Last Sept 11, the Young Turks went to UP Los Banos. Adel Tamano, JV Ejercito and I made it. Gilbert Remulla was helping his boss Manny Villar parry the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes in the Senate, while Erin Tanada was out of Metro Manila for a consultation with his constituents.
Then on Sept 12-14 I was at Naga City for the Penafrancia Festival, upon the invitation of my good friend and former student Jack Hernandez, whose family owns the University of Nueva Caceres. Through Jack, Ang Ladlad donated two college scholarships to two participants in the Ms Gay Bicolandia and Mr Bicolandia, respectively. I also met with the writers of Kabulig, spoke at the awarding ceremonies of the Tomas Arejola Literary Awards for Bikol Writing and judged the two aforementioned beauty contests. I also talked with the seminarians at the Holy Rosary Seminary, beside the great Naga Cathedral. I bought lots of pasalubong from them, ranging from pili nuts to bracelets of Ina, the Our Lady of Penafrancia. They were raising funds for their graduation ceremonies and community projects. They were a polite and cheerful group.
Yesterday morning, I spoke in a Political Science class at the Ateneo. Topic: Ang Ladlad Party List. It was a happy day, with lots of photos taken afterward. In the afternoon, I spoke with the Dominican Brothers at the Santo Domingo Church. Topic: How to Write with Style, with a sub-section on writing a good sermon. The Order of Preachers are lucky when these brothers join them later, for they are bright, witty, and willing to learn. I was scandalized when one of the brothers wrote a rather, uh, erotic passage during our writing exercise. We also had photos taken at their vast garden alive with the song of birds on a bright and beautiful afternoon.
At night, I spoke at the launching of Galang, the newest lesbian and gay group in town, focusing on grassroots organization. Topic: welcoming them into the fold, insisting that the more the merrier, and And Ladlad -- unlike other groups, maybe -- is not paranoid, or unhappy, that a new group has joined the advocacy work. The work is too broad, too big, too difficult, for Ang Ladlad alone to carry. I was happy to see many lgbt leaders, especially the next generation of leaders. Which is good, since we the elder ones can move on.
When Joel, the Pol Sci teacher, asked me in the morning where do I get the energy to do all of these, I just smiled and told him that these are done by candidates without P100 million in funds for 2010.
Running only on sheer adrenaline and stunned by the brave, tireless, and enthusiastic support of the youth, I think this is the honorable way to do a campaign.
Then on Sept 12-14 I was at Naga City for the Penafrancia Festival, upon the invitation of my good friend and former student Jack Hernandez, whose family owns the University of Nueva Caceres. Through Jack, Ang Ladlad donated two college scholarships to two participants in the Ms Gay Bicolandia and Mr Bicolandia, respectively. I also met with the writers of Kabulig, spoke at the awarding ceremonies of the Tomas Arejola Literary Awards for Bikol Writing and judged the two aforementioned beauty contests. I also talked with the seminarians at the Holy Rosary Seminary, beside the great Naga Cathedral. I bought lots of pasalubong from them, ranging from pili nuts to bracelets of Ina, the Our Lady of Penafrancia. They were raising funds for their graduation ceremonies and community projects. They were a polite and cheerful group.
Yesterday morning, I spoke in a Political Science class at the Ateneo. Topic: Ang Ladlad Party List. It was a happy day, with lots of photos taken afterward. In the afternoon, I spoke with the Dominican Brothers at the Santo Domingo Church. Topic: How to Write with Style, with a sub-section on writing a good sermon. The Order of Preachers are lucky when these brothers join them later, for they are bright, witty, and willing to learn. I was scandalized when one of the brothers wrote a rather, uh, erotic passage during our writing exercise. We also had photos taken at their vast garden alive with the song of birds on a bright and beautiful afternoon.
At night, I spoke at the launching of Galang, the newest lesbian and gay group in town, focusing on grassroots organization. Topic: welcoming them into the fold, insisting that the more the merrier, and And Ladlad -- unlike other groups, maybe -- is not paranoid, or unhappy, that a new group has joined the advocacy work. The work is too broad, too big, too difficult, for Ang Ladlad alone to carry. I was happy to see many lgbt leaders, especially the next generation of leaders. Which is good, since we the elder ones can move on.
When Joel, the Pol Sci teacher, asked me in the morning where do I get the energy to do all of these, I just smiled and told him that these are done by candidates without P100 million in funds for 2010.
Running only on sheer adrenaline and stunned by the brave, tireless, and enthusiastic support of the youth, I think this is the honorable way to do a campaign.
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