Brooklyn: A Love Story

By Herm Valenzuela

The winter solstice came the last few days of 2010 then the day after Christmas a blizzard of snowstorm swept like a tsunami from the northwest that engulf the city transformed like a winter wonderland blanketing the sidewalks with dunes of ice and the city stood still. The last blizzard of this magnitude was my first winter in New York when John Lindsay was mayor. He mismanaged the clearing of the roads and the garbage piled-up in the streets for days. He lost his reelection the next November. The skies cleared this morning and the sun came out of the azure skies with it's radiant and warm glow and the buses and trains started moving. Three days after we were "holed-in" the house and embedded with my wife I had "cabin fever." I decided to go out. Besides, I wanted to test my cardio-vascular function, like the Canadians do, and walk in the cold. If I could reach the train station without "croaking" then I don't need a tripple coronary artery bypass graft- the doctors call CABG. I made sure that I didn't have a lowbat in my cell.

At a busy train station on Flashbush at it's junction with Nostrand Ave. a young couple meandered thru the sidewalk throng like they were walking on a garden path. They look like the were out of place with the people out to rejoin the rat race after two days of idleness and ennui. But several pedestrian admired them for it was a sight. The last time that I remember a young man out of place in Brooklyn was when a black kid somehow got lost in Crown Height's white neighborhood and beaten to death. The blacks went on a rampage and rioted. Mayor David Dinkins on vacation in the Bahamas did not return to N.Y.C. pronto until the daily newspapers clamored after three days of melee for him to take charge. He lost his reelection bid that year. Rudy Guillani, who was previously effective as D.A. cleaning the Fulton Market Fish Market off mob connections and various payola. He also closed the porno shops on Times Square, became mayor.

Brooklyn, a borough of N.Y.C. is the fourth largest "little city" in the world and has the most Churches per square mile than any other Christian city in Europe. Nobody is out-of-place on it's street unless you're wearing a kafiyeh and riding a camel! The bare-buttocks pants-on-the-ground teenager's style was fashioned in Brooklyn. Nobody bats an eye when they sashays on the streets with the nationally recognized swagger of the arms and hands which are also adept in texting. But this ordinary looking young couple is somewhat different as they traisped into the train station for the number 5 train. I usually find some interesting facets in people's faces in so many places so I followed them for I sensed a silver lining beacons after the snowstorm. Their air of look and bearing portends that it's going to be a beautiful day!

She was a young Pilipina neatly dressed in a faux woolen robe wearing a turtle-necked ecru colored sweater with a lei garland that looked like Sampaguitas still fresh like a fallen snow with angle-lips pinkish pistle (She reminded me of my first date in H.S. with a meztisa in a white lace prom like-gown with an orchid corsage on her right shoulder). Never mind that her snow boots were out-of-fashion and worn-out with her simple attire, she wore these determined to walk thru the icy puddles. This lady's morena complexion gave a glowing aura in the morning light- she's from Hawaii for her natural countenance of skin belie the patina of tanning salons of New York. Her simple hand gestures speak of grace and her bearing apart from the bevy of Brooklynites in a hurry for the late-coming train. She appeared to be in her young 18years and didn't need any "chaperone" to where they are going. I sensed that they where going to a place to be in one union.

He was a Puerto-Yorker looked fresh from high school (I've become a semi-expert in racial profiling that I should get back to work as a TSOfficer) resplendent and proud in his U.S. Marine uniform dress blues, sans sabers, with shinning brass tacks & buttons; his pants single pleated with the red lining that signifies the blood-letting emblem of the brotherhood. His shoes were still spit-shined inspite of the sleet and slush of the sidewalk. He was newly promoted to Cpl- I can tell because of the Purple Heart medal, the DSM (Distinguished Service Medal) and a badge of a Marksman (all marines are riflemen) he wore and he's just returned to active duty perhaps after the holliday leave. He is going away again and he has an important personal business to deal with before going back to war and nobody in New York would mess with a soldier in uniform specially with his lady in his arm.

The train was jammed-packed even the homeless "beggars" didn't dare board in for fear that their pockets will be picked by their compadres. But several riders offered the couple seats and a few mariachis-in-parkas happily greeted them with felicidades. Some strap-hangers beyond that noticed the scene even clapped their hands. They held hands and cooed during the din and cling-clang clamor of the tracks. She was wearing a simple engagement ring and her right hand held a single red rose bud that start to bloom even before spring. She appeared shy and demure during the train ride but not even wishing they were in a limo instead. Came the Borrough Hall station stop and they passed me by as they come out of the car and I greeted him with Semper Fi, Marine with a "V" sign. He smiled knowing I was an officer and nodded acknowlegement (a soldier in uniform does not salute while inside a covered structure). I greeted her with a "thumbs-up" and an Aloha greeting. She responded respectedly with "Salamat po!" I was right- she was a binibini and they're going upstairs to wed.

