A Third World president holds a press conference

in a busy Washington D.C. street corner.

For a moment, it looked as if a drunk driver

could finally hit her.

Her companion, a counter-insurgency expert,

promises dollars, a warship, and a rescue horde of Americans.

A Chinese businessman sweats at a hearing

cramped with officials who fail even the act of segregating

and recycling, the blame.

He was sorry the ship had to sail–

capitalism has not yet conquered the weather.

Outside, a mob eyes his trepid handkerchief wipes.

Relatives stare at the sickly green walls

of an asylum called the office of Sulpicio.

They’ve begged, yelled, fainted, and fell.

Still hours trickle like candle wax.

Clutching portraits with burning hands,

their anger flashes as white as from where small dreams come.

The kidnapping of ABS-CBN’s Ces Drilon and two cameramen brings to mind a safety for journalists training that the NUJP (National Union of Journalists of the Philippines) held last May. I’ve been meaning to post pictures of the said training, I just haven’t had the time. Now I kind of do. Hehe.

The training–which taught us first aid, road safety, crowd management (or how not to get caught up in clashes between state forces and demonstrators), basic knowledge of firearms (and how to dodge bullets), handling military surveillance and checkpoints–was basically to teach journalists how to take care of themselves and others in these perilous times.

It was an exciting and interesting one, set off by a staged accident, which in all fairness, scared almost all of us to death. It was only when Weng Paraan, NUJP secretary-general, started to sound like an instructor rather than a perturbed host that we realized Karen Papellero (NUJP staff) was a capable actress, whose drama of fluttering eyelids was only ruined by a bubbly, purple blood capsule (tsk, tsk, not the best in the market). In any case, that sense of panic that befalls anyone confronted with an accident is the first you have to conquer in first aid. That is the only way you can will your brain to remember the basics, which can be summed up in the acronym DRAB (D for danger- before responding, assess the danger to yourself and to the people around you; R for response- check for the victim’s consciousness; A for airway- check the nose and mouth for obstruction; and B- ensure the victim’s breathing).

A person can die without three minutes of oxygen, so in case the victim is not breathing, administer CPR. What looks very complicated on television is actually very easy. Just put both your hands in a general area in the middle of the chest (there is no exact spot and no time to look for one) and pump 15 times, using your body weight as leverage. Then cover the victim’s mouth wholly with yours, pinch close the nostrils, and give the breath of life.

You only stop when either the victim starts breathing, help arrives, or you simply get tired [the last being the most tragic of all]. The training also taught us how to deal with wounds, with very simple steps following the apt acronym RED (R for rest the victim–his or her moving around increases the outflow of blood; E for elevate–elevate the wound to decrease blood flow; and D for direct pressure–use anything that can pass for a bandage to press on the wound, and if there is absolutely nothing around use your hands).

(Hehe, sorry Joe Torres for this walang dangal picture). I’m scared of blood, so it was difficult for me to touch even obviously fake blood on a fake victim who sometimes can’t even keep a straight face, but I’m hoping that in case I get to deal with the real thing (a very good possibility), the instinct to save a life would enable me to think RED. A scary fact; it takes only two liters of lost blood for someone to die. Bleeding to death is actually the most common cause of death of gunshot victims, not actual damage wrought by the bullet itself.

We were also taught the basic types of firearms, their range, and what to do during a crossfire–which was very simple actually; immediately drop to the ground. Still I realized how heavy the mistaken instinct to look for cover BEFORE dropping to the ground was, when we were ’shot at’ with a toy rifle. What you choose for cover is also very crucial. Did you know that a mound of soil is more effective than, say, a concrete post (which can be chipped away depending on the thickness of the post and the type of firearm used).

There was also this funny, almost violent exercise of what do do when harassed by a hostile crowd. Many got carried away playing the role of rowdy protesters so I escaped from this with almost-bruised arms, thank you very much. In reality though, a lot of reporters said that demonstrators in the Philippines (especially the anti-Gloria forces, hehe) are a generally peaceful, organized lot who don’t touch the media, whose job they respect. It is actually violence on the part of the anti-riot police that sparks those riotous moments that can be dangerous to journalists (or anyone for that matter).

Surveillance by the military and other powerful people whose ire they have earned is a cause of concern for a lot of journalists. Many, including She Torres of ABC-5 and Dana Batnag of Asahi Shimbun (above) have experienced outright and subtle surveillance by politicians and the military, which are done either to harass or in preparation to harm you. It is best, therefore, to be aware of your surroundings all the time. Dana, for instance, recalls an incident (after she was falsely charged with having colluded with rebel soldiers in the Manila Peninsula siege) when she noticed a tanned, muscled man with crew-cut hair looking out of place in a coffee shop in an upscale university she was in. It was enough to make her suspicious and thus more cautious. A Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter was alerted that a tambay who frequented her parent’s sari-sari store in the province might be a military agent when he started asking details about her.

There are also various ways of dealing with checkpoints where confrontations with the military (and not-state forces) can get ugly. Half of it involves knowing your basic rights–for instance, that authorities can only visually scan your vehicle and cannot inspect its interior, your belongings, or ask you to step out. But because we are in a country where most authorities wantonly violate or are unaware of laws, half of it involves common sense–opening your window wide enough only for you to hear and peer at each other and not for the person outside the vehicle to be able to reach in and open the door; informing your superiors or contacts about your whereabouts; and even name-dropping. In an exercise, veteran photojournalist Alex Baluyut had enough presence of mind to snatch from Joe (playing a military soldier) a piece of paper he grabbed from the backseat. It turned out to be “planted evidence”–a note from a New People’s Army commander thanking us for visiting their camp. Hehe. The point was, always be vigilant when approaching checkpoints–authorities can be violent, especially when they have something to hide, and may have dirty tricks up their sleeve to prevent you from coming out with your story.

