![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
From the Office of the President (via Blueboard): For the safety of everyone: We are advising people to stay on campus instead of trying to go home. There are available temporary lodging places at the following: Faculty Housing - loc. 4036 c/o Ms. Sofie CastroNew Dorms - loc. 5930 c/o Mr. Mon Buñag
--
If you know of any students and teachers stranded in ADMU/along Katipunan, please send them this info.
- Music:rain beating down hard
Dear friends,
As many of you might know, Mr and Mrs Santelices and friends are organizing TARA'S THEME: MUSIC, FRIENDSHIP & LOVE, a benefit concert in Tara's name. The goal of this concert is to raise funds to settle the remaining balance of Tara's medical bills, and to honor Tara's brief but meaningful life.
One of the amazing things about Tara is that she has touched so many lives. As a daughter, sister, batch mate and friend, she made people laugh and gave people comfort. As a musician and filmmaker, she set fire in people through her art. As an Air Police Cadet NCO in the Ateneo ROTC, she helped preserve order in the Corps. As a researcher for Upland Marketing Foundation, she helped underprivileged communities improve their entrepreneurial capabilities so they could acquire resources to build better lives. The large and little choices she made in her life allowed her to make a difference everywhere she went. And even after she was incapacitated by her shooter on the day she turned 23, her story moved strangers here and abroad, inspiring them to contemplate the nature of injustice, faith, and ultimately generosity.
Hence, Mr and Mrs Santelices are inviting everyone moved by Tara's life, struggle, and return to the Lord, to contribute to the content of the souvenir program. You may contribute photos, short essays and poetry. Below are the guidelines for each type of contribution:
PHOTOS
You are invited to submit photos that depict aspects of Tara's personality, values and/or hobbies that you consider significant. These must be photos that capture things you want the world to know about Tara. The photos may be solo shots or group shots as long as Tara's features are clearly identifiable. Photos of Tara's art work and handwritten works will also be accepted.
Please e-mail photo contributions to angge.serrano@ gmail.com. The photos must be in .jpg format, preferably high-resolution (minimum 150 dpi). I will acknowledge receipt of your contributions as soon as I get them.
Important: Kindly identify the photographer for each photo you send. We will include the names of the photographers in a Photo Credits box in the souvenir program. Please also mention if the image is an art work/handwritten work by Tara.
WRITTEN CONTRIBUTIONS
We will accept written contributions from family members, friends and people who didn't know Tara personally but were moved by her story.
FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Format: Font Arial Size 12, saved in a .doc file
Length: Maximum of 300 words
* Note down the names of the author/s. Titles are optional. Submissions may be in English or Filipino.
General guide questions:
- In what way are you related to Tara?/How do you know Tara? (family, classmate, organization, band, friend, etc.)
- What are your fondest memories of Tara?
- What insights did you gain from your personal experiences with Tara?
- How has her struggle during the past year affected your life?
The written contributions may take the form of a short essay, a letter, a prayer or a poem. Feel free to be creative. :)
FOR PEOPLE WHO DID NOT KNOW TARA PERSONALLY
Format: Font Arial Size 12, saved in a .doc file
Length: Maximum of 300 words
* Note down the names of the author/s. Titles are optional. Submissions may be in English or Filipino.
General guide questions:
- How did you learn about Tara's story? (if you can, mention the specific TV show, the specific person/relationship with the person who texted you, specific newspaper article, etc.)
- What struck you the most about Tara's story?
- Did learning about Tara's story compel you to do anything about it? If so, what did you do? (i.e., discuss the story with friends, family members and colleagues, promote fund-raising activities on your blog, visit Tara in the hospital, attend a fund-raising event, donate, etc.) Why did you do it, even if you did not know her personally?
The written contributions may take the form of a short essay, a letter, a prayer or a poem. Feel free to be creative. :)
Please e-mail all written contributions to angge.serrano@ gmail.com. I will acknowledge receipt of your contributions as soon as I get them.
The editorial staff will proofread all written submissions. The editorial staff will only make modifications if there are grammatical errors, faulty sentence structure and/or word usage. Rest assured that the originality of the content will be preserved.
--------
The deadline for all contributions is 3 SEPTEMBER 2009 (THURSDAY).
Please spread the word.
Thank you and God bless.
Best wishes,
Angela B Serrano
Editor, Souvenir Program
TARA'S THEME: MUSIC, FRIENDSHIP & LOVE
0928 506 1117
angge.serrano@ gmail.com
Feel free to pass this on.
Angela B Serrano
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
| show details 11:24 PM (10 hours ago) |
|
Subject: Re: URGENT Help bring Tara Santelices home
Can I forward the exact text of this e-mail thread to my connections? That way, they will get the story straight from you? :)
Thanks!
Angela
Hi Ange!
