Wexistence

Father Fernando Cuenca, Augustinian Recollect

While I was in Bacolod over the weekend, I sought to find out more about my family’s progenitor, Fr. Fernando Cuenca (or, as I like to call him, Lolo Friar). What I’ve learned about him so far suggests he was a good priest (the obvious indiscretion notwithstanding) who contributed much to the development of the province of Negros. He was apparently well-loved, as people still leave flowers at his statue in the San Sebastian Cathedral.

Gran bienhechor de Negros; Fundador del molino “la hidraulica”; Medico; Constructor de las carreteras provinciales de Negros y Parroco de Talisay por 50 años.

The inscription on his statue reads: “Great benefactor of Negros; Founder of the hydraulics mill, Doctor, Constructor of the Negros provincial highways, Parish priest of Talisay for 50 years.”

A brief account of “The Spaniards” in the Negros Museum mentions that “Recollect Father Fernando Cuenca modernized sugar production by building the first water-powered mill in the 19th century.”

In the Negros Museum: a photo of Fr. Fernando Cuenca from a book, what looks like a page of his handwriting, and a tile with his name and some kind of coat of arms

There’s a short description in Spanish next to his picture, but I only understood the part about him being “Castillan of the city of his name” and the rest I could not translate.

A few years ago I came across a short paragraph about him in the first volume of “Documentary Sources of Philippine History” by Gregorio Zaide, which says that he introduced the use of geothermal energy in Negros. There were no details but I’m assuming that this had something to do with the water-powered sugar mill.

Somewhere in my paternal grandparents’ house there is a book about him that I intend to unearth when I have more time.

Some notes about the Spanish friar as a historical figure:

We would like to think that the Philippines had flourishing civilization before the Spaniards arrived on the scene. But “civilization” presupposes certain tools: wheel, plow, road, bridge masonry, paper, book, etc. We didn’t have any of those things before the Spaniards came, and therefore we cannot claim to have been a great civilization.

We would not have had those tools if the Spaniards – specifically the friars – hadn’t introduced them to us. We owe the friars for our civilization, and yet the friar is portrayed as the villain in our history. When we think of the friar, we think of Padre Damaso. We think of abuse and oppression and exploitation. We fail to acknowledge that the friars were our economic and cultural heroes.

The friars shaped our economy with the crops they planted: tobacco, cotton, coffee, sugar, melon, guava, and many others. We take for granted that these crops are not indigenous to the Philippines — the friars brought them here. When we broke away from Spain, we did not fear economic upheaval. We weren’t a colonial economy, tied to the factories and markets of Spain. We were economically independent.

They revolutionized our agricultural production by introducing the wheel and plow. Most Filipinos seem to think that the image of a carabao pulling a plow is intrinsically Filipino, but it is not. The pre-Hispanic carabao was meat, not a work animal. The wheel and plow lifted a mountain of labor off the farmer’s back and expanded his ability to produce.

The friars’ revolt against their superiors in Spain resulted in independent friar provinces in the Philippines.

They organized our dialects into grammars. The propagation of dialects instead of Spanish resulted in an independent Philippine Christian culture that is not merely a mirror of the Spanish or Mexican culture.

They opened up and mapped our lands.

They pulled us out of the midst of folklore and into the era of written history.

They built churches, bridges, damns, and irrigation systems that we still used today.

It’s not widely know that there were never many Spaniards in the Philippines and that lack of manpower translated to an inability to commit widespread abuses. Not that there weren’t any abuses in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but the bulk occurred in the nineteenth century as a consequence of the political strife in Spain and the decline of the empire.

It was in the nineteenth century that civil administrators and soldiers from the colonies Spain had lost came flocking to the Philippines and only then did the widespread abuse become possible. I think that it’s extremely important to make that qualification because otherwise our perception of colonization and the impact of friar influence becomes skewed.

(As an introduction to the historical role of Christianity and the Spanish colonization in constituting the Filipino and the Philippine nation, I recommend the following writings of Nick Joaquin: (1) A Question of Identity: Bringing Out the Invisible Filipino in History; and (2) Culture and History: Occasional Notes on the Process of Philippine Becoming.)

Mayor Robredo and one of his biggest fans (me)

As a student of political economy, Mayor Robredo’s transformational leadership in Naga City left a huge impression on me. I read this journal article in college and it was the first of many lessons that would lead me to firmly believe that there is hope for the Philippines. This conviction fuels my work in education, responsible citizenship and good governance.

