This "Bulaga" Doesn't Come From Sotto

Just when we thought we had heard it all from the anti RH camp.

Now comes the news, really more a nasty surprise (which is what the Filipino word bulaga would approximately mean) from Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who, as of last count, was one of the senators against the RH Bill. (Ironically, his sister, Pia, also a senator, is one of the two main proponents in the Senate of the same bill. The title of this post is a reference to vocal anti-RH Senator Sotto, who was a mainstay of the noontime variety show "Eat Bulaga!", before heading out to more, uhm, legislative pastures.)

(Photo courtesy of inquirer.net)

Cayetano wants the RH Bill to be "supported" by the Catholic Church, on the grounds that the Philippines is "a country where majority of the population is Catholic". (See the article here: )
http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?articleid=731807)

The senator is lighting the fuse on something that should not even be on the table.

In a way, I am "glad" he brought this out, as it gives everyone a chance to see, once and for all, why he is hideously wrong in bringing this point up. And I am coming from the perspective of someone who has never been a Catholic, which makes my voice the perfect counterbalance to what the senator is suggesting.

To Senator Alan Cayetano:

I am a citizen of this country.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this country has a democratic form of government. One of the basic tenets of democracy is the Separation of State and Church, and one of the freedoms we enjoy is the freedom of religion. I would think that you, a Senator of this Republic, would know this first hand, seeing as the position you now enjoy is a result of a largely convoluted but still democratic process.

Your contention that the RH Bill should be "supported" by the Catholic Church is thrusting an unnecessary spear into my freedom to choose a religion of my own. If what you want should come to pass, you will unwittingly make me, nay, FORCE me to become a Catholic, against my wishes. Why should I be subjected to rules and regulations that, supposedly, are only under the jurisdiction of a particular faith - the Catholic one, specifically - when I do not wish to become a Catholic in the first place?

Many belief systems, faiths and paradigms do not find it "immoral" to use artificial contraception. But with your proposal, you would be empowering the Catholic Church in this country to dictate and impose its own religious views onto those who have elected - freely, under a democracy - to follow other faiths. That is a clear contravention into my right and freedom to have my own faith.

Also, this position of yours blurs the line between State and Church. Aren't religions, in a secular, democratic form of government, supposed to follow our secular laws? I would think that if any religion were to practice cannibalism or child molestation, and claim that these were not "answerable" to secular authorities, under the perverted mantle and guise of reasoning out that "our religion calls for it, we only answer to OUR God, we have freedom of religion!", not only would we find this monumentally laughable, but extremely offensive and of the highest disrespect for the secular laws of our land as embodied in the Constitution, particularly those that seek to punish murderers and pedophiles.

But this is exactly what you are doing, by saying that before the RH Bill is to be passed, that it should be "supported" by the Catholic Church. On what grounds should we consider the Catholic position on this, and any other matter, superior to the stand of other faiths, when the entire point of having freedom of religion is to enforce the legal truth in a democracy that no faith should be given preferential treatment, and should not even be a "deciding factor" when it comes to discussing secular matters? Should President Noynoy Aquino now pay homage to our bishops and subsume his decisions in deference to their preferences?

Your suggestion is, at its core, proposing a radical shift in our form of government; if you cut out any rationalizations, you are essentially endorsing a Catholic theocracy, where what Catholic leaders say become the law of the land, where no bill can be passed without their "support".

If that is what you wish, you may renounce your citizenship to this democratic country and move to the Vatican.

Until we officially become that theocracy, you would be well reminded of the FACT that this is still a democracy, and are a direct beneficiary of that form of government. You do not have the right to disregard me, or any one else who does not share the Catholic faith, on account of Catholics being the majority. In fact, BECAUSE this is a democracy, you actually have to make sure that those in the minority are to be heard and are to be included in any and all secular decision making laws and agenda.

You work for the citizens of this country, the Republic of the Philippines. You DO NOT work for the Catholic Church. You are obligated to us, not to them.

Do not just hear these words.

Listen.

