Quiapo: A place of miracles

by Erika Tapalla

QUIAPO CITY, Philippines--- “We need to see miracles,” says Aling Seling, a regular at Plaza Miranda. It is a cloudy Friday afternoon and hundreds of people have gathered around Plaza Miranda, Quiapo, with their arms and hands shielding their most private parts from the subtle shoving and elbowing of the crowd. An inexperienced spectator would think either someone important died or a local celebrity was at the area for self-promotion. But no one important died and there are no celebrities. Fridays at Plaza Miranda are just always jam-packed with thousands of people from all walks of life carrying some cash in one pocket and hope for a miracle in the other.

Miracles come in different forms and in Quiapo, there are three main customs of obtaining it. Some choose faith in touching the feet of the miraculous dark wooden life-size statue of Christ placed high above the altar of the gaping Church; some invest on their fate in the worn out cards disclosed by the dozens of fortune tellers lined in the shade; and some turn to the alternative medicinal concoctions which claim to cure everything from headaches to unwanted pregnancies.

Aling Seling Pineras, turns to all three customs in times of difficulty. “Everyone in Quiapo can give you miracles,” Seling says. She claims it’s hard to leave the important decisions and troubles in life singularly to prayer, to fortune told, or to the concoctions sold at a cheap price.

Whenever Seling is lost in a limbo, she seeks Madam Cecil, “the very best of the fortune tellers.” Clad in a leopard-print blouse, Madam Cecil, an aged woman with a misleading red dot of lipstick on her forehead really meant to ward off evil, fans herself as she talks about her occupation. She has been a fortune teller since she was 23, a job inherited from her grandmother. Unlike others who claim to have a third eye or blessed with psychic abilities, Madam Cecil secretly admits she is just a good judge of character.

“To tell you the truth, I just read the expressions on their faces and their eyes. Sometimes, I don’t even need to interpret the cards,” she simpers, “I already know what to say from their questions.” By trying to be a confidant and adviser to the client, Madam Cecil gives them the strength they need to make difficult decisions in life. Precisely why Seling needs Madam Cecil.

When Seling was impregnated twice, she was fully aware she could not keep the child so chose to drink the “pangparegla” or menstruation inducer.

In Quiapo, abortion isn’t so much a sin or nearly as shameful when the sidewalks are paved with vendors waving corked deep emerald colored bottles of menstruation inducers or the vendors’ helpers luring people as they pass with signs reading ‘1 or 2 months late?’.

“A lot of people buy it because having a child is costly,” Seling says. “I know you think I’m a bad person but Lord knows I did a good thing. He has forgiven me.”

Interestingly, Seling picked Thursdays for both her abortions so she can spend her Fridays seeking redemption and forgiveness from God, falling in line to touch the 400 year old Black Nazarene statue in the Church to cleanse her from her sins. Seeing past the irony of these menstruation inducers lining the Church façade, these inducers meet the hope of hundreds of women of not becoming a mother.

While the other people hustle about on the streets, bargaining for the cheapest menstruation inducers, DVDs, used and maybe even stolen technological gadgets, an extensive echo of voices are heard howling the ‘Ama namin’ or ‘Our Father’ prayer. The whimpers are solemnly strong it is nearly terrifying.

From a distance, Seling points behind the Church where prayer warriors are usually spotted sitting on their plastic stools waiting for someone to approach them asking for a prayer on their behalf. Usually, clients or customers just give them loose change.

Sometimes it’s hard to take notice of the little miracles in a life full of misery or in a world that does not stop for you, which is why Seling says, “Quiapo gives miracles.” Although it is a place filled with moral irony and almost nonchalant people, every inch of Quiapo resonates of miracles. “Everything is a miracle if you look close enough,” as Madam Cecil says.

Widow loses P150K to Budol-Budol syndicate

by Reddie Chua

QUEZON CITY, Philippines—A 65-year-old widow yesterday lost P150,000 in cash and P40,000 worth of jewelries to five unidentified members of the "Budol-Budol" gang, a group of swindlers known to sweet-talk and hypnotize the people they rob.

Officials from the Brgy. Loyola Heights Public Security Office (PSO) found the woman at the KFC branch in Katipunan Avenue, where the suspects left her.

The victim, who refused to be named, was walking along the National Housing Authority headquarters in Elliptical Road when five strangers approached her. One of them asked her the directions to a warehouse in Kalayaan Avenue, and promised to give her money in return.

The suspects then brought her inside a grey Toyota FX where she was given orders to withdraw cash from her bank account and to go home to get jewelries. She could not help but follow whatever they told her, she said.

“I remember what happened, but I don’t why I was following their orders,” the victim said in Filipino. “I was so helpless.”

With two of the suspects, she went to her house in Batasan Hills to get her jewelries, and then proceeded to the BPI Express Center in Katipunan Avenue to withdraw all her savings.

The other suspects met her at the KFC branch nearby and gave her a bag which they said contained P100,000 cash, then went away with her money and jewelries. The bag contained nothing but pad papers.

“I lost my mind,” said the victim in a phone interview.

Authorities said the victim may have been hypnotized by the swindlers, as in any Budol-Budol operation.

