Read this everyday— I swear by It

Look, I am not a saint. Far from it, actually. I have done one too many stupid, selfish, crazy things in the past. Maybe now, I am turning on a new life because I am trying to make amends? But based on my track record, it looks like I would need a lot more ‘making up’ time. But it’s okay. No rush, right? ANYHOW, well, I saw this particular piece from a fellow student’s website and personally, I think it’s amazing. Read this everyday (or when you are feeling being especially mean and rotten.) I just want to share. Maybe, you’ll like it. If you think it’s too goody-goody just forget you read it. I am not the preachy type anyway. But if you find it useful, then COOL!

WHAT WILL MATTER/BY MICHAEL JOSEPHSON
5/9/2008 11:00:06 AM

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will

shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned, or what

you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies

will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists

will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important,

will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side

of the tracks you lived, at the end.

It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?

How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what

you built; not what you got, but what you gave!

What will matter is not your success, but how hard

you tried.

What will matter is not what you learned,

but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity,

compassion, courage or sacrifice that

enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence,

but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you

knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories,

but the memories that live in those

who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be

remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by

accident.

It’s not a matter of chance, but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters

___________________________________________

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be
grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. ~John
Woode

Sex in Politics: The Philippine Version

It is the age old story of a woman bringing a seemingly omnipotent man into ruin. Delilah cut off Samson’s long locks while he was sleeping ultimately causing his demise. Such has been told and retold for centuries but still is applicable to the present. Or is it? This is an old issue that I have yet to write about though.

Eliot Spitzer, Harvard law school graduate, came from a very influential family, married to a very smart and very blonde attorney such as himself ( a fellow Harvard law school alumnus!) who gave up her lucrative career to support him in his political ambitions, is your modern day Samson. He was on top of the world, years of hard work and showing of candor and integrity in the job would do that. He was the tough-talking governor of New York, more of a statesman than your politician, who did not yield to anything or anybody, all for the common good.

Then, in a split second, everything that he toiled for for years, all crumbled down on him. News leaked about his February 13th romp with a certain long-haired, very young and very pretty brunette who swiped a Metrocard (similar to our MRT Card used to take the famed New York Subway transportation) towards his suite in Washington, in exchange for a couple of thousand dollars of American taxpayers’ money. The intense media scrutiny and pillory that followed finally caused him to resign. Lt. Gov. David Paterson took his place.

You would think that in the very liberal and secular America, where homosexuals are allowed by law to marry and abortion (in some States) is legal, such an act of his would not receive as much furor as compared to when such happens here in the Philippines, supposed to be a predominant and highly devout Catholic country. In reality, the opposite occurs. In the US, Spitzer’s prostitution scandal as prime example, the people acted vehemently, ousting him indirectly in the process. He erred and paid dearly for it. This came from a largely Protestant nation, with various religious beliefs. Can we say the same for the Philippines?

I recently spoke with my mother over dinner. My mother devours those Entertainment magazines like they were air, and she was marveling on how Lani Mercado stuck with Ramon “Bong” Revilla, a Filipino politician, throughout his years of womanizing, his roster having even included Gretchen Barretto ( a starlet in her heydays, one of the most beautiful women to grace the Filipino movie screen, some top showbiz directors grudgingly admit). I had a hazy recollection of such news, and thinking about it, it dawned to me on how, compared to their US counterparts as in Spitzer’s case, Filipino politicians’ exploits of women albeit their married state such as Bong Revilla, never garner the same kind of attention and insult as it did Spitzer, for example. Here, they even become President! (Joseph Estrada’s philandering ways were an open secret, still he was elected into office- they were later found sourced by taxpayers’ money such as the mansion he bought for one of his mistresses, but it took years before he was being prosecuted for it. And when a conviction of guilty was brought upon him, he is immediately pardoned after, to top it off, he is now carrying around wanting to be re-elected once more. ) Talk about nerve!

And to think that Filipinos were conservative, dogmatic Catholics who put morality over everything else. Why do abominable actions such as his do not get the proper feeling of resentment from the Filipino people as in did in the US in Spitzer’s case?

I think about the possible explanations. Maybe it is because of the Filipinos’ generally forgiving nature. Or perhaps the Split-level Christianity theory would explain thus. We have adopted the foreign religion, and we mix it with our own Filipino beliefs, thus, Catholicism practiced here becomes Filipinized. That causes the rift between practice and belief- though we Catholics abhor liaisons of married individuals, for example, in reality, it is accepted, for males, that is. This brings about another conception that our culture may still be suffering with the archaic double standard- that men are, by nature, prone to being unfaithful. It is but a normal occurrence. Sorry girls, you cannot do anything about it but to accept it.

