Nuisance of POLITICAL DYNASTY; Ina, Kapatid, Anak

“In principle, there is nothing wrong with political dynasties. In practice, however, its prevalence exemplifies the exclusionary power structure in the Philippines, where local elites continue to exert considerable influence in our country…….The trend of political dynasties has also served to limit the liberating potential of democratic politics. It undermines the principle of political equality in its most basic form through the principle of one person, one vote.  The seeming inheritability of political positions is reminiscent of an oppressive absolutist state, where citizens are mere subjects that have no choice but to affirm the dictates of a ruling family rather than active citizens that are able to shape their political destiny.” -Dr. Nicole Curato, an Assistant Professor in Sociology at University of the Philippines Diliman  and the current Associate Editor of Manila Review

It’s funny how political dynasty in the Philippines  appeared on the search bar of Google as I try to type in “political d…” I mean, is that how serious how a certain few notable families had taken control of the most powerful positions (and most lands, riches, blah, blah, blah) in this country, that even the search engines can already predict what we have on our minds?

For the past couple of years (decades?) only a few names had been sitting on the senate and the congress. Even the local government positions had been taken by the rich and the famous taking public service as a means to make money or to further strengthen their control over the province they run. Yeah. Politics is being treated as a business more than a way to serve the millions of hungry people.

What happened to Senate Bill-2649 otherwise known as Anti-Political Dynasty Act of the Constitution? Is it just another set of pages to the Philippine Constitution? It’s funny how the Senate is able to pass a bill as raw as the Cyber Crime Law  when we can’t even fully implement laws that have been there since God-knows-when.

He won't change his Facebook status to "In a relationship" with me...

Question:  My boyfriend and I have been dating for about two and a half months now. On my Facebook, I have "In A Relationship" as my status and I've wanted to change my boyfriend's status to "In a Relationship" as public. When I brought it up to my boyfriend about it, he refused to put that on his Facebook.  Not that it's a big deal, but I think it's strange that he refuses to acknowledge our relationship. After we had that conversation, I've been paranoid that he might be seeing someone else or not wanting anyone to know about me. Do you think I'm overreacting? :(

Social Shrink: Living in today’s digital world, social networking plays a huge part in our daily lives (whether intentional or not).  Our Facebook pages have become an additional aspect of our identities – we may put a lot of thought into our profile photo, our status messages, and what we include in our “About Me” sections.  When it comes to relationships, however, it is not as clearly defined across the board. 

You bring up an important question: Should one’s Facebook relationship status validate one’s relationship in real life?  Do the two go together hand-in-hand?

There are multiple possibilities as to why your boyfriend may not want to put “In a relationship” up on his Facebook.  He may be a private person and doesn’t want to put his “business” on public display.  Does he have limited info on his Facebook as it is (i.e. when you visit his page, is it pretty bare with no photos and no status messages?).  If so, not wanting to put his relationship status up there makes sense.

Alternatively, does your boyfriend have a bunch of girls chatting on his account telling him "Kamusta" or can’t wait to hang out?  Does his Facebook page portray him as this party guy who is ‘pimping’ with all the girls?  If so, he may want to maintain this ‘single guy’ persona and show the online world that he’s single and ready to mingle.  That may be more of a reason to worry and extends way beyond whether or not he puts “In a relationship” up on his page.  If the issue is that you think he is cheating or can't acknowledge your relationship, then you have other issues rather than Facebook and need to confront that head-on.

A couple of other questions: does his relationship status already say "Single"? Or is it not even listed? Some people don't even believe in putting their relationship status on Facebook because if he is a private person in general, he might not want other people in his business. That's not to say he is ashamed of you. If you guys are doing regular couple things, he’s giving you all of his attention, and you trust him other than this Facebook dilemma, then he probably has a good reason to not post it.

You need to ask yourself if you are secure enough in your relationship to be okay with him not putting it up. Maybe you can both change your statuses to not list anything. If this is something you are adamant about then maybe you should let him know it's important to you and why - see if he changes his mind.  Talking this through with him will allow you get clarity on the situation rather than be paranoid to the different reasons why he doesn't want to.

In the end, everyone needs to really think about how much they let their “online profile” define them in the long-run.  Facebook should not be a reason to cause conflict in your relationship since it is not a clear and accurate representation of who you are or who have relationships with. Having such “Digital Drama” will only cause more strain on your relationship.  If you are good as is, don’t bring in this unnecessary drama!

ENERGIZING EXPERIENCE AT ADAMS, ILOCOS NORTE

From the house of Sir Herdy Yumul in Laoag, we rode a van headed for Pagudpud. No, we're not heading off to the beach as most Pagudpud visitors are inclined to do but further inland and upland to the town of Adams for our Field Exposure in two days.

The sun was up, the weather a bit warm but breezy when we arrived. Welcome to Adams, population: 1,522 as of the last census. The name seems out of place alongside the names of the other municipalities of Ilocos, the familiar ones as local-sounding as Bangui or Paoay. But the place lives up to its namesake, the first man created by God, as it looks and feels like an Eden locked up in the northwestern fringes of the Gran Cordillera range. Even towards noon, the place is quiet save for the singing of the cicadas and the occasional barking of dogs.

Not wanting to waste our first morning away, we set off for Anuplig Falls before breakfast. It's nearly an hour and a half hike through the forest and here's where one will fully understand that the local definitions of "easy" and "near" are as far away from our definitions as I am from Pinili. Our guide, had no difficulty navigating through the forest and looks ready to go back for another guiding trip. It cannot hide the fact that it is beautiful as they say it is.

When night fell, we had dinner with my classmates, Ma'am Anj, and Sir Yumul as well as a wine-tasting session. Wine-making is as much as an industry as a passion here as there are 63 wine-makers in a population of just over 1500, taking advantage of the profusion of wild fruits and berries that grow here and in the mountains.  The wines, especially the Bugnay wine, were very good, a perfect way to cap a long day and a free-flowing conversation that covered a raft of topics from the tourism initiative started in 2008 and the future of eco-tourism in Adams.  It's refreshing to come across a person who fully recognizes that the place is suitable for low-volume tourism and that what they offer as unique are the natural surroundings, the peace and quiet of this place where people from different tribes -- Yapayao, Isneg, Ilocano Igorot, Kakana-ey and Ibaloi  -- live in harmony.

One of the things we enjoyed in our visit to the upland town of Adams was their exotic food. It was a rare chance to try and savor these unique dishes. 

We rode on the 4x4 Track when we got home.