Fernando Ingeniero Baldomero, is a second eldest son out of seven siblings by Ramon Tabay Baldomero of Biga-a Malinao, Aklan and Silveria Ingeniero Baldomero of San Ramon also in Malinao. He was born on January 13, 1949 at Biga-a, Malinao, Aklan.

Fernando is fondly called Nanding by friends, Kaloy and Ine, Gene by comrades in the revolutionary and later legal mass movement which he belonged.

He studied during his elementary days at Lezo Elementary School, finished high school at Lezo Institute and his Bachelor of Science in Commerce in Aklan College (now Aklan Catholic College).

During his college days he was an officer of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and before his college graduation, he top the entrance examination for the Integrated National Police (INP) in Aklan but did not joined the force.

He among other students in Aklan who were influenced by revolutionary upheaval in the Philippines of the 60-70’s dubbed as First Quarter Storm joined the Samahang Demokratikong Kabataan, or SDK/SADEKA (Association of Democratic Youth), a leftist national democratic legal mass movement of youth in Aklan and joined protest movement against Marcos dictatorship.

After graduating from college, he was engaged in various kinds of business for years with his elder and younger brothers but was only stopped when Army officials confiscated all his earnings upon the declaration of Martial Law.

He was among the pioneers in organizing the revolt in Panay, after he joined the New People’s Army in 1973. He rose in rank until he became one of the few respected military cadre in Panay.

He married in NPA rites, Erlinda Terrano of Madalag and bore four sons. Erlinda later surrendered in 1985, and their divorced was later approved by the Communist Party of the Philippines.

He was captured by joint police and military elements in Jaro, Iloilo City in 1993. He experience various forms of torture, charged with numerous trumped up charges and jailed at Antique Rehabilitation Center in San Jose, Antique.

He was offered several times, by military to file for amnesty and even offered him a higher rank at the military. He was even visited by then Col. Victor Corpuz while he is on jail, to become a coordinator of then Green Panay project in the island, his life will be put in the movies and other financial offers which had flatly refused because he believed that what he had fought for over two decades is just.

Two years after, he was released after all cases against him were dismissed by the courts.

He went to his hometown in Lezo, Aklan in 1995, and married Christine Beatriz Borra in 1996. He engaged in lumber business. He ran and won as a Barangay Kagawad of Sta. Cruz Biga-a for three consecutive terms.

Later he joined Bayan Muna in 2001, a leftist political party and was later chosen as its provincial chairman. He also became a member of Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Amnestiya (SELDA), an association of former political prisoners.

He ran for a post of Lezo town council in 2004, but failed and he resumed his position as Barangay Kagawad of Barangay Sta. Cruz Biga-a.

He was again charged with arson and murder in Guimbal, Iloilo and Sibalom, Antique respectively. He was arrested in his rented house in Kalibo, and was jailed in Guimbal and Antique for six months. He was again released.

He joined the local Tibyog political Party and as a Liberal Party member in 2007 and this time won as town councilor of the Municipality of Lezo, Aklan. He was also chosen as Bayan Muna provincial chair.

He was again charged by the military of murder in 2007, but since his name was spelled wrong instead of Fernando Baldomero it was Francisco Baldomero he evaded arrest.

Besides being a local legislator, he has been at forefront of tackling various local and national issues confronting the people. He joined various demonstrations, forums and discussions that aim to protect the interest of the poor and oppressed.

He is being targeted in various military programs in Aklan and Capiz accusing of being an active member of the Communist Party of the Philippines and leader of the NPA-front in Aklan. With the public pronouncements over the radio by the military, it was also the time that he noticed that his movement is being monitored.

He had at many times, shared with families, friends and comrades that suspected military elements riding in motorcycle has been tailing him while he travel back and forth from his rented house in Kalibo to his parents house in Lezo.

On March 19, 2011 two months before the 2010 election, his parent’s house in Lezo was lobbed by grenades by two unidentified persons riding in motorcycle.

On July 5, 2010, while he was going to bring his youngest son, Car Philip to school in his rented house in Estancia, Kalibo, Aklan was shot to death by an armed man, riding tandem on a motorcycle.

Isang mainit ngunit nakakagalit na topiko ngayon sa buong bansa ang topikong “impunity”.

Ayon sa Wikipedia Impunity means “exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines”.[1] In the international law of human rights, it refers to the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a denial of the victims’ right to justice and redress. Impunity is especially common in countries that lack a tradition of the rule of law, suffer from corruption or that have entrenched systems of patronage, or where the judiciary is weak or members of the security forces are protected by special jurisdictions or immunities”.

Umpisa ng maupo si Presidente Noynoy, anak ni Ninoy Aquino isa ring biktima ng extrajudicial killings, sinampulan agad siya sa kanyang pangakong “tuwid na daan” sa pagpatay sa aking amang si Fernando Baldomero, chairman ng Bayan Muna-Aklan at municipal coordinator ng Liberal Party.
After that, marami pang sumunod na parang pattern na rin sa lingo ng mga aktibista, riding in tandem na pagpatay, at ang tinuturo mga mismong suspek ay mga miyembro ng military or mga bayarang ahente nila.

Marami ng mga lider ng at miyembro ng progressive organizations at nagtago, at iba na nakasurvive ay nagtestigo para sana sa kanyang administrasyon, na nangakong merong tamang daan ay tuldukan na ang pagpatay at papanagutin ang mga involved lalo na ang administrasyon ni GMA na syang nagbigay basbas para palawakin ang represyon sa lumalabang mamamyan sa pamamagitan ng Oplan Bantay Laya.