Now, Borough Hall in Brooklyn is a subterrenean train station where the Municipal Building is. There is a photographer at it's steps and an entepreneur who sells plastic flowers because lovers get married in a chapel upstairs presided by a judge- the fee was $60.00 when I applied for a registration seven years ago- like this young marine I was financially challenged. A few years ago, Mayor Bloomberg refubrished and remodeled the J.P's office in Manhattan's municipal building (I believe with his own money) and now has become a show-piece where even tourist get married- hundreds a month!.

I let them be for their day in Court and walked to the Cadman Plaza library towards the Brooklyn Bridge reminded of Anthony DeBennetto's oldie (he grew up in Queens, N.Y.). Why Tony left his heart in San Francisco only a few knew!

"From a candy store on the corner, To the chapel on the hill.
Two young lovers are strolling to go there. And they dreamt someday they will.
They dream someday they will... they dream someday they will.
Walk hand in hand from a candy store..to the chapel on the hill.
Both their hearts are in tune with a love song.
All the promises they made they will.
For true lovers that treasure their troubles;
When you're only seventeen.
At seventeen it's a thrill,
To dream someday you will
Walk hand in hand from a candy store
To the chapel on the hill"

I hummed the tune as I walked wishing that the couple would stroll hand-in-hand and be able to cross their bridge over troubled waters and the best is yet to come.

Post Script: I can't help but be reminded of Dorothy Parker's short stories about New York- from the folks at Washington Square (@N.Y.U) and the lovers in Central Park and this theme was her genre- simple folks of New York. This inspired me to write this vignette tho' it doesn't as nearly approached her style. I preferred Damon Runyon's with his Guys & Dolls characterizations with plenty of wits and humor. I wished I had taken Journalism class in H.S. but my Magde friends beat me to it and I ended taking the car repair shop class. I thought It was a smart move for I intended to work part-time vulcanizing retread tires to supplement my college funds. Turned out that it did not complemented my young life.

Hermes
December 2010
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11234

My Favorite Turkey Recipe

We had a family gathering at our house day after Christmas; even our son Carl and his wife Suzy who are living in Brazil were able to ‘join’ us virtually via Skype video. Too bad they weren’t able to join us for a fine turkey dinner.

As I have done many times, I roasted a turkey on a charcoal grill, and it turned out delicious! It was a 12-pounder on a rotisserie, roasting for three hours. It rained on Christmas day, but the weather was perfect for grilling outdoors this time.

Here’s the recipe for my rotisserie turkey:
Equipment: Charcoal Grill, Charbroil CB940 or equivalent, with rotisserie Smoker Box

Ingredients:
10 to 12 pounds turkey, thawed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons rubbed sage leaves
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
white wine
chunks of mesquite, hickory or alder (pick one to suite your flavor) for smoker

Thaw turkey per instructions on the package. Wash turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Season cavity with salt and olive oil. Prepare grill placing coals to two sides; heat until coals are ash white. Make aluminum foil drip pan. Brush turkey with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, sage leaves and thyme. Fasten wing over breast; tie with strings to hold wings securely. Tie drumsticks securely to tail. Insert spit rod through center from breast to tail. Secure breast and tail areas with holding forks. Adjust counterweights to obtain optimum balance.

Place the charcoals on one side of the grill so that they are mounded parallel, but away from the spit. Make sure the coals are well lit and the grill is preheated before the spit (with the turkey) is mounted to the rotisserie unit.

A drip pan should be placed directly under the location of the spit. Because the drip pan will help to prevent flare ups, it is important that the drip pan be at least as large as the turkey.

Pour ½-inch to 1-inch of water into the drip pan to create steam, which will rise and help to prevent moisture loss in the meat.

Cook turkey on rotisserie about 3 hours or until legs move easily. Keep grill top closed as much as possible. Add charcoal as necessary to

(Tina Basting The Bird)

maintain the grill temperature between 300 and 350 deg F. Brush with wine every 15 minutes during the last hour. Put smoker over coals during last ½ hour. Add coals as necessary to maintain even heat. Meat thermometer should register 180 deg in thigh or 170 deg in breast.

For a 12-pound bird, I have found 3 hour cooking time to be just right.

Book Review of Pinoy Stewards

Book Review of "Pinoy Stewards In The U.S. Sea Services" BY ALLEN GABORRO (FilAm Star, December 10, 2010)by Allen Gaborro Writer's Page on Monday, December 20, 2010 at 9:49pm

TITLE: Pinoy Stewards In The U.S. Sea Services: Seizing Marginal Opportunity
AUTHOR: Ray L. Burdeos
PUBLISHER: AuthorHouse
211 pages
nonfiction
-----------------------------------------------
Former US Navy and Coast Guard steward and now-author Ray L. Burdeos is so calculatedly detailed and prolific in his portrayals and reminiscences of his days in the service that he appears to find it easier to describe the faraway past rather than bring attention to the contiguous present. Even in those relatively few times when the present leaps out in Burdeos’s thoughts, the past invariably creeps in as subjective footnotes and as applicative historical material.

