Speckles n Spectrum

 

Here we go again… remember when people started chanting in the streets “BLACK LIVES MATTER” and I went “ALL LIVES MATTER?”

 

Perhaps my subconscious had felt this coming and it is really very possible since we like dwelling in hate and instead of digging deeper addressing the problem from its root cause we like dealing with it when it is popular just hopping on the bandwagon because it seems pretty cool yeah?

 

Notice that I don’t even want to use the race because that alone creates division. Why are we hating so much? Where is it coming from? Someone who has a lot of hatred in his or her heart grew up miserable they say. The rudest people need the most love.

 

Yes. I am Asian and I felt the biased and harassment while working as a Call Center agent for almost 10 years of my waking hours in the BPO industry. I am not oblivious neither claiming that I know nothing about this discrimination. Racism does exist long before the internet did. Now, I’m not so sure whether the internet lessens it or made it worse?

 

If we are going to deal with it let’s ask those high almighty creatures what made them hate? Differences perhaps? But if you are in an advanced country should you be more understanding since you have all the benefits of better lifestyle and you are most likely to be educated enough to understand those differences?

 

What’s there to hate?

 

Because we are getting all your jobs from you? Someone said.

 

Without us most countries’ economy would collapse and we are only doing most jobs you don’t want to handle yourself for the most part.

 

What about Covid?

 

No one wanted covid-19. It was an accident and you don’t blame anyone for fate.

 

I know we all have different point of views and circumstances in life but no reason is good enough to excuse you from acting like a real HUMAN BEING and humans do care!

 

 

Mt. Isarog, Southern Luzon's highest forested peak, is a stratovolcano which is 1, 966 meters above sea level and located in Camarines Sur, Philippines. The mountain spreads out within Naga City and six municipalities namely Tinambac, Calabanga, Tigaon, Pili, Goa and Ocampo. (see Mt. Isarog National Park)

Mt. Isarog National Park actually caters for adventure junkie, environmentalist or just anybody who wants to enjoy the environment with luscious forest, wild life, beautiful scenery of natural falls and springs.

Mt. Isarog is actually a favorite destination of mountain hikers and trekkers or environmental folks for it has both the offering for thrill seekers and science studies for the different floras and faunas that can be found within the mountain.

My friends and I during high school frequented the Malabsay Falls which is very accessible since it's only  a few minutes jeepney ride from downtown Naga City and about an hour walk to reach the falls. I've been there quite so many times even during my college days just for the mere fun of hiking.

The last time I went there has been a long time ago and the last time I went mountain hiking was December of 2008 in Tarlac for my previous company's outreach program that's why when Ateneo Eagles, Inc. an environmental organization decided to have a Nature Trip & Clean-up Drive and chose Consocep I was actually hesitant at first.

Consocep is a barangay in the town of Tigaon, Camarines Sur hence the name Consocep Mountain Resort. I've been there quite a few times too and I must say it's always been a difficult hike for me compare to Malabsay, Nabuntulan and other falls. There's actually a pavement but what makes it difficult for me I guess is its steepness. But then I always come back and give it a go because of the waterfalls.

If you want to visit Consocep Falls from Manila  you can go by bus or by plane. Bus will take you 8 hours so I assumed you'll prefer to fly, right? You can book a flight to Pili Airport (the nearest one) or via Legazpi City Airport and that will only take less than an hour, more specifically 45-minutes for the former. From either of the two you need to have your own vehicle or rent a jeepney, van or taxi to get you to Consocep and fetch you right back.

This is the drop-off and pick-up point.

The Entrance Fee is only PHP 15.00 per person.

The hike is composed of minutes of walking up and down of these narrow almost 2000 steps.

Kawa-Kawa is derived from kawali or wok because of its shape.

This is also the best spot to conduct group activities  and picnics for the whole group or even families with little kids.  It is just sad that with all the good things nature is giving us some people just don't care about caring back and doing more harm than good to the environment. We found all these trash all over the place despite the fact that there are available sacks just around the corner that serve as garbage bags or trash cans.  After the group activity and lunch we head on to the next falls and we passed by this stone marking along with the tree house... Climb at your own risk: The tree house is still fine but you have to decide  whether you can handle going up  unstable stairs with missing steps.

Bulalacao Falls: Bulalacao means shooting star.  The falls was called "bulalacao" because of  the great impact and rapid fall of its water. After swimming for a while off we go to the 3rd falls... Tumaguiti Falls is actually my favorite among the three because of the amazing view composed of trees, leaves and beautiful rock formation.

Tumaguiti or taguiti is the bicol term for drizzle  and truly the water coming from the  falls are like droplets of rain.

We went back quarter to 4:00 in the afternoon just right on time for our service and this is my last view from outside the Consocep Mountain Resort.