Isang kulturang pilit pinapasanay sa tao, ang pagpatay sa sinumang miyembro ng leftist organizations, tulad ng Bayan, Anakbayan, LFS, Gabriela, etc., dahil sa paratang na etong mga taong eto ay kasapi o supporter ng Communist Party of the Philippines or miyembro ng New People’s Army (NPA).

Para bang gustong gawin ng military, na magsend ng mensahe sa mamamayan na dahil sila ay NPA ay puede na silang patayin kahit nandyan ang hubad na katotohanang sila ay sibilyan. Of course, hindi sila umaamin na isa na etong sistematikong kampanya. Dahil pagmerong pinapatay na miyembro ng national democratic (ND) organization sasabihing eto’y namatay sa engkwentro (kahit na etoy dinukot), or isa na namang purging in the ranks ng NPA, ala Kampanyang Ahos noong dekada 80.

Malaki na rin kasi ang naging budget ng propaganda unit ng AFP, pilit nilang pinapaniwala ang mamamayan na tama lang na mabura sa istorya ng Pilipinas ang mga leftist kasi kahit na sino namang presidente or gubyerno ay hindi sila naniniwala.

Pero dahil nga ba sila ay komunista kaya sila ay pinatay o talagang gusto lang ubusin at patahimikin ng gubyerno ang oposisyon, na kung saan ang ND ang siyang pinakamatatag nitong kalaban sa lahat ng isyung maging sa isyu ng lupa, karapatan, edukasyon, foreign policy na me klaro at alternatibong ipinepresenta na taliwas sa interes ng mga naghaharing uri na humahawak ngayon sa gubyerno.

Ang Pilipinas ang tumatayong miyembro ng United Nations Human Rights Council, na sakup ng napakaraming kasunduan para sundin at protektahan ang karapatang pantao ng mamamayan. Ang dapat sana na nagdedepensa sa mamamayan sa kanilang interes ang siya pa ngayon inaakusa na nagviolate nito katulad ng AFP at PNP.

Wala ni isa, sa mga biktima ng pagpaslang o EJK (extra-judicial killings) at forced disapperances ang nakulong or pinarusahan. Si Palparan, ang kilalang berdugo ng Mindoro ay napromote pa nga sa panahon ni GMA at naging kongresman pa sa ilalim ng anti-komunistang Bantay partylist.

Kahit sa mga kasong merong identified na suspek ang mga pamilya ng mga biktima ng pagpaslang at desaparecido, ang pulis, NBI at DOJ ay hindi maasahang magprosecute ng kaso, tuloy dismiss ang mga kasong isinampa sa korte na lalo pang nagpapangitngit sa galit ng mga biktima at pamilya.

Isang ipokrito ang gubyerno na sabihing hindi polisiya ng gubyerno ang pagpapalaganap ng culture of impunity. Dahil hindi lang sa iisang rehiyon merong biktima, kundi sa buong bansa libu-libu na ang listahan ng mga namatay. Hindi pa kasama dyan ang nakaranas ng harassment, intimidations at hamletting ng mga miyembro ng military at PNP na hindi nadokumento at hindi na rin nabigyan ng aksyon.

Sa lipunang meron represyon, lalo na laban sa mga taong nagnanais ng pagbabago ay nagpapahiwatig lamang na hindi na nagagamit ng namamahala ang dating mga palamuting reporma, o konting anyo ng pagsagot sa hiling ng mamamayan.

Masyado na kasing maliit ang yamang pinag-aagawan na naubos na sa ilang taon pangungurakot, wala na ring maibigay na superficial na tulong sa gutom at pobreng mamamayan ang gubyerno na makakalutas sa pangmatagalan nilang pangangailangan dahil naibigay na lahat sa kanilang mga alipores na nagmamay-ari ng libu-libong ektaryang lupain at malalaking negosyo.

Interes ng gubyerno protektahan ang status quo, iyon rin ang interes ng sandatahang lakas. Ang gubyerno, ay pinamumunuan ng mga taong me interes na silbihan ang kanilang sariling uri.

Nais nilang protektahan ang kanilang negosyo na magkamal ng libong tubo, at gipitin ang mga manggagawa sa kakarampot na sweldo, magkaroon pa ng napakalawak na lupain para sa export-oriented na mga pananim or golf course at subdivision, or gawing minahan ang lupang pinagmamay-ari ng pobreng magsasaka, gawing negosyo ang edukasyong nakatutok lang sa pag-eksport ng lakas pagawa at hindi para gamitin ang dunong ng kabataan para gawing industralisado ang bansa, at iba pang pagpapabaya sa tungkulin sana ng gubyerno sa mamamayan.

Sa ganitong siste, ang mamamayan na dati’y nagtitiis lang, ay namumulat. Nagiging organisado, sa tulong nga mga taong nakapag-aral ng totoong kalagayan ng lipunan at nalalaman ang dapat sanay makamit ng mamamyan.

Mayaman ang Pilipinas, ngunit bakit naghihirap ang mamamayang Pilino? Hindi dahil sa RH bill, o populasyon, o dahil sa tamad si Juan dela Cruz kaya siya ay mangmang at hindi kailanman uunlad. Dahil sa hindi patas na paghahati ng yaman ang dahilan kung bakit meron lumitaw na aktibista. Dahil sa inagawan ng lupa ang magsasaka kaya naging miyembro siya ng KMP. Kasi nalaman ni estudyante na tumaas ang matrikula at hindi na siya makaenrol sa sunod na taon kaya siya sumapi sa LFS. Dahil ginahasa, pinaglapastanganan ang kababaihan kaya siya sumapi sa Gabriela. Kaya niya binoto at sinupurtahan ang Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Kabataan, Gabriela, Act Teacher sa kongreso, kasi sila ang nagdadala ng totoong programa sa loob ng gubyerno para sa interes ng mamamayan.

