I'm a Baby!

Hindi ko nga alam kung accurate ang title na'to dahil kung pagbabasihan ang numbers ng mga dumadalo sa mga kilos-protesta ngayon, my stand is actually the majority...at ang dissenting voice ay 'yung sa may sampung libo lamang na nag-rally sa Makati two Fridays ago yata 'yun, sa may 500 law students na nag-candlelight rally sa UP, at sa mga naga-attend ng Misa para kay Lozada sa La Salle Greenhills...Actually, hindi ko na nga alam kung kelan at saan-saan ang mga rally na ito. And please understand that my mentioning their small numbers is not to belittle their patriotic efforts. Hindi ko pa lang kasi nararamdaman ang nararamdaman nila.

Ganito rin ang nararamdaman ng CBCP sa kanilang latest pastoral letter na ipinakalap kahapon kung saan ikinukundena na nila ang EO 464 which prohibits members of the Executive Branch from appearing before the Senate without the presidents' permission, ngunit hindi nila hiningi ang pagbibitiwi ni Gloria. Ganito rin ang sinasabi ni columnist/professor/former NEDA Chief Winnie Monsod. And in our dissenting and quiet stand, over their uproar and mobilization, naakusahan kaming selfish, unpatriotic, cowards, lazy, mga walang pakialam...

Sa totoo lang, napapaisip din ako. Sinasabi na nahayaang tumagal nang ganu'n na lang ang Martial Law dahil nu'ng mga early parts nito ay umayos naman daw ang sitwasyon. Some people thought it was OK to forego some of their civil liberties for what Marcos promised to be a Bagong Lipunan. Though there were those who resisted it and fought in every way they could, enough people allowed it. And that was all it took.

Naiisip ko tuloy kung nae-echo ko lang ang justifications noon ng “enough people” na ito: in fairness to Gloria, maganda nga naman ang takbo ng ekonomiya. Peso is gaining strength, lalong tumataas ang growth projection, mababa ang interest rates, maraming nagi-invest...
But then again...

Isa ako sa mga naandu'n sa EDSA Dos since day one, nu'ng ang crowd ay nako-contain lang sa stands ng EDSA Shrine. I went there everyday hanggang sa pati flyovers ay puno ng tao. Nagmartsa rin ako papuntang Malacañg pero nagkusa na ring umalis si Erap so dali-dali kaming bumalik ng Ortigas para masaksihan ang panunumpa ni Gloria. Wagi ang taumbayan! People Power Two! Yehey! Ang galeng! But deep down inside, nalungkot ako.

Buhay na'ko nu'ng 1986; I feel so honored na tao na'ko nu'ng nangyari 'yun. Pero hindi ko pa masyado naiintindihan ang mga nangyayari. Growing up, naging interesadung-interesado tuloy ako sa very proud moment na'yun ng ating kasaysayan so iba talaga ang feeling nu'ng nasa EDSA Dos na'ko... naiintindihan ko na, eh. Kaya nu'ng natapos na ang lahat, naiintindihan ko na... na nakakalungkot na after more than a decade of EDSA 1, we were back in the streets doing the very same thing we vowed never have to do again. Bittersweet na alam mong nagawa mo ang dapat gawin at that time, pero the fact na we had to resort to such extra-judicial means once again, hindi na yata maganda.

Now anti-Gloria camps want us to do it again. Ini-envoke nila ang spirit of EDSA. Patalsikin ulit natin 'tong gagong namumuno at nang maging maayos na ang lahat. Kung magsama-sama ang taumbayan, mgagawa 'yan! Pero teka...hindi 'yan ang spirit of EDSA na alam ko.

By now dapat alam na nating hindi nasa pangulo lang nakasasalay ang kaayusan ng bansang ito. We were right in ousting Marcos – but we promptly forgot to punish them. To the point na nu'ng college ako ay kinailangan ko pang sumali sa isang human chain to protest Erap's plan to bury him sa Libingan ng mga Bayani...Tama rin tayo in ousting Erap through an extra-judicial means dahil idinaan natin nu'n sa proseso pero ginago lang tayo ng mga senador na nag-no sa pagbubukas ng envelope...Pero with Gloria now? Na-exhaust na ba natin ang lahat ng possible means para maayos 'to? Kasi kung magpi-people power na naman tayo basta, at napatalsik siya, wala namang assurance that things are going to be better after...The same way that things weren't exactly how we wished things would be after the first two EDSA's...At kapag nagkanda-leche-leche pa rin tayo, gagamitin pang leverage ni Gloria 'yang “illegitimate” way of removing her from office, much like how Erap keeps on harping about the injustice done to him, and the technicality of it all... Nagiging bala pa nila 'yang People Power-People Power na'yan para ipambaril sa'tin ng mga putanginangyan!

I will not give Gloria that satisfaction...Inayos ko ang buhay ko – nagdasal ako, nag-aral nang mabuti, nagtatrabaho, nag-iipon – para hindi nakasalalay ang malaking bahagi ng pag-asenso ko kung sinuman ang presidente ng Pilipinas. Kaya ko pang hintayin hanggang 2010 at pagdating nu'n, boboto na lang ako ng inaakala kong mas matino sa kanya...or at least, will not screw things up so much the way Marcos and Erap did.

