Sunday, April 29, 2012

Creating a better world brick by brick

I want to be a lawyer because, for me, it’s a good way not only to earn a decent living but to help mankind at the same time.

My family is poor. My father never had a stable job. He used to work as a truck driver, a passenger-jeepney driver, and a taxi driver. My mother is not rich either. Although she inherited a small piece of land from her mother, she sold it to pay for my sisters’ college tuition fees. She also tried her hand selling native delicacies like sumanputo, and biko. She also peddled detergent soaps and viands. Now she runs a small laundry business that she’s struggling to keep alive. Our family is so hard up that I was able to finish college only because I got a scholarship that required me to work in the library in the morning and study in the evening.

If you live this kind of life that I live, you’d think of nothing else but a way out. To become a lawyer is my choice of a way out because, well, lawyers tend to be better off among the professionals, if not among the really rich ones. The idealist in me, however, finds becoming a lawyer merely for profit too small a dream. For sure, we need to aspire for the creature comforts because if the body is weak, we couldn’t possibly perform even the simplest of tasks. Yet I believe that our responsibility is not only to make ourselves better off, but, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said, also to “share the passion and action of his time.”

That makes the profession of law most fascinating. No other profession is so immersed in the passion and action of life than the practice of law. Sadly, however, lawyers get such a bad rap from typical portrayals of them as bad guys in movies and books. Even so, there are a few lawyers who are truly admirable. There are lawyers whose concern is not so much about making a nest-egg from their profession but about leaving a legacy.

To my mind, Antonio Oposa, Jr. of the Philippines is one such lawyer.

Having seen the wanton plunder of the environment in our country, Mr. Oposa decided to use the law—the only available weapon in his arsenal—to defend and protect its forests. He sued Fulgencio Factoran, the then Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to demand, among others, the cancellation of all the timber-license agreements that the Philippine government had been wantonly giving. The case, which came to be known as Minors Oposa vs. Factoran, was the first of its kind in the world, for its plaintiffs are the generations yet unborn; it used the principle of “intergenerational equity,” a concept developed by Georgetown Law Professor Edith Brown Weiss. The Regional Trial Court dismissed the case on the ground that the unborn generations didn’t have a legal standing. In 1993, however, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s decision.

The Supreme Court said in its judgment: “...[E]very generation has a responsibility to the next to preserve that rhythm and harmony for the full enjoyment of a balanced and healthful ecology...the right to a sound environment constitutes, at the same time, the performance of their obligation to ensure the protection of that right for the generations to come.”

Protecting the environment is just one of the many battles that Mr. Oposa has been valiantly carrying out, and his efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2009, he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award—the Asian counterpart of Nobel Prize—for “his path-breaking and passionate crusade to engage Filipinos in acts of enlightened citizenship that maximize the power of law to protect and nurture the environment for themselves, their children, and generations still to come.”

Mr. Oposa belies the popular belief that lawyers are crooks and liars. I believe that like Mr. Oposa, there are many more self-abnegating men and women of law out there. They may not drive fancy cars. They may not hold office in high-rise buildings. Instead, what they seek to leave behind is far more lasting: a better, safer, and just world.

I myself aspire to become a crusading lawyer like Mr. Oposa. I have no illusion, though, that the problems of the world will go away instantly simply because I decided to become a lawyer and a good lawyer at that. For indeed, what can one individual like me do? My answer is this: A great edifice is built not by a single person but by many people working side by side. Alone, I may not be able to build the edifice for a better world. But by being a good lawyer, I will help construct that great edifice brick by brick until it becomes a reality.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Why ganahan ta pag summer?

[caption id="attachment_2273" align="aligncenter" width="744" caption="Aklan State University-Annex Campus, the venue of CFC-YFC ILC"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2274" align="aligncenter" width="744" caption="Free maghigda-higda bisan dili guest basta wala lay laing nag-higda"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2277" align="aligncenter" width="744" caption="Reunion sa mga Nitibo sa Canibad"][/caption]

Why we always like to look forward to summer?


We look forward to summer because we like to look back at summer. Summer is the time of the year when most of the memorable things in our lives happen.

Consider circumcision. Sa panahon ni Kristo, ang pagpatuli usa ka tradisyon. Kung pisot ka, "OP" ka sa ilang culture. Diri sa Pilipinas, sa summer kasagaran naga patuli ang mga estudyante. Obvious kaayo ngano sa summer ginapahigayon ang operation tuli diri. After man gud magpatuli ang bata (pero naay uban nga tiguwang na nagapatuli), dili siya makasuot ug shorts or maong pants. Dako nga sinina or duster sa iyang Mama or Lola iyang dapat suoton. Ngano man? Para dili ma-rub ang samad. Kung masangyad mang gud sakit kaayo ug basig dugay maayo.

Karon imagina kung tingklase ka magpatuli. Instead na school uniform imo suoton, duster or dako na sinina. Tanawon ta ug dili ka kataw-an o sungogon sa imo mga classmates.

