Marvin Isidore "Sid" Macatol Weblog

I salute GMA's recent directive to have "thorough review" of all peace initiatives. Indeed, I subscribe to the directive that a thorough review of all peace initiatives are in order. We have had peace panels for so long now, but what have we really gained so far? This is not to say the peace panels are not doing their jobs. Far from it. In fact, the Social Reform Agenda launched by former President Fidel V. Ramos during his term from 1992 to 1998 was the result of the peace process.

I cannot help but realize that we're a very young independent nation, this Philippines that we claim our own. June 12, 1898. Was this really the day we became a nation? All you have to do is go to the Ayala Museum (see my earlier post) and see the beautiful dioramas there, and somehow you just get the feel of the continuous stream of events that transpired since 1898. You will realize that we have never really been an independent nation then. No, we have not been. Even Emilio Aguinaldo has admitted that it was "snatched" from us. The year 1898 was a terrible year for us. It was the year we declared Independence from Spain, it was the year Spain sold us to the Americans, and it was the year the Americans took over us as colonizers. The independence movement was practically nipped in the bud.

Philippine history from 750,000 BC until 1946 in 60 beautiful dioramas, what a bargain! Anyone who goes to Makati has no excuse for not visiting the Ayala Museum . (Take note of my earlier post on how to be a better Filipino!) Philippine history is interesting. It tells us who we are and who we are not. It tells us of our struggles and explains to us that all that we see around us now did not come from the clouds, but from the blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors. Anyone who asks, "Who am I?" should go see the Ayala Museum. It won't cost you much to go there and it's absolutely easy to go there. It's between Greenbelt 4 and Greenbelt 5. You wouldn't miss it.

It's easy to say be a Filipino by choice, but what's the price to pay? To me, being a Filipino by choice does not have to mean staying here in the Philippines and remain a Filipino citizen til you rot. The reality for a lot of Filipinos is, some of us just have to leave either to maintain their existence, or at least their sanity. You work your brains out here and what do you get in return for the 20-32% the government takes away from your salary? Indeed, what do we get in return for what gets deducted from our profits, dividends or take home pay? How I wish I see statesmanship, unity in purpose, strong and principled leadership worthy of respect and admiration in the annals of our country's history.

There are at least three things one can do to be a better Filipino. Certainly, there are more. But these are my contributions to the table. 1. BE A FILIPINO BY CHOICE There are two kinds of Filipinos. Filipinos by default, and Filipinos by choice. There's a world of difference between the two. Filipinos by default. When you were born, you became a Filipino by default. You did not choose what would appear on your birth certificate, nor did you choose the nationality of your parents, much less the place you were born in. Then, as you grew up, you had all these impressions--good or bad--about the Philippines, but were largely uninvolved because of your very young age.

Emails about the relative size of the earth with respect to the giant creations in the cosmos abound. But it took Louie Giglio to startle me with the implications of these pieces of knowledge. Before, to me, such stuff were just science. But Louie Giglio gave it a spiritual dimension. Yes, I do believe God is the Creator of all things, but I didn't immediately realize how that really feels...once we look out into the cosmos. The images below are from rense.com although this site does not claim ownership of these images. I received these images myself through email, but I cannot locate them now. Perhaps the email browser already deleted them.

Being someone from Mindanao, I cannot help but get concerned about the news of renewed hostilities between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The question, "when will this end?" echoes through history in the Christian-Muslim confrontation in the South. I too ask that, when will this end? Honestly, I do not see an end to it. But I admit my vision is limited on this matter. There are seemingly irreconcilable forces at work here. The history of Christian-Muslim relationship that dates back to the middle ages in Europe has somehow translated itself into the southern part of the homeland. We honor Lapu-Lapu , who was Muslim, for slaying Magellan , who, incidentally, brought with him priests who introduced Christianity into the islands. We honor Sultan Kudarat for his sense of nationhood and his defiance against Spain, which ruled us for 400 years and brought the influence of the Catholic Church into our lands. See the conflict that is raging inside me. I...

You want to be "IN"? Blame Catholicism for our country's woes. This post is a response to the post of (almost) the same title at PinoyBlog.com . In that post, Jerome Nadal makes five arguments as to why the Philippines is poor, and somehow attributes those arguments to Catholicism. This post isn't going to be long (hopefully), but let me summarize Jerome's arguments as follows: 1. Filipinos are taught (by the Church) to "hate himself and the world." I cannot relate with this statement. A Catholic, and every so-called Christian for this matter, is taught about Faith and Repentance. Faith in God, first, then repentance. The purpose of repentance is to reconcile one's self with God, whom one has faith in. So, faith and repentance are two sides of the same coin. It's about union with God who creates man and the world. One can't reconcile one's self with himself and the world if he is taught to "hate himself and the world." Is it bec...

Filipinos speak English, even to each other. I went about browsing different Filipino-oriented blogs and forums yesterday to get a more thorough insight into how overseas Filipinos think and feel. I felt uneasy when I gathered that some overseas Filipinos took issue of the fact that some Filipinos do not speak the native tongue even among each other. The native "tongue" was specifically referred to in one entry as "Filipino," which in fact is Tagalog. Hey, I'm Cebuano-speaking (a.k.a. "bisdak" or "bisayang dako") , so that already gives you an idea why I cannot relate with the sentiments. Cebuano and Tagalog may have common words, but hey, they're different. An untrained Cebuano will not understand, much less speak, Tagalog and vice-versa. My wife is Tagalog and my children will grow up speaking Tagalog and English because we live in Metro Manila. I don't mind that at all. I'll be teaching them Cebuano in due time. This post is n...

