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Our ‘Real’ Combat to ‘Fake’ News

“What we share must be on our cautiousness. Our political polarity must not prevail over the authenticity of what we share. On sharing stories, we have to contemplate about the consequences—are we helping or are we aggravating?”

We know social media’s power—information can be worldwide in just a matter of seconds. As connections have been part of our daily life, it can read by millions of people in just a round a clock. But this feat in technology has never always brought positive to us. Ruined careers, disturbance and ignorance are along with the main culprits: online fake news and its avid patronisers.

Fake news are published stories which are not true or unverified, sometimes created for advertising, or else, just to simply create disruptions. Untrue but catchy stories beckon more clicks which generate income to the publisher through ads. But a catchy story has never always matter, as characters in its ill fabrications were sometimes beat online.

One of the popular fake news which buzzed in different languages was a said photoshopped family picture of a Chinese girl who was divorced by her husband after he knew that she undergone plastic surgery. In reality, this disgrace had sullied her modelling careers and it inflicted serious depression which will no longer appeased by our online community.

But fake news is not just an international occurrence. Last day, messages directly sent by our Facebook friends about the said simultaneous bombing of terrorists Maute-ISIS in different regions of the country alarmed us. In local context, uncertain news about fugitives from Masbate spreading asperities by looting houses and killing residents in the countryside of Iloilo and Capiz also freaked us. These were just among thousands of misleading notions which propel us into useless mass hysteria.

But what really inflames the spreading of fake news? Sharing is one of the vital features of our social media. Everyone can share stories and links and everyone can read it. The distressing part is that, some popular pages of actors and politicians share fake news, which is responsible why it is careering throughout the web through their millions of followers. These noxious information are not just shared by our ordinary citizens but professionals share it too, making it more convincing and credible in the eyes of other naïve readers.

It instigated Sen. Joel Villanueva to file a bill penalizing individuals and entities who publish fake news with hefty punishments. But the road of this bill into law remains uneven with questions on its practicability and constitutionality. But do we really need a law to combat these online fabrications? Is exhorting our online community to become wise readers is not a profound answer?

Our combat to fake news is also a combat to a crime against malicious dissemination of false information. We have to stop it with ourselves.

Fake news are easy to spot. These are sometimes accompanied with grammatical errors, improper capitalization and punctuations and misspellings on its headlines and contents. Sometimes, it has no identified authors and has heavy obscene popping ads.

Free domains were sometimes used, as that the one ending in .tk. Sometimes the domain is imperceptible as bogus when they intently change letter “i” into “l”, “e” to “3”, among others to appear as legit.

Moreover, fake news in not just a website. Sometimes we receive disruptive fake news directly sent to us in Facebook or any of our social media sites in form of a deceptive screenshots or texts. It is ideal that before we believe in it, or before we share it, verify it first in our trusted mainstream media such as GMA News, ABSCBN News, PhilStar, Rappler, Inquirer, among others.

Local and hyperlocal fake news are hard to verify because our trusted media are sometimes limited only to national news. The ideal thing to do is to call our local police hotline to verify if it is true, especially if it is a security concern, or it is a threat in our community.

What we share must be on our cautiousness. Our political polarity must not prevail over the authenticity of what we share. On sharing stories, we have to contemplate about the consequences—are we helping or are we aggravating? Human battle against misinformation has never easy because we contend with our fellow humans to fight against its rapid spreading. But if this problem remains exacerbated, then we can come into a question if our population is now outnumbered with vigilant, or worse, most of us were now complacent ignorant. ♦

4:50 AM
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Padagyaw 2016 Kicks Off

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3:09 PM
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Our encounter with wild Visayan Leopard Cat or “maral”

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Here is the story:

It was our favorite pastime to go in the forest. We do this when we want some adventure. It was Easter and we want to spend our time in the wild.

We were seven in the group. While on our way, I had a camera in my hands while some of my friends had their bolo which they use to reap the hampering grasses. We had a vague destination, but we continued.

