At the outset, let me say how blessed Filipinos are and other countries in the world to be able to watch the US Election Trail in the CNN network. It is totally different from other media network, which abuse people’s lack or indolence in searching for facts and are dependent on the most often biased opinions in television. It is disgusting to see how other television networks make fun of SENATOR BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA’s name being labeled and tagged with contempt. Ironically however, this has made OBAMA’s name very popular all over the world.

 

My relatives in the US admitted that even if information is just a click away for people in the US through the internet, this accessibility is seldom if at all utilized by the Americans themselves. So they succumb to the experts in misinformation. Outside the US, we have this to say for American ignorance. There is no reason to be afraid of BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA. He is a Christian, an educated man having been blessed to have attended college in the University  of Chicago. He got his Law Degree from Harvard  University.

 

OBAMA’s middle name or second name, HUSSEIN is a common African and Arab name. The benevolent King of Jordan is also a HUSSEIN. There are many Hussein’s in the Middle East as there are many Smiths in the US. All over the world there are a lot of Moslem sounding names used by Christians. My last name is ALCORAN which means the QURAN, Moslem holy book. I am a Christian.

 

We Christians should not arrogate to the world that we are more humane than Moslems. We also had our own faults and atrocities. History tells us that Roman Crusaders killed many Moslem women and children too. The Spanish Armada utilized Moslem slaves to row their ships in the Historic Spanish-England War. The Spanish-Arabs of Moorish origin were driven away by the Catholicized Spanish crown. It is time we Christians who claim to be more civilized than the Moslems and endlessly stereotype Moslems as barbaric, should stop these wrong assumptions. This will only hamper global unity among people of diverse beliefs.

 

When the US sneezes, the whole world catches colds and even gets more fatal illnesses. I am a Filipino and our country, the Philippines looks with dedication on this Election. I put my fate on OBAMA because he is younger, and has a good vision towards global partnership and unity among nations of the world. He has the leadership and capacity to bridge cultures, a man with humble beginnings. I have faith in him and I will continue this sending this message to all Filipinos in the US as well as other American friends.

 

Alcoran is a rare word with limited usage due to its Moslem archaic origin. Yet in spite of this Islamic antiquity, not all Moslems all over the world know its sacredness. Alcoran means the Koran, the Quran Moslem Holy Book. It is the Holy Scripture of Mohammedanism which contains religions Islamic dogma written originally in old Arabic manuscript and is older than Holy Bible itself.

 

My interest which ironically was transformed into sublime dedication to unravel anything from mystery, truth, half truth or hearsay about Alcoran started when I was in grade school. Way back in a small quiet suburban City in Dumaguete City, Philippines, I was always teased by friends and classmates about my last name. In our dialect, it sounds like “kaguran” which means a coconut grater. I would always cry and relentless ask my father where he got such name, Alcoran. There are only a few of us in the entire Philippines and in this huge planet earth.

 

My father’s features as well as those of his siblings were different compared to those in the community where we lived. They had no Asian features. He had fair skin, hazel eyes and tilted nose. Way back in the 70’s, my father was always mistaken as a foreigner, a Spaniard or an Indian. In those days, if you look like an alien you will be tagged as a bastard. This has always been our dilemma. Had my father lived in the present time, his looks will never matter much in this growing multi-cultured world.

 

Friends would call my father “Bombay”, a local term for an Indian merchant. Although my father just dismisses this name calling with a smile, I didn’t like the way they tease him. It was not complementary on my part but an insult because it was indirectly telling him that he was an Indian bastard. He was an honorable man, with good breeding, schooled in the First American University in the Philippines , Silliman University established by Protestant Missionaries in 1901. Leodegario Farallon Alcoran speaks fluent English and Spanish as well. We were so proud of him.

 

My father was a great story teller. He would never tire telling as about his parent’s sojourns in various places just to survive the challenges of the times during the late 1700 to the early 1800. In between those tales, we always see the tears in his eyes. Even if I was very young then, I could feel the stabbing pain within him. So, I would ask more queries, sometimes funny and irrelevant ones. I could feel then his admiration over my enthusiasm to know more about his ancestry but sensed that something was more sentimental in the stories that have remained untold until his demise.

   

Theory has it that the Alcorans were among early Spanish Arabs before Spain was catholicized. How they became Spanish Arabs brings us back in time when Spain was under Moors control for more than 400 years. That is why; even the Spanish language itself has deep Arabic origin. So, Alcoran in Spanish means “al Koran” which in English is, “of the Koran”. Historically the Moors were of Middle Eastern origin. The Moors were Moslem warriors who invaded Spain and other African countries like Morocco . Just as how the Roman Crusaders brought their faith through their Holy Bible and converted pagan villages to Catholics, the Muslims too did the same with their Alcorans. Such that in the history of Europe, there are records and evidence of early Muslims before they were finally Catholicized ( Scotland and French History, World History).

 

The history of the Saracens or the Arab warrior border guards of Syria and Lebanon sometime during the Roman Crusade in the Middle East revealed how the Muslims tried in vain to guard their borders from the persistent attacked of Roman crusaders. However, many warriors were captured and turned into slaves by the Spanish Royalties. They were utilized as oarsmen for the Spanish Armada.

