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Satur Ocampo: Prinsipyo Paninindigan Puso

Satur C. Ocampo was born on April 7, 1939 in Sta. Rita, Pampanga to a family of landless tenant farmers. He is married to Carolina “Bobbie” Malay, a writer and professor of journalism. He has four children and three grandchildren. Ocampo has been Pesident of Bayan Muna since 1999, and led the party in the elections for party-list in 2001, 2004, and 2007. Bayan Muna consistently topped the party-list race. Three Bayan Muna-sponsored bills, the Overseas Voting Act, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and Strengthening the Public Attorney’s Office Act have been enacted into law. In 2005, the progressive bloc of Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela Women’s Party broke away from the House majority. Ocapo has since been elected as a Deputy Minority Leader, and remains the acknowledged leader of the progressive bloc. He is a principal author of the law abolishing the death penalty. He has authored bills penalizing torture and enforced disappearances, the Marcos human rights victims compensati

A CHALLENGE OF CONSCIENCE

A Challenge of Conscience - Yahoo! Philippines News A CHALLENGE OF CONSCIENCE The brutal, indiscriminate mass murder on Monday in Ampatuan town, in Maguindanao province, raises the ultimate challenge of conscience. It carries the culture of impunity at work in this country to such levels of horror that, if it remains unpunished for long, can send the nation into an inexorable descent into absolute dehumanization. The crime thus calls for swift justice, which can only be achieved through a credible and independent process, which in turn can only be achieved without the hand of this government – a government justly mistrusted generally and openly friendly precisely to the very members of the clan accused in the massacre. We, ourselves colleagues of the more than a score journalists who were killed, demand the following: One, the creation of a commission outside the government to investigate the crime; Two, the arrest and prosecution of all the people involved in it in any way, as murdere

Arroyo Guns for Congress, Draws Barrage of Criticism

The decision of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to run for the 2nd Congressional District of Pampanga drew fiery criticisms from several sectors.  I'm amused by the decision of the president, but well, The Madame from MalacaƱang has always been amusing, or I should say - annoying. I compiled several flowery criticisms that were hurled against her. Here they are: Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz : “addiction to power.” Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo : "I wholeheartedly suggest she give others a chance to serve and not give in to the temptation of power.” Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II : "Her ultimate goal is to become House Speaker and ram through her burning desire to change the Constitution." Sen. Francis Escudero: “it surely leaves a bad taste in the mouth.” Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr : “sets a horrible example for politicians to follow,” Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo : “The main burden there would be on the voters.” Bayan Mu

ScribeFire Naman

I dumped post2blog and I'll try ScribeFire. It's a browser based blogging tool. Will see how it performs. Getting Started With ScribeFire - Scribefire: Fire up your blogging

It's Final: Arroyo Will Run for Congress

This just come in: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will formally seek a congressional seat for Pampanga’s 2nd District. Such greed for power has been displayed once again by Madame Gloria.

Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza Formalize Run for Senate

Random Shots

Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block – this is probably the biggest enemy of all the writers in the world. Writer’s block is simply a condition wherein you can’t put any of your thoughts into words. It’s a horrible condition. It comes at the worst possible times like when you have to submit before the due date. They can happen any time. They can happen before you even start, or smack in the middle of your work, or worse, in the ending. Also, it’s so hard to get over a writer’s block. Some writer’s blocks last for only a few minutes but the worst ones last for days, even months. There have even been cases of writer’s blocks lasting for decades. Causes of Writer’s Block Writer’s block is primarily caused by lack of inspiration. Of course, if you’re not inspired, it’s so hard to write anything. For example, you’re supposed to write about how ‘good’ the government is. But you know quite well that the government isn’t good. So, you’re not inspired to write about it. It may also be caused by lack of

Using Post2Blog

Im trying Post2Blog as my new desktop blog client. Im still not familiar with its interface but I pretty interested with its nifty features. Hope I can update this blog more often. This is a test post, I hope this software works better than Windows Live Writer.

Who is Teddy CasiƱo?

Here's a blogpost about Congressman Teddy CasiƱo. Together with Rep. Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna and Rep. Liza Maza of Gabriela Party, Teddy will run for Senator in 2010 Philippine national elections. Follow this link to know more about Teddy CasiƱo and why he is more than qualified to become a Philippine senator. Teddy CasiƱo for Senator Movement: About Teddy CasiƱo

May Araw Din Kayo o Patapos na ang Araw Ninyo!

