I condemn plagiarists

I am FULLY aware that there are no laws covering plagiarism in blogs, BUT please, if you are going to copy words from this post and paste it somewhere else, it would be very SIMPLE to add "taken from passionsavessoul.blogspot.com." 

Because to us writers, copy-pasting verbatim without citing the source is a sinful act equivalent to plagiarism! And I don't f*cking care if this is JUST a blog and there are no law that copyrights my blog, BUT these are my words and I shed thinking and effort formulating these. 

So please. Cite me. Because there is a thing we call ethics. It exists with or without the law because it's a moral thing. If that is too much for you to handle, then at least show a little courtesy, or wait! Better yet, RESPECT to the writer, or even the blogger. 

So that's my message to you Atty. Hector A. Villacorta, the chief of Sen. Tito Sotto's staff, partly responsible for copy-pasting Sarah Pope's blog. You are too full of yourself. You make it appear as if it's very much OK to copy and paste someone else's words without giving him/her credit. 

You know law and whatever, but you do not know your morals and values.

***

The topic is very sensitive to me, of course, being a writer (blogger and a full-time journalist). 

But, I just can't take it how Sen. Sotto and his staff had acted upon the revelation of the copy-pasting they did. OK, for the benefit of the law, I will not call it plagiarism. They're only lucky the thing they copy-pasted was not printed or copyrighted. 

When I was just in college (I finished Journalism from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines), it was already made clear to me NEVER to plagiarize. We were thought to paraphrase. If we'll directly quote, then cite the source. 

Now, writing for a newspaper, I practice what I learned from college, not just because my editors will kill me. But also because, I know, it is the right thing to do. 

Citing sources is an old practice in writing for print. And plagiarism is a taboo. 

What, because the world is advancing, the technology quickly changing, and the Internet making everything available to everyone, we are allowed to skip this na? 

Well. That. Is. Not. An. Excuse.

P.S. I do know that there are plenty of bloggers, who ONLY copy-paste press releases, and don't actually write. Yon, pwede mo ikalat and i-share all you want. 

But this matter is a completely different story. It's always different when it's something you personally wrote. Always. It's like a child. You treasure it.  

I can't hate rain

It had been raining continuously for the past nine days already. And it had successfully taken its toll on me. As I made my way to office earlier, I frowned at the wet, darkened concrete; I relented at the cold and moist wind that stuck my skin; and I was miserable than ever looking at the empty faces of people.

There was too much gloom! And too much gloom, always, brought too much retrospection.

I did realize something useful though. And perhaps, I got a little thankful for the rain. 

I was not the writer I used to be before.

It was the truth and it did hurt me. But, let's just say that missing my old reliable writer self was even worse than the hurt itself!

Haaaay....

I missed the time when I would write for my blog regularly. Before, I was always brimming with ideas, opinions and beliefs. But more than the ideas, opinions and beliefs, I always found the right words to express myself.

Now, I still think about important matters... Sometimes I would formulate a good topic. But in the end, the lack of time, the lack of supporting thoughts, the laziness, and every other excuses I could conjure, hindered me.

And the story passes away. It got buried in the membranes of my brain, together with other forsaken stories. I bet I already had a cemetery of dead tales by now.

Haaaayayay....

But, I did found a solution! Thank heavens! And, it was simple!

That I'd keep things personal.

Yes, that was how everything started right? I opened myself for the world to see, rather to read. And I guess it's about time that I return to my comfort zone.

Which is "I". :D

So therefore, I never really hated the rains.

I would start again. I would commune with myself again. I would open up myself again. All through writing.

Welcome me back. I would write again!

Though, I must admit this blog entry itself was already a struggle! Visiting some of my favorite blogs that I used to frequent before did help though! I was spared a little inspiration!

But I would write again. And you--yes you!--would be reading about me again, whether you like it or not.

Bayan muna

Minsan ang sarap sabihing "Lintik ka Amerika." 


Hindi ko kasi maintindihan kung bakit maraming Pilipino ang naakit sa "greener pastures" mo. Nagpupunta sila dyan, nagtatrabaho para sa iyo. Nagbabayad ng tax mo. Sumusunod sa mga batas mo. Nag-iingles at nagkakaroon ng "American accent." Tapos uuwi dito sa Pinas, maganda na ang buhay nila. Nagmamataas. Nagmamayabang. Pilipino ka ba talaga? (Hindi ko nilalahat, pero aminin na natin, may katotohanan ang naturing kong iyan.)