Just want to let you know that yesterday morning, Tara underwent an operation for the PEG. It is the procedure wherein a tube is temporarily inserted in the abdomen for the food intake until such time that she is able to chew and swallow her food. The tube through her nose and throat or esophagus (NGT) has been removed. She is taking medication (antibiotics) to control the fever, perhaps her reaction to the surgery. The two loose lower front teeth could not be saved. They have to be extracted to prevent the risk of choking from them. The procedure will be set for another date.
By the way, I re-read our other email exchanges after a friend called up to inquire if it is true that the hospital will not release Tara until all the bills have been paid.
Pasensiya na but because of the pressures of attending to Tara, my two other daughters, and working to earn at the same time, I really cannot find the time to read all messages, much more so to react to certain portions of the email.
I need to clarify the impression that the hospital is not allowing us to go. I recall mentioning to you in my reply to another email exchange that we still have to sit down with Medical City officers for a meeting. Actually, we have not come to the point yet of fixing the actual date of the discharge, and therefore the final amount of bills would not be determined yet because, at that time, Tara still had to undergo the PEG and the matter of fixing the two loose teeth. The dates when these procedures would be done had yet to be set. Thus the final figure would have to wait until the cost of the additional stay in the hospital, surgeries/procedure, medicines, etc. were computed.
Although the hospital has regularly made requests for partial settlement of the outstanding balance, the way the management and staff of its Accounting Department have conveyed these to us have been in a very professional manner. They are courteous and polite.
Again, thank you so much for your concern and support for us. You are a true friend.
Please relay our thanks also to those whom we have not met yet but want to offer their help.
God bless!
Tita Anne
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 6:11 PM
You're welcome, Tita Anne. :) I just want Tara and her family to be okay.
I have more updates to e-mail to you. I'll text you when I send them.
God bless,
Angela
On Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 4:50 AM, Anne Marie Santelices wrote:
Date: Monday, February 9, 2009, 4:48 PM
Here is the original message I've been circulating. Accurate naman po yung information, 'di po ba? I just based it on what we talked about.
God bless,
Angela B Serrano
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Angela Serrano <angge.serrano@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Feb 7, 2009 at 8:24 AM
Subject: URGENT Help bring Tara Santelices home
To: angge.serrano@gmail.com
My ROTC buddy, and--for many of the people reading this--fellow Atenean Antonia Marina "Tara" Bosch Santelices has been confined in Medical City since 6 August 2008. She has lain unconscious for five months after being shot in the forehead during a jeepney hold-up the morning of her birthday. She has recovered from her comatose state and has long been transferred from ICU. She can breathe 100% on her own, no longer requiring the aid of a respirator.
Her family longs to take her back home. The promise of home care has been the topic of my conversations with her family since last year. Unfortunately, the hospital will not release her until all the bills have been paid. To date, the hospital expenses have amounted to 1.8 million pesos (PhP 1.8 M). And there's a separate bill for the cost of medicines and the doctors' fees.
Many kind souls have donated money. Others have organized fund-raising events. Many more have spread the word through blogs, e-mail, text messages, petitions, AM radio and even the most widely read newspapers.
Yet more money is needed.
And prayers are not enough. Concrete action is needed for the prayers to bear fruit.
What can we do?
1) Donate. Any amount will do. Send the money to Tara's mother, Anne Santelices, through BDO SA 2140-06220-1.
2) Organize fund-raising events or find ways your organization/ business can raise funds through its current projects. If you're a student group organizing a benefit concert/fun run/play/any kind of event and you want the money to go to a good cause, why not this? If you're running a business and you want to engage in corporate social responsibility, why not partner up with the Santelices family? I can put you in touch with them, just contact me. :-)
3) Spread the word and tell everyone else to spread the word. Maybe you really do want to help but unfortunately, you don't have the money, the time and/or opportunities to organize fund-raising projects. What you can do is help spread the word. Share Tara's story and her family's need for financial help. Talk to your parents, your siblings, your barkada, your block mates, your org mates, your teachers, your students, everyone you know. Just keep spreading the word and it's bound to reach people who can actually donate or organize fund-raisers.
I've learned that as an individual acting alone, there really isn't much I can do, no matter how hard I wish, no matter how hard I try. It is only by reaching out to a larger community that I can actually hope to achieve something.
Thank you for reading this. If anything, I hope you can at least forward this message or link back to this post. Let's help bring Tara home!
Angela B Serrano
AB 2007
Ateneo de Manila University
angge.serrano@gmail.com
Looks like I'll have to start using periods for you, Fr. Joey.
A lot of people will remember him as the headmaster of the Ateneo Grade School. I never knew him in that capacity. I will remember him as a warm, friendly, cheerful old man who did not consider the company of a young, dreamy ROTC officer to be beneath him. I never suspected that this nice, unassuming priest who occasionally chatted me up was actually the grade school HEADMASTER.
