Shelf Life: Ilustrado

When my sister visited me a couple of months ago, she gave me Ilustrado as a birthday gift. I actually requested it from her after hearing quite a bit about the novel since it won the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2008 for what was then an unpublished work.

Ilustrado finally came out this year. I have the Philippine print, but I've also seen the international edition in Kinokuniya in Bangkok.

I swear it's very rare to see Filipino books in Thailand. One time I saw a used copy of Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere at the Sanam Luang night market... translated to Thai no less! That was one quite proud moment for me but other than that Filipino books are hard to come by here. Well, I saw Jessica Hagedorn's Dream Jungle at B2S a little over a year ago, but that's it.

Now back to Ilustrado. The attention Miguel Syjuco's novel has brought to Philippine literature comes in no better time. I could not remember any recent Filipino book that garnered this much international attention. It has received good reviews from the New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Guardian.

But most importantly, it has piqued Filipinos' curiosity and has encouraged us to  grab a copy rather than the latest Dan Brown or Paolo Coelho (parang awa, pwede?).

This is no doubt a novel worth reading, especially for Filipinos, because it highlights the corruption of our culture by no one but ourselves. Syjuco zooms in on the alta sociedad, the upper crust of the society, their frivolities and insensitivity to the glaring poverty of the majority.

He also plays on the joke that is Philippine politics wherein a leader of a religious cult, a separatist senator, a security guard, the country's president, and a starlet collide... entertaining (perhaps distracting?) the masses to no end.

While the schizophrenia of the Filipino culture and history serves as a backdrop to this novel, the plot revolves around the main character's, also named Miguel Syjuco, search for the lost manuscript of his mentor, Crispin Salvador, who is one day found floating in the Hudson River.

Miguel flies to Manila in search for the manuscript. While he unearths the many facets of the life of Crispin, he is also pushed into confronting his past as a prodigal grandson and his halcyon days as a member of Manila's nihilistic set.

Soon enough, readers would find a story within a story within a story in a novel that is filled with overlapping narrators and point of views. Syjuco refers to newspaper articles, excerpts from a biography, blog posts replete with comments, popular jokes, and magazine interviews.

As a caveat (and possible spoiler), there's really no reason to try to string all the story lines together. The novel is made up of at once entertaining and at the same time profound parts that might not be worth summing up. The parts are better than the whole in this book's case.

For Filipino readers, many of the criticisms Syjuco fires against Filipino culture is somewhat familiar because many of the characters and events are parodies of actual people and situations. At times his observations come from an outsider's perspective, owing perhaps to the fact that Syjuco has been living away from the Philippines for years now.

If there's anything negative I can say about Ilustrado, there are many lines in the novel that I feel were just overwrought, bordering on the pretentious. I guess the writer is just overeager to show his skills, but that's my assumption.

Otherwise, the novel is an enjoyable read and, while not the best Filipino novel yet, is definitely a good addition to Philippine literature.

Shelf Life: The History of the Burgis

I meant to write this entry in time for the 112th Independence Day of Las Islas Filipinas last June 12, but I was caught up in a few things, so I'm making this pahabol entry.

Still it disturbs me that we mark our independence day on the declaration of the first Philippine republic in 1898 when in fact we were sold for a measly 20 million dollars by the Spanish to Uncle Sam, marking the start of fifty years of American colonization until it was formally granted to us in 1945.

Coincidentally, a few weeks before Independence Day, I stumbled upon a book called The History of the Burgis by Maril N. Francisco and Fe Maria Arriola (GCF Books, 1987). Burgis is the Filipino term for bourgeois and was for time used as a pejorative to describe the snootiness and crassness of the rich, nouveau riche, and even the middle class.

According to the authors, burgis as a label is both an economic condition and sensibility. A burgis lifestyle for instance can mean having disposable income for trips abroad or also a Westernized mindset that separates the burgis from the masa (masses).

The book's introduction mentioned that "[t]o understand the role of the burgis in our society, we need to take a good look at our history," after all, the burgis played a major role in the many upheavals in Philippine history. Our national hero, Jose Rizal, was clearly burgis as a member of the ilustrado class (the so-called "enlightened ones" who were educated in Europe). All of the Filipino presidents were burgis. And of course, the People Power movement that toppled Marcos was largely a middle-class revolution.

The History of the Burgis thus traces the evolution of the burgis: how they came about, their many incarnations, and their very profound impact on Philippine society (either as collaborators of the colonial governments or as instigators of change). The book has comics-style illustrations, deftly playing on the events and people that mark history, making it fun and easy to read (it's far from a hard-core history book).

