I Am Sorry!

Date drawn: January 4, 2009

Reproductive Health Bill

Date drawn: September 24, 2008
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, October 2008

Pragmatic Society Eludes Decency
By Sherwin Billones, Editor-in-Chief
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, October 2008

House Bill No. 4110, better known as the Reproductive Health Bill, startled the Catholic Church and its followers at the onset of its exposure to the Filipino masses midway of this year. This seemingly deceitful scheme, as moralists put it, is designed to bring forth more suffering to the people and worse of all, advance the tolerance of wicked methods in controlling the growth of our population. Many Filipinos are ignorant of the unscrupulous contents of this proposition; credit is given to our lawmakers’ gobbledygook legislative talents of misleading our people – a frightful humiliation of our own kind.

Reproductive health, as defined in the bill, implies having to enjoy safe sex life given the variety of choices that will dictate when couples mutually decide on the best opportunity to have a child. Moreover, this would mean unquestionable access to instruments, either through usage of the male or the other, which may likewise impede pregnancy of the woman. An ordinary couple can easily grasp the concept of it – total control over the life of another is within arms reach. By utilizing contraceptives during sex means having to play a role of being more than human, perhaps like God. They can procreate whenever they want, however they prefer and there’s virtually no one who can invade their right once they get a hold of it. This is a good start for damnation to say the least.

On the other hand, the advocates of this proposed document irresponsibly guarantees realistic benefits to couples and to the country as a whole. Accordingly, growth in size within the family can be limited to the desired number of children the couple prefer to have, thus lessening the circumstances that may lead them to problems like poverty, sickness and lack of education of their children. Consequently, if majority of the Filipino families are engaged in this alternative system of family planning, the country’s population can be controlled, a greater chance for economic development is likely to happen. Imagine all this can be done by a five-inch lubricated flexible rubber at a cost less than the minimum jeepney fare. Terribly fantastic, isn’t it?

Just like before, the Filipino people are caught at the middle of a crossfire. Choices have to be made, but deciding on what’s best is as cruel as the consequences of a mistaken option. Welcoming the contraception to our society would commence the abuse of man’s freedom to naturally reproduce and create a family that would also eventually instigate the acceptance of our dreadful acts – divorce, extra-marital affair, premarital sex, prostitution and child abuse. Ironically, there will be greater violation of human rights if this would be allowed as opposed to the principle that the bill is advancing. Conversely, the country’s population will continue to escalate due to the fact that there’s no convincing and credible means employed to at least counterfeit natural family planning benefits to the growing average of poor Filipino families. Families below the poverty line expands each year and if they are not controlled for the next 10 years, the country’s economy might not be able to sustain the people adequately, probably much worse than today.

Come to think of it, life nowadays is inclined more on the practical side of things rather than the common good of every one. As the saying goes, the shortest path between two points is a straight line but people would rather travel the long road as long as they enjoy it. Presently, the Filipino is so beaten and scarred that the easiest option for them is the one that presents a much satisfying remedy to the pain. Still, as responsible bearers of Christ’s vision of loving, God-fearing Filipino society, the Filipino people is encouraged to scrutinize the very details of the things presented to him – by shedding the skin of a devilishly-motivated attempt to disgrace the gift of producing life. Aside from being crafted in God’s image and likeness, man and woman, co-equal stewards of God’s creation, are like God indeed for they uphold the decent means of life’s continuity. Is it truly worth compromising the morality with practicality? Will we elude common good for a few moments of pleasure? My friends we all have a choice to make – a life to consider. ■

Board Exam Failure

Date drawn: June 10, 2008

Second Chances
By Theresa Soberano, Editor-in-Chief
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, October 2008

The bi-annual examination that is every Accounting students’ dream and terror, an obsession as it is a haunting nightmare; the CPA Board Exam is the final test that will be the deciding tool for their future. However, failing on the “first take” is never a reason for losing hope. Look at the sunny side up – there will be no more half-guessing how the tests will go and there will be better preparations for the next one.

And it is not as if the department’s educational system should be blamed. The highest possible quality of learning is assured by hiring professionals that are fully adept at their respective fields. The Accounting students’ cognizance and proficiency are continually sharpened and enhanced by contests held both inside and outside the school; seminars and trainings aiming to hone their intellectual as well as social skills are continually facilitated. It had been six years now since the Accounting curriculum was extended to ten semesters to include a couple of review units in order to make the students more efficient and competitive.

Remember – sweeping something big under the rug doesn’t make it go away; it trips you up and sends you sprawling when you venture across the room. Not passing the Board Exam is no small thing, but instead of resisting what you really want and wallowing in your loss, think why you took the program in the first place. As one Accounting professor puts it, “You will not be here in front of me if, even once, you did not dream of being a CPA.”

Good luck, JPIAns! A Passer’s Tribute is waiting for each one of you. ■

A Look at 2008

Date drawn: February 12, 2008
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, February 2008

Convolution
By Theresa Soberano, Editor-in-Chief
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, February 2008

Enter the Wonderland. Picture Alice, left in quandary upon reaching a fork in the road. Then came Cheshire cat, and she asked his opinion whether to turn right or left.

“Where do you want to go?” asked the tricky feline.

“I don’t know,” was her riposte.

“Then it doesn’t matter either way,” came then reply, and the Cheshire cat, grinning, vanished into thin air.