We first met when I participated in an Ateneo Aikido Association training session in the second floor of the Blue Eagle Gym. Actually, I don't remember seeing him there. I only remember Ada and BJ Patino and the instructor who was trying to teach me a move. I have a vague memory of standing outside the Blue Eagle Gym with Fr. Joey and someone else but I can't for the life of me remember what that was about.
I think we must have encountered each other during school-wide convocations, assemblies and graduations wherein I served as an usher or as a Color Guard, snappy and proud in my gala uniform. I'm amazed that he remembered me because I sure did not remember him. Or if I did, the memories were not particularly striking. Perhaps a hi or a hello, or a thank you, but I just can't recall anything more significant.
Eventually, I retired from the Corps and graduated from University. I landed my first job as a lecturer for the English Department. One day, I was standing at the LRT 2 station at Araneta Center, awaiting a Katipunan-bound train, when this old man came up to me, acting like he knew me. He was tall, and he looked spry even though he walked with a slight stoop. He looked respectable enough in a polo, slacks and leather shoes. His eyes were bright behind his glasses, his manner pleasant and non-threatening. Still, I was hesitant. I could not figure out how I knew him, and I was wary of strangers.
Finally, he mentioned ROTC. Or at least he must have said something about how he remembered me as an ROTC officer because eventually, we stood beside each other inside the train. After getting off at the Katipunan station, we headed for the AdMU campus together. I recall that I was talking about ROTC and he was talking about his relatives in the Air Force. How I wish I could remember more of what we discussed! But the memories are so hazy. I just remember that meeting at the LRT 2 Station, the train ride, the leisurely walk back to the grade school grounds. I also remember that we shared a beso-beso, but I can't recall if it happened before we parted ways outside the grade school, or if it happened some other time, after some other conversation. All I know is that after that, I remembered his face and his name. Fr. Joey. I didn't even know his surname. I didn't even know that he was headmaster. He was just Fr. Joey to me--a kind old man who remembered who I was and apparently found some joy in listening to me.
And that's what was so remarkable about him. He was willing to reach out to me, a virtual stranger. He was willing to discuss the military with fondness, an attitude one does not find in too many Filipinos. He let me speak and he listened. And when he spoke, he did not seize the opportunity to trumpet his achievements. Instead, he talked about his own relatives in the military. Hindi siya nagpasikat. He could have. But he chose to converse on a level he knew I'd appreciate, zeroing in on a topic he knew I loved, which he had some experience with.
And he persisted in reaching out to me, even when I was initially hesitant to respond to him as we both waited for the train at the Araneta station. He found a way to connect to me--by mentioning my ROTC experience--and I decided to welcome him into my personal space. He didn't take my hesitation as a snub or an insult; he simply persisted until he finally made a connection.
I cannot imagine too many men and women of his stature who would do the same.
Why he remembered me, why he decided to engage me in conversation, I have no idea. Now, now that I remember him, now that I won't ever forget his face or his name, I've lost the chance to seek him out and continue the conversation. He died yesterday (05 January 2009) at 8:35 p.m.
I don't know what he saw in me or why he reached out to me even if he did not know me. Maybe it had nothing to do with me. Maybe that's just the kind of person he is. Maybe he is just the type of person who sees in people the good they fail to see in themselves. Right now, I find myself in a similar position. I look at some people I know, and I see so much potential in them and I just want to bonk them in the head because they act as though they don't see all the beauty and power and promise that I see in them. I pray for Fr. Joey's patience, his cheerful generosity, his calm persistence and lack of self-glorification. I thank God for putting Fr. Joey in my way, for allowing him to touch my life profoundly, if briefly.
Thank you, Fr. Joey, wherever you are. Rest in peace. I hope you've found joy in your union with your Maker.
~*~
Fr. Joey's wake will be held at the Chapel of the Holy Angels in the Ateneo de Manila Grade School. The first mass will be at 06:30 a.m.
I cannot make it to this mass but I hope I still get to see Fr. Joey in the chapel. Dom and I will be visiting the chapel at around 4:30 p.m., after my work. If you wish to join us, just text me.
- Location:kwarto
- Music:Sara McLachlan - Sweet Surrender
I bought a UMPC for work - an Acer Aspire One with a Linux OS. I'm sick of zipping around the metro with my heavyweight Thinkpad. From now on, my Thinkpad will serve as my main computer, safety kept away for home use and managing multimedia files. The AAO will take its place as the machine for work- and school-related papers and presentations.
So please help! Thanks! ^_^
- Music:Kitchie Nadal - 'Wag na 'Wag Mong Sasabihin
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky,--
No higher than the soul is high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
But East and West will pinch the heart
That can not keep them pushed apart;
And he whose soul is flat--the sky
Will cave in on him by and by.
~*~*~*~*~*
How wide is your world?
How wide is your heart?
