Sa Mundo ng mga Dapat

Digital divide reflects the persistence of class contradictions; it is not alienated from the prevailing social structure. In a way, recognizing the existence of digital divide provides a certain perspective in assessing the reality of the current global socio-economic and political situation.

Ever since the expropriation of the means of production, only a privileged few benefit from capital. Technology continues to flourish, yet, the relations between the ruling and ruled class remains. Since we are in the ‘information age’, now we also have information capital. Just the same, the gap between the information-rich and the information-poor is ever-widening.

Through the internet, information was somehow democratized. Anyone can generate and use content. On the other hand, since the availability of technology is still elusive to the majority, the wealth of information is still out of reach for most. There are commendable stories and cases wherein technology boosted the economic conditions of impoverished communities. However, these are still exceptions to the rule.

Technology alone would not solve the digital divide. Having access to information is one thing but converting information into something tangible is another. Technology could aide but not solve relevant political and social problems. The efforts in making information and technology available for more people should continue but it should not stop there. The complexity of poverty, as explained in our Unit 1 readings, entails painstaking change in different societal and political aspects. The eradication of this digital divide is an inevitable corollary of resolving the root causes of poverty.

*cross-posted from one of my BAMS classes

Tatlong taon na akong nanay. Lumalaki na nga ang anak ko. Unti-unti na rin akong bumubuo ng mga pangarap para sa kanya. Alam ko namang dapat kong bantayan ito dahil sa malaon at madali, matututo na rin syang bumuo at bumuhay ng mga pangarap nya - na maaaring taliwas sa mga nais ko para sa kanya.

Naalala ko noong ipinagbubuntis ko pa lang si Ben, sinulatan ko sya. Sinusubukan kong ipaliwanag ang mga bagay at sirkumstansya na kinairalan ko/namin noong panahong iyon. Ang plano, ipababasa ko sa kanya kapag kaya na nyang umunawa. Hindi ko na natapos ang sulat na iyon. At hindi naman na rin kinailangan dahil marami nang nagbago.

Marami talagang nagbago sa loob ng tatlong taon.

A week has passed since my son, Ben, started schooling. I have one thing in mind when I enrolled him in “preschool”, that is to provide venue for the development of his social skills. It is hard to assess his progress since it has just been a week. I am giving him six months. Within that time frame, I expect him to interact more confidently with other kids and with his teachers.

Yes, it was just been a week, and yet, I feel battered and scarred more than I have been in years. What I learned is this: it is hard to work (at ungodly hours), study tough, mundane concepts and be a mother to a preschooler who goes to school regularly - all at the same time. I was a very good multitasker, but this proves to be too much to handle, I guess. Exhaustion literally consumes me every single day. I get frustrated easily and I tend to distract myself with absurd addictions - like Mafia Wars and Farm Town - while knowing exactly that I have lots to do.

This hecticness took its toll on my patience with other people’s dealing with my son. It is given that he is very active, he seldom listens, he wants things done his way and maybe a lot more pasaway than his fellow two year olds. But still, he is a kid, a little kid, my little kid.

I can never appreciate the shouting, the crass words, the mean tone. I do not entertain any excuses for such barbarism. I find it hard to be patient with these dealings while being bombarded with work, school and motherhood. Is it possible to find peace and quiet in this chaos? I need to hope so. Until then, I would have to put up with it. After all, what can I do, I am a mere inhabitant in this obscure habitat.

(Sana lang mas maging patient ang lahat kay Ben, he is just two. Please.)

Tuwing umuuwi ako galing opisina, andami kong naiisip isulat tungkol sa kung anu-anong topic na interesante para sa akin. Mas naaappreciate ko na ngayon ang pagbablog. Kulang lang talaga sa panahon; minsan ang mga gustong isulat ay nalilimutan na lang.

Ilan ito sa mga paksang naiisip kong gawan ng mga blog:

Kasalan nina Juday at Ryan. Sa panahong ang pagiging celebrity ay ipinagdiriwang sa porma ng mga million-dollar contract - ng reel or real life events - pinili nilang tahimik na idaos ang kanilang kasal. Sila ang pumili kung ano ang kanilang ibabahagi sa kanilang mga tagasubaybay. Ang husay din nga naman ng naisip nilang kasalan, sa usaping pinansya man o personal.

