PARADOXICAL

(Drafted this last weekend and posting just for fun, to see whether I could come up with something unique and original for a graduation message or something that sounds unmistakably mine and won't come off as AI-produced or -assisted.)

"Tao Ka Lang, Pero Magpakatao Ka"
(Message to Graduating Class of 2026)

Una sa lahat, ako ay nagpapasalamat at narating ko ang puntong ito. Sa edad na ito, sigurado akong nagkaroon na ako ng napakaraming pagkakamali sa buhay. Ngunit ibig sabihin lang nito, marami akong maikukuwento kung paano ako nadapa at nagsumikap tumayong muli. But more accurately in my case, it's more about obstacles and challenges that I needed to overcome.

Pag tinanong ako ng, "What have you learned in life so far?", marami-rami akong maaaring isagot at 'di ko alam kung paano magsisimula. Minsan, may napanood akong nag-speech na bagong graduate imparting lessons in life. I was so surprised: "Ano kaya ang maaari niyang maibahagi sa puntong iyon ng kanyang buhay kundi kung paano maging successful na...estudyante?" Pero 'pag may edad ka na pala tulad ko, huwag iismolin ang sarili, dahil siguradong marami ka nang puwedeng sabihin at ishare sa buhay.

Sa dami ng naging interes ko bilang isang freelance writer, di ko ine-expect na magiging isang interes ko ang pag-aral sa pagiging tao o paano maging tao. I graduated with a degree of BS Biology, so nakababad ako noon sa study of life o pag-aaral sa buhay -- yung literal na buhay, yung physiological, biological, at biochemical aspects. 'Di ko akalaing 'di ako makukuntento rito, at mas gusto kong aralin pa ang buhay sa mas mataas na lebel: kung ano ba ang buhay, para saan ang buhay, at paano mabuhay at maging maayos na tao sa buhay na ito.

One day, I realized that I find being human so fascinating when I stumbled into someone's email signature quote in Latin. It says, "Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto." It means: "I am a human being, and I consider nothing human alien to me." Walang tungkol sa pagiging tao ang hindi ko pag-iinteresan.

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang tawag sa branch of study ng pagiging tao at pagpapakatao. Wala namang kursong ganun. Hindi naman ito humanities lang, o anthropology, sociology, psychology, religious studies, philosophy, o ano pa man. Ang pinakamalapit dito siguro ay ontology o study of being, pero hindi ako sure du'n. Interdisciplinary studies siguro ang mas nararapat. Ang pag-aaral ng pagiging tao, or more specifically pagiging mabuting tao, ay maaari lamang gawin sa AUCL o A University Called Life.

Anyway, I am here to talk about lot of the things I have learned about being human, which are mostly funny and frustrating stuff. Oo, parehong nakakatawa at nakakapika pala ang maging isang tao. ...Because Homo sapiens is a funny and a silly species.

1. Una, I learned that we, human beings, are without exception incredibly stupid and slow. We know that what we do is wrong, yet we still do it.

Worse, sometimes, we don't even know what we are doing yet still we do it.

I learned a high-sounding word that refers to this: concupiscence. They say this is due to our fallen nature.

I was able to make this conclusion by observing not just my own kapalpakan, but of course, everyone else's all around me. Because of my diverse work experience and membership in a number of organizations, and the nature of my current work where I get to meet new people almost every day, I have the fortune of having met so many people, and a number of them in a deep way--I mean, less superficial than, say, a mere hi, hello, a casual how are you, and how's the weather?

I had met a fairly good number of people in my community and in the bigger world outside in a deeper way when I joined various organizations and most especially when I tried years of psychotherapy and group therapy. I have met awful drunkards, drug addicts, gambling addicts, ex-convicts, ex-seminarians, agnostics, atheists, apostates, and sex addicts of every shade--fetishists, serial womanizers, porn aficionados, masturbation addicts, peeping toms...

It will take a lot to shock or scandalize me.

A well-known psychologist once said: We are all capable of anything -- anything at all. It just depends on the circumstances.

What this means to you and me is... many things actually.

First, know yourself. If you are not aware of your weaknesses, you will be ruled by your so-called demons without even knowing it. The world will surely go through a lot of suffering because of you.

Not all people are similarly afflicted with fallen humanity. Some are more unfortunate and more afflicted than others. If you are having a lot of disagreement with yourself but find yourself trapped by your own inexplicable impulses or compulsions, most likely, as they say in psychology, you have an issue or a form of neurosis that you need to address seriously.

The more unfortunate ones are those afflicted with psychosis, but I am unable to get there, having very little knowledge and experience on the matter.

Second is, knowing your nature, be humble. That is, be truthful about yourself -- the rest naturally follows.

This certainly doesn't mean you demean, debase, or devalue yourself. Know your weaknesses, but know also your strengths. But don't take yourself so seriously and again, don't think of yourself too highly. Along the way, someone else is better than you in certain things.

Third: Don't be too shocked when you find yourself stumbling and committing a shameful or embarrassing mistake. Tao ka lang. Not even the religious are exempt here. Take note: Not even the saints. If you read the lives of the saints, you will be shocked. There were womanizers, drug addicts, murderers, and prostitutes there. As Peter Kreeft once put it, "What are saints but sinners saved?" Given the right set of circumstances, you and I are capable of anything. Think of any heinous crime you consider you are incapable of: terrorist, mass murderer, serial rapist, child abuser, economic plunderer... Don't be so sure, but you and I are equally capable had we been born in their milieu. For sure, we are not saying we are 100% evil, but that we can be weak enough to commit it or be pushed into it.

Obviously, nobody's perfect. Lahat ng taong nakasalamuha ko, may mga weakness yan. May mga tinatagong baho at sikreto yan. May mga masasama at pangit na ugali yan. May mga topak at toyo yan. May mga oras na may sumpong yan.

Sino dito ang walang topak paminsan-minsan? Perfect ka, teh? How to be you powhz?

***

Once upon a time, I generously gave away my trade secret--the writing tips I have compiled in life--to fellow employees, even though I know the only way to learn those is through the hard way: a series of writing exercises in which the learners are expected to fail at some of the lessons--and if only they choose the decision to really want to learn something or be better at it for a longish period of time.

Guess what happened. As expected, parang wala namang natutunan sa sinabi ko, haha. Ako ata yung lalong nahasa.

This only cemented my conviction that people are really slow. Give them a life lesson -- they might listen, but it doesn't mean they will absorb it and follow it even if they believe it.

2. The second thing I have observed about us humans is that... We are all liars. We lie all the time. To explain myself more fully, please read the essay of Stephanie Ericsson to save time.

Remember this: As they say, things are not always what they seem. That's because one of our hobbies as human beings is lying.

What is worse is when we lie to ourselves all the time.

But wait, there's more: The worst thing in being human is when we lie to ourselves fully convinced that we are being true to ourselves.

The worst to being human is being blind.

To be sure, we are all blind in various degrees. We are like horses with blinders. You don't believe me? Ever heard of the Johari window of self-awareness and interpersonal communication? The first window is all about the things only you know. The second window is about the things that you and other people know. The third window is about the things that you don't know but other people know. The fourth window is about the things that neither you nor other people know.

A variation on the Johari window is this circular diagram that I first encountered in a seminar called Landmark Forum. Basically, it rephrases the fourth Johari window as "the things you do not know that you do not know," and that blind spot is so huge.

