Kurlansk’s book describes the start of this interesting year starting with De Gaulle. The Paris student riots marked a paradigm change on what students can do. The students there were the baby boomers that were born right after World War II. A product of student militancy is the modern environmentalist movement. The baby boomers since then have taken on a zillion ideological positions from far right to far left. Mike Tan gives a quick rundown of that year.

This leads us to Professor Joma Sison being the Revolution Idol on YouTube. At least he is in liberal Utrecht and not in a jail cell (thanks to EDSA I). Singing in jail (or the ”prison bus”) is truer to tradition. As for Joma, the talent he shares with our Fascist Celebrity Idol is something to think about. How come those with revolutionary ambitions take to singing? CPP-NPA labs you! MMDA-BF labs you! Di ba pareho lang ‘yon? If ever either one comes to power, they will be called Chairman still! :-) BTW both the CPP-NPA and MMDA iconography carry the “hammer”!

As usual the PDI is extremely late in realizing the cold truth. We the Martial Law babies that played a huge role in booting out the Marcos regime (Joma and the Party famously boycotted the struggle when it really mattered) have long known that EDSA 1 was a betrayal and Mrs Corazon Aquino tragically missed out on reforms. She threw away  her revolutionary powers away. EDSA 2 is a replay of all of these. The beneficiary of EDSA 2 continued the status quo.

Mrs Aquino deserves to be remembered for her role in ousting Marcos   but this we agree with Joma Sison. She never escaped the boundaries of her class interests.  Cory Aquino is a traditional politician after all.

We have to return to 1968. Today’s crop of students especially those in UP are really not lacking in rage as their parents (the student militants of the 1970s) think they are. They are probably seeking unexplored ways of expressing militancy. Their elders will have to ensure that the renewed militancy results in change where they had once failed.

BTW Mark Meily’s Baler is good but as I had pointed out in my review, there were lapses. Those of you who were products of the Spanish language law and had to endure the 12 units in college would realize what I mean! Also some of the actors need more exposure before embarking on big budgeted historical romance dramas like these.

See the movie and help prevent a La Ultima Pelicula de Filipinas from happening!

And you and I would agree to shout Viva Bravo!

A Happy New Year to blog contributors and our loyal readers!

Psychiatric test, ito ang panibagong requirement ng DFA para sa mga taong nagnanais maging domestic helper sa ibang bansa. “Domestic helpers should be assessed if they are able to respond to this type of stress” ito ang paliwanag ni Undersecretary Esteban Conejos ng Department of Foreign Affairs, ayon sa kanya dito masusukat ang kakayahan ng kanilang isip at emosyon ang anumang pagsubok sa abroad. Habang taliwas ang pananaw ng mga NGOs na sumesentro sa advocacy ng mga migranteng kababaihan, ayon sa kanila dagdag gastos ito sa mga Pinay na nag nanais mag abroad at walang saysay ang psychiatric test kung aabusuhin lang sila sa abroad. Ngunit naninindigan si Undersecretary Cornejos na sa makikita sa psychiatric test kung maaaring isabak ang isang domestic helpers sa abroad.

Pero aminin natin taliwas ang panukalang ito sa totoong dapat ginagawa ng ating pamahalaan at ng mga embahada natin sa ibang bansa lalo na sa Middle East. Hindi kailangan ng mga domestic helper ang psychiatric test para malaman kung nararapat siyang isabak sa trabaho sa ibang bansa at kung may kakayahan sila sa aspeto ng emosyon at pag-iisip. Ang kailangan ng ating mga kababayang domenstic helpers at iba pang OFW ay isang matatag na security para sa kanila sa mga bansang napili nilang pagtrabahuan, security para sa kanilang karapatan, security nila bilang tao laban sa pang aabuso at pagmamaltrato ng mga amo nila at ito ang kulang sa ating pamahalaan at mga embahada sa ibang bansa.

