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Yup. I've moved locations. It isn't actually new. Anyhoo, swing by my new home at http://jenijenjen.blogspot.com See you there! :D
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Page Summary
August 2008
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Ok, I was supposed to be posting something about toursim and infrastructure but got waylaid a bit by something I just couldn't resist writing about right away. So I got this email about the UP Grand Alumni Homecoming this coming 21st of June. My college orgmates and I had been talking about this last Thursday and they were planning on going since hey, it's not everyday that your University turns a hundred, right?  Anyhoo, so I stumble upon this copy of the Grand Alumni Homecoming programme that my Uncle sends me and begin spamming the mailboxes of my UP friends without even bothering to take a look at the programme. And then whoa! I get a reply from one of my friends. He goes:
So yeah folks, I shit you not. Richard Gomez and some Carlo Maceda are going to be giving the invocation during the UPAA Grand Alumni Homecoming. And yeah, UP's hundred years of existence is going to go down in history as an event where the invocateur will be some guy who didn't even graduate from UP and, if my memory serves me right, was even kicked out for dishonesty. Correct me if I'm wrong. UP! Ang Galing Mo! Wala na ba tayong mahanap na iba? Seriously, this is really disturbing. Ok lang sana if this was the UP fair or some sportsfest. But this is the friggin centennial celebration! 
Walang Himala! Kaya mag-resign ka na! Utang na loob...mahiya ka naman!! Tama na...Sobra na...Layas na Gloria!
Bloggers unite! Show your disgust for that person Mike Defensor and naLito Atienza calls "Ma'am". Tell her you cannot take her anymore. Make her leave. Now na! Blogswarm against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo-Pidal! Sabi nga ni Rizal "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword"...in our case pwede kayang "The Keyboard is mightier than the Pen? It's about time that we show how we really feel. It's not true that she's the lesser evil. Ano ka ba??? She is the only evil! Eh ano if Noli takes over. At least wala syang BigBoy. Heres how it goes: Tomorrow, Friday, February 15, if you cannot join the mass protest actions in Makati because you cannot leave the comforts of your home or the toxicity of your workstation, or simply because you're in another province, nation or planet, then you can...BLOG about it! Put the title "Gloria Resign" together with your favorite photo of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo-Pidal! Let's see how many of us are out there. Be heard! Be read! Make a difference! Sabay sabay natin ipahayag ang ating saloobin .......
Current Mood:
 enraged
Sadya yatang hindi para sa akin itong 2008 Starbucks planner na ito. Dalawang pagkakataon na ang naibigay sa akin upang makumpleto ang card na nilalagyan ng mga sticker na yon. Ininom ko lahat ng tinaguriang inumin - maging Christmas drinks man o hindi. Tatlong buwan na akong hindi nakakatulog ng maayos dahil sa labis labis na paginom ng kape. Ngunit sadyang mailap ang planner na ito, Ate. Napakailap. Unang pagkakataon - January 7 Sa pamamagitan ng mga sticker na iyon ay nabuo ko ang aking kauna-unahang sticker card na nangangahulugan na ako ay may maiuuwing planner. Kung kaya't umuwi ako na dala dala ang aking bagong Starbucks planner. Ngunit, naalala ko. Syet. Naipangako ko pala sa aking pinsan na kapag ako ay nakabuo, yun na lamang ang ireregalo ko sa kanya. Kung kaya't nung nakita nya ang aking uwi uwing Starbucks planner ay labis niya itong ikinatuwa. Habang ako ay nalungkot dahil naisip ko na iinom nanaman ako ng iinom ng kape nito. Ikalawang pagkakataon - January 12 Lahat ng bagay ika nga ay nabibgyan ng pangalawang pagkakataon. Kung minsan ika'y nabigo, manalangin at maghintay lamang at ikaw ay bibigyan ulit ng isa pang pagkakataon upang makamtan ang iyong minimithi. Kung kaya't nung ika 12 ng January habang kami ay pauwi mula Aurora, ay dumating ang aking ikalawang pagkakataon. Ako ay labis na natuwa sapagkat naisip ko na sa wakas, ako ay makakatulog na ng mahimbing. Tapos na ang aking sapilitang paginom ng kape upang makakuha ng planner na yan. Ito na ang bunga ng aking paghihintay at panalangin. Habang kami ay pauwi, naisipan ng mga nakatatanda kong kasamahan na tumigil muna sa Petron sa NLEX upang makainom ng Starbucks. Sa Baler pa lamang ay Starbucks na ang bukambibig ni Dr. Hernandez. Kung kaya't nung palapit na kami ng palapit sa Starbucks ay biglang lumiwanag ang aking mundo. Namilog ang aking mga mata. Syet. Pito agad yon. Tapos na ang paghihintay. Kung kaya't ako'y dali-dali sumama kay Mr. Nito at Mr. Dy upang madikitan ng sticker ang aking card. At yung pitong order namin ay eksakto lamang sa aking kulang na stickers. Kung kaya't ako'y labis na natuwa nung dinidikitan na ang aking card at binabalot na ang pangalawa kong nakuhang planner. Halos hindi ko na mapirma ang aking pangalan duon sa raffle stub. "Sa wakas. Akin ka na." Wika ko sa aking bagong Starbucks Planner. Ngunit, habang kinukuha ni Mr. Nito ang sukli ay mayroon syang hiniling sa akin. "Jenny, maaari ko bang mahingi yang planner mo. Birthday