Fasting to Resist the Monster of Morong - Oppose the Commissioning of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP)

12 April 2009

It's Easter 2009 and even as I write, Prof. Ed Aurelio "Ding" Reyes persists in his seven-day fast to protest the commissioning of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.  Fasting is not only a physical undertaking but more so a spiritual one. I have to admit that I am not spiritually prepared to join this seven-day fast but I've tried my best to do the next best thing which is to pray for the safety of Prof. Reyes and his fellow fasters, do a one-day fast starting mid-afternoon today and, if possible, put up an online petition against BNPP and then go to Morong, Bataan to directly cover this momentous event.  

You'll find below the statement by Prof. Reyes on the BNPP fast.  For more information, please go to this website:

“LUMALAWIG NA PAG-AAYUNO” vs. BNPP

(MATAIMTIM NA KAHILINGANG IGAWAD ANG LIWANAG NG KATINUAN AT NG KARANGALAN SA USAPIN NG MULING-PAGBUHAY SA LUBHANG MAPANGANIB AT LUBHANG MAGASTOS NA PROYEKTONG PLANTANG NUKLEYAR SA BATAAN.)

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Simula ngayong ika-9 ng Abril, makasaysayang Araw ng Bataan, at banal na Araw ng Huwebes Santo ng kasalukuyang taon, at sa mga araw na kasunod pa nito, kaming nakalagda sa ibaba ay kusang-loob na nagdaraos ng LUMALAWIG NA PAG-AAYUNO upang humiling ng liwanag ng karangalan, katinuan at katalinuhan na makapagpapatigil sa karamihan ng mga mambabatas sa sa ginagawa nilang pagtataguyod ngayon sa muling-pagbubuhay sa lubhang mapanganib at lubhang magastos na proyektong Plantang Nukleyar sa Bataan o BNPP, nang wala man lamang pagbubunyag, pag-aaral, at pagsasaalang-alang sa makapal na opisyal na siyentipiko at teknikal na dokumentasyon sa ilampung libong depektong natuklasan sa plantang naitayo. Iresponsableng pagsusugal ito sa buhay, kaligtasan, kalusugan at kapanatagan namin at ng aming mga anak, at ng isisilang pang mga salinlahi. Ipinasya naming gawin ito upang humiling ng dagdag na liwanag ng kaalaman, tapang at katatagan ng mamamayan upang pigilin ang mga kinatawan ng kani-kanilang mga distrito sa ganitong kriminal na iresponsibilidad. At ipinasya naming gawin ito upang humiling din ng liwanag ng dagdag na katatagan sa katinuan at kabayanihan ng kakaunti pa ngayong mambabatas sa Kongreso na tumututol sa binabalak isabatas ng mayorya ng mga kasapi nito.

Bawat isa sa amin ay nagpapanata ng pitong araw na pag-aayuno, at sa bawat isa’y maaaring mabawasan ng araw na ipag-aayuno kung ang bawat araw na ibabawas ay tutubusin ng isang kalahok na magpapanata rin ng pitong araw na pag-aayuno, sa isang sistema ng pagdudugtungan at pagdami ng mga mag-aayuno, na tiyak na ikalalawig nito.

Tatapusin namin ang ayunong lumalawig sa sandaling ilabas ng Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ang isang opisyal na pahayag na hindi na tatanggapin ang HB 4631 o anupamang panukalang batas na nagtatakda ng pagbubuhay muli sa plantang nukleyar. o sa sandaling ilabas ang isa man lamang opisyal na pahayag na ititigil ang anumang pagtatalakay nito sa Kapulungan habang hi-nahanap, ipinalalaganap at pinag-aaralan pa ng lahat ng mga kasapi ng Kapulungan ang siyen-tipiko at teknikal na dokumentasyong ipinagawa at ginastahan na ng Republika ng Pilipinas.

Habang walang pormal na inilalabas na alinman sa ganitong mga opisyal na pahayag ay itutuloy namin ang pagpapalawig ng ayunong ito sa Morong, Bataan at sa iba’t ibang dako ng kapuluang Pilipinas -- laluna sa mga distritong kinakatawan ng mga kongresistang maka-BNPP -- at saanmang iba pang bansa na mayroong mga Pilipinong nagmamalasakit sa mga kababayan dito sa ating lupang tahanan.

