The Underneath the Mistletoe Incident.

by Peter F. Cantos

 

Disyembre, taon ng flower power, bootcut, at ng tie-dye. Kakauwi lang ng limang magkakapatid na brother man galing sa kanilang pangangaroling nang magkauntugan ang kanilang mga super afro sa nakita nilang malupit na Christmas tree.


- Holy fuck, this shit’s the shit right here!

Medyo malabong banat ng isa sa mga brother man.

- Damn right it is brothaman! Fo’ shizzles!

Sagot ng isa pang brother man.
- Le’z light this funky shit up!

Sigaw ng isang brother man habang naghahanap ng lighter at nagrorolyo ng gift wrapper dahil wala silang pipa.

Lahat ay sumaya at lumutang. Ang isa ay tumatawa sa nasusunog na afro ng kaniyang kapatid habang ang isa ay kumakain ng styropor. Ang pinakabata naman nilang kapatid ay napatitig sa ilalim ng mistletoe at napasigaw.

- Wow! Mommy’s kissing Santa Claus!

The rest is history.

Tandaan ang equation mga brother man.

+

=

Maligayang pasko sa inyong lahat! Nawa’y hindi mawala ang tunay na diwa ng pasko sa ating mga laman loob habang tayo ay nagpapakasaya. Sana’y hindi natin makalimutan na ito ang panahon ng tunay na pagmamahalan, bigayan, at pasasalamat sa may likha.

Ako? Absent na muna ulit ako sa mundo. Sana’y hindi ko nga makalimutan… (Click ng lighter)





Merry Christmas ulit mga brother man!

Merry Christmas motherlovers.

by Peter F. Cantos

Entrance sa Manila Zoo ngayong pasko – 8 pesos (Matanda) 5 pesos (Bata)

Botcha – 25 pesos/kilo

Pork barrel ni Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – 2.2 billion pesos

Laman ng bulsa ko ngayon – 6 pesos at lighter

6/55 Lotto jackpot na napanalunan last month – 741 million pesos

Pasko kasama ang mga ungas na ‘to – Priceless

Kalimutan na ang Manila Zoo. Forget fucking cheap ass meat. Kalimutan na ang putanginang nunal ng gagang ungas. Forget six-digit suntok sa buwan combinations. Kalimutan na ang laman ng iyong bulsa. Ang kailangan mo lang talaga para sumaya – tunay na pakikipagkaibigan sa mga tunay na tao.

Dalawang dekada, dalawang pamilya, dalawang panig ng hustisya.

by Peter F. Cantos

The Vizconde Massacre

June 30, 1991, a day which would challenge the Philippine justice sytem forever.

Carmela Vizconde

Members of the Vizconde family were brutally murdered in their own house at BF Homes, Paranaque City, Philippines. Estrellita Vizconde (47 years old), wife of Lauro Vizconde and mother to Carmela and Jennifer, was stabbed thirteen times. Carmela Vizconde (18 years old), eldest daughter of the Vizconde's, was raped multiple times before being remorselessly stabbed seventeen times while Jennifer Vizconde (7 years old), their youngest daughter, received nineteen stab wounds. The father, Lauro Vizconde, was in the United States helping a cousin take care of a restaurant business while looking for a school for Carmela's masteral degree when the murder took place.

The case became highly controversial due to the affluent nature of the families of the suspects involved. The suspects were Hubert Webb, son of former actor/athlete/politician Freddie Webb; Antonio Lejano II, son of a prominent actress; Hospicio Fernandez, son of a retired navy commodore; Michael Gatchalian and Miguel Rodriguez, sons of prominent lawyers; Peter Estrada and and Artemio Ventura, sons of wealthy businessmen; Joey Filart, believed to be related to a former army command chief. Hubert Webb was allegedly the mastermind of the said incident.

Investigation and Trial

Jessica Alfaro

Preliminary investigations were done by the Paranaque police. Several years after the incident, two set of suspects were arrested and was brought to routine inquisition. The Paranaque police even declared the case closed for two times but after a while, the incriminated withdrew their testimonies and accused the police of torture. Mr. Vizconde was beginning to lose faith with the current investigation and thus decided to approach the NBI.

When the NBI started investigation, they found out that articles such as bed sheets and mattresses were burned. They believed that the said items could provide valuable information as to whom the perpetrators could be. Even more startling was when they found out that one reponsible for burning the articles was Paranaque policeman Gerado Biong, former head of the investigation. No witnesses emerged during the investigation. The housemaids of the Vizconde's testified to the police that they heard no commotion during the incident even if the room they slept in was beside the bedroom where the butchery took place.

The NBI believed that the perpetrators were under the influence of illegal drugs. The can't even picture a motive for the gruesome massacre wafting between ideas of robbery to a simple case of carnal desire.

The investigation and subsequent trial unfolded many angles and versions, but to Judge Amelita Tolentino, the eyewitness account of Jessica Alfaro—a confessed drug addict who only surfaced four years after the crime—proved superior to the defense of all the accused.