 

The Spanish Armada spread its might all throughout the corners of the world. Evidence to this is historical records of Spanish invasions, were Spanish colonies were established all over including that of the Philippines. It was not however invulnerable. Eventually in the later part of 1500, it was totally destroyed by British warships in the Battle of England. There were hazy records of survivors… and one may wonder where the none-Spanish oarsmen went. The presumption is that, they had assimilated with the inhabitants of the place where they were able to seek shelter or maybe they were given human treatment by the conquerors who defeated Spain and allowed to live… and perhaps these and other theories would lead me to start the ultimate search for the missing Alcoran.

 

Very recently, successful efforts have been done with the use of communication and the internet ancestry and genealogy sites to locate some Alcorans. And whether it was technology or God’s Divine intervention, I found Alcorans in Europe, Spain, Italy, Scotland, England of the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

 

My story does not end here… In fact it has just begun in Berwickshire, Scotland where an old cemetery in a village in Westfirth, we can find tombstones of Alcorans dated back as early as 1841.

 

(To be continued…)

 

 

 

 

It’s barely a month before the US Election; some contenders are throwing punches with dirty gloves to desperately win the coveted position of the most powerful man in the whole world, while the whole world is all eyes on the most powerful country in this planet. Yet this country, the USA who continues to assert their intellectual dominance as a people, is also home of the most ignorant people in issues like globalized economy, ecology and security among nations. They think that they as a people had been existing within the confines of their territory, therefore why does other nations have to interfere or be so engrossed with what is going on in their Election.

          “When America sneezes the whole world catches cold”, who ever authored this familiar quote, should be saluted for his accuracy and prophetic mark. Unfortunately though, under the present scenario, the world will not only catch colds, it gets more fatal illnesses. The US Economy on the edge has placed other countries in a quandary including a small country like the Philippines. Whatever nationality race or creed, we would wonder how fast this economic giant could stand-up again after this economic slip. How it reached this point of blistering economic turmoil is history. The facts are a jigsaw puzzle which the McCain camp describes as a “blame game”, when the Obama camp tried to explain in simpler terms how this seem to be invincible economy isn’t invincible at all.

          What had happened in America is a glistening reality that it is nothing can not fall if it is left to rise unattended, “What goes up must come down”. The natural law of coefficient of elasticity is true in all aspect. There is always a limit to how far a certain stretch can tolerate or break. The breaking point of the US economy is an eye-opener to other nations, not focus on the US economy alone because this dependency leads to a myopic view of the world. Economic pundits say there is no quick cure for the US economic epidemic. It will take some time for this economy to bounce back to its height as it did several years ago.

          Looking at it in an outsider’s perspective is like peering into a microscope. Microorganisms ravaging the last maggot of a decaying flesh. Not even a quick drop of formalin solution can kill these scavengers. It is so gruesome and yet we can not stop to think, where will we go from here? America has been part of our lives 24 hours a day, even when we are asleep. Will we just sit down and watch this great country slip away and say, “Alas… you’re done! Shame on you arrogant people! You always think you know better! Yes, you give us jobs but you treat us like commodities. Our women, your sex objects! We take care of your sick and elderly and yet you insult us and label us with unwarranted names!” So, is it best that we sneer at their doom? Can we just look away from here and say, “it’s their mess any way why should I be part of the clean up?”

          It is sad, as a Filipino, history cannot tell lies how our fathers fought for this great nation, America. Our forefathers stood side by side with Americans for a single ideology of democracy and they won. As a people, we were beholden by their tenacity to push democratic reforms all over the world. Their vision helped place our country in world wide acceptance. They educated us and recognized our potential as a people. Although we may oppose their foreign policies at present, we can not hide the passion to be under their shield. It is naivety to say we don’t need them any way.

          So… we watch closely this coming US Election which will be less than a month from today. We look at the contenders with the same dedication as the electorates in America. Will the next President be wary of the diversity of its people which includes the Filipinos among others? Will he be able to transcend its people beyond its boundaries but at the same time cautious where his toes may step upon on other sovereignties? Will he be able to fuel the economy through programs that may improve the lives of Americans on the brink of bankruptcy? Will he be able to provide jobs for its people and give us the same opportunity to be part of their workforce? Desperate questions for a global bankruptcy at stake. We are asking the next US President to be a super hero! How pathetic! Unfortunately, not one of the contenders is a saint or a god!

          The world is demographically young and yet youths’ place in governance has been constricted by their stereotyped restlessness. But today is reality. It is inevitable to put governance to the younger leadership who has more understanding and in touch with the rhythm of political verves in the world. On this score, I would put my fate to BARACK OBAMA. I have faith in his strong will for change. He is an epitome of an American bastion of modern leadership, an educated man yet humble in many sense. This is the man who will restore trust and friendship to the fading luster of Americans all over the world. This is the man who will end the “anti-American” stigma because today, imperialism in whatever form, economic or political has become a crypt or antiquated ideology. Today is the future is and OBAMA is today!  

 

For those whose lives were touched by the first two series of INTERNET ROMANCE, I sympathize with their pain and anguish, as well as I also celebrate with others who learned their lessons well that being a Filipina is twinned with a responsibility for another Filipinas’ plight and wellbeing. My greatest gratitude to my readers, they have fueled my inspiration to write.