Debate The RH Bill - In Any Language

Last week, the major dailies were all abuzz with one particular news about the RH (Reproductive Health) Bill debates: Actor-turned-Senator Manuelito "Lito" Lapid publicly acknowledging his weakness in English, and therefore his hesitation to go further into the RH Bill debates, since English will be considered "the" language to be used for questioning and interpellation. (See http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/62167/sen-lapid-dying-to-enter-rh-bill-debates-but-pia-miriam-scare-him)

(Photo courtesy of newsaroundus.com)

He is particularly hesitant to go head to head with two lady senators who have been at the forefront of chamipioning the RH Bill, Senators Miraim Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano. Santiago, in particular, is well known for her sting with the use of the English language.

I say go ahead and let him debate in Filipino (which is Tagalog in terms of dialect, much to the frustration of the other dialects in the country).

Language should not be used to hinder someone from participating in something of such importance. That sounds to me as something "elitists" would do, and this Bill concerns ALL Filipinos, so the more people involved in the debate, the better. As a Senator - one I did not vote for, but he is one - he should make his voice known, if only to represent the people who did vote for him.

Both Santiago and Cayetano have said that they find no issue if he decides to use Filipino to engage them in debates.

Personally, I welcome it because I admit as well my weakness in the national language (one of them, since both Filipino and English are considered our national languages). I do not like learning it from inane telenovelas and local dramas, because while some of them may use terms I have never heard before, the insipid plotlines and endless caterwauling make my teeth literally hurt, and it's all I can do to stand through 5 minutes of the same drivel in every channel, every night, over and over.

I welcome the chance to learn it, as it will be used in discussions of a bill that I have great interest in - and most Filipinos should have that same interest as well, given how almost everyone I know has an opinion or something to say about it, nowadays.

One of the considerations switching from language to language is that some of the nuances and "hidden meanings" may be lost as they try to communicate in different ways. But that works both ways: an English speaking senator like Santiago would also find it hard to put her points across in Filipino without losing some of its intended meaning in English - that is both the bane and boon of languages.

And while I remember being punished severely as a youngster for speaking in "Taglish" (a bastardized form of speaking in English and Filipino intermittently) - my mom would always reprimand us that we should either speak in straight English or Filipino - this is one instance where the form should pay homage to substance, and if using "Taglish" will be something that will communicate an idea better without losing much of the translation for what the speaker intends to say, then I am all for it.

What would be deplorable, given this leeway, is if there is no substance behind the form.

Our senators should remember that the RH Bill is also a measure that respects ALL religions - and I know this acutely well, being a non-Catholic. I know exactly when something is being imposed on me, it is something I have lived with all my life in a country that proudly carries its "we are true blooded Catholic" credentials. (My past blogposts already relay this in more detail.) An overwhelming amount of the opposition to the RH Bill had been based on religious views, specifically the Catholic view that is it "immoral" to use or promote artificial contraception.

Our senators would do well to remember that our government is still a democracy, NOT a Catholic theocracy. The tenets and practices of one religion should NOT be forced  and enforced on others who do not share this particular faith. Many Catholics themselves are supportive of the RH Bill, if we go by current, scientific surveys. How they resolve this with the statements of their anti-RH leaders is a matter of personal choice, faith and conscience. I find it odd that that those who are rabid in opposing the RH Bill based on their faith keep invoking the "freedom of religion" as their basis for opposing it - while seeing nothing hypocritical about what they wish to happen as being disrespectful to others who do not share the same faith and see nothing wrong with using artificial contraception.

The RH Bill is a PUBLIC HEALTH issue. Period. Our lawmakers should keep this in mind when they make their debates and their decisions about the bill.

In whatever language.

Vote Already!

This is an open letter to our senators, many of whom I did not vote for, but nonetheless wield the power to either enact the RH (Reproductive Health) Bill into law or consign it to even more years languishing where it has been all these years: the back burner, never to see the light of day.

(Image courtesy of dinoacuna.wordpress.com)

Listen to the people, Senators.

Survey after survey have stated the same thing: Majority of this country wish to see the RH Bill approved. (http://m.gmanews.tv/story/207185/pulse-asia-69-of-filipinos-agree-with-rh-bill) These are polls done by reputable surveying organizations, not those hired by religious groups with a stake in these RH discussions.

As OUR representatives, you are REQUIRED to take all of our voices into account whenever you craft your pieces of legislation. You must consider what will benefit most, if not all of the people that you are serving.

