300 artists join hands to uphold human rights and stop political killings

More than 300 artists belonging to tutoK Karapatan (tutoK) have joined hands and set a series of art exhibit and performance to drumbeat the importance of upholding human rights. They are also asking the government and authorities to take steps in stopping the political killings happening nationwide.The group will hold a press conference at Newsdesk Café on Tuesday, November 7 at 11:00 in the morning. Newsdesk is located at the corner of Sct. Tobias and Sct. Madriñan Streets, Timog Avenue, Quezon City.The art events and performances are:

• 3rd NEO-ANGONO PublicArt Festival (“Publikhaan: Making Human Rights Issue Public) November 16-22, Angono, Rizal andco-presented with NEO-ANGONO Artists Collective
• “tutoK: Perspektiba 1,” November 21-December 2, BeatoAngelico Gallery, University of Sto. Tomas and co-presented with Collegeof Fine Arts and Design
• “Dos por Dos,” December 2-30, Boston GalleryCubao, Quezon City
• tutoK: Perspektiba 2,” January 2007, Amrhein Gallery, St.Scholastica’s College and co-presented with Department of Fine Arts
• ‘tutoK: Perspektiba 3,” February 2007, UP Faculty Center Gallery and co-presented with Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines
• “Re-view: Pasang Masid,” February 8-April 1, 2007, CulturalCenter of the Philippines.

This is tutoK’s project for National Arts Month. tutoK Karapatan is an artists’ initiative for human rights and had its beginnings in November last year during a workshop-conference on women, art and healing in Sambalikhaan, Quezon City. During a loose discussion of recent news about a spate of killings of members of militant groups, some artists came up with an idea to memorialize these victims through a series of portraits. “Essentially, the project stands from a point of inquiry, and all art activities emanating will point to and represent the diversity of directions that the inquiry can lead to,” says Karen Ocampo Flores, project director of tutoK Karapatan.

Apart from Flores, the other members of the group’s steering committee are Ruel Caasi, Mideo Cruz, Noel Cuizon, Boy Dominguez, Racquel de Loyola, Cap Reyes, Raoul “Iggy” Rodriguez, Wire Tuazon, Ramon “Chitoy” Zapata, Mike Muñoz, Noell El Farol, Ferdie Montemayor, Alfredo Juan Aquilizan, writers Lisa Ito and Richard Gappi, and Arlene Brosas of Musicians for Peace.

Emmanuel Garibay and Jose Tence Ruiz are the project’s chairman and adviser, respectively.The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines serves as tutoK Karapatan’s media partner.

tutoKarapatan@gmail.com

monitor the philippine human rights situation

Send a blank mail to tutoK-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

support artists initiatives !

Cool the Planet

Climate Change is REAL and it is happening. Everyone is at risk. There is no other planet.

Check out


View articles by cool bloggers and let's do our part in helping by learning more about climate change!

one often wonders why its hard to motivate change. why it has to be in popular media and at the tip of the iceberg (aka cool). but then again, the Bb. Pilipinas who plants trees for a photo opp at least does something, right? we can only hope that it goes beyond what is seemingly real. however, its also good to know that there are millions who make the grass greener from underneath. whichever works, as long as it works.

Also watch out for the Philippine premiere of An Inconvenient Truth this November or December . Brought to you by WWF, CEAE and Greenpeace. Check out the trailer here.

Bowling for Guimaras

"A Time Comes When Silence is Betrayal."
- Martin Luther King


REMEMBER GUIMARAS

They are not in the headlines anymore, but have we forgotten them?
The people still cannot fish, and they have no other work.
The ship is still there with more than 1 million liters of oil.
Mangroves have not been cleaned up.
Have we done enough? Have we learned our lessons?

Join us, and together let us show Petron and the Government that we have not forgotten.
That we are watching.

EVENT 3: Bowling for Guimaras
With Photo Exhibit and Petition Signing (A Fund Raising and Awareness Campaign)
November 5, Star Mall Bowling Center, 1PM
(Star Mall is beside MRT Shaw Station)

Bring your family and friends, and together, let us show the world that we care.
Please confirm by November 4,12 noon.
Please text 0921 8208013 for confirmation or for any questions.

