Voyager3

Something out of the ordinary happened late this afternoon.  My turtle DROWNED.  What a headline - Stupid Owner Drowns his Turtle.

When I arrived from the office I found a big chunk of rock inside the turtles’ home chipped off so I worried that the rock might have moved.  Then I saw Robin sandwiched by the rock and the plastic wall.  I immediately took him out of the water and found him so limp.  He was dead.  I wondered how long he was trapped in the water.

There was no motion nor response from his body.  His legs were so soft and limp, so was his head.  It just dropped anywhere gravity pulled it. I was so sorry for him and I was so sad I lost him.  I thought of the cost of buying a new companion for Batman and I thought of how to dispose of his body.

Then I wondered if he could still be revived.  His eyes were wide open.  I started pulling his legs without soliciting any response.  So I held him with my right hand and pressed his plastron and carapace hoping it would force him to breathe, just like CPR for humans less the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.  I was so pleasantly surprised when his hind legs started to feel hard again.  I pressed his shell again and slowly his neck started to feel rigid also.  He could still be alive! Then he blinked his eyes.   I placed him back in the water to check if he will try to make himself float. He did, so I took him again.

He was so weak and disoriented that he didn’t offer any resistance to my holding him for the next few minutes.  I lay him on his basking rock but he didn’t try to dive into the water. He would normally dive into the water as soon as he knows he’s being watched.

I was scheduled to play basketball so I brought Robin to the gym and observe him.   I didn’t want him to take the risk of immediately entering the water again with his condition. While playing basketball I kept on checking on him until I saw him with his strength and senses back.  He started to retract his head again when he sensed my presence and he started walking around the plastic ice cream container.

Thank You, Lord, Robin’s alive.  Had I arrived later I would have lost Robin for good.  Now he is back in the plastic tank in my bedroom.  I really need to work on the floating basking board I originally planned for their bedroom plastic tank.  I knew the rock could be dangerous as they want to burrow themselves in the rock.  Danger from the rock sliding and pinning them in the water is very, very real.

Have a happy second life, Robin.

November 7, 2008

It’s been almost a week since I had Batman and Robin, the shelled crusaders.  Red-eared sliders - species that originated from the Southern parts of the US.  Batman and Robin are the two American duos that I could quickly think of.  The turtles are living in our prayer garden’s fountain-pond.  I just watched one of them tonight through a filtered flashlight as he swam from one water plant to another in order to find stems that could support him as he sleeps vertically, head up.  I learned from the past few nights that they prefer to sleep this way at night.  I hardly see them during the day since they immediately dive into the water when disturbed as they bask on the fountain rocks.  The slightest movement from an approaching object drives them into hiding.

I’m so tempted to take them from the pond at night since this is the only opportunity to see and touch them but I think this will disrupt their sense of security in their new-found hideouts.  I’ll take night photos next time.

They have yet to be weighed and their carapace length measured.  I’m hoping to do this on Monday.  I wish I had a transparent tank that’s as large as this pond so I can observe them better.

Rest in Peace, Jose…  http://www.geocities.com/aboy_daen/jose.html

If Jose were alive today he would have shared this pond with Batman & Robin.  I also keep a soft-shelled turtle on the other side of the pond.  He is not a friendly creature.  His name is Vader.  We found him creeping near our guard house.  He most probably came from Mang Anding’s swamp beside our compound.  He’s the 4th or so soft-shell we found in the area.  One of them was reportedly sold by a construction worker to a Chinese man at the Bayan market.  I wonder if he’s of the same species as the one featured in Kara David’s news story in http://www.gmanews.tv/story/100708/The-Snake-Turtle which I think they erroneously called snake turtle.

I know Vader does not have the protagonist face but he adds value, interest and character to the world of turtles. . . and yes, he bites.  Click pics for larger images.

I’m not too sure about e-voting for the Philippines just yet:

People with the right skills and with all sorts of motives can take advantage of the flaws.  Optical Scanning machines with their paper trail system seem to have greater promise for our fraud prone electoral system.

