Remembering Cheerless Christmas Due to Odette

Today marks the anniversary of the formation of Odette. I remembered having a cheerless Christmas. I was in no mood to say Merry Christmas until January came. I couldn't get over celebrating Christmas and New Year in January. Those dates were on December 25 and the final day of the 12th lunar month. I wanted to put up some Christmas decorations but the house was still under repair. Living rooms and some bedrooms were still under repair. The good thing though was that electricity was restored. I did enjoy doing some clean-up work. The disaster was unenjoyable. The repairing soon became enjoyable. It was because every repair meant something to do after the disaster.

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My hometown of Cebu was devastated. Much of Visayas was ruined. I could remember how both former president Rodrigo R. Duterte and former vice president, Atty./Mrs. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo did separate scouting. I was thankful for whatever help both did for the less fortunate. This reminded me of the devastation of Tacloban City during Yolanda. Seeing Tacloban in ruins still ruined my heart. I did associate Tacloban City with getting some delicious desserts and the sights.

Bohol was yet another place dear to my heart. I remembered having a family reunion in 2008 at the Bohol Bee Farm. That bee farm was my first experience in organic food. As a food lover, I felt devastated just thinking about how damaged it must've been. Fortunately, I'm glad to hear it recovered. Meanwhile, the damage also hit somewhere. Somewhere where I wish I could've flown to but the pandemic stopped me from doing so.

I could remember how reckless I got. I almost felt it was just going to be another normal storm. What started out as a normal storm became a tornado. It was a good thing I was warned on time not to stay where I was. I could've been badly hurt or even die as a result. I lost all energy for the whole time. It was eating a lot of meat before they'd be rotten. I was really glad that after some time--I was able to slowly eat some more plant-based food. Eventually, electricity was restored but those living in far-flung areas were still not having electricity.

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I could also remember the damage in Surigao as well. My late paternal grandmother came from Surigao City. I heard Surigao City was far worse than Cebu City. I was totally perplexed looking at Surigao City. It's another part of me even if I didn't grow up there. I wasn't there in Surigao but seeing the damage was something. Fortunately, there was limited use of a generator to allow me to check on my relatives. I used one month's worth of mobile data until the electricity and Internet returned. The damage was heartbreaking. Surigao had a sentimental value to me in one way or another.

Fortunately, some of my relatives in Surigao City went to Butuan as refugees. I was amazed that Butuan was left unaffected. I was able to chat with a cousin of mine who was staying in Butuan with his wife and newborn daughter. I was happy to hear that Butuan was accommodating to refugees. I could remember going to Butuan before going to Surigao during one of those family events. I was devastated even more. It seemed Surigao was going to take longer than Cebu to recover. Though, I was glad to hear that Surigao's repair was in the works.

Today, I wake up thinking about how bad last year was. It was a cheerless Christmas. It's a good thing that the mentality of "If it's bitter just add sugar." didn't prevail. Instead, people decided to slowly but surely work together. Odette was really something to remember. Hopefully, this would be a lesson in better disaster management. This should also be a wake-up call that we need more public services. Fortunately, the Public Services Act of 2022 was signed by Duterte before his term ended. Hopefully, there will be more preparedness in times of disaster.

The Foolishness of Complaining About Stupid Voters and Stupid Candidates, While Insisting the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines is "So Perfect"

I was looking into the Facebook page of Butthurt Philippines . Honestly, it's easy to complain but what's the use of complaining if you reject the solutions? The art produced by its administrator shows some problems. However, if the administrator here believes that the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines is "perfect as it is" (and he seems to be throwing a "saving face" by saying it was just sarcasm, and I failed to detect it) then it's really something. It's one thing to keep complaining. Complaining can be good. However, what's the use of complaining if you reject the solutions. Even worse, complaining about the quality of candidates for the upcoming 2025 midterm elections, while still saying, "It's not the system it's the people!" Please, that kind of thinking has been refuted even by basic psychology and political science! It's really good to point out the three problems. Distractions? Check. Keeping people hopeless? Ch...