- Location:home
- Music:sweetest downfall
DATE: 23 November 2008 (Sunday)
VENUE: McKinley Hill, The Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
TIME:
Walk (2K) --> Call time: 0630H | Start: 0700H
Run (5K/10K) --> Call time: 0530H | Start: 0600H
REGISTRATION DETAILS:
Early bird registration is until 16 November 2008 (Sunday) - PhP 250
Registration fee from 17 - 22 November 2008 - PhP 300
Walk-in fee on 23 November 2008 - PhP 500
Register at R.O.X. Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City.
The registration kit includes a singlet, a race bib, the official race number and race course. You get UNICEF Christmas cards if you register early.
You can also avail of a baller I.D. for an extra PhP 100.
UNICEF will provide space for storing your bags.
Contact (02) 758-1000 or (02) 396-5170 for details.
~*~*~*~*~*~
I registered for the 5K run race earlier. I met Randy in the amazing UNICEF Philippines headquarters in RCBC Plaza earlier this afternoon. The secretaries at Yuchengco Tower were nasty (they carelessly tossed my AdMU I.D. on the table after I turned in my Visitor's Pass) but the people at UNICEF were very friendly and accommodating. And I love that the main color scheme of the UNICEF office is deep blue.
I also applied for a Baller I.D. The Baller I.D. can bear your choice of any of the following messages:
* I have the right to be healthy.
* I have the right to be safe.
* I have the right to know and learn.
* I have the right to be heard.
* I have the right to live.
* UNITE FOR CHILDREN.
I chose the I.D. bearing the message "I have the right to be heard." :-D
Thank you, Randy! It was wonderful to see you again. Dom and I will see you soon to get our kits.
- Music:Sweeney Todd 2005 Reprisal - Pretty Women
Congratulations to America's first African-American President, Mr Barack Obama! I hope that he hits the ground running, sustaining the spirit of renewal he promised in his campaign.
Because, in his words, "there is nothing false about hope."
- Location:office
The declaration, dated October 27, 2008, said the teachers were speaking for themselves and not for the Jesuit university.
“After studying the provisions of House Bill 5043 in light of the realities of Filipino women, poor families, and our youth, we, 66 individual faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University, speaking for ourselves and not for the university, have come to conclude that the Philippines urgently needs a national policy on reproductive health and population development, as provided by HB 5043," the declaration read.
The declaration emphasized that the faculty members grappled with their conscience and agreed to support the measure.
“We hope our expression of support can help enrich and broaden the discussions and debates on the issue of reproductive health and population development, by presenting an alternative view supportive of House Bill 5043 coming from Catholic academics and educators," the teachers said.
“A consistent, integrated, and comprehensive population framework guarantees budgetary support from the national government for reproductive health initiatives, and ensures their sustainability across local government units regardless of changes in national and local leadership. While curbing our rapid population growth rate of 2.04 percent will not, by itself, solve poverty in our country, addressing the population problem is crucial to overall economic growth and poverty reduction, along with asset redistribution, employment and livelihood opportunities, combating corruption, improving governance, and strengthening institutions," the Ateneo mentors added.
“Those who oppose the RH Bill have denounced it as ‘pro-abortion,’ ‘anti-life,’ ‘anti-women,’ ‘anti-poor,’ and ‘immoral.’ However, our reason, informed by our faith, has led us to believe and say otherwise," the statement read in reference to the opposition by the hierarchy of the Catholic church in the country.
“The RH Bill is pro-life and pro-women. HB 5043 categorically rejects abortion, which it deems a ‘crime,’ in consonance with the 1987 Constitution. What it, in fact, wants to do is prevent abortions by offering couples an array of ‘medically-safe, legal, affordable and quality’ family planning methods, from which they can choose the one that will work best for them. In so doing, the RH Bill seeks to avert unwanted and mistimed pregnancies, which cause mostly poor and married women despairing over yet another pregnancy to seek an induced abortion. We are alarmed that an estimated 473,400 Filipino women went for an abortion in 2000, and that some 79,000 of them wound up in hospitals for abortion complications. We consider it our guilt and our shame that so many of our women should be driven to such dire straits as to make abortion a family planning method, for want of information on and access to an effective means to prevent an unplanned pregnancy," the declaration said.
