Yolanda's Effects Compilation

I have compiled the following reports on what happened in my mother's hometown in Tolosa, located in the Province of Leyte in the Philippines, after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the island province last 8th November 2013:

Capangihan- 8 November 2013:

An balay han akon lola amo an ginhimo nga evacuation center pagkatapos matumba an puno han acacia didto ha eskwelahan atubang han balay han akon lola. Nandadlagan an mga tawo tikadto han balay han akon lola, nahuruot hira didto an iba sinirong didto ha lababo. Nahadlok hira kay makusog hin duro an hangin.

(My grandmother's house served as a temporary evacuation center after the school across the road was demolished by an uprooted acacia tree. Most likely someone opened the unlocked gate, since it was reported that around a hundred evacuees stormed into the house. Someone even hid underneath the sink, since the wind was so darn powerful that it scared the people.)

An balay han akon lola ngan lolo

(My grandparent's house)

Some NGOs distributing relief goods in Capangihan

Tolosa - 8 November 2013:

The coastal town of Tolosa was devastated. My uncle's house there got decimated. It's second story got demolished. Nearly all the trees in the seashore were uprooted. No wonder it's now warm there, which is bad news to tree lovers like me.

The Coastline in Tolosa After Yolanda

Driving around Tolosa

Tacloban:

I do not have any reports of extraordinary things happening there (such as the sudden transformation of my grandmother's house into an evacuation center described above). 

Eugenio Saddened After Typhoon Yolanda's Onslaught

Below is a repost of an article posted in a micronation's news website written by yours truly:

MARIKINA CITY, Philippines - The Chairperson Ordinary of the State of Ariana, Darwin Eugenio, emotionally expressed his heartfelt condolences to the victims of Climate Change-enhanced Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

"Diri maupay. (Not good.)" Mr. Eugenio answered in the Waray language when asked about the status of Leyte after the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda. (The damages brought by Typhoon Yolanda is immense, according to news agencies.) "My maternal relatives are there. We have no idea what happened to them. Judging the damage reported by reputable news agencies, I believe the houses of my aunts and uncles who live in Tacloban, Palo, and Tolosa suffered the same fate. I hope and pray that they are fine and safe." he added. 

The State of Ariana has no citizens living in the Philippines' Visayas regions. Nevertheless, the state is constantly updating itself on news about the region.

Climate Change Could be a Cause

It is reported that there is a probability that Climate Change may have enhanced the typhoon's power. John Vidal of The Guardian wrote:

As the oceans warm with climate change, there is extra energy in the system. Storms may not be increasing in frequency but Pacific ocean waters are warming faster than expected, and there is a broad scientific consensus that typhoons are now increasing in strength.

Source: The Guardian's Article Regarding Typhoon Haiyan 

The CPO is a firm believer of the fact that Climate Change is happening right now. "The issue is not whether humans are to blame. It is how we will adapt that determines our survival. We must exert all efforts to at least slow it down and mitigate the effects of Climate Change." CPO Eugenio declared in his personal blog. 

The State of Ariana's centrist economic structure also helps in its aim to become the first carbon-zero micronation by 2020. 

Epic Pokemon Music

The above video is a Metal Version of the video game music of a battle against Team Plasma in Pokémon Black and White. It's so epic I believe it should be one of the theme music of my stories, especially the Season 1 series finale "The Siege of Pugmax" (Imperial Stories story arc).

Support Small and Medium Enterprises! Support Local Goods!

Today, my parents and I shopped for groceries at Robinsons' Supermarket in Marikina. Since we used to shop at Makro before it got converted into an SM Hypermart, I forgot that Robinsons' Supermarket offers more choices of Filipino-made products compared to other conglomerate-owned supermarket chains. They sell Arce Dairy products, locally-produced carabao milk, and an assorted array of exclusively-Filipino products such as dried mangoes. 

Yummy Choco Milk!
(Photo by Ramon Velasquez)

Today, I bought a product that seems new to my eyes - PCC Choco Milk made from fresh buffalo's milk (Carabao Milk). This milk is very delicious. Its chocolate flavor is very tasty and is very appealing to chocolate lovers like me. The chocolate flavor is exactly the same flavor used by the now-defunct Nestle-Magnolia Chocolate Milk, a product that I used to buy in Greendale Supermarket in Sto. Nino, Marikina City (current building houses a Save More Supermarket). 

The best thing I thought while consuming this product is that I supported a small and medium enterprise - local Carabao milkers in Nueva Ecija (assisted by the Philippine Carabao Center). 

Maybe its time we try other lesser-known local brands. I myself used to buy Hapee Toothpaste. (I say used since all of our toothpastes are now gifts from overseas friends.) I am also a proud consumer of tablea cacao chocolates (which my relatives in Leyte supplies if there is an abundance of such goods). The bitter it is, the better! 

I hope we can support small and medium enterprises. This will ensure a balanced flow of money for the betterment of our local economy.