P200.00 will get you one free game, shoe rental for the entire day, and a Remember Guimaras t-shirt - and of course, the chance to help the people of Guimaras.

Special prizes awaits the winners with the best bowler receiving a spa certificate ( 1 hour massage, unlimited use of sauna, jacuzzi, shower and steam room).

This event is organized by ADD UP! Volunteers, Inc.and supported by the Center for Environmental Awareness and Education.(This event is part of a series of events to spread awareness and gather support for our cause.

Please watch out for other events in the future.) ADD UP! Be Counted!

stitching thoughts

my friend sarj (also named sara) and i met at fully booked the other day and browsed through journals and planners.

I HAVEN'T WRITTEN in MONTHS. i don't know... perhaps because i've been working so much that any epiphanic moment just becomes a teaspoon of sugar to make the medicine go down. and writing would just be like working and doing academic acrobatics with my fingers and brain. i had to grasp on such thoughts and linger them in mind so it would last longer, and it stays bittersweet sometimes.

sometimes,
writing is an excuse for a bad memory.
which i have. and sometimes i confuse events that i'm not sure if i'm talking about something that's real or not. (which is fun anyway!)

anyway,

i have about 10 pages left on my current notebook

some are just meant to be blank (without thought)

i probably fell asleep while writing after going home really late

which local book artist loreto apilado made by hand. there is a difference between a book maker and a book artist, and loreto is the latter and his craft goes beyond art. he grows his own paper trees, creates his notebooks by hand, teaches prisoners, encourage livelihood through paper making, promote recycling, conserve books, etcetera.

"etcetera,"
my mind writes, whenever i'm in those moments when i can hear someone speaking in between words, or a an instrument resonating the musician's spirit between every note

note
to myself: remember

keep your drama to yourself

When the Cultural Center of the Philippines gave the composer and musician, Ryan Cayabyab, an award for the arts, this was his acceptance speech.

Ang mga Natutunan Ko Hanggang Kahapon Bilang Isang Manunulat ng Musika:

1. Walang mangyayari kung nakatitig ka lang sa labas ng bintana habang naghihintay ng inspirasyon. Malimit na ito ay hindi dumarating.
2. Kapag mayroon ka nang naumpisahan, tapusin mo.
3. Kapag may pumansin sa nilikha mo dalawang bagay lang ang gagawin mo: una, kung ito ay pinuri, ngumiti ka; pangalawa, pag ito'y binatikos, humalakhak ka.Huwag mong pakawalan ang iyong bait. Mabuti nga't napansin ang likha mo.
4. Lumikha ka lang ng lumikha. Tumigil ka lang pag patay ka na. Siyempre.
5. Huwag mong liliitin ang mga nilikha mo. Minsan ito ay may kapangyarihan na hindi mo matalos.
6. Sa kabilang dako naman, huwag ka nang magmalaki. Maraming mas magaling kaysa sa iyo, kung hindi ngayon, sa mga darating pang panahon.
7. Hindi sa iyo ang mga nilikha mo. Ginamit ka lang na isang daan upang maisalarawan mo ang kalagayan ng iyong kapanahunan at kapaligiran.
8. Magpasalamat ka sa mga taong nagpakita sa iyo ng daan.
9. Magpasalamat ka sa bayan mo na iyong kinalakhan.
10. Magpasalamat ka sa Diyos dahil ikaw ay humihinga at ikaw ay isang alagad ng sining!

May pahabol pang isa: Hangga't maaari, huwag ka nang dumakdak ng dumakdak, tugtugin mo na lang.

I, Pencil

by Leonard E. Read

I am a lead pencil--the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who can read and write.

Writing is both my vocation and my avocation; that's all I do.

You may wonder why I should write a genealogy. Well, to begin with, my story is interesting. And, next, I am a mystery --more so than a tree or a sunset or even a flash of lightning. But, sadly, I am taken for granted by those who use me, as if I were a mere incident and without background. This supercilious attitude relegates me to the level of the commonplace. This is a species of the grievous error in which mankind cannot too long persist without peril. For, the wise G. K. Chesterton observed, "We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders."

