I got the following letter forwarded through Sagada's St. Mary's School Alumni email group and thought it was an inspiring read to start the week. The letter is from a concerned Filipina and from its salutation, it is a plea to all Filipinos everywhere. Very well written - I couldn't help but nod in agreement while going through the letter. The only things I would add is to pray for (a) servant leaders who love GOD, the Philippines, and their neighbors as much as they love themselves to increase in numbers - I'm sure they exist though very rare; and (b) for current leaders to have a change of heart and become the servant leaders I described in (a). Here's the full letter:
To all Filipinos Everywhere:
I used to think that corruption and criminality in the Philippines were caused by poverty. But recent events tell me this isn't true. It is one thing to see people turn into drug addicts, prostitutes, thieves and murderers because of hunger and poverty, but what excuse do these rich, educated people have that could possibly explain their bizarre behavior? And to think I was always so relieved when petty snatchers got caught and locked away in jail because I never fully realized that the big time thieves were out there, making the laws and running our country. Can it get any worse than this?
Every night, I come home and am compelled to turn on my tv to watch the latest turn of events. I am mesmerized by these characters. They are not men. They are caricatures of men - too unreal to be believable and too bad to be real. To see these "honorable" crooks lambast each other, call each one names, look each other in the eye and accuse the other of committing the very same crimes that they themselves are guilty of, is so comical and apalling that I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It is entertainment at its worst!
I have never seen so many criminals roaming around unfettered and looking smug until now. These criminals wear suits and barongs, strut around with the confidence of the rich and famous, inspire fear and awe from the very citizens who voted them to power, bear titles like "Honorable", "Senator", "Justice", "General" and worse, "President". Ironically, these lawless individuals practice law, make our laws, enforce the law. And we wonder why our policemen act the way they do! These are their leaders, and the leaders of this nation – Robin Hoodlum and his band of moneymen. Their motto? "Rob the poor, moderate the greed of the rich."
It makes me wonder where on earth these people came from, and what kind of upbringing they had to make them act the way they do for all the world to see. It makes me wonder what kind of schools they went to, what kind of teachers they had, what kind of environment would produce such creatures who can lie, cheat and steal from an already indebted country and from the impoverished people they had vowed to serve. It makes me wonder what their children and grandchildren think of them, and if they are breeding a whole new generation of improved Filipino crooks and liars with maybe a tad more style but equally negligible conscience. Heaven forbid!
I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer. I am blessed to have a job that pays for my needs and those of my family's, even though 30% of my earnings go to the nation's coffers. Just like others in my lot, I have complained time and again because our government could not provide enough of the basic services that I expect and deserve. Rutty roads, poor educational system, poor social services, poor health services, poor everything. But I have always thought that was what all third world countries were all about, and my complaints never amounted to anything more.
And then this. Scandalous government deals. Plundering presidents pointing fingers. Senators associated with crooks. Congressmen who accept bribes. Big time lawyers on the side of injustice. De Venecia ratting on his boss only after his interminable term has ended, Enrile inquiring about someone's morality! The already filthy rich Abalos and Arroyo wanting more money than they or their great grandchildren could ever spend in a lifetime. Joker making a joke of his own "pag bad ka, lagot ka!" slogan.. Defensor rendered defenseless. Gen. Razon involved in kidnapping. Security men providing anything but a sense of security. And it's all about money, money, money that the average Juan de la Cruz could not even imagine in his dreams. Is it any wonder why our few remaining decent and hardworking citizens are leaving to go work in other countries?
And worst of all, we are once again saddled with a power-hungry president whose addiction has her clinging on to it like barnacle on a rusty ship. "Love (of power) is blind" takes a whole new meaning when PGMA time and again turns a blind eye on her husband's financial deals. And still blinded with all that is happening, she opts to traipse around the world with her cohorts in tow while her country is in shambles.
They say the few stupid ones like me who remain in the Philippines are no longer capable of showing disgust. I don't agree. Many like me feel anger at the brazenness of men we call our leaders, embarrassment to share the same nationality with them, frustration for our nation and helplessness at my own ineffectuality. It is not that I won't make a stand. It is just that I am afraid my actions would only be futile. After all, these monsters are capable of anything. They can hurt me and my family. They already have, though I may not yet feel it..
But I am writing this because I need to do something concrete. I need to let others know that ordinary citizens like me do not remain lukewarm to issues that would later affect me and my children. I want to make it known that there are also Filipinos who dream of something better for the Philippines. I want them to know that my country is not filled with scalawags and crooks in every corner, and that there are citizens left who believe in decency, fairness, a right to speak, a right to voice out ideas, a right to tell the people we have trusted to lead us that they have abused their power and that it is time for them to step down. I refuse to let this country go to hell because it is the only country I call mine and it is my responsibility to make sure I have done what I could for it.
Those of us who do not have the wealth, power or position it needs to battle the evil crime lords in the government can summon the power of good. We can pray. We can do this with our families every night. We can offer petitions every time we celebrate mass. We can ask others to pray, too, including relatives and friends here and overseas. And we can offer sacrifices along with our petitions, just so we get the message to Him of our desperation in ridding our nation of these vermin. After all, they cannot be more powerful than God!
I implore mothers out there to raise your children the best way you can. Do not smother, pamper, or lavish them with too much of the material comforts of life even if you can well afford them. Teach them that there are more important things in this world. I beg all fathers to spend time with their children, to teach them the virtues of hard work, honesty, fair play, sharing, dignity and compassion – right from the sandbox till they are old enough to go on their own. Not just in your homes, but at work, in school, everywhere you go. Be good role models. Be shining examples for your children so they will learn to be responsible adults who will carry and pass on your family name with pride and honor.