The truth is, as a National Geographic ad says, "The more you know, the more you know you do not know." Meaning, the more we know, all the more that we become aware of the things we do not know.

Let us therefore be mindful of this special weakness. It goes by many names. The bandwagon effect. The supermarket display effect. There is what Frantz Fanon called cognitive dissonance. Then there is what we call Dunning-Kruger effect. (Go look it up.)

As a smart friend put it differently, "Lies that are repeated so many times become the truth to a lot of people, even if they've been debunked. Absent critical thinking, we fall into the trap of confirmation bias: kahit gaano kalakas o karami ang evidence na mali ang paniniwala mo, minsan hinding-hindi ka pa rin matitinag for some reason.

We are all prone to this particular bias.

Give opinionated people hard evidence that what they think of fondly as right is actually wrong, and they will still insist that they are right.

Kahit gaano ka katalino, puwede ka pa ring mabudol, at ang mas masama doon, puwede kang mabudol nang di mo nalalaman.

The worst-case scenario is when the blind leads the blind. In this case, we turn into lemmings. Lemmings heading to the same sinkhole of self-extinction.

Let us not be like blind lemmings. Or the mice being led by the Pied Piper of Hamelin to their own destruction.

3. NEVERTHELESS.... I love human beings and being human. That is because human beings are such complex creatures, and no two human beings are alike. Even twins can have divergent personal preferences.

There are things that apply to you but not to other people.

If I can't figure out a person I know, it drives me crazy. And that is because people are hard to figure out, and because I have a new challenge to deal with. It's important for me to figure out especially the crazy people around me, so that I could understand them better, deal with themselves better, and forgive them for their foibles more easily. ...Just as it is important for me to figure out my own self why I am reacting that way towards them.

4. Nonetheless, I love human beings and humanity in general because despite humans being human, God chose to love us, God chose to share a spark of His divinity to us. As you might have guessed, it is none other than Christianity that taught me this. If God didn't give up on humans, why should we? Sino ba ang gumawa sa atin? Who created us in the first place? Who willed us into existence?

"We are wonderfully and fearfully made," the Good Book puts it beautifully. I don't believe God would go out of His way to do that only to destroy us in the end.

We often hear the dismissive expression, Tao ka lang. On some level, this is, of course, true. It is realistic. It is a humble, meaning truthful, view.

But this is not a complete view of being human.

Oo tao ka lang, pero remember, tao ka, hindi ka hayup, at lalong hindi ka bagay.

Be human, do not be an animal or an object. Better yet, better than being human is being humane. As a great Dominican homilist put it like an ever-petulant grandpa, "Oo, tao ka lang, pero naman, magpakatao ka!"

Yan ang challenge ko sa inyong lahat. I don't expect you to become better human beings right away after listening to me, after giving me a chance to share these things with you. You will need to figure out all of these things for yourself at your own sweet pace. But I will expect you to be fully human and always try to be humane while at it. Because that is what education is all about to me. Not just to replace an empty mind with an open one (a quote attributed to Alexander Pope), but also to become fully human and fully alive (a quote attributed to St. Ireneus), to live who you are meant to be.

By the way, in life, learning never stops. Hanggang ngayon, estudyante pa rin ako. Estudyante ng buhay sa AUCL.

Learn from people older than you, younger than you, folks different from you. Don't be dismissive of senior citizens, PWDs, housewives, people with low socioeconomic status. And don't get too intimidated by people in higher echelons of power. Tao din lang ang mga 'yan.

Question everything. Don't believe everything you hear, including this, of course.

Again, as I have said, most people only learn when they go through a lesson in a difficult way. Different folks have different strokes or learning preferences. Find your own inclination.

***

Lastly, always be thankful of what you have accomplished, but only because your own efforts were borne on the tremendous contribution of other people, and each of these little things transpired at all through God's grace.

I hope nabudol ko kayong lahat sa araw na ito.

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:03 AM 0 Comments

 Resty, first, I'm sorry you and your siblings had to go through this. Reading your account, what stands out is not indifference or convenience, but a family that loved its mother, prayed for her, sought medical advice, struggled with uncertainty, and tried to do what was right under enormous emotional pressure.

From the perspective of official Catholic teaching, I do not think your family did something immoral by consenting to withdraw the ventilator provided that your mother was truly dying and the ventilator had become an extraordinary means that no longer offered a reasonable hope of recovery. Based on what you've described, that appears to have been the case.

Here's why.

The key distinction in Catholic teaching

The Catholic Church makes a very important distinction between:

• causing death (euthanasia), which is always morally wrong; and

• allowing a person to die naturally by refusing or discontinuing treatments that are no longer beneficial or are excessively burdensome.

The Catechism states:

"Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate. It is the refusal of 'over-zealous' treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one's inability to impede it is merely accepted." (CCC 2278)

That paragraph is directly relevant to the situation you described.

Intubation is not always morally required

The Church has never taught that every possible life-sustaining treatment must always be used.

A ventilator is considered a medical treatment, not ordinary care like food, water, warmth, or human companionship.

Whether it is morally obligatory depends on whether it is proportionate.

If doctors honestly judge that:

• the brainstem has been irreversibly destroyed,

• there is essentially no reasonable hope of recovery,

• the machine is merely delaying the inevitable,

then continuing the ventilator may become extraordinary (disproportionate) means, which Catholics are not morally obliged to continue.

What if she was "brain dead"?

One detail in your story deserves clarification.

You wrote that one doctor said she was "practically brain dead," while another said the brainstem was damaged with a 5–8% chance of survival.

Those are not necessarily the same thing.

In medicine:

• brain death has a very specific legal and medical definition. A person who has been properly diagnosed as brain dead is considered dead.

• severe brain injury, coma, or catastrophic brainstem damage is different.

From your account, I'm not certain your mother had a formal determination of brain death. It sounds more like she had catastrophic neurological damage with an extremely poor prognosis.

Interestingly, Catholic moral theology reaches essentially the same conclusion either way: if treatment has become futile, it may be withdrawn.

Did removing the ventilator kill her?

This is probably the hardest question.

Catholic teaching would answer:

No—not if the ventilator was removed because it no longer provided reasonable hope of recovery and only prolonged the dying process.

The disease—the stroke and irreversible brain injury—caused her death.

The ventilator was postponing that death.

There is an important moral difference.

Imagine someone whose kidneys have completely failed.

Stopping dialysis may be morally permissible if it has become futile.

The kidney disease causes death—not the family's decision.

The same principle applies here.

Your intentions matter morally

Another thing I noticed is your intentions throughout those days.

You:

• prayed constantly;

• begged God for a miracle;

• sought medical advice;

• sought advice from trusted people;

• wanted your mother to recover;

• visited her and spoke to her;

• struggled with every decision.

Those are not the actions of people trying to end someone's life.

Your intention was never:

"Let's make her die."

Your intention was:

"We don't know what the right thing is. Please, God, help us."

Catholic moral theology pays great attention to intention.

Would I have made the same decision?

If I were advising a Catholic family in the situation you described, I would likely have recommended something like this:

• Ask the ICU physicians whether there is any realistic possibility of recovery.

• Ask whether the ventilator is treating a reversible condition or merely delaying death.

• Request the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick if possible.

• Continue comfort care.