I vote for the last reason being the reason for the discrepancy. Filipinos have also held on this belief that boys will be boys. Men and women alike subscribe to idea that on one point of a relationship, the males will stray. It will be inevitable. That does not mean there is no love. There is. It is just that they cannot control their urges. At least you are sure that your man is a real man, right?

That type of reasoning, I believe, had been invented by this macho chauvinist who wants to have his cake and eat it, too. Such a belief must be completely done away with, women and the children become victims in the end.

In the Philippines, the age old story of a woman bringing a man to ruin does not apply. Delilah has no power in this picture. Whatever she does, Samson will prevail. It is because people always consider Delilah as a non-entity. Only in the Pilipins… with our culture so messed up, even supposedly universal Biblical stories are irrelevant. We have our own twisted rules, that run contrary to what is collectively moral and good. That should be a great cause for concern, don’t you think?

The Law: To Change or Not to Change? That is the Question.

The current trend of the government in addressing the multitude of problems besetting our nation is predictable, redundant and ultimately, highly ineffecicacious.

Take for example, the high cost of electricity rates ( we currently have the second highest power rates in Asia, next to Japan, which is a highly industrialized, First World country). To top it off, oil prices have been increasing at breakneck speed. What is the initial action of the people who decide for us? They propose amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Rep. Act 9136 or EPIRA). They deliberate on passing a law to reduce the VAT (value-added tax) on oil from 12% to 2%, even to scrap it altogether. Usually, when things head towards a downward spiral, our government officials feel that something must be wrong with the  laws and the system in itself. Thus, they change the rules.

That is their immediate reaction which I believe is hasty and at the same time, can do more harm than good. Before doing so, they must see the repercussions of such in the long term. It may alleviate the problem for a certain period, but attacking it head-on might not provide the lasting solution. Furthermore,  did it not occur to them that every problem is multi-faceted? I will make the explanation simpler through a metaphor. Supposing you have an oven toaster that is broken. First thing that comes to mind is that there might be a part that needs to be replaced, it is old and rusty anyway. Second would be that someone misused it. But then upon further examination, you found out that the connection wire had blown because the person who previously operated it in your home (who until now would not own up when you asked all your family members), unthinkingly, plugged it in a 110 voltage instead of the prescribed 220. Naturally, it got broken.

From that we could see that when something goes wrong, there are three things to consider as the root cause of it: One, maybe there is a flaw in the system or design in itself from the onset, the manufacturer may be to blame, taking the example above. Second, instructions on the usage was not followed correctly, causing its defect. Final and most important is that misuse of the object might be the cause the problem in the system. The first two takes design flaw and misuse separately, while the third shows that a link between these two caused the problem, ultimately showing that for an issue not to surface, system and its implementation must both be effective and carried out in harmony.

Applying this in our current situation, our lawmakers always go with theory one, which is that there is a problem with the laws and the system in itself, which is we have been experiencing increasing electricity costs and oil prices. Thus, they push for a change in the laws as what is happening right now. But, this move has largely been opposed by the Joint Foreign Commerce Chamber of the Philippines (JFCCP), citing the probability of a decrease in investor faith in the stability of our government policies, which we are in desperate need right now considering the hard times. They called for a looking into the ineffectual implementation of the law as the cause.

I agree with JFCCP on the point that the implementation of the law must be scrutinized. But unlike them who believe that the EPIRA must remain untouched, for me, that is a case yet to be determined. Effectivity of the implementation of the law also stems from the beauty of how it is crafted. Take for example, CARP. The law in  itself was enacted for the great purpose of helping many of our Filipino brothers in the agricultural sector. But its implementation was not done properly due to not only the corruption in our government, but a design flaw in the law itself, that the big-time San Miguel Corporation had availed of to wrest control of parcels of land in Mindanao for many years. This is the same case as with the EPIRA and the VAT on oil issues. They have not served their purpose due to a wrong implementation that was given way due to a flaw in the law in itself. As in the above illustration, the wrong use of the toaster effected a defect in the system. In the same manner, the wrong implementation or use of the laws such as the EPIRA and the VAT, causing the surge in electricity and oil prices, caused the deficiencies of such enactments. Perhaps if these laws are properly enacted in their essence, then the laws would be considered sufficient and effective.

In every issue, one must not only look into the laws or rules that are  included or their implementation to find out the causes of problems. These two must be scrutinized hand in hand. The government always thinks whenever anything goes wrong, the rules must be changed to suit the players and the playing field. That is a lazy and unwarranted move that can do more harm than good. New problems would enter the picture if this be continued to be done in such a manner. Nothing has changed,  you might have solved some issues, still the problems are there. Either way, Filipinos would continue to suffer. I believe, it is time to change that cycle, don’t you agree?