There are actually a lot of things Camarines Sur or Bicol in general has to offer not just wakeboarding or CWC (Camarines Sur Watersports Complex.) I know I sounded like a travel ad there but well I'm just saying the truth and if you're a nature lover I'm pretty sure Mt. Isarog won't fail you.

Btw since I lack exercise for quite sometime now the hike had hurt my legs so bad that I wasn't able to walk perfectly again for about 4 days but it was worth it. I'm definitely going back whenever there's a chance and I know I badly needed to stretch out these limbs hehe

When was the last time you went into a nature trip or just stop for a while and smell the roses? (cheesy) I just meant to ask when was the last time you took the time to appreciate nature?

P.S.
For more photos check out Speckles n Spectrum Facebook Page


Consocep Mountain Resort
Mount Isarog, Tigaon, Camarines Sur
Tel (c/o Provincial Tourism Office) (054)4773172
Cellular (0919)4227009

Much has been said about it and like any other hot topics in the Philippines of course this one has its pros and cons. You may wonder if every Filipinos agree? Obviously not really and most people that are against the petition are...

Guess who?

... the locals.

If you were to look at the blog of Dr. Ortega's colleague you'll be enlightened on how some people repulse on the harm that mining brought to our environment particularly in Palawan. They said it had better their lives. Mining had been their families' source of income and no damaged had been done in their place because they are doing responsible mining.

First and foremost What is Mining? 

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or (coal) seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. 

Mining of stone and metal has been done since pre-historic times. Modern mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analysis of the profit potential of a proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials and finally reclamation of the land to prepare it for other uses once the mine is closed.

The nature of mining processes creates a potential negative impact on the environment both during the mining operations and for years after the mine is closed. This impact has led to most of the world's nations adopting regulations to moderate the negative effects of mining operations. Safety has long been a concern as well, though modern practices have improved safety in mines significantly.

I know mining is also important for us because they give us essential things we use everyday. I'm also for responsible mining but in the case of Palawan...

According to Hagedorn, the ecosystem in Palawan, though, is fragile with the island's narrow shape and thin layer of topsoil that makes it prone to erosion, and this is one good reason why mining should be banned.

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

People should stop being selfish once and for all in this case. Mining has a long term effect in the environment and if we were only to think about the now maybe we will never reach tomorrow if everything will be destroyed by today.

For the people who work in the mining industries specifically in Palawan I know it's hard to find jobs now but it's not impossible to venture into something else that won't include mining for a living.

Please open your eyes and just this once don't just live at the moment, look up and envision the future, the future which will may not include you but surely will include your children and your children's children. You may need to feed your children now but you can always feed them some other ways.

Filipinos are ingenious and smart enough that I know we can always survive and thrive in shaky grounds but not that too literal if you know what I mean.

Hence I support the signature campaign that was launched after Dr. Gerardo "Doc Gerry" Ortega (a civic leader, environmentalist and broadcaster) had been shot in the head and killed in January 24, 2011.

No to Mining in Palawan needs 10 million signatures to make it feasible for the government to hear the cry of the people to stop mining activities in Palawan and help protect its natural resources. As of now there are already 1,343,116 signatories and still counting. So if you haven't signed the petition yet please go check their website for more info:  http://no2mininginpalawan.com

My university organization that I will be forever part of supports it too and even had a booth inside the campus dedicated solely for getting signatures.



Now I will leave you with this video and I hope it makes you ponder and realize why we should all go sign the campaign: 

If you happen to go at the second floor of SM, you'll pass by with this booth just in front of the escalator going to the food court with the sign WWF.

I've known this in May 2009 when someone approached me and ask for a few minutes of my time when I was loitering (lol) at Greenbelt, my hang out then when I was still staying in Makati. (see Do I look like a million buck$?)

What is WWF?
WWF or World Wildlife Fund is an independent foundation registered under Swiss law and conceived on April 29, 1961. It is also one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations.

What is WWF's mission?

• conserving the world’s biological diversity
• ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable
• promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

What issues does WWF work on?

This is a subject or an area that I've been avoiding to tackle in my blog. I hate politics, No, I despises it and I don't want to dwell into this pit, muddy, dirty, soul draining world of greed and personal hidden issues. I have think about this, slept, analyze, slept again and after hours of deliberation I surrendered and my activist old self resurface.

I was enraged upon hearing this current issue and I started questioning again what is happening to my fellows to ever come out of these kinds of ideas while questioning myself if maybe I am the close-minded one seems I think most of the time differently from others and I've a constant weirdness meter or checker for not belonging into stereotypes → my mom. Did I told you before we are two very different souls, physically living under one roof but walks in a different world, mind-set and everything else.

I just learned 2 days ago that Cong. Salvador Escudero, a crony leads a campaign and has already gotten 204 members of Congress to sign the petition to have Marcos interred as a hero and transfer him to the Cemetery of Heroes (see The Philandering Greedy Marcos a Bayani?)

