pathless road

Another Lesson Learned

2009-08-24T02:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my cell phone got snatched near the stoplight after the Delpan bridge. The window of the van I was riding was rolled down and I was holding my phone on my lap. In a split second, just when I turned around to talk to my companions, the snatcher grabbed my phone(without even touching any part of my hand or arm!) through the rolled-down window.

I could have made a pursuit right there and then but I remembered my lessons in guerilla tactics. The snatcher was operating in his "own" terrain. He had prefigured where to run (he ran weaving through cars and lampposts). Most likely like in other cases, there would be blocking forces along the route he went into. Even if I would have been armed, the odds would not favor me as I do not know or have "visuals" of his accomplices. If I had been armed, I would not have been able to fire my weapon without accidentally hitting bystanders and cars. By all accounts, I was in ambush ground. The right response, which I did take, was to get away from the ambush site by all means.

Weighing the cost of the phone to that of possible complications including legal responsibilities, I realized my inaction was the best response.

The lessons learned here are that always close car windows and lock its doors while passing through crime-infested areas (if you really have to pass through, like I do). Second, one must realize if it's a death and life situation or merely a matter of losing a replaceable thing. Nothing is more precious than life, and that means including your assailant.

Simulations in Training

2009-05-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

I was able to watch some clips from the Philippine National Police showcasing anti-assault techniques. The videos show similar drills with our own Waya-an methodology. I just envy their gear and equipment. It is much easier to conduct drills with the full-body armor that they have. It would give the student more spontaneous and less inhibited response to simulated assault.

But we can again conclude that the only way to train is to simulate actual street encounters. If we can replcate not only the physical aspect of it but also the mental and emotional factors then we can produce a trained efficient response to encounters of the ugly kind.

The First Fourteen: Wayaan Class Graduation 2008

2009-01-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

From August of 2008, we initiated the first formal curriculum of the Waya-an Self-defense Method. Waaya-an is an off-shoot of the Kinaadman Combatives System which was more on combatives and threat neutralization for professionals. We felt that there was a need for a set of instructions for ordinary civilians with an awareness of the legal implications of street violence and conflict.

Based on the Kinaadman Combatives concept of using as much natural movement and economy of motion, we designed a curriculum that has no techniques to memorize except drills to bring out the natural reaction and response preference of students. Most important of which is mental toughness and problem-solving.

Our initial class comprised of underprivileged kids prone to abuse and violence. We believed that these are the individuals who need most to learn our system of self-defense and self-actualization. Out of the 37 students who started the training in August, 14 completed the Basic Course and graduated on December 14, 2008. One special student, Sr. Alem Coching, is already under advance tuition and is a candidate for instructorship.

This year, 2009, we hope to continue teaching street kids and those who need empowerment. Those who graduated from the Basic Course will go on to study the first advance level. The second advance level would be for apprentice intructors and the third and last level would be for instructorship. Muscle jocks need not apply.

Guns in self-defense 2

2008-11-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

We no longer live in lawless times when we need to have a six-gun on our hips while going to the saloon. In a non-war situation, civilians, especially in the Philippines, are not encouraged to carry firearms in their persons. Only authorized law enforcement agents can do so. Even soldiers outside conflict areas like Metro Manila can not just strut their M-16 on the streets of Tondo. In the same vein the PNP has reiterated why it can not grant the request of the MMDA to have their traffic enforcers carry firearms. More guns on the street means more crimes, for the simple reason that a gun has no other use but to kill.

As I have often said here in this blog, you can not draw your weapon faster than your assailant. The idea that you will be able to recognize an ambush with spare time and therefore have enough seconds to draw and shoot it out with your attackers is a myth. Ask the hundreds of assasins or the Sparow Unit members who have gunned down armed police and military personnel in the 80s and they will tell you this to be true. In urban partisan war the element of ambush is used. As I have said in another blog post, the only effective way to prepare for an ambush is to have your own weapon already drawn. But this is not possible in a civilized society. You cannot walk around with your gun in your hand.