I do development work as part of Synergeia Foundation, an organization that has Mayor Robredo among its esteemed trustees. For the last eight years Synergeia has been empowering local communities to practice participatory governance in education, drawing lessons from the Naga experience. We’ve made it work in 168 cities and municipalities all over the country, including ARMM. We believe there’s no reason it can’t work in the remaining 1,466 — especially if Mayor Robredo were at the helm of DILG.

Synergeia’s president and CEO, Dr. Milwida M. Guevara, said it best when she listed Ten Reasons Why It is Best for the Country to Have Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo as DILG Secretary:

1. He leads by example. He is honest, competent and just.
2. He will institute accountability. Measures of performance for local government officials will be defined. Good officials will be rewarded and non-performers will be sanctioned.
3. All the operations of DILG will be made transparent.
4. He will inspire and mentor mayors on how to translate participatory governance from an idea to being real.
5. He is a visionary and thinks outside the box. He has the proven capacity to develop programs to solve red tape and bureaucratic procedures.
6. He will give dignity to every Filipino by defining public services that each resident is entitled to as well the standards within which they should be delivered.
7. He will work with non-governmental organizations, people’s organizations and civil society in providing oversight on the performance of local government officials and DILG personnel.
8. He is thrifty and will see to it that the DILG’s budget will be cost-effective.
9. He will has the engineering skills to simplify processes and translate them into computerized processes that will streamline operations and decision-making.
10. He makes us proud of being a Filipino because he is outstanding in every way.

Mayor Robredo, ang laban mo, laban naming mga Pilipino.

Find out more about Mayor Robredo on the Support Mayor Jesse Robredo for DILG Secretary Facebook page.

Multi-sectoral groups wave their banners in protest

I haven’t joined a rally since Edsa II. I was in college then, and I’ve since come to realize that there are more productive ways to expend time and energy if you really want to contribute to positive social change. Which is not to say that I don’t see the value in protest actions, because I do. It’s just that in the Philippines it seems like we’re marching onto the streets every other day and somehow the frequency lessens the impact.

But anyway, I was at the anti-con-ass rally on Ayala last June 10 because I felt strongly about the cause. I will not stand for a charter change that does not reflect the will of the people, for term extensions, for no elections in 2010 and for further abuses in government. I wanted to take part in an opportunity to raise awareness about the implications of con-ass.

It started out okay. I particularly liked the skit of Paq Yu (Gabe Mercado) and Juana Change (Mae Paner); I thought they summed up the issues nicely. It started going downhill for me when the politicians started talking. I would have much preferred it if the organizers had invited on stage more representatives of the various groups present, or even just ordinary citizens from different walks of life.

Political rivals sharing the stage: a show of solidarity for a common cause or just another campaign opportunity?

Chiz Escudero, Mar Roxas, Loren Legarda, Among Ed Panlilio among others addressed the crowd. Kiko Aquino Dy read a letter from his grandmother. (I’m sorry Tita Cory, but you lost credibility with me when you started hanging out with the shadier members of the opposition. I thank you for your service to and sacrifice for the country, but you are not the moral compass of the Philippines.) JV Ejercito relayed a message from Erap. (Your father was convicted of plunder and you have the gall to get up there and pontificate?) JV was the last straw for me. I left shortly after.

A banner with the faces of the representatives who supposedly voted for HR 1109

HR 1109 was approved through a viva voce vote. The ayes won simply because they were louder than the nays. There is no official record of who voted what, so we’re not sure if the lists floating around on the internet are accurate. Our best bet is the list of those who signed as co-authors of HR 1109. Obviously (with the exemption of Rep. Luis Villafuerte, who withdrew his signature), legislators will not vote against the measure they authored. I feel that propagating a list that has not been verified is unfair to the congressmen who may not have supported the resolution.

It seemed to me that people at the rally spent more time bashing PGMA and the con-ass congressmen than talking about con-ass itself. I wasn’t expecting a scholarly debate, but is it too much to ask that we focus a little more on issues and a little less on personalities? The backdrop of the stage read “Stop Gloria’s Con-Ass” as did many of the signs and banners people were carrying. I personally am against not just Gloria’s con-ass, but I’m against any attempt to violate our democratic institutions. It’s not just about the people involved in these shenanigans, it’s about what they represent. I don’t want to see just a change in political leadership, I want to see change in our entire political culture.

This will be my last rally for a while, unless something of Edsa I proportions happens.