I, Pencil, simple though I appear to be, merit your wonder and awe, a claim I shall attempt to prove. In fact, if you can understand me -- no, that's too much to ask of anyone -- if you can become aware of the miraculousness which I symbolize, you can help save the freedom mankind is so unhappily losing. I have a profound lesson to teach. And I can teach this lesson better than can an automobile or an airplane or a mechanical dishwasher because -- well, because I am seemingly so simple.

Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me. This sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Especially when it is realized that there are about one and one-half billion of my kind produced in the U.S.A. each year. Pick me up and look me over. What do you see? Not much meets the eye -- there's some wood, lacquer. the printed labeling, graphite lead, a bit of metal, and an eraser.

Continue reading

Understanding the War in Lebanon

Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press Mourning light: A Lebanese girl lights a candle in front of a concrete slab bearing the name of a person who has died during the war with Israel, in Martyr's Square in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday. About 250 people gathered for a candlelight vigil in downtown Beirut for the more than 700 victims confirmed dead in Israel's offensive.

photo by Kevork Djansezian
A Lebanese young girl flashes a victory sign while holding a poster showing Israeli children writing messages on shells at a heavy artillery position

Understanding the war in Lebanon
from http://cparaullo.blogspot.com/
Businessworld, 11 August 2006

The impact on the Philippines of fresh fighting in the Middle East, especially in Lebanon where a full-scale war has erupted between the Israeli Defense Forces and the Hezbollah has mainly been felt through the ordeals of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) working in Lebanon and another round of steep increases in fuel prices. Of course, the horrors of war are brought home to us by photos of lifeless bodies of children and entire families being dug out of the rubble of their homes or places of refuge.

But the reasons for the new outbreak in fighting elude most. In fact, a cursory reading of the news gives one the impression that the Palestinian organization Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah started it all – they who are said to have sneakily gone across the border into neighboring Israel to kill and capture Israeli soldiers.

The history and the current issues surrounding the creation of a Jewish state in the heart of the Arab Muslim world, most especially the continuing displacement and inhumane work and living conditions imposed on the Palestinian people by Israel, are hugely complex and complicated further by the overweening presence of the US, Israel’s principal backer, and the source of $4 B in yearly aid and the most sophisticated nuclear and non-nuclear weaponry.

Link to the rest of the article

lately

rake art

somebody else's photos but I remember doing something like these before
life has been like this lately....

One Rock Ed Nation

"ONE ROCK ED NATION"

Rock Ed's First Anniversary Concert
NGO Fair and Musicians' Gathering for Justice and Peace
In cooperation with Prime Shift
Eastwood Main Plaza
Saturday, July 1 2006
5pm
Free Admission

White bands that say NO MORE EXCUSES, PHILIPPINES will be given away to the first hundred people that sign up to volunteer for any of the NGOs present onsite.

* CEAE will screen our award winning documentary film, Children of the Mountains from 4-5 pm. Visit our booth and know more about our environmental education initiatives :)

Grant Writing Workshops by John Silva

John Silva is coming up with advocacy writing and grant writing workshops again :) I took both classes before and found them really inspiring and hlepful. I posted something about the workshop last April. Click here to read about it :)

Here are the schedules:

ADVOCACY WRITING WORKSHOPS: July 22, Aug. 19, and Sept 23, 2006
GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS: July 15, Aug. 26, and Sept. 16, 2006

You may also apply for a scholarship. Just write John Silva a letter :)

For more information, contact National Museum throug 527 5082, call or text 0917 419 5928, 0926 729 9029, or e-mail jsilva79@hotmail.com

farewell to my desk

a moth for frida kahlo

I am leaving the museum.

Perhaps it is my fate to be transitory - I've studied in 10 schools (now 11, if UP Open University counts), and I've moved residences/apartments 13 times... BUT where I'll be working next, will just be my second job to date ;)
...so i guess, im not too f*cked up yet :)

I've been trying to post about my sentiments about leaving for the past a month now but work just required too much attention and- well, I really don't post personal stuff online ( I'm just not capable of writing well for the public when it comes to my feelings- you'll find out as you read further). I wanted to post about the exhibits that the museum has and is still exhibiting - ones that I feel, were exhibited in affinity to my departure. These are delayed thoughts.