What struck me most about the book is that while it was published in 1987 (fresh on the heels of the People Power revolution), and with the nearly quarter of a century since then, it is still undoubtedly relevant today. The oligarchs still rule Philippine politics and rob our country's coffers. Economic power still rests on the hands of the few. And most of the rich people continue to act blindly in the midst of glaring poverty in the cities and elsewhere.

The authors best say it: "Burgis is being removed from the realities of a developing country. It is being trapped in a First World consciousness while living in the Third World. It is ignorance and disinterest in how a nation's bounty can be shared by all of its citizens" (p. 14).

 

The Philippines remains essentially feudal and paternalistic and the sad thing about it is such system seems to persist and will continue to persist in the many generations to come. I honestly do not see our country changing for the better soon. Well, that's what a corrupt system breeds: cynicism.

While seriously treading dangerous waters here, it has crossed my mind why the Philippines is not going the direction Thailand's rural class just recently took. In fact, the income gap in the Philippines is much, much, much wider than Thailand. And maybe I can also safely imagine that corruption is way much worse in the Philippines, no?

 

I wonder if the Filipinos' relative freedom to express their political views help quell such a "revolution". In fact criticizing the government, "the system", and "the culture" has become a national past-time. Perhaps while corruption, injustice, and poverty prevail back home, we can always give a dirty finger to the bitch in Malacanang, hence, still tempering our discontent? I really don't know, but I should give that assumption much better thought.

At least with a culture that encourages criticism against the government and the elites, I still see a little bit of hope among the new generation of burgis. I noticed that there's quite a strong political consciousness among the educated class, especially in these days of easier exchange of information and views.

However, getting an example from the recent elections, the so-called "educated vote" remains right at the top, and their message failed to trickle down to the masses, thus explaining why half of the elected senators in last month's elections are movie actors. A huge gap does still exist in terms of making informed decisions (as an example) and unfortunately our dysfunctional educational system continues to fail the rest of the Filipinos.

So in the midst of all these gaps, there exists the masa and the burgis, the pesante (peasants) and the panginoong maylupa (landords), the uring manggagawa (working class) and the kapitalista (capitalists). What's obvious in the case of the Philippines is that such a system takes generations to change. Perhaps it's time we examine again the burgis in us?

Bangkok, why?

No one expected the seemingly peaceful demonstrations the red shirts started about three months ago would conclude with the unconscionable deaths of dozens of people, appalling damage to property, and, worst of all, an undeniably torn Thailand, the ramifications of which are foreseen to last for many years to come.

With the magnitude of what transpired in the past few months, in its wake is a hysteria of finger-pointing among the red shirts, government, yellow shirts, military, media, and casual observers. I doubt if an explanation would satisfy any of these parties, much less if justice would be served or whether a reasonable compromise would be reached at all. As of now, there are no clear winners and losers.

Having observed the events in Thailand not just in the past few months but over the nearly three years of my time here, I could not make my self take sides. It would be far more convenient if I can, but my sentiments vacillate between the many factions of the many opposing sides.

Perhaps in the first place there is no need to choose whose purported truth I should believe in. Just like most cases, there are no black and white in such chaotic episodes.

I just, however, need to take this off my chest. After the despicable events in the recent days, one of the many things that annoyed me is the number of people who expressed (such as in Facebook and Twitter) their dismay over the burning of Central World and who have vilified the people who did it. Some have even said that those who died deserved it after what they have done to their favorite shopping mall.

I certainly do not condone the arsonists' acts; and specifically in the case of Central World, the people who burned the mall should answer to the law (together with those who committed illegal acts during the demonstrations, both on the sides of the reds and the government). Also, clearly many people, mostly minimum-wage earners who work directly or indirectly for the mall, lost their jobs, and that is surely one tragic consequence.

While there are only a number of people, mainly Bangkokians, mourning the demise of Central World (as in the mall as a building), I'm still totally dumbfounded and furious at their insensitivity. For crying out loud, it's just a bloody mall! Nobody deserved to die just because you cannot shop, for heaven's sake.

Why would anyone feel so strongly for a cause that he'd want to die for it? Surely it's not just because he was paid to leave his farm and family to sit under the summer sun in the middle of Bangkok for a measly amount of money? Think of the larger picture, people. Look deeper into what prompted these demonstrations to begin with.

There, I just needed to say that.

Meanwhile, let me share what happened to me when all hell broke lose in BKK since late last week. Well, there's nothing much to say except that I live in a safe area, a few kilometers away from the virtual war zone that was central Bangkok.

On the other hand, Lara Stone's apartment was right in the middle of the violent clashes between the protesters (or terrorists as the government have since labeled them) and the police and military. So he headed to my place last Friday and stayed with me for roughly six days.

During that time, we stayed within my area, while in the distance, visible from my building, tall plumes of smoke from smoldering tires (and eventually buildings such as Central World) painted the Bangkok skyline gray for days.