Ang pagpatuli usa lang ka topic nga ginaistoryahan sa mga estudyante kung mamalik na sila sa klase. Asa ka nagpatuli bay? Sakit? Pila ka semana bago naayo? Gwapa ang nurse nga nag-assist?

As for me, I have several fond memories of summer. Pero I would particularly remember this year's summer. Karon ra siguro na summer nga over ra pud ako laag. Naabot ko ug Aklan ug niattend sa International Leaders' Conference sa CFC-YFC. Sa wakas, akatamak ko Boracay. Pag-abot gikan sa Boracay, pila lang ka adlaw nagcelebrate napud ug birthday sa akong Mama sa BlueJazz. Pagka-ugma niadto napud ug Canibad para mangaligo uban ako mga barkada sa college.

Sa akong mga laag karong summer, pinaka memorable tingali ang pag-adto nako sa Boracay uban akong GG ug mga YFC. Nindot gyod diay ang Boracay. Although dili nimo kailangan muadto didto para masulti unsa kanindot ang Boracay. Naa may Internet. I-Google lang nimo then daghan na kaayo ka mahibal-an about Boracay. Pero lahi ra gyod kung ikaw mismo ang makaexperience sa kanindot sa Boracay. Dili necessary na magsakay mo ug Banana Boat or Flyfish or mag Helmet Dive mo didto. Bisan pag maglakaw-lakaw lang ka sa whole stretch sa sikat na White Beach malingaw na ka.

Mafeel nimo ang pino nga balas. Lahi ra pud iyang kapino. Dili pareha sa balas sa Samal nga naay sagol bato, didto pino gyod siya. Way sagol bato. Puro balas, puti nga balas.

Ang nakalamang lang I think sa Boracay is that wala gikuralan sa mga tag-iya ang ilang luna duol sa dagat. Makasuroy ka sa tibuok baybayon sa White Beach nga di na kailangan musaka sa kural or musuong sa mga harang kay wa may kural nga katkatan o harang nga suongan in the first place. So bisan pa sa Station 1 or 2 or 3 ka magstay dili kaayo magmatter.

Ug isa pa walay entrance fee sa Boracay. Mao ni kasagaran pangutana sa mga tao sa akoa sa dihang nahibaw-an nila na gikan ko didto. Pero dili nako sila ma-blame. Naanad man gud ta diri sa Davao maski sa Samal na ang mga dagat una ka makasulod mubayad sa ka ug entrance fee.

Isa pud sa mga misconception about Boracay is that mahal daw kung muadto ka didto. Pagkaon pa lang, takigan na ka. Pero sa pag-adto namo didto, akong nasuta nga dili man kaayo mahal sa Boracay as people made it out to be. Imoha nang choice. Kung gusto ka na mahal imong mga pagkaon, tulogan, ug tambayan, then adto ka didto sa mga mahalon. Kung cash-strapped ka ug gusto lang nimo muadto sa Boracay for the sake na makaadto ra ka kay magpicture-picture, then muadto ka didto sa mga pagkaunan na kaya ra sa imong budget.

Daghan pa ko gusto i-share. Pero base sa ako word count 600 words na ako nasulat. So ngano ganahan man ta pag summer? Alangan mao ra man ang panahon nga taas-taas atong lugway na mulaag, magdula, etc. Sulayi daw ug bakasyon kung ting-klase, diba inig balik nimo wa na kay trabaho o bagsak-bagsak gyod na imong grado.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

How far will you go to prove your love?



I will go as far as Aklan.

Marianne and I will be leaving for Aklan on April 13 to attend the International Leaders' Conference of the Youth For Christ. She talked me into this. Of course, I didn't hesitate. Attending the ILC is like hitting two birds with one stone. We'll be able to have a trip together and at the same time thank God for making our relationship stronger and healthier.

Also the reason why I agreed to join, though I'm no longer a YFC but already an SFC,  is that Aklan is near Boracay, and Boracay is in our list of must-visit places. So we'll be going there, too,  by the end of the conference which will be at 12 noon of April 15. We'll stay there overnight, and then go home.

While in Boracay, we'll probably try some recreational activities like Banana Boating and Underwater Walking. But we can try those somewhere else. So I'm thinking of doing things we cannot do here, things one can do only in Boracay.

How about a walk along the beach? Who knows, we just might get sight some actors and actresses and controversial couples?

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Confessions of a Marianne devotee

[caption id="attachment_2221" align="aligncenter" width="744" caption="Marianne and I during the JS Prom held at the Davao Convention Center."][/caption]

My girlfriend, Marianne, is a deeply religious woman. She is surrounded by equally religious people. Her sister is a nun, a member of the Ancillae Christi-Regis or Handmaids of Christ the King. Her parents are active members of the Couples for Christ. Her maternal grandmother came from Bohol, perhaps one of the regions in the Philippines that can be considered a bastion of Catholicism. She's not given to curse words. I never heard her say f*** or s***. She's ill at ease with people who backbite. She doesn't mingle with sycophants.