Kasihan nawa kami ng Bathalang Maykapal!

1. Prof. Ed Aurelio C. Reyes, edukador at may-akda ng maraming aklat sa iba’t ibang tema at paksa; residente ng Subic, Zambales na di-kalayuan sa Morong, Bataan; Pasimuno at Punong Tagapagsalita, Kamalaysayan (Kaisahan sa Kamalayan sa Kasaysayan); at Kalihim-Pangkalahatan ng Pamayanang SanibLakas ng Pilipinas

2. xxx xxx

Sumisimpatiya kami at nagtataguyod din sa panalangin ng mga nagsasagawa ng “Lumalawig na Ayuno” laban sa Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

1.

2.

(Sa bawat buong araw ng pag-aayuno, ang kalahok ay kakain lamang ng isang magaang na tanghalian, halimbawa’y dalawang malasadong itlog na may crackers o kaunting kanin o anumang katumbas nito, nang walang anumang limitasyon sa iinuming tubig o anupamang malabnaw na likido. Ang pag-aayuno ng sinumang kalahok ay dapat magpalaganap ng mga datos ukol sa isyung ito at dapa iparating sa mga tagapag-ulat ng mass media sa kani-kanilang pook ng pag-aayuno.) 

ang anumang komentaryo ay ipaabot po lamang sa saniblakas.foundation@yahoo.com

For a concise discussion of the basic objections to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, please read Seven (7) Reasons Against the Revival of BNPP. 

Below in reverse-chronological order is an update from Prof. Reyes on the progress of his fast:

ACCOUNTS / UPDATES ON "LUMALAWIG NA AYUNO" VS. BNPP

(in the reverse-chronological order)

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 SATURDAY, April 11:  'SLEEPY, WITH SLIGHT DIZZINESS'

FOR THE FIRST TIME since starting his fast in the first minute of Thursday, April 9, Prof. Reyes has observed that the feeling of drowsiness has not been leaving him the whole morning and a good part of the afternoon. Fr. Loreto has mentioned the need to monitor his blood pressure and plans to make arrangements for this.  For his part, Reyes, who has been taking only a light lunch of two soft-boiled eggs, two bananas and some crackers as his only meal for the whole day (24 hours), said he has been given "booster shots" by personal friends who had been expressing their support for him and, more importantly, for the issue he has been carrying.

Reyes said: My fasting prayer is for adequate light be given to the almost 200 members of the Lower House who have signed their support for the BNPP revival bill without even looking at the officially commissioned thick scientific and technical audit documentation on the plant, including no less that 40,000 discovered defects. Why can't they wait and see that report first before expressing their informed choice through the votes they will cast? Why gamble very irresponsibly with our lives, safety, health, and peace of mind?  Even professional gamblers study the odds!"  

With regards to the encouragement he has been getting from his friends, the International Academy of Management and Economics (IAME) chairman, Dr. Emmanuel T. Santos, PhD., had earlier told him via his mobile phone, "Kaya mo yan!"  This afternoon, as word got out through the texting network about a slight turn in his health, more such encouraging messages from his personal friends streamed in, including one each from Knights of Rizal Supreme Commander and Rizal Provincial Adminstrator Virgilio Esguerra and Commission on Elections officer Atty. Ferdie Rafanan.  Reyes said many of his friends have vast spheres of influence, "and we are only praying for the light of reason to obviously prevail in this discourse."

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 FRIDAY, April 10: POSSIBILITIES FOR CO-FASTERS BROADENED

BECAUSE FEW PEOPLE would be ready to undergo a seven-day fast, the "Ayu-NO to BNPP!" leader was prevailed upon by suggestions that people may "redeem" days from his 7-day commitment with shorter durations of fasting. Instead of having to commit to fast for seven days fast to deduct one day (24 hours) from his, one may fast for four days and take away half a day (12 hours) or two days to take away 6 hours, or just a day to deduct 3 hours.  Full fasting (no solids at all) counts for double these values.