The kidnapping of Drilon et al. underscores the need for journalists to be trained in handling the various dangers that come with the job. We must learn to hone our instincts–knowing when to fight and when to retreat or when to brandish our press ID and when to recognize certain situations when it is worthless or would exacerbate the danger and lie low instead. Journalists, being in the heat of the action, are also often first responders in emergency situations, as in the case of the Mendiola and Hacienda Luisita massacres. It is thus important to be adept at trying to save, and not further imperil, lives.

But even with all this talk about journalists’ safety, nothing really beats being aware of the political context of all of our actions. For instance, the admission of Drilon, presumably a highly trained journalist, that she “miscalculated” has been used by the government to adopt an I-told-you-so tone in dealing with journalists who brave risky coverage, erroneously likening in to the way the media acted during the Manila Peninsula siege. The very shady nature of the kidnapping itself is now being used by the military to heighten its offensive in Sulu and by the government to ask for additional military aid from the US, in time for Pres. Arroyo’s visit to US Pres. George W. Bush.

Is a hazy tip on the new leadership of the Abu Sayyaf–a bandit group long been associated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (the Drilon incident notwithstanding, with her guide being exposed as a military agent), supposedly already reduced to insignificance, but time and again committing acts of terror of dubious timing–worth risking your life for? Or worth risking the lives of innocent civilians in Sulu who now bear the brunt of renewed military offensives , or the lives of activists who will surely suffer under a more heavily-budgeted counter-insurgency campaign under the guise of the “war on terror”? Thus Carlos Conde, in his blog entry, urges journalists to be reminded of the nature of those they cover. I urge us to remember the nature of the State, how we have been endangered by situations that it created, and how we can possibly even be used to further an agenda that leads us further and further away from the truth that we so strive to tell.

(Photos by Lito Ocampo)

Mahal kong mambabasa,

Simula ngayong linggo, ititigil muna namin ang paglalabas ng dyaryong inyong tinangkilik sa nakaraang anim na taon. Isa itong masakit na desisyong ibinunga, hindi ng pagkasawang maglingkod sa inyo, kundi ng krisis pang-ekonomiyang sumasaklob sa buong bansa. Sadyang hindi kayang mabuhay, sa ngayon, ng isang progresibong pahayagan na inuuna ang hangaring makapagsilbi sa interes ng malawak na mardyinalisadong mga mamamayan kaysa sa interes ng kapital, o ng iilang nakagiginhawa na’t dominante pa rin ang makasariling tinig sa mass media.

Sabi nga nila, isang tinig ang nananahimik tuwing nagsasara ang isang dyaryo. Sa aming kaso, tinig ninyo–mga manggagawa, magsasaka, maralitang lungsod, kababaihan, estudyante, migrante, empleyado ng gobyerno at ng iba pang batayang sektor na nagpapatakbo ngunit siya ring inaapi’t inaalipin sa lipunan–ang mawawala.

Hindi ito tuluyan, dahil ipagpapatuloy namin ang paglalathala ng parehong de-kalidad na mga artikulo sa aming website. Pero sa bansa nating atrasado pa, mapagkumbaba kong aaminin, limitado ang saklaw na naaabot ng internet. Marami sa inyo, marahil, hindi nakakaharap sa kompiyuter dahil subsob sa pangaraw-araw na paghahanapbuhay o di kaya sa samu’t saring pakikibaka. Gayunpaman, ang kahit anong lagusan ay dapat samantalahin. Ineengganyo ko kayong buksan ang http://www.pinoyweekly.org tuwing may panahon at pagkakataon.

Simula’t sapul, malinaw ang layunin ng dyaryong ito: na maging dyaryo ng masa at para sa masa. Kailanman hindi namin kayo itinrato, gaya ng mainstream na mass media, na balon na maaaring pagkakitaan o mga utak na kayang paikutin para paigtingin pa ang elitistang kontrol sa lipunan. Narito kami para magmulat at magpakilos para sa pagbabagong hangad nating lahat.

Kaya’t tunay na nakabibiyak ng puso ang mawalay sa inyo, lalo sa panahon ngayon ng napakatinding krisis na pang-ekonomiya’t pampulitika–sama-sama sana nating binabagtas ito tungo sa mas malalim na pagkakaunawa at pakikisangkot bilang mga mamamayan. Pero maging kami ay biktima ng pananalasa ng nasabing krisis. Ang kalayaan sa pamamamahayag ay tulad din ng kalayaan ng bayan–huwad, dahil para lamang sa iilan na may kapangyarihan sa bisa ng kapital, at hindi ng prinsipyo.

Gayunpaman, nais kong pasalamatan kayo. Ang anim na taon kong pagsusulat para sa dyaryong ito ang bumubuo sa gulugod ng aking pagkatao. Marami akong natutunan sa paglangoy kapwa sa hanay ninyo at sa mga institusyon ng gobyernong dapat naglilingkod sa inyo. Bilang mamamahayag, nakita ko ang samu’t saring mukha ng pang-aapi at pagpapahirap sa mga mamamayan ng Estado na naninikluhod lamang sa mga negosyante’t dayuhan. Sa kalakhan, mahilig ito sa palusot sa kalokohan, paliwanag sa kapalpakan, pagpapabango sa sitwasyon, pagbibida ng kasinungalingan, at pandarahas sa paglaban.