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-10/what-you-need-know-about-voting-machines

Hmmmm.

“To God be all the glory and honor for the change in my heart.” — these are not the words one would expect from a man sentenced with Reclusion Perpetua or an imprisonment of 20 years and 1 day to 40 years.  These could not be the words of a man who in 2003 after the “Oakwood Mutiny”, was bitter and angry, unable to understand why he should be in prison when he was only fighting for what was right and was only expressing disgust for corruption and other ills of the government and the military. 

Yet these are the words that came from Captain Gerardo Gambala when deciding to change his plea of not guilty to guilty to coup d’etat charges. Captain Gambala is one of the key leaders in the Oakwood Mutiny, and I believe he was speaking for the rest of his CMU companions.

        Even the AFP was surprised and pleased with the change of their plea.  According to AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, “What is very, very admirable on the case of the nine officers is their courage to accept that they have committed something wrong and they are willing to face the consequences of the wrong actions that they have committed.” (9Magdalo Soldiers Sentenced 6 to 40 Years Imprisonment. GMA News. 04/08/2008) 
 

        Politically and legally speaking, only a presidential pardon can release them from their prison sentences after the Court’s decision becomes final and executory. 

        Why the change of heart?  Is the change really part of a script between Malacañang and the AFP as alleged by some quarters? 

        After the promulgation of the decision convicting the junior officers, State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera was quoted: “Their faces looked worry-free.  They seemed relieved that it’s all over now.” (“2 Coup Plotters Get Life”. PDI. p. A8)  They were not relieved that they were finally convicted. I think they were relieved that they did something right and now were at peace with God and themselves.  Worry-free countenances do not mean they were problem-free.

        I am a person who likes simple answers especially when simple answers are closest to the truth.  The catch about simple answers are that they are not controversial, they may not look intellectual, they do not fan the flames of hatred and mistrust, they are not “newsworthy”, and they are not easy to believe.

        But what really happened?  Why the change of heart for Captain Gambala and his companions?  Based on my two-year interaction with some of them and several years of knowing one of them, I believe that the answer really lies in the simple truth that they had individual encounters with God. 

        I understand the apprehension of some and even the cynicism of others about the motivations of the group but I can only evaluate and believe what I have personally witnessed and not what others comment on but have not seen.

        Try as people may to understand why these men changed their plea, they will only receive one answer from these men – they admit they committed a wrong and now they submit to God and the duly constituted authorities in this country.  They submit to their God, their officers in the Armed Forces, their Chief Executive, their Judiciary. 

        How could they change their hearts?  How could they genuinely have worry-free countenances if not for the genuineness of their turning towards God and turning back to their loyalty to the Philippine Constitution.

        I had a lot of interaction with some Magdalo soldiers since 2006.  Some of them are not among the 9 who changed their plea (one indication that they made individual decisions and were not following a script from Malacañang).  All our visits were logged in the “religious groups” custodial logbooks/sheets of the Custodial Management Unit (CMU) at Fort Bonifacio.  The goal of the visits was to minister or to be an encourager but I always went home playing the part of the encouraged. 

        I’ve heard confessions from among them that they started their incarceration with bitter and angry hearts.  One by one they were transformed as they spent their time thinking about their lives and as a church called “Friends of Jesus” patiently and lovingly presented the life-changing claims of Jesus Christ.  One by one they let down the resistant walls of their hearts and submitted to the authority of God and God’s Word over their lives. 

        Subsequently, they learned that submitting to God’s authority also meant submitting to earthly authorities, among these are the authority of the Philippine Armed Forces and the government as a whole, represented by the Chief Executive.  I am sure the difficult truths of Romans 13:1-8 gripped them until they gave up resistance and ended up in submission.  This passage in Romans neither condones nor promotes government tyranny but it is a reminder to rulers of their God-ordained accountability and to the ruled of their God-ordained duty to obey for the benefit of the state and for their own sake — with both ruler and ruled acting with the view of honoring the Ultimate or Supreme Authority.