So if you cannot draw your gun efficiently all the time why carry it? A gun in a holster is slow and a gun in a handbag is much slower. THe holdupper would have pointed and shot already before you can draw yours from your clutch bag. A lot of off-duty policemen and other weapon carrying individuals were disarmed because of this. Their useless weapons taken away by assailants who used surprise and cunning.

There is a much cheaper and more effective way to protect yourself. Use common sense.

keep a low-conflict lifestyle, avoid conflicts
be friendly
keep away from bad neighborhood
keep away from dimly-lit areas
assess the area where you parked your car.
always keep your car doors locked
always have your homes secured appropriately
learn threat management
learn street-smart self-defense
learn survival techniques
be ordinary, blend with the crowd
keep it simple!

Agos

2008-11-06T02:48:00.000-08:00

When we engage in physical conflict resolution (meaning duking it out with the bad guys), everything we do is transitory in nature. All strikes, trappings, immobilizations, throws, locks, etc. are not goals in themselves, but are responses "in time". They are reactions to a particluar stimulus. Therefore they are not premeditated nor are they the "end" we seek in conflict resolution.

The goal in self-defense is to deescalate the conflict situation or to find an escape route. We react with relentless aggression not to neutralize the attacker (that is the goal of combatives) but to immediately create a situation where the attack against us is halted and the opprotunity to flee is created.

So when a trapping opportunity comes it is not because we planned it but because the situation presented itself. We might use a throw not because we want to display our Judo skills but because it so happened that your body position made it the best option.

The interaction between you and your attacker is fleeting. It is a series of events randomly appearing. Agos therefore is about exploiting these transitory events to find an opening for you to extract yourself from threat.

Guns in self-defense

2008-10-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

You don't need an atom bomb to flush out a single rat in your kitchen. There is such a thing as an overkill. Weapons need to be managed for safety and for deployment. The bigger the firepower the higher the maintenance and safety quotient. The law of entropy states that things tend to get sloppy as the situation gets complicated. For home defense we must deal with these variables:

perceived threat
management considerations vis a vis perceived threat
safety considerations vis a vis location of weapon and place of deployment

So if the perceived threat is a single rat, you don't nuke 'em and blow up your own house. We are exaggerating the example here to drive the point that efficiency and economics are tied together. If a rolled-up newspaper is enough to stop an annoying cockroach why shoot it?

Many weapons are designed for the battlefield rather than for home defense. A weapons buyer must clearly understand which weapon fits his purpose unless he is a gun collector. Nevertheless, a gun collector must fully understand the safety considerations, as will be discuseed later.

So do you really have to buy a Tec-9 or an UZI for your home? With children running around, that would be courting disaster. Part of the management considerations are the legal implications of your weapon based on the laws of you locality. In the Philippines, you can still end up with a charge of homicide based on the circumstances. You can't just shoot and claim self-defense even if it happened inside your home. In some countries these cases are appreciated differently. Remember the Korean student who got shotgunned by the father of his classmate when he visited their home? The shooter was acquitted based on the principle of "castle-keep". But such common law jurisprudence does not apply in other countries like the Philippines.

For the home if you are not a gangster or something, with a normal threat of a possible theft or robbery, then you might need a simple and reliable weapon. A weapon that can be deployed with relative safety and designed for such common crimes.

A home-based weapon or a personal weapon must be concealable, easy to deploy and reliable. A .38 caliber snub-nose is a very logical choice. It does not jam. It's drawback for the home is that once loaded it is very easy to fire. A pistol can jam if not properly maintained or if not properly loaded and cocked. The ammunition also plays an important part. Afterall it is the one that actually kills. Choosing a good ammo is a necessity. For pistols, the .45 has been tried and tested to deliver. It is very easy to maintain like the revolver. Other calibers may be suited for you to buy but it must suit your hand and personality. So before buying try gripping it for comfort. If it is too heavy for you why buy it?

