Fork in the Road

FORK IN THE ROAD

My blog title today is inspired by a well-known documentarist and famous blogger (whose posts I don't fail to read), Mr. Howie Severino of GMA News and Current Affairs.

Howie Severino's Sidetrip attempts to find relevance in the exotic and the commonplace, value the undervalued, and satisfy Howie's personal curiosity about all things that have anything to do with being Filipino.

One of his posts last January 08 is a personal invitation to watch Sine Totoo, featuring Raffy Tima's The Doctor Is Out Of Town- a documentary featuring Dr. Julius Cidro, a Barrio Doctor who endures the long and tedious boat ride to the community, lack of facilities and medical supply, low wages and uncomfortable lodgings at the municipal clinic – in order to serve the people.

Well, the blog, and of course the documentary, seeks to tell all of us that there still are Filipinos who choose not to go abroad, but stay and serve the country and the people.

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Parang bigla ko tuloy naalala yung political ad ng gma na "sa isa kong boto".It's a pity really that pinoys (professional if i must emphasize) should go to other lands because there goes the greener pastures that they couldn't find here in the Philippines.Nakakalungkot pero totoo.
#2 hector olympus on 2008-08-28 17:59 (Reply)

Hector, In our lives we come to a fork in the road -- do we go to greener pastures... or do we try to nourish and water the pasture where we were born so it one day turns green?
#2.1 howie on 2008-08-28 19:08 (Reply)

agree with you, howie.

the topmost important is to be where God has placed you to be.

I, for one, as an accountant, had been through that "fork in the road", because our country does not offer much opportunities in our field.

However, I never regret staying in the Philippines because I know deep in my heart that this is my place. God has placed me here and this is where He will bless me.

Kayong mga nasa media nawa ang syang patuloy na magmulat sa aming mga mamamayan sa mga kakulangan ng bansa na dapat nating pagtulung-tulungang diligan at alagaan para maging maunlad ang bayan.
#3 hector olympus on 2008-08-29 09:39 (Reply)
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Fork in the Road. Indeed it is a pity why most Filipinos should choose to leave and work in a foreign land in search for better opportunities which our country could not provide.

Yes, there are opportunities-however, the pay are always undervalued. Or maybe because our government is taking much percentage of taxes from our income?

There are those who commend OFWs and even call them "Mga Bagong Bayani" for their dollar remittances.

But there are some who condemn and accuse the OFWs of leaving the country, and being self-seeking, never thinking of giving service to our nation.

But the truth is seen by the naked eye. Scarcity of good opportunities in our nation compel us to be on the "FORK IN THE ROAD" and decide whether to stay in the Philippines, or to go to other country where the pastures are greener.

Can't blame the OFWs. And in reality, I salute them for taking the courage to leave the comfort of being in our own land. It is hard being in a foreign territory. But the most hard part is leaving your beloved family and abstain from seeing them from say, 1 or 2 years.

For us who choose to stay, I will leave Howie's response with emphasis on his last phrase:

"In our lives we come to a fork in the road -- do we go to greener pastures... or do we try to nourish and water the pasture where we were born so it one day turns green?"

The choice is ours.

The Eheads Reunion Concert

The Eheads Reunion Concert-What Lies Beneath?

Absolutely no joke about it.

The Eraserheads, one of the most prominent Pinoy rock bands of the 1990s, formed by Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala and Marcus Adoro, will be having their reunion concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on August 30, 2008.

Flashback: In the 90's, Eraserheads, or Eheads, took the OPM by storm; releasing super-hit songs like Harana, Ang Huling El Bimbo, Ligaya, Magasin and Toyang. The band is just phenomenal, they were even called the Beatles of Philippine Music.

In 2002, rumors have been speculating that the band members are not in good terms. And in March of 2002, the Eheads disbanded. Since then, Ely Buendia, had formed two bands, the Mongols (which also disbanded later), and the Pupil. The other Eheads members, Raimund, Buddy and Marcus, recruited a new female vocalist, Kris Dancel. However, a few months after, Marcus had also quit the band.

