Philippine Observer

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House of a widow</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By now, many would have seen the devastations caused by the two typhoons Karen and Lawin. To many, the perception is that what is typical. A region destroyed by a natural disaster. This country is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world. An average of 20 storms and typhoons visit it annually. Not to be cavalier about it but we are a people used to calamities and disasters. And what is remarkable is that we seem to get up after every disaster. This is regardless of how many casualties, the homes destroyed and the crops lost. Others would say that we do not learn our lessons. That we are stupid as a people for letting such misfortune visit us year in and year out. That we have a government that perennially fails to help its people and does not “build better” after every disaster.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farmlands and ricefields</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I pose an anthropological answer. As compared to the Dutch who built dikes to protect their country from the ever rising tides that beset their lands that is below sea level. The Filipinos never behaved and much less plan as such. One only has to look at the North Atlantic. The skies are always grey, the waves high and menacing, the water so cold and the winds freezing. Their shores have no fine white sand. Maybe that is why they always come here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the Philippines, typhoons and storms are vicious. There are high winds enough to uproot the Acacia (not an indigenous species) but not enough to uproot the coconut tree. After every storm, the sun will come out full and bright, the waves will be gentle and the sand will remain white and powdery. It is the collective experience of a people so used to such vagaries of fate and climate that they will just carry on. The government officials elected came from such racial stock and institutional memory. The Filipino will always know that the sun will shine after every storm. That is what makes the Filipino resilient.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Such resiliency is put to the test now. Owing to the economic and social history in contemporary (relatively) times, failure of all governments and administrations to address the economic needs of a growing population destroyed the socio-economic equilibrium of the country. Failure to industrialize meant that no work for the burgeoning population both in the urban centers and the rural areas. Such industrialization is what spelled the difference between developed and undeveloped countries. Now we have a large population that needed work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The typhoons devastated regions that are dependent on agriculture. We are an agricultural country with 60% of the population residing in the rural areas. That is why, those who are experiencing poverty accounts for 60% of the number. But there are dynamics, since the Filipino is resilient even in poverty, a considerable number of farmers were able to send their children to school and a great number of them, unable to find employment went to work overseas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is where things are intertwined. Those who went abroad try to support their families left behind. But that is getting ahead of the story. The agricultural sector remains bound by unequal distribution of wealth. The Comprehensive Land Reform Program dating back to 1988 failed to address the main problems of the agricultural sector. A greater number of farmers remain tenants and that is supported by statistics of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). The CARP was subjected to what my mother would say Philippine Problems (they had that subject with Mrs. Pagulayan in their HS class in the 1950s). There is the “Palakasan” system for beneficiaries of the CARP with the Municipal Land Reform Office, the Mayor and the Governor and maybe even connections to Satan himself. Tghus, they remained in a state that is like an eternal quagmire. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fe is an OFW. Her father is still a farmer so as her brothers. Her educational attainment precludes her from being in the “skilled” category of OFWs. Thus, her skills are typically classified as “Semi-Skilled”.  But she braved the challenges of going abroad and sought to serve her family as best she could. Subject to indignities by foreign employers she persevered. Managing to send money, send gifts and packages home and send emergency remittances owing to the exigencies required. What is remarkable is that she is able to generate savings for her. Fe knows that she cannot be an OFW forever and wants to secure her future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With the savings generated, she would invest in palay farming, buy land and even invest in hog raising. But the land where that her grandfather tilled and currently tilled by her father never belonged to them. CARP never reached them. She would plow her hard earned Php100,000 to 4 hectares of ricefield with a projected profit of Php20,000. Fe thought she can have enough income for her savings and for her father. This has happened so many times before and Fe and her neighbors never got any aid or assistance from the government. They can only drool at the assistance and aid given to the victims of Yolanda. Fe wondered how come in the case of Yolanda, aid kept coming in for one month. Now, it is zero and Fe had to work harder for her family and community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Karen and Lawin came. The ricefields were devastated. She not only lost her savings, investments and projected income but have to shell out money so that their kitchen roof be repaired. She was told that electricity will be restored after 3 months and a generator be bought. Fe was lucky. Her neighbor who was a widow had their entire roof torn off by the typhoon. In that barangay, every family had at least one OFW. The social cost is just too much to bear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the cost was not only to be measured in these terms. Such a system could not support the needs of the present and of the near future. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a depiction on what the country and its people face. Kailangan bang ma-kuba ang mga tao ditto at yung mga nasa abroad? Yes the sun will shine tomorrow but having clouds of despair in the horizon is by now unacceptable.  </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It will take the goodwill of everybody in the country and all those who are abroad and even those who are not Filipinos to get us out of this morass. There will be more Karens and Lawins in the near future. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Center just cannot hold.</span></div>
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House of a widow By now, many would have seen the devastations caused by the two typhoons Karen and Lawin. To many, the perception is that what is typical. A region destroyed by a natural disaster. This country is one of the most disaster prone coun…