Hindi dahil kay Marx, Lenin at Mao kaya nag-aaklas sila. Kaya ang iba ay humawak ng armas. Dahil na rin sa kondisyong kinakaharap nila sa buhay kaya sila nagiging kritiko ng gubyerno. Ikaw ba naman ang palayasin sa iyong lupa sa kanayunan, o dahil sa walang oportunidad sa probinsya kaya lumuwas sa Maynila, at naging skwater ngunit nawalan rin ng bahay dahil sa demolisyon, o naging bayarang babae, o nagtrabaho na lang bilang waiter, kasi walang pambayad sa tuition.

Merong me kaya, na pinili makisalamuha sa masa. Naging aktibista, at tumulong para imulat sila sa katotohanang puede pa nating ayusin ang kanilang kalagayan. Kung ang gubyerno sana ay nakikinig. Ngunit, imbes na tingnan, ang punot dulo ng problema, ang root causes kung bakit me rebolusyon, kung bakit nais humiwalay ang mamamayang Moro, gumagagamit ang gubyerno ng dahas.

Eto ang culture of impunity na isa ang ng sistema ng gubyerno ang patahimikin ang sinumang gustong me pagbabago. At sa kasaysayan, ang pag-igting ng opresyon ay nagdudlot din ng pag-igting ng paglaban ng aping mamamayan. Sa huli, ang mamamayan pa rin ang magwawagi, at lahat ng biktima ng pagpatay at pagdukot ay makakamit din ang hustisya.

I just arrived from Manila to attend a case conference for victims of political killings or extrajudicial killings (EJK) held by National Union of People’s Lawyer (NUPL).

Being the son of the first victim of the EJK in the Philippines under Noynoy Aquino administration, I attended. It was actually my first encounter with the so-called people’s lawyer. The one who are always on call whenever a rebel was caught, urban poor homes were demolished or activist charged with various trumped up criminal cases because they are not really happy of the present government.

They don’t charge for a fee, for giving their services to the victims of the human rights that as of now continue to get in numbers amidst the promise of reform by the Aquino government. The culture of impunity remains unabated and lucky for us, we have our people lawyer’s on our side.

When I was still practicing as a media practitioner, lawyers I know charge everything from consultancy fee, to notary fee. They are the ones who can make the accuse guilty or be an innocent person depending on how they present their cases to the courts.

Of course, it’s their profession, the means of livelihood to represent someone to the court either as a respondent or a petitioner.

But, here, like so many people I know when I became an activist, the very people who risked their limbs for others rights to be defended.

They are even being accused as legal counsel of the communist because the military are fun of charging activist or just any progressives any cases they can imagine to make them stop shouting to the streets, they are there to defend them come what may.

But like any other rights defender, they are just doing their job, but this time not for profit motive but to free the people who are wrongfully charged.

Even though I don’t really like the Justice system in the country, they can easily, if evidence presented are weak help in urging the judge to dismiss the case of the person’s charged by the military and the police at any courts.

Knowing them, inspired me to continue my work. Not only are there lawyers who dreamed of having a society that is free of oppression and exploitation but there are others who share the same vision and fight for it, at any court of laws or the people’s court of justice.

For young lawyers, or for those who are taking up laws, join them now and be the lawyer for the people.

Months of hiatus, forbids me to write for many things are easily eating up my time and span of attention. I’m a little impatient to craft things nowadays, and if I can’t do it overnight, I won’t do it on the long run.

I have again, modified this blog, to reflect things I think about today. I’m thinking of the comfort of sleeping in a hotel today (I’m on a seminar tour) when urban poor homes are being demolished.

I’m now addicted to Facebook games, and I’m busy tending my clients on my online store. But, when I search for my name (I’m kind of a narcissist), I look at the blog I registered years ago, and maybe like my fellow bloggers, it’s time to put it into use.

I am thinking of making a juice of my dreams, making use of my time sharing things I care the most – to liberate this country from years of bondage on the streets arousing, organizing and mobilizing the people as well as on the net, for those who care to visit my blog.

Yes, it’s official. I’m back as an activist after almost six years of wandering, and tasting what the government and its propagandist calls a “normal life”.

I quit as an LFS, Anak ng Bayan (now Kabataan) spokesperson in 2004, after a subjective disagreement with comrades. I was in limbo, and then joined a writing gig in a local newspaper, and then applied as a news reporter for a regional daily.

I was assigned in Antique. I tried to ask the org for consideration, to link up with Antique-based activist so that I may do my media work and the same time do some task given to me by the organization. But it did not materialize.

I was there, before Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado, Nilo Arado was abducted, and Leeboy Garacheco was shot. They went to Antique, and I accompany them, since I still consider myself as one of them even though on the record I’m inactive as well as to cover the Bayan Muna activities since 2007 elections are upcoming.

We last see each other in San Pedro, San Jose talking with allies and meeting with peasant and fisher folks and hours after they left for Iloilo, they were abducted.

I joined the search, as well as to investigate the details of their abductions from Antique to Iloilo. Those who took them really studied the way to abduct and make people disappear. I was afraid, and it took me three days to report to work.

The activist organizers, lied low, and so my contact with them was also lost. I then acted as an ordinary media man. Learning the craft of writing, investigating the hubabaloos on projects and scams, when not in mood contended in following up crime reported on police blotter and so on.

I have learned how to become a newspaper man, radio reporter/anchor and TV reporter and production staff in one setting, since media pay is very low and I really don’t want to sacrifice my principles being a hard hitting but uncompromising member of the Fourth estate.

Now, I went back to Aklan, resigned from my media job and work as a cheap copywriter, web developer for a UK-based boss. It’s a home-based job, and I stay mostly at home. I earned around P10, 000 to P13, 000 a month and I bought my first laptop, and yes a new pair of briefs.

