THEN TWILIGHT CAME TO NUMB AND TAKE YOU IN

My friend in the mirror, this one's yours...

What's so amazing about this life is the wonder of waking up each morning, thinking ahead as to how your day would go and eventually be robbed of your amusement at the end of the day. The question blissfully starts with "What should I do?" and haplessly ends with "What have I done?".


But no matter how painful you look back at the perplexity of the situation, you can never hide the confoundness in you. And the more you shun your deliberate act, the more it will haunt you with the ones involved. It will overshadow you until such time you can no longer breathe and die with it.


You are now through with living in the past. You are now on your quest to speculate on the one constant thing we have in existence - change. Is it unfair to ask someone for tomorrow when the only thing of value to him is yesterday? Perhaps. But only fools would be daring enough to ask that.


The hell in living in solitude when at stake is your indifference. Unless he starts to truly value your worth then you'd rather live this life alone but in profoundness.


People don't die with the memory of what they have done in their past, but pass away with the remembrance of what they have done before they expire. True enough that history is meant to be remembered, but no history was ever conceived without a present and a future. Hence, you would rather have your subsistence worthwhile today and tomorrow. For just like any other yesterday, they would also pass.


Tomorrow, you shall no longer start your day with asking questions and be baffled but rather start it in waiting. Until that twilight, that state which separates your day with your night, would come to numb and take you in.


Until you no longer feel...

Until you no longer think...

Until you no longer ask...

Until you no longer live.

Pakikipanig sa Kaluluwa

Sarili ang kaniig sa bawat panahong nagnanasa ng katipan
Ang panahon ng paghanap sa anuman ay lalong kawalan
Ninanamnam ang apdo, latigong sa katawa'y pumipilipit
Ngunit sapat na ang sarili upang makapalitang hinga at init

Sarili ang kasuyo tuwing hinahangad abutin ang kasukdulan
Pawis ay patuloy ang patak ka-ritmo ng ulan
Hinahagkan bawat saglit ng lubusang pag-iisa
Kasama ang sariling sarili at wala nang iba

Sarili ang kahingahan, sarili ang kalapit
Sarili ang kaisa, sarili ang kapalit
Sarili ang kaulayaw, sarili ang kasandig
Sarili ang kasayaw, sarili ang kapintig

Sarili ang pag-iral at sarili ang pagtatapos
Sa pagmulat ay sarili, sa sarili'y pagraos

Ang Bumulong ng Walang Mic sa Entablado

Gaano kaya kasinsin
ang pagkakaayos
ng isang munting tinig,
sa kabila ng dagok
ng entabladong nagbigay sa iyo
ng malaking puwang
at ng madlang pinaingay ng katahimikan?
Ganito bumulong ng walang mikropono
sa entablado;
Buksan lahat ng kalye
mula sa iyong mga mata
patungo sa mata ng madla
at doo'y padagsain ng matulin
ang nagsisimbalayang ingay
ng mga sasakyan nito.
Padaluyin
ang sabik na sabik mong dugo
na gugulantang sa iyong katawan
at kakain sa laki ng entablado.
Ngayon mo basagin
ang ingay ng katahimikan.
Sa buo mong paggalaw
unti-unti ang bumulong
sa pagsang-ayon ng iyong damdamin.
kubkubin mo ng buong tapang
ang mga tengang walang laman,
at patayuin ang iyong tinig
sa tore ng pagkamulat...
...hanggang mabingi ang madla
sa ingay
ng ibinulong mong katotohanan.

Maureen

Open-eyed,
you leave
your ivory-armed
existence
and take up
the red arms
of the revolution
Free,
like a rushing stream,
you make
womanhood
and
sacrifice
your vocation,
flowing forever
through the struggling masses
with the synchronicity
of trees and time.
Seduced by the call
of comfort and class,
Your thunder crashes
their distant echoes
in the mountains
of youth and age,
while the flag burns
scarlet,
rippling waves
of a storming war
in your heart.

