thinking aloud

brace yourselves

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:30:30 PDT

An image from PAGASA showing Typhoon Santi over eastern Philippines, approaching Metro Manila, as of 7PM this evening. Gulp. Take care everyone.

"local versions" at the pnm

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:13:10 PDT

Here's a tour invitation from Curator John Silva: "Local Versions" at the Philippine National Museum for the months of July, August, and September.

sparkplug

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:30:07 PDT

A better Philippines…

“…It all starts with each one of us, a personal revolution - small but alive and sincere.” -- Jo Anne Villarosa

Visit www.ithecitizen.org.

on the shoulders of giants

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:07:56 PDT

I was participating in a discussion about an initiative in support indigenous peoples in the country. The meeting of minds involved leaders of institutions and development organizations, national and in regional southeast Asia; most—I bet—have risen from the ranks and have contributed much in development work starting even as far back as the mid- or late 80s. Pioneers in development work in their own right.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting one of them, an American, back in Indonesia once in 2004 and it was great listening to how his involvement in the Philippines had started and what he had seen. There was one whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with for a time and had grown to respect and admire for her critical thinking. Another one was a former commissioner in a national government agency, an indigenous leader of his tribe of the Manobos, of whom I’ve also respected for his insights on the plight, culture, and ways of indigenous peoples. Others, while I’ve only just started to know and work with, are leaders and movers in their own communities and networks nonetheless.

And there I was, just in my early 30s and undoubtedly the youngest in the group. I felt that I shouldn’t be there—hardly knowledgeable in affairs that spoke of complexities that transcended geographic boundaries or that began since time immemorial. And yet I was there. Maybe I was destined to be there; there’s a purpose for me being there.

It made a whole lot of difference to learn from the wisdom of those who have gone before. It felt reassuring to hear the experience of trailblazers who have carved paths into the unknown for others behind them to follow. It felt inspiring seeing men and women of humble beginnings who continue to fight the good fight and make grand exploits. It was an honor.

The Bible says, “Do not despise the days of small beginnings.” I hold on to its promise.

save the sharks, save the world

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:33:58 PDT

heeding a warning

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sun, 24 May 2009 07:38:22 PDT

My heart skipped a beat for a second or two, I thought, when my external backup hard drive didn’t register on my computer after plugging it in; normally it was just easily detected, and a blue icon appeared shortly on Explorer to indicate the Western Digital Passport was ready. (I felt as if I had seen the dreaded B.S.O.D. or the Blue-Screen-Of-Death when all you can see on your computer screen is gibberish, meaning your PC experienced a fatal error and was rendered unresponsive.) I made two or three additional attempts—my panic level rising steadily at the same time—and yet no signs of hardware registration came out. I then headed over to Rom’s machine and plugged the drive there instead, and also used a different USB cable hoping it would make the difference. It still didn’t register at first but the last tweaks on the cable finally made it work. All the backup data was intact.

My body went limp afterwards, but I felt relieved at the thought that it was just a false alarm. I didn’t disconnect it immediately though, or replaced the cable with the original one that came in the box, superstitiously thinking that a slight touch could do something harmful. I found the resolve moments later and tried re-connecting it on my own machine. And it worked, the hard drive connected.

I still couldn’t figure out what could’ve caused it: maybe it was the original cable, a loose connection at the ports, or somehow not using the drive for a month made it “cold”. I really don’t know. But it was one of those unpleasant incidents that caught me unawares, and it was a situation I really hated being in. But actually, I hated myself more for my laxity since I removed some of those “original” files (especially map data and photos that I’ve amassed for several years) on my computer for lack of space and kept the sole backup of those files only on that hard drive, which consequently became the sole copy.

This recent false alarm turned out to be a reminder of a similar incident, only that time was a fatal one because my computer hard drive crashed, wiping out all the data I had produced with it. And I did not have any form of backup at the time even in the days of CD-RWs. I had to reconstruct all my data from scratch, no small and easy feat. That was back in 2002. I vowed to never let it happen to me again. And seven years later I still count myself fortunate not to have experienced a repeat performance.

So for the past several hours now, arduous and inefficient as the task may be, I’ve been diligently backing up my data. A redundant copy of my most important files is slowly being duplicated safely in another backup drive, a necessary step to ensure that this next lease at life, so to speak, is not wasted; or else face the consequence of potentially losing more compared to what I had lost years ago.

Any ideas out there on making seamless and more efficient backups? I’m not doing backups on rewritable DVDs or even CDs anymore, but I still make redundant copies of important files on external drives and keep the originals on my computer drive. What makes the process inefficient is that I either copy over the backup folders, or delete the backup and then copy the updated version on the external drive. That way I can still access the backup files from another computer, in cases when I don’t bring my own machine.

