Carlos Celdran Takes on the Catholic Church

Self's feature article on Carlos Celdran appeared in today's Fil-Am Courier, a semi-monthly community paper for Hawaii's Filipino community. If you haven't heard of Carlos Celdran, he's the Manila activist-tour guide dude that donned a Jose Rizal costume, made his way to the altar at Manila Catheral where bishops were conducting an ecumenical service, held up a placard that read "Damaso" and then began shouting, "Stop getting involved in politics." He did this to protest the Catholic Church's heavy-handed influence on politics, particularly with its active participation in preventing the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill. The bill, which has been languishing for 14 years in the Philippine Congress, calls for the distribution of condoms to families who can't afford it and for conducting sex education classes in the public schools. For his daring stunt, Carlos was arrested, jailed, and charged with "offending religious feelings." He is is awaiting trial and could face up to five years in jail if found guilty. Self got to meet him and his wife Tessa by chance at a dinner thingee last weekend courtesy of Z. Self found his enthusiasm, creativity and passion so interesting, so much so that Self decided to pitch the story to the Fil-Am Courier, who decided to feature him in today's Oct. 16 issue. So head on down to your to your neighborhood Filipino restaurant or business to pick up your free copy. It's usually available at other places in Kalihi and Waipahu, and where ever Filipinos congregate. You can be sure to find it where ever you find the other two leading Filipino community newspapers. You can even get it at the State Capitol, right outside the snack shop in the basement for you downtown-ies.

Here's the article.

Carlos Celdran Takes on the Catholic Church by Amalia B. Bueno

Sometimes a single act of protest by one person generates widespread impact, much like the way an offshore earthquake can produce a tsunami. Perphaps that is what happened during the public spectacle that propelled 37-year old tour guide Carlos Celdran into the center of a political storm surrounding the controversial Reproductive Health Bill, or House Bill 96 that has been making its way through the Philippine House of Representatives.

On a rainy Thursday afternoon, Carlos Celdran dressed in Victorian garb as Jose Rizal and walked into the Manila Cathedral. In the cathedral were some members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and other religious leaders who had come together to discuss strategies on how to get legislators to oppose House Bill 96, and to conduct an ecumenical service. During a break in the service, when heads were bowed for a moment of silence, Celdran made his way to the altar and silently raised a white placard with the word “Damaso” on it. Damaso was a reference to the hated, villainous, cruel Spanish friar in Rizal’s novel, Noli Me Tangere. Celdran walked the width of the altar as “an act of civil disobedience,” saying nothing, just holding up the sign for all to see. Then he began shouting to the surprised attendees, “Stop getting involved in politics!”

For staging this daring stunt, Celdran was thrust in the glare of the national media. He was also transformed into a folk hero of sorts in a country where the heavy-handed influence of the Catholic Church on politics is legendary.

Celdran, who was in Honolulu last week with his extended family to celebrate his father’s 81^st birthday, recalls that he “just kept yelling that phrase, oh, maybe three, four times” until the security guard took him outside. “And then the police came and told me that (Manila) Mayor Lim, who was attending the service, ordered my arrest. I learned later that Cardinal Rosales wanted me jailed.” Celdran says he was treated nicely by the police officers, who seemed supportive of his message.

He was charged with violating an antiquated anti-blasphemy law, Article 133 of the Philippine Revised Penal Code, which prohibits “offending religious feelings.” Celdran says it took awhile for him to be charged, because authorities couldn’t decide what to charge him with. By then it was late evening, so spent the night in jail and was released the next day, October 1, 2010. But not before he created an uproar in cyberspace. A Facebook fan page, Free Carlos Celdran, generated 24,000 fans in 24 hours.

“If anything, what has come out of this experience is that there is discussion out there about contraception, sex education, abortion, gays, sex trafficking, population control, poverty, economics, power, etc.,” Celdran notes. But here’s also been some uncivil and irrational talk about values, morality and the church, he adds, which he tries to moderate on his fan page.

Celdran doesn’t regret doing what he did, but would probably not do it again. “I would do something new. I am sorry about the method I used, but I am absolutely not sorry about the message. People should be given a choice when it comes to reproductive rights.”

That message is echoed by President Benigno Aquino III, who has publicly stated that he supports “responsible parenthood and informed choice in family planning.” Aquino has also said that government is “obligated to inform everybody of their responsibility and their choices. At the end of the day, government might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method.” These statements have spurred Nereo Odchimar, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, to threaten President Aquino with ex-communication.