The Curious Case of Dayang Dayang, Not Dayang Daya

I remembered the song "Dayang Dayang" which had a parody cover called "Dayang Daya". Some people wondered if it was from India. Some say it was a Muslim song which makes more sense. It's because the beats almost sound like one from Filipino Muslim dances. Granted, a lot of Filipinos descended from either Malaysian or Indonesian settlers then it would make sense if Dayang Dayang is danced to the Pakiring. The song I just share comes from an Indonesian singer who probably popularized the song. Many words from the Filipino language match up with Malaysian language or Indonesian language. The Filipino word for help (tulong) is tolong in Indonesian and Malaysian. The Malaysian (or Indonesian) term Dayang is said to mean a noble lady. It would make sense of the song "Dayang Dayang" would've come from Indonesia, Malaysia, or from Mindanao in the Philippines. This was the most common version heard. I think the video maker wrongly attributed it to Bollywo...

The Hypocrisy of the #JusticeForFlor Movement

It may already be past the late Flor Contemplacion's death anniversary. However, I felt like writing this piece because of two severely miscarried cases . The first case was the Vizconde Massacre (read here ). The second case is that of the Chiong Sisters (read here ). The cry has stayed the same since 1995 up to 2024. It's still #JusticeForFlor and it'll be 40 years by 2025. As far as concerned, a movie was made about the Vizconde Massacre while the trial was going on. A film about Flor's life was made in the same year she was executed. A movie about the Chiong Sisters Case was only made in 2018. Some people insist that Flor was innocent. However, we need to compare the justice system of the two countries. I used to believe that Hubert Jeffry P. Webb and Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larrañaga were guilty. I was shocked to find out that a friend of mine was with Paco in Quezon City , on that same night of the crime. There were several witnesses. Why didn't t...

Are Political Dynasties, Not Presidential's Name Recall System, the Real Problem?

As a person fighting for constitutional reform, I looked at this video by Orion Perez Dumdum. Some people are still relying on the allegations made by a certain fat lady on Facebook. I even got blocked by a certain fat man with glasses. I feel victorious after that fat guy blocked me. I watched this video and thought, "Are political dynasties the problem?" People fuzz over political dynasties. Some people even go as far as to blame political dynasties, not the ridiculous 60-40 equity restriction, as to why FDIs have chosen Vietnam. Yes, Communist Vietnam which is a one-party state . The "next best solution" is what? Ban political dynasties altogether. Whether we like to admit it or not, every family has bad eggs and good eggs . A good king can sire bad sons. A bad king can sire good sons. It's all about upbringing that determines the direction of one's offspring. This would also play a double stnadard. Why did people clamor the late Benigno Simeon "Noy...

A Critical Review of "The Flor Contemplacion Story"

VIVA Films uploaded The Flor Contemplacion Story on YouTube last February 13, 2024, at 9:00 A.M.. Yes, I didn't notice it since I saw it before, and it was one incredibly awful film. The film has been remastered into HD to fit with the times. However, in the age of social media and the like, any old piece of truthful information can be later revealed. It's not about the age of the information but the truthfulness of it. In this information age, one can easily upload any undiscovered truth in the past. That also includes that one of Cebu's bad boys in the past, Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larrañaga, was innocent of the crime involving the Chiong sisters. In 2018, VIVA Films also released a movie called Jacqueline Comes Home which I may watch and review. Though I've already seen Give Up Tomorrow, which has been more objective since there was evidence that Paco was indeed in Manila and that real perpetrators haven't been found. Normally, the best way to rev...

