Just wanna share to you how my Dad and I had stone collision an hour ago.

Here’s his email:

On 4/27/06, Patricio Bernardo wrote:

Hello Brian ,

Wow ganyan na ba talaga ka garapal ang mga studyante ngayon, Di naman sa akoy kampi ka ate Tere pero sana naisip man lang sana ninyo na

ganyan talaga sa politica kahit saan pa. Siya parin ang president nyo at sya ang nasa tungkulin, binigyan kayo ng oras nagpunta lamang dyan

dahil sa inyong graduation . Malaking kabastusan yan di sya hamak na senador lamang, at mga studyante lamang kayo. Kung baga wala pa kayong

“K” wala pa kayong nararating na kung ano pa man na maiitulong sa bansang pinas, kayo pa ang nagsisimula . Sa anong dahilan at para kanino

yung pinag lalaban nyo . Sa inyong leader, eh sino ba yun. ????? at bakit sumusunod kayo. Bakit!?????
Hindi solusyon yan para makatulong sa pagbabago ng kaunlaran ng pinas . Anong meron magagawa kayo, sumigaw na lang at mang hiya sa

lansangan or sa nag sasalita. Dont really understand your point. I only say Its nothing for me , none sense yung mga pinag gagawa nyo. May I

know your thought why did you do that way???? Maraming bansa ngayon ang dis organize dahil sa poliltika bumabagsak ang economiya kung di

buo at inyung guguluhin ang gobyerno. Lang patutunguhan yan kahit pa magpalit kayo ng bago. Kaylan pa kayo mag babago sa pilipinas. Sana

naiisip nyo rin kung may tama sa ginagawa nyo. Makakatulong ba yan saan???

Im excited to know about what will happen in your debate, who is mare and who’s pare . Where did you stand for. And why “mare and pare

“Is it TV station program of Mare and Pare?……anyway good luck!!!! pls let me know what hapen next ok.

Love and regards to all,
Dad Pat

And here’s my reply…

Hello Dad,

Nagulat ako nang mabasa ko ang e-mail niyo 5 minutes ago. Was from GMA7 and currently laying-out our newspaper.

Now we’re talking about “different points-of-view”. And absolutely we are clashing in a number of perspectives which I find relative to our experiences in life–as an ordinary student, as a student leader, and as an activist.

Una po sa lahat, hindi po ka-”garapalan” ang ipinamalas ni Ate Tere, o ni Ed Jopson, o ng lahat ng mga estudyante sa Pilipinas mula sa regime ni Marcos na naglakas-loob magprotesta sa harap ng pangulong, I mean “illegitimate” na pangulo, upang ihayag ang kawalang-karapatan ni Ferdinand Marcos o ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa pagiging honorable guest speakers nila.oo, inilaan ni Pres. Arroyo ang time niya para sa aming commencement exercises because it’s her own will. Why? She’s our President, and she used to be receiving invitation letters for the attendace of their respective events. She ‘chose’ to attend. And that’s not our problem.

Why is it so ironic? The fact that our President merely coincides for her attendance in our university’s commencement rites cogged Ma. Theresa Pangilinan and the rest of our gang to exercise our freedom of expression on that very venue. And YES, we absolutely know the fact about our incumbent President, that ‘FAKE’ president as I used to note, does NOT deserve the respect from us who knows who she REALLY is,from us who are among those who know she has gradually, and obliterately reduced annual subsidies (education financial support) to all the state colleges and universities (including our very own CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY), from us who are aware of her double-coated and overpopulated human rights violation in her regime (outstanding Ferdinand Marcos’ during his Martial Law years), and from us who know she has totally stashed and rigged votes in our most recent national election–and more.

In a narrower and wider perspective, she deserves it.

Now sino ang nambastos?

If you are going to state points about Maria Theresa Pangilinan disrespecting students and their parents who have toiled 14 years of their lifetime for their education, yes, pambabastos iyon sa kanila who have treasured that moment of concluding their school decade.

But, I, along with all of us who has this diplomatic will of courtesy, political free-will, and freedom of expression, I think Maria There Pangilinan has been responsible in her actions. Poor is our university who ironically invited this ‘incredible’, ‘illegitimate’, and ‘pretentious’ president who have submurged our economy and international status into dimwits. Nabastos ang ilang parents and graduating students, but for us, it’s better that we have sacrificed the moral aspect of that unforgettable moment of theirs than to absorb President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s pretentious speech exploiting us to be overseas filipino workers, and campaigning their ease of being employed here in the Philippines which has NEVER been true in the excess of my gluteus maximus’ subcutaneous layers.

Reality check:

“…at mga studyante lamang kayo. Kung baga wala pa kayong

“K” wala pa kayong nararating na kung ano pa man na maiitulong sa bansang pinas, kayo pa ang nagsisimula . Sa anong dahilan at para kanino

yung pinag lalaban nyo . Sa inyong leader, eh sino ba yun. ????? at bakit sumusunod kayo. Bakit!?????…”

Dad, masyado niyo pong minamaliit ang kabataan.

Dad, noon sa rehimen ng ama ni Gloria na si Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo, hindi po ba kabataan ang nagkilos-protesta sa Kongreso kaya naisulong ang pagkakaroon ng lower-age quota sa election? Diosdado Macapagal objects the execution of that bill to allow the 18 year-old youth possess the right to vote. Hindi po ba kabataan ang may mas malakas na boses noong kapanahunan ng inyong kabataan na mas madaling napakikinggan ng karamihan? Hindi ba mas “malaki” ang populasyon ng kabataan kaysa sa mga katandaan? Hindi ba “kabataan” ang pag-asa ng bayan?

