Multiple Dylan

If i were to exploit the benefits of biotechnology, i would probably filter better genes from Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas so i could incorporate it to my soon to be Baby Dylan. Those two guys, famous and iconic in every sense of the world, have become very influential to the way i look at things.

A day in my life would not be complete without a post thought of “the answer my friend is blowing in the wind” formula. All the faces of random sadness generates lots of questions and these Whys of everyday passes my by that i cannot help but say to myself, ah it’s just the way it really is. Look around you, and yes, the answer is all round us. It’s blowing in the wind. I came across an article about Bob Dylan in an Irish Music Magazine (I’m not sure if Bob Dylan was of Irish origin, perhaps he is) wherein when asked about how and where does he gets all the seemingly prophetic lines that he has in his songs, he said it’s basically random, that he only say and write what at the certain moment is on his mind. These thoughts, he said, is not meant to be prophetic or grand. It’s just a pure as the air that’s blowing in the wind.

Another guy is Dylan Thomas, the great Welsh poet that have humanized society’s struggle against the dying light of social justice through his famous and frequently quoted poem. Do not Go gentle into that good night. Prior to my entry to social development world, i was always been a fan of his quote “Rage against the dying of the light”. I feel that it is perhaps the strongest words that have been uttered by any poet that could challenge practically anyone to take action. The sense of catharsis is overwhelming. Do not die, because in your death you will carry with you the last light that could have potentially shine amidst darkness. Rage against the dying of the light! When i entered the realm of social activism, this quote continued to emanate form all souls i came across with, priests, community organizers, political prisoners,  and grassroots educators. Rage against the dying of the light, they say…

The last Dylan guy, my baby Dylan, will soon see the light of day and i am so excited to finally see him, watch him grow, and guide him. The day will come when he will realize that he too, is the light. I will look forward to him firmly standing by the quote rage against the dying of the light.

Strangers- short film

Title: Strangers (Short film)

By: Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv

This is a short film, Strangers (2004), about the racial divide between Arabs and Jews and what brings them together. Like in the short film, i look forward to a new day when we all can transcend from the unfortunate divide to face a common enemy.

Masara Landslide

MASARA LANDSLIDE ALARMS ENVI GROUP PANALIPDAN-SMR

Environmentalist group PANALIPDAN!-Southern Mindanao expressed concerns over the consequent landslides that hit Brgy. Masara in Maco Compostela Valley Province which to date has already claimed the lives of 30 individuals and displaced nearly 5,000 people.

“We lament the loss of civilian lives over these tragic incidents. We call on the authorities, all environmental and humanitarian advocates to continue to extend aid and services to the victims of this calamity, ” said Francis Morales, spokesperson of PANALIPDAN-SMR.

PANALIPDAN! – SMR, a group which advocates the defense of the environment, land rights, food sovereignty and national patrimony among others, demanded that along with the rescue and relief operations, a probe on the mining operations of the APEX Mining Company and its current operator, CREW MINERALS must be initiated.

According to PANALIPDAN – SMR’S researches on the APEX website, APEX which started its mining operations in Masara since the 1890’s has been recently acquired by Crew Minerals Corporation, a Canada-based large-scale mining company. Since its acquisition of the Masara gold mine in 2005, Crew Minerals has started the refurbishment of the APEX processing plant and to date, its 500 t/d plant is already operational.

CREW Minerals has continued its drillings now reaching up to 32,000 meters. Underground development of the APEX property continues with portals and ramp systems are being continuously opened as APEX gears to increase its target production of 85,000 to 180,000 oz of gold and 500,000 to 600,000 oz of silver at the end of 2008.

In this light, Morales dismissed the denials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau that the tragedy was caused by mining operations.

“Monsoon rains happen normally in other parts of the country but landslides are more often than not easily triggered in areas where man-made intervention or aggression occurs such as large scale mining operations which involve the use of heavy equipment and environmentally hazardous methods. Sec. Atienza was right when he said we should not blame small scale mining operations. But large scale mining corporations who hide beneath small scale mining claims or MPSA’s should not let off the hook too quickly, ” Morales said.

Morales issued a warning to the Mines and GeoSciences Bureau as well as with the DENR.

“Civilian lives are at stake due to the relentless issuance of mining permits to foreign mining companies amidst the government’s sinful leniency and negligence of environmental safeguards, and dogged obeisance to mining capitalists,” said the environmentalist leader.

PANALIPDAN!-SMR recounted the landslides in Kingking Mines as well as in Mt. Diwata due to the mining operations in the areas.