Reyes clarified that he is not mainly interested in reducing the seven days he had committed to undertake, but to broaden the possibilities and really increase the number of co-fasters. 

As this developed, Gigette Reyes, the fasting leader's own younger sister in Quezon City declared she was having a full fasting for three days, and this, combined with Mr. Sta. Cruz's two days of full fasting, has been enough to reduce the duration of Prof Reyes's fast by a full day.  Other supporters have signified through text messages that they planning to start their own sometime this week.

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 THURSDAY, April 9:  'SIETE PALABRAS' NG AYUNO VS. BNPP UPLOADED

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS, in a special version for the anti-BNPP campaign was completed by Prof. Ed Aurelio C. Reyes and immediately uploaded in the AKMA website for possible use by all members of the broad campaign wherever they are, if they had any opportunity to do so.  But it was designed to be useful even to individuals who would seek to relate their Holy Week activities to this campaign and its broader context.  (For full text, click here.) 

A personal sharings session was held right at the fasting venue in the early afternoon, led by the author of the piece and participated in by the guests who were there at the time.

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 THURSDAY, April 9:  VISITORS COME FROM FAR AND NEAR

THE 'AYUNO' AGAINST THE BNPP REVIVAL was visited by close friends and associates of the fasting leader in the morning of the first full day of the fast.  Two Metro Manila-based leaders of Pamayanang SanibLakas ng Pilipinas, namely, PSLP Deputy Secretary General Edward Sta. Ana and National Economic Protectionism Association (NEPA) President Dr. Ernesto Gonzales, who was accompanied by the latter's relative arrived first but were followed shortly after by a SanibLakas active member who had come all the way from Davao City, Ernesto Sta. Cruz.  Sta. Cruz immediately decided to join the fast and even made it a full one (no solids at all).  Other visitors of the fasting activity also came from within Morong itself.

There were reports in the afternoon that Rep. Marcos Cojuangco of Pangasinan, author of the BNPP Revival bill, came to town that time in a long convoy of vehicles.  The arrival was immediately reported to media people in Metro Manila who asked to be informed of developments if any.

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 WEDNESDAY, April 8: PARISH LEADER RECEIVES 'FASTING' LEADER

THE VICE PRESIDENT of the Parish Council received LUMALAWIG NA AYUNO leader Prof. Ed Aurelio Reyes mid-afternoon, hours before the latter was to start his planned seven-day fasting. Reyes was warmly received by Julito Velasco, who has also been one of the active local leaders of the campaign to oppose the revival of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant which is situated in this municipality. 

Velasco told Reyes that arrangements had been made to facilitate the start of his fast but that he would have to understand that all the parish leaders, especially Fr. Ronie Loreto, were very busy with the Holy Week activities. Noting that Reyes was still to start fasting at midnight, he invited the latter to join them for dinner, about a couple of hours thence, for they still had a procession to take care of. He advised his guest not to join the procession and instead conserve his strength.

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 MONDAY, April 6: BISHOP SOC BLESSES PLANNED 'AYUNO'

LUMALAWIG NA AYUNO initiator Ed Aurelio C. Reyes received this text message from Balanga Bishop Socrates Villegas very early today, April 6, in response to a letter Reyes left with the Bishop's residence late the previous night. With that letter were the Filipino and English texts of the main statement of the Lumalawig na Ayuno where the purposes, the mechanics and other details are indicated. (For Filipino text click here; for English text click here.) 

The short text message from 'Bishop Soc,' as the prelate is fondly called, reads in full:

"Bishop Soc here. Good morning po Prof Reyes. I bless your fasting for the intentions of our campaign against BNPP. You may have your fast at (specific area near the parish church). Fr. Ronie Loreto will assist you. God be with you.