On a lighter note, I thought this “Amazing Map of the Philippines” was really funny, though I’m not sure why someone was carrying it around at the rally:

“SHAPE LOOK LIKE ALIEN”

Earlier that day, at an MGG meeting in the Ayala Foundation conference room:

The view of Ayala at around 4:00 PM from 10th floor of the BPI building
Me, Paeng and Quintin with the crowd growing on Paseo de Roxas in the background,
Posing with Mae in her full Juana Change glory before the rally

View the full set of photos on Flickr.

Chillin’ with Darth Maul
as the 8th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention
June 13, 2009, SM Mega Mall Megatrade Hall 2

Pictures from yesterday’s foray into the sea of nerds here. (I say “nerd” with no trace of condescension. We’re nerds, so it’s okay for us to make fun of other nerds. If we were jocks then that would just be plain mean.)

We were supposed to just look at not buy, but Ry and I went home with one toy each: a Soundwave MP3 player (that actually transforms!) for me, and a Revoltech Rodimus Prime for him. It seems like there was less cool merch this year compared to last year, but it was still interesting to poke around.

The cosplay parade was fun as usual. Lots of really awesome intricately-made costumes. I could’ve done with less of the anime dorks and gothic lolitas though.

The Pagbilao PMT

We’re moving forward in Pagbilao, slowly but surely. Last year I had such a hard time just getting someone from the LGU to talk to me, now we have a multi-sectoral Project Management Team (PMT) and we’re collaborating on an education program. Getting a new project off the ground is an experience similar to what I imagine birthing a child must feel like.

Setting up before the participants arrive, conducting the workshop

I conducted a workshop with the new PMT yesterday, whose members were handpicked by the Mayor to represent the different education stakeholders in society. The team is comprised of principals and teachers from both public and private schools, DepEd supervisors, the PTCA president, the SK chairman, the municipal administrator and planning and development coordinator from the LGU, the president of the chamber of commerce, and representatives from various social organizations including the senior citizens’ group. It’s such a great mix. The members each bring something unique to the table, and with their combined talents, resources and spheres of influence, I think we can achieve great things in Pagbilao.

DepEd presents a situationer

Pagbilao’s problems in education are not unique. The PMT identified low achievement test scores, low survival rate, high drop out rate, lack of instructional materials, lack of training for teachers, no home-school collaboration, parents who are not actively involved in their children’s studies as some of their major issues. They decided to conduct a series of assessment tests and surveys to determine the extent of the problems, and the data gathered will serve as the basis for refining their work program. There were lots of interesting insights and suggestions that emerged yesterday, and I’m really excited about putting them all together.

Cynthia from Team Energy, Ivy and I with Team Energy’s powerplant in the background

I never mind having to get up at 3:00 am and spending hours on the road to get to Pagbilao. I’m just happy that with each visit we make incremental progress. It feels great to be working with people who are so eager and so committed to education reform. Plus, Team Energy is such a gracious host and the VIP treatment we get at Bayview is a nice perk. Buffet breakfast and lunch FTW! I’m awfully cheap. You can work me to death for as long as you feed me.

Brigada Eskwela

In the afternoon we visted Pagbilao Central School to drop off supplies for Brigada Eskwela (National Schools Maintenance Week). Posing above with the brushes and cans of paint are teachers, Team Energy volunteers and the DepEd district supervisor.

From the Gusto Ko Magrehistro, Gusto Kong Bumoto forum last Thursday:

COMELEC Commissioner Rene Sarmiento and Juana Change

The audience (photo stolen from Mark’s Facebook album)

ABS-CBN covered the event as part of their “Boto Mo Ipatrol Mo” series and asked the students and young professionals who attended why they were going to vote in 2010. If you spoke in front of the camera, you got this shirt:

I declined an interview (less because I was busy manning the registration table and more because I’m like a deer in headlights in front of a TV camera) but I would like to share my two centavos on the matter. English is my first language but since the question was asked in Filipino, I will attempt to answer it in Filipino:

Boboto ako dahil ito ay aking karapatan and katungkulan bilang mamayang Pilipino. Ang pakikilahok ng bawat mamamayan ay ang puso at budhi ng demokrasya. Kung gusto nating maging tunay na demokrasya ang ating bansa at kung gusto nating lutasin ang sakit ng ating lipunan, kailangan nating kumilos.