The Fate of the Late Flor Contemplacion's Family

PEH.ph Some time ago, I wrote a critical review of the movie called The Flor Contemplacion Story . I rewatched it because it was uploaded on YouTube by VIVA Films themselves. The fate of the family of the late Flor just got worse. After the rightful execution --I'll share whatever data I got from the Internet. Take note that I'm just another writer, not a big-time historian. So what really happened? One "sequel" to the movie was given in Magpakailanman (Whenever) on GMA-7. It was when Flor's only daughter, Russell Contemplacion, who got pregnant at 17 years old with her estranged irresponsible partner, gave the details of what happened. Unlike the "hit movie", the episode showed that her father Efren, her brothers Xandrex and the twins Jonjon and Joel (who starred as themselves in the film) got into shady dealings. Xandrex even died in jail on September 1, 2012, though the cause may have not yet been revealed, until this very day. The details given by ...

Real Talk: If the Constitution Wasn't the Problem, Why Was It EVEN NECESSARY to Write a NEW Constitution AFTER EDSA 1986?!

EDSA people's power should never be downplayed. It was the downfall of an illegitimate government. Both Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. and Salvador "Doy" Laurel had their rare interviews in Japan (read here ), addressing the Marcos Years' lack of legitimacy. Doy even mentioned Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.'s 16-year rule as lacking legitimacy. In short, the claim that the Philippines already tried having a parliamentary system at that time is false. Ninoy highlighted the problems behind Marcos' "new constitution". In fact, it's still worth laughing at the details that reveal the crooked methods used, and why the Philippines never had a parliamentary system: And so my friends, we started with an American-type constitution, we move to a British-type constitution. We had a parliamentary form of government without a parliament. Until 1978, we did not have a parliament. And yet, we were supposed to be a parliamentary form of government. And...

"Give Up Tomorrow" Deleted Scene: The Safehouse Where the Crime Supposedly Took Place

Give Up Tomorrow has been an interesting documentary. Why I was fascinated by it because of how it shook my mind. It turned out that it was a trial by publicity . It was also at that time when The Calvento Files aired a dramatization of Davidson Rusia's testimony. As Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said, it was a very unpopular move. People already thought Juan Francisco G. Larrañaga aka Paco (and the seven others) were guilty. People thought Davidson's story was worth believing. Some deleted scenes never made it into the final cut This deleted scene talks about the owner of the place where the crime allegedly happened. David Gurkan now recalls his experience. According to Davidson, this was the story as recorded by the Supreme Court of the Philippines: From the evidence of the prosecution, there is no doubt that all the appellants conspired in the commission of the crimes charged. Their concerted actions point to their joint purpose and community of intent. Well s...

The Case of Helle Crafts Murder Would Show Why DNA Testing is VERY IMPORTANT

I wrote an essay discussing if both Jacqueline Jimenea Chiong and Marijoy Jimenea Chiong were victims of a body never found murder case . Let me be clear that I still believe that I still believe the body found in Tan-awan, Carcar, was really Marijoy's and Jacqueline's really dead but her body was never found. The claim made by Enrique Uy of this first-degree cousin of the Chiong mother should be put into question . I once reasoned out, "The other body was never found." I was told to try looking into Helle Craft's case. It makes me think, "What if this is what happened to Jacqueline?" I even remember the speculation that Jacqueline may have been woodchipped?" I can't prove my speculation but if her body was, that may explain why the other body was never found. In other cases, the body would be too decomposed by now . The body found in Carcar was later moved out of its burial site to be cremated. In the case of Helle, this information from Histo...

REAL TALK: You're Going to LOSE MORE MONEY Than You Win Money, Betting People Will Vote Wisely Under the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines

Is it me or are many Filipinos addicted to betting? It's a common problem that Filipinos would rather gamble than invest. Gambling often offers that feeling of faster gratification than investing money in the stock market. Some people prefer day trading over investing in an individual stock or an index fund. Whether we want to admit it or not, gambling always sends this sense of a thrill . Along with the release of dopamine to the brain, gambling comes with other potential rewards, including money, social participation and enjoyment . While most of us are able to walk away when we lose and practice safer play habits, others may continue gambling to win back the money they have lost in a phenomenon known as chasing losses. These individuals may begin to develop problems with gambling. Research conducted by Brain Connections explores how gambling can spiral from an enjoyable pastime into an addiction. When the brain’s rewards system becomes altered by problem gambling, new habits f...

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