No time for Mindanao?

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Towards the end of the forum "Paminaw Mindanao," Amina Rasul, one of the the forum's convenors, gave a summary of Gibo's, JC's, Perlas's, and Villanueva's plans for Mindanao.

There is, however, a trace of disappointment in Rasul's voice. And she expressed the same sentiment in her column:

Unfortunately, of the nine presidential candidates, only Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Brother Eddie Villanueva, Coun-cilor JC de los Reyes and independent candidate Nicky Perlas came. The others were no shows, perhaps clearly indicating that Mindanao is not a critical component of their campaigns (although they did come to dialogue with Pastor Quiboloy, the “appointed son of God”). [Emphasis mine]

The Five Men who were no shows at the forum, is Mindanao really not a "critical component of your campaigns," is it?

Wala naminaw sa Paminaw Mindanao

Unlike some of my friends who went to HCDC Gym to attend Paminaw Mindanao, a presidential forum on Mindanao, I was able to secure a white ticket, that which allowed me sit in the chairs below, among the important and not-so important people, not in the bleachers above.

Since I don't have a laptop to document all that happened there, I just used my cp and saved what I wrote in the outbox. Here goes:

• "Forum, paminaw mindnanao. 4 came. Gbo, jc, perlas, bro. Edie. jc was late.


• "Startd with a prayr from tri.people."


• "Gibo, cutlre, devt, and securty."

From there, I stopped typing. By the time Gibo laid out his plan for Mindanao----he said there is a need for a paradigm shift, a one-size-fits-all approach to Mindanao won't work because the causes of conflicts in this island are varied----we were busy searching for Who's Who in Philippine Politics.

Anton Lagdameo was there. My friend said it would have been better had he brought Dawn Zulueta with her.

Bebot Bello, the senatorial candidate who styled himself as Justice Man, was there, wearing a violet vest that reminds me very much of sapin-sapin.

Nanding Pacheco, founder of Ang Kapatiran Party, was there.

I don't know who else were there.

I didn't get much of what the presidentiables said. All I can say is that the forum was enlightening. There, I learned that the color of the dress that Amina Rasul, of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, wore yesterday was not orange. It's saffron.

Fellows for the Davao Writers Workshop 2010

The Davao Writers Guild, in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and University of the Philippines-Mindanao, proudly announces the Fellows for the Davao Writers Workshop 2010:

Short Story
April Dawn M. Paramio
Arvin Antonio V. Ortiz
Freeda Ko Quejada
Jayson E Parba

Essay
Ella Jade Ismael
Seneca Pellano

Play
Hiyasmin Gabriela Espejo

Poetry
Erika Navaja
Friedrich Simon C Layno
Gino Boy Dolorzo
Iryne O. Kaamino
James Roy C. Pascual
Reymond L Pepito

The workshop will take place on May 3 to 7 at Lispher Inn, Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City.

Whom we should not vote for?

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My friends and I made a pact: We will not vote for candidates who violate the law.

Those who post their campaign ads on restricted areas we will not vote for.

Those who campaigned during the Holy Week we will not vote for.

Those who spend more than what is allowed we will not vote for.

Those whose campaign posters are bigger than what is required by the COMELEC we will not vote for.

We are not being too harsh on the pretenders to the public office. Our is simply based on the principle that if they cannot follow simple laws now that they are not yet in office, how much more if they are already elected?

The fruit of years' work