Untitled (1996) by Shirin Neshat / b/w RC print and ink / photo: Larry BurnsCourtesy Barbara Gladstone

One of my guerilla dreams is to do experimental photojourn and paradocumentaries along with real photographs and documentaries. One inspiring artist is Shirin Neshat, an Iranian woman popular for her photographs and video art that hum issues of Muslim women and some aspects of Islam. I've been wanting to post something about her for a long time now but I never had enough time. Her photographs and films are contradicting and beautiful. Neshat is not on exhibit at the museum but the World Press Photo photographs were and they evoked my love for photography and for her work as artist and photographer. Click here to link to her photo essay.

The 2006 World Press Photo photographs were exhibited at the museum throughout May. You can check out the World Press Photo website for the photos but it makes a significant difference to be able stare at each photograph for a long time at a larger scale. Large scale paintings, according to American - Filipina/Chinese artist Emily Cheng when asked why she painted wall sized artworks, are "environments". I love Emily Cheng's paintings. They reveal wisdom through symbols, ethereal folds and colors that hold and reveal secrets at the same time. Her paintings seem to reveal the truth but contradictingly, cannot reveal it - which is the truth about truth. Emily Cheng's LotusCloudTreeMist runs from May 25 to June 8, 2006. The works featured at the museum are small paintings but are equally epiphanic as the "environment" paintings.

Here's a painting I really like. This is from her website.


She also did a mural project in Morroco :)

My last favorite farewell exhibit is the Parola: Colonial Lighthouses in the Philippines. This is part of the Heritage Festival series of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Limited Edition stamps were produced in tandem with the exhibit. You can purchase the set at the museum shop. Parola will run until June 18.

I will be volunteering as Teacher's Assistant for the art workshops on Saturdays so I still get to rekindle my hibernating painting skills. Full time work will be with the Center for Environmental Awareness and Education as their Communications and Distributions Director. CEAE is a non-profit organization that has pioneered environmental education initiatives in the Philippines. Right now we are producing and hosting environmental documentaries for screening at public places like bars, communities and schools. Our goal is to get airtime on television to fast track environmental awareness. Our upcoming project, the Moonrise Film Festival, is an annual competition for documentary film makers who feature stories on Philippine culture and environment. Please watch out for our screenings at the Gateway Mall on August 19 and 20.

Working at ayala museum is not as glamorous as one pictures. Its really like any other job - its tiring and it involves a lot of multi-tasking. The fun part though, is that you meet a lot of interesting people like artists, psycho parents of young students, imaginative children and having the privelege of previewing artworks even before they are shown to the public... among other interesting things - like reading for free at powerbooks or free music listening sessions at music shops during lunchbreak. i still have pending offers from some artists who promised to make me portraits like master portraitist Gig de Pio - but that will have to wait. Maybe when I'm pretty enough. hahaha :)

_______________________________

My last day for the museum is on the 16th. Last year, June 17 was an accident.

My heart is steeped with nostalgia and enthusiasm at the same time.

a moth for frida

I joined children in awe at a moth - fluttering outside a bookstore and when they left, it landed in front of me - across a book on Frida Kahlo.

yeah yeah yeah...

1 June 2006

no gold or silver can pay for a damaged future

Last January I posted something on the Lafayette spill. I haven't followed up since then -except for arguements with my sister who works with the solid waste association of the philippines. Although she is neutral, and that SWOPs involvement in the swm training for Rapu Rapu is supposedly part of the local government's initiative in cleaning up their mess- but only those which pertain to solid waste (garbage et al), I still believe that MINING in the first place does not contribute to any development to our country.

"There is a symbiotic relationship between the military dictatorship and the multinational companies who grease the palms of those who rule.... They are assassins in foreign lands. They drill and they kill in Nigeria."
— Assassins in Foreign Lands, A CorpWatch Radio Interview with Human Rights Activist Oronto Douglas

I'm not an expert with issues regarding oil, mining, et al. But I know this: that such industries were meant to contribute to economy and "hopefully" trickle down to uplift the lives of a country's citizens. Nigeria, an oil rich country, remains in struggle for the benefits of their valued natural resource.

