The land will feed us, but…

By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 22:58:00 01/28/2009 The land will feed us, we could always say. It is our mother. It will suckle and nourish us, it will give us strength and vigor. Generations will look upon it and embrace it with gratitude. At a time when thousands of Filipinos are losing their jobs almost daily because of the global economic crisis, when industries are closing down or streamlining operations using lean work forces, we could wax sentimental and turn our gaze upon the land. How sweet it is for the...

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Mangyan, Aeta fold write own storybooks

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Feature/By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo WHY DID THEY become poor and oppressed when their ancestors used to live in an Eden-like setting that was vast, verdant, rich and peaceful? These questions are answered in the storybooks for children written and illustrated by the Mangyan and Aeta peoples themselves.Poverty and discrimination have long defined their lives. Considered a breed apart, they lived on the edge of society. Whoever wrote...

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‘Obscure in their labor’

Something profound has come upon this planet. At this moment, Earth is pulsating with new energy. May this permeate and interconnect us all…Mabuhay! I just had my glass of red wine and I jotted those words on a small scratch paper moments before Pres. Barack Obama took his oath as the 44th president of the United States of America and made his inaugural speech last Tuesday. The TV channels and all modes of media technology were beaming the momentous event to the farthest corners of the world. My TV was on, my computer was on. Suddenly I felt...

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GK: From housaing units to way of life

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Feature/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo MANILA, Philippines—It used to be called “kubeta” (toilet) village, the lair of akyat bahay burglars, sopas boys (pickpockets) and other criminal gangs that preyed on hapless citizens. The place was “tapunan” (dumping ground) for corpses of victims of guns-for-hire. “Sumpak” (improvised shotgun), “pana” (arrow) and all types of crude deadly weapons reigned supreme.Crime defined the place. And...

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GK: From housing units to way of life

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Feature/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo MANILA, Philippines—It used to be called “kubeta” (toilet) village, the lair of akyat bahay burglars, sopas boys (pickpockets) and other criminal gangs that preyed on hapless citizens. The place was “tapunan” (dumping ground) for corpses of victims of guns-for-hire. “Sumpak” (improvised shotgun), “pana” (arrow) and all types of crude deadly weapons reigned supreme. Crime defined the place. And also poverty, disease, malnutrition. That was more than 10 years ago, before Couples...

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Revolutionary SC ruling on Manila Bay (2)

Yes, Manila Bay will live again. Revolutionary. This was how environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa described the recent unanimous Supreme Court ruling on the 10-year-old case he handled that concerned the clean-up of Manila Bay. Penned by SC Justice Presbitero J. Velasco Jr., the ruling is more than just poetic justice, it is compelling and executory and those who defy better pack up for parts unknown. Be warned. Here now are excerpts...

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Revolutionary SC ruling on Manila Bay (1)

The Supreme Court has spoken. And so it will hopefully come to pass that the famed but severely polluted Manila Bay will once again come to life, be restored to its former pristine glory and become a shimmering beauty to behold. People will once again taste it pure saltiness and bathe in its azure waters without fear, with only the sense of wonder and awe and the certainty that something, at last, is right. The SC ruling is a dream come true, a heard-earned one that meant waiting and the never-give-up spirit of true patriotic Filipinos. Like...

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New Year’s Day salad

Here’s a salad of a column for New Year’s Day. With joy and hope, not with fear and trepidation, we must approach the coming year. Doomsday soothsayers have sent people to the edge. We are desperately in search of epiphanies. The crunch has not yet hit in a big, big way, but the way the pessimistic forecasters talk, it’s as if an asteroid is hurtling in the direction of planet Earth. Hey, it’s New Year’s Day and we must laugh a little, sing a little, hope in a big way. See, despite the so-called economic crunch there was no stopping text messages...

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