It is this kind of Church influence that makes Celdran more determined to continue the fight for reproductive rights. “I’m not against the church. I’m not against Catholicism. I’m Catholic, but I’m very, very disappointed with the Catholic church when it comes to reproductive rights. I don’t want to tear down the church. But when they interfere and try to stop the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill, I’m willing to take the challenge.”

Celdran returns to the Philippines after a week’s vacation in Hawaii, and waits to see what will happen. He is expecting there will be a trial and he faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. “This has become bigger than anything I could imagine. I am hoping my act of civil disobedience will fade one of these days soon. All this attention on me is taking away attention from the Reproductive Health Bill. It’s legislation that’s been languishing for 14 years. So the fight continues.”

The trajectory of Carlos Celdran’s life can best be summed up by the description of Celdran Tours on his website. His famed tours take a comprehensive, irreverent approach to the social and political history of the Philippines. Appropriately, his blog simply states, “Walk This Way. A simple man who is trying to change the way you look at Manila. One step at a time.”

Pusod, Puseg, Piko: From da Gut, Storytellers and Poets Who Not Scared to Tell the Truth

This event rocked last night! Self thanks the organizers and Kalamansi Books for their hospitality. Youth Speaks Hawaii poets were awesome. See you at the next quarterly event of From Da Gut.

( TONIGHT’S FEATURED STORYTELLERS AND POETS (in order of appearance) (

FAITH PASCUA

Faith is this year’s Youth Slam Hawai‘i Grand Slam Champion. She has been on the two-time defending High School State Champion Farrington Slam Team and this summer represented the state in international competition in Los Angeles at the Brave New Voices Youth Festival (as seen on HBO).

DARLENE RODRIGUES

Darlene is a poet, writer and performer. Her poetry and essays have appeared in Amerasia, disOrient, Katipunan and in the anthologies, Babaylan: Writings by Filipina and Filipina American Writers and Words Matter: Conversations with Asian American Writers. She has read her poetry at venues such as the Honolulu Academy of the Arts, StudioBe’s Rant and Rave, and re:VERSES at Arts at Mark’s Garage. Darlene has also produced several shows on ‘Olelo Community Television.

SERENA SIMMONS

Sixteen year old Serena Simmons discovered Youth Speaks Hawai‘i only two months ago, but this Hawai‘i born poet has been filling the atmosphere with her emotion soaked poetry since 2008. A supporter of the local slam scene, Serena also loves communes, beards, long hair, music, and getting the lead out. Inspired by the feminist movement, music, and psychedelia, she currently hangs at Waikiki’s largest hippie compound and is not a lesbian!

PATRICIA A. BROWN

Patricia is the author of Kula San Maui’s Healing Place, a pictorial history that chronicles the legacy of Kula Sanatorium and reveals the poignant and personal stories of the hospital’s patients, employees and supporters. An educator, psychologist and researcher, Patricia was the Internship Director of School Counseling, Counseling Psychology graduate studies program at Chaminade University and past president of the Filipino Association of University Women. She is president of the Filipino American Historical Society of Hawai‘i and a board member of the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training. She is active in promoting awareness of youth, women’s and educational issues.

SAMSON TAFOLO

Surrendering attentive ears to the sirens and art of spoken word—rather than to patrol cars—17 year old Samson Tafolo has since dreamed of the day he was ready to get down with the infamous Youth Speaks talent. He is honored to be part of such an amazing group of people and seeks to satisfy the poetic needs of any audience that makes time to listen. Samson hopes to make an impact on the next generation as big as Youth Speaks has done for him.

AMALIA BUENO

Amalia was born in Manila and raised in Hawai‘i. Her poetry and stories have been featured in various local and national publications, most recently in Growing Up Filipino II and Walang Hiya: Literature Taking Risks Toward a Liberatory Practice. She is the author of the poetry chapbook On King, You Go Left (2010) and has work forthcoming in Tinfish and Bamboo Ridge. In 2006 she co-produced a cultural adaptation of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES and was the publicity coordinator for FLIP OUT!, which played to sold-out audiences in 2009. She is pursuing graduate studies at the University of Hawai‘i and is president of Bueno MediaWorks, a strategic marketing and media relations consulting firm. Amalia smiles whenever she encounters

her favorite Ps: poetry, politics and the Puki Liberation Front.