I’m not implying that you are politically downright, but face it–malaki ang kontribusyon ng kabataan dahil sila rin ay naapektuhan ng krisis sa pulitika at ekonomiya. Mabuti nga’t there are still ’student’ ‘youth’ leaders like Maria Theresa Pangilinan who outwitted and courageously unfurled that red banner exposing our disgust to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s self-interested administration.

Mayroon kaming “K”. Typographically, may “K” ang word na “kabataan”. No, I was joking.

Ever since na kaming mga kabataan ay nagkaroon ng malawak na pag-iisip tungkol sa ‘aming’ lipunang ginagalawan sa kasalukyan, may K na ang kabataan. Mayroon silang pag-iisip. Marunong kaming mag-isip. Parang sinabi niyo na rin na hindi po ako marunong mag-isip ^_^. Bakit? Don’t we have the right to decide? Don’t we have the right to express our stand as concerned citizens of the Philippines?

Dad, we are expressing our political will, struggling to express our views and to defend our rights as citizens of this country. Dad, reality check– we are being muddled by the Arroyo’s calibrated pre-emptive tactics to forward their own political and financial interests and sacrificing the ’supposed’ benefits from the government by NOT giving it to us. Dad, we are under ‘under declared Martial Law”. Don’t you know that?

Maybe not–you are in China, I suppose ^_^.

———-

Anong solusyon ang sinasabi niyo po? Bakit? Hindi ba nakatulong ang ginagawa naming ito noong kapanahunan ni Marcos? Ni President Estrada?

Oo Dad, malaki ang naging epekto ng demokrasya sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas. Mula 1 peso- 1 dollar, naging times 51. But that, nagkaroon ng pagbabago kahit papaano.

Maybe you are thinking that what we are doing is just one of your ‘nonsense’ wishlist. We are not doing nonsense. At least, we are concerned to our submerging country. At kahit gaano kaliit o kalaki ang kontribusyon namin sa lipunan, alam namin sa puso’t isipan namin na we have done our very best, and we definitely know what we are doing.

Don’t presume that your expected “big” change will pop-out instantly like spamming advertisers in your web browser. Dad, isipin niyo na lang kung gaano katagal si Dagohoy, si Andres Bonifacio, si Rizal, sampu ng lahat ng bayaning nakibaka sa bansa para palayain ang Pilipinas mula sa kanyang mga mananakop. Dad, hindi araw o buwan ang binibilang. Malamang taon, decada, o siglo.

Maraming bansa ang disorganized because of their own problems. Take note: BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN PROBLEMS. Dad, iba ang Pilipinas sa Thailand, sa Malaysia, sa Nepal, sa Afghanistan, sa Israel, sa Amerika, atbp. Dad, Pilipinas po ito. Iba ang pinagdaanan nito. Iba ang mga tao dito.

Trivia. Maganda ang bansang Cuba. Dahil yun sa pinaggagagawa nila na tulad sa pinaggagagawa namin dito sa Pilipinas.

———-

Sino si Maria Theresa Pangilinan?

Siya lang naman ngayon ang most wanted searches sa yahoo at google. Siya lang naman ngayon ang hinahanggan ng lahat ng elitista at intelihenteng concerned citizens of the country na ibinabandera ang kanyang katapangan noong araw ding iyon. Siya lang naman ang inspirasyon ng lahat ng kabataang nakikibaka sa paaralan, sa lansangan, at iba pa. Siya lang naman ngayon ang hinahangaan ng mga journalists. Siya lang naman ang kinaaayawan ng administrayon at sinusuportahan ng oposisyon. Siya po si Maria Theresa Pangilinan–kaibigan at nanay-nanayan.

———-

That was very long, indeed for a 30-minute typing.

In Mare and Pare, well, there has been a division of punto-de-vistas.

Winnie Monsod (Mare) assessed that her (Ma. Theresa) actions are out of the right place and the right time. Graduation is supposedly the most cherished and the most valuable moment for graduates and parents, and her actions are discourteous.

Atty. Orbos (Pare) assessed–though Ate Tere has sacrificed the sanctity and courtesy of CvSU’s commencement rites, he favors people who have outstandingly express their rights and their concerns to the country on-the-face of their prospect rather than absorb pretentiousness.

Done! ^_^

Ang inyong nakikipagsapalarang anak,
Neil.

PS: Dad, taasan niyo daw ang padala sa May. Enrolment daw sabi ni Mommy. ^_^

Categories: Personalan, Maria Theresa Pangilinan, Father and Son Clash

Sa kalagitnaan ng maayos na pagtatalumpati ng aming mahal (duh?) na Pangulo, may isang babaeng naglakas-loob na ihiyaw nang ubod nang lakas ang aming isinusulong sa buong taon ng aming paninilbihan bilang mga manunulat at student leaders ng aming pamantasan.
“Patalsikin si Gloria”, natalimbag sa puting pintura sa malapad na pulang katsang tangan ng aking kasamahang si Maria Theresa Pangilinan. Ngunit lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat, mas sanay namin siyang tawagin sa pangalang ‘Ate Tere’…