The signatories to the declaration were: Ricardo G. Abad (Department of Sociology-Anthropology); Joy G. Aceron (Department of Political Science); Raymond B. Aguas (Department of Theology); Liane Peña Alampay (Department of Psychology); Fernando T. Aldaba (Department of Economics); Raul Socrates C. Banzuela (Program for Development Studies); Remmon E. Barbaza (Department of Philosophy); Germelino M. Bautista (Department of Economics); Edsel L. Beja, Jr. (Department of Economics);
Rofel G. Brion (Department of Interdisciplinary Studies); Ma. Cecilia C. Bulos (Department of Psychology); Liberty L. Chee (Department of Modern Languages); Sharon Ann C. Co (Department of Psychology); Antonio Esteban G. Conejos (Department of English); Manuel D. Cuenca, Jr., M.D. (Department of Psychology); Gary C. Devilles (Kagawaran ng Filipino); Aleta C. Domdom (Department of Economics); Atty. Alexander C. Dy (Ateneo Law School); Manuel B. Dy, Jr. (Department of Philosophy); Elizabeth Uy Eviota (Department of Sociology-Anthropology); Ana Marie O. Fernandez (Department of English); Joseph H. Francia (Department of Economics); Jamil Paolo S. Francisco (Department of Economics);
Geoffrey A. Guevara (Department of Philosophy); Marita Castro Guevara (Department of Interdisciplinary Studies); Roberto O. Guevara (Department of Theology); Ma. Regina M. Hechanova (Department of Psychology); Anne Marie A. Karaos (Department of Sociology-Anthropology); Michael J. Liberatore (Department of Theology); Liza L. Lim (Department of Sociology-Anthropology); Ma. Emma Concepcion D. Liwag (Department of Psychology); Ada Javellana Loredo (Department of English); Jozon A. Lorenzana (Department of Communication); J. Ma. Arcadio Malbarosa (Department of Philosophy); Pamela Joy M. Mariano (Department of Philosophy); Ma. Isabel Pefianco Martin (Department of English); Marcia Czarina Corazon M. Medina (Department of Sociology-Anthropology);
Ma. Isabel E. Melgar (Department of Psychology); Luisito G. Montalbo (Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health); Cristina Jayme Montiel (Department of Psychology); Aaron Rom O. Moralina (Department of History); Jocelyn M. Mayoralga-Nolasco (Department of Psychology); Mira Alexis P. Ofreneo (Department of Psychology); Glenda C. Oris (Kagawaran ng Filipino); Josephine P. Perez (Department of Psychology); Raul Pertierra (Department of Sociology-Anthropology); Caroliza T. Peteros (Program for Development Studies); Alicia T. Pingol (Department of Sociology-Anthropology); Emma E. Porio (Department of Sociology-Anthropology); Mary Racelis (Department of Sociology-Anthropology); Ma. Margarita A. Ramos (Department of Psychology);
Mariel Vincent A. Rapisura (Program for Development Studies); Danton Remoto (Department of English); Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez (Department of Philosophy); Alma Maria O. Salvador (Department of Political Science); Atty. Maria Cleofe Gettie C. Sandoval (Leaders for Health Program), and; Joselito T. Sescon (Department of Economics). Anton Luis C. Sevilla (Department of Philosophy); Alma Valerie C. Soriano (Department of English); Sherilyn T. Siy (Department of Psychology); Mary C. Thomas (Department of English); Jose Ma. Edito K. Tirol (Department of History); Philip Arnold P. Tuaño (Department of Economics); Eileen F. Tupaz (Department of Philosophy); John Carlo P. Uy (Department of Philosophy), and; Ma. Eufemia C. Yap, M.D. (Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health). - GMANews.TV
Source here:
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/130147/66-At
~*~*~*~*~*~
I was having such a bad day earlier. But I felt more cheerful when I read this on Migoy's blog. I'm so proud of these professors. If I were still teaching in AdMU, I'd sign this in a heartbeat. I feel so strongly about reproductive health education because I personally know people (young and not so young) whose lives might be different if they knew more about reproductive health and the way their bodies worked. There are so many distorted messages about sex and sexuality in the media and in our patriarchal culture. I believe that the passage of this bill will be a small but significant step toward a change for the better.
We may not be Ateneo professors but we can also sign our support by signing the following petitions:
Declaration of Support for the Immediate Passage of the Reproductive Health Bill into Law
Statement of Support for the Ateneo faculty and the Passage of the Reproductive Health Bill
We can also join Carlos Celdran's Facebook group "I Support the Reproductive Health Bill." Click here.
- Location:home
- Music:Imogen Heap - Clear the Area
I support the Reproductive Health Bill, but I sure am glad your parents decided not to use contraception the day you were conceived.
Happy 24th birthday, Love! ^_^ Here's to many more happy years! See you later!
14 Ateneo professors: ‘RH bill adheres to Catholic social teaching’
Carmela Fonbuena, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 10/16/2008 4:45 PM
Fourteen faculty members of Catholic school Ateneo De Manila University are out to prove that not all Catholics agree with the Catholic Church’s opposition to the controversial reproductive health bill pending in the House of Representatives.
In a 16-page position paper full of quotes from Catholic Church teachings and scientific studies on health, population, and poverty, the faculty members expressed their strong support for House Bill 5043 because “we believe that the provisions of the bill adhere to core principles of the Catholic social teaching.”
