#SuggestANewNameForLNMB: Should We Rename the Libingan ng mga Bayani?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"The etymology of “hero” and “bayani” is a warrior who protects or defends his people."

Since President Rody Duterte gave the Marcos family the go signal for the interment of the late Pres. Ferdinand Emmanuel E. Marcos at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani (LNMB), many have expressed opposition to the forthcoming move.

Some are saying preventing Marcos's burial at the LNMB continues to divide our country.

They were saying that LNMB is not really for heroes. It is simply a war memorial, a cemetery for our deceased military officers. However, the National Historical Commission clearly states why one should not be laid to rest there. On the other hand, the Supreme Court is already conducting oral arguments on the burial.

Martial Law victims and politicians, who themselves were either victims or activists during the country’s dark era urged the President to withdraw his decision that favors the Marcos family.

Vice President Leni Robredo said the name of the heroes' cemetery should denote who should be buried there. "Was he an exemplary Filipino who gave his life, who sacrificed so much for our country?"

We would be the laughing stock of the entire planet," said Senator Risa Hontiveros, who actively attends rallies and movements denouncing plans to bury Marcos' in LNMB.

Millenials pointed out that the deposed dictator is disqualified from being buried at the Heroes’ Cemetery because he falls under the category of those “dishonorably separated or discharged from the service.” A fake hero does not deserve a place among the past presidents.

Would you agree instead in renaming the cemetery to something else other a heroes final resting place, so that we can finally bury the dictator there?

Hhhmmm... will that even work? I think it would only benefit the Marcos loyalists and supporters, and not the majority of the Filipinos, especially the relatives and families of Martial Law victims.

Are we going to ask the people to pitch an alternative name for the LNMB so it will be fit to take in even a known despot, plundered and offender or human rights?

#SuggestANewNameForLNMB will be the new hashtag and would crowd-source the masses. There might be great ideas from social media, especially Twitter and Facebook. The netizens might even accompany their suggestions with appropriate images or photos - may they be humorous or satirical.

An associate justice of the Supreme Court earlier pointed out that not all those buried at the LNMB were heroes but were mostly soldiers and war veterans. He does not consider them as heroes? Should we stress out to him that even though Marcos was both, he remains a criminal in the eyes of majority of the Filipinos.

Duterte also said the law covering interment in LNMB does not include a ban on despots. "As a former soldier and former president of the Philippines, I see nothing wrong in having Marcos buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani," Duterte said. "I will allow Marcos burial in Libingan ng Mga Bayani, not because he was a hero but because he was a Filipino soldier" he adds.

It was in the news that showed over 4,000 rallyists calling for unity and marching from Roxas Boulevard to the Supreme Court, rallying for the body of former Philippine President to be laid to rest at the LNMB.

Bongbong Marcos has said that plans are ongoing to ensure the transfer of his father’s remains by September (18) which is his birth month.

"Verily, the Libingan ng mga Bayani is the hallowed graveyard for heroes and patriots, not of despots and plunderers. Heroes eternally rest in the people's embrace and admiration, while villains forever agonize in disgrace." - Rep. Edcel Lagman

Where is the Justice in the Drug War?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

These are your sentiments - posts were taken all over social media and combined to make a statement against the #WarOnDrugs

President Rodrigo Duterte's sincerity in his drug war is in question here. He admits he does not have the funds for drug rehab programs but increases the Office of the President annual budget from 2B to 20B.

He even has the budget to commission dolls and mascots that only intends to make him, and his PBP Chief Bato, all cuddly and cute. Instead, the Philippines became a laughing stock in the yes of the world.

“Where will this lead us? Where do I get the billions (of pesos)? My budget is only this much… that’s why in the meantime you have them killed,” Mr. Duterte said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“Son of a b*tch, I will really kill you. Let’s be frank here. We will really end up killing each other here,” he went on. “I cannot simply define justice that is fair to all. Life is never fair.”

Senator Allan Peter Cayetano, Duterte's running mate who lost the Vice Presidency to Robredo, earlier lambasted two known critics of the government’s anti-drug campaign for “discrediting” the Philippines before the international community by insinuating that extrajudicial killings were rampant in the country.

He either does not know the constitution and human rights or thinks that these are just like any other laws that can be argued aside. This shows a very low moral fiber. It is also foolish to take a hit for the president.

While Duterte is very arrogant in saying Obama should be listening to him instead of the other way around. I suppose Duterte has this super wisdom on human rights that Obama needs to listen to.

The mere fact that Duterte doesn't have a rehab plan makes him invalid to even utter a word.

To all the people who think only pushers die in the war on drugs, tell me who you think a five year old girl that they are PUTTING IN THE GROUND was dealing to.

Collateral damage? Maybe, but this war in drugs doesn't give anyone the excuse to end lives without the due process of law. We are better than barbarians, otherwise we have gone down to the level of animals who kill and prey on the weak.

Senator Laila De Lima has called upon the nation to open their eyes and speak out the truth to what they see. Duterte's attack on her personal (love) life creates an impression that the President is nowhere near decent. If he has strong evidence against De Lima, he should be filing a case against her and not ruining her reputation by public shaming.

The PDEA and NBI has denied participation in the preparation of Duterte's drug list, and probably even the so called matrix, which only shows how unreliable or prone to errors it is unless the list was created by somebody inside and personally involved within the illegal drug trade.  If the list were not vetted, then it should not have been made public. This is one of the highlight of the Drug war. Poor strategy with life and death consequences.

Now, Bishop Bacani has issued a statement saying this war on drugs is worst than martial law. Is this (drug menace) not a mirror reflection of their failed pastoral duties? The unprecedented moral corruption of the country can be traced to the fact that they failed, at the least, to moralize their pastoral members. Though morality is not exclusive to Christian faith yet it is the most visible characteristic of true disciples of Christ. The bishop again is meddling in the affairs of the state when the latter is simply sweeping the dirt their ministry has kept under the rug.

#PitchAShowToGMA: Crowd-Sourcing for TV Show Ideas and Concepts

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I guess someone's running out of concepts. Is it true that GMA 7 has already ran out of brilliant ideas? Did they ever had one in the first place?

Some would say ABS-CBN leads in the copycat and recycled themes, it is just that GMA 7 has very few popular talents as compared with their closest competition. However, TV5 is also said to be somehow guilty of coming out with Pinoy shows influenced by popular foreign shows as well.

What is confirmed is that we are indeed too much inclined to pattern our ideas with what's popular out there.

Do we really need to reinvent the wheel, or we just improve or modify what's tried, tested and proven working?

If you take out the humor (unless it's for a gag show), this #PitchAShowToGMA could be an effective crowd-sourcing activity to help our TV networks come up with ideas or concepts that were not too obviously copied from foreign counterparts (whether intentional or not).

Here's what netizens want to pitch to GMA:

Lol!