Burdeos’s newest addendum of his time as a steward in the US Navy during the 1950’s and 60’s, titled “Pinoy Stewards In The U.S. Sea Services: Seizing Marginal Opportunity,” invokes the memories of those Filipino seamen, including himself, who emigrated to a new world, a world that perhaps they had emigrated to without fully realizing what was in store for them as foreigners in an intolerant atmosphere.
The history of the Filipino stewards in the US Navy and Coast Guard is not exactly well-known to people. Burdeos, whose authority on this subject is very personal and reinforced by his impressive memory, addresses how Filipinos came to enter the US Navy and Coast Guard in the first place. He writes how the departure of African Americans from the US Navy’s and Coast Guard’s staff of stewards from the 1950’s up to the 1990’s made positions available for Filipinos in the two services.

Burdeos preserves the history of the Filipino stewards by boiling down his text into a register of personal narratives that are ascribed to individual stewards. Burdeos engrossingly records his memory of these fellow Filipinos who were friends and colleagues of his. In joining the US Navy and Coast Guard, these Filipinos were obliged, in Burdeos’s view, to begin building their new lives by confronting and absorbing the alien American culture in which they found themselves in: “Filipinos had to assimilate to the American way as much as possible to be understood and accepted. Since they were the newcomers, it was just proper that they had to adapt the American way of doing things.”

In the chapter on United States Coast Guard Commander Zacarias S. Chavez, Jr., the commander’s daughter Christine acknowledges her father’s sacrifice and hard work in realizing his ambition to reside in America. Christine gives credit to her father for what he accomplished in the Coast Guard and for impressing upon her and her siblings the value of discipline and of having “the competitive spirit” that would be an essential cornerstone for securing a bright and prosperous future.

Not easily given to the perfect image attributed by many Filipinos to Americans, Burdeos does a short chapter on Master Chief Quartermaster Rogelio L. Reyes palpably racist experiences in the US Navy. In Reyes’s words: “The whites generally didn’t want to associate with Filipinos. They always gave the impression that they were superior…they kept a distance from us.” With African American servicemen, it was something of a different story for Reyes. For him, they “had their own problems with the white superiority.” Yet Filipinos somehow “found ways to get along with blacks.”

Ultimately, what did it mean for these Filipinos to be able to serve in the US Navy and Coast Guard? Largely, it meant being able to go and stake their claim in the land of opportunity. With clear notions of financial advancement and stability as the connective thread, most of these Filipinos, along with Ray Burdeos, stayed in the US after their service ended and eventually became American citizens.

Years from now, as new chapters of the history of the Filipinos in America are written, the story of Filipinos in the US Sea Services in particular will have been inextricably woven into that history. And no one is more qualified to tell that history than Ray Burdeos whose literary publications have become indispensable contributions to the understanding of Filipino American history.

ALLEN GABORRO

Ray Burdeos: Pinoy Stewards in the U.S. Sea Services

Seeking for a better future in the land of milk and honey in America, and reaching to fulfill a dream of travel and adventure to see the world, many young Filipinos during the 50’s and the 60’s enlisted in the U.S. Sea Services (Navy and Coast Guard). I was one of those adventurers who joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1959, starting off as a steward recruit in Sangley Point, Philippines, retiring after 27+ years of service.

A new book by Ray Burdeos (see photo), Pinoy Stewards in the U.S. Sea Services: Seizing Marginal Opportunity, depicts the experiences of several of us Pinoy sailors, how we endured the tough life as servants aboard Uncle Sam’s fighting ships and cutters, and how we assimilated into a culture much different from ours to chase the American dream. I am honored that Ray wrote about me in this book.

The book is available for purchase online at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Authorhouse.

Goodbye, Loran-C

LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) was developed for military purposes during WWII, with first operational use in 1942. The system was retained after the war because of its usefulness to shipping, commercial fishing, and long-distance air transportation. LORAN worked by transmitting pulses from various high-powered stations scattered around the globe: the receiver measured the time differences in the reception of the pulses from different sources, from which the position of the vessel or aircraft could be calculated. In the late 1970s, the original version of the system, LORAN-A, was replaced with LORAN-C, which operated on a lower frequency, with more highly-automated receivers and with significantly increased positional accuracy.

I got my first taste of Loran in 1965 when the Coast Guard assigned me to LORSTA Batan shortly after ET School. I retired from the Coast Guard in 1987 after serving almost 28 years, and 11 of those years were Loran-related assignments.

