Ang likuran ng bahay namin sa Antique ay palayan ng aming kapitbahay. Sunod ng palayan na yan ay tabing dagat.Napakagandang tanawin.
Nang tumawag ako sa aming kapitbahay ilang araw dumaan ang mabangis na bagyong “Frank”, sinabi niya na ang palayan doon sa likod namin ay punong-puno ng putik at mga kahoy na galing sa bundok. Malapit kasi sa sapa yung palayan na yan.
Ngunit mas mabuti pa rin daw ang lagay sa among barrio sa Guisijan, sa bayan ng Laua-an kung ikumpara sa mga bayan ng Sibalom at San Remigio kung saan umabot ang baha sa pangalawang palapag ng mga bahay. Grabe ang sira ng mga kalsada at mga tulay kaya maraming mga taga- baryo ang nagutom dahil hindi basta-basta makarating ang tulong.
Ang problema nito, ang mga bayan ng Sibalom at san Remigio ay palayan ng aming probinsya. Rice granary ang nga tawag namin sa Sibalom. Katulad ng nangyari sa palayan sa likuran ng aming bahay, sira ang tanim na palay. Walang aanihin sa Septyembre.
Noong isang araw, nag- warning na si Raul Bañas, presidential adviser on Western Visayas, na malamang magkakaroon ng pagkukulang sa pagkain dahil sa pinsala na nagawa ng bagyong “Frank.”
Sinabi ito ni Bañas pagkatapos mainspeksyon ang kalagayan sa Iloilo, na isa sa top rice-producing provinces sa buong bansa. Malaki rin ang pinsala sa Negros Occidental na marami ring palayan at tubo.
Sabi ni Bañas, mga 22 na ektarya ng palayan kung saan umaani ng 66,000 metric tons ng bigas, ang nasira sa Iloilo. Ang dami ring namatay na mga hayop- baboy,kambing, baka, at kalabaw. Mraming nasira na palaisdaan.
Mabuti na si Bañas ang nagsabi. Adviser siya ni Gloria Arroyo. Kung oposisyon ang mgsasabi noon, sasabihin ng Malacañang naninira lang. Kasi kasasabi lang ni Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, na naunang umuwi mula sa biyahe sa Amerika kasama si Arroyo, na walang problema, hindi tayo magkakaroon ng problema sa pagkarin.
Alam naman natin na mali ang sinasabi ni Yap. Katulad ng kanyang amo, hindi niya alam ang tunay na kalagayan ng bayan. O kung alam man niya, kailangan niya mambola dahil para ma-justify ang patuloy na pagliwaliw ng kanyang amo sa Amerika habang naghihirap ang bayan.
Kailangan harapin itong problema ng mas malalang pagkukulang ng bigas at ibang pagkain. Bago dumating ang bagyong “Frank”, pahirapan na ang bigas. Halos umaabot na ng P50 ang isang kilo. Halos isang araw, isang kain na ang mahihirap dahil sa mahal ng bigas.
Paano sa susunod na mga buwan kung wala na halos aanihin sa Septyembre?
Ellen says:
“Paano sa susunod na mga buwan kung wala na halos aanihin sa Septyembre?”
Gloria will say: Let them eat cake.
‘Let them eat cake”? Ang masabi ko lang..let us kick her!
Noong bata ba ako ang laruan namin sa pagluto ng “cake” ay mud. Laki ako sa Antique. Ang tatay ko taga Sibalom, ang Nanay ko ay taga San Remigio. I know that area quite well..as we used to play in the river..Sibalom River and the one in San Remigio. San amin either may=ari ka ng lupa (landlord) or “agsador” ka (farmer)..ang sharing sa ani..70% sa farmer at 30% sa landlord. Ang farmer ang magprovide ng seedlings (binhi) at ang fertilizer. Ang may ari nagaantay lang ng ani. Paano ngayon? Wala na nga silang makain, saan sila kukuha ng pera para sa binhi? Uutang sa mayari? Ay kung wala rin ipautang ang may-ari? Saan sila kukuha? Is the government helping them? Seguro mayroon kaya lang nagastos na sa mga junket at shopping. May masalubong ba sila para sa naghihirap ngayon? Malungkot ang buhay na hinaharap ng mga taga Sibalom at San Remigio. And how about the school children?..ano ang magng future nila..can they study on an empty stomach? Does the government have a school lunch program?
Or the Pinoys will eat Gloria!
I have been writing and asking friends here to send their donations through the Assumption Sisters. I will provide the addressed envelope and the stamp and will mail it for them. I heard sa TV kanina that one of the staff of Oprah gave money enough to give free lunch for a year. This seems to be a good idea and I will ask the Pastor of St. Al if the school children could raise funds for the school children in Sta. Rita Academy and have a “Pizza Day”..kaya lang walang Pizza sa amin. Kaya Sandwich Day nalang. Ang unang nasaisip ko tawagin na “Hot Dog Day” kaya hindi magandang pakinggan.