Work was canceled for the entire week (although for some reason our office decided to open starting last Wednesday, the height of the crackdown).

We monitored the situation mostly through the online newspapers and Twitter (the latter being somewhat up to date and misleading at the same time). We are very much awestruck and repulsed at how the violence just spiraled out of control and hoped it would end soon.

And then last Wednesday evening the government started imposing a curfew, initially at 8 pm to 6 am. That afternoon we dropped by the backpacker haven of Khao San Road and most of the shops in the area were shuttered. I have never seen the mostly rowdy area absolutely desolate. We rushed back home, the tuktuk driving through empty streets.

My family was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok yesterday evening for a few days' holiday but I had to request them to reschedule their trip to a few days later because curfew (now 9 pm to 5 am) was imposed for another three days. So much for my mom celebrating her birthday here. Sayang!

Time for Change

Vote wisely, Philippines.

Look who's talking...

In the photos below, the multi-colored group holds a "demonstration against a demonstration" versus the red shirts. The photos are very telling of Thailand's social and political problems.

Photo credit: Cyrille Andres

Do you hear the people sing?

As some of you must've heard, there were a number of explosions in the business district of Bangkok last night, killing three and injuring scores of people who were probably just on their way home from work. This is yet another bloody episode in the ongoing political standoff between the red shirt protesters and the government, which has thrown some parts of Bangkok into a virtual war zone.

(Photo credit: Global Post)

At the moment, there's really no end in sight and everyone is just hoping that violence will be kept at a minimum, especially with another crackdown looming this weekend. It is obvious however that even if the reds get their way of a dissolution of the house, or the government finally getting rid of the reds, the political rifts in Thailand will not conveniently end either way.

The Bangkok Post has an insightful column today, written by Suranand Vejjajiva entitled No other option but to a deal to end conflict. The writer argues... 

But for a deal to be made, assumptions of the root causes of the problem must be agreed upon.

First the establishment must not view the red shirts as terrorists, or that they are nothing but former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's lackeys. A majority of them have real concerns and have identified their plight with the existence of injustice and double standards in the system. Democracy and the return of the 1997 constitution are not just political rhetoric. Economic opportunities that come with political freedom are what they yearn for.

The grassroots rural and urban poor who now sit and sleep on the hot concrete intersection surrounded by modern shopping malls and high-rise five-star hotels feel they have been taken advantage of for decades. Resources of the nation combined with their blood, sweat and tears have built tremendous wealth for the capitalists which has barely trickled back down except in the form of meagre wages.

 It's definitely refreshing to read something not anti-red from the English newspapers for once. Anyone reading The Nation for instance can clearly tell that it is flagrantly yellow through and through. In fact, I heard that the Thai media in general, especially during this tight political situation, had hardly been objective, making it difficult for outsiders like myself to find out what the real deal is.

It does not help of course that the government propaganda machine is in full force, such as these lies. This is worsened by the fact that there are just many things that cannot be discussed openly, otherwise the censors would block websites and TV stations.

Observers, including the media, are currently focusing on the Silom/Sala Daeng area, the most obvious clash-point between government forces and the protesters.

(Photo credit: Global Post)

(Photo credit: Thai-Blogs)

I saw the barricade in the Silom intersection a couple of days ago. A pile of tires, supported by bamboo scaffolding, covers the width of a wide avenue in central Bangkok. Men waving red flags sit atop the barricade while loud music blasts from the demonstration site. Across the street are the police in full riot gear. Hanging from their chests are pellets that can be used anytime against the mob.

The barricade looks like it's straight from a theater set. In fact, the first thought that came into my mind as I emerged from the subway to be greeted by such a dramatic sight was: Les Miserables. Not to undermine the cause of the red shirts, and the political standoff in general, the scene in Silom that morning was a sight to behold.

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

The Aftermath

And violence erupted in Bangkok once again. Twenty-one people are dead and scores are injured as the government decided to disperse the crowd in the old part of Bangkok.

Early in the afternoon of Saturday, the tension was already palpable. Riot police in full gear were gathering not far from the demonstrations and indeed some skirmishes took place near the UN building, with teargas and fire trucks supposedly used against the crowd. Reading this on the the internet, I thought it was as bad as it can get. For months now the demonstrations had rather been not violent.

Later in the afternoon, however, I noticed a couple of helicopters hovering above my area (again, I live not far from the main site of the protest). I also heard what sounded like firecrackers.

I learned much later on that the helicopters were dropping tear gas and that riot police fired rubber bullets at the crowd. The epicenter of the clashes was around the Democracy Monument as well as the tourist enclave of Khao San Road.