Does this sound familiar in reference to La Fayette? I personally believe so. The resource and the level of exploitation could be different, but the plights are the same.

The Niger Delta in Nigeria has been the attention of environmentalists, human rights activists and fair trade advocates around the world. The trial and hanging of environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other members of the Ogoni ethnic minority made world-wide attention. So too did the non-violent protests of the Ogoni people. The activities of large oil corporations such as Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Elf, Agip etc have raised many concerns and criticisms. Oil, which could potentially have allowed Nigeria to be one of the wealthiest countries in Africa has instead led it to become one of the poorest.

A series of repressive and corrupt governments in Nigeria have been supported and maintained by western governments and oil corporations, keen on benefitting from the fossil fuels that can be exploited. As people and transnational oil corporations have been fighting over this “dark nectar” in the delta region, immense poverty and environmental destruction have resulted.

Oil corporations in the Niger Delta seriously threaten the livelihood of neighboring local communities. Due to the many forms of oil-generated environmental pollution evident throughout the region, farming and fishing have become impossible or extremely difficult in oil-affected areas, and even drinking water has become scarce. Malnourishment and disease appear common.
The presence of multinational oil companies has had additional adverse effects on the local economy and society, including loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and irresponsible fathering by expatriate oil workers.

from Nigeria and Oil by by Anup Shah, Conflicts in Africa
link to article

I dont support oil and the continued apathy towards global warming and its drastic effects. I dont have statistics on the benefits of the mining industry in the Philippines, but I see and feel and know the continued plights of poverty in many parts of the country. I'm sure Rapu Rapu was alright on its own before Lafayette came in. Sure, they will benefit from jobs from the mining plant and all, but years from now, the island will run out of raw resources for gold, copper, zinc and silver... sooner or later, not only that they will have no more jobs, they will have no more livelihood to harvest from the sea. The government, which welcomed these investors with open arms obviously think of development in terms of the number of years they stay in office.

of course, mining versus the environment is poisonous. enough said. just read the article below.

If you want to do something, please sign the petition below. You can personalize your letter. I deleted the word "great" from "with great respect", sarah blah blah blah. :)
Stop lafayette from polluting our seas!
from Greenpeace South East Asia
Link to article

Click here to send a petition to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

In many places, pollution from mining operations damages marine habitats and contaminates seafood consumed by local people, threatening our oceans and ultimately ourselves and our future.

In the Philippines, Bicol’s immensely beautiful marine environment and its fragile sea creatures face a grave threat—toxic pollution and siltation caused by mining operations in Rapu Rapu Island in Albay.

The pristine waters of the Bicol region are acknowledged as the feeding grounds and migratory route of the whale shark, the largest fish in the sea. It is also home to five of the seven known marine turtles in the world, and its rich seagrass beds and mangroves, which make for a high marine biodiversity index, have turned the area into exceptionally rich fishing grounds for the region’s fishermen.

The Philippine government allowed Australian firm Lafayette Philippines Inc to start the extraction of gold, silver, copper and zinc within Rapu Rapu in April 2005 despite strong opposition from local and national groups concerned that toxic mine tailings will be released into the sea. Clearly, the island is a dangerous place for a mine: not only is it situated along the country’s typhoon belt, but also along a major fault, making it a high-risk area for mining catastrophes. During its few - months of operation, the mining company showed negligence and government agencies, such as the Environmental Management Bureau and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, failed to act on behalf of the people and environment. In October and November 2005, cyanide and other contaminants from the mine spilled into the sea and around the island, resulting in massive fish kills.

