The swim suit of Kuya Leonie

By Al S. Mendoza

FIRST, he sends me a text message from Los Angeles, California.

“I am arriving tomorrow on board a Korean Air jet,” he says. “Hope to see you immediately upon my arrival.”

“C yah when I C yah!”

Next day, he calls.

“I have just landed,” says he. “Am here at the airport. Where can I see you?”

“Now? Today?”

“Yeah,” says he. “You want a swim suit, right?”

“Ah, you are here for the summer, ha?”
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Organic Agriculture and Certification now pushed

By Sosimo Ma. Pablico

Two years after Executive Order 481 was signed and declared that it is a national policy to promote organic agriculture nationwide, the Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of   Soils and Water Management (BSWM), now appears to be all out in the promotion of organic agriculture.  At the same time, the Organic Alliance of the Philippines has started to train trainers on organic agriculture and certification.

In his speech during a training at UP Los Banos, BSWM director Silvino Tejada said this sudden shift in agricultural production policy was caused by a number of factors.  First, the Green Revolution in the mid-sixties failed to sustain production targets to cope with the rapidly burgeoning population.  Secondly, the rising costs of agricultural inputs, primarily inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, exact a heavy burden on our farmers.
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First time

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

THE first time a multi-stage bicycle road race was held in the country was in 1955. That was the Manila-Vigan run won by Sta. Rosa, Laguna son Antonio Arzala.

That event, organized by the late Atty. Geruncio Lacuesta, a native of Bayambang, also marked the birth of professional cycling in this country.

The following year, a bigger and more well-organized bikathon was staged, a week-long road battle called “Tour of Luzon.”

Again the sturdy rider Arzala topped the event. Local boy Rufino Gabot from Manaoag landed a close second.
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People of the rice

By Marifi Jara

My 63-year old dad is an archetype bitukang pinoy.

That simply means he does not feel full after a main meal without rice.

I myself who can go without rice for a day or two, feeling a bit homesick while in a foreign land once, cried and could only justify it by saying, “I miss rice.”

Our national language, true to being a tongue that reflects the soul of its people, actually captures our deep rice culture.

While the English language basically refers to rice as rice, we have a whole gamut of terms that encompass the many levels of our rice cycle, something that is crucial in translation endeavors.
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Between here and there . . .
(Part 3)

By Emmanuelle

are moments so exquisite, so intense that though they remain unphotographed, unrecorded, they might as well had been.  The prints they carved in our memory scoured full and deep.

In one of her brakes-and-stops, Manta suddenly realized there was something missing in her music. There was no lead. The band was just keeping time with their steps.

 She whirled around, perplexed. The boys and girls behind her, with their copycat game, whirled around with her. The result was complete chaos.  Off-balanced, they tumbled here and there without grace. There was no dropping delightfully to the ground. Neither was there an exaggerated exasperated chorus of Manta! Legs went askew, arms flailed. Teachers’ whistles outraged the ear.
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Edener Benitez Fabella
31 Mar 2008

 

 

Now Mr. Ceralde, you had to rub it in didn’t you? I suspect I am the most senior among you since I’ve admitted early on I’ve been around since the late president Elpidio Quirino?

I say this not for any other purpose except expressing the view, that of sins committed by previous presidents in the 50’s and 60’s, what we have today is described in Filipino as ’sukdulan sa kawalanghiyan’.

When the scandal of Apo Pidiong exploded relating to his high end bedroom sets purchase including a porcelain ‘orinola’, Filipinos were up in arms and there was no let up in the campaign to derail his re-election bid. Little did Filipinos know compared to today’s scale of thievery, he was a saint?

Most of us know, what our esteem politicians steal today in government will not only buy finest bedroom sets but everything else that can surround them in utmost comfort and prestige kahit na ninakaw sa kaban.

I cannot provide you with specific reply on who among them could have given Filipinos a better deal. I only know in my youth especially during Monching Magsaysay’s time, Filipinos were highly respectable people with our economy and prestige second to Japan. We did not have problems with rice and everyone else in the region came to the Philippines to study how we excel in the production of rice.

Today, we no longer excel. Instead, we import because of the bukols and SOPs that are so attractive, our officials cannot resist.

I also know, during those precious years, teachers both in private and public schools spoke English like they invented it. Students like me needed to study well or we get it from them and expect the worst when we get home.

Who would have thought the daughter of the famous poor boy from Lubao would turn out like a broken faucet dripping with so much blood of the people?

Let’s be meek once more!

 

Jose Ceralde
30 Mar 2008

 

 

Edener Benitez Fabella,

Planting rice or working in the fields is never fun. Going to quite a few islands in the Pacific, I observed decades ago they were mostly independent on their food needs. With the global economic conditions of subsidies, a lot of these islands found it cheaper to import food until the new shift in the resource shortage of fuel today.

The question now is, do we have politicians who will sacrifice their political goals for a shot of their legacy?

Remember, cheap imported NFA rice bag handed to a starving or poor Pinoy is the easy way to get elected or reelected. Having intestinal fortitude (guts) in implementing solutions for the rice shortage takes time and may not change the politics of NOW.

Manipulations of projects are highly visible which no one denies when the elections are in sight.

China provides the funding or loans and vehicle for the “tongpats” for the elections. China does not have the stringent feasibility requirements as the US, Japan, and the EU. It is providing soft loans not only in the Philippines for its own strategic interest. Just like the other superpower had to ensure the dependency of its Pacific lake in subsidized food.

All the politicians know it takes time to build a first class educational system or any long term goal and it will drain their resources. It would not give them a return on the political ballot in their favor.

You had mentioned all those presidents in your previous post from now to Magsaysay, your guy, could you rate them for the long term goals in education, public works, and food production?

Were they more interested in reelection or “bukol minimization,” Did they establish a legacy we could all be proud of? How about the others?

Isidro Ramos
30 Mar 2008

 

 

Tour de Georgia, State of Georgia, USA is having seven day cycling event on April 21-27, 2008.  This cycling event is a major tune-up leading up to the Tour de France in July and will be an international participation.

I wonder if Mr Jess Garcia could tell us if a few of our brave cyclists will be entered to race in this event. If they are I would make sure our Philippine flag will be there waving in the wind along the route to show they are not alone.

Also, could you please provide the names of the participants, Mr. Garcia, so we know who they are when we read our cycling event program.

Wishing them good luck in advance.