“They sweet-talk a lot, that’s why victims are enticed,” said SPO1 Florante Bolante of the Quezon City Police District station 9, where the victim was taken by Brgy. Loyola Heights security officials.

Barangay PSO Executive Officer Paul Casipi said that members of the Budol-Budol gang hypnotize their victims by talking to them persuasively. Because of this, victims like the widow take quite a long time to recover from shock, he added.

This was the 6th Budol-Budol case in Brgy. Loyola Heights this year, said PSD Deputy Executive Director Manuel Falco. He urged people to be extra vigilant when walking alone, because Budol-Budol members “strike anytime, anywhere.”

SPO1 Florante Bolante of QCPD Station 9 demonstrates how Budol-Budol members make pad papers appear like money in bags.

(UPDATED) Poland ex-president urges student leaders: Make a difference

by Acor Arceo

QUEZON CITY, Philippines -- Student leaders all over the world must speak up and fight for their ideas, said former Poland president Aleksander Kwaśniewski.

Kwaśniewski spoke to student leaders from different Philippine universities during the 2nd Ateneo MVP Center Annual Leadership Forum on July 3. The forum was held here at the Ateneo de Manila University’s Henry Lee Irwin Theater.

“[Student organizations are] the voice of the new generation. For the government, it is very important to speak to student organizations, like parents talking to children. [It’s] necessary to hear about what they say,” said Kwaśniewski, president of Poland from 1995-2005, in his speech.

Kwaśniewski, who was a former student activist and journalist, also gave advice on how to be effective student leaders.

Clark Cue, president of the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA), noted Kwaśniewski’s insight on handling leadership issues in the workplace.

“What got my attention was his answer to the question on how to practice good leadership even when the people around you don’t see things the way you do,” Cue said in a mix of English and Filipino. “He said that you really can’t impress everyone but you have to continue doing your job. I can apply that to my being in COA.”

Karl Satinitigan, president of the Sanggunian, Ateneo’s student council, also said that Kwaśniewski’s talk reinforced his opinion of dialogue.

“He affirmed how conflict need not be inevitable if only the participants are committed,” he said. “No paradigm shift there but it’s a fitting reminder as to how we can improve mechanisms for conflict management in school.”

Former president of Poland encourages student leaders to make a difference

by Acor Arceo

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – Student leaders not just here but all over the world must speak up and fight for their ideas, said Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former president of Poland.

Kwaśniewski, president of Poland from 1995-2005, spoke to student leaders from different Philippine universities during the 2nd Ateneo MVP Center Annual Leadership Forum on July 3. The forum was held at the Ateneo de Manila University’s Henry Lee Irwin Theater.

“The [forum] is an opportunity for students [to] listen to, and learn, valuable lessons from international leaders in different fields,” said Ateneo Board of Trustees Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, whose foundation, the PLDT-Smart Foundation, sponsored the event. “This reflects our optimism and faith in the youth.”

Kwaśniewski said that student leaders have great potential to initiate change through their organizations.

“[Student organizations are] the voice of the new generation. For the government, it is very important to speak to student organizations, like parents talking to children. [It’s] necessary to hear about what they say,” he said.

Kwaśniewski, who was a former student activist and journalist, also gave advice on how to be effective student leaders.

Clark Cue, president of the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA), particularly liked Kwaśniewski’s insight on handling leadership issues in the workplace.

“What really got my attention was his answer to the question on how to practice good leadership even when the people around you don’t see things the way you do,” Cue said in a mix of English and Filipino. “He said that you really can’t impress everyone but you have to continue doing your job. I can apply that to my being in COA.”

Karl Satinitigan, president of the Sanggunian, Ateneo’s student council, also said that Kwaśniewski’s talk reinforced his opinion of dialogue.

“He affirmed how conflict need not be inevitable if only the participants are committed. No paradigm shift there but it’s a fitting reminder as to how we can improve mechanisms for conflict management in school.”

(UPDATED) Ateneo gets athletes ready for UAAP

by Allan Lazaro

QUEZON CITY, Philippines -- Almost 600 athletes from 19 varsity teams were sent off to battle in this year’s Big Blue Eagle Cheer Rally held here on June 29 at the Ateneo de Manila University College Covered Courts.

“Our athletes this year are like warriors and we’re sending them off to battle for the next season,” explained Collegiate Society of Advertising President Mia Ferrer, one of the event’s organizers.

The athletes will compete in the 70th season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) scheduled to open July 7.

A celebrity shootout and the three-point shootout replaced the much-anticipated basketball exhibition game between the current Blue Eagles team and the Ateneo Legends team.

Ateneo Association of Communication Majors President Anj Santos said the exhibition game was scrapped because today’s generation of Ateneans is not very familiar with the alumni members of the Legends team.

Younger alumni such as Enrico Villanueva, Larry Fonacier and LA Tenorio were also unavailable because they were busy with their Philippine Basketball Association semifinals games.

“It was well-attended and it was more interactive than the cheer rallies before because we had events on two sides of the covered courts,” Santos said.

With the tagline “Prepare for glory,” this year’s cheer rally was inspired by the recent Hollywood box office hit “300”. The movie told the story of 300 Spartans who held off the Persian army in the Battle of Thermopylae.

