Degrading the Degraded
CAN YOU actually degrade the already degraded?
I was able to grab a copy of Cebu Daily News yesterday and got to read a news story about the "carton girls" in the reclamation area of Mandaue City . It was an objective delivery - reporting how girls get their customers, where they position the flattened boxes to sell sex, the rent for the box, and an instance of robbery as some pimps took his clothes and cash while he was naked and busy with the girl.
The number of this "carton girls" ascended that it has now become a national news.
Before my shift, I was told to watch GMA 7's IMBESTIGADOR, the segment was about the "carton girls". It was a documentary, so it's not limited to just facts. ON the delivery - you would be able to tell the show's position.
"Aba, ito si Inday.. may pasayaw-sayaw pa" - Mike Enriquez, host (describing the girl who was dancing slowly while explaining to their "asset" about how much is her share on the payment, for the pimp, box rental and the guard).
I would say it was a chauvinist delivery. I understand that the prostituted women are regarded as immoral members of our society and this is how I can say that one can still degrade the already degraded.
According to the National Commission on the role of Filipino Women, it is a social reality that poverty is the oft-cited factor that led to the burgeoning number of prostituted persons. More often than not, women and children trapped into prostitution are poor, uneducated, and sometimes sexually abused. They have been trafficked -- recruited, usually through deception, force or intimidation, and forced and kept into prostitution through threats or actual acts of violence, until such time when the victims start believing that there is no other life for them outside of prostitution.
The existing law, specifically Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code penalizes prostituted women and girls. The Law defines prostitutes as "women who, for money or profit, habitually indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious. This law defines prostitution as a crime committed by prostituted women and girls, and does not penalize those who run prostitution houses and guard or manage the prostituted women, or customers, or even the pimps unless the latter are-always seen in the company of prostituted women:
IMBESTIGADOR cited this article as the police went to the area, arrested the girl who was about to work it with their asset and the other suspected carton girls. There was mockery on the language as Mike Enriquez described the girl who narrated how she ended up prostituted. I felt disgusted. This mediaman has confined himself to the ill social thought about prostitution. And there he was, with the loud voice, aired nationwide.
To the women who got themselves into this,
to the women with compassion,
to the men who knows how or still needs to know how to respect women:
A progressive song called "Babae" (Woman) calls for our understanding.
"Ang ating isip ay buksan, at lipunan ay pag-aralan, pano nahubog sating isipan, na tanggapin tayo'y mga libangan.. mga babae, ang mithiin ay lumaya"
(Let us open our minds, study the society, understand how it was molded in us that we are forms of entertainment - women, our will is liberation")
And let's join the call on ending the existing chauvinist law on anti-prostitution:
The following still remains to be House Bills, so let's tap the congress and make the law humane.
HBs 327, 1383, 1708 & 4436 - Amending the Revised Penal Code on vagrancy and prostitution (Reps. Imee Marcos, Matias Defensor Jr., Oscar Gozos & Joel Virador)
HBs 520, 2394, 2419, 2857 & 3051 - Proposing a special law on prostitution; defining prostitution and other offenses; redifining the term 'prostitute'; providing penalties; other relevant provision on treatment/rehabilitation of victims; prosecution of the crime; and responsibilities of government (Reps. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, Consuelo Dy, Loretta Ann Rosales, Mario Joyo Aguja, Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel, Bienvenido Abante, Jr. & Nanette Castelo Daza)
created with a headache
Ped Xing
I remember PED XING (pedestrian crossing) was the title of the first chapbook of KM64 poetry egroup. I have not contributed any poem to that egroup in a couple of years now. Ely Buendia once said "natuyo na kasi ang balon" (when asked how come Pupil was struggling to make a hit). It happened to me. Not that the "balon" (deep well) was filled but I know it had something. There used to be lines popping out, sparks and sentiment - inspiration everywhere, even just out of a candlelight.