        As a result, Captain Gambala, speaking in an interview on behalf of their CMU fellowship came to a realization: “Akala namin kaya naming baguhin ang bansa natin, hindi pala… narealize namin dito (kulungan) na ang una pala naming baguhin ay ang sarili namin.”  You may listen to the interview by following this link or by clicking the image below.   In the clip, Capt. Gambala ends with "We can only change the nation through changed lives".  They realized this through a process that could be orchestrated only by a Being with the power to effect true and lasting changes, not by a human professionally acquainted in crafting propaganda. 

The immediate results of their personal transformation were a deep desire to read the Bible, pray, and complete several seminars such as “The Purpose Driven Life” and basic Christian truth seminars they called “Alpha Course”.  Consequently, they shared their new-found faith with their fellow detainees until they themselves learned to lead Bible studies and worship services.  They would eventually have worship services wherein they themselves lead the singing and playing of instruments, testifying, and preaching from the Word of God. 

        Other direct results of the transformation of their hearts and minds are their renewed submission to their military and government leaders.  This reportedly strained their relationship with other Magdalo members.  Other manifestations of their change is the lack of bitter words against duly constituted authorities and their non-participation in the Manila Pen Standoff last November 2007.

        As a fellow citizen and lover of this country I have been praying and dreaming of a transformed Philippines.  I have seen God’s transforming power.  The sad part of this story is that after all the transformation and after learning their lessons, the CMU Fellowship Magdalo members, despite their renewed capacity to serve our society, will be behind bars during what is supposed to be the most productive years of their lives.  They have already gone through almost 5 years of imprisonment.  In the absence of a presidential pardon they will be practically serving varying terms of 1 to 35 years more.

        I almost view the past 4 years as wasted years but ironically they don’t, they have consistently expressed that the past 4+ years was God’s way of grabbing their attention and showing them the problems with their past personal and public lives.  God indeed got their attention and turned them around.  Two years of interactions with them has convinced me of the genuineness of their transformation. 

        To my limited understanding, Criminal Justice can be administered with punishments with different intentions, among them are retribution, protection of society, and rehabilitation. 

        Briefly, I analyze the three as follows.  As early as the time of Plato we learn that the subject of retribution is not as easy as it may seem.  Does killing a person convicted of homicide really result to justice or a sense that the convict already received what he/she deserved?  As for protection of society, is society not yet protected if a criminal is no longer willing to commit the same crime and has shown several indications that he/she is no longer a threat?   Rehabilitation.  The aim of rehabilitation is to reform convicts and reintegrate them into society as useful citizens.

        The question now is what should be applied to these 9 Magdalo members who had good service records, were trained by the State, risked life and limb in government campaigns, voluntarily surrendered during the “Oakwood Mutiny”, pleaded guilty (though late since the prosecution already rested its case when they changed their plea last April 8), publicly apologized and swore allegiance to the government, behaved well in detention, did not partake in a subsequent standoff, claimed and determined to live spiritually transformed lives, and humbly asked for grace and pardon?

        Considering these circumstances, do they deserve retribution, is society still at risk with them around, or was the 5 year detention of young repentant soldiers enough rehabilitation?

        The nine Magdalo soldiers have pleaded for a Presidential pardon.  They have laid their lives and their future in the hands of God through our Chief Executive who alone is bestowed with that power to grant pardon.  The Court for its part, can only render its decision based  on law in the proceedings held in its sala.

        We can only pray that the President who wields the power to pardon a convicted felon would believe the sincerity of the transformation and the potentials that these men can still contribute to our country if they are outside the confines of prison.  I am convinced that they have learned their lessons well and they will be good citizens, gentlemen and Christians if given another chance. 

        I continue to dream of a better Philippines and as long as God is God and as long as there are men like these brothers who can show the ability to be transformed and submitted to God and country, my hope will live.  I am encouraged to continue to take every opportunity to help influence and guide other young citizens, civilian and military, and help them against decisions that they will regret later. 