Hindi mo kailangang maging mamamahayag para makita ito. Pero kailangan mong maging mamamahayag para maipaliwanag ito sa paraang magaang pero malaman at komprehensibo; at sa paraang lumilitaw at nararamdaman ang konkretong epekto ng mga usaping pambansa sa inyong sari-sariling buhay.

Pinakamasarap sa trabahong ito ang pakikisalamuha sa inyo–ang mapayaman ng inyong buhay at pakikibaka tuwing naririnig ang tungkol sa inyong mga sakripisyo, daing, pagsusumikap, at pangarap. Ang aking pagmamalasakit, pagmamahal, at higit sa lahat, pagpupugay sa inyong diwang palaban ang linggu-linggo kong sinubok patagusin sa mga sulatin (sa anyo man ng suring-balita, lathalain, o simpleng balita) at larawan.

Hinugutan ko ng mahahalagang aral ang mahaba-haba ring karanasan ng peryodismo para sa taumbayan. Kung nagkulang man ako, asahan ninyong pagsusumikapan ko, at ng iba pang manunulat ng Pinoy Weekly, na lalong magpahusay sa pagpapaabot sa inyo ng mga impormasyon at pagsusuring sandata para sa ikauunlad at ikalalaya ng bayan. Nawala man ang dyaryo, nariyan pa rin kami sa alternatibong espasyong tinatawag na cyberspace, o kung hindi man, sa mga larangang makapag-aambag pa rin sa kilusan para sa panlipunang pagbabago.

Hindi lamang ang tradisyunal na tungkuling maglabas ng mga katotohanan ang aming tinanganan sa Pinoy Weekly. Higit pa rito, naniniwala kaming ang aktibong pagpanig sa inyo, na tagapamandila di lamang ng katotohanan kundi maging ng katuwiran, ang pinakamataas na tungkulin (at karangalan) para sa isang mamamahayag. Muli, maraming salamat sa pambihirang pagkakataon. Anu’t anuman ang mangyari, umasa kayong uusbong at uusbong pa rin ang isang pahayagang matapat, mapanuri, at makabayan, dahil ito ang inyong hinihingi at nararapat sa inyo.

Ilang-Ilang D. Quijano (Manunulat at Online Editor, Pinoy Weekly)

* Inilathala sa Pinoy Weekly, Bolyum 7 Blg. 23, Hunyo 18 - 24, 2008

This is the transcript of my interview last year with incoming Anakpawis Rep. Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano on the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (Garb) or House Bill 3059, filed by late Anakpawis Rep. Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran. Ka Paeng will soon replace Ka Bel in Congress. An equally brilliant and dedicated legislator and mass leader, Ka Paeng really is the voice of the millions of landless farmers in the country (Like Ka Bel, he can give a complete and earnest 30-minute answer to one question). The anniversary of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) is forthcoming, and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chapters nationwide have started their campaign against Carp’s extension and for Garb’s passage instead. Here’s why:

PW: Anong kaibahan ng Garb sa Carp?

Mariano: Ito ay pusupusan at tunay na reporma sa lupa. Bunga ito ng naging matagumpay na konsultasyon sa hanay ng organisadong mga magsasaka katulad ng KMP, Amihan, UMA (Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura), at Pamalakaya (Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya). Malaki ang kaibahan nito pangunahin sa sasaklawin ng programa. Sasaklawin ng programa unang-una yung malalaking lupang nasa monopolyong kontrol pa rin ng malalaking panginoong maylupa sa bansa. Kasama na rito ang mga lupaing nasa kontrol pa rin ng malalaking agrocorporation lalo na ng mga dayuhan na kalakhan matatagpuan sa isla ng Mindanao. Kasama sa coverage ng bill na ito kahit yung mga lupaing naitakas sa saklaw ng huwad na Carp. Marami kasing mga loopholes yan na kumbinyenteng ginamit at ginagamit ng mga panginoong maylupa para makaiwas sa makitid na saklaw ng Carp.

Halimbawa yung mga lupaing nai-exempt dahil sa mga order at exemptions na nilabas ng DAR (Department of Agrarian Reform), Darab (DAR Adjudication Board), at ng korte. Yung mga lupaing nanatili sa kamay ng mga landlord dahil sa pag-avail ng kanilang right to retain yung holdings. Yung mga lupa at magsasakang saklaw ng inisyung order for land conversion, order ng ejectment, kinanselang certificate of land ownership at emancipation patents. Yung mga lupag nababawi sa magsasaka dahil sa iba’t ibang kaparaanan o kaya hindi lang makabayad ng amortisisasyon. At yung mga lupaing talagang hindi nakasama, na hindi inirehstro ng mga nag-mamay-ari nito doon sa ginanap na land registration noong 1988. At yung mga lupa na kusang itinakas ng mga land owner sa saklaw ng Carp bago pa man magkabisa ang Carp noong June 15, 1988 at idinivide na sa kanilang mga kapamilya. Pati na yung mga binawi na mga lupa, ng mga non-land transfer schemes tulad ng stock distribution option. Isasama yon sa mga sasaklawin ng panukalang batas para sa tunay na reporma sa lupa.