Jessica Alfaro, a self-confessed former drug addict, came forward on April 28, 1995 to shed light on the killing of the Vizcondes. Alfaro had testified that she knew the suspects and was at the Vizconde house when the hideous crime was committed.

According to Alfaro's account, It all started with a small-time drug deal at the parking lot of the Alabang Commercial Center in Muntinlupa on the night of June 29, 1991, Alfaro testified in open court. She was with the suspects when they bought a gram from Ventura, her dealer. After a session, Webb decided to proceed to Carmela’s house on Vinzons Street, BF Homes Subdivision. He wanted Alfaro to join them because Carmela’s mother only allowed her daughter to go out and entertain female visitors.

The gang was on board three vehicles—a blue Mazda pickup, a blue-gray Nissan Patrol and Alfaro’s white Mitsubishi Lancer. When they arrived, Alfaro talked briefly with Carmela, who said she could not entertain them then, but asked them to come back later.

After another session at the Alabang parking lot, Alfaro and Estrada, then her boyfriend, returned to the Vizconde house. Again Carmela asked Alfaro to come back before midnight. On their way back to Alabang, however, Alfaro and Estrada saw Carmela driving to drop off a man, who seemed to be her boyfriend. Alfaro said she reported all these to Webb.

The group sniffed more before returning to the Vizconde house at around 11:45 p.m. By then, Alfaro said, Webb had hatched his plan to rape Carmela. Alfaro signalled their arrival by flashing her headlights twice. The gate had been left open for them to enter, and Alfaro, Webb, Lejano and Ventura alighted from their cars.

Alfaro recounted that as Webb followed Carmela into the dining room, she decided to step outside for a smoke. From there she saw Lejano and Ventura take a knife from the kitchen drawer, while the rest of the gang acted as lookouts.

By Alfaro’s account, Estrellita was killed before Webb began to rape Carmela. Jennifer was roused from sleep and, seeing Webb violating her sister, she jumped on Webb’s back. This angered Webb, who hurled the little girl to a wall and started stabbing her. Alfaro said that when she went back to the house, she saw the bodies of Estrellita and Jennifer on the bed and Webb raping Carmela on the floor. Lejano and Ventura also took turns raping Carmela, before finishing her off with numerous stabs.

The three vehicles sped away to a house at the BF Executive Village. There, Webb, Ventura and Lejano blamed one another for the crime, and it was because of their bickering, Alfaro said in her testimony, that she was able to piece together the order of events.

A policeman, Gerardo Biong, arrived while Alfaro was still with the group. Webb asked him to fix their “mess,” and Biong later destroyed vital physical evidence, including bloodied bedsheets, carpets, clothing and other items at the crime scene.

Alfaro shed light to a statement made by Carmela to her father during a long-distance phone call saying that she turned down a suitor who is from a prominent family and a son of a congressman (Freddie Webb was a congressman back then).

During the trial, the prosecution presented only seven witnesses. Aside from Alfaro and the doctor who autopsied the victims’ bodies, two former housemaids of the Webb family were presented. They testified that Webb was in the country on the day of the crime. One of them, Mila Gaviola, even claimed she washed the bloodstains off Webb’s shirt on the morning of June 30, 1991.

BF Homes security guards Justo Cabanacan and Normal White also testified at the trial. Cabanacan said Webb had entered the subdivision a few days before the massacre and that he even identified himself as the son of then Congressman Webb. White, on the other hand, said he saw the three cars enter the subdivision on the night of June 29, as Alfaro had testified.

There was also Lolita Birrer who testified that she had accompanied Biong, her former live-in partner, to the Vizconde house to destroy the evidence and to retrieve Webb’s jacket and the murder weapon. She also testified that Biong received money at a house that she later learned belonged to then Rep. Freddie Webb.

Questioning Alfaro’s credibility, The defense produced documents and presented 95 witnesses, including Hubert Webb himself and his father, along with other relatives and friends to support Webb’s alibi that he was in the United States from March 9, 1991, to October 26, 1992. On October 1, 1996, Judge Amelita Tolentino admitted only 10 of the 142 pieces of evidence the defense presented. Among evidence that was not admitted by Judge Tolentino, was the note verbale from the United States Embassy claiming that Webb was in the United States at the time of the massacre. This coincided with his passport and Philippine Immigration records but were dismissed by Tolentino's court, due to belief that these documents can possibly be falsified. Moreover, Judge Tolentino also denied Webb's request to subject semen samples to DNA testing on the belief that the samples may no longer be intact.

The verdict: Guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The sentence: life imprisonment for the principal accused. They were also ordered to pay Lauro Vizconde more than P3 million for damages and legal fees. As an accessory to the crime, Biong was sentenced to 11 to 12 years of imprisonment.

