Should We Abolish The Death Penalty?

Suddenly, without warning, Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo commuted the death sentence
of convicts in death row to life imprisonment.

It was all too sudden and unexpected. It raised a ruckus in many quarters. Those against the death sentence rejoiced. In one voice, the families of victims of heinous crimes deplored the decision of the President. They said the President never tasted and experienced what horror they went through as their loved ones were mutilated, abused, raped, or murdered. They could never understand how the President could be so calloused as to let the mad criminals to live on and perhaps enjoy a life of liberty as our prisons are never safely secured.

This lady president, it is true, never was comfortable with the death sentence. When she was in fact in the Senate, she voted against the enactment of the death penalty law. As a Catholic, it bothered her to put an end to another life just as the Catholic church teaches judgment is of God and not of men. So it was a matter of conscience with her and true to her previous stand, now as a president, she did not want to sully her hand with the death of a human being, altho how unworthy he or she may be to live within a civilized society.

But as a capital punishment, is the death penalty an effective deterrent to the commission of crimes? Recent statistics are proving that this may not really be a real deterrent. Crimes are still being committed and its rise is more a result of economic deprivations rather than because of the paucity of the right moral values in a person.

Death is moreover so final and conclusive it erases any chance for a person to turn a new leaf. There is also the horrible probability what if the convicted is not really guilty and the State condemns him to an everlasting grave.

Sometimes judgment and final conviction are faulty, being based on facts not properly appreciated or information which, out of human failing, could be wrongly ascertained as truthful.

Wrongful Death Row convictions had been ascertained with the onset of DNA bloodtyping technology and proponents for the Death Sentence cannot rest easy with the realization that there were instances when innocent people were sent to their deaths due to a faulty justice system.

One should read the book The Wrong Men: America’s Epidemic of Wrongful Death Row Convictions by Stanley Cohen to get an appreciation of the stand of those who oppose the Death Sentence.

There are many pros and cons in this issue but is it not more Godly to uphold life than to destroy it? After all, it is not for governments to take life for they are not the creators of that life.

When Jesus Christ came upon this wretched world, did he not propose a new radical teaching, to forgive a sinner and to love one’s neighbor? This teaching is hard to comprehend and even harder to put into practice when one is most grievously wronged by another.

On a more practical level, a jaded columnist commented we would be overfilling our prisons literally up to the rafters if we do not now and then dispose of the dregs of society by killing them off, justifiably under the operation of applicable laws.

In fact, our prisons are bursting at the sides and pray, where do we get adequate budget to keep the bodies and souls of these inmates together who are condemned to be incarcerated for life- as the State is proposed to do away with the death sentence?

This is a ticklish issue that promises to rage on in Congress as we wait for our fundamental law, the Constitution, to be or not to be amended.

Patawad, Pero Mahaldat

Si Gloria emperadora, aldaw nin kamahalan
Pasabong daa nin Diyos, dara nin kaherakan
Pakikapwa sa tao, ipatawad an kasa’lan
Kriminal, dai na isangal sa kagadanan!

Bigla daing ano-ano, sa semana santa
Mga tao naghorophorop, lubos dinadara
Pagsolsol na gayo nangangadye baga
Dai sukat maisip sa ginibo ni Presidenta

Biyo mundo sinda, anggot, ngipon nagraragit
Haros magbalingaw, mag-alborotong pirit
Ano ta paragadan, paralugos, teroristang posikit
Tapikon lang, maghablo’ pa ina sa binubuwis?

Mga preso daa may deretsong mabuhay man
Itratong makatao, ta’wan lugar magbakle’ man
Paano baya’ inutas nindang buhay, basta na lang
Marawrawan, marabsing sa mga namomo’tan?

Compassion, linti’ ini baga an tinaram ni may
Sabi ni Gloria mas pa syang nakikidumamay
Sa mga lolong, mga rongaw na daing ugay
Manggadan garo sana namiripit nin ukay!

Tit for tat, an eye for an eye, iyo man lang gayod
Dai nang hustisya, lingawan na sana iyo an pasabot
Dai inisip an sakit tios mga binayaan
Ika man daw magadanan, maray kun sa helang!

Bikol Dishes – To Promote Tourism

Many Philippine provinces are virtually creating artificial festivals just to offer tantalizing come-ons for domestic and foreign tourists.