Never did I, even in my most sophisticated imagination expected that this piece of literary work would affect other peoples’ lives, which was done for a friend Dalisay, hoping that it will serve as catharsis and hasten the healing process of her depression.

I appreciate the emails that were sent to me narrating their own personal experiences in internet relationship. It varies from comic, heroic, sentimental, sad as well as happy endings. By and large at the end of the day, what strikes me was how readers would stand on their own verdict whether INTERNET ROMANCE is Love, Lust or Greed and would suggest another adjective to describe their internet tryst… is it also plain conceit?

Is it CONCEIT as one email suggested? Liwayway, not his real name is gay but is more attractive than most women. In fact he is always mistaken as a commercial model with his height, skin and poised bearing. His once upon a time baritone voice, after mastering his falsetto, is now husky and seductive. Hormone pills and dedication to project a female persona paved way, the envy of his kind.

In the Philippines homosexuality is accepted and tolerated. They have placed a mark in various fields, in media, in the academe, in movies, in business, in sports and even in politics. Cultural presentations and performing arts are dominated by their inexhaustible talents. They are a genre of their own. Yet, in spite of this social acceptance, they have remained the object of controversy, labeling and name calling.

Liwayway, narrated to me in detail how he had internet romantic relation with multi races. Americans, Europeans, Italians and Japanese men loved him because he was different. He doesn’t go all the way like most Filipina. He couldn’t possibly show off his private part to these men who were craving to see a female genital. The best that he could show is his full breast, achieved through the help of hormonal pills and creams. But this timidity thrilled these men. He was offered marriage more than he could remember but turned them down because he is still very young. The truth is, he is gay and those guys do not know it.

Even if these men eventually discover his sexual preference and may ascend to further their relationship in their own unique way, same sex marriage is not allowed in the Philippines , whose majority of its populace is Catholics. The Philippine Civil Code defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. There was never a mention of same sex marriage as valid, even in a permissible manner in any law or legal jurisprudence. Nothing is however impossible these days. They can they can go to the USA where same sex marriages are legalized in several states.

Liwayway for some time enjoyed the accolade and financial support from these men. His tuition fee was no longer delayed. Their dinning table was filled and their needs were answered like manna from heaven. However, to Liwayway’s dismay, his female friends wanted to have a taste of what he has accomplished. Bulaklak, not her name peered into Liwayway’s list of chat mates, initiated contact with these guys and successfully shifted their attention away from Liwayway.

Unlike Liwayway, Bulaklak was somehow innovative. She would send these guys video clips of her in suggestive silhouette images. She becomes an in demand commodity in the internet. As expected, monies for Liwayway flew towards Bulaklak through the country’s booming money transfer industry.

This intrusion was discovered by Liwayway. He confronted Bulaklak and plea for her not to interfere with her modus operandi as he needed the money so much for her schooling. Bulaklak threatened to reveal Liwayways gay identity to the men that he has deceived and used as “cash buffalo” for his family and studies. Liwayway was shattered. He was left with no choice but to tell these men the truth no matter what the consequences might be. How he would do it was the biggest challenge.

Liwayway asks Stefano, not his real name, if he indeed loves her (him) and is willing to live with her (him). Stefano said yes and is willing to marry her (him). He asks further if Stefano will still continue loving her (him) if he discovers her (his) real identity. The answer was always in the affirmative. Liwayway tearful but firm showed what he really was… For a moment time seemed to stop between them… Stefano didn’t even say goodbye.

Liwayway did the same with the other men whom he had been with in the internet world of virtual romance. Like Stefano they too didn’t say goodbye… However painful the truth might be, this has strengthened Liwayway’s conviction that someday he will find his man, someone who would take him for what he really is, a man trapped in a woman’s body. He browsed all the internet sites for gays and finally found one where he feels comfortable and at home. He gained some friends, equally gay with common genre. He learned his lessons well… Intelligent as he was good looking,  he will have his niche in life, not through internet sex but through whatever he has stored in his head.

Bulaklak continued with her internet sex activity with the guys she got from Liwayway. Like a trophy she flaunts how she bagged the whole gang of guys after the internet sex gay fiasco. She has triumph! Her school expenses are now assured and her family will have a better Christmas. Did she really win or are they both losers? Did the competition ended where Bulaklak took off? Not really…

In this INTERNET ROMANCE, there will always be no winners, just a bunch of losers! Men who refuse to grow and depend on virtual sex for their sexual inadequacies will never learn to appreciate the value of actual personal courtship. There will always be Ligayas, Diwatas who will torment other Filipina (1st and 2nd Series: INTERNET ROMANCE). There will always be a Bulaklak who will compete against another Filipinas’ interest, like the old song, “Three Coins in the Fountain” and the children’s story, “Snow-white and the Seven Dwarfs”… women, “psuedo-women” or gay, it will be an endless quest: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

The Philippines has a culture where women indulge in petty quarrel of who is the better woman. The media should be blamed for cultivating this kind of pass time. We see this in soap opera, prime time show, movies and in our own backyard gossip. In internet cafes, it is a familiar scene to see girls quarrel over a blue-eyed boyfriend, someone they have not even seen personally or smelled at all, but who looks so good and smell so sweet like the dollars they send. What a pathetic reality!!!

