Just pondering...is the Phil. Govt. ignoring this?

Reposting here some previous reports: 

75 concrete blocks spotted in Panatag Shoal

By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) | Updated September 5, 2013 - 12:00am

 4  5 googleplus0  0 

MANILA, Philippines - More concrete blocks have been spotted in the disputed Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal.

At least 75 concrete blocks were seen around the shoal by an aerial surveillance team last Monday, defense department spokesman Peter Galvez said yesterday.

“Each block (measures) two feet by two feet,” he said.

Galvez said it is possible that some of the concrete blocks were not seen during the surveillance conducted on Aug. 31. Officials reported that they then monitored 30 concrete blocks.

“These (blocks) can be easily dropped off from any platform,” Galvez said.

He said the blocks could be used as foundation for a structure and a prelude to construction activity.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Concrete blocks in Panatag 'not new,' Defense chief admits

October 25, 2013 2:33pm

  311  21  1  384 

Tags: Scarborough Shoal

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Friday admitted that the Defense Department had erred in describing the concrete blocks seen in the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal as new, which almost drove the Philippine government to file a diplomatic protest against China.

“They (concrete blocks) have barnacles already, meaning they are old but that was new to us because we saw them only then,” said Gazmin in an ambush interview in Camp Aguinaldo. “It's possible that it was low tide when the photos were taken and it was high tide during the previous missions."Gazmin was referring to the photos taken during reconnaissance flights in August and September showing 75 

concrete blocks scattered within the vicinity of the Panatag Shoal, which is being claimed by China.

 

It’s not really all fun in Palawan…

Not really all fun in Palawan...?! 

I was blessed to go to Puerto Prinsesa this May 11 to 15, 2014 to attend the 3^rd Annual Regional Conference of AIMP (Ang Iglesia Metodista ng Pilipinas) Palawan Conference and after the said conference had the chance to visit other beautiful places of Palawan, my gratitude to our newfound friends and brethren. Words are not enough to express our deepest appreciation.

While our main purpose to go there is to attend to the conference, what I am going to talk about here are my personal experiences in the beautiful land, waters and stones of Palawan.   

The places we were able to visit were the Crocodile Farm, Mitra’s Mansion, Baker’s Hill, Baywalk, El Nido, Fuerza de Sta. Isabel, and commercial centers where we bought pearls to bring home to our love ones. In all of those places, we marveled at the wonders of nature and landscape craft of artistic people of Palawan. We literally sang and shouted “How great thou art!”

My great fascination on our island hopping at El Nido. How would I describe those mountains of stones on the sea? At first glance and going around them they looked like solid mountains of stones at approximately the height of a 15 to 20 storey building, but upon entering a certain secret hole on one side (that can only be seen on low tides) going inside you'll discover that it is like a huge hollow volcano. According to our host, there is no trace of fault line in Palawan and it is safe from earthquakes. I just wonder if this gigantic hollow mountain of stone was then a volcano that erupted when there was not yet any inhabitant in Palawan. It's like a wide wide round swimming pool surrounded and walled by high stones, or like a giant well and we were like tiny frogs inside the well that what we can see outside was only the skies above us. How I shouted as if trying to be heard in the skies, only to hear the echo of my own voice!

On our last day before going to the airport, our generous host took advantage of the spare hours to bring us to Speaker Ramon Mitra’s tomb overlooking at the sea where he survived from drowning when he was young. We were told that while still alive, the late Speaker Ramon Mitra made a will(?) that when he dies he’ll be buried there.

The last stint was Plaza Cuartel…

When we reached the place I thought that it was just one of the historical places of Palawan where a first-time visitor would have a fond taste of its rich heritage, but the ambiance here was much different…our moods shifted…

From the very entrance where the marker was/is, we were first told about what Plaza Cuartel was/is all about. I literally felt some pinches and squeeze in my heart. We knew it from our history, but reading and learning about it is very much different from actually setting foot on the ground and being a part of that history. 