I also work part-time as a critic and researcher of my activist-politician father, Fernando Baldomero. I am planning to go to Qatar, to work there as a programmer.

But everything changes, when my father was killed on July 5. I took his position as an SB member, the very position I never dream of having since I never wanted to join government.

My anger towards injustice done to my family, and the sense of impunity they brandished in our community force me to rethink my options. They pride themselves of killing a well-known NPA commander, when my father although a former NPA is already a member of Bayan Muna, a legal organization, and they continue to harass my family. There are no other options but to seek help, and to fight.

We have nowhere to go, and the comrades joined us in our grief and encourage us to go on. I told my father while he still at our house “The price of knowing my errors of leaving the organization is high, since you have paid it with your life for me to realize”.

Someone tap on my shoulder, and said… ohh you’re doing Friendster… it’s for kids ayt? I look at him so sternly with the dagger look sharp enough to pierce his skin a million times and left him bleed to death with no muscles left to be called a body, but in turn said “huh?” That’s all I can make up, surprise on his remark.

After that I began to think, (which I rarely do now) what is these out-of-the world creature talking about… and I realized he’s just being sarcastic, feeling mature enough to preach to a 26-year old guy that is always stuck on the screen for hours browsing the internet.

Hey, I’m 26. I realized should I do something mature enough to be called a productive member of the society or do some more “mature” things like drinking a beer, and talking about politics… or worse, do “mature” things and look for a wife. I’m 26 for god sake, and even though I got a girlfriend once in a blue moon… god it’s still far-fetched on my plans… it so happen that I become a journalist but still abhors this society… but that’s another topic.

I’m 26, and still doing Friendster. What’s the big deal? Not to become really defensive in defending my kind of stuff, but I began to wonder… I first got the hang-over of this Friendster mania way back in 2003. More or less 3 years ago if my memory serves me right. This is when; I am still trying to fit in as college student and being a student leader as that going with my fellow activist in shouting our lungs on the street.

And one time, just one time, I went to another province (Capiz) and I meet a friend, a hilarious girl infected with a little ounce of idiosyncrasy but no signs of emotional instability and urban arrogance compare to other pretentious Manileña.

She’s a wackier version of a natural girl with an infectious laughter that I happened to get close with. She’s easy to get along and we became text mates using the cellphone I still use now. I love this cellphone though it seems to be outdated but I bought this with my own money…

Ok back to the Friendster thing. She once in a blue moon text me… ‘You know bout friendster?” she asked one time. Trying not to feel ignorant and outdated… hmm… “Not yet” I replied though questions raced in my dumb brain what the heck is this earthling talking about???

But finally I ask people who are at the same time ignorant as I am what the heck is the Friendster, and you know I was really surprised when they replied they don’t have a littlebitty of an idea… opps, I’m sorry they are as ignorant as I am so I never really wonder.. My apologies.

Ok, back again… and then I read the national newspaper with one hand and the other still holding the outdated cellphone with the message still unerased and my big bulky eyes managed to scan the pages, and voila!

The Friendster! The online page where people who hates talks to people in person and love to meet person sometimes with s on the computer screen pretending to be somebody, using the picture of somebody and putting messages like hey.. “It’s my first time to be here in Friendster… can u add me?” the usual crap.

I asked why should I be in the Friendster… and she said it’s the latest hip invading the country… where I only noticed that time whenever I got online in order to surf por_, and steal programs, mp3s from the net trying to be a frustrated hacker/phreaker/cracker you name it and having so many email accounts that are left useless, some of the highschool kids are surfing something that has their pictures and their profiles, on which paranoid as I am believed that should not be done considering various maniacs trying to prey on cute highschool kids online.

Hmm… what the heck, I am not interested. But again I began to think (twice this time) that it is seldom to meet strangers in the like of her which I can talk to about something that has no real sense but at least we’re enjoying every moment of it. She’s a self-proclaimed tralala, but so am I.

So I began to think again (thrice) if I stopped communicating with her, I would forget her name and when I will happen to be strayed on her place, no one would ever treat me to a breakfast, lunch and dinner… haha my hungry stomach dictates that! Hmm, I really had this hard time remembering people. I can’t even remember those girls before which I felt crush with, my classmates in numerous schools I happened to study, and sometimes myself. Haha!

Ok, I conceded to her offer of trying the Friendster, so that I may remember her, for the sake of the treat. Then I add her using the email. She became my first official Friendster. And then she dared me… add more friends. And so I did.
I have many friends maybe hundreds of them already where I have the hard time remembering their first names and just call them, pardz, pre, miss… and friendster mania was still an alien to Aklan way back then, and I had the hard time looking for emails from people who are trying their best to at least type a letter in the keyboard, much more on the internet.

Ok, I was so interested to widen the numbers of my voters (I ran for election that time in supreme student council which I won), err to have more friends online. I think Bianca challenge me to have many friends as we can and if somebody has more Friendster’s compared to the other, one will treat her with I think 1 case of beer.

Ok, then I was so generous enough to teach students mostly from my course (Computer Science) and other students when teachers are just too dumb to teach them to open an email account. I became an unofficial instructor of internet literacy program, and in turn got my own plan in stealing their passwords, with the devious master plan of taking over the world.

Then afterwards I got some more Friendster’s. That time Friendster was so strict that your need to have the email of somebody in the Philippines to add them as your friend. And I got I think 200+ friends almost 90% of them strangers. But still I managed to get the emails of mostly highschool students from nearby science highschool and we became online friends.

I become addicted Friendster, that many of my online friends see me in person at the internet cafe, and say “that’s Ernan” while standing of my back trying to get my attention. I’m really not into introducing myself to them; I just coyly smiled and said nothing. God I was so stupid!