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 SUNDAY, April 5: ENCOURAGING MESSAGES POUR IN

A TOTAL OF 37 SHORT TEXT MESSAGES came in quick succession to the cell phone of the "Lumalawig na Ayuno" leader Ed Aurelio C. Reyes on April 4 and 5, and were uploaded into the very new website created by SanibLakas CyberServices mainly for promoting the culture of active stakeholdership, but also timed to prepare for the launching of the "Ayuno" laban sa BNPP.  The messages came from various parts of the country, including the single town and the cities of the national capital region, and the following provinces: Palawan; Davao; Cavite; Pampanga; Zambales; Bataan; Rizal; and Bulacan.  There were also encouraging messages that came in via email.

Reyes later told a friend that all these messages, responding to his own which spelled out the purpose and issue, had become his weapon against physical and emotional difficulties he expected to face in the duration of his fast. (to view his own text message and the responses, click here.)

Let's pray for the safety of Prof. Ding Reyes and his fellow fasters!  Let's pray that God will enlighten the minds and touch the hearts of Philippine government officials so that our country will be spared of the grave perils posed by the Monster of Morong. Let's support the people's struggle against the BNPP!

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"Walang Pera?" The GMA News and Public Affairs Global Recession Special

29 March 2009

The following video is a 20-minute special presentation by Mike Enriquez, entitled "Walang Pera?" starring Marianne Rivera as an electronics worker who lost her job because of the global crisis.  I learned about it through an email message yesterday afternoon from "Juan Maralita" of Kamalaysayan.    

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Juan Maralita's email message itself, in its entirety, is as follows: 

Panoorin ang Dokumentasyon Hinggil sa Global Crisis - GMA 7

Kamakailan, nitong Marso 22, 2009, ika-10:45 ng gabi, ipinalabas sa GMA 7 ang dokumentaryong "Walang Pera? The GMA News and Publi Affairs Global Recession Special" na pinagunahan ni Mike Enriquez bilang tagatalakay, at Marian Rivera bilang manggagawang apektado ng tanggalan sa mga pabrika.

Upang mapanood ang kabuuang 20 minuto nito sa YouTube, paki-click lang ang:

http://www.gmanews. tv/video/ 38706/SNBO- Walang-Pera

Narito ang ilang datos na ipinakita sa palabas.

1,095 nawalan ng trabaho sa wholesale at retail sector

4,056 nawalan ng trabaho sa real estate

4,971 nawalan ng trabaho sa mga minahan

40,456 nawalan ng trabaho sa manufacturing

19,242 nawalan ng trabaho sa electronics

1,800 manggagawa ng Intel

2.6 bilyong dolyar ang kita mula sa electronics exports noong 2008, source: NSO

7,303 nawalan ng trabaho sa garments, DOLE Peb. 2009

sa 15 patahian sa Clark Export Processing Zone, 6 na lang ang bukas ngayon

Peninsula Fashion Inc. - from 0.5M buwan-buwan, ngayon ay 200,000 piraso ng damit na lang ang order

sa niyugan $717M ang kita ng gobyerno 2008 mula sacoconut oil

in metric tons, kita $1,300 dollar ngayon $610 na lang

hanggang dito na lamang muna, kung sakaling may nakaligtaan ako, o may mungkahi kayo, mangyaring ipaabot nyo naman sa akin

maraming salamat

The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all your time. ~Willem de Kooning 

Poverty is the mother of crime. ~Marcus Aurelius 

The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied....but written off as trash. The twentieth-century consumer economy has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing. ~John Berger 

Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit. ~Eli Khamarov, Lives of the Cognoscenti

I believe this video special is bound to be a classic guidepost, something which 5 or 10 years from now we'll all look back to and say --  hopefully --  "may natutunan ako sa video special ni Marianne, mahirap ang buhay lalo na kung hindi ka handa.  kailangang magtipid at magsikap . kailangang mag-aral nang mabuti at makatapos.  Kailangang gumising na at suriin kung mabisa nga ba talaga ang 'foreign investments' sa pag-unlad ng bansa, mga 'foreign investments' na sa isang iglap ay pwedeng maglahong parang bula habang ang mga umaasang manggagawa ay biglang naging kawawa ..." 

 

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Demands of Dignity by Prof. Ed Aurelio "DING" Reyes

February 4, 2009

Prof. Ed Aurelio "DING" Reyes launched his book "Demands of Dignity," at IAME.  Prof. Ding is shown below signing a copy of his book. 