A Constructive Speech

(Our Constructive speech on the proposition “Resolved that absolute divorce be legalized in the Philippines” during the First Inter-University of the Philippines Critical Thinking Festival 2002 in UPLB)
The question of whether or not divorce should be legalized in the Philippines will always be debatable in our soil. In all their efforts, both the Congress and the Senate tried to have bills on this form of dissolution of marriage, had it passed and voted upon, but it proved only that more efforts were exerted by the Catholic Church to have it voided. And admit it or not, many Filipinos look at divorce in an unfavorable point of view.

Morally, we say that absolute divorce is IMPRACTICABLE because it breaks the holy rule being referred to in the Book of Matthew 19:6, “So they are no longer two but one in flesh. What God has joined, man must not separate.”

We also rationalize that absolute divorce is already UNNECESSARY in the Philippines since we already have annulment taking effect. Likewise we justify that divorce is unconstitutional in reference to Article XV Section 2 of the Philippine Constitution of 1987, “Marriage, as an inviolable social institution is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the state.” Hence, why then should the state, as ‘protector of marriage’, execute a law that would dissolve this ‘inviolable social institution’?

And thirdly we say that absolute divorce is UNBENEFICIAL because it entails psychological and moral damage and emotional disturbance to the children needing to grow up in, if not parentless, incomplete or better yet broken family.

With the analysis of all these premises considering the materials in reference to the disadvantage of divorce, we then arrive at the stand that ABSOLUTE DIVORCE IS STILL PRACTICABLE, NECESSARY AND BENEFICIAL hence we say that absolute divorce should be legalized.

Here are our counter premises to complete the synthesis.

First, on the moral and divine issue regarding the impracticability of divorce, the Philippines, being the only Christian nation in Asia, need also to look into the Book of Matthew 19:9, “I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, EXCEPT FOR UNFAITHFULNESS, and marries commits adultery.” Should you notice the emphasis on unfaithfulness being the only exception to divorce your spouse it would then be ecclesiastically allowable to dissolve marriage only if it is due to infidelity which, mind you, is the only ground to grant absolute divorce.

Second counter argument is on divorce’s necessity due to the current implementation of annulment. Let us define annulment and divorce in legal civilly. Annulment is the dissolution of marriage by declaring it null and void because a flaw happened before the celebration of marriage (wedding) that is unknown to one of the couple. An instance would be homosexuality discovered after the wedding, thus the term null. On the other hand, absolute divorce is the legal dissolution of marriage due to a flaw taking place AFTER the celebration of marriage (wedding) yet limited only on one ground – INFIDELITY. Since the blemish of annulment and divorce happens on different sides of matrimony, one before and the other after, then would it not be philosophically and morally correct that man is never perfect and commits mistakes regardless if outside or within the vows of marriage?

Now constitutionally speaking, according to the book, The Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines Explained by Jose L. Nolledo page 200, “…Section 2 mandates that marriage shall be protected by the state, but this does not mean that no absolute divorce may be granted by Philippine statue. The protection here means its preservation whenever possible, thus our law leans towards the validity of marriage and its indissolubility but even the Civil Code allows legal separation and annulment of marriage.”

Finally on the issue of the benefits regarding the children being affected negatively, Ladies and Gentlemen, we must understand the fact that there can be ex-husbands and ex-wives but there can never be ex-parents. The foundation of the child’s growth lies not solely on the strength of the marriage. Deliberately, this is no longer an issue of good husbands and wives but an issue on responsible parenthood. Nevertheless, our constitution, as well as our laws, has already aligned appropriate regulations to vanguard the children’s welfare. You may therefore refer to Article XV, Section 3 No. 2 of the Philippine Constitution.

We’d like to end this debate with a challenging quote. According to Mary Pickford, “If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down”.