I will take this moment to remind you: you are PUBLIC SERVANTS.

You are not in your positions to enrich yourselves at our expense. You are not there to lecture us about the particular tenets of your personal religions. You are there, imbued with power and being accorded respect based on your position, a secular one, on the assumption that you will do what will benefit this country. You are there to ensure that no particular religion gets to railroad this process into what suits their particular "morality" the best.

Let me also remind you: you are there to PROTECT freedom of religion.

The choices you make and the decisions and bills you will vote upon must predicate on this basic tenet of democracy and of our Constitution. There should be no establishment of a particular religion as supreme or revered when laws are made. They should respect the right of people to have their own religion while making decisions freely based on their own volition, in matters relating to reproductive health, planning their family size, and having correct, scientific and factual information regarding their own health and their own bodies.

This bill has been an "almost" for years. We cannot go by a discussion of the RH Bill without mentioning, even in passing, the Catholic Church, particularly its arm known as the CBCP (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines), which has been leading the charge in opposing the RH Bill. They are entitled to their own opinion, but kindly remember, they do not have the monopoly on the word "morality". Many of the stances that this particular religion embraces are considered offensive by other people who draw their morality from other, equally valid sources. They are certainly not the authority when it comes to medical information and scientific facts, so do not use studies conducted by the CBCP as your "be-all", especially with something as important as the RH Bill.

More than anything, the RH Bill recognizes the many dangers that women face in childbirth, induced and illegal abortions, as well as maternal deaths. This bill will provide services and personnel that will address many of these concerns. There is no "perfect" bill, everything can still be further improved. But the longer you wait to "continue discussing and listening to other arguments", mothers are continually dying needlessly from dangerous childbirths. Teenagers are risking both their bodies and their futures with unintended pregnancies. Many of our citizens, particularly those at a financial disadvantage, engage in dubious and questionable practices because they do not have access to correct and factual information.

Population is our greatest resource, say those who oppose the bill. They even cite the remittances of the OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) as proof of this. Do you think our people wish to be away from their families in order to improve their station in life? There are not enough jobs to offer our people, and even if they are available, the wage they will provide is not enough to cover even the most basic of necessities for a family that has more than 6 members. And how can a person contribute to this country's development if they are suffering from malnutrition because there is no money to feed him and his 9 other siblings? Even if education is covered by the government, children are forced to stop schooling because parents need the older ones to help provide enough income for the entire family, which continues to grow day after day.

This is not a picture of a population that contributes to our country.

But this is what is happening right here, right now. Just take a look at the children scrounging around for trash or selling sampaguita flowers by the road, when they should be in school. Only the most callous of people will say they haven't seen one of these children.

You have had enough time to study the merits and the disadvantages of this bill. Do not bide your time, just to see how the political climate will sway. Do not "protect" your vote in an attempt to incur favor with a particular religious group. At the end of the day, we are in a secular society with a democratic form of government.

(Photo courtesy of philnews.com)

You are there to serve ALL Filipinos, regardless of religious affiliation.

VOTE ON THE RH BILL ALREADY!

Signed,
A Citizen of this Country

Bus-tos

How many times have we seen this kind of driving from our "lovely" bus drivers?

(Photo courtesy of ofwnow.com)

For readers who are not familiar with Tagalog, the title is a pun and play on the word bastos, which essentially means no manners, no breeding, bereft of propriety.

My thoughts go to these drivers, both of buses and jeepneys, especially when they are raising a ruckus over the plan of the Aquino government to suspend their "gas allowance", which was given as a result of their protest against the gas prices. Apparently, the allowance was to no avail, because they pushed through with their protest this past Monday, making the LRT and MRT trains look like a giant sardines can.

I have no sympathy for them whatsoever.

And I'll tell you why: It's because they're bastos.

The way they drive doesn't indicate they think they're king of the road, they think they're the only ones on the road. They have no concept of "right of way", especially the buses that ply the EDSA route, who think that that they are in Daytona whenever they go looking for passengers.

