ang formula para manalo sa halalan,

ngayong 5G na:

1.Guns
2.Goons
3.Gold
4.Garci
5.Gloria

-Raymond Palatino

A Poem on Poverty

She is the modern, technologically
advanced world of urban dwellers,
awake at night and asleep in the
middle of the day.

She is the factories breathing smog,
the industrial noise of machines
that slaves the people,
amidst a community full of children
running around barefooted, tummy bloated,
crying out of innocence and of ignorance.

She is the walls of the Hall of Justice
and the factory of laws, infested by elites-
land owners and grabbers.

She is the green meadows in the far side
of the mountains, where perseverance
is a virtue.

She is the lack of life.

One night she is hunger,
the other she is repression
of political, economic and
cultural freedom.

One midday she is discrimination,
the other she is ignorance
of laws and of rights.

She is the lack of money,
of education and of nutrition.

She is poverty.

Isang Tula Para sa Bubuyog na nahulog sa balon

Ang sikat ng araw ay nasa lunduan na,
patuloy pa rin ang abang magsasaka
sa pag-ani ng mga nakayukong palay,
habang ang araw ay panay ang paghalik
sa kanilang balat.
Tanging ang lupa sa kanilang kuko
at ang manipis na alikabok na kumapit
sa kanilang madurungis na paa
ang lupang kanilang pag-aari.

Salo ng aking mga palad ang aking mukha
habang taimtim kong minasdan ang mga
bubuyog sa tabi ng balon.
Tila humuhugot sila ng lakas sa malamig
na atmosperang dulot ng pinaghalong
tubig ng balon at sanga-sangang puno
ng molave sa gilid nito.

Muling inabot ng aking mga mata
ang kinalulugaran ng mga magsasaka,
habang ang bubuyog ay tinutunggali
ang kamatayan.
Gumewang kasi ang kanyang pakpak,
nahulog tuloy sa balong pinupugaran
ng mga palaka.
Habang nagpupumilit siyang lumutang
at umahon mula sa pagkakahulog,
pilit din niyang ikinampay ang kanyang
mga pakpak na ngayon ay pasan ang
bigat ng tubig.

Napaisip ako.
Ang buhay ng bawat isa sa atin ay
walang katiyakan.

Isang kapwa bubuyog ang umaligid
sa kanya; kung bakit ay hindi ko tiyak.
Hindi ko tiyak kung ito'y nangungutya
o ang nais lamang ay tumulong.

Napaisip ako.
Kapag ang tao ay may suliranin,
dalawang bagay lamang ang maaaring
itugon sa atin ng mga tao sa paligid.

Maya't maya pa'y kasalo na
ng bubuyog ang kanina'y umaaligid sa kanya.
Ngayon, pareho na silang nakikipaglaban
sa kamatayan.
Bawat galaw ng kanilang pakpak ay
nagsusumigaw ng kalayaan mula sa hirap
na dinaranas sa kanilang pagkahulog
sa malansang tubig.

Napaisip ako.
Kapag tulong-tulong sana,
mas masusulosyunan ang problema.
Kolektibo dapat.

Hindi ko na nalaman ang nangyari
sa dalawang bubuyog.
Posibleng nakita na nila ng harapan
ang kamatayan sa pagkalagot ng
kanilang hininga,
o kung di man ay natauhan ang ibang
bubuyog at pumasok sa isip nila
ang konsepto ng pakikipag-kapwa bubuyog.
Masuwerteng buhay pa sila kung ganoon.

Napaisip ako.
Sa mundong ito,
tayo ay nabubuhay sa pagitan
ng buhay at kamatayan,
ng kabutihan at kasamaan,
ng pagtulong at pagkibit-balikat.

Sa bubuyog na matapang na hinarap
ang hamon para pagsilbihan ang kapwa,
isang pagpupugay!

"There is no perfect activist and absolute activism."

1952

1952


I see you in the eyes of the people
consumed by the idea
of death, in which we were born,
and in which we shall lurk upon our mortality

I see you in the face of the people
frenzied by intense anger,
agitated by the cause they are fighting for,
and together, we will transform their suffering.

I see you in hearts of the people
inspired by love as you go on fueling the fire
of adoration to the Master,
for when we feel it, we show it

I see you
I feel you.
And yet all I know
is that you are
A memory somewhere
in time—in 1952.

**This poem is actually a code.This is for someone I cherish the most.

Arroyo warned of Marcos’, Somoza’s experience
Inquirer
Last updated 09:06am (Mla time) 05/28/2007


Every time the US Wall Street is on the verge of collapse, a global war breaks out. According to Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, the greatest threat facing America today is not terrorism or foreign economic competition or illegal immigration but the disastrous fiscal policies of its own government, allegedly marked by shameless deficit spending and dollar devaluation. When corporate America fails, the military industrial complex acts to save it. The problem is, it transfers the blame for creating state-sponsored terrorists -- like Bin Laden, Ramzi Yousef -- from their “operators” to other nation-states.

Allies who, the “establishment” believes, shift their loyalty to their perceived enemy suffer the consequences. Look what happened to Marcos, the Shah of Iran, Noriega of Panama, Diem of Vietnam, Hussein of Iraq, Somoza of Nicaragua, all “American boys” but ousted by their colonial master.

The Nicaraguan experience is very relevant to the Philippine situation today. US Marines were sent to Nicaragua to back up Anastasio Somoza’s martial law. But after several years, he became a nationalist and started defying the secret orders of Washington which, in response imposed economic sanctions. Nicaragua experienced an economic slowdown and corruption became endemic. Somoza’s military became his sole protector.

The assassination of Joaquin Chamorro, the editor of the anti-Somoza newspaper La Prenza, agitated the restive Nicaraguans. A déjà vu of the Ninoy Aquino assassination and the political killings happening under the Arroyo presidency. Chamorro’s death emboldened the Sandinista National Liberation Front to fight the government, with the help of Nicaragua’s confused citizenry. Nicaragua became ripe for anarchy and eventually plunged into a civil war.

The Sandinista ousted Somoza and took over the government in 1979. But when the Sandinista gave the Nicaraguans a chance to decide their own future, it got the ire of the US government. The Reagan-Bush administration started funding and arming the “Contra war” to undermine the Sandinista regime.

The Arroyo administration should be wary of this pattern of history, especially now that the President is perceived to be using her China card. Political observers were amazed when the United States and the United Nations warned the Arroyo administration about the ongoing human rights violations and the political killings. There is the perception that the atrocities -- which continue despite the President’s order to stop them -- have the blessing of Malacañang.

Political pundits see both the American and Philippine governments as anti-communists. But why is the US establishment serious in investigating the alleged human rights violations, thus making the leaders of the progressive Left like Rep. Satur Ocampo look like a hero in the mold of Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua?

With a divided military, will history repeat itself?

—ERICK SAN JUAN,
Manila Bank,
Ayala Avenue, Makati City
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view_article.php?article_id=68248

"...the number one freedom that you and
I have is the freedom to enter into a
subservient role in the workplace. Once
you exercise this freedom you've lost
all control over what you do, what is
produced, and how it is produced. And
in
the end, the product doesn't belong to
you. The only way you can avoid bosses
and jobs is if you don't care about
making a living. Which leads to the
second freedom: the freedom to starve."

— Tom Morello
Lead Guitarist
Rage Against the Machine
Published in Guitar World