Lately, thoughts of getting a MacBook are also becoming very appealing, having heard of Time Machines and synchronized backup files. Besides, open source softwares for handling the mapping work that I do are now more powerful and friendlier to above-average mortals compared to how they were nine years ago, which makes switching to a Mac environment more possible.

perspectives

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:00:02 PDT

In trying to meet a deadline for submission of a project proposal today, I kept brooding over the idea on why many donors and development organizations these days stressed funding windows and project themes on climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives, but alarmingly sounded like climate change was the only important issue, and maybe nothing else. The issue and its impacts is indeed unequivocal; many nations will definitely need to adapt to ongoing effects of climatic changes. But I think these initiatives should not be misleading: that it takes priority over many other equally important issues (To me, the CDM comes to mind where I sometimes get the impression that it looks at restoring forests and trees, but the same forests and trees are only thought of carbon credits, or carbon sticks for that matter, not realizing that forests are more than just a bunch of trees and that forests contribute much more than just carbon sequestration). I hope that not all organizations and initiatives are this way; some are hopefully keen to see the entire picture, tying many inter-related issues together and resolve them from a holistic point of view.

-o0o-

Thinking about forests, I remember attending a forum on water security a few weeks ago. (Again, the panel of experts there had felt that water security as an issue was not getting too much importance and attention amidst the many pressing environmental concerns of the world today. Nothing wrong with that. I thought, however, that water security and forest conservation go together through watershed protection; it need'nt be just from a sectoral perspective.) But anyway, an interesting fact was mentioned by one of the speakers: the problem on water security stemmed not really from the lack of available water per se as the amount of water that we have now was the same as the amount of water that was available many centuries ago (think about the Law of Conservation of Matter). The problem lies in the amount of 'useable' water (like freshwater perhaps) and how it is distributed in consideration of so many people needing it. Interesting.

thingamajig

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:39:35 PDT

For not knowing what to call this whirlpool of thoughts and emotions right now...

finally

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:57:08 PDT

on the contrary

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:42:35 PDT

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

near-ir test photos

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:46:05 PDT

Here are some test landscape photos I took during a recently concluded travel to Bohol, which captures the near infrared (~720 nm) portion of the EM spectrum. I tried several shots for each scene, mostly by trial and error to find the proper exposure. Since the near-IR wavelength cannot be readily seen by the naked eye, an infrared filter and post-processing were necessary. There were several websites that gave very valuable tips and instructions on from setting up the hardware to post-processing, which helped me arrive at these surreal, otherworldly-looking images. I guess my knowledge of remote sensing principles and experience in processing satellite images also gave me more than a head start too. There’s still so much to learn but I’d say this first attempt yielded satisfying results; it wasn’t bad at all.

The Baclayon Church...

Bohol Bee Farm cliffside...

Chocolate Hills, viewed from Carmen, Bohol...

Maribojoc Bay, viewed from Dauis town wharf...

Dauis Church, town of Dauis in Panglao Island, Bohol...

earth hour: photos of quezon memorial shrine

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:54:48 PDT

Here's a pair of photos I took during and after the switch on-off of the lights at Quezon Memorial Shrine for the Earth Hour 2009. The framing wasn't exact though since Rina and I kept taking turns on the only tripod we had.

Earlier today, I called the Quezon City Government to ask if they we participating in the Earth Hour, and specifically if the lights at the shrine would be closed to observe that hour. The guard-on-duty said they were advised of the turning off of the lights but he couldn't tell me for sure if the spotlights at the shrine would indeed be turned off. Without knowing for sure, Rina and I just finally decided to go there. The spotlights were turned off eventually. But we found out from the security guard at the shrine that the National Historical Institute held jurisdiction over the shrine, not the City Government. So that basically explained why the guards at the City Hall didn't know for sure about the lights in the first place. Anyway, on to the photos...

During switch off...

After switch on...

support earth hour 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:16:05 PDT

closure at last.

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:55:02 PDT

It's finished.

Thank you, Eraserheads. And thanks again to a friend, R, for the free VIP pass.

(Here is a related post on the Eheads Reuinion Concert in 30 August 2008.)

imagine a better philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:12:14 PDT

In every issue of i: The Citizen, we will pose a question anyone can answer; we will then organize the answers and post the results in a section of the magazine. For the first issue, the question is:

What does a better Philippines look like or mean to you? Imagine a better Philippines. You can be as specific or as broad as you want. Describe it through words, a drawing, a photograph, or any other medium we can publish online.

Here are a few examples:

"A better Philippines for me has more trees in my neighborhood, more playgrounds so kids not to sit in front of their computers all day."

"More engaged citizens, young people as engaged in community service as they are in partying."

"When we Filipinos don't need to go outside of the country for a better life."

No matter how short your answer is, it will add to the bigger picture, to the vision we can realize slowly but surely. Thinking and imagining a better country is one step we can all take together.

E-mail your responses to: editor@ithecitizen.org.

"Be the change you want to see in the world." -Gandhi

You, The Citizen, matter!

i: the citizen

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:10:44 PDT

Call for Submissions

This is a chance, an opportunity, a call.

