Reflections on the Bangsa Moro

Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao almost lost his fight against WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez despite knocking him down in the third round because of bad boxing strategy. Pacquiao won by a split decision..

For the full text, go to my other blog, The Setting Sun (includes a video clip)

(This is a personal essay and only tangentially connected to the ZTE-NBN hearings. If you are looking for the ZTE-NBN essays, go to my other posts.)

I transferred the contents of this essay to my other blog, The Setting Sun.

I’m afraid I had to remove the chatbox. First, it’s hardly used. Second, a supposed relative left a cockamamie message. At first I answered the message. But then I realized that if I have to defend myself from every cockamamie message, then it defeats the purpose of this blog.

This blog is first and foremost, for myself. I upload some of the articles I wrote in magazines or newspapers, speeches I delivered or researches I did. I also put out my opinions on various issues.

This blog is also for those interested in Moro / Muslim issues. I hope that this blog will add to the knowledge of these issues.

And this blog is for posterity. Future generations can read what this Moro gentleman thought of in the early part of the 21^st century.  

And for those who will come across this blog, like the one who left the said message, and will learn that I am their relative, they should not be surprised why they had not met me yet in person. First, I am not a politician so I don’t need to meet so many relatives. But I did campaign for my relatives before.

Second, I have so many relatives all over the country. I hardly even see my brothers and sisters, let alone my first, second and third cousins in Lanao, Davao, Sulu, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Gen. Santos City, etc. And for the children and grandchildren of my cousins, I simply have no idea how many they are. I have some 40 nephews and nieces, many of them have children whose names I couldn’t even remember.

And I am not even counting my Bruneian cousins, most of whom I haven’t even met; or our Yemeni cousins. I even have a niece in Tunisia and in the US and a nephew in Germany. The world may be getting smaller, but it still needs money to take a plane or even a cab or to buy gasoline.

To all my long lost relatives, I still have a fairly good idea of who you are. If I don’t know you personally, I’m sure I know or would have heard about your parents or grandparents. Just send me an email when you happen to drop by this blog.

In the olden days, families or clans gather together by the fire and tell stories. In today’s global village, everyone is just an email or a computer click away. When I was a child, I wanted my father to tell me again and again the stories of Rajah Indarapatra and Sohrab and Rustum. And I listened to my mother’s endless tales about her forebears. Today’s children prefer the TV and video games. And today’s storytellers are the bloggers.

Today, I delivered a lecture titled The Muslim Filipinos: part of a Filipino Nation? at St. Paul’s University -QC. It was part of the Cultural Awareness Lecture Series of the university. The objective of the series was “to help the faculty of SPUQC raise their cultural awareness to new heights and to enhance their social research skills. Dr. Consuelo Paz, former Dean of College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) of the University of the Philippines was the Consultant of the Lecture Series.

Dr. Paz said that my lecture was “an eye opener” for the audience. The audience expressed their appreciation of the lecture. I must say, it was quite successful. I might upload at least part of the lecture sometime in the future.

Last January, I delivered a lecture on the Bangsa Moro Culture at San Beda College Alabang for Sociology and History students. That also went well.

The nice thing about speaking at private institutions is that the speaker gets paid, although only minimally. Public institutions do not pay at all.

But of course, my motivation for public speaking is the same as for writing, i.e., to impart the correct knowledge of Moro history, culture and aspirations to various audiences. Sadly, there is a great need for that.

Be Honest and Fair
Bloggers should be honest and fair in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
Bloggers should:
• Never plagiarize.
• Identify and link to sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability.
• Make certain that Weblog entries, quotations, headlines, photos and all other content do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
• Never distort the content of photos without disclosing what has been changed. Image enhancement is only acceptable for technical clarity. Label montages and photo illustrations.
• Never publish information they know is inaccurate — and if publishing questionable information, make it clear it’s in doubt.
• Distinguish between advocacy, commentary and factual information. Even advocacy writing and commentary should not misrepresent fact or context.
• Distinguish factual information and commentary from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.