Our team was quiet big different from a group who “shoot” wilds not with camera lenses but with guns. It was a great adventure indeed. I was so happy seeing how trees grew after Yolanda and the beauty of the forest which withheld from me for so long.

I appreciated the butterflies flying around, the melody of the colorful birds in trees and how things in the forest were vividly curated. But I never expected that what will happen next will upturn me to disappointment.

One of our companions discovered a wild cat lying on its burrow. It was inside the withered coconut trunk and we did not expect that the wild cat inside was with its two youngs. Later, I just knew that it is locally called “maral”, or Visayan Leopard Cat according to philippine-mammals.blogspot.com.

I positioned my camera to capture the wild cats while they were still unconcious with our presence, but I was blocked by my obstreperous companions who noisily overtook each other just to see those peculiar cats. The noise provoked the mother wild cat to jump from its burrow, leaving its two cute youngs in the dark. I heard the mother wild cat's meows while it moved away.

My companions then site raced to sieze the kittens. I knew their mindset. They want to own it as their pets. As it was lifted from the burrow, it was then passed to everyone's hands who seemed first timers to hold a kind of it. It was an unordinary animal; it was cute.

Supposed, I just want to take a picture of that wild cats and secure not to disturb them while they were in their natural habitat. But it seemed that my companions were not yet aware about the wild cats' population vulnerability according to the manner they possessed.

According to the blogs of the Philippine Mammals, this kind of wild cat CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN PANAY, Cebu and Negros. In Cebu however, it was reportedly extinct due to the destruction of its natural habitat. Farmers also love to eat their meat. Far from what I know that it is herbivorous, it is 100% rat predator. That is why, here in our place, rat infestation is not a major problem of our crops.

I made a decision that we will return the kittens inside the coconut trunk, with hopes that the mother wild cat will get back to have them again. I told my companions that we should let them live in their natural habitat but I was upset when all of them argued that they will bring it in their house. They want to make it as pets since they believe it is a charm to win the weekly cockfighting league in the nearby barangay. It was an insubstantial justification. No big difference from the killers of wildlife.

I strongly negated their decisions, but since I am not the one who found it and the majority won, their decisions were followed. I kept on saying that their mother will get back, their population was vulnerable, but they remained convinced by their wrong mindset. “If a person will touch a wild youngs, their mother will not go back anymore,” that was what they believe which for me it was absolutely wrong.

It was so hard for me to left the forest with those kittens but I have nothing to do but to resist my anger. I doubted they can take a good care with those youngs while foreseeing it will end up to demise just like what happened to the wild chicken hatches they also brought in their houses years ago.

I took a picture of it then I went to my room. But my disappointments never ended up there when I heard that my they decided to make those kittens as lures to catch the mother wild cat. They brought the kittens back to the forest and put traps on it while they expected two possibilities: they may catch the mother wild cat or the mother wild cat will escape the traps and bring its youngs to safe place.

The night came, and honestly I prayed for the latter possibility. There was nothing more happy feeling seeing a mother again reunited with her youngs. And that was what I wanted to happen.

I did not see the scenarios at the forest during the night. But in the morning, I was happy that God had granted my prayers. The mother cat, with her youngs, escaped the traps and get safe. They were again free in the wild while disappointments surfaced in the eyes of its perpetrators... Honestly, I was so happy while optimistic that these wild cats will sustain its population to the next generation... but still worrying this optimism will be crippled by humans.

youngs = kittens

7:51 PM
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The slowest of the slowest: The timeline of our struggle for the Internet

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The Philippines has the slowest Internet speed among countries of Asia Pacific. With a miserable average speed of 3.7mbps, this clumsy speed has already fed us ontime information and get every Filipino on a bandwagon of democratic voices through social media participation. But if this average speed is already “slow” for us, how much more few years ago when we were yet in a glint of using the Internet.

Years ago when most of us distantly communicate through text with GSM phones, internet capable Android and iOS which today we mostly use were not yet widely introduce to buyers in our country—in fact, we only have Java and Symbian operating systems. Perhaps that time, using SMS and voice call as our way of communicating distantly were enough.