The case, however, is far from over, with the defense saying they would pursue the fight for an acquittal. A motion was filed with the Court of Appeals but on December 16, 2005, the appellate court’s 76-page decision only upheld the guilty verdict

Repercussions: Webb Family

Hubert Webb

There are 52 weeks in a year, multiply it by 15. Over 500 hundred sundays na kami, halos anim na raan na linggo ang nilaan na namin para sa loob ng kulungan.

- Jason Webb, Youngest brother of Hubert Webb

For the past 15 years, it has been a tradition for the Webb family to set aside Sunday for Hubert. Hubert has been in New Bilibid prison for more than ten years after spending five in Paranaque ciy jail. The controversial decision is still vivid in the memory of the family.

Everytime I look at Hubert, I can't help but believe that there are a lot of innocent people in jail. And everytime I look at him, he is still one of the luckiest there. Iba doon halos walang makain, siya may ama siya, may ina siya, may mga kapatid siya, may mga apo siya. This is the strength I give him.

- Beth Webb, Mother of Hubert Webb

Adjunct to the tradition of visiting Hubert in prison, Beth; her mother, always makes it a must to wake up early every Sunday morning to prepare food for her son. The Webb family never imagined that they would be spending every Sunday and special holidays inside the new Bilibid prison.

Sa tingin mo kaya kung may kasalanan 'yan pupuntahan ba namin siya every sunday? 'Di namin gagawin 'yun. If I was just an ordinary person, particularly if I was not a politician then this case wouldn't even have gotten to first page. If I were to relive my life, certainly I would not choose to become a politician because if I was not, my son wouldn't be in jail right now.

- Freddie Webb, Father of Hubert Webb

The Webb family doesn't consider the activity as routine, they perform it because they know it's the least they can do for their wrongfully incriminated scion. Freddie Webb can't help but question God sometimes why this has happened to his family but he remains composed because he knows he can't show weakness to his son as it would only add to his ordeal.

Repercussions: Vizconde Family

Lauro Vizconde

They're still lucky beacuse their sons and loved ones are still alive, unlike my family. Hindi ko na sila makakapiling.

- Lauro Vizconde

July 2, 1991, Lauro Vizconde arrived at the airport with his pasalubong for his family unaware of the gruesome incident. He has not seen his family for three years and he was expecting to be fetched by them in the airport. He was startled when airport security escorted him off the tarmac. Upon knowing that something happened to his family, Mr. Vizconde fainted and when he regained consciousness he immediately went to the funeral homes where his family was.

Hindi ko nga alam kung sino unang pupuntahan ko, yung asawa ko, yung dalawang anak ko.

-Lauro Vizconde

The burial was held one week after, it was only then when every detail of the murder was made known to Mr. Vizconde. He was unable to eat and speak the following days, spending time alone contemplating who could have done such an inhumane act towards his family.

Ang bibig nila ay na-gag ng pillow case, hands tied back sagad sa buto ng electric fan cord.

-Lauro Vizconde

Almost two decades has passed but Mr. Vizconde is still unable to suppress the memory of the depicable act committed against his family.

Mr. Vizconde is just as anxious to see finality in the case. He said in a past interview that he will only feel fully vindicated when the Supreme court affirms the conviciton.

Acquittal

April 2010, the Supreme court approved DNA testing to be performed on the semen specimen obtained during autopsy from the victims. This has resulted in the revelation by the NBI that they no longer had the specimens as these were remanded to the Parañaque courts. Both sides frantically pointed fingers at each other for this mistake.

December 14, 2010, The Supreme court reversed the earlier judgment of the lower court and Court of Appeals and acquitted seven of the nine accused, including Hubert Webb, upon finding that the prosecution failed to prove that the accused were guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The High Court put to question the quality of the testamentary evidence furnished by the witnesses. No acquittal has been made as to the two accused, Filart and Ventura, who remain at-large. Of the 15 justices, 7 voted for acquittal while four dissented and four others abstained from participating.

Questions and Conclusion

I am in no position to decide whether who is innocent and who isn't. Two days of reading related material on this subject made me severely dazed because of the different angles and several plot holes with regards to the story. Never in my life have I been more baffled considering that this case has been studied for almost two decades. Several questions are still rambling in my head right now.

If the motive was pure carnal desire, why was Carmela the only one raped?

If the motive was anger, why were the victims stabbed more than enough to kill them?

If Freddie Webb is really as powerful as what the statement of others claim, why was Hubert imprisoned for more than 15 years?

Is it really justifiable to favor a statement of a confessed drug addict against several US government certified documents?

If Hubert is innocent, who the fuck did it then?

Perhaps we will never find out.

I can only sum up one conclusion to this two decade affair and that is that I completely lost faith towards our justice system.

May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

Shyamalan is the man.

by Peter F. Cantos

Be sober, be vigilant ; because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

- 1 Peter 5:8

Ano ang gagawin mo kung ma-trap ka sa elevator kasama ang apat na taong di mo kilala at ang isa sa kanila ay diablo?