We all want a better Philippines. While the government is largely responsible for running the country, let us not forget that we, the people, are the country. We cannot just sit back or stand around and take care of our own lives, and leave the task of taking care of our country to somebody else. We cannot expect for something to happen if we are not exerting any effort. The good news is, citizens – ordinary people like you and me – can do our share, great or small, to contribute to making a better Philippines.

i: The Citizen is a magazine that aims to inform, inspire, and involve people worldwide in realizing a better Philippines.

i: The Citizen is now accepting submissions (written articles, short videos, photographic essays, and other media we can publish online) for review for publication in the first issue. You may submit:

Personal pieces connected to the theme of “A Better Philippines” - the good things about it now and imagined possibilities we can make happen. This can be about the time you volunteered to teach street children or clean up your neighborhood, your being part of a civic group that is taking concrete steps to affect positive change, your commitment to good governance as a member of our government system, OR, if you are just starting your personal journey into being an engaged citizen, send us your thoughts on what you think the country needs and what your plans are to do your part – I believe most of us are in this stage, so if you don’t have any concrete plans, send us your thoughts anyway, and maybe we can come up with something together.

Profiles/Interviews of people who are engaged in work that contributes to the betterment of the Philippines. Ask them why they do the work that they do, have them elaborate on their choice to be involved; the goal is to get their personal story of civic engagement out for everyone to hear/see/read.

Features on issues that matter to you: better healthcare, equal access to good education, transparency and accountability of nonprofit organizations as well as the government, the arts, social entrepreneurship, the military, anything that you think contributes to the well-being of our nation.

Events, workshops, volunteering opportunities, jobs in the nonprofit sector, and other announcements you want other concerned citizens to know about so they can be involved. Please be as detailed as you can when giving us information.

News on past events, workshops, or other activities you think other citizens should know about.

Other pieces that you believe deserve a space in i: The Citizen, keeping its goals in mind.

We do realize that not all of us are writers, so send us a thoughtful sentence, a paragraph, a photo with a caption, a video of your personal observation regarding the state of our country, literally anything that we can publish online. What really matters here is your intention; we will work together to make it all make sense. In our marketing-driven world, i: The Citizen brings back the value of having what you say matter, and not just how you say it. If you want to engage in the conversation but don’t know where to start, write us and we’ll work with you. We want you to join us.

For the first issue of i: The Citizen, we want to paint the big picture, the current situation we are all in and the situation we want it to be.

This is your time to be heard. Be part of the better Philippines that is yet to come. Join the discussion simply because your thoughts and concerns matter. You, the citizen, matter.

E-mail submissions by April 1, 2009 to: editor@ithecitizen.org. Please put “ i: The Citizen – First Issue – (Your Name), (Title or Description of Work)” on the subject line. Expect to hear from us within a month from the time of submission.

If you do not wish to submit now, watch out for upcoming announcements from i: The Citizen in the next few days. We have other opportunities for those who would appreciate more direction on what to contribute to this evolving magazine.

i: The Citizen, Issue One will be published in May. Send us an e-mail if you wish to be notified upon publication. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail us as well.

*To reach our fellow citizens who do not have access to the internet, we are planning to have a print version of each issue once we have the funds. We are also working towards publishing a Tagalog version of each issue.

Visit www.ithecitizen.org.

fire along kalayaan

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:15:42 PST

I guess you’ve already heard from the news on TV last night: a fire gutted a hardware store along Kalayaan Avenue. Our apartment situated at the residential areas along Maginoo Street, which ran parallel to Kalayaan, was near the back of the burning store, with just another house separating us from the fire.

It started at 6PM. Only Rom, Papa, and I were at home. I was taking a nap when an explosion roused me; I felt the house shook which I immediately thought was the result of an earthquake. But I heard our neighbors bellowing that there were huge flames nearby that they could see from our compound. What was scary was that the wind was blowing in our direction so the fire, if it was not controlled sooner, could spread to where we lived along the rows of apartments and houses at Maginoo. With all the commotion happening, we decided to rush out of the compound before the fire could reach us. We just took a few moments to bring out our important stuff (I grabbed two bags with my documents, laptop, and DSLR in it; Rom brought his CPU), turn off the main circuit switchboard, and unplug electric appliances. Rom even called the fire department hotline only to find out that fire trucks were already on their way. With all the lights out, we took our flashlights and headed straight out to the street.

Good thing, the Quezon City fire department responded quickly (I heard neighbors say later on they were at the scene within five minutes from the start of the explosion). Other fire brigades, and many volunteers—from Marikina, Pasig, Tutuban, and some I forget—were there at the scene along Maginoo and Kalayaan, extinguishing the fire and keeping it from spreading to the residential areas. (I counted at least 12 fire trucks along Kalayaan and 7 along Maginoo.) The police and GMA’s TV crew were around, and I think I saw an ambulance on standby there too. My friends from work who lived nearby also contacted me as soon as they found out about the fire.