Most of us knew Nokia, a cellphone company which was popular that time. Most of us was already stunned on the phone’s ability to transmit message from one phone to another. But one day, when we demanded a more sophisticated communication and information medium, we were given 2G (second generation)—a kind of network which can transmit data over the internet.

2G is a slow network but it gave us a huge light of seeing the world virtually. Its speed ranges 1-100kbps. Besides slow, it was also costly. That time, our telecommunication companies charged us according to the minutes we spent in the Internet. Perhaps, they never offer any unlimited or bulk (per kilobyte) data allocation then. But even it was slow and costly, we were patient enough and spend lot for it because that time it was new.

I was in high school when I learned how to browse the Internet over my phone. What is internet that time?! Not everyone gets access into it compared today. Just to gain access, since I was a prepaid user, I have to top-up a worth 15 peso load in the near Sari-sari store for a gawky 2G internet connection for 45 minutes. I thought, that was already fast until I knew 3G.

3G and DSL brought us a huge change when it comes to our Internet delight. Good quality videos on video-sharing sites such as YouTube buffers faster as before. Unlimited and bulk internet promos were made. Internet cafes thrived in the cities as telecom companies have their enhancements in their cell towers. Because of this innovation, we go with the trail of social media engagement.

We first know Friendster before Facebook have gained an Internet popularity. Since only the NCR and other major cities have first gained access into a ‘faster’ internet, most of the people who reside in the city had their accounts in social media while we in the province were a bit unacquainted in it—not until foreign cellphone companies unfold their businesses in the country.

Android phones then became popular and affordable to every Filipino. We thank for it because even its low-end models are already data and wifi capable—making connections to ‘information superhighways’ easier and possible for usual users.

Our lifestyle then associated with ‘sharing’ where almost all of our actions and sentiments were broadcasted in the Internet. Consequently, cybercrime occurred, students learned to plagiarize through search engines and youth became isolated in their homes.

Our ISPs (internet service providers) then gave us 4G (fourth generation) and LTE (long term evolution) which assured us an internet speed of upto 42 mbps. But this lame promotion disgusted us because the internet speed was still out of what was disclosed.

Because more users engaged with the internet, our ISPs then implemented ‘data throttling’, the term they use for limiting the users data usage according to what was stated in their ‘fair use and policy’. This created a huge outrage among netizens—calling ‘unlimited promo’ as a big lie.

As our struggle for a speedy internet continues, we still gained groundbreaking records in the Internet. We were dubbed as selfie and social media capital of the world and the holder of the most tweeted hashtag in Twitter through AlDub.

Beyond the records we gained and internet speed we have today, we are a bit far than yesterday. But, we cannot deny the fact that behind the evolution of the country’s internet speed, we are still very late when it comes to the race for faster internet speed in the world.

10:21 PM
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Sabod Nga Kwarta

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Nagasakit duman ya ulo ni Ex-Kapitan ka ugtas! Indi sa rason nga nag-abot duman ya tingadlaw kag indi na sya ka sab-ug ka palay kag mais, kundi hay asta dukaron indi pa magarab kag matapas ang ana nga mga tanom nga pwede dun daad mapadalawat kag makasapin-sapin sa tiempo tig gulutom.

Natabuan man nga sa pihak nga bahin, tagtaganay duman ka 4P’s sa munisipyo kag tag-trienta mil para sa mga biktima ka bagyo Yolanda. Ano pa abi ya huna-hunaun ta. Tiba-tiba duman ang mga nakabaton ka grasya, kag syempre, pareho katung nagligad, nagbayad utang duman sanda, bakal ka mga kinahanglanon sa balay kag ang iban nga palahubog nakalag-ok duman ka manamit kag mainit-init nga lipid.

Pero samtang nagakalipay ya mga nagrasyahan, si Ex-Kapitan nagaugtas gali hay sya nawad-an ka mga manug-garab kag manugtapas. Paano abi hay waay duman it malihog ubra sa kampo hay tanan busog duman sa bubod nga ginwisik ka gobyerno.