Isa na namang sine na mapapa-putangina this ka sa dulo. Perfect setting, perfect plot, perfect twist, perfect shit. Na-label man ang aking idol na one-trick pony dahil sa hilig niya sa paggamit ng twist endings at nabatikos man siya sa mga pelikula niya na pumalpak sa takilya, hindi biro ang imahinasyon na kailangan para makasulat ng ganitong klaseng istorya. (Hindi ko lang talaga matanggap 'yung Airbender at The Happening, M. Night.) Para sa mga taong gustong naiihi sila kakahula hanggang sa dulo ng isang palabas, ito ang shit para sa inyo.

Kung sabagay dito sa 'pinas 'pag sumakay ka ng elevator minsan mas mahirap pa hanapin 'yung tao kesa sa diablo.

Mapapanuod ang trailer dito.

Matatagpuan ang torrent dito.

I saw mommy kissing a crime kingpin.

by Peter F. Cantos

Dearest Santa Claus,

Ako ay naging mabait na bata ngayong nakaraang taon at sumusulat ako sa'yo para hindi ka na mahirapan mag-isip nang ibibigay sa'kin. Alam naman ng lahat na bigtime ka kahit na wala kang malinaw na source of income. Nakakalipad ka kung saan-saan at nagbibigay ka ng kung anu-anong shit sa kung sinu-sino. Kung 'yung iba naloloko mo dahil sa front na 'yan, ibahin mo ko. Alam ko na sangkot ka sa illegal money laundering, white slavery, drug trafficking, at kaunting extortion racket gaya ng karamihan nang nagpapatakbo dito sa lupang hinirang. Kaya kung ako sa'yo ibibigay mo sa'kin lahat ng hinihiling ko. Comprende?

1. Limang kilo na plastic explosives ('yung semtex) para sa mga plastic na tao. Magsama ka na ng mga pager detonator. Mahirap makakuha noon eh, kasing hirap makakita ng tunay na tao.

2. Cheyenne Tactical (CheyTac) Intervention bolt action sniper rifle. Para kahit dalawang kilometro ang layo sa'kin ng mga ungas tulad ni congresswoman eh 'tus' pa din ang ulo niya. Wala ng due process, due process puta.

3. Lumpiang sariwa ng Globe Lumpia House sa Raon. Ikaw na bahala ilan. Pati isang processing plant ng Sarsi.

4. Pondohan ng malaki ang edukasyon. Dapat libre na 'to para sa lahat. I-convert sa public school ang lahat ng putanginang mga pribadong eskwelahan na 'yan. Hindi negosyo ang edukasyon.

5. Fitflops daw sabi ng kapatid ko.

6. Ipagbawal ang mga noon-time shows.

7. Lagyan ng blade ang mga pinto ng MRT para pag pasara na eh walang nang sisiksik pa. Tingnan lang natin.

8. Panibagong glass pipe at Wiz Khalifa na lighter para sa aking shit.

9. Overpass kada 50m sa commonwealth. Para hindi na ginagawang extreme sports ng mga tao ang pagtawid doon. Maniwala ka man o hindi may scoring system sila.

10. Paliwanag kung bakit ako nagiisa kung may soulmate para sa lahat. ('Wag mo papabasa sa iba 'to please.)

Nagmamahal,

P.

P.S.

May teorya din ako na komunista ka dahil sa dominant red ang 'yung suot pati mahaba ang 'yung buhok kaya ayusin mo.

Habang nagaantay tayo sa ating mga shit, makinig muna tayo sa isang malupit na christmas song.

Hulaan ko sasabihin ng nanay at tatay mo.

by Peter F. Cantos

Give me a reason to be a woman.

Three albums and sixteen years later, Portishead finally got some nods here in the perlas ng silanganan and it wouldn't be without the socialite bandwagon shit video featuring almost-dry humping scenes by a former beauty queen and a construction business magnate. Not entirely the acknowledgement Portishead deserves. It fucking breaks me inside when people adopt a popular point of view for the primary fucking purpose of recognition and acceptance by others. Ang totoong putanginang cancer ng lipunan.

Glory Box is the third single off Portishead's 1994 debut album Dummy. A glory box is literally a box in which a young woman stores clothes, accesories, other fashion shit, etc. in preparation for marriage. This is widely practiced in Australia, New Zealand and some british states. It is actually a good choice for a prenuptial song as well as a soundtrack to make love to. But both shit at the same time? You got to be fucking shittin' me. Putangina wasak.

Give me a reason to love you.

Beth Gibbons' vocals are some of the most emotive you'll ever hear. The creative mix of vinyl samples and other instruments create an atmosphere of a single person trapped in an audio-manufactured cell. It is bleak and sad — but just timelessly good. Perfect downer shit.

In my own fucking perspective, the impact of the said prenuptial video isn't actually from the ones getting married. It's from the fucking song. You could actually put the ugliest shit on the planet in a video and put Glory Box as its soundtrack and still it would look fucking sexy.