At siyempre nariyan din ang prinsipyo ng libreng pamamahagi ng lupa sa magsasaka. Eh ngayon kailangan magbayad ng amortization na napakataas. Ang nagtatakda lang ng land valuation ay ang DAR, sasang-ayunan ng Landbank at pinapatungan pa ng interes, na walang partisipasyon yung mga magsasaka doon sa valuation process, yung mga magsasaka na malaon nang nagsasaka sa lupa, na sila naman ang nagpaunlad niyan. Karamihan ng mga lupain sa atin nakuha nila sa pananakot, pandaraya, pandarahas, at pangangamkam. Doon sa mga may-ari ng lupa na nagpapabuwis, na target saklawin ng programang ito, kung meron silang ipinuhunan, dahil sa ilang beses nilang pyudal na pagpiga ng land rent, ilang beses na rin naman itong naibalik sa kanila. Kaya hindi na dapat pagbayarin o singilin pa ng amortisisasyon ang mga magsasaka. Kaya nga prinsipyo ito ng libreng pamamahagi ng lupa bilang sentral na nilalalaman ng isang batas sa tunay na reporma sa lupa.

Gayundin ang laman niyan, no retention. Walang ititira, lalo na yung malalaking despotikong maylupa hanggang ang lupa ay mayroong magsasaka…Naglalayon talaga itong batas na ito na basagin ang monopolyong kontrol sa lupa ng iilan at maipamahagi ito ng libre sa mga magsasaka. Hindi natin papayagan ang non-land transfer schemes na kung tutuusin corporate landgrabbing tulad ng leaseback agreement, SDO, profit and production sharing scheme. Yan ay iskema para makalusot at makatakas sa anumang reporma sa lupa.

Kahit yung undistributed sa ilalim ng Carp na inihihingi nila ng extension, sabi nila 1.4 M hectares. Sasaklawin na yan ng tunay na reporma sa lupa, hindi na ng huwad na Carp.

May ilang konsiderasyon lang tayo sa mga maliliit at katamtamang laki na nag-aari ng lupa at mahusay naman ang pagtrato sa magsasaka o manggagawang-bukid, walang track record ng pagiging despotiko, pandarahas, at pamamaslang sa mga magsasaka. May ibang konsiderasyon lang na kinakailangan in terms of priority and coverage ng immediate land appropriation and distribution.

Sa mga lugar na hindi pa masasaklaw ng programa, dapat yung signipikanteng pagpapababa ng upa sa lupa, pero malaunan dapat saklawin din.

Ang isa pang kaibahan nito, maikli lang ang period ng iplementasyon. Kung limang taon, limang taon lang. Hindi extendible. Hindi katulad ng Carp na after 20 years hihingi ng extension ng 10 years eh di magiging 30 years na. Magbubunyi ang mga panginoong maylupa na makakatakas at makakatakas pa sa programang yan. Alam nilang hindi sila matatamaan ng Carp kasi nakaligtas na sila eh. Pero matatakot yan sa bagong batas na an layunin ay saklawin ang lupa nila at mga magsasaka na nasa lupain nila na nasa kanilang kontrol. Walang pacing pacing ito. Kung may uunahin, yan yung malalakihan tulad ng lupain ni Danding (Cojuangco), Hacienda Luisita, isasama natin pati yung mga lupain ng mga military reservation kuno pero may mga magsasaka at produktibo, yung mga lupaing may actual occupants tulad ng sa CMU (Central Mindanaoo University). Ilang beses na mas malaki ang mga ito kaysa saklaw ng Carp in terms of lupain at in terms of bilang ng mga magsasaka. Ito ay tunay na komprehensibo kasi lahat ng dapat masaklaw, sasaklawin ng batas na ito. Hindi tokenism o pakitang-tao lang.

Yung mga magsasaka, hindi mabibigatan dahil libreng pamamahagi ng lupa. Kung hindi na magbabayad ng amortisisasyon ang mga magsasaka at kalakhan ng kanilang ani ay sa kamay nila mapupunta, ibabalik nila ulit yan sa produksyon. Hihikayatin ang mga magsasaka at benepisyaryo na magbuo ng mga kooperatiba, asosayon, unyon ng mga manggagawang bukid sa mga plantasyon at hacienda. Dapat hikayatin sila na palakasin pa ang mga kooperatiba at unyon, at kung handa na sila, maaaring yun ang porma ng pag-aari. Kung hindi man sa kagyat, ang bahagi ng lupaing sasaklawin, ayon sa kanilang kapasyahan, ay isasailalim sa sama-samang pagbubungkal. Para mapaliit din ang gastos sa produksiyon. Ang badyet sa kalakhan ay para sa suporta sa produksiyon, hindi yung badyet para bayaran yung mga asyendero o panginoong maylupa.

Kitang-kita ang malaking kaibahan nito sa huwad na reporma sa lupa na Carp. Magmula sa period of implementation, na maikli lang, hanggang sa moda ng pag-aacquire, kailangan compulsory acquisition at distribution. Ang tanong, lulusot ba ito? Maipapatupad ba ito sa isang Kongreso lalo na ang mga kongresista kung hindi man tuwirang panginoong maylupa ay nagtataguyod ng makauring interes ng panginoong maylup, komprador, at dayuhan? So wala tayong ganoong malaking ilusyon na ito ay maisasabatas. Ang mahalaga dito ay mailayo natin ang mga magsasakang naloloko pa at nalilinlang pa ngayon ng gobyerno na sa pagitan ng Carp at extension ng Carp ay makalalaya sila sa kanilang lupang sinasaka. Kaya masigasagig na impormasyon at edukasyon yan, pagmumulat sa kanila. Pag-oorganisa at pagpapakilos sa kanila. Mailihis din natin ang magsasakang nalilinlang, napapatahak sa linyang repormismo at oportunismo. At maipakita, matanggap, at mayakap nila ang isang tunay na reporma sa lupa.