Then I tried other online friend’s site, like Myspace… Hi5 until I seldom enjoy doing the Friendster stuff because of many things to do, like finding a girlfriend on which I cursed Aklan for the rest of college life. Why? I never had a girlfriend in my home province for crying out loud.

And then, I began to think (fourth times already), what I am doin’ in my life?

Occasionally, I add some friends or them adding me. Exchanging nonsense messages and just trying to maintain the account with all the fuzz of having people on my account which I rarely check on them. I was not then into talking with somebody I have so little knowledge of their being. Are they aliens pretending to human, or human pretending to be alien?

Later I was so indulged into writing something outside the campus paper. I was feeling poetic that time, in many cases where I wrote poems because this feeling human kind of girls dump me many times!

I began to wonder, my Lola (grandma) used to say that I also looked human, but why is it that everytime I tried to court a girl, they’re not really into running away from me, but kept on saying that I like you too Ernan, but can we just friends? Oh my… I was really into thinking; could I afford to buy a blade to end my life?

Would it be too expensive to be dead with all those ceremonies of my burial and my friends would just contribute P20 for me, and then go to our house and eat there for 4-5 days and then on the eve of my burial eat again, and then be back again for the duration of the novena for my soul (which I doubt I have) be suffice for their contribution?

Hmm… I realized it was too expensive so I back-out from my suicidal tendency, and was back again courting cute little girls trying to convince them I can be a better boyfriend offering them poems written in scratch of paper, because I was so broke to even buy them a flower. But they were never convinced and I wrote poems again.

I tried to steal a rose from my neighbor one time, and I promised myself not to do it ever again for the nervous breakdown I nearly experienced when I was nearly caught in the process. Luckily, I pretend I was strolling and putting the flower inside my pants. God it hurts, something pointed pierce my butt on the process. Gee, I’m just kidding…

But because of my sheer ignorance, in one time one of my closest girl close friend, revealed to me while intoxicated that she have also a feelings for me, but she happened to a boyfriend that is also my gang.. I was shocked, but made a stand… I may have feelings for you I said, but I would never be a privy in destroying a good standing relationship. She broke up with her boyfriend after a month, and I was left with nothing. Again I wrote many poems.

Then just because of a joke, this one friend of mine one time, who also have the same experience like me when it comes to love and also happen to be the manager of Panay News, the biggest daily in the Visayas, invited me in to write in their newspaper. I was at that time, a trying hard “columnist” of the local paper “Hala Birada”. So I said, hmm… I’ll try. And then I began to write, news!!!

Honestly, news writing is not my forte. I can write straight news being for years a member of school publication but I’m influenced writing in the format of a campus newspaper mostly feature articles because students sometimes are not really into reading those. So I was so nervous, uneasy and drank liters of coffee, smokes many cigarettes on my first piece.

As I said, I’m not a good news reporter. So maybe our editor based in Iloilo city went through hard time, editing my piece of news contribution, but it was published. God I was in heaven… I have become a professional writer!

Honestly never in my mind entered that I would be working in a newspaper and be called a journalist. I was dreaming of becoming a disc jockey saying craps on radio trying to love my own voice, although people are inclined in putting their radio off whenever they hear me live on broadcast and putting it on when music starts to play. Hmm… But I never made it.

I attempted once applying in one FM station as disc jockey but I woke up so late in the morning and failed to submit my application. So my dream was not realized, and I change it in formulating my master plan of taking over the world.

Hey, where’s the Friendster thing here? Ok… we’ll get to that. I’m talking to myself.

With the joke (again), this friend of mine Edwin said that I would be transferred in Antique to be the manager of the branch there. Antique, is approximately 200 meters away from Aklan, the people if memories serves me right they’re speaking Kinaray-a (a German sounding accent). And hmm… I have a relative there and what the heck, I needed new surroundings and need to be on my own. But first, let me tell you that I have convinced a girl from Kalibo that I was worth a boyfriend but after I transferred in Antique, she proves me wrong later.

I never had the hard time speaking their dialect because way back in 1990 and 1993 I studied here. So, a month or so, I take over as the branch manager of Panay News in Antique and I started to enjoy and love the job. Salary is low, but it’s worth the fun that I have experienced.

Here I started to have Friendster but not from here but from abroad as of press time yesterday I already have an official 804 friends (March 20, 2006, 1800 hours Taipei Standard Time).

I’m 26 and still doin’ friendster. I now love meeting friends online, may it be in my own locality, in the next town, or province or from other country which I really want to communicate with to propagate my plans of taking over the world. I don’t mind doing kid stuff with clean but devious intentions. I love doin’ my stuff and I’m planning to torture the guy who mentions that Friendster is a kid stuff. Just kiddin.

PS. Violent reactions? don’t email me on my add: —erase–. Add me instead and we’ll plan to take over the world.

My blog post in my Friendster account way back in March 2006. I’m still a Friendster addict that time.

In the world of lies, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. (Crass, 1984)

We have just witness the zarzuela of the local elections in the country, when the Filipinos voted for their barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials that is months after the national and local synchronized elections held in May 2010.

Aspiring and incumbent politicians have been busy preparing, organizing and reaching out even to the far-flung barangays to ensure their respective votes and are trying to win their aspired posts. The winners were proclaimed, while the losers admitted their defeat hardly and some accused of being cheated, after elections, then what?

Many politicians now are trying to catch the affection and support of the masses. Even today, many go to places to visit their families, friends and many people to highlight their visibility. As it is a common line heard during election time, they say they are for the welfare of the poor and needy, or their platforms of governance will save the trailing economy, food on the table, job security, etc., but with those promises often used what among those were answered?