But our region has an authentic festival, the Peñafrancia Regional Fiesta which dates back to Spanish colonial times, which can serve to promote tourism in our region. Mind you, it is the most genuine fiesta if ever there is; and this can serve as a springboard in promoting local tourism.

This coming September again, why don’t we highlight Bikol dishes to serve as a unique attraction to devotees and tourists who will flock to Naga? Let us take pride in our local culinary arts and show them off to visitors.

We are not projecting enough our Bikol identity in this area whereas Kapampangans and other regional groups have successfully cultivated the taste for their regional foods so much so they can already be found in 5-star hotels and are already standard fare in classy and ritzy restaurants.

Yes, we are known for ginutaan (coconut milk) dishes and spicy foods and pili sweets but we need to make serious research on local dishes that have already been forgotten and sometimes are considered very rural in image and yet have been found to be very tasty, delicious, nutritious and, in fact, contribute to the enhancement of health.

It has been found, for instance, that among the regional groups in the Philippines there is a relatively lower incidence of cancer in Bicol because of higher intake of coconut milk. Food scientists have found a close correlation between high intake of coco milk-laden food to lower cancer incidence.

It is precisely because of health benefits that virgin coconut oil is now gaining popularity, as the same micro nutrients that are found in coconut milk are also obtaining in VCO.

We are still very poor marketing agents when we try to project a good image of Bicol. We need effective marketing strategies so that our dishes may be accepted and adopted within the highly competitive food business of the country, if not among visiting tourists.

So come our regional fiesta, let us put up a culinary contest open to all towns and cities in the entire region which must submit the best-tasting, artistically-prepared dishes that are really and truly native to their localities.

What are these dishes we can start with to promote to tourists? Remember, tourists are often adventurous and positively inclined to new tastes and novel food preparations.

For instance, we have this TINOMTOMAN. It is a coco milk-laden food using bamboo shoots (lambo’) and freshwater clam (bebe) as main ingredients. Flavored with langkawas leaves, a kind of ginger plant, gives it a pungent taste.

And how about PINANGAT? At least this is standard dish at Geewan here in Naga City. Again, this is cooked in coco milk. This consists of minced boyod (freswater shrimp), ground coco meat and spices and wrapped in taro leaves (natong, katnga’). Camalig pinangat , however, has no filling, practically pure natong leaves cooked in rich coco milk.

It would be a happy occasion to pit one against the other in a culinary contest but then it just goes to show the variety of our regional food preparations just as the Bicol tongue itself shows wild and exciting variations.

We can also show them how TABAGWANG (pisipis, as some towns call it) cooked in coco milk mixed with edible fern shoots (pako) could be so delicious when its meat and all are forcefully sucked into the mouth (ugh!).

Or is not SINANGLAY just as tasty as any fish cooked in coconut milk? Sinanglay (pikadilyo to some) uses either catfish (hito’), mudfish (talusog), climbing perch(puyo) or tilapia . Tomato, onion and garlic are inserted inside the fish and then this is wrapped in petsay leaves. Again, this is cooked in coco milk.

But petsay being only used as wrapper, aside from its being bitter-tasting, I ask our cook to add a generous amount of natong leaves to ensure a hefty supply of this vegetable as I eat away at the catfish or tilapia. As an aside, has anybody made research on the nutritional values of natong? I hope it’s not like the eggplant which has zero nutritional value.

We are sure there are other exciting food preparations in our upland towns using guto’ (monitor lizard), sawa (boa constrictor), usa (deer) suhong (a kind of beetle), opon (wild boar) and other exotic animals and plants (potat leaves were then ingredients in cooking, according to Lisboa) that we ourselves would find very eatable, if not glorious in taste to the palates of foreigners.

You might laugh but remember that movie Mundo Cane? It depicted Chinese who were eating canned ants and all sorts of snakes. And there was this scene where connoisseurs were eating raw, yes uncooked, brains of monkeys which they themselves had to club to death to scoop out the brains(ugh!!).

So then let us revive Bikol foods to spice up our taste buds while promoting local tourism.

Nagabay Ako Sa Albay

Ini an nabasa ko sa sarong Paisi sa website kan Oragonrepublic:

Inaagda kamo sa Ma-rawitdawit an Sarong Banggi sa Peninsulares Library Cafe (435 Dalan Rizal, Kabangan, Lunsod Legazpi) sa Webes, 30 Marso 2006. Babasahon kan nagkapirang kagsurat an saindang mga rawitdawit. Maghapit tabi, 6 sagkod 10 na banggi. Paki simbag po: tel 480-4888; cp 0928-778-8347; e-surat laurelpenaranda

Pagtingag ko sa kalendaryo, mismong aldaw na idto an paghimo kan okasyon! Hmmm… sabi ko maiba man an banggi ko, ano kun magpaAlbay ako?