On May 19, 2006, a government-commissioned report recommended canceling the license of Lafayette in Rapu Rapu and a moratorium on all mining at Rapu Rapu. Greenpeace is running a petition to President Gloria Arroyo to follow the recommendations of the Rapu Rapu Factfinding Commission. The Greenpeace petition calls for permanent closure of the mine and obligation or Lafayette to clean and rehabilitate the mine site so that further damage can be avoided.

the day i get to be a "how-to" girl

I've always loved the film "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days" (lalala) so yes, it tickled me when Marie Clare magazine asked me to write a 130-word "how-to", which will bepart of their 15 Things Every Woman Should Know article ( I wonder, what the other 14 are :O )

How to Appreciate Art:

here's how i wanted to write it

Art is not "beauty versus ugly", but an expression of life. To appreciate art, one must appreciate one's dreams, imagination, and the environment, while mutually valuing diversity, the negative, and sometimes, the anomalous. Art is not intimidating. Art is beyond visiting museums or learning how to draw. One must consider that our surroundings are also museums and that we can creatively record the imagined and the real in different ways. To have the "eye" for art is to see things as they are and otherwise, while affecting other senses. To "know" art is to understand its form, the discourse it encourages, and its impact to human history. To have the "heart" for art is to recognize its universal and unbounded nature and how it can help oneself and others.

here's the submitted version
Art is simply (and intricately) an expression of life. Art shouldn't be intimidating. To appreciate art, one must first simply appreciate one's dreams, imagination, and environment, while mutually valuing diversity, the negative, and sometimes, the anomalous. A free mind is an ingredient into discovering art like visiting a cemetery after visiting a museum. Consider that your surroundings are sources of art. Place yourself in the life of a scenery, an object, a portrait, or a flower and understand the story of its creation. Boil your imagination with innocence as if you are sensing everything for the first time. Use all your senses and connect to the truth conveyed by an artwork. Always recognize the universal and unbounded nature of art and think how it can inspire oneself and others.

Hmmm... they ended up asking me to write about when a man approaches me for a date and asks me about art.... so i turned them down. All that for a date? 

Wala nang Tiempos Muertos

A taste of the upcoming 2006 Moonrise Film Festival :
CEAE is screening the newly produced Wala NangTiempos Muertos (No more dead season) directed by Boyette Rimban. If his award winning documentary Moving Mountains didn't move youenough, this one will certainly will!!!

"No More Dead Season" examines the changesthat have taken place in the lives of farm workersin Negros, as they break away from the traditionalagricultural practice tied to sugar and to thecostly chemical inputs that destroy the soil andpollute the environment.

The night also features an open forum with director Boyette Rimbanand the music of Negros by a special performance by Balik Ugat, alsoresponsible for the soundtrack. Please invite your friends and othercontacts who are enthusiastic about inspiring films and music andcome for a night of meaningful entertainment!!

What: Wala Nang Tiempos Muertos (No More Dead Season)
When: May 3, wednesday 9pm
Where: 70s Bistro Bar, 46 Anonas St. Project 2, QC
Fee: P150 (working on consumable)

ghosts and lovers

The best part about working at Ayala Museum aside from working with artists and learning to develop my painting skills, is that I get to have my breaks reading and "stealing" poems, lines from writers or ideas for free at Powerbooks. (oh and i get to join the rallies at ninoy triangle which is just a few meters away).

My lunch the other day was with contemporary artists and lovers, Marina Abramovic and Ulay. Well, not really. I only just read about their phenomenal rendezvous performance called The Lovers in the middle of China's Great Wall in 1988. Ulay began his journey from the Gobi desert, while Marina journeyed from the Yellow Sea. It took them 90 days. They met on June 3, 1988.

Here is an entry from Ulay's diary:

" North is death. Desert expands. The horizon curves. Matches the eyeball. South there is life. A little. Fewer people than other places, here. The earth is yellow. Huang tu.

North is black. South is red. West is white. East, blue. From here. The centre. Yellow. The centre where I am. Yellow thus."

They each walked 2000 kilometers to say goodbye.


for G
(april 24, 2006)
i'm sorry. i hope you placed a flower for dedo for me.
it was really funny though :)

Leaving Manila First

Ariel and I were in the same org when I was in university. He's a fellow Cebuano and my fellow art and music enthusiast. The last time I saw Yel was in the hallway of ABS CBN's studios after my tv interview on ANC (naks). We had a few moments of catching up on how each one has been and all. It's funny how one always has that I wish "I've done this with that person" feeling after that person has died. Ariel passed away with cancer last December. Ah, lucky to move on. I hope you found nirvana man.


