ANL May 2012 Issue

 E  D  I  T  O  R  I  A  L

We clamor for change! 

                           

MAY 2013, or twelve months to go, and here comes [again!] the country’s nationwide mid-term elections.  A “mid-term election”—also  known as “local elections”—elects all three-year term elective local officials and 12 six-year term senators [to replace same number with expiry terms] less the six-year term posts of the presidency and vice-presidency.  It signals the midway period into electing the two highest posts of the land who were last elected May 2010 and ends their respective terms on May 2016. If the country had a barangay elections on 2014, or the next year 2015, then the Philippines comes on record as the only country on earth having elections almost on a yearly basis. 

At face value, frequent elections may bedevil many to believe a semblance of democracy did exist in a particular nation. Underneath, it may be not. It may be that a country is in ridicule of  its own stupidity, or gone haywire altogether. Aside from being sore and ridiculous in the eyes of the world, elections are extremely divisive and unnecessarily draining to the national coffers.

Be that as it may, it must be put to mind that people are the subject of elections, not the candidates to be voted upon as normally thought of by many. It is the people’s vote that is being contested on, fought for, or cheated of by astute politicians. After all and sundry, the victors owe it all from the electorate whether some voters “sold” their votes, or voted under duress. This is to dispel the distorted logic of winning political cheats to say poker-faced, “we’ve not owed anything from people selling votes, anyway!” Indecent and illogic as it is, it is a fact to say that without the so-called “sold” and  “intimidated votes”, these electoral bandits would be sour losers kissing the demon’s ass. More so when these crooks paid for votes and lost.

Asingan NewsLine and RA Class ’68 won’t—in a slightest intent—malign people who were either forced to sell vote, or intimidated to vote. We fully understand the circumstances at this juncture of our maturing electoral history. Conversely, we salute the people who are gaining grounds in courage and intelligence in voting no matter how slowly and painfully is the process of learning and braving the obstacles. Moreover, we rally people to join and exert more effort in our continuing fight against electoral fraud and violence such as vote buying, coercion-intimidation and black propaganda-mudslinging until we clear the road for a truly equitable, honest, peaceful and orderly elections.

Along this line, we enjoin the public—the voters and taxpayers, women and youth, indigenous peoples and local nationalists—to clamor for genuine, comprehensive and sustainable change not only in the electoral arena but in all the socio-economic, politico-cultural and environmental spheres to save this country from going to the dogs with our very own dirty traditional politicians [“trapos”, aka rags] as agents of national suicide.

Inasmuch as this nation indulge itself in a day-to-day politicking, government has no moral ascendancy dilly-dallying on issues,  nor be moronic on national and local problems. Inasmuch as we are electing almost yearly hundreds of thousands of government officials in both local and national elections with our very own pens and purses, such meaningful changes must come as we do deserve it as our right. Now, not tomorrow.   bod, ra class ’68 alumni assoc . may2012 

P   U   N   C   H   L   I   N   E

A Commentary:  “Searing heat of May”

By:  ANL Editorial Board

APO Anton, an eightyish resident of Sitio Pao, San Vicente, San Manuel, Pangasinan, roams the grassy fields bounding San Manuel with Asingan town herding daily his pasture of goats still visibly smart and strong even at that elderly age. He is apparently irked though with what he calls the “searing heat of May” when it was not this hot, he winces, some five decades ago. The good old man remembers quite vividly the month of May as month of merriment with fiestas and santacruzan; the flowering of plants and bearing of fruits; the first pour of rains borne out of  April’s drizzles and thunderstorms; and the abundance of food enlivened by the first rains like grown vegetables, fishes, frogs, and the likes.

Hereabout, in beloved Philippines, May is an election month every three years since the so-called “people’s revolution” of 1986 that enthroned a new breed of elite politicians who mastered quickly and proficiently the art and science of traditional politics and political dynasty building. And the more the searing heat of May is hastened via politicking year in and year out flaring up into a vicious cycle of widespread animosities and the resultant periodic bankruptcy of the national economy. And there is no end in sight as this social cancer has come to be a malignant culture that Filipinos seem to enjoy with delight rather than suffer and learn from it.

May is global month for the working men who feed and clothe us all. Yet, workers are not about to savor the fruits of their labor as their tribe is a vanishing one at the heap of class bias by their historic tormentor—the monopoly capitalist and their hi-tech instruments of mechanization with machines and robots replacing human labor; with contractual labor replacing regular workers;  with labor officials condoning arbitrary restraining orders on striking workers; with the killings of labor leaders normally going down the gutters; and with a government comically doing a centurion nailing down labor to a mendicant’s pay and serving as a canine-barker for big capital in rationalizing wage hike as inflationary and all that crap.  All this  hastens the impending death of unionism in this country with nary a tear from the shenanigans.