A lot of people buy full-sized pistols or revolvers for self-defense but these weapons are not designed for self-defense but rather for police work or combat duties. Thus, they are not easily concealable and would require an outside holster to properly carry in the person.

For self-defense therefore it must be compact enough to hide. You cannot display your weapon as if it were the wild wild west. Assasins and firearms snatchers can easily disarm you if you parade it like you were John Wayne (if you can draw it easily from your holster, it means the snatcher can draw it easily too).

At home weapons must be separated from their ammos. It is better to remove the firing pin of the weapon when not in use. They must be stored securely with only you knowing the combination. If you intend to use it on a burglar, it means that you intend to commit homicide. Security for the home must not start on your weapon but on other more sensible variables like the height of your fence, the locks you put, the alarms you installed, the security mindset of your household, etc. Your weapon must only be your last resort (that is why there is such a thing as a panic room). Remember a homicidal burglar who enters your home enters it with the element of surprise so it is very unlikely that you will be able to deploy your weapon exactly as he enters your abode. It is not a cowboy duel so stop the macho myth. Accept the fact that when shit happens you won't be able to draw your weapon (unless you carry it around your house like a paranoid Billy the Kid).

There is a reason why security companies sell burglar alarms, CCTV cameras, and other gadgets and not just guns. Guns are proximity tools. As I have mentioned before, when you have to use it it means the burglar or the intruder is already near you. Why was he able to pass through your gate, your door, your garage, your window or any other entrance? Perhaps you might need to buy a better lock, a new door or a new latch to your window than resort to buying a gun. If the gun is the best anti-burglar option security companies would just be selling firearms only.

Security therefore is not that simple. You need a complete security survey or evaluation of your home. Is your fence the right height? Is your househelp becoming too friendly with your next-door gardener? Do you live in a gang-infested neighborhood? Things like these must be considered. The gun is not a magic pill. You will also need some training to use it properly.

If you have that enough money to ever need security, then hire security guards (the rich do!). If you are subject to grave threats hire bodyguards (the rich do!).

Battlefield conditions versus street threat

2008-10-17T01:17:00.000-07:00

Another reason why the study of self-defense is so frustrating is the fact that a law-abiding, peace-loving citizen is expected to act civilized and expect civility from other people in street situations. This translates to a relaxed emotional state while being dangerously exposed to possible threats. You have your psychic defenses down because you expect to be treated kindly and with respect. This is a false and dangerous assumption.

A soldier on foot patrol, on the other hand, is expecting to be ambushed and therefore has his weapon deployed and ready. His eyes are keen, observing the minutest detail of the sorroundings trying to pick out hidden enemies. At the slightest provocation he can unleash hell on anybody.

If a civilian acts like a soldier he faces possible law suits, worse even get a ticket to the death chamber. The courts use the term "use of reasonable force" and "use of deadly force" to differentiate justified self-defense from manslaughter or homicide.

A mugging is actually an ambush and soldiers know how to deal with ambushes by having their firearms and ordnances ready. But a civilian on the other hand cannot just deploy his knife or gun. The mugger will always therefore be one step ahead. The fastest, most-coordinated, athlete will have a response time of at least 2 seconds to a simulated attack. So if the house-weary housewife who is thinking about bills to pay, etc. goes into an alley she becomes easy prey. Her dulled awareness hardly notices the guy in the shadows. With no weapons deployed and a baggage of a spaced-out mind she is literally cold turkey.

Street smarts requires soldier-like perception and battlefield heuristics. So what do we have to do? We need to balance legal parameters with life and death choices. And its a thinline between deadly force and reasonable force. If a guy enters your safety zone with a drawn knife you can not be expected to be half-hearted about it. You respond with equal brutality. Anyway, when you are dead the courts can't bring your life back.