On Contemporary Issues (SCL Reaction Paper)

The following content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License:

Injustice, or should we say, rampant injustice and/or abuse of authority, is a contemporary moral issue we are currently facing. It is defined as either the absence, or the opposite, of justice. It is also tied to corruption; since corrupt minds have the tendency to misjudge between what is right or wrong. Here I shall also tackle a severe form of injustice, human rights violations.As I have observed, injustice was already rampant since ancient times. Even in Biblical times, particularly in the Old Testament, injustice was present even in the Israelite society. In Ecclesiastes 3:16, it says, “I saw under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of justice iniquity.” (Douay-Rheims Version) I have observed that even God’s chosen people were susceptible to being harbingers of injustice. Some Kings of Israel and Kings of Judah were corrupt and disobedient to the Lord. According to tradition, King Manasseh of Judah had the Prophet Isaiah sawn in half. In my opinion, this is an example of injustice as Isaiah wasn’t evil and he didn’t deserve such inhumane treatment. He merely did his job as a prophet. Another example is Naboth’s execution brought by a false accusation. The conspirers were King Ahab of Israel and Jezebel his wife, a Phoenician. Daniel the post-exilic prophet was placed in the lion’s den being innocent, as his opponents manipulated a loophole in the king’s edict to have him imprisoned. Finally, Jesus the very Son of God was crucified despite being sinless. This shows how even Biblical characters, especially the godly pious ones, experienced injustice here on earth. Even until modern times, some people are falsely accused. The United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, admits that statistically 8% to 12% of all state prisoners are either actually or factually innocent. In the Philippines, it is sometimes fairly common to hear innocent prisoners suffering in prison due to a slow justice system.This I have observed. Sometimes, even those who commit petty crimes are viciously tortured to death. This is a clear violation of human rights. Everyone has the right to due process. Justice should be served in the correct way.

I felt pity to them, and I think I could help by raising awareness against the dangers of being falsely convicted. I have also learned that many great thinkers have discussed on this subject, emphasizing human weakness (imperfect mankind) as the common cause of falling into sin. I believe we should strive hard and lessen our blame on our inherent susceptibility to sin. St. Augustine, in his De Libero Arbitrio, states that "All nature in so far as it is nature is good. For if it is incorruptible it is better than a corruptible nature; and if it is corruptible, since in corruption it becomes less good, it without doubt is good. But all nature is corruptible or incorruptible. Consequently all nature is good." I believe there are many root causes in such cases, ranging from human imperfection to pure evil malignant intentions. We should continue to strive and take action, if we can help, against anything that would take away the dignity of the human persons. In 1965, Pope Paul VI’s Pastoral Constitution titled GaudiumEtSpes tackled many things. In Chapter IV, it reads: With integrity and wisdom, they must take action against any form of injustice and tyranny, against arbitrary domination by an individual or a political party and any intolerance. They should dedicate themselves to the service of all with sincerity and fairness, indeed, with the charity and fortitude demanded by political life. 

It is clear that all of us, the Faithful, lay or clergy alike, has a role in being social transformers helping drive out any form of injustice that degrades the dignity of the human person.

Condolences to the late Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III

I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the Kiram family. Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, the most-known (as there are more claimants) claimant to the Sultanate has recently died last 20 October 2013 due to multiple organ failure. His remains will be flown back to the capital of the Sultanate in Maimbung, Sulu. Condolences to his family. It is very sad to hear that he died without seeing his ancestral domains restored to the possessions of the legal successor of the now-defunct Sulu Sultanate - the Republic of the Philippines.

***

For those unfamiliar with the late Sultan, this is the lead section of his Wikipedia article personally edited by yours truly:

Jamalul Kiram III (16 July 1938 - 20 October 2013) was a claimant Sultan of the Sultanate of Sulu (now part of the Republic of the Philippines). He was an unsuccessful candidate for senator in the 2007 Philippine Elections. Self-described as "the poorest sultan in the world", Kiram revived ^[1] the North Borneo dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia which led to the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff.

EDSA Prayer Vigil? Paano naman ang mga hindi Katoliko?

After the successful August 26 Luneta Park Protests dubbed as a "Million People March" (which unfortunately didn't reach that mark), the organizers are now planning to continue the said demonstrations of public indignation on Wednesday, 11th of September, 2013 at EDSA Highway, Metro Manila. The organizers now want a prayer vigil against the ills of corruption lingering in the Philippine government and society. Sure, this sounds like a good plan. However, I was somehow demoralized after learning that the said rally will be a prayer vigil in front of Our Lady of EDSA. This seems too Catholic-oriented, isn't it? Paano na ang mga Muslim? ang mga Protestante? ang mga Iglesia ni Cristo? ang mga ateista't agnostiko? (What about the Muslims? the Protestants? the INC? the atheists and agnostics?)

I believe it's also due to time to differentiate between secular gatherings and liturgical gatherings. It's also time to stop attaching Catholicism to government issues. We are in a secular society. The Philippines is not a Catholic country (Catholic-majority maybe, but not essentially a Catholic country). They might attack me by saying that they also had a mass during the Aug 26 Protests. I have no problem on the fact that some groups did a mass during the August 26 Luneta Park Protests since it was limited to those who want to participate. I am also not against the prayer vigil per se, but I feel if they really want to "continue" the Million People March, they should not have turned the event into an exclusive prayer vigil.  Just my five cents though (opinion only)....