Minimize Harm
Ethical bloggers treat sources and subjects as human beings deserving of respect.
Bloggers should:
• Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by Weblog content. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
• Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of information is not a license for arrogance.
• Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.
• Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects, victims of sex crimes and criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.

Be Accountable
Bloggers should:
• Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
• Explain each Weblog’s mission and invite dialogue with the public over its content and the bloggers’ conduct.
• Disclose conflicts of interest, affiliations, activities and personal agendas.
• Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence content. When exceptions are made, disclose them fully to readers.
• Be wary of sources offering information for favors. When accepting such information, disclose the favors.
• Expose unethical practices of other bloggers.
• Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

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Re: Plagiarism, etc.

The Internet or World Wide Web has made PLAGIARISM a common practice among students. When I was lecturing at the University of the Philippines (UP), I was shocked to discover that some of the students brazenly plagiarized from web sites. They just cut and paste! I naturally gave my students a scolding. Apparently, no other faculty member ever gave them a lecture on plagiarism. Some of them thought that by changing a few words, it is not plagiarism anymore.

I also noticed how some students were so cocky and smug in giving their opinions because they had read them in some websites or blogs. It was a good thing that I had read the same web sites and since I knew my subjects thoroughly, I knew that the arguments presented were false. Apparently, it was the first time that those students were rebutted by their teacher. I then realized that they had been used to having teachers who obviously had no mastery over their subjects.

So the students’ plagiarizing will just have to increase tremendously because the Web, especially with the advent of Web 2.0 , the field is simply open for plagiarism. This is aggravated by the fact that many, if not most, UP and other university professors are not computer savvy.

When the other professors (including the Dean and his superiors) in the University learned of my experience with plagiarism among students, they simply brushed it aside.

In another institution — a private one — where I also lectured, the school officials backed up my decision to give a failing grade to a student caught plagiarizing from the ‘net for his thesis proposal.

From my esxperience, I saw how the incompetence of mediocre teachers can create a "Climate of Arrogant Ignorance" among the students where students plagiarize with impunity knowing full well that their mediocre mentors would be utterly clueless.

According to the esoteric sciences, NAMES and even words are sacred. There are secrets buried in words. In the Christian Bible, the Gospel of John begins with the verse “In the Beginning was the Word; the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God.”

In the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Humankind was/is commanded to “Read in the name of your Lord… Read! For your Lord is Most Generous, Who teaches by means of the Pen, teaches Man(kind) what he knows not.” (96, 1-5)

And so we must read the words. And we must read not only between the lines but what lies hidden in those words.

In Numerology, each letter corresponds to a number. The Arabic, Jewish and Latin alphabets have corresponding numbers. For centuries, many Arabs, Jews and Europeans have been trying to decipher the secrets of names and words through their numerical counterparts. By calculating the number according to some equations, the name’s properties, and hence, the destiny of the bearer of the name can be discovered.

For those not mathematically inclined, there is another mystical procedure to uncover / discover the secrets of Names. This is called Lexigram. The procedure is simple: write down all the words that can be made out of the given letters of the particular name(s).  Then create sentences out of these words.

ANAGRAMS

Another method is the Anagram. An ANAGRAM is word or phrase formed by transporting the letters of another word or phrase. All the letters in the original word or phrase must be used in the anagram with nothing added or left out.

Anagram-making became a very popular pastime during the Middle Ages in Europe. Thus, many people consider it merely as a game and do not give it the same mystical stature as the lexigrams.

But the fact that it has gone beyond being esoteric or occult and became common practice can only attest to its credibility.

In Lexigrams, a name or set of names can have hundreds of sub-words and thousands of sentences can be made from those words. For example, the name George Bush contains 111 words – from the interjection O! to 7-letter words like buggers and re-house. You can imagine how many sentences you can make by re-arranging 111 words. One sample sentence is ‘He buggers rogues.’ It is therefore no wonder that the Bush administration loves calling its perceived enemies like North Korea and Iran as “rogue states”.