Alagad, binaton ko an telepono saka nag-apod ako sa Peninsulares Library Cafe. Libre man daa an pag-ayon sa tiripon, daing bayad. Marayrahay. Nyako gasto ko lang sa gasolina saka sa pagkakan kun mangyari. Plano ko ma-uli mansana ako pagkabanggi.

Tineks ko si Noel D. kan Tabaco. Hinapot ko sya kun maatendir. Kan enot nagteks dai daa ta dai pa nagsweldo. Maniwang pa an bulsa. Teks ko sya uli. Nyako sayang. Magkahilingan kami kuta giraray. Enot nagkahilingan kami igdi sa Naga kan Enot na Anibersaryo kan Oragonrepublic.

Pakahaloyhaloy, nagteks sya na maayon sya sa tiripon kan mga Pararawitdawit ta nakaawit sya nin diit na pamasahe. Sabi ko, di oke.

Bakong subasuba su pagpaAlbay ko. Dangadang pa lang akong Nabua, bagwak na an oran. Maromarom nang maray an dalan. Sabi ko baad madisgrasya ako sa katuyohan na bakong negosyo. Parati an pagpapaAlbay ko rason ta mabakal epektos sa tindahan mi ni agom.
Solo lang pati ako nagdrayb, mayong kaiba. Anoman mangyari mayo lamang matuwang sako sa remalaso. Nagpipilingpiling ako saka nagraraway sa linti na panahon!

Pag-abot kong Daraga madiklom na talaga. Nangalas ako sa mga bagong edipsyo sa banwang ini. Iba man pala an hitsura kan Daraga kun banggi! Mailaw, dakul nagkikimat-kimat. Saka risang masibot an mga tawo. Tanda nin sarong mauswag lugar.

Kan inabot ko an pagdolonan nin Legazpi, napaborahat an mga mata ko. Ibong-ibong may mga posteng may ilaw. Idto palan tinaytayan kan Legazpi kan mga posteng de ilaw sagkod sa sentro! Labi segurong sanggatos an posteng idto. Ibang-iba an hitsura ta pati katindogan kan poste inilawan pa patos sa salming! Pandeorag talaga!
Panturista an dating! A city in lights kun banggi.

An impresyon ko tolos an Legazpi garo mahiwason nang maray. Mas dakula na sa Naga. Mas buhay na. Nagpipirikpitik na. Naglaog sa isip ko, ano kaya an night life igdi? An tuyaw kan mga tagaNaga siring ko, an Legazpi daa tigbak na kun banggi. Mayong mga linga-lingaan lamang. Tururog na an tawo tolos maski alas 7 pa sana. Igwa naman sinda kan Magsaysay Night Strip kan Naga? Ano daw.

Totoo dai ta masusukol an kultura kan sarong lugar kun banggi o kun ano an ginigiribo kun banggi! Mas pa, dakul an milagrong nangyayari kun banggi dai konektado sa kultura o progreso. O sa maayahay na pag’aling-aling sa tuyong pagpahingalo asin paghale nin kapagalan.

An gama-gama ko makaabot sa dudumanan patos nin paglangkag ta sabi ko maogma man gayod an maabotan ko: mga Albayanong sa tahaw nin pagkape-kape nagbabasa asin nagdadangog nin mga rawitdawit, nagsasapa’ sa isip asin puso kan mga tagong kahulogan kan irinarawitdawit. Ini gayod an tanda nin paghinog asin pagrarom nin dunong nin sarong tawo. O, iba man kaya an madatngan ko?

Sa sarong teks, nagkasumpongan kami ni Noel na naghalat sako sa LCC sa may rotunda. Idto palan, mabalik man kami giraray sa kalabaan kan posteng kailawan, na iyo na palan an kalye Rizal kan mga tagaLegazpi.

Mala ta an nalaogan mi sarong garo suanoy nang harong, mala-Kastilang panahon an desenyo, anas tabla an salog, an lanob.. pati mga retrato nakakwadro sa antigong kolor… kulang na lang si Rizal an magsabat samo, mag-abrasa.

