Benepisyaryo

Well, today I don’t have anything in particular to write but I just saw one of my photos during one of my mission travel to Cambodia, which prompted me to just post it and speak my mind.

Sometimes, field work is hard but if you get to see one of the beneficiaries of the Project your working on–sometimes give you some reprieve from all the dusty travel, sweat-inducing walks among others. But at the end of the day you get a satisfying feeling of contributing a little to poverty alleviation, hopefully!

Editing…

A friend of
mine wrote a poetry on editing and it goes like this…

as did Abraham, long ago,
when he laid his Isaac upon the altar of his God.
So do I place my offspring on the butcher’s block
for yet another round of literary infanticide.
Cheerfully do I kill my children.

-Lynette Carpio

 

 I guess she’s right. Funny thing about writing a dearly loved article and then you sleep over it, say one or two nights, and then you read it again and chop! chop! chop! down goes your original version and here come’s a lean one. Sometimes it works sometimes it won’t but I guess every writer has to go through the process! Edit!!!!!!!!!!!

Exit Filipino

I followed with great interest the article about APO Hiking Society’s Jim Paredes (not because he’s a namesake, i.e., nickname!). I have to admit that the articles that followed was a kind of rebuke to me–never leave/forsake your country. However, despite Jim’s daughter’s request to have the issue laid to rest, I will do it after this.  

The issue of moving to another country is not a big deal, i.e.,  to pursue your dreams, aspirations and being able to meet living standards (decent living standard). The Paredeses pointed out that the article put them in a bad light that they are abandoning the Philippines, which at first I thought they were doing! The reason, though, was personal and not that much–but really for a good editor (and the Inquirer has lots of them! I should be able to tell having worked as a correspondent for the PDI back in 1999) it means a juicy human interest story. PDI was able to extract a good article on a simple conversation with Jim.

The Paredes’ response to the article had me thinking about my loyalty to my country. I am loyal to my country, hopeful that it will again be called the next tiger economy of Asia, however, with the reality of things happening in the field, at the village level, even down EDSA at one corner of Shaw–you can’t help but have this feeling of hopelessness. However, there was also this hanging idea about the Paredes and all the others who left the country and says they still love the country–how come they left without anything to come back? Are they just being hypocrites?? I’m not being judgemental but I’m just expressing a point of view, a question hanging over my head about various people at many sector, including the migrant Filipino populace around the world (including 9 working in North Korea!) could debate on.

Hopeless Philippines? It’s all in the eyes of the beholder. But then again there’s prayer!