Sang-una katung waay pa dyang 4P’s kag grasya ka bagyo, aga palang hitso don ya mga ulubrahon sa kampo. Indi mo don kinahanglan tawgon ya mga mamumugon hay aga pa, tanda don mismo mapalapit para matapos don ya ulubrahon. Pero dukaron, layo don sa patad ya naabot nga batasan ka iban. Nagatinamad don kung ang bulsa may dyan, pero kun hubas don gani, baw nagkalamurag-muragan.

Ginmato-mato dulang ni Ex-Kapitan, imaw ya ana nga asawa kag kabataan nga edukada, ang pagtapas ka mais kag paggarab ka anda nga palay. Samtang ya pamilya nya gapinamalhas ubra kag sa initan gasulay, baw ya mga gingrasyahan, sa balay lang gapahunay-hunay.

Pila man ka semana kag natapos man ya ulubrahon sa uma. Pagkatapos padalawat ka anda binakasan, si Ex-Kapitan ang pamilya dulang ya ginpasalamatan.

Asta nag-abot ya isa ka aga, may bata nagpanawag sa bintana.

“Kap! Kap!”

“Op! Maano ka?”

“Mahulam daad si Nanay bugas, Kap!”

Ay abaw! Si Ex-Kap man gali ang dalalaganan kung ubos don ya kwarta kag may kinahanglan.

***

Kun kwarta ya nagapabakas sa tawo, kwarta man ya rason para magtinamad ang mga tonto.

3:46 AM
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Ang Sintermo sa Takasan

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Masami hambal sa komunidad, ya sentirmo kuno dugo sang napatay nga tawo nga nagtulo sa lupa kung diin nainitan kag naulan, kag ini kuno ang rason kung ngaa man naga-gwa ini kung nagatalithi. Para sa iban, ang itsura sini isa lamang ka daw nagasiga nga suga nga nagalupad-lupad sa kahawaan. Pero sa likod sang mga huring-huring kag nabal-an sang iban, isa ka istorya nga aton mabasahan nga kung diin kita maklarohan kung ano pa guid ang dapat naton nahibal-an sa sini nga makahaladlokan nga nilalang.

Ang istorya natabo sa isa ka malapad nga kalupaan sa malayo nga banwa diri sa Capiz. Wala sang nagapanag-iya sang kalupaan nga ini, kag ang mga mga malapit nga residente na mismo ang naghambal nga makahaladlok nga angkunon ang lupa para tamnan kay sila mismo wala man nakalikaw sa mga pagpabatyag sang mga tinuga nga nagapuyo diri. Amo pa, halin sang-una, hagunoy, kahoy kag hilamon lang ang makita mo sa lugar. Kag pagpalanindog sang balahibo kung mag-umpisa na nga huypon sang hangin ang kawayan nga nagadala sang makahaladlok nga tunog ang imo mabatyagan.

Pwede mo man maagyan ang misteryoso nga lugar nga ini, pero mag-andam ka lang sa mga elemento nga magapabatyag sa imo kung ikaw naga-isahanon lamang sa pagpanglakaton sa diri nga dalan. Madamo na nga mga istorya nga may naga-huni kuno diri nga kanding o tayho, dala ang pagpakita sang mga inas sang mga siki sini sa lutakan; may mga bagat kung diin gulpi lang may mahaboy sa imo sang bato nga indi mo man mahibal-an kung diin ini naghalin kag ang isa sa mga ginakahadlukan sang tanan ang nagatuhaw nga sintermo nga masugata sa imo sa takasan nga alagyan samtang ang langit nagapanalithi kag ginapalibutan sang kalinong ang palibot.

Isa sadto ka adlaw, tigsalalaug sang tablon. Gamit ang karbaw kag karusa, isa sa mga tigsumalaug lunsay isa ka bata. Bag-o maka-abot sa karsada ang tablon, dapat guid maagyan anay ang makahaladlukan nga takasan nga lalaktudan kag agwantahun ang makahaladlok nga kalinung sini.