..there are so many things that we can do to help our respective provinces…para sa akin this is a “wake up call” for all of us..to “love one another” and to provide food for school children..kung walang tulong ang gobierno at wala tayong maasahan..let’s do it…ang sabi nga ni JFK “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Tama ka chi!
Naisip ko rin iyan habang binabasa ko yung article.
Ano kaya lasa niyan? Sigurado akong di hamak na mas masarap ang ampalaya diyan. May sustansiya at maganda para sa mga diabetic.
May nutrients naman iyan kaya lang lahat negative. Junk food baga! Ito malamang ang makukuha natin diyan:
Vit A – Atrocities
Vit B – Bulokrasya
Vit C – Counterfeit
Vit D – Dupang or Daya and so on and so forth etc etc.
Just want to share these quotes that I find very applicable to present Philippine condition:
“So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men” : Voltaire.
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“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”: Albert Einstein
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The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men: Plato
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In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king: Erasmus c.1469 – 1536
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The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth: Henry Louis Mencken: American humorous journalist, 1880-1956
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A single lie destroys a whole reputation for integrity: Baltasar Gracian: Spanish philosopher and writer, 1601-1658
Philippines has always been self sufficient in rice since 19 forgotten. Our current administration has not done any support to our farmers instead in 2004, dept of agriculture has extended its policy to import more rice in 2004: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business02_july10_2006
Importing was calculated as cheaper than producing our own but it hurt many of our farmers and slowed their production. There were signs that OIL and gas will go up in price after 911.
Does Yap know anything about agriculture? Taga saan ba siya? Alam ba niya ang ricefields? alam ba niya kung ano ang hitsura ng palay? baka ang alam lang niya ay “bigas”..nakakalungkot…
Ellen: may nag email sa akin (an up date of the situation in Sibalom/San Remigio na where the rivers of San Remigio and Sibalom meet..the mountain could not contain the water that swiftly flowed..kaya pumutok. At kung hindi ayusin kaagad at umulan ulit mas malaking disgrasya. It is in the mountains of Cabladan, San Remigio. Kaluluoy man ang mga tao. BTW hope the orchids in your garden are ok..
I think it was in National Geographic that I saw impoverished tribes from either South America or Africa eating mud for lack of food. On second thought, it could have been in Pinas. I found the documentary shocking at the very least I must have switched me to instant denial mode.
With that possibility not being totally remote, God help our countrymen it doesn’t become widespread here.
Businessmen’s groups, whether formal or informal, have been enjoined by colleagues to defer golf/country club expenses, friday beer and dinners, non-essential foreign trips and other personal expenses and redirect savings to helping typhoon victims. I know one guy who bought one stall-full of ukay-ukay clothes in divisoria and sent the cargo, 4 pallets in all, to a parish priest in his province; instructions were specific: don’t course it through politicians, who, the last time around, substituted local foodstuff for imported brands of canned meat and fish.
This is the time, just send help anyway you can, there are a lot of respectable NGOs; no need to see your name listed in the newspapers or flashed on tv. Be THE Anonymous donor, after all, Mr. Anonymous is always the most generous giver.
Sinabi mo pa, Tongue. There are a lot many reliable NGOs out there that can distribute the donations right. Huwag pera ang ibigay. Wala rin naman silang mabibili. Better give goods, food and clothing, dahil iyan ang kailangan nila.
I remember when I was a kid, ang nagbibigay ng mga abuloy, etc. iyong mga mayayaman talaga who were into charities. Walang nangungurakot sa totoo lang. Ngayon, golly, you see a lot making business of their so-called “charities.” Worse iyong squatter sa Malacanang. Ginagamit sa mga gimmick niya ang mga donations from at home and abroad. Iyan ang ganid!
…. from ,b>people at home and abroad. Iyan ang ganid!
Sabi ni boxing lightweight champion Manny Pacman Pacquiao, may surprise daw siya para sa kanyang mga kababayan.Madami ang nasalanta,Ilang milyon kaya ang ibibigay ni Pacman para sa mga kababayan niyang Biktima ng bagyong Frank? Iyong barkada niyang politician magkaano rin ang ibigbigay nila?
Pero magbigay man si Pacquito, tiyak na may mga taga Media na magko-cover sa kanya. Magandang publicity ito for a candidate comes 2010. By that time gradweyt na siya ng kanyang kurso, hindi na siya kakantiawan na wala siyang tinapos. Gagawin kaya ito ni Manny?
Rose, Arthur Yap is a lawyer and was a partner in the Arroyo’s Law Firm. He graduated from Economics and may have been the evil bitches’ student. In his resume, he worked more as a lawyer, even worked in a paint company. No wonder we are in a mess with our rice problem!
