Game Time

The Philippine National Basketball Team, or Team Pilipinas, as expected, has beaten the living organic fertilizer out of the rest of the field in the just concluded Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) men's championship in Thailand. The RP team beat the host country by a measly 20 points last night, after winning its first three games by an average of 44 points.

With the win, the country booked a slot to the Olympic qualifier in Tokushima, Japan, where the next step to bringing Philippine basketball back into the Olympics will take place. There, Asi Taulava (apparently Pinoy) and company would have the privilege of having their behinds whooped by Yao Ming.

It is great to see the Philippines participating, and winning, in international cage meets again, after the debacle that the BAP brought upon us a couple of years ago. I really don't know why it took so long to get rid of the idiots who made up that sissy-ass entity, who insisted on sending inter-barangay champions to international meets, while the best ballers in the country, who are all incidentally playing in the PBA, are ignored.

Congratulations Team Pilipinas. Hopefully, not one of you will run for Congress.

Sore Wa Kibouteki Kansoku Da

Don't you just wish that, sometimes, we could be more like the Japanese?

TOKYO -- Japan's farm minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who has been embroiled in a scandal over political donations, died Monday after a suicide attempt, police said.

"He died at 2:00 p.m. (0500 GMT)," a police spokesman said.

The minister had faced allegations that he reported large utility expenses for a government office building.

If sometimes, we were more like the Japanese, in one fell swoop, this country would be rid of corruption:

(1) without having to deal with extradition issues;
(2) without unnecessarily clogging the court dockets;
(3) without needing to cajole 79 tongressmen to sign an impeachment complaint.

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Report from Agence France-Presse.
Japanese translation by Pekto.

Foma*

"The business of a law school is not sufficiently described when you merely say that it is to teach law, or to make lawyers. It is to teach law in the grand manner, and to make great lawyers."

- Holmes

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*Foma are harmless untruths, intended to comfort simple souls.

Wampeters*

1. We've got it all for you!

"The construction of the Php 700-million SM City in a four-hectare lot at the new central business district of Naga City will start before the end of August this year, according to Hans Sy, president of SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall operator in the country."

There goes the neighborhood. Ha!

Seriously though, this is great. A mall. In Naga. Starting December 2008, there will be an actual, real mall within Naga City. Can you believe that? I think I'm repeating myself.

2. Adultery and Concubinage

The news programs and everybody else should really stop glorifying the supposed adulterous affair between the Songbird and the Big Bird. C'mon now. The entertainment rumor-mongers of both GMA and ABS-CBN have been fanning the flames on this for so long and so often, I could almost already swear that this will in some way affect the GNP. What the fuck? The Big Bird has already announced that he will make an announcement (not a typo) sometime soon. No need to remind the viewing public of this future, insignificant non-event every single fucking day. Nobody even knows what the freaking announcement will be about.

By the way, just in case you missed out on the news about Moses and those two big tablets, adultery is a sin. Last time I checked it's still way up there in the list.

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*A wampeter is an object around which the lives of many otherwise unrelated people may revolve.

Mamacita!

In what may be the best news story of the week, INQ7.net has just reported that Angel Locsin will star in a local adaptation of the telenovela that started it all - Marimar.

With her action adventure series “Asian Treasures” set to end in June, Angel Locsin will portray a character that started the telenovela craze in the 1990s—“Marimar.”

According to the article:

Another challenge for the actress would be specific scenes that require her to display her dancing and singing skills.

I'm not really too keen on the singing part, but if I remember my telenovela experience, the dancing portion should be worth looking out for.

You Had It Coming

Yesterday, I tried to be a good citizen and trooped to the polls. My vote was an attempt to make a statement against the helplessness of this government to protect its very citizens against forced disappearances, abductions, and summary executions.

I voted for alumni of only three institutions of higher learning (the third being the PMA). It was not by design - I just noticed it after I came up with my final list. This criterion alone eliminated all card-carrying members of the Katipunan ng mga Artistang Pilipino sa Pelikula at Telebisyon. This makes any and all discussions on the merits of having more actors, to add to the likes of Lito Lapid and Bong Revilla, in the Senate, moot and academic. Lito Lapid, by the way, is currently experiencing his worst political defeat ever, against Makati mayor Jojo Binay. Carlo J. Caparas might just be interested to make a film about it.

I am no vegetarian, hence I did not "plant" anybody in the Senate. The thought of "planting" a particular candidate may have actually led vegetarians to forsake the practice altogether.

I did not vote for anybody who had the temerity to be quoted as saying "Yes, it is the voice of the President, but that is not the President talking." I loved Nineteen Eighty-Four, but I am not really a fan of doublespeak. Unlike Winston Smith, I do not love Big Brother. I think one loony in the Senate is enough. Although, I must say, it must be in the genes.

Mail Call

The following was copied verbatim from my Inbox. Read on.

sang sulat para kay Kuya Jay (May 7, 2007)

Tol,

Sana pinapabasa ka nila ng dyaryo.

Sana umabot sayo ang mensaheng ito.