The fire was controlled between 8 to 9PM but the firefighting lasted until 2AM. I heard from neighbors and other residents that the fire couldn’t be stopped completely and immediately since the fire came from flammable chemicals from the hardware like paint, thinner, etc. Rom decided to standby at our compound together with our neighbors, while I walked around both streets to see the extent of the fire and determine if it was getting worse or better; my parents stayed at McDonald’s away from all the tumult. Around 1PM we returned home together with our neighbors when we got a sense that it was going to be alright. I’m thankful that we weren’t harmed and our house was not reached by the fire; many thanks to all the firefighters, volunteers, police, and all those who kept the fire at bay and kept the order.

Also, I took these pictures at the scene around 1130PM when the fire was already more or less controlled from spreading. I had wanted to take pictures earlier on when the fire was ablaze but my priority was to get ourselves to safety first.

Anyway, here’s what it looked like last night along Kalayaan Avenue…

Along Maginoo Street...

a different brand of humor

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:26:01 PST

The Big Bang Theory: another show I’m cramming to watch during the free time that I barely have every week. This snapshot was taken from that episode where they rejoiced on the fruits of one of their genius experiments. This same episode sent me into a laughing fit.

science and philippine legislation

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:03:22 PST

A friend recently forwarded an email containing an article written by Dr. Kelvin S. Rodolfo regarding the reasons for not re-commissioning the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). I have basic, if not limited, background on geological sciences but I found the article very enlightening.

Last December, I heard Sen. Loren Legarda during a radio interview outlining the reasons why she was opposed to the re-activation of BNPP. Her arguments made sense---economics, climate change additionalities, fears of nuclear meltdown---but it noticably lacked the information, particularly the geological evidences, which was stated by Dr Rodolfo. Nevertheless, I have more reason to agree with her now.

What I read from this article, the science and how it sheds an illuminating light on how the issue of BNPP should be approached, is just one example of how scienfific information should serve as the backbone of many pieces of legislation, especially for this country. Information (of course, the best available at any given time) should be the basis of informed decision-making. Unfortunately, a lot of our legislators have a penchant for treating valuable scientific data for policy-making very lightly, or sadly bend or abuse it for achieving political ends.

After reading this article, make your opinion and do your part if you think this article is worth anything. Share this or forward this to people who are part of or can influence the legislation process from the national to the local levels.

The issue presented in this article, after all, transcends just the issue of BNPP, but involves the improvement of our legislative processes and how we value science in terms of policy-making in this country.

----------------------------------------------

Justifying the Activation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant: More Official Abuse of Scientific Data
By Kelvin S. Rodolfo

Since beginninig to study lahars at Mayon Volcano in the 1980's, my data, if judged "inconvenient" by various governmental entities, have been trivialized, distorted or disregarded. The story of the corruption-ridden building of lahar dikes at Pinatubo in the 1990s is well known. More recently, Dr. Fernando Siringan of the Marine Science Institute and I continue to battle the life-threatening Kamanava flood-control project of the Department of Public Works and Highways. That 5 billion peso project either ignores or trivializes our data, confirmed by NAMRIA, that show Kamanava unevenly sinking several centimeters per year. The project also blatantly minimizes the heights of storm waves and surges that would obliterate the dikes and river walls during a major typhoon.
Now, a new problem. People who are eager to reactivate the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant are dangerously misrepresenting scientific data, including a paper published in 2005 by Ms. Joan Cabato, Dr. Siringan and myself on the geology of Subic Bay, which, of course is adjacent to the Bataan peninsula.

Our work took several years. From a slowly moving boat or ship, we gathered 125 kilometers of "seismic reflection" data, in collaboration with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the National Power Corporation. That method puts powerful pulses of low-frequency sound into the water. The sound passes down through the water and into the layers of sediment below the sea floor. Some of the sound is reflected back upwards from the different sediment layers, and is collected by phones trailing behind the boat. Electronic equipment automatically makes a detailed picture of the structure underlying the sea -- in our case down to a depth of about 120 meters -- much as if we took an X-ray of it.

After we processed the data and prepared the manuscript, it underwent rigorous scrutiny by our geological peers in the Philippines and abroad, before it was published in the international Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. I am proud to have been part of that effort, which earned a Masters degree for Joan Cabato, a very bright young woman who recently earned her doctorate from the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

Recently we learned that Hon. Congressman Mark Cojuangco [5th District of Pangasinan] has filed House Bill 4631 of the 14th Congress, "Mandating the immediate re-commissioning and commercial operation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant".

The Bataan nuclear plant is situated on Napot point, near the east coast of Subic Bay. We are dismayed to find that the Explanatory Note to the Bill cites our work as certifying the safety of the site:
"Top geologists have evaluated Bataan and, with the exception of Mt. Natib which is a dormant volcano whose last eruption was estimated to have been between 11.3 to 18 thousand years ago (Cabato et al. 2005) and which is ten kilometers (10 km) from the BNPP, could find no anomalies in locating the plant there."

First, the BNPP is not 10 kilometers away from Natib, it is on Natib, which constitutes the entire northern half of the Bataan peninsula.