Ang pagboto sa 2010 ay unang hakbang laman tungo sa pagbabago at magandang kinabukasan. Ang katungkulan natin sa ating bayan ay hindi nagtatapos sa paghulog ng ating balota. Kailangan nating bantayan ang ating boto at tiyakin na malinis at tapapat ang pag bilang nito. Pag naluklok na sa puwesto ang ating mga kandidato, kailangan nating pasagutin sila sa kanila mga kilos at gawa. Ipatupad natin ang kanilang mga pangako at subaybayan nating ang pag ganap ng kanilang tungkulin. Iparinig natin ang ating mga boses at puwersahin nating silang aksyonan ang mga isyung mahalaga sa atin.

Ang kinabukasan ng bayan ang nasa kamay ng mamamayang Pilipino. Ang pagbabago ay hindi nangagaling sa itaas, mula sa pamahalaan. Ang pagbabago ay nagsisimula sa mga karaniwang tao tulad natin.

Upang magbago ang Pilipinas, kailangan munang magbago ang Pilipino. Hindi lang naman ang “trapo” ang korupt. Kapag nag hahanap tayo nang lusot sa batas, kapag nangaabuso tayo nang ibang tao, kapag iniisip lang nating ang sariling kapakanan — wala tayong pinagkaiba sa kanila.

Sikapin nating maging bayani sa ating pang araw-araw na pamumuhay. Maging sino man tayo, may kakayahan tayong paglingkuran ang ating bayan. Hindi natin kailangang maging mayaman o makapangyarihan upang makilahok sa ating mga komunidad and tumulong sa ating kapwa. Wag nating baliwalain ang ating mga malilit na kontribusyon – pag pinagsama-sama natin ang mga ito magugulat tayo sa kaya nating gawin. Taglay natin ang kapangyarihang baguhin ang landas ng ating bayan. Maniwala ka!

My Sony Ericsson W760i makes lightsaber sounds when you wave it around. Ry has one too. We can “duel”!

2008 just completely flew by me. Looking back I can’t believe I did so much in what felt like such a short span of time.

January – Bohol

February – Hot air balloons, Corinne came home to visit, Shaws threw a party

March – Samal Island, Davao

April – Hanoi and Halong Bay, Vietnam

May – Dogma, Hong Kong and Macau, Royal Palm

June – Resigned from UA&P, took a break, tried to figure out what I wanted to do next, played a lot of Nintendo DS

July – Turned 27, started working at Synergeia, Pangasinan road trip

August – Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Bicol

September – Anniversary

October – Plats came home to visit and I had a best friend in the same timezone for all of one week, Shanghai (Misc, Shanghai Museum, Oriental Pearl Tower and Urban Development History Museum, Sex Museum, Yuyuan Garden and Bazaar)

November – Siem Reap, Cambodia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, AIM Course on Leadership for Equitable Societies, met a lot of really awesome people who are making a difference

December – Puerto Galera, Movement for Good Governance, Bangkok, Thailand, met up with old friends, celebrated the holidays with Ryan and my family

Taken yesterday on the jeepney from Guadalupe to Rockwell:

“Magadang dalaga, nais kitang makilala ngunit ako'y abala sa aking manibela.”
“Sexy… kung nais moy's libre sa driver ka tumabi… He he he.”

“Basta't sexy libre… Buntis no way… Pag bakla gulpe”
“Subukin mong ako'y ibigin. Kung ikaw ay mabitin saka mo ako sisihin.”

I don't know why my mother insists on plunging headlong into the cemetery craziness on November first. Our relatives aren't going to be any more or less dead if we visit them on the weekend before or after the holiday. We were on the road for four hours and we live just fifteen minutes away from Manila Memorial.

The Filipino capacity for merrymaking is a sight to behold. Even something as dour as commemorating someone's death is transformed into a festive occasion. I can relate to some extent, because at our family's wakes you'd likely forget that someone actually died. When Filipino families get together, regardless of the circumstances, it's cause for celebration. But I don't understand why they insist on having their family bonding activities at the cemetery itself. I mean, you could go to the cemetery, pay your respects, and then go to someone's house and hang out and stuff. You don't have to camp out and set up the karaoke machine on your dead relations' graves. The phenomenon amazes and slightly disturbs me.

The temporary dwellings people set up are kind of cool though. Some of them are pretty elaborate, and aside from the every-present karaoke they've got dvd players and game consoles, water dispensers and microwave ovens. I've always wondered where they get their electricity.

This two-storey tent was next to my grandfather's grave:

My family didn't even bring so much as a cooler of sodas and this family brought their own scaffolding.

There's a kid in a sleeping bag on the “second floor.”