The problem is not that she's not virtuous enough. It's that she's so virtuous our colleagues say, and they sometimes tease me about this, that she's more likely to enter the religious life. Fear gripped me every time they talk about her being a nun. I couldn't stand to lose the woman I love.

I was afraid again when one day, a congregation visited Stella Maris to sell books and other religious articles. One nun gave her an invitation form. If you want to join our Search-In, the nun told her, fill out the form. She told me about the invitation. I feigned not to be affected by it and convinced myself to be realistic. It's just a Search-In, I kept telling myself, she's not going to be a nun yet. I prayed to God not to let the Search-In come to pass. God must be listening, for she was not able to attend the Search-In.

I somehow regretted having a girlfriend so in love with God. But later I regretted having regretted that I have a girlfriend so in love with God.

In the middle of October last year, I joined the Singles for Christ. In one of the teachings, we were taught that the first Christian ideal is to love God. Thereupon it dawned on me that I should not get in the way of my girlfriend and her God. And it's a precept we all would do well to follow.

If your girlfriend loves God more than you, don't hinder her. Feed that love.

If she wants to go to the Church, let her go to the Church. If possible, go with her.

If she wants to pray the Holy Rosary, let her pray the Holy Rosary. If possible, pray with her.

If she wants to visit the Adoration Chapel before going to work, let her visit the Adoration Chapel. If possible, visit with her.

My girlfriend loves God above all---above work, above family, above herself, and above me.

Do I envy it? No. Do I get frustrated if much of our time is spent attending masses? No. Do I feel like baduy if we spent our monthsary in Shrine? No.

Lest you think I'm a martyr, I'm not. But why I'm doing all these? It's because I've just unfolded the secret to a happy relationship, and it is this: A person who loves God shows that love by loving others. So the more I help her enkindle her love for God, the more she loves me back as an expression of her love for God.

Trust me. There's no point threatening your girlfriend she can't find someone like you, so she has to stick with you and follow whatever you want. And if you want to marry her someday, you must love the God she loves and follow what Shamcey Supsup said.

During the Q&A portion of the 2011 Miss Universe, Vivica A. Fox asked Shamcey Supsup if she would change her religion to marry the one she loves.

“If I had to change my religious beliefs," Shamcey said, "I would not marry the person that I love because the first person that I love is God who created me and I have my faith and my principles and this is what makes me who I am. And if that person loves me, he should love my God too.”

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Onyot's Trip: Walang basagan ng trip!

[caption id="attachment_2201" align="aligncenter" width="394" caption="Taken during our trip to Seagull Mountain Resort (Seagull 3), located on the outskirts of Bukidnon and Davao City (BuDa)."][/caption]

I have many nicknames. But it's "Onyot" that survived the test of time. I don't mind if you call me Onyot. I have become used to it anyway. In fact, now I like it when you call me Onyot. It's as if you and I have known each other for so long a time.

So I'm Onyot, and ito ang trip ko.

Trip, in English, denotes a "voyage," a "journey." But from the dingy and squalid kanto and looban of Philippine slums to the posh and bongga subdivisions, the word "trip" takes on a different meaning.

It refers to the things you do to break your humdrum routine, to express your in-ordinariness in this ordinary world, to wean yourself from a stressful work, or to try things for the sake of trying them.

Someone's trip might be food, manicure, or, uh, saving Mother Earth.

But sometimes if you do something as outrageous and bizarre as the acts of Jesse Caigoy,"Master of Pain," something as outlandish as having a Winnie The Pooh tattoo on your back, something as banal as planking, people would ask you this standard question, "Anong trip mo?"

"Wala lang!," or "Walang basagan ng trip!" is, of course, the standard retort.

When I started teaching, in 2010, I thought my teaching experience would be a fodder for my blog. I thought the bouts with students in particular and school life in general would be a well from which I can draw inspiration to blog. But no, I was caught in the thick of making lesson plans, preparing slide presentations for class, making test papers, checking test papers, recording and computing grades, reading essays, accompanying students to contests and conferences, meeting with parents, and complying with a host of other paper-works.

As a result, blogging became less frequent. Blog posts were sparse, mostly limited to announcements, slide shows for students to download, and a few lousy write-ups---lame attempts at reminding people who stumble upon this blog that its owner still exists. Soon, all I wanted was not to blog more often, but to have a goodnight's sleep.

Nevertheless, I continue to write. Sometimes, if I have time I write about teaching. I never write about sleeping. Most often I write about my activities in between---mga bagay na trip kong gawin.

That explains why I found the name of this blog---Onyot's TRIP---most fitting because this blog has been, is, and will always be about my trip: trip as a journey and voyage, and trip as wala lang, I just feel like doing it.

So welcome to Onyot's TRIP. And please walang basagan ng trip!