Mahalaga lang na maitulak ang Kongreso na pag-usapan. May malaking papel ang kilusang magsasaka sa pagsusulong nito at pagkuha nila ng suporta at simpatiya ng iba pang sektor sa loob at maging sa labas ng bansa. Lalo ngayong mas malakas ang moral, sosyal, ekonomikal, at pulitikal na batayan at pangangailangan para ipatupad ang isang tunay at puspusang reporma sa lupa. Ngayon na. Hindi na kailangan pang i-extend ang matagal nang pagpaliban ng pagpapatupad nito.

PW: Bakit gusto i-extend ng gobyerno Carp?

Mariano: Magtatagumpay sila sa panloloko at panlilinlang. Sabihin nila naipamahagi na lahat ng lupa. Sasabihin nilang nagtagumpay na tayo, ang kailangan lang tapusin. Hindi lang kailangan tapusin ito ngayon, kailangan i-extend. Pagdating ng panahon na yon, inaasahan marahil nila na kaya na nilang mapatanggap sa nililinlang nilang mga magsasaka na tapos na ang reporma sa lupa. Kailangan na lang ngayon ay para sa suportang serbisyo. Pero nalutas ba ang pundamental na problema ng milyung-milyong magsasaka at manggagawang bukid lalo na yung maralita na kawalan ng lupa pa rin ang pundamental na problema? Hindi. Nalulutas ba ang social conflict at armed conflict sa ating bansa na kung titingnan natin ay nag-uugat sa problema ng kawalan ng lupa dahil nananatili ang monopolyong kontrol ng iilang may-ari ng lupa? Kaya yung paghanap din ng pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa ating bansa mananatiling mailap. Kung saan malakas ang mga organisasyong magsasaka, dinudurog, pinapaslang. Historically sa ating bansa, nagpapatupad ang reaksiyunaryong gobyerno ng reporma sa lupa na deceptive kung kailan lumalakas ang paglaban, paggiit ng mga magsasaka, nagsusulong ng karapatan para sa lupa at tunay at puspusang reporma sa lupa. Kaya naoobliga ang gobyernong reaksiyunaryo sa pamamagitan ng kanyang Kongreso na karamihan ay mga panginoong maylupa din na magsabatas ng isang huwad na reporma sa lupa at yan ang kinakatawan ng Carp.

Gusto rin ito ng US dahil ang mga lupain ngayon ay nakatakas sa tunay na reporma sa lupa. Ang gobyernong papet, inilalako na gawing agribusiness na magsusuplay sa pagangailangan ng kanyang merkado. Kaya nasa interes din ng US na walang malakas na kilusan ng magsasaka, na walang tunay na kilusan ng pagbabago sa bansa na ang sentral na programa nila sa pagbabago ay pagpapatupad ng tunay at puspusang reporma sa lupa. Kaya nga ayaw nilang matuloy ang usapang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng NDF (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) at GRP kasi pumapasok na sila sa social and economic reforms, nandiyan na eh. Yung agrarian reform at rural development, bahagi ng SER na yon. Kaya walang maaasahan ang mga magsasaka kundi ang magtayo sila ng samahan, lumahok sa pakikibakang anti-pyudal at anti-imperyalista, at isulong pahakbang-hakbang ang ganitong klase ng tunay at puspusang reporma sa lupa. Yung historical injustice mare-rectify mo lang yan kung maipatupad mo itong tunay at puspusang reporma sa lupa.

Hindi maipapatupad ang reporma sa lupa kundi rin maipapatupad ang pambansang industriyalisasyon. Hindi pwedeng mawala yung isa. Magkakaroon lang tayo ng tunay na pag-unlad kung may tunay na reporma sa lupa. Kasi diyan ka kukuha ng means of subsistence ng mga mamamayan. Diyan ka kukuha ng raw materials mo ng industry sector. Diyan ka kukuha ng surplus labor force mo na kailangan ng sektor ng manupaktura. Kapag maunlad na agrikultura at yung sistema ng kolektibismo at mekanisasyon, magkakaroon yan ng surplus labor force. Yun naman ang susuplay sa industriya.

Hindi uunlad ang agrikultura kung hindi ito itatrato na very foundation of our national economy. Ang mga magsasaka rin bilang pangunahing produktibong puwersa, kapag maunlad na ang kabuhayan, may mataas na purchasing power, lumalaki ang demand, nagsisilbi silang merkado rin ng produkto ng industriya. At anumang ipataw mo (na buwis) sa malaunan, malaki ang maitutulong noon sa pagkuha ng kapital na kailangan naman sa sariling pag-unlad ng agrikultura at industriya.

P.S. (An insightful article on the Carp extension was published in Pinoy Weekly this week, containing data on the shortfalls of DAR’s land distribution despite the huge funds, some even foreign-sourced, that the government spent for Carp.)

I’ve uploaded photos of tributes to/protest burial of Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran on my photoblog. Gallery ang ginamit ko this time, dami kasi, kaya pagpasensyahan niyo na kung extra clicks para mapalaki ang mga litrato.

Nakalabas na sa imprenta ang sa tingin kong isyu ng Pinoy Weekly na may pinakamagandang cover sa aming munting kasaysayan. Tampok dito ang larawan ni Ka Bel, kulay sepia. Bata-bata pa siya, nagsasalita bilang bise-tagapangulo noon ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. Kuha ni Boy Bagwis. Nang ipinipinal ang lay-out kanina, hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala. Patay na si Ka Bel.