Back home with Apo Anton, the untiring old hand never saw in all his life a month of May tossing temperature at a feverish 37 as it is now in his twilight years. He can [still] sense the tangible damages to the environment by lamenting, “the air is hot [tending to mean, polluted] and the big trees were gone [pointing his index finger randomly at the Cordillera and Caraballo mountains nearby north], probably finished off by loggers,” guessed he. He shook his head when asked if there are any factory or big business enterprise around the vicinity [Tayug, San Manuel, Asingan, Santa Maria]. “Oh, yes, a relatively big shopping mall in Tayug, and the giant San Roque Dam at the boundary of Asingan and San Manuel!” he interjected when queried further.

Asingan  NewsLine  chanced upon the gaily-faced man  in a  photo-ops trek to the area few days before Labor Day for news and cuts for the May 2012 issue of this newsletter. Apo Anton’s face turned gloomy when he finally admits, “life is still generally poor here”—referring to problems ranging from landlessness to pests and poor technology; from high cost of production inputs to low prices of produce; from aberrations on water supply [irrigation] to uncooperative and absentee landlords; from joblessness to government neglect. “Tenant-farmers and farm workers dominate the rural landscape out here comprising about  80-85% of the population,” he says.

“It’s even dangerous living here at the foot of the huge San Roque Dam! What with the flood-prone Agno River Basin and the nearby earthquake fault at the northeast boundary of Pangasinan with Nueva Vizcaya province?” warns Apo Anton, the former local politician still exuding intellect in his pronouncements. Age and intellect can be tools in facing the rigors of time and poverty. How many more Apo Antons may be stolid enough to endure such saga? Asingan Newsline hopes to continue chronicling other such feat until it ends not much longer to bear.   eb . anl . may2012

F   E   A   T   U   R    E

Why the need to go Cooperative [hence, go for a Coop business]?

By:  Ruben M. Balino

“WE sacrificed for our respective families. We earned a living in distant lands away from our loved ones for quite some time. We’re not getting any younger; and we’re tired. We need to stay home, rest and enjoy with family. Why tire ourselves with more responsibilities ahead like organizing a cooperative and doing business all over again?”

We overheard these matter-of-factly lines from classmate-friend and jolly-good fellow  Ross “Ticong” Diaz during his birthday bash April 27 at his home in Novaliches. He is the able Secretary of the Rizal Academy Class ’68 Alumni Association.

For this writer, Ticong’s words are valid as it is uncontestable for one who thinks and feels so.  “Respect others’ views and feelings”, so goes the saying. This can be the simplest and practical thing to do if only to avoid antagonisms or disunity. And we respect his views and fully understand his feelings.

Respect and belief though have distinct separating lines. While this writer respects others’ views and feelings, he  do stands firm on his belief which is time-tested and worthwhile, e.g., noble and beneficial.

A “Cooperative” is not something new. It is a time-tested alternative business organization dwelling on poor people as members-owners-beneficiaries. From their membership rank comes their own choice of elected leaders that shall lead them under a set of rules and principles democratizing internal operations and management, accounting and distribution of benefits, election of officers, and the regular conduct of cooperative education for all members and their families.

“Going Cooperative” and doing business under its name is a noble activity since it is genuinely and unselfishly people-centered with no one but themselves governing and operating the organization with their own capital shares utilized in putting up a business it sees feasible. Beneficial in the sense that virtually everything is conducted democratically—most importantly in the choice and election of officers, organizational management, accounting of resources, distribution of benefits, and other vital organizational, educational and business aspects.

Think of doing “cooperative activities” as sort of leisure and exercise;  as a “converging point” where we get together once in a while for bonding and “kumustahan blues”;  as a “point of unity” where we hold on together doing some productive yet menial tasks; and yes, as a “collective business venture” to generate funds for the association and its constituents;  or if we dream big,  it can be  a “small start” for “something big”!

Oh, yes! Can moderate getting oldie. Just think young! Think so, Tics?  rmb . may2012   

N   E   W   S   L   I   N   E

a.  RA Class ’68 joining project with  trucking coop

Yes, RA Class ’68 meant serious talk when it decided unanimously during its May 1 meeting at SM Megamall-Pasig City to do business with a transport cooperative wherein a Class member Rod A. Layco serves as an Internal Auditor.

