Anakpawis acceptance of nomination rally and campaign caravan

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to join members of Anakpawis Partylist in a support rally as its nominees led by Rep. Ka Paeng Mariano accepted their nomination for the coming elections at the Commission on Elections in Manila.

The event was deservingly festive, and was attended by leaders and members of various sectoral organizations that support Anakpawis, such as KADAMAY, PAMALAKAYA and KMU.

And the nominees are:

After the rally, we headed for Isla Puting Bato, in Tondo, Manila to hand out leaflets and campaign for Anakpawis, with Ka Paeng. The reception was warm, and we had a great opportunity to talk with the residents. Apparently, the lack of power is one of the greatest concerns of the residents. For over four (4) months now, the residents have been in a state of complete blackout and so have to rely on generators (for the very few who have them) and candles and lamps (for most).

I end this post with a portrait of a child I met in Tondo who had one of the sweetest smiles I saw lately. Behind her is a poster, campaigning for Makabayan’s senatorial candidates Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza. This photograph is an apt reminder of why we do the things we do, while enduring the challenges along the way.

Women’s March 2010

Yesterday was the centenary of the global celebration of Women’s Day, and Filipina women, and all who support the struggle of women in the Philippines commemorated it in the streets, recognizing the fact that genuine gender emancipation can only be achieved in relation to the political and economic struggle of the people.

Thousands defied the blazing El Nino heat to join the protest March, which began with a program in Welcome Rotunda and ended in historic Mendiola. The program at Mendiola featured speeches from aspirants in the upcoming polls, expressing support for the advancement of Women’s rights.

Vice-presedential aspirant Loren Legarda speaking on stage at Welcome Rotonda

Senatorial bet Adel Tamano talks to families of the Morong 43 detainees. Calling for freedom for the 43 was one of the main issues raised in the protest march

At noon, the March started towards Mendiola. It was led by an effigy featuring a “monument” of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, with a marker bearing her crimes against the people.

At Morayta, women protesters led by Liza Maza were greeted by fellow Makabayan senatorial candidate Satur Ocampo, who gave them red roses.

Sadly, just as we reached Mendiola, my ever trusty dSLR exhausted its battery, so i did not have a chance to take photos of the effigy as it gloriously (pun intended) went down in flames.

More photos of the march can be viewed here, in gallery view.

Lantern Parade Fun

Had a blast at UP’s Lantern Parade yesterday, the annual tradition of the University in celebration of the last day of classes for the year, as students, teachers, and other members of the community prepare for the holidays.

Of course, this is UP, which means an activity as seemingly innocent as a christmas parade becomes political in nature. This year’s Christmas theme was “Kapaskuhan, Kalikasan, Kinabukasan,” apt, as world leaders meet for the Copanhagen Summit, which, as of the time of this writing, has “descended into chaos”.

Other than the issue of Climate Change, Colleges such as the College of Law, College of Mass Communication, and College of Social Work and Community Development as well as the umbrella group Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND-UP) has taken the initiative to highlight the slaughter in Maguindanao and call for justice for those slain.

In front of the College of Engineering where we watched the parade, everyone was chanting “I-backhoe si Gloria!” as STAND-UP’s backhoe float passed the college front. The festive mood and the holidays does little to diminish the outrage still felt by the nation for the merciless Ampatuan Massacre as well as for the administration that has sown the seeds for something like that to happen. Oh well, I digress.

Of course, all were looking forward to what the College of Fine Arts has to offer for this year’s parade. Their theme, was Asia, hence a Chinese Dragon, Japanese Samurai Warriors and a giant Halo-halo.

But, the college saved the best for last, and nothing could have prepared us for a giant Manny Pacquiao and her mom, Aling Dionisia.

The parade ended with a fireworks display, giving me my first oppurtunity to shoot fireworks since I had my DSLR. I didn’t have a tripod though so i had to make do with my camera being handheld. However, I am proud of some of the pictures I took and I now look forward to shooting more fireworks as the new year approaches.

I hope that you enjoy the following gallery. Thanks for Joe Mandia and Olga Guela for taken some of the photos in this gallery.