YMPN Statement

YMPN Statement on the Maguindanao Massacre

The YOUNG MORO PROFESSIONALS NETWORK strongly condemns the barbaric killing of more than 40 innocent men and women in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on November 23, 2009. Such acts are truly UN-ISLAMIC.

We grieve with the families of all victims and join them in calling for JUSTICE. We urge those in power to allow JUSTICE and PEACE to prevail.

In these difficult times, we pray for our FAITH to grow ever stronger. May we find the STRENGTH not to give in to hatred. May we find the COURAGE to continue doing what is GOOD despite the evils around us. May POSITIVE CHANGE become a reality in Mindanao and elsewhere.

May we allow the ALMIGHTY to rule our land and our hearts.

Let's do B.L.A.C.K

For the longest time I have been very vocal about the senseless killings, graft and corruption in my hometown in Maguindanao and consistently blogged about the stupidity in our local politics. And now this...

It's a sad sad time not only for my brothers and sisters but also for the rest of Mindanao.

Please display this black ribbon in your blogs, Tweeter account and Facebook accounts as we, in unison, mourn the victims of yet another atrocity in the hands of merciless politicians.

Amidst the sadness let us all not lose hope my dears. I am at a loss for words.

Inna lillahi wa inna lillaihi rajiun.

PS: Thank you Avel for the photo.

Eid-ul Adha

Eid-ul-Adha ('Celebration of Sacrifice'), also known as the Greater Eid, is the second most important festival in the Muslim calendar. It marks the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca). It takes place on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Although only pilgrims to Makkah can celebrate it fully, Muslims elsewhere also mark the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha.

The Hajj is the Fifth Pillar of Islam and therefore a very important part of the Islamic faith. All physically fit Muslims who can afford it should make the visit to Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, at least once in their lives. Every year around 2 million Muslims converge on Makkah. They visit a shrine in the city known as the Ka'bah, built by Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma'il (Ishmael) at the command of Allah (God). It is a place for all who want to reaffirm their faith.

Eid-ul-Adha celebrates the occasion when Allah appeared to Ibrahim in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son Isma'il as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey Allah and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to kill his son, Allah intervened: instead Allah provided a lamb as the sacrifice. This is why today all over the world Muslims who have the means to, sacrifice a sheep (alternatively a goat or cow can be used), as a reminder of Ibrahim's obedience to Allah. They usually share out the meat with family and friends, as well as the poorer members of the community. In Britain, the animal has to be killed at a slaughterhouse.

Eid-ul-Adha is a 1-3 day celebration and in Muslim countries is a public holiday. It starts with Muslims going to the Mosque for prayers, dressed in their best clothes, and thanking Allah for all the blessings they have received. It is also a time when they visit family and friends as well as offering presents. At Eid it is obligatory to give a set amount of money to charity to be used to help poor people buy new clothes and food so they too can celebrate.

Happy Eid kapatids!!

Remember When

With the prodding of good friend Cris, I dragged my butt out of bed and joined him at Tatay Rene Lumawag' s photo exhibit at the SM City last Saturday. Majority of Tay Rene's photos were in black and white and most of them were of historical events that would make one candidly reminisce the past, whether happy or sordid. I especially liked the Pikit bakwit photo he took and the one with the many faces of Digong and also, the one of the San Pedro church bombing. 30 images that speak about Tatay Rene's love of his art.

The exhibit opened on November 12, the 5th death anniversary of

his son Gene Boyd who was gunned down on November 12, 2004, as he was returning from shooting the sunset at the pier in Jolo, Sulu.

Lumawag’s exhibit of 30 images of Davao/Mindanao history in the last 25 years, provide the viewer glimpses of historical events that some people may have forgotten or chosen not to remember.

-Mindanews

THE Tatay Rene

Visit the exhibit at the SM Entertainment Center till the 17th.

Peace & Light!

End Exploitation and Trafficking.

The MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign is an award-winning multimedia initiative to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking and exploitation. MTV EXIT was launched in Europe in 2004, in partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, and expanded across Asia with USAID in 2007. To date, MTV EXIT has produced many MTV documentaries and other programming on trafficking, including Traffic: An MTV EXIT Special, presented by Lucy Liu; Inhuman Traffic, presented by Angelina Jolie; over a dozen localized language versions presented by Asian celebrities; short films; public service announcements; and animation. MTV EXIT and Radiohead collaborated on an anti-exploitation video for their song All I Need, which premiered across MTV’s global network on 1 May 2008. For more information see www.mtvexit.org.

MTV EXIT will be ending the Philippine Tour at SM City Davao’s Parking Area on November 21 and features ITCHYWORMS and Moymoy Palaboy.

watch na tayo mga kapatid!!

Peace & Light!!