Laptop-hunting. Malapit na ang deadline na itinakda ko sa aking sarili para sa pagbili ng laptop. Next week nga, enrollment na. Alam kong mahirap ang walang sariling computer lalo na’t 4 ang kukunin kong subjects this sem. Hindi pa rin ako decided, iuutang ko naman kasi ang ipambibili. Matagal-tagal din na huhulugan.

Censorship. Nagtext ang kaibigan kong napadaan sa aking blog. Apparently, concerned sya sa paglalathala ko ng aking mga himutok tungkol sa mga kaganapan sa aming opisina. Baka raw matanggal ako sa trabaho. Naiintindihan ko naman ang punto nya at hindi rin naman ako matapang na komentarista, ayoko syempreng matanggal sa trabaho. Sa kabilang banda, ayoko sanang baguhin pa ang blog entry na iyon. Huwag naman sanang magkatotoo ang iyong hinuha, kaibigan, sige i-link mo na sa blog mo yung nagustuhan mong isinulat ko.

Korina at Mar. Ito naman ay pag-aangas lang sa lovers na ito. Animo’y nagmumurang-kamatis! Kung napanood mo ang kanilang kabalbalan sa Wowowee, maiintindihan mo ang sinasabi ko. Sa Wowowee (ang mother-prostitute show ng ABS-CBN) pa nila napiling magprofess ng undying love sa isa’t isa! Sa ngalan ng pulitika, talagang pati ang love life ay handang ilako. Bili na.

Mirror of erised. Para sa Harry Potter fans, pamilyar ang salaming ito. Ito iyong salamin na nagturo kay Harry kung nasaan ang Sorcerer’s Stone sa unang libro. Imbes na makita mo ang iyong reflection, ang makikita mo sa salamin ay ang iyong tunay na mga kahilingan. Erised; word play/anagram ng desire. Sa kaso ni Harry, at maging ni Dumbledore, kumpletong pamilya nila ang nakikita sa salamin. Ilang araw ko ring pinag-isipan kung ano ang makikita ko sa salamin sakaling mapunta ako sa harap nito, ngayon alam ko na ang sagot.

Mayo uno. Gusto kong magsulat tungkol sa kasaysayan ng araw na ito. For the benefit of unaware workers, there are a lot of them out there.

Climate change. Gusto kong mas maunawaan at mas makatulong sa isyung ito. Andaming sumasakay sa usaping ito… sabagay, madali naman kasing magkaisa tungkol sa mga environmental issues.

Ilan lang naman ito sa mga sumasagi sa isip ko mga oras na ito. I’m sure, bukas, kapag nakasakay na naman ako sa bus galing opisina, may madadagdag pa.

I was once asked by a journalist if I do not regret what I did, that in spite of my sacrifice and the suffering of my family, nothing have changed in the structure of Philippine society. Those who steal and lie are still there while I remain in limbo and uncertain of my future.

I gave him an answer that went this way, “Yes, I agree that it is tragic that Arroyo remains in power along with the rest of her people. But I believe that the bigger tragedy right now is the more than eighty million Filipinos who acquiesce to be subjected to the indignity heaped upon them by a handful of people”.

- Rodolfo Lozada Jr.

Talk about ironies. I try my best to mellow down my sarcasm; yet, to mellow down my rage, I cannot.

A few days ago, Lozada was arrested. On my previous post, I enumerated instances that define legality in this country. And here I am, a few days later, reaffirming how ill-defined - this word we call legal - is.

Lozada mentioned that of all the cases thrown at him, he refuse to believe that he is being arrested for lying. Whilst what made him a household name in the first place is that people found it refreshing that someone in this insane, corrupt government finally told the truth.

I saw a status message in FB maligning Lozada’s role in the NBN-ZTE deal: as someone who did not get his “fair share” on the NBN-ZTE deal. Maybe this person did not watch the Senate hearings. Or this person is just to fed up to even care about facts and data. Or maybe she’s is just too tired of the Arroyo administration’s lewdness. Please, Lozada is not Chavit, not in the long run.