Crew of Loran Monitor Station Kodiak, AK 1976

The U.S. government has terminated Loran-C due to budget considerations and obsolescence. Its functions have been taken over by GPS, a satellite based system that is more accurate, more efficient, and provides more world-wide coverage than Loran-C did.

Thanks, LORAN, for 68 years of reliable service. Mariners and pilots may want to raise a glass in appreciation of the scientists and engineers who developed this system and the Coast Guardsmen who maintained it. I am proud to be a part of this group.

Below is the text of an email sent to me by a fellow Loran Coastie:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas, Gary CDR" Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 9:33 PM
Subject: The Loran Day Is Closed, Log It So


At 1316 local time, 03 Aug 2010, ETCS Fred Ripley, USCG, Officer in Charge of USCG Loran Station Caribou, directed ET2 Andrew Petersen to secure the Canadian East Coast 5930 Master Signal, terminating last United States Coast Guard Loran-C transmission. Loran Stations Shoal Cove, George and Nantucket had secured their transmissions just before Caribou. All the USCG loran transmitters are now silent.

For the first time since 1942, there is not a loran signal in the atmosphere above United States or the Canada. There are no longer any Coast Guard engineers and technicians designing new systems, maintaining and operation fielded ones or providing support to the field units to keep them on air and in tolerance. With this, the Coast Guard's Loran-C engineering mission is complete and the Loran Support Unit engineers and technicians now move forward to disestablish our unit.

As Tim Kelley, the Canadian Master of Ceremonies noted, the US Coast Guard was a steady partner with the Canadian Loran program, moving with them from Loran A to C, from vacuum tubes to solid state transmitters, and to frame relay and LCCS. He thanked my crew - "the Loranimals of LSU" - for all they had done over the years. However, that accolade really includes all those who served at not only LSU in the past, but also those that served in the Loran branch of EECEN and truly dates all the way back to then LCDR Lawrence Harding, an electrical engineer and the first Coast Guardsman who started our involved with Loran A in May 1942 by helping to establish the first operational stations in Canada and US during WWII.

In the world of Coast Guard operations, the operators often appear to get more glory than the engineers. But in the world of Loran, the engineers were the operators and they shined through. And while Loranimals mostly operated in out of the way places without much visibility, they earned the glory none the less, even if it was not as often mentioned. You made a difference to the nation.

With the closure, take a moment to remember those who went before you, what they accomplished and the expected level of performance they established. For six decades, Coast Guard engineers and technicians upheld their legacy. Job well done, you have much to be proud of.

=====
26 October 1945

From: Commander in Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas

To: Commandant, United States Coast Guard

Via: Chief of Naval Operations

Subject: Loran Service

1. The installation, maintenance, and operation of Loran service in the Pacific Ocean Areas by the officers and men of the United States Coast Guard contributed in great measure to the successful prosecution of the war against the Japanese. The navigational service afforded to our sea and air forces through the use of Loran Service was of vital importance not only in the transportation demands in moving troops and material, but in actual combat operations as well.

2. The Coast Guard personnel who constructed the Loran stations conquered many hazardous and difficult problems of weather and terrain, and those officers and men who have manned the isolated stations have done a magnificent and exacting job in transmitting Loran signals.

3. It is requested that the appreciation of the Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas, be expressed to all officers and men of the United States Coast Guard who participated in the extensive Loran program for their outstanding performance in support of the operations which resulted in the final victory.


/s/ C. W. Nimitz

=====

Please feel free to pass along to all those who served at EECEN, LSU or
elsewhere whose address I don't have.

Regards,

GMT

Shape the Technology to the user, NOT the Reverse

CDR Gary M. Thomas
Commanding Officer
USCG LORAN Support Unit
12001 Pacific Avenue
Wildwood, New Jersey 08260-3232

Tekka, Our Grand Dog

At a very young age, I was attacked by a stray dog while playing in our neighborhood. I had to undergo anti-rabies shots in my back for 25 days and I was miserable. The experience gave me dog phobia; I had tried to avoid being near dogs ever since. A couple of years ago I was introduced to Tekka, a beagle-hound belonging to my daughter and her husband. The more I got to know her the more I enjoyed her company. She is a loving and playful dog. I consider her our ‘grand dog’.

I have done several watercolor paintings of Tekka and they all ended up on display on the walls of my daughter’s living room. Recently I did another watercolor of Tekka at the request of my wife. The painting was from a photo I took of Tekka while we were wine-tasting in Anderson Valley early this year. This is probably the best one of Tekka I have done.

History of the "MALAS" Nation - Panahon na para baguhin

There is a lot of truth on this. Don't know the "Historian" Author.

This brief history of the Philippines , told by a philosopher of the streets, is probably closest to the truth about ourselves.