I personally had a harrowing experience years ago. I usually stay on the first or second lane (from the left) for real fear from these buses who have been known to run over people and then run away from the scene. If you think I'm exagerrating, just read this link, which details a recent accident involving three buses on EDSA, resulting in 2 injuries. (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/57947/2-injured-in-3-bus-collision-on-edsa-shaw-northbound)

EDSA is, what, 5 or 6 lanes? I was merrily going on the 1st lane (the fast lane) when all of a sudden, this bus came from the last lane (rightmost), swerved the bus at a diagonal into the first lane, and I had to stomp through my brakes in order to prevent a collision. Not content with that, the driver (male, of course) then decided to play "weave the road". The bus then swerved to the 3rd lane, then back to the first lane, then all the way back to the last lane, and then back to the 1st lane.

As expected, it resulted in very cross motorists. The bus came to a halt when there were passengers to pick up; if looks could kill, all the motorists affected had already blown him to pieces. And the driver's reaction? He started picking his teeth.

I'm embarrassed that this person has the same nationality as I am.

And reckless bus and jeepney drivers are the norm in this country, at least in Metro Manila. Buses use their size to "command" the road space, while jeepney drivers use their "cheapness factor" to do the same - I mean, if you had a collision with a jeepney, it isn't worth the hassle and the hand wringing where they play the poverty card - and you'd be better off just writing it off as an insurance expense.

And if you ever had the misfortune of getting into an accident with either one - I will include taxis in this group - what do they immediately say? "Mahirap lang kami, maawa ka. Kailangan ko pa pumasada para may makain ang pamilya ko." ("Have pity, we are poor. I still have to finish my route so I can feed my family.)

Bollocks.

We are all working to earn a living.

We all have to feed ourselves and our families.

But I don't make that an excuse to literally run over people and cars.

It seems that our public transportation drivers must devour telenovelas in their spare time, as I have encountered at least 2 of them who could shed copious tears when needed (a.k.a. when the traffic enforcer or police is present) to make a sob story stick.

Unfortunately, that isn't going to work with me.

Does anyone have any concrete steps on what to do with these drivers? I for one am sick of them. I am sick of their disregad for everyone else but their pockets. I am sick of the drama involved whenever you have to face them after an accident - which they caused in the first place. I am sick of the way they swerve and cross the roads, as if we were riding bump cars. I am sick of them taking the government for a ride, getting subsidies and free gas allowances, and yet still have the nerve to stage rallies and complain that the government is not doing enough.

Enough is enough.

Revoke their licenses if it is warranted. Throw them in jail. Fine them so much that they would rather shut down their operations. This is not the time to invoke awa (pity). Something which we, as a culture, tend to emphasize in dealing with others, in order to get what we want or need.

To the Aquino adminstration, stop pandering to these transport groups. They are not the only votes you have to consider, not the only voices to be heard.

We, the silent ones, who sit idly by while these agents of death ply their business on our roads, we are sick of them. Of it. Of the entire situation.

And by the way, I am a taxpayer: Where's my subsidy?

Trivial Pursuits

The recent "debacle" about Ms. Supsup's third runner up finish in the 2011 Ms. Universe pageant seemed like one giant circus to me: online beauty pageant junkies going racist on Ms. Angola for winning, Pinoys blaming Lea Salonga for making it easy for the winner to clinch the crown, Supsup having to defend her answer... I thought we were done with this last week, and yet, I open my online newspaper and the first thing I see is Supsup plastered all over giving a "conference".

What is it about us as a nation that we seem to be enthralled with matters that, frankly, have little to absolutely no importance in our daily lives and how we fare as a nation? Are we really THAT shallow?

I seem to remember P-Noy (President Noynoy Aquino) telling reporters in the not-too-distant past that they desist from asking him about his lovelife (him being the first Bachelor President) because he would like to concentrate on more "important" things.

But the week before the Ms. Universe pageant, you couldn't open your nightly newscast on TV without seeing a clip of P-Noy being asked about a "possible" romance blooming between him and a lady mayor or governor, who happened to be single and in her 30's. (That is a topic for another post, when women of a certain age are being pressured into marrying, because there are few things worse than an unmarried woman in her 30's in this country. RIGHT.)

I would have written it off as the fault of insipid news reporters who had nothing better to do, or ask the President, but the kicker was: it was P-Noy himself who opened the topic. In his speech for whatever official function he was supposed to be conducting, he used the local dialect to "appreciate" the beauty of the women of that particular place, with a "special mention" of the lady executive as a standout - in terms of beauty.