I call on educators and teachers – we always underestimate the power of your influence on the minds of our youth. Encourage them to be aware of what is happening in their surroundings. Instill in them a love of their country, inculcate in them the value of perseverance in order to gain real, worthwhile knowledge, help us mold our children into honorable men and women. Encourage our graduates, our best and brightest, to do what they can to lift this country from the mire our traditional politicians have sunk us into. The youth is our future – and it would be largely because of you, our educators, that we will be able to repopulate the seats of power with good leaders, presidents, senators, congressmen, justices, lawmakers, law enforcers and lawful citizens.
I ask all students, young people and young professionals everywhere to look around and get involved in what is happening. Do not let your youth be an excuse for failure to concern yourselves with the harsh realities you see. But neither let this make you cynical, because we need your idealism and fresh perspective just as you need the wisdom of your elders. YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! Let your voices be heard. Do what you can for this land that gave you your ancestors and your heritage. Use technology and all available resources at hand to spread good. Text meaningful messages to awaken social conscience. Try your best to fight moral decay because I promise you will not regret it when you become parents yourselves. You will look back at your past misdeeds and pray that your children will do better than you did.
Remember that there are a few handful who are capable of running this country.. You can join their ranks and make their numbers greater. We are tired of the old trapos. We need brave idealistic leaders who will think of the greater good before anything else. Do your utmost to excel in your chosen field.. Be good lawyers, civil servants, accountants, computer techs, engineers, doctors, military men so that when you are called to serve in government, you will have credibility and a record that can speak for itself.
For love of this country, for the future of our children, for the many who have sacrificed and died to uphold our rights and ideals, I urge you to do what you can. As ordinary citizens, we can do much more for the Philippines than sit around and let crooks lead us to perdition. We owe ourselves this. And we owe our country even more.
Remedios C. Paningbatan
Administrative Officer
Office of the General Counsel
Asian Development Bank
Tel (632) 632-4248
www.adb.org
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Kudos to two Sagada blogs for being named as finalists for the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards nationwide categories. The SAGADA GENUINE GUIDES ASSOCIATION and the SAGADA LEMON PIE HOUSE were cited in the Best Travel and Best Business blog categories, respectively. The Philippine Blog Awards aims to recognize notable Filipino-owned blogs in their respective niches. The awards night were held at the PETA-PHINMA Theater in New Manila, Quezon City last October 9, 2009. Though the Sagada entries didn't get the biggest prize in their categories, I salute them for being included among the chosen few. I hope to see a Sagada blog win a category one day. Click this link for a complete list of the Philippine Blog Awards finalists.
I've seen Facebook photo galleries of the landslide tragedies in Benguet and Mountain Province - particularly that of Little Kibungan and Tadian. The images were very graphic. I saw the faces of those who perished, a lot of them muddied but very recognizable. In one photo, I saw a dead child, very stiff and still in his pajamas being carried by 2 adults. In the same picture, I saw another adult, with his phone camera, most likely taking pictures of what's going on. This child has family and relatives - some of them surviving no doubt. I don't believe they would have wanted this particularly image to have been posted in social networking sites for all to see. Don't add more to the suffering of the victims. Do respect the landslide victims.
I was viewing a list of recent Sagada blogs and was impressed with posts from Atty. Oman's blog. His latest Sagada photo gallery features Sagada Weekend Market images. Viewing those images were like a ratatouille moment for me. That's what our family refers when describing something very familiar that gives you a warm nostalgic feeling; very much like how the food critic in the movie felt when he had his first bite of the ratatouille dish. Definitely, those Sagada market images reminded me of the many Saturdays helping my mother and my grandma with those market chores. It was one of the tasks I didn't particularly like as a kid, but which I remembered with fondness as an adult. View more Sagada pictures at the 
Here's a sequel to an earlier post of Sagada black and white pictures (See 
The Cordillera province of Benguet suffered 12 deaths due to Typhoon Pepeng, internationally known as Parma. Provincial police director Chief Superintendent Loreto Espinili reported that the deaths were caused by 2 landslides. In the only article I can find on the typhoon's impact on Sagada, a resident describes that there were no evacuations and that it is "windy and raining, but it is not strong." Multiple roads in the Cordilleras were deemed impassable in the typhoon's aftermath.
BIBBAK Illinois (see photo), in association with the American Igorot group, will be performing Igorot dances on stage at the local Asian Heritage Festival this Sunday. This is an effort to help raise relief funds under the American Red Cross for victims of Typhoon Ketsana. My family won't be there due to prior commitments, but we'll be praying for the success of the fund raising effort. Here's the full post from Rex Delson taken from the American Igorot Facebook page: 
I haven't blogged in awhile, and a nice way to start again is by posting some excellent black and white pictures of Sagada. The photos were taken by a friend from high school during his Aug 2009 Sagada trip. Topher, as we used to call him then, is from Baler, Aurora and has been one of the few individuals I would credit for keeping me sane during those crazy high school years. I'm no art / photo critic but having spent my early years in Sagada, I know when photos do justice to the beauty of my hometown. These group of photos capture Sagada in a unique yet familiar way it made me think of my childhood days all over again. Salamat, Topher. Gawi-gawis. Matago-tago ka! (Loosely translated - it means "Thanks Topher, very well done. May you live forever"). Hehehe. I'm definitely looking forward to more of his future Sagada pictures. Meanwhile, enjoy a sampling of them here: 
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