The bill is controversial for promoting contraceptives and imposing sex education in schools starting in Grade 5. Catholic bishops have tagged the bill as “pro-abortion” and “anti-life.”
Although they are aware of the Church’s position, the faculty members said in the paper “our reason, informed by our faith, has led us to believe and say otherwise.” They argued that the bill is actually pro-life, pro-women, and pro-poor.
They argued that the HB 5043—by providing universal access to medically-safe, legal, affordable, and quality reproductive health services—will improve the country’ maternal and child health situation, prevent abortion, help poor families, and make the youth more responsible sexually.
“We ask our bishops and fellow Catholics not to block the passage of House Bill 5043…. To campaign against the bill is to deny our people, especially our women, many other benefits, such as maternal and child health and nutrition; promotion of breastfeeding; adolescent and youth health; reproductive health education; prevention and management of gynecological conditions; and provision of information and services addressing the reproductive health needs of marginalized sectors, among others,” the paper said.
Theology department, too
The faculty members came from various departments of Ateneo. One of them belongs to the Department of Theology. They stressed that they are only speaking for themselves and not for the University.
Their position paper came out after the results of Social Weather Station’s poll on public support for the reproductive health bill were released. It showed that 68 percent—7 in every 10 Filipinos—want a law on contraceptives.
The following are the signatories:
1. Marita Castro Guevara (Department of Interdisciplinary Studies)
2. Raymond Aguas (Department of Theology)
3. Liane Pena Alampay (Department of Psychology)
4. Fernando Aldaba (Department of Economics)
5. Remmon Barbaza (Department of Philosophy)
6. Manuel Dy Jr. (Department of Philosophy)
7. Elizabeth Uy Eviota (Department of Sociology-Anthropology)
8. Roberto Guevara (Department of Theology)
9. Anne Marie Karaos (Department of Sociology-Anthropology)
10. Michael Liberatore (Department of Theology)
11. Liza Lim (Department of Sociology-Anthropology)
12. Cristina Jayme Montiel (Deparment of Psychology)
13. Mary Racelis (Department of Sociology-Anthropology)
14. Agustin Martin Rodriguez (Department of Philosophy)
‘Pro-poor, pro-Life, pro-Women’
In saying that the “Scripture teaches us that God has a special concern for the poor and vulnerable,” the faculty members stress the provisions of the reproductive health bill that are “explicitly pro-poor.”
Section 11 of the proposed bill mandates congressional districts to acquire, operate, and maintain “a van to be known as the Mobile Health Care Services” to deliver reproductive health care services to the poor and needy.
The poor’s lack of access to health services is blamed for the poor maternal and child health situation in the Philippines.
· 10 women die every 24 hours from almost entirely preventable cases of related to pregnancy and childbirth.
· 6 out of 10 women deliver at home, where they rarely have access to a skilled birth attendant.
· 24 out of 1,000 babies under one year old die every year.
The paper also stressed the importance of planning the family. “There is no question that poverty in the Philippines is exacerbated by our rapid population growth,” the paper said.
It cited studies showing that women in the lowest quintile, who usually bear an average of six children, have at leas two children more than their ideal number (3.5). They noted that the increase in family size also means a decrease in per capita income, a decrease in per capita savings, and a decrease in per capita expenditure on education and health.
This will be prevented if Filipinos are familiar with the family planning methods, they said. “The inability of women in the poorest quintile to achieve the number of children they want stems from their high unmet need for family planning,” the paper said.
It will also prevent abortion, they said.
Based on 2000 statistics, there were about half million recorded abortion cases—or 27 abortions per 1,000 women. According to the position paper, this is because “abortion has become a family planning method, in the absence of information on and access to any reliable means to prevent an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.”
Earlier, 27 professors from the University of the Philippines economics department issued a statement, backed by research, supporting the reproductive health bill.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/16/0
~*~
I'm quite delighted to see that one professor whose class I took (Dr Barbaza, Chair of the Philosophy Department), and one professor who was a reader and panelist for my undergrad thesis (Dr Montiel) are supporting this bill. I do know of the other big names in the list (Mary Racelis, Bobby Guev, Gus Rodriguez, Manny Dy, Dr Karaos), although I am quite sure they do not know me.
Anyway, I'm reposting this because I believe this to be a very radical move for a group of professors in a prominent Catholic university in a predominantly Catholic, patriarchal nation. (Not to mention that these are professors from the #1 higher education institution in the Philippines, if the THES-QS survey is to be believed.) Ateneans vs. the official stance of big Catholic groups like the CFC.What happens next? I can't wait to find out. This is such an exciting time to be an Atenean. To think that I *will* be an officially enrolled Atenean again starting next semester. (Next month!! Wow!)