Udtong adlaw. Sa kada agi sang bata sakay sa iya karbaw sa takasan, agagangis lang guid nga nagahuni ang iya mabatian. Pero kadungan sang paghuni sini ang pagtindog man sang mga bahahibo niya, nagapaambit kung ano guid kariit didto. Bal-an man niya nga mariit didto pero asta lang ini sa iya huna-huna kag ginapunggan nya lang ang kaugalingon nga magdalagan kag magkahadlok paagi sa pagpanihol. Pero kung indi na niya mapunggan ang kahadlok, ginapapisikan lang niya sang pisi ang karbaw para magdalagan na ini sang madasig.

Nahapunan ang bata sa iya ubra, pero wala pa guid naubos ang saraugon niya. Ginabulubanta mga ala y sais pa niya mahitso ang mga nabilin. Asta sang nagpaidalum na ang adlaw sa kabukiran, sang ginkarga na niya ang katapusan nga salaugon, nagpanalithi. Pero imbes nga nag-untat sa pag-ubra, nagpadayun pa sya sa pagkarga para dalayon na nga matapos ini.

Ang pagpanalithi isa ka timaan sang paggwa sang sintermo. Sang nagapanaw na ang karbaw samtang ang bata nagasakay sa likod sini, wala man sa guihapon naga-untat ang pagtulutalithi. Sang nag-agi na sila sa mariit nga takasan, makahaladlukan nga kalinong ang nagpahadlok sa iya. Wisik lang sang ulan ang iya mabatian samtang ang iya naman nga balahibo nagpalanindog. Masako man ang iya balikid sa likod sang gulpi lang nga nagpisik ang karbaw kag nagdalagan.

Sa pagpisik sang karbaw, nahulog ang bata sa takasan. Nagtupa guid sya sa lutakan kag nabayaan na sya sang sapat. Ginkulbaan sya, nag-amat-amat bangon, hasta sang ginkibot sya sang nag-gwa nga bagul sa iya atubang. Mga lima ka lak-ang ang distansya sang bagul sa iya. Nagalutaw ini sa hangin samtang nagakalayo sang kolor asul. Nagangirit ini. Haluson pa nga daw indi makaginhawa ang bata kag daw malipong sya sa nakita. Naghana sya nga madalagan pero daw naunahan kulba ang iya mga tuhod rason kun ngaa man nagpalamuypoy ini.

Naga-amat-amat palapit sa bata ang bagul. Hasta nga nadumduman niya ang hambal sang mga kamal-aman nga ang kagimkim lang ang makapatay sa sintermo. Nakatikang sya bisan paano. Ginbuol nya ang kagimkim nga mga tatlo lang ka tikang halin sa iya kilid. Pero samtang nagapalapit sya sa kagimkim nagasunod man ang bagul sa iya sang amat-amat.

Ginbuol niya ang kagimkim kag dayun ginpaspas makapila ka beses sa bagul. Waay nya ini naigo. Nagdalagan sya. Pero, naglagas man sa guihapon ang bagul sa iya — nagangirit kag handa sya nga gus-abon kag sunugon. Nakita guid niya nga nagbaskog ang kalayo sini bangud kay masako man ang iya balikid.

Isa nalang ka dupa ang distansya sang bagul sa iya, asta nga sa sagad niya ka balikid nakadasma sya kay nakasandad sa isa ka muhon. Naghaplak sya sa lupa kag sa pagbalikid niya, wala sya kamaan kung ano ang iya buhaton hasta sang nagdabok pa guid ang kalayo sang bagul. Wala na sya sang nahimo kundi nagsinggit nalang sang “tabang”.

Nagpiyong sya. Nagdulom. Hasta nalikup ang palibot sang kaitom. Nadula ang sintermo.

Pag-uli niya sa balay, gin-istorya niya sa Lolo niya ang natabo. Mayad nalang kuno nakagwa sya sa lupa nga ginapanag-iyahan sang ato nga sintermo bag-o paman sya dayunan nga nadula kag nasunog sini.