As we often say in this blog, efficient threat management lessens your chances to encounters of the ugly kind. Don't act macho and tempt fate by going to dark alleys and crime-infested neighborhoods. Blend with the crowd and appear common. Avoid conflicts and deescalate macho situations. But if you are caught in a place not of your own making be ready to show the stuff you are made of. Make them pay for messing up with you.

KNIFE SURVIVAL 2.0

2008-10-03T02:33:00.000-07:00

What happens when two boxers face each other like Pacquiao and Eric Morales? Both will score a hit against each other. The longer the bout the mutual hits increase in percentage. Imagine if both had knives? The same statistics stands, but with horrific effects.

It has been said that when two skilled samurais face each other, both of them will be dead. Indeed, duelling has this probability down pat. In duelling, being faced squarely against each other leaves both protagonists susceptible to each other's attacks.

Lessening your mortality rate factor therefore relies on your ability to avoid being a frontal target. Some call it avoiding the "centerline". You might have seen Pacquiao shooting from the side, totally avoiding a frontal strike from his opponent. That is essentially the tactical solution.

In Kali, practitioners are trained to locate themselves in "safety zones", i.e., the peripheral side where the weaponed hand has not launched an attack or where the weapon has been "spent".

In Waya-an Combatives, we train ourselves to maneuver to the sides or the rear to avoid the enemy's centerline attack at the same time protecting our own centerline from counter-attack.

KNIFE SURVIVAL 101

2008-10-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

To a lot of martial artists, self-defense specialists and street-fighters, knife encounters represent their most feared challenge. The superiority of a gun in a street mugging is an accepted fact but the potential devastation of a knife is so distinct its terror quotient is unrivaled in close quarters combat. A gun is unidirectional. Its advantage is in distance. But its unidirectional character is more manageable in close quarters than a knife. A knife will cut you from any angle conceivable. It can travel at 95 miles per hour like a baseball fast ball. In close quarters the knife has its advantages over a handgun.

In muggings the knife is so fearsome, the most macho dude can cower like a bullied grade schooler and the most muscled gym freak can be reduced to a crying wimp. A lot of dojo trained martial artists lost their lives to a street knife fighter. Facing the knife is indeed one of the greatest enigmas in self-defense studies.

We must thoroughly understand the nature of the knife and how it is wielded before we can entertain how to defend against it.

The knife does not need much power to inflict damage. Mere contact with its edge and point is enough. It moves in all the possible angles where the arms of the wielder can go. It can come from a curved thrust like a Kali knife lunge.

Having to face the knife is basically enterring the point-of-no-return. It is enterring "deathground". Sun Tzu once said that on "death ground fight!". So if you engage a knife wielder you are basically in the area of combatives and not in a low level threat situation.

A lot has failed against the knife because they engage the knife fighter with a mere self-defensive mentality. Second, one does not engage weapons with an empty-hands approach. As much as possible, you must try to equalize the situation by deploying your own weapon. In fact, always try to stack the odds in your favor. If he pulls a gun, you pull a cannon, if he pulls a cannon, you nuke 'em!

When a samurai uses jujitsu aganst a sword, it is because he lost his weapon and is hoping against hope to disarm his opponent to equalize the situation. A samurai would always prefer to have his sword.

Let us remember, in a knife encounter we employ empty hand techniques as a means to deploy our own weapon or to disarm the wielder before an attack can be effectively launched. But given a choice we must use weapons againsts weapons. We must use metsuboshi techniques to distract the knife fighter so we can deploy our own knives.

However, a knife encounter sitation must be avoided at all times, unless you are a soldier commanded to search and destroy the enemy.

Your threat management must be effecient enough to prevent you from getting into such situations.

Once you are in an "ambush site" like dark alleys, crime-prone areas, etc. a knife attacker will not show his knife at a distance. You will be introduced to his weapon at close proximity. If that happens that means your threat management has failed you and you are now in deep shit.

Once you enterred the point-of-no-return, only one comes out alive. In some cases no one comes out at all!