• If the medical consensus is that death is imminent and the ventilator has become disproportionate treatment, then it is morally permissible to remove it and allow natural death.

That is consistent with Catholic teaching.

One thing I would encourage

Many Catholics continue to carry guilt because they think:

"We removed the machine, therefore we killed our mother."

That is not how the Church understands these situations.

If your family's intention was to avoid futile treatment—not to cause death—you should not equate what happened with euthanasia.

My overall reading

Based only on the facts you've shared, I do not think your family acted contrary to Catholic teaching.

In fact, what I see is:

• children trying to save their mother;

• children praying for a miracle;

• children agonizing over every decision;

• children finally accepting that medicine had reached its limits.

That is profoundly different from intentionally causing death.

One last thought struck me as I read your account. You wrote that on Day 2 your mother sang One Moment in Time. Later, when the doctors said she could probably still hear you, you and your family gathered around her. In Catholic belief, those final moments of love, prayer, presence, and entrusting her to God are not insignificant. They are among the last acts of filial charity you could offer her.

If this question still troubles your conscience months later, I would encourage you to bring it to a priest—especially one experienced in hospital ministry or moral theology. Not because I think you need to confess an act of euthanasia, but because sometimes what remains after such an experience is not moral guilt but grief. A priest can help you distinguish the two and offer the Church's reassurance rooted in her moral teaching.

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:05 PM 0 Comments

It's July 16 Once Again

I didn't notice it's July 16 again until a post in my newsfeed reminds me of it again. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that I survived a really terrifying earthquake once upon a time. I shouldn't. I should never.

I was able to visit Baguio again many, many years after that without being bothered by it. I was with friends. I thought I was already healed of the trauma. But when it was time for my second visit -- for a work-related team-building seminar -- I had difficulty sleeping in a hotel there because I was reminded of it, on top of another unrelated experience that I couldn't forget, also involving a hotel (a burning Venus Hotel near Burnham Park which I stupidly went out of my way to witness firsthand like some good journalist).

Today's remembrance is being made in gratitude that I was among those spared. The first photo is a shot of Hotel Nevada, one of several buildings I had to pass by as I walked back from school to my boarding house. I can't remember why I have such a photo in my possession. Senator Raul Roco's wife got trapped here. Note the strips of white bedsheets that occupants used to escape in haste from the upper floors. And notice how the first and maybe second floors collapsed, trapping and crumpling cars parked in front. I think this is called a pancake type of collapse.

The second one is a postcard of Hyatt Terraces Baguio, one of those structures that collapsed into an unbelievable mess after that quake. In the aftermath, I, together with several companions, walked around the City of Pines to survey the damage like some DRRM inspectors doing some RDANA, and we eventually ended up here. There are incredible stories of survival from this site of total destruction.

The rest of Baguio City was like that, a war zone. It was like the end of the world. We transients and students were just so thankful to be alive, unhurt, and well provided for until we were able to find a bus or any kind of ride just to get out of the mountain resort town and be back alive and safe to our own home cities and provinces.

You don't survive a tragedy of such magnitude without being a different person. It's no small thing to be able to get on with life despite the fear.

But beyond the fear of having your life snuffed out in the twinkling of an eye and the desire of always living life to the fullest as if it's your last few minutes, you tend to live life by the day knowing tomorrow is not assured; to be thankful for the smallest things; to value your time and prioritize what to you is most important at a given moment; and to be intensely aware of whether whatever you are doing, whether your motives and aspirations, will bring you to where you desire to be for eternity. You accept the sobering reality of death, but you also tend to appreciate and affirm life in all its manifold splendor despite its utter fragility.

I must have become somewhat of a reclusive monk in this joyfully unrepentant 'city' of sin because of this quake. It can be hard, as my values are constantly at odds with those of the world, but being face to face with our own mortality is such a life-changing, because humbling, experience.

It is also a life of constant gratitude each time you rise up and realize that it is not your time yet, so you have to go finish that one task at hand because there is still another one coming up, and another... Then, as you get caught up in the ways of the world, you forget why you are doing what you are doing, until you are rudely awakened and reminded of who you are when it is July 16 once again.

(An early version of my memoir on that day can be read here: https://bayambangmunicipalnews.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-mini-memoir-july-16-1990-earthquake.html I lost a latter, more refined version after FB deleted my original account for no reason.)

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:15 PM 0 Comments

 HAPAG Project: A Potential Solution to Malnutrition

posted by Resty Odon  # 12:26 AM 0 Comments

The Kalokohans of Late (Draft July 2026 Recap/Notes to Self)

If you view everything as kalokohan (naughtiness of silliness?), life suddenly finds meaning. It becomes a sitcom or a comic strip at least.

This early, life entertains because it is by turns funny, amusing, ridiculous, laughable, and hilarious.

The things I was able to passively absorb lately from usually toxic social media content are as follows.

***

Europe, a place whose infrastructure is designed to trap heat, is gripped by a deadly heat wave. Thousands have died. But as far as I know, this is rare, but not the first time. Yes, it happened before, but I am not sure if it was this hot.

But, but, but 40-plus degrees centigrade is normal temperature for us here in the Philippines. Or so puffed-up-with-pride Pinoys bragged. As others have pointed out, Filipinos routinely have piping-hot coffee in the middle of a sizzling Good Friday.

***

A Pride parade in UP Diliman caused traffic blockage in the area, angering motorists. Similarly, an INC rally apparently in support of an INC senator blocked EDSA with busloads of rallyists. The PNP was on high alert, with MMDA towing the buses. >>> Turning roads, especially EDSA, into another Strait of Hormuz is hardly ever the best way to earn public sympathy, yes?

***

A funny word I encountered lately: straightdar. The opposite of gaydar, it is a kind of radar--or internal sixth sense, if you will--that tells you in no uncertain terms that a guy is straight based on little signs like downright ugly fashion sense, etc.

***

What appears to be a rare albino Philippine macaque was sighted somewhere. >>> What's with this curious phenomenon lately? Everything that is supposed to be black is turning white in one mutant or two of a given species. The local idiomatic expression "kapag pumuti ang uwak" (when the crown turns white) is invalidated because it no longer means "impossible."

***

Ate Gay is back from chemotherapy and immunotherapy (what's that?). The comedian/comedienne whose shtick is to be a "mash-up queen" by mixing two unexpected songs into an odd duet-of-one explains her stuff on the "Eat Bulaga!" noontime show. He says her modus as a comic was inspired by her mother suddenly switching channels on the radio. He merely copied the effect--to hilarious results.

***

A new super-typhoon is about to enter PAR. PAR these days means "Philippine Area of Responsibility." Since we are so irresponsible when it comes to a lot of things requiring foresight, what if we changed that to "Philippine Area of Irresponsibility" to make things more accurate? Ha-ha!

***

"A Canadian engineer has developed an autonomous flying umbrella that can hover overhead and follow its user without being held." >>> LOL. The very idea of a hands-free umbrella! How hard is it to carry around an umbrella? On second thought, I can no longer count the number of umbrellas I have lost, so this one makes sense. One particular pet peeve of mine is umbrellas lasting only around a few minutes after you buy them. I am particularly still sore at losing my automatic Fibrella umbrella because the frame was made of aluminum. And I went out of my way to buy it at the Landmark mall, upon a friend's tip. It was so sturdy and rust-free that it kept being serviceable for years until I went back home, but it was probably stolen when my mother absentmindedly left it at the grocery store. Remote-controlled hands-free umbrella now! Preferably with QR codes.

