Susi sa Tagumpay

Ni Gina M. Marcelino

Bawat isa sa atin ay puno ng pangarap. Gagawin ang lahat para sa katuparan nito. Sa kabila ng mga pagsubok na ating pinagdadaanan, nagpupursige pa rin tayo. Dahil naniniwala tayo na hindi natin mae-enjoy ang tagumpay kung hindi natin ito pinaghihirapan. Ang buhay ay isang siklo ng hirap at kaginhawahan. Nakadepende lang ‘yon kung paano natin ito tatanggapin at gagamitin. Kung magiging matatag lang tayo at matalino, matatamasa natin ang ginhawa at ligayang inaasam.

Habang tayo’y tumatanda, ang isang bagay na hindi natin pwedeng pigilin ay ang ORAS. Tatakbo at tatakbo ito, habang tayo naman ay walang tigil sa paghabol dito. Pero sa bawat oras na lumilipas, meron itong iiwanan sa atin: ito ay ang ating mga KARANASAN. At sa bawat karanasang ‘yon, masama man ‘yon o mabuti, malaki ang magagawa nito sa ating buhay. Ang mga aral na hatid nito ang siyang magiging panuntunan natin sa pagharap sa bukas. Minsan, hindi natin malalaman ang ating mga pagkakamali hangga’t hidi tayo nagdurusa. Hindi natin mapupuna ang ating mga kakulangan hangga’t hindi tayo umiiyak. Ang hamon ng buhay ay talagang mahirap, pero kung magiging matatag lang tayo, magtatagumpay parin tayo sa huli. Ano mang pagsubok yan, siguradong makakaya nating lampasan.

Sabi nga ng ilan, bumuo ka ng mga pangarap at i-challenge mo ang iyong sarili. Ang mga pangarap na yan ang magsisilbing pinto sa iyong magandang kinabukasan. Buksan mo ang pintong yan para pumasok ang biyaya. Kapag nalagpasan mo ang sariling hamon, magiging madali na para sayo ang hamon ng bukas. Wag kang paapekto sa pangungutya o panghuhusga ng iba o kaya ay magpadikta sa kanila dahil hindi sila ang humahawak ng iyong kapalaran. Ikaw ang gumagawa ng sarili mong “existence” dito sa mundo.

Wag tayong dumepende sa sinasabi ng iba. Dahil kagaya mo, sila ay tao din. May ibang prinsipyo, ibang layunin, ibang pangarap at ibang paniniwala. Ang buhay ay walang kwenta hangga’t hindi mo nakikita ang totoong halaga nito. Kung ano ang dahilan at binigay sa atin ‘to, ikaw lang ang makakasagot. Binigyan tayo ng sariling utak para tuklasin natin kung ano ba talaga ang dahilan at bakit tayo nandito ngayon at kung ano ang mga gusto natin. Hindi tamang isisi sa iba ang bawat pagkakamaling iyong nagagawa at ang mga pagdurusang iyong kinasasadlakan dahil ikaw ang gumagawa ng sariling kapalaran. Gamitin mo ng tama ang bawat oras na dumadaan at siguradong walang puwang ang pagsisisi at panghihinayang.
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"Walang Paki" Mentality

Ni Jeofel Almoheda

Hindi maubos-ubos ang problema ng mundo. Sa Pilipinas lamang, sangkatutak na isyu’t problema ang ‘di pa rin nalulutas. Ano na kaya ang mukha ng ating bansa? Ano na ang nangyayari sa ating planeta? Magunaw ron bala?

“Anong malay ko, wala akong pakialam noh!,” Ganito ang kadalasang lamentasyon ng mga walang pakialam na tao. Ganiyan din ba ang mentalidad mo? Eskapismo o escapism ang tawag sa ganitong kaisipan. Ito ay ang pag-iwas sa reyalidad sa pamamagitan ng pagsubsob ng sarili sa puro kasiyahan o ilusyon lamang. Yaon bagang mga taong ‘walang paki’ at ang mahalaga lang sa kanila ay ang kasiyahan nila. Kumbaga, ang eskapismo ay ‘bahala ka sa buhay mo at bahala ako sa buhay ko dahil ang mahalaga ay masaya ako!’.