Natanggap ko ang balita nang kanyang pagkakasugod sa ospital nang maaga-aga, pasado alas-nuwebe. Nagtext ang isang kaibigan, ano raw ba ang nangyari kay Ka Bel. Sabi ko, wala akong naririnig, bakit? Iyon pala, ang utol niya’y doktor sa FEU hospital–mula noon, blow-by-blow account na. Nariyan pa ang pagkalito, sa mga sandali pasado alas-11. Salitan ng balitang patay na, at brain dead lang. Ang malinaw, gamot na lang ang nagpapatibok ng puso. Maya-maya pa, ang kupirmasyon. Lumabas na rin sa TV, nagsalita ang pamilya.

At nagsimula na, tulad ng inaasahan, ang pagdating ng mga mensahe ng pakikiramay, ng pagpupugay. Mula sa iba’t ibang sektor, personalidad. Remat ng mga istoryang ipinlano. Halukay ng mga lumang litrato. Pagsasariwa ng kasaysayan ng magiting na lider-obrero. Salin ng pinakamabilis na lumabas na personal na sanaysay, mula kay Ina Silverio, matagal niyang nakatrabaho. Isang buhay na punum-puno, pilit isiniksik sa kakaunting espasyo.

Huli kong nakita si Ka Bel sa parangal para kay Nanay Mameng noong nakaraang linggo. Naaalala ko pa, saktong lumabas ako para mag-CR nang siya na ang magsasalita. Tapos nakipagtsikahan na sa mga kasama sa labas, tutal magtatapos na ang programa. Hirit pa namin, naku asa pang magtatapos na nga ang programa at makakakain na–kapag si Ka Bel ang nagsasalita, tiyak na dodoble ang haba. Iyon pala, simula kanina, wala nang karugtong pa ang kanyang mga pananalita.

Hindi kami nagkalapit nang husto ni Ka Bel tulad ng maraming mga kasama. Pero may mga sandali ng ugnayang di malilimutan. Sa The Netherlands noon, kasama namin siyang magliwaliw sa mga lansangan ng Amsterdam (oo, sa red light district pa nga) at sa pagpunta sa Luxembourg para sa pagdinig ng kaso ni Joma. Hindi ko na masyado maalala ang mga pinag-usapan namin noon, basta’t alam ko, mayroon kaming masayang litrato sa pinagbilhan ng masarap na Belgian fries. (Hehe)

Sa kanyang pagkakapiit noong 2006, nakapanayam ko siya sa Camp Crame–di ako nagpakilalang mamamahayag, kasagsagan noon ng PP 1017. Doon ko siya unang nakitang protektado ng pampamilyang pagmamahal. Bago ako kapanayamin, isinuot pa niya muna ang kanyang cap na Anakpawis, na para bang pormal na kumakatawan ng persona, kahit wala naman kamera. Sa totoo lang, mahirap kapanayam si Ka Bel–maligoy siya’t mahabang magsalita. Pero grabe ang kanyang pagkakatanda sa mga datos, at sa kalaunan, kapag ika’y pasensyosa, makikita mo ang espesyal na pagkakatagni-tagni ng kanyang mga sinsabi at lalo mong mananamnam na isa siya sa pinakamakaranasang tao na iyong makikilala.

At muli, sa pagbisita sa kanya sa Philippine Heart Center kung saan mahigit isang taon siyang itinengga ng gobyernong Arroyo–nagdala kami ng maraming mga DVD na di pala niya mapapanood dahil walang player. Palakad-lakad siya, nag-eehersisyo sa makitid na corridor ng ospital nang aming madatnan. Nakakagalit na makita siyang ganoon. Pero buhay na buhay pa rin siya, ang kanyang kuwarto parang opisina ng MO, natatakpan ng mga poster ang dingding, at maraming mga babasahin.

Tulad ng nababanggit ng marami, napaka-tipikal kay Ka Bel maging ang paraan ng kanyang pagkamatay. Obrero hanggang sa dulo. Parang tuloy hindi totoo. Sino nga bang mag-aakalang nandiyan pa si Arroyo, si Ka Bel wala na? Sana’y laging maalala ng publiko ang panggagago ng Pangulo sa isa sa pinakamagiting na mga bayani ng ating panahon.

Bukas, simula na ang dagsa ng mga tao para makita si Ka Bel, sa huling pagkakataon. Laksa-laksa ang mga iyan, kabilang marahil ang mga pulitikong ni hindi nga karapat-dapat sa karangalang nakatrabaho nila si Ka Bel. Mapupuno ang simbahan ng IFI, maghahalo ang amoy ng pulutong at mga bulaklak. Hindi titigil ang pagbuhos ng mga salita ng pag-aalala, pagpupugay, pangangako ng pagpapatuloy ng iniwang laban ni Ka Bel.

Tulad ng mga pahina ng aming dyaryo, limitado ang mga araw ng parangal. Lalo sa mga pagkakataon ng biglaang pagkamatay, parang lubhang napakaigsi ng oras. Pero hindi mauubusan ng sisidlan ang kanyang diwa. At ang kanyang alala, panghabangpanahon gaya ng pagbabago’t rebolusyon. MABUHAY KA, KA BEL!

Right now, Bayani S. Abadilla, “Ka Bay” to us, is being laid to rest at the North Cemetery. Instead of watching that heart-wrenching ceremony I opted to stay at the office and write this blog entry instead. Last night was his tribute–the small chapel at La Funeraria Paz couldn’t contain the people he touched in the 67 years of his life. (For a condensed, press release version of his life, click here).