Conrado De Quiros, the ever brilliant and prolific writer-journalist, captures, in very simple words, the anguish and hatred felt by the Filipino masses against the insensitivity of the government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Read his full op-ed piece at Inquirer.net or follow the link below. May Araw Din Kayo or I would say "papatapos na ang araw ninyo, humanda kayo!" May araw din kayo - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos Shared via AddThis

Legacy of Cory Aquino: An In-depth View

Today is the interment of former President Corazon C. Aquino.  Here is a fitting article that analyzed her legacy as a president and as a symbol of protest among Filipinos. You can read the full article HERE. According to Kenneth Roland A. Guda of Pinoy Weekly Online : Sa kabila ng malinaw na mga limitasyon ng kanyang panunungkulan, kinatawan ni Aquino ang ideya ng demokrasya na ito ( sic ) . Sa pagsuporta niya sa sinupil na asawang si Ninoy Aquino noong Batas Militar, nahasa ang katapangan ni Aquino na humarap sa tiraniya. Sabi sa mga kuwento, sinabi ni Aquino sa bangkay ng kanyang pinaslang na asawa: “Ipagpapatuloy ko ang laban mo.” Ipinagpatuloy nga niya, at napagwagian. Magmula noon, naging simbolo na siya ng katapangan ( sic ) ito. Higit sa lahat, pinakamaningning na ambag ni Aquino sa kasaysayan ng sambayanang Pilipino ang pagkatawan sa paglabang ito. Higit sa pamumuno sa gobyerno ng bansa, naging simbolo siya ng lumalabang sambayanan. Naging mukha ng paglaban sa

SONA 2009: The Real State of the Nation

Professor Roland Simbulan of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) has provided an overview of the 9-year Arroyo presidency. Professor Simbulan compared Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo with the LOTR character Gollum, who will do everything just to keep the Ring of Power. Prof. Simbulan's article, " GOLLUM IS HERE! Keeping Power at the Expense of the People and our Institutions " , outlined the 5 major points that characterize the regime of Pres. Arroyo. 1. The military which is supposed to be an institution for the defense of the nation and the Filipino people, has become an institution for the preservation of personal power by the president. There is no distinction made between national security and personal security of the president. 2. Corruption at the highest levels of power has even become more entrenched, with the head of state and political allies leading/governing by negative example. 3. Manipulation and undermining of Philippine polit

Photos of Bukidnon

I recently scraped some photos of Valencia City and other places in Bukidnon at WikiMedia Commons.  Thanks to KleoMarlo who took these pictures. Anyway, my story is this.  The photos of KleoMarlo are the same places I frequent.  Because I'm too preoccupied thinking about my (monkey) businesses, I seldom pay attention to these sites. When I saw these pictures, I told myself I'll always bring my cam from now on so I can also capture the beauty of this province.  Well, here are the photos, I hope you'll like them: This is the Alalum Falls in Sumilao, Bukidnon.  When you travel to Cagayan de Oro from Bukidnon, this falls can be seen as you traverse the national highway.   This is Musuan Peak in Maramag, Bukidnon. This mountain is very near our place, about a few kilometers away.  We can clearly see it from our house.  This is also an active volcano so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  My son once asked if we can go hiking to Musuan. I doubt if I still have the

Action Packed Short Story

I was browsing the web looking for materials for my articles when I stumbled upon an old blog of mine.  I created it sometime in 2007 and it only has 3 posts.  It is one of my blogs that I neglected and it is just there sitting helpless in the blogosphere.  Well, to make a long story short, I found one of my short stories there.  That was my action packed 'ala' Robin Padilla narrative. I copied it (because I lost my hard copy and electronic file) and I will paste it here (I hope the Google Gods will not penalize me for duplicate content; hey, guys, that story was mine too.) So here it is, my Robin Padilla story. Take note that this story is just a figment of my imagination.  Any similarities to actual events, names, etc, are unintended. (Sounds like a movie disclaimer, haha).  I hope you will like this: __________________ I LOOKED AT THE MORNING AND SAW DEATH It was a dawn to remember. That fateful day started just another ordinary early morning in the hinterlands

Southern Shores...

Amidst the din of bombs and the fiery staccato of gunfire, they cannot silence the poetry of dawn on these southern shores...   Hope lingers for a place as beautiful as this...