WHAT'S the big deal when Lapu-Lapu killed Magellan in 1521? Nothing much really. During Lapu-Lapu's time, Mactan was strictly tribal. Think small, gid. There were no big ideas such as nationalism or geopolitics.

Lapu-Lapu was simply, the local siga-siga and Magellan was the culture-shocked Westerner, a native first-timer in the exotic east. We lionize Lapu-Lapu as a hero and nationalist. Ang totoo, mayabang lang si Lapu-Lapu. But this defeat of a foreign invader, did not make a Filipino nation. The timing was wrong. And don't you believe that bull that Spanish explorers came to find spices of the East to improve the taste of their bland cuisine. Their hidden agenda was to spread their kingdom through colonization, the euphemism for land grabbing.

During the 333 years of Spanish rule (1565-1898), hundreds of rebellions were waged by native firebrands in many parts of the archipelago. Not one succeeded. Our rebels were either caught, garotted, or simply ignored by the Commandante as nuisances. Puro malas!

The execution of Rizal in 1896 was a traumatic experience for Filipinos. Those who read Rizal's Fili and Noli were incensed by the abuses of the church and state regime of the Spaniards. Emotions ran high, from Aparri to Jolo. The critical mass needed for nationhood was formed. At last we could rebel as a people, as a nation.

The Katipunan did their battle heroics, originally led by the firebrand Bonifacio and later on by the crafty Aguinaldo. With more Katipunan charges (Sugod mga Kapatid), freedom seemed possible. Between 1897 and 1899, stealth, betrayal, and skullduggery bedeviled our prospect for independence. The Aguinaldo and Bonifacio factions engaged in an ugly infighting (the talangka mentality) resulting in the execution of Bonifacio.

Meantime, an American Admiral named Dewey entered Manila Bay and defeated a luckluster Spanish navy. Aguinaldo reneged on the pact of Biak na Bato. He resumed the revolution by proclaiming the Philippine Independence in Kawit. June 12. From whom? We were still under the Americans & Spaniards at that time.

Meanwhile, American and Spanish soldiers held a "moromoro" battle in Intramuros with the Spaniards surrendering. Aguinaldo's republic and his KKK patriots were left out and ignored. Naisahan tayo... Minalas na naman.

The Filipino-American War broke out. Tall American soldiers looking like Clark Gable chased and battled the outlawed Filipino revolutionaries, ending in the capture of Aguinaldo in Isabela. Thanks to the mercenaries from Macabebe. This was the second time those Macabebe turned on their own kind first with the Spaniards. This was the mother of all kamalasan..

At that time, our population was 8 million. The gap between the rich and the poor was estimated at 30% middle-class and rich, 70% low-class and rural poor.

During the Commonwealth period (1901-1941), which followed, there were lots of learning on democratic principles, its structure and governance. Technology transfers were done on Constitutional Rights, Public Education, Transportation, Health, International Trade and Industrialization. The Americans turned out to be good tutors. Filipinos also went crazy over American brand products like Libby's corned beef and Portola sardines, Hershey's Kisses and Wrigley's chewing gum, Camel cigarettes and Model T Ford for the hacienderos of Pampanga and Iloilo.

Hollywood films made Pinoy males fantasize on Jean Harlow, Betty Grable, and Mae West. Thus, Filipino colonial mentality began. We fondly called this period Peace Time. By the way, American troops massacred innocent people in Balangiga. Mga hayop din pala!

1941, Disaster! World War II! After attacking Pearl Harbor , the Japanese army invaded our country defeating the combined American and Filipino forces (USAFFE). General MacArthur, the proud and handsome Army chief, fled to Australia at the height of the battle. Then the Filipinos marched to Bataan as the prisoners in the Death March.

For four miserable years we suffered the sadism of the Japanese militarists rule. Torture, famine, and death were for us the order of the day.. Kawawa. Malas na malas!The American forces returned in 1945 to liberate the country. MacArthur, General superiority complex himself, sporting Ray Ban sunglasses corncob pipe swaggered back to Manila . Piqued at his humiliation in 1941, MacArthur ordered the bombing and shelling of Manila till kingdom come. So he can get back at Japs for wrecking his R&R place in Asia . Malas na naman.

The whole-wide expanse South of Pasig - from Post Office to Vito Cruz, including all of Intramuros - was pulverized. Manila was the most destroyed city of World War II next to Tokyo . Our culture, our heritage, and historical assets (seven beautiful churches in Intramuros, hundreds of elegant Art Deco and neo-classical architecture in Paco) were sacrificed recklessly and completely erased from the face of the earth. Sayang na sayang!

In 1946, we gained our Independence from the Americans. We were a free nation at last! A true Independence day for us, July 4th 1946 not the June 12th that Aguinaldo declared and Marcos celebrated. We had enough exposure and lessons on how to govern a democratic country, the first in Asia . Our population was 17 million. The dollar exchange was US$1 to P2.