The environmentalist group which has more than twenty-five member organizations in the region reiterated the call to scrap the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

A Film About Palm Oil

Due to the unwavering support from the general public for Greenpeace international Dove campaign of 2008 , Unilever, biggest single buyer of palm oil in the world, has agreed to play their part in saving the Paradise Forests of South East Asia. Unilever has a special responsibility to help clean up the industry that’s behind so much forest destruction. Unilever have agreed to support the call for an immediate moratorium on deforestation for palm oil plantations. They have also agreed to urgently contact other major companies calling on them to support the moratorium.

This is good news to Indonesia, whose major forest lands have been cleared for decades now to give way to oil palm plantations. This is where Unilever derive most of their products, from oil palm. New green patches of forest might just see a light of day in Indonesia.

This is bad news for the Philippines though, as Gloria Arroyo have practically open up Mindanao for oil palm plantation expansions. Arroyo liberal policy on natural resources allowed, among others, conversion of acres of lands for oil palm expansions. Aside from being the mining hub, Mindanao is also the new haven, for oil palm industries. It looks like Unilever might just see also a light of day, from the  patches of lands, in the Philippines.

Armed Conflicts in Moroland

The situation in Central Mindanao is escalating even as the Holy Month of Ramadhan have started. To date, more than 300,000 thousand civilians have fled their homes seeking refuge in ill-equipped evacuation centers. Roughly about 300 death tolls, most of which are innocent civilians, have been recorded. People are dying on the ground. Armed conflicts will continue to haunt Moroland as long as the interest of the ruling elite are not satisfied. As the Workers Party put it in their press statement, the ongoing conflicts between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front are “concrete characterization of globalization driven peace process where big capitalist and neo colonial interest countries like the United States of America (USA) and Malaysia play the pivotal roles.”

Below is an excerpt from a press statement by the workers party on their analysis on the ongoing armed conflicts in Mindanao:

“The US has considered Mindanao to have a very important role to play in its comprehensive security strategy in the ASEAN region and the MILF is seen as a major player in undercutting the influence of anti-American extremists particularly among the Muslim population in the region.

The Malaysian interest is the resource rich island of Sabah which the Philippines has ownership through the Sultanate of Sulu but strangely it has never been mentioned in the MOA-AD as part of Ancestral domain/territory of the Bangsamoro. A fractured Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan and the country as a whole will surely weaken its claim to Sabah.

And as one observes with the unfolding events, it has been cleared that the GRP from day one is not really serious about the MOA-AD. The events have been orchestrated to show that the people are the ones who want the MOA-AD rejected. The struggle now is between the people including the traditional politicians from the Bangsamoro and the MILF. The arming of civilians (covertly or overtly) should be understood in this context.

The trap of the MILF has been set up. The GRP has effectively convinced the leadership of the MILF that it is serious with the MOA-AD and the events surrounding its stoppage are “beyond” its control. The reactions of Ombra Kato, Bravo and Pangalian (MILF Base Commanders) on this delayed and TRO of the signing of the MOA-AD have been the bases for the consummation of the trap. These commanders have been haunted for their criminal acts against the Christian Civilians and since the MILF would not turn them over to the GRP or disown them, all out military and police operations are justified as shown not only from the support of the civilians but from the inaction of the international bodies which have been helping with the peace talks directly and indirectly.

The MILF will respond accordingly and we will expect the worst to come in the coming days and during the month of Ramadhan.

The agenda beyond 2010 will advance to its next stage and that is a declaration of a national Emergency situation by GMA. Then the Charter Change which has been the real agenda behind the MOA-AD will be implemented and the allies of GMA in the house have been initiating it so that again it will not appear that it will be coming from GMA. In such atmosphere the results of the plebiscite or a referendum will be controlled, directed and fixed towards the fulfillment of the ‘beyond 2010 agenda’.

This scenario will only be possible if peace stakeholders like us will continue with our ‘business as usual’ position and so called principled inaction.”

The Unfortunate Divide

The Temporary Restraining Order issued by the Supreme Court against the singing of MOA on Ancestral Domain could possibly be the one thing that ignited the current tensions in Central Mindanao. So much have been written about this and i would not want to saturate the diverse perspectives and intellectual calisthenics among the stakeholders. My concern really for now is the effect of all this on the ground. People are actually dying on the ground. The fighting between the government and some MILF factions have escalated to a point that some people fear this would practically take us back to square one. With the growing animosity between Moro and Christian settlers in the affected communities, the unfortunate divide will likely happen.

We can still prevent this though, PEACE is still the answer! There is no such thing as a bad peace and a good war.

Give Peace a Chance…

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Find time to watch the short film below. The title of this film is OFFSIDE, a film by Erez Tadmor & Guy Nattiv regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict. This short film was shot in Israel, during September 2005, at the security zone that separates between Israel and the Palestine Authority. I do hope that we could learn a valuable lesson from this film. In war, no one wins…