JUSTICE FOR MAGUINDANAO

The recent massacre of over 50 people at the province of Maguindanao is a violent show of both power and oppression. It is a brazen disregard for human life all for the sake of dominion and greed.

While it may seem as just another case of politically motivated killings, or just an addition to the already lengthy list of human rights violations in the country, for me—a student of journalism—it is also another display of the suppression of freedom of speech and a call for the ever growing need to be more vigilant of the coming elections.

While it is uncommon to hear of ensuing violence in the provinces of Mindanao, it is also not the first time that the province of Maguindanao, and the Ampatuans, were focused by media regarding political issues. In the 2007 senatorial elections, Maguindanao was at the forefront of alleged cheating in the favor of the administration camp. The alleged cheating was supposedly responsible for the declaration of Sen. Zubiri as the twelfth senator and the win of GMA over FPJ in the Mindanao area. The Ampatuans were supposedly behind the cheating as they are known supporters of the Arroyo administration.

The presence of media men during the filing of Mangundadatu’s Certificate of Candidacy was but a natural occurrence. The journalists were only doing their job. Though a sense of foreboding may be expected given the history of political violence in the area, the recent massacre has taken political violence to a whole new level. Such an orchestration of a hundred gunmen, the order of killing every possible witness, the abominable way of treating human life, and the plan of burying everything to remove evidence is so despicable an act that one begins to think if power is indeed so important to cause all these?

The show of such an evil act for the purpose of eliminating opposition and attaining power is not just reflective of the dirty culture of politics in the country, but of our government’s inability to counter such occurrences. The police’s slow response to the crime scene and their apparent lack of intelligence regarding the matter is a complete undermining not only of our sense of security but also of our sense of justice. If those tasked to protect us are in league with those out to harm us, who can we then trust?

The massacre is a prime example of how the lack of effective leadership in our country and the corruption of those in power have led to the creation of paramilitary entities brave enough to undermine higher authority by committing such a massive scale of murder and cover up. Lawlessness over such a territory can be avoided if only those in higher power are able to enact justice on those who deserve to be punished. Throughout the history of this administration in which the President has gotten away with so many issues, even her cronies are deluded into thinking that they can also get away with heinous crimes.

This crime is a wake-up call for everyone. Power is devastating in the wrong hands, but we—the citizenry—is the higher power and we can do something about this lawlessness by placing power on rightful hands. This is certainly not the first incident, and may not be the last, unless we put a stop to it by being vigilant in casting and protecting our votes come election time.

TWO DAYS FOR SIX YEARS

With the coming of the sembreak I was able to face one of the more pressing issues in life today, registering for the upcoming 2010 elections.

If it was up to me I would gladly sacrifice my right of suffrage just to escape the hellish line of registration. But it’s not just up to me, I owe it to the rest of the Filipino people. Now having the passion to be registered for the sake of my country’s wellbeing is quite different from braving the actual registration process.

After 19 hours stretched over a span of three days of waiting in line that could have encircled the world over twice, I was finally able to get that coveted step of registration: the biometrics.

Believe it or not I actually started registration back in summer when the Comelec (Commission on Elections) setup a satellite registration venue at our village. The first six hours of my labor was spent just on getting the actual registration form and having my name validated and so on. I was rescheduled for my biometrics on July, but being the student that I am, I wasn’t able to come since the day was in conflict with my class schedule.

Come sembreak I was finally able to fall in line at the city hall for my biometrics. But after ten hours of waiting I was yet again rescheduled. Thankfully my dad came with me that day, and thankfully a sort of uprising happened among the other people in line. When 5pm came only 400 people will be accepted, the guards made the mistake of giving people false hopes, so when the guard closed the gates at around 7 (the reg was supposed to be closed by 9), people became restless and started shouting and mobbing the gate. Thankfully my dad was among those who calmed down the people by speaking with the head honcho and asking him to device a system that will enable those rescheduled for the next day (such as myself) to be assured of a different and separate line with a biometric machine all to ourselves.

The next day, arriving at around seven in the morning, I was shocked to see a single line twice as long as the line I had the day before. And it was only seven! So my dad yet again spoke with the head honcho and only then and there did they put into action the system my dad suggested.

Two lines instead of a single snaking hell line were implemented. One for the people who were in line the day before and rescheduled for today, the other was for the new souls set to suffer in limbo. The system worked, as the office was able to accommodate the two batches at the same time without raising the ire of any party. And so my dad was the hero for the day.

After three hours of waiting I finally got my biometric scan and all, and am now a proud registered voter. After all that grueling physical, mental, psychological trauma, I was finally able to be free of that line. It was so long you could have met someone while in line, built a relationship with that person, fought with the person, and have a clean break-up, all while in line.

Now that I’m free of the registration, it is time to assure the freedom of the Filipino people for the next six years by making the right choice come Election Day in 2010.

BAGYONG ONDOY RAVAGES METRO

The recent tropical storm whihc ravaged Metro Manila and provinces of Northern and Central Luzon caught everyone by surprise. No one thought that a signal no.1 storm would be this destructive.

Last night I awaited news from both TV and radio regarding the state of the many cities flooded by the rains. I texted my friends whom I knew lived in the areas affected and was shocked to know that they really are in deep trouble. Their two storey homes were no match to the rising waters.

I do commend Jam 88.3 for being the ONLY FM radio station which was able to cover updates all over the Metro last night. Kudos to DJs Lambert and Gang for staying all night updating everyone and relaying messages to proper authorities. What they did was very helpful,especially since people stuck in roofs probably had no access to AM radios and relied on their phones. Great work you guys!

As for the rest of us let us all help out in any way we can. Donate what we can and help out wherever we are. Something as simple as spreading awareness can really mean a difference in this trying times.

