I'm Optimistic With P-Noy

I didn't sleep until 9:00 this morning (Saudi Time) just to watch on TV the inauguration of our new president Benigno Simeon Aquino lll live in Manila on TFC. I feel like it's imperative for me to witness this part of Philippine history. Obviously, I can't be there personally in Luneta infront of the Quirino Grandstand to cheer and to give my support, as I am here in Saudi Arabia, so TV is the only way I could witness this special occasion.

I haven't felt this optimism about the Philippines since the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos (president 1992-1998). During this time, whenever I go to Manila (from where I live in Cavite), I remember noticing the skyline of Manila and seeing a lot of buildings being constructed with all those long cranes on top of each building, I thought then that the construction boom in Manila was probably one of the signs that things were improving, and I was not wrong.

I remember my father had a subscription of Asiaweek Magazine and I was always the first one to read it. I was excited to look at some of the pages at the back where one can see the different economic growth charts of some Asian countries. I remember the Philippines was paired with Thailand in one of the charts with the title, "Tiger's Cub".

Things were going well economically, then Joseph Ejercito Estrada entered the scene and everything just crumbled down. I remember my friends and I were talking about this inside a karaoke bar, of all places, and I remember telling them that if Joseph Estrada wins the presidency I will leave the country. He did win. And true enough, I did leave. I was forced to work abroad.

Even though I like the Ramos' administration, the funny thing about it is that I didn't even vote for him during the election of 1992, I voted for Miriam Defensor Santiago, who obviously lost the presidential race. Some would probably disagree with what I said about the Ramos' administration, but this is what I honestly feel about it.

And going back to the inauguration of Noynoy, I must admit that his inaugural speech was full of sincerity, humility and it mirrors his objectives for the Philippines and the Filipino people. One of my favorite parts of his inaugural speech was when he said that he can forgive those who did him wrong, but he has no right to forgive those who abused the people. And he went on to say;

"To those who talk about reconciliation, if they mean that they would like us to simply forget about the wrongs that they have committed in the past, we have this to say: there can be no reconciliation without justice. When we allow crimes to go unpunished, we give consent to their occurring over and over again. Secretary de Lima, you have your marching orders. Begin the process of providing true and complete justice for all."

I know P-Noy will be a great leader and will do all the things he promised to the people. I'm confident not only in him but also to those people surrounding him, most especially his sisters, specifically Ballsy Aquino Cruz, the eldest of the siblings. She to me is like Olivia de Havilland's character Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in the movie "Gone With The Wind", so if Ballsy say it is alright, then it is alright! 

Eventhough I'm optimistic about the new administration, we should not put all our hopes and the responsibility on P-Noy's shoulders, we must also have to do our part, if not, it'll be just like watching a magic show and we are the audience. We also have to be realistic that 6 years is not enough to solve most of our problems. P-Noy needs our help.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

 ~Barack Obama, 2008 Feb 05, Chicago, Illinois

To watch Part 2 to 4 of 'Palasyong P-Noy' , go to Probe TV

Link: Full Transcript Of P-Noy's Inaugural Speech; P-Noy's Inaugural Speech In English

Paquito Is His Name!

The other day my housemate found a stray cat in the street just outside our apartment. I think the cat had an owner before because my friend said that it was not afraid of him, in fact the cat was the one who came towards him and seemingly asking for food. My friend called me so that I would   see the condition of the cat personally. The cat was not in good shape, he was having a hard time walking, a huge part of his back has a bald patch and it seems that there's something wrong with his skin, it almost looks like a big open wound when I saw it.

We already have 4 cats inside our small apartment and I know it'll be crowded, but still we decided to take the cat in. I can't imagine how that poor cat could possibly survive outside without food and water under the burning heat of the sun in that condition. I then bathe and fed the cat. I can tell that he was very hungry and thirsty, but may be because of what he was feeling, he just can't eat the way a starving cat usually does. I also noticed that he moves very slowly, another sign that the cat is sick.

This was not the first time I took in a cat inside my apartment, in fact there were 3 of them (in 3 different occasions), but I released the two back to the street when they got well, I really didn't want to do it, but I had to, I couldn't possibly keep them all. The one that was left now has 2 offsprings and a grandkitten, that is Brüno.

Anyway, the other day I tried to find the breed of the cat in the internet, for me to know more about him and yes I did find out his breed, he is a Himalayan, a cross between Siamese and Persian, meaning they have the color of the Siamese and the long fur of the Persian cat. Himalayans have light colored bodies and dark extremities which are called Color Points, the colors could be lilac, blue, chocolate, flame and cream. I'm just not sure about the color points of my cat.

And about the name of the cat, we used to call the cat 'Sweety', but after I discovered that the cat is a male,  it's appropriate to give him a name that would suit the gender. We wanted to give him a name that has a 'growl' in it, that would sound mean to offset his pitiable condition and so we decided to call him Paquito, after Paquito Diaz, a Filipino mestizo actor who always played the role of  'contra vida' or villain in most of his movies.  I think his new name suits him.