For the entire evening, I sat in front of the computer being fed mainly by Twitter updates of journalists, eyewitnesses, and tourists. It turned out to be a bloody confrontation between the government and the demonstrators, with deaths and injuries on both sides.

Within the evening, photos of the injured red shirts were posted on the internet. One young man had his head blown off. His corpse, along with another man, was brought to the main stage of the demonstration for everyone to see.

See one man's coverage of the violence in the videos below.




Last night, Bubbles, E, and I visited Khao San. Anyone who had been to Khao San before knows very well that as the center of cheap guesthouses in Bangkok, the area is always teeming with tourists. Backpackers from all over the world constantly spill over its streets and stalls of souvenirs, food, books, clothes cram the already crowded street in an atmosphere of blasting music and a cacophony of a dozen languages spoken by scruffy travelers.

What we found last night, however, was a relatively quiet street of shuttered stores and a few tourists drinking in the handful of bars that managed to stay open. It's definitely not the Khao San that we used to enjoy.

We walked all the way to the end of the road towards Dinsor Road intersection, one of the clash points last Saturday. A barricade was set there. The once 24-hour Burger King was closed, together with most of the businesses in the area. The street was unlit. Glass shards, wood, rocks, slippers, and shirts were strewn all over the place.

Going around the barricade, we came upon people gathering around what looked like two shrines (for lack of a better term) for the dead.I'm not sure if it was the actual site where two people died, but it was decked with candles, incense, food, shirts, flowers, and photos.

Around the intersection, barricades were still set up. Some of them were guarded by the red shirts. I even found this boy, perhaps not more than ten years old, armed with a baton and a shield.

As of today, the political impasse continues. So much uncertainty hangs in the air. As a resident of Bangkok, I could only hope that no further violence takes place. In spite of the staunch political convictions of the parties involved, the loss of lives is never justified.

Tomorrow, celebrations for the Buddhist New Year, or Songkran, officially starts. I wonder if anyone has the wherewithal for any festivity after the bloody turn of events.

Meanwhile, as everyone tries to escape from Bangkok for the week-long holidays, Bubbles and I are heading to Khmerlandia to meet the queen... Fuchsiaboy!

Into the Lair of the Reds

Anyone following the news about Thailand already knows that the red shirts have shown their force once again. Mostly coming from the rural areas of country, particularly the Northeast, the red shirts claim to represent the voice of the poor, hence, they are in Bangkok to express their discontent on their supposed economic, political, and social marginalization.

Last year, the red shirts also staged a three-month long demonstration that culminated in a violent clash with the military during the Songkran celebrations (Buddhist New Year around April). This time, however, since the three weeks that they started the rallies, they have been generally peaceful.

With the red shirts' violent record, the government is watching them very closely and is making sure that security measures are in place to protect civil offices close to where the demonstrations are. Most of the big roads surrounding the area have been blocked, causing massive rerouting and its corollary traffic congestion.

I'm not spared of the headache of the traffic issues because I live very close to the rally. These past three weeks had been dreadful, especially when I try to leave my area. The buses have stopped plying my neighborhood and only a few taxis brave this part of town. I'm basically at the mercy of the river boat, but its hours of operation are very limited.

Meanwhile, businesses are also complaining of the lower-than-expected number of customers because Bangkok residents choose to stay at home instead (the traffic had been totally dreadful and also there's always the threat of violence) and tourists are skipping Bangkok.

Because of my job, I will reserve my opinion on the whole political situation in Thailand, but I had been curious of the situation in the demonstration site, close to the Democracy Monument, which is just a few minutes' walk from my house. Lara Stone and I finally made the trip there last Saturday.

Above is Lara Stone in the flesh (gasp!) wearing a mask of Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled former Prime Minister of Thailand, who is supposedly orchestrating the whole red shirt demonstration. It's funny that Lara Stone wore yellow to visit the red shirts' lair. Yellow is the color of the anti-red shirt force. He got out of the demonstration alive, BTW.

We did not find an angry mob, instead the entire area had a festive atmosphere of people clad in red and raising clappers in the shape of a foot. They do occupy a large swath of the roads around the monument, with their main stage set close to the Golden Mount.

Because we went there late in the afternoon to early evening and because it was a weekend, there was quite a huge crowd. Loud music blasted from speakers spread all over the venue. Between songs were speeches by perhaps some movement leaders and regularly pierced by loud cheers from the crowd followed by the shrill explosion of the clappers. Again, it's a peaceful and even organized demonstration.

The latest is, the government, through the Prime Minister, held talks with the leaders of the red shirt movement yesterday. I've yet to update my self if there were agreements, but it seems there is still no end in sight for the demonstrations.

Judging from similar instances in the past, this recent wave of demonstrations and stand-ins could stretch many more weeks, perhaps even months. If there's anything we are thankful for at the moment, the rally had been generally in control.