3:18 AM
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Ang Sweldo ni Sir Burnok

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Biernes duman nga adlaw. Makita mo naman si Sir Burnok nga naga pungko sa higad ka karsada samtang nagahulat ka tawo nga mabakal ka ana nga tatlo ka bilog nga manok. Halin pa tana sa malayo nga barangay kag Dumarao kag nagpanaug pa sa banwa para magbaligya lang ka ana tatlo ka bilog nga manok. Daw kada Biernes, indi guid magpaulihi si Sir sa baligyaanay manok sa tinda.

Duro guid ang nagapamangkot kun insa man gapinamaligya tana si Sir Burnok ka manok nga insakto man gani ang sweldo ka maestro—masustineran man ang pang-adlaw-adlaw na nga kinahanglanon sa panimalay.

Tigpiligado dun sa bukid. Hambal gani ka mga taga-tuya, ang mga maestro kag maestra lang ka dya ang indi ka batyag ka kapigaduhon hay nagasweldo tanda pagkatapos ka bulan. Parihus sa pagpin-ot ka kabuhi ka mga taga-bukid, nagsunod man sa kapigaduhon si Sir. Ambot, ah, maestro man sya gani. Hambal gani ka iban, diin tana dya bala gakadto ana nga kwarta hay pinamaligya man tana gihapon ka manok kada biernes ang ana ubra para masustineran ang pang-adlaw-adlaw na nga kinahanglanon.

Nagpamigado lang si Sir Burnok halin tung ginbag-o dun ka DepEd ang sistema kun paano bul-on ang sweldo ka mga public school teachers. Kun sang-una kinahanglan mo pa mag-adto sa division office para lang mabuol imo sweldo, dukaron tana de ATM don. Pindot-pindot ka dulang sa ATM, gwa don dayun ang sweldo. Baw! Bangud sa generation gap, daw waay guid ka sabay si Sir sa bag-o nga sistema ka DepEd pag-abot sa bul-anay sweldo. Daw medyo indi gani si Sir kamaan mag-gamit ka cellphone, paano pa ayhan kung mag-withdraw don tana sa ATM.

Pulo na ka bulan halin katung gin-implementar ka DepEd ang sistema sa swelduhanay. Kung ya mga co-teachers tana ni Sir may mga grocery itemsdon nga bitbit kada katapusan bulan halin sa city, si Sir tana halin sa tinda ka Dumarao nagpinamaligya ka ana nga manok nga lapit dulang maubos. Ulihi dun tana nabal-an ka tanan ya rason ka kapigaduhon ni Sir Burnok.

Sa likod ka nabal-an ka tanan nga basi ginapang-bisyo tana ni Sir ya ana nga sweldo hay pati tana mga manok na dalasa tana pamaligya don kada Biernes, ulihi don tana naman-an nga nahadlok lang gali tana si Sir nga mag-withdraw ka ana nga sweldo hay natalawan tana magpindot sa ATM. Indi tana kuno kamaan maggamit ka ATM. Nano man tana si Sir, nahadlok tana mahuy-an kaysa sa magutuman.

Hamak mo, pulo ka don tana ka bulan nga waay ni Sir kabuol ka ana nga sweldo sa ATM. Hay karun, nag-abot ya tingadlaw.Ubos duman ya manok na kag waay dun sa it inugbaligya. Ubos duman palay na. Nagsunod man ya bulsa na sa paghubas ka bubon. Bisan balinghoy dulang nga pamahawun, waay don guid it kalalihon. Mantinir dulang si Sir ka abalong nga ginluy-ahan kada aga. Ang lain paguid, pati ya ginatubuan ka abalong nga lupa, gaamat-amat duman ka litik bangud sa tingadlaw.

Kun waay pa tana nagutuman si Sir, waay guid tana kamarasmas nga naunahan lang sa gali ka kahadlok na magkapot sa ATM. Hay karun, may dapat sya nga pilian. Mapatay sa nga nagutuman o mahuy-an.

Pagka-aga, nagsakay si Sir sa Ceres (bus) pakadto sa city . Nagkadto sya sa Landbank sa Passi. Una, gaduha-duha pa si Sir, eh. Kita na palang ya ATM booth, daw mataririt dun sa pabalik. Hay tuya duman sa, pawala lang si Sir nga indi sa kamaan maggamit ATM samtang gapalapit sa ATM booth. Bisan gakudog, gin-insert na ya cash card kag ginsunod malang ya instruction, waay man sa nahuy-an.