Is this a sampling of something "important"?

I know many of you will think of me as a grouch and a scrooge, for berating P-Noy on this. I can hear the defense now, people saying things like "he was just being carinyoso/malambing" (affectionate). But what worries me is that this overtook the news item: I don't even recall what P-Noy was there in that province for, the reporters took their cue from him and dwelled on the "romance" angle, and it segued right into his former girlfriend Shalani, who also arrived in that place and they crossed paths, prompting reporters to speculate about their relationship status, and even interviewing P-Noy about it.

(Photo courtesy of ofwnow.com)

And now, a week after the Ms. Universe non-win, we have the candidate still splashed over the (online) papers.

What is it, Philippines?

Is there nothing else to talk about?

Why do we persist in focusing on things that are, to put it bluntly, trivial?

Who cares if P-Noy gets a girlfriend or not?

Who cares if Supsup won or not?

I would rather know why until now, more than a year from his election, the promise of charging officials from the past adminstration for alleged fraud, corruption and decption is going at a glacial pace?

I would rather know what the new Department of Tourism head honcho plans to do about the fact that tourist arrivals in this country are a pale shadow of what our other Asian neighbors are receiving, translating to more revenue generation for them and not us?

One look at the TV shows that pervade the idiot box is enough to convince me that we really are a nation that prides in being masters on inutile things: entertainment shows that require you to gyrate lasciviously to get a sum of cash, serial dramas with the same "I've been wronged, I'll have my revenge" plots, or importing more of the same from other Asian or Latin American countries.

What will it take to elevate the Filipino mind and consciousness into a higher level of discourse? How long before we stop being an Asian Tiger cub, if we can even be considered as one at this point in time? Is this another attempt to "laugh our hardships away", the way I hear people defend their anti-RH (Reproductive Health) Bill stance, saying things like "it's OK that we're poor with 9 children and no means to feed or clothe them, as long as we're one big, happy family"?

How much further before we can see that the pursuits we've been so passionate about are sadly, painfully, trivial?

The Alien Goes To The Chinese Embassy

In preparation for our upcoming trip to Beijing, Arthur and I decide to do two things differently from our previous trips there: Go on a tour group, and get the Chinese visa ourselves.

(Photo courtesy of thegeminigeek.com)


I'll let you know how the tour group experience turns out after the trip. We normally "wing it" - meaning we do everything ourselves in arranging for the trips we take: book our own flight, reserve our own hotel, read up on a lot of books and resources about the must see sights of the country where we're going as well as information on the "it's-our-secret-foreigners-out" places and things to do while there. There is a trade-off: Safety can be compromised and the chances for being conned are great, but the exhiliration of finding things out by yourself, and especially discoveries made off the beaten track, make up for some inconveniences of doing it ourselves. (Nothing makes a more indelible imprint than discovering things on your own. Much of the trip's hilarity comes from mistakes.)

This time, we have the convenience of being chauffered around for the whole trip, as well as having set meals so we don't worry about the "essentials". (Of course, I like going to the street stalls and sidewalk eateries in other countries, regarded by travelers as real local food, instead of the restaurants being propped up by tourism agencies.) I'm not liking the fact that the itinerary is not in our control, but we'll see how it goes.

Now, on to the visa application.

On our two previous trips there (one to Guangzhou, the next one to Shanghai), we asked a travel agency to facilitate the processing of our visa applications to China. The normal visa application costs PhP 1,400 (Philippine Pesos), and having an agency do it for you will add another PhP 1,000 or more, depending on how fast you need the visa.

We decide to reverse what we usually do, and we "winged" it, meaning we went to the embassy ourselves to line up for a visa.

Here's what the Alien (AKA me, as I am considered "so not Filipino" by many, and I outline this in a previous blogpost: http://theguywithablog.blogspot.com/2011/07/alien-in-garden-of-filipino-cultural.html) discovered along the way.

1. We can be early if we want to.

Granted, we arrived later than the opening of the embassy, as we had to juggle our schedules, and arrived there at 10AM. But there was a line waiting for us just to enter the embassy. A long line. A long, snaking line. A long, snaking line that extended from the second floor of the building (where the embassy is) to the first floor. And when we got our "queue numbers" we were 348 and 349.

