..strive to the finish!

It's summer in Europe and the yearly Tour of France is on-going. We’re able to see and watch the telecast of the action via the Italian RaiSports channel. The tour itself was very exciting especially during the last 500 meters before the finish line. You can see the eagerness and the power each cyclist is exerting just to win the lap. Equally exciting was the pleasant view of the scenery. The greens, roadside towns and suburbs, old ruins and new buildings, gorgeous mountains with its tall and green trees. The tour is the showcase of France itself.

When I was in high school, I have to pedal my way to St. Dominic in the earliest of each morning. Together with my classmate and friend (now a “kumpadre”) Ted, we will glide our way to the town with his old but reliable “diskanso”. I’m using my racer bike bought by my father for 200 pesos. He intentionally didn’t put any brake system for the purpose of me not going very fast. An idea which I many times don't agree with. To cut the story short, I finished my high school seldom riding the tricycle.


Whenever I’m coming home, I still see the same racer bike I used. It’s now hanging in one corner of our “bodega”. It was dismantled but was kept neatly tied and hanged. My father kept it. There were other bikes inside, but this is special. As if a trophy was there standing out with the rest.
Someday I will ride it again for sure. Not joining any race nor going to school. But only to feel my younger years of striving. To feel again how is it get going on places on top of my bike again. It took a lot of pedalling and bumps, scratches and faults, but its’ worth will always remain.

Remembering July....

Its' July and in my hometown..its always wet.
I remember the days when storm and heavy rains kept coming on this month. It was circa 1976, 32 years had past. My father had asked all of our "manggagapas" to immediately bundle all of the cut paddies. There was continuous rainfall in the last two days, and the dam in the East was estimated to be full. The NPC had already made in the news that they're going to open a spillway to discharge some of the water. Hearing this, my father went on a house-to-house to inform all of our helpers.
It was 9 o' clock in the morning when we saw a white horizon rushing up from the SouthEast and coming very fast. It was coming so fast that in a matter of minutes, our field was covered with flood water. All of the palay bundles earlier collected by our helpers were all washed away by the water. On top of the gushing water, we saw animals, pieces of furnitures, snakes and rats, empty sacks, pigs and small carabaos, cows, water lilies and also bundles of palay paddies. We took everything we could salvage with care. But at the end of the day, what we gathered was less than what we've lost.
It seems that the scheduled opening of the spillway came earlier and when the dam personnel had to close the dam, the inevitable comes. A power failure won't let the spillway to be closed and so water comes out indescriminately into the river. The river was not able to absorb the water and went out over its bank. Water rushed directly into our place because it did not go along the curve of the river.
We can not do anything at all but have to collect whatever was left on the field. We're far lucky enough compared to those who lost their houses and properties, and love ones as well.

I will not forget the month of July. It has the most numbers of disasters and tragedies anywhere in the world. It was July when my dear mother passed away.
But it also has special days to cherish. A very dear friend Was born in thE moNth of July. She was very dear to me, that what ever tragedies this moNh gIvEs, her birthday somewhat relieves the pain.

With the not so good experience I've got, this month also have some good memories to keep. I kept a single thought in my mind. In my passage in life, time of sufferings will come. Be prepared for it wil not last. God will not let you stay in the dark but will give you the best afterwards.

BIG BROTHER....small brother!

Here comes the news; dit..didit..dit..dit..didit!

WASHINGTON D.C., U.S. — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer signed a memorandum of agreement with Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap on June 24 to promote agricultural trade and investment between the countries. The Philippines remain on schedule to commercialize genetically engineered eggplant in 2009, and genetically engineered papaya and rice soon thereafter, the USDA said.

"The Philippines and the United States share broad economic ties and a profound commitment to democracy," said Schafer. "We are further strengthening our agricultural and strategic partnership through increased cooperation that standardizes food safety regulations, rural development, biotechnology, and product distribution and marketing. We are very pleased to recognize the friendship that continues to grow between our two countries."

I seldom speak about the US and the RP's friendship. Coincidentally, it's the 4th of July today and it's the Independence Day for the Americans while the Philippines is celebrating the Fil-American Friendship Day. It's perhaps the Philippines way of telling that "Hey, I am your small brother. See, I am also celebrating in my own way, whatever occasions you have!"

Above mentioned aggreement will be another sign of how the US looks upon us Filipinos. While a number of countries were against the introduction or importation of genetic technology, our leaders welcome these development with open arms. While the Philippines has also been into genetics for a long time ago, this generation of genetic engineering is quite "unstable". In the 70's, rice production has been enhanced by the introduction of genetically modified, high yielding variety of rice crop. With upgraded and farmed-out production technologies, the Philippines became self -sufficient of the staple and even exported its excess to nearby countries. With shorter growing and maturity period, farmers was able to plant rice for at least twice in a year. However, more cropping means an increase in the demand for more fertilizer, pesticides and farm inputs. Smaller acreage with frequent cropping means a burden on the soil and changes in the diversity. To this date, this same areas that undergoes frequent cropping patterns now suffers. However farmers put more inputs to the soil, it can not produce what was being expected.
Todays' genetic engineering was far more advance than the usual "tissue culture system". What environmentalists were afraid of would be the unexpected effect of GMO's ingested as food by humans. "Mutation" is a possibility or any uncontrolled behaviour.
The US has the technology for GMO's which they unlikely to be tested for human consumption. They have GM yellow corn which were only either for ethanol production or for export.
With the agreement in between Big Brother US and Small Brown Brother Philippines, the Big Brother would like to test his GM to his Small Brown Brother. A guinea pig of sort. In anyway, they wish to see the results of their "might be" test away from their shores. Very nice...