An ambiance sa laog malomhok, mahayahay, matuninong… talagang marelaks kang husto! Duman sa oro-enotan kan kakanan (restawran ini palan) may sarong kwarto na dakul libro. Haros library na nanggad. Pang-intelektwal na kakan-kakanan. Pwede ka daa magkua, magbasa nin libro manta nagkakape. Talagang, naiiba!

An kagsadiri kaining Peninsulares Library Cafe iyo si Laurel Peñaranda, sarong mapution na babae, marigmat an isip, intelektwal, magayon. Sa saiyang hiro-hiro, mayo man pinag-iba sa mga nakaturukaw sa halabang lamesa, baga sarong poet man an dating.

Sabi ko garo napaiba ako sa bako kong katropa. Mala ta yaon duman si Gilbert ‘Godie’ Calleja, microbiologist-poet kan Canada (tubong Bacacay, Albay), Raffi Banzuela, saro man na bikol poet, Mrs. Baldo kan BU, sarong maestra, na kaiba an saiyang aking lalaki na writer man, Frederick Lim, dating editor(?) kan sarong college paper sa Aquinas University, saka lima o anom pang dai ko nadakop an mga pangaran. Kami lang ni Jason Chancoco an taga-Naga. Anas sinda taga-Tabaco o tagaLegazpi.

Sala ako na maghuna palan na nagkakape-kape sinda. Naabotan ko nag-iirinom-inom red wine. Magkapira bagang singasingaon an somsoman: sirang may sarsa, mani, chicharon, asbp. Huna mo mga intelektwal na sobra kadunong an nakaturukaw. Ako yaon lang sa pagmasid asin pagdangog.

Medyo ngani ako napasupog ta kun igwa man daa akong darang libro, ikaag ko na sa lamesa! Idto palan kadaklan sainda dakul nang mga tokda’, mga rawitdawit, mga istorya, halipot na osipon asin kun anoano pa an napalagda na sa mga magasin, peryodikal saka sa mga librong panliterario!

Mayo akong nanguso duman na sarong rawitdawit (na dapat saimong sinurat) ta nagpopoon-poon pa sana man ako pagkumpos y tirikyawit pa ngani… masupog bagang ipadangog ko sa atubangan nin mga haloyan nang nagsusururat.

An natandaan kong sinabi ni Mr. Banzuela iyo idtong pagtaram nya saka tinawan nyang doon na dapat daa magbilog nin sarong Kaburunyogan nin mga parasurat sa Bikol “igdi sa Albay” ta sa Naga igwa na daa kan Kabulig-Bikol, sa Sorsogon yaon an “Letra”.

Sabi ni Noel D. igwa sinda nin kasararoan na inapod nindang “Banwa” duman sa Tabaco.

Naromdoman ko na kan panahon na Rev. Padre Luis Dimarumba, kan taon 1927, nag’organisa sinda na Rosalio Imperial, Sr. kan “Academiang Bikol”. Dakul daa an myembro kan Academia. An pahayagan ninda iyo idtong 10-pahinang SANGHIRAN NIN BIKOL na an katuyohan mapayaman asin mapakaray an lenggwaheng bikol asin maparambong an literatura kaini.

Sa lawig nin panahon, magkapira pa an paghingowa na magtao nin maigot na pag’ataman sa kultura asin literaturang Bikol alagad an mga pag-ngata’ na ini natalbong na sa kalingawan.

Ngonyan dakul naman an naggigiribsaw na mga hiron pasiring sa siring na intensyon: mabuhay-liwat, mapakusog, mapapusog an literaturang Bikol. Nakaka-ogma ta mga bagongtawo na an mga nagsusururat asin nangengenot an Arejola Foundation for Social Responsibility (sa pamamayo ni Carlo Arejola, sarong Palanca Awardee)sa pagtolod kan hiro’ na ini.

Nagbibilog kan mga parasurat iyo an Kabulig-Bikol, sarong kaboronyogan base igdi sa Naga alagad may mga kaapil man haleng Albay asin Sorosogon. Sa cyberspace, yaon man an website na Oragonrepublic.com na lipotok nagaako nin mga tokdang bikol magin man ini rawitdawit, halipot na osipon, salaysay o nobela.

An paggabay ko sa Albay saro bagang pag’sirip sa kalakawan sa lantad nin literatura igdi sa Kabikolan. Tunay nanggad dai mapupugol an nagbubuladbukad na kamawotan sa puso nin sarong parasurat na magmukna’ ta ini natural sa saiyang pagkatawo.