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<span style="font-size: large;">Apol Mabini was just waiting by the kiosk across the PLDT Office at Sampaloc, Manila. Classes were suspended by noon. News has been going around on what happened at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the employees of Ayala and Ortigas business districts. Already, there were students and other protesters at Mendiola. They had returned after being dispersed by Civil Disturbance Control units earlier in the morning. What led to the return bout was the appearance of pro-government mob who cornered a group of students isolated near Tandem. A group of students then threw rocks at them and they chased the students all the way to Morayta little knowing that a bigger group was waiting for them and ambushed them sealing both ends of Morayta. The pro-government mob were themselves cut off and were beaten up until none were left standing.  There was no police to break up the fracas since most police were concentrated on Mendiola Bridge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lacson Avenue was already being filled with traffic. Welcome Rotonda was closed by the police since there was a contingent of students marching from UP, Ateneo and Miriam College. News travels fast in this age of the internet. Apol was lighting his third cigarette when 3 vans arrived. He saw Andy Bonifacio alighting from one and several people also disembarked. It was the signal for those also waiting in the area. They converged on the PLDT Office. Security guards were taken by surprise and a group managed to enter the building. Andy told Apol that this was strategic. They have to keep the international communications gateway open. PLDT must not be shut down. The group then proceeded to the Tower area and convinced the engineers to remain calm. Following the vans was a truck that brought in water, food and other supplies. The protesters were digging in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Three police cars arrived but by that time, those manning the barricades were almost 2 thousand strong, mainly Civil Society groups and students from nearby UST. Andy let the Civil Society negotiators deal with the police. He was communicating via the new FB Messaging that included encryption. He was talking to his brother Proxy who at that time was at the Meralco Substation with other protesters. There would be no brownouts in the area. They sealed off the substation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Andy was on the line again with Syano Jaena who was at Ayala Boulevard. Syano was telling him that the entire Ayala Golden Mile was emptied out of employees and the tail end was at Mckinley Road proceeding to BGC. A group of protesters with nuns from Assumption and students from the Ateneo Business Schools were already manning the barricades at the corner of EDSA and Ayala and another group manned by Don Bosco brothers and students were barricading Ayala corner Buendia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Syano Jaena was also online and saw the drone footage realtime at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. An Assumption Sister was also watching and tears were running down her cheeks when viewing the carnage at the LmnB. Such ruthless barbarity but the barricade was holding. Syano tried to call Dr. Jose Rizal on the encrypted FB PM but got no answer. The video showed that the teargas was clearing up and the police and military have taken a step back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Back in Espana, Apol was manning the front line of the barricades together with students from UST. One of his law students was pointing at something. When he looked towards the area, he saw several SUVs and Pick-up trucks disembarking men. The vehicles prominently had DDS stickers on their sides. “Ah, Digong Duterte Supporters” he said to himself. This was expected since police and military units were already stretched, it was just a matter of time that such hoods will show up to augment the regular police and military. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These men charged the barricades and they had pistols out. A UST bother tried to block them but they shot him in the head. Guns spewed fire towards the protesters and a dozen fell down. Nobody ran away, in fact, more reinforced the frontlines. Stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown towards the group of gunmen. Five were immolated at once. A foodcart became part of the barricade. Five gunmen fired at the barricades and a bullet ricocheted and hit Apol at the back. He was attended to by a student and dragged towards the back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Apol was in distress, not because of the attack but because he could not feel his legs…….</span></div>
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History Nationalism Patriotism Heroes 6 (6th installment on my Philippine Alternative History series)

Apol Mabini was just waiting by the kiosk across the PLDT Office at Sampaloc, Manila. Classes were suspended by noon. News has been going around on what happened at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the employees of Ayala and Ortigas business districts…

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Si Karen. Si Lawin at si Fe

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