UPDATE. UPDATE. UPDATE.

I received some interesting messages recently:

The first was this from some girl named A*****:
Subject: Paul VI Was Right

A response to: Under the Influence of Contraception
In his book, "Morals for Lay People" (1950s), Father Birngruber wrote: If artificial contraception becomes widely accepted, abortion on demand will follow as a natural consequence. We should continually remind people how right Pope Paul VI and the Catholic Church has been about the terrible consequences of artificial contraception. We need the data at our fingertips, e.g. the divorce rate among those who practice Natural Family Planning is miniscule. Not so with those who use condoms and chemicals.

David A. Hogg

To which I replied:

STOP SENDING YOUR CATHOLIC DOGMA TO ME. I AM A CATHOLIC BUT YOUR VIEWS ARE MYOPIC AND I'M SORRY...JUST PLAIN WRONG. PASS THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL NOW!! JOIN THE CAUSE.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE:
http://www.petitiononline.com/rhan2008/petition.html

Then she wrote back:

"I am praying for you everyday that someday you will realize what you are saying is not true."

a***** d*l*c***

Well, unfortunately for this poor misinformed self-righteous lady who doesnt' realize that contraception IS NOT ABORTION, I also received this text a few days ago from my friend Beth Angsioco who is a leading light in this advocacy:

"Today is a historic day for RH advocates, The HOR session (in Congres) saw the sponsorship speeches of Representatives Lagman and Garin on the RH bill after more than ten years of unrelenting advocacy work. Sponsorship speeches shall continue next week after which the debate shall continue. Rep. Lagman says that this is the start of the irreversible process of approving the bill."

Nevertheless, good news aside, a lot of work still needs to be done to show Congress that there is massive public support for this bill. Over 90%, if Pulse Asia is to be believed. Apparently, even the president secretly supports this bill.

So please, if you can, sign the petition above (or better yet, sign the hardcopy petition itself - I can send you copies to bring around your neighborhoods). Or join the plenary hall session (M-W 4pm onwards) to show your support. You can contact Mags Lopez at lopezmags@yahoo.com to see how you can volunteer in Congress.

Don't allow the Catholic Church to use heavy handed tactics to get their way again. The separation of Church and State in this country is in the constitution. Don't let them drag us back into the days of Noli Me Tangere again.

Remember, the bad guy was Padre Damaso.

HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY!

I'm sick again. Gosh. I have no idea what the hell is going on with my immune system. Just yesterday, I lost my voice and had to cancel my hosting at the Amorsolo Festival Opening Night at the Shangri-La Hotel. Right on the heels of my last cancellation at the Palanca Awards. My doctor told me that I'm working myself to the ground. I really need to take a long break and let my body heal.

But nevertheless, at least now I'm given downtime in bed to finally post the entries for my Unbearable Lightness of Being Bakya Contest sponsored by HAPPY FEET! Here are a few samples of what some folks out there consider as "bakya".

Swimming in T-shirts: Bakya

Bringing your own rice cooker on your travels: Bakya.


Datu Puti Vinegar Commercials: Veery Bakya.

Drinking softdrinks/sago-gulaman in plastic bags: Soooo bakya. Guys with one long nail (usually yung hinliliit or pinky): Not sure if it's in the "cute" bakya category or "kadiri" category. But them both together, and it's a double whammy bakya moment.

Wearing socks with slippers, and if the slippers are heeled slippers: Triple Bakya.

Making boso: Bakya. (I think it's more "bastos" than anything else, actually)

Puns and Copyright infringement: Apparently bakya.

Cheesy poses are also very Bakya. Especially when done in a public place.