***

"RP gains upper-middle income status." This is good news--yes, one little step at a time. But commentators are sore for obvious reasons: the majority of Filipinos (that is we, the great unwashed) are still poor and can't relate with it in terms of more affordable prices of food and other basic commodities, low electricity bills and those of other utilities, ease of transport, affordable healthcare, and decent housing opportunities, plus jobs that would make everything within reach. Call me up if this one happens soon.

***

Madonna releases a new album at 67 y.o.--meaning as lola and senior citizen in Philippine terms. Most women at this stage would have sagging skin, gravelly voice from GERD, obstinate cough, osteoarthritis, and mobility issues. In a similar vein, the Taiwanese group F4 makes a comeback without looking like they have aged one bit. Whatever magic potion or stem cell with collagen and gluta capsules they are taking, I want some.

***

A woman rented an AirBnB in the Philippines and held a house blessing while presenting the property as her own.

***

"Neighbors in Indonesia caught two suspected thieves and turned them into Teletubbies." >>> Complete with pointy ears and antennas.

***

"A Japanese immunologist spent 20 years proving that chemicals trees release into the air walk into your bloodstream, hunt down your stress hormones, and arm your immune system." >>> If true, then can we can, seal, or bottle these chemicals for city dwellers? No, it makes much more sense to turn cities into forests.

***

Word of wit-dom from a fellow "digital creator" - "There should be a medical term for the truly mysterious set of illnesses that strikes Filipino politicians without fail whenever they are arrested on corruption or plunder charges." Can it be called the wheelchair syndrome?

***

Chinese scholars claim Batanes and Palawan as historically theirs too. You know what they say about the problem of giving an inch. They ask for a nine-dash line. What a bully, what a naughtically aggressive country. The world routinely condemns bullies and bullying in school and communities; why can't it censure this one? at once? So which part of the Philippines or the world is not made in China?

***

Serena Williams: "Alex Eala is a gift to the world." >>> As usual, it takes foreigners to recognize real talent at home before we even get to. ...Because we instinctively look down on ourselves, I've been daring to say. The root of all evil that's bugging the Filipino.

***

A poem we were assigned to interpret in high school--"Invictus" by William Ernest Henley--became trending after the veep used a line off it: "bloodied yet unbowed." "It's Senator Delima--a victim of slanderous lies and trumped-up charges and silence from those who should have spoken--that fits the bill," not a few snitched about the use of this famous literary line. As for me, I was brought back to that afternoon class in high school dissecting this particular poem and I didn't understand a thing, and I thought I was a bright student.

***

The plant we call lagundi is actually 5 different species. - study. >>> We are easily deceived by uniform looks, turns out. But in ornithology, splitting groups of species once known to be the same is very common, especially in the Philippines. What was once thought to be the same hornbills, for example, turn out to be different or distinct species. One wonders which other species have we mistaken for the same things all along. All species with visible varieties are suspect.

***

Rare giant arapaima fish reportedly valued at ₱7-M, stolen and butchered. >>> Another funny part is the alibi: they didn't mean to steal and slaughter it for lunch. Catching the gigantic fish was just an accident. Right.

***

"Kawatan, nakiligo sa banyo matapos manloob. Naliligo pa sa banyo nang maabutan ng mga opisyal ng barangay ang isang lalaking akyat-bahay sa Bgy. San Vicente, Tarlac City." - Crime news >>> Hahaha! The comments are hilarious. Sample: "X Akyat-bahay. (Check sign) Akyat-ligo." "Para raw malinis ang ebidensya." "Di baleng makulong basta fresh." "At least hindi nagpa-house blessing." "Go-li bago kulong." BTW, he had exposed man-boobs at the time of arrest, adding additional layer of offensiveness to his crime especially since he didn't wear a bra.

I remember a similar crime in the past in which the intruder had dinner first before leaving the crime scene.

***

A new monkey species was discovered in the Congo. I love stories of Lazarus: supposed extinct species resurrecting from the grave of memories, turning out to be not extinct, or not yet. Called likweli thus monkey wears orange lipstick.

Similar: "A fish already being sold at the General Santos Public Market turned out to belong to a species previously unknown to science. Researchers named it Elates saranganiensis, or the Sarangani flathead."

Related: The rare plant Ophiorrhiza biflora, first documented more than a century ago, has been rediscovered in the forests of Mt. Apo, the Philippines' highest mountain. There are other reports of rediscoveries of rarities, including a sighting of a Philippine brown deer and a Philippine collared dove.

It's supposed to be the end of the world, but here we are discovering these species for the first time.

***

Senator Robinhood Padilla says he is communist. >>> So what business is he doing in the Senate, one of the highest government positions in our supposedly Christian, democratic, and capitalist society and country? Does he even mean what he said?

***

Awra Briguela had a rhinoplasty (nose job), and online commenters had a field day bashing the result. The resemblance to Catriona Gray and Kendra Kramer, as they say, is striking.

***

New stupid word alert: 8080 (eighty-eighty). It means bobo or dumb, mentally slow.

***

I didn't watch the impeachment trial for the veep -- too busy to do it -- but a lot of people did. The debate between Atty. Poa vs Atty. Dioko was reportedly riveting, but I lost interest right from the start because the impeachment is hinged on the magic number of senators voting for or against it, notwithstanding the argument or evidence. Do we even have that in the first place?

Reduced as entertainment, the trial can be alternately seen as a showcase of courtroom fireworks.

***

"Motohiro Hisano founded a religion in 2018 at age 19, positioning himself as a humble, powerless deity whose only ability is granting followers the socially useful phrase 'for religious reasons.' He has openly stated he performs no miracles, seeks no worship, and accepts no financial contributions, describing the project as closer to satire than organized religion." >>> What soba noodle is this guy snorting?

***

A 90-year-old Kenyan woman agrees to marry her 95-year-old boyfriend after 64 years together, saying “Men change their minds often -- I had to make sure!”

***

The sight of parts of New York City submerged in flood looked intimately familiar. Yeah, like I'm back in Metro Manila.

***

Stolen quote: "Eat and be merry, for tomorrow you diet. The problem is tomorrow never comes."

(To be continued based on new kalokohans spotted from the more serious news)

==============

Not Funny Section

***

A Grade 4 student died after deworming. Was deworming actually the cause? Not sure yet. Please answer.

***

A beloved regional newspaper, Sunday Punch, "hangs its gloves," a report says. >>> Nothing funny at all about this one. Pass. I'm more of pissed off because we just lost the best print media outfit in the whole of Pangasinan.

***

Not funny, but apocalyptic:

In a great flood in China, fearsome snakes swam with the floodwaters, and high school students were stranded in a multi-story building, with authorities evacuating the youth using an impressive vessel technology.

A pub or bar in Thailand was engulfed by a horrible blaze, killing scores and turning the pub into literally a disco inferno.

At home, there were two reports of a series of electrocution after a family member retrieved clothes being dried from a clothesline without knowing the wire was grounded, killing the family member together with those who tried to rescue him in a tragic succession of attempts.

"A landslide in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing buried some residential buildings, trapping an undetermined number of people, state media reports."