End of the Story.

But not quite.

Ricky Lo, in his Philippine Star Column in July 2008, confirmed that the Eraserheads will be reuniting for a one-night concert at the CCP open grounds on August 30, 2008, and that

"It took one big company to bring the former band members together,’ said the source who is keeping the company’s identity ‘confidential’ for the time being."

The "BIG COMPANY" was later on identified as Philip Morris, the company which produces Marlboro cigarettes. And a hefty 10 Million php each-member is actually at stake. Some people who are in the music business-know-how, disputed the figure and stated otherwise that the 10M might have been for the whole band, thereby giving the members a 2.5M each payback for the 45minute show. Ely Buendia, however, said that they are doing it not for the money, but for the loyal Eraserheads fans who have been with them through all the years.

End of the Story.

But not quite.

And what lies beneath?

On July 1, 2008, a new law that bans tobacco sponsorships and all forms of tobacco advertising in mass media, including the Internet, took effect in the Philippines.

Howie Severino, in his blog, entitled, An example for the Eraserheads? , states,

"In the Philippines, those seeking tickets to an August 30 reunion concert of the famous Filipino band Eraserheads are being directed to www.marlboro.ph, a web site run by Philip Morris International's Philippines subsidiary. The Eraserheads have been called the "Beatles of the Philippines" and the reunion concert has generated enormous online buzz that often mentions the Marlboro web site, generating positive publicity for the world'sbest-selling cigarette brand. Philippines authorities should investigate whether marketing for this concert violates a national law that, as of July 1, 2008, bans tobacco sponsorships and all forms of tobacco advertising in mass media, including the Internet."

The buzz on this issue has since circulated in the Internet media, and a lot of debates and discussions are still on-going. Howie Severino even created a special documentary, Boses Upos, in connection with the new law on Cigar Ad Ban, and the effects of smoking in people's health.

This thing about cigarettes is actually a lengthy discussion, considering that a lot of people in the Philippines are into smoking, and that it has been a fact, especially these days, that more and more young people are seen smoking in broad daylight.

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Howie shared that one colleague even took the documentary as an ear-opener:

Dear Howie, Medyo nagulo ako coz it's the first time i've heard about the term "ear-opener".would you please expound?
#3.1.1 hector (Homepage) on 2008-07-31 15:48

hector, a colleague commented on how the unusual audio, and not video, kept him glued to the documentary. He said it was not an eye-opener, but an ear-opener. ; >
#3.1.1.1 howie on 2008-07-31 16:33

yeah, got it na. kasi it's the voice (robotics) that's the issue of the documentary.i hope that the government will also try to look into these issues. parang the advisories posted on the boxes "cigarettes can kill, or cigarettes are addictive, or dangerous to your health" are not working anymore.siguro nga, it is much better if we have those "sin taxes" implemented already.
#3.1.1.1.1 hector (Homepage) on 2008-07-31 17:05

@hector. I think "sin taxes" would definitely help. Well basically, only those who can afford pay the hospital bills that chain smoking results to should have access to smoke (if they dare). I think people, especially those in poverty, have better things to spend on than their daily dose of cigarette boxes. @howie: again sir, a very nice documentary. If i heard it right, are cigarette companies not allowed to advertise starting this month?
#3.1.1.1.1.1 Ronin on 2008-08-01 19:21

Ronin, that's true, the ad ban on cigarette companies started July 1. They are not allowed to sponsor events either, including the upcoming Eraserheads reunion concert.
#3.1.1.1.1.1.1 howie on 2008-08-02 08:02

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The Eraserheads concert is actually making news-not only because of their much-awaited reunion. But because of what lies beneath the BIG COMPANY's sponsorship issue.

It's about time for our governing bodies-the lawmakers and the law enforcers-to take a serious look of this scenario.

Now it's the government's turn to complete the story.