It may have been Hudibrastic, but his response had hit the nail – had Alice known her destination, she wouldn’t get quite confused in which the road to take.

As 2008 rolls over, many of us share Alice’s perplexity. What am I to do now? Do I have plans in my life? Am I following a goal? Can I be a coup sur what I really want?

For many of us, making New Year’s resolutions is only child’s play. It is something we are often not serious about. Admit it; the only time you make resolutions is when it’s set as requirement back in elementary and high school. You wouldn’t mind weaving your personal pointers for a better life in order to bag a decent mark, even if you are fully aware that your religious compliance expires rather fast – after the Feast of the Epiphany, at the most.

And as if inn sheer mockery, our year started not with a bang of celebration, but with piles of problems faced by our country – calamities, political conflicts, and moral degradation. People are left hopeless; both for themselves and the government, and opt to see Utopia in foreign soils (as if there is one).

Heard Mojofly? With Lougee attuning: “Wake up, reality bite.” We are left to ponder the rock-hard truth: we are facing a very difficult, arduous, and crises-stricken life – but at least we are sure we are still alive to have it. Anyway, where’s the joy in living, if it would be sans problems? You might as well as bore yourself to death.

At time, it seems God gives us the tasks of Sisyphus, Hercules or Atlas, but we are still fortunate to experience it.

So, given that we are living a challenging life, what’s the catch?

As one of the underground rock shows emphasizes, “Only dead fish swims with the current,” we need to have a purpose in life, a reason for breathing, a cause for braving the stream.

And to do the just that, we need a guide, a streaming beacon amidst the darkness. But where to start? My propositions? Your own honest resolutions. (Is that right? I was ridiculing it six paragraphs ago.) Nevertheless, this time we have to make a resolution not because we want to but because we want to manifest our openness for change, for improvements, for a better life, may it be written or not.

Resolutions may not drive us to where we want to be, but at least we will not be confused as to which road to take. Because admit it or not, life is one hell of a maze.

Vote Buying

Date drawn: May 5, 2007

Cha-Cha

Date drawn: January 5, 2007 (My first editorial cartoon)
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, March 2007

Dancing with Firecrackers
By Sherwin Billones, Editor-in-Chief
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, March 2007

Catholics, the CEAP said, should unite in one stand against Charter change, thereby promoting character change. The overwhelming support as witnesses in the prayer rally held in Luneta last Dec. 17 is an unmistakable sign of non-conformity with the move to amend the Constitution and replace the system of governance in the country. As far as the CBCP is concerned, Cha-cha is not a practical attempt for now considering the crises the country is dealing with. And if ever the right time would come for the country to make such transition, the people should be aware of the reality that any change should begin with a single individual – that is, Character change in its simplest sense.

Diving deeper into the appeal, however, sprouts a more complicated contradiction when it comes to realistic change. The youth as they say are natural idealists but this doesn’t discount the fact that they are realists as well. Any change is not a guarantee of a better way of life in as much as it doesn’t assure the things will worsen. Likewise, the means of implementing change is not as pragmatic and convincing especially if the effort of transformation is no less than a short at the moon.

While it’s true that constitutional amendment offer a great deal of progress to our socio-economic dealings, the Filipinos should keep an eye on preying officials seeking only personal benefits and therefore, must not be allowed and tolerated. Vested interests of any sort are not welcome in public governance and should not even be considered as a compromise for the betterment of the lives of the Filipinos. For now, the Charter should not be altered in any way and should not be used to justify the government’s inability to resolve the country’s problems. The Filipinos have survived all tribulations from the dawn of this presidential system and they will endure whatever troubles would come their way in the future. Therefore, Charter change is no-no, at least for the meantime.

Character change is indeed a remarkable proposition to smoothen the pursuit for change. However isn’t this too much for everybody to bear? How realistic is it to change a person’s character, or the entire character of Filipinos for this matter? This is not impossible but the drawback of how extensive character change would be efficiently effected is quite a tedious effort. Also, there is no adequate description on how this would be possible for such a society like ours wherein people have lost trust in our public servants. The task is so complicated to say the least. Character change is voluntary and to encourage others to do such is nothing but an open-ended appeal. Again, character change may be the remedy but the length of time that this would effectively be attained is no less than a dream.

Bottom line is that there is really no perfect system nor is there an ideal-realistic solution to our nation’s problems unless the people being governed would speak inn one voice and walk the same path. While the change in the system of government may be the smallest of our concern and character change may be the most significant of all solutions, the people is the only key to make a balance among everything else. A society divided cannot be adjoined by territory or by promises of convenient living. Let’s look on the same horizon before it’s too late. ■

About this Blog

The purposes of this blog are:

• To feature my editorial cartoons, both published and unpublished ones.
• To feature some of the opinion columns, written by some of the editors and staff of “The Crusader”, which has relations to my cartoons.
• To promote “The Crusader”, the official collegiate publication of Pasig Catholic College (PCC).
• To influence others to draw and write their own editorial cartoons and opinion articles, respectively, which can be also published in their official campus papers.

My influences in creating editorial cartoons:

• “The Crusader”
• Mr. Joey San Luis, an editorial cartoonist of People’s Journal Tonight
• Kuya Lester “Boyet” Cabarles, an animator, who taught me the basics on editorial cartooning