Here are the written entries:
-Malalaking lata ng biscuit na dinadala ng mga pauwi sa probinsya. (The big cans of biskwit that people bring on buses back to the province.
-Sofa sets covered in plastic for posterity
-Plastic flowers, especially when they have gathered the dust of the centuries. Flowers are meant to wither after their expiry date, oy.
- A rainforest of plastic plants and trees as office decor.
- That blinking cell phone borloloy. Aren't the bars enough indicator of how strong the signal is?
- Cheap dashboard decors of the day, the ones that everybody else has
- Moviestar adulation to the point of using his/her cutout pics as bedroom wallpaper
- Asking a movie star's autograph or minding him/her when the celeb is trying very hard to melt in the crowd
- Many Manila's streetlamps, especially those that have lost all sense of proportion.
- Demolition of defining art/architecture and historical heritage sites, then replacing them with high-rises with terrible architecture.
- War and terror as a means to resolve disagreement.
- PR stuff passed off as news.
- Media content that's 90% PR. Repeat after me: Nobody reads PR stuff. (Not the fault of PR writers, though.)
- Giant billboards with certainly unattractive faces. If you decide to invade our public spaces, be sure you look either really gorgeous or holy enough to be adored as god/God/someone godly.
- Tabloids that thrive on nothing but porn, plain tsismis, and other pure forms of sleaze.
- Overdone 'kulots' in singing ballads.
- Fair and brown-skinned ladies who are pug-nosed and bleach their hair blond.
- Polyester barong. No explanations necessary.
- Inserting an incongruous 'h' in one's name to make it sound more foreign and even more foolish. Examples: Romy --> Rhomy. Michael --> Michaehl. You're not Portuguese.
- Not falling in line
- Throwing one's trash in the street.
- Living off other people's misery.
- Show biz personalities who enter politics armed with nothing but little knowledge, skill, and suspicious motives.
And all the rest written here:

Well, so far, these are the entries I have received, I have extended the deadline to October 1, 2008. Hope to get more entries this week. Cheers!

CIVILITY ON THE ISLAND OF HELENA...

Mangenguey Island. Now say it fast seven times. I know. It’s a mouthful. And it’s pronounced Man-gen-gey. All hard G’s.

Set in the westernmost end of the Calamianes Islands in Palawan, Mangenguey Island (formerly known as Treasure Island) is the brainchild of my friend Katya’s mother, Helena Carratala Mander, known by most as Helena Guerrero of the iconic 70’s Filipino fashion label Azabache.

Truth be told, when she first told me about creating a membership-only Artist’s Utopia three years ago, I just couldn’t visualize it. It sounded too abstract, too idealistic, and too impossible. I just didn’t seem to get it. And finally, after months of waffling, I finally accepted Helena’s invitation to check out Mangenguey.

And after a hour long journey to Coron, and an hour-long banka ride, my friend Ria and I finally arrived on the island of Helena. And what a world it was.

It was a world where I could wake up to fresh coconut juice from the tree outside my window. (above).

It was a place where I could take long banka rides to small quaint towns and read books by the seaside (below).

And for an attention deficient individual like myself, the cathedrals, plazas, restaurants – well, make that restaurant - and leprosy museum on the island of Culion nearby provided stimuli at a very relaxed pace (above).

Even the luxury of having long lunch conversations with Ria and Helena (above) and having the time to finish reading Ambeth Ocampo's Rizal's Overcoat were indulgences comparable to sipping Cava at sunset - which we also did. Really, my only issues were about figuring out what I could do constructively to kill time between dinners of grilled quail and artichokes. I only problems I had were luxury ones.

And four days later, as I sailed back through Jewelmer’s pearl farm buoys on my way towards Coron, it seemed like I was floating through a broken necklace of black pearls strewn across the South China Sea (above). It was a perfect metaphors for a gem of an island and a developing artist’s utopia.

I finally got it.

Read about her vision here: www.mangueguey.com

BACK IN THE GROOVE...

I'm back in the pink of health. And man, did it take a while. After a full week of rest, steroids, anti-biotics, paracetamol, peipakua, African sea coconut tonic, and a trip to Corregidor to recuperate, my voice is back and the infections and fevers are gone. A million thanks to everyone out there who sent me their best wishes.

I did notice, however, while on a trip downtown to Ongpin to buy medicine, that there is construction activity going on at the former Citibank headquarters by the Pasig River. It seems that the broken windows have all been removed and some scaffolding put around the ground floor. Now, is this a good sign or not? After surviving World War II and "development" for the last eighty years or so (below in the 1920's and 1950's), I hope they aren't going to tear the poor thing down like both the Deluxe and Avenue theaters.

Hopefully, the Citibank building will go the way of the Philtrust Building on Plaza Moraga, which is now being restored and repainted to it's former glory. I can't wait to see what the result will be like. I never liked Philtrust and it's owner Don Emilio Yap's attitude towards heritage structures (his defacement and desecration of the Manila Hotel is simply criminal) but this project, I'll give him props for.

Give me a little time to get back on track with the blog though. I shall be posting the winners of the HAPPY FEET contest in the next few days.

Cheers folks.

AND NOW FOR A LITTLE BREAK...