Why can’t we have an agriculture secretary who really has a good grasp of our agri business. Don’t tell me that there are no candidates from UP Los Banos who can head our Agriculture Department. That is an insult! An agriculturist knows the yield of a variety of rice, the terrain, the optimum ratios of productivity! A lawyer knows how to defend a client but not necessarily have a good grasp of the simplicity of planting rice, much less, the complexity of understanding that even how the ground is plowed and watered may produce more cavans of rice per hectare. Only a real farmer knows how to get the maximum yield from our natural resources. Unless of course, it is the money looted from agriculture that is more important and not really the produce we can grow for our people!
parasabayan: thanks for the info..now i understand why we are in such a mess…in the standards of the Arroyo administration, yap is indeed more than qualified. I would not be surprised if he has never been to a ricefield and much more to have seen a picture except perhaps Amorsolo’s painting. I don’t even think he knows or have heard the song..”Planting rice is never Fun” sa private school siya nagaaral..Arroyo and Co. certainly does not have the sensitivity to understand the poor.
Tongue: I agree with you..don’t send monetary donations via any gov’t office, or politicians. Marami ang tumutulong ngayon na mga NGOs. Re..the Mud..hindi ba may mudpack na ginagamit para sa mukha? pang palinis ng mukha..yon ang kailangan para kay Gloria..lagyan ang kanyang mukha ng putik (mud) para malilinis, at mawala na tuluyan… Gamitin ang Gloria Mud Kick!
corr: Arroyo & Co. certainly do not have the sensitivity..
For those in the US who don’t know where to send their monetary donations. In the United States, the Assumption Sisters are going to facilitate donations to the victims of the typhoon that devastated tghe lives and homes of the people in Iloilo and Antique, You may send your tax deductible check payable to The Religious of the Assumption and send to Sr. Mary Ann Azanza, RA
Relgious of the Assumption
11 Old English Road
Worcester, MA 01609
Sr, Mary Ann will write an acknowlegement letter that you can take for tax deduction.
if you have questions Sister Ann’s tel
: 508 791 2936/ http://www.assumtionsisters.org
It is just so sad that GMA is identified so much with the Assumption Convent School, run by this community. While they run such schools as the Assumption Convent..they also have schools in provinces like Antique. In Sibalom, they have the Sta. Rita Academy..I was of the impression that their schools are only for the rich..a finishing school..I was surprised when I found out that this Sta. Rita Academy is run by the community. There are a lot of ways we can help..but not through the government of Gloria..this is one way we can show her and tell her..Alis at maglilinis kami. lagyan ng putik ang mukha niya para kuminis..at mawala na sa bayan natin..
Ang pagkakaalam ko kay Arthur Yap, kapapasa lang sa Bar ni wala pa nga nahawakang kaso at ni hindi nga alam magsaing ng bigas eh binigyan na kaagad ni Arroyo ng posisyon being Secretary of Agriculture dahil favorito daw niya itong estudyante. Isa pa, sunod sunoran ito at totoy na totoy. What do you expect nga naman sa good governance program ni Gloria?
arthur yap must be replaced by someone with Agriculture and Management experience combine. History of farming with over 10 hectares and exports a must in his resume. why did Gloria a point this Yap person anyway? what was his performance in the past in terms of agri business and increase production of our basic commodities. Did he used to be a rice hoarder? or in the import business? what made him head of agriculture?
Gloria must have chosen the wrong team in her executive department. Even Department of Natural Resources may lack the understanding of the implications and consequences of mining and illegal logging especially with continuous rainfall. Most of our agri lie on the low plane and yet the mountains are not utilized to protect the valley. Rivers can easily turn into worst flooding… What is wrong with this people. baka Lawyer na naman ang head nang Natural Resources.
over 100 hectares of farming experience. typo error
Off topic but the dorobo says that her seeking for audience with the two US presidential candidates were necessary, more necessary in fact than rush home to attend to the havoc caused by Fengshen in the home country. Wow, idiot! Just who is she trying to impress?
Let’s not be deceived and believe that the dorobo was really concerned about how the Americans now regard the Filipinos and that Bush’s praising of the Filipino chef was not enough assurance that the Filipinos are considered still friends of American, thus, the efforts she said she exerted to run after Dubya, McCain and Obama.
Pa-impress pa si pandak, pero sino ba ang niloloko niya? Most likely, someone must have told her about how Dubya actually regard her, and she needed to try to get assurance that the Americans would not do the same things they did to Marcos to her!
With Dubya out by the end of this year, she needed the assurance that the next US president would not back up the growing movement to oust her. She definitely needed the tap on the shoulder that the next US president would continue to support her questionable reign. Golly, nagbalik pa sa Washington just to meet McCain for that! Biglang bagsak tuloy ang rating ng mama!