This sort of sense of non-volatility, I think, is a very middle-class trait. Unfortunately, napakakonti pa rin yata naming mga middle-class to really matter. This non-volatility to the personalities that govern this country is key to our dissenting voice. True, meron pang ring iilan na talagang napakabusilak ng hangarin para sa bansang ito kaya ipinaglalaban nila ang pagpapatalsik kay Gloria, pero karamihan are characters of questionable motives...

Ang mga pulitikong lumalaban ngayon kay Gloria are just those who've lost favor in the government so they're seeking a re-shuffling para muli silang mapalapit sa seat of power. Jose de Venecia for one. Gusto n'yo bang maka-kapit-bisig sa EDSA si JDV at si Manay Gina de Venecia? Tangina! Kadiri! Kung pumunta man ako ru'n bilang pagprotesta sa korupsyon ng adminsitrasyong Arroyo (na isang halimbawa lang ang ZTE), parang maa-undermine ang paninindigan ko ng presence ng icon ng mga trapo, 'di ba?

On the other end of the spectrum naman...hay...natatakot ako kasi medyo mas sensitive ito...ito 'yung kampo ng mga kaibigan kong aktibista...

Sinasabi ko sa kanilang mina-mar nila ang issue by making it a pro and anti-Gloria thing. When it's not that black and white for most of us. Kaya nga hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin sila nakakahikayat ng critical mass sa kanilang mga pagkilos, kahit na lahat naman kami ay banas na banas sa ZTE scandal na'yan! I am against corruption but I do not think ousting Gloria is the solution, at kapag sinabi ko 'to, hindi ibig-sabihin pro-Gloria ako. “Hindi, how can you divorce GMA from all these corruption. Pro-Gloria ka!” 'Yan ang accusation na binabato nila sa'kin. Hindi ko na alam ang sasabihin ko pa.

It's very noble of them to dedicate their lives to such ideals – gibain lahat dahil kahit sino nga naman ang iupo natin sa sistemang ito, magiging corrupt at corrupt din. Napakagandang isipin, no, pero sila ang mas mahirap kausapin dahil kumbinsido na silang tama sila. At ako naman ay nasa mali. As of now, you will not see me marching in the streets but that is not to say that I do not respect my fellow Filipinos who do so because they feel it is their duty to do so... Sana lang ma-respeto rin nila ang inaakala ko namang responsibilidad ko bilang Pilipino.

Iniisip ko na lang, just like me, inistructre na nila ang buhay nila sa napipintong malaking pagbuwag at muling pagbuo ng lipunang na ito. Hindi sila nag-iisip makabilli ng sariling bahay o kotse, makapagtayo ng sariling negosyo o makapag-open ng investment account. Para sa kanila, mali halos lahat ang nangyayari kaya dapat burahin at gawan ng bago. Back to zero lahat! Ang tapang-tapang nilang ipinaglalaban itodahil tulad ng mga dukha na ipinaglalaban daw nila, they've got nothing to lose.

Pero ako, tulad ng maraming middle-class, we've got a something to lose...And not like JDV and his cohorts who are losing their power and their wealth threatened...ang ipinapanukalang muli na namang rebolusyon ay makakagimbala sa pagtamo ng mga mga mumunting pangangailangan at iilang simpleng kasiyahan na pinaghihirapan naman namin... Kung magkagulo na naman, paano kung magsara ang kumpanyang pinagtatrabahuan namin? Paano kung umalis ang mga call center investments? Paano kung tumaas na naman ang presyo dahil sa pagbagsak ng ekonomiya? Mahirap na namang umutang sa bangko para sa pabahay, pakotse, pagpapapaaral ng anak, puhunan sa maliit na negosyo...

You see, just like my activist friends, namulat din ako sa sistemang hindi perpekto...Maraming mali, oo. Pero instead of boycotting the game, nag-ensayo ako nang mabuti para magkaroon ako ng fighting chance...Ang mumunting tagumpay ko, despite this imperfect system, is proof that diligent and prayerful efforts can make you defy the odds.

Hindi ako reklamador. I fight! Ito ang spirit ng EDSA na isinasabuhay ko ngayon.

wrote this article the week after White Rock Triathlon 2007, where I was volunteer because I was too broken-hearted to train and race that year haha... somehow hindi ko siya na-post kahit saan...so ngayon lang...


For an individual sport, triathlon – at least in the Philippines, ha – encourages and builds such a strong sense of community among athletes and supporters. Perhaps because the Philippine triathlon community is relatively in its infancy and quite small that we more or less know each other. Though at times it's like a Hollywood teen flick with all those cliques and stereotypical characters, but despite the differences and the tsismis, it's a great group – a pleasure and an honor to belong to.

People would happily give advice and make you feel welcome. Every post-race party, Ige Lopez would be dancing around, encouraging everyone to have fun. You don't feel the air that only the elites or the winners have a reason to celebrate. Every race is gruelling that just taking part is enough reason to party!

