Not an Ordinary Day at the Office

(This article was a seat work in an English literature class in PWU around 1989).

She entered the office along with her mother. It was almost noon and most of my office mates were down at the cafeteria eating their lunch. The office is almost bare except for some medical equipment we use to service the needs of workers from various industrial firms in Manila.

Here I am standing in front of them. Her mother did most of the talking. I was as if she could not speak. The mother introduced her daughter as elena, a 16 year old factory worker from a large textile factory in Valenzuela. According to her mother, elena was abuse by her employer less than a week ago.

"Elena was fired when she forgot to load a fresh spool of thread into the machine she was assigned to handle." Explains the mother. "She pleaded for mercy and her employer agreed to hire her as a maid in his home instead."

"During the first two days in her employer's home, she was locked-up, beaten and raped. It was such an ordeal which affectedalmost every inch of her body and mind. It was a good thing she was able to break free when sympathetic neighbors heard her screams and notified the police."

I could not believe such things actually happen. I looked at her bruises. They were almost everywhere. But then she does not react whenever her mother touches her arms. It is as if she could not feel a thing. Her eyes blank. Her nostrils were big and pulsating. I think deep inside her she was crying.

Then I stood up and told both of them to wait inside a room. I have to call the doctor who will attend to their needs.

How to clean Toilet (sic)

(This article is a school seat work about linear process explanation. It is a group work by Nolit Abanilla, Ma. Jeremiah T. Balbuena and Ma. Alma P. Duron for an english literature class in PWU sometime in 1989.)

Cleaning the toilet is always a drag. You must degrade yourself, kneel down and do the scrubbing. But before that, you must consider somethings.

First, see to it that your windows are closed. You don't want to let your handsome neighbor see you in your most humiliating position.

Then you must use an appropriate detergent. Do not use your imported "floral scented" soap on the white porcelain just because you want it to smell good. A good active cleanser with deodorizer will do. Dash a few of these into the john. You might need some strong acid or toilet bowl cleaner. Pour some of these generously, and set aside for a few minutes.

Now you can start scrubbing. Scrub very well and do not leave any space unsubscrubed (sic). Make that brownish gray "holy seat" look sparkling white. And feel the glory of that miraculous change.

After scrubbing, you must wash away the soap. You can wipe bowl (sic) with a clean rag if you wish.

Finally, your toilet is clean. Now you can call your 5-year-old brother to sprinkle the toilet with god-knows-what in a manner most playful little boys do.

(Apparently the teacher did not like the story as she gave the piece a low grade of 2.50 with a note saying "topic is very ordinary." But I think she should have given us a better grade as the purpose of the seat work was to demonstrate linear process explanation, and we did a good job on it regardless of what topic we choose. Well, you cannot please everybody.)

Combat Apathy

(Unpublished article intended for Philwomenian in 1988)

Apathy has always been an obstacle to Social Development. In this world of conflicts, apathy is never absent, serving its own interest. Such a selfish path one would take.

Apathy is defined as one's avoidance to be involved in any struggle or conflict. Apathy include liberalism which follows the reconciliation philosophy. We all have heard people say "We must be fair, we must listen to both sides of the story, there is always right and wrong on both sides, If we could only get people to talk to one another and sort out their misunderstandings and misconceptions, conflict could be resolved." It sounds like a genuine concern for fairness and justice, yet later we will find out that liberalism stands for unprincipled peace.

NOT ALL CONFLICTS CAN BE RECONCILED

We must take in mind that not all conflicts are based on misunderstanding and must be reconciled. In some conflict, one side is right and the other is wrong, one side is being unjust and oppressive and the other is suffering injustice and oppression. Thus one must take side. Being Christians, we are not supposed to try to reconcile good and evil, just and injustice. We are supposed to do away with evil, injustice and sin.

Neutrality is not always possible. In cases of conflict due to injustice and oppression, neutrality is totally impossible. If we do not take sides with the oppressed, then we are unintentionally taking sides with the oppressors. Since being neutral hides the nature of the conflict. The injustice continues and everybody is made to feel that the injustice doesn't matter because the tension and conflict have been reduced. It keeps the oppressed quiet and passive and brings about a kind of pseudo-reconciliation without justice.

It is wrong to assume that tension and conflict are worse evils than injustice and oppression. It only shows one's cowardliness to confront conflicts. They are those who are not convinced of the need for change and lack of hope. They rather flee to escapism from the realities of injustice and conflicts.

Thus, it shows that being liberal is being apathetic to realities, and being neutral is a way of siding with the oppressor. In a conflict if one side is right we must recognize this and side with them, just as Jesus sided with the poor. If the other side is wrong and in power, we must oppose them and dethrone them from power. We must realize the real root of many conflicts - The oppressive structure being implemented by the rich. God didn't actually hated the rich. What he simply meant, is that he wants to pull the rich and powerful from their thrones, from their position in the society, because the structures of the society are unjust and oppressive (Luke 1:52:53)

God said "Love our enemies." This does not mean for us to convert the rich and those in power to stop the oppression. The only effective way of loving our enemies is to engage in action that will destroy the system that makes them our enemies. In other words, for the sake of love and for the sake of true peace, we must side with the poor and the oppressed and confront the rich and powerful, and join the struggle against what they stand for and what they are defending.

Remember, God wants peace that is based on truth, justice and love and not the superficial peace and unity that compromise truth, covers over the injustices and that is usually settled on for thoroughly selfish purposes.

Advance peace based on social justice and not on apathy.