Ayaw mo maniwala? Play mo 'yung video ungas.

Sa saliw ng Quiapo.

Sayaw ng maralitang tadhana

A short story by Peter F. Cantos

Biyernes, araw ng Quiapo. Isa na namang araw sa buhay ng isang ex-convict. Kakalaya lang ni Lito sa piitan wala pang limang araw ang nakakalipas. Nagsilbe siya sa loob ng dalawang taon dahil sa salang theft. Dalawang taon para sa pitaka na ang laman lamang ay tres siyentos. Medyo naninibago pa si Lito sa labas pero hindi niya maikakaila sa sarili ang galak na nararamdaman mula sa pagkakalayo sa impiyernong kaniyang pinanggalingan. Kahit na ngayon eh kaunti lang talaga ang layo niya mula dito.

Walang trabaho, walang pera.

- Sino nga namang gago ang magha-hire ng isang dating tulisan?

Bulong ni Lito sa sarili.

Sabik na sabik na si Lito makita si Carmen, ang kaniyang nililigawan dati. Mula kasi nung makulong siya sa Bilibid eh hindi na sila nagkita. Naisipan niyang dalawin ito sa pinagtatrabahuhan nitong tindahan ng cellphone sa may Raon. Nakilala ni Lito si Carmen nang minsang bentahan niya ito ng isa sa kaniyang mga na-iskor. Mula noon eh araw araw na niya itong dinadalaw at sinusuyo. Mula sa malayo eh natanaw na niya kagad si Carmen.

- Carmen! Kamusta ka na? Kilala mo pa ba ko? Ako 'to si Tolits.

- Lito? Nakalaya ka na pala?

- Oo, nung nakaraang lunes lang. Hindi mo man lang ako dinalaw sa loob.

Hindi umimik si Carmen.

- Hayaan mo't kalimutan na lang natin 'yun. Ako kinalimutan ko na eh. Alam mo naman ako matibay. Basta bagong buhay na ko ngayon, istreyt kung istreyt. Kamusta ka na ba?

- Alam mo Lito madami akung ginagawa ngayon eh, ni wala pa nga kaming buena mano. Pwede bang bukas na lang tayo mag-usap?

- Ah ganun ba? Sige sige sa dating lugar ba? Sa lumpiaan?

- Oo, mga hapon siguro.

- Sige sunduin na lang kita dito.

Nagpaalam si Lito kay Carmen ng hindi man lang nasasabi na siya lang ang laman ng kaniyang utak sa nakalipas na dalawang taon. Madilim na dalawang taon.

Pauwi na si Lito sa kaniyang tinitirhan sa Pandacan ng makasalubong niya sa eskinita ang kaniyang kumpare mula kabataan na si Podeng.

- Pare, kamusta? Ano nakahanap ka na?

Bati sa kanya ni Podeng, sabay apir ng kamay.

- Ok lang dre. Wala pa din ngang raket eh.

Dating magkasama si Podeng at Lito sa pag-iskor ng kung anu-ano sa Divisoria hanggang sa isang araw eh nagdesisyon si Podeng na magpalakad na lang ng bato sakanila. Mas malaki daw ang kita.

- Sabi naman kasi sa'yo eh. Sakin ka na magtrabaho eh.

- Dre, istreyt na ko. 'Yoko na bumalik sa loob.

- Tangina sandaling prajek lang, ikaw din. Atlis araw araw may laman sikmura mo.

- Tangina kikitain ko diyan mauubos din sa bisyo eh, palagay mo ikaw. Ikaw din gumagamit ng suplay mo eh.

- Gago, magkakaroon ba ko ng mga ganito kung walang katas 'tung ginagawa ko.

Sigaw ni Podeng. Sabay pakita ng mga alahas na silber kay Lito.

- Putangina ayos 'yang kwintas Deng ha. Pa-eksperyens naman ako.

- Ulol mo gago, mahal 'to.

- Sige na may date kasi kami bukas ni Carmen, tanda mo pa siya diba?

- Ah yung pinagbebentahan natin dati? Ni hindi ka nga dinalaw noon sa loob eh. Tsaka tangina alam mo ba magkano iskor ko dito?

- Sige na parang hindi naman tayo magkakilala niyan eh. Babalik ko naman eh.

- Tangina ka, tres mil kuha ko dito pag 'to talaga.

Iiling-iling na sabi ni Podeng habang inaabot ang kaniyang silber na kwintas.

Sabado, palubog na ang araw at nagpapakita na ang anino ng Quiapo. Susunduin na ni Lito si Carmen para makipagusap. Suot suot ni Lito ang kwintas na pinahiram ni Podeng. Iniisip niya na baka sakaling masilaw si Carmen sa kwintas at magbago ang tingin nito sakaniya at sa kaniyang mga nagawa.

- Carmen, ano ready ka na ba?