But there was still no peace from 1947 to 1966. A widespread communist rebellion led by Taruc, the Lava brothers, and its armed guerillas called Hukbalahap (Supposed to be Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon) waged bloody war with government troops and turned out to be nothing but bandits in disguise. Filipinos killed kapwa Filipinos. Malas na naman!

Our politicians and bureaucrats learned to engage in graft and corruption (What are we in power for?) - such as the war surplus bribery, the Tambobong wheeler-dealing and the Namarco scam. Talo nanaman!

Six presidents were elected to manage the country from 1947 to 1972, under the democratic system. They were Presidents Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, and Marcos.

Economists looked back to the decades of the 50s and 60s as the best years of the Philippine economy, surpassing Asian countries. The nostalgia was naiveté, a useless ego-tripping. The gap between the rich and the poor remained big. 30% middle-class and rich, 70% low- class, rural and urban poor. We were 27 million people. US$1 was to P4.

During the late 60's, the Maoist communists led by Commander Dante intensified its drive to overthrow the government.. Marcos added fuel to the fire by creating a communist spook. Violence and mayhem rule the streets. The youth went up in arms! Martial Law was declared in 1972 and Marcos became dictator. Freedom of assembly and expression went out of the window..

What followed were years of dictatorial abuse, crony capitalism, shackled free enterprise, near economic collapse and a demoralized middle class. The gap between the rich (30%) and poor (70%) remained in a quagmire. Pareho rin pala ang situation.

Our population was 40 million. Exchange rate was US$1 to P7.. Kawawang kawawa! Malas na malas! In 1983, Ninoy Aquino, Marcos' exiled arch rival, was assassinated upon his return. Push came to shove. Cardinal Sin engaged on the people on to protest. Outrage, self- pity, shame and fury raged and rumbled like a tidal wave, culminating in the incredible People Power Revolution. The very sick and obstinate Marcos fled (hijacked by Americans from Clark) to Hawaii (sounds like Paoay) where he died. His alleged millions of stolen dollars intact and unresolved.. Up to now... Peso to dollar exchange is now US$1 to P20.

But People Power was our shining glory! The whole world applauded our saintly courage, our dignified defiance, our bloodless solution to expel a dictator. We were the toast of all freedom-loving countries, the envy of all oppressed people. In 1986, we placed Cory Aquino, Ninoy's widow, in Malacañang. She was virtuous, sincere and full of good intentions for the country. But what happens under Cory?

An endless brown out and living in portable generators is a must and monopolized by Cory's relatives who threw out her Energy Department down the Pasig River . The land reform she professed and promised was going good at first, but after she found out her Hacienda Luisita will be greatly affected, that program went down the Pasig River too!. No wonder that river is so polluted.

Coup attempts by Honasan, power struggle, political squabbles, and the infighting for juicy deals harassed the amateur Cory presidency. So nothing happened. No progress took place. The economy was still bad. The poor suffered more and more. Sure we got democracy back on its feet. But the Filipino resolve didn't happen. People Power pala was "ningas cogon" power.

Sayang na sayang! Tha gap between the rich and the poor remained at 30% (middle-class and rich), 70% (lower-class and rural/urban poor). Exchange rate was US$1 to P25. We were 55 million people.

In 1992, Cory's choice, Fidel Ramos, West Pointer, soldier, and hero of the People Power won the presidency. He had the bearing, the single-mindedness and the vision to bring the country to a tiger economy status.. Ramos was a terrific salesman of the Philippines to the world. He was able to hype a climate of an economic ground. He removed barriers to progress. He was an apostle of privatization. His mantra was, less government, more private sector! Fidel hit the right note and the economy went on a roll. Fidel wanted to run for reelection but failed to swing the cha-cha (an idiotic acronym for Constitutional Change) so he could run again.

In 1997, the Asian economic crises struck, triggered by a balloon burst of the hyper-speculative Bangkok economy. The financial debacle created a disastrous effect in the investment institutions of Manila, Jakarta , Kuala Lumpur , Hong Kong, Seoul , and Taiwan . All the Ramos gains evaporated into thin air. Malas na naman! The poor, specially Mang Pandoy, were poorer than ever.

1998 was showbiz time! The Erap para sa mahirap show opened to the chagrin of Makati Business Club.. Pasensya na po kayo, mga elitists. Democracy is also weird. The choice of the masa must be respected.

Catastrophe! Chavit Singson exploded jueteng bombs! For days on end, a nation sick in the stomach, sat through primetime TV aghast at watching the bizarre drama of alleged bribery, gambling, drunkenness, womanizing, deceit, and corruption. A lantern-jawed witness and a sexy intelligence "asset" hogged the witness stand.

Viewing the scandals on TV was like watching dogs mating in the public square. It's embarrassing but you can't take your eyes off them.