This romance between the Filipina and other men all over the planet is never doomed to stop. From being tagged as the Mail Order Bride Capital of the World and now the Internet Sex Capital of the Universe… we are becoming intergalactic. Technology has made internet virtual sex beyond imagination. Soon kids will have online sex with a Filipina for a couple of cents.

Just recently, an establishment was closed and “CALL CENTER” agents who were actually ‘PORN’ agents were apprehended. They violated the Law on Display of Indecent Materials. Charges will be filed against them. Since they were caught in “fraglante delicto” or in the commission of the crime, they will surely languish in jail.

I don’t know how I should terminate this saga. Dalisay has moved on and broaden her sphere of contacts in the world of entrepreneurship. God has been good to her. She might not have found the man in her life but her humanitarian aura has shown once more. Ligaya still continues to stalk Dalisay, in the same style she did, announcing her marriage to Kenneth, which Dalisay dismissed as plain conceit. Here’s a message for Ligaya and the psuedo-Kenneth, “Do not let the things that you want forget the things that you already have”.  Personally, I hope this old Confucian adage will put in finality their unsuccessful attempt to destroy Dalisay.

For Luningning, she has found a good paying job in Europe and Joseph still continues to contact her. Perhaps his tenacity and industry will pave way for a lasting romance and not a lustful one. As for Diwata, she has found peace in the prison cell where he attends weekly spiritual healing (1st and 2nd Series: INTERNET ROMANCE). Her husband is left to take care of her kids and has to work in a factory nearby. Many lessons are learned and unlearned in this episode, but the bottom line is, the main character has survived her trauma.

In my dedication to relate to you the confessions of the women I had befriended, I never expected to receive some offers to make this into a movie. It’s a lot of money! But, do I have the nerve to sell the shattering truth about Filipina Internet Sex? But, then again, even if I give this story for free or give the proceeds of the movie to organizations’ who share my advocacy against Filipina Pornography… does it make me less Filipina if I tell the world what we are, what we have become and what we hope to be? The truth is so shameful, dark and filthy but there is always light at the end of the tunnel no matter how far it may be. What we need to do is accept, affirm and build within us an unconditional obligation to bind ourselves for our right as a Filipina, to be respected in this hostile world.

If perchance you might see a movie of the same semblance of plot and characters… remember, you read the story here first… the INTERNET ROMANCE saga never ends…

************************************************

Footnotes:
“Liwayway”-Pilipino(tagalog) female name that horizon.
“Bulaklak”-Pilipino(tagalog) female name that means flower.
“Stefano” – Italian masculine name.

Addendum:
Any similarities as to names, events and particularities are merely coincidental. This literary piece is a result of a compilation of data gathered from several Filipina’s experiences in their internet interaction with foreigners.

 

 

 

Thank you for reading the first series of INTERNET ROMANCE: Love or Lust. Your comments greatly inspired me. For those who were touched by the similarities of their experiences with the incidents in that piece of literary work, like Dalisay, I hope it has healed the wound or at least gave anesthetics. For those who were adversely disturbed with guilt, like Ligaya, may you look beyond the pain that you have caused. For the many “Kenneths” out there, thank you for your apologies. For those who have suggested a sequel, I will attempt to quench your passion for lives real melodrama.

Here goes… the saga continuous…

                   Dalisay moved on and continued with her life. Her job has occupied most of her time. So, it was easy to forget the pain, the rejection, the humiliation and the deceit. In fact, the emotional trauma made her stronger. As one of Robin William’s famous punch line, “Trials are like washing machines; they twist us; spin us and knock us around but in the end we come out cleaner, fresh and better than before”.

          Dalisay continued chatting with friends in the internet but has erased the possibility of keeping in touch with the people who caused her so much anguish.  However, never did she expect, even in her sophisticated imagination that Ligaya’s obsession continued. Her stalking style modified and more covert, using her friends and relatives to peer into Dalisay’s profile in whatever website she is in. Dalisay on her part, consider this flattering and complimentary. She simply ignored the negative “shoutouts” of people whom she doesn’t know from Adam or Eve. “Mind your own business. He is mine now!” are suggestive “shoutouts” and therefore it should come from someone trying to reach out to Dalisay. Ligaya coundn’t deny the link, her photo would appear in those viewers photo albums and some of these viewers would admit to Dalisay the silly reason why they viewed her profile.

          Life went on normally until one prophetic day an unexpected email came. Dalisay received a message allegedly coming from Kenneth but obviously written by Ligaya. The tenor was the same. The taunt was still there. She couldn’t hide her spontaneous arrogance too. Ligaya was haunted by her own story that she read in Dalisay’s “blogs” and journals. Even if she insists that she has stopped stalking, the inconsistencies of her messages tell otherwise. For example, how would Ligaya know Dalisays’s list of friends if she didn’t browse her profile? How would she deliberate know the name of Dalisays admirer and the guy’s romantic comments for Dalisay, if she didn’t read Dalisay “comments section”?

Evidently, Ligaya is bothered by the fact that Dalisay has remained single in status considering the many male friends appearing in Dalisay’s profile. There was still this fear that Dalisay would creep into their lives for vendetta and revenge. Her guilt has consumed her system. Her taunts no longer affected Dalisay, it was a pathetic attempt to destroy Dalisays restored self esteem.  