Here's an article by Ariel featured on Inquirer's Youngblood column. As a Cebuana attending university and working in Manila, I find myself sharing the same sentiments....



Youngblood : Leaving Manila First
posted 01:14am (Mla time) April 27, 2006
By Ariel Alesna-Llanto
Inquirer Editor's Note: Published on Page A13 of the April 27, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE sky was overcast. Gray fluffs of clouds loomed over the cityscape. Under them, a metropolis was going at full throttle, with automobile horns honking in crowded streets, hawkers promoting their wares, police sirens sounding from somewhere and yuppies marching to their offices. The polluted haze veiled everything, making it look as if it were late afternoon, when sunlight usually loses its vitality. But it was mid-morning, though the day appeared to have started a tad later than it normally does.This was how Manila presented itself to me, on my ride to the airport for my flight to Cebu City. These are the sights and sounds of a place, buckling under the weight of degradation, that I will carry with me, long after my feet have touched the soil of my hometown. Skies which have the clarity of a cup of espresso-that is the image that will stick in the memory of a fiercely critical Cebuano.

View the rest of the article here

what is art but to make you see otherwise?

Pakistani children ride a ferris wheel over a heap of garbage in a slum area of Karachi, Pakistan, as featured on the Washington Post. Click here to link to the original posting

The photo is an inspiring revelation of humanity amidst all the gray of depression in a dumpsite.

Here is an interesting campaign.

Child poverty awareness ads in India:

Click here to link to the original post

On the lighter side:

Click here to view an interesting propaganda site:

Know your art:

st. frances of reposo

If there is a modern day and female St. Francis, it would be Aling Silay. I had a talk with her last night and she seemed like one of those enlightened ones who has great empathy for all living things. She lives along the border of San Miguel Village and Santiago Village in Makati. She's this old housekeeper and nanny who has been feeding pigeons, abandoned cats and dogs within the village area. She would scout for lost askals (asong kalye or street dogs) that she has befriended and look for it or her all over the village until it is found. I'm sure no one else would do something like that. At around 6 am and 1 pm, she would scatter bird feed by the corner of my street and Reposo for the South Cemetery pigeons to feed on. It's a sight, I tell you. All these pigeons lined up on the electric wires and flying all over the place makes you feel like you own a piece of Trafalgar Square .

I named the first kitten I rescued, Twinkle (I think twinkle was the cookie I was eating that time when I found her at our backyard in Cagayan de Oro), when I was twelve. Later on, I never named rescued cats until i knew for sure I could keep them (attachment issues). We kept a black cat when I was in high school which my aunt named Luningning but I never endeared myself to her that time as she would always leave the house and return home late at night. I almost named a black kitten who followed me home from the library to my building when I was in college, but it attempted to jump off the veranda and I feared I could not protect him from other danger especially since I've been living alone, so I had to give him up and give him to a streetchild who wanted him. The past buildings I've lived in would not allow pets but luckily the building I've moved into last year allows pets (well there hasn't been a written rule in the contract so I suppose they're allowed... and no one has complained yet so far ;) I met Mazzy one lonely night in January, meowing from afar under a car at Reposo St., I've become "a little" responsible and stable ever since, as keeping pets are supposed to be therapeutic. It's heartwarming the way he waits for me by the stairs or by the gate, even until late at night, until I arrive, or when he has silly sleeping positions or when he would imagine playmates or enemies and attack them (perhaps they're just the ants, but I'd like to think that my cat has imaginary friends hee :) I got the name Mazzy from the dream pop band Mazzy Star. Here's Mr. Star in one of his newest sleeping positions:

Click here to check out more of Mazzy's photos

Im thinking of a spay and neuter program for my barangay. I would appreciate if someone can help me go about this. Cats and Dogs, like humans, need population control too!