Sa dinami-dami nga namang problemang kinakaharap ng tao gaya ng pag-init ng mundo (global warming), paglagapak ng moralidad (morality breakdown), krisis pampinansya (financial crisis), nagbabagong klima (climate change), A(H1N1) influenza at marami pa, baka isipin mong hindi mo na ito problema at wala ka nang pakialam dito. Bahala sila, ika nga.

Mali po! Ang mga problemang nabanggit ay problema nating lahat. Tayo mismo ang nasasangkot dito. Makiisa po tayo para masolusyunan o kung ‘di ma’y para maiwasan ang paglala ng ating mga problema. Makibahagi. Makialam. Bilang kabataang Romblomanon, hindi lang dapat Facebook, DOTA, TV, textmates, jamming at sound trip ang pokus ng ating atensiyon. Makialam tayo dahil nasasangkot ang ating kinabukasan dito.

Bilang RSCians (at bilang mga magiging RSUnista), manguna tayo sa pakikipagtulungan sa awtoridad upang malunasan ang sakit ng ating lipunan. Patunayan natin sa lahat na hindi nagkamali si Doktor Pepe nang sabihin niyang tayong mga kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan’. Bilang kabataan, tungkulin nating pangalagaan ang ating mga karapatan nang sa ganoo’y may pareho tayong probisyong maipamamana sa susunod na henerasyon. Bilang kabataan, patunayan nating tayo’y may silbi’t hindi inutil; na tayo’y may pakialam sa mga kaganapang panlipunan. Huwag tayong tutulog-tulog.

Iwaksi ang ‘walang paki’ mentality! Tamang ideyalismo ang dapat na manaig sa atin at tiyak na kayang-kaya nating magtagumpay sa bawat hamon ng buhay.■ Read more...

The Last Journey of Ninoy

Moving. It was worth the wait. After watching tonight’s ABS-CBN special, I now fully understand what is meant by Ninoy’s death for the country and for the world.

I am already 32. My political awareness was developed some time in my primary years when button pins of KBL were items to fight for with other kids. These circular buttons were made of tin cans and delicately laminated for a smoother and glossy effect. Printed on them were the names MARCOS-TOLENTINO and the letters KBL. Owed to our innocence, we made hunches as to what magical words does KBL stand for? Kasal-Binyag-Libing? Kasa-Baril-Lupok? The latter was more interesting, but just like any kids of my age, we never knew what was really going on then.

I knew that Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972. But this did not mean so much to me than a historical date I have to memorize for a quiz. I knew that Marcos lifted it, too (thanks to the internet, in 1981). But tonight, I was amazed (yes) to discover that I was born during the Martial rule. I was born when Ninoy and the unsung others were fighting for democracy and for their lives. Yet, there was not a distinct mark of it in my childhood. Life was normal.

My Uncle Gary owned a yellow shirt with a face of a man in spectacles sketched in black. According to him, that was Ninoy. It was not a big deal again for me since faces of other people could also be etched on tees.

These were the recollections that flashed before me in between the special. I was trying to figure out, where was I, how old I was when all these ordeals of Ninoy were happening. I was six when he was shot, but I couldn’t recall any memory about it. Maybe I was still busy playing patintero, suyod-bayod, lagsanan, tumba lata, luksong tinik, habuyan, bong-lata, barilan, and many more .

I was in the third grade, when the EDSA Revolution broke out and successfully overthrew the Marcos government. Coming from a very lowly family, I was unfortunate my widowed mother was busy looking for a living than discussing this significant event with me and my siblings. The only thing she told me was, “Mabarato ron ang bugas.”