The impeachment trial serialized on TV was riveting. The defense lawyers, some wearing a canine sneer (ngiting aso) insulted our intelligence often. (Lokohin n'yo ang lelang n'yo). The whole country was stinking to high heavens.. The prosecution produced its own witnesses - Clarissa Ocampo, Emma Lim, Carmencita Itchon and many others.

Idols with feet of clay fell crashing into the dust. Those who voted against opening the envelope were legalese, procedural, and sounding intellectually brilliant. Also heartless and thick-skinned. They couldn't fathom the heartbeat of the nation. Cardinal Sin, aging and sickly, called the people again.. It was People Power II!

Same humongous and collective umbrage, same brinkmanship, and same staccato prayers! Generals Reyes and Villanueva simply joined the mammoth EDSA crowd. No US jets from Clark this time. Erap was out! Gloria was in!

Hope springs eternal. Malacañang regained its honor and dignity. Protocol was observed. Absurdity was gone. Grammatical English was back. Now the first gentleman should have been named Mr. Pakyao, he has the monopoly of the graft behind Gloria's back.

2001. More catastrophies! The peso plummeted to a horrifying US$1 to P51. The Abu Sayyaf (extremist ideologues? Or mindless barbarians) were into kidnapping and terrorism, gaining worldwide notoriety.. Businesses are still closing shop. Thousands of workers are being retrenched. Prices of food and gasoline are very high. (Galunggong is P80 per kilo!) Our streets became permanent garbage dumps. Maggots multiply to spread disease. Our communities stink.

Again, the whole nation was witnessing sickening crimes attributed to people in the government. Talo na naman! We are now 75 million people but the gap between the rich, 30% (middle-class and rich), 70% (lower-class and rural/urban poor) remains the same for one century.

When will this end? It's been more than 350 years since Lapu's- Lapu's victory, 100 years since Rizal martyrdom and we're nowhere as a people, as a nation. Malas pa rin!

Some wise guy said the Filipino is a damaged culture. Bully! And what do you call other foreigners. They used slaves in their plantations, and landgrabbed from the natives! What should we call such culture? Predatory Culture? Bully Culture? What about another country? How many countries did it put under the barrel of its gunships, so they could gloat that the sun never sets on their empire?" What shall we call this culture? Sahib culture? Gunga Din culture? C'mon, give us a break!

We Filipinos have strengths and endearing values. We are Christians, God-fearing, and peace-loving. We are patient and tolerant (matiisin to a fault). We are musical. We sing our blues away. We have a sense of humor. (We concoct and text Imelda hyperboles and Erap malapropism) . We learn fast because we are bilingual and highly educated.. We've got thousands of MBA's and PhD's in economics and management from AIM, WHARTON, HARVARD, UCLA, etc (most of them now overseas).

We've got a surplus of technocrats for nation-building. . We want to work if there are vacancies. We want to go into business if we have the capital. We want to obey the law if the law is being enforced. We want to live and die here, if there is peace and order.

But, but, and but. We have many shortcomings. We are immature in our politics. Given a choice on whom to elect: a handsome pabling movie star or an honest and brilliant political scientist, we'll vote for the movie star.

No brainer tayo dito. Talo! We have many stupidities. Like dogs, we pee (Bawal umihi dito) on walls and tires. Our driving is suicidal. Our service quality is inferior.

Clerks at City Hall act arrogant. Sales ladies at department stores don't know their product features. No exchange No return even if it is defective, you have to argue for it. Tourists get mugged by thugs in uniform. Police lay traps so they can catch you and ask for bribes. What's wrong with us? We don't have a great leader. And good governance. (In Singapore , Lee Kwan Yew did it. The constituency profile is similar to Filipinos). Admittedly, this country is impossible, tiresome, and frustrating.

But it's the only country we've got. We live and die here.. Will we ever see the dawn?

Dios na mahabagin, Kailan pa kaya? Ubos na ang aming luha. Katog na ang aming mga tuhod. Tuyot na ang aming utak. Hingal na ang aming puso. Dios na mahabagin, isalba Mo po kami. Hindi po kami talunan. At lalo pong hindi kami tanga. Sunod-sunod lang po ang malas.

NOTE:
Dati Kastila, Amerikano, Insik, Hapon at ngayon may Koreano pa.

Mahabagin Diyos, Nasaan Ka PINOY ??"

Go ahead, make my day!