kasi ng aking anak bukas. Yan ang kanyang hinihiling. Matagal na nya sinusubukang makakumpleto ngunit hindi umabot sa kanyang kaarawan. Pwede ko bang mahingi muna yan at papalitan ko nalang sayo. Para lang sa ikatutuwa ng aking anak." Hindi ako makakibo nung una. Kung kaya't sabi na lamang ni Mr. Nito ay "sige pagisipan mo ng mabuti". Habang naglalakad na kami pabalik, ang naglalaro sa aking isipan ay "etchosero itong si Mr. Nito. Binibiro lang ako siguro.". Kaya't masaya pa rin akong naglakad pabalik sa aming coaster at masaya kong inabot sa aking mga nakakatatandang kasamahan ang kanilang mga inorder na kape. Ngunit. Inulit nanaman ni Mr. Nito ang kanyang request. At sinigundahan naman ng aking boss ng "oo mabait iyang si Jenny. Inuuna nyan ang ibang tao kaysa sa kanyang sarili". Sinubukan kong sumagot ngunit walang lumabas sa aking bibig. May narinig akong tinig ngunit sa aking utak lamang "eh pangalawa ko na ito sana noh. Bigay pa nga ni Raffy yung ibang stickers ko eh. Syet akala ko simula na ito ng aking pagtulog ng mahimbing. Syet hindi pa rin pala ako makakatulog ng maayos. Syet magkakape pa rin pala ako nang magkakape." Ngunit yun ay mga isip lamang na namayani sa aking utak. Kung kaya't ang kinawakasan ay, inabot ko kay Mr. Nito ang planner at buong puso kong ibinigay sa ikaliligaya ng kanyang anak. Nawa ay lumigaya ang kanyang anak sa kanyang kaarawan. Ang tanging inisip ko na lang na sa pamamagitan ng planner na yan, dalawang tao ang aking napaligaya. Napakagaan ng aking pakiramdam Ate Charo. Ngunit isa lamang ang aking nakikitang problema sa mga darating na araw. Hindi pa rin ako makakatulog huhuhu....Iinom pa din ako ng iinom ng Starbucks na kape upang makabuo ng ikatlo! Sadyang masaklap ang buhay kung ito ay hindi ko pa makamtan. Nagmamahal, Jennifer hehehehe....nyeta ang hirap pala mag pure tagalog hehehe!
Current Mood:
 crazyHere's the link to the pictures I took of the Sumilao Farmers' march to Malacanang earlier today. Blog entry to follow :) As I write, the farmers are currently negotiating with GMA. ...you can find me here: So today, I finally made it to the DAR office where the farmers have been holding camp. I got to meet Nang Linda, the woman in this photo over here and the rest of  the Sumilao Farmers. I initially approached Kim, my new friend whom I only met in person there hehe (hi Kim!!! hehe). I get most of my updates on the Sumilao March via the SumilaoMarch site and Kim's site and his youtube account. I had left him a personal message telling him that I would drop by late morning (practically asking him to wait for me because I didn't know anyone else there hehe). So anyways, I didn't actually arrive late morning but more of early afternoon. I had some stuff to finish which is why I couldn't leave the house yet. So anyways, I was lucky to catch him there. Sometimes pala he goes out to check his email etc. Good thing I recognized him from his photos. Though I'm not sure if he recognized me hehehe.When I got there, the atmosphere was a bit tense because the farmers just got word that the DAR's decision was neither an approval nor a denial of their request for a cease and desist order but more of a decision that Pontious Pilate would have made. The DAR's decision was more of an order directing both parties "to maintain, preserve and observe status quo pending resolution of the case." WTF was that, right? So they were consulting with their legal team on whether to go through with the rally to Malacanang (organized by parish priests) on Friday or not. Eventhough I couldn't understand their dialect, I felt that they were really really pissed. Anyways, after the meeting, Kim introduced me to Nang Linda and Manang Tessie. Manang Tessie naman introduced me to Manang Chinita. These are only 3 of the brave women who left their families in Bukidnon to walk for 2 months. They told me stories about their march and how they miss their families back home, especially their kids. Manang Tessie was worried that she might have to spend Christmas here. She had already missed her kid's birthday and even her husband's birthday. They're all worried about how to get home, alangan naman magIakad nanaman sila diba? I could feel Nang Linda's pain the most because she had been protesting eversince this case started. She had already gone on a hunger strike a few years back. And now this. Dodong, one of the farmers, told me that the DAR Secretary didn't even receive them when they submittd the position paper. He asked the farmers to write a position paper and he didn't even give the farmers the courtesy of submitting the position paper in his office. Since the farmers were only allowed to stay outside of the gates, their position paper was only received by one of Pangandaman's close-in security aides. What an asshole! First, he makes these farmers walk for 2 months (with the hope that during the 2 months they've been walking, a decision had already been made). But no. During those 2 months that the farmers were walking, Mr. DAR Secretary sat on his fat ass doing nothing! So when the farmers arrived in Manila on December 3, they started camping out of the DAR office on December 5. However, to this day Mr. DAR Secretary still has nothing to show for. He even has a secret passage where he enters and exits so