Here, Prof. Ding poses for a picture with friends, among them no less than Dr. Emmanuel T. Santos, aka Noli Santos (as in Noli Santos International Tower, that's where the IAME is located).  

In his Introduction, Prof. DING explains best the rationale for his present volume:

"Ten years ago, on the occasion of the Golden and Centennial anniversaries of UDHR [Universal Declaration of Human Rights] and TP [Treaty of Paris of 1898], respectively, an active network promoting a keen sense of history among the peoples of the Philippines spearheaded together with the largest alliance of human rights advocates in the country a human rights-oriented and historically-mandated project in the form of a '1998 Philippine Declaration of Felicitation and Protest.'

Through the efforts of Kamalaysayan and the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) this was formulated and subsequently signed by over 300 history-oriented educators, human rights [advocates] and students from all over the country, and copies were delivered to the respective embassies of Spain and the United States, the office of the United Nations resident representative in the Philippines, and some other official addressees, including the embassy of France.

This 1998 Philippine Declaration expresses, among others, a demand for an official apology from Spain and the same from the US.  We got a response from the Spanish ambassador, and his makes for a very interesting reading.

Now, a full decade later, Kamalaysayan is launching as a campaign project a deeper and broader discourse on the contents of this 1998 Declaration, covering the effort to foster a deeper understanding and firmer grasp of both international documents along with their respective implications and consequences, and elaborating on the items for which we have earlier aired demands for apology.

To jumpstart this campaign and provide an intial folio of materials for circulation and discussion, this writer was tasked to put together this book, one of the thickest and most well-researched among his two dozen or so published works, full-titled, Demands of Dignity: Developing the Discourse on the Philippine December 10th Declaration, a Decade After.  This book comes out in standard hard-copy version of about 180 pages, and in electronic full and popular versions mainly for an international audience.

The first two chapters tackle why the UDHR and the TP are, respectively, "a cause for celebration" and "a cause for indignation." The third chapter elaborates in detail the bases of the demands for Spanish and American official apology to the Filipino people and to Humanity, and the last two chapters respond to the Spanish written response and to the American non-response to the 1998 Declaration.

We have been asked why we still bother with these two very old documents 'just because they got signed on the same date.'  Actually, these two are much more closely related than that -- they are mutually relevant.  And they form part of our continuing past, for better and for worse.  They are part of the History of Humankind, of all of us.  They are both covered by the Demands of Human Dignity."

Mr. Max de Mesa, Chairperson of PAHRA, wrote the foreword.  This is what he says:

"The author challenges our sense of time in relation to human rights.  How far can we appropriately and effectively reach out from the past to correct the present and to work together for common dignity in the future?

The people' struggles inform and reshape the human rights discourse not only its language but its content as well.  To be effective and relevant, human rights defenders from the concerned parties must thus engage in solidarity with those who struggle for their dignity and rights.  The people in turn must engage the duty-holders, as well as all claim-holders of human rights to ensure that they all enjoy the full implementation of these rights and obtain dignity for all concerned."

Dr. Noli Santos wrote:

"Demands of Dignity by Ed Aurelio C. Reyes is a fresh historical contribution to the mainstream radical intellectual tradition of Philippine struggle for recognition of human dignity, independence, freedom and democracy."

He ended his Prologue, thus:

"With the hindsight of history, we call on President Obama to issue a statement of apology to the Filipino people and the Republic of the Philippines to show to the world that America still stands by its basic values of respect for human dignity, life, liberty, freedom, truth, justice and pursuit of happiness.  We also request President Obama to order the immediate return of the historic Bells of Balangiga taken by the American forces and are still being kept in the US after more than 100 years.  This bell is part of the natural treasure of the Philippines."

To me, Demands of Dignity is unfolding, interactive history -- this is a theme that I will be returning to from time to time.  

It summons us as a nation to keep confronting our past, to move on beyond that past when we have learned its more relevant lessons to forge a future that beckons with peace, justice, progress and dignity.

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