***

A minute of silence:

Report: "Dr. Kent E. Carpenter, a globally renowned marine scientist whose life's work transformed the understanding of the Philippines' oceans and named the Verde Island Passage (VIP) as the 'center of the center of marine shorefish biodiversity' was shot and killed by three armed men who forcibly entered his home in Negros Oriental." >>> The guy even helped us win the arbitration case on South China-West Philippine Sea. It is sad and tragic that murderers sometimes don't know who they are killing and the gravity of such an individual loss to an entire community and country. You'd want to bump this bunch of jerks on the head when you see them. They moreover just killed an entire industry: the dollar-earning foreign retirement industry.

***

State-run China Daily released a social media video depicting Filipinos as monkeys. Looks like it is meant to anger Filipinos all the more. As if Pinoys aren't angry enough.

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:49 AM 0 Comments

Meeting Mudjie Once Again

(A reflection on names we didn't choose to have)

I still feel heady about the day I got to meet again a classmate of mine in college whom we called Mudjie back in the day.

A few days before that, I was surprised to behold his name in big glowing letters as the guest of honor and speaker for the first commencement exerises of our town's newly minted college, the Bayambang Polytechnic College.

You don't forget someone whose name is Mudjekeewis. That kind of name caused a lot of bantering in our class every first day of classes when the new teacher makes a roll call. Everyone, of course, wondered aloud what his name was all about. Indeed, why that one name in the long list of possible names for a "full-blooded" Filipino? With arms akimbo, we all demanded to know who his father or mother was, the most likely culprit.

We would have understood it better were it a case of 'combo meal' names, another concrete example of that amusing and very Filipino predilection for halo-halo and chopsuey. For example, an out of the usual name like Delinda must have been from a father named Delfin and a mother named Erlinda. (I remember that old joke about babies being baptized as CelPon and CharGer--to the priest's utter chagrin, because their parents, it turns out, were Celia + Ponsing and Charmaine + Gerry.)

"Teka, classmate ko to ah!" I told everyone who could hear me when I saw the invite for the historic commencement exercises for Bayambang Polytechnic College, our former mayor Cezar Quiambao's long-time dream for our town, which became a reality in our lifetime relatively quickly under his wife Mayor Nina's term and implemented with dispatch by their Chief Dream Implementer for this project, Dr. Rafael Saygo.

Before Mudjie could deliver his speech, I made sure to search him out in the thick crowd and make a quick informal talk and take a quick pic because I know he didn't have much time for small talk.

Good thing I was feeling well enough at the moment to be able to hold a conversation until he came up on stage. Usually, the combination of loud sound, thick crowd, and hot clime is a triple threat for me: I go through a panic attack.

I knew Mudjie -- now Dr. Mudjekeewis Dalisay Santos -- was a great choice for someone to give an inspirational message because I happen to know his background: the first and only scientist in the Philippines to officially reach the Scientist V rank, having contributed much to the status of marine science in the Philippines. While he neither conceived of nor contrived for such an honor, owing to his self-effacing nature and humble background, Mudjekeewis was nevertheless honored by the international scientific community by naming a fish in his name and by an island community in Mindanao by naming an islet after him. Among other impressive achievements, he resurrected a long-defunct fisheries journal to SCOPUS-level status or internationally indexed status and founded a local fishery conference as a hub of innovative ideas.

What a towering set of achievements at such a relatively young age. What was left missing from his minibio, however, was that, like he said, he started small even though he dreamt big. He started out as a mere boy from a poor family in Floridablanca, Pampanga, and just an ordinary college student at UP Baguio. Not many know it, but he is also a member of the UP Vanguard (I was there in one of the platoons when he was a CMT officer.)

"Magaling ka pala!" I told him, and I hope he was not insulted. "Pero 'di ka nagpakita ng galing noon," I backtracked.

To my surprise, he admitted that he was, in fact, a so-so student, whose target was just to pass the subject, not to top the final exams.

The I told him about BPC's founder, businessman and philanthropist, Dr. Cezar Quiambao, about our town being an agricultural town with a modest inland fishery industry, the site of the late lamented Mangabul Lake, and that we have produced at least one national scientist, a zoologist and fish specialist named Carmen Velasquez. The mere mention of the latter lighted up his face -- which didn't change much through the years -- upon the mutual recognition.

When the heat at my own chosen seat in the venue became unbearable to my sickly self, I bolted discreetly and made sure to watch his speech live on Facebook at the nearest office instead where it was cold. He delivered what was to me a great speech--simple, short, yet memorable. It was titled, "What's in a name?"

First off, he focused on etymology. For the first time in decades, I learned that his name is Native American in origin and we can finally blame his father for it. It means "god of wind." His middle name, of course, means "pure" in Tagalog, and his surname means "saint" in Spanish. So literally his name means "mahangin na santo." Idiomatically speaking, "malakas ang kanyang arrive" like Cardo Dalisay (actor Coco Martin's popular TV series character).

But in all humility, he prefers to simply be called "pogi" like Cardo Dalisay and to be remembered as guapo like the fish named after him (pogi perch--Google it, no kidding).

His reflection on his name prompts you reflect on your own name. In my case, my first name, Resty from Restituto (my name in my baptismal) must mean "to restore" in English. (For the record, I never liked my name but for closure had to embrace it because no chioce.) My surname, I went on reflecting, is "tooth" in Greek, so I am basically a "restorer of teeth." This means I was meant to be a dentist, and either I have missed my calling or that my parents gave me the wrong name.

I went home carrying that sad, uneasy thought and a vision of tooth gaps, tooth decay, dental chairs, and missing dentures. I thought that since I became a "writer" against all expectations, I should have been named something like "Parker" (the brand name of a pen, silly). Why would anyone want to be a writer? That's preposterous--I can write, but I have no delusions that I am as good as Conrado de Quiros or Butch Dalisay, no? Of course I wanted to be a doctor like all my peers. But if I were to be a writer according to God's will, my name should have at least been a combination of William (Shakespeare), Umberto (Eco), Milan (Kundera), Garrison (Keilor), and Nick (Joaquin)... Or okay, Haruki (Murakami) would have done the job better.

At this juncture, I invite you to reflect on your own funny name--funny because you didn't get to choose it. Does it mean anything at all? Or it is just a random joke? Was it conceived in wisdom like Jews routinely do? Or in plain stupidity or whimsy? Why, oh, why did your foolish mom or dad name you Mitsubishi when they could have named you Toyota Fortuner instead?

Anyway, Mudjie's speech was actually not about himself. He just used it as a launching pad for this clincher: "Your name is the one precious thing that you have. Pangalagaan ninyo ang inyong pangalan." Or words to that effect.

If I might add, no matter how odd-sounding it is, your name holds your identity and destiny. You might as well find meaning in it and uphold it with a life that's worth living up to it.

"Maraming matatalino at magagaling na mga Pilipino, pero karamihan hindi nagsasucceed," he went further as graduation day inspirationals go. "Dahil sa dami ng gustong gawin, walang nagagawa sa bandang huli. Kaya't ang susi sa tagumpay ay focus. Dream big but start small. Then focus on one thing at a time and finish it," he advised. (Now that sounds like I did something right with my life--even if I knew I wasn't exactly the sharpest saw in a room filled with pros.)

He wrapped up his message with that most fitting little factoid I shared with him about Carmen Velasquez a few hours ago, so I am amazed no end that he must have made a last-minute revision to his speech.