Tuesday

• Republic Act 9136: Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA): mandates the privatization of the country’s energy sector. Amendments of which are currently being pushed by Sen. Enrile in the Senate, but at this time, due to the failure of a number of senators to convene and deliberate on these, these have yet to be determined.

A Dream Lost

I went with a really good friend today to lend some support. She recently gave up her dream and she is feeling really sad about it. She decided to do so upon the advice of someone she greatly respected and admired… which she later on discovered was just manipulating her for that person’s own selfish, personal end, without due regard to my friend’s feelings.

I was livid with anger at that person, and at the same time, I feel sad for my friend. I know the feeling, been there ( and it was definitely a hell of a time, trust me), done that. Still, I comfort her, everything happens for a reason, you know. You will later on find that out. I knew with all my heart that was true. And I would not have it any other way.

She understood what I meant, still, she had misgivings. She moaned the fact that she did not act fully on her free will. She became silly putty, which disappointed her. If she had made the decision by herself, even if later on, she realizes it was a mistake, it would be okay. At least, it was her decision-hers alone and she knew she had to be accountable for it. But that was not what happened. She allowed herself to be manipulated and she felt disappointed in herself at that. She knew she could have done better.

I had been in a similar situation before, and until now, I keep kicking myself for it. In life, there a lot of people that may influence us. But in everything that is happening in our lives, only we have the authority to say what is the best for us. Other people only see some side of those events that have transpired in our lives, whereas we have seen the full-length, uncut version. So nobody is better than us with regard to the final say of what will and not happen. And we always should listen to our gut feelings— they are usually the best guides in life anyway. A professor once told me a line that I will never forget when the doctor said she will have trouble studying and remembering things after she underwent surgery: ” No one tells me what I can or cannot do.” That must be the attitude to take control of one’s life.

On a similar note, I was reading a really interesting book wherein the author, Ayn Rand, quoted an excerpt from one of her novels. It was a dialogue between two men, a self-assured drop out and self-questioning people pleaser who graduated with top honors. The latter was commenting on the former’s apparent lack of hesitation whenever he made life -altering decisions, asking the drop-out, ” How do you always know what to do?”. The latter, in turn, answers with an incredulous question, “How could you not?” ( Well that was the gist of what I remember on it anyway).

Wow. I was completely blown away by that. Yes, how could we not know what we want? It is easy. What makes it difficult is to have the courage to admit and stand by what we choose to do. That is what my friend was crying about, she did not have the courage to think of herself that time. I have been there before, and at the back of my mind, I am thinking that probably, I did so because at least, if I made a mistake in the end, I will have someone to blame. Whereas if I made the decision by myself, I have nobody else but myself to blame. And look where it got me? Nothing, just a bunch of regrets.

But then, all is done. The main thing right now is to move on and internalize what she has learned from this experience. She replied, I learned, yeah, big-time. I tell myself that too. It is not a walk in the park, but who told you life is like that anyway?

TITANic: A Commentary on the GSIS-Meralco Showdown

The Titans are these huge gods, powerfully built, fit and strong, clad with only a piece of cloth wrapped around their toned waists, their skin a golden brown, vibrant and glistened to perfection… well, at least, that is how I picture them to be. They are playing around with what seemed to look like a frisbee, no… it is actually planet Earth and it is the Milky Way that they are treading on, playfully tossing it around, laughing from time to time. That is how I have them in my mind, I think I actually got that visual from a movie that I saw some time ago. The Titans are these gods who lord over and play around with our lives, all of us just this minuscle atom-sized almost nothing, subject to their whims and caprices, helpless and insignificant.

I liken the Lopezes to the way I depicted the Titans above, by the way they are acting now. They recently called on a stockholder’s meeting, which ran contrary to a cease and desist order by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Committee), the agency that had jurisdiction to rule on such matters. They did so contending that the said order is void because it did not follow the proper procedural requirements.

In my mind, if the TRO or the temporary restraining order was issued improperly, it still had the force of law. Though they later on may question the validity of the said order because of the defects that they were pointing out, for as long as it has been issued, it must be followed until nullified by the proper Courts. Who were they to think that they could be the judge of the validity of the order, when they themselves are party to the issue? Furthermore, as Senator Enrile pointed out, what was the use of the SEC then, the government in that matter, as the authority, when private parties such as the Lopezes, could ignore their orders and carry on as they liked? What they did was not just a disobedience but an utter defiance of the law.