Threat Awareness

2008-09-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

The problem of anticipating situations lend to superficial solutions. A student once asked what is the best solution if a knife has been put near your neck while you were asleep. I tried my best how to answer it as appropriately as possible. Real problem-solving must utilize the scientific method of identifying all variables to a given phenomena and evaluate and analyze the end result. In the question given, a self-defense trainer must get their students to realize the other variables aside from the fact of the knife and the "victim" being prone and asleep.

What other variables could there be? We must realize that all phenomena is the result of processes. What led to the knife pointing are a series of events and factors. Was the door to the room locked before the "victim" slept? Does it have a spare key? Is the attacker known to the victim and has access to the room? Variables such as these could lead to the said incident. Therefore avoiding such occurrence will rely on the negation of these variables.

Rather than concentrate on how to thwart the knife attack, an ounce of prevention goes a long way. Indeed, personal threat awareness is the essence of an efficient self-defense system. You defeat the core concepts of Waya-an if after training you enter a dark-lit alley because you are self-assured you can handle any kind of mugging.

Threat awareness, tactical avoidance and tactical contingency response are necessary components of a self-defense system, not just physical attributes and counter-conflict training.

However, we must also realize that social demography plays a role on individual security. The poor cannot afford to have a panic room, much less a real house. The poor lives in crime infested inner cities, and so on and so forth. Trainers therefore must understand the social aspect of the curriculum. To a kid whose parents can hire bodyguards and one who lives in the slums with an abusive stepfather requires different approaches to methodology.

Self-defense: Important Notes

2008-09-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

A lot of martial arts schools and self-defense dojos now offer personalized training as compared to some years ago when the curriculum was much the same with a 300 lbs. guy and a 95 lbs. lady. The change in curricula came in when students and even blackbelts were geating beaten on the streets. Instructors realized that a lot has not been working as planned.

One of the basic realizations in methodology is that there is no one medicine to cure all self-defense infirmities. A 300 lbs guy who can bench press a truck does not need very much tutoring than a weakling 100 lbs. geek. You do not train a 7 year old kid how to punch his way out of a possible kidnapping. It is not only useless but also inane. Even if taught well to be aggressive and ferocious, he will not be able to generate a level of power that can inflict substantial pain to his aggressor. In the streets, Goliath has a certain advantage. A mouse, even with all the "unos" he can muster simply has little chance of winning a over a bored full-sized cat.

So for kids below 12, especially asians with their smaller built, must be taught character and the "spirit" to problem-solve threat situations. A mouse survives not by pitting strength and power against a cat but by "tactical avoidance". The mouse scouts for predators before he goes foraging. He has an escape route. He nestles himself in inaccesible lairs.

One excellent way to survive threat situations is by cooperation. Kids must be taught how to work as a team. A flea is insignificant but as an army it is mighty. Just ask the dog next to you. Siblings and friends must be taught how to work together.

Tactical avoidance means ensuring kids that they know basic safety measures such as locking doors and not talking to strangers, etc. Another concept is tactical contingency reaction which means kids must know how to seek help, such as memorizing emergency numbers.

Character development entails building confidence and resolve. It entails empowerment phsychologically, emotionally and physically.

Adults and parents thus must be supportive and nurturing. The real self-defense response for children must come from their adult guardians. It is the responsibility of adults to protect children.

Self-defense: No Formula Written in Stone

2008-09-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 31, 2008, we entered into our third session in Waya-an Self-defense. It was attended by the older students. We were greatly impressed by how fast the students were internalizing the lessons.

From the start we were always reminding them that there will be no particular techniques to memorize and it will be all up to each individuals' strength and preference. Indeed, one student was devastating with her straight thrust palm-heel strike and another was proficient with her elbows.

Bihan Agni, the nun who has been training with us from day one, showed remarkable "unos" qualities. A few more drills simulating multiple attackers and knife awareness and she will be ready for the combatives phase of Waya-an.