that the farmers wouldn't see him. What a coward! So Kim kinda showed me around and introduced me to the other farmers. By this time, the tense atmosphere had already waned and they were in the mood to make kwento. So while I was intensely listening to their stories, one farmer handed me a huge plate of pansit and even gave me a cup of coffee. By the time I left, I didn't even realize that it was dark already hehehe... Anyways, the huge plate of pancit was like a challenge for me haha...Aling Tessie figured that I was like having a hard time finishing it so she offered to finish it for me hehe. So there. I'm going over there again later to bring more clothes. They actually need clothes, blankets, and toiletries. They're overflowing with food donations already. Aling Tessie even said that sometimes the food ends up spoiling because most of the time they hardly have the appetite to eat especially when they think about how to get back home to their families before Christmas and how to make that Sec. Pangandaman decide favorably on their case. More stories tomorrow. There's this picture of a  parol that the farmers made out of their worn out slippers....It was really cool so I took a photo of it. It says "Merry Christmas?" The black stuff from the Merry Christmas is made out of the farmers hair which they had cut off in protest. Cool hehehe. Here's another photo of Nang Linda.  Sorry I wasn't able to take a lot of photos because I only borrowed my uncle's camera, which incidentally was low on battery hehe...Plus I was kinda shy to take pictures of them. Maybe later. Plus I had to leave already because my car was parked inside the DAR premises hahaha....I think the guards thought I was going inside the DAR office. But then when he asked "Ma'am san po kayo?" my car was already parked inside and I was on my way outside to go to where the farmers were hehehe....Anyways, there. I felt really good after the visit. Later I'm dropping by my friend's house to get more old clothes to donate to them. Those of you reading this right now may have old clothes which you can donate. Let me know. Don't worry, I wont sell them sa ukay-ukay hehehe .
Current Mood:
 and fulfilledGood Leadership in Agrarian Reform Implementation Means Fealty to the Rules on Conversion and the Sp
Below is the Press Statement of Former DAR Officials during the Sumilao Farmers' Press Conference at the Department of Agrarian Reform, December 12, 2007, which I got from the Sumilao March site: Press Statement issued by the former DAR executives in support of Sumilao farmers 12 December 2007 We call upon or colleagues in the Department of Agrarian Reform to uphold the letter and spirit of the rules on conversion, and in the process strengthen the institution and increase its legitimacy.
This case for immediate revocation is based very clearly in the rules of the DAR. A conversion order is given to an applicant as an exception to the general rule that agricultural lands should be covered under agrarian reform. And therefore if the specifics of the conversion order are not complied with within the time frame of five years, then the property reverts back to the coverage of agrarian reform. It is also very clear that non-compliance with the strict rules on conversion requires its immediate revocation and distribution to the farmer-beneficiaries. SMFI’s argument that they bought the property in good faith contradicts the claims of its owner that they do good business and good corporate citizenship. They should know that they bought an agricultural land conditioned upon the compliance with the conversion order granted to its previous owner. They should also know that a piggery farm is very inconsistent with the “ Mindanao Center ” envisioned by the BAIDA project. CARP is very rational. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) was enacted to address inequities in the countryside that limit the potentials and opportunities of farmers to improve their economic conditions. Studies and on the ground experiences show that distributing lands to farmers and providing them with support services result in farmer beneficiaries becoming non-poor. These success stories show that when asset reform is addressed, economic development ensues. Finally, we also urge all parties to look for various ways and means of exploring alternative modes of resolving the conflict, so that all the stakeholders concerned would be able to find a win-win solution to the case. An immediate cease-and-desist order for the meantime would provide all parties the proper environment to seek for constructive solutions to this knotty problem in Sumilao. Signed: FLORENCIO ABAD DAR Secretary, 1990 ERNESTO GARILAO DAR Secretary, 1993-1998 JOSE MARI PONCE DAR Secretary, 2004 HECTOR D. SOLIMAN Former Undersecretary GERARDO BULATAO Former Undersecretary CLIFFORD BURKLEY Former Assistant Secretary FERDINAND CASIS Former Director for Legal Current Mood:
 sleepy