Matagal nang pinag-uusapan ito and, admittedly, ngayon ko lang nakita. I'm amazed. Paano kaya nila inorganize ito? #

I'm researching the internet about the Filipino psyche: how a Filipino thinks, what his aspirations are, and things of that sort. This research is related to a project I'm engaged in right now. In the process, I came across a lot of blogs that either talks about or makes references to the Filipino psyche. Among the many entries I found, I find this post very interesting: http://blog.totalphilippines.com/filipino_dream/20080813-18050-The-Filipino-Dream It opens and ends with these paragraphs: The once famous American Dream have already been absorbed by many cultures around the world. The American Dream is not exclusive for the Americans alone, but for the global citizen. . . . To achieve their goal is the most important thing for a Filipino. To give their family a better life, to help others, share their knowledge to their fellows, and bring smile to everyone, even in times of problem. This is what the true Filipino dream is. I like the way she puts it. The American Dream, to Fi...

When a friend referred me to the Proudly Pinoy site, I didn't know what was waiting for me there would captivate me. I saw there a the coolest logo I ever found that captured the Filipino spirit, as well as the Filipino pride. I couldn't explain it yet. Two friends saw the logo too, and they too were captivated, and I meant, totally captivated. They had all praises for the logo. Again, they couldn't explain it. Reading about the logo further, you will see that it is the one voted best among 297 entries . Amazing process they had there. Perhaps it's why we can't explain it. We can only appreciate it, with our hearts. All I can say at this point is I like its simplicity, round shape and the red and yellow colors shaped like two hands carrying the round thing, which to me looks like the globe. The star smack in the middle of the globe is powerful. It's like, hey, Filipinos, we're making our own mark on the globe! Go, look at the logo yourself and tell us what ...

When we were in high school, we asked, "What did they {the 'old guys'} do to our country?" In as little as 20 years, we're already the 'old guys.' One of my high school classmates ran for Congress. While I remember this classmate to be a bright and passionate guy, in my unguarded moment, I found it difficult to reconcile this man with that classmate of mine. Time passed. I didn't notice it, or was not conscious of it. That young lad (like myself) back then, became a full-grown man, and he was running for Congress. In my discomfort I asked him why, on earth, did it cross his mind to run for a political office? His reply stunned me: "We're 35. If we don't move now, who will move? When these old guys fade, who would replace them? Who would take care of this country?" What immediately ran in me was, "who cares about who'll run this country? Certainly it can't be us, for goodness sake." I was passing the buck. You see, th...

Terrible question. I guess that's what happens to bloggers when somehow something impedes the flow of thought. Let me tell you what impedes my thoughts these days. I wish to write only about things that make a Pinoy proud. But I also want to be honest. The fact that sometimes I feel like these two seem to be opposed to each other bothers me a lot, such that it impedes my thoughts. Look at my mobile right this very moment. It just made an alert and, my my my... the SMS is a joke about our President. Now, should I blog about it? The question alone already immobilizes my brain. Recently typhoon "Frank" passed by. MV Philippine Princess capsized and around 800 people died, a lot of whom are still right there inside the ship's hull floating upside down in the seas of Romblon. Should I write about it? Both stuff don't make me proud. But I do not want to be a whiner. A lot of Filipinos already are and look at where we are now? Will whining improve our lot? At home, we...

It is easy to think that being a so-called " third world country " everything is backward in this country. That is conventional thinking , which is, in fact, far from reality. The way I see it now, the Philippines is blessed because of technology. Let me describe how the world was when I was a freshman in college in 1985 : 1. There were no cell phones. My parents sent me hand-written letters around once or twice a semester. (I enrolled in U.P. Diliman in Quezon City, while my parents were in Cagayan de Oro City, an hour and a half away by plane, airport-to-airport); 2. There were no computers. We submitted reports using the typewriter; 3. There were no beepers , no text messaging , no instant messaging , and things of that sort, which we almost take for granted these days. Nothing in those days were remotely comparable to these things. 4. There was no internet . You actually had to go to the library to research for information, not to a cafe beside the restaurant. I have lis...

I must give credit where credit is due, and without delay. MY SALUTES TO THE NEW BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION CLEARANCE PROCESSING PEOPLE! I have always known that getting an NBI clearance is now one of the least things we have to worry in the Philippines these days. Thanks to technology .I can no longer recall when I got my own NBI clearance, because it’s in the range of eight to ten years ago. The processing per se was less than an hour, despite the terrifyingly long lines that time, then I was asked to return after two weeks to get my clearance. My salutes to NBI for that. I went to the NBI again. But this time, I did not know what to do exactly, because unlike my previous experience, I was just an authorized representative . My brother brought his family to immigrate to another country, and his wife needed the NBI clearance. They sent me a parcel, and I was supposed to go the NBI with it. What made me really appreciate NBI again is that in 44 minutes, I got the NBI clearance of my si...

I'm 39 years old. But have I grown wiser? If you rate me based on my knowledge about Philippine history, the history of my own beloved country, perhaps I have grown a measly three notches higher because of the three things I learned about Philippine history, which, strangely, I never learned in school! I plan to write about these lessons a long time ago, but I procrastinated. But after learning New Knowledge #3, I blew my top and here I am. New Knowledge #1. Our first "President," Emilio Aguinaldo, ordered the killing of Andres Bonifacio. I never knew that til I enrolled in the University of the Philippines and scoured its library. Did I sleep in my history classes, in all ten years I was in the elementary and high school? My God I could not believe it! I was Salutatorian in elementary and 5th Honorable Mention in high school and I didn't know this very important detail in Philippine history? Wow! Andres Bonifacio was an "illiterate" while Aguinaldo was a we...