Second, none of the "top geologists" with an intimate knowledge of Bataan has called Napot Point "safe". Dr. Ronnie Torres, now at the University of Hawaii, warned of volcanism and faulting at the site in 1992 while he was still at Phivolcs: "Natib volcano does not erupt very often but could still erupt." As a rough rule of thumb, the longer a volcano is in repose, the more time it has to store eruptive energy.

Third, Dr. Ernesto Sonido, formerly geophysics professor of the National Institute of Geological Sciences at UP Diliman, collaborated with Mr. Jesse Umbal to write an exhaustive, 38-page analysis for SBMA of the geology and geohazards of the Subic Bay area. Jess Umbal is one of the brightest, most competent volcanologists and geologists I have ever worked with. He earned his Masters degree at the University of Illinois with me during the Pinatubo eruption. Sonido and Umbal adjudged Natib as "potentially active". It is important to recognize that Natib, like Pinatubo, is a "caldera-forming" volcano. Volcanoes of that type characteristically have very powerful eruptions separated by long repose periods. Sonido and Umbal have documented two Natib eruptions that formed large calderas. Sonido and Umbal also studied the system of faults exposed on land in the larger region. They estimated the recurrence period for earthquakes of Magnitude 6.4 to 7.0 at 22 years; of Magnitude 7.0 to 7.3 at 59 years; and of Magnitude 7.3 to 8.2 at 157 years.

Fourth, Drs. Cabato and Siringan and I did not estimate the age of Mt. Natib's last eruption in our own paper on Subic Bay. This is what we wrote:

"A breach in the caldera of Mt. Natib is the most likely source of a presumed pyroclastic deposit in the eastern bay that is associated with sediments about 11.3-18 ka [11,300 to 18,000 years ago], indicating that a Natib eruption occurred much more recently than previously documented for this volcano."

The objective of our research had been to study the geologic history of Subic Bay. As is common in science, we discovered facts beyond that objective. By accident, we found evidence of a Natib eruption much younger than the 27,000 year old one previously recognized. To determine the latest activity of Natib would require a systematic study of the volcano. If we could cut the age of the youngest recognized eruption in half purely by accident, what are the chances of finding an even younger eruption?

But even a casual reading of our article reveals a much greater potential danger, one from earthquakes. We have documented numerous faults in Subic Bay, some very recently active, geologically speaking. Again quoting from our paper:

"…the youngest [faults] … show that movements occurred about every 2 ky [2,000 years], most recently about 3 ka [3,000 years ago]."

This means that, judging from the geologic evidence, Subic Bay is well overdue for an episode of faulting and earthquakes.

Vertical displacements on the faults in Subic Bay are up to 5 meters. In other words, when one of the faults is active, one side of it moves up or down vertically about 5 meters relative to the other side. We cannot say how much additional, horizontal motion would accompany the vertical drop during an earthquake.

In short, our science is being abused by a person in governmental authority, either deliberately or out of sheer geological ignorance.

During a discussion on nuclear power on Channel 4 last week, Congressman Cojuangco made many incorrect statements about how safe the Bataan nuclear plant is. I should not have to say this, but must, under the circumstances: Someone does not become a geological expert simply by being elected Congressman, or Senator, or even President. I would not presume to tell a Congressman how to legislate; a Congressman with no scientific or geological training whatsoever should not distort our science for his own purposes!

As I am fond of saying while lecturing on natural hazards, "Ang mga pamaraan ng kalikasan ay hindi mababago upang itugma lamang sa ninanais ng tao."

I never ask anyone to take my scientific pronouncements on faith, but an act "Mandating the immediate re-commissioning and commercial operation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant" is clearly premature. I would welcome, instead, legislation that properly funds a thorough, inter-agency evaluation of the site. The study would properly be led by Phivolcs and involve geologists of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the National Institute of Geological Sciences.

There are other very strong reasons why nuclear power is wrong for the Philippines.

We have no Uranium ore in the Philippines, and no hope of finding any. Reviving nuclear power here, in addition to putting many Filipinos in harm's way, means that we would expend a huge amount of money to put ourselves at the mercies of countries that have Uranium, much as we have made ourselves utterly dependent on petroleum-exporting companies.

The very well-funded global nuclear lobby is fond of claiming that nuclear power generates no carbon dioxide to add to global warming. But much fossil fuel is spent to mine, mill and process Uranium before it reaches a reactor. Every watt of electricity generated by a nuclear plant thus indirectly makes about 30 percent as much CO2 as a watt generated by burning fossil fuel.

The Congressman says that government will have to subsidize nuclear power here. Instead of saying "government", he should say "the Filipino taxpayer".

The Filipino taxpayer has already paid US$ 2.3 billion for the plant, plus $460 million in interest, without receiving any benefit. Now it is proposed to spend another $1 billion to renovate it.

No less an expert on Philippine governmental corruption than President Joseph Estrada declared publicly in June 1999 that Philippine government project funds routinely lose 20% to graft and corruption.