As a Filipina, Dalisay has this to say for Ligaya, “Makarma ka sana. Wala kang iniisip kundi ganid at libog! Nakakahiya ka sa kapwa mo Filipina. Magkaroon ka naman ng maski konting konsensya. Bahala na ang Dios sa iyo!” (May the things that you did go back to you. What’s in your mind is only greed and lust! You put the Filipina to a lot of shame. I hope you will have at least a little conscience. Let God deal with you!).

On the other hand, if there was any consolation for the recent emails that Ligaya sent, it was her assailment that she is at present living with Kenneth. Hopefully she is telling the truth. However, since her previous marriage still subsists, absent any legal declaration of nullity of marriage, her cohabitation with Kenneth is illicit due to its adulterous nature. Adultery is a criminal act and punishable under the Penal Laws of the Philippines and Penal Laws transcend international boundaries. They can however hide in the Bahamas.

Dalisay’s advocacy, to protect a Filipina became more steadfast. Albeit, initially she wanted to ignore the email entirely, she felt the need to thresh out issues once and for all. She answered the notorious email and advised Ligaya to remove any pathetic doubt that she still loves Kenneth and just leave her alone. She has yet to know if Ligaya has heeded her advice.   

           Optimistically speaking though, the recent emails from Ligaya were benevolent… It paved way for this sequel… and so here goes, the INTERNET ROMANCE: Love, Lust or Greed?

Dalisay met Luningning in one of her church prayer meetings. During the testimonial sessions, Luninging, not her real name, a nurse working in one of the local hospitals in Metro Manila, shared an interest experience. This was the beginning of a new frontier in Dalisays life. The following day, Dalisay was introduced by Luninging to a certain Joseph, not his real name, middle aged, tall and extremely good looking Norwegian American. You would wonder whether he is a movie star, but his good looks can not hide exhaustion. There was certain sadness in his eyes. He was just discharged from the hospital after being confined for more than a week.

Joseph came to the Philippines to meet his fiancé, Diwata, whom he had been chatting for two years. Joseph has provided financial assistance for her family with the promise that they will marry in the Philippines. He was lured into Diwata’s passionate chatting style and of course the sensual teasing that fueled his carnal desires.  

As promised, Joseph came to the Philippines. He waited four hours at the airport but no Diwata came. He went to the address that Diwata had indicated in her text messages but nobody by that name and description exists. He wondered in the dark alleys of Manila, was mugged, beaten and robbed. So he landed in the hospital where Luningning works and they became friends. No where to go, Luningning invited Joseph to their family abode and was welcomed.

Upon Dalisay’s intervention and friends in the legal community, Joseph was given free legal service. Thanks for the tenacious job of local law enforcers; Diwata was located, arrested and detained without bail. Formal charges of Estafa and Swindling were filed against her, without prejudice of filing criminal charges of sexual solicitation through the internet or prostitution. Main time, her internet days are put to hold unless another “Kenneth” comes to her rescue.

Diwata is married and with the consent of her husband, she indulges in cyber-sex relations with men in the internet. Some of these men like Joseph became her regular chat mate and lover. Some guys simply wanted a good time for a meager pay. There is always a money transfer outlet that would facilitate the “fee”. The dollars that came supported her family of six. It was an easy job.

Joseph was relieved and was so thankful for Luningning, his “angel” who has given him comfort and security. Overwhelmed with that feeling, he offered her marriage and a good life in the states. It would have been a happy ending for a love story if Luningning accepted the proposition, but she politely declined. For Luningning, she is too young to settle down. With her nursing degree and training, it would be easy to go abroad. There is a growing demand for Filipino nurses and allied health professionals abroad. Joseph learned his lessons well and left for home alone.

The lesson of this story is: the Philippines, is not a country where one can do their wife shopping spree. Filipinas are not commodities. There may be irresponsible men or husbands who masterminded or served as accessories to their wives internet sex activities for dollars, which the majority of the populace just accepts with a shrug shoulder, there are also numerous decent Filipinas in this small archipelago.

Dalisay and Luningning are living activists against cyber-sex relationship. There maybe only a few of them in the world but if nobody stands up for what she believes in, even if it means standing alone… we will have nothing to lean on if the world falls apart.

Ligaya and Diwata hopefully will learn their lessons well. If they want to win the hearts of men through love or lust… it should not be at the expense of another Filipina or another woman. Sexuality is a sacred thing, not to be toyed around. Lust never last and greed is a bad deed.  

Although all seemed well when it ended well, the question still remains… the how’s and where’s of stopping the proliferation of virtual cyber-sex in the internet, in a country, whose favorite past time is the internet. Do we have to initiate a “No Internet Day” to dramatize anti-cyber sex? So absurd! Let our conscience kill and eradicate this social sex virus itself.

Recently, there were several arrest and closure of internet cafes being used as fronts for cyber-sex activities in Metro Manila and other provinces. Numerous girls of various ages, from matrons to teen-agers including gays were arrested and detained. We hope this continues as the government has already seen the evils this internet sex adventure will do to the moral fiber of our nation.

We do not want to resurrect “Maria Clara”, the timid Filipina of Dr. Jose Rizal’s (National Hero of the Philippines) novels, whose body is completely covered from neck to toe. We only wish that the Filipina herself will put pride in her being what she is… strong, firm, educated and uncompromising of her moral values.

The saga continuous…

 

Footnotes:

“Dalisay” – Pilipino (tagalog) female name that means purity.