Asking my mom about it, answering with obvious annoyance for being asked early in the morning (sorry, my bad) about this, she simply said: "I don't care about it. It's all up to them." A friend, a former activist told me, "There had been reconciliation so it's okay." Followed by a question, "Have you or your family been directly affected by Martial Law?"

My answer is No. There's no one in my family that had been directly affected by it, maybe, nothing that I knew of. But even though I am still against this petition. I don't need to be the actual victim before I need to condemn bad behavior or any evil things. I am claiming to be an armchair activist, still a little subtle than most activist, I live my life, Yes, I do have a life and I will never be the type now (I guess, I've been almost way back in college) who will go to the streets raising banners or will hike and live in the mountains just so the government can hear my side of the story. No, nothing like that. I am more fond of Rizal's "the pen is mightier than the sword" though I opt more for Bonifacio to be the National Hero since he's more well-rounded and had been a one-man DIY hero and he is a writer too in case some are not aware of that.

What is a Hero then?

We can find too many definitions but the most ideal of these that I found are these two:

a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

For me, a hero is someone that inspires you to be good, an ideal model of greatness, honor and morality. And no matter what we do the ex-President wouldn't fit that description.

"The petition is for him to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani... The prerequisite of which is that the person should have fought in the war ( World WarI and II) and should have been in government service. These are 2 things that Marcos did. It doesn't require a person to be rated whether he fought well or served the government well."

Alright, is that all? So maybe we should change the name of the cemetery into something else. For if it's all that there is behind the name "Libingan ng mga Bayani" I am 100% sure the one that coined the word hero or heroes didn't mean it to be just that and it sure means a lot more than that or why there is such a petition for this to bury him in there, for all I know the hidden wealth can always be use to afford even to make another cemetery even fancier and bigger than the Cemetery for Heroes. So why bother? Because for obvious reasons, it means a lot. Honor for the Marcos family and disgrace to all Filipinos whoever let this become reality.

(photo credit)

As I've commented on the petition page:

Declaring him as a hero will make us a laughing stock of the world. Our country had been well-praised for starting the people power movement and it was against this man. Now Marcos: a hero? It's like saying Hitler should be too or maybe even Osama bin Laden. tsk.tsk.

Well, I agree that we should move on now but moving on doesn't mean accepting what's wrong and making it look it is right just because it had been a long time. No matter what we've done, what's wrong is wrong and nothing can change that fact and make it right even time can't justify all Marcos' wrong doings. We can forgive him but it's insane to give him such honor and privilege to be on the heroes cemetery. It's like you would never let a criminal sleep with your precious ones and you will never put a tin can inside your jewelry box. Think about that...

If you have the same view help us trash this petition by signing here.

On the on going corruption that's been happening in the Philippines and it seems there isn't a big fish that had been punished and sentenced to imprisonment maybe because of politics and connections and the last one just committed suicide choosing death after losing honors, tainting his reputation over alleged controversies. Now I don't know how we will be able to fix this, corruption seems to be a virus slowly crawling a person's veins one at a time and rooting there, growing as time goes by. Philippines just recently ranked #3 in the most corrupt countries in Asia and #3 in the world as the happiest just like ignorance is bliss. We know we are corrupt and we are happy about that, is that it? Haha. So how are we really going to cure that virus that had been eating up our system? Corruption doesn't exist only in the government, it is everywhere and even in school where we should all be idealistic and where we should learn all things moral, it's a pity it is existing there too. And I was so deeply affected and saddened to know the reality that even in SK (youth's election), as young as teens they are already practicing vote buying and dirty politics. I know April 9 was "Araw ng Kagitingan" and I just said from my last post yesterday that I am proud being "Pinoy" but I shall never say I am  patriotically blind. We will never fix a problem by denying its existence and hiding them. This is the truth and rampant corruption is the biggest hurdle why we are still a 3rd world country up to these days. Alleviating corruption should be everyone's battle cry and should start within one's self. Let us all prove to everyone what Mark Gosingtian produced in his T-shirts: "Where I'm from, everyone's a HERO." And I don't think heroes are corrupt, don't you?

How good people turn evil is an article I've found in Maria Ressa's blog, former ABS-CBN's head of news department. She had given in this video her speech for MSD entitled The Courage to Do What’s Right the thin line where you cross from being good to being evil in just one quick decision.

Earth Hour 2011 was yesterday at 8:30pm and I forgot about it. I was busy eating in our neighbor's house for a graduation celebration. Anyways, I still support it I may not be able to be part of it yesterday but I am doing my part of it everyday:

• I rarely use our A/C and not even the electric fan
• we don't use our car as often as everyday
• we use Philips energy-saving light bulbs and only turn it on when needed
• The refrigerator is the only appliance that's consuming electricity 24 hours
• I rarely watch TV 
• and has a waste separation system 

So maybe you'll let me loose with being absent-minded yesterday. So long live Mother Earth. Aye!