We are impressed that in three sessions the older students have grasped the core lesson of Waya-an. Supposedly at least seven sessions are needed for them to reach a functional level. With these development, it is highly probable they can graduate from the self-defense course by December of this year.

What made them impressive is their innate understanding that there is no formula to it. That it is all about ferocity and aggression and the "will" to survive the improbable odds. Perhaps we the instructors are the ones who need to train under them and find out what gives them such "spirit".

I am excited to go into the fourth session. We have lined-up ground-work drills and a review of countering multiple attackers. I am very sure we will have surprises again.

Kinaadman Gapiraan

2008-08-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

Before Waya-an we were practicing concepts from Kinaadman Gapiraan which was a combatives-based fighting system, until we realized the need to develop a purely self-defensive methodology with considerations on the legal implications of the use of deadly force.

In Waya-an we differentiated the Self-defense response from Combatives to clarify and satisfy the legal requirements in the appropriate defense for the individual or stranger.

The responses in Kinaadman Gapiraan were typical martial arts techniques which we have done away with under Waya-an -- opting instead for natural gross motor reactions.

Younglings in Training

2008-08-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

The second Waya-an Self-defense session at Don Bosco was a revelation, with at least four students identified as possible candidates for advance training. The rest, with a little more perseverance can also reach their full potential.

We have started situation simulation drills that require the students to use their basic defense tools -- the slap, palm-heel strike, in-step kick, side kick, elbow and knee strikes.

Critical to the drills is to develop "flow" which we call "agos" in order to execute "buhos" or the "shock and awe" aspect of counter-attack. Hopefully, the students' will develop "fighting spirit" or "unos" to give them efficiency and determination to survive any threat situation.

Self-defense as a State of Being

2008-08-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

If you have time to go over the hundreds of self-defense systems and martial arts schools on the internet, you will find out that the trend nowadays is to train gross motor skills as opposed to "techniques" that require fine motor skills. Another common observation is the element of aggression and relentless ferocity in the reaction of victims of assualts as the determining factor for success or failure.

We in the Waya-an Self-defense system agree with these observations. Much more than the skills learned. The person's "will" and "character" determines his survivability rate. After all you can not choose your mugger. Most likely and more often the predator would be bigger and stronger. At the same time you can not choose your physical attributes. You are born with it. So if you are born on the lean side what are your chances against a steroid junkie towering over you?

So given that the odds against you will be unfavorable all that is left is your determination to survive. I love watching movies about underdogs like "the Replacements", the "Mighty Ducks", "Semi-Pro", etc. These movies gives you the idea that maybe, just maybe the geek gets to win in the end. Well, in real life, we remember Willis Reed of the New York Knicks playing in the championship with a knee injury. Or in the more dramatic fashion, the soldier who parachuted behind enemy lines in Vietnam who had to literally crawl his way back to safety. Or the the legendary 300 -- need I say more.

In both reel and real life what makes a winner and survivor is the one who "wills" his survival. One should never give up life just like that, Death should pry it from your hands!

Younglings at Don Bosco

2008-08-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Sunday, 3rd of August we introduced the Waya-an Self Defense Module to the Bosconian kids under the care of the Salesian Sisters. The kids were between the ages 13 and 19. Marginalized and needing a lot of morale boosting.

The Waya-an is an off-shoot of years of martial arts exposure and personal encounters. In structure and appearance it would resemble the Ki Chuan Do, Keysi Fighting Method, Damian Ross System and the Mixed Martial Arts schools in the United States.

The Waya-an espouses the teaching concept of developing natural body reactions and movements as self-defense solutions. Thus, there are no techniques to memorize. No movements to train from point A to point B.

Waya-an Self Defense Module therefore does not teach "self-defense" from a martial arts perspective but from kinesthetics. Waya-an does not teach "fighting", unlike other systems where students go into "sparring" drills or where they are made to "square-off" against each other. The Waya-an drills are simulated muggings and assaults where the students "problem-solve" their way out of conflict situations and find an escape route.