Walang taong matatag ang kakayahan sa pag iisip at emosyon sa panahong mangibang bansa siya para humanap nang swerte para sa kanya at sa pamilya. Kung tuluyan ipapatupad ng Department of Foreign Affairs marahil wala nang pumasa sa mga nating halo halo ang emosyon dahil sa pag iwan niya sa kanyang pamilya sa bansa, at magulo ang isip dahil nangangamba siya sa panibagong hamon sa kanyang buhay, at kung anong kahihinatnan niya sa bansang pagtratrabahuan. Lahat walang kasiguruhan dahil ang pagtratrabaho sa ibang bansa kahit dito sa Pilipinas ay pawang pagsusugal lamang nang tapang, emosyon at pag iisip. Lumalayo na ang domestic helpersDepartment of Foreign Affairs sa totoong problema at mas lalo pa nitong pinahihirapan ang mga taong nag nanais magkaroon ng swerte sa ibang bansa.

Isang malaking ANG SA WARI KO lang, alam ba nila ang suliranin ng ating mga kababayang domestic helpers at mga OFW sa banyagang lupain? Sana OO alam nila, para saan pa’t nasa pwesto sila, dahil para sa akin hindi Pyschiatric test ang sagot sa matagal nang suliranin ng mga migranteng Pinoy sa ibang bansa kundi isang masasandalang embahadang alam ang karapatan at alam kung paano ipagtanggol ang kapwa Pinoy nitong biktima ng pang aabuso at pagmamaltrato. Ilan pa bang kabaong ang dapat salubungin nang mga pamilyang pinangakuan nang masaganang buhay para kumilos nang tama ang ilang mga embahadang ginagawa nila dapat ang kanilang mga trabaho, sana putulin na natin ang mga suliraning ito at magkaroon nang maayos na panukala para sa ating mga kababayan sa abroad.

Para mapanood ang nasabing segment sa Bandali click here.

Put a caption for this picture.

Two of my esteemed co-bloggers here at Filipino Voices have already expressed their opinion (in Rom’s case, her anguish), and this part from Atty. Butch’s post caught my interest:

I’m certain the RCBC murderers took some cold, cruel comfort, while they were pulling the triggers on their victims, from the knowledge that, however heinous their crimes, they would never be lawfully executed by the State.

But they can be extralegally executed, right? Calling Fred Lim and/or Rod Duterte and/or Jovito Palparan. Kidding aside, what’s forty years if you can survive that long? You can launder the money with ease, and get to enjoy the fruits of their crimes afterwards? Of course, that depends on the judge and the prosecution’s evidence. Heck, if I were to handle this case, my judgment (if ever the suspects were truly guilty) would be simple: reclusion perpetua for each murdered victims without any possibility of parole.

However, these criminals take comfort in the fact that it would take some time for the justice system to get them: for the police to apprehend them, for the prosecution to file cases, for the judge to hear the case, till the time the Supreme Court upholds the guilty verdict. That is assuming on several factors: that the police would get them, that the evidence would be overwhelming, that the suspects would hire great lawyers who could delay the proceedings, bribe the judge, or the prosecuting team could be weak. Money makes the world go round, and it can even buy justice. And of course, these criminals know that even if they are found guilty, they will die of sickness or old age, not murder, unless they survive the jungle called National Bilibid Prisons.

In short, they committed the crime because they knew the odds are stacked against the People of the Philippines. Our justice system works in favor of the suspects. And that is why I perfectly understand the sentiments of Atty. Butch and Rom.

We can always do our part as citizens of this country in making our justice system work. Sometimes we have to forgo our concept of self-preservation (the concept that currently ails this country). When we see a crime, report it immediately. When you know something about a crime, contact the police. We should not hesitate to stand as witness during a trial. If a relative has committed a crime, report it immediately; if possible, turn him/her over to the police. Follow the law. It is not easy, but these things must be done in order for our justice system to work. I do not have to state the otherwise part.

Of course, we should call on the police to do their part. Please bring back the police-on-the-beat. Please, Mr. Policeman, get a buddy and start walking the streets again. If it means going back to the brown uniform, so be it. Please get off your airconditioned precints/police cars, and walk with us.

And if you know something about this horrendous crime, please, mighty please, tell the police. If one of the criminals is a family member, please forget blood ties – report him/her to the police. For what is money tainted with blood? That makes you a criminal, too.

Let us make our justice system work. Let us make criminal’s lives harder. Let us make crimes pay.

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Dedicated to those who forget what accountability and command responsibility are.

The Blue Monster was made by @gapingvoid originally for Microsoft. His site is here.

cross-posted from my blog.