The Philippines under the New Administration

I could hear fireworks. I guess it is coming from the Street Party at the Quezon Memorial Circle after the inauguration of our new President Noynoy Aquino this morning.



It has been raining in Manila for the past days but today the weather cooperated. Hoping that it is a sign for good things to come for the Philippines not just for the 6 years that he will be holding office but as start of something new and better for the whole country. And what better way to start than NOT just having the new president take an oath but the Filipinos as well as represented by the different sectors in the event.

Here is just a part of the inaugural speech of the new president, the translated text in English can be found here, however, I'd like to focus on the oath of the Filipinos as a response to the president's oath as shown starting at 7:17 of the video:



It is so very appropriate since the direction of our country doesn't just fall in one man's hands. It is the collective effort of all Filipinos. We really have to do our share. I know that I have to do my share!

Father's day

It is Father's day once again.
But what do you do when your father is gone and you want to honor him?
I figured that it is best to do the things that would have made him happy if he was around. And the thing that would really have made him happy was to make mama happy and see his family together.

Our family had a celebration, we had lunch in a restaurant after going to mass (mama was happy because the food was good and that we did not have to bother with the preparation and doing the dishes!) then we went to the cemetery for a visit and a short prayer. The 6 grandkids tried to fit themselves in a big umbrella, while the others stayed in the shade of the mahogany tree while we had our prayer... and and yes we saw the caretaker of the plot and paid him. Mama worries if we are not able to pay lest he doesn't care for the plot but the grass is thick and green and neat so she is happy.

Now if the kids (small and big ones) will only behave everyday then she'll always be happy! Then I know that papa is always happy too!

Berso sa Metro

The past 2 weeks I changed my route and would travel in the morning through the LRT. It is a longer route since I have to take 2 short rides to go to the station but I find something to look forward to in the train ride: The Berso sa Metro and Tulaan sa Tren.

I realized that the project has been undertaken by the LRTA and Insituto Cervantes de Manila (for the Berso sa Metro series) since 2007 but then again it is only now that I learned about it and I really find it wonderful. I wish that I get to read poems in all the train rides I have but unfortunately they only have them in few coaches. So each time I take a ride I choose a different door to enter and cross my finger that I get to read the poems. It is not just the poems that are great but the artistry involved with it – the graphics. They are really works of art and something that puts joy in your commute. Sometimes I would try to translate the Spanish poems before reading their translation in Tagalog but I could only grasp few words and phrases – oh how I wish I paid more attention to my 4 semesters of Spanish in college!

Anyway here is a poem by Ernesto Cardenal with a translation I got in Tagalog (from a new hire in our company who happened to copy the poem in Tagalog because he said he was able to relate to it) and also a translation in English. I don’t know who did the translation in English but it is not as poetic as the translation in Tagalog.

Al perderte yo a ti, tú y yo hemos perdido:
yo, porque tú eras lo que yo más amaba;
y tú, porque yo era el que te amaba más.
Pero de nosotros dos tú pierdes más que yo:
porque yo podré amar a otras como te amaba a ti,
pero a ti no te amarán como te amaba yo.

- Ernesto Cardenal

Nang mawala ka sa akin, ikaw at ako’y nawalan:
Ako dahil ikaw ang minahal ko nang lubusan
At ikaw dahil ako ang sa iyo’y lubusang nagmahal.
Ngunit sa dalawa ay ikaw ang higit na nawalan:
Dahil pwede kong mahalin ang iba tulad nang pagmamahal ko sa iyo
Ngunit ika’y ‘di mamahalin tulad nang kung paano kita minahal.

—Translated by Salvador Malig Jr.

When I lost you, you and I lost:
I, because you were what I loved the most,
and you, because I was the one who loved you the most.

But of the two of us, you lose more:
because perhaps I’ll love others the way I loved you,
but nobody will love you the way I did.

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Here's another one I found and like. They did not indicate who translated in Tagalog but I also added my translation in English with the help of google translate:

Tu justificas mi existencia;
Si no te conozco, no he vivido;
Si muero sin conocerte, no muero, porque no he vivido.

-Luis Cernuda

Ikaw ang dahilan kung bakit ako nandirito,
kung 'di kita nakilala, 'di sana ako nabuhay.
Kung ako'y mamamatay nang 'di kita nakilala,
hindi ako mamamatay dahil hindi ako nabuhay
~~Translation in Tren

You justify my existence;
If I did not know you, I would not have lived;
If I die without knowing you, I do not die, because I have not lived.
~~ My edited "google translate" translation from Spanish

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And another one...

Si alguna vez la vida te maltrata,
acuerdate de mi,
que no puede cansarse de esperar,
aquel que no se canse de mirarte

-Luis Garcia Montero

Kung sakaling malupit sa iyo ang kapalaran,
alalahanin mo ako,
dahil hindi mapapagod sa paghihintay,
itong walang sawang tumitingin sa iyo.
~~Translation in Tren

If life ever mistreats you,
remember me,
who can not get tired of waiting,
and who does not get tired of looking at you
~~ My edited "google translate" translation from Spanish :(

I know my translation stinks... made me wish more to have paid attention to Spanish in College!

Kasalan sa Parokya

UP Chapel sponsored a Kasalan sa Parokya (Parish mass wedding) for their Parish fiesta and my brother and sister-in-law joined them.

It was supposed to be a mass wedding but instead only two couples were married. I asked the in-charge why? Are there not many people wanting to get married in church anymore? No, she said, there were more that wanted to join but that they were not able to meet the required papers – baptismal and confirmation certificate etc.

So, my brother and sis-in-law were lucky since theirs turned out to be just a double wedding and the parish provided for the flowers including the bride’s flowers. They were advised previously that there won’t be a procession for the others in the entourage but since there were just two couples, there was a procession and they had ample of time for picture taking. Well, I said lots of time but there were not many people that came (so not much photos too!) … most just waited at home for the reception. Just the family but then again ours is a big family so no need to invite others since our house was already full. :-)

The wedding was simple but there was one thing that really caught my attention. It was the Reading. The reader, read a verse from Corinthians specifically for married couples (usually the reading for wedding is from Tobit). And it was not like she was reading but she was more talking to them, giving them counsel. I don’t know if my brother and sis-in-law and the other couple were listening carefully but I could feel her words and I wished that they would keep them in their hearts.

To Dan and Cyn. God bless you!