Ladies and Gentlemen, with all of the premises, thesis and anti-thesis presented, we stand firm that absolute divorce is practicable, necessary and beneficial; therefore, absolute divorce should be legalized in the Philippines.

Eba

Kung nanghanyuhay ka man mula sa tadyang
Naniniwala akong matatag ka’t matibay
‘pagkat sa tadyang na hinugot ni Bathala
naroon ang lakas at diwa
Ng Adan na sa iyo raw pinaghanguan
Ayon sa Banal na Kasulatan

Ngunit kung sa Adan ka nga nagmula
Bakit ikaw ngayon ang nagluluwal ng mga Adan?
Kung totoong marupok ka at mahina,
Bakit maraming makikisig na Adan
Ang sumamba’t sumuko
Sa taglay mong katauhan?

Kung ikaw nga’y bahagi ni Adan
Taglay mo din ang lakas ni Adan.
Di ba’t ang tapyas sa bato ay bato?
At ang kaputol na bakal ay bakal?
Kaya dahil si Adan ay tao
Tao ka ring may kakanyanhang dangal

Naniniwala akong ika’y malakas
‘pagkat bukal ka ng lakas
Sa kapwa natin pagsusulong ng digma
‘pagkat kapwa nating iniibig ang paglaya.

Pagsuko't Paglaya

Hayaan mong kumulambo sa'yo
ang init ng nagpupulahang lalamunan
upang ika'y ihango
sa bulong ng mga ulupong
na nakangiti't mapagpanggap.

Hayaan mong kanin ka
ng lagkit ng aspaltong kalsada,
dumugin ng alikabok
ng mga bangketa
at busalan ng panghi
nitong maitim na imburnal.

Hayaan mong bihagin ka
sa rindi,
ng ingay ng mga yabag
ng sandamukal na mga paang
pudpod at walang humpay na gumagaod.

Unti-unti kang humakbang.
'Wag mong pigilan
ang halina ng pakikibaka.
'Wag mong pigilan
ang iyong paglaya.

Ikaw

Ilang beses ka na bang naapakan?
Napag-iwanan?
Na sa bawat pagtakbo ng ilan,
sa pagmamadali ng karamihan,
ika'y nananatiling nariyan,
Nakayupyop, walang tinig kundi
ang pagnguyngoy
Walang nararamdaman kundi ang
luha mo sa malamlam mong mata
Na sa bawat pagkurap, kadiliman
Kailan mo igagalaw ang kuyom
mong kamay
O nais mo bang ihakbang ang
yapak mong paa
Nais mo pa bang ibuka ang tuyo't
mong labi
At sa iyong bibigay hayaang
mamutawi ang poot...
panaghoy...
hinagpis...
Na noon pa ma'y nais nang
kumawala sa iyong dibdib
Kasabay ng mapapait na alaalang
pumupunit sa pagod mong isip
Kailan?
Hihintayin mo pa bang takasan
ka ng ulirat
Ang dugo sa iyong mga ugat
ay matuyo
Ang hininga sa iyong bibig
ay mahinto
Hanggang sa ang panaghoy
mo'y lamunin
ng kadiliman ng itim na langit?

14 January 2002

Maging ang pinakakarinding tunog
Ay may hatid na musika sa damdamin
Ang lamig ng hanging-amihan
Ay ligamgam na bumubukal sa puso

Ang payapang umaga ay may hatid na pag-asa
Sa pusong kay tagal ding naghintay
Ang ngiti sa labi ay di lumilipas
Gaya ng mga alaalang di pa rin kumukupas

Kahit ang rebolusyon ay hindi piging
Hindi libingan o karera
Ang pusong naglilingkod sa masa
Higit na ang tamis ng pakikibaka

Pag-ibig ay iuugat sa sambayanan
Ang ating tunay at matatag na sandigan
Gagabayan ng prinsipyo at adhikain
Hanggang sa tagumpay ay ating marating.