This tri community is also very sharing. Reinzi del Rosario patiently answered my phone queries about the right bike shoes to buy. Jojo Macalintal willingly taught me the proper cycling and running forms (which I'm still working on). At a race, Jon-Jon Rufino volunteered the technique of taping gels by the top so they would easily tear open when I grab them. Rizzo Tangan calmed me down minutes before tackling my first WRT last year with this piece of advice: “Just enjoy it.” The physical demands of triathlon is so much that finding reason in each other to actually enjoy it is very, very essential. And actually quite easy.

I've only been in triathlon for a few years and I'm sure there are lot more stellar examples of this sense of community but among the firsts that come to mind is how everyone rallied behind the Philippines' largest contingent ever to an Ironman event, last February in Langkawi. Team affiliations became inconsequential for everyone was just behind everybody else. On the day of the race, the local triathlon groups were abuzz with discussions, updates on the racers, even real-time tracking via Google Earth!

Just recently a group of triathletes were harassed while riding at a highway in Pampanga. While reading the accounts, like everyone else who could easily empathize, I was enraged and was immediately thinking how I could be of help. Any triathlete knows the perils of biking in our streets that being chased by armed men would certainly be an unnecessary danger. Again, this small tri community rallied behind these “victims” and I hope those responsible would be punished. They should know not to mess up with triathletes next time!

Personal reasons (personal reasons daw, o!) put me in a slump this triathlon season but true to the “Tri-DAWGS” acronym of “Willing to Give Support,” I was accepted as volunteer at the White Rock Triathlon last October 6, 2007. I was envious of those registering, thinking just last year I was on tip-top form but now I'm just some sluggish piece of lard. The common, “O, bakit hindi ka kakarera ngayon?” added to my frustration. But it was great meeting most of the people I've long admired, whose excellent time splits I've read and re-read. I was too shy to actually chat them up but some like Frank Lacson, Abe Tayag, Jumbo Tayag, and Bombee Narciso were very friendly.

We appreciate the support of foreign athletes like Australia's Bevan Leach and those from Team Bike Boutique. Their mere presence was affirmation that the our country is slowly becoming an important triathlon destination this part of the world. When first-time half-Ironman racer Rayzon Galdonez (Team PMI) came in third after Leach and Canada's Matt O'Holloran, we cheered at the emergence of this promising talent. (This former biking champ, had to learn the rudiments of running from Jomac when he decided to join his first triahtlon just this year!)

The highly competitive race for Over-all Female standings has another tale about this tri community. Eventual 2nd Placer (after Ani de Leon) Monica Torres and Fiona Ottiger were mere seconds apart at the finish. Upon crossing the line, the two hugged and left behind what was supposedly a nail-biting footrace between the them.

It's been said many, many times over that you compete against yourself in a triathlon. Everybody else, then, becomes an ally, a source of strength and inspiration. Congratulations to all the winners and the finishers of WRT 2007! I'll see you again at the next race (hopefully, with the honor of racing alongside all you again.)

that's my reactivated number (well, hopefully today) so please since nawala ko ang aking phone dati nawala ko na rin ang number n'yo...
salamat sa mga nag-text sa'kin ng number/s nila noon sa'king temp number. no need to re-send it.

sa mga hindi pa nagse-send, please TEXT me your numbers now at nang hindi ko kayo ma-who you...




oh, and putang ina talaga ang smart! it took them 9 days to replace my sim. they even suggested changing numbers na lang. eh di ba ang point nga ng line eh hindi ka papalit-palit ng number so even old contacts could easily reach you? tapos nu'ng na-replace, pinagbayad pa'ko for "processing fee" eh putang inang processing naman ang ginawa nila!
tapos sabi one hour daw maa-activate. kagabi pa'yon. the next day, heto pa rin ako't hindi maka-text at makatawag. though nari-receive ko na'ng mga texts/calls n'yo. 'yun pala kelangan ko pang sumulat ng letter para ma-reverse 'yung barring na ginawa nila nu'ng ni-report kong stolen ang phone ko. bakit puwede kong i-bar ang sim ko over the phone (they just asked info about my account to verify my identity) pero kung re-activation na, kelangan pa ng personal appearance at letter-letter na'yan?! kasi kapag tumawag 'yung nagnakaw ng phone ko using my sim siyempre iko-contest ko 'yon. ayaw nila 'yon dahil may mga charges na puwedeng hindi ko bayaran so to protect themselves (which the rep says for urgen and security reasons), instant at isang tawag lang ang pag-bar ng SIM. pero kapag kelangan mo na, pahirapan. At ang mga tanga-tangang Smart reps sa Gateway, ang tagal-tagal nang fini-figure out kung icha-charge ba'ko o hindi sa aking long-delayed replacement SIM, hindi man lang nasabi sa'king kelangan kong i-request through letter ang pag-lift ng barring. Hay!

Pero enough about me... Kumusta ka na? Text-text, ha...Pero wait! I-TEXT MO MUNA SA'KI ANG NUMBER MO! NOW NA! AS IN NOW NA!!!



toot-toot-toot-toot

O, heto na'ng text mo. Salamat, ha. Mwah!