Alam naming mahirap ang sitwasyon mo ngayon. Alam din namin na nagaalala ka sa pamilya. Ayos ang mag-ina. Matibay na hinaharap ng mag-uutol ang sitwasyon. At bibilib ka sa husay ni moms. Magu-gulat ka sa dami ng suporta. Kasama ang mga kaibigan, sama-sama naming hinaharap ang struggle na to.

Naalala mo nung kinulong si erpats, di natinag ang pamilya. Ngayon sa krisis na hinaharap natin lalong di matitinag ang pamilya. Huwag kang magalit na kinukwento namin sa mga kaibigan ang pagkain mo ng tutubi, ang pagiging pasaway mo nung bata ka pa. Kasi kailangan nila malaman na tao ka at di hayop tulad ng ginawa ng mga dumukot sayo.

Gusto ko lang sabihin sa'yo na tibayan mo ang loob mo. Tandaan mo na ang iyong paniniwala at paninindigan ay para sa nakakarami. Masmahusay at masmatapang ka sa mga may hawak sayo. Mga duwag at traydor ang dumukot sayo. Kung anuman ang ginagawa sayo para balewalain ang pagkatao mo ay alam mong mas tao ka kaysa sa pinapamukha nila sayo. Tibayan mo ang loob mo dahil nasa tama kang paninindigan. Huwag na huwag kang mag-aalala sa min. Ayos kami. At pinagyayabang ka namin. Isa kang mabuting tao at sinisigaw naming yan sa buong mundo.

Konting tiis pa tol at magkakasama nating titingnan ang pagsikat ng araw!

Para sa bayan!!! At para sa lahat ng biktima ng paglabag ng karapatang pantao!!!

JL

Si JL Burgos ay nakababatang kapatid ni Jay-Jay at isa sa mga unang naging miyembro ng UGAT Lahi. Siya ay isang visual artist at video editor. Isa sa mga walang sawang nakikiisa, tumutulong at nakikibahagi sa pagsisimula ng tutoK karapatan.

Si jay-jay ay si Jonas Burgos. Anak ng yumaong Jose Burgos tagapagtatag ng We Forum at Malaya newspaper mga independenteng puklikasyon ng panahon ng diktaduryang Marcos. Pinaniniwalaang dinukot ng elemento ng militar nuong Abril 28 2007 sa Ever Gotesco Mall sa Commonwealth si Jonas.

Tonight at Noon

ABS-CBN should really refrain from using the word "scholar" in connection with its reality shows. Its rather liberal use of the word is an insult to all real scholars who roam the Earth, and every single time I hear the word used alongside the letters P, D and A, I want to go out, find Lauren Dyogi, and slap him silly.

Summer Tunes

Totoy kumilos ka, baliktarin ang tatsulok
Tulad ng dukha, nailagay mo sa tuktok
- Tatsulok

I got myself a copy of the second volume of Ateneo's Martial Law series for my usual summer reading a couple of weeks ago. I finished it in two nights. So much for summer reading. To fill the void, I decided to reward myself with a copy of Bamboo's latest offering, instead.

We Stand Alone Together, Bamboo's third album, is a fine mix of covers ranging from the 80s protest anthem Tatsulok (yes, it's not a new song) to Metropop winner Umagang Kay Ganda; from the Carole King classic So Far Away to Pearl Jam's Alive. It is social commentary and romantic ditty, popular and alternative, jazz and rock, old and new, all in one neat package. (One of the OPM remakes, Probinsyana, was written by Alex Cruz of Anak Bayan, the father of the band's guitarist Ira Cruz.)

Note that the album also includes a live version of Sting's Englishman in New York. Don't bother looking for it in the track listing because it's not there. Personally though, I think this song alone, is worth the CD's tag price. There is also a second CD, which you can play if you want to make good music with the band. It has five songs played three times, alternately without Ira, Nathan and Vic.

The Simple Life

It was refreshing to see most of the people of CSD all together in one place, for the first time since I left almost four years ago. Aside from the number and size of their kids, it seemed as if nothing has changed. It was as if time stopped in this little part of the world, and things remained the way they were since the middle of June 2003. It could make one wax nostalgic about the good old days, when there were no deadlines, no obnoxious clients, no clueless superiors, and you were answerable only to the registrar come the end of the semester.

It was the lowest paying enterprise that I have ever gone into. But, to this day, it remains as the most enjoyable. In what other job in the world can you have the opportunity of shooting each other up within the confines of your cubicle for most of the compensable eight hours you spend on campus? Where else can you confidently come to class as you are, the dress code notwithstanding, because the chair has the same taste in fashion as you do? Where else can you satisfy your urge to play with all kinds of unlicensed software from dusk to dawn - for free? My only regret is that I have learned about the Socratic Method too late in life. It would have made life so much easier back then.

But, I miss the people the most. I worked and played with those souls for the longest period of time more than anybody else. I have gotten myself attached to the place so much so that I wouldn't have left if not for one unfortunate decision that I did not even make. Most of them are still there, apparently enjoying it much more than I did before. Some people have since pursued other career options on the side; some of them are still collecting letters to append to their names. Some of them are now getting physically better. A has come back last year, and is reportedly going to be the Dean come June. I was also told that J would be heading the department soon, to which I can only say this:

Lock and load.