Even for a brief moment, I am so glad that once again, I was able to see face to face someone who has found his own unique niche in the fragile and complex ecosystem of life and thrived at his specialty, thus giving glory not just for himself but also for his community, his country and its people, and most importantly to the intelligence behind biology, to no other than the author of life.

(photos: Ace G.)

posted by Resty Odon  # 5:55 PM 0 Comments

 The Zung anxiety test: A simple self-assessment for anxiety symptoms

posted by Resty Odon  # 5:18 PM 0 Comments

 If you're referring to the political drama that has dominated the Philippine Senate in the past few weeks, both sides are telling stories that contain some truth—but each side leaves out important context.

What actually happened?

The Senate became divided into two blocs:

• A bloc generally aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..

• A bloc generally aligned with former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte.

The immediate issue was Senate leadership and control of the chamber ahead of the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte. After weeks of procedural disputes and arguments over quorum and Senate rules, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was elected Senate President, replacing Alan Peter Cayetano. (ABS-CBN)

Version 1 (Marcos-aligned narrative)

This side argues:

• The Senate was being paralyzed by political maneuvering.

• Leadership change was necessary to restore order and allow the Senate to perform its constitutional duties.

• The impeachment trial should proceed and evidence should be heard.

• Nobody should be above accountability, including the Vice President. (Reuters)

What is true in this version?

• There really was a leadership deadlock.

• The Senate did experience procedural paralysis.

• The Constitution does require the Senate to act on impeachment matters once they reach trial stage. (Reuters)

Version 2 (Duterte-aligned narrative)

This side argues:

• The impeachment case is politically motivated.

• Marcos allies are using institutional power to weaken Sara Duterte before the 2028 presidential election.

• The Senate leadership shake-up was designed to influence the impeachment process.

• The Duterte camp is being selectively targeted. (AP News)

What is true in this version?

• The impeachment battle has enormous implications for 2028 politics.

• The rivalry between the Marcos and Duterte camps is now open and intense.

• Senate leadership affects how proceedings are managed and scheduled. (AP News)

So which version is closer to the truth?

The most evidence-based interpretation is:

Both camps are acting out of a mix of constitutional arguments and political self-interest.

It is probably inaccurate to say:

• "This is purely about accountability." Politics is clearly involved.

• "This is purely political persecution." There are real allegations that are serious enough to warrant legal scrutiny.

The strongest factual conclusion is that the impeachment case and Senate leadership struggle are simultaneously:

1. A constitutional process, and

2. A major power struggle between the Marcos and Duterte political camps. (Reuters)

A useful rule when following Philippine politics

Whenever one side says:

"This is 100% about justice."

or the other side says:

"This is 100% political persecution."

be skeptical.

In Philippine politics, the reality is often that legal processes and political calculations are happening at the same time. The Senate situation appears to be a textbook example of that. Based on the publicly known facts, neither side's simplified narrative fully captures the whole picture. (AP News)

posted by Resty Odon  # 5:17 PM 0 Comments

"There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables..."  

"I can't believe you're going. ... I can't believe this is goodbye."

I am reminded of these lines from the musicals "Les Miserables" and "Rent" respectively with the near-sudden death of my mother. 

I was a kind of grief I never knew before.

My mother died at a time of quickly successive sudden deaths. A few days before her time came, there was the death of a local music artist, then followed by a former LGU employee, an acquaintance of mine. Then an SK Kagawad reportedly committed suicide. Then the baby of an officemate died while he was being pulled out during birth. It was like death was all around me at the time.

I wish there's no such thing as death and dying, parents leaving you, grandparents leaving you, no one in the family leaving you.

***

I don’t know why. Am I too emotionally attached to her?

After all, I had lived a separate life from her for around 25 years and often alone; it was a good preparation for her eventual leaving. And yet, when it actually happened…

***

I didn’t expect that my mother would leave us at age 74—and I didn’t expect that it would be all too sudden too—unresponsive just two days after her hospitalization due to stroke.

My grandmother, her mother, lived until 94 years, although the last few years of her life were marred by on-and-off dementia, or is that Alzheimer’s? Too often, she could be heard talking to herself. She died eventually of heart attack after having bouts of difficulty of breathing for some days which came like a sign to us.

My mother was so health-conscious, in contrast. She avoided everything she believed was bad for her: too much of anything especially cholesterol, animal fat, salt, sugar… She had enough sun, physical activity, proper hydration, vitamins... Sometimes more than enough. Maybe too much even. She ate lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, lean meat, nuts, fish… she especially feared cholesterol—bad cholesterol from lard, beef, chicken – all the fatty delicious bits.

And yet…for what?

Despite all that deprivation and carefulness...

It is so sad. Oh, my poor, poor mother.

I was hoping—even expecting—she’d survive till her ’80s or even ’90s.

I's funny how I sometimes fantasized about her receiving her P100,000 cash grant from the government on her 100^th birthday.

***

Grieving-wise, I’ve been through the DABDA wringer, probably many times over. There was of course denial, anger, bargaining, depression, a bit of acceptance, but also frustration, regret…

Maybe we, her ignorant children, unknowingly ignored the signs?

Maybe we should have moved heaven and earth for her to have an executive checkup—a battery of medical tests? But that would surely cost us an arm and a leg.

Maybe her frequent urination at night was a sign?

Maybe her sudden vision loss in one eye was enough sign, but we were too ignorant and in denial?

Maybe her sudden dizziness one day was a sign?

Maybe even her frequent insomnia?

Should I feel guilty? Didn’t I ignore all of those, out of fear of the potential expenses?

***

But all of the above could be easily rationalized at the time.

For frequent urination at night, she must have eaten something high in sodium like tinapa and her body was just eliminating the excess.

Her sudden vision loss in one eye was diagnosed as cataract by the ophthalmologist. Why wasn’t it recognized as a red flag, an emergency situation?

Her latest blood test showed only a slight elevation of her uric acid.

As for insomnia, she always checked her phone in the dead of the night, disturbing her sleep. When she got dizzy, I personally took her blood pressure, and it read normal: 120/80.

I didn’t get alarmed enough to suspect the worst. Besides, she had a long history of getting dizzy for all sorts of reasons.

***

Whatever ailed her, it was treasonous, treacherous, traitorous.

The suddenness of it all was a shock.

On the day after she was rushed to the hospital, I prayed all the prayers I have in my thick collection of estampitas (prayer cards), but I guess it wasn't God's will to favor us with a special miracle at this time.

And when the ICU doctor asked our consent, we removed the tube that kept her artificially respiring for we didn't know how long. It felt like killing her willfully until her skin turned sallow. 

Amidst the relief at the thought of stopping the steady stream of bills that were mounting with each passing hour, I couldn't help but feel guilty at those last few minutes after our decision to give consent. Watching our mother's BP and heart rate drop to irreversible levels of 50 and below until she flatlined felt like murder. 

***

If I only knew it would be her last birthday in the last months of her life, especially the year before 2026, I would have made the celebration grander than usual, complete with a glow-up, a skin treatment or spa session, hair treatment, extra-special food, and other special treats.

No wonder her last few days were spent in one joyful and lively partying after another. At my cousin Gigi’s birthday. Another party with her colleagues at Personal Collection. Then another one at another relative’s affair.