The Lopezes have been one of the more powerful and richer families in the country. They own the biggest broadcasting corporation in the country, ABS-CBN, among all the other big companies that dominate various industries affecting our national economy. They have exercised a huge political clout, having backed up, even the highest official of the land at a certain time in our nation’s history, President Marcos. (Ironically, during the Martial Law Era, that power of theirs which helped Marcos in his ascendancy to the topmost position, was also the same reason behind Marcos’s shutting them out. In A Conjugal Dictatorship by Primitivo Mijares, a journalist who wrote about his experiences of the anomalies in the Marcos regime, he tells the story on how the Lopez family’s power was cutoff by Marcos, notably closing the broadcasting company they owned at that time, derailing one of the family’s strongholds in Philippine society.) But after the People Power Revolution, the family regained their footing, and until now, is as strong as ever.

Yes, that is probably how they felt that they could behave as they did. Not any average family could do what they did. They probably felt like the Titans, so incredibly strong and powerful, like the gods who played around with everything and everyone, and no one can do anything but to yield and be tossed around in the palm of their hands. Or just in their minds, at least. If GSIS head, Winston Garcia has anything to say about it (which he does-a lot) they won’t be on top of the universe as they thought all along.

Wednesday

• Presidential Decree 749 and Rule 5 of Administrative Order No. 7 of Office of the Ombudsman: Being invoked by the petitioner, lawyer Francisco in the NBN-related cases pending against First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo. Francisco says that Lozada and other witnesses (Jarius Bondoc, Engr. Madriaga, Jose De Venecia III) have the right to apply for immunity from prosecution under these laws to encourage and protect whistleblowers.

• Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, the Omnibus Election Code of 1985 (particularly Section 80): This makes it unlawful for any person to engage in an election campaign or partisan political activity, except during the campaign period. Sen. Santiago was referring to this particular rule in her denouncing the appearance of some Senators who are appearing on billboards and commercials at this time- either promoting a government agency or advertising a particular product.

To be specific, they are:

Vice President Noli De Castro, Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando, Senate President Manuel Villar Jr., Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Richard Gordon, Manuel Roxas II and Pia Cayetano.

To their defense, the said government officials pointed out that the prohibition is specifically aimed at ‘candidates’ for election, that which they are not, since they have not even filed a certificate of candidacy and election period has not even started. Santiago dismissed their point, arguing that they are availing of a technicality to circumvent the essence of the law. ( I totally agree with Miriam on this point, and I stress only on this point. I believe such rule was passed to level the playing field of candidates in the Election, that one will not have unfair leverage over the other. Applying the law in the manner that it would pertain only to those that are already ‘candidates’ or have already filed a certificate of candidacy, and not to those who are not covered in that definition, but are still campaigning as candidates do- though not technically considered as one, would defeat the purpose of the aforesaid law.)

• The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001: Requires a petition to the courts to look into bank records of purported accounts involved in illegal money laundering scheme ( The SC ruled this in a recent case). Such a move is highly criticized as the weakening of Anti-Money laundering moves that may be taken by the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) to curb such illegal activities. If a petition is required, critics are saying that those involved in these schemes would be alerted of the government investigation and upon learning of the existence of such query, they will then withdraw their monies, and it would be easier for them to escape discovery and punishment at that. The petition, which could take some time to review, would give those transversing the said law ample time to clear their paper trail so to speak. Thus, there have been calls to amend such a ruling.                       But AMLC says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The law, though requiring a petition to examine the bank accounts thus alerting the party who owns these accounts, does not prohibit the petitioning of the freezing of these accounts in the Court of Appeals, whereby the owners of the accounts need not be notified. The accounts have already been freezed before the owners of the alleged illegal accounts are notified to enable a perusal of their records, so the fear of those accused of money laundering getting away is unfounded. ( Anti-Money Laundering Act, Sec. 4: Money Laundering Offense. – Money laundering is a crime whereby the proceeds of an unlawful activity are transacted, thereby making them appear to have originated from legitimate sources.)

Humiliate me, why don’t you?

When I started law school, I did not know what I was in for. I like reading and writing yes, but the past couple of years, I got into some other things too— that did not entail any brain work anyway. I worked for several companies in the fashion and entertainment industry. Picture The Devil Wears Prada’ (although not as glamorous and with lesser funds hehe. We are in the Philippines, remember?).

So there I was, in my first year of law school. Neat and well-groomed, my outfits always coordinated and trendy, I definitely garnered some attention, more particularly, my professors. On top of it, I admit I am guilty of speaking English in this really casual, perky, and for others, bimboesque fashion. But I thought, this is me, you know? It’s either you like it or not, I don’t care. And I definitely paid for that stubborn way of thinking.