“Ligaya” – Pilipino (tagalog) female name that means ecstasy.

“Luningning” – Pilipino (tagalog) female name mean brilliance.

“Diwata” – Pilipino (tagalog) female name mean goddess.

Kenneth – a masculine name that means handsome.

Joseph – a Hebrew Biblical name that means kindness.

 

Addendum;

Any similarities as to names, events and particularities are merely coincidental. This literary piece is a result of a compilation of data gathered from several Filipina’s experiences in their internet interaction with foreigners.

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART I: Raising Identical Twins: The Celebration  

 

Do you believe in miracles? Though I was brought up and schooled in a Christian School, I was never a religious fanatic and I was skeptic about things, that there is always an explanation for whatever occurrences. Never did I imagine that, in my own biological make up, a miracle would happen.

 

I had tubal-ligation (the old surgical procedure where the fallopian tube is cut), after my third baby. According to my gynecologist successive pregnancies and subsequent successive caesarian sections thinned the linings of my ovary. Another pregnancy is detrimental to my health.  

 

One day after almost nine years from that surgical procedure, I passed off. I felt an unusual tiredness and had fainting spells. I was brought to the hospital and had several laboratory tests on my blood and urine samples. It took rather slower in the 80’s, we waited for an hour or two.

 

Finally, the doctor summoned us to her clinic. There she broke the news, explained to me that my fallopian tube re-canalized or just plainly joined and healed. So I got pregnant! In that out of a hundred thousand tubal-ligations, the probability of re-canalization is almost impossible. Her explanation mattered less at that point in time. I was stunned, worried but happy. Who wouldn’t be? After a long while and getting pregnant again, I’m worried for my baby. It’s like getting pregnant for the first time. But, I felt so happy and blessed. It’s a miracle and I am “wonder-woman!”    

 

So, I followed doctor’s advice, religiously took my prenatal medications, ate proper diet, exercise and rest. However, unlike my previous pregnancies, I had very amusing dreams in the first two month. I dreamt that an octopus with eight tentacles was moving inside my womb in different directions. During my prenatal check-up, I told my obstetrician about my weird dreams and she too was amused. She heard two heart beats but was not clinically sure that I had multiple fetuses because fetal heartbeats does not accurately tell whether its only one or two fetuses in the early stage of pregnancy. At that time, there were no ultra-sound devices or medical equipments available in our area that could detect what is inside the human body.

 

The following month, my third month of pregnancy, the doctor listened to my tummy’s heartbeat again. This time she is sure there were two distinct heartbeats. I have twins! I can not explain why I cried. It was not something new to a family. Both my paternal and maternal ancestry has a history of multiple births. My father had a fraternal twin sister who died of high-fever when she was eight. My mom had triplet sons but they unfortunately didn’t survive. She lost them when the hospital where the babies were confined was bomb and totally burned down by the Japanese during World War II. She had to leave the babies under the care of an American doctor stationed in that hospital. She had to flee the area with my father who was a USAFE soldier and the triplets were too fragile to travel. My mom never missed visiting the place where my triplet brothers died every “All soul’s Day”.

 

I belong to a prolific family being the youngest among seventeen siblings. My twins daughters are the 21^st pair and many multiple births came before and after them. We are no longer surprise when one of our female family members has twins or triplets. What amuses us is having identical twins because they are more interesting than fraternal twins.  

 

In the 7^th month of my pregnancy, I was overweight. I had difficulty walking because I couldn’t see my toes. I couldn’t sit properly without pillows behind my back. I couldn’t lie down comfortably without enough pillows to put me in an incline position. I couldn’t sleep well because the two creatures inside me were super active. They were playing and enjoying their time. I always pant. The babies were too heavy for my small 5 feet 1 inch and 109lbs frame. This was how I weighed prior to my pregnancy.

 

When the final moment came, on April 28^th of 1986 dawn, I had one special request before my caesarian section. I want the doctors to play a classical music of their choice during the procedure. Bethoven’s symphony completed the aura of the greatest celebration of my life. The operating room was transformed into a cathedral…  

 

I was conscious in the entire surgical procedure. It would have been different if it were done today, complete with all the modern medical facilities. Without these, surgeons rely on their training to determine what the position of the fetuses, and they were very good at it. Dra. Brenda Reyes Taborasa, one of the best obstetrician-surgeon in Silliman University Medical Center, Dumaguete City noticed that the fetus were embracing and clinging at each other. She was at first worried if they were conjoint in the stomach. However, she was relieved when she gentle loosens both and got them at barely two minutes interval.

 

No amount of tears of joy could be expressed when the world welcomed my lovely cherubim’s Rose and Pearl… healthy baby girls at 6lbs and 8 ounces and 6lbs and 3ounces. (To be continued… Part II)

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 1^st series, INTERNET ROMANCE: Love or Lust?

 

This is a story of two Filipina women, Dalisay and Ligaya, not their real names and Kenneth, not his real name, a blue-eyed Caucasian American.

            Dalisay, an educated Filipina who was schooled in one of the best University’s in the Southern part of the Philippines knew Kenneth through the internet chat. While she was encoding some of her research work, she chance upon a guy who persistently offered her to chat. Never did she expect that it would be the beginning of a virtual love affair. They chatted with web-camera for almost four years from 2003-2007 and love blossomed.