- Oo, tapusin ko lang sandali 'tung imbentaryo.

Naglakad si Carmen at Lito sa madidilim na daan ng Quiapo. Pinagusapan nila kung ano nga ba talaga ang nagyari at higit sa lahat, kung ano pa ang mangyayari.

- Napatawad na naman kita Lito eh. Tanggap ko naman noon kung ano ka eh. Sana lang talaga hindi na maulit ang lahat.

- Salamat Carmen, salamat. Ikaw lang talaga iniisip ko nung mga panahon na nasa loob ako eh. Maniwala ka man sa hindi, ikaw ang naglabas sakin ng buhay doon.

Masaya si Lito. Masaya siya dahil nagkaayos na sila ni Carmen. Panatag na ang loob niya. Puno ng pangarap para sakanilang dalawa ni Carmen. Puno ng sigla para harapin ang bawat araw matapos ang gabing 'to.

Patulog na si Lito ng maalala niya ang kwintas ni Podeng.

- Putangina! Asan na yung kwintas!

Sigaw ni Podeng habang dali daling bangon sa kaniyang kama

Nawawala ang kwintas ni Podeng, hindi maalala ni Lito saan 'to napunta. Hindi na niya maalala na hinubad niya 'to. Marahil sa sobrang saya niya eh nakuha 'to sakanya sa Quiapo. Hindi malaman ni Lito kung anung gagawin niya.

Umaga na ng linggo nang lumabas si Lito sa kaniyang bahay para bumili ng yosi. Ayaw tumigil ng pagpapawis niya dahil sa mga nangyari. Hindi pa din siya nakakatulog hanggang ngayon. Natatakot siya na baka masira ang pagkakaibigan nila ni Podeng dahil sa kwintas na 'yon. Isa lang ang tumatakbong solusyon sa utak niya para sa problemang kinakaharap. Dating gawi.

Minarapat na muna niyang sabihin kay Carmen ang mga nangyari. Na nawala niya ang mamahaling kwintas ni Podeng at balak niya isauli 'to. Ngunit nilihim niya sa kung anung paraan.

Alas-dose ng hapon. Break time ng mga pulis. Bibihirang gumagala ang mga kabo sa ganitong oras. Tumambay si Lito sa gilid ng simbahan at ng underpass naghahanap ng biktima nang may natyempuhan siyang dalaga na may hawak na cellphone. Naisip niya na pwede niya ibenta yun at ibigay kay Podeng ang pera, pambawi man lang. Kung kulang edi i-iskor pa siya. Dahan dahan niyang sinundan ang walang kaalam alam na dalaga sa ilalim ng underpass. Humanap si Lito ng tiyempo para dukutan ang dalag.

- Kaunting bangga lang, madami namang tao.

Dumikit si Lito sa dalaga at binangga niya ito. Mabilis niyang nakuha ang cellphone ng dalaga mula sa bulsa nito. Dali dali siyang naglakad palayo, hindi lumilingon, nang bigla siyang nakarinig ng sigaw.

- Snatcher! Yung naka-brown snatcher!

Sumigaw ang dalagang kaniyang ninakawan. Sinubukan niyang tumakbo ngunit sa dami ng tao eh nahirapan siya. Palabas na siya ng underpass ng makita niyang may dalawang pulis na humahabol sakanya. Tumakbo at nagpasikut-sikot sa mga kalye ng Hidalgo si Lito. Ramdam na ramdam niya ang tibok ng kaniyang puso sa buong katawan. Bawat yabag ng paa eh lalong nagiging malabo ang itsura ng paligid niya. Isang maling liko ang nagdala sakanya sa isang dead-end.

- Sumuko ka na putangina ka. Pasalamat ka mataas pa araw kundi... putanginang 'to.

Sigaw ng isa sa mga pulis habang tutok ng kaniyang kwarenta'y singko kay Lito.

Madaming tumakbo sa isip ni Lito sa sandaling iyon. Ang pangako niya kay Carmen, ang pagkakaibigan nila ni Podeng, ang mga naranasan niya sa kulungan. At sa mismong sandaling 'yun eh nagdesisyon siya.

Tumakbo si Lito papunta sa isa sa mga pulis, nagdesisyon siya na hindi na siya babalik sa loob, na magsasama sila ng masaya ni Carmen, na...

Hiniwa ng putok ang tahimik na paligid, gulantang na nagliparan ang ilang mga ibong nakakalat. Tumama ang sinag ng panghapong araw sa pira-pirasong patak ng dugo na kumalat sa lupa.

Lunes, ika-isang linggo ng paglaya ni Lito. Umiiyak na lumabas si Carmen galing sa hospital nang makasalubong niya si Podeng.

- Ano nangyari?! Ano nangyari kay Lito?! Sabi sa amin napa-trobol daw siya.

Hinihigal na tanung ni Podeng.