I want to know how this all materialized. Did this begin with Mary Racelis' Newsbreak article on how Catholics can support the RH Bill? Or was this brought about by a series of events unknown to the public? Did it begin with conversations over coffee, or a question a student raised in class, or an entirely unexpected train of thought during an interview or an FGD? All turning points--Tipping Points!--in social transformation have quirky background stories. What's the story here?
I'm also curious as to what the 16-page position paper actually says. Would anyone know where I can get a copy?
- Location:home
Congratulations to the men and women who made this possible. My heart especially goes out to the devoted and hardworking faculty members who've successfully juggled research, creative work, administrative responsibilities, teaching duties and personal care for each student. If there's one thing I've noticed about Ateneo, it's that most students will probably remember at least one teacher who inspired them, held their hand through hard times, let them cry their hearts out, helped them get their works published, pointed them to a job, or at the very least remembers their names until now. Ateneo teachers are not just lecturers, instructors or professors. They are confidantes, counselors, cheerleaders and friends. I do believe these brilliant and big-hearted teachers are the backbone of the Ateneo education.
To those of my former teachers who've been confidantes, counselors, cheerleaders and friends -- and there have been a number of them -- congratulations. This is your victory. Long live!
- Location:home
How do I know this? I had the misfortune of going to Accuserv Diagnostic Center, Inc. for my CBC and various chemistry, enzyme, endocrine and ultrasonography tests earlier--only to be told that I needed to fast for 10 hours. I called them up yesterday, inquiring about the test and the costs and they did not even bother to tell me this. Their Customer Service Module (if they have one) needs to be updated!
Another tip: When doing a urinalysis, you should catch the urine midstream, not in the initial release. For some reason, getting the initial urine release makes test results show that you have urinary tract infection.
- Location:home
- Location:office
Here's to five years of holding hands, and holding each other's souls in the palms of our hands. I love you, Dominic Yumul Catacutan.
* The line in the subject comes from the song "The More I See You." According to Wikipedia, the lyrics were written by Mack Gordon and the melody was composed by Harry Warren. It was first played in 1945. Many have performed it but my favorite version is by Nat King Cole. Listen to the song here.
The more I see you,
The more I want you.
Somehow this feeling
Just grows and grows.
With every sigh I become more mad about you,
More lost without you,
And so it goes.
Can you imagine
How much I'll love you
The more I see you
As years go by?
I know the only one for me can only be you.
My arms won't free you;
My heart won't try.
1. It is small. (But I suppose any Philippine-based library would be small compared to AdMU's Rizal Library.) The NDCP Library consists of a single room on the third floor--not even the entire third floor. There are four tables for guest use and a sofa set-up.
2. There is no Wi-Fi. There is no area to plug your laptop to charge it. There are no computers for guest use (i.e., for accessing electronic journals). I don't know if they are even subscribed to electronic journals.
3. The librarians are noisy. They discuss amongst themselves. Perhaps they feel that they can make noise because I am alone and because I look young. Somehow I doubt they would be this noisy if I were a general with all my decorations pinned on my uniform.
4. They were watching TV. (There's a TV beside the librarian's desk.) It was noisy so I listened to my iPod. The song was quite groovy so I started singing. I must have been singing a bit loudly because they told me to keep quiet. But I was satisfied to see that they turned off the TV afterward. Unfortunately, that did not stop them from chatting amongst themselves. Ang kapal ng mukha nilang magpatahimik eh sila na nga ang maingay.
5. Their operating hours are 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Be warned. Sometimes government offices are closed when they're supposed to be open. Call them up first before going just to make sure.
BTW, their clock is about 30 minutes advanced.
6. They do not have a user guide so here are some tips for prospective users:
* Bring an I.D. No need for an endorsement letter or fee.
* You need to log in the log book at the entrance (wherein you will be issued a visitor's I.D.) and the NDCP library log book.
* If you're looking for MNSA theses, you need to tell them the call number and ask them to get it for you. You can get the theses' call numbers from their thesis list wherein theses are arranged according to date of completion, in chronological order. This list contains theses published since the 90s up to 2007. You'll only be allowed to look at four theses at a time. (They told me this after I had personally withdrawn about 10 theses.)
* Bring a music player. They will be noisy. Expect it.
* Photocopying costs 1 peso per page. You're not allowed to photocopy theses in their entirety.
* Don't bring a laptop if you're hoping to go online. If you're going to use a laptop to take down notes, don't expect to stay long because you won't be able to charge it. Bring a notebook if you don't mind writing longhand. (I stayed until closing time even though my laptop's battery was low; I don't mind writing longhand.)
Nakuliling talaga yung tenga ko sa ingay nila. Gusto ko lang mag-enjoy ng isang tahimik na lunch kasama ng kaopisina ko. Inisip kong gamitin na lang ang bago kong iPod para 'di ko na sila marinig. Tapos naisip ko, "Takte, bakit AKO yung mag-aadjust sa kanila eh sila na nga yung mali!"