Ode to a Naked Beauty by Pablo Neruda

With chaste heart, and pure eyes I celebrate you, my beauty, restraining my blood so that the line surges and follows your contour, and you bed yourself in my verse, as in woodland, or wave-spume: earth’s perfume, sea’s music. Nakedly beautiful, whether it is your feet, arching at a primal touch of sound or breeze, or your ears, tiny spiral shells from the splendor of America’s oceans. Your breasts also, of equal fullness, overflowing with the living light and, yes, winged your eyelids of silken corn that disclose or enclose the deep twin landscapes of your eyes. The line of your back separating you falls away into paler regions then surges to the smooth hemispheres of an apple, and goes splitting your loveliness into two pillars of burnt gold, pure alabaster, to be lost in the twin clusters of your feet, from which, once more, lifts and takes fire the double tree of your sym

My Son: The Aspiring Photo Artist

My son's name is Kahlil Ross. I named him after my favorite poet Kahlil Gibran.  The Ross was derived from his grandfather's name, Rosello.  So he became Kahlil Ross. Last Christmas, Kahlil got an MP5 from his Tita Mia, who works in Florida.  His new toy is a combo game console, MP3 player, MiniDV, and a 10-megapixel digicam. At first, Kahlil was fascinated by the built-in games of his MP5. He calls it "PSP" but it was far from that expensive gaming console.  Then he discovered the camera features of his toy.  He immediately went amok shooting everything in his path.  Well I hope he can sustain his shooting-spree passion.  By the way, here are some of the pictures he took while running gung-ho with his toy-cam. More on his pictures in my future posts. :-)

Paghehele ng Isang Makata: Pagsusuri sa Uyayi ng Himagsik

Noong Marso 29, 2009, ipinakilala sa publiko ni George T. Calaor ang kaniyang unang aklat: Ang Uyayi ng Himagsik.   Ang Uyayi ng Himagsik ay kalipunan ng mga makabayang tula na nagsasalamin ng mga karanasan ng may-akda bilang isang aktibong kalahok sa Pambansa Demokratikong pakikibaka.  Si G. Calaor ang kasalukuyang Tagapangulo ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) sa lalawigan ng Aklan.  Bago siya manungkulan sa Bayan, si George ay matagal na naging lider kabataan sa Kalibo at aktibong kasapi ng College Editor's Guild of the Philippines. Bakas na bakas ang diwang palaban ng may-akda sa kaniyang panulaan.  Bunsod marahil ito ng kaniyang malawak na karanasan sa larangan ng legal na pakikibaka sa Isla ng Panay. Hindi rin maikakaila ang taglay na optimismo ng may-akda para sa kaniyang ipinaglalaban.  Sa di iilang mga tula sa Uyayi ng Himagsik, lagi at lagi itong tinatapos ni G. Calaor sa pananagumpay ng kaniyang adhikain. Ang Uyayi ng Himagsik Ang Uyayi ng Himagsik ay naha

Sa mukha ng kawalang ngalang pag-ibig

This poem was written by my friend George T. Calaor.  George is the current Secretary General of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance)in Aklan. George has a very colorful life, and not all of them are bright.  We shared many glooms and dark moments. I am reprinting this poem coz I find it lyrically beautiful. I'm going to translate this to English and post it later.  I hope you enjoy this poem: Sa mukha ng kawalang ngalang pag-ibig Ni: George T. Calaor Makiulayaw ka sa tibok ng puso     ng mga tagapaglikha ng kasaysayan... naroon lang ako’t naghihintay sa init ng iyong pag-anib Usalin mo ang bawat pintig sa dibdib     na kay laon nang iginapos sa tanikala ng pagkadukha     ako’y naro’n lang... dasal ay kalayaan Isatinig mo ang mga hiyaw ng damdaming     hitik sa pag-asam lubusang maangkin     ang dalisay-na-laya ng pagkatimawa sabay sa pagbaybay sa iilang hakbang na lang tagumpay     dahil... sa bawat pintig ng pagtibok ng

Remembering Jesusa Teodoro Martin (My beloved Lola Nena...)

Today is the 106th birthday of my favorite Lola, Lola Nena.  I am posting here a reprint from our Martin Clan Book about Lola Nena. Lola Nena died when I was in 4th grade, that was way back in 1984.  But I always have vivid memories of her (Lola Nena always cooked sweet delights for us)  Here's the reprint I'm talking about.  I think this was written by my cousin Mayo Uno and his Tatay, my favorite Tito Boy. (Excerpts from the Martin-Teodoro Aklat Angkan...): NENA Jesusa was born on January 19, 1903 in Tondo, Manila . Like Dominador, she was the youngest of two children by Santiago Naguit Teodoro ("Iliong") of Bulacan and Elena dela Cruz ("Enang") of Tondo. The eldest was Sergio ("Ikong"). Jesusa was only six when her mother passed away so her aunt Petra ("Pitang"), sister of her father, brought up the two children up. Santiago 's second wife, Leonora Pantanilla ("Nena"), produced six more children:  Andrea (&