All the teams posed ala-“300” to the delight of the crowd when they were presented in the Athlete’s March.

Performances from local Ateneo bands Spaceworld, Milano and Saranggola ni Pepe highlighted the event. Rivermaya guitarist Mike Elgar led the singing of the Song for Mary.

Most freshmen students, however, left early because they also had their Math diagnostic exams later that evening.

“The cheer rally was very entertaining but at the same time a hassle for us freshmen because we had a diagnostic test the same day,” said Communication freshman Guada Tagalog.

(UPDATED) Revisit the writings on the wall

by Erika Tapalla

QUEZON CITY, Philippines -- When the sun has gone to bed, “Bonz” and his posse scurry about empty streets armed with nothing but spray cans, ready to mark their existence in their time and context on bland walls. Their work is lyrical and political, yet illegal when it defaces public or private property. Their work is a response to the world in which they move. Their work is called graffiti, street art, writings on the wall, or even vandalism. Whatever term it masquerades behind, the work of Bonz remains a catchy and powerful way for nonconformists to get noticed. But is there really more behind this risky endeavor? Does it deserve a second glance?

Bonz most certainly thinks so. He believes in expressing his art in the street to add color and meaning to our familiar surroundings. Although the graffiti movement has long been present in the global culture, Bonz believes it has yet to blossom in the country. It is only during election period when graffiti is actually noticed -- when obvious contempt for a candidate is depicted by adding horns to his head, blood dripping from his mouth, or simply spraying the entire face until it can no longer be recognized.

Together with his crew from SBA or “Samahang Batang Aerosol,” Bonz releases stress and emotion and spray the walls with the colors of the rainbow.

“Some of our work are preserved in playgrounds and basketball courts because it’s a production. The talent of a writer really comes out in the details of the piece,” says Bonz.

More often than not, Bonz’s creations are inclined toward the Filipino culture. Characters have Filipino attributes, or recreations of favorite cartoon characters that play a large role in a lot of Filipino children’s childhood. But MEGA Magazine’s Art Director and street artist Maia Reyes, who goes by the name “Supreme” on the desolate walls, believes in a higher form of graffiti.

“I took the art form to another level by executing my piece on permission walls. Personally, I think it’s the lack of respect toward other people’s property, which makes me prefer to do it legally. The important thing is I get to do whatever it is that I want and to actually share it with other people,” she says.

Supreme has had many exhibitions and has collaborated with other graffiti writers like Caliph8 and famed foreign artist Futura, to name a few. In these exhibits, the concept mostly revolves around the hip-hop/street/urban underground culture that is still budding in Manila. Using spray paint, acrylic and fat markers, they would scribble on the walls commissioned by top brands such as Lee, Nike, MTV and Sneaker Pimps.

“Graffiti will survive through time but I don’t think it reflects our culture. It only reflects our culture if the theme of the piece is related to the Philippines,” contends Reyes. “If anything, I want people to be aware of the graffiti culture, to celebrate the art and skill that goes behind it.”

Early man’s innate urge to write on surfaces grazed historical textbooks as cave drawings used to tell stories of our ancestors. After thousands of years, it seems this primeval itch to mark walls has not left us; but could these marks really tell a story? It seems graffiti offers a dose of hope and a gulp of freedom to many.

Ateneo gets athletes ready for UAAP

by Allan Lazaro

Almost 600 athletes from 19 varsity teams were sent off to battle in this year’s Big Blue Eagle Cheer Rally held on June 29 at the College Covered Courts.

With the tagline “Prepare for glory,” this year’s cheer rally was inspired by the recent Hollywood box office hit 300. The movie told the story of the 300 Spartans who held off the Persian army in the Battle of Thermopylae.

“Our athletes this year are like warriors and we’re sending them off to battle for the next season,” explained Collegiate Society of Advertising President Mia Ferrer, one of the event’s organizers.

The athletes will be competing in the 70^th season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) which will be opening on July 7.

All the teams posed ala-300 to the delight of the crowd when they were presented in the Athlete’s March.

Performances from local Ateneo bands Spaceworld, Milano, and Saranggola ni Pepe highlighted the event. Rivermaya guitarist Mike Elgar led the singing of the Song for Mary.

A celebrity shootout and the three-point shootout, meanwhile, replaced the much anticipated basketball exhibition game between the current Blue Eagles team and the Ateneo Legends team.

Ateneo Association of Communication Majors (ACOMM) President Anj Santos said that the exhibition game was scrapped because today’s generation of Ateneans is not very familiar with the alumni members of the Legends team.

The younger alumni such as Enrico Villanueva, Larry Fonacier, and LA Tenorio were also unavailable because they were busy with their Philippine Basketball Association semifinals games.

“It was well attended and it was more interactive than the cheer rallies before because we had events on two sides of the covered courts,” Santos said.

Most freshmen students, however, left early because they also had their Math diagnostic exams later that evening.

“The cheer rally was very entertaining but at the same time a hassle for us freshmen because we had a diagnostic test the same day,” said Communication freshman Guada Tagalog.