ELLEN-RAE CACHOLA

Ellen-Rae is an Ilocana born and raised on Maui. She is currently a doctoral student at UCLA’s Information Studies department. She is studying how Manifest Destiny over California led to Manifest Destiny over the Pacific Islands, and how information organization of grassroots women’s movements can manifest different futures. She has published “Gender and U.S. Bases in the Asia-Pacific” and “Resistance, Resilience and Respect for Human Rights: Women Working Across Borders for Peace and Genuine Security,” both in Peace Review. Also, she contributed writings to “Archives imagined elsewhere and otherwise: Asian American community-based archival organizations” in Society of American Archivist Diversity Reader. Her short story, “Romanticized Past,” is included in Walang Hiya: Literature Taking Risks Toward a Liberatory Practice. She is passionate about building alliances among diverse communities across oceans and lands.

TRAVIS T aka TRAVIS KA‘ULULA‘AU THOMPSON

A student, activist, artist, educator, poet, mentor, coach and co-founder of the internationally recognized, award-winning Youth Speaks Hawai‘i, TravisT is a six-time member of the Hawai‘i Slam Team, 2007 Hawai‘i Slam Grand Slam Champ, and winner of the 2003 Red Shark Slam Jam “People’s Choice” Award. His poetry has been featured on National Public Radio, WBAI Radio in New York City, Pacifica Radio in California, Hawaii Public Radio and ‘Olelo TV. He has recorded one CD, “The TrapperKeeperT Files” (2007) and authored two chapbooks: Serving LIFE SENTENCES (2003) and The Politics of Lips (2004). A former co-host of Words @ Ward Rafters & LASTuesdays re:VERSES, he is currently the events coordinator for Youth Speaks Hawai‘i, a creative writing teacher at Palama ICTP (an in-community treatment program for adjudicated teens) and a part-time raw vegan chef.

PI Trip Blog 3: Seen, Heard, Done and Reconsidered

SEEN: There are ubiquitous signs, banners, advertisements on storefronts, as well as religious or philosophical messages painted on building walls that are primarily instructive. The most common is bawal umihi dito (no pissing here) and bawal mahiring diri (no pissing here). Perhaps there will be an Ilocano version that I’ll see when I go north. In Palo, on the side of whitewashed building a piece of art in big red letters alerts drivers that “An honest man is the noblest work of God.” It makes me wonder at the urgency of such a proclamation. At a college campus, posters remind students to WATCH, which stands for We Advocate Time Consciousness and Honesty. So, were there a lot of tardy and dishonest students who necessitated this acronym?

Speaking of morality instruction at the schools, at an elementary school in Cabanatuan there was a gruesomely graphic image of the naked human hermaphrodite body depicting the adverse effects of smoking cigarettes—varicose veins, brown lungs, shriveled ovaries, bad skin, low sperm count depicted by a limp penis, gangrene toes, etc. I am certain American parents would object to the poster if it were their children seeing it. So, I’m assuming that there must be a really bad smoking problem with the adults. In Manila, it seems that everyone smokes. In Davao, we were greeted by signs that said Davao is a smoke-free city. Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing smokers there in any public places.

In addition to many thought-provoking images, there also seems to be a love for wordplay and puns with the English language. Get your Sexy Baboy (pork bbq sticks…that are seductive? The pig had long curled eyelashes) and God’s Wheel Tire Shop are among the funniest. I’ve posted some others on my Facebook page. Some phrases, when translated are also very revealing. For example, a discomfort bag = barf bag on the ferry ride. An escape route = exit doorway on the ferry ride. For awhile = Just a minute.

WYSIWYG—what you see is what you get. Sometimes not. R says my hotel in Manila is ghetto, but he came over to visit anyway. I love Malate bordering on Ermita. It has an eclectic, bohemian feel. Yes, the street and the pollution stink, the homeless beg in the street, the sidewalks are uneven and circuitous, but the people have an upbeat jive energy that says live and let live. Ah, the people. There was a Friday night concert at the college next door that went on long and loud until 12:30 am this morning. It was great music, including imitations of Springsteen, The Clash, metallic, punk, Cyndi Lauper, you name it. Screaming girls, yelling singers, hardcore drums, appreciative audience wafted up to the 5^th floor where I was pretending I was trying to sleep. I would never have imagined St. Paul’s Medical College was that hip.