For anagrams, the choice is limited. All the letters must be used, nothing added nor left out. It is simpler and more to the point. In the Occult, like in Physics, the simpler method or theory is always preferred. There is also perfect symmetry because the word and its anagram use the very same letters. For this reason, anagrams are written with an equal sign (=). Thus, ‘George Bush’ = ‘He bugs Gore’.  For anagrams that complete the sentence, a tilde sign (~) is used.

SIMPLE AND TRUE

When one finds an anagram, there is usually a sense of awe and wonder at its Simple yet Profound Truth.  You can immediately agree with the principle in the Occult that says, “There is no coincidence in the Universe”. When you see the anagram equation ‘George Bush’ = ‘He bugs Gore’, you wonder if Bush was really destined to win the electoral votes yet lose the popular votes, which presumably bugs Gore eternally.

What do you think of this anagram – ‘President George W. Bush’ = ‘This bugger needs power’ ? Or this, ‘President Bush of the USA’ = ‘A fresh one, but he’s stupid’

A look at some of the anagrams of famous people further lends credibility to their simple truthfulness: (from http://www.anagrammy.com/)

Adolf Hitler. = ‘Heil, old fart!’ (Jean Fontaine, 1998)*  

Milosevic = ‘Cos I’m evil’ (Larry Brash, 1999)

Chairman Mao. = ‘I am on a march’ (Mick Tully, 1998, Wayne Baisley, 1999)

Diana, The Princess of Wales = ‘Elton’s idea is crap. He fawns’ (Larry Brash, 1998)

Elvis Aaron Presley. = Seen alive? Sorry, pal! (Bourke, 1999)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. = A famous German waltz god. (Jones, 1999)

Thomas Alva Edison = Aha! Ions made volts! (Larry Brash, 1999)

William Shakespeare = I’ll make a wise phrase. (Grantham, 2000) or

                                    = He’s like a lamp, I swear, or

                                    = speaks well, I hear. (Dent, 2005)

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy = O, it’s a lovely thick novel! (Grantham, 2000)

The Israeli general, Moshe Dayan = Hail, great hairless one-eyed man! (Richard Grantham, 2000)

Sir Peter Paul Rubens = Superb painter rules. (Jaybur, 2000)

(The names in parentheses are the people who worked out the anagrams and the year they registered their “discoveries”. For the anagrams I worked on, I put MINE inside the parenthesis.)*

And look how uncanny these anagrams are: (from http://www.anagrammy.com/)

Medicinal marijuana  = A cure? I’m in a damn jail. (Larry Brash, 1999)

The great pyramid of Cheops = My God! Perfect Pharaoh site! (Richard Brodie, 2000)

Harley Davidson Motorcycles = Very costly old road machines. (Larry Brash, 2000)

Seven Eleven Incorporated = Open it and never ever close! (Meyran Kraus, 2001)

Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei = The elite pure-racist Hitler-based Nazi association. (Richard Grantham, 2001)

United States of America = Mac and Fries Eat-out Site. (Larry Brash, 2001)

A Nintendo Gameboy = Made to be annoying. (James H. Young, 2001)

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome = Uproar over recent mystery disease. (Richard Grantham, 2003)

The National Rifle Association = Fanatical loonies are into this. (Chris Doyle, 2004)

Castle, knight, armour… = King Arthur’s Camelot. (Adrian Hickford, 2005)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa = I spot one giant flaw here… (Meyran Kraus, 2005)

Microsoft Help and Support Website = Stupid patch! Problem is often worse! (Meyran Kraus, 2006)

THE PHILIPPINES

The name ‘Philippines’ anagrams to ‘I ship nipple’ (Mary Ann 2003). Is this connected to the mail-order brides the Philippines are famous for? Another anagram pertains to the male genital. Is this any indication about the people’s attitudes towards sexuality? I uncovered another anagram which says ‘The Philippines = ‘I help thin pipes’ (mine) but I have no idea what it could mean.