Waya-an is a pragmatic system where drills are designed to produce results in days and weeks instead of months or years.

The Bosconian kids are the first students of the Waya-an Self-defense Method. It is the founders' fervent wish and hope that Waya-an will be able to contribute to the "younglings" life experience and survival skills development.

Living Spirituality Part 2

2008-05-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

असतो मा सद्गमयतमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमयमृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमयॐ शांति शांति शांति - बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्

Lead Us From the Unreal To Real,Lead Us From Darkness To Light,Lead Us From Death To Immortality, Aum, Let There Be Peace Peace Peace. - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.

“Follow your inner moonlight...."- Allen Ginsberg

J. Robert Oppenheimer quoted the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad when he realized that his genius had helped create a monster, the atomic bomb. He became a pacifist.

Jun Lozada often quotes the papal encyclical that expounded Pope John Paul II's "creative subjectivism". According to this encyclical the individual is gifted by the Divine of certain talents and therefore should use such faculties for the benefit humanity. But before humanity benefits from our individual capabilities we must first undergo self-actualization.

In connection to this encyclical, Lozada also cites Maslow's Law on the Hierarchy of Needs, to expound on the process of self-actualization. He said that there cannot be democracy if the hierarchy of needs is not satisfied and has not reached the level of self-actualization, which is the last and the apex of these basic human needs. The first need is the physiological needs like food, water, etc. The second, safety and security. Third is love and belonging. Fourth, self-esteem and confidence. And self-actualization and creativity as the fifth and last need. This means that before a society can ever reach the level where they can contemplate art, philosophy, music, and self-expression, they must satisfy first their lower physical and emotional requirements. Thus, poverty must be addressed first. Unless a society be able to feed itself and acquire his basic wants he cannot aspire to go up the ladder of self-fulfillment. Only an economically stable society can truly practice and maintain democracy.

Self-actualization of a critical mass of the general public therefore translates into democracy and not the other way around. Otherwise democracy will remain a pipe dream. Without self-actualization people will remain tied to the level of a "hunter-gatherer", perenially tied to food gathering and his basic instincts. They will have no time to establish the societal institutions necessary in a democracy.

The Coming Together of a People: Popular Reaction to Jun Lozada's Message

2008-05-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

There must be some way out of here, said the joker to the thief,
Theres too much confusion, I cant get no relief.
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.

No reason to get excited, the thief, he kindly spoke,
There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.
But you and i, weve been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late.

- Bob Dylan, All Along the Watchtower

It all started with the Truth Masses for the entire Lenten Season. Jun Lozada touched a chord in the people that heard his impromptu dialogues. The call for change starting from every individual was catharsis for a public hungry for social justice and emancipation from poverty.

In just more than a month, not even mentioning the presence and influence of established civil society groups like the Black and White Movement and organized activist offshoots like the Youth Act Now, professionals and students began organizing themselves into Truth, Accountability and Reform groups.

These are purely spontaneous organizations that has sprouted all over the country. Without backing and support from politicians, they have managed to organize from the grassroots and come together in search for common grounds and modes of communal action.

Perhaps it is their hunger for social liberation and their spirit to find hope for renewal that has prompted them to band together for a common cause.

Mostly guided by interfaith forums, they have vouched to light their own "truths" with the goal of merging in one shining light of hope and transformation for the whole country.

The emergence of this new kind of movement is an unparalleled socio-political phenomenon in the country. For the first time, these groups are a combination of social activism and spiritual quest. This kind of movement was attempted in EDSA 1 and 2 but did not evolve further. The presence of President Cory Aquino is proof that the aspirations of EDSA 1 did not die but merely incubated itself in a people that has now decided to face its mistakes and fears. Jun Lozada provided the catalyst for the Philippine society to transfom itself to the next level. Ninoy Aquino and President Cory Aquino started it, now Jun Lozada is carrying and hoisting the banner that the Filipinos' finest hour is at hand.

