ANG ALAMAT NG LIHAM NA NILUNOD SA INODORO

Ewan
kung napansin mong
kulay asul ang luhang kumatas
mula sa sulat na matapos mong lamukusin
ay nilunod sa inodoro ng ‘sang tabong tubig
at kumitil sa lagablab ng murang pag-ibig.

Marahil
may tilamsik na umalpas
gumapang, dumikit sa ‘yong balat
mantsang nangati at kailangang kamutin
dalawamput-isang taon matapos mong lukutin
at 6,772 milyahe mula kung saan ito inilibing.

Baka lang
sa limang oras na inumit
ang nalusaw na talata’y bumalik,
dumuyan sa iyong karinyo at lambing
at sa maligamgam na tsaa at kape’y ipagbunyi
ang panghihinayang at kinimkim na pananabik.

Siguro
ang bakas na iniwan sa aking puso,
at anino mong kumipkip sa aking braso
ang aaruga sa dighay ng masakit na puson
at ang marahil ay una at huling pahimakas nito
sa ala-ala ng sulat na inilibing sa inodoro.

AWIT NG ANAK-LUPA

Ang sumusunod ay akda ni Shubert Ciencia na nilapitan ng musika ni Nine Alcanzare para sa palabas ng LAHAR-GL noong 1993 sa CLSU.

MAGSASAKA:
Oo, tayo’y anak pawis
Sa araw at putik amoy panis
PInanday tayong mga lilik
Upang ang mundo’y ipaggiik

Huwag mong naising ipagpalit
Ang pamana sa pangarap na pilit
Ito’ng tumighaw sa dalit
Ng mga anak ng diyos na iniibig

Mabigat man ang araro at lubid
Madawag ang damo sa bukid
Lupa’y di dapat lisanin
Ito ang nagsilang sa mga bituin

AYTA:
May tuwa at galak na pagmasdan
Mga biyayang sa ati’y inilaan
Mga salagubang na nagliliparan
At papayang nagyayabangan

Kaydaming pangil, sungay at pakpak
Nakikipagtaguan sa mga bayawak
Namamahay sa mga puno at lungga
Tinutukso mga mangangaso ni Bathala

Apo Mallari, maraming salamat
Sa handog mong buhay at alamat
Lupang nagsilang sa lipi mong mahal
Binhi ng buhay na aming binubungkal

KID BUNTAL (15 Oct. 1932 - 04 Feb. 2001)

Kid Buntal as a young student in Manila perhaps at the Far Eastern University where Auntie Angeling said he did college. He would always tell us later that he tried being a lawyer. He wanted me to become one too.

Kid Buntal sings with his left foot and definitely cannot play the guitar. This is probably a posed shot, perhaps with one of the many girlfriends he told us. Can’t blame him, he’s ruggedly handsome.

Kid Buntal always take us to the beaches when we were growing up in Mapandan, Pangasinan. Those were the age of youthful innocence and great joy. We were poorer than rich. But we were happy. Mom wrote a caption under this photo saying it was taken at the Blue Beach. Can’t find that place now though.

Mom quit her teaching job and went to work in Singapore. Kid Buntal quit too and went back home in Almaguer. We stayed in a small hut and for the first time away from the shadows of schools and churches. That’s when the angels left.

Kid Buntal and Mom’s last photo alive and together during my eldest niece’s second birthday in Bambang. On that niece’s fourth birthday in the same house, Kid Buntal dropped a rolled 500 peso bill I gave him during a visit to Almaguer. As he stooped down to pick it, his third heart attack came swift and deadly.

WAT-ching Thailand 3: The Elephant in the Room

“There is an elephant in the room!”

The pretty Venezuelan negotiator is referring to the United States --- a country who did not sign the Kyoto Protocol but is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change --- and its refusal to commit in reducing domestic green house gas emissions by at least 40% in 2020 from 1990 levels, and provide financing to help vulnerable countries in their adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of climate change.

Ambassador Lumumba D’Aping of Sudan who chairs the Group of 77 and China bloc said that the US wants to kill the Kyoto Protocol and replace it with a less ambitious and non-binding international treaty. But the G77 and China, the Least Developing Countries bloc, the Africa Group, and the Alliance of Small Island States insist that there is no other mandate for negotiations than the Kyoto Protocol.

Perhaps the US is wary of the Kyoto Protocol that will bind it to a historical responsibility in polluting the atmosphere which spawned global warning and caused climate change. But polluters should pay and rightly so.

With the US stalling, the European Union --- erstwhile champion of the Kyoto Protocol --- wavered and toed its big brother’s line. Big brother and small brother did not budge despite Japan’s announcement that it is increasing its green house gas emission reduction target to 25% followed by Norway’s commitment to a 40% target.

As the 2009 Bangkok Climate Change Talks talks broke down, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos count their dead from an unprecedented storm many said is a tangible example of the impact of climate change. And as if in protest, the earth shuddered perhaps in anger leaving thousands more dead in a violent swath of earthquakes and a tsunami.


The battle lines between the developed/rich countries and the developing and least developed countries were clearly drawn by the end of the talks. The elephant has squeezed itself into the room.

“Yesterday’s land grab, modern day’s sky grab”. Thus ended Venezuela’s intervention and an indictment of those who refused to change their way of lives at the expense of others.

Profile: Wat Saket and a Plate of Pansit

Wat Saket or the Temple of the Golden Mount was built during the Ayutthaya era (1351-1767) as a crematorium and cemetery. It was renovated in the late 18th century when an artificial hill was added to support the huge Chedi or stupa shown here.

The pansit photo after Wat Saket shows a plate of Pad Thai along Khao San Road. This Thai national dish is a magic potion of stir fried noodles, eggs, been sprouts, shrimp, chicken, or tofu blended together in an oriental flavor of sour tamarind juice, hot chili, and salty fish sauce. A garnish of ground peanuts and coriander adds to it a a nutty and pungent flavor.

The first 2 photos above shows diplomats during the somber mid stock-taking of the Bangkok climate change talks, and protesters outside the UNESCAP building demand climate justice.

ALMOST MISS BAMBANG

BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya --- We’ve been robbed!

This was the collective outburst of the people of Almaguer after the winners for the 1996 Miss Bambang pageant was announced.

“My daughter is clearly the winner. This is an outrageous lutong macao!”, screamed a visibly agitated Baket Upris, mother of Miss Almaguer’s Sutsi who is the alleged victim of the cheating.

“Sutsi is the legitimate Miss Bambang and it will be written as such in all signages within Almaguer!” declared a defiant Kagawad Kit-to of Purok Singko where Sutsi and her family reside.

“Pinakan da ti pangaldaw dagidiyay judge isu nga impangabak da diyay taga-Calaocan!” volunteered another Purok Singko resident.

The din went on for a week then simmered down as the emotions of a community spurned settled.

Back in CLSU as a junior Bachelor of Arts student, Sutsi went on with her “Almost…” spree by being crowned as the second runner-up of the Most Beautiful Face and Miss Night league pageants.

Sutsi was on her senior year and being geared for the Miss CLSU pageant when she had an “accident” and had to get married.

His distraught brother who pinched pennies for her to get to college did not attend the wedding and banned Sutsi from their house in Almaguer.

Today, Sutsi is a mother of four kids. Her brother has forgiven her a long time ago.

And Almaguer has forgotten that almost Miss Bambang moment as the signages remained unpainted with her name.