Tuesday, July 21, 2009

WHY CULTURE?


Culture defines a people's noble purpose, gives national identity, strengthens their artistic souls, and builds up their hopes for a country that is democratic, prosperous, just and equal.

The Cultural Program of TF-PRG promotes the best of Philippine arts, literature, and education to cultural and academic institutions across the country and the world. Thus we have this blog for everybody to read, comment on and feed with information and reviews.

This blog shall have articles that are conceptual, critical, and promotional of all Philippine cultural products, administration, policies and programs. Our view is to focus attention that is prompt, sustained and high-spirited on cultural issues between and among amateurs, professionals and administrators of cultural groups, events, academes, and all other institutions, concerning the products of artists, writers, thinkers, students, and educators, as well as to increase the number of opportunities for them to develop their fields.

The blog shall draw attention to developments in Philippine culture, including contemporary and indigenous dances; music; theater, plays, and other forms of literature.

We shall always be interested in new and challenging ideas that will bring Philippine and foreign peoples together in debating and discussing issues related to culture. In particular, this blog will raise public interest in the recognition of exceptional artistic and academic accomplishments and the need for public support, material and spiritual, of such endeavors.

We hope you will join us by feeding information, remarks and reviews of the different cultural events that you find happening in your community, or locality.

-by Wilhelmina S. Orozco, Ph.D.

--Margie Politzer Photo Print, Woman leaving an offering on Mt. Batur, Bali, Indonesia

JOSE INGLES: Finding the Right Mix

by Wilhelmina S. Orozco

With curly hair flowing like Einstein’s, wearing faded blue jeans, and easy gait as he walks, Jose Ingles, Inner Alchemist, Filipino Inventors society member looks every inch like any inventor who cares not whatever happens to the world except perfecting his product. He is the typical science-oriented individual whose focus is on how to extract, blend, mix and come up, voila! with a new or improved product.

Right now Ingles is very busy propagating flowering plants – ylangylang, roses, -- as well as calamansi, from which he can extract essences and market them as medicinal herbal products. Elemi, an essence that contains oils from the wild pili, citrus, rose, sampaguita and lemongrass, and has aromatherapic qualities that relax and provide a really restful feeling is his latest product. “Ipahid mo sa ilong, masarap ang tulog mo pagkatapos,” he said.

Another product of Ingles, who conducts training at the Department of Agriculture Training Institute on homemade probiotics extracts essences alchemy, is Colloidal Elixir made of a combination of two or more elements Silver. In his study, Ingles unearthed a 1940’s revelation of Dr. R. R. Rife MD that bacteria and virus are “vulnerable to suffocation from the catalytic action of Colloidal Silver, “ which then results in its having healing properties.

In another study done in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ingles mentioned that silver “is a powerful, natural antibiotic prophylactic antiseptic, known anciently and at the turn of the century as an invaluable medication.” The compound does not damage the organs of the body but in fact “accelerates healing” he said. Hence, this product has curative qualities on the skin, and treats rushes, hematoma, and when ingested, can also be anti-bacterial and anti-viral. “I am promoting this as it can cheapen the treatment of many illnesses. It is the first formulation of several mineral elements,

Actually, Ingles, a member of the Filipino Society of Inventors has traveled around the world as his father, Minister Jose Ingles during the 80’s was assigned in many places with the longest period in New York City. He finally settled down in the Philippines and got interested in chemistry when as a researcher at a Japanese okra company in Moncada, Tarlac, he discovered a distiller of ilang-ilang flowers next town and helped improved the distillation of the oils which made it more marketable as it brings a very fragrant smell. His theory which was proved to be true that ilang-ilang flowers when picked early morning, when it is most fragrant can produce the best essences.

Each 5 ml is worth P100 while 35ml is P700. With ylang-ylang, it is priced at P1,000 as the process becomes of extraction is more expensive. “It takes 5,000 kilos of rose petals to produce 1 liter, and 100 kilos of ylang-ylang to get 1 liter.

Ingles is one among so many of our inventors whose prime motivation is to increase knowledge, discover original products that can be known by the world with profit as a secondary objective. Unfortunately, the Technology Application and Promotion Institute, the agency tasked to help inventors seems to be eyeing other schemes.

WHY CULTURE?


Culture defines a people's noble purpose, gives national identity, strengthens their artistic souls, and builds up their hopes for a country that is democratic, prosperous, just and equal.

The Cultural Program of TF-PRG promotes the best of Philippine arts, literature, and education to cultural and academic institutions across the country and the world. Thus we have this blog for everybody to read, comment on and feed with information and reviews.

This blog shall have articles that are conceptual, critical, and promotional of all Philippine cultural products, administration, policies and programs. Our view is to focus attention that is prompt, sustained and high-spirited on cultural issues between and among amateurs, professionals and administrators of cultural groups, events, academes, and all other institutions, concerning the products of artists, writers, thinkers, students, and educators, as well as to increase the number of opportunities for them to develop their fields.