            Since they were more than a thousand miles apart, Dalisay made efforts to verified Kenneth’s identity to see if she was indeed chatting with a real person. There was more than ten thousand person with that name in the US. In California alone, there are more than a thousand Kenneth (with his Surname, which we will not divulge upon Dalisay’s request).

They shared many photographs with each other: His childhood photographs; her family pictures and pictures with her co-employees as well.

            He called her several times from different phone numbers, mobile phones and landline, while she could only be contacted through her mobile phone which is an international roaming device. However, when she calls him, seldom would she reach him. It is either that he doesn’t live in the place or it was a wrong number.

            One occasion, she had the chance to talk with a lady in the phone, which he introduced as his mom. However, when she called that number, a guy answered. He asked Kenneth but he had a ready excuse and said that it was his mom’s gay friend. Dalisay became suspicious and verified his alleged mom’s name. Again, the name he gave is a common name and is shared by a thousand others.

            Kenneth gave her two addresses and landline numbers. Dalisay called but the lady told her that no body by that name lives in her boarding house. She called again and this time, a rude foul mouth guy answered and even called her “bitch!” However, none of this terrifyinbg experience stopped her from loving Kenneth. Her love always overwhelmed her anger she would give Kenneth the benefit of the doubt.

            Call her stupid or crazy but Dalisay spent a fortune to go to the USA. She sold some of her property. Left her family to find Kenneth and bring him to the Philippines as they have planned, raise a family and have a business of their own.

            While she was in the USA, she went to the place according to the direction that he gave her. The lady of the house said nobody with Kenneth’s’ name lives there. She said occasionally though, his boarder’s friends comes to the house and sleep in the room. She called his cell phone and confronted him about it, he denies and insisted that Dalisay went to the wrong house. Dalisay’s cousins, who had been in the US for more than twenty years insisted that it was the place.

            Early October last year, Kenneth sent Dalisay a text message informing her that his email account at yahoo was having trouble and that he is opening a new account. He text her his new email address including her mom’s, telling her that if she had trouble sending it to him, she can send it to his mom’s email address. Dalisay tried to send emails to those email addresses but they were all mail delivery failures. Those new emails were bogus.

            Dalisay was just surprise to receive an anonymously text message from a woman telling her to avoid Kenneth. The woman said that she had been chatting with Kenneth and was proud to tell her that they are having internet-sex regularly. She said that Kenneth gave her access to his email account and she read all of Dalisay’s messages. She made fun of her mails. She taunted her for calling Kenneth “husband”, “darling” and all those romantic words of endearments that Dalisay and Kenneth shared. Dalisay forwarded her messages to Ken.

            At first, Kenneth denied having such relationship with the anonymous woman and insisted that she was telling Dalisay lies. However, he admitted having cyber-sex with another Filipina, a certain Ligaya for fun. Kenneth said he was having trouble with Ligaya’s jealous fits and promised to deal with it. Unfortunately, Ligaya’s messages never ended or stopped. She still haunts and torments Dalisay with obscene messages.

            Ligaya said Ken was just making fun of Dalisay. That he never loved her at all. Dalisay was shock! Four years of contact and yet he had no feelings for her. Ligaya taunted Dalisay’s sexual inadequacies in comparison to her expertise. She forwarded to Dalisay Kenneth’s intimate text messages. Sent her picture message and videos of Kenneth’s private part taken from her computer monitor while Ligaya was having internet sex with him.

            Although Ligaya never revealed her identity to Dalisay, Kenneth told Dalisay who she is and her hometown in the Philippines. Dalisay inquired through her friends about Ligaya’s personal circumstance. She didn’t finish college, married but de facto separated and is a single parent. When Dalisay told Kenneth about what she knew about Ligaya, the guy said he loved them both. This devastated Dalisay and made him chose between her and Ligaya. Kenneth chose Ligaya but didn’t stop communicating with Dalisay, which she ignored.

            Dalisay thought it was the end of everything that concerns her and Kenneth but it was just the beginning of a big nightmare. Ligaya was obsessed by Dalisay. She would send her text messages flaunting about her and Kenneth. She would send her bogus emails pretending to be Kenneth and would offer her to start all over again. She would use Kenneth’s pseudo email addresses, text her using different mobile phone numbers, telling Dalisay about how much Kenneth wants to start all over again. When confronted Kenneth would always be at her rescue. He said it was him but he doesn’t even know the content of the message. Dalisay knew it wasn’t Kenneth. When asked if the sender knew Dalisay’s sister, Ligays failed to answer.

            Until one day, Kenneth called Dalisay and challenged her if she could do what Ligaya did for him in the internet. Whoever does it best would win his heart. Dalisay was torn between her principle and feelings. Although love was at stake, her religious conviction ruled over her human desires. She turned down the offer and left for home.

            Up to this writing, Dalisay told me that Ligaya still stalks her. Sends her photos of her and Kenneth together, accompanied with malicious remarks. The pathetic attempt to hurt Dalisay still continues and ironically Dalisay just laughs it out!

            Yet in spite of this nightmare, as a Filipina, Dalisay wish Ligaya well. She knew for a fact that Ligaya just like any other Filipina similarly situated would defame another Filipina to get this “blue-eyed walking dollar”. It is her best catch and she has to get him by hook or by crook or else her family will never get the chance of a good life.