And here is the façade of Plaza Cuartel…

And this is/was the tunnel leading to the sea where the American POW soldiers entered upon their escape from the Japanese soldiers, where the Japanese soldiers poured drums and drums of gasoline and burned around 150 American soldiers alive…

My hands were trembling while I was taking pictures of this. I felt that pain and sorrow for the American POW soldiers burned alive inside the tunnel and hatred for the Japanese soldiers who burned them alive on December 14, 1944. This is history, part of World War II, one of the many tragedies of war, all for the liberty we Filipinos are enjoying today.

Inside the compound of Plaza Cuartel was cool, and cooler upon approaching the Massacre Monument where the names of the American POW soldiers burned alive were written. While reading their names and taking picture of the Massacre Monument I felt that sadness for their family. And I wondered, if it is actually a kin of anyone of those whose name was written on the monument, I wonder how would they actually feel if they are in my place looking and taking picture of it?

Many thanks Manang Delilah Casabar Lodor for touring us in your place, as I have said words are not enough to express our deepest gratitude. Intentional or not, thank you very much that the last place where you brought us was at Plaza Cuartel. Imagine if we visited this first or at the middle of our tour, how would we enjoy Palawan the way we did? Sakto ka talaga manang, kaya sa iyo kami e. Ikaw na! (that’s one of the endearment phrases of gratitude and compliment our brethren used to say).

My reminder to everyone who would visit Palawan, if you want to really enjoy then visit all the places you want to and have fun, but put Plaza Cuartel the last in your list, because it is no longer all fun and merriment when you are in Plaza Cuartel…surely you'll have your own fair share of pain too when you set foot on it.  

Honorable Beggars?

May 6, 2014 in a bus to Manila...

Nang may bumabang pasahero sa Balintawak biglang may umakyat namang dalawang binatilyo, taka ako dahil binawal at pinabababa ng kundoktor, akala ko pasahero yun pala hindi pasahero...

Ang isa ay nanatiling nakatayo sa gawing unahan at nag-umpisa ng litanya habang ang isa ay apura ng pagpapamudmod ng sobre sa mga pasahero. Ang katabi ko ay binigyan at ako na nakaupo sa gawing loob sa tabi ng bintana ay hindi binigyan ng sobre. 

Ang litanya ng nasa unahan...

"Magandang araw po sa inyo mga Sir, mga Ma'am. Hindi po kami masasamang tao, hindi kami nagnanakaw, hindi kami nanghoholdap at hindi nang-iisnatch, hindi rin kami nagtutulak ng droga para kumita. Mahirap po kami pero kami ay marangal din na tao.

Sa lugar na pinanggalingan namin ay magulo, sinisira ang aming mga tanim at pinapatay ang mga alaga naming hayop, pinagnanakawan kami at sinusunog ang bahay namin, sinasaktan kami at ang iba ay pinapatay, kaya umalis kami doon sa aming lugar at nakarating kami dito sa Maynila, sa awa ng Diyos at kabutihan ng mga nasa barko, libre kami hindi siningil ng pamasahe. 

Hindi kami humihingi sa inyo ng malaki. Barya lamang po o piso ang hihingin namin sa inyo upang hindi makabigat sa inyo. Sa piso o barya na maibigay ninyo ay ipapanalangin namin kayo na sana ay lalo pa kayong pagpalain ng Diyos sa kabutihan ninyo. 

Maraming salamat po sa inyong kabutihang-loob at Diyos na ang bahala sa inyo. Lagi namin kayong ipapanalangin na higit kayong pagpalain."

Ang litanya ay naideliver ng maayos na maayos sa paraang madamdamin na may pahinto-hinto at parang maiiiyak ang nagsasalita.

Ang katabi ko ay malutong na papel ang perang isinilid sa sobre.

Reflection: Hindi ko makapa sa aking sarili ang "paniwalaan" ang dalawang                        binatilyo. Ako kaya ang may problema o sila?