I just read sa Abante na Morales gave himself a reward for a good tax collection. Grabe naman! Moral Less nga talaga!
Hindi ko sinisisi si Obama kung tumawag nga..courtesy lang-
pero totoo ba?
…May kanta noon na ang title ay Hahabol habol..and the first line if I remember right is “kung ang babae ay may kursonada hahabol habol..ganoon lang ang ginagawa niya…
Golberg,
Ok yung Vits ABCD na makukuha kay Gloria a, puro toxic.
Kung hindi mamatay ang pinoy sa gutom ay tiyak na patay rin sila sa laman at buto ni Gloria! Kung makatakas naman ang bruha ay iiwan niyang buto’t- balat hanggang sa mamatay ang kapinuyan. Nagawa niyang balewalain ang daan-daang biktima ni Frank, kaya mas mahigit pa riyan ay kaya niyang gawin.
Gising kapinuyan, hindi na darating ang 2010.
Off topic: After arriving from her US trip, GMA canceled the Northrail Project. She’s canceling all the deals with China.
Isn’t that surprising? Did Uncle Sam instruct her to back off from dealing with China? In exchange for what?
In exchange for the photo ops at the Oval office with Dubya.
How cheap this evil bitch is ! She can cancel all the China deals but what about her men who received advanced commissions from the Chinese?
Gloria has had the Chinese if she cancelled all China deals. The bitch is an expert wheeler-dealer. Talagang nagpapansin lang kay Dubya.
China should release all the names of EK officials who already got commissions. The Chinese should get back at Gloria for making them a mere pawn for attracting Dubya’s attention to her.
asiandelight,
Natural Resources is headed by Manila’s ex-mayor Lito Atienza, a former cultural dancer.
I guess he is an expert in Tango. Tanga na Gago pa. Maybe Tsamba…er, Samba, too.
The cheat cancelled all her deals with China? I am not surprised. She is in fact being true to her nature—dugong aso! Nagsisipsip ng husto ang ungas sa mga kano. Nakakaamoy na yatang malapit na rin siyang ilipad ng mga kano sa Hawaii ba o sa Timbuktu?
I just wrote to the Obama campaign re misguided statement of Obama re attempt of the creep to meet him. We’ll see what he’s going to say. He actually does not need the endorsement of this lameduck from the Philippines. On the other hand, nililigtas pa rin siya. Baka lalong mabuwisit siya kung nakipagkita siya kay Gloria na may balat yata sa puwit at may nunal sa p… niya!
Tongue,
OK yung take mo kay Atienza—Tango na Samba pa!!! Bwahahahahaha!
Yuko, gloria DID NOT cancel contracts being undertaken by Chinese firms.
Ellen, I think my fellow bloggers just quoted what I said about GMA’s cancellation of Chinese contracts. I apologize if my information was inaccurate. I got the information from one news source. What’s accurate is that the North Rail Project is being canceled. The others might be being planned.
Northrail Project was canceled in anticipation of JDV’s Senate testimony. Now that it has been canceled, JDV’s testimony on the said project has little impact. There were many people involved in that project. Had it not been canceled, many names would have been implicated by JDV in the coming hearing.
Tongue,
hahaha.. no wonder … this is too funny. bakit naman kasi tayong mga pinoy, tino tolerate ang mga ganong klaseng resume..
palitan na natin.. wala tayong makukuha sa kanya except nagbabayad lang tayo nang sweldo…
Under this hopeless regime, there’s nothing that can make pinas move forward. Backward, yes. With all those incompetents around the queen, what progress can poor pinoy expect? Atienza, Reyes, Mendoza, Gonzalez, etc. are good-for-nothing guys except as pain in the ass.
Yan ang gusto sabihin ni Ellen na “mas malala pa sa sitwasyon ng bigas.”
ang problema kasi atin, isa lang ang tinitira. si Gloria lang. pag-alis ni Gloria, nandiyan pa rin ang karamihang corrupt na officiales. it’s time to discusss problems unresolved by each department, the senate and the justice system, including the police.
Thanks, Ellen, for the correction. Kaya nga tanong ko, “The cheat cancelled all her deals with China?” I’m not surprised if she does. Same if she doesn’t kasi nga walang paninindigan ang taong iyan. Dugong aso kasi.
Thanks, Ellen, for the correction. Kaya nga tanong ko, “The cheat cancelled all her deals with China?” I’m not surprised if she does. Same if she doesn’t kasi nga walang paninindigan ang taong iyan. Dugong aso kasi.
asiandelight, people are targeting the Evil Bitch because she’s the cancer that’s spreading all over. The cancer must be removed.
what’s the use of democracy when it comes with an empty stomach.
What’s the use of full stomach if there’s no democracy and freedom?