HEARD: “I am glad for martial law. Those in Manila who are protesting do not live here. They do not know what it is like to be so close to the terror. It’s a good thing president Gloria has done. The father, the senior, is here in Davao. You should see their houses here. My God…” That sentiment was uttered by a Davao matriarch when I asked her what she thought of Ampatuan senior being taken away that day from the Davao General Hospital and brought to custody in Manila.

I also heard that this month’s Cosmo magazine, Philippines edition has some good advice. In addition to the usual advice about not having sex on the first date, Cosmo offers boyfriend advice. For you young ladies out there, Cosmo says to call your boyfriend’s parents Sir or Ma’am until they tell you it is okay to call them Tita and Tito. Got that?

DONE: Yup, I was game. Just had to satisfy the curiosity of attending a cockfight in the Philippines. Strange does not even begin to describe what the arena was like. Man sweat. Cigarette smoke. Diesel fuel smell. Dirt floor. Wooden bleachers. Loudspeakers overhead. Men yelling. Frying oil. Children selling snacks. Women half price admission. Man sweat, cigarette smoke, money waving, hand signals, yelling to a crescendo and subsequent wane of shouts, rhythmic cheering. Had my fill after an hour. Will try anything once. Will post pictures when I learn how.

RECONSIDERED: Now I know why my father was such a crazy driver. I finally get why he so loved beeping his horn. As a resident of Manila and a car aficionado, he must have been some kind of driver in his day, wending through alleys, around buildings, people, pedicabs, tricycabs, jeepneys, motor scooters. And I thought he was just reckless or brave. Now I can appreciate that driving in Manila is a valuable skill. Stop signs, individual driving lanes, and green lights are mere suggestions. Rules are optional. Pedestrians definitely do not have the right of way. Whoever gets to the designated spot first doesn’t have the right of way either. Driving in Manila is elevated to an art form. Best of luck and best wishes to the woman and her child in that Osmena circle who were trying to cross the road as cars swarmed around them. Sorry, but we had to go around you too so I hope you and your anak made it.

In addition to my father's driving, I've also reconsidered the art of dropping names. Namedropping, especially when done in an inimitable Filipino way, has always been such a turn off for me. However, as I experience more and more Filipinos drop names galore—in an over the top manner that is thoroughly, shamelessly unabashed—I’m seeing it in a different light. Dropping names when discussing politics, within various social circles, in an intimate setting, with total strangers, or in storytelling and entertainment may have a dual purpose. Namedropping seems to underscore the value this society places on establishing a bond. If you know someone and mention that relationship to your listener, you are laying the groundwork for the obligation and responsibility the relationship implies. If, for example, I mention to you that I am a classmate, relative, town mate, AND godchild of a mayor who did not fix the pothole on my father’s road, then you the listener are supposed to be horrified at the bad manners of the mayor. But then again, you the listener are supposed to cry foul if I tell you that the same mayor fixed the potholes on the road where his friends and relatives live. Now what was I saying about living with dichotomies and contradictions?

PI Trip Blog 2: Knowing Your Place

The poor here are so very poor—it’s criminal. The rich are so rich—it’s obscene. Those in power must know this and pretend not to see. Why and how does mass poverty get perpetuated for generations? What will it take for a country like the Philippines to build a strong middle class? The tired old dogma of land redistribution hasn’t broken up much of the traditional family monopolies and corporate inbreeding. And what about jobs and the economy?

The Philippines graduated 90,000 nurses this year but the country can only absorb 10,000 of them. That means the remaining 80,000 graduates are unemployed, underemployed, or go overseas as guest workers. It’s the same story for engineers, doctors, teachers. The government encourages outsourcing of its human resources. In fact, the government has a policy of finding other overseas employment for 30,000 Filipinos who have lost their jobs in Dubai due to the global economic downturn. Minimum wage here is 400 Philippine pesos a day, the equivalent of $8.88 US dollars. (It puts in perspective the 300 pesos I tipped the porter for 3 pieces of luggage at the Manila airport) And what about commerce and transportation? The smaller towns and cities we pass through have a proliferation of sari-sari stores and roadside vendors. Many residents walk directly on the roads because there are inadequate sidewalks. Cars seem a luxury reserved for the rich, as motorized tricycles, motorcyles, mopeds, cabs are the vehicles most seen at petrol stations. Would it really help the masses if the economy undergoes structural change as one presidential candidate (out of a total of 89 candidates) vows to do?