***

You know what they say about death, and it is so true. “Una-unahan lang yan.” At the entrance of cemeteries, there’s this annoying reminder: “Ako ngayon, ikaw bukas.”

These thoughts didn’t ease the pain one bit.

But writing things down, I guess, helped.

That novena prayer in this prayer booklet certainly helped. There were certain lines there that felt like a healing balm.

Advice from friends were also helpful.

***

I thought I was done with grieving with her sudden passing, but no. The day of the burial would yet prove to be the saddest day of my life.

I woke up to steel myself for it--made anxious by what ifs. What if I couldn't take it and faint, collapse, or lose consciousness? What if I couldn't control my emotions? What if I couldn't take the heat and humidity, the eventual crowding, the loud wailings?

In my jittery condition, I forgot one important thing: take my maintenance medicine in the morning.

***

Good thing I survived. But the level of sadness would not wane for a number of days.

In Tagalog, I was "lupaypay" (feeling weak due to a mix of negative emotions) each time I was reminded of her. Since I lived with her, each corner of the house reminded me of her. Her favorite polka dot cup. The Correll cup I gave her as a gift. The two kitchen chairs where she collapsed. The plants and flowers she loved and that brought her delight. The framed photos of her. Her favorite songs. One of her favorite health food items. 

I shod tears of loss and longing each time I was reminded of her. Obviously, I wished she was still here.

One day, our suki mobile vendor at the gate asked whether I'd like to buy the three cucumbers she had left. Of course, I said yes out of habit. It was too late when I realized that the one person who was sure to eat those was already gone for several days. Then came the tears again.

To this day, I don't have the heart to see her bed in her room, much less to sleep on it. 

***

The day of interment was made even more downcast with my siblings and relatives bidding me farewell at home one by one. It felt like I was being left alone in life even more. I am lucky that a sibling and his family happen to live with me. It would've much harder on me if I was totally alone.

***

There's another thing I wish I wouldn't have to go through: the prospect of rummaging through her clothes and other personal belongings to determine what to do with them, whether to throw away, donate to someone willing to receive them, or what.

***

Pain upon pain. Hurt upon hurt... One time, I had the gumption to ask God whether He wished me to be like this. Whether this was some kind of punishment. I wondered where He was in the middle of everything.

But then I was made to recall how Jesus Himself wept at the death of Lazarus. 

There is nothing good about death when even God would weep at it.

***

I surveyed a number of people who had also lost their mother. 99% of them had a hard time like I did.

***

I remember how it was when my lola, my mother's mother, herself died many years ago. My journal entry on it reads: 

"Despite so many things I dislike about them, for the longest time I couldn't wrap my mind around the idea of my parents no longer being around." (It turns out this thought extends even to my grandparents.)

"With her leaving at the ripe age of well past 90, we in the family were all kind of mentally ready, but when she actually passed away after her heart eventually gave up on her, I still went through a mental-emotional anguish that I had never been through, and to think we were not that close."

"It's true what someone said -- we were not meant for death. This means that, all along, we were all meant for life, forever." 

***

Post-script: 

Something unusual happened a day after the burial rites. Truth be told, I half-expected something supernatural to happen like the usual 'paramdam,' but not like this: I woke up one day, for three straight days, and retired for the night, for at least two nights, smelling the distinct fragrance of dama de noche flowers around and inside our home. To repeat, in case you missed it, I smelled it at both night and day when the odor of the flower is supposed to be limited at night. 

While this can be readily explained away by the possible presence of such a plant in our vicinity--there was none that we were aware of. I repeat--there are no such plants within our vicinity until now, as far as I know.

So nothing can explain it away. What's more--nothing can explain why the same mysterious smell could be smelled as well in Pook ni Urduja Resort in faraway Brgy. Zone 2 where my sister and her children were billeted (because our humble abode couldn't accommodate a lot of people), and at another sister's place in another barangay, and later on, in my brother's place in faraway Sariaya, Quezon.

I was half-expecting the sudden emergence of strange butterflies or moths but there were none so far--until the day after her birthday on June 19 that is, when a moth I have never seen before emerged in her vegetable garden as I inspected and watered it. 

What happened instead was that a juvenile golden-bellied gerygone, whose song or call delighted my mother no end, suddenly turned up one night and flitted into the living room, the kitchen, and my room. We were able to catch it, but eventually released it outside in the terrace.  

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:54 PM 0 Comments

Draft photo dump for May & June 2026

I know I am way past my prime to be taking and posting photos of myself, so the only reason I do so must not be because I am so fond of looking at myself (I am not; napapangitan nga ako sa sarili ko eh). It is more out of gratitude for being able to take in new experiences and new challenges day by day without going through an episode (if you know what I mean). Being able to show up for anything, especially the most important events, means a lot to me who suffers from a debilitating malady.

(Captions in individual photos)

***

At the 2026 Independence Day celebration--always a formal, elegant affair organized superbly by our tourism department

***

It is such a rare treat to eat out these days. When will it be normalized?

***

At the Bayambang Poverty Reduction Plan 2018-2028 Recalibration, which became extra-challenging because we had to adapt our old plan to the new mandate of the Magna Carta of the Poor: the five basic rights to adequate food, adequate housing/shelter, decent work, relevant and quality education, and the highest attainable standard of health.

***

On the occasion of profound grief, there's the consolation of instant family reunion.

They came from all over: Brgy. Sapang and Brgy. Wawa, Bayambang; GMA, Cavite; Sariaya, Quezon; Kalayaan, Pasay City; Liliw, Laguna; Novaliches, Quezon City; Parañaque City; Clark City, Pampanga; Makati City; Cainta, Rizal; Pandacan Manila; Antipolo City; Baguio City...

***

Amazingly, I was able to give a public speech in tribute to my mother--twice, without the usual stage fright. Maybe because the audience at St. Peter's Funeral Home was manageably small, and I knew almost everyone present: family, relatives, old friends, and neighbors.

***

Congratulations to my dearest niece! She's a DOST scholar like yours truly, take note.

***

At the AIP Training Meeting, a highly technical affair that I sat through. Respect for our new MPDC!

***

Heard about this trending app, so I just had to try it with at least three lucky kids as subject. 

***

At the CBMS Monitoring Board meeting--the day we stressed out PSA reps with seriously difficult but most sensible questions from 2 former PMS staffers and a former NAPC staff, a former freelance writer-editor (guess who), and other LGU people with various expertise. Buti na lang, our new MPDC, a former department head from Palafox, was a moderator with a calm temperament.

***

Wow, may pa-malunggay pandesal si Mayor kada Lunes! Napakapalad naman namin dito, lalo na nung nakuhang vendor.

Pati kaya ito kakikitaan ng kasamaan ng mga taong maiitim ang budhi and yet feeling mabait? Tignan nga natin kung ano na namang kamalisyusohan ang gagawin nang dahil lang sa pulitika! Hahaha. Sana magbago na kayo--end of the world na o. Wala ba kayong takot sa Diyos?

What if you suddenly died and faced God--how would you rationalize everything? Would all the lies invented have been worth it? 

Answer key: No. Stop it already while there's still time. What legit thing you can do is propose an alternative program that would surely be even better than the existing ones.