On the Road

2008-05-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Living Sprirituality

2008-05-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

Liberation theology focuses on Jesus Christ as not only the Redeemer but also the Liberator of the oppressed. It emphasizes the Christian mission to bring justice to the poor and oppressed, particularly through political activism.

Liberation theology also emphasizes what proponents describe as individual self-actualization as part of God's divine purpose for humankind.

- Wikipedia

In one of the homilies of the masses attended by Eng'r Lozada, the celebrant priest asked, "Buhay ka ba o nabubuhay lang?". This question has had a profound effect in me that that I dusted off my old liberation theology pamphlets to reread them.

How can we say we are religious or even on a quest for spirituality and ignore social reality? Can you say you are living up to your faith when you have not raised a finger against social evils? Do you save your soul when you let evil-doers spread their scum in society?

Even in Buddhism, bodhissatvas postpone their nirvanas in order to help their fellow men. A bodhissatva partake the role of a social activist and help their fellow being emancipate and liberate themselves from the ills of their present existence.

In both liberation theology and the bodhissatva concept, one is concerned with the upliftment of one's fellow being so that they can achieve their full potentials as creatures of the divine. Self-actualization can only be had when the social hurdles we face are eradicated. The awareness of the poor can not be focused to higher concerns unless their basic needs are addressed. An oppresive government that keeps its people under the bondage of poverty is thus actively preventing its citizenry from pursuing their spiritual aspirations. A government that promotes and tolerates social injustice is therefore against the people's divine right to self-actualization.

Jun Lozada, Bearer of the Compass

2008-05-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's hard to separate the man from the message. Eng'r. Jun Lozada, the Senate witness on the controversial NBN-ZTE deal, like a voice from the wilderness, has been all over the country spreading the word for societal transformation. With undeniable charisma he has touched the lives and imagination of the simplefolk, the middleclass, intelligentsia and the high society. Yet he has remained stubbornly humble, refusing to be aligned to any politician or party or even established civil society and activist groups.

We cannot help but believe his message as genuine. He has never showed or even hinted of any political ambition. He has repeated with consistency that all he ever hopes for is for the Filipino to awaken from the slumber induced by systemic corruption. He has called on to every Filipino to light up the truth within them and not be afraid to be the change they want to be. That from each individual the light of truth should spread to enlighten the whole of society.

Jun Lozada's call for societal transformation is also a call for spiritual renewal, as change in society goes hand-in-hand with personal revolution. He often tells the crowd that routinely gathers around him to stop the habit of always pointing at others for reform but instead start addressing their own personal truths.

Societal transformation must also not stop at replacing leaders but should target the very root of corruption and social cancer. The culture of bad governance and the defeatist mindset of the poor must be replaced with the culture of compassion and hope.

He has further explained his social analysis that for Filipinos to bring about the potential greatness of their country they must embrace a conduct and attitude that encompasses transformative vision, courage, grasp of social reality and unbending ethics.

Mr. Lozada is optimistic that the Filipino can pull it through but the all too elusive "unity" must happen first. He said that this country does not lack visionaries and good-intentioned activists but the problem lies on our arrogance against individual agendas. We all claim to be the "way". We all claim, in fact, to be the "only" way. To this Mr. Lozada proposes that we learn to respect each other's "map" and instead set our sights on the "compass" of truth for societal and personal transformation. While we will be coming from various diverse socio-religio-economic demography we all long for a just, sustainable, and peaceful Philippines. The core of the message is to follow the true north of lasting change.

In his talks around the country, Eng'r. Jun Lozada is being protected by his spritual advisers -- the nuns from various religious congregrations, the La Salle Brothers and several bishops. The nuns are led by no less than two of the country's foremost babaylans and social activists, Sister Mary John Mananzan and Sister Estrella Castalone.