I am in CDO for MBS 3

The Cagayan de Oro Bloggers (CDO Bloggers) group is set to play host to the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3, which will be held on October 24, 2009. With the theme, “Mindanao: Bag-Uhon Ang Panan-aw,” the MBS 3 aims to uphold the beauty and strength of the island and to expunge the negative notions the world has about it.

Nearly 300 bloggers from all over Mindanao, new media advocates and experts, Mindanaoan leaders and other stakeholders will converge in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao on October 24, 2009 for the much-awaited 2009 Mindanao Bloggers Summit, which aims to uphold the beauty and strength of the island and to expunge the negative notions the world has about it.

It’s all systems go for the Cagayan de Oro Bloggers (CDO Bloggers) as they play host to the much-awaited Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3, an annual gathering of Mindanao-based bloggers, IT industry experts, community leaders and new media advocates, on October 24, 2009 at Pearlmont Inn, Limketkai Drive, Cagayan de Oro City. Roughly 300 bloggers are expected to attend this year’s summit.

With the theme, “Mindanao: Bag-Uhon Ang Panan-aw,” (Changing The Way People See Mindanao) the event aims to uphold the beauty and strength of Mindanao, to highlight the diverse cultures and fascinating tourist spots that are uniquely Mindanao and to provide a platform where bloggers and other new media practitioners can discuss concerns related to Mindanao – all with the help of new and emerging technologies.

Expected to grace the summit are United States Embassy’s new Deputy Chief of Mission Leslie Bassett, Atty. Adel Tamano, Agusan Lone District Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza and Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Tinnex Jaraula.

Considered unprecedented in the Philippine blogosphere, a top ranking United States Embassy dignitary is set to deliver the keynote address. Bassett’s trip to CDO will be her first trip to Mindanao since assuming office in June. She previously served as DCM in Mexico.

Other speakers during the whole-day affair include Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Tinnex Jaraula, Agusan Lone District Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza and Atty. Adel Tamano.

Google’s Philippine representative Aileen Apolo, whose talk will focus on beginners, Digital Filipino’s Janette Toral, who will discuss blog advertising and Lyle Santos, who will talk about making money online will also be present. Representatives of other blogger groups including those in Davao City, General Santos City and Zamboanga will also give updates.

The Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3 is generously supported by SMART Communications Inc., Nokia, Syntactics, Inc., STI, Rafting Adventure Philippines, MakatiAve.com, Majesty Sales Center, Havaianas Philippines, OLX Philippines Free Classifieds, Clara Shoppe, ASTERISK Events and Communications, RG & K Construction, Paguia’s Cottages, ThePacificaCompanies.com, The Site, Spruce, The City Government of Cagayan de Oro, Office of CDO First District Rep. Rolando “Klarex” Uy, SM City Cagayan de Oro, Ultra Craft Advertising Corporation, Magnet Advertising, Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental and the Mindanao Bloggers community. Media partners include Papa Ardie’s Concepz, STI, ABS CBN, MOR 91.9 and HOT FM 106.3.

K.A.R.M.A

Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind...what we sow is what we reap. And when we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, the fruit of our karma is happiness and success.

I will put the Law of Karma into effect by making a commitment to take the following steps:

1. Today I will witness the choices I make in each moment. And in the mere witnessing of these choices, I will bring them into my conscious awareness. I will know that the best way to prepare for any moment in the future is to be fully conscious in the present.

2. Whenever I make a choice, I will ask myself two questions: "What are the consequences of this choice that I am making?" and "Will this choice bring fulfillment and happiness to me and also to those who are affected by this choice?"

3. I will then ask my heart for guidance and be guided by its message of comfort or discomfort. If the choice feels comfortable, I will plunge ahead with abandon. If the choice feels uncomfortable, I will pause and see the consequences of my action with my inner vision. This guidance will enable me to make spontaneously correct choices for myself and those around me.


~Deepak Chopra~

What goes around comes around”, or Karma is a term that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. The sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain in others. In religions that incorporate reincarnation, Karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well.

In Islam there is no thing as karma, but it's commonsense that if you do wrong then people will treat you wrong. Nothing much divine about it, it’s human nature.

On a boring night my friends and I got to argue about some heavy stuff. The topic of the evening was infidelity and adultery. After a few glasses of cheap wine, we waxed philosophically on the deep existential questions of love and betrayal. Can anyone ever find true love with an adulterer? And if you're the lucky/unlucky one to woo someone away from their significant other, can you ever be sure that they won't be wooed away again from you?

I'm of the opinion that adulterers and the people who "lure" them into adultery always get their due. So no one who's ever been hurt by this form of betrayal has to do anything exceptional to their unfaithful lovers to get back at them because the heartbreaker is bound to get hurt sooner or later.

Harsh huh? I don’t make the karma rules, I just write about them.