I am sick once again. Apparently, my throat is in the worst shape it's ever been.  My vocal chords are shot to all hell and I am taking a regimen of mild steroids and anti-biotics to bring down the inflammation and fever. The doctor says it's exhaustion.  So, I'm not answering my phone, I'm going to drink ginger tea all day and I cancelled all tours in order to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the week.  

And my apologies to all out there who were on my blogroll. I erased everyone on my blogroll. I am only checking blogs that are on my computer bookmarks.  Nothing personal.  I just don't like announcing to anyone who I read anymore.

SO COOL...SO CARLOS...SOFITEL

SO COOL! SO...SO COOL!

By popular demand, I have created a much more affordable weekend package for those wishing to experience a Manila weekend my way but don't have half a million pesoses to drop. The "So Cool...So Carlos...So Sofitel" program is available starting in September when I will be doing CCP and Intramuros tours on a regular basis every Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Now there ain't no yacht cruise for this one, but it's still the most chic package you can get in our ever eternal city, take my word for it.

And this is the deal:
Acommodation for two (2) in a Luxury Club Room
Private lounge with personalized service by the Club Concierge and Butler
Express check-in and check-out
Complimentary Broadband Internet Connection In-Room
15-minute Internet access at the Executive Club Lounge
Cocktails from 6:00PM to 10:00PM at Executive Club Lounge
Buffet breakfast served in the Executive Club Lounge from 6:00AM to 10:00AM
or at the Spiral Interactive Restaurant
Two-hour use of the Club Conference Room
Bottle of wine to be served in-room
Fresh tropical fruits in your room, replenished daily
Complimentary Local Calls
Free pressing of one (1) set of suit upon arrival
Complimentary access to SoFit Gym
LeSpa Massage for 2 persons
10% discount on other LeSpa Services
Cocktails at LeBar for 2 persons
Dinner for 2 persons at the Sunset Barbeque
with cultural dance show
Chauffeured BMW Series 5 for 3 hours

Choice of:
Imelda Tour of the CCP Complex
(Saturdays, 2:30pm - Meet at Little Theatre of the CCP)
or Intramuros Tour
(Sundays, 9:00am - Meet at Fort Santiago Gate)

Only Php31,970.90

And if you are insisting upon a better deal, well...
There are also Superior Rooms Available at Php19,963.00
Luxury Club Sofitel Room at Php22,370.90
and Sofitel Suite at Php28,389.32

Email or call/text Christine
at 0920 9009143 or dos@sofitelmanila.com
for more details about each package.

So...see you there!

TAKA MUNA... TAKA LOOK AT THIS!

My friend Mitzie is president of an NGO called Manlilikha.org. A not-for-profit organization that supports heritage preservation, local artisans, crafts promotion, and the appreciation of local Philippine crafts culture. As part of their fundraising efforts they are doing a project called 100 Taka, 100 Katao - a project where artists, artisans, and semi/legitimate celebrities take a "Taka", which is a traditional Paete papier mache figurine and dress it up to publish in a book and sell at a fundraising auction.

The above taka is my contribution to the project. It's called "Fashion Victim - Mura Kami". I took a traditional Taka maiden and collaged "Louie Butiong" logos all over it. If you look at it closely, I've switched all the LVs to FVs. Wala lang. It's just a statement about today's culture of blind consumerism and the cult that it can create. Do the clothes wear us or do we wear the clothes? I'm sure some fashionista friends of mine out there can relate. I'm sure they all know some brand-conscious parvenu out there who has clawed their way into the latest must-haves of the season only to render it lifeless once they wear it.

Close-ups below:

My friend Cathy Young, who designed my logo, helped me out with this Taka.

Check out Manlilikha's website here. Check out their cool crafts tours and the other Takas. Some of them done by artists like Lena Cobangbang, Elmer Borlongan, MM Yu, and Louie Cordero. Writers and musicians like Bayang Barrios, Jessica Zafra, and Lourd De Veyra have also designed takas for them, as well as fashion folk like Kate Torralba and random politicians like Loren Legarda (wha?).

Be sure to attend their fundraiser and buy a taka for charity too.

Exhibition opening and book launching
Friday, 5 September 2008, 4pm

Exhibition and auction closing
Saturday, 20 September 2008, 4pm

Sala'am Conference Room, Romulo Hall of the Asian Center
R. Magsaysay corner Guerrero Road, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Call/Text: 927 8749098 if you have any inquiries.

HOME SWEET HOME...