Nilapitan ko sila. Inilagay ko ang palad ko sa balikat ng isang babaeng nakasuot ng asul. At sinabihan ko silang tumahimik gamit ang lakas at tono ng boses na maiintindihan nila.
Mabuti tumahimik sila. Umingay ulit sila noong lumabas na kami ng kaopisina ko. At least naenjoy namin kahit papaano yung natira sa lunch namin noong nandoon kami.
Hay, Atenista. Ang laki talaga ng entitlement issues ng Atenista, gayundin ang mga ibang nagtatrabaho sa Ateneo. Mayayaman kasi, tapos nakapasok pa sa isang matinong pribadong paaralan. Dahil alagang alaga sila ng mga guro at ng mga staff, akala siguro nila na yung Ateneo ay extension ng magarang lifestyle na nakasanayan nila buong buhay nila. Kumbaga entitlement ang turing nila dito. Hindi nila nakikita na ang Ateneo ay produkto ng isang dinamikong kasaysayan na pinagsikapan ng mga taong masisipag at may paninindigan. Hindi nila nakikita na ang Ateneo ay isang biyayang lubos na pinasasalamatan ng mga taong dumaan sa tunay na hirap at bukas-palad na tinanggap ang pagkalinga ng alma mater.
May mga kilala akong tao na hindi laki sa layaw na dumaan sa Ateneo education. Isa na doon si Dom, at yung mga iba kong iniisip ay yung mga kaibigan kong sundalo na ngayo'y nag-ma-master's at PhD sa Ateneo. Proud na proud sila sa intellectual diversity at cura personalis na dinanas nila sa edukasyon nila. Talagang sinikap nilang basahin at unawain ang kanilang mga readings at magsalita sa kanilang mga klase at buhusan ng puso yung kanilang mga sulatin. Hindi man sila naging mga dean's lister o honor awardees, masasabi nilang binago sila ng mga natutunan nila sa Ateneo. Naaalala ko tuloy yung isang dasal namin, batay sa Ang Awit ng Ibon (Song of the Bird) ni Anthony de Mello: "Ang tunay na kaalaman ay yaong binabago ka ng iyong nalalaman."
Napapaisip tuloy ako tungkol sa kung ano ang Ateneo para sa akin. Paano ko ito dadalhin sa aking alaala? Marami akong natutunan dito, hindi lang tungkol sa akademikong kaalaman kundi sa ugnayan ng mga tao. Nakaranas din ako ng pagtataksil at pagkabigo at pagbabalatkayo. May mga nabuong pagkakaibigan at nakilala ko ang pag-ibig ng aking buhay. May mga nakaaway din ako. May mga taong hindi ko pa rin mapapatawad. May mga tunay na visionary na kakaiba ang pag-iisip at talagang sinisikap na ayusin ang mundo. May mga iba namang huwad at hipokrito.
Naiisip ko itong lahat kapag naiisip ko ang Ateneo. Pero anong ibig sabihin ng lahat ng ito? Hindi ko pa rin masasabi. Baka hindi pa panahon para sabihin. Minsan kasi nagiging kahon ang mga salita, lalo na't kapag masyadong malawak ang sakop ng damdamin at alaala. Kapag nasabi na ang mga bagay na hindi pa dapat sabihin, kapag nahusgahan ang isang bagay nang wala sa tamang oras, ang mga salita'y nagiging kulungan, piitan, kahong mahirap nang basagin upang ipagkasya ang bagong diwa.
At saka kahit na nasabi ang lahat ng masasabi, ang pinakamahalaga ay hindi masasabi, magagawa lamang.
- Location:opisina
- Music:Sugarfree - Kwentuhan
1) Look at the list and highlight those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own Multiply so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them. ;) ((Forcing is not the answer...))
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (Only Books 1 – 3, though)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (I especially liked "A Horse and His Boy")
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Haven’t finished it, though)
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood (I saw the movie, though!)
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel (Haven’t finished it yet. I love the reflections on faith, though.)
52 Dune - Frank Herbert (Again, haven’t finished this. Interesting, though.)
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (It’s a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done…)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (Saw the movie, too. Sad… Actually, I cannot remember if I read the book, too.)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt (It was interesting but I didn’t like it that much.)
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie (Thank you, Mr Labella!)
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (I read the abridged version for kids but I don’t recall if I read the full version)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (I also liked "A Little Princess" and "Little Lord Fauntleroy")
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (I also loved “A Child’s Dream of A Star”)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White (I just saw the movie.)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
24/100
It's sad that the list doesn't include ancient mythology, religious texts other than the Christian Bible, more plays and poetry books, memoirs, literary essays and meditations, pioneering scholarly texts by people like Erich Fromm, Gabriel Marcel et al., graphic novels (Neil Gaiman, hello!!!) and other such works.
