Our current reality

The text came from an unknown number but the message was from someone related, a distant relative currently serving time on drug charges in the province, asking me to help pay for his court or lawyers fees because he was a strong candidate for release. The amount was minimal but I felt that the consequences could be fatal.

Ironic as it seems, I ended up calling the mother of the detainee and telling her that her son was better off staying in jail where he “found God” rather than get out of jail and meet up with God. Philippine jails may be hell to be in but a lot of drug users have managed to kick the habit behind bars and under the current reality, the choice is to be jailed or to be dead. The person ultimately realized I was not kidding and that I had his best interest in mind so he decided to stay alive in jail.

The following day, I read about a similar case in Cebu where an arrested drug user was set free last week and was shot dead in a matter of days.

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In my younger years I once found myself in a quandary trying to be a “nice” Christian and punishing employees for their misconduct. So I sought advice from one of my mentors in the faith and he sternly warned me that if I fail to mete out discipline and correction it would essentially be unchristian because I would be tolerating the wrongdoing and actually reinforcing wrong behavior by not showing disapproval and giving correction. At the core of it all is the concept of “Tough Love” because it is tough on both the giver and the recipient. If you’re a parent you know the feeling and the need. That’s why we often say this is going to hurt me just as much as it is going to hurt you.

Senator Dick Gordon obviously finds himself in such a difficult spot not knowing what to do with fellow Senators De Lima and Trillanes for their unbecoming conduct in the Senate after the former did a “walkout” while the latter gave unsavory remarks about the Senate and the members of the justice committee. Sen. Gordon even mentioned Christian conduct suggesting humility and forgiveness over the insults.

Sen. Gordon’s reactions are commendable but incorrect. To simplify matters for Gordon and other senators, let me ask one thing:

If an ordinary citizen or a public servant of ordinary stature uttered derogatory remarks towards the Senators or at the Senate as a whole, would the Senators be talking about acting like Christians? If a resource person or someone under investigation stood up and walked out in the middle of a Senate investigation, would the Senators be uttering the word: “Forgive”? No way. 

The issue of ethical conduct in the Senate transcends party lines, friendships, or religious beliefs. The Senate is now faced with a challenge to impose the very same treatment they have been subjecting citizens and public servants to. Regardless of who is at the receiving end, the Senate has to show its ability to discipline its members and to hold them accountable for their language and their conduct as much as they impose the same on mere humans called Filipinos.

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I managed to squeeze in some time for the AGRILINK 2016 and caught up with Dr. Erwin Cruz who is one of the strongest proponents of free range chicken farming in the Philippines, also one of the earliest providers of F1 imported breeding stocks from Europe and has helped improve the availability of breeding/ growing material in the local supply chain for live poultry.

According to Doc Erwin, there continues to be a shortage in the availability especially for “layers” because the big companies that supply layer chicks have limited supplies or restricted their output primarily for their own consumption. This explains why most backyard farmers or chicken raisers can only get chick for 45-day-old poultry raising and not egg layers. To make matters worse, the available chicks at poultry supply stores are class “C” or “D” or chicks that are third choice. This explains why my past attempts at backyard poultry raising have resulted in high chick mortality.

When we finally found class B or 2nd choice (meaning the excess chicks that the big companies could no longer use), we noticed very low mortality and strong chickens. This is something the Department of Agriculture needs to address and perhaps invest in. I know that the DA has some small farms in Bicol, Batangas and Quezon province trying to re-establish the different varieties of “native chickens” such as the Paraoakan, the Bolinao, some Joloano asils, and the Tagalog breed and this is a praiseworthy project. But in terms of “commercial varieties” the DA should team up with experts like Doc Erwin Cruz and others to create a supply chain of class A chicks to be made available at feed stores, barangays and DA offices.

In case you’re wondering about my agricultural inclinations, I simply feel bad for everyday type Filipinos who spend so much money, time and effort in different agri-type projects or businesses but have no idea that they are being sold rejects or inferior materials, animals and are kept in the dark in terms of knowledge and competency. Whether you are a backyard hobbyist, a weekend farmer, or a hand to mouth person in the province we all deserve good quality materials. Perhaps Secretary Manny Piñol can add this to his list of initiatives that I will be writing about soon. For those interested in contacting Dr. Erwin Cruz just Google his name and the words Free Range F1 Chickens. That’s how I found him again.

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