‘Republic of the Philippines‘ anagrams to ‘Feeblish, prophetic pupil in’ (mine). Could this refer to the psychic but feeble Filipino who is considered by foreigners as a mere pupil? It must be noted that under the 350-year Spanish rule, the Christianized Filipino native was considered a perpetual legal minor. The Spanish priest or the military governors acted as the guardians of the Filipino natives.

‘Republic of the Philippines’ also anagrams to ‘Hi! Topple fine republic ship!’ (mine) It is therefore no wonder that the Republic created by Aguinaldo and the Katipunan was easily toppled and so was the Republic created by the Japanese during World War II. The third Republic seems more stable. The Communists and the military putschists tried and are still trying to topple the fine republic.

The Moros do not want to destroy the Republic. They simply want to separate from it.

President Marcos dreamed of changing the Filipinos and called his utopia, ‘The New Society’, which anagrams to ‘Chinese wet toy’ (mine). The Chinese flourished during the Marcos regime and many Chinese nobodies became rich tycoons. The New Society became their wet toy.

President Arroyo wanted a ‘Strong Republic‘, which anagrams to ‘Corpse blurting’(mine). The country is now famous for its extra-judicial killings of journalists and leftists.

PRESIDENTS AND LADIES

‘Ferdinand Edralin Marcos’ anagrams to ‘Aced informer drains land’ (Mary Ann 1987).  So maybe it is true that Marcos drained the country of so much wealth. It also anagrams to ‘Fair, damned scorn’ (mine) or  ~‘red, mad, infernal, sardonic’ (mine)

His widow’s name has very interesting anagrams: ‘Imelda Romualdez Marcos’ = ‘A lurid sole-crazed momma’ (Mesterton-Gibbons) (2007) = ‘Our mild sole-crazed mama’ (by Pinchas). No wonder there was so much fuss about her shoes!

Her detractors might also rejoice in this anagram: ‘Imelda Romualdez Marcos’ = ‘Demoralized amoral scum’ (by Jewell 2005)

I worked out Fidel V Ramos’s anagram to ‘Favored, slim’(mine). We all know that he was favored (anointed) by Cory Aquino and he won the presidency by a very slim margin.

Joseph Estrada has ‘Oh, sad jeep star’(mine). Indeed, the movie star’s jeep (Jeepney ni Erap) has a sad journey.

Estrada should always use Erap instead of Joseph. The anagram ‘Erap Estrada’ ~ ‘as rare Adept’ (mine) - has a much better ring to it.

In spite of having only 6 letters, the name Gloria has quite a number of anagrams: ‘Oil Rag’ = ‘O Grail’ = ‘Air Log’ = ‘Rio Gal’ = ‘Go Lira’ (all by Jewell 2005) = ‘Go, Liar!’ (Domingo Marcelo 2005) = OA Girl.

President Arroyo’s critics claim that she lied about the so-called Garci tapes, the election fraud, etc. Well, ‘Gloria Arroyo’ anagrams to ‘Oy, Go roar, Liar!’ (mine)

Her complete name ‘Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’, which she prefers to use, anagrams to ‘G.A., carry amoral apologia’ (mine). She did make a public apology. Because of that apology, critics like former Senator Saguisag say she had lost whatever moral ascendancy she had had. For others, she was just being true to her name – ‘Gloria’ = ‘Go, Liar’.

The www.hotmanila.ph website has the anagram ‘President Gloria Arroyo’ = ‘No leader, a sorry pig riot’. But I worked out this anagram: ‘President Gloria Arroyo’ = ‘O, a Tory leader’s iron grip’ (mine). This means that some people see her as a sorry leader while others recognize her as a conservative leader with an iron grip on Philippine politics.

Malacanang supported a campaign drive that called for Charter Change. It was known as People’s Initiative. According to the hotmanila website, ‘People’s Initiative’ = ‘O, I spin a petite evil’.