Watching the documentary was like joining Ninoy and Cory in their fight. They spoke to my heart (yes, Ninoy and Cory were the narrators) and showed to me how evil their years were. I joined Ninoy in his last journey, from America to Singapore, to Malaysia, to Hongkong, to Taiwan and to Manila. I empathized with the unbearable pain and sorrow… the feeling that he was left alone in the battleground. Yet Ninoy knew the worth of what he was fighting for. And to these, I became a part of him, of his advocacy and of his undying faith. I have nothing but deep veneration for this man, I only knew before by name and by face. But now, Ninoy will be a part of me.

Thank you… Marcial Bonifacio!

“To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.” Read more...

An Act Worth a Smile

"Honesty is the best policy." Yes, it is and none else.

I remember those teenage days when I used to weave fabric of black and white lies in order to get my way and attract the interest of those around me. Countless were the times when I uttered magic spells so that I can be freed from the consequences of my folly.

Perhaps, that wisdom goes with age is true to me. Since I started building a family, one thing that greatly changed was the taming of my deceptive tongue. I thank my wife for easily spotting my inconsistencies which often left me entangled in the web of lies I fabricated. Though clash of words followed such encounters, I have learned to value the virtue of honesty. Petty or severe made-up stories whatsoever, my wife’s strong detecting power did not spare me.

Last summer, my wife’s five-year old nephew stayed with us. Just like any other kids, the boy wanted to make stories when he wanted to entertain us and get our attention. As his surrogate father, I was expected to exercise greater responsibility over him since his parents were out. So I told him my house rule: HONESTY, violation of which meant five spankings.

One time, he was telling a story about a worker who was reprimanded by his mom. He related the story to me with amazing facial expression and exaggerated enunciation: "Pinaluhod s’ya ni mommy! Sabi ni mommy, ‘Luhod! Luhod!" I was caught in disbelief knowing my sister-in-law as a very cordial and amiable woman. I asked him the second time if what he was telling were true. He answered yes. Disturbed by his revelations, I gently grabbed him in both shoulders, bent on his level, looked straight to his eyes and asked the same question again. He stooped down and in a gentle voice replied, "Sorry po. Nagsinungaling po ako!" I gave him his five spanks.

From then on, every time I asked him something, his answer has always end-phrases as these: "Totoo po talaga, hindi po ako nagsisinungaling!"

One of my closest friends related a story of a classmate who in her desperate effort to land a stable job ended up losing thousands of pesos in a flawed investment. She finished a prestigious course but failed in the licensure exam. Her father, however was a respected politician in the province. Due to her traumatic experience in business, she decided to go abroad. She was perplexed and confused which way to take because she has a kid and husband to support. Until she made connection with a care-giving placement agency through her husband’s kin. The agency, knowing that she didn’t have any background in care-giving, only demanded a certificate of training from a clinic or a hospital so that she could go. Nowhere to look for help, she requested her politician father to ask such favor from the doctor turned Congressman who owns a clinic in Manila.

The worried and concerned father, sorry at his daughter’s helpless state, requested such favor from the congressman. That although, his daughter hasn’t work at all in the doctor’s clinic, she be given that certificate of training for the sake of her employment overseas. The doctor-solon smiled and told the father to send his daughter to the clinic on Tuesday.

The following Tuesday, the politician’s daughter was expectant for that last grain of hope she had. This visit was all she needs to restart her dream of a good life. As she stepped inside, her mind feasted on the days ahead after this short visit. Moments passed and she got out of the clinic. Apparently, she was happy. She called up her father.

The doctor-congressman refused to give her the certificate she badly needs for this one chance of leaving the country.

But what made her smile despite such disappointment? What happened in the clinic that caused such glow on her face? What was it to celebrate in losing one’s last hope? What was in the clinic that is worth a smile?

Based on the story of my friend, when her classmate was relating the purpose of her coming, the congressman-doctor gently yet boldly said all these: "Never tell your father about this. I have never falsified a document in my entire life!"

She didn’t tell her father about it but she told this to her classmate who happened to be my friend. Now, I am sharing this with you because that doctor is our congressman. Read more...