            This internet love saga is a common everyday drama in internet cafes in the Philippines or perhaps in other third world countries. In the Philippines you can find Internet Cafes and Money Transfer outlets everywhere even in the most isolated remote area.

 Love or lust… to a Filipina is the greatest Dollar dream.

 

Footnotes:

Dalisay – a Tagalog name that means Purity.

Ligaya – a Tagalog name that means Ecstacy.

Kenneth – An English name that means handsome.

 

 Addendum;

Any similarities as to names, events and particularities are merely coincidental. This literary piece is a result of a compilation of data gathered from Filipina’s experiences in their internet interaction with foreigners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nimbus in the sky...

When my cardiologist told me that I have Aortic Sclerosis, a fatal heart ailment characterized by hardening of the arteries blocking the normal flow of blood to the brain which leads to ischaemia or commonly known as brain stroke, I felt the whole world was falling apart. I did not listen anymore to the litany of medical instructions. My mind was drifting so far away in the past, those happy moments with my wonderful children, the greatest gift from God. When my good doctor was done, I went to a solemn place, a church near by, where I could scribble a poem for my loved ones, in case the certain uncertainty happens. So, I wrote…

Goodbye, My Job Is Done

Alas! My job is done,

It was not the best, but

It’s all I can.

I did labored from dusk ‘til dawn,

With joy, tears and sweat, until

I groan.

I had no regrets or remorse,

I planted the seed and watch it

Bloom… of course.

The lilies and roses sweet and pungent scent

I have to endure,

The pearl and moonstone’s piercing brilliance

Blurred my vision into blindness,

The only thorn I nurtured and loved

Caressed and severed my heart.

I humbly pause to bid…

Goodbye… and kiss hello…

Thanks a lot… that’s the

Least I could sigh,

What else could I say…?

It would not matter much any way.

When I am gone…

Do not put a halo above my head

Like those who left before me…

As simple as I came shall

Be as simple as I leave,

No flowers, no bouquets whose

Smell and intricate expensive arrangement

I could no longer touch and appreciate.

No speeches and lengthy prologues that are

Remiss of truth and profoundness, but are

Simply done to boast the ego of the dead…

If ever they have any.

No tears, grief and sadness for a tired soul…

Departing is a moment of triumph and rest.

I saw the beauty of the dawn and wanted to linger there,

The midsummer sky’s romantic hues,

The cold breeze of afternoons,

The dusk and its heavenly horizon,

It was a pleasant experience.

Goodbye… my job is done… Alas!

As a woman, I have always asked myself why abuses against women have never been addressed by what we call civilized societies. Media has documented numerous abuses committed against women from clandestine to gruesome nightmarish torture of women done by their own husbands, employers and even male strangers. This is a sick world and sad to say, women are helpless victims.

Stories on abuses against women have become common and ordinary that when women are treated well, it is viewed with human interest. Since time in memorial, women are always stereotyped as weak, and that she needs a hero, the knight in shining armor at her rescue. And without much ado, the guy steals the show.

Who is to be blamed for this sad pathetic state of women in this macho chauvinistic society? Well, the Holy scriptures say, “…To blame is to be lame.” So people throw the blame to women themselves. Those women are raped because they dress in sexy clothes that attract men.

Some say… Women are already empowered. Are we?! We read in the papers of women leaders, professionals making good in their craft. Is this a valid basis for women empowerment? What is happening is selective women empowerment, where only those academically and financially well placed women get the respect from their male counterpart.

Women always claim to be more assertive compared to what they were years ago. The question is where are we heading to? Is our being assertive helping another woman or is it pinning another woman’s demise? We have yet to understand why and what this empowerment means to us, the female gender? Is it to rise to the level of our male counterpart or is it to divide and rule.

Unless, we deal the aspect of Women abuse against another woman can we fully understand what women empowerment is?

 

Filipina is a word often misconstrued to mean a lot of things. In the western world this means: nanny, caregiver, nurse, babysitter or any lowly paid Asian from a small archipelago called the Philippines. In virtual realm, Filipina is the most sought petite cyber sex object, every white man’s object of desire and the best online tempest to a sexuality perverted male regardless of whatever raise.

The Philippines for more than a decade, is known to be the “mail order bride” capital of the world. Thousands of Americans, Europeans would woo a Filipina to be their wife and mother their kids. But the sad reality is that these Filipina end up as household help to their husband’s family or worst sex slaves until they die. Most of these Filipina are not well educated and need to have money for their families at home. So they brave the consequences of being treated this way.

In spite of the International acceptance of People Power and women empowerment of Filipinas in there homeland, the Philippines, the Pilipino culture itself has not done anything to uplift the bad image of a Filipina abroad. Nothing has been done to stop the proliferation of internet cybersex dens that allow Filipina to submit themselves to sexual fantasies of men on line in exchange for a meager dollar sent thru money transfer outlets that are usually stationed near internet café.

This is a very devastation situation that affects all Filipinas including those who value clean and honest internet relationship. The question lies in every Filipina and is a nagging challenge to each and every advocate of sacred relationships. Will we just let this activity go on unabated? If we do, where will a Filipinas’ status be after five years from now… to the abyss? Let us fight against cybersex and raise a Filipinas worth… for this is where we should be.