Obviously, these people came here way ahead of the opening time, if by 10AM, they were merely serving 300 people - and by serving I mean just giving numbers. If it's something that we have to do, Filipinos make the effort and wake up and line up on time, and don't add to the popular notion of being "fashionably late" (I heard someone call it "late sa arrive").

It may have everything to do with the fact that the embassy accepts visa applications only until 10:45AM, and then you have to come back the following day if you don't make it by then.

2. Knowing a "pare" (friend) gives you license to cut in line.

While we were lining up on the stairs, the person right behind me starts hollering to the person in front of Arthur, saying "Pare, kumusta na?" ("How are you, friend?"), and they start talking over us, which is annoying as it is, but when Arthur went to the john, he starts inching closer to me -as if I was some obstacle - and physically overtakes me by resting his hand on the shoulder of his "friend" while talking. He proceeds to start pushing me with the other side of his body - albeit on the sly, so that no one can accuse him of "cutting" - but I was having none of it, and refused to budge. Only when he saw that I wasn't having any of his "I'm his friend" crap did he go back to his proper space in line.

3. Bring a book. A novel. Your DVD player. Your yoyo. Anything, everything.

You'll need it to stave off your boredom, your frustration and your angst at having to wait. And wait some more. Just to give you an idea of how "fast" we were going, we arrived at 10AM and were assigned 348 and 349; when we got in, we saw that the counter for visa applications was already serving 115 or thereabouts. I thought to myself, great, they've served 100 people already one hour after opening, this will be fast.

Wrong.

By 4PM, they were only serving number 280. I had to leave by then because I had a class to conduct. Arthur cancelled his appointments for the day. We were both spent just waiting for our turn at the line. I had to write a letter of authorization so that Arthur could give my visa requirements without question. And when our numbers were called (which he says was around 6PM), it took him less than a minute to finish transacting.

Uh....

4. A funny thing happened in the bank. The supermarket. And now the embassy.

Lining up in the bank can be frustrating. The tellers aren't working as fast as they can, but aside from that, the line is deceptive. You could arrive in line and see three people ahead of you and think that you will be out of the bank in 15 minutes, 20 tops.

Wrong again.

You didn't factor in one tiny thing: that mousy man in front of you is holding 25 passbooks, because everyone in the office asked him to update their bank data. And in the supermarket, in the "express lane", where it specifically states that only baskets or carts with 10 items or less can be served, a customer who orders 30 bags of rice will go to that same line, under the "supposed" premise that it is "just" one item -just a bag of rice, only in bulk.

Remember when I mentioned that we used to have an agency do the "work" for us in getting a visa? There were many "liaison officers" from these agencies, all holding bulks of passports. The one guy we saw transacting (when we started observing why it was taking so long) had at least 50 passports with him to transact at the counter. That was one person. Multiply that to at least 20 of these officers and you can see why the number you were assigned does not necessarily mean you will be served "at the appointed time".

5. As always, for Pinoys, rules are there to be broken.

Clearly posted on the walls were these words: "Keep Quiet. The Embassy has the right to refuse entry to disruptive/impolite applicants. You will not be served and will have to come back the next day."

Also posted were pictures of a cellular phone with a cross in front of it, much like traffic signs, that there are no cellular phones allowed, by ordinance, because it was an embassy.

And what did the Alien witness?

A group of people huddled sharing the latest gossip about their friend who got pregnant. Liaison officers converging and discussing how much backlog they would be enduring because of the slow process. People talking loudly on their cellular phones because Ms. Supsup was "crowned" third runner-up in the Ms. Universe pageant.

I felt sorry for the embassy guard - who was Pinoy, by the way - for doing his job. He repeatedly had to go around and go "Sssssssh!" (we counted at least 10 times that he had to round up the naughty children), and say things like "Malinaw naman ang mga nakapaskil, diba? Di ba kayo nakakabasa o nakakaintindi? Sabi diyan, Keep Quiet. At bawal gumamit ng cellphone." ("The signs are clearly posted, right? Can't you read nor understand? It says "Keep Quiet". And no using of cellular phones.") At least three times, he had to go to certain people just to embarrass them. They would stop making noise/using their cellphones, and when the guard leaves them, they would mutter how yabang (arrogant) the guard was for berating them in public. And then proceed to make the same noise or make the call once again.

