Digital Regionalism

July 29, 2006

I’ve never been so frequently online since I was new with Friendster or blogging, but with Skyscrapercity.com and Dinagyang.com on my desktop, there’s no stopping me from posting in these online forums.

Different from online chats, which will need immediate reply like an ordinary conversation, online forums have been there eversince and I was just getting a hang of it as of this time. I like it, because the exchnage of ideas from different sides of the world converge in such forums such as mentioned above and the likes of PinoyExchange an other forums.

  The online forums became the venue of updates from every corner of the country, which is likely to see OFWs or expatriates in the forum, getting updates from the home oceans away.

I’ve enjoyed it but sometimes astonished by the degree our regionalism in our country is as deep and as wide as it can be.

I was shocked at the degree of how hard bickering is in the SSC before because it was between Filipinos versus Filipinos! Shocked! Sibling rivalry? Pataasan ng ihi or whosoever has the highest pride or what.

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The Lost Stone Fortress of the South

July 6, 2006

"Cotabato City….binomba!…" This was the headlines of every war-hungry media programs during the all-out war campaign in 2000 by President Estrada. Mindanao was bothered by series of bombings that wreck havoc over the lives of Mindanaoans. But that was 6 years ago and everything is settled for now…unless the peace talks are successful or the JI had been pacified.

It was estrangely alluring to me to go to Cotabato City…a place evaded by many people who have no business with the place or even paranoid tourists and travelers. And speaking of paranoia, whenever this place is mentioned, fear and pessimism occupies everyone outside of Mindanao. Its a no-man’s land, or in this case, a city.

Negative impressions were imprinted in this city of more than 100,000. It was the capital of the Empire Province of Cotabato, once the largest province in the counrty. A city with rich history and pride. The Stone Fortress of Mindanao.

Passing through one of the most well-paved concrete and asphalt roads in the country, the L300 zoomed passed by Isulan and moved towards no-man’s land. Sparse population, agricultural activity in contrast with a big palace in Shariff Aguak is what Maguindanao can be best described.

Cotabato seemed to be so isolated from the rest of the world. Its so hard to go here honestly. Trips from Manila is less frequent than any other cities in Mindanao. Only few bus companies go to Cotabato and the main port is 15 kilometers. Roads are heavily guarded by the Army and the MILF, it does gives you the creeps whenever there are inspections that are ongoing. Goin north of the city was the heavily-bombarded Buldon-Barira area where Camp Abubakar was and to th east and south by the Tiduray Mountains and the wetlands.

Cotabato City was seen to be one of the fastest growing city in Mindanao as the Land of Promise was opened for Christian Settlers from Luzon and Visayas. It was an entry port for most of the travelers who are going central. The port teems with life as the old people say. Business transactions were being made here. Migrants from different places in the Philippines merged here along with the natives, abd because the population became so mixed, it is the only Tagalog-speaking city in Mindanao.

Cotabato was far progressive from Davao City back in the 50’s. What it seems to be a busy mecca in the south that had supposedly manifested homogenity between two age-old foes, the Christians of the north and the native Muslims and Lumads in the south, was shattered by the war that has been gearing on for generations. It had left Cotabato isolated from the rest of Mindanao…And was left behind.

Small streets which are not clogged with jeepneys and tricycles ply the city. It is hilly with a mild tropical climate. Surrounded by the two estuaries of Rio Grande de Mindanao or Pulangi, Cotabato is swampy with a hill imposing over downtown, PC Hill, where the name got its name…Kutang Bato or Kota Wato.

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Silip-Piring

July 4, 2006

Sa likod ng kamera, tulad ng mata…kinukuha nito ang imahen ng realidad at pantasya. Sa ngayon, ayoko nang paliguy-liguy pa.

Nais ko sanang malaman kung ano ang bastos sa hindi kung realidad ang pag-uusapan. Sa nangyari sa I-witness sa nakaraang nitong dokyu na ukol sa isang ritwal sa Laguna na gumagamit ng phallic symbols o yung mga simbolo na nagsasalarawan ng ari ng lalaki. Kung ikaw ay ang tipong konserbatibo na may mag-kakitid ng pag-iisip, baka mabigla ka at akusahan itong pornograpiya…kahit ito’y isina-dodokyu lang o nirerekord lang. Isang tradisyon na animo’y bastos sa mayorya ng populasyon ng Pilipinas, na sinusundan ng kakaunti sa Laguna.

Ang hindi ko lang makuha ay kung bakit masyadong hipokrito ang ating lipunan pagdating sa mga isyung tulad nito. Kung tutuusin, halos binobomba nga ang mga sinehan ng walang kwentang palabas o di kaya ang mga telebisyon na sobra-sobrang entertainment animo’y nakalimutan na nila ang social responsibilities nila para mag-paalam sa lipunan. Kung bakit ba naman napunta pa sa mga lugar sa timeslots ang mga palabas na may kwenta.

Sa palagay ko, kung naipalabas ito o kung ano mang dokyu na "bastos" sa ating mga censors sa labas ng bansa o nasa Discovery o National Geographic, baka umani pa ito ng palakpak mula sa mga kritiko. Baka i-rekomenda pa ito sa mga estudyante! Bakit nga ba ang daming hipokrito sa Pilipinas!

At para sa tradisyon, masaklap na realidad na hindi pa handa ang mayoryang Pilipino, lalo na ang mga konserbatibo at mga hipokrito sa mga realidad o mga tradisyong "kakaiba". Tradisyong tila kinokondena ng nakararami. Kung ako ang nasa posisyon ng mga nagsasabuhay ng tradisyon na yun, pakiramdam ko rin na ako’y inaakusahan na baliw o heretic o sumasamba kay Satanas! Ano bang mas masahol, ang mga taong sumusunod sa tradisyon o ang mga hipokrito?

Katotohanan ang dala ng pag-dodokyu. Hindi madaling gumawa ng isang dokyu, kung tutuusin pati buhay mo nakasanla pa. Dala nito ay ang pagsasamulat ng mga realidad na nasa paligid ng tao. Makita ang mga tradisyon at kultura na animo’y nakalimutan na. Ang masaklap at masayang pag-mumukha ni Juan de la Cruz.

Masaklap lang talaga na marami lang hipokrito sa ating lipunan…

Masaklap rin na pinatatahimik rin ang mga mamamahayag sa Pilipinas na animo’y isang di nakikitang kamay. Realidad na masaklap, tila hanggang sa panaginip na lang ang katotohanang ating natatamasa.

Mactan Bridge sa Cebu

Marcelo Fernan Bridge stimulated economic growth in Mactan. Reliving Lapu-Lapu’s bottleneck situation in the two-laned old Mactan Bridge, it served as a vital part in Cebu’s economy.