Of course, the present administration is totally free of graft and corruption. But renovating BNPP would take at least a decade, and who can guarantee the honesty of administrations to come? After all, 20% of $1 billion is very tempting…

Given the potential burden of reviving BNPP, the government owes it to the Filipino taxpayer to vigorously, openly, and thoroughly explore all the ramifications. Dir. Carlo Arcilla of the National Institute of Geological Sciences at UP Diliman is organizing a symposium for that purpose.

Finally, beyond the issues of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, the nation must concern itself with the continuing abuse of science. Dr. Cabato, like many other highly trained scientists, could well be discouraged from returning to work here. Is it any wonder that Philippine science lags behind the rest of Asia?

the last toaster

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:01:03 PST

The wait will be over on January 16 as the last season of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica saga resumes, and will among other things continue the plot of the newly forged accord between humans and Cylons, their harmonious co-existence and future on Earth, and the revelation of the last member of the Final Five of Cylons.

Speaking of the revelation, I’ve had my guesses as well on who that last member could be since that season (I forget which) where they introduced that concept of the Final Five. My best bet is President Laura Roslin; my gut tells me it has got to be her plus the drama in this series can be potentially spectacular and ironic if it was her indeed. Then I read last week in one article on Entertainment Weekly, they set the odds of who the last Cylon model could be and also disclosed their guesses. My bet was high on their list, but knowing how unpredictable this sci-fi series has been from the beginning, their best pick was highly convincing; I couldn’t agree with them more. But we shall see in the next few days.

Apart from this series I’m also looking forward to Lost and Heroes. But somehow it was this series that pulled me back to the genre I loved most, that brand of science fiction along the lines of Asimov and Herbert with all the space ships, robots, interstellar travel, and other planetary systems.

highlights of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:46:56 PST

Family and Friends:

Spending time with Papa and Mama at home for an entire year now after several years of living independently;
Bonding with my Tungol cousins: this was J.Gabriel’s most unusual visit to the Philippines ever but nevertheless his visit here was never less than a celebration; discussing serious and mundane life challenges with EJ/Kat; rare chats with Malu;
Great things happening with Rom lately – his success is really my success too;
Close friends—Dimi/Cassie and Christian/Joanne—finally having their firstborn: Simoun and Gabrielle, respectively;
Making new friends (e.g., Jo Anne, Byron and Lyn, Candy, Ayo, Team Batanes, FPE) and reconnecting with old friends (e.g., Portia, former Maginoo housemates, Bondi, Ray, Paolo—I promise to get a webcam very soon so we can chat while you’re still there in Montpellier); and
Spending another great year with Rina—most of the highlights of my year was really spent with her.

Travels:

Braving the 13-hour land trip to Tubo, Abra from Manila and experiencing the kindness and hospitality of the Maengs;
Batanes: like Rina said, the whole Batanes journey is one big highlight of the year. But some moments stand out like: throwing up the entire time en route to Itbayat and sleeping the entire time on the way back to Batan; snorkeling and riding topload at Batan;
Biking to Angkor Wat and making it there just before the sunset. All I can say is all roads lead to home;
Scouring Siem Reap for cheap grocery items, 50% discount breads and pastries, and the ultimate souvenir items and gifts for friends back home;
Bangkok: Shooting nightlife scenes at Khao San Road; and commuting around the city by bus and train;
Eating the best pho in Saigon and sampling Vietnamese coffees;
Getting safely to and from North Cotabato at the start of the hostilities in the area;
Surveying a travel resort at El Nido, Palawan: No, I haven’t set foot at Lagen and heavy rains came at the same time during our speedboat trip around the islands—no photo ops there. But my work-related trip there was still all expense paid, and the experience of flying a chartered plane was a blast!
Touring the renovated National Museum and sampling the food around Binondo in Manila;
Setting foot in Cotabato City, the heart and melting pot of central Mindanao. I always find traveling to the Muslim part of Mindanao an enriching experience and an opportunity to learn their culture and history. This trip taught me that there are so many misconceptions about the people and the place; they are very much misunderstood because of so much generalization. To saying anything about Muslims without experiencing them firsthand is totally failing to appreciate them and understand the beauty and diversity of Mindanao.
Revisiting Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. I always have good memories there and continue to make new ones each time.

Work:

Learning conservation and program development from a funding organization’s perspective;
Getting numerous side projects practically almost every month of this year. Thank God for blessing the work of my hands and expanding my horizon. Many thanks also mainly go to Errol, Minda, Ester, Royce, Bondi, Salve, Candy, and a few others for all those opportunities you gave me; and
Re-learning old land surveying lore and immersing myself in the economics and development fields (imagine I even got elected as a board member of a resource and environmental economics foundation);
Getting commissioned to shoot for a travel magazine.