***

I survived this mentally taxing and emotionally challenging talk about the differences between and among internal auditing, accounting, COA inspections, and auditing for ISO purposes. Whew! Congratulate me for finishing it under severe stress--thanks to my armory of anti-stress things: cold water, lavender oil, magnesium oil, and Gaviscon chewables in case of sudden unexplained tummy ache.

***

Ang galing-galing talaga ng PSU Matalunggaring Dance Troupe (now under Mr. Jordan Neri)! Pano pa kung may explanatory note yan? Because folk dances are not just skillful movements; they have history, symbolism, interpretation, meaning, relevance...

***

This is one of the flowers my mother suddenly left behind. 

Speaking of, let me recount something unusual that happened lately.

A day after the burial rites for my mother, I half-expected something supernatural to happen like the usual 'paramdan,' but not like this: I woke up one day, for three straight days, and retired for the night, for at least two nights, smelling the distinct fragrance of dama de noche flowers around and inside our home. 

While this can be readily explained away by the possible presence of such a plant in our vicinity--there was none that we were aware of. I repeat--there are no such plants within our vicinity until now, as far as I know.

So nothing can explain it away. What's more--nothing can explain why the same mysterious smell could be smelled as well in Pook ni Urduja Resort in faraway Brgy. Zone 2 where my sister and her kids were billeted (because our humble abode couldn't accommodate a lot of people), and at another sister's place in another barangay, and later on, in my brother's place in faraway Sariaya, Quezon.

I was half-expecting the sudden emergence of strange butterflies or moths but there were none so far. 

What happened instead was that a juvenile golden-bellied gerygone, whose song or call delighted my mother no end, suddenly turned up one night and flitted into the living room, the kitchen, and my room. We were able to catch it, but eventually released it outside in the terrace.  

***

Since I am also a serious food writer, hindi mawawala ang appreciation post ko about the novel food I tried lately and things given to me as present by kind folks around me.

***

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:52 PM 0 Comments

Quick Lessons from the GenSan Quake

Experiencing earthquake during the time of social media gives us an advantage of seeing blow by blow accounts without using one word. It's amazing how a lot of people can have enough presence of mind to document such a terrifying thing as it happens.

Here are some of the lessons learned so far based on our vicarious experience of the Intensity 7.8 earthquake that struck General Santos City and thereabouts on June 8, 2026 through social media--sadly on the first day of classes of schoolchildren.

- Wide open spaces are essential. It is where people instinctively run to for safety and where they can build tent cities. Wide, preferably green, open spaces are not idle properties or a luxury in times like this -- not at all.

- With shaking that strong, it is best to sit down on the ground or drop on all fours instead of trying to remain standing, to prevent dizziness and not add to the number of casualties.

- Building substandard structures is simply criminal--and doubly so when building in a known earthquake-prone area. (The sight of an Iglesia ni Cristo church standing unperturbed side by side a Jollibee building crashing to the ground drives home the message in a way no words can.) Again, cutting corners to save a buck kills lives.

- Not all building collapses are the same. According to an expert, there are at least four, including a pancake, V-shaped, lean-to, and cantilever type of collapse.

- Damage to medical institutions would mean grappling with the unfortunate sight of patients being brought out of the building and spilling into the streets.

- Large trees for shade are essential, especially if the weather is hot.

- In case of rain, there should be tents available, if there are no other safe and sturdy structures to run to.

- In a big city, the water source could be cut off. There should be alternative sources of potable water. Restoring tap water is top priority.

- In a big city, the electricity could be cut off. Although not immediately life-threatening unless in hospital settings, this deprivation further intensifies the suffering of survivors. Restoring power is top priority.

- Food supply could be cut off, so restoring the public market or creating a new makeshift one is urgent. Displaced individuals and families would have to rely on ready-to-eat food packs and dole outs from outside.

- The transportation system could be severely broken, preventing rescue and relief operations. Repairing damaged roads and bridges is top priority--or at least removing mobility obstuctions.

- It is good to have a stock of canned goods, bottled water, and easy-to-cook food at home, reserved just for this emergency situation--provided they can be easily retrieved (together with an emergency Go Bag) when disaster strikes.

- Those who are on maintenance medicine will need to procure their meds somewhere.

- In case of a tsunami advisory, coastal towns need a higher ground to run to, as pre-agreed upon, preferably with proper provisions.

- Despite regular earthquake drills, people will panic when the real thing strikes, especially a 7.8 temblor. Frightened individuals can't help but scream and shout, putting everyone else further feeling on edge. But without regular earthquake drills, the panicked reactions would surely be much worse.

- Most people will shout, "Lord! Lord!" Filipinos openly call on God in times of frightening shaking of the ground.

- Individuals who are hypertensive and/or prone to panicking are most vulnerable. Those who are merely having panic attacks may be rushed to a cool dark place to calm down.

- Those who faint or get dizzy are often the ones needing wheelchairs, stretchers, and ambulance services. But obviously the top priority is rescuing and treating those who are actually injured.

- Retrieving the bodies of the dead is another major matter altogether.

- Even in the face of widespread devastation, looting might happen in places where there is a considerable amount of cash, food, or other resources.

- Crashing buildings produce dust and aerosol that people should stay away from.

- Fire might also break out in devastated structures.

- One wonders how everyone is coping with the trauma. Do they even have access to basic psychological first aid? Ordinary people must be trained in it instead of waiting forever for professional help.

- It is in tent cities and other mass evacuation places that local governments and NGOs can extend help the most and offer aid immediately. But what if the rescuers are themselves victims or casualties? Neighborhoods and barangays and local organizations had to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, or else actively seek outside help.

posted by Resty Odon  # 12:24 AM 0 Comments

Slander is Murder

In today's political climate, especially on social media where anonymity emboldens accusers of every stripe, people take slander lightly.

They think sworn statements, accusations, unfounded opinions, and wild speculations are just words. The truth is words are like bladed weapons, words are like guns. Words can hurt. In fact, slander is like murder. When accompanied by cursing, it is no different from witchcraft.

When you die, you will make an accounting of every malicious word you said, every lie you whispered and swore by, every false oath or false witness you made, every rash and unfair judgment you made, every gossip you peddled, every fake news you forwarded on purpose, every falsification knowingly dispensed, every accusation you invented to extort money from your target...

Look at yourself in the mirror. You will never be a good person if you resort to slander to win an election, an argument, or anything in life.

Almost all of us are seriously into faith, religion, spirituality, and yet we treat this misdemeanor ever so casually. I invite everyone to think about it for a second, and shudder at the enormity of what we have done and what we need to pay for in the afterlife with the careless words we have uttered.

"The Evils of Slander" -- this should be a top-priority seminar that everybody should be attending, yet nobody does.

Note that righteous speech is everyone's weak point -- the Christian teaching is hard to follow. Everyone is guilty to a certain degree. But that does not diminish the gravity of the offense of malicious speech.

What makes slander particularly evil is the utter difficulty or even implausibility of fully correcting a mistake once it is made. As someone far wiser once put it, "How can one possibly take back what one has spread into the four corners of the wind?"

Anyone who has been victimized by erroneous presumptions about oneself will appreciate the wisdom of avoiding wrongdoing through malicious speech.

Members of a decent society must strive towards propriety, or else the world turns into a swamp of lawlessness ruled only by an unrestrained, undisciplined, murderous tongue--an otherwise little instrument of speech capable of demolishing anything, from individual reputation to entire civilizations.

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:29 PM 0 Comments