Rod himself was present during the dinner meeting as discussant of the proposed project and personally invited RA Class ‘68 to join the project through a memorandum of agreement [MOA] with his cooperative. It is a delivery business involving light trucks customized into closed vans loading light cargoes for transport to several points of Luzon.

In the ensuing discussion Rod assured profitability of the business. First, revenues are tax-free being a cooperative. Second, the delivery business is an ever-growing business. Thirdly, the Coop management were composed of officials with proven probity and  length of successful service and experience.

The Class signified interest on the project and assured Rod that it will take steps the soonest time possible to acquire its first truck for a start. Rudy D. Antonio of Vancouver, the Association’s Co-Chair for External Affairs who was here with his ever-amiable wife Mare Evelyn for a two-week working vacation, was present in the meeting and okayed to help work out on the financial aspect of the project. He called up classmate Bencio few days upon arriving Canada on the mechanics on how to raise funds and said he intends to also call Lory and Rod on the matter.

Rudy, by the way, footed the bill on that dinner meet and left poorer by over a hundred Canadian dollars. Thanks a lot and welcome back on March, Pare Rudy!  wena a balino . may’12

            

b.  ANL correspondent Joe Sevilla joins ASGRA

“Isn’t that Engineer Joe seated with some guys around that table over there?” my partner Wena tapped my shoulder pointing her finger unto the right side of Asingan town’s auditorium.

The “encounter” happened on early evening of 20 April 2012 when the “tropa” of ANL-RA Class ’68 spotted Engr. Joe Sevilla busy bantering with friends while seated around a table at the right side of Asingan’s auditorium on the occasion of the ASGRA-AMRA sponsored Balikbayan Night as part of the weeklong celebration of Asingan’s town fiesta April 15-20.

Curious of his unexpected presence in such a “sosyalan”, this reporter approached the rather “subdued” guy and local correspondent of Asingan NewsLine and took a snapshot of his group to his surprise. “Oh, Bencio, my friend!” he shouted. “I expected you to come with Rudy..,” referring to Rudy Antonio whom he knows is coming home to Pinas with wife Mareng Evelyn for a summer vacation.

Engr. Joe escorted me back to our table where Rudy and company were seated together with Vice-Mayor Eleanor Viray. In the ensuing tete-a-tete he  told ANL that he and some Ariston Este guys did join the Asingan Sheep and Goat Raisers Association of Roger Daranciang. “Precisely why we’re here,” he says. “That’s even a piece of good news. From there, you can feed ANL future developments on your new venture,” retorts this writer.

Indeed, “good old Joe” is instrumental in feeding us some local news and photos for the monthly issue of Asingan NewsLine.  rmb . may2012

L   I   T   E   R   A   R   Y

Nota Bene:  Following literary pieces  a. & b. below are some thoughts for “Mother’s Day”.., known as “Mothering Sunday”,  or the 2nd  Sunday of May in every year. --rmb . 2012

a.  Poem

Malungkot-mapait mawalan ng INA, kung… 

Buhay ni INA’y nalagot  nang ika’y ipinanganak,

‘di  na nabuglawan ‘pagkat sa kumplikasyo’y nasadlak.

May suliranin si INA at ‘di man lang nahaharap,

nakausap, nakwentuhan ng sa puso’y pampalubag.

Merong hinampo si INA ngunit di man lang nahagod

ang balikat nitong  pasan ay hilahil, hirap, pagod.

Nagkasakit si INA na ‘di mo man lang naaruga’t

‘di natapunan ng tanaw, tulong at alab ng yakap.

Tumanda si INA na ‘di man lang naalayan ng tungkod,

ng panahon, pagmamahal, ng paliwanag, pagkupkop.

At pumanaw si INA na baon ay duhagi’t  lungkot,

‘di nahingan ng patawad hangga’t paghimlay sa puntod.  --rmb

b.  “Birth Pains”

c.  Quotation of the Month

E D I T O R I A L    B O A R D

MEMBERS:  Rudy D. Antonio & Arno A. Bautista [Canada Correspondents]; Engr. Silver Casilla  &  RN Merly Grospe-Mayo [U.S. Correspondents];  Engr. Joe  L. Sevilla [Asingan Correspondent];  Col. Lalin Layos-Pascual;  Ross C. Diaz; Engr. Lorie dG. Estrada; CPA Rod A. Layco; Wena Agaton-Balino [Photo & Lay-out Artist]; Ruben “Bencio” Balino [Managing Editor].