Others:

Purchasing a DSLR camera (finally!);
Singing with the crowd during the Eraserheads reunion concert;
Attending various UP @ 100 events: the Centennial kick-off, Live AIDS Silver, and the 100 Years of Great Music Concert. Unfortunately, I didn’t witness the Lantern Parade, which would’ve fittingly capped off my list of centennial festivities for the year;
Volunteering to shoot at the 10th Tour of the Fireflies for the Firefly Brigade. It was an exciting experience. Back then I was thinking that I’ll bike and shoot for the 11th TOF. But I haven’t gotten around to getting my own bike yet, and it looks like that bike I was wishing for will be overtaken by other priority gadgets, hehe.
Following the Heroes story unfold (and being relieved at Peter acquiring his empathic mimicry abilities back);
Some photos that Rina and I took in Siquijor last year got published in the May-June issue of A&F magazine. Swell!

Some of my plans still hadn’t materialized this year yet, but hey, that’s the reason why I look forward to a great 2009.

I hope this year was a fruitful year for all of you too. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a really exciting 2009 ahead!

closure at last?

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:21:44 PDT

And so the momentous reunion concert of the Eraserheads finally came to pass last night.

Looking at the video projection on the screen beside the stage, I couldn’t help but be wowed by just seeing the huge mass of people—one that can only be commanded to crowd in such a small space by undoubtedly the most popular Pinoy band the Philippines has ever seen. (From an earlier TV interview of the producers, they said the Fort open grounds could accommodate up to as much as 40,000 people.)

At one time, I was looking at the crowd and I saw those who belonged to the generation who experienced the Eheads phenomenon firsthand in the late 80s and 90s, as well as a younger generation who may not have been fortunate to experience the band during their heyday but came to love and enjoy their music nevertheless. There were no moshpit-style behavior (well, as far as I could tell from the area where I was); some were dancing conservatively to the tunes, some others like me sang along to songs that we knew (or remembered) so well. I guess it didn’t matter if the people came from different generations or if they were all fans or just onlookers; all that mattered was re-living their music and just enjoying the moment.

Personally, I was no longer expecting the Eraserheads to come back together as a band as a result of the concert. I was not even hopeful that they would behave in amicable terms. I came to see them just to re-live their music and the days of innocence for one night, to see them re-unite with their fans (it was, as I believe, everyone’s reunion). It was enough for me to see them together perform one final time for the sake of the good ol’ days; enough for me to see them finally show up for their fans in a last show of solidarity so they could close their book once and for all, and to finally provide a formal closure for them and their fans unlike how they did their sudden break-up in 2003. I was after that closure—a happy ending so to speak—even if it felt that they weren’t as engaging with their fans as before, or even if everyone could sense the tension and their distance from each other.

And then the sad news came: instead of starting the second set, the other band members said the show couldn’t go on since Ely had to be rushed to the hospital (I heard it was due to his critical heart condition coupled with his own stress and exhaustion due the death of his mother). The crowd hushed, intently listening to the unexpected message from Ely’s sister, Raimund, and the producers. It was not the time to feel selfish; no boos or clamor for refunds, just silence in fervent prayer for Ely’s recovery and then the slow dissipation of the crowd towards the exit after given the instruction to go home.

But as of last night, it still felt incomplete to me. It felt that the end just came abruptly, and not as I had hoped (well, it never does… remembering how their concert in Baguio in 1995 did not end well with them walking out due to a rowdy audience). But maybe I can never really expect it to end well. I guess that closure and acceptance of the end of the Eheads can only come with a conscious decision that I will have to make on my own. I have to accept that this last performance—15 songs, and them making an effort to show up despite their differences—should be enough. I was there and I enjoyed the moment while it lasted.

(N.B. Thanks goes to a friend, R, for the SVIP pass. In fairness, I bought patron tickets, but who could turn down an opportunity to watch from a closer distance?)

anticipation

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:05:41 PDT

First, on the much-awaited Eraserheads reunion concert, only this time it’s happening on 30 August 2008 8PM at the Fort open field rather than the CCP open grounds. This event is now unequivocal as tickets are being sold at TicketWorld outlets and online at their website starting later this afternoon today at P1300 and P800. Eto na talaga!

It was a shame really since Rina and I were trying to get hold of the tickets since mid-afternoon today; we were incessantly following updates circulating in the Pinoy blogosphere (I suggest you read this) on the confirmation of the exact date and time. And it seemed that everything was conspiring on us to not get any tickets at all. Ever the optimist, I still hope to get tickets by tomorrow. This is just one event that I cannot miss.

Second, September 22 marks the start of Heroes Season 3. My goodness! Excited na ako!!!

shopping for pomeloes

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:24:18 PDT

I recently embarked on a mini-quest to buy pomeloes as a take-home present for Mama. The fruit was in season in Davao so I opted to get some—only this time, I was doing it just by myself without any of my friends or colleagues from Davao accompanying me. I usually bring home presents from my visits to the provinces—mostly fruits, delicacies, or meats (like longganiza or fish)—especially since Mama likes eating fruits (I guess the only ones she's not fond of eating are macopa and aratilis, if that’s ever a fruit, because her taste buds abhor it; I’m sure to receive a frown from her if ever I bring those home).

