Pinoy Tumblr.

pepediokno:

This week, we learned from CNN that the median age of Filipinos is 22.9 years old. 22.9. We’ve just passed puberty.

Now, a median number is a midpoint — meaning, half of our population is older than 22.9, and the other half is younger. This is a really surprising statistic. It means that most Filipinos today were born after the EDSA Revolution. This fact signals a sea change in our country — one that will affect us for centuries to come.

See, a 22.9-year-old Filipino part of a generation unlike anything this country has seen before — an age group that has never been at war, has never been colonized, and has never lived under a dictatorship — a “clean slate” generation, bred and brought up in self-rule.

But “clean slate” kids have also always lived in a Philippines that is poor. They’ve been in debt from the time they were born, and have grown up with an image ingrained in their heads, of the Philippines as the “sick man of Asia”.

That there, though, is a cocktail for greatness.

We’ve always been hobbled by the past. Last Sunday, the New York Times published an op-ed by Gina Apostol, entitled, “In the Philippines, Haunted by History.” Apostol wrote about how we’ve never been able to shake off the colonial mentality the Americans left behind, or the oligarchy we inherited from Spain.

But imagine a population without those emotional scars? That’s what we have now. It’s why we blame ourselves for our problems — as in, “Pinoy kasi” and “Only in the Philippines”, and why we look to ourselves for the solutions — as in, “Ako ang simula,” and “Ako mismo.”

Now, in three elections, the “clean slate” generation will be eligible to run for President. They will make up a majority of the voting population and will have complete say over the direction of this country.

We aren’t too sure how this is going to pan out. The educational system isn’t producing the sharpest students, and we aren’t doing enough to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among young people.

But we know this: What we were shouldn’t dictate what we can be, and kids today possess an unprecedented opportunity to tread the Philippines a new path.

* * *

Wrote this for Supreme, in The Philippine STAR’s April 21 issue.

theglassballoon:

I have been volunteering for an animal rights group here in Cebu for more than a year already. The group is called Island Rescue Organization(IRO). I can say that I have been with them in their starting days as I witnessed the transition of the organization from fostering to having a mini shelter to having a rescue center that can accomodate more than 20 dogs and to taking care of some 60 pit bulls rescued from a dog fighting ring. 

Most non-governmental organizations I know have a steady amount of money that they use for their monthly needs and this is usually being fund by international organizations. Now, IRO do not have this kind of privilege as it is a fairly new organization. Where do we get all the money to sustain the dogs and cats we have? We are actually very dependent and thankful on people who donate with us but these donations are not as consistent we want it to be. So, we go to other means by selling stuff like shirts, mugs, and pins. Then, we have this membership fees. Before, we do not charge anyone who wants to become a member but the need came when there was a time that we almost do not have anything to feed our dogs and cats. It is almost always that the officers shell out money from their own pockets just so we can get by for a month. Clearly, we are quite in need of money.

Recently, we are quite thankful of the charity challenge being conducted by Mental clothing through Carlos Celdran because it gives us the opportunity to win 100,00 Php (rough US $2, 400) in cash that can go a long way in terms of sustaining for our dogs’s and cat’s need. 

Now, I am hoping that you can support the organization by clicking on the photo below. The link is attached to a Facebook photo that you need to like. 

Anyway, here is a little something to let you know what we have done and what we are doing.

Pit bulls rescued from a dog fighting ring.

You may want to read this article just so you have an idea what really happened on these rescued pit bulls.

Things actually got a little crazy because more than 50 pit bulls are quite overwhelming considering PAWS has to take care of the dogs they have which may be the reason why they proposed putting these dogs to sleep. The president of IRO together with some animal rights advocate from Manila decided to take over the dogs and send them to Cebu. 

I am sorry for being graphic but this is was one of the dogs rescued. PAWS named him Pepsi. You can click the photo to see the rest of them. Check this video to see how Pepsi looks like right now. By the way, these pit bulls are going through a training to rehabilitate them to see if they can go to a forever home.

And here is a photo of some of our native dogs in Danao.

Click on the link and you’ll land on IRO’s facebook page and see what we have done and what we are currently doing.

In case you want to donate, IRO’s paypal account is helpiro@gmail.com.

Please help. Thank you! 

(via ratmanprimate)