First blow came from a woman professor: I was telling her that ” I wanna explain the case in detail” when she interrupted me, ” You know what? You are going to court and you need to get rid of the shoulda coulda wanna’ from your vocabulary… ” I was speechless. I felt so bad, I went to Church to pray after. ( I thought that I earned her ire then and I felt that could affect my passing her class which is a bar subject, after all.)

Next, was from one of the nicer professors in school. I was the first to recite for the whole semester, (lucky me whoopee!) and then I used the word ‘arrangement’ in this inappropriate manner which he did not approve of (he always reminded us of the importance of using the right words) so he said jokingly to which my classmates snickered at, ” Miss, this is not a flower arrangement class.” I was horrified, as I stared down my toes, my eyes skimming over my outfit then. It was a floral-print sundress. Talk about double meaning rolled in one comment.

And the worst came from a really brilliant professor of ours. He said while I was having trouble answering a question, ” you know what? You seem like Ms. Universe about to answer me World Peace.” Oh man. I just shut up but when he saw my cheeks turn pink- he probably pitied me and let me sit down.

But I took them all in stride. Yes, I can be myself but there was a price. I understood that. I needed to study more to prove myself though, and I knew it would help me in the long run. And I did. And the hard work paid off (well,for some of them anyway).

Yup, that is me. Fine, I am a teenybopper ( I listen to Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears), a fashion lover (Vogue is my Bible), and I love make-up. At the same time, I am a super geek, I love reading and hardly watch TV (well, except for the news and The Buzz— what? I am fascinated by it), and socializing. So? I know I may be weird, but at the end the day, for me, all it matters is whether you have a good heart, you know, just be a decent person. And I think I am, or at least, I try to be one. And stuff like that, well you just laugh at them. I don’t let them affect me, they were just kidding anyway. Just another anecdote I could tell my kids in the future (which is pretty far off anyway).

Law School Saved My Life

I was at a crossroads with nowhere to go. I was working at the last place on Earth I wanted to be in, I was right smack in the middle of a romance gone awry (which was my fault anyway), and I was at a period of grieving after realizing that my dream ( which I worked very hard for) would not become a reality.

I have a habit of overdramatizing things, and well, I guess, I do. It is pretty funny anyway. Well, that and going into tangents. But going back, yes, I was in a bad place that time. And then I received the news- that I got in the law school I wanted, that which I never thought in my wildest dreams that I had the chance to get in. I did not even stress a bit about the whole application process (which was pretty grueling), because I thought, it was such a long shot. I went on with doing the mundane things I was doing- partying, drinking, and working for that other dream of mine that I lost.

Then my mom called me while I was at work babbling incoherently with excitement that I did get to the law school I wanted. I did not even bother to get the results myself, I even forgot about it for a while. Wow. Why was God being nice to me amidst all the ______________ that I have done?

And so I cleaned up. Stopped all my vices. Law school, with all my teachers who are really good good people and reading mounds and mounds of cases- of what people have been going through, they all made me want to be a better person. I lost a sense of myself when I did not get what I wanted, and it almost destroyed me. Now, I remember who I was before all the brouhaha. I am nice generally, but if you step over the line of what I consider decent and respectful, well, I will have no qualms to tell and/or make you feel so. I became a pushover before, but I remembered, that is really not me.

So here I am. A struggling law student. I don’t look like your prototype student though. People say I stand out like a sore thumb because of the way I look, dress, talk. They tell me I look lost in such a serious, academic environment. Some even ask me if I really studied (while I was in the bathroom putting on lipstick after my three hour session at the library). There are even those who made remarks that seemed at that time, were imbued with underlying questions showing doubt on my intelligence ( by way of them imitating my OH-MY-GOD expression complete with the hand action). They even say that I am Elle Woods in flesh.But SO WHAT?! I take them all in stride. Though I may not be the smartest one in there, I know myself and what I can do. And I will never apologize for who I am.

To quote one of my really good friends in school, Emil: ” The myth of pretty girls not being smart has been officially been disproved by Legally Blonde.” Hahaha. I could almost hear you thinking, who does she think she is? ANYHOW, I don’t think I am pretty, I just like make-up, clothes, and grooming myself. And Legally Blonde is hardly the authority on the matter. But got your attention there right? It was a joke! It has totally no point. Laugh. This is getting too serious and boring anyway.

But for purposes of wrapping this up properly, yes, law school changed me in some ways, but there are still some things about me that would remain. And that includes my vanity. Haha. But ultimately, taking those two together, they saved me from becoming someone I did not want and was not proud to be. I like who I am now, which is the real me, before the disaster that came in my life. And I am glad.