Now it's different. Drought has become prevalent. Stagnation is a way of life. This happens when your world only revolves around work and home. I go to work, get an extra management training, still serve a 9-hour shift and back home to sleep. Most of my colleagues' concern was how to balance personal and work life - I could care less about how they define both. For me, in this City, my personal life is only in the four corners of my bedroom. A good day (not night) sleep satisfies me. Then I realized that I am slowly getting detached from the society. No more news. No more thoughts on what and how Mike Enriquez delivers them. Ideals fainted... subconsciously, apathy takes over.
I chose to stand on the safe side of the road instead of standing on the way with a flag or a message like before.. nor did I cross the street to rove and know know how my world is.
But without really crossing.. I know it's not fine
and I do give a damn.
Idle
Again, I am Idle..
Tonight
Tonight I'm back on the floor
Even if She's Invincible
WE WERE asked who our real life leaders are - one of my colleagues said he admired Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. There were different reactions on this answer. None was exactly violent but unlike the other answers, this one invited a whole new discussion.
My colleague described GMA as a working president. She practically ignored the issues thrown unto her because she's focused on the country's welfare. Well.. I don't like her. I had to say that. She ignored the issues because she doesn't care about the country's welfare. If she did... she could have taken a dignified exit the time she apologized about the Hello Garci Scandal. She's invincible... that thing I had to stress. She still has the position despite the illegitimacy issue, journalist and activist killings plus this loud ZTE-NBN Deal.
The question was always like "Who will replace her if she gets ousted?"
Ahh.. Of course GMA has foreseen this - that's why she picked Noli De Castro to be her Vice President. I am now acknowledging this as a very clever political move.
The people won't consider him to be the next Philippine Idle, that's why many are apprehensive in supporting the actions against GMA because of fear. Fear in the rule of idiocy if not anarchy.
Many are already disillusioned over the concept of People Power. "It has been abused", my colleague from the Software training said. "It will happen again and again and we will never get contented".
I may agree with that. It's an intelligent hypothesis but what we really have to deal right now is that it is immoral to allow someone to abuse us.
I agree that removing GMA is not the answer. Removing an unfit president is not the SOLE answer. It's just one step from the thousands. So let's start walking.
"The only way for evil to triumph is for the good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
My Hypochondriac Trip
I got back home last 8th of March and I'm leaving again tomorrow. I haven't done much. I thought it's gonna be a busy week.
Although most of the days, I was at home.. idle - Monday and Thursday were really busy days.
Last Monday, I was able to see my two friends. Marmaee is already 8 months pregnant but she went to Jackie's house with me and there I saw little Jacob. Jacob is Jackie's one month old baby. It felt weird but I have to say it was also amazing that we've already come this far - or them, if I must say. We've known each other since our elementary days and now they're building a new generation. Time flies indeed (and I'm having a headache right now).
Last Tuesday, I went to see an OB Gyne in the morning, and found out I don't seem to have cancer so yey! (Alhamdulillah).. I had my eyes checked by another doctor, I was told that I don't have astigmatism... my headaches seemed to be migraine (but my mother said it's just HYPOCHONDRIA- grrrr) so he sent me to an Internist.. So I went to the next doctor.. I waited and waited and waited. I lost patience so I went to my dentist and told her I want my tooth extracted and my head doesn't hurt anymore. She asked if I had serious conditions. She mentioned high blood pressure - I shook my head and said "no! In fact, I'm anemic".. there she was, with her tool to take off my stubborn tooth, gloves on, chair tilted, light straight to my face. She shook her head.
"You need a clearance from the Internist"
"Internist?! No!!!!" So I left the clinic with all of my teeth.
And yes.. I'll be going home with my teeth tomorrow.
My Dad will take me to the airport and tomorrow night I'll be working again.
It's sad that I don't know when I'm coming back. I like it here but I need to work. I need the health insurance, you know 
Oh well.
Home at Last
Im now at home.. After a year and 3 months of waiting.. I'm now back home.