Vice President Noli de Castro’s name anagrams to ‘randiest cool’ (mine) or ‘consider a lot’ (mine) or ‘star idol once’ (mine). It is easy to agree that the Vice President is ‘cool’.  But it seems that he is only a ‘star idol once’. The next time he runs, he won’t be as lucky. Because he is the Vice President, people are thinking twice or thrice before joining any anti-Arroyo impeachment campaign. It appears that people have to ‘consider a lot’ when it comes to de Castro becoming the next President.

BANGSA MORO

Anagrammatically, ‘Bangsa Moro’ = ‘Gas on Rambo!’ (mine) Perhaps this is a clue to the mental attitude of Moros.

But ‘Mindanao’ = ‘A damn ion’ = ‘A mad anion’ (mine). An ion is a group of atoms that has lost or gained an electron. It is thus unstable. An anion is a negatively charged ion.

The anagram ‘Mindanao = I, Madonna’ (mine) can have serious implications. If the Moros won’t get their act together, Mindanao might eventually become totally Christian.

Perhaps Muslim Mindanao and Sulu should be called ‘Bangsa Moro Sultanates’ which anagrams to ‘O! Natural boss magnates’. The Moros would be back to being bosses of their destinies.

‘Nur Misuari’ = ‘U.S. ruin amir’. According to reports, the U.S. pressured Libya to pressure Misuari to agree to a Final Peace Agreement. Misuari, who used to be treated by OIC countries as an Amir of the Bangsa Moro state, ended up in detention and is treated by the Philippine government like a criminal.

But all is not lost for Mr. Misuari. His name’s anagrams include = ‘Uranium, Sir’ = ‘I, Uranus rim’ = ‘I, Mr. Uranus, I’

I have always wondered what the secret behind Misuari is. From his name’s anagram, it is now apparent. Mr. Misuari seems to have an affinity with the planet Uranus. According to astrologers, Uranus is the “ruler” of revolutions. And so the anagram ‘Nur Misuari’ = ‘I, Mr. Uranus, I’ has come to mean “ Nur Misuari is Mr. Bangsa Moro revolution”

And in 2007, Uranus is quite prominent in the skies. The Moon occults (whatever that means) Uranus in February and again in May (when Misuari might be the government’s candidate for the ARMM governorship).

In Sept. 11, the solar eclipse opposes Uranus. Astrologers say that this will bring in similar “vibrations” as in the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of the mid-1960s. So we might just see the old Nur Misuari back – acting like the Nur of his idealist days at UP!

Unfortunately, the anagrams of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are all horrible. I won’t even bother to write them. Besides, the Moro-haters might start using these anagrams to malign these groups. Perhaps it is about time that both Moro fronts realize that they have to totally change in order to adapt to changing times. They can start by changing their names.

On the brighter side, George Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ would only lead him to a ‘narrower rot’.

Well, what are you waiting for? Discover the secret behind your name. Remember, there is NO coincidence in the Universe.

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* (The names in parentheses are the people who worked out the anagrams and the year they registered their “discoveries”. I think one can register through the Internet. For the anagrams I worked on, I put MINE inside the parenthesis. Frankly, I think it is childish and presumptuous to put one’s name. Who could really say who first figured out the anagrams? Surely, hundreds of people already worked out Shakespeare’s name’s anagram even before 100 years ago. But, one must follow protocol even how foolish it is.)

       — ‘Datu Jamal Ashley Yahya Abbas’ = ‘Aha! Aha! Laudably as by majesty’

                                                         = ‘Aha! Aha! Ably as by auld majesty’

I was going through my old magazines and I found the Dec 2005-Feb 2006 Special Edition of NEWSWEEK. The issue was dedicated to the topic of The Knowledge Revolution. While going through its pages, I realized that the Philippines will certainly lag behind in the knowledge economy.

I graduated with a B.Sc .degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1980. I had my practicum in Clausthal Institute of Technology in Germany and had a 7-month on-the-job training at ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia. I went on a study tour in Germany, Mexico and Algeria,

I was the Philippines’ first petroleum engineer. I thought that Philippine oil companies would make a beeline for me. I couldn’t be more wrong. The oil companies in the country, private or State-owned, did not want me at all.