WTF: Comelec says gay party 'immoral'

Report by Kristine Servando

abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.

MANILA - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday rejected Ang Ladlad for party-list accreditation on the grounds that the party advocates "sexual immorality" and "immoral doctrines."

Ang Ladlad is an organization of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT).

In a ruling dated November 11, the Comelec said that although the party presented proper documents and evidence for their accreditation, their petition is "dismissable on moral grounds."

Page 5 of the ruling states that Ang Ladlad's definition of the LGBT sector as a marginalized sector who are disadvantaged because of their sexual orientation "makes it crystal clear that the petitioner tolerates immorality which offends religious beliefs."

The document quotes passages from both the Bible and the Koran (taken from internet site www.bible.org) that describe homosexuality as "unseemly" or "transgressive."

The Comelec goes on to state that accrediting Ang Ladlad would pose risks for Filipino youth.

"Should this Commission grant the petition, we will be exposing our youth to an environment that does not conform to the teachings of our faith," the ruling stated.

'Gays are threats to youth'

This statement is followed by a quote by preacher Lehman Strauss published in a website saying "older practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth."

The Comelec said it is "not condemning" the LGBT community but "cannot compromise the well-being of a great number of people."

The document was signed by Commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer, Lucenito Tagle, and Elias Yusoph.

Ang Ladlad also applied for party-list accreditation in 2007, but was denied this due to the lack of regional membership in the Philippines.

'Painfully obsolete ideas'

Danton Remoto, President of Ang Ladlad, told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak in a phone interview that they will contest the Comelec ruling before the Supreme Court.

"This is a decision of painfully old men with painfully obsolete ideas on homosexuality. We are in the 21st century already, we are fighting for human rights. They do not know what they are talking about," he said.

Remoto, who taught literature at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University for over 20 years, criticized the Comelec's allegation that older homosexuals are threats to the youth.

"How would I have stayed in the country's premier exclusive Catholic school (Ateneo) if I were a threat to the youth?" he stated as an example.

He also took issue against the Comelec ruling's frequent citation of internet-sourced reports, saying that a legal document should at least use primary sourcing. Remoto said this spoke of "intellectual bankruptcy" among Comelec officials.

Remoto said that the Comelec ruling is offensive to the LGBT community and an insult to their human rights.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, however, said he does not consider the Comelec's dismissal of Ang Ladlad's petition for party-list accrediation as a human rights issue.

"They might bring it up because they might feel offended of being called immoral. In that case, it's their right to bring whatever action is deemed necessary," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak in a phone interview.

He added that the right to be voted for is not absolute and is subject to reasonable regulation.

Immoral institution?

Remoto also questioned the Comelec's decision to deny the party's accreditation based on moral and religious reasons since the Constitution provides for separation between the Church and State.

"Since when did the Comelec become a moral arbiter? The Comelec is a state institution, [it is] not the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines," he said.

"The Comelec has no right to make decisions on morality because it is not a moral or religious institution. It is a political institution, and hence, should confine itself to politics," Remoto added.

Jimenez said it is standard for the Comelec to consider what each party-list stands for before accrediting them.

He cited the case of the Samahang Magdalo, a reformist group led by detained mutineers, who were denied party-list accreditation on the grounds that they "advocated violence."

The Ang Ladlad is requesting help from the Ateneo Human Rights Center in filing a motion for reconsideration before the Comelec, before raising the issue to the Supreme Court, where Remoto believes the party may have "some hope."

All is not lost for Remoto and his crusade for LGBT rights, however, since he announced plans to run for Senator in 2010 "under a big political party." He will make a formal announcement in 2 weeks.

Should the Comelec approve his candidacy, he will be the first openly gay senatorial candidate in recent history.

Link from abs-cbnnews.com.

Magkaisa

As you must've heard by now, Las Islas Filipinas was ravaged by a typhoon last weekend with0 record-breaking rainfall causing severe flooding in Metro Manila and the neighboring cities. Pictures of people wading in deep, muddy water, or perching on the roof of their houses were splayed in newspapers all over the world these past days.

I only realized the extent of the damage when I checked Facebook last Saturday evening. Many of my friends stated on their status messages the situation of the flood. The updates just kept on pouring in (together with the heavy rains). Thank god all of my amigas are unaffected.

A few hours after the flood subsided, I was very pleased to see many status messages on Facebook urging volunteers to help in the relief operations. Some were posting telephone numbers of rescue groups and organizations that accept donations of food, clothing, medicines, water, and other necessities.

In the following days, some of my friends have volunteered in relief work. Some Filipino bloggers continue to call for more donations, especially from Filipinos overseas.