Our country’s economy is bankrupt, political bickering among the national and local politicians is a predicament, peace and order is at its worst, poverty is worsening and the common people can no longer appreciate the government’s programs and actions that mostly are detrimental to the sake of the majority of the peasants and workers that comprises the 80% of the Filipino people. With this situation, many will really grab the every opportunity for the temporary release of every day’s hardship by accepting bribes and money to buy their votes. But we cannot blame them. They suffer for so long and it’s their only recourse. The sad part is, the politicians are exploiting this situation for whose profit? You already know the answer.

Many promises have been brought through speeches, paid advertisements, leaflets and the like to promote politicians aim to garner the favor the masses. But with those promises, especially to those who will win the race, turn their backs to the people to whom they owe their positions. Such reality exists, though it is painful to accept.

Who among them have the sound economic, political, and social policies and programs to address the basic needs and demands of the common tao? Who among them, have tried to increase the salaries of the workers on private enterprises and public entities, implement the genuine land reform, stop demolitions among urban poor communities and give them affordable and decent housing?

Who among the technocrats and capitalist educators whom are the ones sitting in Congress and Malacañang have the guts to stop the perennial tuition fee increases, oil price hike and the water and power rates?
Who among them will have the political will to stop the trampling by foreign nations on the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will make this nation equal in footing and be respected by the world and not just a stooge and puppet of the imperialist? Maybe for some but not many.

Since the granting of the nominal independence in 1946 from the imperialist United States, the calls of the demands stated above was completely ignored by preceding presidents and lawmakers.

It is thankful that some party list and individuals was given a chance to sit on the congress, but still it is dominated by the ruling elites and the system is still the same. Of course, not all politicians are like this, I’m not really generalizing the accusation to those who are willing to genuinely serve and protect the interest of the many. But they are just a handful of admirable individuals that despite the rottenness of the political system in our country, they strive for the betterment of the people.

An election is the time, where the poor people should choose their leaders to serve them wholeheartedly and faithfully. However, people are given a little venue to select the leaders that are really espousing their ideals and aspirations. For the record, who among the presidents, and even the people of the congress was from the common tao or the basic masses?

It is imperative to cite that the Philippines are divided into classes. And in each class have their own political, economic and social agenda. The peasant demands for land, workers for just wages, students and youth for free and liberating education and the rich crave for profit. Then who among these classes have the capacity to run for a post and eventually holds the electoral positions? Then what interest are they espousing?

It clearly shows the system that exists in this country. An election that serves as the carnival of the elites that fools the masses of their political rhetoric’s and promises but will not even answer the basic demands of the people but is only up to the coffers and political machineries to serve their own kind, their cohorts, cronies and their business and political ambitions. Where is the hope for the common tao? Or is there any hope? Well, at every end of the tunnel there is a light and of course an exit. However, this cannot be reached overnight.

After 54 years, of self-governance where are we going to go now?

We have a system that is semicolonial and semifeudal that is in deep and worsening crisis. Foreign dictates prevail and our leaders are the parrots of their imperialist’s masters.

The Philippines remain as an agricultural country where peasants, workers and other marginalized sectors of the society that comprised 90% of the population lived in the quagmires of poverty, remains oppressed, exploited and disgruntled.
Many resorted to criminal acts, prostitution and other anti-social activities in their desperate attempts to survive. While many fight back and struggled to end the inequalities that is being propagated and impose by the ruling few.

Some choose to take-up arms because they no longer believe in the system and they want to replace it by their own, as in the case of the New People’s Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, while some took on the streets and shouts at the top of their lungs the injustices and irresponsibility of the present and past governments.

Though we recognize the fact that an election is just the contests of the elites, we cannot stop people from voting, and it is their democratic rights to do so. Though the choices for the electoral posts are of the same kind but not all, we should choose the lesser evil that will govern our country for three or six years.

But let us not put our hope in their hands. We have been hoping for so long. People, especially the oppressed are the true makers of history. We shall forward the interest and democratic aspirations of our class and with our might we will confront those corrupt and evil politicians to subdue to the people’s demands, and through a painstaking arousing, organizing, and mobilizing the people for their democratic interest, we shall have our own government that is represented by all oppressed classes of the society.

A democratic, independent and progressive government that will put forward the interest of the many, with a sound program to answer the question of land, and national industrialization. A country that has the independent, and fair foreign policy, and the people that are equal in the name of law, justice, social equity and opportunity. A nation that is proud to be nation. That is a dream that will soon be realized. So, are you one of us?

Reality strikes when you are alone, or you are in a situation where you are solicited in sharing things you choose not to remember. It has been 105 days since my father death and more than 3 years since Luisa Posa Dominado and Leonilo “Nilo” Arado was abducted. Two separate incidents that had rock the “peace” in Panay Island but the memories remain vivid since there were closely related to me.

Luing and Nilo

I was a journalist in Antique when Maria Luisa Posa Dominado (Luing) and Nilo Arado together with Jose Ely Garachico (Leeboy) went to Antique on April 12, 2007 to conduct a meet up some people there. It was Thursday and after knowing that they were there I look for them and accompanied them.

I personally know them since I was also an activist before I became as a journalist and was based in Antique. I have rarely seen them since i stayed there from Aklan and I was hoping to get some news worthy stories for a regional newspaper.

I talked with Nilo about peasant’s activity and programs that the Pamanggas, the organization that he chaired will be implementing in Antique. We stayed in a house in San Pedro, San Jose and parted at around 7:00 pm on April 12, 2007. I went home and sleep early due to a tiring day and discovered around 20 miss calls and several text messages the next day informing me that Leeboy was shot, Nilo and Luing was abducted.

