Marcial Bonifacio – Filipino Hero. Upsilonian.
Posted on | August 18, 2010 | 1 Comment
by Jose A.P. Ampeso*
To many Filipinos, Ninoy Aquino’s assassination in August of 1983 was a very tragic incident. The dreadful loss of his life was a supreme sacrifice that spelled the beginning of the end of Ferdinand Marcos’ hedonistic rule, indeed well beyond the bounds of democratic processes.
My personal view of Ninoy was that of an elderly though youthful, vibrant but well-grounded journalist-turned politician of post World War I vintage, among the several brilliant colleagues of his time. For sure, he was a new player on the bloc, one sort of in- a-hurry. From Governor of Tarlac in 1965, he was in 1967 elected as senator, the lone one from the opposition Liberal Party to survive the senatorial rout (7 pro-administration Nacionalista Party winners) in the Marcos administration part I. Indeed, he was making a catch-up with or against a shrewd and veteran political leader (then Pres. F. E. Marcos who was a proven scholar and bar topnotcher who suffered the rigors of World War II, and fought himself to the top of Philippine politics, having won the Philippine presidency twice)!
I belong to the Diliman batch 1968 of the Upsilon Sigma Phi – Asia’s oldest born and greatest known greek-lettered Fraternity, having been established in 1918 (just a decade after U.P.’s foundation). Fellows Ferdinand E. Marcos and Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. were among the more well-known Brods, having undergone initiations in 1937 and 1950, respectively.
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Tags: ninoy > ninoy aquino > upsilon
Marcos: ‘My best successor is Ninoy’
Posted on | August 16, 2010 | No Comments
Original article by Fe Zamora, published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer – 22 August 2008
(Second in a series)
Whenever President Ferdinand Marcos was in the mood, he would gather his loyal generals in his study in Malacañang for an hour or so of leisurely discourse on issues that mattered most to him and his martial law administration.
Over coffee and pastries, the Commander in Chief would toss a question or statement for his court to comment on or contemplate in a relaxed, casual atmosphere so different from the formality of their ranks and position.
Indeed, it was an honor to be part of the gathering because it meant one was part of Marcos’ inner circle.
In one tête-à-tête in late 1980 or early 1981, the conversation drifted to the “succession issue.” Marcos was already sickly then but this was not known to the public. But the generals knew. They kept the secret to themselves.
What Marcos said that day was totally unexpected of the strongman as the generals knew him.
Caterpillar Envenomation: Higad Attack
Posted on | August 11, 2010 | 9 Comments
Studying in the wide-open and heavily planted campus of the University of the Philippines in Diliman during the month of August has with it increased chances of getting intimate with hairy caterpillars also known in Filipino as higad.
These little creatures, while part of the life cycle that ends in a butterfly (or moth, depending on the species) have this habit of dropping onto your exposed skin when you least expect it. And because their fine silky hairs (setae) are like thin-gauged needles dipped in acid, they cause rather painful and/or itchy (not to mention somewhat disfiguring) lesions on the areas of contact.
Without going too much into the pathophysiology of how erucism or caterpillar dermatitis comes to be (the medical professionals among you already have several key words to search for to find the appropriate literature), the most common manifestation of caterpillar envenomation is that of a “localized, pruritic, maculopapular contact dermatitis and urticaria,” following “contact with toxic hairs, spines, or hemolymph [of the caterpillar], either directly or following aerosolization.” (Hooray for emedicine.com!) In plain English, you’ll find a somewhat raised patch of skin that’s really itchy/painful and sometimes red or pinkish in color.