OUR LADY OF COFFEE

In hues of brown and paisley dreams, Sunshine Plata creates beauty of surreal themes using caffeinated beans.

Actually she uses instant coffee more than brewed coffee from beans. But you get the picture: a petite artist who paints using coffee.

Mother and Child: (Clockwise) The artist with her mother, A mother and child fairy painting, An Our Lady version, and Diwata.

Addicted artist

Sunshine’s caffeine addiction started when she saw a 19^th century signature made with coffee displayed at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. The artist within her, stimulated perhaps by the invigorating prowess of coffee, woke up and her relationship with coffee as a painting medium has since then prospered.

Initially a psychology student at the University of Sto. Tomas, Sunshine shifted to fine arts in her second year after realizing her love for art. “Kahit ako noon, di ako naniniwala na kayang mabuhay sa art (Even I used to believe that you can’t live on art). [It is about] letting out positive energy. Financial aspect will follow,” she said. And follow it did.

After her very first exhibition, LSD (look, smell, discover) Trip by Caffeine, which was sponsored by Nescafe, her peculiar art has gained renown from all over. She was able to sell 27 of her 33 paintings during the exhibit, and sold the remaining—by an interesting twist of fate—to Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Her works have also been exhibited at Times Square in New York for the Martha Stewart Show.

During her more bitter coffee moments as she struggled to present her art to the world, she recounted when she tried to exhibit at the art galleries in SM Megamall. “None of them wanted to exhibit my art kasi di daw (because it is not a) legitimate medium. Wow ang lupet naman nun, ganun ba karepulsive trabaho ko (that is harsh, are my works really that repulsive)?” she laughingly reminisced.

The author with the artist and her prized "Diwata"

Fairy by heart

“I used to want to be a fairy,” the youthful Sunshine said. An avid fan of Thumbelina for her freedom to explore new things, Sunshine reflects her surreal views and her sprightly character in her many works.

Many of her subjects are of cutesy fairies or beautiful diwatas. Her favorite piece, Diwata, has already been seen in other countries and was her third work to gain international recognition. She saw her tragically drowning during a very vivid dream. Ever the positive one, she decided “If you’re going to drown, you should drown in style.”

What sets her apart however from other coffee artists, like the ones in Cordillera, are her intricate paisley designs and patterns. No design is ever repeated as she does the time-consuming detailing spontaneously. Sometimes she even surprises herself.

Catholic in spirit

Apart from the surrealism of the fairy world, Sunshine also paints a lot of religious themes, particularly Our Lady. In many of her works what might be mistaken as an ordinary portrait of a woman is actually a version of our Holy Mother.  An example is her Our Lady of Japan which features the Virgin Mother with the Child Jesus in a kimono garb complete with a Japanese landscape background.

Her catholic upbringing has also brought her to teach art classes to underprivileged children. Not having gone to art school herself, Sunshine understands the importance of having a support system to pursue your art. “When love and skill work together, you create a masterpiece. After that comes greater turns,” she said.

Exploring beyond the coffeemaker

Coffee, with its many invigorating properties, is a complex medium to work with. Paintings done with it only lasts for 75 years, shorter compared to paintings made with oil or acrylic, but longer than other non-traditional painting media used by “radical” artists nowadays like chocolate or tea.

Her framing is also done in different way. Enough space must be placed in between the painting and the glass to prevent moisture from causing fungal growth in the canvass.

It does have its perks though, particularly in its affordability. Sunshine just needs tap water and a few pack of instant coffee and she is ready to paint. For lighter hues less coffee is diluted in more water and vice versa for darker hues.

“In the future I plan to use mixed media, to provide evolution, or dabble with watercolor,” she said. “Ang dami-daming may kape, pwede din nilang gawin,” she added.

“At this point I’m fulfilled already, kaso hindi pa rin perfect (but still not perfect). At this point I can’t ask for anything more.” Asked if she will go to portraiture, “I can’t do portraits, I’m planning to learn, I might not give the person justice.”

Though she believes that art is politicized and it is a battle of the fittest, her attitude is “take it or leave it.” She tries to distance herself from the negativity many young artists show in their works nowadays.

“Kapag nagpaka-gory, magpapanggap lang ako, baka tumagal lang ung painting. Sana sumasaya sila. (If I create something gory, I will only be untrue to my art, it might take too long to finish. I hope they become happy)” She jokingly adds “Maybe, kapag naconsume na ako ng dark side (If the dark side consumes me).”

GOODBYE CORY

She may not be the best president the Philippines has ever had, but she is certainly a great woman and an admirable human being.

Watching the many reports about the death of former President Corazon Aquino over the past few days was like watching a void slowly embracing the history of our country. Donning her perpetual yellow ensemble, she was always at the forefront of every political struggle this country has witnessed over the past two decades. Who will do that now?

As I watched ABS-CBN’s coverage of her cortege this morning, I chanced upon Mitch Valdes pondering the same thing. Her answer was both challenging and inspiring: we, the Filipinos, should shoulder the burden that Cory herself carried for so long. We should start fighting for our democracy now. She may not be here anymore, but what she fought for along with millions of Filipinos still is. We should remember that and fight for it.

I have always liked Cory. She always seemed so motherly, plus she’s Kris’ mom. But beyond that, she always exuded the aura of a calm and peaceful person. Very level-headed about things and always taking care in her choice of words, she may not be the best president but she had traits an excellent leader should possess, many of which our current president hasn’t got an inkling of.

The picture* above is my memorial for her. I really wanted to join her cortege or at least go to her wake at the Manila Cathedral (my dad did and he got a pin to prove it…yeah right), but prudence dictated I stay home and finish what I had to do. So, with this simple image, I hope her worth and memory resounds.

*original photo from coconutstudio.com Additional editing done by me.