I just learned from SumilaoMarch, the multiply site that supporters made for the Sumilao Farmers, that there will be a Press Conference at the place where the farmers have been holding camp in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) office tomorrow, December 12, at 10 am. This site is where I get my updates on the farmers. I'm guessing that this is being maintained by student volunteers from Ateneo who are doing a very good job. Anyways, going back to the press conference, former DAR Secretaries who have expressed their support for the farmers are going to be there too. The following former DAR officials will be negotiating with the incumbent DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman in behalf of the farmers: Former DAR Secretary Ernesto Garilao Former DAR Secretary Florencio Butch Abad Former DAR Secretary Jose Mari Ponce Former DAR USec Gerry Bulatao Former DAR USec Hek Soliman Former DAR USec Cliff Burkeley Former Regional Director (Reg. 10) Charlito Manlupig Former DAR Legal Affairs Dir. Joy Casis I really hope that the incumbent DAR Secretary will decide on the case the soonest. The farmers have exhausted themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. They have gone through enough. I might stop by tomorrow since I live really near the DAR office. I hope I finish this paper that I'm doing so that I wouldn't have anything else to worry about except hoping that the farmers get back what is rightfully theirs and that the DAR Secretary would have the balls to do the right thing. Oh and on Thursday, December 13, Rico Blanco, the former vocalist of RiverMaya, will be dropping by to say hi to the farmers. So I guess there's going to ba a mini concert of sorts. Current Mood:
 excitedEversince I started blogging, I tried to stay way from writing about anything political which is kinda weird - me being a political science major and all. It's not that I'm apathetic. At least I'd like to believe I'm not. So yeah, why do I make an effort to not write about socially relevant stuff (read: pro or anti impeachment?, zte, hello garci, fertilizer scandal, Erap's Pardon, Land Reform, extra-judicial killings, regulatory capture, Mr. FG aka Fat Gentleman etc) and instead stick to writing about random thoughts and ideas? So after careful examination (naks!) I came to the conclusion that maybe it's because I kinda work with the government. Hold on, let me say that again, lest I be misunderstood. I work with the government on policy reform issues but I don't work for the government. It's not that I'm being protective or anything...or am I? Let's just say that if I am, I'm only protecting the Philippines and not the person running the Philippines. Anyways, just read on..hehe... I belong to this group advocating for reforms in the maritime industry particulary on ports and shipping. We all know that our sea transport system sucks and this is one of the major reasons why our cost of doing business is quite high. We all know how fugly our ports are and how some of them have no business being where they are in the first place. And that millions of pesos were spent constructing them. We're an archipelago, dammit! Why can't they make our sea transport system work? Actually, I already know the answers. It's because a monopoly exists in our ports industry. And that the agency that is supposed to be regulating the industry is actually a captured regulator. One glaring proof is how a certain terminal operator's contract was renewed for another 25 years even though the said contract had 8 more years to go before it expires. We know how this terminal operator along with his "friends" tried to monopolize the entire Philippine port system via an Executive Order during Erap's time. We all know why they don't want any more players getting into their lucrative foreign container handling business. This is why an aspiring entrant has been waiting for 4 years now to be issued a permit to handle foreign containerized cargo at the Manila Ports. Lahat ng ito ay may rason...at ricky ang pangalan hehehe. So yeah. Eventhough I hate the oligarchs, the booty capitalists, the captured regulators, and some members of the opposition, I don't feel like writing about them. Because, I'll only end up weighing the sides and in the end, come to the conclusion that despite all of what's been happening, there have been small success stories in the policy reform area. Some may not see or feel them, but trust me, they are real. The process is kinda slow and sometimes frustrating but at least there's already that head start...Konting advocacy pa. But that's a totally different topic which I will write about....when I feel like it... har har har... So there, I hate GMA and I can't wait for her to step down....in 2010. Which brings me to the point of this whole entry. Anyways, I found this site that I actually agree with. It's called Antagal Naman and they came out with this Manifesto basically telling all these dimwit opposition people to quit it and just wait for 2010. Anyways, this is their Wala na bang iba Manifesto hehehe: The 'Wala na bang iba?' Manifesto People who want change: hear us.
The 'Wala na bang iba?' Manifestofrom Ang Tagal Naman hehePeople who want change: hear us.
Join the Trillanes Fan Club!!! Here's
Or you can become a gold member and have cards made by JC Smith hehehe Current Mood:
 blahThis is Keira, our little house guest. She'll be staying with us for a week until Current Mood:
 amused
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the logo made specially by 
This is some scary shit. These were seen buzzing around an anti-war rally at 