- Wala na si Lito Podeng. Napatay siya ng mga pulis kahapon. Nagnakaw ulit si Lito. Hindi ako makapaniwala. Nangako siya. Pasensiya ka na pero mukhang hindi na niya maisasauli 'yung kwintas mo.

Umiiyak na salaysay ni Carmen.

- Wala akung pakielam sa putanginang kwintas na 'yun. Peke naman 'yun, halagang singkwenta pesos. Ano ginawa nila sa kaibigan ko?! Mga putangina sila!

Umalingawngaw ang galit na sigaw ni Podeng sa maralitang umaga.

Dedicated to Quiapo district, a very special place.

Excuse me while I kiss the sky.

by Peter F. Cantos

Rolling stones

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, fucking compact music players, and electrical tin can openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life: I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got shabu?

Swerteng dinalaw ako ng antok kagabi ng kahapon nang may biglang nag-message sa'kin na kaibigan. Wasak.

- Pre, pwede mag-request ng topic.

- Sige lang brad, you can have whatever you like. (Sabay wasiwas ng kamay sa mga imaginary kayamanan sa harap ko.)

- Sulat ka naman tungkol sa drugs.

- 'Yung masarap ba o 'yung mapait?

- 'Yung masarap.

Para bang nasampal ako bigla. Nagsusulat ako tungkol sa pag-ibig pero hindi tungkol sa aking pag-ibig.

Don't do drugs because if you do drugs you'll go to prison, and drugs are really expensive in prison.

- John Hardwick

Una sa lahat, linawin natin ang depinisyon ng droga. Ang droga ay isang bagay na nakakapagpababago ng normal na kalagayan ng katawan 'pag nakonsumo. Nabibilang dito ang alkohol, kape, Biogesic, at Flouracil. Ano naman ang mga ipinagbabawal na gamot? Ito ang mga sangkap, hindi kasama ang tubig at mga pagkain, na nakapagpapabago sa takbo ng kaisipan at katawan ng tao na maaring abusuhin dahil sa mga epekto nito. Kabilang dito ang samu't saring stimulant (e.g. kape, tabako, shabu, at cocaine) depressant (e.g. alkohol, morphine, heroin, at opyo) hallucinogens (LSD, magic kabute, at mescaline) at kung anu-ano pa. Whatever works for you motherfuckers. Maliwanag na maliwanag, wala ang pag-ibig sa mga nabanggit kaya 'wag na sana ipilit. Kung ikaw ay nakatira sa ibang bansa malawak ang menu sa mga bagay na ganito ngunit sa'tin dito sa Pilipinas palaging dalawa lang ang specialty, bato (metamphetamine) o damo (cannabis). Ang paggamit ng mga ngayo'y pinagbabawal na gamot tulad ng opyo at marijuana ay halos 'sing tanda na ng mga relihiyon ng tao.

Bakit nga ba inaabuso ang droga?

Simpleng simple.

People think it's all about misery and desperation and death and all that shit, which is not to be ignored. But what they forget is the pleasure of it. Otherwise we wouldn't do it. After all, we're not fucking stupid. At least, we're not that fucking stupid. Take the best orgasm you ever had, multiply it by a thousand and you're still nowhere near it. When you're on something you have only one worry: scoring. When you're off it you are suddenly obliged to worry about all sorts of other shit. Got no money: can't get pissed. Got money: drinking too much. Can't get a girl: no chance of a ride. Got a girl: too much hassle. You have to worry about bills, about food, about human relationships and all the things that really don't matter when you've got a sincere and truthful 'habit'. Diba?

Dangerous drugs, ang dakilang equalizer ng Pilipinas. Lahat pantay pantay sa droga. Mayaman ka man o mahirap siguradong 'di ka patutulugin ng dos siyentos na bato. Siguradong hindi mawawala 'to sa bansang tumatakbo sa narco-politics.

Ano nga ba ang opinyon ng karamihan sa droga?

'Yung simpleng oo sa bawat gusto ko.

- Jullan Santos, 3-time competitive eating champion

Sang-ayon ako sa sagot ni Jullan na ang droga ang "oo" sa mga gusto mo. Malawak man ang kaniyang depinisyon sa droga, makaka-relate ang kahit sino mang nagnais ng "oo" sa buhay nila.

Ticket para makaiwas sa mundo na meron ka talaga.

- Carla Cinco, Black magic woman

Isa 'to sa kadalasang rason kung bakit gumagamit ng droga ang tao. Sawang sawa na siya sa shit. Gusto naman niya ng ibang shit. Ang tanong ay kung tama ba ang ginagawa niyang shit.

Love is my drug. Ang drugs eh pwedeng maging sanhi ng pagkabaliw sa isang tao at magdulot ng masama. Salot sa lipunan. Panira ng kokote. Panira sa buhay. Pero sabi ng iba, kailangan daw nila ng droga para maramdamang buhay sila. Parang nakakabuhay na nakakamatay.Ramdam mong buhay ka pero unti unti kang pinapatay. Yon, yon ang drugs. Malay ko ba.