Subukan nga nating ikumpara ang Amerika sa Pilipinas . . . Baka sakaling malinawan ang isip ko. 


Dito sa Pilipinas, kaka-onti ang trabaho. Maswerte kung mag-invest ang Amerika at magbukas ng factory ng Forever 21, katulad ng mga iba pang factory ng mga signature clothes mula sa bansa nila. Maraming blue-collared jobs ang magbubukas. Pero bakit dito? Mas mura ang labor sa Tsina, at mas maraming tao sa Tsina. 


At kung sakaling may trabaho ang isang regular na mamayan, ang sweldo naman nya hindi sapat sa pamilya nya. Nagpapakapagod, nagpapakahirap, pero kulang pa rin ang lahat. 


Tapos dito rin sa bansa, ang mga manggagawang nagbabayad ng tax, nakikinabang ba sa tax nila? Maraming kwestyon tulad ng bakit hanggang ngayon nakatiwangwang pa ang kalsadang proyekto ng alkalde mo? 


At higit sa lahat, sino nga naman bang gugustuhin dito sa Pilipinas kung isa ito sa mga bansang may pinaka-corrupt na gobyerno sa mundo. Impeachment trial ay circus! Tangna, kanya-kanyang pagmamalinis. Sino ba sa inyo ang hindi nagnakaw at nakinabang sa kaban ng bayan. Alam kong mayroon pang malilinis, pero hanggang kailan kaya sila hindi mababahiran ng dungis...


Pero, huwag din natin kalimutan na dito sa Pinas, ang teleserye paulit-ulit ang istorya (patay na, buhay pala). Ang mga aktres at aktor, nagsasapakan. Ang mapupulot sa PBB Teens ay ewan. 


Kaya naman pala! Bakit hindi tayong lahat magpunta sa Amerika? Kayo na lang siguro. Pero hindi ako. 


Hindi ako pupunta sa Amerika, o sa ibang bansa, na ang iniisip ko lang ay ang kapakanan ko. Tangna, kaya nga ako pinanganak na Pilipino e. Ibig sabihin, ang pananagutan ko ay sa bansa ko. 


Dito lang ako kung saan dapat magsikap, dapat magbayad ng tax, dapat magmatyag sa gobyerno, at hindi dapat manood ng PBB.


Dito ako sa Pilipinas. Magsusulat ng ganito. Maaring pagtawanan ninyo ako. 


Pero malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa mga bayani nating nakipaglaban para sa kalayaan natin? Sa lahat ng Pilipinong sumalungat sa Katolikong simbahan. Sa lahat ng Pilipinong tinalikuran ang Amerika. Sa lahat ng Pilipinong nagbuwis ng dugo sa kamay ng mga Hapon. Sa mga matatapang na Pilipinong ipinaglaban ang bansang ito. 


Paano ko ba to sasabihin, korni oo, pero pinagmamalaki ko ang bansang ito. Ipinagpapasalamat ko ang 114 taon ng kalayaang tinatamasa natin. Isinasapuso ko ang pagka-Pilipino ko. Atsaka, it's more fun in the Philippines diba?!


Simpleng paalala lang ito para sa lahat ng kapwa ko, kahit nandito ka o sa dayuhang lupain man, wag mong kalimutang Pilipino ka. Wag kang sakim. Magbayad sa bayang nagluwal sayo, maliit o malaki. Siguro kung lahat ng Pilipino, may kahit kakapiranggot na commitment kay Perlas ng Silangan . . . 


Naniniwala akong ang "commitment" na iyan ang pag-asa ng bawat isa sa atin--hindi si Willie o si Pacman. 


Pero teka! Hindi ako yong moralistang preacher na tinutukoy ng kaibigan ko. Puro salita (o sa akin puro sulat) lang, walang gawa. May pangarap po ako para sa bayan ko. :) Sana po, magawa ko, pagsisikapan ko.


***
"Una ang Panginoon. Pangalawa ang bayan. Pangatlo ang pamilya. At huli ang sarili."


Ang pinakamahalagang aral na natutunan ko Mababang Paaralan ng Taguig. Sa guro ko na nagbigkas nyan, salamat po. 


Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan Bayan ko!


p.s. Buti pa si Google, hindi nakalimot.