I honestly felt very meek sharing to the crowd my personal reminiscence of him as an editor of Pinoy Weekly–the last work he did in his long years of service to the toiling masses. He had a glorious past. Not in the way other writers dream of–he didn’t chase awards (though he won some) and his first book of poems was published only in 2006–because he never, though he loved to write and excelled in the craft and the language, built himself as a writer. He built himself as a revolutionary, his personal glory thus subsumed, almost undetected: into radical ideas that germinated in the minds of who are now considered the nation’s best writers, into guerilla fronts flourishing in Cordillera, into written and translated text in sheafs of subversive materials that helped awaken minds during martial law, into the struggles of the teachers and personnel in keeping the Polytechnic University of the Philippines a bastion of activism, into the continued standing of informal settlers in his community in Manila, into a newspaper that aspires to make a dent in the over-all movement for social change.

It seems very trivial, that I remember him as someone who always insists on “strong” headlines and sentence formulations, as if every point you made, every word you wrote had to have the objective of creating that tempest of agitation he himself felt towards every aspect of injustice found aplenty in this society. It seems very small, that I remember him as someone who fretted deeply in debates over the content, form, and management of our paper, and drawing on his views and experiences, forwarded arguments that simultaneously tried to topple and include all others. It seems of little importance, that he was very humorous and warm, that he attempted to learn how to use the computer but kept reverting to his typewriter (not just a matter of technology, but metaphor–his fingers had to pound, every sentence had to raise a racket), that even as he suffered the excruciating pain of cancer he kept working and attending meetings, until finally, he could only come to the office for him to feel our presence, and for us to feel his.

He had bigger and more exciting accomplishments, as his comrades, students, colleagues, and friends last night attested, and the part of him that we in Pinoy Weekly knew was very small in relation to his totality. But that was the thing with Ka Bay–until the end he served without counting what he had already given, worked as if there was no self and no tomorrow, and deemed it the highest of achievements to educate and inspire the next generation of activists. Before he died, that was, very fortunately, the few of us. And his death will always remind me of how we must always treat our work.

He loved us intensely, like a second family, said his daughter Malaya, the one Ka Bay always said I reminded him of. She was the who spoke for the Abadillas. It was the typical story of the family of the hardcore 60’s activists–the movement tore them physically apart from their father and naturally, created sacrifices, hard feelings and ruptures. For the longest time, she never understood–why Ka Bay was constantly gone, why they lived in the squatters area, why his father turned down lucrative opportunities in life. Only time and social realities made her understand, and in her own way, turn this understanding into commitment. Rather than turn corporate, Malaya chose to work as a teacher. “Pinalaki kaming bato,” she said, her fragile frame and aura belying the internal strength that her story intimated.

I guess for many who heard that story that night, Ka Bay would seem overly-feudal, as a father na “pagmumurahin ka mula ulo hanggang paa.” Maybe he was. But really, you understand people best by their flaws–especially if these flaws are borne not out of selfishness or pride (for me, the most grievous of shortcomings)–but of great love, only that which have not been learned to express or show well.

At the foot of Ka Bay’s casket lay a wreath of red roses and yellow daisies that threw the hammer and sickle into relief. There it was, the symbol of the revolution which Ka Bay devoted his life to, the revolution that fashioned his passion, decency and simplicity. For many now-comfortable ex-comrades who were there that night, especially those in the tradition of praying for his soul that the deceased himself never once worried about (he would shout, “wala akong inagrabyado!” whenever his family, in those last days, would ask if he wanted a priest around), that revolution may seem as imperfect as Ka Bay’s life. But it was clear that it shone–alive, brilliant, continuously learning, and loved–all the better because of a long life lived in its name.

* * *

PARANGAL KAY KAY BAY

Ang pagpanaw ni Ka Bay ay nararapat lamang ipagdalamhati ng kilusan dahil nalagasan tayo ng isang kasamang tapat at masigasig sa paglilingkod sa sambayanan. Nakilala ko si Bayani nang binabalak pa lamang na organisahin ang PAKSA. Noon pa man ay kamamalasan na siya ng walang pasubaling pagtanggap sa layunin ng kilusan na tipunin ang mga kabataang manunulat upang maitaguyod ang panitikan para sa kaunlaran ng sambayanan. Tulad ng marami sa atin na sa panahon ng Unang Sigwa ay nahibuhan ng abenturismo, si Bayani ay nakahandang patunayan sa lahat na siya ay lantay na ”radical.” Noo’y handa niyang talikdan ang naging ambag ng kanyang amang Alejandro G. Abadilla sa pagpapaunlad ng panitikang Filipino. Noon kasi’y pinupuna ng mga radikal na kritiko ang mga tulang eksperimental ni AGA na inakalang ”reaksiyonaryo.” Sa kalaunan, natutuhan ng kilusan na ang paglalapat ng Marxistang pagsusuri sa akda ay dapat magsaalang-alang maraming salik na kinabibilangan ng kontekstong pangkasaysayan, estetika, tunguhing pampanitikan, at kapanahunan ng akda. Katibayan ng bukas na kamalayan ni Bayani na sa pamamagitan ng masusing pag-aaral sa treoryang Marxismo, natanggap niya ang panulaan ng kanyang ama at napahalagahan ito bilang ambag ni AGA sa kasaysayan ng panulaang Tagalog.