It's always heartening to see the compassion and sympathy of Filipinos for their fellowmen during trying times. With the many calamities we experience year in and year out, the outpouring of help from many concerned citizens has largely been consistent. In fact, in many instances in the past, only in these cases do I see Filipinos unite for a common cause.

Well, let me take that back because afterall we have had two bloodless revolutions that were mainly driven by "people power". These are the two prime examples that I could think of.

The recent death of Cory Aquino was also another hallmark of Filipino unity, which honestly surprised me. Not only were Filipinos united in grief, her death became a platform for national consolidation as well as the reawakening of national pride.

Indeed it is quite rare for me to see Filipinos having such a heightened sense of solidarity. We are not exactly the most patriotic lot and I will not go to such lengths as explaining that coz numerous comments have been written about it.

In many ways, we are fragmented country. Our sense of identity is mostly focused on which province, island, or clan you come from. I'm always tempted to compare the Filipino's nationalism with its neighbors in the region and the more I see of the latter the more I realize how flimsy Filipino nationalism is.

But then, maybe I'm wrong about my impression of our love for country because clearly the examples of volunteerism in Ketsana's wake and unity after Cory's death prove that we do have a sense of solidarity, although perhaps not under the same line as "traditional" nationalism (e.g. a strong national identity and pride).

What is troubling, however, about these show of fellowship and harmony is that these are rare. It takes some catastrophe to hit us or the demise of an established national symbol for us to get our act together.

When our lives get back to "normal" we soon forget that there are far more many causes that should bind us, primary of which is how to combat poverty, promote social justice and equity, and bring peace to Mindanao, among many others.

This clearly shows how tenuous Filipino unity is. I don't know why but we badly need to prove that we can build on the momentum of these rare, but nonetheless powerful, instances when we actually find a common cause.

In less than a year we would have to contend with the circus that is the national elections. Never are we so good at showing how fragmented we exactly are than during the elections. Good god, even just thinking about it now drives me insane and depressed. Seriously. I'm always tempted to slit my wrists instead!

I'm beginning to think that we're a schizophrenic country. We perennially live in contradictions, lack of logic, and delusions.

Well, I wish I can end this post on a more hopeful note. God, I'm trying. Should explain why I hardly write about politics; make that one post a year. Maybe I should stop altogether until something more positive comes up soon.

Oh, ironically, tomorrow I'm heading to the Philippine embassy to renew my passport.

To lift my mood from my political gloom, tomorrow I'd also leave for an island getaway with the primera Pinay socialites of BangCock, namely Liwayway and Bubbles.

Enough of politics for now (maybe forever). Campiness shall resume next week.

Black Songkran

I'm alive, bitches. No, I wasn't caught in the crossfire between the military and the red shirts. Gosh, that would've made a more exciting story, chai mai?

But really, we just lost our internet connection for five days. Nothing serious about it.

I know this update is really late. By now we all know that the melee in Bangkok in the past few days reached a relatively peaceful conclusion... at least for now, no?

Anyway, I took some pictures of the red-shirt protesters in front of Siam Paragon last Sunday. It was just another ordinary afternoon, few people were milling around Siam coz Songkran Festival was starting the next day.

I was watching a film in Lido and when I came out I stumbled into a couple of tanks in the middle of Rama 1 Road. On top of the tanks were the red-shirt protesters, waving flags and cheering. Later on I heard that the military left the tanks when it appeared that the reds were going to overpower them.

Curious onlookers were jamming the walkway between Siam Paragon and Central World. Many were taking pictures, and, more than anything, I could sense only fascination among the crowd.

Normally people would be fazed by the sight of tanks in the middle of the city, especially when an angry mob is surrounding them. But no, the people were mostly just taking it in stride and instead took pictures of the protesters like the latter were celebrities or something.

The next day, the chaos in Bangkok reached its peak. Dozens and dozens of buses were blocking the thoroughfares in many areas of the city. The epicenter of the road blocks was the Government House, two streets from where I live.

Because the clashes between the police and the mob had escalated later in the day, the Songkran festivities in nearby Khao San Road were cut short.

Later in the afternoon, from the top of the building where I live, we saw black smoke billowing around the area of the Government House. Apparently, the mob torched many of the buses that were used to block the road, mainly to drive away the riot police and the military. The smell of burning rubber wafted in the air. We could also hear faint explosions.

It definitely looked like doomsday, something that we can only see in Hollywood movies for instance.

While all this was happening, we could hear loud music from the neighbors. They were engrossed in their Songkran celebrations, oblivious to the chaos just nearby. Kids shrieked as they splashed water on each other and on passersby. Men sat around tables brimming with whiskey bottles.

The next day, the red-shirts decided to stop the rioting, leave the protest site, and go back home. Just like that.