        I pray that young Filipino men and women will continue to nurture their idealism and that adults can help them properly channel their idealism.

        Do pray with us.  Let us ask God on their behalf to soften the heart of our President and treat these young men with the grace and pardon that they humbly ask.  They’ve placed their lives and their future in the hands of God through our President.  We are beyond the walls of prison and the halls of Malacañang but never out of reach of God’s listening ears and watching eyes. 

        May the President give heed to the recommendation of the Department of National Defense and the AFP to pardon these 9 young officers.

       Do pray with us.  The Court’s decision will soon be final and executory.  They are not filing any appeal or motion for reconsideration.  They’ve thrust themselves in the hands of their Authorities.    Their lives are so uncertain at this point. 

        Brothers, may you continue to rest in the God who promises you that His plans are not to harm you, that He seeks to give you a future and a hope.  You have been such a great blessing to us.

        Praying, crying, hoping, and believing with you…

Salamat GOOOOOOGLE Earth!

Click the thumbnail images below for larger pics.  Better yet, download Google Earth and fly to these coordinates:  16 15.952N 120 38.31E.  That should take you hovering over the tennis court at main camp.
I always thought I’d have all the time to explore those mountains.  I’d wake up and watch the sun rise beyond eastern saddle and think, “tomorrow I shall save enough for a sleeping bag and a tent and I’ll go hiking as far as I could and pitch tent wherever night finds me.”  Those days never came.  I always yearned for the future - that I would do this and I would do that.  Kids always want to grow up as fast as a lightning bolt.  The fact that I wasn’t going to stay in Philex all my life flashed too quickly to be noticed.  I thought I would be in neverland forever and that this peter pan would never, never, never…

I never went beyond Sal-Angan.  I never went beyond tailings dam 3 - the closest place to philex where I ever saw fireflies.  I never got to painting what Karlo and I always attempted to draw early those saturday and sunday mornings.  I never acquired the skills to do so.  Never had the time.  Or if now I should consider myself having partly acquired it, I no longer have the pleasure of time to snap some images nor dabble on the spot in plein aire.

I never thought that Venus‘ setting early in the evenings over Upper Camp in 1993 was the most glorious days that this goddess would ever show herself on earth.  I distinctly remember that white, glowing, orb slowly hovering over Philex’s mountain peak night after night.    She was best seen from our house at the elementary school and from the side railings at Danny’s apartment in central saddle ruling over the house and street lights of the villages and upper camp.  Those earthly lights all seemed to gather and point upward in homage to this awesome Aphrodite.    I can still feel how the shoulders would shudder at the sight as I looked
up while walking from the high school before the mass of land at capitol area covers her view.  She would re-appear from the elementary school area and would disappear again as one walks up and approaches the main camp, where after a few more meters up, she would finally stay in full view.

Never thought that I would ever fly beyond Never Never land…  These images are the closest semblance (for now) of swooshing back to those boundless, magical  days.  I could almost feel the morning air as i look at the shadow on the west side of the high school ridge.  Do you feel that air too?  Doesn’t it invoke those cold mornings from the flag ceremony till before recess?   This was where, one day, Badad released a folded a paper airplane over tailings dam 1.  The plane had all the open air and space below to fly over.  It was the perfect place to release a paper plane where it would glide for more than a minute as it slowly flew down  - diving then gliding, diving then gliding - like it was huffing and puffing for air in its almost never ending flight down approximately one kilometer of unhindered flight path.  Haaay.  I don’t remember where the plane landed — whether it landed on the sands of tailings dam one or if it reached even a hundred meters near the checkpoint area.  I think I am unable to recall the landing sight because it seemed to fly on and on and on until, perhaps, the school bell rang and we had to rush to class — the piece of folded paper disappearing in the distance far below, diving then gliding, huffing and puffing…

Haaay.