Hay daw mga pulo man ka bulan nga waay nakasweldo si Sir, baw nagtiriripo ana sweldo sa cash card kag naka-withdraw tana sya sulusobra sa syen mil (P100,000.00), eh. Tiba-tiba tana si Sir lagaw sa Gaisano.

Pauli si Sir sa Dumarao bitbit syen mil. Ginkapital ni Sir sa negosyo ang kwarta. Kag kung katuya manugbaligya lang sya manok sa biernesan, dukaron tana dun ang nagapangkumpra kag nagakadlaw dulang kung madumduman kung diin ang tanan nag-umpisa.

3:00 AM
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#100SinceYolanda: Awakening, catastrophe and political depravity

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Back when the windows served as barricade between life and death. We were locked inside our house while the strong storm swirling outside, trying to devour every unfortunate lives to receive its fury.

Unprecedented, unanticipated and uncommon. Yolanda trampled the Visayas, killing thousands of lives, flooded and even swung houses, uprooted trees, toppled electric posts and communication cell sites, lashed agricultural crops, and left the whole city-states on its very pathetic plight. As a worst calamity story ever published in the Philippine media, this predicament was an unprecedented nightmare which defaced immediately the in situ of our lush surroundings, surroundings which never been slapped by any of the disasters until Yolanda. It was an unanticipated catastrophe which squeezed the eyes of the Filipino people who, despite of losing hope, remained strong until the desperate present. It was an uncommon disaster which tested the faith of the Christian nation in the Far East, now considered as the deadliest country when it comes to environmental phenomenon related disasters.

It was 100 days since the devastation, but the hullabaloos of the wind fury and the collision of debris to debris are still fresh in our mind, being reminded by the horrors when the torrential or heavy rain will again pour down in the makeshift houses we had. But memories of 100 days after the devastation were not just about the cries waving on the sky with sympathy, but also with the irrelevant junctures in the hardest test we had. In the completion of 100 days after Yolanda, nepotism in relief distribution, grapple of grim words between President Aquino and Tacloban Mayor Rodriguez, hoarding of grains which starved the affected people, over pricing of commercial products, not impartial distribution of relief goods and putting political names in helping people were the "accomplishments" of business men and politicians' pettiness.

Despite of the hard tests we had, both environmental catastrophe and political depravity, the Filipinos can still and will take a single step to bring back the normal life we had before this plight. This was not a blessing since it pounded not just the city, but also the hearts full with mourn and mind circled with both emotional and psychological needs. But despite of this, kudos to those people who was able to dig soil and erect the pillars of their houses before the turtle-walk assistance from the government came into their hands. Kudos to those people that despite of the limited foods, they can provide, even those left over coconut fruit, for the sake of their too young children and siblings. Kudos to those people that despite of losing family members, they optimistically faced reality and start for a new beginning. We do not have to thank about this plague, but we have to augment what shortcomings we had which were caused of this perils.

100 days after Yolanda, it should be clear for us to correct what is wrong, to augment what was lacking. Wrongs like abusing our environment, lacking like inflexible faith.

By the bravery of Lapu-Lapu in the battle of Mactan, of Bonifacio to free the nation from the Spanish colonizers and of Filipino veterans in the time of the second World War, we should not let this disaster cover off the bravery we had marked in the history before -- bravery in the conquest and even in the nature's quest.

Some defined Yolanda as a curse, and some as gift. But it was neither of that two. Yolanda's purpose was awakening; awakening to the gradual fainting of the unison of the nations, of the bayanihan spirit, and of the faith being ratified by the excessive love of the people to the earthly things. Because of Yolanda, the world became one in dispensing relief efforts in the affected areas of Leyte, Capiz, and others. Houses were built again by the decisive help of the neighbors, depicting the "bayanihan" spirit which was practiced by our ancestors. And faith was tightened more because of the providence of God to what we ask for.

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