Lozada admitted that he is an unwilling Senate witness, he feared for his life. He was asked to leave the country when his name came up on the discussion of the anomalous NBN-ZTE deal. He was kidnapped (or “escorted” by people he doesn’t know/he didn’t hire/he has no affiliation whatsoever with) and was paid (through his allowance from Manuel Gaite, through Mike Defensor’s friendly loan… Defensor denies his participation in efforts to pacify Lozada and is “clearing” his name now, hence the perjury charge) to deny that he has no knowledge of what happened.

Lozada, Neri’s friend, complied and lied for them. In his compliance he learned of FG and Abalos’ rapacity.

He complied until he no longer can. This greed is no longer “moderate”, he must have realized. And so he told us of his knowledge on the deal, his involvement, his story.

Jun Lozada, arrested for telling the truth

The truth is Jun Lozada risked his life and his family’s well-being. Normalcy was nil after the Senate hearings: Lozada became a convent-camper, jobless, forgotten. Heck, he is even being accused of being a tantrum-throwing pawn by random cynics. It would be easier to succumb, accept and pretend. Yet he did not choose the easy path. And it is remarkable. How many of us can claim such decency?

Rodolfo Lozada Jr. told the truth. He is now detained at the MPD-HQ. Legal?

Legal. Naaayon sa batas. Ilan ito sa mga halimbawa:

1. Legal ang pag-upo ni Palparan sa Kongreso kahit na may batayan ang akusasyon na imbwelto sya sa pagkawala ng mga UP students na sina Sherlyn Cadapan at Karen Empeno. Mayroon ding bakas ng dugo nina Eddie Gumanoy at Eden Marcellana ang kanyang mga kamay.

Layunin ng Party List na magkaroon ng representasyon sa Kongreso ang mga marginalized na sektor ng lipunan. Si Palparan ay magiging kinatawan Bantay, ang Party List ng mga “True Marcos Loyalists”. Siya ay magiging boses diumano ng “sectors engaged in security and peace and order concerns”.  Hindi ba’t ito na mismo ang mga tauhan ng gobyernong kung tawagin ay Pulis at Militar. Ah, oo, kailangang magkaroon ng mga mambabatas mula sa sektor na ito, hindi kasi sila nabibigyan ng prayoridad.

Palparan, Berdugo!

2. Kaugnay nito, legal din ang pagdaragdag ng isa pang Arroyo sa Kongreso. Isa sa mga bagong Party List Representative si Lourdes Arroyo, hipag ni Gloria mismo. Sabi ng Malakanyang, legal nga rin ang pagkakaroon ng dalawang Cayetano sa Senado…so anong problema?

3. Wala pa raw namang naghahain ng Cetificate of Candidacy kaya legal din ang mga personal ads ng mga aspiring tumakbo. Hindi naman kasi ata obvious kung ano ang pinopromote ng ads na ito. Masagot kaya nila nang buong linaw kung saan nagmumula ang pondo para sa airtime ng mga ito? 

4. Legal ang pang-aarestong ginawa sa mga kapatid ni Trina Etong, asawa ng broadcaster na si Ted Failon. At uulitin ko ang sintemyento ng nakararami, laluna niyong mga nakapanood ng video footage ng panghuhuli, kung kay Ted Failon nagagawa ito ng awtoridad, paano pa sa mga mamamayang walang suporta ng ABS-CBN, gaya ko, halimbawa.

http://www.youtube.com/v/NGSHEEolhd8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0″>

Warrantless arrest!

5. And finally, legal ang pwersahang pakikipagtalik sa mga babaeng hindi naman tunay na “demure provinciana lass”. Ayon sa Court of Appeals, ang rape ay maaari ring tawaging “spontaneous, unplanned romantic episode” kung saan kasalanan mo pang napagsamantalahan ka dahil sa iyong “indecorous behavior”. 

they've set the rapist free

Legal ang pumatay ng tao, ang nepotismo, ang pangmalakasang pangangampanya maski hindi ito napapanahon, ang pangdarahas at ang panggagahasa. Hindi lahat ng legal tama, hindi lahat ng ilegal ay masama.

*Nasambit ng VP namin ang katagang ito noong nakipag-usap sya sa team namin noong nakaraang araw. Tungkol ito sa forced overtime sa aming department noong holy week. Sabi nya, “Although it’s perfectly legal, we will not do (10-hour shifts) again.” Hindi umano convenient para sa mga agent ang ganoong set-up kaya hindi na uulitin pa. Gayunman, hindi rin babayaran ang OT na iyon.