Yahoo...I did it. I finally have a foothold in the walled city. I always dreamed of having a space inside Intramuros to call my own. For years and years, I have wandered about the city's narrow streets looking for a place where I can just hang out and drink in the ambience. But all the places I checked out were either too expensive and/or in a deplorable state. But now, after years and years of searching and waiting and dealing with the ridiculous government bidding system, I finally found a place to lay my head inbetween tours. And it's in a perfect spot, right inside the Plaza San Luis compound in front of San Agustin Church. Check out my new digs. This is the view from my window (above).

This is the view from my door. It isn't big. It's around 25 square meters including the bathroom.

This is the view looking towards the door and San Agustin Church.

This is the stairs leading down into the toilet and shower.

The view from the courtyard looking up at my window. It's amazing, if I may say so myself. But then again, the old adage does kinda ring true for me right now. Be afraid of what you wish for. Because now that I have it. What do I do with it?

Stay tuned. I'll think up something soon.

LET'S SEE...

I received this in the mail today from a friend of mine who is works at a Reproductive Health NGO. It seems that she put up a signature campaign online just to prove to congress that there are Filipinos out there who believe that the Reproductive Health Bill should be passed:

To: Philippine Congress

We are seriously disturbed that more than 10 Filipino women die every day due to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. The big majority of those who die are poor women at the prime of their lives.

We are alarmed that 29 out of 1,000 infants die due to various sickness and illnesses that are preventable and curable.

We are troubled that 4.9 million Filipino youth, aged 15-27 are sexually active but programs that would ensure their safety and help them become more responsible in dealing with their sexuality and relationships are severely lacking. Especially worrisome is the fact that 1 out of 5 female teenagers get pregnant before they reach their 20th birthday.

These are just a few of the problems in the midst of the ongoing economic crisis, escalating poverty, and the ever-increasing prices of basic commodities and services. Moreover, the Philippine population grows unabated with almost 2 million individuals added every year. Researches consistently show that poverty is more prevalent among big families compared to smaller ones.

The acute lack of services and information regarding reproductive health:

* results in the untimely death of women and children;
* is the reason why our youth are largely unprepared to deal with matters pertaining to their sexuality and relationships; and
* exacerbates the effects of economic crisis and poverty on millions of ordinary Filipinos, especially those with big families.

We believe that Filipinos, particularly the poor, urgently need access to information and services that will address their reproductive health needs.

We believe that a rights-based, comprehensive, and responsive reproductive health law will help empower Filipinos to achieve a better quality of life.

We firmly believe that the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill into law will help actualize people's, especially women's rights to make informed decisions.

Therefore, we call on our legislators to pass the Reproductive Health Bill into law now.

Sincerely,

FILL IN THE BLANK

And frankly, I was surprised that there were only 185 names on the list! C'mon. I think that there are far more Filipinos out there who think that this bill should be passed.

So go sign the petition here:

Let's see what our numbers really are.

THE RUINS OF MY MEMORY...

Back in 1992, when I was a long haired, tie-dyed Island Spice T-Shirt wearing pseudo leftist, I ran away to Baguio to escape my bourgeois Makati upbringing. Right in the middle of my sophomore year in the UP Diliman Fine Arts Department, I pocketed the tuition fee my father gave me (all Php2,800.00 of it), dropped out of school and moved to Baguio to work as an intern for the artists Santi Bose and BenCab.

It was such a liberating time of my life. I spent a full year just making rubbercut prints, chopping sticks, cleaning brushes, hanging out with artists, and walking through the empty, cool streets of a post-earthquake and pre-SM Baguio City. And through that year, it was the Cafe By the Ruins where I would run to when looking for a place to center myself. It's indigenous, eco-friendly architecture (totally ahead of it's time), homegrown greens, and dishes like Amapola Salad and Gado-gado capped with a shot of Tapuy (rice wine) became the icons and images that I associated with fine artsy Baguio Living. I would just hang there for hours, reading magazines, sketching in my book, or having fireside chats around their Dap-Ay.

It goes without saying that I learned a lot from hanging out at the Cafe and I am who I am today from what I learned from people that I met there.

And having said that, I'm so glad that the Cafe is still around and that people are sharing their memories about it. On August 23, join Laida Lim, Lia Llamado, and Feliz Perez for the launch of Cafe By The Ruins: Memories and Recipes. It will be held at the same location where they have been for the last thirty years, 23 Chuntug St. at 4:30 PM. And if you can't make it to the Baguio launch, go to the one in Rockwell on the 28th of August at the National Bookstore in the Archeology area.