The blog shall draw attention to developments in Philippine culture, including contemporary and indigenous dances; music; theater, plays, and other forms of literature.

We shall always be interested in new and challenging ideas that will bring Philippine and foreign peoples together in debating and discussing issues related to culture. In particular, this blog will raise public interest in the recognition of exceptional artistic and academic accomplishments and the need for public support, material and spiritual, of such endeavors.

We hope you will join us by feeding information, remarks and reviews of the different cultural events that you find happening in your community, or locality.

-by Wilhelmina S. Orozco, Ph.D.

--Margie Politzer Photo Print, Woman leaving an offering on Mt. Batur, Bali, Indonesia

PANAHON NG PAGKILALA SA MUNDO


Para kay Mang Freddie ang Paglalayag ay
Panahon ng Pagkilala ng Mundo
Wilhelmina S. Orozco

Ang buhay ng isang seaman ay hindi biro. Sa loob ng barko, paulit-ulit araw-araw ang trabaho. Bago ka makakita ng isla, aabutin ka ng buwan-buwan at pagkatapos may panganib pa ngayon na ma-hostage ng mga pirata sa Aprika.

Subalit para kay Mang Alfredo Mendoza, isang retiradong seaman napawi lahat ng hirap niya sa pamumuhay sa Pilipinas mula ng naging seaman siya hanggang sa nagretiro siya sa loob ng 35 taon mula noong 1969 hanggang 2000. At hindi baleng mababa ang naging pusisyon niya sa barko,. Pangatlo naman siya sa mahahalagang pusisyon sa barko. Mataas na yun para sa kanya dahil hindi naman daw siya puwedeng tumaas pa duon dahilan sa hayskul gradweyt lang siya. Wala naman siyang pinag-aralang nautical science na requirement para sa mga magiging opisyal ng barko. Naging supervisor siya ng mga taong naglilinis, nagpipinta ng barko.

Sa mga naging karanasan niya sa paglalayag, ang pinakamagagandang pagkakataon niya ay sa Gresya, sa Hapon, sa Caribbean Islands, at sa Venice. Noong nasa Gresya siya, nagustuhan niya ang pagkain at ang mga tanawin, pati na ang mga tao. Natuto siya ng salitang Griyego dahil talagang nais niyang matuto. Araw-araw ay nag-aaral siya ng 2 salita, tulad ng “Thank you, I love you”. Apat na taon siya sa Gresya subalit sa loob ng isang taon ay natuto siya kaagad ng wika nito.

Sa Hapon naman, nagustuhan niya ito dahilan sa maganda ang bansa at disiplinado ang mga tao kaya umuunlad, wika niya. Kung bibili ka ng isang bagay sa halagang P5 kahit saan ka magpunta sa buong syudad, P5 rin ang halaga nito, hindi nag-iiba. At minsan nagtanong siya sa isang may-ari ng tindahan kung nasaan ang post office. Walang kaabug-abog na sinara nung may-ari ang kanyang tindahan at isinama siya kung nasaan ang post office.

Nagustuhan din ni Mang Freddie ang Caribbean Islands dahil sa klima, parang Pilipinas. Espanol ang salita na kanya ring naiintindihan dahilan sa ang Tagalog ay maraming salitang galling ditto. Parati rin siyang nasa tabi ng beach, sa pampang kung saan ay marahil naiisip-isip niyang sa kabila ng dagat ay mga isla na ng Pilipinas. Sa Venice naman ay natuwa siya dahilan sa ang mga kalye ay puro tubig at ang mga tao ay tumatawid ng mga bahagi ng syudad sa pamamagitan ng bangka.

Kung meron mang hindi magandang karanasan si Mang Freddie, ito ay noong nagretiro siya sa idad na 45 years. Forced retirement kung baga dahil kaya pa niyang maglayag noon. Kaya lang may isang batas daw na inihain si Edgardo Angara at naipasa ng Kongreso na nagtatakda ng retirement age. Dati rati noon, kahit 50 o 55 years old kayang maglayag. Pero ngayon ginawang 35 below.

Nagtapos si Mang Freddie ng hayskul sa Centro Escolar University kung saan naging kaeskwela niya si Nora Aunor. Hiwalay si Mang Freddie sa asawa niya subali’t sa halip na mag-migrate, siya ngayon ay nasa Pilipinas at aktibo sa kanyang born-again na simbahan ang Jesus Miracle Crusade International. Dito ay kasama-sama rin niya sina Mel at Nanding Pasion, mag-asawang mataimtim na dumadalo sa mga pagsamba na tinuturing siyang kapamilya. Ang misyon na lamang niya ngayon ay ang magsilbi sa Panginoon dahil para sa kanya natupad niya ang kanyang mga pangarap. Natupad niya ang kanyang mga pangarap, “I wanted to see the world,” (Nais kong makita ang mundo) at kumita siya.