- Joan Andres, Hungry young poet

Sinabi nang hindi kabilang ang pag-ibig sa mga droga. Technically, sumisinghot ka ba ng pag-ibig? Hindi. Tinuturok mo ba 'to sa sarili mo? Hindi. Masarap ba makinig kay Snoop Dogg 'pag in-lab? Hindi. Ngunit sang-ayon ako sa ideya ni Joan na kailangan ng iba ng droga para ma-feel ang essence ng buhay. May kaibigan kasi ko na feeling niya hindi siya humihinga 'pag wala sa impluwensiya.

Ang bawal na gamot ay gamot, mali nga lang ang paggamit kaya it causes harm. Go organic! (Mga sampung ulit.)

- Charls Andrew Hilvano, Premier leading man

Habang kausap ko si Charls, iniisip ko talaga kung naintindihan niya yung instructions ko. 'Di ko alam kung ang pagkakaintindi niya sa "Ano ang droga para sa'yo?" ay "Gumamit ka ng droga, right now." Pero sang-ayon ako kay Charls. Para sa'kin lang eh God made marijuana, man made beer. Who do you trust?

Ang droga ay isang bagay na pang-relax. Nagbibigay ito ng panandaliang aliw laban sa mga problema. Nawawala ka sa sarili mo kapag naka-take ka ng droga.

- Caroline Melendres, Very normal person

May mga taong gumagamit din ng droga para makapag-relax. Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan sa sinabi ni Carol eh kung paano ka magre-relax habang wala sa sarili.

Artificial means to another reality.

- Alfredo Porciuncula Pacheco, U.P. College of Medicine class 2015

Katulad ng sabi ng mga nauna, ang droga ay isang escape plan mula sa motherfucking world na sawang sawa ka na nang hindi namamatay. Pero Freds, meron din tayong natural dito. Gusto mo?

Musika. Andiyan siya pag naghahanap ako ng kasama, pag naghahanap ako ng nakakaintindi sakin.

- Gerald Boy, Survival expert/Music enthusiast

Sa lahat ng nakausap ko, kay Boy ako pinakanamangha at naawa. Hindi na niya kailangan ng palara at lighter para ma-high. Makarinig lang siya ng mga bagay eh solb na. Pero atleast hindi na niya kailangan maghanap ng mga supplier at bumili ng synthetic urine para sa kinaaadikan niya.

Marijuana for instance is an escape from reality. Minsan kasi sobrang dami mong iniisip na gusto mo munang magtago sa corner mo para lang makagetaway.

- Jared Real Famor, Photographer extraordinaire

Getaway, solusyon, at escape plan. Katulad ng mga nauna yun din ang opinyon ni Jared. Sa dami ng problema na pwede mo ma-encounter ngayon. Tangina, mas marami pa atang naiimbento na problema ngayon kaysa sa mga bagong kagamitan.

Ang droga ang kalaro mo sa madilim na silid.

- Kimberly Cruz, Top-notch student/Future housewife

Nakakapangilabot ang sagot ni Kim. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang tumatakbo sa utak niya nung panahon na kausap ko siya. Wala din ako naisip kasi hanggang ngayon eh kinikilabutan pa din ako. Ayoko na din pa malaman kung ano ang mga iba pang kalaro niya sa madilim na silid. Pero figuratively speaking, minsan ang droga nga naman ang nagiging karamay mo sa mga madidilim sa sitwasyon.

Fuck you, I don't take them. Go take your shit somewhere else.

- Ayaw mapangalanan na respondent

Ungas. Magkaibigan lang tayo tuwing raratrat ang puta. Tinatanong ka nang maayos eh.

Ang droga ay parang sex. Once you pop, you can't stop.

- Ken Solomon, Philosophical prodigy

Parang sinabi ng kapatid kong si Ken na ang sex ay parang pringles at ang pringles ay parang droga. Mahirap nga naman baguhin ang kahit anung bisyo. Maaari natin ikumpara 'to sa pagligo. 'Pag nakasanayan mo na maligo araw-araw papasok sa eskwela, ano mararamdaman mo kung walang tubig?

Salamat ang lahat ng nagbigay ng kanilang opinyon. Mabuhay kayo!

May karapatan nga ba tayong husgahan ang mga gumagamit ng pinagbabawal na gamot? Sila lang ba ang dapat sisihin sa mga nangyayari sa ating lipunan? Makakagawa ba si Jimi Hendrix ng mga swabeng kanta kung walang LSD? Ano kaya itsura ng buhok ni Bob Marley kung walang damo? Marahil hindi na natin malalaman. Hindi ko po layunin i-glorify ang paggamit ng bawal na gamot at hindi ko din po layunin na mag-promote ng diskriminasyon laban sa mga gumagamit. Basta't para sakin - sa mga hindi ng gumagamit ng droga, saludo. Sa mga gumagamit, apir.