The malls reopened shortly thereafter.

Yesterday, the last day of Songrkan, people made up for lost time. I heard that the revelry in Khao San and Silom went full blast and extended all the way to three in the morning today. Oh, today and tomorrow were declared as holidays for government employees, that makes a total of ten days without work for some people.

Hay, I'm sooooooo relieved this is over. Or maybe not. Let's see what happens in the next few days. But for now, Bangkokians are just happy to reclaim its city.

The Reds Drop By

Oh la la, I just arrived in sweltering BangCock after having been crowned Miss Chenelyn Boom-Boom 2009 in Phuket earlier this week.

And who do I find welcoming me right at my doorstep but swarms and swarms of them lovely people in red shirts.

Gosh, I could not be more flattered than this. I have never, and I mean never, before been welcomed in such epic proportions.

But no. Apparently those lovely folks, who put on a standstill blocks and blocks of the area surrounding my building, are not here for my homecoming.

The red mob, as what these supremely passionate people are called, are here for a humongous political demonstration - or whatever you call these events.

This is part of the continuing saga of political rifts happening in Thailand for years now. If you remember, our spotless Suvarnabhumi Airport was occupied by the rival yellow mob last November, which I wrote about here and here.

Now it's the turn of the opposing red mob, who for the past weeks have camped in front of the Government House. Yes, that's the same building that the yellow mob invaded for a number of months last year.

But aside from the Government House, the red mob also moved to our area this morning to voice out their concerns to one of my neighbors, a rather long-standing and prominent figure in Thai politics. Reportedly there were thousands of them around.

I'd save you the details of the political circus in this country, ok? What do I know of it anyway? I recommend you check the BBC instead.

The point is, this afternoon I walked in the midst of the crowd on my way from the airport. The tuk-tuk could not bring me right into my soi (alley) as the streets had been blocked. When I reached the canal I had to carry my luggage all the way to my soi. Imagine!

What else is there to do but take pictures, chai mai?

Thank God them red shirts have not turned violent yet and I certainly hope they stay that way. Instead, I found some makeshift stage with a man spewing what sounded like political attacks and the crowd sitting on the ground would regularly cheer using their clappers in the shape of a foot.

Gosh, how do I explain the uniqueness of Thai protests?

The rest of the crowd looked exhausted, perhaps from too much shouting, but most probably from the oppressive summer heat. They honestly look bored sitting on mats they laid in the middle of the pavement. Many were even taking their afternoon siesta or munching on some snacks, totally oblivious of the political speeches broadcast from large speakers.

A large crowed were in my soi but the highest concentration of protesters were in front of my controversial neighbor, not less than 150 meters from my building.

As I type this tonight, I could still faintly hear the speeches and shouting of the protesters. I wonder if they'd leave tomorrow or perhaps at least for the Songkran Festival, the Buddhist New Year.

They have disrupted our lives for so long na ha. Hay, this is not funny anymore, I swear.

Shelf Life: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

I heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao through a guy I was MSNing with. A few days later I found it in the racks of the second-hand bookstores in Khao San Road.

It's the kind of book whose language lingers in your head long after you finished it. Author Junot Diaz uses a mix of ghetto English and Spanish and the colloquialism injects a burst of verve for such a tragic novel.

With a theme akin to magical realism, one can almost put him under the category of Isabelle Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez but the language the author uses gives this Pulitzer Prize-winning piece more edge and spunk. The book jumps from one time frame to another, using a mishmash of writing styles, with a consistent angsty and cocky tone.

The main character, Oscar Wao, is an overweight geek raised by his mother, Beli, who has long left the Dominican Republic. She settles in New Jersey together with Oscar and her daughter, Lola. The novel unravels the unfortunate fate of Beli, Lola (to a certain extent), and eventually Oscar Wao himself. Their shared disastrous lives, which spans generations before them, is brought upon by fuku, believed to be a curse of sorts, "specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World".

Woven into the story of Oscar Wao's family is that dark period of Dominican history (replete with numerous and lengthy footnotes), namely the reign of terror of infamous dictator, Trujillo, perhaps the worst fuku that befell the country. (Any Pinoy quite familiar with our own Marcos would find the events in the story a bit familiar.)

If anything, the book is a hysterical observation of the social and political madness of a banana republic and the lives it shapes.

P.S. For you people who bother to celebrate the holidays, this book would be a wonderful choice for a gift instead of a bleeding scented candle or an angel figurine, for Christ's sake!

To My Publique...

Ugh... I'm swamped with calls, text messages, emails, etc, etc, from my adoring pulique, requesting updates about my well-being. I'm sorry if I haven't been able to reply to your overwhelming concern, but really, I've been stuck in a three-day international conference on the importance of sunblock and eyecream in your daily routine where I was keynote speaker.