I joined the search in Antique, helped in verifying information about their location but to no avail. It was the first case of a celebrated forced disappearance in Panay.

Months before she was taken away, I have seen her face (still in her teens) being presented by the 79th IB of the Philippine army as the leader of the United Front Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines in a Peace and Order Council meeting in San Jose. I secretly laugh since I know the military is again fabricating stories, like my own name in the “order of battle” that was shown to me when I arrived in Antique.

I never realized that the presentation will be the prelude to her and Nilo’s disappearance. They have joined the several cases of disaparecidos in the Philippines, a clear manifestation of the disrespect for the human rights by the state forces.

Ine

My father, Fernando Baldomero, a former communist guerrilla for two decades was arrested in 1993 and incarcerated in Antique Provincial Jail. I was studying in Antique as a first year highschool student when it happened. He was accused of several charges along with 37 other suspected NPAs but the cases were all dismissed 2 years later.

He is called Nanding by his relatives and friends, Caloy and Ine by his comrades.

He was freed, went home to Aklan and lived with us with my step mother. I was already a junior highschool that time and have not yet understand his cause. We even have many fights because of his military type of discipline that alienated me and my three brothers.

I became an activist in 1997 while studying in UP Miag-ao and later transferred to Kalibo, Aklan a year later. He was even against my joining in the League of Filipino Students and our rising radicalism since my three other brothers also joined in Anakbayan and LFS.

But later, our personal differences were settled when comrades step in, and get closer politically. It was also that time that he had decided to contribute again in the struggle but no longer as an armed combatant but an activist in Aklan.

He was a three-termer barangay councilor in our place and has gained the respect of my town mates and other people in Aklan and neighboring province. He was remain committed to the cause he had fight for more than two decades, despite for the fact that many comrades of his had decided to abandon their principles and instead joined reformist groups now collaborating with the government for money.

He was a hated figure by the military, despite of once being offered a million peso, a movie of his life, a colonel rank in the AFP intelligence, and other perks other former communist had gladly accepted. He remained poor but principled, some traits I was able to understand and respected years later in my own study of the nature and history of the national democratic struggle.

He ran for town councilor but did not win on 2004. Months after that he was rearrested in 2005, on a trump up charges. Jailed for months in Guimbal, Iloilo and later in Antique. As a media personality I even headlined him in Panay News, to the laughter of my colleagues, me making news out of the arrest of my father.

I never told them the fear that my father’s arrest would be the end of his life, the reason for the early exposure to the public will help in ensuring his safety. Since that time, it is already a common occurrence that activists arrested by elements of the state were never been found, or just been discovered dead accompanied by the military story of an “encounter”.

Again he was released from prison. Ran for 2007 elections and won as the town’s no. 7 councilor. He was one of the most vocal councilor in our town, the persistent leader and father of activists and ordinary masses in our province. He was the chairman of Bayan Muna-Aklan, member of Selda which Luing is also a member.

He ran again for reelection in 2010, and won as no. 3. Five days after he had formally sits as an SB member he was shot by two assassins riding in a motorcycle in front of his rented boarding house in Kalibo.

His death did not come as a surprise, like that of what happened to Nilo and Luing. They have trekked a road not frequently crossed by many people. They are hated by the government for showing the people the alternative choice of a government that we should have.

They are calling for genuine agrarian reform, national industrialization, rights of people to be respected, just wages for workers, land for the landless, housing programs for the urban poor, nationalist and liberating education for the youth, are just among the few demands that the government should have done years ago, but were continued to be denied for the fact that those sitting in the Congress and Malacanang are not the real representatives of the poor but belong to the class of collaborators, landlords and oppressors that can be traced back to the Spanish, American and Japanese colonization.

They were tagged as communist, their organizations as legal fronts, making it justifiable for the police and military elements to hunt them down like what they have been told to do against those who rise up in arms and joined the NPA and MILF against the government for the same demands stated above.

But one thing is certain. They are not combatants or have been engaged in terrorist activities. They are ordinary people who had choose to be the voice of the voiceless, and fight for the rights being trampled for so long but instead were meet by truncheons, and now bullets from the state that should be protecting the welfare not only of the wealthy and the few but to the general public especially to those who had been suffering oppression and exploitation for decades.

There is simply no justification for what happened to Nilo and Luing, and to my father. No excuses from the police and military, from the various government agencies that keep on telling us that the justice system will serve us well.

I have wished that my father’s death that had also fall as the first case of extrajudicial killing under the new administration of Noynoy Aquino, a son of a murdered politician, should be the last. But 15 more political killings happened in three months; two more persons were abducted and remain missing.

The fact shows that activist are regularly being hunted like criminals, monitored and spied by intelligence operatives, harassed and killed. Thousands have been murdered, hundreds have remain missing, trumped up charges filed against the militants and even to those who were not even members of the Left just because of their beliefs only aggravates my loss of fate that justice will be served to my Tatay, Nay Luing and Nong Nilo in the system that we have today.

The tears and anger in the eyes of the victims family that I have witnessed in a gathering in Manila made me realize that it is no longer a matter of just asking and calling for justice. I need to make a stand in fighting for what they have stand for, and join the rising ranks of those who have decided to trek the road rarely taken, that have been spilled by the bloods of the martyrs.

The killers have not also realized that by killing one, many others are angered by their death, the reason for a rising number of activists and even revolutionaries recruited for a cause. History speaks for itself that heighted political repression begets revolutionary violence – a widespread political upheaval that brings about a new society, new government that destroys and replaces the oppressive and corrupt state.

There is no justice and freedom in this present system the reason for its destruction is necessary. Only in a society that is represented by the people that have been oppressed and exploited will pave the way for the realization of a truly democratic and pro-people society with no more injustice and exploitation to speak of.