PLEASE ADOPT THIS KITTEN

I found this 3 week old kitten last night by the sidewalk canal. i already have Mazzy and I doubt if my building will allow me to keep another cat. I need to find a parent for her soon. I already asked ANIMAL HOUSE and PAWS but both cannot adopt cats for now as they also get a lot of abandoned pets already. I haven't named her yet (again, attachment issues). She's got gray blue eyes and yellow and white fur. She makes silly soft freezing positions, and she looks so fragile and cute. If you know anyone who would like to adopt a newborn kitten, please email me. SOON!!!!

writing workshops by John Silva

My Destiny Internet has been down for the past 3 or 4 days in Makati so I couldnt post these on my blog for those I haven't emailed (from work) yet about John Silva's workshops. For those I've emailed, hope you were able to take his workshops :) perhaps some who haven't taken the recent grant writing workshop can still catch up for the next schedule on the 29th. The next Advocacy Writing workshop will be on April 22nd.

I've taken both classes and have found John's workshops a right of passage for those who would like to venture into development communication, those who need funding for their cause, for those who are interested in journalism, and for those are lost as to how to communicate their thoughts on social issues.

My meditations in front of a beggar, beside a streetchild, while dreaming beside an activist, in front of the television while watching the news, on the frontlines of a garbage dumpsite, on the bow of an environmental activist ship, face to face with the police during a rally, and every epiphany I've encountered have all been selfishly recorded in a language only i could understand in my notebooks or in my memory. I struggle with my image as a beatnik, as I am often labelled as one. I know that any protest or any epiphany will have no bearing if is not capable of compelling others to see what you see. That when you write, you write for those who cannot speak - the ones you advocate for. That you should, also write for those who cannot see - the ones who live unknowingly of lives that are not their own. One must tell the story well and should not just remain a witness. It was only after taking John Silva's workshops that i'm beginning to realize the importance of becoming an effective author for both reasons.

One thing I regret doing was to take a photo of him dressed with the words and photos being projected on the screen - him standing in front of the screen behind his own words, still an idealist (yet effective), impassioned for change when others at his age and decades of experience have given up. This fact, I think, gives him every right to teach you about being an agent for change.

THE ADVOCACY WRITING WORKSHOP
You have a program to announce, a press release to write, or an advocacy to present to the public. You need to write it cogently, get public support and most importantly, succeed with your objectives. I’ll share pointers and tips that will transform your writing into powerful and convincing arguments. Writing good advocacy pieces is only half the battle on. The other half is get them published, or get the media interested in covering your story. In a fairly competitive world, I’ll teach you how to make your piece shine above the rest and make the media be your ally in pushing your cause. In today’s world, an advocacy writer needs to also be an effective presenter. People are convinced when you present convincingly. Wirting workshops are included.


THE GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP
No good cause can exist and be successful without funding. I was the Fundraising Director for most of the Non-Governmental organizations (NGO’s) I’ve worked in. I saw a very important correlation between getting funds and being successful in the my work, from protecting the environment to preserving our heritage.

A winning grants proposal is dependent on good, clear, and succinct writing. I will teach you to highlight the strengths of your organization and help you articulate why yours is the most capable in achieving results.
As a program officer and funding consultant to various charities, I will share what we look for in a proposal, what are the winning points, and what type of proposal we will defend during funding decisions. Bearing in mind that funders are overwhelmed with proposal requests, I will clue you in on how to make your proposal jump out of the pile and grab the funder’s attention.

In the Philippines, many proposals are in the form of appeal letters. You will learn to write in a style that is confident, creative, brimming with enthusiasm, and with engaging prose that will melt the most hardened of funders

The workshops include a wonderful wonderful tour of the National Museum by John Silva himself. (I think every Filipino should see, or rather, be, in this museum - one leaves really proud of one's culture and heritage). Lunch and snacks are included. The workshop starts at 9:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM.Workshop kits with a CD are provided. Each workshop is completed in one day. The next grantwriting workshop is on April 29 while the grantwriting workshop is on the 22nd. For more information, contact National Museum throug 527 5082, call or text 0917 419 5928, 0926 729 9029, or e-mail jsilva79@hotmail.com

John L. Silva has been a contributing writer to Starweek Magazine, Philippine Inquirer, Asian Wall Street Journal, and other publications. He was Fundraising Director for Greenpeace, Oxfam America, the American Cancer Society and Program Officer for the North Star Fund (New York). John was also the Associate Publisher for the U.S. based Filipinas Magazine. He is currently, Senior Consultant for the National Museum of the Philippines.