The Philippines is not made for an American-style democracy, R tells me. And the people are fine with knowing their place, he concludes. R says that maids are grateful to have a job and that drivers are highly valued as the highest paid domestic help. One of our drivers has a wife and children who live hundreds of miles away in the province. He sends money home regularly and sees his family once a month. He is happy with his lot, R insists. He knows his place in society and accepts it. Perhaps I am just wearing my American perspective on my sleeve, but it bothers me that children and senior citizens beg on the streets. That homeless families live on the sidewalks. That many go without clean water and basic shelter. They can't all be happy knowing their place in society. That's the outdated myth of the happy brown peoples of Oceania. From Manila, to Leyte, to Cebu (and probably Davao, Palawan and Ilocos, too) the dichotomy of the very poor and the very rich is glaring. The politicians must see this. Do they pretend not to see? Or they do see it, but choose to live with the people's familiar place in society?

Footnote: As a Philippine-born outsider, a westernized Filipino-American female, what should I know about "my place" in Philippine society? Our American group has stayed at some of those very rich people’s homes and have been waited on by their maids and drivers. We’ve experienced the expanse of green lawns and high walls topped with glass shards to keep others out. We’ve also stayed at hotels that are steps away from the everyday life of the very poor. We’ve also felt at home in clean and simple abodes and bonded with middle class families. BTW, every pig needs to hide when we’re in a town because inevitably someone will throw a party for us featuring lechon, no matter how upscale or humble the venue. Whether we are in a town or a city, whether the people are rich or poor, we have been met embraced with open arms and hearts. The friends, neighbors, kinfolk connections, students, dignitaries, families and staff we encounter have shown incredible hospitality and generosity. But I cannot fully buy into the notion that everyone is happy knowing their place in society.

There is an undercurrent that makes me want to raise my fist and foment revolution. Or at least help stir up some good old fashioned discontent.

PI Trip Blog 1: It Takes a Rhythm

Filipinos live with contradictions all the time and we are fine with it, R told me. “We go with the flow because the control is not ours.” Plans can change on a whim. Bahala intervenes and your life is not your own. Interdependency limits individual choice. These attitudes contribute to the misdirected criticism that Filipinos are not aggressive enough in the context of First World standards. But are Filipinos truly passive, di ba? A dogged determination to survive is pervasive here. Resilience and hard work are quintessential global Pinoy traits. Getting ahead through education is pounded into the head of every Filipino man, woman and child. And there is much to admire in the Filipino ingenuity for making do with what little they have. Among the jarring contradictions: a sacred nativity scene highlighting Santa Claus; CNN hero Efren Penaflorida and alleged mass murderer Andal Ampatuan juxtaposed in the headlines; a family's humble nipa grass hut next door to a concrete mansion in Tacloban.

Plastered on the campus of a particular private college is a poster advising students, “Think in English. Write in English.” Granted, those marketable skills boost the competitive edge the Philippine economy longs for its work force. But at what cost? Thinking and writing in another language inevitably changes the Filipino spirit and transforms its core values. If, as FSJ, says the Filipino populace is generally shallow and immature—socially and politically, respectively—what is to be made of its core values now? Are those values in danger of being discarded, replaced, transformed? Filipinos here are intensely proud to be Filipino. But there is undercurrent of wanting to be somewhere else, wishing to be someone else. And they are keenly attuned to all of its contradictions and implications.

I don't know what to make of some of my observations of the social, political and cultural life here. From a Westerner's perspective, I am aggrieved, agog, confused and stumped on some gender and justice issues. There is much to love and admire here as well. I will go with the flow. Like Manila's infamous traffic, it takes a rhythm to cross the road.

An Evening of Art, Poetry and Fashion

Flip Out! Show Souvenir Program

The two, sold out, afternoon matinee Flip Out! shows in Honolulu at Kawananakoa's Backstage Theatre on October 25 were a roaring success! The cast will be returning to Honolulu this weekend at Hawaii's Plantation Village. And guess what? Both shows are also sold out. For those of you who missed the October show and could not get in to the upcoming November show, here is the printed program that was distributed on October 25. Look for Flip Out! to return to Honolulu in 2010...and they may be coming to your neighborhood in the near future.