If you feel pain and it aims to force you to be, don’t. It would be damn easy to cry like a baby when you can do something better. But the problem is I used up all my painkillers at my computer box converted to medicine box at my dungeon. I live underground and kind of like it. Underground = UG. Aastig!

I admit I got this unhealthy habit of staying up yet, partly blaming Smartbro for my misfortune since, getting online and doing things my Boss from the other part of the globe pays me to do is possible and with fast internet connection when nobody’s using the Smartbro system. With this, I kind of getting used to headache for lack of sleep and unhealthy (?) habit of drinking too much coffee.

I stayed up late for three consecutive sessions (I won’t call it day, since it involves tinkering with my laptop’s keyboard when everyone’s asleep). I eat my second dinner at 2:00 or 3:00 am and play with my cat “Minggay” when writers block hit me in few minutes. My beer belly is again making me notice him, but I can still breathe when I fix my shoelace. So I think I will just let him be.

I never imagine the life of being a full blown writer. Writing articles on topics that mostly don’t interest me. I have foregone the habit of blogging on other topics which is supposed to be another source of payment for my hosting bills, but since my Boss pays me on time although not as much since I first started working on him, I can now buy a new shoes and planning to buy a new postpaid phone from Globe since I just can’t find the nearest Globe autoload in my place. Smart is the word here on local stores.

I am supposed to wake up at 11:00 am since I made a groggy jump to my bed at 3:00 and slept at 4:30. But I remember I was supposed to attend to a committee hearing on an ordinance sponsored by my councilor colleague at nine, and yes I arrived there late at 9:30 but still managed to attend the hearing since they started at 10:00.

I attended our session with no exciting things to tell. I need to drink another coffee.

I got a sore left elbow and a scratch palm when I rushed to the bathroom yesterday. Yes, I woke up early at 8:00 am when a school teacher told me they’re waiting for me at a school program at the town proper.

I did not bother thinking I only got three hours of sleep, went to the CR and after my bath there I performed an acrobatic jump after my right foot slip on a slippery floor. Took me a minute to stand up and check myself, no blood oozing out, I think I’m safe.

I rush to my room, find my father’s barong, fit it in and in 10 minutes I’m good to go. But I was not able to ride on my motorcycle since it won’t start, luckily my uncle’s piggery consultant was around and he was my driver for a day.

I was invited as a guest speaker (my hair’s stands) of the Lezo Integrated School annual Palaro. My speaking part should be at 8:30 but they started early, so I think I have a reason why I’m late. Luckily I prepared a speech around 3:00 am before I sleep so there’s no pinitla in my speech.

I talk about the importance of sport; hmm… the only sport I know in highschool is chess. I also play basketball, but my skills are best played on the bench.

I noticed the school children were so small even those in high school, I told a teacher about my observation and he agreed with me. But I appreciate that some smiled when I tried to crack a joke on my speech. It was a worthy speech on my own right considering doing it on rush, and I feel like sleeping while on stage.

That was my first public appearance as a politician in my hometown and I’m thinking about what other things I need to do in order to do my part in helping this children.

I think i will train myself the way my father deals with the people in my home town. Although I grow up in here I stayed most of life in other areas, the reason I am still struggling to deal with people I barely know.

My aunt told me about a kid studying in grade 2 that is serious in his studies but lacks all the necessities for his education. His mother died, and his family suffering in extreme poverty.

I will be paying them a visit on Monday and will ask my fellow SB member for a donation to be given to the boy’s family.

It’s a dreaded word for writers and journalist. The time when you need to finish a story, a feature, a news report, but when you face your laptop or desktop computer you face a blank wall and can think of nothing and even cannot properly arrange the words running in your head.

Eventually, you ended up doing nothing since you can’t find the suitable title, right heading, and later on doing something not related to what you are supposed to do since, you meet a blank wall in writing whatever you wanted to write.

It happened to me several times. Since I am most fond of beating the deadline with three to five news quota my news editor has given us to get everyday from my previous newspaper writing job. If lucky I could land a two to three story but never more than that since my area of coverage is to wide and my time spent collecting news reports was never been enough.

The main contributing factor on why I am facing a writer’s block is my lack of focus, materials to write and many things that seems to pop at the times when you are aiming to do your job and doing something useful.

I have quit my journalist job, planning to work abroad but eventually I ended up in a never-ending saga of writing articles that is much more demanding and brain draining article writing job I got online. Pay is good without having to lick your boss ego everytime if you want a raise, but it eventually boils down to pay per work scheme, where when you got sick, or just have been stuck whole day playing Mafia Wars or watching TV you are paid less.

When I decided to change the outlook and perspective of this blog, from being a hard news source, into a more personal tambutso of my eccentricities and sometimes “serious” thoughts about the world, I thought I could easily blend in to the world of personal bloggers making an interesting post each day.

But sadly, maybe I was too engrossed and highly brainwashed on my previous journalist job, added by ever demanding online job to do each morning (early hours at that), I got a rare chance to write something long and worthy (for me) to read.

I ended up looking for a CD I burned years back, and select some of my writings (poems I called) and post it on my site just to keep an update on my blog and maybe, not to make someone wonder why I rarely post in my blog.

I was too detached to my personal emotions in my five year stint as a journalist, since mostly you don’t put yourself on your story, and that is the main reason why I never seen myself getting into personal opinions and tsismis anymore on my writings.

I talked a lot, and still do today, and I think I needed system to record things that I say, and look for something interesting like new ideas and discoveries I would have to be put here to make it an interesting to read by whom it may concern.

Right now, I’m still struggling to think of a best anecdote, a note to start a topic, and way how to make a useful blog to make readers stick on this blog. Still, I’m having a writer’s block.