But of course, I got tips and some bits of instruction first; I wasn’t about to foray into the market without doing my homework. One of my colleagues, a resident of Davao, really gave some useful advice the (read: techniques) in buying pomeloes from the Davao market:

1) Taste the samples first. Buy from the bunch where the samples were taken. (Well I guess if they’re sweet, I should get them; if not, then try other ones.)

2) Choose the medium sizes and the heavy ones. (I guess this meant that the heavier they were, then they were much juicier. I could then avoid dry, old ones.)

3) Price ranges: Class A Php50-70 per kilo; Class B Php30-40 per kilo. (This depended on how much I was willing to spend really. But my colleague did say Class B pomeloes are still ok).

Other tips he gave were to request the tindera for the seedless and juicy ones, just to make sure. Also, I should also ask the tindera and say “pakapin,” which in Bisaya meant adding extra to the weight but for the same price. And of course, on top of all these, the ultimate piece of advice was to haggle. For some reason, I knew haggling was the hardest part because from experience I hadn’t the heart for it (some of my friends even accomplish tremendous, if not unbelievable, feats and start haggling from 50% off the price, which I couldn’t imagine doing myself). This was why I always went about shopping at local markets with friends who were versed in the local dialect and can do wonders in the art of haggling; in this way, I was keeping myself from being ripped off and was getting the best value for my money. Still, I decided to give it a shot just by myself.

The most recommended place to get fruits was in this local place called Bangkerohan. I decided to take a jeep going to the market rather than going about on a cab. It only took one ride and I had to walk some short distances at some points from my hotel.

And so at the market, I just did as I was instructed. So far I executed the techniques fairly well and I knew I was on my way to getting a good deal: pomeloes were heavy; they tasted sweet; Class A produce of the Nenita brand from the Florendo farm (yes, former 1979 Ms. Universe beauty queen Margie Moran-Florendo comes to mind; the pomeloes come from their farm). Only the haggling part was still in the way.

When I finally let ‘er rip, looking back, it seemed like I was doing a measly haggle. And in the end, I didn’t get any more discount on the Php50 price per kilo but the tindera told me that she’ll give me the box for free (one box cost Php50 and I was paying Php500 for the pomeloes I was getting which weighed a bit more than 10 kilos). Well, I definitely say my haggling technique still needs work, but I went home a happy man. I’d still say the whole experience wasn’t bad, it wasn’t bad at all.

-o0o-

On another note, I’m glad I got back safely from North Cotabato. We were supposed to conduct a field survey around the vast grasslands in Arakan; this exercise was to serve as an evaluation of the site we were applying under the CDM, that the area indeed fit the A/R requirements. Unfortunately for the project (but fortunately for us fieldworkers), the external evaluators—consultants of the World Bank—cancelled their trip owing to the advisory released by the Bank due to the brewing armed conflict happening in the province. And so our brief sojourn to the hills was postponed, although I still had to attend to some other business there. We were relatively safe for the time being, and in no time did we find ourselves back in Davao City as soon as our team got our job done.

I really have no deep insight on why and how the current insurgencies in Muslim Mindanao have been happening lately. (I was reading the blurb of this book, “Muslims in the Philippines” by Cesar Adib Majul during a sidetrip to the publications section of UP Mindanao; it said that to understand the Moro Wars in the country, one should understand the connected histories of the Islamic society in the Malaysian World. It was interesting in that maybe it could shed some much-needed light to end the atrocities happening with the Moros. But I opted not to get the book yet, and instead decided to get a copy back in Quezon City.) But I do remember Kidapawan City, even just for the brief moment that I was there last week. It looks like a bustling city, fast becoming a major hub of commerce in central Mindanao, probably next to Davao City. I just feel after everything its constituents have worked for to bring their city to where it is now, the Moro conflicts would just raze everything back to scratch. Pity. Although I don’t know when, I will be back there, of course. But I do hope things will get back to normal—and soon.

visit the national museum

noreply@blogger.com (Don) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:34:21 PDT

I got an email from curator John Silva of the Philippine National Museum announcing the dates for his guided tours around the museum for the months of August and September. I went on one of these tours last month; the last time I visited was back in college in 1998 (yes, I know it’s shameful). But I should say that in my earlier visit more than a decade ago, I went alone and toured the galleries without the benefit of one annotating what the museum pieces meant. Which was why I found the guided tour not only worth my money, but a good way to refresh my knowledge of Philippine history, its arts and culture. I even got to witness the on-going renovations. It was also enlightening to hear it from the point of view of another person, one who was passionate and dedicated to the country’s cultural heritage and history.

I really intend to write a post about certain paintings that stirred my thoughts about the way we view and how we were taught of our histories. But I leave that for another post; yet again, work is piling up and I’m finding less time to commit my hands to typing the posts I’ve been meaning to share. For now, I share with you this invitation to tour the National Museum. Treat this not only as a good refresher for yourself on Philippine history and arts, but even as a way of invigorating a museum culture in the country.