So to pacify my people, I want to make a publique statement that yes, I'm as still fabulous as ever. I cannot be fazed by the current occupation of the airports in BangCock. And no, I'm not joining the rally, simply because yellow does not suit my skin tone.

The restive mood is palpable in the city indeed, but it's not my issue.

My issue is... I ran out of moisturizer yesterday. And with hardly any cabs going around the city the past two days I cannot go to my favorite high-end mall to get Creme de la Mer. Why can't Seven Eleven carry them on their shelves? Ugh. And well, my weekend trip to Maldives has to be re-scheduled. My God, I cannot even plan for my weekend anymore because of this instability in BKK. What would Silom be without me? And, and, and, there's this big, big sale this weekend. Sigh. The list of inconveniences this yellow-clad mob has brought on me is getting longer ha.

Well, the point is... I'm ok, dry skin and all.

Not Here, Dear

If anybody noticed, I've refused to write about politics for the longest time now. Ugh, why should I pay attention to it when there are more compelling and urgent things to write about, like, I don't know, shopping for instance? Besides, I don't dare comment on the political situation of Thailand coz I don't (or refuse to) know much about it, not to mention that politics annoys the hell out of me (especially the politics back in Las Islas Filipinas).

But then, anybody who watches the news or reads the papers would know what a mess politics in Thailand has become of late. Ugh, such a long, convoluted story, you might as well check CNN or BBC for that. Or for a more local perspective, check Bangkok Pundit or Absolutely Bangkok.

So why this post on Thai politics now? Well, the epicenter of the demonstrations or protest rallies (a.k.a. "militanteng grupo" in Las Islas Filipinas), the Government House in particular, is just a couple of blocks from my office/house. And they've practically encamped in the said place for four months now. Yes, dahling, four bleeding months; prompting the police to block the surrounding streets. Bangkok's traffic is dreadful as it is, can you think how worse it can get when major thoroughfares are sealed?

To be blunt about it, I couldn't care less what the protesters are crying for but they can bring their demonstrations any where else but in my bloody backyard. Di na sila nakakatuwa ha. For four months now I've been enduring despicable road congestions and traffic rerouting. Can you imagine its heavy toll on my social-climbing and whoring agenda? Ugh.

Things reached a boiling point this week when the protesters moved to the Parliament House. Of course the police has to disperse them. A full-blown collision ensued, resulting to two deaths and 400 injuries, among other damages. The many civil offices that surround my area had to suspend work last Tuesday and yesterday (so I had an instant holiday that I spent whoring around, but work is back today).

With this escalating violence more roads in our area had to be shut. On my way back home last night, the cab had to take a circuitous route, which took me to the actual site where blood spilled just a day before. Surprisingly the area is as serene as it can get.

The political impasse continues however. I learned from my colleague today that the protesters went back to the Government House, which they occupied some months ago (ironically, the Prime Minister is temporarily holding office at the city's old airport).

I wish I can care more for the politics here, but honestly I'm not the least interested. I just wish the protesters can leave my area as soon as they can coz honestly they are not making my life any better.

There, I just needed to release that. Bow.

Photo credit: (1) Reuters (2) Telegraph (3) BBC

Ballot Box

In about two weeks millions of Filipinos would troop to voting precincts for the midterm elections. The campaign period had been a protracted orgy of mudslinging, odious shifting of allegiances, and absurd (not to mention expensive) campaign extravaganzas. For the impoverished Filipino, the elections is that occasional time in his life when politicians actually give him attention in the hope of getting his precious vote.

After the melee of the elections, when the victors emerge and the losers bemoan that they were cheated, the poor would be lucky to ever see again the very same people who pledged to fight for their cause. The politicians strap themselves in the Senate or Congress while squandering the people's money and occasionally participating in more mudslinging just to seem relevant until the next elections come along. It's a vile cycle.

So far I've only voted twice, in 1998 and 2001. After which, I did not bother to step in another voting center again. For one, there's really no good choice of candidates. Second, and in the slim likelihood that there'd be some candidate worth voting for, I have no assurance that my vote would be honestly counted anyway (refer to the Hello Garci scandal). Third, if my vote for a particular candidate were actually counted and he/she wins, it would be a matter time before he/she is sucked by the system (think Loren Legarda).

I realized however that this is exactly the kind of apathy that has been further pushing our country to breakdown. A large portion of people has simply given up, content of watching Filipinos being swallowed by the quagmire. Unfortunately I think I am part of that disenchanted lot. Really, I wish I had the wherewithal to take part in anything that at least would give this country some hope. Isn't doing nothing just as bad? Because between me, who is fast becoming a politically jaded prick, and the politicians, who is more heinous?