Ang naging pagkilos ni Bayani sa kilusan ay hindi limitado sa larangan ng sining at kultura. Naging organisador siya ng mga kabataang mahilig sa pagsusulat. Kahit sa panahong marami na siyang nararamdamang sakit sa katawan, matiyaga pa rin siyang umiikot at gumaganap ng mga gawaing naipapataw sa kanya. Ang kanyang pagsisikap na maitaguyod ang Pinoy Weekly nang siya ay dumaranas ng kakapusan at panghihina ay halimbawa ng walang pagkapagod na paglilingkod ng isang kasama na, tumawid na sa hangganan ng tungkulin at nagsilbing pampasigla sa lahat ng tumatanaw sa hinaharap na ganap na ang kalayaan at demokrasya para sa ating bayan.

~Bienvenido Lumbera
Consultant, Pinoy Weekly
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan

I have one anecdote with Bayani. This was deep in the darkness of the Marcos regime. I was being taken to Baguio to meet with some friends who had gone underground. We passed through Dagupan, where my companions said they had to check with one person regarding security of passage. I was told not to forget to use a different name when introduced to the person. We stopped somewhere, the person came, ducked down to peer into the car and said, hay, ninotchka! It was Bayani.

~Ninotchka Rosca

There was something in the air, the lethargic calm seemed unreal yet ominous. The whole day of May 14, ’08 was uneventful – & he was perplexed why it was so. Until a text blipped the inevitable: Ka Bay had passed on to the light… It didn’t however come as a shock; he even perversely felt relieved that this son of a famous poet, Ka Bay himself a poet, would no longer suffer, a consolation that was knife twisting in the heart of his bereaved.

Once, Ka Bay asked me for some readings on Habermas, the while gifting me with a book on monopoly capitalism. He was keen on extending his intellectual range toward Western discourses, without losing his grip on local hermeneutics. He intimated he would be continuing his research on the Filipino identity, through a mix of history, anthropology & literature so as to penetrate the psyche of the Filipino working class.

But fate would be unkind. His friend of the same ideological zeal, Nic Atienza, would be struck down a year earlier – who would have thought he would follow suit?

I still could hear his giggly banter when once we shared a round of beer at a shack just behind the PUP wall along the Pasig river. His laugher would still echo in my ears.

He confessed, his face enveloped in an air of cool insouciance, that once he tried to touch a former companion for assistance to some progressive project & the subject of his anecdote would instead blurt out like any retiree amused at a juvenile prank: “You’re still at it?” (“Andiyan ka pa rin?”)

The guy has gained, among today’s campus cadres, a reputation of acceptable radicalism, even accidental heroism, during the Marcos kleptocracy.

Ka Bay simply grinned the incident away.

Yes, they did honor him with the publication of his poems. He preferred the cover to be illustrated with a clenched fist I thought was stereotypical – but the essence of his resistance was there. & summed up his life.

Today, I have some appointment to meet – the young people I’ll be sharing memories & tea with don’t know him. But he wrote for them in his vernacular texts: he had such optimistic faith in the possibility of the future.

~Edel Garcellano

This song by the Indigo Girls takes on a new meaning when yesterday seems like a lifetime ago, everyday a reincarnation, and tomorrow, a lifetime away.

Galileo’s head was on the block,
the crime was looking up the truth.
And as the bombshells of my daily fears explode
I try to trace them to my youth.
And then you had to bring up reincarnation
over a couple of beers the other night.
And now I’m serving time for mistakes made by another in another lifetime.
How long till my soul gets it right?
Can any human being ever reach that kind of light?
I call on the resting soul of Galileo
King of night vision, king of insight.
And then I think about my fear of motion,
which I never could explain.
Some other fool across the ocean years ago
must have crashed his little airplane.
How long till my soul gets it right?
Could any human being ever reach that kind of light?
I call on the resting soul of Galileo
King of night vision, king of insight.
I’m not making a joke, you know me; I take everything so seriously.
If you wait till the time till all souls get it right
then at least I know they’ll be no nuclear annihilation in my life time.
I’m still not right.
I offer thanks to those before me, that’s all I’ve got to say.
Cuz maybe you squandered big bucks in your lifetime
Now I have to pay.
But then again it feels like some sort of inspiration
To let the next life off the hook.
But she’ll say, Look what I had to overcome from my last life,
I think I’ll write a book.
How long till my soul gets it right?
Can any human being ever reach the highest light?
Except for Galileo, God rest his soul
King of night vision, king of insight.

(Teo, last ko na itong pagmomoda. Baka hindi mo na ma-bet itong blog ko at alisin ako sa links mo. Minsan na lang mag-update, ganito pa. Hehe.)

To anyone who was ever truly hurt. May we all heal, in time:

“Yet the anniversary of a death, a rape, a fire, a miscarriage, a betrayal, a deep humiliation, a mutilation can year after year extrude its splinters, almost to the day, into the scar tissue of the well-annealed self, determined to obliterate, to go on without looking back. Sometimes we can bring the thing forward, recognize why a certain time of year, even a certain light or smell, carries such disturbance or blankness in a life apparently ongoing. We can come to respect the recurrence, meet it halfway, not as interruption, but the kind of repetition by which (Time is the school) we learn.” –Adrienne Rich

Because of uploading and photo quality issues (hehe, paseryoso), I’ve moved my photoblog to http://cameracurse.wordpress.com. Kaunti pa lang ang laman nito, yung old photos ko ay nandoon pa rin sa http://cameracurse.blogspot.com. Maraming salamat!