In my high school days back in the Philippines I liked to hang out in the magazine department of Stop 'n Shop Grocery Store in Old Santa Mesa. I would spend hours reading their comic books without buying anything until one of the clerks would come and kick me out of the store. Stop 'n Shop introduced me to Mad Magazine. I admired the cartoons, especially those created by Jack Davis. When I could afford to buy a copy of Mad, I would select one that had lots of Jack Davis' work. I liked his style of cartooning. I studied it a lot and tried to emulate his style. Sometime in the '70's I saw in the LA Times a caricature of Clint Eastwood in a spaghetti western garb; I admired it very much, and at that time I had a strong urge to copy his work but I was too busy with my work and my family. Just recently, I did a search on the internet for that caricature and I found it. Now that I have so much free time, I don’t have any more excuses. Here is my rendition of Jack Davis' Clint Eastwood piece.

Before and After the Navy. long "sea story"

Nestor Palugod Enriquez
www.filipinohome.com
Coming to America

Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery. Today is a gift,and that's why we call it the present.

Before and After the Navy.
Reflecting the ocean in my half century..
This is the sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest point last month of 2009. A scene you will probably not get to see in person, the sun is below the moon. The sun is at the highest that it could have been high noon. So take a moment and enjoy God's work at the North Pole.

The sun and the moon captured by the ocean on top of the world. The game of Mahjong is the rarity of calling the win by dipping the moon under the ocean. The impossible odd but men would reach the moon in the last century of the last millennium.

The moon looks larger when it is low or closer to the horizon, but it is only is an illusion. The distance of the horizon at sea is the same anywhere. Walking on water, you can see the horizon about 3 miles all around. The earth is round and beyond you could not see below the plane. The moon couple hundred thousand miles away is visible on the plain of the horizon.
Visual calculation of the horizon enabled ancient sailors the distance of land and other vessels, just few tricks learned from boot camp.
Nuclear Submarine breaks the ice under the perpetual sun in North Pole, by drilling (buoyant force) the ice from the bottom. It is only the few times when the reinforced wings are on the upright….
Curios Bear paying unexpected visit to the new nuclear submarine.
USS ATULE (SS403) polar operation and after..

WWII Submarine USS ATULE SS403 saw action in the Battle of Leyte and then participated in the first US Navy arctic expedition in 1946. I reported on board the USS ATULE decade later, but I was already wishing for the USS Nautilus. She discovered the North West passage that eluded the Henry Hudson. Reaching the top of the world is almost climbing the Everest.

It was the '50.. the movie Parrish on my instant memory, but you probably remember Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee.. the song "Secret Love", in the background. It was no secret that I wanted to go to the top world and around just like my great grandfather. Troy says, "Yes, one night under the ice at the North Pole... it separated the men from the boys." The line I would never forget. For the first time US Navy declared it is underway under Nuclear power. Nautilus reached North Pole and the USS Triton went around the world underwater.
On April fool’s Day, the Triton was sighted by the only unauthorized person to spot the submarine during her secret voyage – a young Filipino man in a small dugout canoe about 50 yards. The periscope camera could snap several photos of this unexpected interloper through the ship's periscope before the Triton moved out of range. The November 1960 issue of National Geographic would identify of the fisherman as then 19-year-old Rufino Baring of Mactan Island, who believed that he had encountered a sea monster: "I was very frightened. I tried to get away as fast as I could. The most sophisticated and powerful warship, powered not by one nuclear plant but twin reactors onboard against the ancient boat.. Just half century earlier, it was almost Magellan armada against Lapu- lapu, I might even request the freedom of information act, whether the US Navy requested the Philippine government permission to navigate the Philippine water. For now, does anyone knows Rufino Baring? please, let me know.

The North Pole ice breaking event would be repeated many more times. Rufino might be closer to the great great grandson of Enrique. I missed my chance for the USS Triton, I could have duplicated my super Lolo Enrique. One submarine crew played baseball on top of the world. The pitching mounted true north (90 degree N) spotted by the submarine navigation gyros/ I am being the ultimate baseball fanatic would dream hitting the world series's home run on frozen tundra, I would hit the ball south empty bleacher even against the best of the current Cy Young pretenders. Yes I could go around the bases and all the world time zone and the world even against Tim Lincecum.
The Bear reminded me of men and the March of the Penguins of Punta Arenas on the other side of the world. It is the imitation of men standing just to see ahead. Yes, I was there too at the gateway of the Antarctica. The treacherous straight named after Magellan, Enrique was on his side. We stood up like the Penguins and bears. Why? The moment is frozen in my digital mind, but I have to take inventory of my fingers inside the thermal gloves every so often. It was only 60 degrees..

South polar bear standing precariously on ice..not due to global warming, just another submarine breaking through the ice..Ice fishing anyone? I feel I have been to the Mt Everest.



Just hundred miles away from Florida’s Disney World, the test firing of Ballistic Missile from my last home, the barangay called boomer…It was the make believe the world of Disney, and I am relieved that we never fired it in anger in the cold war era. The deterrent force lasted in my time.

Post Navy..2008 Last northern land trip in Anchorage, Alaska. The top of Mt McKinley will be next destination.;-)

nestor palugod enriquez