Wherever we go, Filipinos must show foreigners our particular brand of "hospitality" and "cultural identity".

Mabuhay ka, Pilipino! (Long live the Filipino!)

Have We Redefined The Words "Honor" And "Hero"?

I looked at dictionary.com for the definitions of these two words, and for everyone's perusal:

Honor - honesty, fairness or integrity in one's beliefs and actions.

Hero - a person of distinguished courage or ability, adnired for brave deeds or noble qualitites.

So it comes as a complete shock when people are now relating those two words with one Miss Shamcey Supsup, Ms. Universe 2011 Third Runner-Up.

(Photo courtesy of starmometer.com)

What comes to my mind when I see beauty pageants is one word: Meat.

Alternately, I also think of cattle. Or expanding on it, a meat market. For a certain, uh, segment/demographic of the male population. (When I first heard of Donald Trump buying the Ms. Universe organization, all I could think of was "What? He needs his own stable now?")

Let's call it what it is. Enough of the flowery words, or the supposed goodwill.

A candidate's score is based on how she looks in a swimsuit and a nightgown.

HELLO. (Hypocrites, you may desist from reading further.)

Anything that is based on one's looks, or how one's body is shaped in clothes - minimal and otherwise - can never be included in any definition of the words "honor" or "hero".

And yet, the internet and traditional media are all abuzz with how Supsup brought us "great honor" as a nation. And some comments in those reports have called her a "hero" and that she may somehow help us "regain our country's dignity".

Excuse me?

How does having a 36-24-36 figure, long held as the "ideal sexy body measurements", bring honor?

Is it heroic to possess a beautiful face or body?

And the physical attributes of one person regains our dignity as a nation?

Calling on the DECS (Department of Education, Culture and Sports) and CHED (Commission on Higher Education): We need to strengthen the vocabulary of our students. As well as of our lawmakers, apparently.

Even they think that Supsup has brought "honor". And one lawmaker, Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, wants to file a resolution to that effect. (http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/top-stories/13328-2-lawmakers-eye-shamcey-as-ph-tourism-booster) Good grief. I suppose it comes as no surprise, because our lawmakers are still referred to as "honorable" (as in The Honorable Congressman from so-and-so province), even if many of them are anything but what that word suggests and undeserving of any kind of respect. With so many pieces of legislation that need pressing attention, this is what they choose to focus on?

And for beauty pageant defenders, stop the hilarious justification that candidates' intelligence levels are also tested, with a single question.

I will concede that the nerves of a person are indeed tested, as it can never be easy for anyone to be placed on the spot, especially if you have to answer a question in front of millions of people while dressed next to nothing.

But to say that this is an effective gauge of one's intelligence is an insult to people who value it.

As well, the use of the words "honor" and "hero" are an insult to those individuals or groups that embody these concepts in their very lives.

A child who rushes back to her burning house to save her siblings - THAT'S a hero.

Firefighters and health workers who rushed into the attacked building on Sept. 11, 2001 to see who they could save, THAT'S heroism.

Equating an almost-win in an international beauty pageant to what these heroes risked for out of conviction and ideals is a monumental slap to them. Beauty pageants serve to glorify all the worst parts of humanity: an obsession with beauty, equating this obsession with same reverence we should be having for scientists who are constantly looking for ways to combat HIV, cancer and other life-threatening diseases, valuing a woman for her looks and only for that alone, the obvious treatment of these contestants as commodities, mere objects and toys to shine and parade around with, the utter degradation of women as well as setting back all the gains that women have achieved in their (it seems never-ending) quest for equality and to be seen as equals. (Even today, a tough man in business is called "a great boss" while a woman with the same temperament is labeled a "bitch".)

Which I am sure is what Ms. Supsup will be doing when she arrives back home: Be in an actual parade as she is paraded around as a testament of this country's "honor" and "dignity", a new "hero".

You'll excuse me if I don't show up, as I don't see any reason to be festive. I try not to be in places where IQ is not only devalued, but seen in a derisive light.

Just when I thought it was once again cool to be a nerd.