In Dec 1994, I finally worked for the energy sector – at the Department of Energy (DOE), no less. The Secretary’s brother belonged to the same fraternity as my brothers. The Secretary’s Chief of Staff discouraged me from joining the department. When I insisted, he tried giving me low positions, which I promptly turned down. Finally, I settled for the position of Executive Assistant VI or Chief of Staff of the Chair of the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC). The DOE Secretary is the ex officio PNOC chair.

I then realized why no oil company wanted me. To my utter shock, the people at PNOC and DOE, who were supposed to be the country’s most knowledgeable people in the field of energy, knew practically NOTHING about ENERGY!! Oh sure, they talk about energy, write about energy, speak about energy, but they DO NOT UNDERSTAND the basics of Energy, especially OIL and GAS.

The Energy Secretary asked me if I knew about Natural Gas Pricing because of the negotiations going on about the gas field discovered by Shell and Occidental. I answered in the affirmative.

Meanwhile, the gas negotiations were going on and I realized from what I had read in the newspapers that the DOE and National Power Corp (NPC) officials did not seem to know much about oil and gas. So, I took the initiative and gave the Secretary a report. I explained some basics in gas pricing to aid the government negotiators.

I was then asked to attend a Press Conference given by the Secretary. I was dumbfounded when the Secretary could not answer a reporter’s question and passed it on to the Undersecretary in charge of the negotiations. The undersecretary hemmed and hawed until I blurted out the answer. The official next to me repeated what I said and the undersecretary picked up on it.

I then realized that I had to make a complete report that would explain to the Secretary the very basics of Natural Gas.

The DOE officials, especially the undersecretary who now calls himself the “father of the natural gas industry in the Philippines,” kept on repeating that the DOE would not interfere in the negotiations. They swallowed Shell/Oxy’s argument that since state-owned NPC was one of the buyers of the gas and the government co-owned the gas field, the government could not participate it the negotiations because it was both the buyer and the seller.

In my report, I showed the fallacy of the oil companies’ argument by reviewing the experience of European governments’ oil and gas experience. I also criticized the previous studies done by a Japanese and an American consultant.

The Secretary, a UP professor, must have been quite impressed with my long report. He immediately asked President Ramos to issue an Executive Order creating the Philippine Gas Task Force to be composed of several government agencies. The DOE then changed its stance from being a disinterested observer in the negotiations into being an active and “hands-on” negotiator.

Instead of promoting me, the Secretary seemed to prefer that nobody would know about me. When the Undersecretary still persisted in giving wrong information to the press, I made a Memo to the Secretary, cc the undersecretary about some technical points. It was then that I met USAID’s consultant at DOE.

The American consultant expressed surprise that somebody else knew something about oil and gas at DOE. He told me that he did all the research, studies, and everything else that DOE claimed to have done regarding natural gas.

To make a long story short, I was made the head of the Secretariat of the Gas Task Force, but on an unofficial basis (no honorarium whatsoever) and later Team Leader (The Philippine Counterpart team was composed of DOE, PNOC and NPC people) that went to Hawaii to create computer models on Gas Pricing, which became the core of the DOE recommendation to President Ramos.

When the term of Ramos ended, I had to leave DOE. The new Secretary replaced me with a clerk who had absolutely no technical experience.

Meanwhile, the Undersecretary became the Gas Office consultant paid for by USAID while the American consultant was sent home packing. This undersecretary later became president of one of the PNOC companies.

An assistant secretary who came almost at the same time with me, who is a lawyer with no engineering or scientific background, became Undersecretary and now is the President of NPC.

Apparently, at the DOE / PNOC / NPC, the less you know about energy, the more likely you will be be hired and promoted to the top.

Knowledgeable people like me are thrown out of the energy sector while people with little or no knowledge in the field are made heads of companies.

The Philippines has a long long way from becoming a knowledge society.