Sugarfreestacular!!

May hangover pa ko sa concert kagabi.Hehe.

Sugarfree Live!

Sulit na sulit ang paghihintay. Napaka-successful nung concert nila kanina. Wala ako masabi. Nakakakilabot yung areglo ng mga kanta kasi nga kasama nila yung Manila Symphony Orchestra. Ganda nung tunog. Mas binigyang-lalim ng MSO yung mga kanta. Ibang klase. Ang ganda pa ng seat na nakuha ko, sa harap na harap.

Na-astigan ako sa cover ni Ebe ng Still Fighting ni Ben Folds.

Sana may repeat.

murdered by would-be brothers

The fate of UP senior Cris Anthony Mendez was unfortunate. By joining Sigma Rho Fraternity, he had high hopes that the fraternity would be able to help him in building a bright future for himself and his poor family. Never did he realize that the very people who promised him the moon and the stars would be the same people who will put an end to his dreams, forever. I emphatize with Cris' family. He could have been the one who would be able to uplift his family from its present condition. He could have been a a great leader and public servant. But now, he has left. What is going to happen to his promises?

It is also surprising that Sigma Rho seems to be getting away with it. The suspected iniatitors are into hiding. Why would they hide if in the first place, they have nothing to do with Cris's death? There are no other suspects but the said fraternity. All evidence point to it as perpetrator of the untimely death of Cris. They don't even have the courage to face the authorities. I hope that justice would be served upon my namesake.

Rest in peace, Cris.

Everybody Hates Gloria

The most disgusting face on earth belongs to her.

The Filipinos absolutely hate her. In fact, the only ones who believe in her are Injustice Secretary Raul Gonzales, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Press Secretary Toti Bunye. However, I was still able to come up with a list of ten things that we could possibly approve of her:

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Her name or her face has become the ANTONYM of the word "credibility."

It is a shame to the nation that we have nothing to be proud of our very own president. Oh, by the way, she is not really a president. She was never elected to office. She stole the votes from the people with the indispensable aid of the Honorable Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

(photo credit: www.inquirer.net)

The price to pay

The verdict has been handed down by the Sandiganbayan.

Estrada is guilty of plunder. Much has been said about the historic event. To my mind, the conviction is a triumph for the people, for the Philippine justice system. By this event, we are reminded that no one is above the law, even the highest official of the land. The former president was indeed guilty of the commission of plunder. And for that, he must suffer the consequences. No matter how the Estrada camp insist that the Sandiganbayan Special Division who heard the case for six years was programmed to convict him, I am still of the belief that he is indeed liable for the crime charged. How could a President possibly and legally acquire or amass such big amounts of money, not to mention other questionable properties such as the Boracay Mansion.

This should also serve as a warning, even a threat, to the equally beleaguered Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Certainly, she is FAR WORSE that her predecessor. She has a lot of explaining to do to the Filipino people. So far, she has kept mum on the issues which directly affect the public:

Fertilizer scam and Jocjoc Bolante
Hello Garci and Vote Rigging during the 2004 presidential elections
Extrajudicial Killings
Forced disappearances of those critical to her administration
2007 senatorial elections vote rigging in Maguindanao
EO 464
Proclamation 1017
ZTE Broadband Deal
JPEPA
Graft and corruption incidents

GMA should be afraid once her (stolen) term ends in 2010.
She should be very, very afraid.

The Filipino people has a strong message to this (non)president:

GMA, YOU'RE NEXT!

Moving Asia Forward with Uncommon Faith

Last August 31, I attended the presentation ceremonies of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Awards at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Honored were:

Former Senator Jovito Salonga (Philippines) for Government Service;
Rev. Kim Sun-tae (Korea) for Public Service;
Mahabir Pun (Nepal) for Community Leadership;
Tang Xiyang (China) for Peace and International Understanding;
Palagummi Sainath (India), Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts;
Chen Guangcheng (China) and Chung To (China) for Emergent Leadership.

It was a privilege to see and hear from these great individuals. Their life stories were utterly inspiring. The common denominator among the awardees is that, amidst adversities and hopelessness, they saw the light and brought hope and positive change to their respective countries.

Of course we all know what kind of leader former Senator Jovito Salonga is. His contributions (through his long public career in government service) to the betterment of our society is unquestionable. His name is unblemished. In this age where the almost all government officials' motives in running for office are dubious, it would really alter the depressing political sphere of our country if we will have more Jovito Salongas: a man of honesty, sincerity,integrity and substance. The Philippines is in dire need of more Salongas. I am privileged to be a volunteer of his NGO Bantay Katarungan.

Today, at eighty-seven, Senator Salonga urges young people to seek happiness in service. More important in life than wealth is meaning. We will find it, he says, if we live "by what we know to be true and good." Asked how would he like to be remembered, he says: “As a politician who played politics according to his Christian conviction.”

The other awardees' contributions to their socitites are also worthy of emulation. The most significant realization for me is that it only takes a single person to change the world. No matter how small your good deeds are, it can affect the life or lives of the people you are helping. It is really good to know that these kinds of people are real, are existing. They give us a ray of hope.