And oh, did I mention that you can tinker with google earth and have a limited 3D viewing angle?  Try it.
Haaay.

Just saw this photo in my cabinet last week.

Sharing the photo with me are my cousins Karlo and JP.  Karlo is married now and is expecting his second baby.  JP is in college.  We were then carefree kids holding plastic pistols and a plastic grenade.  Only a protruding rock prevented us from falling off this steep slope.

I still dream about my mountain — this part of the Cordilleras that I used to own.  I wonder how tall these pine trees have grown.  Can I forget my weekly adventures in this slope?

Some weekends Karlo and I would hike from the teachers’ quarters at sunrise and try to sketch the mountains.  Some days I played soldiers or any huckleberry finn-like adventures with the brothers Gener, Edwin and other neighbors.  If it rained we would keep ourselves dry in a cavern under this one huge boulder, or, depending on where the rain catches us, we would seek shelter under a large culvert in the road below.

From this site and at that age, the world was just so large, dynamic and bright.

I miss rolling on those grass and ferns.

I miss my mountain.

Went up to Baguio last weekend to attend the PMACF second class (3rd year) retreat.  Some of these cadets were the last batch I handled in Sunday School at the academy.  Just so thankful to God for allowing them to grow in their faith. 

They are the future officers of our Armed Forces who will be assigned all over the country — from the mountains of the north to the islands of Basilan and Jolo in the south.  These are men and women who hold guns on one hand and the Bible in the other, aware that the power of the sword that they wield comes from God and not merely from men.  Thus, in all their actions they are in the end accountable most not to the Philippine Chief Executive or any other superior officer but to their One True Sovereign. 

That is our dream.  That is why we wake up at 6 in the morning on Sundays despite the comfort of our warm beds in cool Baguio, hoping, praying and believing that they will make a difference in their official and personal lives.

I took this second photo years ago while Jason and I were waiting for the cadets for Sunday School.  This was around 7:10 in the morning.  Cold.  Foggy. I can’t even remember now how the body longed for its bed and a cup of coffee during this morning.  They looked so stiff then.  They were still plebes (fourth class cadets), stiff as a pole, cold as steel; but in just a few more minutes some of them will be entering the rooms with us, sleepy as ever.  They have been in the academy for a few months already and they’ve already developed a new talent — the talent of sleeping even while standing.  Head bangers they would call themselves, banging their heads not with the sound of rock music but with the sound of the voices of their Sunday School teachers and the preacher during the service.  I could do a head stand in front and still fail to get 100% attention.  Sunday after Sunday I would ask God whether they really were worth all our efforts.  Sunday after Sunday I would hear God smile and say "What do you think?"

Three years forward and some of them are framed within the first photo in this blog entry.  Are they worth our efforts?  What do you think?:-)  A lot of them are not pictured above because they have already gone — some voluntarily left, some were turned back or discharged (kicked-out).  Military training is by far, the toughest training I have ever seen.  I pray that these cadets would, one day, be the toughest Christians on earth.  

Who is the greatest man on earth?  I thought I was — until . . .

click to see an awesome presentation of our hurtling galaxy and find your place in space.:-)

you may also visit the home page for more info, pics, wallpapers and videos:  http://hubblesite.org

For those who’ve watched Journeys to the Edge of Creation, consider this Episode II

When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
       the son of man that you care for him?

                                    Psalm 8: 3,4

Simple Steps to a Satisfying Long Vacation:

1.  Pack one small P250.00 bag with 2 shirts, a small towel and the standards in personal hygiene and catch a bus to visit the family in Bicol.

2.  Pray for the rains to stop for even just one day.

3.  Walk to Cawit for a swim with  Ma, Manoy Allen, Watoy, Joy, Grace, Ate Cyril, and Yali and enjoy the rest offered by the sea, the mangroves, Mayon, and the late afternoon sun.

4.  Make the most out of a small 1.3 megapix camera.

Awesome.  God is awesome.